Greetings in Christ. My name is Hensworth Jonas, the resident pastor of Central Baptist Church in the Twin Island nation of Antigua and Barbuda in the eastern Caribbean. I also serve as the executive director of East Caribbean Baptist Mission, our circuit of churches in the islands, and superintendent of ECBM Baptist schools.
I am delighted to support the global day of prayer for revival on Wednesday, October 3rd and 4th, 2023. You may ask, what exactly are we praying for? My prayers will be centered around four key petitions.
First, I pray for a Christocentric message where Christ and his personal work are magnified. Our passion is to see the gospel believed and communicated with vitality and clarity. We’re determined to recover it from the snares of legalism and antinomianism. The gospel is not about the idea that works alone can save you, nor is it the idea that once you’re saved, your actions no longer matter. Rather, the gospel clarifies that you’re saved through faith alone, but not by a faith that remains alone. It results in a life of holiness. We’re saved because Christ fulfills all righteousness on behalf of his elect and pays their infinite debt of sin in full on Calvary.
Secondly, I am praying for true contrition where self-denial and self-abasement become the norm. The cult of the self has to be obliterated. As Proverbs 3:5-6 states, we must trust in the Lord with all our heart and lean not unto our own understanding. In all our ways, acknowledging Him, He will direct our paths. We also need to promote the message of Luke 9:23. Christ calls us to deny ourselves, to take up our cross daily, and follow Him. Idolatry must be cast aside, and there must be self-loathing until we find our identity, significance, and security in Christ alone.
Thirdly, I’m praying for doxological reform, where God is worshipped corporately and personally, as He has prescribed. Gazing on Christ in worship becomes a deep longing and an urgent priority. Christ is not approached opportunistically. Our relationship with Him is not about what we can get from Him, but about our total surrender to Him.
Lastly, I’m praying for a harvest of souls, where genuine conversions proliferate. While no hardworking fisherman can guarantee a good catch, a lazy fisherman can indeed guarantee emptiness when he doesn’t go fishing. I’m praying that we will delight in becoming fishers of men. After toiling all night and yielding nothing, we now cast our nets on the other side where God is so pleased they will be filled to the point of breaking.
This is our earnest desire. We invite you to join us on Wednesday, October 3rd and 4th, 2023, for a global day of prayer for revival. May God bless you.