Welcome to the March 2023 Prayer Vigil!

Thank you for joining us in this time of prayer. As the sermons at our church are now on the Book of Colossians, let us meditate on some verses from Chapter 1 of Apostle Paul’s letter and pray as God’s word and His Spirit guide us. Listen to what the Father has to say to you and respond in prayer.

“3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all God’s people— 5 the faith and love that spring from the hope stored up for you in heaven and about which you have already heard in the true message of the gospel 6 that has come to you. In the same way, the gospel is bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world—just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood God’s grace. 7 You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf, 8 and who also told us of your love in the Spirit.” 

Holy Father, we pray that IBC is like the church at Colossae where believers were known for their faith in Christ Jesus and for their love for all God’s people - the faith and love that spring from the same hope that they had through the teaching of the true message of the gospel. We pray that we are people who also “truly understand God’s grace” and that there is nothing whatsoever we can do for ourselves to be redeemed from our sins. We pray that the gospel is also bearing fruit among us and may we, like Epaphras who brought your gospel to the Colossians, be faithful ministers of Christ to bring the gospel to people in Hong Kong and wherever you may direct us. May the love that we have spring from the power of your Spirit.

“9 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, 10 so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, 12 and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. 13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”

Father, we pray for those who have come to know you through us, and also for ourselves, that we will be filled with the knowledge of your will through the wisdom and understanding that is given by your Spirit. May our lives be pleasing to you in all our ways so that all our good works may bear fruit and help us to grow in knowledge of you. May we be strengthened with all power through your glorious might that we may have great endurance and patience in all of life’s situations, knowing that a lack of endurance leads to a “losing heart” and lack of patience leads to “wrath or revenge”. We rejoice and give thanks to you because you have qualified us to be heirs among your holy people in your kingdom of light. What a blessing it is that we have been rescued from the dominion of darkness into the kingdom of you son, Jesus Christ, who has redeemed us, and through whom we have forgiveness for our sins!

“15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.”

We thank you Father that we are able to experience and relate to you through Jesus Christ your son who has the place of highest honour above all creation. How awesome it is that we have also been created through him and for him, so that there is nothing we can boast about but that we can rejoice because of the love he has for us. There are invisible things that we do not even know of and it is in Christ that all things hold together and that he is supreme above all things because your fullness as Almighty God dwells in him. We thank you that we have been reconciled and have peace with you through the shedding of his blood on the cross. May we all submit to him as he is the head of IBC and all the churches in the world.

“21 Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. 22 But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— 23 if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.”

We praise and thank you Father! Because even though we were once enemies with you because of our evil thoughts and ways, we are now reconciled with you through the death of Christ while in his physical body so that now you see us as holy and without fault. Help us to continue in our faith that it may be established and firm so that we will not stray from the hope that is in the gospel. May we like Paul become servants of your gospel.

Let us continue in prayer for –

• Unity of the Body of Christ at IBC in the Holy Spirit to focus on Worship, Prayer and the Word of God for the transformation of lives and the proclamation of the Gospel.
• The pastor search team members and our church that we will wait patiently for the Lord to reveal the one He has chosen to help Christ shepherd IBC.
• The Spirit’s empowerment for Steve Metz as he preaches from the Book of Colossians and his preparation for preaching in the coming weeks.
• God’s guidance for ministry teams in the use of resources for the work of God’s kingdom as we enter the new financial year, with a continual focus on discipleship.
• Pastor Will’s travel to Hong Kong on 12 March and the church annual general meeting on 26 March.
• God’s continual guidance and protection for Pastor Will, Valerie, Joshua and Zach.
• Our members who are reaching out to street sleepers and others who need Jesus; those we are supporting here and in different parts of the world on mission for the Gospel.
• God to help and protect our families and marriages and heal any damaged relationships for His glory; God’s people to continually guide and mentor our children, youths, young adults that they will grow as disciples of Jesus Christ.
• The Lord’s compassion, mercy, healing and care for friends and family who wrestle with illness or infirmities – Lena Lam (treatment for recurrence of brain cancer); Michelle Niem (to receive the right treatment for sarcoma); Thomas Lam (healing for his eyes); Iris’ two sisters (for long term cancer remission and healing); Stephanie’s mother (for restored health after cancer treatment); Quina’s friend Paula in California (treatment for cancer); Alice, sibling of Jackson’s sister-in-law (healing after cancer surgery); Anna Chen’s niece, MeiMei and her family (as she receives care for terminal illness); for God’s grace and care for Beatrice, Y.M. Chen and Herald Lau.
• God to grant wisdom, strength and patience to caregivers that Christ will be made known and glorified.
• Those we hope will receive salvation through God’s grace – Frank Lai’s brother Jan who is attending a church; Kenneth Lee’s mother and siblings; Michelle Niem’s family members; Angela’s sister and brother-in-law; Pansy’s husband; Stephanie’s parents; Frederick’s mother; Mona’s colleague and neighbour Lily; Ivy’s son and family; Cliff Tan’s father in the U.S.

[This prayer guide was prepared by Charles Ip]