Praise is due to you, O God. You are the God of our salvation. You are the hope of all the ends of the earth. We sing the glory of your name this morning. How awesome are your deeds. How great is your power. How marvelous is your grace. We praise you for Christ Jesus. We praise you for his perfect, joy-filled life. We praise you for his sacrificial death. We praise you for his life-giving resurrection. We praise you that Jesus is reigning and Jesus is returning.

Give us the assurance that in Christ we died, in him we rise, in his life we life, in his victory we triumph, in his ascension we shall be glorified. We confess that Jesus is our Redeemer, the Man of Sorrows was crowned with thorns. We rejoice that Jesus is now Lord of life wreathed with glory at your right hand.

Holy Spirit, fill us with a deep longing to know and enjoy and delight in Christ. Cause our love for him to abound more and more. Grant your grace to us so that Restoration Church might be zealous for good works. Lord, cause us to be eager to disciple other church members and build them up in Christ. Cause us to be quick to enter into the messiness and hardships of each other’s lives that we might compassionately point each other to Jesus. Cause us to walk in unity. Cause us to make personal preferences secondary to gospel purposes. We praise you for the ways this already happens inside the life of our church. This is a work of your grace among us.

We pray for those here this morning who are weary and downcast. Jesus, remind us of your words, “Come to me all who labor and are heaven laden, and I will give you rest…for I am gentle and lowly in heart, you will find rest for your souls.” We pray for those here this morning walking in unrepentant sin. Holy Spirit, draw us to yourself that we might see the shallowness of our sin in light of the sweetness of our Savior, Jesus Christ. We pray for those here this morning who find themselves in uncertain or unfavorable circumstances. Sovereign Lord, remind us of your meticulous care for our lives; that just as you feed the birds of the air and cloth the flowers of the field, how much more do you care for us? We pray for those here this morning who are not trusting in Christ Jesus for salvation. Gracious God, speak the light of life into their hearts that they might see Jesus as a greater pleasure than anything this world has to offer.

We pray for the advancement of the gospel. Use the ministry of Restoration Church to help others understand the good news of Jesus Christ. For the glory of your name, Lord, use each one of us to graciously speak the gospel with those around us. We pray that you would advance the gospel through Restoration City Church in Arlington and Redeemer City Church in Brookland. Use our brothers and sisters at The Well in Silver Spring and at McLean Bible to proclaim the glories of Christ Jesus. Use the saints at our mother church, North Wake, to continue making disciples of all nations.

We pray for the advancement of the gospel among the Kurdish and among Haitians. We pray for a great awakening among Muslims during Ramadan over these next 30 days. As they fast, grant dreams and visions that they might seek out the truth of Jesus. Use us, Lord, use us to graciously speak the truth of Jesus to our Muslim friends and neighbors that they might taste the freedom found in Jesus. For the fame of Christ Jesus, move among the Arabs of Morroco and the Kanuri of Nigeria and the Minangkabau of Indonesia.

We pray for the advancement of the gospel among ISIS and Al Qaeda and the Taliban and among Al-Shabaab. Yes, Lord, we pray for our enemies this morning. We pray for those who hate Christians and persecute our brothers and sisters around the world. Father, in your sovereign glory, turn these men and women from persecuting the church to planting gospel churches. For the glory of your name, richly pour out your saving grace on Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and Ahmed Direye. Bring Ibrahim al-Asiri to repentance and faith in Jesus. In your sovereign grace, use these men to not harm people, but to bring about their good. However, you choose to work Lord, restrain the evil these groups are able to bring about.

Father, as we pray these things we’re mindful of your saving grace toward us. Keep us from thinking we are somehow superior to others – even our enemies. We were once your enemies, yet in your infinite kindness, you demonstrated your own love for us in sending your eternal Son, Jesus Christ to die for us. Forgive us our sins, God. Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent, for the sake of your crucified and risen Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us; that we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your Name. Amen.