Week of Prayer and Fasting: Day 4

36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

This is how Jesus SAW the crowds! When he looked around and saw the crowds, as he traveled from city to city, village to village…WHAT DID HE FIND? Well informed people who just needed a bit of His guidance? Crowds with good motives who just needed His mentoring? People who just needed Him to make some minor tweaks to their behavior? 

NOPE!  When he saw the crowds He saw them as harassed and helpless. A harassed and helpless bunch who desperately needed His Help!

“All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned – every one - to his own way;...” Isaiah 53:6

“For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.”  1 Peter 2:25

All of us have rejected the authority of the shepherd and overseer of our souls.  As sheep without a shepherd, we are harassed from threats without and fears within – without hope and constantly in danger.

Here is one of our challenges…

We can see a person’s condition, without being filled with Jesus’ compassion!

Jesus’ compassion led him to action.  His compassion moved Him toward the lost.

When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick. Matthew 14:14

Then Jesus called his disciples to him and said, "I have compassion on the crowd because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat. And I am unwilling to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way." Matthew 15:32

“And Jesus in pity touched their eyes, and immediately they recovered their sight and followed him. Matthew 20:34

Jesus had a gut-level reaction to the lost condition of the crowds. His heart was moved with mercy and affection toward them. How about us? Our calling us to go after the crowds, to go after the lost with the hope of the Gospel. Jesus has given us a Compassion-Driven Commission.

37 Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; 38 therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.

The needs are plentiful.  There are a lot of harassed, helpless people in the world who need to know the love of the Shepherd who lays His life down for His sheep.  The nations are like a field in need of harvest without enough workers to harvest the ready crops.

PRAY to the Lord of the harvest that he would send out laborers into HIS harvest.

PRAY for the LORD OF THE HARVEST, to do a softening work to hard hearts, so people will believe.  The compassionate and powerful hand of Jesus is needed to give sight to the blind and to make the dead come to life!

Take Note!  Jesus didn’t say… “The harvest is plentiful and the laborers are few…but don’t worry, God will take care of it, you can relax.”

Salvation is of the Lord – The harvest belongs to Him, but He “employs” laborers and harvesters! His work involves our work!  He uses human means to accomplish His ends!  SO PRAY!

PRAY for God to raise up laborers while at the same time opening your ears, eyes and hands to how He is calling you to go out into the harvest.

Week of Prayer and Fasting: Day 3

“1 Now there were in the church at Antioch prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a lifelong friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.”  Acts 13:1

The GOSPEL creates unlikely family members! Simeon was presumably a black African; Lucius who was from Lybia; Manean, seems to have been born in Palestine in a wealthy, privileged family, the household of King Hero; Barnabas was from Cyprus; and Saul (the former terrorist!) was from Tarsus.

The church in Antioch was a multi-ethnic church with a multi-ethnic leadership team, with a common mission to take the Gospel to the nations.  A few things we can observe from this moment in Antioch:

In the midst of your MISSION…BE SENSITIVE TO THE SPIRIT

“2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said ‘Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’ 3 Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off.” Acts 13:2,3

God led and unified this multi-ethnic leadership team while they, along with the church, were worshiping, fasting, and praying!

These leaders, these believers were already engaged in ministry when the Lord unfolded His purposes for them, unleashing Paul and Barnabas as the very first missionary team to be intentionally sent out by a local church.  

We don’t know how “the Holy Spirit said…” what He said.  But shouldn’t we expect that a greater intimacy with God will lead to a greater sensitivity to His”voice”.      

Pastoral teams, churches and individual believers should anticipate God leading/speaking in subjective ways to accomplish His purposes.  Worshiping and ministering to the Lord together...fasting together...praying together...all of it has a refining effect on our hearts and minds.  We begin to shed anxieties...with the Spirit’s help we crucify our selfish plans and desires...and as our minds are renewed God brings into view His good, pleasing and perfect will (Romans 12:1-2).     

In the midst of your MISSION…REMEMBER YOU ARE SELECTED & SENT BY THE SPIRIT 

“…the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’  Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off.”

Paul and Barnabas were SET APART and CALLED BY God to GO.  And so are we!

"As soon as a man has found Christ, he begins to find others.  I will not believe that you have tasted the honey of the gospel if you can eat it all by yourself."  Charles Spurgeon

In God’s GRACIOUS INITIATIVE He has selected, He has chosen a people to call His own.

It has always been God’s purpose for His people to not merely be the RECIPIENTS of His Grace, but PARTICIPANTS in His mission.  

“March to publish his mercy to the world!” William Booth - Founder of Salvation Army

Week of Prayer and Fasting: Day 2

The bible describes and depicts Christians in all kinds of ways – children, light, salt, a city on a hill, etc.

The Apostle Peter, in his first letter, describes Christians as strangers…foreigners…aliens in this world!

We are “pilgrims passing through” this life and this land, on our way home to be with the Lord!  In the midst of a world that offers a lot of trouble and instability, we are a peculiar people with a peculiar hope:

“...[God] has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”  1 Peter 1:3

During our brief pilgrimage here, we are to set our hope completely on the grace God is going to bring to us when Jesus returns (v.13)!  We are to be different, a holy people who have been saved by and filled with the power of the God of our salvation.  So although we are pilgrims, we have an eternal purpose – to represent God and make Him known!

Peter applies significant Old Testament titles and descriptions to Christians.  He tells the scattered and suffering Christians in the 1st century:

“9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession…10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”

Simply awesome!  Through the gospel…through our faith in Jesus Christ we have been made what were not (the people of God) and we are considered what we are not (holy)...all by God’s mercy!

Additionally, we are not pointless pilgrims!

Sandwiched between these two sections describing who we are, God gives us some responsibility.  We are pilgrims with a purpose!  

“9...that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”

God has made us His people in order for us to proclaim how excellent He is!  God has purchased us in order for us to proclaim how He brought us from darkness into His marvelous light.

As you spend time praying today, worship God for the great mercy He has shown you and reflect on what it means to be taken out of darkness and set free to walk in the light.

Pray as well that you/we would be obedient to fulfill our purpose in this life and in this world.  There are many in our lives, in our City, in our world who are still walking in darkness.  Let’s walk through this life as pilgrims not merely passing through, but passing through to proclaim the excellencies of Jesus!

Week of Prayer and Fasting: Day 1

The Book of Acts is Luke’s account of the continued work of Jesus through His church in the first century and beyond.  The Holy Spirit comes down, just as Jesus promised, to fill the disciples with power to be God’s witnesses.  Immediately, the Apostles preach the gospel with boldness which also has the immediate effect of creating resistance and persecution from the Jewish religious leaders.  

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”  Matthew 5:9

The proclamation of Jesus’ resurrection annoyed the religious leaders and they arrested Peter and John and held them in prison.  Notably, this resistance didn’t stop many from believing in the word they had preached! (Acts 4:2-4)

In the presence of many of the same faces who accused, tried and crucified Jesus, the Holy Spirit provided Peter the power to unashamedly point them to Jesus Christ as the one who had healed a crippled man and who alone has the power to save. (Acts 4:5-12)

The boldness of Peter and John was clear evidence to the religious leaders that these men had been with Jesus.  This religious council charged Peter and John to not speak in the name of Jesus.  In humble courage, Peter and John answered them:

“Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.”  Acts 4:20

Acts 4 ends with one of the earliest evangelistic prayers we have recorded for us, and it is a fitting end to an account filled with the people of God teaching, proclaiming and speaking about the Lord Jesus!

After Peter and John were released they went to their friends and reported everything that had happened to them.  In response “...they lifted their voices together to God…” (Acts 4:24-31), and we will take time this week as a church to do the same thing.

Let me share a couple observations about the prayer that I believe can help us pray effectively and share Jesus boldly:

REST IN God’s Sovereignty

“Sovereign Lord…” is the opening address of the prayer.  In the original language this is just one word, which means master or absolute ruler.  As we set out to proclaim Jesus to others, we can rest in the one who is the ruler of the results!  We speak, we teach, we proclaim and God is the one who causes the growth (1 Cor 3:5,6).  The early church was strengthened by the sovereignty of God in the suffering of Jesus (Acts 4:25-28) and they were also convinced of the sovereignty of God in the salvation of sinners – “...the promise [of forgiveness of sins] is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” (Acts 2:39)

PREACH CHRIST Boldly

These early Christians didn’t ask for an easier road, less resistance, or a reduction in persecution…they asked for boldness.  They asked God for the power to be faithful, courageous servants of the gospel.  To paraphrase a portion of their prayer – LORD, help us open our mouths to deliver the message and you extend your hand to accomplish the miracle (Acts 4:29,30)!

In the Christian life we often don’t have the assurance that God will answer our prayers the way we desire.  But I think we can safely say God will always give us what we want, when what we want is more boldness!

Great boldness, great power and great grace was on the early church!  The people of God were filled with the Holy Spirit, they continued to speak with boldness and they continually gave testimony to the resurrection of Jesus!  (Acts 4:31-33)

TODAY LET’S LIFT OUR VOICES TOGETHER TO GOD:

Pray for the ability to REST in God’s sovereignty as you seek to share Jesus with those in your life.

Pray for the ONE person in your life God has identified for you to pray for and spend time with.

Pray for an open mouth testifying to the resurrection of Jesus, and for God’s hand to save.

Pray for those who are resistant to you and who may even persecute you.

Pray your life and character bear witness to the fact you know and have been with Jesus!