Focus Points

This week I've felt some leading in how to better pray for my area and my city.

1.) The front line = praise & worship
In Old Testament times the musicians would go out in the front lines of the army, offering praise and worship to the Lord. Paul and Silas were miraculously released from jail while singing praises to our our king. We must not underestimate the power and importance of praise.

Praise helps to cut through the darkness and establish God's authority, preparing the way for strongholds to be broken down. Think about how the trumpets sounded and the walls of Jericho fell down.

2.) The spirit of religion/legalism
People have the worldview that they can be saved through religion or through a legalistic system of following rules and "doing good." They have no assurance of salvation but they think that if they just do enough they will be saved. This exists both inside and outside the official church.

3.) Worship of false gods
The city itself was named after a god and the patron saint of the city is worshipped at two very large shrines. One Hindu temple (unsurprisingly the one dedicated to Krishna, the "highest" god) also remains in the city. Aside from that, in reality people are worshiping a book, a black box, and the name of a prophet written in fancy calligraphy.

4.) Occult Practices
There are two basic categories I have seenof these practices. One depends on "pirs" or priests who work within the name of religion. They generally tell people that "black magic" has been done and give them ways to combat (or counter attack) these spells. The second category are astrologers, palmists and the like. These are extremely popular and even have offices at shopping malls. Within five minutes of meeting any woman I will be asked what my sign is. I thought this was only a bad pickup line, but here everyone is concerned with their horoscopes. One popular movie I watched recently had a storyline where a father broke off his son's marriage because of the girl's astrological sign. The girl's father assured the boy's father that she was actually born at a different time (thus changing the sign) and the wedding went on. On the wedding night the girl found out her father had lied and that it was "against the stars" for her to marry her love. She attempted suicide and then decided to go back to the family and tell the truth. The boy's father disowned her for having the wrong sign and was certain that his son was going to die if he married her. More powerful astrologers tend to attach themselves to rich and famous people, thus increasing their sphere of influence.

Please pray with me that the Lord would break down these strongholds and open people's minds to the truth of the gospel, for it is only through faith in Jesus Christ that they will be saved. The focus of realizing these strongholds is that we may be able to pray more specifically and open up the doors for effective evangelism and church planting.

Gen 2:24 Counter Culture?

“For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.”

I’ve been praying for some sisters in the Lord who are having trouble in their marriages and I wanted to know what you guys think about Gen 2:24.

Here the most typical living situation is a joint family system as opposed to the nuclear family (husband, wife, kids) prevalent in much of the West (for lack of a better term). Joint family doesn’t just mean families living together, as some in the West do for reasons of finances or convenience. It means your every moment of every day life is combined with your extended family. All decisions are made as an extended group and there are complex dimensions of family politics constantly at play.

When a girl gets married, first of all it is traditionally arranged by her family. More liberal families allow the daughter to decide if she wants to accept or decline proposals, and some very liberal families allow their children to choose their own partners. This is rare and happens only in the upper classes. It is still not the norm to have an un-arranged marriage. Even many “love marriages” consist of a boy seeing a girl in the street and having his family find out who she is and propose to her. I’d like them to distinguish between love marriages, where you actually know the person, and “lust marriages” but that wouldn’t make it seem so dignified.

Even last week one of my friends was asking me to “find a girl” for her nephew to marry. She told me to bring his picture to the US and see if anyone was interested. I told her that in the US people tend to like to meet the person and know them for a while before they decide to get married. She said ok, “We can send him for a few weeks and he can find a girl at your marriage.” I had to tell her that a few weeks just wasn’t enough time, and that personally I had known my fiancé for about four years before deciding to get married. Even then we had only dated for a few months before getting engaged, so compared to American culture we were taking it quite fast! My friend finally started to realize that I couldn’t help with her matchmaking, and then went on to encourage her nephew to put in more effort at finding a nice girl.

When a girl gets married she usually moves in with her husband’s family. It’s more like she is marrying THEM, not just HIM. Husbands are completely subject to the whim of their parents, and usually dependent on them in the early years of marriage. A man will consider his closest bonds to be with his mother and his sisters, not with his wife. If a man’s sister or mother severely dislike his wife, he is likely to divorce her on these grounds. I’ve even been told that the closest relationship a man can have with a woman is with her sister, and his relationship with his wife is no where near as close.

Upon moving into the husband’ house the new wife immediately becomes subject to the in-laws. She must please them in everything. Her life becomes so intertwined with theirs that it is hard to say she and her husband have an independent relationship. Many times the only alone time the husband and wife is for sex (in which his pleasure is the goal, she is not supposed to enjoy it because it is an impure thing, she should not move or make any expressions), and otherwise there is no emotional or intellectual intimacy. Husbands use the wives as public showpieces of purity and prosperity, while they find their fulfillment in other ways such as pornography, keeping mistresses, or going to prostitutes.

The problem is that Christian marriages in this country are just like those described above. Born again husbands may not involve themselves in sexual immorality (they may), but this is certainly a poor picture to paint of what should be the relationship between Christ and the church. There are a lot of factors at play here, but I am starting to wonder if Gen 2:24 has something to do with it.

Since the husband-wife bond is not allowed to be so strong (cultural misconceptions about sexual intimacy, family power structures) it can never be in the way that God intended it to be. Instead of the husband and wife becoming one it is as if the wife is an appendage to her husband’s family. She is joined with them and not really with him, and besides that she is always treated as an outsider, a foreigner to their family. Unless she’s a cousin (cousin marriage is very popular), then maybe bridging this gap may not be as difficult. She is still treated as subordinate to the family, and even the husband is subordinate to the family.

This is not to say that we shouldn’t respect and honor our parents, but living under their complete dominance is another thing. I was wondering if it was just my Western upbringing that makes me cringe when I see joint family structures, or if it is something deeper. Now I am wondering if such a deeply imbedded joint family system can coincide with living as an example of Christ.

My Christian women friends long so much for intimacy with their husbands. They want time with them and they want to know them in a deeper way. Instead they are left at home with in laws and children and left to cry out to God for something more. Men here in the church (in general, there are a few exceptions I have met) also don’t see the woman as someone who should be spiritual first. I got criticized when teaching for a local women’s ministry that I didn’t make the messages “women focused.” They suggested I talk to the women about how to raise their kids and how to treat their husbands rather than on prayer, studying the Word and worshiping God.

If something is cultural, and not a hindrance to the gospel, I am completely ready to accept it. As Paul said, “I have become all things to all men.” Women here cover their heads when they pray, I do it. They are very careful not to leave their Bibles on the floor, this one is hard for me because I’m used to praying with my Bible on the floor, but when I’m with other believers I do it. They wear a scarf and conservative clothes, so do I. They communicate mostly with women at social gatherings, I do the same. They don’t eat pig and they don’t drink because these things are looked down upon by the whole society. While I’m with them neither do I, but I’m starting to think that the joint family thing is much deeper than not eating ham or covering the head. I am not sure that the husband and wife can be a model of Christ and the church within this cultural system.

Any insight?

Study the Enemy - Build up a Wall of Intercession

On praying into Eph 6 I was getting the following –

Study the enemy. Be a spy in the enemy camp, a secret operative in enemy territory. Fear not for I am with you. I will send my angels to protect you and guide you. I will give you insight. You must study the enemy. Study their strategies. Know what and who you’re up against so you can make a strategy. Be fully dressed in your armor. The shield of faith will go before you. I will go before you.

Study the enemy in the Word. May the demons know your name.

L may be a walled city but there are no defenses. Who will stand in the gap? It may be surrounded by armies an cantonments, but the enemy easily passes through unnoticed. Be a wall. Be a watchmen. L is overtaken by the enemy and she doesn’t even know. She invites him in. She sits, “I am the jewel of the orient. No one can touch me.” Yet she doesn’t know good and evil. Let us sing for her. Let us climb the mountain. There the lions and the leopards roam, but we can walk straight into the advancing army, for the shield of faith distinguishes their arrows.

Someone must sound the alarm. How can they escape if they don’t know they are in the midst of the flames? Let us realize that our defenses are down and the enemy is steadily advancing What are we gonna do about it? Oh God put up a wall. May we stand in the gap. May we form a wall around this city in the heavenly realm.

Spiritual Warfare

A few weeks ago my fiancé was praying for me and received a word of encouragement for me. “In Amherst God used you to lead others in prayer, now He is placing you in a position to lead the angels. You must understand the spiritual battle described in Ephesians 6. This is warfare.” As he shared this message with me I was overcome by the Holy Spirit and started weeping. I felt so ashamed at failing in prayer and yet so amazed at God’s mercy. Why would God use me? Why would God place me in such a position when I am such a pathetic and ill-equipped warrior?

Since then I’ve been praying through Ephesians 6. As I was praying in the spirit I saw a picture of an angel wielding a sword. He was fighting hard against an invisible enemy over the map of P. It was then that I realized this battle is so much more serious than I had imagined. I feel the Lord encouraging me to learn as much as I can about spiritual warfare and the powers that we’re up against here.

During the past weekend I visited with the believers in S, three hours from my city.
G has been speaking the same thing to them about how they have neglected the battle and need to not only engage in spiritual warfare when on the defensive, but to constantly be on the offensive against our enemy. They have had numerous sightings and impressions of demons (even one man has physically wrestled one), occult magic at work, and accusations on the legal level against the ch*rch.

Two of the M women I’ve become close to have admitted to me that they’ve visited “pirs” (priests, involved in black magic) and the city where I live is filled with shrines. This morning at 4:00am as I lay in bed I heard the call to prayer coming from hundreds of different buildings. I felt that this was the voice of the demons who reign over this city and that the battle for L (my city) and for P is one that requires a serious strategy.

Persecution reports not only in VOM but in NYT

I've been happy to see several stories dealing with persecution of our brothers and sisters in Christ coming into the mainline news during the past few years. If anything, hopefully this will give the lukewarm church in the West a wake up call about what our brothers and sisters are going through every day for the sake of following Jesus. Let us be united with them in prayer and any other kind of support the Lord calls us to give. May we be united with them.

Indonesia: Christian Pastor Shot to Death


By REUTERS
Published: October 17, 2006
A masked gunman killed a Protestant pastor on the island of Sulawesi and sped off on a motorbike. The pastor, the Rev. Irianto Kongkoli, chairman of the synod of the Central Sulawesi Christian Church, was shot in the head in Palu, the provincial capital. Sulawesi was the scene of wide-scale fighting between Muslims and Christians several years ago, and tensions have risen since the Sept. 22 executions of three men convicted of leading a Christian militia. There have been several bomb blasts and attacks in recent weeks, with at least two people killed. The provincial governor, Bandjela Paliudju, said the pastor had led Christian protests against the executions.

Malay Believer Refused Right to Marry Under Sharia

In Malaysia, many Muslim background believers lead double lives as their conversion faces them with the death penalty. Any ethnic Malay is considered a Muslim from birth and under Sharia law to convert from Islam to any other faith is to commit apostasy, which is punishable by death.

Finally this stuff is getting out in the news, not only on VOM but in the New York Times. Check out the article here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/24/world/asia/24malaysia.html?ex=1156737600&en=89d3620e741606ee&ei=5087%0A

Our Role as a Disciple

Women's Ministry Series - Session II

Now we know that God has called us to be a worshiper of Him. The purpose of man is to bring glory to God. This is what we were created for. Another thing that God has called us to be is a DISCIPLE.

In the New Testament the word “Christian” is used only three times. The church started among the Jewish people in Jerusalem, but they considered themselves as Jewish followers of Jesus. They did not say, “I am a Christian” or “He is a Christian.” They said, “I am a follower of the WAY.” They said, “I am a disciple of Jesus of Nazareth.” It was at the city of Antioch, years later, that the word Christian began to be used.

Now although Christian is used only three times in the New Testament, the word “disciple” is used over 200 times to describe the followers of Jesus. The word disciple literally means “student” and “follower.” If we are to be a disciple, we must be a student of Jesus. We must be a student of Jesus’ word. In order to be a “follower of the WAY,” we must know the way! Jesus shows us the way and gives us all the instructions, the “map” we need to follow the Way. If we don’t read our instructions, if we don’t look at the map, we won’t go anywhere. In today’s session we will talk about the power of the Word of God, why we need to know it, and how we can study it to truly be a disciple of our Savior Jesus Christ.

So why study the Bible? Isn’t it enough to come to meetings once or twice a week? Isn’t it enough to listen to a preacher preach the Word of God on Sunday meetings? I’m telling you, no it’s not enough. Why? Because God has called us to be transformed and made new by the renewing of or minds (Romans 12:1-2). If we come every Sunday and on the inside, in our hearts, we remain the same, then we are not growing. We are not becoming a student and a follower of Jesus. We are merely listening to someone else. God wants us to know His Word in our hearts and in our minds.

If you have your Bibles please turn to Acts 20:32

In this chapter Paul is leaving the church at Ephesus. Ephesus is in modern day Turkey. The apostle Paul spent three years in Ephesus and he is now saying goodbye to the elders of the church. As he leaves, this is what he tells them:

“Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.”

Paul is leaving. He will no longer be the shepherd over this flock. He commits the Ephesian church to God AND to the word of his grace, being the Bible. Now he says two things about what the Word can do. Here we see that the Bible, the Word of God, has supernatural power.
The word can build you up. When you build a building you start with the foundation and then you build up up up. Sisters by reading the Word of God you will grow in your Christian walk. Now I don’t mean merely reading the Word, but reading it, meditating on it, and praying it back to God. You must turn the Bible into conversation material with the Lord. There are two things you can do with the Word when you read it. There are scriptures, verses, that can cause us to praise God. We read in Psalm 84, “How lovely is your dwelling place O Lord Almighty.” If we only read this verse, it will not do anything to build us up. If we even memorize it will not do anything to build us up. We must use it to TALK to God. We can read it and say, “God – your dwelling place is so lovely! God I know that you have created heaven as a beautiful place. Wherever you live, God, surely must be the most beautiful place. God thank you that you are beautiful. God thank you that have created a beautiful place for me to live in heaven.” Now there are also Scriptures/verses that encourage us to obey God. Two weeks ago on Sunday the preacher shared from John 5, how you are the light of the world. You can read that verse and say, “God thank you that you made your people the light of the world. I know that sometimes I’m afraid and I don’t want to share the gospel with my neighbors, but God help me to be the light. I want to be the light of the world. Lord let my light shine before men that they may give praise to You in heaven.” With every verse of the Bible we can pray something from it. With every verse of the Bible we can turn it into a dialogue with God. God wants us to be in a relationship with Him, and that means we need to have conversations with him! And guess what, not only can we talk to Him through His Word, but He can talk to us. Once we start using the Bible to talk to Him, He will use the Bible to talk to us. He will give us wisdom and understanding when we cry out for it. But, if we don’t ask, we don’t have. We must get in the Bible, read it, meditate on it, and use it to talk to God. In this way the Word will build us up.

So back to Acts 20:32 – Paul also says that the Word can give us an inheritance. How do you get an inheritance on earth? Your parents have money and they leave some behind for you when they die. Did you know that you have an inheritance from God? Part of our inheritance is in this life and part of it is after we die, in eternity. Our inheritance in this life includes the things that God will allow us to do to serve Him and to serve others. It includes our ministry, our families, our relationship with God. Part of our inheritance is that we are lovers and worshipers of God. In this life we have part of our inheritance. In eternity we will have all of it, but as Paul said, it is the WORD of God that gives us our inheritance. Wow! In eternity our inheritance will be ruling and reigning with Christ Jesus as he rules over all. Do we want that? Do we want to be seated with Jesus? Do we want to serve Jesus in heaven? This is part of our inheritance. But God does not give us our entire inheritance freely, we must fulfill some obligations. We must know the Word of God. We must be a true disciple/student/follower of the Word of God.

The Word of God can build us up and give us an inheritance.

Now most Christians who love Jesus think that they spend time in the Bible and that they know it. They bring it to their Sunday meetings. They bring the Bible to the prayer meetings. They carry it on a trip or put it next to the bed. But they don’t read it! They don’t use the Bible to make conversation with God, and therefore they are not changed. It is the same thing in America as it is here. Most believers, who love the Lord, don’t spend time in the Bible. They do everything else they possibly could. They do ministry. They get involved in a youth group. They teach children about the Bible. They preach. They teach, but even then they may not have a connection with God through the Bible. Jesus promised us that our hearts would flow like a river. That means that each person individually will have a connection with Jesus as a friend and as one who loves them.

Turn with us to Hebrews 4:12 – “For the Word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”

God’s Word is alive! It is not dead. It is not boring. It is alive and it can change your heart and make you more like Jesus. If you think the Word of God is dead then you will have no reason to read it, but if you think that it is alive and active then you will want to read it every day. Not only is the word alive, but Paul tells us that the Word of God is our only weapon which is offensive. This means that the Word of God is the only thing we can use to attack darkness. The Word is often represented in the Bible as a sword. If you own a sword, does it mean you know how to use it? If I keep my sword sitting next to my bed for twenty years, and suddenly a robber breaks in, will I be able to use my sword to fight him? Probably not. If I do not train with my sword I will not be ready for battle. If we do not read our Bibles and use them to talk to God, we will not be ready for battle.

Jesus is coming back to the earth. He is shaking the nations. Spiritual warfare is on the rise. Do we know how to use our swords? Have we spent hours and hours training with our swords so we can use them? I don’t think we have. I don’t think we are ready. We own our swords, our Bibles, but they are not in proper use. We don’t know how to use them. When the time comes, we will surely be defeated if we do not know how to use the swords. Not only will we be defeated, but many will fall away from the faith. Many people who call themselves Christians will turn away from Jesus because they don’t understand who he is. They won’t know how Jesus works. They won’t understand. They will be offended by his judgments and they will turn away from Jesus. They will turn away from Jesus and spend eternity in hell. Are you ready? Do you know who Jesus is? Do you know what it says in the word? Are you ready to use your sword? Because I tell you, if you don’t know the Bible, if you don’t know the Word of God, you will surely fall away when that day comes. It might be easy to say “I am a Christian” now, but things are going to get much worse as Jesus comes to judge the earth. Are you ready? Do you who He is? Are you His follower? Are you His student? Are you truly his disciple?

In James 1:21 it says that the Word of God which is planted in us can save us.

“Therefore get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.”

What does James mean? I thought we were saved if we confessed Jesus and believed in his death and resurrection? Many people confess Jesus with their mouths, but do they really believe in him in their hearts? Do you really believe in Him in your heart? Do you believe his word is living and active? Do you believe He is coming back to judge the whole of mankind? If you do, you’d study the Word. You’d be ready. You wouldn’t be happy with business as usual. Day in and day out doing the same thing. You’d see there was urgency and that you have NO CHOICE but to know the Word of God. For the Word of God can save you. In Revelation it says that those who stand firm to the end will be saved. It is the Word of God which will help you stand firm. The Word of God can save you.

The Word can build us up, give us an inheritance, be our sword, and it can save us. So what then, sisters will we do?

Our Identity in God - Part 1 - Worshiper

Here are the rough notes from Part I of the Women's Ministry Sessions

Having Vision/Understanding Our Identity in Christ
What does it mean to have vision? Proverbs 29:18 says that “where there is no vision, the people perish.” Another translation says, “where there is no vision, the people cast off restraint.” Let’s say this together, “Where there is no vision…..the people perish.” If we don’t know where we’re going in life, we just do whatever and end up wasting our time. Vision is a mechanism that grabs the heart. If you want people to be committed to something you must give them vision. Without vision we have no focus, no goals, nothing that drives our lives. Some people have the vision to make a lot of money and gain many material things. This controls their lives. Everything they do is for money. Some people have the vision to become famous or powerful. Their pride drives their lives. Everything they do it to try to become more famous or more powerful. Some people have the vision just to survive to the next day. If their family is struggling to find enough to eat, everything they do is focused on just make enough to survive. Everyone repeat: “Where there is no vision……the people perish.”

All of those visions are limited and can lead us down a wrong path. Why? Because God has created each of us with a purpose that He wants us to walk in. God said these words to the prophet Jeremiah in Jeremiah chapter 1 verse 5:

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet for the nations.”

God appointed Jeremiah as a prophet even BEFORE he was born! Not even just before he was born, but before he was conceived, before Jeremiah was even a thought to his mother and father. In the same way, God created each of you with loving care and has chosen you to be HIS. He has set you apart and He has purpose for you in your life. God has created you and He has a plan for you. Also in Jeremiah it says,

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord. Plans to prosper and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jer 29:11

In order to catch God’s vision, we must first learn WHAT we were created for. What did God create us to be? In our sessions we will look at the five things that God has created each of us to be. God created us to be:
A Worshiper
A Disciple
A Member of the Church
A Minister to the Church
An Ambassador to the World

Today we will look at what it means to be a “Worshiper of God.” What is worship? Usually in our churches we talk about the worship time as the time when we praise God with music and song. Worship is used to talk about the style of music, and the worship team is the group of people who lead the music. Now I’m telling you, if we think worship is just music we are wrong. Worship is SO much more than that. Worship is not just singing. Worship is not just music. Worship is a lifestyle.

In Hebrew the word for worship is Shakhah. It literally means “to bow down.” What do you think of when you think of bowing down? Who would you bow down to? A king, a leader, a master if you are servant? Bowing down to someone shows reverence. It shows submission. It shows respect. Worship is a lifestyle. Worship is a lifestyle of bowing down, submitting to God and fearing Him. It does not mean we literally need to bow down when we pray. It means that we need to be willing to give our whole lives to Him.

Jesus said that the greatest commandment was this, “To love the Lord your God with all of your heart, your soul and your mind, and to love your neighbor as yourself.” First and foremost we must LOVE God with everything that we are. We must be willing to give God everything. This is worship. Worship is not just singing. Worship is a lifestyle.

The apostle Paul shows us true worship when he writes to the church in Galatia,
“I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body I live by faith in the Son of God, who loves me and gave himself for me.”

I have been crucified with Christ: what does Paul mean? He means that all his earthly wants and desires are now gone. He means that he lives every day for Christ and Christ alone. He is bowing down to God with his lifestyle. He was willing to go to prison, to be shipwrecked, to be ridiculed, to be beaten, and even to die for the Lord Jesus. Worship is a lifestyle. Worship is the lifestyle of giving everything we are to God. Paul gave all of his insecurities to God. He gave all of his wants to God. He gave all of his needs to God. He gave all of his desires to God. He gave all of his worries to God. He gave all of his plans to God. He feared God. He was submissive to God. He was a lover of God. He was a worshiper of God. Worship is a lifestyle.

Listen to what Paul said in the book of Acts:
“I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. However I consider my life worth NOTHING to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.” Acts 20:24

Paul considered himself as nothing. He only boasted in his identity in God. He had vision! He did not live life without restraint, doing whatever he chose as the wind blew by. He lived life with a goal, with a purpose. To serve as a worshiper of God and to be all that God created him to be. He was not a special person. He was empowered by the Spirit of God. We each can live in that reality, but first we must realize WHO WE ARE in God. We were created by God. We are worshipers. Worship is a lifestyle.

Can we worship God through singing? Yes of course we can. We can praise God with singing. We can praise God with dancing like King David did. This is just one expression of our worship. But you know what else is worship? When you sit at home selflessly taking care of a dying family member. When you read your Bible. When you take time to pray. When you thank God for providing for you. When you aren’t afraid to tell your neighbors about the saving grace of the Lord Jesus. This is all worship. This is how we love God. We love and worship God by obeying Him. God wants a church who knows Him and loves him intimately. This is why the greatest commandment is to love God with all of our hearts, soul, minds, and strength. We were created to be worshipers and lovers of God. Worship is a lifestyle.

Before we go, I want you to learn Paul’s words from Galatians 2:20.
“I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body I live by faith in the Son of God, who loves me and gave himself for me.”
(read one part at a time with women repeating….do two or three times until they know it and can probably say it on their own)

Remember:
Without vision the people perish.
God created us to be worshipers.
Worship means “bowing down.”
Worship is more than music. Worship is lifestyle.

Commencement of Women's Ministry

Last saturday evening we commenced the women's ministry and equipping sessions. The newly appointed women leaders led prayer and worship which was then followed by a teaching on our identity in God and having vision. Afterwards I was able to pray for and give words to several women. Amen!

God Breaking In: A Model for Revival

I’m back with my friends in S**lk*t attending the Sunday gathering. It couldn’t be more different than the service I went to in my city a few weeks ago. It’s not just different because this meeting takes place in the open air as opposed to a large ornate church building. It’s not just that people are sitting on the ground instead of in hard wooden pews. It’s not just that the pastor wears a simple button down shirt and dress pants, instead of a flowing white robe. The difference is that God is here. He is in our midst in a manifest way and there is no way to deny His presence or His power.

Jesus’ disciples were quite distraught when they started to get what he was saying about going back to the Father.

“Now I am going to him who sent me, yet none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ Because I have said these things you are filled with grief. But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.” (John 16:7)

Jesus assured them that it was better if he went away! How could that be possible? Because after Jesus went to be with the Father he sent the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is not a consolation prize. “Oh sorry, you can’t have Jesus for the time being, so just have the Holy Spirit.” In contrast, the Holy Spirit is powerful, and Jesus himself promised us that after he himself went to the Father, we would do greater works than even he had done on the earth.

“I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.” (John 14:12-13)

So then what’s the catch here? Jesus said, “anyone who has faith in me” will do what he was doing while he was on earth and MORE. Why don’t we see that happening? Why don’t we see signs and wonders in our midst today? Well, we don’t have simply because we don’t ask. We don’t expect these things to happen because we may not see them happening in our congregations. Does that mean they don’t happen? No. On the contrary, this is God’s model for revival in the land. If it is not happening, there is something wrong. If the model of church that we have in the New Testament is a far cry from what our ministry looks like, we have some reorganization to do.
As I sat at the Sunday meeting, sweating in my yellow plastic chair, I watched as people lined up to share testimonies after the Word had been preached. An old woman praises God for healing her of blindness the previous Sunday. A little girl of about seven, previously mute, gets up and makes her first public speech, praising God for giving her voice. Her voice was a bit raspy and it seemed as if her vocal chords were stiff, like during a cold, but she was talking. Another woman who had been partially blind praises God for healing her through the prayers of the saints. Finally, an impassioned woman tells the story of how after having two sons she remained barren for 10 years. Some members of the intercessory team had prayed for God fill her womb again, and this Sunday she stood on the stage holding her newborn baby daughter and offering praise to God. This same woman had converted from Islam and left her family, and in this society all of her earthly security, when she came to know Christ.

After the testimonies and some more prayer, we launch into another time of worship. I felt ashamed of myself for being more concerned with the heat than praising God for the testimonies of his grace. I was literally ready to pass out and felt as if my cotton dupatta (scarf used for covering the head and upper body) was a woolen winter hat made for keeping the heat in. I “accidentally” let my dupatta fall to my shoulders, hoping that some of the heat might escape in the thirty seconds before I put it back on. I looked out at all the people, men and women, young and old, mostly dirt poor but in their nicest clothes, who have gathered together to worship the King. Some are standing with hands raised up to heaven. Men are dancing, and women are swaying a bit to the rhythm. Some have their heads bowed to their knees. All are praying passionately and praising God for all that he has done here. They come expectant and they ask for more. The people can not stop praising God as the worship leader launches into a chorus of “Hallelujah.” For over thirty minutes the people sang the words “Hallelujah” over and over again, tears in their eyes and smiles on their faces as they enjoyed the presence of the Almighty God. They are hungry for God and they have labored in prayer asking for what he is doing amongst them. Muslims are coming to a saving relationship with Christ. Those who were only Christian by name are becoming born again. God is transforming this community.

The more and more that I see and hear about how God is moving throughout the earth, the more I am convinced that God never meant the gospel to go forth without the power of the Holy Spirit. Yes, yes, we say that the gospel itself has power, and it does as Paul says, “I am not ashamed of the gospel because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.” (Romans 1:16) The gospel message is the only message with the power to transform our hearts and minds and allow us to enter into a right relationship with God. This is true, but we also see in the Word that signs, wonder, healings, prophecy, and deliverance should come hand in hand when we bring the gospel. It is not that is beyond God to bring people into the kingdom without physical displays of his power, but it is in His mercy to show his power in order to show the greatness of his name. God’s primary goal is to glorify himself and God is glorified when a lame man walks in the name of Jesus. God is glorified when a blind woman comes to see. God is glorified when a possessed man is set free. God is glorified when those who have witnessed his power come into a saving relationship with him. Jesus came with miracles, signs and wonders, and his disciples followed suit when they brought forth the message to Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth.

Sadly, I have to decline an invitation to go pray at a hospital for a demon possessed man, as I must be heading back on the early bus in order to teach my class. If someone in your church asked you to go pray for a demon possessed man, would you go? What would you think? It would be quite out of the ordinary in the typical American church. But here, where the people expect great and mighty things, it is commonplace. People are delivered from demons each week at the evening gathering and in people’s homes. The influence and possession of demons is real, and some are the kind that go out only by prayer and fasting. People are not only delivered from their torment, but they are delivered from their sin and brought into a saving relationship with Christ Jesus. This is the gospel. We need to tell those demons to "chordo!" (come out!) This is the power of God who can do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine. Do we really believe that? Do we pray into it? If not, it’s time to start. If we do, we can’t stop pressing in until God breaks in. He is faithful and He will do it. It is in his heart to glorify himself and to make his name known throughout all the earth.

Father, we believe that you are all powerful. We praise you for the mighty works you have done throughout history. We praise you for the mighty works recorded in your word. God, we ask that you would come and bring revival to our area. We ask that you would manifest yourself. That you would ARISE and show your power. Just as the early church prayed in Acts 4 and the place was shaken, we ask that you would shake this place. We ask that you would shake this nation. We ask that you would raise up your church as a house of prayer. We ask that you would raise up intercessors who pray in accordance with your heart. We ask that you would stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders in the name of your Holy servant Jesus. Humble your saints that we may be used by you. God do not let us settle for anything less than “greater works than these.” You promised that anyone who has faith would do even greater works that you did while on earth, not for our own fame or pride, but for the glory of your name. Release the power of the anointing on your saints. Let us not be satisfied with anything less than ALL that you have for us. Let us press in and press on for the rest of our days. Let us not be satisfied when we come to church for “Sunday morning.” Let us gather together and CRY OUT for your presence and your healing hand. If we do not hear your voice, let us CRY OUT to hear it, for prophecy is the testimony of Jesus. Let us not be busy with ministries, models, or programs, but instead let us follow your model of revival. Falling on our knees with fasting, weeping and mourning, calling you to come and show your face.

Taking the Land - Rick Joyner

I was inspired by the weekly word from Rick Joyner of Morning Star Ministries

www.morningstarministries.org

July 10, 2006

As the church begins to enter its Promised Land, it will demonstrate to the world the distinction between the citizens of the kingdom of God and those of this world. Presently, there is very little distinction in anything, including the morals, basic integrity, and therefore not surprisingly, the things which afflict Christians and non-Christians. This will not continue. There will be a pruning of those branches which are not bearing fruit, so that those who are bearing fruit will bear more.

As true apostolic and prophetic authority grows in the church, the benefits of being a citizen of the kingdom will become increasingly apparent, as will the accountability for disobedience. Just as the account of Ananias and Sapphira sent shock waves of the fear of the Lord through the church in Jerusalem, as the anointing of the Holy Spirit increases, the price of disobedience will grow with it, and the pruning of those who compromise by trying to live in both realms will take place.

For those who are going to cross over, there will be an increasing identification with the kingdom of God and a decreasing one with this world. For those who will enter into their identity as citizens of the kingdom, it will become greater than any other identity they have—as a citizen of any other nation or member of any other entity. For the church to accomplish its purpose, it must become the community it is called to be—a holy nation, a set apart people who stand out so brightly from anything else on this earth that they are like a city set on a hill.

There is an increasing movement in Christianity toward much more casual church relationships. There is also another movement toward a greater bonding and deeper commitment to church fellowship. If you want to fulfill your purpose, and want to be numbered with those who will cross over and begin to possess the kingdom, choose the latter.

The reason we examined the need to apply the cross again and get healed of our bitterness in last week's study was because many have been wounded and disappointed by previous church relationships. Therefore, they are much more prone to gravitate toward casual relationships. This may give us temporary relief, but in the long run it will prove disastrous. The move toward casual church will lead to an increasingly casual faith. It will rob many of their purpose on this earth and many of their faith altogether. It is the easier way at first, but it is the broad path that will lead to destruction. The narrow way, which will be more difficult for a time, will be much easier in the end.

Presently, more Christians have drifted from a committed church relationship than are in one. Many of these are just waiting for the church to get its act together before returning, but when the church does, it will have been through a process in which those who are on the outside waiting to get in will no longer fit. Those will be like the foolish virgins in the parable, who tried to find oil at the last minute, and got to the door and found it locked (see Matthew 25:1-13).

Church life is not meant to be easy. All relationships are hard. When there were just two brothers on the whole earth, they could not get along, and one of them basically said, "This world isn't big enough for the both of us!" All relationships will be under increasing pressure as time unfolds, including marriages, business partnerships, even racial and national identities. Ultimately, only the true church and the true Christians who have learned and walked the way of the cross will hold together.

As fear and selfishness rises and increasingly divides, those who have chosen the way of the cross will grow in love and self-sacrifice, and will be bonded together in a fellowship which all of the pressures of this world cannot break. This unity will stand out as the greatest witness, even above all miracles, in the last days. This is explained in the Lord's prayer to His Father during His last night as a man on this earth, as recorded in John 17:22-23:

And the glory which You gave Me I have given to them, that they may be one just as We are one:
I in them, and You in Me, that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me (NKJV).

If there was ever a prayer prayed that we can expect to be answered, I think it would be the Lord's own prayer to His Father. Also, if you knew you only had but a few hours left in this life, your prayers would certainly become focused on the most important things to you. We can assume that this was likewise true of Jesus, when He knew He only had a few hours left as a man on this earth. Therefore, this prayer recorded in John 17 is probably the most concise articulation of the most important things on the Lord's heart. Should they not likewise be the most important issues of our hearts as well?

Probably the main theme of the Lord's prayer recorded here is the unity of His people. He did not just ask for unity of doctrine, or even unity of purpose, but He asked that we would be one just as He and the Father were one! As incomprehensible as this may be, I think we can certainly expect the prayer of the Son of God to be answered. In my thirty-five plus year search of church history, I have not found a time when this could have even been remotely accomplished, especially considering the proof had been accomplished would be that the whole world would know that Jesus had been sent by the Father.

So, it is obvious that His people coming into this same great unity, which He has with the Father, is yet in the future—but it will be accomplished. Of course, we know this must happen before the end of this age because at the end of it, the world will already know that He was sent by the Father because He will have returned in great power and glory. Before this happens, we can expect His people to have been "made perfect in unity." This will be a miracle so great that the whole world will have to acknowledge it, and Him.

One of the greatest of all signs that we truly are coming to the end of this age, will be an increasing unity of the church. This is not a political unity, or a doctrinal one, but a true unity much greater than just politics or doctrine, though we can expect it to include these.

The mention of politics here is in relation to human alliances of any kind, not just those in relation to civil governments. The true unity of the Spirit that we can expect will trump any kind of human alliances, spiritual or otherwise. The ultimate unity we can expect is not going to be just because leaders of denominations got together and worked things out so that they could unite these different organizations. One of the things we can expect by the end of this age is that mere human alliances will not have endured the pressure of the times—only those built on the kingdom, which cannot be shaken will endure.

Because it is basically and profoundly important to the Lord for His people to come into unity, this should be a basic devotion of all of His followers. For this reason, I rejoice at any efforts of the different denominations or movements to at least attempt to build bridges of trust and interchange. These will almost always bear some good fruit and are therefore a worthy cause. However, the ultimate unity, which His people will come into at the end, will be because they have all been truly joined to the Head, Jesus. He alone is the only Source of ultimate and true unity. One of the greatest texts in the entire Bible which sums this up is Colossians 1:9-20:
For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,
so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;
strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously
giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.
For He delivered us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son,
in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
And He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation.
For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created by Him and for Him.
And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.
He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the first-born from the dead; so that He Himself might come to have first place in everything.
For it was the Father's good pleasure for all the fulness to dwell in Him,
and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven.

Our highest purpose as human beings is found in loving God, and by this being joined to Him. Except we abide in Him, we can accomplish nothing of true eternal value. To abide in Him is to be "strengthened with all power..." Nothing is impossible for God or for those who abide in Him. The greatest unity of all is to be in unity with Him. However, just as the Apostle John explained that it is not possible to truly love God without also loving one another, it is not possible to be in true unity with Him without also being in unity His body also.
Those who are growing in the true love of God will also be growing in their love for one another. Those who are growing in a true unity with God will also be growing in unity with one another. This cannot be accomplished through a casual Christianity, or a casual church relationship. Before the end, the world will witness true Christianity, and it will be demonstrated by true church life, the most remarkable culture the world has ever seen. Those who are in true pursuit of God, will not have to settle for anything less than Him and the full benefits of citizenship in His kingdom, which His church will be a revelation of at the end.

Contextualization NAHIN (Not)- Reflections on Sunday Morning

I attended a local church service this past sunday morning. These are my reflections from during the service:

It just seems that this imported Western style of worship doesn’t fit with the culture. Why have hard wooden pews when people generally sit on the floor or on cushions? As they sing loudly I can tell the people want to be expressive and praise God. They know they have some reason to, although I think most aren’t completely sure of what that reason is. Who came up with this hard and fast model of Sunday morning Christianity that has not only plagued the west but been exported all over the world?

Stand up. Sit down. Pray together from a book. Read a Scripture. Stand up. Sit down. Is this how church was created to be? Is this the “perfect model” of worship? What happened to contextualization? How did we confuse spreading culture with spreading the gospel? Do Christians world over need to wear jeans?

What is the real purpose of the church? The purpose of the church is to love God with everything that it has. The church, as in the people who believe in faith through Christ, are to be the Bride of Christ when He returns. We must prepare to be the Bride. We must be a house of prayer (Isaiah 56:7), we must equip the saints. We must be a light to the world (Matt 5:16) so that all my come to hear the truth of the gospel.

This is my question for any church, in any country, are we doing those things or are we doing “Sunday morning?” Are we living as followers of the Way, the Truth and the Light, or are we living as followers of tradition? Do we know God? Do we aspire to love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength?

If the church is not doing its job, what then is it doing? If the church is not a place where we come together and encounter Jesus, then why do we come at all? If the church is not a house of prayer, then what is it a house of?
God in his manifest presence is not here, yet He longs to be. Our purpose in gathering should be to cry out for it. To cry out for God to make Himself known in our midsts. To ask Him to have mercy on the land, to heal us and our neighbors. Call a sacred assembly. Gather the elders and all who live in the land. The need is DIRE. The situation is urgent, for behold the day of the Lord is coming. It is at hand. A day of darkness and gloom. And we are not ready. How can we be the church and the Bride that we are called to be?

But this Sunday morning there is no alarm. No sounding the trumpet. Jesus is coming. We are not ready. We are not expecting it. We sit in our uncomfortable, impractical pews and pretend to pay attention. Yet the Word is not pentrating our hearts and minds. It is not washing us and making us new. It is not changing us. Every week we come. We go. We remain the same.

We keep coming because we must. I mean, we are Christians. Christians go to church on Sunday morning. They stand up. They sing a hymn or two. They sit down. They listen to a message from a man in his white robes. Bibles closed. Eyes fighting to stay open. Week after week. Month after month. Year after year. And life goes by. Same. Same. Same. Different shoes for Easter. A new suit for Christmas. But the heart remains the same.
Is this the fruit of the Haystack meeting? Of the Northfield 100? They would sit up in their graves and jump out if they saw us now. I have no idea why the church is full. But wait, I take that back. People are hungry for God. They want to know Him, but no one is telling them how. They think this is it, but something deep inside is saying there must be more than this.

After the service they ask me, “What did you think of our worship?” Kaisa laga hai? I think worship is not songs or Sunday morning. It’s a lifestyle. It is bowing down in reverence in submission to God. I use the pretend I didn’t understand the question card. “What did you think of our service?” they ask again as if it was a show. I have all this blog written in my notebook, but now is not yet the time to share with new friends. “Kab bijli chali gai, mai samaj aie. Lekin, kab bijli a gai, microphone kharab hai aur mai nahib samaj aie.” (When the electricity went out, I could understand. But when the electricity was on, the microphone was bad and I didn’t understand.) I try to avoid the questions by saying I had a language problem. This is something which needs much more prayer. My Korean friend knows how I feel and tries to help me avoid the question, as she already knows the answer.

I pause as my audience waits expectantly to hear more about the opinions of their guest. I am not one who thinks rating services is a good thing. The others start remarking that in America the style is not that different. “Bench hai, aur music bhi hai.” (There are pews and music). I think to myself, as if pews and music make the church. Finally I say, “America mai, mera church building nahin hai. Bench nahin hai. Kiomki church log hai. Church building nahin hai. Kabhi kabhi, ham ghar pe mile. Church log hai.” (In America, my church doesn’t have a building. We don’t have pews. Because the church is the people. The church is not a building. Sometimes, we meet at people’s houses. The church is the people.)

I want to say more, but I’m at a loss for words and I feel as if this is enough for one Sunday morning. The elder of the group smiles in agreement. “Ji, I like this idea. Church building nahin hai. You are right. Accha xayal hai. Church log hai.” (Yes, I like this idea. The church is not a building. You are right. Good idea. The church is the people.)

Join with me in praying for the body: Oh Lord cast a vision in their hearts to know you intimately. May they know that they can be born again and made new in you. May they know that they can come before your throne in confidence. May they understand your grace and your desire to make them your children. Oh Lord let them not only be Christian in name, let them not only be Sunday morning Christians. Let them be DISCIPLES who seek after your heart as David did. May they become lovesick worshipers of You. May they be saints whose prayers will be incense rising up before your throne. And God, send us teachers. Send us preachers. Not people to be in it for their glory or their fame, but those messengers who are only doing it for the glory of your great name. Oh God, in this time of urgency, send forth laborers for the harvest here. The church in this country needs to hear and understand the message of truth just as badly as the rest of the community. They need solid food. Over a hundred years on milk will not grow a church. Oh Lord grip their hearts to give them a hunger for your Word. Let them be restless, unsatisfied, constantly seeking One Thing: God and to spread your glory.

Update from Newsletter 05

I can barely believe I’ve been here for five months already. It’s gone by so fast and at the same time God is teaching me how much of an investment is really needed here in the M world. As you’ve probably read in my email updates, the past few months have been difficult but I have really been challenged to grow in my faith through all the circumstances. Even though I get so easily discouraged, God always leads me back to His Word and enlarges my heart to serve these people and for them to come to know the One who created them and loves them.

He reminds me of the vision that He has called me to. In one of my first
newsletters I wrote about what it means to have life vision, and what the vision is that God has given me to pursue. It’s so easy to lose sight of the vision when surrounded by so many distractions and cares of the world, but God is gracious in constantly calling me back to that
vision.

To preach the gospel to the ends of the earth.

To prophesy to the dry bones.

To prepare the way of the Lord.

To be a watchmen on the walls, a prayer warrior contending and standing in the gap for this nation.

To be an ambassador of Christ, living in reckless abandonment faint with love for the man Jesus.

No matter how weak I feel, no matter if my prayers feel as if they are just falling to the floor, I must press on and press in. I must equip and disciple others. I must desire to live and walk in the power of the Holy Spirit. I must not be satisfied with less than “greater works than these.”

Before I set out on a ten day trip to the North, the Lord encouraged me with the
passage in Matthew 10:7-13 when Jesus sends his disciples out all over Israel.

“As you go, preach this message:
‘The kingdom of heaven is near.’
Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse
those who have leprosy, drive out
demons. Freely you have received,
freely give. Do not take along any
gold or silver or copper in your belts,
take no bag for the journey, or extra
tunic, or sandals or a staff; for the
worker is worth his keep.

Whatever town or village you
enter, search for some worthy person
there and stay at his house until you
leave. As you enter the home, give it
your greeting. If the home is
deserving, let your peace rest on it; if
it is not, let your peace return to
you.”

At this point the followers were only called to the Jews and not to the Gentiles, but after Pentecost and the following events the disciples set out doing this same thing to Judea, Samaria, and “the ends of the earth” where Jesus commissioned them to go. This calling and this lifestyle was not only for a limited group of people 2,000 years ago, but it is also for believers today if we are to live out the Great Commission.

God is slowly breaking down my notions about the Christian walk, and instead showing me what a life led by the Spirit should look like. Step by step He is allowing me to move out in faith and see His divine guidance and provision. I desire to walk in this Matthew 10 reality, but my faith is so little. I am only at the stage of going and finding a man of peace and allowing the Lord to
provide for my needs. I long to be obedient to the Lord, and to grow in my gifts so that I can be used to share His word with power and authority.

After 27 hours of bus travel, I arrived at my destination where God provided a family for me to stay with. A friend of mine in Lahore was concerned of my determination to head to this town and called one of the area banks to get some information on the security situation there. When
he called the bank manager, the manager invited me to stay at his home and spend time with his daughter who is my age and his son who was back from studying in Karachi. When I got there I was unsure if I should go to a hotel or stay with the family, but when I was picked up by the bank manager I found myself saying, “Yes, I’d love to stay at your house,” and with that
I was off to a picturesque village outside of the main town.


The family was so hospitable and within minutes I was surrounded by about six or seven women chatting in Urdu, drinking tea and eating thick homemade bread. The house was surrounded by rose gardens, small pastures, and rock walls. After freshening up from
my journey and taking a nap, I spent the afternoon exploring the village, meeting neighbors and swimming in water running down from a nearby glacier.

The rest of the week was spent traveling from the town up to the northernmost border and back. I've fallen for the local langage of the area as well as for the landscape. It is spoken by about 100,000 people, including the family I stayed with. As linguists say, it is a language isolate, unrelated to any other language in the world, which is particularly fascinating. According to the Ethnologue, there is not yet a Bible translated in their language, although it seems that at
least one SIL worker (associated with Wycliffe Bible Translators) has spent time working on the language.

During my time with the people of the north I felt the Lord iincreasing my heart for this region.
Please join me in interceding for God to move in this remote region of the earth:

Oh Lord we pray that you would stir
their hearts with a hunger to know
the one true God. Lord you desire all
to be saved and that none should
perish. You are good and You
promised that people from every
tongue and tribe and nation would
worship you in their own lands.

We ask You, Lord of the harvest,
that You would bring laborers for the
harvest to this region. God we ask
that You bring your Word here to
this valley and prepare people’s
hearts so that it may take root and
grow to fruition. To Him who sits on
the throne forever and ever, Amen!

Israel as Central to God's End Time Plan

The other day Duarte and I were discussing the role of Israel in God’s plan which spurred me on to listen to a session by Wes Hall on the topic. Here’s some notes and reflections from One Thing 2006 – Israel in God’s End Time Plan.

Isaiah 62:6--7 – “I have posted watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; they will never be silent day or night. You who call on the Lord give yourselves no rest; and give him no rest until he establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of the earth.”

I. All Believers are called to pray for Israel

There are some people that God has given a special calling as watchmen over the city of Jerusalem. Their calling is to cry out day and night for God to restore His covenant people. But in verse 7 we see something interesting, “you who call on the Lord give yourselves no rest.” You who call on the Lord, this is anyone who calls on the name of Jesus. This applies to ALL of us who have faith in the Lord. We are called to pray, to give him no rest until he establishes Jerusalem as the praise of the earth. Why should we be praying for one dusty city in the Middle East? Should we not be focusing our prayers on our own cities? Should we not focus on energies praying for revival within our local churches? Why does God call his people to cry out for Jerusalem? Why is God so adamant that we give him no rest, and that he himself not rest, until this city is the praise of the earth?

Throughout the Word of God we can find the answers to these queries. God’s ultimate purpose is to glorify himself, yes, and by glorifying Jerusalem he does just that. Why? Because God is serious about keeping His promises. God made a promise to Abraham not just concerning spiritual matters but concerning a specific piece of real estate. God has set his affection on Jerusalem, the actual city. God made many promises to Israel, and he will watch to see that all of those promises are fulfilled. We, as Gentiles, are grafted into the promises given to Abraham. If God has rejected Israel, then we have no redemption. God has chosen to make himself known in the earth by revealing himself through history and by making a covenant with a specific group of people. The covenant God made with Abraham still subsists today. The new covenant does not leave the Jewish people and replace them with the Gentile church. New branches must be grafted into the original plant, otherwise the new branches will have no roots and will surely perish. Yes, the old dry branches will be cut off, but the plant must not be uprooted completely or we as Gentiles have no promise to share in. We must partake in the promises of God alongside Israel. When God establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of the earth He will be dwelling among men and his glory will fill the whole earth.

II. God is Zealous for Israel and for Jerusalem in a special way

Zechariah 1:14 “This is what the Lord Almighty says, ‘I am very jealous for Jerusalem and Zion…”

Zechariah 8: 2-3 “This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘I am very jealous for Zion; I am burning with jealousy for her.’ This is what the Lord says: ‘I will return to Zion and dwell in Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem will be called the City of Truth, and the mountain of the Lord Almighty will be called the Holy Mountain.”

God has tied his gory to Jerusalem. He will make this city the capital of the earth. His activity in Zion is connected with redeeming the whole of mankind. The center of his redemptive plan is Jerusalem and his covenant people.

II. God will use the Gentile church to awaken Israel to jealousy

Paul writes to the Gentile church in Rome concerning Israel.

Rom 9:2 “I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, those of my own race, the people Israel. Theirs is the adoption as sons; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises. Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of Christ, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen.

Rom 10:1 “Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved.”

Rom 11:1 “I ask then: Did God reject his people? By no means!”

Rom 11:11-12: “Again I ask, Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all! Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious. But if their transgression means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for Gentiles, how much greater riches will their fullness bring!”

Isaiah 49:22-23 “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: ‘See I will beckon to the Gentiles, I will lift up a banner to the peoples; they will bring your sons in their arms and carry your daughters on their shoulders. Kings will be your foster fathers, and their queens your nursing mothers. They will bow down before you with their faces to the ground; they will lick the dust at your feet. Then you will know that I am the Lord; those who hope in me will not be disappointed.”

Israel will not come to salvation apart from the witness and zeal of the Gentile church.

IV. God’s redemption of the earth is dependent upon Israel’s redemption

Eph 1:9-10 “And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment – to bring all things together under one head, even Christ.”

Acts 3:21 “He must remain in heaven until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets.”

Jesus will remain in heaven until the earth is ready to receive him. Before Jesus can come back, the Spirit and the Bride must call him, (Rev 22:17) and his covenant people Israel invite him back to Jerusalem as their king and Messiah.

Matt 23:37-39 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under wings, but you were not willing. Look, your house is left to you desolate. For I tell you you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’”

In this passage, Jesus is addressing the city of Jerusalem. When he says “you will not see me again until YOU say,” this applies to Jerusalem and her children. Jesus longs to gather together the natural children of Israel who have been chosen as his elect. Before Jesus can come back, Israel must acknowledge him as king and say ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’ Jerusalem who has for so long scorned the prophets and run after other lovers, must acknowledge that Jesus is coming in the name of the Lord and that he is their long awaited Messiah.

Satan has been trying to work with this loophole. As he knows the Jewish people must invite Jesus back to reign on king David’s throne in Jerusalem, he is determined to extinguish the Jewish people and the city that God plans to reign from over the whole earth.

V. God will restore Israel as a nation

Isaiah 11:9-12, 16 “…for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters covers the sea. In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his place of rest will be glorious. In that day the Lord will reach out his hand a second time to reclaim the remnant that is left of his people from Assyria, from Lower Egypt, from Upper Egypt, from Cush, from Elam, from Babylonia, from Hamath and from the islands of the sea. He will raise a banner to the nations and gather the exiles of Israel, he will assemble the scattered people of Judah from the four quarters of the earth….There will be a highway for the remnant of his people that is left from Assyria, as there was for Israel when they came up from Egypt.”

Isaiah 35:8,10 “And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness. The unclean will not journey on it; it will be for those who walk in the Way; wicked fools will not go about on it…But only the redeemed will walk there, and the ransomed of the Lord will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.”

Isaiah 49:5-6 “And now the Lord says – he who formed me in the womb to be his servant to bring Jacob back to him and gather Israel to himself, for I am honored in the eyes of the Lord and my God has been my strength, he says: “It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.”


VI. Praying for Israel in God’s end time plan

Joel 2:15-17 (not all quoted here), “Let them say, ‘Spare your people O Lord. Do not make your inheritance an object of scorn”

We are called to declare fasts and call sacred assemblies. We must cry out for justice night and day and ask God to make his dwelling among men. We must ask God to spare his people Israel and bring complete redemption to men by fulfilling his purposes on the earth. If God’s people are an object of scorn then God is not a God who keeps his promises and is therefore a liar. If God is a liar who breaks promises then he has no place to judge Satan, the prince of lies, and he has no place to take his throne. God desires to restore the whole earth, not only mankind. He had five days of creation before he created man. He desires to restore everything, plants, flowers, mountains, animals, to the way that he created it to be before the fall of man. When God created he said, “It is good.” When he is ruling and reigning on the earth he must be able to say, “It is good” about everything he created and therefore everything must be restored. If we desire to see God glorified in all the earth we must pray for the redemption of Israel and of Jerusalem.

Joel 2:28-32 “And afterward, I will pour out my spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my spirit in those days. I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the Lord has said, among the survivors, whom the Lord calls.”

Afterward, after the worldwide movement of prayer, fasting and solemn assemblies calling God to come back and redeem his people. God will not be at rest, he will display his zeal in supernatural signs and wonders. What will be the result of this? All who call on the name of the Lord will be saved and there will be deliverance in Zion.

The prayer movement --> renewal and revival in the church --> provoking Israel to jealousy --> redemption and deliverance in Israel --> invitation by the Jewish people of Jesus to come back and rule --> Jesus comes back in a hostile takeover of the earth --> God dwells among men and rules on earth --> redemption and deliverance in all the earth à God’s glory will fill the whole earth as the waters cover the sea

For more info see www.ihop.org and check out Wes Hall’s teachings on the theology of Israel.

Backlog - May 21

So I haven't written in a while but here's an update from May 21st. I'll be gradually filling you all in on what God has been teaching me in the past month, which is a lot!

I had horrible experience going to the capital and it seems that the work permit I need just doesn't really exist in the system. At least there's no legal way to get it.
God is so amazing. I was so tired and discouraged after feeling like I was going to be deported and told that the work visa was impossible to get. Literally, I had taken an overnight bus, waiting at the Am Embassy for four hours in various lines and went through about 75 security checks only to be given a tiny slip of paper with a phone number for the Min of Interior which I'd been caling for two days previous and no one ever answers. Actually I have six numbers for the Min of interior. Nobody answers four of them and two are disconnected. Anway I then just got in a taxi and went o the Ministry of Interior which is only open like 1 hour a day. Praise the L that I was there at the exact right time. To make a long story shorter, the guys were SO mean and rude and I ended up outside the office crying under the hot sun (115 degrees) with tears falling on my visa extension letter. These Christian guys from the Samaritan's Purse and the UN came over to help me, and after going back into that horrid office two more times they at least accepted my tourist visa extension request and told me to come back in two days. They could have done it then, but hey they are gov officials and they do what they want.

In the car that rescued me and brought me to a ch-rch, I met an Iranian believer who had to flee the country six years ago. He's now a refugee here. He came to Chr-st twelve years ago, but then his brother reported his conversion to hte government and a death sentence was issued against him by his own family. He and his wife and two daughters escaped the country illegally and are now hoping that the UN Human Rights Commission will grant them the right to live in the US or Canada so they can practice their faith in J-sus. I was like wow God, if you sent me here just to be encouraged by this brother's story and to remember that HE is in control and that He has a purpose in suffering., then thank you Lord.

I could write a novel of what's happened in the past months, but basically my former employers were not very honest and seemed to be taking advantage of me. They held my passport illlegally and it's their fault why the visa is overstayed because they were demanding all this stuff from me to get it back. You can't go to the police because the society is too corrupt. God is teaching me, pray for those who persecute you in a way I never understood before. I realize I have to forgive them and ask God to give me a heart to pray for Him to have mercy on them. It's not easy, but God is changing my heart from a heart of stone to a heart of flesh and allowing me to love them despite the circumstances.

I tried to go to the Am Embassy and get help, but they've proved that they are NO help whatsoever and God is teaching me to rely on Him. Many days i have been discouraged and it seems like I never get a break from trying to escape some situation that I don't want to be in. The other night, God treated me by giving me this beautiful emply with furnished house to live in for a few weeks since I don't have a place. It's one of my friend's friend's houses and man they must be loaded. The family who lives there is currently in Seattle and only comes back every few years. Just the servants live in the house. I walked in and my bedroom is huge and the bathroom could be a garage for an SUV. There's a spa and everything. I just put on some IHOP/Misty Edward music, enjoyed the spa, gave myself a facial, and read my Bible. God was telling me that I am his princess and that He enjoys to romance me. I just got on my knees and started crying because I had been so discouraged lately, yet God is faithful in providing for me. I stayed up til 3am just enjoying God and interceding for my friends here to come to know him.

So things are crazy but God is good. My friend Anita who got married Aprl 19 is pregnant! I'm thinking and praying about extending my stay here. If I can get a decent salary by teaching four hours a day then I will have no problem staying here longer without raising more support. Pray for me as I ask the Lord for wisdom and direction!

Changing Circumstances

Some Reflections from my study on the life of David:

It' so amazing how God's timing is, it was all about how David walked in the spirit. The first thing Mike Bickle said was that God was constantly changing David's circumstances, and that He did this on purpose. We like to feel security based on our natural circumstances, but God wants us to only find peace andsecurity in Him. We should not base our inward life on our circumstances. He wants us to interact with Him ands tay steady no matter what is happening on the outside. We can be withoutcertainty in the natural and at the same time IN the will of God if weare seeking Him. In the uncertainty of the natural our hearts grow inGod as we learn to trust Him and see our primary identiy in Him and not in what we "do"on earth or any authority we may have in the natural. At times when things are uncertain we want to draw back from God andwork things out on our own, but the reason why He is allowing us to go through the uncertainty is to draw us nearer to Him.

Reflecting on this message just caused me to praise God that He is forcing me to rely on Him over and over again. It's like I'm learningthat I should not feel comfortable and be happy with a routine, especially when that routine is a hindrance to going deeper with God and fulfilling my calling. It's so amazing how God sets everything upto draw us closer to Him and help us to become who He has called us to be.

So you can pray for me that God will bring me back to intimacy with Him, help me focus on living deep on the inside, set me as a watchmen, and show me where to be and what to be doing! I had this picture this weekof me climbing a watch tower, and I was just slipping down the rungs falling further and further away from the top. Now I'm trying to just keep hold on the rungs and climb back up to the tower....

Back to Jerusalem: The Next Revival Center

The Chinese house church networks have been given a heart to bring the gospel through Muslim lands and eventually back to Jerusalem. The idea is that the last strongholds where the gospel hasn’t been preached are the lands directly surrounding the Holy Land, and Chinese Christians are risking their lives to go west out of China to share the message of Christ. There truly has been revival in the underground Church in China, in a way that is unprecedented in any Muslim land.

This is a really exciting place to be right now, as it looks like it’s next in line for a true revelation of God’s heart. After the earthquake, the fear of God has increased in the land, and many people are seeking to know the one true God. Since Christian missionaries first came here in the early 1800s, most of the church in this country has become stale and religious, bearing more resemblance to dry New England churches that the living spirit-filled churches we assume there must be if there are any churches at all in a Muslim country. Instead the church here has inherited denominationalism from its founders and has become more of a cultural than religious entity. A person may have a Christian name, go to the weekly services, and live in a Christian neighborhood, but not have a knowledge of the gospel of Jesus Christ. For Easter the churches will be full of these cultural Christians just like at home in the U.S.

The exciting thing is that this is not all there is. I’ve met a group of believers who are pressing hard into the throne room of God. They’re praying, they’re fasting, they’re healing the sick. They’re casting out demons in the name of Jesus. God is smiling upon these weak and broken believers and giving them great favor. One of the recently baptized members of the ministry team is a major in the army. Here in this country the army rules. They are the elite class of society with all the political clout. If you want to get things done you need to be in with the army. Due to these connections, the believers have been able to organize massive crusades where the gospel is preached openly. They are “not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of salvation for all those who believe.” Rom 1:16

This is amazing! I was blessed to take part in the latest crusade. Upon arriving in the town where the event was taking place, I was met by the pastor, four evangelists from Oregon, and two armed guards. Because the mullahs are so opposed to the preaching of the gospel of Jesus, anyone who tries to preach is threatened over here. Many churches and Christian schools have been burned down. Christians are put in jail without proper charges or are charged with ridiculous things like desecrating the Qur’an or blaspheming the prophet. The guards were believers too, and their way of serving for this week was to protect all those involved in running the crusade.

We went straight to the Major’s house where we sat around and chatted for about 10 minutes before diving straight into two hours of intense intercession. We cried out for this country. We cried out for this people to have open eyes and open hearts. Many languages filled the air and the Spirit groaned inside us guiding us how to pray. The Lord put new songs in my heart and I sang forth his words, proclaiming them over this dry and barren land. Again, the picture of the sword breaking through the tarp covering this region came into my mind. Sing Zion Sing! Our spontaneous songs of praise and intercession acted as the offensive line of this great battle. Just as the Jewish army used to send forth the singers and musicians in the front lines, praising the Lord all the way, so we sang our way into this battle. Tears were welling up in my eyes as I thought of how beautiful this picture must be to our Father. His sons and daughters from different nations, joined together on our knees. Proclaiming in unity that we can do nothing and that we are desperate for the power of His Holy Spirit. We all sang “Hallelujah” together. The international song of praise. How amazing it will be on that day when people from every tongue, every tribe and every nation worship him as one Bride. I had a little taste of that while singing on my knees that afternoon.

When God’s people come to him in humility and with prayer and fasting, He will hear their cries and heal their land (2 Chron 7:14). Through the prayers of these saints here and those watchmen all over the world pressing in for this country (including many of you reading this), God glorified himself here in a mighty way. People came from all over the country to hear the gospel preached. They crammed into mini buses and careened down mountain roads. They spent three nights sleeping in a dusty field just to hear the word of truth. Even an hour before the event (and believe me, there is no concept of punctuality here), men and women were coming in to get the front seats. The women and children sat directly in front of the stage, while the men sat to the left. As the worship team plugged in and the choir took their places, the people joyously began to praise the Lord. “Yesu zinda hai” – Jesus is life.

I expected to come for the weekend and spend the time behind the scenes interceding in a prayer closet, but I was invited to sit on the stage with the guys from Oregon and all those involved in planning the event. Quick! I needed to iron my shalwar kameez and cover my head (the women cover their heads when praying here) since I would be sitting up in front of everyone. I led an intercessory prayer as the night began with one of my newfound sisters translating for me. There’s one phrase I didn’t need translated, “Yesu ka nam say” – In the name of Jesus.

We spent the next hour and a half just praising the Lord, and at points I was just almost on the verge of tears at how amazing it was to be there. The Lord put this country on my heart over a year and a half ago, and the last Muslim country I was in I only met one believer on the day that I was leaving for the airport. The Lord has given me a burden to pray for this people, and it has been really hard for the last three months without meeting any other believers. Now, suddenly I was standing on a stage clapping my hands with a spirit filled worship team crying their hearts out to God, and 10,000 people in the congregation just wanting to know more about Jesus. God can and does do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine (Eph 3:20). One week later I am sitting here typing this and I am unsure if this all really happened here in P.

I could go on forever just describing what happened in these two days at the crusade, but to make a longer story short, God answered our prayers. People were healed in the name of Jesus. Many who may have been raised culturally Christian but had not heard the gospel came to accept Christ for the first time. The last night, we had to make more room and about 13,000 people came to hear the word of God. On this night they were challenged to be a light in darkness and to live out the Great Commission. They were told that Jesus is coming back, and that He will pour out His Spirit on all flesh (Joel 2:28-32). We cried out together for an outpouring and breakthrough of the Holy Spirit in this land. The Lord protected us throughout the event and there weren’t any security breaches. Please pray for all those believers who have just accepted the Lord or recommitted their lives to him.

This is a country of 180 million people, most of them who have never heard the gospel of Jesus Christ presented clearly. Pray that those who have accepted Jesus will be equipped by the church and by the Holy Spirit so that they can go out and share the good news. Pray that these new believers will become men and women of the word and of prayer. Pray that they will be given opportunities to daily share the gospel with their Muslim neighbors. Pray that this event is only the beginning of a major move of revival across this land and heading west through the ME region. Oh Lord build your house of prayer in all the earth!

The Final Clash: Two Houses....of Prayer

It’s not a “clash of civilizations” that will ultimately lead to the final battle of mankind, nor is it “Jihad vs. McWorld.” The final battle will not be based on culture, ie. “the West vs. the Rest” nor will it be fueled by globalization of the economic system. The final battle will ultimately be spiritual.

This past week I was listening to a session on the life of David by Mike Bickle, and he said something that really stayed in my mind. The last battle will be between two houses of prayer. The house of prayer that relies on the name of Jesus Christ, and the house of prayer set up by Mohammed in Mecca. There are over 1.3 billion Muslims today and that number is increasing rapidly due to high population growth in Muslim areas and Islamic evangelism efforts. Jerusalem itself is surrounded by those who pray to the God of Mohammed. Even people in the west are converting. Why you might ask? Because people know there is one God who created the universe. He has set eternity in the hearts of men. They long to have a relationship with God. They long to be holy. The rituals and rules of Islam give people a false sense of holiness and security before the throne of God. As opposed to the gospel of Jesus, which declares us as completely unworthy and depraved in our sinfulness – desperately in need of a Savior, the message of Mohammed gives people a chance to “earn” their way to heaven by committing more good deeds than bad deeds. People desire to be thought of as “good” people. They desire to think that their goodness will be rewarded. “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus answered, “Why do you call me good? No one is good – except God.” Mark 10:17-18

People like faith to be a formula. They like to think that if they do all the right things, they’ll be with God. This gives them control over their own destinies. But we cannot control our own destinies. God will have mercy on whom he will have mercy. God will have compassion on whom He will have compassion. God writes the names of those whom he has chosen in the book of life. God is the agent. He takes the action. These words from Misty Edwards sum it up:
“I can’t even love You lest you call my name,
I can’t even worship lest You anoint my heart God,
I can’t even want You, lest You want me first….come fan the flame.
Do what only You can do, come fan the flame.”

The truth is, we love because he first loved us (1 John 4:19). Praying facing a certain city five times a day does nothing except create this false sense of holiness, security and religiosity. The apostle John said that false Christs and false prophets would appear. Those that deny the tenets of the gospel. “Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.” 1 John 4:1-3

Muslims don’t deny Jesus’ coming, they deny his deity, his death and his resurrection. They deny that he is the Christ, the Savior of all mankind. They can deny that He is the Christ because in Islam there is no concept of original sin, and therefore there is no need for an atoning sacrifice.

It is through Jesus’ death and resurrection that we have direct access to the throne of God in intercession and in worship. It is through this new covenant, sealed by Jesus’ blood on the cross, that the “veil has been torn in two.” What once kept us far from God, our sin, has been atoned for so that we can see Him face to face. Therefore, through the blood of Christ, we can approach the throne of grace with great confidence. “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do WHATEVER you ask in my name so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You many ask me for anything in my name and I will do it.” John 15:12-14

Every Muslim I talk to asks me, “how do you pray?” They seem unsatisfied that there’s not a formula to it, and they seem to miss the point that prayer is entering into the heart of God, but they are nevertheless intrigued. I had one student, formerly a Muslim and now agnostic, asking to come with me to church just to observe how we pray. If he comes (and pray that he will!) he will learn one thing, there is power in the name of Jesus. Through Jesus we have access to hearing God’s voice.

God’s house WILL be a house of prayer for all nations (Isaiah 56:7). The final battle will be fought by intercessors, crying out day and night for Him to come and reign (Isaiah 62: 6-7, Luke 18:1-6). May God show his power through our prayers, just as he did in the days of Elijah. May we remain in him, and him in us, so that we are moving with a spirit of prayer and of revelation. May our prayers shake the nations. May our prayers loose angels and bind demons. May we be so in tune with the spirit that our prayers will call down fire from heaven to show that He is the Lord of all the earth. That He is the One who is to be glorified. Oh God, your name and your glory are being threatened throughout the entire Muslim world. We ask that you would arise, that you would not stand for it any longer! Show the power of the name of the Jesus Christ. Show the power of the resurrection. Lord, God you said in your word that you “always lead us in triumphal procession in Christ and spread everywhere the knowledge of Him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.” 2 Corin 2:14-15

God of the harvest, send forth laborers for the harvest in the Muslim world. Send forth those who are walking in the power of the Holy Spirit and the knowledge of the glory of God and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Glorify your Son. Glorify your name.

Now, Lord, consider the threats of the house of prayer that is Islam, and “enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” Acts 4:28-30

And as you shook the place where those first few believers prayed, shake the nations where your watchmen are praying now. Shake the dry land and the sea. Shake the heavens and all that is below. Show the world that you are God and bring those that you have called to yourself here in this dark and barren land. Oh Lord we are so desperate for you to come and move in power. Five times a day as they ask to follow the straight path, show them the name of your Son. May light break forth in the darkness.