Tuesday is the day our ministry has set aside for “explicit agreement and visible union of God’s people in extraordinary prayer for the revival of religion,” especially as it relates to the 2006 Snow Retreat. I brainstormed a bit in preparation for our prayer meeting this afternoon and decided to focus my requests on the work of the Spirit.
There is a lot about the work of the Spirit in The Religious Affections, in particular, what are genuine works of the Spirit and what are counterfeit. The presupposition is that the Spirit’s influence is necessary in producing holy affections (even though knockoff affections can be simulated by other means). God-centered and God-pleasing affections are things that we cannnot produce in ourselves or induce in others without the Spirit. For spiritual and eternal dividends we must depend on the supernatural work of the third person of the Trinity.
For example, we need the Spirit to:
- convict us of our sin (John 16:8)
- point out the excellencies of Jesus (John 15:26; 16:14; 1 Corinthians 12:3)
- save unbelievers — causing new birth (John 3:5-6)
- sanctify believers — causing us to put to death the deeds of the flesh (Romans 8:4, 13)
- help us in prayer (Romans 8:26)
- strengthen us with power (Ephesians 3:16)
- give us understanding of Scripture (1 Corinthians 2:10-12; cf. John 14:26)
- enable and energize our worship (Philippians 3:3)
[For some of last retreat’s prayer requests look here.]
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