When we pray, we start by asking God to align our hearts with His Word. There is no better way for this to happen than to pray God’s Word.

Each month, we will have a verse of Scripture that we pray together as a church. For example, in February, we will pray John 3:17 – “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world but to save the world through Him.” A prayer based on this passage might go like this:

Father, please align my heart with yours concerning the purpose for which you sent your Son into the world – to save the world through him. Please make me mindful that you did not send your Son into the world so I could live a pain-free life or to get ahead personally and professionally, but to save the world through Him. Please give me the boldness to share the gospel with others, for this is why you sent your Son. Amen.

This word has a double meaning as we pray. We want to be faithful in praying for both our immediate family, especially those who are far from God, and our spiritual family, especially the members of our church.

Think of your family – parents, siblings, aunts and uncles, grandparents and grandchildren, spouse or children, cousins and close-as-family members. Are any of these far from God? Pray for them, by name, to experience the fullness of God’s grace in Christ Jesus.

Next, consider our church family, like the people in your Bible Study Group, widows and home-bound members, children and youth, senior adults, single adults, couples and families, and church leaders. Pray for them to draw close to God and boldly share the gospel in their families, neighborhoods, New Orleans, and all nations.

Kenner, Belle Chasse, New Orleans East, Mid-city, Metairie, Gretna, Gentilly, Lakeview, Uptown, Irish Channel, CBD, Algiers, the Quarter, Navarre – and so many more can be added and even brought into greater focus. We are a city of defined, celebrated, and loved neighborhoods, each one rich with culture, architecture, restaurants, grocery stores, schools, clinics, firehouses, police stations, veterinarians, dentists, and parks.

We want to live missionally in our neighborhoods, praying for neighbors to know the love of God through faith in Jesus Christ. We want to pray that God will open hearts to His gospel and that we will lovingly share the gospel with boldness.

Through our beloved city are areas no one calls home but where many people spend their lives.

No incarcerated youth at Rivarde Juvenile Detention Center calls Rivarde home, but many spend weeks and months in the confines of this place – let us pray for them and bring the gospel to them.

No one working on Bourbon Street in the adult entertainment industry calls Bourbon Street home. Still, many spend years carrying an understanding of their worth that is devoid of the truth of the gospel. Let us pray and share the Gospel that God so valued them that He gave His only Son to save them and give them abundant life in Christ.

No one sleeping under the Expressway calls it home, but many without home or shelter live their days on the streets of New Orleans – let us pray for them and share the gospel with them in partnership with the New Orleans Mission.

Throughout the year, we will highlight entities and ministries of our city - including those with whom we partner - for focused prayer times and greater engagement in Gospel-proclaiming ministry.

Jesus said, “Make disciples of all nations.” This is the command of the Great Commission. As a church, we want to be engaged in bringing the gospel to the 4 billion people who have never heard the name of Jesus.

In partnership with the International Mission Board (IMB), we will pray for unreached groups, specific missionaries, and teams sent out from First Baptist New Orleans throughout the year.

Locally, we will pray for international students at universities throughout our city and residents from other nations in our city, asking God to open doors for us to make the gospel known to all nations.