Our denomination is calling us to commit to one hour on the second Saturday of each month to pray fervently for our world, our families, and our church.
On February 13 the prayer focus is global evangelism.
Learn more here.
Recently by Andrew
- 6,000 of the world's people groups have not yet been reached with the Gospel. That's two billion people.
- 70% of Asians have never heard of Jesus Christ.
- There are only 100,000 missionaries in the world today. 3% of those work among the unreached.
This is an article by Jerry Cook - who will be our guest on Sunday, February 21.
You are called not so much to do great things, as to be a great person--and that person is Jesus Christ. The Church is the resident presence of Jesus in the world.No matter how big church attendance is on Sunday, it will never penetrate the culture with Jesus. The reason is clear: The church on Sunday is experienced by the church community; it is only observed by the unbelieving community.
However, Monday through Saturday, the church operates in the experience of non-believers. It lives on their turf, moves in their society, and operates in their culture. On Monday Jesus becomes incarnate through you. And because He can be seen and touched, He can be received or rejected. True evangelism is possible.
Your Strategic Placement
Most Christians have been trained quite well to be the church on Sunday. But what does it take to be the church on Monday?The first step is to recognize your strategic placement. "Strategic placement" means this: each redeemed, Spirit-filled Christian has been strategically placed by Jesus, the Lord of the church. Where each believing man or woman lives and works is part of that strategy. Christians are people of destiny, purposely placed deep in our culture. We are God's points of penetration. Because of us Jesus is present at the very heart of society. And it is this strategic presence of Christ that opens the door for his revelation as Savior to man.
Incarnational Christianity doesn't try to get people to God. Many men and women don't want to get to God. Others are unaware there is a God to get to! The incarnation was God coming to us; in a similar way, incarnational Christianity brings Jesus to man.
That's the basis for true evangelism: in the believer the presence of Christ reaches out to others. It's also the basis for true discipleship: in the believer the presence of Christ walks alongside the new believer. Thus, the two main activities of the church-conversion and discipling-are wed, as they were meant to be. The Great Commission, after all is not simply to go into all the world and make converts; we are to go and make disciples.
Jesus said simply, "I am the way. If you have found me, you have found God." Unfortunately, the church often adds a debilitating step to the divine program. We say, "Jesus is the way to God, and the church is the way to Jesus. Come to the church and find Jesus, then Jesus will take you to God." We must never allow the church institution to be the way to God. Jesus himself is the Way. The goal of the church on Monday is to make the Way present and visible in the world.
Open for Business
Of course, it does no good to have a strategic force in place if the people don't know they are strategic, don't know they are a force, and don't know they are in place.Most Christians give mental assent to this idea of strategic placement, but they have no concept of its implications. Some think of inviting hurting people to a church program, others think of using some type of soul-winning gimmick to make a convert. Most, however, don't do anything with the idea at all. It simply floats around, untapped, in the background of their experience. They're strategically placed, but they're not "open for business."
"Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Col. 1:27) means you are filled with the Holy Spirit and Jesus is present wherever you go. You are capable of responding to the needs of others exactly the way Jesus would. The gifts of the Spirit are how Jesus works through you to touch people's lives.
Our time on earth is about being Jesus in our world. Jesus didn't come to our planet on vacation; He came on assignment. Likewise, you and I have not been born here and now accidentally. We don't just happen to bump into hurting people. There's divine strategy at work. You are where you are because God strategically placed you there.
I'm convinced that if more Christians were open for business, then more business would show up. Evangelism as a primary goal is often artificial and powerless. But when it's a serendipity of spirit-filled believers being Jesus in their world, it is natural and unstoppable!
Excerpted from The Monday Morning Church by Jerry Cook. Reprinted with permission from www.jerrycook.org.
Here is the new song Matthew Casteel wrote for our current sermon series.
From the Foursquare Missions International Prayer Force Update:
The Foursquare Church is poised to respond with relief supplies and financial resources. Many pastors in the U.S. have already contacted Foursquare Missions International looking for ways to help. We are currently assessing the needs and our available resources. As contact is made with our leaders in Haiti and additional needs are identified, we will develop a long-term plan to minister to people, bring relief to communities, and rebuild our churches.
Haiti's prime minister has speculated that casualties following the earthquake could top more than 100,000 people following the most powerful earthquake to hit the country in more than 200 years. The national palace is a crumbled ruin and tens of thousands of people are homeless. In public squares thousands of people are comforting each other and singing hymns together.
Details about the U.S. response of The Foursquare Church to the Haiti earthquake will be available through the communication venues listed below and through your District Missions Representatives. In addition, Foursquare Missions Press is offering free tracts and Bible literature in Haiti's language of Creole for all Foursquare church teams. To request tracts, contact Bob Hunt.
The nation as a whole and the churches of Haiti will need our ongoing prayer and support.
Here is how you can give immediate help:
1. Pray for protection, miraculous healings, restoration and acceleration of the kingdom for Haiti. Let's contend for a total turnaround from this quake into a shaking of a nation unto salvation.
2. Take an offering. Our long-term plan of relief will require large financial resources.
You can give online at https://give.foursquare.org/relief
You can mail a check payable to:Foursquare Missions International
PO Box 26776
Los Angeles, CA 900263. Consider planning or joining a team to aid in the rebuilding and restoration of this nation. Contact David Wheeler by email for more information.
Click here for additional resources and to watch a video message from Jonathan Hall, Director of Foursquare Missions International, regarding Foursquare relief in Haiti.
Check to see if your way to or from church is affected by the Rock 'N' Roll Marathon on January 17.
Do you have a plan?
The most important thing you can do in 2010 is cultivate a devotional life that facilitates the intimate nearness of God. You won't accidentally get close to God. So, for 2010, I wanted to encourage you to embrace a focused intentionality in your devotional life. Here are some things I have been thinking through with regards to my devotional practices in 2010.
Read the rest of the Pastor JR Vassar's article (which has much more information about each bullet point) here.
- Have a no exemption time and place to meet with God.
- Have a plan.
- Begin your time with prayer and confession.
- Read out loud.
- Look for Gospel patterns.
- Journal your thoughts and prayers.
- Realize that this is a community project.
- Don't give up.
The Bread of Life ministry thanks all those who have so generously given food to help those in need. You have been a blessing! This month we want to restock our shelves and are asking everyone to help bring in as much food and cases of water as possible. Get your kids involved and canvas your neighborhoods for donations. Watch the store ads for great sales (any Coupon Sensers out there?). Ask your co-workers to donate. Get creative! (Send your success stories, comments, or questions to breadoflifeministry@live.com).
At the end of January we will have a Donation Administration Day to organize, box, and shelve the donations. Items always needed: peanut butter; jelly; spaghetti; spaghetti sauce; Kraft Mac N' Cheese; rice; beans; saltine crackers; soup; bottled water. For a more complete list, visit http://graceinourcommunity.blogspot.com.
Though this is coming right up on us, I wanted to let everyone know about a global prayer event that Foursquare is initiating this Saturday, January 9.
Our President, Dr. Glenn Burris, is calling the worldwide Foursquare Church to join together on the second Saturday of each month for 24 hours of prayer.
It is called Pray: 7Fourteen, in reference to 2 Chronicles 7:14. The strategy is simple. Go online to www.pray7fourteen.org and sign up for the one hour you will commit to pray this coming Saturday. The web site also explains the vision and has a prayer agenda you can follow. This month we are to pray for laborers in the harvest.
We will be joining together for prayer with global Foursquare family on the second Saturday of every month in 2010! I hope everyone will join in.
Pastor Richard
