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Intention

To realise that awakening the church often begins with two or three people who learn to notice where God is already at work.

Scripture

“For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”

– Matthew 18:20

Reflection

Matthew 18:20 is often read as a comforting promise for small gatherings. But what if we have made Jesus’ words too small?

What if he isn’t simply reassuring us that small numbers are enough?

What if he is showing us that two or three people who learn to notice where God is already at work can begin to change the culture of an entire church?

We often talk about church renewal as though we need more people, more programmes, more energy and more resources.

But Jesus seems to start somewhere much smaller.

With two or three.

A conversation.

A prayer.

A person who notices another person.

That is why the ACORN (Ask, Call, Obey, Report, Notice) prayer is so simple:

“Lord, today, is there someone you want me to connect with outside the church?”

It changes the way we walk through an ordinary day.

Instead of simply going about our business, we begin to notice.

The neighbour who seems lonely.

The colleague who needs someone to listen.

The person sitting alone.

The stranger who catches our attention.

We don’t have to fix them. We don’t have to persuade them. We don’t even have to know where the conversation will lead.

We simply become available to what God may already be doing.

But imagine what happens when two or three people begin doing this together.

They meet and ask:

“Who did you notice this week?”

“Who did you connect with?”

“What happened?”

One person tells how they stopped to listen.

Another shares how a simple question opened a surprisingly deep conversation.

Someone else discovers that the person they had been praying for was already asking questions about God.

And gradually, something begins to happen.

The disciples are not simply reporting activity. They are learning to recognise God.

Their attention changes.

Their expectations change.

Their faith grows.

And perhaps most importantly, their understanding of church begins to change.

Church becomes less about waiting for people to come to us and more about joining God in what he is already doing among the people around us.

Jesus continually moved towards people others overlooked — the stranger, the outsider, the sinner, the person on the margins.

Perhaps two or three people can begin the same movement today.

Not by trying to change the whole church.

But by noticing one person.

So, what if the question isn’t: “How do we get more people into church?”

What if the first question is: “Are there two or three of us willing to notice where God is already at work?”

Because church renewal may not begin with a crowd.

It may begin with two or three.

Video

ACORN is a simple evangelism practice, which stands for:

Ask: “Lord, today, is there someone you want me to connect with outside the church?”

Call: God will call you to a person.

Obey: We ask, “How are you, really?”

Report: We share with others about the process.

Notice: We notice God together.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, gather two or three of us who are willing to notice what you are doing. Open our eyes to the people around us. Give us courage to move towards people, humility to listen, and faith to recognise your presence in ordinary encounters.

May our small acts of noticing and connection become seeds of a new culture of invitation throughout our church.

Lord, today, is there someone you want me to connect with outside the church? Amen.

Author Bio

Michael Harvey is a prominent UK evangelist, pastor, and author of Creating a Culture of Invitation in Your Church. His simple ACORN evangelism practice helps activate every believer to share the gospel. He facilitated ACORN training sessions for the Canberra Declaration in 2025, and continues to train Christians across the world.

Prayer Points for October 2026

We are praying for the Church to:

1. Awaken to her first love for Jesus (Ephesians 5:14; Revelation 2:4).
2. Awaken to evangelism so that millions will trust in Christ (John 3:16; Proverbs 11:30).
3. Awakento her prophetic voice to the nation (Isaiah 52:1; Matthew 14:4).

We invite you to support this campaign to multiply prayer in Australia for revival and see millions come to faith in Christ. Every donation to the Canberra Declaration helps us promote prayer and make a stand for family, faith, freedom, life, and the good news of God’s love through Jesus Christ.

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