Do This in Church Today!

Summary

The Wake-Up Call – "Do This in Church Today!"

Host: Andrew Forrest (Seedbed)
Date: February 8, 2026

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Episode Overview

This episode, hosted by Andrew Forrest, centers on the importance of intercessory prayer within church worship, drawing on the symbolism and instructions from Exodus 28 in the Old Testament. Andrew shares personal reflections on post-pandemic gratitude for communal worship, encourages listeners to actively lift others in prayer during church, and highlights the enduring privilege of gathering for worship with fellow believers. The episode culminates in the singing of the hymn “I Need Thee Every Hour,” reinforcing the theme of dependence on God.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Privilege of Church Gathering [00:00–02:01]

• Andrew opens by emphasizing the blessing of being able to gather for worship, especially after pandemic restrictions:

  "I resolved that ... I would never again take Sundays for granted. So be grateful we get to go to church today." [00:28]

• Personal update: Andrew will preach three services at Asbury Church in Tulsa, which broadcasts some services online.

Memorable Quote

"It is Sunday, the best day of the week, the Lord's Day. And I hope you're looking forward to church today."
— Andrew Forrest [00:07]

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2. Scripture Focus: Intercessory Role of the High Priest [02:02–03:25]

• Scripture for the day: Exodus 28:29

  “So Aaron shall bear the names of the sons of Israel in the breastpiece of judgment on his heart when he goes into the holy place to bring them to regular remembrance before the Lord.”

• Andrew contrasts the two halves of Exodus:

  • The first part: God brings the Israelites out of Egypt.
  • The second part: God seeks to get "Egypt out of the people" (meaning to transform their hearts and ways).

• The high priest interceded for the people by physically carrying their names into God's presence, a model for our own worship.

Notable Quote

"In the first part of Exodus, God gets the people out of Egypt. In the second part, the Lord is working to get Egypt out of the people."
— Andrew Forrest [01:15]

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3. Intercession in Christian Worship Today [03:26–05:18]

• While Christian worship differs from ancient Israelite practice, intercession remains central.

• Listeners are encouraged to think of specific people to pray for at church:

  "At some point during today's church service, I'd like to challenge you to lift up to God a name or two through intercessory prayer." [04:32]

• He calls intercessory prayer “something pure and beautiful” and a privilege.

Memorable Quote

"What a privilege it is to worship the Lord and to intercede for the world."
— Andrew Forrest [05:02]

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4. Prayer for the World [05:19–05:34]

• Andrew offers a pastoral prayer:

  "So Lord, have mercy on us, hear our prayers, give mercy to the world, tend the sick, comfort the afflicted, give hope to the hopeless. Let your kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven. All this we ask through Jesus' name. Amen." [05:19]

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5. Journal Prompts for Reflection [05:35–05:56]

Andrew provides reflective questions for listeners:

• Why did the Lord want the high priest to carry the names of the tribes on his chest?
• For whom do you need to intercede before God today?
• Are you approaching worship with gratitude and joy?

"Man, oh man, oh man. Let us never, ever, ever take church for granted. It's such a privilege, and I'm privileged to be with you this morning."
— Andrew Forrest [05:50]

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6. Hymn: "I Need Thee Every Hour" [05:57–07:46]

• Andrew introduces the hymn (“I Need Thee Every Hour,” hymn 340 from the Seedbed hymnal “Our Great Redeemer’s Praise”) as an expression of honest dependence on God.
• The hymn is sung, reinforcing the theme of the day.

"It's a gorgeous hymn of just complete honesty before God. I need you in my life, O Lord."
— Andrew Forrest [05:55]

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7. Closing Blessing and Encouragement [07:47–end]

• Andrew expresses his spiritual need:

  "Lord, we need you today." [07:46] "Be close to us, encourage us." [07:48]

• He closes by encouraging listeners to carry the day's message and participate fully in worship, then humorously notes his own busy morning:

  "For the awakening, I'm Andrew Forrest, and I'll see you on the field. And now I gotta go preach. See you later." [07:49]

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Suggested Structure for Personal Engagement

• During Church: Set aside a moment to name someone for intercessory prayer, echoing the high priest's role.
• Reflection: Use Andrew's journal prompts to deepen your worship and relationship with God.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• "Never again take Sundays for granted." — Andrew Forrest [00:30]
• "In the first part of Exodus, God gets the people out of Egypt. In the second part, the Lord is working to get Egypt out of the people." — Andrew Forrest [01:15]
• "One of the things that a priest does is he intercedes to God on behalf of others." — Andrew Forrest [03:12]
• "Let us never, ever, ever take church for granted. It's such a privilege." — Andrew Forrest [05:50]

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This episode is a practical and heartfelt call to awaken gratitude for worship, to intercede prayerfully for others during church, and to never lose sight of the privilege of Christian community.

Transcript

[A]

Foreign. Sower Nation it is Sunday, February 8th in the year of our Lord 2026. I'm Andrew Forrest. This is your wake up call. Well, it is Sunday, the best day of the week, the Lord's Day. And I hope you're looking forward to church today. I resolved that having lived through the pandemic and being unable for a while to gather with other Christians on the Lord's Day for worship, I resol that I would never again take Sundays for granted. So be grateful we get to go to church today. I'm the senior pastor of Asbury Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma and I have a full morning. I'll be preaching this morning at Asbury at 8 o', clock, 9 o' clock and 11 o'. Clock. Our 9 and 11 services are live streamed at my church. We're reading through the Bible together using the one year Bible. And today in church I'm actually going to be preaching on one of the passages we looked at earlier this week here at the Wake Up Call. In the Wake Up Call today, I'd like to look at a little place in Exodus and give you some marching orders for something to do in church today, wherever you are. In the first part of Exodus, God gets the people out of Egypt. In the second part of the book, the Lord begins his plan to get Egypt out of the people. Lord, thank you for taking us out of Egypt. And now, oh Lord, please take Egypt out out of us. Let's go. Wake up sleeper. Rise from the dead and Christ will shine on you. Jesus, I belong to you. I lift up my heart to you. I set my mind on you. I fix my eyes on you. I offer my body to you as a living sacrifice. Jesus, we belong to you. Praying in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Our scripture reading for the day is Exodus 28:29. Hear now the word of the Lord. So Aaron shall bear the names of the sons of Israel in the breastpiece of judgment on his heart when he goes into the holy place to bring them to regular remembrance before the Lord. The Word of the Lord. It is Sunday, the Lord's day. Followers of Jesus are gathering for worship in their churches all around the world. Worship has changed a lot since the days when Israel was wandering in the desert for 40 years. But one thing is still the same. One of the things God's people do in worship is to make intercession for others. Now this is the part of the Bible we tend to skip over, the second part of Exodus, which is exactly why I want to draw your attention to it. We're in a little series looking at the latter part of Exodus. In the first part of Exodus, God gets the people out of Egypt. In the second part, the Lord is working to get Egypt out of the people. Today's reading we read some instructions for how the high priest ought to dress himself. Now there are 12 tribes of Israel, and in Exodus 28 we read that the names of the 12 tribes were to be inscribed on precious stones and sewn into the special breastplate that Aaron, the high priest, was to wear when ministering before the Lord. In other words, the high priest was to carry the names of the tribes of Israel into God's presence. One of the things that a priest does is he intercedes to God on behalf of others. That is, he brings the names of people to God and asks for the Lord's mercy for them. And although we no longer worship in the exact same way as did the Israelites in the wilderness, nevertheless intercession is still a part of Christian worship. We pray for the world and its people and ask for God's mercy. So are there people on your mind or in your life that you specifically need to offer up to the Lord today through intercessory prayer? I love the image of Aaron, the high priest bearing the names of Israel on his chest. In the same way, at some point during today's church service, I'd like to challenge you to lift up to God a name or two through intercessory prayer. It might be people far away or people close by, but I know that there is something pure and beautiful when God's people intercede for others. What a privilege it is to worship the Lord and to intercede for the world. And I hope you are blessed by both today. So Lord, have mercy on us, hear our prayers, give mercy to the world, tend the sick, comfort the afflicted, give hope to the hopeless. Let your kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven. All this we ask through Jesus name. Amen. So here are some journal prompts for you to be thinking about today. First, why do you think the Lord wanted the names of the tribes of Israel to be on the chest of the high priest? 2. Are there people for whom you need to intercede before God today? Three, Are you cultivating an attitude of gratitude and joy as you head into worship this morning? Man, oh man, oh man. Let us never, ever, ever take church for granted. It's such a privilege, and I'm privileged to be with you this morning. I hope that you have a great day today. We will sing I Need Thee Every Hour, which is hymn 340 from our seedbed hymnal, Our Great Redeemer's Praise. I love this hymn. It's a gorgeous hymn of just complete honesty before God. I need you in my life, O Lord let's sing. Let's sing verses 1, 2 and 3 in 3:40. I need the every hour.

[B]

I need the Every hour Most gracious Lord no tender voice like Thine can peace afford I need thee oh, I need Thee Every hour I need thee O bless me now, my Savior I come to the. Verse 2. I need thee every hour Stay thou nearby Temptations lose their power when thou art nigh I need thee oh, I need Thee Every hour I need the O, bless me now, my Savior I come to the. Verse 3. I need the every hour Enjoy or pain Come quickly and abide or life is vain I need thee oh, I need Thee Every hour I need thee O bless me now, my Savior I come to the.

[A]

That's such a lovely hymn. Gorgeous.

[B]

Lord, we need you today.

[A]

Be close to us, encourage us. Hey, friends for the awakening, I'm Andrew Forrest, and I'll see you on the field. And now I gotta go preach. See you later.