GUEST POST ~ Redemptive Prayer of a Righteous Person Changed A City

by Francis Frangipange

God's Response to Redemptive Intercession
When Abraham was confronted with the possibility of Sodom's destruction, he did not immediately jump on the "Destroy Sodom" bandwagon; instead, he went before the Lord and prayed for mercy for the city. Abraham's prayer is an amazing study on the effect a mercy-motivated intercessor has on the heart of God. Indeed, my objective here is to gaze into the heart of God as it is revealed in the discourse between the Lord and Abraham.

When we look at Abraham's prayer, we discover an amazing power granted us in intercession. And what is that? God is looking for a mercy reason that would justify Him delaying or canceling wrath. We must not belittle this principle, for in it is great hope for our land as well. The mercy reason for delay is found in the compassionate prayer of an intercessor.

Let us consider the Lord's initial response to Sodom's sin. First, He revealed to Abraham, His servant, what He was about to do. Why? Wasn't the evil so dark that it deserved to be destroyed? Yes, the wickedness in Sodom fully deserved divine wrath. Yet that is not why the Lord revealed to Abraham the pending judgment. The Lord informed Abraham of what was coming not so His servant could criticize, but so Abraham would intercede for mercy. Remember, God delights in mercy (Mic. 7:18) and takes "no pleasure in the death of the wicked" (Ezek. 33:11). The Lord always seeks for opportunities of mercy. Therefore, let's take note of how Abraham approached the Almighty:

"Abraham came near and said, ‘Will You indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked? Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city; will You indeed sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous who are in it? Far be it from You to do such a thing, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous and the wicked are treated alike. Far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth deal justly?'" (Gen. 18:23-25).

Notice, Abraham did not pray from a place of anger. He never said, "God, it's about time You killed the perverts." There was no finger-pointing vindictiveness in Abraham's soul. Somehow we have come to believe that non-compromising Christians must also be angry. Abraham never compromised with Sodom's depraved culture, yet he was above fleshly reaction. In fact, throughout his prayer, Abraham spent almost no time at all telling God what was wrong in Sodom. He appealed, instead, to the mercy and integrity of the Lord.

This is vitally important for us, because Jesus said, "If you are Abraham's children, do the deeds of Abraham" (John 8:39). One of Abraham's most noteworthy deeds involved his intercessory prayer for Sodom, the most perverse city in the world!

Abraham first acknowledged the Lord's integrity, then he spoke to the Lord's mercy.

"Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city; will You indeed sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty?" (Gen. 18:24).

The Lord knew that it would be unjust to slay the righteous with the wicked; Abraham's prayer did not enlighten the Lord of some unknown fact. But God in the process of determining future reality always prepares a merciful alternative, which is unlocked by the persevering prayer of a mercy motivated intercessor.

In other words, urgent, redemptive prayer shoots straight through the mercy door and enters God's heart. This door is never shut, especially since we have a High Priest, Jesus Christ, ministering at the mercy seat in the heavens (Heb. 8:1). It is open each and every time we pray.

Listen to how the Lord answered Abraham's prayer for mercy: "If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare the whole place on their account" (Gen. 18:26).

How the truth of God's mercy flies in the face of those so eager to judge their nation! Incredibly, the Lord said He would spare the whole of Sodom if He found fifty righteous people there. Now keep this in mind: the Hebrew word for "spare" means more than "not destroy"; it also means "to forgive or pardon." This is a tremendous revelation about the living God. He will minimize, delay, or even cancel a day of reckoning as long as Christ-inspired prayer is being offered for sinners!

Time and again throughout the Scriptures the Lord proclaims an ever present truth about His nature: He is "slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness" (Exod. 34:6). Do we believe this? Here it is, demonstrated right before our eyes in the Scriptures. He tells us plainly that a few righteous people scattered in a city can preserve that area from divine wrath.

Abraham knew the love of God. He was an intimate friend of God's. Abraham, in truth, had a clear view into the heart of God based on his own experiences. This interceding patriarch had seen the Almighty bless, prosper, and forgive him, so he pressed God's mercy toward its limits.

"What if there are forty?"

The Lord would spare it for forty.

Abraham bargained, "Thirty?"

He would spare it for thirty.

"Twenty?"

He finally secured the Lord's promise not to destroy the city if He could find just ten righteous people there. On God's scales, wrath is on one side and mercy on the other. Put the entire city of Sodom with all its sin and perversion on one side. The scales tip toward wrath as the weightiness of advanced wickedness runs rampant through an entire city. Let's assume that there were two hundred thousand evil people in Sodom. It is weighed heavily on the side of evil. Yet on the other side, place just ten righteous individuals. As the ten are placed on the scale, the spiritual weight of the righteous, with just ten, tips the scales toward mercy!

In God's heart, the substance of the righteous far outweighs the wickedness of the evil! Herein we discover what we are seeking in the heart of God through prayer: the Lord would spare (forgive) sinful Sodom, with its gangs of violent homosexuals, because of the influence of ten godly people who dwelt within it!

How About Your Community?
Now, let's think of your city: Are there ten good people among you? Consider your region. Do you think there might be one hundred praying people living within its borders, people who are pleading with God for mercy? What about nationwide? Do you suppose there might be ten thousand people interceding for your country? God said He would spare Sodom for ten righteous people. Do you think God would spare your nation for ten thousand righteous?

I lived in a metropolitan area in the United States that has about two hundred thousand people. I can list by name scores of righteous individuals, including pastors, intercessors, youth workers, black folks, white folks, Hispanic folks, Native Americans, Asian Americans, Christian business people, moms, dads, godly teenagers, praying grandmothers, secretaries, policemen, and on and on who live there -- far more than the ten righteous needed to save a place like Sodom. There are many who care about this city.

Think about your church and the greater church community in your city. Aren't there at least ten honorable people who sincerely care about your community, who desire that God would bring revival? Remember, the Lord said He would spare Sodom for the sake of the ten.

My plea in this message is that you would see yourself as one who is standing in the gap for your city. See if there are others in your community who will pray with you. The power of prayer can release a tsunami of mercy that can topple strongholds and set captives free in your region.

Finally, let us not give up our communities to the influences of hell. God is able to raise up a standard against wickedness. In fact, He says He looks for a man who will stand in the gap, that He might not strike the earth in His wrath. Will you be that one? You see, the true measure of spirituality is not how angry we become toward sinners, but how Christlike; our mission is not to see men destroyed, but redeemed.

Lord Jesus, forgive me for devaluing the power of prayer. Forgive me for underestimating how passionately You desire to reveal Your mercy. Lord, give me grace to be one who never ceases to cry out to You for mercy. Lord, let me not base my obedience on what my eyes see or my ears hear, but upon the revelation of Your mercy; let me build my life on Thee. Amen!

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 GUEST POST: #ReimagineHEAVEN...when the curtain is drawn back

September 2024

I have worked my way through the Gospel of Matthew over the last six weeks. Now I am doing the same with the Gospel of Mark. Several things have encouraged this daily Gospel reading and prayer. First, I have a profound sense that I did not pay enough attention to the four Gospels over the course of my long life. (In my background we didn't even know what a lectionary was so we rarely read a Gospel text each Lord’s Day. (However, for the last eighteen years I have experienced this discipline by being part of a good Lutheran church.) I truly wish someone had told me that reading and contemplating the person and events in the life of the Messiah was central to a robust life of faith and prayer. It was through my journey to ecumenical practice and theology that I saw how central this practice really was to the whole story of the church itself. 

My companion is this present reading has been N.T. Wright. In his seventeen-volume series, The Bible for Everyone, Wright unpacks the material of the New Testament in ways that reveal the depth of the text but always in a manner that is for “everyone.” He believes, as I do, that this material is for every Christian, not just scholars. While these readings are quite simple they often reveal the obvious more clearly. 

Over the Labor Day weekend I read the first chapter of Mark. In Mark 1:9-13 the Gospel writer tells the reader of the baptism of Jesus. When Jesus is baptized by John a voice from heaven says “You are my wonderful son; you make me very glad” (Wright’s translation). Then Wright makes a simple but startling point: “The whole Christian gospel can be summed up in this point: that the living God looks at us, every baptized and believing Christian, he says to us what he said to Jesus on that day. He sees us, not as we are in ourselves, but as we are in Jesus Christ. It sometimes seems impossible, especially to people who have never had that kind of support from their earthly parents, but it’s true: God looks at us, and says, ‘You are my dear, dear child; I’m delighted with you.’”

Mark says Jesus “saw the heavens open, and the Spirit coming down like a dove.” We often miss this because we have so many wrong notions about the word heaven. “Heaven, in the Bible often means God’s dimension beyond the ordinary reality.” Heaven here is more like a curtain being drawn back so that instead of seeing trees and flowers, or in Jesus’ case the river . .  we are standing in the presence of a different reality altogether.”

Many Christians, perhaps most, have a wrong idea about this word heaven. In the Bible heaven is God’s dimension of the created order, whereas earth is the world of space, time  and matter. Sometimes heaven stands for God ( as in “the kingdom of heaven,” in Matthew). This means heaven in the New Testament is not where we go when we die. “Entering the kingdom of heaven does not mean ‘going to heaven after death,’ but rather belonging in the present to the people who presently steer their life’s course by the standards of God. (Consider Mathew 6:10, “on earth as in heaven” which means we steer our earthly life by the standards and purposes of heaven itself, or God’s reign. We live in this heaven right now when we experience the Spirit working in us. 

If you ask me what happens at death I answer, “We go to be with Jesus in paradise.” Heaven finally comes when the new heavens and new earth come ofter the return of Jesus. Try thinking this way and then speak this way regularly. I promise this will powerfully impact your life. 

In the love of Jesus Christ alone,

John

Countercultural, but Not Counter Culture

Jesus was countercultural but not counter culture.  His teachings flipped the script on all that society values – rich is poor, strong is weak, and greatest is least.  His priorities contradicted everything the world craves – popularity, power, and prosperity.  Christ chose homelessness, loved enemies, defended the oppressed, marched undaunted toward persecution, remained silent when accused, and forgave His murderers.  No one has ever spoken or lived more counterculturally.  Yet no one has ever shown more care and concern for the people He encountered.

Jesus’ words and actions, if conveyed literally and imitated fearlessly, would be considered just as radical in America today as they were in Israel then.  However, surveys show most see Christians and churches not as countercultural but counter culture.  Americans find it difficult to distinguish between their Christian and non-Christian neighbors, at least not in ways that intrigue or endear.  Scripture calls us to be transformed in our thinking but not conformed in our behaviors.  Yet believers seem less radical in their lifestyles and more vocal in their personal opinions than Jesus.  He did and said only what He heard from the Father.  Can the same be said of the typical Christ-follower today?

Our culture demands conformance to its ideals – tolerance and acceptance of each person’s unmitigated pursuit of happiness.  We have an unprecedented opportunity to contrast that myopic, self-centered world view with the enduring hope of Christ-centered living.  Imagine the shock and awe of watching millions of countercultural “rebels” walk away from popularity, power, and prosperity – choosing compassion over condemnation.  There may be no better opportunity in our lifetimes than this divisive Presidential election season to shine the brightest light when our culture appears darkest.

How would the public perception of Christians change if we practiced what Jesus modeled?  The Gospel offends, but we don’t need to be offensive.  We shouldn’t counter culture by attempting to impose God’s moral standards, particularly if we don’t live by them.  Until they believe in the Lawgiver, we shouldn’t expect them to follow His laws.  What would be more effective is countercultural prayer, care and share to illuminate the shallowness of living for the dot (now), not the line (eternity).

Biblical Counterculturalism

True disciples follow in the footsteps of Jesus.  To diagnose the illness (being counter culture) and prescribe a cure (being countercultural) for churches and Christians, we look to Jesus.  He understood but broke from cultural norms and told His disciples to do likewise:

• He loves those who hate Him
• He serves, expecting nothing in return
• He associates Himself, a King, with the poor
• He said those suffering (for His sake) are fortunate
• He sees humility and mercy as signs of strength
• He said heaven isn’t for the “mature”, but for those with the faith of a child
• He ranks servants at the top of the social structure
• He said feelings for our families should pale by comparison to our love for God
• He views confessing crimes as the path to freedom (from spiritual prison)
• He said when we leave everything behind (to follow Jesus) we gain everything
• He pursues “sinners”, not the self-proclaimed “righteous” or “religious”
• He said wealth can be a curse rather than evidence of God’s blessing
• He loves Hs children unconditionally, but demands unconditional obedience

Biblical shouldn’t equate to radical.  However, taking those principles seriously would be culture shock for a post-Christian America that long ago passed the Ages of Commerce, Affluence, and Intellect that mark the evolution and fall of empires – and has entered the Age of Decadence.

Conventional Culture

Life doesn’t work without Jesus.  As countercultural and irrational as His words and example may appear, the alternative eventually leads to hopelessness and chaos:

• Preserving the freedom of one group (e.g. non-believers) unavoidably decimates the rights of other groups (e.g. Christians)
• Ignoring and denying life after death is convenient until disaster strikes
• Teaching kids they’re cosmic accidents produces exactly the response we would expect and now observe with our youth today
• Believing mankind is inherently good leads to disappointment because the sinfulness of human nature inevitably prevails
• Inventing personal “truth” ends in disillusionment when those fallacies prove untrue
• Being “my authentic self” has no foundation, morphing to align with cultural norms because our intended identity is as a child of God
• That identity crisis results in projecting façades on social media and escaping reality via VR, avatars, and substance abuse
• Secular humanism touts mankind’s wisdom yet rejects science to justify immorality (e.g. gender designations by doctors, heartbeats of preborn infants)
• Tolerance, secular society’s highest virtue, is intolerant of those who don’t share progressive views
• Advertisers promise their products will bring fulfillment when their ulterior motive is money
• Politicians pledge to protect the oppressed but know the path to ultimate power lies in dividing citizens to control both “oppressors” and “oppressed”
• Government positions itself as savior to direct attention away from our Savior, offering financial and medical life-preservers to foster dependence

Society draws wrong conclusions by passing decisions through a filter based on faulty assumptions.  No logical outcomes can emerge from a belief that there’s no God or He’s not good (or that mankind is god or good).  Those who don’t know where they came from or where they’re going aren’t sure how to get there.  Only Christians know the end of the story because we’ve read the last chapter of the Book.

Are We More Countercultural or Counter Culture?

Are churches and Christians conforming to conventional culture or biblical counterculturalism?  In other words, are we influencing culture more than we’re influenced by it?  Obeying Jesus’ command to drop the stone, in today’s context, means:

• Rendering to Caesar what is Caesar’s, not politicizing to the point of polarizing
• Spending time with those who don’t know Jesus, not just like-minded people
• Loving those across the political aisle unconditionally, as our Father loves us
• Serving the (materially) poor in ways that actually alleviate poverty
• Being blessed to be a blessing to others, not to hoard or withhold
• Giving generously to help millions of persecuted brothers and sisters overseas
• Building disciples (to equip and send) not just churches (to attract and retain)
• Producing childlike faith in adults, not entertaining children to engage adults
• Confronting sin in the church, not judging those outside as Paul commanded
• Bringing up repentance, surrender, sanctification, and dying to self on Sundays
• Cultivating the fruits of the Spirit rather than checking spiritual boxes
• Winning the culture war through a ground campaign of compassion, not an air assault dropping verbal bombs
• Leaning on Scripture, not the world’s instruction, as the blueprint for living
• Forgiving those who offend us because Jesus graciously forgave our offenses
• Being different without being distant, seeing our “enemies” as God sees them

Countercultural, but not counter culture, means awakening society to the truth of Jesus through humility, love, evangelism, and compassion – not accusations and condemnation.  Non-believers will recognize their sin and need for forgiveness when we shine the bright light of Christ’s righteousness.  Churches and Christians dim that light, revealing our hypocrisy and not His holiness, when we compromise to look more like the world and less like Jesus.  The 2024 Presidential election is the perfect chance to Drop The Stone, providing a glimmer of authentic hope to those (mis)placing their hope in parties, politicians, and policies.

It’s Your Turn…

Visit Drop The Stone’s website and Facebook page.  Perform an act of kindness for someone across the political aisle.  Then post your story on your favorite social media channel with the hashtag #DropMyStone and challenge 5 friends to pay your kindness forward.

The post Countercultural, but Not Counter Culture appeared first on Meet the Need Blog.

GUEST-POST: City Saturation = Prayer Saturation x Christ Saturation

1. Above all, you need to start by saturating your own life with more of who Christ is today.

To enlarge and enrich your own vision of and passion for the majesty and supremacy of God’s Son today so that, in turn, you can share this with others, go to ChristNow.com. Scroll down to “Exalting Jesus: A 21-Day Video Journey Into More of Christ” and click on the button—and get ready to be saturated with much more of our Lord Jesus Christ!

2. Next, try to saturate fellow believers with more of the wonders of Jesus that you have uncovered.

3. Form a Christ Awakening Servant Team (CAST) inside your church to transform your church.

4. Subscribe for free to the Christ Now Resources Catalog so you can keep growing in your life in Christ.

5. Pastors and other Christian leaders should definitely consider drawing on the in-depth teaching found in “The Christ Institutes Video Training Series.“

About the Author

Over the past 50 years, David Bryant has been defined by many as a “messenger of hope” and a “Christ proclaimer” to the Church throughout the world. Formerly a minister-at-large with the InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, president of Concerts of Prayer International (COPI), and chairman of America’s National Prayer Committee, David now provides leadership to ChristNow.com and Proclaim Hope!, whose mission is to foster and serve Christ Awakening movements. Download his widely read ebooks at ChristNow.com. Enjoy hundreds of podcast episodes. Watch his weekly vlogs at David Bryant REPORTS. Meet with David through Zoom or in-person events through David Bryant LIVE!

GUEST POST: A New Call for Extraordinary Prayer

GUEST POST: #ReimaginePRAYER...Pray for a Business in Your Community

John Piper, theologian, pastor, and author, tells how George Muller, the prayer legend of the 19th century, said that for years he tried to pray without starting in the Bible in the morning. Inevitably, his mind wandered. He said his prayers were weak and powerless. 

Then he added the habit of using the Bible in prayer, and turned the Book into a prayer manual as he read, and for 40 years he was able to stay focused and powerful in prayer. 

Piper then notes, “I have seen that those whose prayers are most saturated with Scripture are generally most fervent and most effective in prayer. And where the mind isn't brimming with the Bible, the heart is not generally brimming with prayer.“ 

Our first Wednesday email of the month has a focus to help facilitate prayer that you can use for your business, community, city, and country. 

1. Begin with Thanksgiving and Gratitude to the Lord for being our Protector (Psalm 100:4; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18; Psalm 18:2; Psalm 127:1).

2. Pray that Jesus will revive His believers and His church to His Beauty, Love, and Supremacy (2 Chronicles 7:13-15; Psalm 85:6; Habakkuk 3:2-3a; Acts 2:37-41).

3. Pray for unity between believers in every sphere of culture. Pray that walls of theology, doctrine and practice will come down. Pray for offenses to be forgiven. Pray for love to grow and flow in us and through us making us one with Christ (John 17:21-23; Psalm 133:1-3; Acts 4:24).

4. Pray for those that are unbelievers, or believe but have wandered away, or have been offended by Christians, to be visited again by the love of God whether through dreams, visions, friendship, or something they see, hear or read (Acts 26:18; Romans 10:1; Galatians 4:19; 2 Peter 3:9).

5. Pray for relationships. Pray that Jesus will heal, restore, and strengthen every God-designed friendship, partnership, and family (Romans 15:5-7; Malachi 4:5-6; Joshua 24:15).

6. Pray for your local, state and national government that they will honor God and be given wisdom and serve with integrity, justice and mercy (1 Timothy 2:1-2; Romans 13:1; Micah 6:8).

7. Ask God to bless your city as you pray for its peace, welfare, and prosperity (Proverbs 11:11; Jeremiah 29:7,11; Acts 3:26). 

May the Lord bless you as you partner with Jesus to be a house of prayer for all nations. 

Your prayer partner in Christ’s love,

Bob Perry 

Workplace Prayer A Ministry of A.C.T. P.O. Box 1649 Brentwood, TN 37024 United States

• Make time.
• Practice quiet listening.​ ​
• Express trust that God knows all the things you are not saying with a simple one-word prayer​.
• Declare hope that as you submit your mind/thinking, the Word of the Lord will come to you to reveal truths about yourself and the circumstances you are facing.

GUEST POST~ #ReimagineCHURCH... As A Society of Redeemers

Francis Frangipane

There exists a certain degree of hypocrisy among us. What I mean is, without qualms, we condemn the world for not being Christian, yet without remorse we accept we are not Christlike.

I am not saying we shouldn't cry out against evil; sin exists and we must reprove it. However, at some point we must recognize there is more to our destiny than judging sin. God is looking for the perfection of mercy within us. "Mercy triumphs over judgment" (James 2:13), and to follow Christ is to walk the path of mercy toward full redemption.

Recall the words of Paul. He tells us to "have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 2:5). He goes on to explain that Christ existed in the form of God, yet He emptied Himself, took the form of a man, and died for our sins. In other words, He saw the need, but instead of condemning man, He died for man. Paul says we are to have this same attitude in us.

I do not want to be a typical American Christian. I am hungry for more. I want to "grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head [of the church], even Christ" (Eph. 4:15). Our call is to attain "the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ" (v. 13).

Jesus said, "As the Father has sent Me, I also send you" (John 20:21). As Christ was sent into the world to pay the price for sin, so in following Him we become a society of redeemers. When wounded, we forgive; when forced to go one mile, we go two. We bless those who curse us and turn the other cheek to those who strike us. As Christ hung on the cross at Calvary and prayed, "Father, forgive them" (Luke 23:34), so we stand before God, and on behalf of our sinful world, we pray the mercy prayer as well.

I am convinced that the more Christlike the church becomes, the greater will be the backing of Heaven. The more we become a society of redeemers, the more hope we have to see our nation turned back to God.

Adapted from Francis Frangipane's ebook, Spiritual Discernment and the Mind of Christ available in ebook format at www.arrowbookstore.com