Pray Network Forum

Most of us are aware that Jesus castigated the Pharisees and even the scribes who were the Bible teachers among the people. But their theology would pass almost any test for doctrinal soundness. The Pharisees were the theological conservatives of that day.

So if their doctrine was sound, why did Jesus attack them so vociferously? The problem was with the motivation of their hearts. They behaved and believed and prayed like they did to impress people rather than God.

In Matthew 23 Jesus warned the people about the scribes and Pharisees

“They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long, and they love the place of honor at the feasts and the bests seats in the synagogue and greetings in the market places and being called Rabbi by others. But you are not to be called Rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers.” (Matt. 23:5-8 e.s.v.)

It is important for us to understand that Jesus was speaking of one of the most common temptations in our lives to this day. It is easy to desire to be spiritual so we will be respected by people as spiritual. It is easy for us to even pray for God to make us successful in the eyes of other people. This is clearly an abomination to our Lord.

But I find such humble motivation very difficult to achieve. In fact, I it impossible without the help of God. I pray that God will work spiritually and supernaturally in my heart so I will seek success in His eyes rather than in the eyes of men.

 As Veteran's day approaches, we are reminded of our military families and those who have served our country in the military. There are many U.S. troops in our military deployed all over the world leaving families back home and don’t hear the laughter of their loved ones. They only have memories of their loved ones and long for the time they will be back home again. Many times their families see the importance of their mission but the remaining parents, spouse and children struggle with many issues, miss their family member, and often feel abandoned.

Here are suggestions to pray for those in the military and their families.

1. Protection and safety for our troops as they currently patrol the war torn areas.
2. Pray for a covering of protection  over their families left behind. The numbers of spouses who leave a marriage because of the stresses of long-term deployment and repeated      deployments is staggering. The impact this has on the kids is beyond imagination.
3. Pray for grandparents of these military kids left behind to provide spiritual covering, encouragement, and intentional ministry of hope in Christ. The grandparents also need our prayers as they also face the uncertainty and anxiety of their sons, daughters and possibly grandchildren in potential danger daily.
4. Pray for the witness and powerful presence of God for the troops who are followers of Christ among the unbelievers where they are stationed. Pray for the local friendships that they develop, that they will be able to build relationships and have opportunities to share the Gospel in ways and places that no other missionaries would be able to do. Pray that these troops would be the sweet fragrance of Christ among these peoples.

Happy Veteran's Day to all those who have served our country.

By Lillian Penner       

“Political skill is the ability to foretell what is going to happen tomorrow, next week, next month, and next year.

And to have the ability afterwards to explain why it didn’t happen.”

- Sir Winston Churchill

History has shown us that those who make promises do not always keep them.

Some politicians mean well, but factors outside their control trump ideals.

Other politicians are deceitful—even willing to lie to get more votes.

Unfulfilled promises litter the national landscape, making cynics.

Moral corruption is ignored or covered up, making skeptics.

Many who voted chose an unknown over a scoundrel.

Most who voted are hoping for a better tomorrow.

Will promises made ever be truly carried out?

Not by human leaders, not in this society.

But wait—here’s hope for the future.

God is a genuine Promise Keeper.

The rainbow is His signature.

He alone is trustworthy.  

“I have placed my rainbow in the clouds. It is the sign of my permanent promise to you and to all the earth.”

(Genesis 9:13 NLT)

“When sunbeams change course as they travel through the mist,

creating a beautiful postlude to the tempest, read My handwriting—

No storm can destroy you; the sun will shine again; you will live; you can trust Me;

I promise never to retract My solemn word; My signature is written with love’s indelible ink.”

[from Day 7 of Gentle Whispers from Eternity]

Johnny R. Almond

Pastor, Colonial Beach Baptist Church, Virginia

Author, www.GentleWhispersFromEternity-ScripturePersonalized.com

Book available through your local bookseller or preferred on-line retailer.

Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 235 | Wed 06 Nov 2013

ERITREA: PERSECUTION FILLS PRISONS, FUELS REFUGEE CRISIS
plus: Tensions high in Egypt and Pakistan

by Elizabeth Kendal

In 2001 the Eritrean government cancelled elections, arrested political opponents and closed down independent media. Determined to eliminate anything that could threaten national cohesion, the regime extended the repression in May 2002 to 'foreign' and 'non-traditional' religious groups. That meant all except the state-sanctioned Muslim, Eritrean Orthodox, Roman Catholic and Lutheran denominations were banned. Since then, many thousands of mostly evangelical Christians have suffered severely at the hands of a regime known for its human rights abuses, appalling prison conditions and widespread use of torture. Even teenagers are not spared and must complete military service in military training camps before they can graduate from school. Separated from their parents, religious persecution in these camps is systematic and severe. (See RLPB 221, July 2013).

World Watch Monitor reports that during the week of 14 October, Wehazit Berhane Debesai, an Eritrean Christian woman in her 30s, died in custody after a year of harsh imprisonment. Wehazit died of pneumonia after being denied medical treatment because she refused to deny her faith. On 28 October Eritrean security forces raided a prayer meeting in Maitemenai, a suburb north of the capital Asmara. They arrested between 70 Christians (as reported by Open Doors) and 185 Christians (according to Release International). Where they are is not yet confirmed. The total number of Eritrean believers currently incarcerated for their faith is estimated at 1500.

On 24 October the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Eritrea, Sheila B Keetharuth, raised the issue of Eritrea's human rights in the UN General Assembly. She noted that serious human rights abuses are behind the flight of up to 3000 Eritreans each month. 'The current human rights picture is desperately bleak,' she told journalists. 'People feel trapped in a long hopeless situation.' Later, several NGOs jointly hosted a side meeting on Eritrea at which five Eritrean victims gave their personal testimonies. Elsa Chyrum, Director of Human Rights Concern Eritrea, noted: 'Although the human rights situation is extremely alarming in Eritrea, this is the first time that it has been brought to the attention of the General Assembly by the UN-appointed Special Rapporteur. It is clear the recent Lampedusa tragedy which resulted in the loss of over 350 lives, the vast majority of whom were Eritreans, has had an impact on the consciences of many state governments, leading to questions being asked relating to the root causes of those who were fleeing.' Indeed, not only were most of the refugees involved in the Lampedusa tragedy Eritreans, but according to Father Mussie Zerai, Chairman of the Habeshia Agency which works on behalf of these migrants, the majority of those Eritreans were Christians.

According to a recently published report from the Feinstein International Center, Tufts University, Massachusetts, USA, those fleeing Eritrea usually employ people smugglers to take them north through Sudan to Libya before they embark on the dangerous voyage across the Mediterranean to the EU. Alternatively they may go north through eastern Sudan and Egypt to Israel, or south into Ethiopia, South Sudan and beyond. The route through eastern Sudan is especially high risk. Increasingly Bedouin traffickers are kidnapping Eritrean refugees straight out of Sudanese refugee camps. The Eritreans are then taken to concrete bunker torture chambers in the Sinai (Egypt) where they are tortured while money is extorted from their relatives via mobile phone. A Catholic nun who serves the Eritrean community in Israel says they recently heard that 'with God's help, 150 people escaped from the torture camps, as a result of the chaotic situation prevailing in the Sinai following the attacks by the Egyptian army but the escapees have disappeared; we do not know what has happened to them.' The trafficking of Eritrean refugees has become an extremely lucrative business. As noted in RLPB 205, the corruption trail stretches right back to Eritrea where the regime is busy not only creating refugees but in profiting from their misery. [RLPB 205 - Egypt: evil thrives in lawless Sinai, 10 April 2013]


PLEASE PRAY SPECIFICALLY THAT GOD WILL -

* break the arm (the mechanism of action) of the wicked (Psalm 10:15) who profit from misery. Lord, eliminate the demand by destroying the Bedouin trafficking rings and Sinai torture chambers; eliminate the corruption by heaping consequences on those who profit from human suffering; eliminate the supply by bringing radical change to Eritrea so that the flow of refugees will cease at its source.

* break the arm of the wicked who inflict violence and torture on the Lord's beloved. Lord, convict them of sin, soften their hearts, restrain or remove them.

* protect, sustain and comfort his suffering people, providing them with all their needs.

* bring revival to Catholic, Orthodox and Lutheran state-sanctioned churches, so that disunity will dissolve and believers will love, care for and cover one another; may the Lord so work in the Eritrean Church that she is refined as pure silver for future ministry and for the glory of God.

'Break the arm of the wicked and evildoer; call his wickedness to account till you find none.' (Psalm 10:15 ESV)


SUMMARY TO USE IN BULLETINS UNABLE TO RUN THE WHOLE ARTICLE

ERITREAN PERSECUTION FILLS PRISONS, FUELS REFUGEE CRISIS

Up to 3000 Eritreans flee persecution every month. Their extreme danger was shown by the recent Lampedusa tragedy. The vast majority of over 350 lives lost were Eritreans, most of whom were Christians. Those fleeing for asylum via Israel risk falling into the hands of Bedouin traffickers in eastern Sudan. These victims of the Bedouin are tortured so as to extort money from their relatives. Despite the risks, the situation in Eritrea is so horrendous that the flow continues. Some 1500 Christians are currently incarcerated in Eritrea purely because of their faith. On 14 October another young Christian died in captivity. On 28 October a prayer meeting was raided and over 70 believers were arrested. Please pray that God will intervene in Eritrea.


Also, TENSIONS ARE HIGH IN:

* Egypt, where the trial of Mohamed Morsi has began. Minutes into the first session (3 November) the trial was adjourned to 8 January 2014, due to courtroom chaos. Pray that God will surround his people and protect Christian churches, schools, hospitals and other property from reprisal attacks by Muslim Brotherhood supporters.

* Pakistan, after the 1 November drone assassination of Hakeemullah Mehsud, the emir of the al Qaeda-linked Tehreek-e-Taliban. Pray that God will surround his people and protect Christian churches, schools, hospitals and other property from Taliban reprisal attacks.


To view this RLPB with hyperlinks or to access RLPB and RLM archives, visit the Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin blog at http://rlprayerbulletin.blogspot.com

We suggest that churches and fellowships using the Summary above might also provide a copy of the listed prayer points to be used in their worship by people who are leading in prayer.

This RLPB was written for the Australian Evangelical Alliance Religious Liberty Commission (AEA RLC) by Elizabeth Kendal, an international religious liberty analyst and advocate, and a member of the AEA RLC team.

Elizabeth Kendal is the author of  'Turn Back the Battle: Isaiah speaks to Christians today' 
(Deror Books, Dec. 2012) http://turnbackthebattle.com/thebook.html

Elizabeth is Adjunct Research Fellow in the Centre for the Study of Islam and Other Faiths at the Melbourne School of Theology. She is Director of Advocacy for Christian Faith & Freedom based in Canberra, Australia.

If this bulletin was forwarded to you, you may receive future weekly issues direct by sending a blank email to

join-rlpb@hub.xc.org

It’s an oversimplification to say there are only two kinds of Christians in the U.S. today, but let me try to make a case for that view nevertheless.

      On the one side, there are “Charred Stone Believers,” most of whom are Baby Boomers like me. The “charred stone” imagery reflects the cynical words of Nehemiah’s critics: “Do they actually think they can make something of stones from a rubbish heap—and charred ones at that?” (Nehemiah 4:2)

      I meet these charred, burnt out Christians all the time. They typically came to Christ during the Jesus Movement or charismatic renewal, with exciting dreams of God restoring the church to its New Testament glory. Although they’ve had some great spiritual experiences from time to time, they’ve also been burned by disappointing circumstances and unfaithful leaders.

      Instead of seeing the glorious end-times church they once envisioned, my fellow Boomers often feel like their Christian lives are now piled on a rubbish heap of broken promises and unfulfilled dreams. As Nehemiah’s detractors pointed out, burned stones must be “revived” if they’re going to be of any value as building materials (NKJV). Some of these charred believers have dropped out of church life altogether, while others have resigned themselves to sitting on the back row, with little ongoing ministry in the body of Christ.

      However, I’m also beginning to meet another category of Christ-followers, which I call “New Wineskin Christians.” This new breed comes primarily from younger generations. Feeling little sense of obligation to attend “church” in the traditional sense, they would much rather BE the church. They’re rightfully bored and unimpressed with our focus on Sunday morning meetings instead of 24/7/365 spirituality.

      Young generations like the Millennials are looking for reality and community, not showmanship and hype. Life is about transformation and relationships rather than endless programs and pointless activities. They are yearning for a sense of purpose, but they’re skeptical that their purpose can be fulfilled within the four walls of a church. They’re usually more motivated by the prospect of being salt and light in the marketplace.

      Of course, there also are phony new wineskins, just as Satan always tries to counterfeit the work of God. An authentic wineskin is something organic and flexible. It stretches as the new wine ferments and expands. In contrast, some of our modern church wineskins seem more like plastic imitations. If you’ve ever tried to put fine wine into a plastic bottle or Styrofoam cup, you get the picture.

      Authentic wineskins are the creation of God, birthed by a move of His Spirit in people’s hearts. Fake wineskins are man-made knockoffs.

      Thankfully, God is faithful to raise up genuine New Wineskin Christians in every generation. In fact, once upon a time, those of us who are now charred stones were enthusiastically heralding that we were God’s new wineskin.

      Don’t get me wrong. I believe there is hope for the future—both for the Charred Stone Believers and the New Wineskin Christians. Through His resurrection power, God can revive the charred stones, making our later days even better than our former days.

      It’s also important for the New Wineskin Christians to recognize their need for the charred stones—not to control things, but to offer perspective and wisdom. Having gone through the fire, we’ve learned a few things along the way. Like the aged Simeon and Anna in the temple (Luke 2:25-38), God wants to use us to affirm and bless the new breed of Christ-followers He is birthing. As the old saying goes, it’s not time to retire, but to re-fire.

Prayer - 3

LET’S PRAY LIKE THIS

based on The Acts 4:23-31 

    How many of you have ever had a character sketch drawn of you? … They say that character sketch’s date all the way back to Leonardo da Vinci.  Here’s one that was done of me around 30 years ago. 

    Now what character sketches usually do is accentuate prominent traits of the individual being drawn.  Let’s put a couple up on the screen.

•    Albert Einstein … what’s his main trait? (bad hair)
•    Elvis … (snarl)
•    President Obama … (big ears)

Those are things that a character artist picks up on. 

    Now let me give you another one which will be a little harder because you never saw this fellow in real life.  His name is James, and he’s the author of one of the books in the N.T.

    If a character artist were to do a sketch of James, what he/she would exaggerate would be his … knees! 
    According to the 1st century historian, Josephus, James prayed so much that he had knees “like camel’s knees.”  In fact, that was his nickname … “camel knees.”  I’m not making that up.  But isn’t that a wonderful image?  James’ knees were visibly calloused from spending so much time on them!

    Today is the 3rd of a 5-part series on prayer.  And if you’ve missed any of the sermons, they’re on our website.  We’ve talked about praying alone, and praying together.   

    Now James writes a very practical letter.  In many ways, it’s the most functional epistle in the N.T.  It’s just chalked full of useful stuff to apply to our daily Christian living.  And James concludes it with instructions about prayer.  In fact, in the final 8 verses there are 7 specific references to praying or prayer.  Old “camel knees” is explaining to followers of Jesus the practical ways that they’re to be engaging in prayer. 

    This morning we’re going to look at 4 different kinds of prayer.  So as you’re listening and taking notes, I want you to be particularly aware as to which areas of prayer you need to be working on.  

    So, Good News this morning, from Jesus’ ½ brother, James, to you who have gathered here at Community Church.  Within your hearing, now comes the Word of the Lord …
    “Are any among you in trouble?  They should pray.  Are any among you happy?  They should sing praises.  Are any among you sick?  They should send for the church elders, who will pray for them and rub olive oil on them in the name of the Lord.  This prayer made in faith will heal the sick; the Lord will restore them to health, and the sins they have committed will be forgiven.  So then, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you will be healed.  The prayer of a good person has a powerful effect.  Elijah was the same kind of person as we are.  He prayed earnestly that there would be no rain, and no rain fell on the land for three and a half years.  Once again he prayed, and the sky poured out its rain and the earth produced its crops.

    My friends, if any of you wander away from the truth and another one brings you back again, remember this: whoever turns a sinner back from the wrong way will save that sinner’s soul from death and bring about the forgiveness of many sins.” (James 5:13-20)

May the Lord grant that we may engage in contemplating the mysteries of His Heavenly wisdom with really increasing devotion, to His glory and to our edification.  Amen

    We’re going to start this morning in the middle of our passage rather than at the beginning.
    We need to learn something about the power of prayer before we talk about various kinds of prayer.  Don’t you want power in your prayers?  Do you want to know that your prayers are making a difference? 

    Scripture teaches that prayer can be powerful.  Prayer invites God to intervene in human situations.  But there are 2 qualifications that must be met for our prayers to be effective. 

    “The prayer of a good person has a powerful effect.  Elijah was the same kind of person as we are.  He prayed earnestly that there would be no rain, and no rain fell on the land for 3½ years.”

    In the original text the word order here is a little different.  In Greek if we want to emphasize a word or thought, we put that word at the beginning of the sentence.  And guess what word is at the beginning of the passage I just read? … (powerful) 

    James literally writes, “Powerful is the prayer of a good person.”  Unfortunately English translators come along and try to make the sentence read better; and as a result, they miss the emphasis that James is making.  James wants us to pray with power.

    Would you like to pray with power?  Do you want your prayers to make a difference?  Well, James says that there are 2 essential qualifications. 
    1st, we need to be a good pray-er.  “Powerful is the prayer of a good person.” 

    What are the requirements to be “good”?  Does “good” mean sinless?  “Powerful is the prayer of a ‘sinless’ person.”  Well, I hope that’s not what “good” means, because my prayers will never be powerful … and neither will yours … because we’re not sinless. (Romans 3:23)

    The word “good,” as it’s used here, describes people who have surrendered their lives to Jesus Christ, and are now striving to walk in obedience to Him. 

    Have you ever surrendered your life to Jesus Christ?  Have you ever asked God to forgive your sins? 
(1 John 1:9)  When we give God our sins, He exchanges them for His goodness.  This is an incredible swap.  Stop and think about it.  Jesus invites us to give Him our sins, and what He gives us in exchange is His goodness.
                                                                              (2 Corinthians 5:21)

    Have you ever done that? … If you have, then Jesus credits His goodness to your account. (Romans 4:5) 

    If you’ve come to faith and are striving to live for Him then your prayers are going to have a powerful effect.  And if you haven’t done that … then just save your breath, because your prayers aren’t going anywhere.  They’re not going to accomplish a thing. 

    So the 1st qualification is that the pray-er is “good.”
    The 2nd qualification is … we must be an earnest pray-er.  James uses the example of Elijah here. 

    Elijah was a superhero to the Jews of James’ day.  In fact there are no less than 29 references in the N.T. to this O.T. prophet.  Elijah was a big deal.  And most of James’ readers could recount stories about his exploits. 

    There was the time he went toe-to-toe with the 450 wicked prophets of Baal on the top of Mt. Carmel.  Elijah was a superhero in Jewish history. (1 Kings 18:20-40)

    One of the things that Elijah was particularly known for was his powerful praying.  On one occasion God brought a drought because of Elijah’s prayer.  3½ years of drought.  And then Elijah prayed again and rain came. (1 Kings 17:1-7,18:41-45)  How many of you have ever gotten results like that from your prayers? …

    So we’re tempted to say, “James, can you give us another example of powerful praying besides Elijah, because we’re not in his league?  He was a superhero.” 

    James responds, “Not really, Elijah was the same kind of person as we are.  God listened and responded to his prayers because he prayed ‘earnestly.’”

    I love the literal Greek here.  “He prayed with prayer.”  In Jewish understanding if we want to emphasize something … we repeat it.
    So the prophet Isaiah writes,
“Holy, holy, holy!
The LORD Almighty is holy!” (Isaiah 6:3)

Isaiah is highlighting the holiness of God! 

    And here James wants us to know that Elijah was a fellow who knew how to pray.  “He prayed with prayer.”  There was intensity about his conversations with God. 

    Is there an earnestness in your prayers that convinces God that you really mean what you’re praying about?  Scripture teaches that God doesn’t take our prayers seriously if we pray them ½ heartedly. (James 1:6)

    If we want our prayers to be powerful, to make a difference, we must be “good” pray-ers, and “earnest” pray-ers.

    Now James is going to give us 4 types of prayers, and God wants us to be actively involved in each one. 

    The 1st is the singing prayer.  (Our choir especially likes this one.)  “Are any among you in trouble?  They should pray.  Are any among you happy?  They should sing praises.”  Praying and singing praises go hand-in-hand. 

    It doesn’t matter if you’re having a good day or a bad day … express yourself to God in singing.  And when you do you bring Him into your situation.  Augustine, a 5th century theologian, said … “He who sings – prays twice.”
    When we sing praises we’re not only worshipping God, we’re also praying.  So if you want to double your prayer … just sing.  And by the way, it doesn’t matter if you’re a soprano, alto, tenor, bass, baritone, or a monotone. 

Scripture says …
“Make a joyful noise unto the Lord.” (The Psalms 100:1)

    So, James tells us to become a singing pray-er … because when we sing, we pray twice. 

    #2 … the healing prayer.  “Are any among you sick?  They should send for the church elders, who will pray for them and rub olive oil on them in the name of the Lord.  This prayer made in faith will heal the sick; the Lord will restore them to health.”

    Let’s look at the 3 steps of the healing prayer that James lays out for us.  This way, when you need it … you’ll understand how it works. 

    Step #1 … the sick person contacts the elders.  “Are any among you sick?  They should send for the church elders, who will pray for them.” 

    In our congregation we don’t have elders … but our Deacons assume this role.  They’re the spiritual leaders of this congregation.  They have committed themselves to pray for each of you.  All of you are being prayed for throughout the week by our Deacons.  That’s a given.
    But James wants to take us to a deeper level.  If you’re sick, and want God’s healing, then you’re to contact the Deacons, (and each of you have a Deacon contact), and they will come and pray specifically for you.  But you have to initiate it.

    What’s going on here?  Why does God want you to contact the Deacons?  Very simple … He wants you to display some faith.  God wants you to show that you really believe that He can bring healing.  

    At your invitation, the Deacons will come and anoint you with oil.  “They will rub olive oil on the sick person in the name of the Lord.”

    What’s that all about?  The oil serves as a symbol. It’s not medicine … it’s a symbol.  It’s, in some ways, like when we take Communion.  We get a piece of bread, and a cup of juice, which symbolize the body and blood of Jesus, who died on the cross to pay for our sins.
(1 Corinthians 11:26)  It’s a physical reminder of Jesus’ death. 

    Oil in the Scriptures is a symbol of The Holy Spirit.  When Jesus was beginning His ministry, in His hometown of Nazareth, He read a passage from Isaiah.


“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me to bring good news.” (Luke 4:18)

    “The Holy Spirit has been poured out on me,” Jesus says, “like oil.”
    Oil becomes a symbol of the outpouring of The Holy Spirit.  If you contact the Deacons to pray for healing; they’ll come and rub some oil, like I do at the Ash Wednesday service, on your forehead as a physical reminder that we’re asking The Holy Spirit to get involved in your healing. 

     Once again, there’s nothing magical about the oil, and there’s nothing particularly special about the way we pray; we’re just being obedient to what Scripture teaches as we ask God to intervene. 

    This brings us to the 3rd step.  The Deacons pray in faith.  “This prayer made in faith will heal the sick.”  They pray a prayer in faith. 

    When we pray, when I pray, I pray with expectation.  I believe that God is going to do something. (Mark 11:24) 

    So does this mean that God will always heal the person? … Not necessarily.  Praying in faith simply means that we believe certain things about God.  And one of those things is that He has the power to bring healing to this person. 

    The other thing that we believe, when we pray in faith, is that God is sovereign and knows what’s best.  So at times He may withhold healing for reasons known only to Him. (John 9:3)  But regardless, we pray like crazy for the person to be healed. 
    And if it doesn’t happen we say … “God be praised” … because we know He has a better plan. (The Psalms 33:11) 

    But the obedient step is that we give the Deacons the opportunity to pray the healing prayer.  So, if you’re ill, and you’re wondering why God hasn’t made you better … maybe He’s waiting for you to follow His instructions. 

    #3 … the restoring prayer.  “This prayer made in faith will heal the sick; the Lord will restore them to health, and the sins they have committed will be forgiven.  So then, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you will be healed.”

    James makes a connection in these sentences between sin and sickness.  So, what do you think?  Let’s take a poll here.  Is sickness a result of sin in your life?

    How many of you say “yes”?  Sickness is a result of sin? … How many of you say “no”?  Sickness is not the result of sin? … How many of you say, “maybe?” … The “maybes” win. 

    Because what we learn in Scripture is that sometimes sickness is the result of sin.  And sometimes sickness has nothing to do with sin. 

    Let me illustrate this with 2 incidents from the life of Jesus, both from the Gospel of John.  Jesus is in Jerusalem for a religious festival. 
    And He comes across a fellow who had been sick for 38 years … and He heals him on the spot.  Now later that day Jesus runs into him again in the Temple, and He tells him, “Listen, you are well now; so stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.” (John 5:14)

    In other words, “That sickness that I healed you from this morning was connected to a sin in your life.  So don’t go back there or you’re going to get sick again.”

    Now lest we think that’s always the case, a different story is told several chapters later.  This time Jesus heals a man who has been blind since birth.  And His disciples are remembering the lame man’s story, so they’re wondering, “Teacher, whose sin caused him to be born blind?  Was it his own or his parents’ sin?”

    “Jesus answered, ‘His blindness has nothing to do with his sins or his parents’ sins.  He is blind so that God’s power might be seen at work in him.’” (John 9:2-3)
“God’s going to do a miracle here.  It has nothing to do with anybody’s sin.” 

    So sometimes sickness is the result of sin in our lives, sometimes it isn’t.  And that’s why James wants us to examine our lives when we’re sick to see if there’s any sinful pattern going on that we need to confess.

    God may be using sickness to get our attention so that we’ll confess our sins.  I want to say that again. 
    God may be using sickness to get our attention so that we’ll confess our sins.

    “Confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you will be healed.” 

    Ultimately, of course, we confess our sins to God, but here James tells us to “confess our sins to one another.”  Why does he say that?  What’s the possible benefit of confessing our sins to someone else?  Well, remember the context … this is all about prayer.

    So when I confess my sins to somebody, I say, “I’m really struggling in this area; I’m not doing too well.”  And the next line out of my mouth is, “Will you pray for me?”

    By the way, this is where our Roman Catholic friends get the idea that sins must be confessed to a Priest.  But you don’t see any mention of a Priest here.  “Confess your sins to your Pastor” … that’s not what it says. 

    Believers are to confess sins to other believers.  It may be a Pastor or Priest, it may a spouse, it may be a close friend.  It may be the Deacons … because this whole passage is about Church leaders.

    We’re to call the Deacons if we’re sick to come and pray and anoint.  And we may have to confess … “The reason I’m sick is because I’m run down and my schedule is just all out of whack.”
      Or, “I have bitterness in my life toward a certain person, and I just can’t forgive them.”

    And the Deacons will say, “Let’s pray.  We’ll pray for your physical healing, and we’ll pray for your spiritual healing, that you’ll experience God’s forgiveness and the breaking of this pattern of sin in your life.” 

    This is the Scriptural model.  “Confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you will be healed.”

    One of my favorite passages of Scripture is 1 John 1:9.  “If we confess our sins to God, he will forgive us our sins and purify us from all our wrongdoing.” (1 John 1:9)

    How long has it been since you prayed the restoring prayer?  Has it been 48 hours?  Has it been a week?  A month?  Do you ever invite someone else to pray for you concerning a particular sin?  To “have your back” as it were.  You’re missing out if you don’t.

    #4 … the retrieving prayer.  “My friends, if any of you wander away from the truth and another one brings you back again, remember this: whoever turns a sinner back from the wrong way will save that sinner’s soul from death and bring about the forgiveness of many sins.” 

    When Kathy and I were in England last month we got a GPS on our rental car.  Best money I ever spent. 
    We came home from our vacation still speaking to each other!

     Well, we named our GPS appropriately, “Kate.”  And Kate guided us perfectly all around Great Britain. However, occasionally I’d make a wrong turn, which Kate was quick to point it out … “Turn around as soon as possible.”

    James is telling us that followers of Jesus are to be like Kate.  This command is for each of us.  If we see someone wandering from God … tell them to turn around!

    You know, we pride ourselves in caring for each other … and yet we’re not willing to say the hard things. 

    Let me give you 3 resources to use when you have to do this.  The 1st is prayer.  We never approach retrieving without a lot of prayer, otherwise we’re going to be doing things only in our own strength and power … and that’ll never work. 

    The 2nd resource is Scripture.  James describes the person as having “wandered away from the truth.”  This is a really important point.  We live in a culture that no longer believes in the truth.  We live in a culture that no longer has an absolute standard of right and wrong.  Our society believes it would be intolerant to insinuate that a person has wandered from God and needs to turn around.  “How dare you suggest that?  Mind your own business!”
    “Who are you to think that something is wrong and needs to be changed in my behavior?  Who are you to say what’s right or wrong?” 

    Well, if we know God’s Word we can identify bad behavior.  It’s not based on our opinion, but on what Scripture says.  God tells us what is right. (John 17:17) 

    And James was certainly not timid when it came to getting into a friend’s face.  Throughout his letter, he says, “You’ve got to stop doing that.”  Or, “you’ve got to start doing this.”

    Which leads us to the 3rd resource … love.  All the way through his letter James addresses his readers as “my friends.”  In fact, that’s how he starts this final section, “my friends.”  “Hey, I love you guys.  And I have to say something hard here, but I want you to know that it’s motivated out of love.” 

    This is not a guy who’s doing this to show that he’s right and they’re wrong.  This is a guy who loves you and the goal of his turning you around is to save the “sinner’s soul from death.”  Now that may in fact include physical death, but his real concern is spiritual.  “Get right with God.  Confess sins that need to be confessed.” 

    If this person is a nonbeliever then they’re headed for eternal separation from God.  They’re going to spiritually die.  They’re headed for hell and destruction.
    If the person is a believer, and has temporarily wandered off the path, there’s a spiritual deadliness that’s taking place in their relationship with God, and we can save them from that.  Don’t you want to do that?

    Besides that James says, it’ll “bring about the forgiveness of many sins.” 

    We confront the person with Scripture, and they acknowledge … “oh yeah, I need to get right with God.”  And they confess their sins, and then the blood of Jesus Christ covers them. (1 Peter 4:8)  This is wonderful! 

    Does it work all the time?  No, sometimes the person becomes extremely defensive … but doing nothing won’t bring them back to God either. 

    So, how’s your prayer life when it comes to these 4 kinds of prayer?

•    The singing prayer?  Be bold and sing out.
•    The healing prayer?  Has it ever occurred to you to go to the Deacons for prayer?
•    The restoring prayer?  Is there stuff going on in your life that needs to be confessed?
•    The retrieving prayer?  If I asked you to write down the name of somebody who has wandered away from God, every person in this room could bring someone to mind.  Start praying for that person right now.

MARANA THA

I am so excited to tell you about this fantastic opportunity to connect with others who have a heart to pray and a heart for our city in order to seek God together for our city. On Saturday, November 9 from 9am – noon, Mission Birmingham is hosting an Intercessors’ Prayer Summit at Shades Mountain Independent Church! If you are in the area, we would love to have you!

Mission Birmingham has been hosting and facilitating prayer summits all over the metro-B’ham area for years now, from the annual Pastors’ Prayer Summit held every November at Shocco Springs, to individual church prayer summits, and even prayer journeys through the city. A prayer summit is not a time of teaching about prayer, or listening to a sermon on prayer. It is Scripture-fed, Spirit-led corporate prayer, facilitated by someone who is sensitive to the leading of the Spirit, and who will help guide the participants into united, dynamic prayer.

Dennis Fuqua, executive director of International Renewal Ministries, and author of two books on prayer (“Living Prayer” and “United and Ignited”), will be our facilitator for that morning. His heart for the Lord, his love for people, and his sense of humor make him a wonderful facilitator.

I love prayer summits because of how one can see the Holy Spirit moving through the room. There have been countless times where I was about to pray something, but someone across the room started to pray the exact same thing! I love how it connects everyone at the event. It brings a powerful sense of the unity of the Spirit that I just don’t feel all the time. Prayer summits also connect me to the heart of God as I am stirred by the prayers of those around me. They cause me to think higher thoughts, and pray deeper prayers than I would on my own. My view of God is magnified, and my faith in Him is strengthened. And then there’s the answers we see to corporate prayer. God moves mightily when His people come together for the purpose of seeking Him because He is worthy to be sought, and because we are desperate for Him.

So please join us for our first Intercessors’ Prayer Summit on Saturday, November 9 from 9-12. There is no cost for this event, but we do need you to register so that we can plan for seating and refreshments. Click here to register. Bring your prayer teams, prayer partners, friends….anyone who has a heart to pray and a heart for the metro-Birmingham area!

On Sunday evening, we will also be having a time of praying for the Persecuted Church from 5:30-9pm. Feel free to join us for that as well.

Christian Library International takes donations of used Christian books, Bibles (large print and Spanish are especially needed) and places them with prison chaplains for their lending libraries or as gifts to prisoners. It is a wonderful opportunity to show love and tell prisoners about Jesus.

The Christian Library International stamp is placed in each book that goes out so the prisoners may request to do a Bible study. It is a very worthwhile ministry that people here at Pray! may want to check into for finding places for their books that need new homes. Also, I am part of the prayer team helping to support the ministry in that way.

I am currently writing a book review column in their quarterly newsletter in case anyone here would like to make any suggestions of books on prayer that would be especially helpful to the prison population. I would love to hear your suggestions and why they would be appropriate.

Pray for your Grandchildren to find God's Favor like Noah was a righteous and blameless man, among the people of his time, and he walked with God. God saw that the earth was filled with corruption, violence and depravity however, Noah did all that the Lord commanded him to do.¹

Since creation, it had not rained on the earth but God told Noah to build an ark because he was going to flood the earth and every living thing would die. Only Noah, his wife, his 3 sons and their wives and a pair of every animal would survive the flood, since he had found favor with the Lord. It was by faith, that Noah obeyed God, who warned him about something that had never happened before and built the ark to save his family from the flood.²

Today, our grandchildren are growing up in an ungodly world, full of corruption, violence, and depravity where truth is questioned. Adrian Rogers gives us a good description of our culture today. “Prayer is out. Police are in. Bibles are out. Values clarification is in. The Ten Commandments are out. Social engineering is in. Creation is out. Evolution is in. History is out. Revisionism is in.” ³ 

As grandparents, let's pray our dear grandchildren will live a moral, respectable and honorable life, finding favor with God, obeying all of His commands as Noah did. They will only find fulfillment walking with the Lord and obeying His Word. Encourage your grandchildren to recognize the tide of the world so they may refuse to go along with it, standing firm in their faith.

By Lillian Penner

¹ Genesis 6:9, 11, 22

² Hebrews 11:7

³ Adapted from a devotional Love Worth Finding Ministriesby Adrian Rogers. July 3, 2010.

“Extreme cold when it first arrives seems to generate cheerfulness and sociability.

For a few hours all life’s dubious problems are dropped in favor of the clear and congenial task of keeping alive.”

- E. B. White (“Cold Weather,” 1944)

Daylight Savings Time ends Sunday—we “fall back,” enjoy an extra hour’s sleep, and wake up in the dark.

The relentless march of time makes leaves to change color, and forces each day’s temperatures lower.  

Will Rogers said we shouldn’t complain about the weather, since “it gives us something to talk about.”

The brisk air will change in seven weeks, as we shiver while winter makes its annual reappearance.

Winter does bring its challenges, but there are blessings—hot tea, sweaters, and fireplaces.

Hopefully, we will never have to struggle just to stay alive in a situation of extreme cold.

But when the north wind blows and the snow falls, we can enjoy huddling together.

“As long as the earth remains,

There will be springtime and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer, day and night.”

(Genesis 8:22 NLT)

[Reflections on Day 6, “The Promise of the Seasons”, Gentle Whispers from Eternity]

Johnny R. Almond

Pastor, Colonial Beach Baptist Church, Virginia

Author, www.GentleWhispersFromEternity-ScripturePersonalized.com

Book available through your local bookseller or preferred on-line retailer.

Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 234 | Wed 30 Oct 2013

by Elizabeth Kendal 

* Supporting International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church
* IDOP 2013: Sunday 3 November
* See http://criticalprayerrequests.blogspot.com

WELCOME to the intercessors who have joined the list this month.


OCTOBER 2013 UPDATE - During Oct we prayed concerning . . .

* INDIA (RLPB 230), where the Hindu nationalist BJP has appointed Hindutva ideologue Nahendra Modi as its presidential candidate for the April-May 2014 elections.

UPDATE: Indian political analyst R Jagannathan writes (17 October 2013), 'By all indications, the 2014 election is the BJP's to lose. Thanks to the Narendra Modi effect and the Congress's continued dalliance with desperate political and economic moves, the momentum is clearly in the BJP's favour . . . [and] the momentum is just beginning to build.' Jagannathan expects the BJP will 'comfortably notch up its highest tally ever . . . [and for] the seat tally for 2014 between Congress and BJP to be exactly reversed - with the BJP crossing 200 and the Congress falling to the low 100-plus levels.' [272 seats are required for a majority.] Hindutva is supposed to replace racial apartheid (i.e. the caste system) with religious apartheid (Hindu supremacy). In reality, India under the BJP would doubtless suffer a mixture of both, as caste is so deeply ingrained. The rise of political Hindutva is a very serious threat to Indian Christians.

* SYRIA, IRAN and the SHI'ITE CRESCENT (RLPB 231). Saudi Arabia's plan to advance Sunni Arab interests by getting its ally, the USA, to shatter the Shi'ite Crescent has failed. Sensing that Syria is becoming a hot-bed of Salafi jihadism, the US is seeking rapprochement with Iran, the only force in the region strong enough to tackle the jihadist threat. Without US backing, the Saudi regime's survival is tenuous. All its oil is in its Shi'ite-dominated Eastern Province, where Shi'ites have long suffered crippling discrimination and persecution. If Iran finds it can expand its influence with impunity, the Wahhabi-inspired, hate-mongering Saudi regime could find its days are numbered. It is urgent that Iran's belligerent, anti-Semitic clerical regime be removed and that Iran return to being a modern state, an ally of Israel and a friend of the West. May God hasten Iran's Christian awakening. Continue to pray for the region's gravely imperilled Christians.

PRAISE GOD that earlier this month the Syrian Arab Army broke through the rebel encirclement of Aleppo and supplies are making their way into areas long-besieged.

* KAZAKHSTAN and CENTRAL ASIA (RLPB 232), where religious repression is escalating.

* THE BIG PICTURE (RLPB 233; for IDOP 2013)


OCTOBER 2013 ROUND-UP - also this month . . .

* BRUNEI: TO ENACT SHARIA CRIMINAL LAW

Commencing April 2014, Brunei will enact Sharia criminal law, including amputation, lashing, stoning and execution. The Sultan signed the bill on 22 October. As reported by the Jakarta Post, 'Hudud crimes cover areas including theft, illicit sexual relations, making unproven accusations of illicit sex, causing physical hurt, drinking intoxicants, apostasy, and acts contrary to Islamic belief.' The laws supposedly will apply only to Brunei's Muslims (about 65 percent of the population). However, wherever Hudud laws are enforced, Christians especially become extremely vulnerable to rape and other violent crimes. If they report rape they risk being punished for making 'false' claims as they will not be able to get four adult male Muslim eye witnesses required to corroborate their claim. The Sharia criminal penalty of death for apostasy will remove any pretence of religious liberty, making witness and conversion even more dangerous than it is already. Pray for the Church in Brunei.


* EGYPT: CHRISTIANS GUNNED DOWN AT A WEDDING

In suburban Cairo on 20 October, as families were gathering for the wedding of two young Christians, two men on a motorcycle drove up to the entrance of the church and sprayed the crowd outside with automatic rifle fire. At least four Christians were killed, including two young children, while 17 people were wounded, many critically. Also two children have been reported missing. The couple went ahead with their wedding later that evening, dressed in mourning black. Pray for Egypt's threatened Christians.


INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER FOR THE PERSECUTED CHURCH (IDOP 3 November)

PRAY FOR AWAKENINGS

In Egypt, Pakistan, Northern Nigeria and elsewhere where Christians are being murdered by Muslims, reports are emerging about local Muslims polarising. Some who have been radicalised are becoming more militant, while others who are appalled are increasingly demonstrating solidarity with Christians. The long-prayed-for awakening is under way, albeit at great cost in Christian lives. Likewise, many Muslims who have lived under extreme repression and with shocking violence in states such as Iran and Afghanistan are turning to Christ, mostly where they have taken refuge. In the 'free' world, the growth of ethnic churches consisting of Muslim converts is a definite and observable trend. Please keep praying for awakenings - amongst all persecutors - and that God will sustain his Persecuted Church. [Please visit CriticalPrayerRequests.blogspot.com also]


'Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labour in the Lord is not in vain.' (1 Corinthians 15:58 NIV)


To view this RLPB with hyperlinks or to access RLPB and RLM archives, visit the Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin blog at http://rlprayerbulletin.blogspot.com

We suggest that the IDOP item above {Pray for Awakenings) may be used as the Summary this month.


This RLPB was written for the Australian Evangelical Alliance Religious Liberty Commission (AEA RLC) by Elizabeth Kendal, an international religious liberty analyst and advocate, and a member of the AEA RLC team.

Elizabeth Kendal is the author of 'Turn Back the Battle: Isaiah speaks to Christians today'
(Deror Books, Dec. 2012) http://turnbackthebattle.com/thebook.html

Elizabeth is Adjunct Research Fellow in the Centre for the Study of Islam and Other Faiths at the Melbourne School of Theology. She is Director of Advocacy for Christian Faith & Freedom based in Canberra, Australia.

If this bulletin was forwarded to you, you may receive future weekly issues direct by sending a blank email

to join-rlpb@hub.xc.org

“Tomorrow there’ll be another tidal wave, so keep your snorkel above the water level.”

- President George Bush, quoting his mother’s advice about staying calm

Sometimes chaos threatens to drown us—we’re in over our head, desperately searching for rescue.

International tensions over espionage practices, wars, and political shenanigans discourage us

Our personal lives sometimes feel in shambles—everything nailed down is coming loose.

Just when we thought everything was fine, some other horrible thing comes along.

As floodwaters rise higher and higher all around us, we wonder if we’re going to survive.

Will our Creator and Savior rescue us from this trouble? Will He see us through it all?

The Lord has been our Storm Shelter for years—will this perfect storm kill us?

Will this pain destroy us, or strengthen us?  Will we live to tell about it?

Perhaps the Captain of our souls lets the water get deep to teach us trust.

We’re not sure why bad things happen to good people, but He knows.

Maybe the Master is rocking our small boat to get our attention.

When we finally realize who has the helm, we can relax.

“As the waters rose higher and higher above the ground, the boat floated safely on the surface.”

(Genesis 7:18 NLT)

[Reflections on Day 5, “Flotation Advice”, from Gentle Whispers from Eternity]

Johnny R. Almond

Pastor, Colonial Beach Baptist Church, Virginia

Author, www.GentleWhispersFromEternity-ScripturePersonalized.com

Book available through your local bookseller or preferred on-line retailer.

Grandma Buchan was a very wise woman, and she had a fascinating theory on church growth. Well, actually, her theory had to do with restaurants, but many of the same principles apply to churches.

      “Jimmy, I never go to a restaurant if the parking lot isn’t full,” she told me firmly one day.

      I had never thought about restaurants that way. In fact, it seemed to me that there should be other considerations.

      “But, Grandma, I don’t always like busy restaurants, because you have to wait longer for your food.”

      Granny couldn’t be dissuaded, though. “No, Jimmy, if a restaurant has a lot of customers, I know the food must be good.”

      At the time of our conversation, it never occurred to me to ask Grandma about her thoughts on church growth. But as a pastor, I later adapted her theorem: Churches tend to grown when they serve good spiritual food.

      There’s a lot to be said for this axiom. I remember when our college fellowship group was attracting members away from the very boring and very liberal chapel program on campus. The college chaplain wasn’t very happy about this, of course, but I told him that people were simply gravitating to where their needs were being met.

      I’ve been on the other end of this principle, too. What if you’re a pastor whose members are leaving to attend a church down the street? It’s particularly painful when you’ve poured your heart and soul into someone who then departs for greener pastures or a better show.

      If Granny were still alive, I would love to bring up some questions about how her theory applies to churches. For example, the McDonald’s drive-thru is almost always busy. But I surely can’t say the food is good, at least not nutritionally. Aren’t there churches just like that—serving food that’s high in sugar and fat, making people obese and clogging their spiritual arteries as the years go by?

      Yes, people tend to gravitate to what meet their needs, but they also can gravitate to junk food.

      How does this apply to your church? Is it just a feel-good congregation, or is it truly offering good spiritual nutrition? Is it a place of genuine relationship and accountability, or is it more akin to a McDonald’s drive-thru?

      As we can see in John chapter six, Jesus’ earthly ministry demonstrated both sides of Granny’s principle. On the one hand, huge multitudes were following Him, because He was serving good food, healing people, and meeting their needs.

      But toward the end of the chapter, the crowd was reduced down to the original 12 disciples. Why? Because Jesus wasn’t going to let His ministry become like a McDonald’s drive-thru. Rather than being content to entertain people or feed them junk food, He gave them some “hard sayings” that day: “Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you” (v. 53).

      So we need to allow God to deal with us on both sides of this issue. If few people are being attracted by our ministry, we must ask ourselves whether we’re truly serving good food.

      However, if huge crowds are coming, we may need to preach some “hard sayings” and see who the real disciples are. Let’s make sure our congregations aren’t just filled with drive-by Christians, coming for the junk food. Instead of just providing a momentary spiritual high, may our “worship experiences” promote long-term spiritual growth.

“Whosoever walks toward God one cubit, God  runs toward him twain.”

- Anonymous

Thinking of God as a harsh judge out to nail us for our misdemeanors is not conducive to prayer.

Considering God a Counselor and Friend with our best interests in mind encourages prayer.

 Obsession with dutiful, meticulous adherence to a set of religious rules stifles prayer.

Delight with the privilege and honor of a relationship with God enhances prayer.

Parting company with God inevitably breaks our heart and ruins our day.

Steadily walking with God blesses our heart and enriches our day.

A mere mechanical relationship with God is superficial.

A heartfelt relationship with God is transformative.

Keeping distant from God leads to catastrophe.

Staying near God’s heart is a celebration.

“Enoch walked with God…”

Genesis 5:24 KJV

[Reflections on Day 4 of Gentle Whispers from Eternity]

Johnny R. Almond

Pastor, Colonial Beach Baptist Church, Virginia

Author, www.GentleWhispersFromEternity-ScripturePersonalized.com

Book available through your local bookseller or preferred on-line retailer.

In the Northwest, we are having great autumn weather with the awesome colors, seeing beautiful reds, oranges, yellow and golden leaves. The other day while driving down the street, seeing the beautiful trees I was reminded of the seasons we experience each year and compared them to our lives.   

I was thinking that when we are in our childhood years, we are like the budding beautiful blooming trees in the springtime. Then we come into adulthood and we are as the green leaves in the summer time with many of the trees bearing fruit just as many young families bear children.  Then in the autumn season, we harvest the fruit reminding me of when our children are leaving home and we receive the gift of grandparenting. In the wintertime as the trees become bare, we near the end of our lives.  

Since I am in the autumn season of my life at this time admiring the beautiful vibrant colors I asked myself:   Does my life reflect the gorgeous red, golden, yellow, and orange colors of a vibrant relationship with you to my children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren?  Ask yourself this question.  

God has given us purpose even though we may become limited physically in our autumn season of life, we can be a prayer warrior for our families. They need much prayer as we live in these troubled post-Christian times. 

Here are some prayer requests for connecting with your grandchildren:

• Ask God to give you opportunities and creative
  ideas to connect with them.
• Ask God to give you unconditional love for them.
• Ask God to protect your grandchildren from the deception of the evil one who is trying to steal them from the Lord.

Note: Would you please share your thoughts about this blog in the comments below?

If you are on Facebook, would you like this page and share the post with your friends?

By Lillian Penner

Encouraging people to pray for their friends, co-workers, family and neighbors is essential. It can be a blessing to you personally, and to other people in ways you may never know.

Stories are a great way to lend encouragement to people. Maybe you have stories of how God has worked in and through you. How have you seen God answer prayers in your life? What has God shown you through prayer? Have you been able to pray with anyone lately?

Maybe you take prayer walks in your neighborhood …praying for strangers you don’t even know. 

The following are a few stories highlighting the necessity of prayer in our everyday lives, and how ; through prayer, we can be a Light for people to see.

Please listen to the short audio stories below (Lighthouse Report radio features). And feel free to contact me (Matt.Bendell@cru.org) if you have stories you’d like to share in encouraging other believers to be a Light for Christ… through prayer!  

-Living life in constant conversation with God …That’s one way prayer can be defined. You know, the apostle Paul says we’re supposed to pray without ceasing. In this example, Luci Swindoll expresses the importance of maintaining an ongoing dialog with the Lord. (Listen to 1- MINUTE and 2-MINUTE audio)

-Prayer … oftentimes, in difficulties, it's the first place we turn. Pastor Tullian Tchividjian talks about prayer. (Listen to 1-MINUTE and 2-MINUTE audio)

-How about a prescription for life change? Pharmacy technician turned pastor, Paul Haroutunian tells a  unique story regarding the power of prayer. (Listen to 1-MINUTE and 2-MINUTE audio)

Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin | RLPB 233 | Wed 23 Oct 2013

* Supporting International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church
* IDOP 2013: Sunday 3 November

* See http://criticalprayerrequests.blogspot.com

PARTICIPATING IN 'BIG PICTURE' ISSUES

- a reflection, by Elizabeth Kendal

Isaiah 2-4 is a self-contained 'tract'. In fact most commentators believe Isaiah probably published it as such before incorporating it into the 'preface' (chapters 1-5) of his book. Bracketed by promises of what will be (2:2-4 and 4:2-6), this 'tract' presents a confronting picture of the present reality. Having rejected God, Judah had become the opposite of what she was supposed to be (Isaiah 2:6-9). Instead of being a light to the world, she had become worldly and faithless. But the promises of God will stand! For God will 'shake' the earth and all humanity's idols will fail and be rejected and God alone, the only true Saviour, will be exalted (Isaiah 2:10-21 cf Hebrews 12:26-29). Then the nations will turn to the exalted Lord (Isaiah 2:2,3; Psalm 22:27; Habakkuk 2:14) and spiritual transformation will culminate in social transformation marked by peace (Isaiah 2:3,4).

But how? Is God literally going to 'shake' the earth? Will false idols literally fall down and drop, as through a sieve, into oblivion? Does the Church just have to 'hang on'? Or does the Church have a role to play in this cosmic reversal of fortunes?

The Church is in the midst of a spiritual battle whether she wants to be or not. This spiritual battle (akin to mopping up operations) is not a sideshow; it is integral to God's plan of redemption. Those who choose to sidestep this issue are not missing an optional element - they are missing the Big Picture! God is at work and the Church - a people cleansed by the blood of Christ, then filled with the Spirit of God; freed from slavery to sin and death and empowered to live as witnesses to truth - is the primary instrument of his working! While the decisive battle was won on the cross and victory is assured, a spiritual counter- offensive will continue until all Christ's enemies are under his feet (1 Corimthians 15:25 cf Romans 16:20) and the Lord alone is exalted (Isaiah 2). Those with eyes to see will recognise that this process is occurring throughout the world as the Church keeps growing while false saviours keep failing.

God's enemies work overtly (through outward confrontation) and covertly (through inner struggle). Every believer who experiences overt persecution also experiences varying degrees of inner struggle. Even the 'valiant man' of Lamentations 3 (probably the prophet Jeremiah) confessed that his endurance had perished as had his hope in the Lord (Lamentations 3:18). The only way he could regain hope was to energise faith by remembering truth (Lamentations 3:21-24). All persecuted believers need our prayers in this, that the devil might have no victory over them (see John 14:26; 16:13-15). We will not know how many believers were sustained, enlightened and energised through our prayers until we reach glory and hear stories of how the Lord 'lifted my head' (Psalm 3:3) in answer to 'the prayers of many' (2 Corinthians 1:11).

Intercessory prayer for the persecuted Church is not an optional extra for special 'prayer warriors' or spiritually-minded human rights activists. It is an integral element of the spiritual battle that ensues from God's redemptive work. As such, it should be an integral element of Church life and worship. Though God uses many often surprising instruments and means as he answers our prayers, one thing remains constant: God always delivers by grace through faith. Despite rumours that prayer is passive, prayer is faith in action and pivotal to the course of any and every battle.

PLEASE PRAY SPECIFICALLY THAT -

* God will awaken and revive his Church, filling her with a selfless love for the Body and a driving desire to see the Lord exalted and glorified; may the Church of the 21st century go down in history as a Church that turned the world upside down (Acts 17:6) through a renewed commitment to faith-energised strategic prayer.

* the Holy Spirit will work powerfully in the world's darkest, most inaccessible corners - in prisons, labour camps, caves, safe houses and war zones - to protect, comfort and sustain his imperilled children; may the devil have no victory over them! 'And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.' (Romans 8:28 ESV)

* as the world slips deeper into chaos and failure, that God will awaken peoples and nations to the abject failure of their idols and to the truth of God's word, the wisdom of his ways and the wonder of his grace.

Please visit Critical Prayer Requests (CPR) http://criticalprayerrequests.blogspot.com to support the persecuted church through prayer.


SUMMARY TO USE IN BULLETINS UNABLE TO RUN THE WHOLE ARTICLE

PARTICIPATING IN 'BIG PICTURE' ISSUES

The Church is in the midst of a spiritual battle. While the decisive battle was won on the cross and victory is assured, a spiritual counter-offensive will continue until all Christ's enemies are under his feet and the Lord alone is exalted. Those who choose to sidestep this issue are not missing an optional element - they are missing the Big Picture! God is at work and the Church is the instrument of his working. As such, intercessory prayer for the persecuted Church - in prisons, labour camps, caves, safe houses and war zones - is an integral element of the spiritual battle. Therefore it should be an integral element of Church life and worship. Prayer is not passive; prayer is faith in action. [Please visit CriticalPrayerRequests.blogspot.com ]


To view this RLPB with hyperlinks or to access RLPB and RLM archives, visit the Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin blog at http://rlprayerbulletin.blogspot.com


We suggest that churches and fellowships using the Summary above might also provide a copy of the listed prayer points to be used in their worship by people who are leading in prayer.

This RLPB was written for the Australian Evangelical Alliance Religious Liberty Commission (AEA RLC) by Elizabeth Kendal, an international religious liberty analyst and advocate, and a member of the AEA RLC team.

Elizabeth Kendal is the author of
'Turn Back the Battle: Isaiah speaks to Christians today'
(Deror Books, Dec. 2012) http://turnbackthebattle.com/thebook.html

Elizabeth is Adjunct Research Fellow in the Centre for the Study of Islam and Other Faiths at the Melbourne School of Theology. She is Director of Advocacy for Christian Faith & Freedom based in Canberra, Australia.

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We've all had it happen, haven't we?  We're trying to pray, perhaps alone or in a group, and soon our mind is wandering. We're thinking about the next meeting, our kids at home, a funny story, our struggle with our spouse or coworker, a song we heard on the radio and a thousand other things.

Of course, we feel guilty again for not focusing on the Lord and the things that break His heart as the saying goes. We determine for the next few minutes to stay with our prayer list and seconds later our mind is somewhere else . . . again.

We wonder if we really have what it takes to truly have a conversation in prayer with our Father. However, I'm more and more convinced every day that we need to embrace those distractions not curse them. Sure, if we're just letting every stray thought enter our mind and interrupt our time with God then we probably need some better boundaries for our mind and location when we pray.

But the average distraction of our mind is probably there for a reason.  I'm pretty convinced that many of those other thoughts come into my mind because they are important!  There is a reason why my mind went to that person, situation or conflict.

As a result I've learned to do something different when that kind of distraction overtakes my prayer moment.  I pray about it.

I now often pray something like this, "Lord, my relationship with Don popped into my mind just now.  And you know how strained it's been for the last several months.  I want to ask you to soften my heart and Don's so that we can become friends again, forgive each other and renew a healthy relationship."

I just let the Spirit take me to that place rather than run from it.  Of course, sometimes the Spirit can stop us and tell us that we don't need to dwell on that situation right then but that's up to God.

In fact, distractions like these often represent something going on in the deepest places of our soul which is the place where our God specializes in doing His greatest work.  

So don't miss these opportunities to let God wander with you into those tender recesses of your mind and heart.  It would be easy to ignore something important that God wants to help you walk through.  Remember a distraction just might be a wake up call.