How do you prepare to get ready for an influx of new believers as a result of prayer? This week, guest speaker Tim Zulker—executive director of New England Urban Church Planting and longtime mentor to leaders across Rhode Island—shared a message from Ephesians 4:1–16 about preparing for revival through unity and maturity in Christ. He reminded us that the gospel follows a specific pattern—what Christ has done first, and then how we respond. Following the pattern can we live lives worthy of our calling. A unified and growing church, marked by humility, gentleness, and love, is the best preparation for new believers God will bring. Tim urged us to reject cultural divisiveness, pursue reconciliation, and use our gifts to build up the body—because the local church is the most important thing happening on earth.
Prayer & Revival: Persistance in Prayer
Luke 11
In this sermon on prayer and revival, Vicky Griffiths encourages us to rethink how we approach God. Drawing from Luke 11, the teaching emphasizes bold, persistent, and shamelessly audacious prayer—asking, seeking, and knocking until we see results. Jesus models a relationship with a loving Father, assuring us that God delights in giving good gifts, especially the ultimate gift: the Holy Spirit. Through stories—from the disciples learning to pray, to a personal family tale of tending tomato plants—the sermon highlights that persistence in prayer, fueled by love and faith, develops patience, humility, and trust. The message closes with a call to reflect, share, and pray together, putting persistence into action in our own spiritual journeys. Here are two discussion questions that the congregation answered in small groups after the sermon:
Reflect on how you feel about prayer.
Is there something that’s encouraged you recently?
Is there an area where you are feeling resistance?
Prayer & Revival: This Kind Comes Only By Prayer
In this message on Prayer and Revival, Pastor Scott reminds us that revival isn’t just emotional hype but a move of God that awakens us to His presence and reshapes everyday life. Looking at examples like the Moravian prayer movement and Isaiah’s vision of God’s holiness, he shows how revival begins with repentance, brokenness, and a fresh awareness of God. Scott challenges us to ask, “What is my assignment?”—whether that’s foster care, refugee ministry, local service or whatever—and to increase our prayer intensity because some strongholds only break through prayer and fasting. With unusual hunger for God rising in our region, the call is clear: contend in prayer, push back darkness, and build a lifestyle of prayer that fuels lasting transformation.
Prayer & Revival: How to Sustain
In part two of our Prayer and Revival series, we focus on how to keep the fire of prayer burning once God has lit it in our hearts. We look at the importance of abiding in God’s love—rejecting condemnation and coming boldly to Him even when we feel weak or unworthy. We also talk about the need to persevere through struggle, since distractions, disappointments, and spiritual resistance often try to quench our prayer life. This message is a call to keep seeking God no matter what we feel, trusting Him to use every trial to deepen our fire and draw us closer to Him.
Prayer & Revival: Reorienting Your Life for a Move of God
This sermon launches a three-week series on Prayer and Revival, calling the church to pursue a deeper, Spirit-filled life. Scott explains that revival is not hype or a planned event but an extraordinary outpouring of the Spirit that awakens people to God, brings repentance, and fills believers with fresh zeal. He gives three appeals: Believe – be awakened to God’s eagerness to pour out His Spirit and refuse to settle for spiritual mediocrity; Weep – see the Church and world from God’s perspective, allowing holy sorrow to fuel prayer; and Consecrate – deal ruthlessly with sin and remove distractions that crowd out devotion. Without prayerful consecration, we remain spiritually dry and ineffective. The message calls the church to reorient life around the pursuit of God, making prayer, fasting, and devotion top priorities, preparing for a fresh move of the Spirit in this generation.