Your Voice

Pray for student missionaries

If prayer is the greater work, what a great work — a privilege even — we’ve been given. This is true in all areas of our lives, but I want to highlight that work in our role as partners to those serving Christ around the globe.

We are celebrating as students begin their journey and, because prayer is the greater work, we are beginning a prayer focus on our Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

Follow along to see the faces of those serving. Pray for these students by name. Share and encourage others to join you on this prayer journey this summer.

What a work we have before us. What a privilege it is to do this work.

• Pray that God would bless their efforts.
• Pray that God would use their faithfulness.
• Pray that God would reveal Himself to and through these students.

Find more ways to pray at onemissionstudents.org/prayer-is-the-greater-work.

Chris Mills
Student missions mobilizer
Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions

“If you can trust God to save you for eternity, you can trust Him to lead you for a lifetime.”

David Platt
Pastor and author

While 80% of our churches are in decline or plateaued, every church could use improvement to become more effective in fulfilling the Great Commission. Casting vision often requires raising the bar of service and engagement.

One trait of effective leadership is properly elevating the sense of urgency. When the leader can lead the organization to a genuine understanding of the urgency on each person, results will begin to climb.

George Yates
Church health strategist
Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions

God doesn’t want heaven to just be our destination; He wants it to be our inspiration of how we live on earth. God’s blessings aren’t simply blessings. They are meant to inspire us to look toward heaven.

Pastor Gregg Matte
Houston’s First Baptist Church
Houston, Texas

We are called to act, not react. We should not be easily triggered. What does Jesus say to do? Love God, love others. When I react, I very seldom honor God.

Pastor Deron Spoo
First Baptist Church
Tulsa, Okla.

As you evaluate your motive, your worship and your habit of “meeting together,” think on the words of Louie Giglio, “Follow the trail of your time, your affection, your energy, your money and your allegiance. At the end of that trail you’ll find a throne; and whatever, or whoever, is on that throne is what’s of highest value to you. On that throne is what you worship.”

Make sure Jesus is on that throne.

Pastor Jimmy Stewart
First Baptist Church
Gulfport, Miss.

Church planting is slowing, and the number of closures is growing. Yet the opportunity is still before us — people are searching spiritually, and the gospel is the answer.

Ed Stetzer
Executive director
Wheaton College Billy Graham Center

From the Twitterverse

@shane_pruitt78
The church isn’t a building to be maintained, it’s a people to be mobilized.

@pastorjgkell
“The podcast preacher isn’t going to fly in and pray for you. God’s Word teaches that you need a local church where people know their pastors and the pastors know the people.” —Bill Deckert

@richardaross
On the student ministry webpage — that lists the major gatherings each week — what if the first one listed was corporate worship on Sunday morning? What if leaders presented that hour as the very heart of student ministry?

@andrewhebert86
I woke up this morning to a really encouraging text message from a deacon, and his encouragement is still on my mind. I thank God for godly men and servants in the church who help hold up the arms of their pastor!

@lecrae
Expecting the worst outcome doesn’t protect you from hurt … it robs you of hope.

@WendyAlsup
How are you stewarding the land you’ve been given this week? What seeds are you planting? What tender shoots should you water? You may not harvest for a long time, but you can still fertilize and weed. Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness. Ps. 37:3

@dailyspurgeon
It is a very cheap sort of virtue, that — bullying other people’s vices; the easiest thing in all the world is to be constantly denouncing popular faults; but to wring the neck of one of my own bosom sins is a harder work by far, and a much better sign of conversion.

@BillyGraham
“In the darkest hour God can still revive His people, and by the Holy Spirit breathe new vigor and power into the body of Christ.” #BillyGraham

@trillianewbell
I’m fully aware of my sinfulness. I know I can be distracted. I am sure I have blind spots. But man I do love the Lord. The more I learn the more I realize how much I don’t know. He’s marvelous. His grace is uncalled for. He is a “marvelous mystery.” I’m His and He is mine! Wow.

@Charleswsmithjr
One of the clearest signs of pride is the inability to celebrate the accomplishments of others.