How is the prayer life of your church? Part of that answer includes the prayer life of individual Christians. But if you were to evaluate specifically how central is prayer to the life and health and growth of your church, how would you asssess your church?
One of the core values of our denomination, The Christian & Missionary Alliance, is prayer: "Prayer is the primary work of the people of God."
One of the core values of our church is prayer: "Doing everything in prayerful dependence upon the Lord and expecting God’s manifest presence."
Yet are we satisfied with our answers to prayer? Are we satisfied with the results of prayer? Are we seeing the genuine spiritual fruit of prayer in changed lives?
The life of a church not being surrounded, bathed, and covered by a blanket of prayer is like running in waist high water. You expend a lot of energy to gain little.
I want to expend a lot of energy for God and gain much. I want to pour out myself for others and gain much.
That may mean rethinking how we do prayer as a congregation. That may mean reinventing church prayer structures.
Whatever it takes, we need God. We want God. We are desperate for God's manifest presence.
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Sunday, July 12, 2009
30 Days to Pray About Praying!
Some wonder why church community prayer is important. They wonder if corporate prayer is really emphasized in the Bible at all.
Yet Jesus wants his church to be a "house of prayer" (Matthew 21:31). In fulfilling the five purposes of the church -- worship, evangelism, discipleship, fellowship and ministry -- prayer surrounds and envelopes and bathes them all.
Our Lord taught us to pray: "Our Father . . . give us today our daily bread . . . forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors." All plurals.
We also see in the Acts 1 how the church was gathered together with united hearts and minds in one place praying together in community -- "all joined together constantly in prayer" (Acts 1:14).
Then in that atmosphere of prayer, the Holy Spirit came upon them in Acts 2, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. And the church exploded with power and expanded with people.
Let me invite you for the next 30 days to pray about praying! To pray something like this:
"Lord, teach me to pray. Lord, teach us to pray. Breathe new life into my stale prayer life. Lead our church community to form fresh avenues and structures for prayer. Grant me, and our church family, a fresh spirit of prayer!"
30 days to pray about praying. A 30-day prayer experiment. A 30-day spiritual adventure. I wonder what God will do!
Tell me what you sense the Lord saying to you about prayer. . . .
Yet Jesus wants his church to be a "house of prayer" (Matthew 21:31). In fulfilling the five purposes of the church -- worship, evangelism, discipleship, fellowship and ministry -- prayer surrounds and envelopes and bathes them all.
Our Lord taught us to pray: "Our Father . . . give us today our daily bread . . . forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors." All plurals.
We also see in the Acts 1 how the church was gathered together with united hearts and minds in one place praying together in community -- "all joined together constantly in prayer" (Acts 1:14).
Then in that atmosphere of prayer, the Holy Spirit came upon them in Acts 2, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. And the church exploded with power and expanded with people.
Let me invite you for the next 30 days to pray about praying! To pray something like this:
"Lord, teach me to pray. Lord, teach us to pray. Breathe new life into my stale prayer life. Lead our church community to form fresh avenues and structures for prayer. Grant me, and our church family, a fresh spirit of prayer!"
30 days to pray about praying. A 30-day prayer experiment. A 30-day spiritual adventure. I wonder what God will do!
Tell me what you sense the Lord saying to you about prayer. . . .
Sunday, July 5, 2009
The Bible Changes Lives
We say the Word of God is inspired by God, and the inspired Word of God changes lives. But I'm curious. Specifically, can you think of a personal example where the Word of God changed your life? The more I thought about it, the more verses came to mind.
I think of 1 Corinthians 2:14 that describes how "spiritual things are spiritually discerned". Having grown up in a Christian home, my father as a pastor, I knew a lot of Bible stuff. But I really didn't understand the Christian life, nor did I know God.
Yet when I heard this verse at age 18, a light dawned on me. I could not understand spiritual things until I was spiritually reborn. I was a spiritual skeleton without muscle or tissue or life.
I also recall Isaiah 41:10, which was such a strength to me while serving on a 10-month missions trip to the Philippines -- "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."
I often leaned upon God and felt God's hand upholding me during that season of my life.
A third verse that has been especially life transformative is Psalm 27:8, "My heart says of you, 'Seek his face!' Your face, Lord, I will seek."
I hear that verse often echoing deep down into me. And I respond with full face upward to God.
Yes, the Bible has saved me, guided me, changed me. And I'm curious about you. What specific verse from the Scriptures has changed you? Tell me about it. I'm interested.
I think of 1 Corinthians 2:14 that describes how "spiritual things are spiritually discerned". Having grown up in a Christian home, my father as a pastor, I knew a lot of Bible stuff. But I really didn't understand the Christian life, nor did I know God.
Yet when I heard this verse at age 18, a light dawned on me. I could not understand spiritual things until I was spiritually reborn. I was a spiritual skeleton without muscle or tissue or life.
I also recall Isaiah 41:10, which was such a strength to me while serving on a 10-month missions trip to the Philippines -- "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."
I often leaned upon God and felt God's hand upholding me during that season of my life.
A third verse that has been especially life transformative is Psalm 27:8, "My heart says of you, 'Seek his face!' Your face, Lord, I will seek."
I hear that verse often echoing deep down into me. And I respond with full face upward to God.
Yes, the Bible has saved me, guided me, changed me. And I'm curious about you. What specific verse from the Scriptures has changed you? Tell me about it. I'm interested.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Divorce Proof Your Marriage
Years ago I learned that one of the best gifts I can give my wife and children is to love God with all my heart, soul, mind and strength. If they had a husband and father who loved God first, then God would enable me to love them and listen to them and lead them.
The statistics about marriage are not good. You've heard them before. The divorce rate in America is 41% for a first marriage, 60% for a second marriage, and 73% for a third marriage.
To strengthen and divorce proof my own marriage with Donna, I've made four spiritual promises.
1. I promise to align myself with the truth of God's Word. As I align my own responses, expectations, moods, speech, actions and attitudes with God's Word, the resulting person God is changing me to become is a husband Donna can live with and love.
I find this especially true in how I view myself. For example, viewing myself as a worthless nobody or wallowing in self-pity really sucks the joy out of a marriage. Who wants to be around that?
Yet God views me as a child of God, with significance, with purpose, with delight. When I align myself with these truths, I am a person Donna can live with and love.
2. I promise to be filled with God's Spirit. When I tap into God's source of power, I find God enables me to be the kind of husband he wants me to be. The fruit of the Spirit -- love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control -- are first needed in my own home.
And when God pours out his Spirit upon me, I can be a channel of God's blessing, passing along what I have received.
3. I promise to open myself up to God changing me. When I was first married, I tried to change all of Donna's flaws -- or all the things I thought were flaws! Well, you guessed it. It didn't work. I learned quickly -- okay, about a year.
Eventually I quit trying to change Donna, and let God do that. I worked more on accepting her the way she is. And I worked more on letting God change the flaws and blind spots in me.
4. I promise to listen and communicate with love. Marriage expert John Gottman says a minimum of twenty minutes a day in true communication with your spouse decreases a couple's chances of divorce and greatly increases marital satisfaction.
Just twenty minutes a day listening and talking with Donna, understanding her heart, valuing her words makes a happy home.
Four promises to strengthen and divorce proof my marriage. This is an incomplete list. What promise would you add?
The statistics about marriage are not good. You've heard them before. The divorce rate in America is 41% for a first marriage, 60% for a second marriage, and 73% for a third marriage.
To strengthen and divorce proof my own marriage with Donna, I've made four spiritual promises.
1. I promise to align myself with the truth of God's Word. As I align my own responses, expectations, moods, speech, actions and attitudes with God's Word, the resulting person God is changing me to become is a husband Donna can live with and love.
I find this especially true in how I view myself. For example, viewing myself as a worthless nobody or wallowing in self-pity really sucks the joy out of a marriage. Who wants to be around that?
Yet God views me as a child of God, with significance, with purpose, with delight. When I align myself with these truths, I am a person Donna can live with and love.
2. I promise to be filled with God's Spirit. When I tap into God's source of power, I find God enables me to be the kind of husband he wants me to be. The fruit of the Spirit -- love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control -- are first needed in my own home.
And when God pours out his Spirit upon me, I can be a channel of God's blessing, passing along what I have received.
3. I promise to open myself up to God changing me. When I was first married, I tried to change all of Donna's flaws -- or all the things I thought were flaws! Well, you guessed it. It didn't work. I learned quickly -- okay, about a year.
Eventually I quit trying to change Donna, and let God do that. I worked more on accepting her the way she is. And I worked more on letting God change the flaws and blind spots in me.
4. I promise to listen and communicate with love. Marriage expert John Gottman says a minimum of twenty minutes a day in true communication with your spouse decreases a couple's chances of divorce and greatly increases marital satisfaction.
Just twenty minutes a day listening and talking with Donna, understanding her heart, valuing her words makes a happy home.
Four promises to strengthen and divorce proof my marriage. This is an incomplete list. What promise would you add?
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Faith That Takes
Faith is an action verb. Faith in God receives something from God. Faith in God takes something from God.
When we ask in faith believing, we expect to receive. When we seek for an answer, we expect to find. When we knock on heaven's door, we expect to see the door open.
Faith is not passive but active.
Faith does not simply accept what God is giving; faith expects something wonderful. Faith is not simply asking for something good; faith is taking something great.
Faith is not a spiritual experiment that you hope will take effect sometime soon. Faith takes from the hand of God for your specific need as a present reality.
Faith claims that Jesus your Savior is touching you now. Faith believes that your loving Lord is beginning the work this very moment. Faith sees with your mind’s eye the fulfillment of the answer.
Faith is not a sleepy compliance that waits passively for something to happen. Faith is active receptivity that takes forcefully what God wants to give.
You move beyond the belief that God can. You claim the specific blessing from the Lord. You count upon it to happen, confess it to be true, consider it done, and act as though it is a reality.
While by faith you are receiving your answer to prayer in the present, the now, you are also giving God time to work out its actual fulfillment in the way he sees best.
True faith takes.
When we ask in faith believing, we expect to receive. When we seek for an answer, we expect to find. When we knock on heaven's door, we expect to see the door open.
Faith is not passive but active.
Faith does not simply accept what God is giving; faith expects something wonderful. Faith is not simply asking for something good; faith is taking something great.
Faith is not a spiritual experiment that you hope will take effect sometime soon. Faith takes from the hand of God for your specific need as a present reality.
Faith claims that Jesus your Savior is touching you now. Faith believes that your loving Lord is beginning the work this very moment. Faith sees with your mind’s eye the fulfillment of the answer.
Faith is not a sleepy compliance that waits passively for something to happen. Faith is active receptivity that takes forcefully what God wants to give.
You move beyond the belief that God can. You claim the specific blessing from the Lord. You count upon it to happen, confess it to be true, consider it done, and act as though it is a reality.
While by faith you are receiving your answer to prayer in the present, the now, you are also giving God time to work out its actual fulfillment in the way he sees best.
True faith takes.
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