Articles
Why Do We Have Monthly, Cape-wide, Multi-Church Prayer Meetings?
by The GOGCC Team on April 12, 2016
Why Do We Have Monthly, Multi-Church, Cape-wide Prayer Meetings?
By The GOGCC Team
Dear friends,
Grace and peace to you in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ!
As you know, for the last seven years, we have been having monthly, Cape-wide, multi-church prayer meetings where we come together in united prayer for revival on the Cape. Additionally, a group of pastors and leaders from various denominational and theological backgrounds have been gathering together monthly for prayer for the last 11 1/2 years.
Why do we gather for prayer?
What are these meetings about?
What are we trying to accomplish?
What are our hopes and expectations?
Why are we calling for a multi-denominational, multi-generational, multi-ethnic, grassroots prayer movement on the Cape?
The GOGCC vision can be summarized in three points: cultivating unity, pursuiing consecration/walking right with God, and gathering for united multi-church prayer for revival.
The video below by J. Edwin Orr, who is considered a scholar and expert on revival history, very much articulates the heart of the Glory of God on Cape Cod vision, and why we do all that we do. We don't believe that the GOGCC united prayer meetings initiative was our own idea. We did not simply decide on our own that this would be a good thing to do because others have done it. We believe that as God stirred His remnant in past revivals to pray and give birth to His purposes then, He is stirring us now to stand before Him in prayer, to give birth to His purposes in our time.
We trust that you will be encouraged and inspired as you hear J. Edwin Orr share on what God has done in past revivals in the US and elsewhere, even in the darkest of conditions. We invite you to join us at our monthly prayer meetings, so we too respond to the Lord, as His remnant responded to Him in their time.
Grace and peace to you in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ!
As you know, for the last seven years, we have been having monthly, Cape-wide, multi-church prayer meetings where we come together in united prayer for revival on the Cape. Additionally, a group of pastors and leaders from various denominational and theological backgrounds have been gathering together monthly for prayer for the last 11 1/2 years.
Why do we gather for prayer?
What are these meetings about?
What are we trying to accomplish?
What are our hopes and expectations?
Why are we calling for a multi-denominational, multi-generational, multi-ethnic, grassroots prayer movement on the Cape?
The GOGCC vision can be summarized in three points: cultivating unity, pursuiing consecration/walking right with God, and gathering for united multi-church prayer for revival.
The video below by J. Edwin Orr, who is considered a scholar and expert on revival history, very much articulates the heart of the Glory of God on Cape Cod vision, and why we do all that we do. We don't believe that the GOGCC united prayer meetings initiative was our own idea. We did not simply decide on our own that this would be a good thing to do because others have done it. We believe that as God stirred His remnant in past revivals to pray and give birth to His purposes then, He is stirring us now to stand before Him in prayer, to give birth to His purposes in our time.
We trust that you will be encouraged and inspired as you hear J. Edwin Orr share on what God has done in past revivals in the US and elsewhere, even in the darkest of conditions. We invite you to join us at our monthly prayer meetings, so we too respond to the Lord, as His remnant responded to Him in their time.
The Role of Prayer in Spiritual Awakening
By J.Edwin Orr
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxGDPCEVW60
In this video:
* The dark conditions in the American colonies and in the church after the Revolutionary War.
* How God used the united prayers of the church to displace the darkness and birth revival in the land.
* Jonathan Edwards' three elements for revival: explicit agreement, visible unity, and extraordinary prayer, summarized in "A Humble Attempt" (see link below)
* 1794: A plea for prayer by Isaac Backus during the darkest conditions in New England at that time.
*Response to the 1794 prayer initaitive, the birth of prayer meetings across America, and the subsequent outbreak of revival, beginning in New England.
* 1800: The great Kentucky revival that summer that reversed the bleak conditions in that region at that time, and brought in a great harvest.
* The spread of the revival from Kentucky to Tenessee, North and South Carolina.
* Fruit of the revival: Birth of the missionary movement, the abolitionest movement, and education. 600 colleges in the Midwest were founded by revivalists.
* United prayer birthed revival, and revival birthed societal transformation.
* How spiritual conditions deteriorated in the middle of the 19th century because of division and prosperity.
* 1857: Once again, in the middle of darkness, there arose another plea for united prayer: The initiative of Jeremiah Lamphier in New York.
* The birth and spread of united prayer meetings in New York, resulting in a revival with 10,000 people coming to Christ weekly.
* The spread of revival from New York to New England to Chicago where D.L. Moody was, with his ministry subsequently lasting 40 years.
* More than 1 million people came to Christ in one year, out of a population of 30 million.
* The spread of the revival from America to Ireland, Scotland, Wales, England, South Africa, and South India.
* Revival began with a movement of prayer and was sustained by a movement of prayer.
* 1905: Revival among Yale University students.
* Atlantic City revival report at that time: Out of a population of 50,000, there were only 50 adults
left unconverted to Christ.
* Porland, Oregon revival report at that time: 240 department stores closed daily from 11 am - 2 pm for prayer.
* 1904-1905 Welch revival: Evan Roberts' prayer, "Oh God, bend me." He preached four things:
Confess all known sin to God and put away all wrong done to man, put away any doubtful habits, obey the Spirit promptly, and confess Christ publically.
* 100,000 people came to Christ in less than 1 year during the Welch Revival.
* How the Welch Revival transfomed society at that time, spread to England, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Germany, Canada, USA, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, East Africa, West Africa, Central Africa, North Africa, Brazil, and Chile.
* How revival impacted Denmark so greatly at that time, that the Danish Parliament had to convene to legislate a new law.
* How different denominations in the united prayer mvement maintained their own distinctives. They accepted one another in their diversity and regarded one another as brothers and sisters in Christ. Unity was relational, not organizational.
* The need for churches to mobilize their congregations towards united prayer.
* Revival is not up to us. God is sovereign and it is He who sends revival, but we must respond. Matthew Henry said, "When God intends great mercy for His people, He first of all, sets them apraying." God has chosen to work with our cooperation.
* Whether your interpretaton of revival is Calvanistic or Armenian, it is a very simple thing: God calls us to pray and He will work among us.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxGDPCEVW60
In this video:
* The dark conditions in the American colonies and in the church after the Revolutionary War.
* How God used the united prayers of the church to displace the darkness and birth revival in the land.
* Jonathan Edwards' three elements for revival: explicit agreement, visible unity, and extraordinary prayer, summarized in "A Humble Attempt" (see link below)
* 1794: A plea for prayer by Isaac Backus during the darkest conditions in New England at that time.
*Response to the 1794 prayer initaitive, the birth of prayer meetings across America, and the subsequent outbreak of revival, beginning in New England.
* 1800: The great Kentucky revival that summer that reversed the bleak conditions in that region at that time, and brought in a great harvest.
* The spread of the revival from Kentucky to Tenessee, North and South Carolina.
* Fruit of the revival: Birth of the missionary movement, the abolitionest movement, and education. 600 colleges in the Midwest were founded by revivalists.
* United prayer birthed revival, and revival birthed societal transformation.
* How spiritual conditions deteriorated in the middle of the 19th century because of division and prosperity.
* 1857: Once again, in the middle of darkness, there arose another plea for united prayer: The initiative of Jeremiah Lamphier in New York.
* The birth and spread of united prayer meetings in New York, resulting in a revival with 10,000 people coming to Christ weekly.
* The spread of revival from New York to New England to Chicago where D.L. Moody was, with his ministry subsequently lasting 40 years.
* More than 1 million people came to Christ in one year, out of a population of 30 million.
* The spread of the revival from America to Ireland, Scotland, Wales, England, South Africa, and South India.
* Revival began with a movement of prayer and was sustained by a movement of prayer.
* 1905: Revival among Yale University students.
* Atlantic City revival report at that time: Out of a population of 50,000, there were only 50 adults
left unconverted to Christ.
* Porland, Oregon revival report at that time: 240 department stores closed daily from 11 am - 2 pm for prayer.
* 1904-1905 Welch revival: Evan Roberts' prayer, "Oh God, bend me." He preached four things:
Confess all known sin to God and put away all wrong done to man, put away any doubtful habits, obey the Spirit promptly, and confess Christ publically.
* 100,000 people came to Christ in less than 1 year during the Welch Revival.
* How the Welch Revival transfomed society at that time, spread to England, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Germany, Canada, USA, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, East Africa, West Africa, Central Africa, North Africa, Brazil, and Chile.
* How revival impacted Denmark so greatly at that time, that the Danish Parliament had to convene to legislate a new law.
* How different denominations in the united prayer mvement maintained their own distinctives. They accepted one another in their diversity and regarded one another as brothers and sisters in Christ. Unity was relational, not organizational.
* The need for churches to mobilize their congregations towards united prayer.
* Revival is not up to us. God is sovereign and it is He who sends revival, but we must respond. Matthew Henry said, "When God intends great mercy for His people, He first of all, sets them apraying." God has chosen to work with our cooperation.
* Whether your interpretaton of revival is Calvanistic or Armenian, it is a very simple thing: God calls us to pray and He will work among us.
A Humble Attempt
by Jonathan Edwards
http://www.thegloryofgodoncapecod.com/the-glory-of-god/news/a-humble-attempt%2c-by-joanathan-edwards.html
Conclusion:
Once again, in the middle of darkness, God is stirring His remnant, us, to stand before Him in united prayer to give birth to His purposes. He desires to shine the light of Christ in our land, to birth revival in the church, and bring a harvest of multitudes to Jesus Christ. What would happen on Cape Cod and beyond if we responded to God's call of cultivating unity, pursuing consecration, and gathering for united prayer? Could we possibly see in our generation something similar to what God did in past revivals? We believe so. God has used the united prayers of His remnant throughout history to literally change the course of nations, and He is still doing that today across the globe! We warmly invite all followers of Christ in this region, of all ages, denominations, and ethnic groups, to join us at our monthly, multi-church prayer meetings for revival in this region. Spread the word and invite your circle of friends to join us too. Feel free to share this message. Your prayers will make a difference.
