Saints,
What does more prayer look like?
More prayer looks like each Christ-follower driven by God-given faith. That faith initiates, propels, sustains, and motivates Spirit-led, Bible-based, Kingdom-focused prayer in Jesus name.
More prayer looks like a young husband who can’t stop thinking about his new beautiful bride—just like we can’t stop thinking about Jesus and what is important to Jesus.
More prayer looks like praying alone, like Jesus praying all night on a mountain.
More prayer looks like praying with others, like Jesus praying with His disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane.
More prayer looks like prayer driven by righteous anger like Jesus as He drove out the money-changers from the Temple.
More prayer looks like heart-ache as Jesus demonstrated “offering both requests and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to the one who was able to save him from death and he was heard because of his devotion.” Heb. 5:7
More prayer looks like “knowing that you know that you know” God is with you.
More prayer looks like truly standing on God’s promises—not letting go—knowing He will do it!
More prayer looks like we have been with Jesus.
More prayer looks like husbands fighting for their wives, fathers and mothers fighting for their children, and wives fighting for their husbands.
More prayer looks like every Christ-follower consumed with deeper satisfaction in Jesus.
More prayer looks like the church truly living and behaving like the Spirit-empowered world-changer she really is!
More prayer looks like “Paul-like” life change of people in our families, communities, city, region, and the world.
More prayer looks like “pursuing His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to us, as well.” Matt 6:33
More prayer looks like “the God of endurance and comfort giving us unity with one another in accordance with Christ Jesus, so that together we may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Rom 15:5-6
More prayer looks like David asking the Father to, “Teach me your way O Lord; I will walk in Your truth; Unite my heart to fear your name. I will give thanks to you, O my Lord, with all my heart, and I will glorify your name forever.” Ps 86:11-12
Father, we ask for You to re-define our lives as lives of prayer, lives of whole-hearts after You, lives that reflect Your kingdom as our priority in Jesus name, Amen.
Blessings, Steve
"Pray without ceasing"
Sunday, January 19, 2014
Wednesday, January 1, 2014
Beautiful Jesus Imitators
Saints,
Recently, I was struck by the power and simplicity of what Jesus did for us in a fresh way.
Ephesians tells us that we have been giving every spiritual blessing in high places in Christ Jesus. As we know, because of Jesus, we can approach the very presence of The Most High Creator, sustainer God with boldness. He welcomes us as His children with His arms open. In other words, we live in intimacy with God which is the foundation of every relationship we have. This is true reality.
Truth: Each of us stands forgiven and fully pleasing before the Father in Christ—not because of anything in us or anything we have done. There is a level of intimacy with God through Jesus that defines our existence. We are what we were created to be most fully in Christ. We connect with God without pretense, superficiality, deceit, or reservation. We are truly transformed. Again, all of this is the most true reality, having nothing to do with our merit—all Jesus.
So, out of this self-transforming work of God in our life, we fully commune with God and consequently, are enabled to fully commune with one another. You may say, “Obviously, Steve, what is your point.” As I read 1 Thessalonians chapter one today, one word stuck out to me—“imitators.” This word implies a lot. Paul said that he and his companions were so dramatically transformed, enabled, and empowered by God to live that their manner of living changed eternal living impact. Then, those of Thessalonica saw this God-infused life and were impacted by it—they imitated it.
My point today is this. Let’s become more like Paul, an example of extreme intimacy with Jesus which in a sense compels others to the same thing. I am convinced that out of this intimacy with God, our connection with others will also become deeper. So, is our role merely to strive to be more like Paul? Not exactly, we see that we come to the Father in faith which He has given us and ask Him to accomplish what Paul said in Galatians 2:20 more fully in us. We die—Jesus lives.
Blessings, Steve
Beautiful Jesus Reflectors
Saints.
As we start a new year, I would like to encourage you toward intimacy with Jesus through a couple of stories from the Bible about Zaccheus, Peter, and John.
Please read the story of Zaccheus in Luke 19:1-10 (NIV).
“Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zaccheus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.
When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zaccheus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.
All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”
But Zaccheus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”
Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
I want to point out that Jesus noticed Zaccheus—he directed Zaccheus to spend time with Him. Let’s remember that during Jesus’ time on earth, not unlike today, tax collectors like Zaccheus were despicable. Even so, Jesus valued this man--He engaged him.
Secondly, let’s notice how Zaccheus changes to beautifully reflect God after he encounters Jesus. Robert S. McGee in his book, The Search for Significance describes it this way.
“During dinner, Zaccheus experienced the unconditional love and acceptance of Christ. As a result, he became a different person. His self-concept was radically changed from a swindling, loathsome, tax collector to a person who knew he was loved by God. His actions reflect this dramatic change. He pledged to repent of his sins and repay fourfold those he had swindled. He also promised to give half of his possessions to the poor. Through Christ, Zaccheus developed a new self-concept, new values, new goals, and new behavior.” p106
Let me remind you of another scene in the book of Acts 4, where Peter and John are seen by the Temple Guards and Sadducees as “having been with Jesus.”
Acts 4:13,
“When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.” (NIV)
The religious leaders saw a supernatural confidence that radiated from Peter and John—they saw the confidence of the Most-high creator God in them because Peter and John had been with Jesus. Zaccheus reflected God through his repentance and humility. Peter and John reflected God through their unexplained confidence. In the same way, we each reflect the grace and power of God uniquely. Again McGee summarizes,
“We are marvelously unique, created to reflect the character of Christ through our individual personalities and behavior. In a different and special way, each believer has the capability to shine forth the light of God. No two will reflect light in exactly the same way.” p108
I pray that as a prayer community which is part of the family of Christ-followers, that each of us will beautifully and uniquely radiate the presence of the Father because we have been with Jesus.
Blessings, Steve
As we start a new year, I would like to encourage you toward intimacy with Jesus through a couple of stories from the Bible about Zaccheus, Peter, and John.
Please read the story of Zaccheus in Luke 19:1-10 (NIV).
“Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zaccheus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.
When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zaccheus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.
All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”
But Zaccheus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”
Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
I want to point out that Jesus noticed Zaccheus—he directed Zaccheus to spend time with Him. Let’s remember that during Jesus’ time on earth, not unlike today, tax collectors like Zaccheus were despicable. Even so, Jesus valued this man--He engaged him.
Secondly, let’s notice how Zaccheus changes to beautifully reflect God after he encounters Jesus. Robert S. McGee in his book, The Search for Significance describes it this way.
“During dinner, Zaccheus experienced the unconditional love and acceptance of Christ. As a result, he became a different person. His self-concept was radically changed from a swindling, loathsome, tax collector to a person who knew he was loved by God. His actions reflect this dramatic change. He pledged to repent of his sins and repay fourfold those he had swindled. He also promised to give half of his possessions to the poor. Through Christ, Zaccheus developed a new self-concept, new values, new goals, and new behavior.” p106
Let me remind you of another scene in the book of Acts 4, where Peter and John are seen by the Temple Guards and Sadducees as “having been with Jesus.”
Acts 4:13,
“When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.” (NIV)
The religious leaders saw a supernatural confidence that radiated from Peter and John—they saw the confidence of the Most-high creator God in them because Peter and John had been with Jesus. Zaccheus reflected God through his repentance and humility. Peter and John reflected God through their unexplained confidence. In the same way, we each reflect the grace and power of God uniquely. Again McGee summarizes,
“We are marvelously unique, created to reflect the character of Christ through our individual personalities and behavior. In a different and special way, each believer has the capability to shine forth the light of God. No two will reflect light in exactly the same way.” p108
I pray that as a prayer community which is part of the family of Christ-followers, that each of us will beautifully and uniquely radiate the presence of the Father because we have been with Jesus.
Blessings, Steve
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