Hi folks, I hope you are well, this week we are meeting at the Kittiwake at 8.00pm, it would be great to see you if you are able.
We continue to think about some of the major influencers of the Christian faith around prayer, this week we are thinking about Count Zinzendorf. Zinzendorf was born in 1700 in to an aristocratic Austro-German family. He was a social reformer, bishop, hymn writer, architect, and was behind a religious order based around a Moravian village at Herrnhut.
He was though a man of prayer, scholar George Forell described him as ‘the noble Jesus freak’! Whilst at Halle Academy he had instigated seven praying societies, all before the age of sixteen. At twenty-two he built a village to house some refugees who stumbled on to the estate, this was called Herrnhut – which means ‘The Lords Watch’. In 1727 when the community was very young he gathered folks together in the local church and challenged them to apologise to each other for quarrelling, the account of this event states the Holy Spirt turned up and a fortnight later a group of twenty four men and twenty four women were inspired by Leviticus 6:13 ‘the sacred fire was never permitted to go out at the altar’. These folks committed themselves to pray continually, each taking an hour, day and night. Prayer would never stop here for over a hundred years!
After five years of continuous prayer Zinzendorf began to send out missionaries. Herrnhut would become the epicentre of the missionary movement of the eighteenth century. These missionaries moved by prayer went to nation after nation that had not heard the story of Jesus. Every missionary that was sent out would partner with a family to intercede for them and financially to support them whilst on mission. So intercession and mission were tied together. His influence reminds us that prayer changes us and changes the world.
Some questions
What would your ‘Jesus’ nickname be?
What struck you about his story?
What is intercession, and how does it work?
What do you think the link is between intercession and mission?
How can we prayerfully support each other better?
Peace, Rob
Rob Wylie is the founder of BeachcomberFX and guides its leadership team. He has worked in the North East for over 20 years and has vast experience from various roles he has held. He has a passion for Fresh Expressions of Church and Pioneer Ministry as well as beer, beaches and Miniature Schnauzers.