You're Coming, Right?

The three best weeks of the year for Jubilee happen during the Week of Prayer....If you belong to Jubilee, DO NOT MISS!

Need some inspiration?

My 6-minute sermonette on Prayer:

Tope Koleoso (NF pastor in London) 1 minute nugget on Prayer:

Terry Virgo (NF Founder) sermon on prayer at Brighton Leadership 2010 Conference:

Living Beyond Ourselves

There is nothing more dangerous for the soul than "playing it safe" Christianity. That's where we plot along and give mental accent to some Bible truths (Jesus is Lord, He loves the world, we should treat others well, etc), but the nature of who Jesus is doesn't penetrate our souls. And when that happens we grow apathetic and avoid life on the edge - the place where normal Christianity is meant to be lived. Proverbs 29:18 says (esv), "Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint (or they get discouraged)..." That's another way of saying when there is no audacious, Christ-honoring picture of the future that is beyond our ability, we wonder off into Christian routine and apathy. How do you know if that's you? How do you know if you are living radically, for a vision that is beyond you? Well here's a few questions you might ask yourself:

1) Do I step outside my past experience and do things that are uncomfortable to facilitate kingdom advancement or the building up of the church?
2) Do I give generously and even amounts that I'm not sure I can afford, but God amounts told me to give?
3) Do I often do things for others regardless of how it affects me?
4) When I reflect on my life now and my life 12 months ago, can I see clear change?
5) Am I in constant prayer?

It's that last question, I would like to write a few more thoughts about - prayer. If we seek to live for an audacious, Christ-honoring vision that is beyond ourselves, we will pray a lot because we are abundantly aware that God needs to do something or this vision we have is a pipe dream. By the way, if our vision is within our natural abilities, it's not Christ-honoring. God calls us into the realm of the impossible. He has done so in your life since the day He saved you from your sins and bought you into His kingdom. And according to Jesus, entering the kingdom on your own effort is as easy as a camel passing through the eye of the needle - and if you don't know anything about camels or needles, that's impossible. Now here's what God wants to do in your life (the vision he has for you in some shape or form): he wants to use you to see many others enter His kingdom and for your life (as a part of the church) to be representation of Jesus and a demonstration of kingdom life! You can't do that in your own ability. You need God to step in and do something. That is where prayer comes in. Prayer is a demonstration that you are in need of God to sustain what you're all about. Just like eating today was a demonstration of my physical need for food. It would be stupid for me to think I don't need to eat - eventually. If I don't, I die. If you're not in that place of prayer, where you are contending and believing for something beyond you, you die. Spiritually, you begin to die.

Coming together for prayer is accepting God's invitation to partner with Him to live beyond ourselves. I want to encourage us to prioritize times of prayer together. Not because it is a religious activity for us to check off our list, but because we are living beyond ourselves and we know we need God.

Here's the prayer schedule for next week:

Monday: the Wentzville location gathers at 7 PM
Tuesday: Leaders gather at 5:30 PM
Wednesday: City location (last name A-L) gathers at 7 PM
Thursday: City location (last name M-Z) gathers at 7 PM
Friday: Both locations gather at 7 PM for a time of celebration and to set in Larry Mowrey as an elder

Week of Prayer

One of my favorite things to do is gather together with the church for prayer. Praying on your own is great, but there is a special dynamic when "two or three" gather. And it has an exponential effect as it grows to 20, 40, 75, 100....and up and up. I found John Lanferman's analogy last Sunday very helpful. He likened corporate (the whole church) prayer gatherings like lumping coals together. One coal will spark and flicker, but will eventually burn out. However, if you lump coals together, a fire breaks out.

I would encourage you to download it that message if you missed it.

Here's this week's prayer schedule:

Monday Night
Who: Wentzville Location
Where: Rick and Gayle Hein's House
When: 7 PM

Tuesday Night
Who: Leaders
Where: Kingshighway building
When: 5:30 PM
Childcare Provided

Wednesday Night
Who: City Location, Last Name A-L
Where: Kingshighway building
When: 7 PM
Childcare Provided

Thursday Night
Who: City Location, Last Name M-Z
Where: Kingshighway building
When: 7 PM
Childcare Provided

Friday Night
Who: EVERYONE!!!
Where: Kingshighway building
When: 7 PM
Childcare Provided


Finally, I wanted to pass along this thought from one of our members, Jamee Palmer. One of the things I really appreciate about what she says is that it's God's will not ours. Thanks Jamee for being a "living stone" and spurring us on in prayer!

In light of this upcoming week of prayer at Jubilee, I thought I'd share something I read in 1 Samuel a couple months ago that impacted me.

Here is the story: There was a man named Elkanah, and he had 2 wives: Hannah and Peninnah. Hannah was barren because "the Lord had closed her womb"--this indicates that it was not by chance or for punishment, but was under the Lord's sovereign control (1:5). Elkanah regularly sacrificed a double portion to the Lord on her behalf, but it wasn't until Hannah herself went to the temple and wept and poured out her heart to God that the big stuff happened (1:20). Eli the priest observed her praying silently and perceived that Hannah was drunk. When he rebuked her, (1:14) she explained that she was speaking out of vexation and great anxiety, not from drunkenness. Eli then said "the God of Israel grant your petition that you have made to Him" (1:17). Hannah went away and ate (after having fasted for a long time because of her sorrow), and her face was no longer sad.

Hannah's reaction after her experience praying in the temple shows that she had confidence and great faith that her prayer would be answered. She went away acting as if she had already received an answer from God, because she was so certain that He heard her.

God did hear, and He did answer. Hannah bore Samuel, and when she went back to the temple after he was weaned she was able to tell Eli, "I am the woman who was standing here in your presence, praying to the Lord. For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me my petition that I made to Him. Therefore I have lent him to the Lord. As long as he lives, he is lent to the Lord" (1:26-28).

Result: God is glorified.

There are several things we can take away from this story, but I want to point out one thing: When we pray, we are not only praying for our needs or desires to be met (as Hannah prayed for a child), but we are expecting God to answer according to His will, and ready to tell others about it when He does. Having our prayers answered is not an end in itself: it is also a means to glorify God. I am going to try to have this mindset when praying, and hopefully it will help my focus to be on the One who moves and answers, not just the answer itself.