Archive for the 'National Day of Prayer' Category
My Calling to Advance the Missional Vision of the National Day of Prayer
Mobilizing united public prayer for America may be the most important thing we can do right now for our nation.
America is broken. Division is undeniable and unity is missing. Racial tension is alarming. Lawlessness abounds. Reconciliation appears impossible.
Government cannot fix us. Politics will not heal us.
America needs God now more than any time in our generation.
It is prayer that precedes and forwards the advancement of the gospel. It is prayer that precedes any great movement of God. It is prayer that will precede the revival of the church and the next Great Spiritual Awakening.
In this desperate and urgent hour when turmoil and division are evident in America and security threats are very real, it is imperative that we do all we can to mobilize unified public prayer for America.
This is why I answered the call to advance the missional vision of the National Day of Prayer: Mobilizing unified public prayer for America. I will do so while I continue to serve as the Senior Pastor of Cross Church.
This Calling Was Issued by God Over Twenty Years Ago
In 1995, I was in my office early one morning, having my personal time with God. While reading the book of Exodus, God called me to pray and fast for our nation for forty days. While I had practiced fasting in my life, I had never done so to that level and for that reason. But God was more than clear to me. I launched out by faith, appealing to God daily about the state of our nation.
During this fast, God changed my life and the trajectory of my ministry. Not only did he deepen my passion for the gospel and its advancement, he placed in my heart an ongoing burden for our nation and its spiritual state. In this first forty-day fast in 1995, the Lord placed in my heart that He was going to bring a mighty spiritual revival to America that will transcend all denominational, cultural, racial, and ethnic lines. It was this moment that God called me to proclaim this message to my church. God brought revival to our church; His manifest presence came upon His people. Not only did this change me, it changed our church.
Through the years, the Lord has graciously opened many doors to stand and raise this vision. Our faith has deepened with expectation that the next Great Awakening in our nation is possible and can occur in our generation.
Therefore, my calling to advance the missional vision of the National Day of Prayer began in 1995 through forty days of prayer and fasting. It was not a calling to a position itself, but to a mission in life, forwarding my belief that God is going to bring a mighty spiritual revival in America that will transcend all denominational, cultural, racial and ethnic lines. Today and in this season of life, God has placed me in this humbling experience, serving as the president of this ministry that is tasked with mobilizing unified public prayer for America.
This Calling Was Confirmed in Recent Days
Since those days in 1995, God has deposited again and again the deep hope and vision for the next Great Spiritual Awakening. On Wednesday, April 17, 2013, four pastor friends and I casually visited The Billy Graham Training Center at The Cove in Asheville, North Carolina. None of us had ever been there before. We had some free time at the end of a conference we were attending, and decided to go.
While walking through the center, looking at the pictures and experiences of Billy Graham and his ministry and over lunch at Five Guys, the five of us were injected with a new vision to see a great movement of God throughout our nation. Within six months, we found ourselves hosting and leading not just one, but several major prayer gatherings for pastors who came from all over the nation.
After being elected President of the Southern Baptist Convention in 2014, I committed to do all I could to lead our convention of churches to seek God through praying for the next Great Spiritual Awakening in America. This led to major prayer meetings during our Tuesday night convention sessions, with thousands of people simultaneously calling out to God on behalf of our nation, churches, and personal lives.
Within the Last Few Weeks, This New Opportunity Was Extended to Me
This past January and March, I was asked to participate on a vision team formulated by the Board of Directors of the National Day of Prayer.
By the beginning of summer, I learned their board had determined to create a new position to lead this ministry into the future. I thought nothing more of it until I received a call from the chairman, who wanted me to talk with their team. I informed him that if I did, I would have to remain as Senior Pastor of Cross Church. He stated they were aware of this, and desired the same because of their goal to involve more churches in mobilizing unified public prayer for America.
On June 29, while visiting New York City, God placed in my spirit a new and greater passion to stand in the gap for this nation. I did not know what it would look like. Then, on August 4, I was informed that the Board of Directors was deeply convinced God wanted me in this position for this season, and I began to pray more seriously regarding this opportunity. On August 17 on a call with the Board of Directors of the National Day of Prayer, I informed them that through multiple Scriptures and moments, I believed God was indeed desiring me to lead this national prayer ministry while remaining as Senior Pastor of Cross Church. On August 22, the announcement was made.
I Will Be Faithful
I will be faithful to extend this call to pray for our nation and for the next Great Spiritual Awakening in our land. Praying for America should never be optional for any Christ follower in our nation.
Join me. Learn about The National Day of Prayer and its task force that is charged with this God-sized vision. Join us by signing up for our newsletter updates at http://www.nationaldayofprayer.org. Please pray for me and join me in this task.
Now is the Time to Lead and to Pray,
Ronnie W. Floyd
Senior Pastor, Cross Church
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Dr. Ronnie Floyd is the Senior Pastor of Cross Church, President of the National Day of Prayer, founder of the Cross Church School of Ministry, and host of the Ronnie Floyd on Life and Leadership Today podcast.
To request an interview with Dr. Ronnie Floyd
contact Gayla Oldham at (479) 751-4523 or email gaylao@crosschurch.com.
Visit our website at http://ronniefloyd.com
Follow Dr. Floyd on Twitter and Instagram @ronniefloyd
Dr. Ronnie Floyd is the President & CEO of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee.
While Staying at Cross Church as Senior Pastor, I am Becoming the President of the National Day of Prayer
As I continue in my present role as Senior Pastor at Cross Church, I have accepted the calling to serve as the President of the National Day of Prayer. Each year since 1988, The National Day of Prayer has been designated as the first Thursday in May. A law that originated in 1952 was amended by both the House and the Senate unanimously, then signed into law by President Ronald Reagan on Thursday, May 5, 1988.
According to the National Day of Prayer website, over 30,000 observances of the 2017 National Day of Prayer were attended by two million people. From sunrise in Maine to sunset in Hawaii, 40,000 volunteers organized prayer observances for our nation from small towns to state capitals to Washington D.C. Additionally, people stopped their activities to pray for America in schools, businesses, churches, homes, county court houses, and on the steps of city halls. The National Day of Prayer is even printed on Hallmark calendars. The National Day of Prayer was also experienced in some way in over eighty countries of the world.
The National Day of Prayer mobilizes unified public prayer for America. In this desperate and urgent hour when turmoil and division is evident in America and security threats are being made against America, it is imperative that we do all we can right now to mobilize unified public prayer for America.
America’s greatest need today is to experience the next Great Spiritual Awakening. We know that no great movement of God ever occurs that is not preceded by the extraordinary prayer of God’s people.
In order to accomplish this grand vision, I believe four major components are imperative:
Component #1: The National Day of Prayer mobilizes unified public prayer for America.
Based upon the Bible and centered on Jesus Christ, it is our prayer that the Holy Spirit will usher in another spiritual awakening as He has done before in our history, shaping our spiritual heritage as a nation.
Component #2: The National Day of Prayer must become a movement of prayer for America.
Not just for one day a year, but every day of the year, with each day moving our nation toward the most important day annually… the National Day of Prayer. As we do this, we are praying it will become a catalyst as a national rhythm of prayer for the next Great Spiritual Awakening in America.
Component #3: The National Day of Prayer must become a multi-church, multi-denominational, multi-ministry, multi-generational, multi-ethnic, and multi-lingual movement of prayer for America.
I believe this is possible by having strategic partnerships with churches, ministries, and denominations. We must create authentic relationships with all people regardless of who and where they are, whatever their age, stage, or vocation may be. With a convictional and competent staff team, we will exemplify servant leadership to all persons.
Component #4: The National Day of Prayer must engage with the digital world via relevant and robust channels.
We believe we can do this through becoming the leading provider of prayer resources and strategies across America. Through resourcing via video, audio, and written forms of communication, this vision is possible. Through creating webinars and conferences, we will be able to inform, equip, and mobilize our target audience toward unified public prayer for America.
Our Board of Directors at Cross Church as well as our Leadership Staff Team have given their blessing. They believe, as do I, my serving in this role is another way our church can be part of accomplishing our vision of Reaching Northwest Arkansas, America, and the world for Jesus Christ.
As the National Day of Prayer focuses on mobilizing unified public prayer for America, I am fully aware we cannot do this without you. We need you.
Whatever your level of influence, please leverage it for God’s glory by praying for America. Mark your calendar for May 3, 2018, and participate in the National Day of Prayer. You can attend an observance, begin a new observance in your town or city, and even lead it if you desire.
The National Day of Prayer needs your prayer support. The needs are great for additional staff as well as financial resources. There has never been a time in our generation where united public prayer for America has been needed more than now.
I request from you humbly: Pray for me daily.
I truly believe all of this is possible because God can do more in a moment than we can do in a lifetime.
Now is the Time to Lead and to Pray,
Ronnie W. Floyd
Full press release can be viewed here.
Dr. Ronnie Floyd is the President & CEO of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee.