Make It Happen May!

“But the noble man makes noble plans and by noble deeds he stands.” (Isaiah 32:8, NIV84)

Plan More Prayer

How are we going to have a “Make It Happen May?”  We need to plan more!  A huge part of planning is setting a goal and so our noble goal for May 2021 is to see five souls or more added to our number this month.  We know our God “is able to do immeasurably more than we ask or imagine” but it is done “according to His power!”  We also know that this power “is at work within us!” (Ephesians 3:21)  We may plan more, but if we do not plan to pray more, we cannot hope to access this immeasurable power within us!  Jesus gave us the ultimate example of planning to pray more in Luke 4:16 as “Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed!”

If we are going to have a “Make It Happen May” then we must plan to pray more!  We need to be like our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and often withdraw to lonely places to pray!  This is because God is the one who makes the church grow and God is the one who adds to our number!  “So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.” (1 Corinthians 3:7)  If we move God (by planning to pray more) He will move the ministry!  “And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved!” (Acts 2:47)

Plan More Action

“But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds.” (James 2:18)  “Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.” (1st John 3:18)  If we are going to make it happen, we have to plan more action!  If we claim to have faith, let’s act on that faith together!  If we love, let us love the lost in our cities and around us by our actions and by telling them the truth!  This month, we are going to hold each other accountable for our actions and efforts to be more like Jesus!  We are setting daily effort goals in our evangelism and helping each other have an “action-packed” walk in the footsteps of Jesus!  Remember, “Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.” (1st John 2:6)

Jesus simply put it this way – “Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.” (Matthew 3:8)  We show our repentance with our action!  We decide to “repent and turn to God” (Plan More Prayer) and then we “demonstrate [our] repentance by [our] deeds.” (Plan More Action) (Acts 26:20)  It is time for our church family to answer the call to ACTION!  What are you going to plan and put in your schedule today, tomorrow, this week, this month?!  Set an evangelistic effort goal every day, pray, and then put it in your schedule to plan more action!

WEEK #1 SAVE THE MALES & THE MOMS

(Monday May 3rd – Sunday May 9th)

• “But many who heard the message believed; so the number of men who believed grew to about five thousand.” (Acts 4:4)
• We need to help more men become disciples of Jesus.  There are more women than men in the Phoenix church family.
• In setting our daily evangelistic effort goals, let’s make it a point to reach out to men in the community!  (Sisters, please ensure you have the phone number of your bible talk leader or house church leader to give out to men!)
• Encourage everyone we meet to join us for this Sunday’s regional Mother’s Day services and bring their mothers!

WEEK #2 BRING YOUR NEIGHBOR DAY

(Monday May 10th – Sunday May 16th)

• “So go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’ So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, the bad as well as the good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.” (Matthew 22:9-10)
• We have a congregational Sunday Service on May 16th!  It will be by small group (bible talk/house church) and it will be a powerful time.  Make sure to plan fellowship afterwards with guests both for those who are online and those who are present!
• Again, set a daily evangelistic effort goal and let’s continue to plan more prayer and more action for our “Make It Happen May!”
• Every disciple sets a personal effort goal for studies the coming week after the BYND!

WEEK #3 SET FREE SUNDAY

(Monday May 17th – Sunday May 23rd)

• “To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.  Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31-32)
• For this special congregational service we will have a special service designed to move the hearts of those who were at last week’s “Congregational BYND!”  We want to have all of our friends who we’ve asked to study the bible and have had to last week’s “BYND” service at church.  
• Every disciple sets a daily evangelistic effort goal and a weekly effort goal for bible studies!

WEEK #4 SPECIAL MISSIONS SUNDAY

(Monday May 24th – Sunday May 30th)

• “A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.” (Proverbs 11:25 NIV)  Now is the time for us to be generous both with our offering and our faith!  We want to close out Make It Happen May with victories for God’s glory!
• Our Special Missions goal is just over $100,000!  This goes to support brothers and sisters throughout the world who are serving as missionaries in recent church plantings as well as funding new plantings!  
• “Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, others will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else.  And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you.” (2 Corinthians 9:13-14)
• Let’s continue to plan more prayer and plan more action as we’ll certainly have a harvest if we do not give up!  “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” (Galatians 6:9)

With God, all things are possible!  Let’s go after our daily evangelism goals and not shy away from accountability and learning to do more together in service to Jesus and in our efforts to be like him! With the immeasurable power of our God, we will have a “Make It Happen May!”