Violence, Church Closings, Bible Burnings — CapMin’s Ohio Ministry Calls the Church to Action With 40 Days of Prayer!

“In these crucial days in our state and nation, the need for an army of prayer warriors, and I weigh my words carefully, has never been greater. Who will rise to the call by falling on their knees?” — Tim Ginter, Ohio State Representative, D-5

As America experiences chaos, division, disharmony, violence in the streets, and selfish ambition, the pastors who lead Ohio legislators in the weekly Capitol Ministries Bible study are fighting back with God’s most powerful weapon.

They are calling believers to 40 days of prayer — from now until the election — and kicking it off at a call-to-action repentance and prayer event from 6-7 p.m. Sept. 25 on the West Lawn of the Ohio Statehouse, 1 Capitol Square, Columbus, Ohio, 43215.

“We are calling the church, the body of Christ, to flood the Statehouse grounds to begin 40 days of prayer,”  said Pastor Brian Hanson Capitol Ministries director of international ministries and co-leader of the weekly Ohio legislative Bible study.

“We are calling believers to bend our knee to Almighty God and ask for His mercy, for his favor, and for his grace, and to pray for our nation and our leaders.”

Pastor Hanson and Pastor Brian Solomon, who co-leads the Ohio Bible study, have also called upon Church congregations across Ohio and believers in other states to join the effort in their homes or to organize prayer groups in churches and use God’s power of prayer to combat violence in the streets and for protection and wisdom for political leaders.

View their invitation video here.

As Scripture teaches, “the effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much” (James 5:16).

The apostle Paul takes it a step further in 1 Timothy 2:1-4 when he calls for prayer on behalf of all men by prefacing his statement with “first of all” which, in the original Greek language is “protos”, or first in importance, Pastor Hanson said. “In other words, nothing is of greater importance.”

For believers, prayer should not be an afterthought or performed in the spirit of “well, all we can do now is pray,” said Pastor Solomon.

Scripture tells us that prayer is the most powerful force and weapon Christians have when battling forces of evil, for “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.”

After months of violence and turmoil across our nation, many Christians are feeling overwhelmed and unsure of what to do, Pastor Solomon said.

“Yet God has graciously provided clear instructions for the Church. First Timothy 2:1-4 tells us that we should pray evangelistically for all men and in particular “kings and all who are in authority.”

“Prayer should not be last in the tool bag for believers, rather, prayer takes us to the throne of grace where efficacious, transforming power is accessible,” Pastor Solomon said. “These are the days in which the Church must be known for what we stand for, not just what we stand against.”

A team of volunteers across Ohio helped the pastors develop a prayer and worship program that is intended to unify Ohioans at this most critical time.

Before prayer, Jeff Beste, a worship leader at Grace Baptist Church in Cedarville, Ohio — the hometown of Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine — and director of strategic relationships at Cedarville University, will lead the gathering in songs of praise and worship. He will also lead a short concert of praise following the event.

Capitol Ministries is asking our supporters, prayer partners, and donors to pray along with us. Learn more here: CapitolPrayerEvent.org.

The event can be viewed live on the WCVO (104.9 The River) Facebook page.

“Commitment to prayer encourages us and makes a difference,” Pastor Hanson said.

“We need to fall upon our knees, we need to ask, ‘God will you forgive us our sinful nature and will you look upon us with favor and provide mercy and grace? Please consider coming and bending your knee with us and worshiping and lifting our hearts in praise. Nothing we can do is more powerful than this.”

Capitol Ministries is a 501 (c) (3) ministry that was established in 1996 with a mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ in the political arena of the world. We do this by recruiting dedicated Bible teachers to teach weekly Bible studies in government buildings through the sponsorship of Christian political leaders who invite their colleagues to attend. For information about existing state ministries and states that need ministry leaders, click here.

If you wish to support the Ohio ministry, click here to learn more about Pastor Brian Hanson and Pastor Brian Solomon.