Acts 3:1 (Peter Heals the Crippled Beggar) One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer-at three in the afternoon.
Jim pointed out in his blog entry today a small, but important point in this first verse of Chapter 3. One I must have skipped over time and time again, to get to the story of the lame man’s healing miracle. The point being, John and Peter went to the temple to pray at a specific time, the 9th hour. There were other designated times for prayer back then, but the point being…prayer as a spiritual discipline was not only done in private or when prompted by the Spirit, but it was also organized and planned, with a designated time and place. Many churches today have abandoned this organized spiritual discipline, leaving prayer to our own individual devices & responsibility. Gone are the days when churches were built with a prominent steeple and bell tower, which often was used to call the community to their scheduled prayer meetings. I came across an old quote the other day: “Prayer is the rope in the belfry; we pull it, and it rings the bell up in heaven.”(author unknown). What a beautiful, descriptive analogy for prayer. Regardless of the obvious absence of the belfry in today’s church architecture, we should be mindful to keep the bell ringing…pulling the rope well and raising our prayers boldly before the throne of God! God bless the ministry of Jim and Olya and may their prayers be boldly raised and answered! On the journey together…Kathy
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Saturday, August 25, 2007
Fellowship of Believers
Today I was reading from Acts 2: 42-47 as part of a 30 day prayer journey with our missionary friends in Slovenia. Our friend Jim had some very insightful comments in his blog (please be sure and check them out @ http://www.pray4slovenia.blogspot.com/). In Acts chapter 2, the apostles had just received the Holy Spirit and are in the early stages of their ministry to seek believers for God's kingdom. I have personally been touched by God's word, to see the value the early apostles placed on their fellowship and discipleship of eachother. We recently left a church that became more preoccupied with activities designed to build their numbers and church size, rather than focusing on discipleship and grounding God’s people in the faith (2 Tim. 3:16-17). Christians should be equipped to invite the lost to know Christ by explaining the Bible, communicating to the unsaved our fallen nature and the necessity of the cross (2 Cor: 10:4-5). In these verses from Acts, we see the apostles actively engaged in sharing the gospel and building the church body among the communities, but not at the expense of sacrificing the joy they shared with each other as believers. They also did not rest on their own merits, but on God’s provisions. I think it is all too easy for us to give credit to ourselves for the work we do in God’s kingdom. The reality is, it is God doing the work through us as noted in Acts 2:46, when… “ the Lord added to their number daily". Let us pray as believers, to reject pride...to reflect upon our own unworthiness and to constantly be in debt to God for who we might be if not for God's divine grace. Let us also not abandon the need for fellowship and discipleship with other believers, at the expense of seeking the lost.
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
In the Waiting
Friends of mine, serving as missionaries in Slovenia are seeking for brothers and sisters in Christ to discipline themselves towards 30 days of prayer while in the study of Acts. Day 1 started yesterday and today we were in the study of Acts 1: 12-14.
“12 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey. 13 And when they had entered, they went up into the upper room where they were staying: Peter, James, John, and Andrew; Philip and Thomas; Bartholomew and Matthew; James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot; and Judas the son of James. 14 These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.”
These verses from Acts make me wonder how mind boggling it must have been for the women and apostles, especially after all they have just witnessed in Christ’s ministry, death and resurrection. I wonder how difficult and perhaps, unnerving for them it was to wait on the Lord in faith… in quiet patience… in a single room… for an uncertain time, despite their fears and uncertainties. I would have been an anxious, impatient wreck! Despite these fears, the faithful were together and there is strength in numbers. I remember the long months of waiting during our Russian adoption of Sandra and Nathan. I found myself in prayer, multiple times a day and seeking the prayers of our brothers and sisters in Christ to help us through this long process. What gave us comfort was the knowledge that many people back home in the states were praying with us and for us while we waited out in Russia for 3 ½ weeks. This was our first encounter praying with a large body of believers on our behalf. Every time I look in my children’s’ faces, it is a constant reminder of God’s answered prayers and the many people who interceded on our family’s behalf. I must confess, I am not the most patient person and I find waiting on God difficult at times. I am also not proud of the way I have sometimes responded to God when He didn’t reveal the path I should take. It is much easier for God’s well trained soldiers to march and fight than it is to wait. These verses show me it is best to suppress our cowardice to hide as well as our desires to rush forward in pursuit of resolution. As the apostles and the women showed us, it is best to wait on the Lord,…seek His strength in prayer and with each other…and the intervention will come at the right time…---but that is reserved for Acts Chapter 2. On the Journey Together!--Kathy
“12 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey. 13 And when they had entered, they went up into the upper room where they were staying: Peter, James, John, and Andrew; Philip and Thomas; Bartholomew and Matthew; James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot; and Judas the son of James. 14 These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.”
These verses from Acts make me wonder how mind boggling it must have been for the women and apostles, especially after all they have just witnessed in Christ’s ministry, death and resurrection. I wonder how difficult and perhaps, unnerving for them it was to wait on the Lord in faith… in quiet patience… in a single room… for an uncertain time, despite their fears and uncertainties. I would have been an anxious, impatient wreck! Despite these fears, the faithful were together and there is strength in numbers. I remember the long months of waiting during our Russian adoption of Sandra and Nathan. I found myself in prayer, multiple times a day and seeking the prayers of our brothers and sisters in Christ to help us through this long process. What gave us comfort was the knowledge that many people back home in the states were praying with us and for us while we waited out in Russia for 3 ½ weeks. This was our first encounter praying with a large body of believers on our behalf. Every time I look in my children’s’ faces, it is a constant reminder of God’s answered prayers and the many people who interceded on our family’s behalf. I must confess, I am not the most patient person and I find waiting on God difficult at times. I am also not proud of the way I have sometimes responded to God when He didn’t reveal the path I should take. It is much easier for God’s well trained soldiers to march and fight than it is to wait. These verses show me it is best to suppress our cowardice to hide as well as our desires to rush forward in pursuit of resolution. As the apostles and the women showed us, it is best to wait on the Lord,…seek His strength in prayer and with each other…and the intervention will come at the right time…---but that is reserved for Acts Chapter 2. On the Journey Together!--Kathy
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Don't Let the Enemy Steal Your Joy!
"...being CONFIDENT of this, that HE who began a GOOD WORK in you WILL carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." Philippians 1:6 (NIV)
I wanted to share some thoughts the Lord placed on my heart today both through His word and recent concerns spoken by a fellow brother in Christ.
Last night I was reading Philippians 1. Paul was sharing words of encouragement and thanks to the church for the concern they showed him during his imprisonment and he expresses delight in the work they are doing to share Christ with the lost. Paul feels both encouraged by the example of his imprisonment and the motivation the people demonstrate in their defense of the gospel. At the same time, he is disheartened, for he is aware there are others who take advantage of Paul being out of the picture and through "selfish ambition" attempt to discourage Paul during his imprisonment. Despite their misdirected motives, they can not discourage Paul and he "will continue to rejoice" (Phil 1:19). I love Paul's words of encouragement here: "Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel, without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you." What awesome advice Paul! We need to band together standing IN ONE SPIRIT as believers (CONTENDING AS ONE MAN), with one purpose (SHARING THE GOSPEL), even when we and the Gospel we defend are under attack.
How does Paul's advice apply to us as a worship team? We can truly experience Paul's joy when we can say with him, "For to me, to live is Christ…" (vs. 21). If we say that to live well revolves around money, music, family, possessions, power, health, even ministry, anything other than Christ, we are depending on circumstances to provide our joy. Joy will never come from these. there are essentially four things that steal our joy and they are circumstances, people, things and worry. Remember, we are not in God's service to appeal to your friends or for the people who will come to hear your music. You are using your instruments and voices to play for an audience of one and to share the Gospel. Unfortunately, we let our surrounding circumstances drive a performer attitude. It is not biblical to seek the approval of the world or others. Paul showed us even in suffering and imprisonment, he could share Christ and support his fellow brothers and sisters. Sometimes we need to remind ourselves that we are all called to serve and not to be served. I know of a worship leader who when she was starting out was very eager to be involved in leading lots of worship events. However her main role at the church was initially to clean up after services and to organize and copy music. At first she resented doing this, but found that it was in this place that she met with God in a deep way and learned the importance of the heart of worship. That person is me. As worship leaders we’re called first to serve God, and then to serve the people we’re leading in worship. If we know what it means to serve then humility will naturally follow and selfish ambition will stay at bay.
It’s so important that we allow God to use us the way he intended to, rather than something that’s not true to us. Unfortunately I will never have the guitar skills of Eric Clapton or the voice of Celine Dion, but that doesn’t matter as God chooses to use me the way I am. I pray that you will also be patient with God, as we are all a work in progress.
Sadly today, we are painfully aware that no one is perfect. Again and again we have seen celebrities and church leaders fall from grace. Nothing seems to really shock us anymore. This is why I believe it is so important to constantly be checking the attitudes of our hearts. When we get to Heaven, God will care little about how many albums someone sold, how many flawless performances we gave, how many great harmonies we sang, how many inspired electric guitar solos we belted out, etc. But He will care a lot about the attitudes of our hearts.
Respect eachother, support eachother and learn to appreciate each of the gifts God gives you to further His kingdom. Don't let your JOY be stolen from you.
Blessings,
Kathy
I wanted to share some thoughts the Lord placed on my heart today both through His word and recent concerns spoken by a fellow brother in Christ.
Last night I was reading Philippians 1. Paul was sharing words of encouragement and thanks to the church for the concern they showed him during his imprisonment and he expresses delight in the work they are doing to share Christ with the lost. Paul feels both encouraged by the example of his imprisonment and the motivation the people demonstrate in their defense of the gospel. At the same time, he is disheartened, for he is aware there are others who take advantage of Paul being out of the picture and through "selfish ambition" attempt to discourage Paul during his imprisonment. Despite their misdirected motives, they can not discourage Paul and he "will continue to rejoice" (Phil 1:19). I love Paul's words of encouragement here: "Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel, without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you." What awesome advice Paul! We need to band together standing IN ONE SPIRIT as believers (CONTENDING AS ONE MAN), with one purpose (SHARING THE GOSPEL), even when we and the Gospel we defend are under attack.
How does Paul's advice apply to us as a worship team? We can truly experience Paul's joy when we can say with him, "For to me, to live is Christ…" (vs. 21). If we say that to live well revolves around money, music, family, possessions, power, health, even ministry, anything other than Christ, we are depending on circumstances to provide our joy. Joy will never come from these. there are essentially four things that steal our joy and they are circumstances, people, things and worry. Remember, we are not in God's service to appeal to your friends or for the people who will come to hear your music. You are using your instruments and voices to play for an audience of one and to share the Gospel. Unfortunately, we let our surrounding circumstances drive a performer attitude. It is not biblical to seek the approval of the world or others. Paul showed us even in suffering and imprisonment, he could share Christ and support his fellow brothers and sisters. Sometimes we need to remind ourselves that we are all called to serve and not to be served. I know of a worship leader who when she was starting out was very eager to be involved in leading lots of worship events. However her main role at the church was initially to clean up after services and to organize and copy music. At first she resented doing this, but found that it was in this place that she met with God in a deep way and learned the importance of the heart of worship. That person is me. As worship leaders we’re called first to serve God, and then to serve the people we’re leading in worship. If we know what it means to serve then humility will naturally follow and selfish ambition will stay at bay.
It’s so important that we allow God to use us the way he intended to, rather than something that’s not true to us. Unfortunately I will never have the guitar skills of Eric Clapton or the voice of Celine Dion, but that doesn’t matter as God chooses to use me the way I am. I pray that you will also be patient with God, as we are all a work in progress.
Sadly today, we are painfully aware that no one is perfect. Again and again we have seen celebrities and church leaders fall from grace. Nothing seems to really shock us anymore. This is why I believe it is so important to constantly be checking the attitudes of our hearts. When we get to Heaven, God will care little about how many albums someone sold, how many flawless performances we gave, how many great harmonies we sang, how many inspired electric guitar solos we belted out, etc. But He will care a lot about the attitudes of our hearts.
Respect eachother, support eachother and learn to appreciate each of the gifts God gives you to further His kingdom. Don't let your JOY be stolen from you.
Blessings,
Kathy
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