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.

To the churches in P-

Over the weekend I felt God confirming over and over again that my primary assignment here is to be an intercessor. He gave me the chorus "Set me on the walls" from Isaiah 62 and SOS 8:10. Please pray for me as almost every day there are things that happen which interrupt or cut short my prayer time, always things that are completely out of my control. It's like the enemy knows better than I do what my job is here, and he'll do anything he can to stop me from engaging and connecting with the Lord.

This is what I was getting over the weekend while praying for the church here.

"It is not enough to be different. You must know me. You must love me."

Here people are not afraid to say they are Christians. They want everyone to know that they are NOT M-lim But it seems that their identity as believers may only go this deep. This is not the case for all believers here, but for many who have grown complacent and cold in their walk with God. I felt God saying, "Is your identity in NOT being a M? Or is your identity found in knowing that I created you and that you are precious is My sight?"

The passage I felt led to pray was Eph 1:17-19. May the Lord give them wisdom and revelation to know who He is. May He open the eyes of their hearts to give them understanding.

A friend of mine was praying for me and encouraged me to "use the sword" which is the Word of God. There are key verses to pray for this region of the world and we must ask God to show us those verses so we can effectively stand in the gap. I felt God saying saying, "Who will tarry with me for an hour? Who will press in to understand my heart for these people and my zeal for my name?"

Will you tarry? Tarrying takes work. It takes waiting. It is labor. But it is the only thing that reaps a harvest at the end. God wants us to understand how he feels about these people. He wants us to know that His heart is breaking because they don't seek to know Him. He wants us to feel how He feels. He wants us to know the passion that He has, the passion that led Him to the cross. Oh Lord, God of the harvest, send out laborers for the harvest.