Our Father and God, You have established Your Church as a royal priesthood in this world, and so we intercede for the nations of men now, confessing on their behalf so that the grace of Your forgiveness will soon be extended to them all.
Father and God, we confess that we have accommodated ourselves to the idea of most people not knowing You. We confess that we have believed what nonbelievers say about themselves, which is that they have a right to remain in their unbelief. Father, we confess that we live in a nation that believes that it has the right to not come to You, and we confess this sin on their behalf.
We know, Father, that if we in the Church regard iniquity in our own midst, or in our own hearts, this prayer will be ineffectual. Father, we confess that we in the Church have been lethargic in our evangelism. We ask that You would forgive us for this, and that You would stir us up with a zeal for others to come to know You.
And Father, we also confess our own sins to You now—Selah . . . We do this in the majestic name of Jesus our Savior, and amen.
You are God’s people, and He delights to receive You. He delights to forgive, and He delights to acknowledge You. On the basis of the gospel, I therefore declare that your sins are forgiven through Christ.
Congregation: Thanks be to God!