Pray Network Forum

 My passion is to intentionally pray my grandchildren will love Jesus and follow Him wholeheartedly. What is your passion for your grandchildren? Does this picture reflect your passion for your grandchildren?

Christian Grandparenting Network has a passion for encouraging and equipping grandparents to pray for their grandchildren. Our mission is to challenge grandparents around the world to intentionally and regularly come together to pray, interceding for their grandchildren, children, and communities. In the Pray! Magazine, Arlyn Lawrence writes, “Intercession is one of the ways God designed for us to partner with Him in bringing His loving presence into our aching world.”1   

In Isaiah 58:6, we read that we can “loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke” in our world. One of the ways we can break these chains is by “standing in the gap” with a prayer for our dear grandchildren. 

Just as Esther stood in the gap for her people, the Jews when physically threatened. Grandparents can stand in the gap today with a prayer for their grandchildren as the enemy threatens their spiritual lives and tries to distract them from God’s Truth.

Christian Grandparents Network has introduced Grandparents intercessory prayer groups as a way to call grandparents together to pray for each other’s grandchildren and their families. Groups meet in retirement centers, schools, churches, and homes weekly, bi-weekly or monthly as often as the group desires. The grandparents meet together in small or large groups regularly to unite in prayer at a designated location for 1 hour or so of guided prayer and fellowship.

Participating grandparents comment that they appreciate having a safe place to share their concerns and know other grandparents are praying with them for their grandchildren. Our grandchildren are growing up in a troubled fragmented world needs a lot of prayers.

Christian Grandparents Network has guidelines and more information available to help you get started. Today is a good time to start asking some friends who are grandparents to meet with you to pray for the grandchildren on September 8, Grandparents Day of Prayer.

To learn more about the prayer groups go to https://christiangrandparenting.net/grandparents-at-prayer/

By Lillian Penner, Co-prayer director for Christian Grandparenting Network, lpenner@christiangrandparenting.net

TAKING NOTES

Do you take notes when you listen to sermons? Many people do. And it is a spiritually healthy practice. For those of you who do, and for those who would like to start taking notes on sermons, let me suggest some guidelines.

• Soak Up The Pictures.

When your pastor tells a story about the Bluetick Coonhound that his grandfather had as a boy, don't try to write that down. That is good preaching. Jesus taught and preached with stories. In fact, you will remember that anyway. I used to ask people in our Wednesday night services what I preached Sunday. More often than not, someone would remember a story I told. Sometimes it was a joke that I told to keep their attention. 

• Set down the principles.

I don't recommend that you try to write down everything your pastor says in a sermon. If you try to do this you will probably miss the next crucial thing he has to say because you are trying to write out the last thing his said. But you need to make notes of principles that will transform your life. If your pastor has points, and most of us do try to write out his major points.

• Seal In The Prophecy.

We often have a very unbiblical notion of prophecy. When we hear or read the word, we think of something like crystal balls which come out of witchcraft. While biblical prophecy includes prediction, prophets in the Bible usually preached against sin. The word means to proclaim. When it is used in scripture, it refers to God speaking through someone. And you need to be aware that God will speak to you through a sermon. And while some preachers are more gifted than others, God is not limited by how good of a speaker he is.

I highly recommend that you get alone that same day to recap what God is saying to you. This may simply be a new truth. 1 Corinthians 2:14 says the things of God are "spiritually discerned." If you understand any spiritual truth, it is because the Spirit of God spoke personally to you.

This may not even be a new truth that He wants you to see. This morning in my quiet time God spoke to me through John 12:27,28. In it Jesus said,

“Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.”

God reminded me that there is a purpose to difficult things that I face. And I can pray for Him to be glorified through my failures, embarrassment, and heartache. But this is not a new truth to me. I pray over this passage every day. But it is important for me to hold on to it today.

I suggested that you do this alone. And I believe that is important. But you can also benefit by talking to someone else about what God may have been saying to you. My wife takes much better sermon notes than I. She often shares them with me. Last week our pastor preached on the Magi from Matthew. She mentioned that the oral tradition of the Kurds says they were the Magi. She told me that the translation of the Bible into their language was recently completed. By the time she was finished sharing with me, we were both stirred to pray for the Kurds to come seeking Jesus again.

http://watchinginprayer.blogspot.com/

http://thinkinginthespirit.blogspot.com/

http://writingprayerfully.blogspot.com/

http://theanchorofthesoul.blogspot.com/ 

Website

http://daveswatch.com/

YouTube

https://goo.gl/PyzU

Do you take sermon notes?

https://thinkinginthespirit.blogspot.com/2019/09/taking-notes.html

#OMG ... so many people have no idea how many times they take the name of the Lord our God in vain. 

Any time we speak/think "God" but use it as only as a word/term and not as a cry for mercy or an expression of thanks, we misuse God's name.

Go ahead; count the number of times you toss "God" around today.

Answering questions before a live audience can be tricky business. I wonder if it is easier or sometimes better in print.

Last night I listened to a recording of Eric Metaxis speaking on his book MIRACLES, at Rutgers University. The primary miracles Eric told about in his talk, outside of his own conversion, were on the fine tuning of the universe. Scientists say the chances of all the parameters of the universe coming about by chance approach 0%, and go beyond it. Eric condensed that part of his book into The Wallstreet Journal article, Science Increasingly Makes The Case for God. (https://www.wsj.com/articles/eric-metaxas-science-increasingly-makes-the-case-for-god-1419544568) That article, by the way, had more than 600,000 shares and 10,000 comments on line.

After his talk, Eric took questions. And I want to respond to one of the questions raised. The questioner asked about slim chance of the fine tuning of the cosmos. "If you had a dart board and you divided it into a trillion squares, and you threw a dart that hit one of the one in a trillion squares, it doesn't show skill or intention, if you didn't call it in advance. How is that different from the fine tuning of the universe?"

Okay, I would like to to try to answer this question. Let's propose the trial of the millenia. Let me change the details a little. Suppose investigators come into a room and find a mouse with a dart pinning it to the floor. The question arises, "Who threw the dart?" You and I are called to be on the jury. During the trial Attorney #1 claims someone with incredible skill threw the dart. Attorney #2 says this could have happened without anyone throwing the dart. He brings a witness who says the mouse may have always been there with a dart in it. 

Attorney #1 brings a witness who shows by the blood on the floor, the mouse was alive when hit by the dart. 

Attorney # 2 says the mouse did not have to be a moving target.

Attorney #1 brings a witness who says the odds are exceedingly great that the mouse was moving when the dart hit him. And he goes on to ask how a dart came to be in the room. 

Attorney # 2 says it is possible that a million years ago there could have been a meteor shower. One of the meteorites could have had a metal shard in it. And as it fell it struck a tree. Eons passed, and all of the tree but the small part with the metal embedded in it was worn away by the weather and elements. 

Attorney # 1 claims the dart could not have moved with such precision without being thrown.

The other says a freak wind could have swept through the house picking up the dart and flinging it into the mouse.

At some point you might want to say, I wonder if there is not some reason other than the arguments presented that make the sides pose what they are presenting.

And if we want to believe arguments for or against the reality or intervention of God in the universe, what is our motivation? The man seemed to assume that God did not say in advance what the parameters of cosmology would be. How would he have known that? He could not have been there to hear. You could not have heard either. But we might ask God to speak to us now. Wouldn't that settle the issue for you?

Now, whether you think this is a good answer or not, I would like to present it to people who struggle with the issue. And writing seems to be a good forum for this. When I heard this question, I could not think of a good answer. I thought the question oversimplified the issue of the fine tuning of the universe. And I knew at Rutgers, like many universities, there would be great cultural pressure not to believe in God. But in writing I had time to formulate a situational apologetic.

But I don't have readers who would raise the question. I write in a symbolic echo chamber. I primarily read and write with those who basically agree with me. I do not have a good solution for this. I wonder if some of you have experience, or even theories about how to do this, I would appreciate your responses.

http://watchinginprayer.blogspot.com/

http://thinkinginthespirit.blogspot.com/

http://writingprayerfully.blogspot.com/

http://theanchorofthesoul.blogspot.com/ 

Website

http://daveswatch.com/

YouTube

https://goo.gl/PyzU

Answering questions before a live audience can be tricky business. I wonder if it is easier or sometimes better in print.

Last night I listened to a recording of Eric Metaxis speaking on his book MIRACLES, at Rutgers University. The primary miracles Eric told about in his talk, outside of his own conversion, were on the fine tuning of the universe. Scientists say the chances of all the parameters of the universe coming about by chance approach 0%, and go beyond it. Eric condensed that part of his book into The Wallstreet Journal article, Science Increasingly Makes The Case for God. (https://www.wsj.com/articles/eric-metaxas-science-increasingly-makes-the-case-for-god-1419544568) That article, by the way, had more than 600,000 shares and 10,000 comments on line.

After his talk, Eric took questions. And I want to respond to one of the questions raised. The questioner asked about slim chance of the fine tuning of the cosmos. "If you had a dart board and you divided it into a trillion squares, and you threw a dart that hit one of the one in a trillion squares, it doesn't show skill or intention, if you didn't call it in advance. How is that different from the fine tuning of the universe?"

Okay, I would like to to try to answer this question. Let's propose the trial of the millenia. Let me change the details a little. Suppose investigators come into a room and find a mouse with a dart pinning it to the floor. The question arises, "Who threw the dart?" You and I are called to be on the jury. During the trial Attorney #1 claims someone with incredible skill threw the dart. Attorney #2 says this could have happened without anyone throwing the dart. He brings a witness who says the mouse may have always been there with a dart in it. 

Attorney #1 brings a witness who shows by the blood on the floor, the mouse was alive when hit by the dart. 

Attorney # 2 says the mouse did not have to be a moving target.

Attorney #1 brings a witness who says the odds are exceedingly great that the mouse was moving when the dart hit him. And he goes on to ask how a dart came to be in the room. 

Attorney # 2 says it is possible that a million years ago there could have been a meteor shower. One of the meteorites could have had a metal shard in it. And as it fell it struck a tree. Eons passed, and all of the tree but the small part with the metal embedded in it was worn away by the weather and elements. 

Attorney # 1 claims the dart could not have moved with such precision without being thrown.

The other says a freak wind could have swept through the house picking up the dart and flinging it into the mouse.

At some point you might want to say, I wonder if there is not some reason other than the arguments presented that make the sides pose what they are presenting.

And if we want to believe arguments for or against the reality or intervention of God in the universe, what is our motivation? The man seemed to assume that God did not say in advance what the parameters of cosmology would be. How would he have known that? He could not have been there to hear. You could not have heard either. But we might ask God to speak to us now. Wouldn't that settle the issue for you?

Now, whether you think this is a good answer or not, I would like to present it to people who struggle with the issue. And writing seems to be a good forum for this. When I heard this question, I could not think of a good answer. I thought the question oversimplified the issue of the fine tuning of the universe. And I knew at Rutgers, like many universities, there would be great cultural pressure not to believe in God. But in writing I had time to formulate a situational apologetic.

But I don't have readers who would raise the question. I write in a symbolic echo chamber. I primarily read and write with those who basically agree with me. I do not have a good solution for this. I wonder if some of you have experience, or even theories about how to do this, I would appreciate your responses.

http://watchinginprayer.blogspot.com/

http://thinkinginthespirit.blogspot.com/

http://writingprayerfully.blogspot.com/

http://theanchorofthesoul.blogspot.com/ 

Website

http://daveswatch.com/

YouTube

https://goo.gl/PyzU

This is a personal opinion of mine; and I am NOT a Hebrew language scholar!

Last week I shared a prayer that I invited people to pray every Sunday when we come together. "Lord, let me hear your voice." I actually began that by suggesting that people pray, "God, speak to me." Then I realized that God always speaks when His word is read and preached. That would be like asking Jesus to be present in a worship service. He told us in Matthew 18:20, that He is aready there.

"Where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”

But many things can keep us from experiencing Him. And we may be prevented from hearing His voice. So I encouraged people to pray for their hearts to be opened.

I also urged people to pray the same prayer for persons on either side of them. I would sometimes say, "You may know that person so well that you don't know where to start. But God knows. You may even be seated near someone you don't know at all. Begin by asking God to speak to them. He knows just what they need. 

I challenged people make sure we had prayed for everyone in the building. I think this was our best way of welcoming others. People sensed the love of God as those around them prayed for them.

I also tried to teach people that we need to pray throughout a worship service. In Isaiah 56:7 God said, 

"My house shall be called a house of prayer."

Jesus re-emphasized this in the New Testament. And the Holy Spirit recorded those words in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. I believe He was applying this to the gathering of the church every bit as much as He was the Temple.

In 1 Thessalonians 5:17 we are commanded to pray without ceasing. I do not come close to doing that. But praying throughout a worship service stretches me closer to that kind of prayerfulness.

Let me suggest two facets of prayer that will bless a worship service.

THE WORSHIP OF PRAYER

Praise is an important facet of prayer. We are so blessed to sing worship songs that praise and glorify God. Ephesians 5:18 calls us to be filled with the Spirit. Ephesians 5:19 gives us one application of that by saying we are to "make melody in our hearts to the Lord."

THE WITNESS OF PRAISE

Worship is also a means of bearing witness to those around us. The first part of Ephesians 5:19 continues the command to be filled with the Spirit,

"Addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs."

When you worship, especially with music, you encourage everyone around you to glorify God. Some of them may never have sensed His presence.

Next week I want to give you a practical guide for listening to the voice of God in a sermon. I have not written it out yet, but I intend for it to be brief and easy to share and teach people in your church.

http://watchinginprayer.blogspot.com/

http://thinkinginthespirit.blogspot.com/

http://writingprayerfully.blogspot.com/

http://theanchorofthesoul.blogspot.com/ 

Website

http://daveswatch.com/

YouTube

https://goo.gl/PyzU

I sat around a rectangular table with seven other men, all focused on an eighth man at the head of the table. That eighth man had been named to a prominent and powerful position. The seven were there to pray for the eighth. How many intercessors does it take to reach maximum effectiveness in prayer? Could one intercessor have been just as effective as seven? Would ten or twenty or a hundred intercessors been more effective than the seven present at the table? Jesus took three disciples with him up Gethsemane to intercede for him (Matthew 26:36-38). The Apostle Paul clearly requested prayer from entire groups in each of his New Testament letters to the churches. In Ecclesiastes 4:12, Solomon implies that three is better than two. So how many intercessors does it take to assure God’s response? Surely God can respond to one as easily as God can respond to a hundred. But if only one prays, many are left out of the privilege of intercession and the blessing of observing God’s response. Plus, if I have only one, two or three praying, they may all forget. Sometimes I ask people to pray for me with some concern that they will never remember, much less actually pray effectively. On the other hand, the more intercessors I have, the more likely some will remember and pray effectively. My mother was the greatest, and most effective prayer partner that I ever knew. When she died, I felt I needed to recruit multiple intercessors to replace her. With her, a phone call resulted in one praying saint. Today, a post on social media generates hundreds of potential prayer partners. So, what to do? There is no easy answer, but I would suggest that you err on the side of numbers. While only one may be needed, many could be blessed.

(BTW, I do have an internet-driven prayer support team. If you are not on it and would like to join, e-mail me at drc1241@yahoo.com, or text me at 817-637-4967, your name and e-mail address, and I will add you. You will receive a prayer request/report on the first of each month, and additional requests as circumstances require. Plus, it is easy to unsubscribe if you decide to do so.)

Guest post by Sherry Schumann, Prayer director for Christian Grandparenting Network

If you wander through a Hallmark store during the final weeks of August, you’ll notice cards celebrating National Grandparents Day. You won’t find any cards for Grandparents Day of Prayer, even though its date coincides with National Grandparents Day. Grandparents Day of Prayer isn’t a day for grandparents to receive flowers, candy, or cards. It’s a day for grandparents to pray corporately for their grandchildren.

Every year, National Grandparents Day and Grandparents Day of Prayer occur on the second Sunday of September. This year, it falls on September 8th. If September 8 does not fit into your schedule for an event for grandparents plan your event at another time in September. It’s an excellent time to introduce a grandparents prayer group to your congregation.

Like it or not, we are in a spiritual battle for the hearts, souls and minds of our children and grandchildren. The enemy is using media, technology, education, social influences, and political pressures to launch an aggressive attack on the family unit. If we are in a spiritual battle, we need a spiritual weapon. Prayer is the greatest weapon in our arsenal.

Grandparents Day of Prayer can be as simple or complex as you want it to be. Your options are limitless. Some churches host a prayer breakfast before the Sunday morning service, while others host afternoon teas or evening desserts in someone’s home.

Food isn’t necessary. Last year, our church celebrated Grandparents Day of Prayer by recognizing the grandparents in the congregation and setting aside time during the service for grandparents to pray for their grandchildren. It’s essential, though, that grandparent realize the importance of praying for their grandchildren.

Grandparents Day of Prayer also offers a wonderful opportunity to launch a G@P (Grandparents @ Prayer) group at church or in your community. A G@P group consists of two or more dedicated grandparents who gather to pray regularly for their grandchildren. A G@P meeting normally lasts 1 to 1-½ hours, and the format varies among the different groups.

Will you unite in prayer on September 8, 2018,

with grandparents around the world?

Will you consider launching a Grandparents Day of Prayer event at your church?

Will you consider starting a G@P group in your area?

For more information about Grandparents Day of Prayer, please visit https://christiangrandparenting.net/grandparents-day-of-prayer/.

For more information about G@P, please visit https://christiangrandparenting.net/grandparents-at-prayer/.

Deborah Haddix and  Lillian Penner, Coordinators for Grandparents Day of Prayer

lpenner@christiangrandparenting.net

There are, of course, two sides to preaching. It is like a dance where the preacher and the people come together in the music of the Scripture and stirring of the Holy Spirit. 

Up to now in this series on preaching, I have only addressed the preacher. But I would like to write several blogs in the next few weeks on receiving what God has for you in a sermon. A pastor needs to teach and encourage some, if not all of what I write.

It is crucial for preachers to understand that they are joining God in a work that is beyond them. It is also important for members of the congregation to understand that God is at work in the entire gathered body when your pastor preaches. This begins and ends with prayer.

Even before you leave home, pray for God to remove the distractions and barriers in your heart and life. If you are part of a family pray for God to prepare the hearts of your spouse and children. When you arrive at the place of worship pray that you will not miss what God is doing in the entire service.

For many years as a pastor, I encouraged people to pray something like, "God, let me hear your voice today." I would also tell them, "It will not offend God for you to pray, 'God, if you are real, let me hear your voice,' or 'God, if you are really here, open my heart to you.'"

I did not just encourage guests to pray such a prayer. I asked everyone to do it. And I always prayed something similar for myself.

http://thinkinginthespirit.blogspot.com/

http://theanchorofthesoul.blogspot.com/

http://watchinginprayer.blogspot.com/

http://writingprayerfully.blogspot.com/

Website

http://daveswatch.com/

YouTube

https://goo.gl/PyzU

Why #ReimagineCHURCH?

Because Tradition, Trends, and Tacticts are insufficient to capture the hearts and minds of the brave new world.

Some are content with tradition. Some reach for the latest, trendiest, best practice. Others plunge into planning, strategizing.

We need leaders who are not limited by their traditions nor conformed to trends or tactics but seek instead to be transformed by the renewing of how they think. Rethink motivations, review methods, revise messaging.

A process led by the Holy Spirit that reveals the mind of Christ which reveals the will of our Creator.God.

Pray for champions who will lead the capital 'C' Church to #ReimaginePRAYER ...

There are, of course, two sides to preaching. It is like a dance where the preacher and the people come together in the music of the Scripture and stirring of the Holy Spirit. 

Up to now in this series on preaching, I have only addressed the preacher. But I would like to write several blogs in the next few weeks on receiving what God has for you in a sermon. A pastor needs to teach and encourage some, if not all of what I write.

It is crucial for preachers to understand that they are joining God in a work that is beyond them. It is also important for members of the congregation to understand that God is at work in the entire gathered body when your pastor preaches. This begins and ends with prayer.

Even before you leave home, pray for God to remove the distractions and barriers in your heart and life. If you are part of a family pray for God to prepare the hearts of your spouse and children. When you arrive at the place of worship pray that you will not miss what God is doing in the entire service.

For many years as a pastor, I encouraged people to pray something like, "God, let me hear your voice today." I would also tell them, "It will not offend God for you to pray, 'God, if you are real, let me hear your voice,' or 'God, if you are really here, open my heart to you.'"

I did not just encourage guests to pray such a prayer. I asked everyone to do it. And I always prayed something similar for myself.

http://thinkinginthespirit.blogspot.com/

http://theanchorofthesoul.blogspot.com/

http://watchinginprayer.blogspot.com/

http://writingprayerfully.blogspot.com/

Website

http://daveswatch.com/

YouTube

https://goo.gl/PyzU

Beyond the Walls is a weekly email to help Christ followers move beyond the walls of their church buildings, homes, comfort zones, and culture to engage people where we live, work and play with the Gospel.

Who are you?  Have you ever noticed that most of our conversations rarely begin with that question?  When we first meet a person, the most common question we ask is “What do you do?”  While there is nothing inherently wrong with that question, it does give us insight into a mindset we have embraced in the Western world – “What we do defines who we are”.

But is that true?  Not at all!  But how many of us live our lives believing that lie?  This is the reason many of us become performance-driven.  We believe that how we perform, how we succeed, what we do is the determining factor in defining who we are.

I see this played out in the church all the time.  A person comes to know Christ as their Savior and the first thing we do is begin telling them what they need to do to be a good follower of Christ – read their Bible, pray, witness, go to church, etc.  Whether intentional or unintentional, we have communicated to them that their identity as a Christian is defined by what they do.  As a result, the Christian life becomes all about checking off the boxes leading to a religious life marked by guilt and legalism.

When God created man and woman in His image in Genesis 1, He blessed them and declared that everything He had made was very good (Genesis 1:31).  God declared man was very good before He had given them one thing to do.  Their identity was a man and woman made in His image.  And since they were made in the image of the One who was Creator and Sovereign, He blessed them and called them to live a life reflecting who they were as image-bearers of God:

“And God blessed them.  And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”  Genesis 1:28 ESV

You are a new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17).  Your identity is based on who you are in Christ, not on what you do for Christ.  Our calling is to live out of our identity which comes out of who God is and what He is doing.

As we go beyond the walls to make disciples, we do so as image-bearers of God.  Thus, we are the light of the world (Matthew 5:14) because God is light (1 John 1:5).  Because Jesus (the One in whom we abide) is the light of the world (John 8:12). 

We walk in confidence as we go beyond the walls to dispel the darkness with the light of the Gospel because Christ, the light of the world, has overcome the darkness (John 1:1-5). 

You are the light of the world!  That is your identity!  Walk in that identity this week as you speak “the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:4) into people’s lives. 

For the Fame of His Name!

John Whaley
The Rooftop US

Beyond the Walls is a weekly email to help Christ followers move beyond the walls of their church buildings, homes, comfort zones, and culture to engage people where we live, work and play with the Gospel.

I am convinced that one of the greatest crises we face in the Body of Christ today is a crisis of identity.  “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17).  When we come into a relationship with Christ, He doesn’t make us a better person.  We don’t become the improved version of who we already are.  We become new creations!  We are given a new identity.  We are no longer dead in sin but alive in Christ (Romans 6:11; Ephesians 2:4-5).  Our bodies are now temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19).

It is through understanding our new identity in Christ that we are empowered to 'Join Jesus in His Mission' to seek and save the lost.

As you well know, going beyond the walls to engage people with the Gospel where we live, work and play require us to go beyond the walls of our…

• Fears;
• Prejudices;
• Preferences; and
• Cultures

We have to leave our comfort zones.  And that can be intimidating.  But if you understand your true identity in Christ, you can move beyond the walls with courage and confidence.

So…who are you?  In the next few weeks, we will be looking at our identity in Christ. We will especially look at those aspects of our new identity that relates to our calling to go and make disciples. 

In closing, let me leave you with a few identity statements to encourage you as you go beyond the walls this week:

• You are the light of the world (Matthew 5:14)
• You are an ambassador for Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20)
• You are a Spirit-empowered witness for Christ (Acts 1:8)

Now go and walk in your true identity!

For the Fame of His Name!

John Whaley
The Rooftop US

Beyond the Walls is a weekly email to help Christ followers move beyond the walls of their church buildings, homes, comfort zones, and culture to engage those we live among with the Gospel.

Over the past three weeks, we have been looking at The Gospel Story.  As I pointed out at the beginning of this series, the Gospel Story – the story of God’s redemption and restoration – is not a story limited to the New Testament.  It is a story that encompasses all of Scripture. 

I am convinced that many Christians do not really understand why the Good News is such Good News because they have a deficient view of the Gospel Story.  They think it is the story of Jesus’ life, death, burial, and resurrection.  And it is….but that part of the Gospel Story is the climatic solution to the curse of sin and death which came into existence back in Genesis. 

So when we talk about the Gospel Story, we have to begin where every story begins…at the beginning which is exactly what we did three weeks ago.

This week, we want to look at the climactic ending of The Gospel Story:  Restoration.  Before we do, let’s do a quick review.

The Gospel Story begins at Creation.  In Genesis 1, we discover God’s original plan for all of creation and for mankind, the masterpiece of His creation.  God made man in His image to have a personal relationship with Him and gave man authority over all His creation.  The Garden was a place of perfect harmony between God and man, man and creation, and man and woman.

But then everything falls apart. In the story of the Fall, we discover the answer to the question…”What went wrong?”  Man chose to rebel against God.  In spite of God’s clear instructions, they believe Satan’s lie that God is holding out on them.  And so they eat of the tree God told them never to eat from for it would only bring death.

With the crunch of the first bite, sin made its entrance. Their intimacy with God and each other was broken. The consequences were severe – spiritual and physical death, pain in childbearing for Eve, pain in physical labor for Adam, a desire to rule over and dominate each other, and being cast out of the garden.

But their sin didn’t affect them alone.  It also impacted all of creation as it was subjected to brokenness, death, and decay as well.

And throughout the rest of the OT, we see how sin and death corrupts all of creation and man.  We see man’s futile attempts of trying to save himself, to fix what went wrong in the Garden.  And at the same time, we watch God, beginning in Genesis 3, preparing the way for the coming of His Son, the Messiah.

And so after hundreds of years and hundreds of prophecies detailing the coming of the Messiah, we see God’s rescue plan come to life as Jesus comes on the scene.  It is through His life and death and resurrection that we are rescued from the power of sin and death, making a way for us to once again have a relationship with God. 

But the story doesn’t end there.  

In Revelation chapter 21, verse 5, God makes an incredible statement. “Behold, I am making all things new.”  And with those words, we come to the climatic ending of the Gospel Story which in all reality is the real beginning for all of us who know Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior!

In Revelation chapter 21:1, we read… Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away…

In other words, everything will be completely restored.  It will be just like it was in the Garden of Eden but better.  The harmony that existed in the Garden of Eden before the Fall will be completely restored.

In Revelation 21:3-4, John writes… And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

Just imagine…we will forever be with God and He will forever be with us!

And as followers of Jesus Christ, we have the incredible privilege to tell others this amazing story.  The key is understanding how to tell it well.  All of us have heard great stories ruined because the way it was told was so dry and boring. 

Therefore, it is imperative that we learn how to tell The Gospel Story in a way that is compelling…that draws people into the story.  I know what you are thinking…I am not a good storyteller. That’s okay because I am going to tell you about a wonderful resource that will help you discover a great way to tell the story – www.thestoryfilm.com.

On this website, you will find some great resources including a short film that you can share with others and an app called The Story.   What I really like about the website and the app is that you are able to translate it automatically into dozens of languages. 

I hope that these teachings on the Gospel Story have been helpful as you pursue Joining Jesus in His Mission.  If you have any questions or a story about someone you have engaged with the Gospel recently, don't hesitate to contact me.

For the Fame of His Name!

John Whaley
The Rooftop US

Beyond the Walls is a weekly email to help Christ followers move beyond the walls of their church buildings, homes, comfort zones, and culture to engage those we live among with the Gospel.

As I stated a few weeks back, we all love a good story.  We especially love stories about rescue and deliverance.  In the Gospel Story, we encounter the greatest story of rescue and deliverance ever recorded…the Story of rescue from sin and death into life and hope.

Last week, we talked about the Fall, that moment when Adam and Eve rebelled against God which opened the door for sin and Satan’s rule to come in and begin corrupting mankind and all of creation.  Because of that one decision – the decision to choose their way over God’s way – Satan’s lie over God’s truth – everything began to unravel. 

And they knew it immediately.  All of a sudden, peace and harmony was replaced with fear and guilt.  Their sense of wholeness was shattered.  And then they heard the steps of God walking in the Garden, a sound that the day before would have thrilled their souls and caused them to run into His arms.  But not now.  Now those steps frightened them and instead of running to Him, they ran to hide from Him.

But it is in His coming into the Garden, asking Adam, “Where are you?”, that we see the first step taken toward rescuing them. 

He entered the Garden to seek and to save what was lost.  In Genesis 3:14-19, God outlines for them the consequences of their sin.  And in the words He spoke to the serpent, we see the first glimpse of a coming Savior who would one day appear and crush Satan’s head.

And then in verse 21, we read, “And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them.”  Don’t miss the significance of this verse. In order for God to clothe them with the skins of an animal, God had to sacrifice an innocent animal, shedding its blood. 

Someone or something had to die for their sin…to pay the price for their rebellion against God.

It is in this act of sacrifice, the innocent dying for the guilty, that God paints for us the picture of what would ultimately take place on the cross thousands of years later as the Lamb of God, the very Son of God, dies in our place so as to take away our sins and reconcile us to the Father.

For centuries to come, following this promise of a coming Savior, God would continue pointing them to that day when the Messiah would come to save them from their sins.  Through the prophets of the Old Testament, over 300 promises were written down, providing exact details of His birth, His life, His death, His burial, and His resurrection.

And then it happened.  As Paul would later write in the book of Galatians, chapter 4, verses 4-5,

"But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons."

He lived a perfect life in full submission to God, a life without sin.  And then He willingly went to the cross and died an agonizing death to pay for our sin.

In 2 Corinthians 5:21, Paul stated it this way:

"For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."

And then they buried Him.  And for three days, His body lay in that tomb but then on the morning of the third day, the grave could no longer hold Him.  Jesus victoriously came out of the tomb!  On the cross, He had defeated sin.  And now through His resurrection, He defeated death. 

He rescued us!  Through His death and resurrection, the power and penalty of sin were broken.  Death was defeated.

And when a person comes to that place where they realize they can never rescue themselves from the consequences of sin (eternal separation from God) and they trust in Jesus alone to rescue them from sin and death, they are forever forgiven and set free to know and walk with the very One who created them…God Himself…the Author of the Story.

That’s the Good News.  But it’s not the end of the Story.  If you think the Rescue was amazing, what God has in store for all of us who have trusted in His Son will make you shout!

With that said, join us next week as we look at the climactic ending of The Gospel Story which in all reality is a climatic beginning.

For the Fame of His Name!

John Whaley
The Rooftop US

It has been some time since I have written a blog on preaching. In fact, you will have to scroll down past 10 blogs to May 9, in Thinking In The Spirit to find my last entry in this series. You have to scroll down 5 more to find the first of them. But I recently heard a sermon that made me long to emphasize keys to preaching without notes. The sermon I heard was taken from Colossians 3 & 4. And it contained vital truths for our lives. The preacher’s text began at Colossians 3:12 and reached down to 4:6. Earlier someone else read the entire passage. And he did not read its entirety in the sermon. This worked well. The preacher began by noting verse 16 of chapter 3 which begins,

And he correctly pointed out that the the gospel informs every area of our lives. I thought his introduction was good. He related the word of God dwelling in us richly, to a feast. If I were only preaching on this verse, I would have noted thatthe gospel dwelling in us means it makes itself at home in our lives.

But from there he wandered through the verses bringing out some good truths. This is the Bible after all. But he could hardly remember what came next, with long pauses to find where he was in his notes. By the time he finished, the rest of us were as confused as he was.

1. The first thing I would have suggested to him would have been to Organize Points to Clarify His Thoughts.

If your thoughts are not clear, you will not remember them. And neither will anyone else. A great way to do this is to develop a sentence out of the central idea of his sermon, so he could state each of his points with a slight word change in that sentence. The central idea of his text would have been, “The gospel drives everything in our lives.” He could have begun his sentence, “The gospel drives. .”

The first point would be,

Verse 16 continues,

I would point out that teaching and encouraging one another are part of worship. This thought is continued in verse 7. But worship does include music. And our singing must be driven by the gospel. You may preach to people who feel like our musical worship should be driven by our emotions. But our emotions should be stirred by what we sing. Can you worship when you are in a bad mood? Of course. Grace is still amazing when you feel down. And when worship focuses on God’s love or His grace, they lift your emotions by the gospel.

The next point would be,

Verse 18 reads,

Verse 19,

Verse 20 says,

Verse 21,

You might include the next verses in relationships, or you might make it a new point.

“The Gospel Drives Our Work Life.” 

The next five verses from 3:22 through 4:1 deal with this subject.

The next point would be,

“The Gospel Drives Our Prayer Life.” 

Verse 2 of chapter 4 reads,

This point could easily be the last. But as the sermon I heard treated the passage, it would have another point

“The Gospel Drives Our Passion For Missions.” 

4:3,4 reads,

2. My next suggestion for preaching without notes is BREVITY.

I need to admit that my primary reason for thinking preaching should be shorter than the current trend is not so you can remember what you want to say. My main reason is that people will get more if you do not overwhelm them with material. If you take several weeks to preach through a subject, they will remember more. They will even have opportunity to put some of what you tell them into practice This should be encouraged as an important part of learning. But I don’t believe this is the law of the Meads and Persians. I just heard the testimony of Becket Cook as Eric Metaxis interviewed him. He said after he was saved, his pastor preached hour long sermons, and he just couldn’t get enough. I also found that preaching in many places overseas needs to be longer. There I preached as many as three sermons at once. Or even better, we had three or four preachers.

I don’t disagree with preachers who say, “We should be willing to listen longer to spiritual things.” But I am convinced that people retain more, if we break what God gives us to say into several sermons. I know people can watch a three hour movie, or binge watch an entire TV series in a week. But those are different mediums. You have heard the phrase, “Cut to the chase.” Motion pictures are more action than intellectual content. I have said, “If I were approached by someone who wanted to turn one of my novels into a motion picture, I would be reluctant. That is because, with a few exceptions, movies don’t deliver spiritual depth very well. Your sermon needs some excitement. But even your stories are illustrations of deeper points. And, yes, if your sermons are not quite so long, you will be less likely to need notes.

3. Finally, one of the most important factors in preaching without notes is PREPARATION.

I always composed my sermons out loud. But when I had time, I would still preach them over, usually several times. If your sermon is haphazardly organized, this won’t help as much. You would have to memorize every word. I know preachers who do this effectively. But I honestly don’t know how they do it. But if your points fit together, you can go over them when you drive or mow the lawn.

I appreciate all the feedback I got on the earlier blogs on this subject. One of the men who commented on a Facebook page where I posted them said, “This wouldn’t work for me.” He may have been right. But he may have been saying, “That is out of my comfort zone.” Communicating the gospel is important enough that it is worth stretching yourself to see if it makes your sermons better. I am convinced that it will, even if you do not adopt my methods in the long run.

http://thinkinginthespirit.blogspot.com/