EBCC MASS PRAYER FOR THE STATE OF MANIPUR | Friday, June 10, 2016
Theme:“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from Heaven, and I will forgive their sins and will heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14
The service started at 8 AM and concluded at 2:30 PM. During the service, in sessions of one hour interval, each of the Pastors or Deacons took turns leading the congregation in prayer on many and varied topics and issues.
Session - I: Acknowledgment of Sin and Repentance
Pastor N Tuang Lang opened the first session by turning to theme and pointed out the words ‘humble’, ‘pray,’ ‘seek my face,’ and ‘turn from their wicked ways,’ which indeed are the conditions set by God in order for us to receive His healing. There is a much-needed lesson to learn from the way the Pharisee and the publican prayed. It is only through Jesus that we can seek the face of God and approach Him. The Pastor exhorted the congregation to seek the face of God only, and not the faces of men, officers, politicians, or worldly leaders.
Prayer points:Prepare and cleanse ourselves to be in a fellowship with the Holy God; acknowledge and atone for our sinful ways; our self-righteousness; the shortcomings of leaders and the masses alike; the many types of corruption including ‘corruption in use of time’; ungodly excesses in the struggle against The Three Bills; vile obscenities in our social media engagements; sexual immoralities; faulty and sinful deeds that various organizations and the Church might have taken in the past; dishonesty in benefitting from Food Security Act implementation;
The Deacons contributed: why could it be that the Church is so dry? Why has praying together become so difficult? How have we come to a situation where one is now afraid that his prayers might be overheard by another sitting next to him?
When Jesus was about to feed the Five Thousand, the first thing that the masses did was ‘obey the Lord’ and simply sat down on the ground, when they could have dispersed and search for food themselves. This is what the Lord requires of us - to obey Him, so that we can receive His blessings more and more. There is a need to balance our physical strength and spiritual health. It makes us think if our present difficulties were not a result of our brute physical efforts rather than turning to the Lord first and beseech His guidance.
Selected Hymns: ‘What A Friend We Have In Jesus,’ ‘Jesu kiang’ gen ning’
Session – II: Thanksgiving and Praise
Pastor H Biakson presided over this session. Based on the passage ‘Rejoice in the Lord always’ [Philippians 4:4], the Pastor brought out the greatness of Paul the Apostle in finding reasons to rejoice in the Lord despite the very difficult circumstances he was in. While languishing in the dungeon waiting for his time to come, he did not pray for deliverance, nor did he lament or give in to misery. His spiritual vision was clear; his worldly tribulations did not blind him from seeing the Lord he was worshipping, and did not stop him from spreading that powerful message from the depth of the dungeon. While the world has all its cares and tribulations, there are still more reasons to give thanks to the Lord and rejoice in Him always.
Thanksgiving points:His Grace that made possible the prayer service in an unrestrained environment; the gift of Leaders of the nation, of the society, and of the church; other leaders and the responsible masses who have come forward to help rebuild our land; His numerous blessings in manifold ways; the gift of song composers that allow us to sing His praise in our own tongue; withholding of assent to the Three Bills by the President of India; recent developments in the affairs between the Central government and the UPF.
Selected Hymn: ‘Aw Kalvari Taang gaal in ka don a’
Session – III: Supplication
Deacon Tuanmuanthang, Deacon Ngulminthang, Pastor N Tuang Lang and Deacon Dr B Langkham took turns presiding over the final session of the service. Passages from the scripture were read out and discussed. From Proverbs 14:34 and Acts 4:23-31, it was learned that the Believers’ cries in their moment of desperation were to the Sovereign Lord; that they were praying together when the Holy Spirit filled them! Moses’ doubts and questions to God at the time of his calling, in fact, were ‘strategies’ that a leader needed to equip himself with to lead his people. Moses was only asking the Lord for a thorough understanding of what lay ahead and clear-cut directions on what he must do.
Prayer points:Invocation of the Holy Spirit to bring revival upon our land and the people; leaders of various organizations in the fight against the Three Bills; that the problems relating to the Three Bills may not prolong any further; comfort for the families of the nine Martyrs; leaders of the Church and missionaries in near and far Fields; members of the UPF and functionaries of the Central government.
Selected Hymns: ‘Jesus, Lover of my Soul,’ ‘We Praise Thee’
Towards the end of the service, Pastor H Biakson delivered a brief discourse on the seven churches of the Book of Revelation, which were Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea. In Matthew 16:18, Jesus said that he would build “his church” on the rock that was Peter. It is very important for us believers to understand that the church is not our own but Christ’s.
The congregation rose to the hymn “I Surrender All” and Local Chairman Deacon Damsomthang closed the service with a prayer.
-By H. Kamlianmung, Content Writer
