Leading People To Live For Jesus Christ

What does it mean to follow Jesus? How can we lead others to follow Him?

Jesus gives us two great commands: love God and love our neighbor. He also gives us specific ways to do this. The 8 Ways to Follow Jesus give us some key ways, or rhythms, that Jesus taught us to love God and love our neighbor.

These 8 Ways are not merely information we learn but something we do. As we learn them, we practice, pass them on, and make them a regular habit. Each module is designed to be easily passed on to someone else. This is how we make disciples and lead others to live for Christ.

Heart for the World | Day 17

"You faithfully answer our prayers with awesome deeds, O God our savior. You are the hope of

everyone on earth," Psalm 65:5 NLT

Here at EVC, we are all about community. We are all part of the same family. So, when the Osemeke family got in a tragic car accident, we were all devastated. If you've ever experienced devastation like this, you know that what you need is support and reminders of Jesus' love and provision. It's for times like these that our EVC Prayer Quilt Ministry is here! This amazing ministry makes quilts for people and families who are walking through hardship, sickness, death, and other hardships.

Recently, 97 quilts have been created, prayed over, and delivered! When you need support, they are right there alongside you. So, when Elaine Poole (a leader and long-time member of the Prayer Quilt Ministry) heard about this terrible accident, she knew exactly what to do. The ministry got together and made a blanket for Martha Bible, the grandmother to the Osemeke family.

Elaine walked up Martha's long driveway, quilt in hand, praying over the upcoming conversation. She asked God to speak through her, to allow His words to come through. Martha opened the door and greeted Elaine. Elaine explained what the quilt meant and how much EVC was praying for her family. Martha took the blanket into her arms and began to cry. Martha grew up in Africa, and the quilt brought back wonderful memories of her childhood there. She said, "When I was a little girl, my mother and grandmother made quilts for people in our community who were sick and hurting. When a blanket was finished, they hung it on the ceiling of our living room until it was time for delivery. While the blankets were hung on the ceiling, my siblings and I played underneath them." The prayer quilt team had no idea how much impact the blanket would make on Martha. They knew it would be appreciated, but they had no clue what memories it would trigger and what joyful emotions would be brought up.

When the prayer quilt team makes a quilt, they pray over it. So, when you wrap yourself in the blanket, you are literally wrapping yourself in prayer. What better way to walk through a tough time than surrounded in prayer? It's crazy how something so simple such as a quilt can have such an impact on one's life. It not only meets the emotional (and sometimes physical) needs of people, but it builds reminders of Jesus' love and the importance of prayer into something so normal such as a quilt.

You never know what battle someone is facing and how much they may need your support. Whether it's a small compliment or a random act of kindness like sending over a meal, your kindness is showing them what the Body of Christ looks like. Who can you think of that needs prayer, or who needs some kindness shown to them? If you're interested in a quilt from our Prayer Quilt Ministry, contact our front office members, and they can connect you with Elaine. They are here, available, and ready to be your prayer warriors.

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