Pray for Our Interim Committee Meetings & Bible Study

Every month our legislators gather in Charleston for three days of interim committee meetings. Each lawmaker is assigned to one or more committees in order to work on various issues throughout the year.

In these meetings they deal with a variety of topics, many of which will be taken up during next year’s regular session.This month's interim meetings will be held on May 16-18

During the interim meetings, Capitol Commission provides Bible studies for our legislators and elected officials at the capitol. Our study for this month is entitled "The Highest Goal in the Capitol" from Philippians 2:14-16 and will be held on Tuesday, May 17.

Please pray for our legislators as they gather for these meetings:

Pray for safety as they travel.

Pray for them as they take this time away from their families and jobs.

Pray for them as they deal with many issues important to our state.

Pray that our Bible study and other aspects of our ministry will be a challenge and encouragement to our leaders.

You can learn more about the legislative interim committee assignments and meetings at the West Virginia Legislature web site.


You can download the complete study HERE.

Ministry Update: How to Pray for Leaders

How should we pray for our legislators and elected officials? An important part of our ministry is encouraging churches and individual believers to faithfully and specifically pray for their leaders. That is why we developed the West Virginia Prayer Column, an online version of our daily prayer guide. There you can find the names of several legislators and leaders for whom you can pray each day. When we do pray for them, how should we pray? We find a good example in the ministry of the Apostle Paul.

This week’s Bible study in the West Virginia state capitol is titled, “A Great Prayer for the Capitol Community”. In it we are studying Paul’s prayer for the church in Philippi found in Philippians 1:9-11. Indeed, in it we see a great model of how we might pray for those serving in the statehouse. We must certainly pray for those who do not know Christ that they might believe in Him. Paul gives us a wonderful example of how we can pray for believers there as well. We can pray:

• That their love may abound more and more in real knowledge and all discernment


• That they might approve the things that are excellent


• That they might be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ


• That they might be filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ


• That all they do might be to the glory and praise of God

Of course, this is a great prayer for every church and for each one of us as believers. I believe it is also a great prayer for those serving in the capitol community.

Capitol Bible Study: "A Great Prayer for the Capitol Community"

From this week's Bible study at the West Virginia State Capitol, "A Great Prayer for the Capitol Community"(Philippians 1:9-11):

"Paul wraps up his prayer with the purpose and goal for all that we do – the glory and praise of God. When our love for Him and others abounds, it brings glory and praise to God. When we choose what is best and excellent in our lives, it brings glory and praise to God. When we are sincere and blameless before others, it brings glory and praise to God. When our lives are filled with the fruit of righteousness, it brings glory and praise to God. In this last element we find the best way to pray for everyone working in the statehouse. We should pray, and then seek to demonstrate, that everything in the life of a believer serving in the capitol community should bring glory and praise to God."

You can find the complete study here.

Ministry Update: Regular Session Begins

The 2011 regular session begins Wednesday evening with the governor’s state of the state address. This is a grand event as both the West Virginia Senate and the House of Delegates gather together for a joint meeting in the house chamber. They are joined in a procession by all the members of the executive branch and the justices of the West Virginia Supreme Court. Finally, the governor and his family enter, escorted by a special committee of senators and delegates. There are usually a number of special guests and celebrities, both on the house floor and in the galleries. The governor then gives his address laying out his goals and agenda for the coming year.

As I sit in the gallery and observe this august event, I am overwhelmed by the privilege and opportunity to share the gospel and teach the Word of God among this group of West Virginia’s leaders. I am thankful and amazed at the open doors God has provided for our ongoing ministry at the statehouse. Just as the governor reveals his plans and goals for the coming year in his state of the state address, I’d like to share with you our plans for the upcoming session.

We will be holding three Bible studies each week during the regular legislative session which runs from January 12 – March 16.

• Each Tuesday at 12:00 noon we will meet with lobbyists and staff. We have sent out an email with a copy of our first study notes attached to every registered lobbyist in the state (over 300). We usually have several lobbyists along with a number of staff who join us each week throughout the session.

• We hold two studies for legislators and elected officials on Thursdays at 8:00 a.m. and at noon. Spring Hill Baptist Church is helping to sponsor breakfast and lunch for each of our meetings. We hope this helps busy leaders to attend during the hectic days of the session.

• We will be teaching a series entitled “Citizens of Heaven”: Studies in Philippians. We are excited about the opportunity to share the gospel as we discuss how to become a citizen of heaven. We will also consider both the privileges and responsibilities of heavenly citizenship as we face the challenges of living and serving here on earth. You can download the first study in our series here.

• Every week we distribute the study notes to every legislator and elected official’s office throughout the capitol in person and through email. This provides a wonderful opportunity to meet with and minister to both leaders and staff on a weekly basis.

Please pray for our Bible studies and our other ministry opportunities during the session. Pray for those leaders who do not know Christ that God will work in their hearts so that they may might know what it means to be "rescued from the domain of darkness, and transferred to the kingdom of His Son" (Col. 1:13-14). Pray for those who do know Christ to be encouraged to live as " citizens of heaven" in the midst of the challenges of life in the capitol.

Are You Thankful for Your Leaders?

As you approach the Thanksgiving holiday and pause to consider all God’s blessings, are you thankful for your political leaders? ALL your political leaders?

In 1 Timothy 2:1-2 Paul challenges us to make it a priority to pray for our political leaders (“for kings and all who are in authority”). He uses four distinct words for prayer: entreaties, prayers, petitions, and THANKSGIVINGS. We are to be thankful for the leaders God has set up to rule over us. The leaders of whom Paul spoke in his day were those of the Roman Empire. They were immoral, brutal, and corrupt, soon to bring great persecution upon the church. Yet Paul exhorted the church to offer God thanksgivings for them.

We are to be thankful for all our leaders, regardless of party or ideology. This becomes easier when we remember they are established by God (Romans 13:1; Daniel 2:21) and are God’s servants (Romans 13:6).

We should be thankful for the order our government and its leaders provide as opposed to the chaos and disorder that would result in their absence.

We should be thankful that God is in control and has a purpose and plan to work out through the leaders He has put into place.

We should be thankful for how God is working in the hearts and lives of leaders and pray they would turn to Christ and grow in their walk with the Lord.

We should be thankful for Christian leaders who take a stand for the truth and pray they will have a tremendous testimony for Christ before those they serve as well as their colleagues.

As you take time for giving thanks, please remember to be thankful for the leaders God has placed over our communities, our state, and our nation.

Are You Thankful for Your Leaders (Repost)

As you approach the Thanksgiving holiday and pause to consider all God’s blessings, are you thankful for your political leaders? ALL your political leaders?

In 1 Timothy 2:1-2 Paul challenges us to make it a priority to pray for our political leaders (“for kings and all who are in authority”). He uses four distinct words for prayer: entreaties, prayers, petitions, and THANKSGIVINGS. We are to be thankful for the leaders God has set up to rule over us. The leaders of whom Paul spoke in his day were those of the Roman Empire. They were immoral, brutal, and corrupt, soon to bring great persecution upon the church. Yet Paul exhorted the church to offer God thanksgivings for them.

We are to be thankful for all our leaders, regardless of party or ideology. This becomes easier when we remember they are established by God (Romans 13:1; Daniel 2:21) and are God’s servants (Romans 13:6).

We should be thankful for the order our government and its leaders provide as opposed to the chaos and disorder that would result in their absence.

We should be thankful that God is in control and has a purpose and plan to work out through the leaders He has put into place.

We should be thankful for how God is working in the hearts and lives of leaders and pray they would turn to Christ and grow in their walk with the Lord.

We should be thankful for Christian leaders who take a stand for the truth and pray they will have a tremendous testimony for Christ before those they serve as well as their colleagues.

As you take time for giving thanks, please remember to be thankful for the leaders God has placed over our communities, our state, and our nation.

Weep for the Helplessness of the World

This great article by John Piper should certainly help our attitudes toward those who do not know Christ. From his conclusion:

"...Weep for the helplessness of the world the way Jesus wept over Jerusalem’s blindness: “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes” (Luke 19:42). Rejoice that the providence of God is so massively active in restraining evil and prompting so much external conformity to righteousness. Trust in the triumph of Christ at Calvary. Resist the devil in faith that the one in you is greater than he. Risk your life to spread the liberating news as far as you can."

Read the full article here.

Praying for "Moral Rebirth" in America?

One Christian organization is calling on believers to gather at city halls across the nation to pray for a “moral rebirth” in America. I do not find anywhere in Scripture where we are called to pray for “moral rebirth”. Indeed, there can never be a “moral rebirth” apart from the spiritual rebirth of individuals through the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is this for which we must pray and work as we seek to reach both political leaders and regular citizens with good news of the gospel.

Updated West Virginia Leadership Prayer Guide

We have updated our West Virginia Leadership Prayer Guide for 2009 and it is now posted online.

Please print this guide and use it to pray for our state's leaders on a daily basis. You may also visit www.prayercolumn.blogspot.com for an online version of this guide. There you may subscribe to receive a daily email with a list of leaders for whom you can pray each day.

West Virginia Leadership Prayer Guide

Prayer Column Blog

Praying for Your Local Legislators

One of the purposes of the Capitol Columns and Prayer Column blogs is to help you pray specifically for your government leaders (1 Timothy 2:1-4). We want you to get to know the leaders from your area so that you might pray for them more effectively.

Here is a site where you can determine the legislators who serve your district. Just enter your zip code and the state senators and delegates for your area will be listed. You can then visit this page for the Senate or this page for the House and select a legislator in order to find biographical information about them.

Please take note of the legislators who serve your area along with your local leaders so that you may pray for them more effectively.

Please Pray for Senator William Sharpe

Senator William Sharpe has served in the West Virginia State Senate for 44 years.

Several years ago, Senator Sharpe lost his wife of 55 years, Pauline. During the 2007 legislative session the Senator from Lewis County underwent surgery and has struggled with his health ever since.

This year Senator Sharpe is retiring from the body in which he has loved to serve for so many years. Please pray him and his health.

If you would like to send the Senator a note or a card thanking him for his years of service and let him know you are praying for him, you can write him at the following address:


The Honorable William Sharpe
607 Center Avenue
Weston, WV 26452




During the 2007 regular session I had the privilege of opening the floor session in prayer and my daughter Rachel accompanied me. This was just prior to Senator Sharpe’s surgery so we were able to pray for his upcoming procedure. After adjournment we had our picture taken with the Senator.

Praying for Government Leaders

John Piper preached a good message from 1 Timothy 2:1-4 on the importance of praying for all people, particularly for our government leaders.

He shared two reasons why it may be difficult to pray for our leaders as we should:

• Government leaders may seem distant and remote; if not in miles, then at least in accessibility.

“It is hard to pray earnestly for someone you don't know, and especially hard to pray for somebody you never see. Yet, this difficulty must be overcome, Paul says. You must pray for them: emperors like Nero, proconsuls like Gallio, governors like Pilate, kings like Herod. They may seem remote and inaccessible, but remember, they are not remote and inaccessible to God. And by prayer you can get as close as one of their intimate advisers.”

• Government leaders may be unbelievers and insensitive to the Holy Spirit.

“This should not cause us to hesitate one moment to pray for them, first, because God may save them and bring them to a knowledge of the truth, and second, because God uses rulers to accomplish his purposes whether they believe in him or not.”

Let us seek to be faithful in pursuing God’s priority of praying “for kings and all who are in authority”.