Planting, growing and maintaining fruitful avocados in Scotland – a vision of what The Concert of Prayer is called to do in Scotland.
Planting, growing and maintaining fruitful avocados in Scotland – a vision of what The Concert of Prayer is called to do in Scotland through training leaders and churches to pray together, host prayer meetings, enjoy prayer and demonstrating how to create a culture of joyful and vibrant prayer in any local church for the purpose of revitalising churches and getting Scotland revival ready.
Background
After five years of the ministry ‘Concert of Prayer for Scotland’, which was birthed in January 2020, it has come time to refresh the vision and clarify the calling God has placed on the ministry and what lane He has this ministry (which is His idea, and therefore His ministry ultimately) running in across Scotland. Scotland has historically experienced more revivals than most nations have, almost always birthed when the church started to pray earnestly and in a sustained manner to ‘The Lord of the Harvest’ for more labourers, which He sent in vast numbers and which the church in Scotland sent across the world over previous centuries. The church in Scotland today is a very different place, with many churches prayerless and lifeless. But God is never done with his people. This vision is described using imagery of planting an avocado plant in Scotland – something that is not possible, but something we believe as a ministry God will do in our time. Below is a summary of what part we believe God wants the Concert of Prayer for Scotland to play in Scotland over the coming years.
Planting:
There are no instant/microwave results – the effects of prayer in any church can take time to develop and mature and be ingrained in the culture of a church. Avocado trees produce dense shade and can ‘take over’ an entire garden. So, a culture of prayer affects the whole church.
Growing:
There needs to be a good warm, welcoming and expectant atmosphere for prayer to progress in a local church. It can take time to admit this and even longer to agree to change and for a church to embrace biblical principles and learn to pray together – the prayer meeting will become the furnace, the engine room of every local church, setting fire to all other areas of church life.
Maintaining:
It is not about the length of our prayer times, but the quality of the times with God, Is the Bible prayed, are people united in their local church in prayer or are individuals doing horizontal prayers or praying out of tune (focussed always on the nations when the local situation is burning) or a few ‘experts’ who pray long prayers round the world killing it for others? Sharing prayer stories and encouraging churches to help other churches nearby is a way of stirring excitement in prayer.
Noting that each church is different and will need a different focus because each church is different in culture, gifting, maturity etc. We do not have a one size fits all approach. We must come alongside churches and understand the unique needs, position, progress and expectancy for corporate prayer and their longing for all Scotland to be saved.
Fruitful:
Each church will take many years to embed and see joyful prayer replace dutiful prayer and growing across all areas of church life. This can’t be rushed but must be waited on, observed and nurtured – stewarding is the best word.
There is no shortcut, even the nail in the trunk (stopping badly run prayer meetings, boring meetings, mechanical, dry meetings – to restart a healthy culture of prayer – but this advice is not listened to often, it seems like it is killing the prayer culture, but it brings new life).
Avocados:
The entire church will enjoy the fruit of this change to the culture as the flames of the prayer furnace go upwards from the foundations – a church revitalised, activated and on the move. This fruitfulness becomes self-sustaining as God himself provides the growth. No fancy methods, programs are needed – just God himself.
Scotland:
This will work with any size of church but catches on and embeds where the leadership of the church really wants to see their church praying and all that results from a church at prayer.
We are looking to see native, fruiting, re-producing trees (praying churches) across Scotland.
We are looking to do the impossible and see vibrant and joyful prayer become widespread like a plant native across Scotland – like in previous seasons when during revivals God turned up.
This is a very long-term vision, that will affect Scotland for hundreds of years. We will not look back with nostalgia at former revivals but will look to the future where sustained growth and church revitalisation is constantly, ever increasing through the zeal of the Lord.