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Over the past two decades, God has been working in many different groups to call for more prayer. We’ve had concerts of prayer, solemn assemblies, prayer and fasting gatherings, days of prayer for various purposes or praying for people groups, prayer teams to pray for specific leaders, prayer ministries, prayer chains, and prayer conferences. Books on prayer fill bookstore shelves. We’ve prayed for revival and spiritual awakening. Perhaps never in history has more prayer been offered to God for a transformation in our churches, society, our nation, and the world. Why then do we find ourselves in a time when our nation seems to be growing farther and farther from God? What we need is not more prayer alone; we need more power when we pray. We need a people who are right with God when we pray so that God will answer the prayers of His people. God’s Word is true:
“The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective” (James 5:16, NIV)
Do you want to be a person who has power with God in prayer? Do you want your prayer group and church to have power to work with God in prayer to transform a life, a family, a community, or a nation? Then ask God to guide you to come clean before Him so you can pray with power. Here are 8 ways you can come clean before God so you can pray with power.1
1. Examine yourself. “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith” (2 Cor. 13:5). Joining a church or claiming the name “Christian” doesn’t make you one. A saving relationship with Jesus Christ does. Does His Spirit live in you in such a way that your life is a new creation that looks and acts like Jesus? That’s the starting point for being a powerful prayer relationship.
2. Judge yourself. “If we were properly evaluating ourselves, we would not be judged” (1 Cor. 11:31). Do you know of any sin or impurity in your life that is unlike Christ? Those need to go.
3. Remove idols of the heart. An idol of the heart is anything that captures my love in such a way that I’m distracted from my first love for God. Things, money, pleasures, hobbies, sports, careers, positions of power, or other people can all become idols. If you are loving anything too much, put it away and return to your first love.
4. Consecrate yourself and your home. Have you allowed anything into your life or your home that is impure, unholy, ungodly, or unbecoming of a Christ follower? Get rid of it. Whether others know or not, keep your life and your home pure and clean before God.
5. Reconcile broken relationships. Have you offended anyone and not gone to ask forgiveness or make restitution if needed? Get things right with him, her, or them. Has anyone offended you and you are holding on to unforgiveness and bitterness? Forgive. Let no broken relationships remain outstanding.
6. Humble yourself. Do arrogance and pride show up in the way you relate to others? Are you bearing the fruit of pride through such things as a judgmental spirit, critical attitude, prejudice, controlling behavior, condescending attitude, and so forth? “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (1 Pet. 5:5).
7. Love God and one another. Return to your first love for God and allow His love to flow through you to others in tangible ways. Demonstrate your love by meeting needs.
8. Watch and pray. Draw near to God in prayer and receive His power to resist the temptations that are sure to come your way.
________
1. For more on prayer and revival see my video blog at www.lifeway.com/growingdisciples.
I thought "how can I describe God in a way that's different than the way most people do? Omniscient,
Omnipresent, Omnipotent...sure. But then what?
Creator, Father, etc. is what I typically read and hear. How can I describe You differently, Lord?"
I went to bed and awoke the next morning with the phrase "fruit of the Spirit" in my mind. At first,
I was a bit perturbed. What has that to do with God? Those are qualities that are to be seen in us.
Then it began to be clear to me. They are, in a sense, "a photograph of God". So the chapter presents
him as Phil Miglioratti did in his recent newsletter article. God is loving, he is joyful (He sings over us),
he is peaceful (my peace I give...), etc. as you've pointed out.
So, Phil, I appreciated the confirmation and the remembrance of that day in my journey.
Eddie
It Seems To Me ...
by Pgil Miglioratti, Curator @ REimagine.Network
NOTE: See also"Fruit of the Spirit Evangelism"
It Seems To Me ..... prayer is not listed a a fruit of the Spirit.
We all know the list by heart. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control (OK, I confess, I had to think about the correct order as they appear in Galatians 5:22-23). I like how the Contemporary English Version puts it: God's Spirit makes us loving, happy, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle, and self-controlled. There is no law against behaving in any of these ways.
The apostle Paul is reminding us that the indwelling Holy Spirit's role is to produce these nine character qualities in each Christ follower. No matter what our society values today, there is no law against showing authentic love or simply being kind, even to people who do not seem to deserve it. It is not yet against the rules to be good. No one needs to force a believer to be gentle at times when others get angry. Some commentators would say: The fruit of the Spirit's work in our lives is love; love as evidenced in our joy, through our peace (peacemaking?) and patience, in our acts of kindness and goodness, when we are faithful or gentle or self-disciplined.
Recently this thought was downloaded into my mind: If the fruit of the Spirit is evidenced by at least nine character qualities, then what is the fruit of the Spirit's work in us as we grow in prayer? Or, is it possible that this same fruit cluster of the Holy Spirit should also be evidenced in our praying? Should we not expect similar evidence that our praying is Holy Spirit inspired, informed and instructed?
Holy Spirit motivated prayer is loving, joyful, peace-producing, patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle, self-controlled.
Both in our private prayers and certainly as we seek to coach those we lead in corporate praying, we must learn to listen for these vital markers of the Holy Spirit praying through us.
Holy Spirit prayers are loving -- Even when we are responding to hurt or fear, love must be the motivation of why we are asking God to act.
Holy Spirit inspired prayers are joyful -- Too many Christians only offer reactive prayers, seldom expressing or experiencing the joy of the Lord.
God Spirit's presence brings peace -- No matter what our circumstances, no matter how difficult the situation.
The Spirit of the Lord produces patience -- Are our prayers demands for instant gratification or are we capable of both patience (waiting upon) and perseverance (walking with) Christ?
Holy Spirit people are kind -- And the text and tone of their prayers reflect a kind heart, even toward enemies.
God is good -- As should be what the answer to our simplest prayer would produce . . . and not merely what is good for us.
Christ is faithful -- Every prayer uttered in His name must also be faithful to His name, faithful to the values of His kingdom.
Jesus was gentle -- Gentle prayers are meek (humble) not weak (sentimental); they destroy strongholds by releasing God's grace, mercy, healing, forgiveness, creativity.
Holy Spirit prayers are self-controlled -- Not self-focused but submitting self to the word of Christ and the will of the Father and the work of the Spirit.
It seems to me . . . that prayer may not be listed but if we look closely, it is all over the fruit of the Spirit!
Pastor Phil
NOTE >>> It Seems To Me... originally appeared in Prayer Leader Online @ www.prayerleader.com
A praying life requires a 180-degree about-face from the direction our human nature would lead us. Our flesh is bent on doing a good job, getting it right, proving our ability. A praying life is built on a principle that is the polar opposite of our flesh’s instincts: letting go, yielding, admitting helplessness. It doesn’t come easily to us.
Jesus ratified this principle as of primary importance in His first formal sermon. We refer to His opening remarks as the Beatitudes. The first words out of Jesus’ mouth, once the crowd had gathered, were “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3). Prayer is reaching into the kingdom and drawing on its resources. What is the prerequisite for having complete access to the kingdom? Being poor in spirit.
The word for “poor” means destitute: a beggar whose only hope is to receive from the hand of another. Until we recognize the blessedness of being wholly dependent on God, who even produces prayer in us, we won’t live in the abundance that could be ours. Our helplessness is our strongest plea. I illustrated this concept in Set Apart as follows:
I recently had the tiniest glimpse of how powerfully helplessness speaks. A few years ago, I lost my husband to brain cancer. During the final months of his illness, he became utterly helpless. The man I had leaned on for 25 years, whose strength I counted on, was now dependent upon me for his every need. During those weeks, my ear was tuned to his every sigh, his every restless movement, every change in his breathing pattern. If I had to be out of his room for even a few minutes, I had a monitor with me so I could hear him if he needed me. When he was strong, I was not so attentive. His needs did not fill my waking moments, when he could meet them himself. His helplessness spoke louder than any word he might have spoken. Because of his helplessness—because I knew he could do nothing on his own—I was on watch day and night.
My experience is but a pale shadow of the reality of the Kingdom, but still it helps me understand how my weakness is the opening for His strength. The fact of my helplessness is the only prayer I need. It speaks louder than eloquence.
My experience is but a pale shadow of the reality of the Kingdom, but still it helps me understand how my weakness is the opening for His strength. The fact of my helplessness is the only prayer I need. It speaks louder than eloquence.
I love Psalm 27:8: “My heart has heard you say, “Come and talk with me.’ And my heart responds, ‘Lord, I am coming.’” I notice David didn’t say, “Sorry, God, I’m too busy doing (and praying) all this other stuff for You.” He responded immediately to God’s invitation to come into His presence. Once he was there, David prayed, “Teach me how to live, O Lord. Lead me along the right path” (vs. 11).
David’s strength and direction for life, obviously—like Jesus’—came directly out if His intimate
conversations with God in prayer. In fact, Jesus’ amazing, supernatural ministry was absolutely rooted in intimacy and time spent with the Father (Lk. 6:12; Jn. 8:28, 12:49-50, 14:9).
Why on earth do I think I can get away with any less? I think I’m really finally understanding (and experiencing) the bottom line—that intimacy and power are intricately and inseparably intertwined.
How many times have we all prayed for wisdom, direction, strength, or provision … first? As for myself, too many times to count. The reality is that God's favor and blessing toward His people have primarily been demonstrated first of all by His presence. And it’s His presence that results in manifestations of His power. Presence first, then power. Not the other way around. How many people (or ministries) have we all seen “go into a ditch,” as one of my friends like to put it, because they got it backwards? Again, probably too many to count. Yikes! Jesus flat-out warned us about that. When His disciples experienced some of the privileges of living in God’s power, Jesus reminded them not to rejoice in the privileges, but rather in their relationship to the One who granted them (Lk. 10:28).
Take Moses, for another example: as much as he had seen of God's incredible power, Moses knew he couldn't live without God's intimate and personal presence in his life. He asked God, “How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth” (Ex. 33:15)? I appreciate the fact that he didn’t ask for more miracles. He asked for more of God Himself! And I love God’s response to Moses. He said, “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name” (Ex. 33:17).
I need more of God’s power in my life—don't you? But instead of going for the power first—instead of asking for the strength, wisdom, direction, provision, or even miracles I need first—I am learning to go for the presence first.
Amazingly, all those other things seem to come a lot more easily after that ...
| A Burden For Revival |  |  |
By Dave Butts Revival comes to those who are desperate for it. Many today are talking about spiritual awakening and even beginning to pray about it. But have we allowed God to place within us the burden necessary to pray desperately for God to show up in our midst? Are we willing to "pray the price" to see God move in a powerful way in the Church today? As I continue to learn how to move my prayers into alignment with God’s will, praying Scripture has become increasingly important. As I pray God’s Word I find myself praying in ways I would never have found myself praying before. So it is as we begin to place ourselves before the Lord in asking for a burden for revival. I have been greatly impacted by the prayer of the Psalmist in Psalm 79. This is a powerful prayer for revival. It was prayed from a broken heart that saw the people of God under attack and the promises of God unfulfilled. O God, the nations have invaded your inheritance; they have defiled your holy temple, they have reduced Jerusalem to rubble. They have given the bodies of your servants as food to the birds of the air, the flesh of your saints to the beasts of the earth. They have poured out like water all around Jerusalem, and there is no one to bury the dead. We are objects of reproach to our neighbors, of scorn and derision to those around us. How long, O LORD? Will you be angry forever? How long will your jealousy burn like fire? Pour out your wrath on the nations that do not acknowledge you, on the kingdoms that do not call on your name; for they have devoured Jacob and destroyed his homeland. Do not hold against us the sins of the fathers; may your mercy come quickly to meet us, for we are in desperate need. Help us, O God our Savior, for the glory of your name; deliver us and forgive our sins for your name’s sake. Why should the nations say, "Where is their God?" Before our eyes, make known among the nations that you avenge the outpoured of your servants. May the groans of the prisoners come before you; by the strength of your arm preserve those condemned to die. Pay back into the laps of our neighbors seven times the reproach they have hurled at you, O Lord. Then we your people, the sheep of your pasture, will praise you forever; from generation to generation we will recount your praise. Praying through Psalm 79 is a great way to develop a biblical burden for revival. The text breaks down into a great outline for passionate prayer: 1. Recognizing your current situation is a critical place to begin. The people of Israel were oppressed…under attack by their enemies. They finally got to a place of desperation-- "for we are in desperate need" vs.8. Until the Church today arrives at that place of desperation, we will never develop a burden for revival. 2. Get serious about the glory of God. Pagans were disparaging God because of the sorry situation of the Israelites. "Where is their God?" they asked. The fact that the world would ask such a question should bring great grief to God’s people. In a very real sense, this is exactly what the world is saying of the Church today….."Where is your God?" 3. Recognition of your current situation and passion for God’s glory will lead you to petition. It is at this point that you find Israel praying for mercy, deliverance, and forgiveness. It is a very personal sort of prayer that focuses on the needs of the people of God for restoration into the favor of God. 4. Taking the prayer a step further, we see the Psalmist asking God to step into the situation. In a very real sense, the Psalmist prays, "God, You answer the accusations of the enemy. By Your actions Lord, pay back the reproach that the world has heaped upon You through the sad condition of Your people." 5. The result of such a prayer is worship and praise. It’s the natural result of seeing God work. Even before full-blown revival arrives, there is worship erupting from the people of God. And along with that is the commitment to pass it on to the next generation. Praying such a prayer for revival is not a guarantee of revival. It is merely preparing the ground of the human heart for a fresh work of God. Praying with passion for revival begins to create a burden for revival among the Lord’s people. And into such a prepared state, the Lord has often poured His rain from heaven. Martyn Lloyd-Jones speaks of this preparatory work of prayer in his book, Revival: "Our essential trouble is that we are content with a very superficial and preliminary knowledge of God, His being, His cause….we spend our lives in busy activism….instead of realizing our own failure,(that) we are not attracting anybody to Christ and that they probably see nothing in us that makes them desire to come to Him. "The inevitable and constant preliminary to revival has always been in a thirst for God, a thirst, a living thirst for a knowledge of the living God and a longing and a burning desire to see Him acting, manifesting Himself and His power, rising and scattering His enemies…..the thirst for God and the longing for the exhibition of His glory are the essential preliminaries to revival" (pages 90-91). May our prayers for revival develop a great thirst for God, not only in our own lives, but in the lives of those around us. |
The first breakthrough understanding about prayer is that there is no recipe to follow, no “ten easy steps” to power in prayer. Power praying does not require that you master a skill, but that you pursue a present-tense relationship with the living and indwelling Jesus.
Prayer marked Jesus’ life. Long, extended times of prayer. Spontaneous eruptions of prayer. Prayer in public, and with His disciples. Certainly Jesus, who only did and spoke what the Father showed Him, did not use prayer to argue, or beg, or try to change God’s mind. Then why did Jesus pray? Why was prayer such a hallmark of His life that His disciples asked Him to teach them to pray like He prayed? If He wasn’t giving God instructions, what was He doing when He rose up early to pray or spent all night in prayer?
I think we might get a hint from His time in Gethsemane, where some of His words are recorded and so we get a glimpse into the tenor of His interchange with the Father. We see Him synchronizing His heart with the Father’s heart.
I think it works like this: I have many mobile electronic devices that I use to accomplish my daily tasks, or to entertain myself, or to stay in touch with others. I do most of my work on my main desktop computer, but then I need to transfer the work I’ve done, or the information I’ve added, or the files I’ve edited from my main computer to my mobile devices. How do I accomplish that? How do I get what is on the hard drive of my computer downloaded onto my mobile devices? I link the mobile device to the computer and a program is activated that automatically syncs my mobile device to my computer. What is on my computer is reproduced on my mobile device.
In His all-night prayer in Gethsemane, we see Jesus linking His heart to the Father’s. Let me summarize the content of His recorded prayer in some new words. “Father, download Your will into my heart so that it overwrites any other desire. Download courageous faith that deletes fear. Synchronize My heart’s desire to Yours.”
What came from that heart-to-heart transaction? Observe the Jesus who emerges from His hours of agony. Courageous, forceful, marching out to meet His enemy rather than waiting to be taken. Handing Himself over to the purposes of the Father without reservation.
“The hour has come. Look, the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!” (Mark 14:41–42).
From Live a Praying Life, Anniversary Edition.
When you pray . . . Pray for God's will (thy Kingdom come, thy will be done) before instructing God on what needs to be done or how to respond.
When you pray . . . Seek the mind of Christ (what is God's purpose in this circumstance) before seeking the help from Christ you think is best.
When you start to pray . . . Ask before you ask. Ask questions (how should I pray about this?) before asking for preferred outcomes.
Seek first the kingdom of God (when you pray) and all these things (that you would have prayed for) will be added unto you.
PRESS RELEASE
August 2, 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Darrel deVille
press@pray-america-pray.org
www.pray-america-pray.org
Dallas Ministry Launches National "Pray, America! Pray!" Campaign
Dallas, TX – August 2, 2010
Shekinah Today Ministries announces the national launch of the “Pray, America! Pray!” Campaign – an urgent call for National repentance and prayer on a massive scale, from the Pulpits, to the Pews, then to the Multitudes.
Darrel and Cindy deVille, founders of Shekinah Today Ministries, believe 2010 is a defining year for America, and God in His abundant mercy, is giving His Church and America a “Window of Time” to respond to His cry for repentance and daily prayer to help change the course of this nation, before it’s too late.
Cindy says, “Like a prodigal, America has been raging down a path of self-destruction, and now our nation hangs in the balance. What we do or don't do as His leaders and people will determine the course of this nation – either the Greatest Awakening ever seen or the fall and destruction of America, including a serious economic collapse, war in the streets and on our shores. I also see a greater persecution of Christians coming if things don’t change. This is very sobering, and we must act now! God is counting on His leaders and people to seize this moment, to humbly unite across the nation, in repentance and prayer, and lead America back to God.”
The founders believe the biblical solution to begin changing the course of America and bring a Great Awakening must include 3 Keys, implemented on a massive scale, locally and nationally:
1. Repentance – beginning with the pulpits of America.
2. Unity through humility – with one heart, in one accord, for one purpose.
3. Prayer – daily focused prayer.
“We see this in 2 Chronicles 7:14, prayer must include repentance and humility, along with unity, being in one accord, as they were before the great outpouring in the book of Acts. All 3 keys are integrated into the National ‘Pray, America! Pray!’ Campaign action plan.” says Darrel.
Shekinah Today Ministries is sending forth an URGENT call to Christian leaders and churches all across America to join them in the “Pray, America! Pray!” Campaign, which is a united effort across denominational lines to call for repentance, daily prayer, and strategic action to help turn America back to God.
The “Pray, America! Pray!” Campaign Plan shows how this can be implemented both individually and corporately on a local and national level. To learn more about this Campaign and how you or your organization can take action today and help bring a Great Awakening to America, visit their website at www.pray-america-pray.org.
| A New Call For Extraordinary Prayer | | |
A New Call For Extraordinary Prayer With all that has been happening in our nation, it eventually becomes very easy to allow our attention to be diverted back to what we call "normal." Unfortunately, "normal" often means life without God and without a dependence upon Him in prayer. I believe it is vital for us to hold on to our first response - - the response of prayer. The Church desperately needs to both issue and respond to a new call for extraordinary prayer. Extraordinary prayer goes beyond the normal expectations of the past. It is prayer that can bring God’s power to bear on a whole new world facing us--a world of uncertainty, fear and war. The Bible records times of extraordinary prayer like this. One good example occurred in the Book of Esther. The crisis there concerned the lives of every Jew held captive in Babylon. A decree had been issued that would result in genocide for the Jews. Queen Esther was going to risk her life by going to the King on behalf of her people; however, before she went, she called her people to three days of prayer and fasting for her mission. Extraordinary prayer brought about extraordinary deliverance. The Book of Ezra gives another good example of extraordinary prayer. Ezra was preparing to lead a group of the exiles back from Babylon to Jerusalem. The king had even offered troops for protection on the perilous journey. But Ezra had refused the troops, pointing out that God Himself would protect them. As the people gathered, Ezra began to realize how dangerous the trip would be and that they should not merely presume upon God’s protection. So he called the people to humble themselves and pray and fast over the journey. God heard their prayers and gave them safe passage to their destination. There are many examples of this in more recent history. The great British preacher, Charles H. Spurgeon, was used by God to bring many into the Kingdom and in the process, a large church was built in London. He challenged his people to extraordinary prayer if they wanted to see God’s hand at work in their church. He wrote, "Dear Friends, we do not know what God may do for us if we do but pray for a blessing of the Holy Spirit… Have we not tried to preach without trying to pray? Is it not likely that the church has been putting forth its preaching hand but not its praying hand? O Dear friends! Let us agonize in prayer, and it shall come to pass that this Music Hall shall witness the sighs and groans of the penitent and the songs of the converted. It shall yet happen that this vast host shall not come and go as now it does, but little the better; but men shall go out of this hall praising God and saying--It was good to be there; it was none other than the house of God, and the very gate of heaven. This much to stir you up to prayer." In the United States, the revivals known as the Great Awakenings came in response to Christians gathering for extraordinary prayer. Often called "Concerts of Prayer," God used these times of prayer to bring awakening to His people. Robert Bakke in his wonderful book, The Power of Extraordinary Prayer writes, "It (the Concert of Prayer) was born out of convictions that say with certainty that, regardless of how bright or dark the hour we live in, God is about to do something greater than He’s ever done before. Furthermore, it said that God would not move forward with His ever-increasing and ever more marvelous plans until Christians agreed with Him and agreed with each other about what He was going to do. A great and lucid vision of Christ’s earthly reign was before their eyes--with every nation, people, tribe and tongue united as one company before the throne of God, Christ the Son, and the sevenfold Spirit. It was a compelling vision that would not let Christians rest or let go of God until the rule of God held sway in every aspect of life." (Pg.133) Read again that last sentence from Bakke: "It was a compelling vision that would not let Christians rest or let go of God until the rule of God held sway in every aspect of life." Have you ever made a decision to pray like that? Not merely God bless us or even God protect us--but a life-changing commitment to pray until the "rule of God held sway in every aspect of life"? This should not just be a response made only by individual Christians. Has your church made a decision to pray extraordinarily for the working of God’s power? The key to the Concert of Prayer was for Christians to gather together for times of extraordinary prayer--as was the practice of the early Church. We are living in times that are not "normal." What has been normal for us in our prayer life and experience of Christianity will not suffice for this hour. God is calling us to extraordinary prayer! How will you respond? |
Biblical Root of the Word: Pray
by
Lewis Turner
If most of us were asked to define prayer, probably the majority would say ‘askingGod for something’. Unfortunately thatmay be the limit of our understanding of prayer
There is much more to prayer and the Hebrew language used in writing the Old Testamentin the Bible is a good place to go to teach us about prayer.
In the Bible, in the Old Testament, which was originally written in Hebrew, theword used for prayer is tephillah written תְּפִלָּה. It meansintercession, supplication; Inimplication - a hymn. Many of thePsalms in the Bible are actually prayers. A closer examination of the word tephillah we find the root word palalwritten written: פָּלַל. It means to judge; by extension to intercede,pray: entreat, judge(-ment), make pray(-er,-ing), make supplication. From these meanings, it is evident that arelationship exists that implies a relationship that has communication throughprayer.
Looking at the meaning of these two Hebrew words, the meaning of both words, tephillahand palal includes the definition: intercession and supplication.[1] From this it is clear that the concept ofintercession in prayer has been around for thousands of years. Perhaps our translation of it in recent yearshas not conveyed the full meaning of the word pray that we see in Hebrew. To pray includes intercessory prayer, it alsoincludes supplication.
To Christ, prayer in the Temple,Synagogue, or Church is very important and so much so that Christ quoted Is56:7 in Matt 21:13 telling us that “My house shall be called the house ofprayer.” Christ placed great importanceon prayer. Perhaps we should expand ourconcept of prayer to include the full Biblical meaning of prayer.
“Why didn’t God answer my prayer?” That was the question posed by the new Christian, although the question is not unique to new Christians. First of all, there is no such thing as unanswered prayer, in spite of the old hymn text by B.B. McKinney. Sometimes, God says “No” or “Wait” but those are answers. When it seems God is not answering we tend to look for reasons. We blame God – “God doesn’t care about me!” We blame others. In My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers wrote, “When prayer seems to be unanswered, beware of trying to fix the blame on someone else.” We blame self – “I must not be living right!” We even blame circumstances – “That’s just the way things are right now!” Understanding that God is also present in apparent silence, what ought we to do? Three suggestions: (1) Listen more intently; (2) Walk more closely; (3) Wait more patiently. In Matthew 7:7, Jesus said to “ask,” “seek,” and “knock.” While each of those actions promised response, none of them implied the response would be immediate.
To subscribe and receive Dr. Dan's Monday Morning Memo via e-mail, free of charge, go to www.discipleallnations.org/blog
From the AUSTRALIAN PRAYER NETWORK NEWSLETTER
ARE WE PREPARED TO PRAY THE PRICE TO SEE GOD MOVE IN OUR NATION
by Stuart Robinson. At the time of writing this article The Rev Dr Stuart Robinson was the Senior Pastor at the Blackburn Baptist Church in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Luke 11:1 Lord teach us to pray
Introduction
Luke 11:1 Lord teach us to pray
Introduction
In 1952 Albert Einstein was asked by a Princeton doctoral student what was left in the world for original dissertation research? Einstein replied, 'Find out about prayer'. English preacher Sidlow Baxter, when he was eightyfive years of age, said, 'I have pastored only three churches in my more than sixty years of ministry. We had revival in every one. And not one of them came as a result of my preaching. They came as a result of the membership entering into a covenant to pray until revival came. And it did come, every time' (Willhite 1988:111).
Chaplain of the United States Senate, Richard Halverson, advised that we really don't have any alternatives to prayer. He says, 'You canorganise until you are exhausted. You can plan, program and subsidise all your plans. But if you fail to pray, it is a waste of time. Prayeris not optional. It is mandatory. Not to pray is to disobey God' (Bryant 1984:39). Roy Pointer, after extensive research in Baptist churches in the United Kingdom, arrived at the conclusion that wherever there was
positive growth, there was one recurring factor: they were all praying churches.
positive growth, there was one recurring factor: they were all praying churches.
In the United States of America, at Larry Lea's Church on the Rock in Rockwall, Texas, numerical growth was from 13 people in 1980 to 11,000 people by 1988. When he was asked about such amazing growth, he said 'I didn't start a church I started a prayer meeting'. When David Shibley, the minister responsible for prayer in that church was asked the secret of the church, he said, 'The evangelistic 11program of our church is the daily prayer meeting. Every morning, Monday through Friday, we meet at 5.00 am to pray. If we see the harvest of conversions fall off for more than a week, we see that as a spiritual red alert and seek the Lord' (Shibley 1985:7).
In Korea, where the church has grown from almost zero to a projected 50% of the entire population in this century alone, Pastor Paul Yonggi Cho attributes his church's conversion rate of 12,000 people per month as primarily due to ceaseless prayer. In Korea it is normal for church members to go to bed early so they can arise at 4.00 am to participate in united prayer. It is normal for them to pray all through Friday nights. It is normal to go out to prayer retreats. Cho says that any church might
see this sort of phenomenal growth if they are prepared to 'pray the price,' to 'pray and obey.'
see this sort of phenomenal growth if they are prepared to 'pray the price,' to 'pray and obey.'
Cho was once asked by a local pastor why was it that Cho's church membership was 750,000 and his was only 3,000 when he was better educated, preached better sermons and even had a foreign wife? Cho inquired, 'How much do you pray?' The pastor said, 'Thirty minutes a day.' To which Cho replied, 'There is your answer. I pray from three to five hours per day.' In America one survey has shown that pastors on average pray 22 minutes per day. In mainline churches, it is less than that. In Japan they pray 44 minutes a day, Korea 90 minutes a day, and China 120 minutes a day. It's not surprising that the growth rate of churches in those countries is directly proportional to the amount of time pastors are spending in prayer.
Growth a Supernatural Process
The church is a living organism. It is God's creation with Jesus Christ as its head (Colossians 1:18). From Him life flows (John 14:6).We have a responsibility to cooperate with God (1Corinthians 3:6). We know that unless the Lord builds the house we labour in vain (Psalm 127:1). The transfer of a soul from the kingdom of darkness to that of light is a spiritual, supernatural process (Colossians 1:14). It is the Father who draws (John 6:44). It is the Holy Spirit who convicts (John 16:811). He causes confession to be made (1 Corinthians 12:3). He completes conversion (Titus 3:5). It is the Holy Spirit who also strengthens and empowers (Ephesians 3:16). He guides into truth (John 16:16). He gives spiritual gifts which promote unity (1 Corinthians 12:25), building up the church (1 Corinthians 14:12), thus avoiding disunity and strife which stunt growth.
This is fundamental spiritual truth accepted and believed by all Christians. However, the degree to which we are convinced that all real growth is ultimately a supernatural process and are prepared to act upon that belief, will be directly reflected in the priority that we give to corporate and personal prayer in the life of the church. It is only when we begin to see that nothing that matters will occur except in answer to prayer that prayer will become more than an optional program for the faithful few, and instead it will become the driving force of our churches. Obviously God wants our pastors, other leaders and His people to recognise that only He can do extraordinary things. When we accept that simple premise, we may begin to pray.
In the Bible
The battle which Joshua won, as recorded in Exodus 17:813, was not so dependent upon what he and his troops were doing down on the plain. It was directly dependent upon Moses' prayerful intercession from on top of a nearby hill, with the support of Aaron and Hur. In the Old Testament, not counting the Psalms, there are 77 explicit references to prayer. The pace quickens in the New Testament. There are 94 references alone which relate directly to Jesus and prayer. The apostles picked up this theme and practice.
So Paul says, 'Pray continually, for this is God's will for you' (1 Thessalonians 5:16). Peter urges believers to be 'clear minded and self controlled' so that they can pray (1 Peter 4:7). James declares that prayer is 'powerful and effective' (James 5:16). John assures us that 'God hears and answers' (1 John 5:15). In the book of Acts there are 36 references to the church growing. Fiftyeight percent (i.e. 21 of those instances) are within the context of prayer. We would all love to see growth in every church in the world like it was at Pentecost and immediately thereafter. The key to what happened there is found in Acts 1:14 when it says: 'They were all joined together constantly in prayer.'
They were all joined together one mind, one purpose, one accord. That is the prerequisite for effectiveness. Then,they were all joined together constantly in prayer. The word used there means to be 'busily engaged in, to be devoted to, to persist in adhering to a thing, to intently attend to it.' And it is in the form of a present participle. It means that the practice was continued ceaselessly. The same word and part of speech is used in Acts 2:42: 'They devoted themselves...to prayer.' Over in Colossians 4:2, Paul uses the same word again in the imperative form: 'Devote yourselves to prayer.' Most significant expansion movements of the church through its history took up that imperative.
In history
When we read the biographies of William Carey, Adoniram Judson, David Livingstone, Hudson Taylor, or whomever, the initiating thrust of the work of their lives began in prayer encounters. About a century ago, John R. Mott led an extraordinary movement which became known as the Student Christian Movement. It was based amongst college and university students. It supplied 20,000 career missionaries in the space of thirty years. John Mott said that the source of this amazing awakening lay in united intercessory prayer. It wasn't just that these missionaries were recruited and sent out in prayer; their work was also sustained through prayer. Hudson Taylor told a story of a missionary couple who were in charge of ten stations. They wrote to their home secretary confessing their absolute lack of progress,and they urged the secretary to find intercessors for each station. After a while, in seven of those stations, opposition melted, spiritual revival broke out and the churches grew strongly. But in three there was no change.When they returned home on their next furlough, the secretary cleared up the mystery. He had succeeded in getting intercessors for only seven of the ten stations. S. D. Gordon (1983:40) concludes, 'The greatest thing anyone can do for God and man is to pray.'
Luther, Calvin, Knox, Latimer, Finney, Moody, all the `greats of God' practised prayer and fasting to enhance ministry effectiveness.John Wesley was so impressed by such precedents that he would not even ordain a person to ministry unless he agreed to fast at least until 4.00pm each Wednesday and Friday. Yonggi Cho (1984:103) says, 'Normally I teach new believers to fast for three days. Once they have become accustomed to threeday fasts, they will be able to fast for a period of seven days. Then they will move to ten day fasts. Some have even gone for forty days.' These people seem to have latched onto something which we here in Australia hardly know anything about. We are so busy, so active. We try so hard to get something good up and running. But it doesn't seem to grow much, or permanently change many lives. Why? Is it that the ground in Australia is too hard? Compared with other times and places, this could hardly be so. For example, back in the 18th century things didn't look good.
Eighteenth century
France was working through its bloody revolution, as terroristic as any of our modern era. America had declared its Rights of Man in 1776.Voltaire was preaching that the church was only a system of oppression for the human spirit. Karl Marx would later agree. A new morality had arisen. Amongst both sexes in all ranks of society, Christianity was held in almost universal contempt. Demonic forces seemed to have been unleashed to drive the church out of existence. In many places it was almost down and out. Preachers and people would be pelted with stones and coal in places in England if they dared to testify to Jesus Christ in public.
But even before those satanic forces collaborated to confound and confuse, it appears that the Holy Spirit had prepared His defence, like a plot out of some Peretti novel. In the 1740s, John Erskine of Edinburgh published a pamphlet encouraging people to pray for Scotland and elsewhere. Over in America, the challenge was picked up by Jonathan Edwards, who wrote a treatise called, 'A Humble Attempt to Promote Explicit Agreement and Visible Union of God's People in Extraordinary Prayer for the Revival of Religion and the Advancement of Christ's Kingdom.'
For forty years, John Erskine orchestrated what became a Concert of Prayer through voluminous correspondence around the world. In the face of apparent social, political and moral deterioration, he persisted. And then the Lord of the universe stepped in and took over. On Christmas day 1781, at St. Just Church in Cornwall, at 3.00 am, intercessors met to sing and pray. The heavens opened at last and they knew it. They prayed through until 9.00 am and regathered on Christmas evening. Throughout January and February, the movement continued. By March 1782 they were praying until midnight. No significant preachers were involved just people prayingand the Holy Spirit responding.
Two years later in 1784, when 83year old John Wesley visited that area, he wrote, 'This country is all on fire and the flame is spreading from village to village.' And spread it did. The chapel which George Whitefield had built decades previously in Tottenham Court Road had to be enlarged to seat 5,000 people the largest in the world at that time. Baptist churches in North Hampton, Leicester, and the Midlands, set aside regular nights devoted to the drumbeat of prayer for revival. Methodists and Anglicans joined in.
Matthew Henry wrote, 'When God intends great mercy for His people, He first sets them praying.' Across the country prayer meetings were networking for revival. A passion for evangelism arose. Converts were being won not through the regular services of the churches, but at the prayer meetings! Some were held at 5.00 am, some at midnight. Some preChristians were drawn by dreams and visions. Some came to scoff but were thrown to the ground under the power of the Holy Spirit. Sometimes there was noise and confusion; sometimes stillness and solemnity. But always there was that ceaseless outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Whole denominations doubled, tripled and quadrupled in the next few years. It swept out from England to Wales, Scotland, United States, Canada and to some Third World countries.
Social Impact
The social impact of reformed lives was incredible. William Wilberforce, William Pitt, Edmund Bourke, and Charles Fox, all touched by this movement, worked ceaselessly for the abolition of the slave trade in 1807. William Buxton worked on for the emancipation of all slaves in the British Empire and saw it happen in 1834. John Howard and Elizabeth Fry gave their lives to radically reform the prison system. Florence Nightingale founded modern nursing. Ashley Cooper, the seventh Earl of Shaftesbury, came to the rescue of the working poor to end their sixteen hour, seven day a week work grind. He worked to stop exploitation of women and children in coal mines, the suffocation of boys as sweeps in chimneys. He established public parks and gymnasia, gardens, public libraries, night schools and choral societies.
The Christian Socialist Movement, which became the British Trade Union movement, was birthed. The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was formed to protect animals. There was amazing growth in churches, and an astounding change in society came about because for forty years a man prayed and worked, seeing the establishment of thousands of similar prayer meetings, all united in calling on God for revival. Missionary societies were established.
William Carey was one who got swept up in that movement. We speak of him as the 'father of modern missions'. The environment of his situation was that he was a member of a ministers' revival prayer group which had been meeting for two years in Northampton in 1784-86. It was in 1786 he shared his vision of God's desire to see the heathen won for the Lord. He went on to establish what later became known as the Baptist Missionary Society. In 1795 the London Missionary Society was formed. In 1796 the Scottish Missionary Society was established, and later still the Church Missionary Society of the Anglicans was commenced.
Nineteenth century
The prayer movement had a tremendous impact, but waned until the middle of the 19th century. Then God started something up in Canada,and the necessity to pray was picked up in New York. A quiet man called Jeremiah Lanphier had been appointed by the Dutch Reformed Church as a missionary to the central business district. Because the church was in decline and the life of the city was somewhat similar, he didn't know what to do. He was a layman. He called a prayer meeting in the city to be held at noon each Wednesday. Its first meeting was on the 23rd September1857.
Eventually, five other men turned up. Two weeks later, they decided to move to a daily schedule of prayer. Within six months, 10,000 men were gathering to pray and that movement spread across America. Surprise, surprise! Within two years there were one million new believers added to the church. The movement swept out to touch England, Scotland, Wales and Ulster. Ireland was as tough a nut to crack as any. But when news reached Ireland of what was happening in America, James McQuilkan gathered three young men to meet for prayer in the Kells schoolhouse on March 14, 1859. They prayed and prayed for revival. Within a couple of months a similar prayer meeting was launched in Belfast. By September 21, 20,000 people assembled to pray for the whole of Ireland. It was later estimated that 100,000 converts resulted directly from these prayer movements in Ireland. It has also been estimated that in the years 185960, some 1,150,000 people were added to the church, wherever concerts of prayer were in operation.
Twentieth century
Many would be aware of the Welsh Revival this century. It commenced in October 1904. It was spontaneous and was characterised by simultaneous,lengthy prayer meetings. In the first two months, 70,000 people came to the Lord. In 1905 in London alone, the Wesleyan Methodists increased from their base membership of 54,785 by an additional 50,021 people. Coming closer in time and nearer to Australia, in the Enga churches in Papua New Guinea there was a desperate spiritual state 20 years ago. To redress the situation, people there committed themselves to pray.
Prayer meetings began amongst pastors, missionaries and Bible College students. It spread out to the villages. In some villages, groups of people agreed to pray together every day until God sent new life to the church. On 15 September 1973, without any prior indication, simultaneously, spontaneously, in village after village as pastors stood to deliver their normal Sunday morning messages, the Holy Spirit descended bringing conviction, confession, repentance and revival. Normal work stopped as people in their thousands hurried to special meetings. Prayer groups met daily, morning and evening. Thousands of Christians were restored and thousands of pagans were converted. Whole villages became Christian, and the church grew not only in size but in maturity. In the Philippines in the 1980s, as a result of some people attending an international prayer conference in Korea, 200 missionaries of the Philippine Missionary Fellowship each organised prayer group meetings daily at 7.00 pm to pray for the growth of the church. They report that within a couple of years this directly resulted in the formation of 310 new churches.
Spectacular growth is occurring in Argentina. Jose Luis Vasquez saw his church explode from 600 to 4,500 with a constituency of 10,000members in five years following a visit from Carlos Annacondia. Hector Gimenez started his church from zero in 1983. His congregation now numbers 70,000. Omar Cabrera started his church in 1972 with 15 members. There is now a combined membership of 90,000 members.
Peter Wagner, who is intensely investigating what lies behind such effective ministry, has arrived at the conclusion that powerful intercessory prayer is the chief weapon. Much of it is happening in a Pentecostal, charismatic environment. But the structure or doctrine is not the essential thing. Walter Hollenweger, a prolific researcher into Pentecostalism said that for them, from the earliest Pentecostals onwards, it was more important to pray than to organise (1972:29). Wherever that principle is invoked, amazing things happen.
In 1982 Christians in East Germany started to form small groups of ten to twelve persons, committed to meet to pray for peace. By October 1989, 50,000 people were involved in Monday night prayer meetings. In 1990,when those praying people moved quietly into the streets, their numbers quickly swelled to 300,000 and 'the wall came tumbling down.' In Cuba in 1990, an Assemblies of God pastor whose congregation never exceeded 100 people meeting once a week suddenly found himself conducting 12 services per day for 7,000 people. They started queuing at 2.00 am and even broke down the doors just to get into the prayer meetings.
Asked to explain these phenomena, Cuban Christians say 'it has come because we have paid the price. We have suffered for the Gospel and we have prayed for many, many years' (O'Connor 1990:79). When a group known as the Overseas Missionary Society saw that after 25 years of work in India all they could report was 2,000 believers in 25 churches, they adopted a new strategy. In their homelands they recruited 1,000 people committed to pray for the work in India for just 15 minutes per day. Within a few years the church exploded to 73,000 members in 550 churches.
Will we 'pray the price'?
Today there is great pressure from many directions in our society to work harder, to become smarter, to produce results, or to be moved aside. The church in many western countries is in danger of absorbing this mentality into its own attitudes and practices, forgetting that in the divine human endeavour, success comes not by might nor by power but by a gracious release of God's Holy Spirit (Zechariah 4:6). Years ago, R. A. Torrey (1974:190) said, 'We live in a day characterised by the multiplication of man's machinery and the diminution of God's power. The great cry of our day is work, work, work! Organise, organise, organise! Give us some new society! Tell us some new methods! Devise some new machinery! But the great need of our day is prayer, more prayer and better prayer.' Friends, in the church in the west we now have the most up to date, state of the art technology available to communicate the Gospel. Yet comparatively little seems to be happening in so many countries.
In terms of the growth and mission of our churches, could it be that whilst the world has learned to communicate with robots on Mars, in sections of the church we have forgotten to communicate with the Lord of the earth? If that is so, then our best course of action is to stand again with the company of the first disciples and, like them, return to the Head of the church Jesus Christ and say 'Lord, teach us to pray' (Luke 11:1).
References
David Bryant (1984) Concerts of Prayer. Ventura, California: Ventura.
Paul Y Cho (1984) Prayer: Key to Revival. Waco, Texas: Word.
S D Gordon (1983) 'Prayer, the greatest thing,' Australia's New Day, April, 40.
Walter J Hollenwager (1972) The Pentecostals. Minneapolis, Minnesota: Augsburg.
Greg O'Connor (1990) 'Miracles in Cuba,' New Day, May.
David Shibley (1985) Let's Pray in the Harvest. Rockwall, Texas: Church on the Rock.
R A Torrey (1974) The Power of Prayer. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan.
Bob J Whillhite (1988) Why Pray? Altamonte Springs, Florida: Creation House.
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(c) Stuart Robinson. First published by the Australian Baptist Missionary Society, 1992.
______________________________________________________________________
(c) Stuart Robinson. First published by the Australian Baptist Missionary Society, 1992.
Used by permission.
Reproduction is allowed as long as the copyright remains intact with the text.
ource: Rev Dr Stuart Robinson
ource: Rev Dr Stuart Robinson
Greetings from our Lord Jesus
I am on the harvest field. Last Wednesday I went out for evangelism and preach to one of the rubber in our community, at the end of our talk he give his life to Christ and even told me that he will never do those things again. The young boy said to me, I was four when my father died, my mother is a drunker. Four this reason I live all my life on the street, but your preaching tough me. I want for Christ to save me. He left while his friends continue.
His prayer is that he will go to school and find something to do in order to live. Please pray for Farla the boy for help.
We are going to the republic of Benin For a youth, Please pray for provision for the trip.
I lost my eye glases few days ago please pray as the Lord provides.
We are holding a nation Youth conference on August 26 to 28, I believed that the most important thing we need now is prayer.
NB: we are all working by faith ( no salary)
Surely it’s not simply that I don’t have time. We all take time for the things that arepleasurable for us, don't we? I certainly do. Is it that, despite my good intentions, prayer is just not a enough of a delight to me?
Kind of ironic, isn't it? Prayer is all around me. I write about prayer. I lead prayer. I'm involved with prayer ministry. But that doesn't mean it's any easier for me than for the next person to slow down and spend that one-on-one time in intimate conversation with God. When life gets busy and I get distracted, I can be as guilty as anyone of slipping into a religious routine,and prayer becomes something to check off my to-do list (never a good motivation for me). Or I need something, which makes it all about me (also not a great motivation). God, HELP!
I love it that God is gracious. (Translation: He is undeterred by my ambivalence, laziness, busy-ness, or mixed motives.) Isaiah 30:19 says, “How gracious (God) will be when you cry for help. As soon as Hehears you, He will answer you!” What a relief! When I get encouragement like that, it inspires me to drop my reticence (and my crazy schedule), run into His presence, and tell Him all the things that are on my heart and mind. No condemnation. He sees my frailty; He is mindful that I am dust (Ps. 103:14). Whew!
So what brings me back to the place of prayer--intimate prayer--with God? It's not guilt. It's anticipation. I find it helps me to think of Him waiting for me expectantly, the way the father waited daily at the gate for the prodigal son (Luke 15). I may not be prodigal in life, but there are times when I know I have been prodigal in prayer. Yet God is always waiting for me, thinking of me. I love how David calls it out in Psalm 139:17-18, "How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them!" (NASB). Prayer is not just about me telling Him what's on my mind. It's hearing all the amazing things that are on His!
Wow. Why waste my time counting a dollar for other people's thoughts? It's God's thoughts toward me that are the immeasurable treasure. That's the motivation I need to keep me coming back into His presence daily to find out what those precious, vast, and intimate thoughts are. He delights to share them with me--if only I delight to sit down with Him and ask...
Recently, I enjoyed the honor of providing teaching and leadership in prayer at the Moody Bible Institute’s Pastors’ Conference in Chicago, Illinois. In addition, I was joined by both my sons, who helped lead worship for the prayer sessions, and my brother, a pastor from Texas, who assisted in the prayer times and co-taught my workshops. It was a great reunion of “the brothers” from two generations.
For over twenty years, MBI has served pastors through this conference with a strong emphasis on biblical teaching and practical training in church leadership. For the last two years, they have allowed me to lead an early morning prayer session for those willing to attend. Last year, it was in an auxiliary auditorium and attracted hundreds of pastors each day. This year, they moved it into the main auditorium and graciously promoted it as a plenary session. Again, hundreds of pastors came each morning as we engaged in powerful sessions of Scripture-fed, Spirit-led, worship-based prayer.
A Bold Decision
I applaud the leadership of MBI for this commitment. Strange as it sounds, it is a bold move, as very few pastors’ conferences today give any priority to extended sessions of prayer. Content is always king. Music is usually paramount. Articulate and dynamic personalities are the draw. Prayer is typically an “opening” and “closing” formality in most cases. Thank God for Moody’s willingness to begin to find the balance we see in Acts 6:4 where the culture of church leadership was marked by a commitment to “prayer and the ministry of the word” (Acts 6:4). It did not matter who led these sessions at Moody. The victory is in the fact that they existed at all.
The Biblical Ideal of a Young Heart
Last week, after the first morning prayer session, a young man who appeared to be in his early 20’s approached me. He was blessed by the prayer time and asked if I led events like this at other pastors’ conferences. He asked what I felt about the attendance that morning. I told him I was thrilled that 400 or more came. In his idealism, he responded, “I was shocked that all of them did not come. I thought pastors were supposed to be committed to prayer. These are the guys leading our churches. No wonder we are in the condition we are in.” I tried to explain to him that it was an early hour, men were tired and perhaps they had scheduling conflicts. He was not to be deterred. His angst was obvious. I fear his concerns may be more legitimate than I wanted to admit. In all honesty, I had to search my own heart as I wondered if I would have attended if I were not leading the sessions. We all fight the battle of prayerlessness, distraction, and apathy.
Dreaming of a Better, Biblical Balance
As I reflect on the conversation, I do wonder about where pastors really are in their true passion for Christ through prayer. On a broader level, I wonder why pastors’ gatherings, particularly major conferences, feature so much emphasis on information with so little real time dedicated to the actual experience of praying together. As I thought of all the answers that might be proposed, I have decided to leave it up to you, the reader, to draw your own conclusions. Most of my ideas really are not edifying to share in this context.
Rather, I want to take a positive approach and consider what it might look like in the days ahead if major pastors’ gatherings began to move toward a better balance between prayer and the Word. Of course, it could be argued that because prayer is mentioned first in the priorities of the early church leaders in Acts 6:4 (and in the example of Jethro’s three-fold advice to Moses for establishing leadership priorities in Exodus 18:19) that prayer should have a more prominent place than the Word. Realizing this may sound like heresy, I would like to suggest the possibility of equal time: fifty percent prayer and fifty percent preaching. How about one-third prayer and two-thirds preaching? How about one-fifth prayer and four-fifths preaching? Any of the above would be a monumental move toward biblical balance, fresh power, and extraordinary unity.
A Radical Scenario
Imagine with me the possibility of an upcoming national pastors’ conference, held in a major city, conveniently located somewhere in the central U.S. Let’s call it “The Reconfiguration Conference.” The slate is filled with the ten most popular preachers, all with blockbuster books and mega-churches. A half-dozen Grammy Award-winning Christian artists are scheduled to provide the music. No expense has been spared in promoting the conference and every imaginable technological tool has been arranged to make the conference “high-impact.” Thousands of pastors have registered and are beginning to arrive with great expectancy of an experience that will really pump them up.
However, the conference planners encounter a major complication. All ten of the keynote speakers and every one of the musicians slated for the program happen to be in the same city the day before for a different event. That night, the airport in that city is shut down by fog and is projected to remain closed for three days. None of the featured platform personalities can get to The Reconfiguration Conference.
After a stressful night of reconfiguring The Reconfiguration Conference, the organizers step to the platform for the opening session with the shocking announcement. They share, “Due to circumstances beyond our control, none of our speakers or musicians will be able to attend. Nevertheless, God has clearly spoken to us about an even better plan. We have a small, local worship band ready to help us for the next three days – and we are going to spend every session at the feet of Jesus in prayer.“
It is rather fun to imagine the response from the crowd. Would they be disappointed? Thrilled? Angry? Eager? Of course, the real question is, how many would actually stay? What would they do instead?
Imagine the Possibilities!
Imagine if the pastors did stay – with open hearts, eager to seek God’s face, worship in spirit and in truth, and call out in faith to our great God. Consider what could happen if thousands of pastors spent hours together in simple but sincere worship, praying from the Scriptures, following the prompting of the Spirit.
More specifically, think on these possibilities:
• Pastors would discover a fresh spiritual delight and joy in the presence of Christ
• Pastors would find fresh encouragement in the application of God’s Word in the course of praying from the Scriptures for several days
• Pastors would experience an organic and powerful unity, together on their knees
• Pastors would open their hearts to Christ in ways that might cultivate fresh repentance, faith, and commitment to His Lordship
• Pastors would open their hearts to one another, experiencing deep healing and bearing each other’s burdens in a posture of prayer
• Pastors would receive fresh vision and direction from the presence of Christ, even as they did in Acts 13:1-2
• Pastors might find greater reward at the feet of Jesus than they would have in the crowd listening to gifted speakers and talented musicians
It could be the “accidental” beginning of a new day. It might spark a genuine revival. It might ignite a fresh passion for pastors to go home and lead their churches in similar experiences.
Dreaming of a New Direction
It does not hurt to dream, even if you have to create bizarre scenarios to make it work. Yet, this is the kind of dreaming we desperately need if things are going to take an exponential and supernatural step in the “revival” direction.
Yes, I think it can be, should be, and must be. Thank God for places like the Moody Bible Institute, along with other conferences, that imagine these possibilities and take steps to move in that direction. God is able, if we are willing. The world is waiting for a fresh revelation of their only hope – which is Jesus Christ, living through a revived church. May that hope burst forth among pastors all around our nation for Christ’s glory.
Copyright © 2010 Daniel Henderson. All rights reserved.
"Amazing!" This was Gov. Joe Manchin’s response to the reading of Proverbs 16:9-13 from the New Living Translation. As I read this passage I inserted the word governor in place of king. In part: "The (governor) speaks with divine wisdom; he must never judge unfairly."
My mobile phone had buzzed with the urgency of a text message last Wednesday as I participated in the monthly board meeting of Believe in West Virginia. As I glanced down I saw that it was from Nancy. The Governor’s Office had called to request prayer on Friday at 9AM in the reception area of his office - in 48
hours!
At Governor Manchin’s request we had been bringing prayer to him on a monthly basis, but my last offers to come had met with silence. I had assumed that this time had come to an end - apparently not.
With the network of prayer relationships in our state it is not difficult to galvanize a team of intercession at a moment’s notice. The reception area was set up for the announcement that was to come later that afternoon as to who was to temporarily fill the vacancy left by the departure of our long-standing Senator Robert C. Byrd. We gathered in the area closest to his office which would be at the back of the room. As Gov. Manchin came out he led us to the front of the room and asked us to form a circle surrounding the podium from which he was to make his announcement. He told us that the podium had been hand-made for him by two residents of the Davis Juvenile Correction Center.
It was at this point that I read the passage of scripture to him. He asked for prayer for the decisions that were being made even right then in the Legislature. Turning to the lady on his right he said, "You begin praying!" And we went around the circle sharing in intercession and prophetic insights. Some of the members of the team have shared what they heard and saw - expressing a desire that these be made known for agreement. Here are their partial observations.
I believe...a ‘fullness of time juncture’ for West Virginia. We believe this is ‘new territory and new frontier’ for West Virginia. Byrd left a mantle for another to now pick up. It stated over and over in the newspapers – he stated it himself – that he laid the foundations and now we were to build on those foundations. The one that picks up this mantle or that the Lord allows to pick up this mantle will be like it was with Elijah and Elisha; he will not only step into what Byrd was doing but will now need to take WV farther or move/advance her farther to reach her destiny. God is continually moving and we must move with Him. So I believe the Lord will position WV to ‘build’ – we are ‘living stones’ that are supposed to ‘rise’ to move forward His plans and purposes for WV.
...prayed about the tipping moment in history. How Esther was put here for such a time as this. And she was so committed to the cause, to not backing down from what she felt was right, that she said if I perish, I perish. Open heaven right now.
"...the blood, the blood of Jesus over the Governor and his family..."
"...prayers crying out from under the ground. Reminded him of his time at TD Jakes service last year and the destiny that was spoken over the state. Time of birthing. This is it!"
"We are here for such a time as this."
What stood out to me most was Governor Manchin's heart. He spoke about how bad things were in Washington and he didn't understand how people could do things to intentionally hurt others. He said that although everyone may not agree with his decision as governor, but he can go to sleep at night because he strives to 1) PROTECT 2) PROMOTE and 3) HELP the people that he serves.
And then Governor Manchin closed, "Since I was a child, I have sought you. I want to be in Your will, serve where you want me to serve."
AMEN
"May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." Romans 15:5-6 ESV
Pastor/Mzee Ron Thaxton
The Church In The City/SmileUganda!
Mission America Regional Associate
5002 Big Tyler Road
PO Box 7551
Charleston, WV 25356-0551
Phone: (304) 776-5907
Fax: (304) 776-0751
Cell: (304) 542-8824
www.churchinthecity.com
http://righteousnessjusticekiss.blogspot.com/
http://drivenquill.blogspot.com
Brain Washing
Jesus said that we are made clean by the Word. "You are already clean because ofthe word I have spoken to you" (John 15:3). Speaking of the church, He said that He would "make herholy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word" (Ephesians5:26-27). He prayed, "Sanctify them in the truth. Your word is truth"(John 17:
The first way that Jesus begins to clean us out inside is by speaking His Word inHis present-tense, living voice.When you read the Scripture, when you meditate on the Scripture, and memorizethe Scripture, hear His voice speaking to you. It washes your brain clean.
Soaking in the Scripture lets its living power penetrate into the marrow of yourpersonality, changing every part of you. As the Word pours into you, the truthconfronts lies you didn't even know you believed. It takes lies head on andoverpowers them.
Do you remember the very first video games? There was one called PacMan. I can'tremember what the object of the game was, but I remember a big round head witha mouth overtook little dots and swallowed them up. That's all I remember.Chomp, chomp, chomp. Little dots disappearing into the giant head never to beseen again. That 's my picture of how the living Word works on the inside. Itovertakes and chomps down lies.
The same voice that created the universe in the beginning is speaking to you now.The same Spirit who hovered over the chaos in the beginning and called orderinto being is living in you now. "By the word of the Lord were the heavensmade, their starry host by the breath of his mouth" (Psalm 33:6). He stilldoes His work by His word.
Take the Word in and let it do its work. Expose yourself to all the Word of God youcan, and trust that He will make it effective in your life.
From Life Unhindered! by Jennifer Kennedy Dean
Prayer Points-
1. Pray for the future generation.
2. Pray that God will open the door so we can support to 50 children to give them nutrition and provide them weekly food.
3.. pray for the Projecter and for the computer.
4. pray for the finance for the children's home
5. Pray for the finances for the staff .
6. pray for the volunteers national and internatino can be work with us.
7. Prayer for the supporter who can support for this ministry
