Little Church: Big Worship

Recently, God called me from being a lay-praise and worship assistant at a very lovely suburban church  North of Atlanta to leading worship vocationally smack dab in the heart of Midtown Atlanta.

My church in the burbs is my family.  I love them so much.  They are a fairly large church compared to most churches in America.  Lots of pastors, and assistants, and programs, and funds, and a very talented praise band and worship pastor.

My church in Atlanta is becoming my family.  I love them, too.  They are group of about 14.  They are considered non-existent compared to most churches in America.  They have one pastor who has another full-time job.  They have no assistants, no programs, and their praise band consists of me.

By no means and I trying to draw a picture of my Little Church, as I call it, being somehow superior in its suffering compared to my Church in the Burbs.  Conversely, I am not knocking my Little Church for not having the vibrancy and resources of my Church in the Burbs.

But, God is using my Little Church to completely and utterly break down my concepts of  worship.

Today, as I was completing some menial tasks, I was listening to praise and worship music.  Instead of causing my heart to soar, I grew discouraged.

I was listening to the drums building as the Worship Leader encouraged the congregation into the climactic introduction of the chorus.

We don't have any drums.

The song kept building and building, a lead Female Vocal added depth to the Bridge and the Band added even more layers underneath.  Then suddenly, all the music dropped out except for the synth and the Worship Leader cued the congregation to a more personal and intense singing of the chorus.

I have no harmonies.  I have no layers.  I have only me...an average musician who can barely play an old piano that sounds like an old-timey saloon piano on its best days.   The sustain pedal is about as useful as I am, which makes it sound even more stark and amateur.

Today, listening to well-polished, strategically conceived music overwhelmed me.

I can't do that.  I don't have a dark room with "mood lighting".  I have 14 people.  And they have me who struggles to play and talk at the same time.

And yet...

My Little Church has the Holy Spirit.

Who works through Prayer and the Word of God.

And through our feeble attempts at song.

I have never leaned on the Spirit, Prayer, and the Bible so much as a worship leader in my entire life.

When there is no building drum to give a sub-conscious cue to the congregation that "this is the GOOD part!", I have to depend on the Spirit to move!

When there is no way at ALL that I can play 12 measures of instrumental solo between verses, I've filled that time by reading Scriptures while I chunk out chords with 80% accuracy.

When there is no "mood", no fancy back drops with softly filtered lights reflecting off of them, no dimmed lights, not even power point...do you hear me?  We read our lyrics off of the bulletin!  I was told, once, that such a thing had "no place in Contemporary Worship"...

God smirks at such remarks from what has truly become the Worship Industry.  He is not a Contemporary God.  He is simply God.  And He WILL be worshiped.

His insistence on being glorified is my only hope each week at our Little Church.

Someday my Little Church will be big.  They have the passion and the desire that puts most big churches to shame. Someday, I'll have a band and power point.  But I will be a little sad.  It will be so much more difficult to resist the temptation to manipulate the congregation through sound, sets, lighting, and music.  I fear that I will lose my dependence on my current Worship Fuel of the Holy Spirit, Prayer, and the Word of God.

But, why borrow worry from tomorrow?

Today, God is reminding me that I am blessed to have only Him. 

So, am I a martyr for the cause?  No way.  I'm blessed!  I have a blank slate, a hungry congregation, and a pastor that enthusiastically supports me.  So what if there's 14 of us?  And, so what if there are 1,000 of you!  Every worship leader feels inadequate, stunted creatively, or just overwhelmed at some point.  Whether as a worship leader or a worship-er.  You, too, have the secret weapons, that Worship Fuel that has nothing to do with the skill of your Praise Band.

The Holy Spirit, Prayer, and the Word of God.

Worship resides there...not in a church building.  Big or little.

Shine in the Darkness

We live in a world of Dawn and Twilight.

And no, I am not referring to vampire books, don't get excited.

Dawn and Twilight...half way between light and dark.

Dawn and Twilight...both light and dark, but neither light or dark at the same time.


Dawn and Twilight...forms, colors, and paths are not hidden nor are they crystal clear.

Dawn and Twilight...a very comfortable place.  A place where we can have a foot in the Light and a foot in the Dark.

Christians who read the Bible and take it literally have trouble fitting in.

Not because we hate people or are bigots or want to oppress someone or are scared of opinions.

But because we are Day and Night people.  We are Light and Dark people.

Light and Dark people trying to live in a Dawn and Twilight world.

One of my favorite verses is this:

Philippians 2:14

"Do everything without complaining and arguing, so that you may be blameless and pure, in a crooked and depraved generations in which you shine like the stars in the universe."

Blameless.  Pure.  Non-complainers.  Non-arguers.

How many Dawn and Twilight people see us that way?

There are a group of Christians who take that to mean that, if the world finds our views harsh and uncomfortable, well, that should be an indication that we are shining too much.  We should fade into the Twilight a bit more.

But, when we try to assimilate too much...embrace the world too much by becoming like them...our stars are very hard to see.  All but the North Star can be seen at Dawn or Twilight.  Your shine is virtually extinguished in your compromise.

"Well, we don't want to turn people off!"

Okay, yes, that's always painful.  But, consider this...you are dimming your light to appease one group of people.   There are other Dawn and Twilight people who hate their world.  They are searching for answers.  They feel certain that the world is actually Light and Dark but don't know how to get there.  You've given them nothing to go by.  You, dear compromising Christian, are just one more Dawn and Twilight person to confuse them.

I was thinking today, very sadly, of a group of women who used to be acquaintances of mine.  Our children hung out sometimes.  We met at the pool.  They even came to my Bible Study several times.  That entire group has ostracized me now.  I am not sure why, but our only real link was my Bible Study.

Its a very loving study.  We have people from all sorts of religious backgrounds.  But we do not shy away from a central message that our hearts are unable to find God on our own because of our sin.  Jesus Christ died for our sins in order to give us a new heart, if we'd only receive it.  Amidst the laughter, my typos in the notes that always make vulgar words somehow, the encouragement, the snacks and the good times, the message is always there.

We do not strike out in anger against the world.  We do not react indignantly when someone questions what we teach or takes issue with a political difference.  We try not to be those "complainers and arguers" mentioned in Philippians.

But, the message is always there.

It grieves me that I have lost a few women in the process, it really does.  I start hearing the voices of Dawn and Twilight Christians saying, "See??  You've ostracized yourself from your community!  You've given them a bad impression of Jesus!"

Really.  Here's what being  "Like Jesus" looked like to...well...Jesus..

He says it Himself in John 15...

“If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you.  If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also."

The fact is, I was increasingly uncomfortable with how greatly liked I was by the world 4 years ago.  I'm not lying.  I knew this verse and I knew it was a sign that I was not being like Jesus.  Jesus WAS love!  Jesus WAS mercy!  But Jesus was bold and honest and never shy-ed from the truth.  This is evidenced in the many violent reactions to His teachings.

He drew the line between Light and Darkness.  And it made Dawn and Twilight uncomfortable.

So, do I go about my neighborhood aggressively pushing my political stances and shaming others for not following my strict moral code?  No.  That's "complaining and arguing", I believe.

But I want desperately...most days...to live like a beacon of light in my neighborhood.  Hopefully, like a bright star where lost Dawn and Twilight people can come if they need prayer or answers.  I have come to realize that, Shining in the Darkness has its price.  But, for every person turned off by the contrast, I've had another attracted to the light.  You can't experience the incredible joy of one without risking the other.

As much as I pray for that little tiny group of women who shun me, if I had done what they wanted and faded into the world a bit more, I would have missed MANY more chances to reach out to women who hate the world but don't know how to escape.   Women who felt stuck but now have direction.  People who felt oppressed but have encountered freedom.
  
Jesus makes it clear.  Some will persecute.  Ohhhh, but others will "keep My word"!  The joy of helping a person in need is SO much greater than the contentment of fading into the twilight!

We need to stop acting like "The World" is only one group of people!  We need to start shining brightly for those In the World but who do not want to be Of the World.  They are out there!  But if you forsake shining as a Light in Darkness to embrace the easy road of Dawn and Twilight, you'll miss out.  

And you'll miss them.

Old School

If you are alive and breathing and a mom on Facebook, you'll see that there is quite a divisive topic out there.

How to school your kids.

Public School, Home School, Christian School.

Well, I'd like to throw my two cents in.

No matter how you choose to school your children, there is a method that would complement any educational philosophy and is sorely overlooked.

You see, my husband and I have decided to bite the bullet and Old School our children.

Old-schooling.  Its right for everybody.

Indoctrination through immersion and a combination of tactile, audio, and visual stimulation.

For instance...

We teach our children the Alphabet while requiring them to roll down a car window in a wood-paneled Ford Station Wagon as Jon Bon Jovi's "Livin' on a Prayer" blares on a ghetto blaster.

Also, studies prove that children learn Multiplication Tables faster when they recite them while using a Skip-It and wearing Osh Kosh Overalls and Converse Sneakers.

Worried about preparing your daughter for all those daunting term papers in college?  Adhere to our Intro to Composition process...

1.  Ask her to write a paper, with introduction and conclusion, on lined, 8x11, teal-colored paper.

2. A faux paint-splattered Trapper Keeper is also helpful but not required.

This will do...I guess...

3. Suggest topics such as "The Beginnings of Hip Hop",  "Who WAS the Boss:  A Look at Historic Sitcoms", or "Effectiveness of Ad Campaigns in the 1980s:  Did People REALLY Feel Like Chicken Tonight, Like Chicken Tonight?"

Finally, not sure your public school's Science Curriculum is up to snuff?  Simply Google episodes of "Mister Wizard".

Sigh...Nickelodeon, what happened to you?

There is no end to the possibilities.

I have not even broached the ways a Rubik's Cube has revolutionized our approach to Social Studies! 

No matter how you choose to school your children,

"Straight up, now tell me..." that you will Old School them.

The Doctrine of Sanctification and...Disney

I lead a Bible Study.  As you probably know if you've read my "Be The Revival" series.

Today, we studies the Doctrine of Sanctification.

A little heavy for a Ladies Bible Study, especially one geared toward people who have not been churched their whole lives, you say?

First of all..."Ladies"...does not have to mean "Light".  I'm so sick of pastel pink bibles with flowers on them and little commentaries next to verses that challenge us to apply said scripture to praying for our husbands while ironing.

We are ladies with brains...BRING IT!!!

(that editorial comment was for free...sorry...)

Secondly, I couldn't get around it.  We are studying the Names of God and one of them is "God Who Sanctifies", or Jehovah Mekaddishkem.

Sanctification is defined as that word that every Christian pretends like they understand and that all ministers say from the pulpit while daring people with their eyes to be the brave one to raise a hand and ask what the heck it actually means.

Sanctification is ALSO the process by which God makes US more like HIM.

This takes place in a 3-step process.

So...BY POPULAR DEMAND...namely, one lady who said I should post.

Yankee Peach boils the Doctrine of Sanctification down to the plot of Princess Diaries!!!!

1.  Positional (or Initial) Sanctification

This is Mia.  She lived a normal life.  Very rough around the edges.  She realizes that she is actually royalty.  That moment in your life when you are like, "Me?  Jesus died on the cross for ME???? Shut up!"  That Positional Sanctification!

You don't have to change anything about yourself to accept God's free gift of salvation.  You don't have to quit smoking.  You don't have to get un-gay.  You don't have to quit cussing swears.  You don't have to clean up your act.  You just believe it and accept it.  Let God take over.  TA-DAAAAA!  You are now transferred into God's family! Now, Mia could have decided to NOT act like a princess...it wouldn't change who she was.  That's why this step is called "Positional".  She may choose not to act like royalty, but it would not change her position.  That's Eternal Security and a talking point for another blog post and a different Disney Movie...maybe...Little Mermaid???

2.  Progressive Sanctification

Now that you've accepted that gift and become a part of God's family, heir to His immense resources and inheritance...its time to stop living beneath your status!  God begins grooming you into His likeness.  See?  Mia is still in her normal clothes, kind of half living her normal life, but she's cleaning up nice.  Let's say that guy in black is the Holy Spirit.  You inherit him, too, when you join God's family.  He's there, whispering in your ear, reminding you who you are, slowly...every so slowly...giving you the truths and tools you need to be like Christ.  Anytime the Bible mentions "walk" in the New Testament, its usually referring to this process.  And it IS a process.  You don't become a Christian and then are amazing overnight.  You don't even realize what's happening.  One day, a year from now, you'll look back and see how you've matured.

3.  Ultimate Sanctificaiton

But, one day!!!....

We WILL be truly holy.  When we are in heaven!  Our good things we do don't get us into heaven...that ticket was paid at the cross and realized the moment we accept it as our own.  But we slowly allow God to take over...the end goal being that perfection we will see only in heaven.

Sanctification.

Not a list of rules shoved in your face.

A change of desire over time.

Hope this helps:)

Be The Revival: And So It Begins...

I don't have a rule for this one.  Just a story.  I think you all need to read this and decide what the Be the Revival Rule should be.

Spoiler Alert:  It should have something to do with God pulling a fast one.

So, finally.  After years of struggling with God and myself, months and months of prayer, and further months of procrastination/preparation (Brenda and I could TOTALLY coin our own term of "prepastination"...we are horrible), the adventure truly begins!


Brenda, who was hosting the Bible Study because I am the lamest most miserable host ever, was apprehensive about actually sharing the gospel or speaking.

Understandable.

SO.  I came up with a brilliant plan.

Over 6 weeks, we would study John MacArthur's "12 Extraordinary Women", covering the 6 women that I felt best pointed people to Jesus and the gospel.

Week 5, I'd lay out the plan of salvation. I figured, by that time, I was not throwing my beliefs in anyone's face.  They had come for 5 straight weeks...they were interested.

That gave us Week 6 to follow up.

I was so smart and capable.  God was so lucky to have me on His team.

Also, with Brenda being more of the hostess....I was to be solely in charge of the teaching time.

Perfect!

Except....

I woke up in the middle of the night before the first Bible Study and I was sick as a dog.

Now, I tend to get sick when I am nervous...something I have had to power through during many future Bible Studies....but this was sick like I was on my death bed.

Bible Study started at 10:30am.  At 9am, I gave up hope.

"Brenda!", I said, when I called her, "I'm so sorry!  I am sick.  We need to postpone the Bible Study."

"Don't worry, I'll handle it!", she said.

Oh...that was nice of her to call everyone for me so that I can wallow in my misery.

Two hours later I get a call from Brenda to tell me how Bible Study went!!

She meant she would "handle" the Bible Study!

This was not part of EITHER of our brilliant plans.

And, it just got worse.

Apparently 6-7 ladies showed up.  Yay!!!!  600-700% growth from my last Bible study when no one came:)

One of those ladies was someone we were both super intimidated by. 

Sweet little Brenda went to battle all on her own...no notes...no prep time...and did a fantastic job.

Except that this One Lady kept challenging her on every turn.

Somehow...Brenda...who was not supposed to speak and REALLY not supposed to share the gospel...ends up sharing it anyways...at Week 1.

And, no, 7 women did not miraculously turn their lives over to Jesus that day.

In fact, the One Lady suddenly declares, "Wait a minute!  Is this one of those 'born again' Bible Studies??????  I'm sorry, I am NOT into this."

Poor Brenda.  Poor, poor Brenda.

God had decided to have His own plan.  Isn't that just like Him?

And, wonder of wonders, it was better.

This isn't just MY story...its Brenda's.  And this was her "Moment".

For me it was "NO ONE CAME!"

For her it was "I SHARED THE GOSPEL IN MY LIVING ROOM AND WAS HECKLED AND LIVED TO TELL ABOUT IT!"

God also used this time to change my approach.  You see, the One Lady did come back!  So did all the other ladies.  I feel like, as Christians, we spend so much time worrying about offending people.  Brenda and I went back and forth for weeks over if we should make this study "seeker sensitive" or just come out with what we wanted to tell them.  Meanwhile, God was chuckling at His two little girls and our plans.  I imagine Him rolling His eyes and saying, "Here, let me make this decision easier for you..."

I actually start off with the gospel now.  Or at least a "I'm not trying to trick you...my goal for you in the next six weeks is to walk in a deeper, closer walk with Jesus.  To some that may mean deepening your current relationship with Him, for some that may mean understanding for the first time that His death on the cross bought your freedom, if you will only believe..." something like that.

It showed me that no one wants to be manipulated.  It showed me that I can't see past the nose on my face, let alone six weeks into the future.  Each week, we approach the lesson with the passion and intensity of Week Five, because who knows if those same people will be there by Week Five.

It also taught us to lighten up.

Once you get going on adventures with God and things like this happen, you have to just laugh.

Ultimately, God was probably trying to remind us that this is HIS Bible Study.  We show up week after week and are astounded at what He has planned.

God had no intention of Week One being silly ice-breakers and light conversation to ease us into it.  It didn't MATTER what we thought.  Now, I debate less as I prepare, and pray and ask God's advice much more.  I always do the prep work, but 9 times out of 10 I leave Brenda's house blown away by the direction God chose to take the study once we got there.  I fret...because I am a fretter...but there is also a strong reassurance that God has got this every time I knock on Brenda's door to begin a new lesson.

Weeks 2-6, God humbled me and taught me even more that I was not the instigator of this Bible Study.  I was simply riding a wave that He set in motion.  But more on that later.  I'm to the point where I need to track down ladies and get their permission before I share their stories with you.

For now...what's the lesson?  You may not feel called to start a Bible Study, but you ARE called to Be The Revival.   What "Rule" can you apply to your own life based on Brenda's Moment?

God will not prompt you to action without also preparing your way.  You don't have to have all the answers or a  brilliant plan.  You just need to be willing!   I would never challenge you to get out there and be great!  Brenda did not feel "great".  In fact, the entire goal of this series is to show you how NOT GREAT we are.  But I do challenge you to get out there and be willing to let God use you however the heck He sees fit.

Oh shoot...is that the new Rule?

Be The Revival: Adjust Your Vision

The next rule for Being the Revival:

5.  Adjust Your Vision

I am a scaredy cat.  I was always the kid who had to be coaxed down the water slide, encouraged to meet Santa (he still scares me), cajoled into trying new foods.  To list more would mean breaking out my Thesauras to find more words that mean "coaxed"....and that thought terrifies me.

But, in the Christian walk, God does not take "I'm too scared" as an answer.

You see, I was totally ready to do great things for God....once I wasn't so scared.

I kept waiting and waiting for the fear to go away.

I though, any minute, after I reached a threshold of memory verses or clocked in a magical, heavenly number of hours reading my Bible, suddenly the Holy Spirit would blow over me like a mighty wind and I'd become a Moses or an Abraham.

(Side note...also wimps...look it up...)

Then, while researching how the heck to start a neighborhood Bible Study, I stumbled upon a woman's blog post.  I wish I could link to it but I can't find it anywhere.

She said, "The fear never goes away."

Oh.

This was a fairly freeing feeling...knowing that people I emulated were scared, too.  Somehow, they did not allow fear to rule their day.  Okay, I can try that.

With THAT in mind, Brenda (aka, "Melissa"...I had changed her name but she said it was cool) and I started meeting.

We'd meet and pray and then start talking.  We'd share our hearts.  We'd strategize.  We'd pour over Bible Studies.  We'd make lists of people we wanted to invite.

But we neeeeeever quite got to the point where we'd set a date.

Next meeting..."Hey!  Lets NOT set a date!"  Christmas was coming up.  Why didn't we plan a neighborhood Christmas Party and use THAT as our jumping off point to then LATER do a Bible Study!

After spending weeks planning this party and flipping through Oriental Trading Company magazines, circling an appropriately balanced mix of Santa stickers and Baby Jesus balloons, it dawned on us...like, AS we were dog-earing a page with "Luke 2" bookmarks on it...that we were stalling.

I remember it very clearly.  That day, sitting at Brenda's kitchen table, holding hands, and praying.

We told God we were too scared.

We accepted the fact that we were fearful.


Trying to rise above on our own and embrace fear as if we were those insane bungee jumper people just wasn't working.

You know what scared me?  It was a vision.  A vision of Brenda and I standing at our very social, very close-knit bus stop waiting with about 8 other moms for our kids.  They'd all been invited to our Bible Study and were ALL huddled together talking about how Sara and Brenda somehow turned into Crazy Christians...and did you know they were those fundamental looney types?...and I bet they go door-to-door...do NOT answer the door if they try to say they need to borrow a cup of sugar!

We'd pray and plan and list people...but those names on a page morphed into real people who I KNEW and who did not live a lifestyle that seemed conducive to accepting a Bible Study invite.

God, because He truly is "rich in mercy" (Psalm 103:8, Ephesians 2:4), slowly began to adjust our vision.

I guess that's another "Rule"...or at least something to keep in mind.  You are God's child!  You are going to mess up!  This isn't just about Being the Revival and doing great things...its about growing and maturing and learning.  And you have the BEST most patient and loving Teacher.

Suddenly that old hymn "Be Thou My Vision" made sense.

My "vision" was messed up.  Like Peter...

Matthew 14:22-33
²² Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. ²³ After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone, ²⁴ and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.
²⁵ Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. ²⁶ When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.
²⁷ But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”
²⁸ “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”
²⁹ “Come,” he said.
Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. ³⁰ But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”
³¹ Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”
³² And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. ³³ Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

God was so proud of His two little girls, I just know it.  He saw us amidst our pile of Oriental Trading Company magazines and our most earnest circlings of "Merry Christmas" bubbles, crying crocodile tears in our fear.  

He knew we saw the wind and the waves licking at our feet.  BUT...at least we tried to get out of the boat.  And truly, we were crying, "Lord, save me!"

If I were God, I would've deemed those two wimpy girls as hopeless and moved on to someone else.

But, He took our eyes, and directed them back to Himself.

Our great great God.

The God who controls the wind and the waves.

The God that David saw as he looked straight into a Goliath's face and said:
 
“You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. ⁴⁶ This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. ⁴⁷ All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.”

Now, it is a deep personal conviction of mine to not vow to cut off people's heads or declare that I will feed their carcasses to the animals.  I find that abrasive in a Post-Modern culture...and illegal.  But, how do you explain a little pubescent kid standing before a Giant without a thought for his own safety?   

A Powerful God was more of a reality to David than A Scary Giant. 

The more I understood who this God was, the more I could trust the results of my Bible Study to Him.

Brenda and I just kept adjusting our vision.  Over and over.  

And, you know what?  I haven't arrived.  I love this Bible Study.  I can't even call it "my" Bible Study because it is just so stinking obvious that God has handled every detail of it.  But, as much as I love it...this will be my fourth study...and I still cry in the shower each Thursday before I go to lead it.

I admit it.  I panic that, after all I've done to prepare, that I don't have anything to actually say.  Every week. But God, who is STILL rich in mercy, just keeps adjusting my vision.


So, just be honest with God.  Tell Him you want to get out of the boat.  Tell Him you are fearful.  Admit it!  I tell you...THAT is right where you should be.   If you walk in to a situation cocky and flaunting your seminary degree and your righteous behavior...psh...God will cut you down to size in seconds.  Trust me.  He wants you humble.  He uses helpless.

And He sees your tears and your fears and is SO proud of you for asking.

What are you afraid of?  List those fears that hold you back.  Then list what you know to be true about God next to it. Trust me...it will be a much bigger list.  Then say those truths back to yourself.

"You are Ancient of Days....none of this surprises you, you've seen it before.  You are a Mighty King...you've won the battle already, how can I fail!  You are Conqueror...if God is for me, who can be against me?"

Be The Revival: "Just" Pray

Do you want to witness mass confusion really badly?

Get a group of Christians together and ask them how prayer works.

I have heard it all.

"Its for us, not for God."

"Scripture says if we beg God enough, He'll listen to us."

"Well...okay...its like...um.  Like, God is going to do what He wants but prayer is how we become part of His great plan.  If we pray toward something, and that thing happens, we get to share in the blessing of it."

"God is all powerful...but He changes His mind...if...we...um, pray?  Is that right?  That doesn't seem right."

"Prayer is like the fuel that makes angels do God's bidding."

I am by no means knocking these responses.  Fuel for angels...I don't know about that one...but the rest seem logical...the begging thing is even Biblical (Luke 18:1-8), and, well, bless the Fuel for Angels people's hearts for trying!

I have to be honest with you.  I have no idea how prayer works.  But I know it does.

And its essential if I want to Be The Revival.

Confession:  I'm bad about praying.  I'm a doer.  I'm a solver.  I am not a pray-er.

Just look at my first attempt at a Bible Study.(this link isn't posting, go here: http://theyankeepeach.blogspot.com/2013/01/be-revival-appointed.html)

I just did it.  And no one showed up.  Now, turns out it was a good thing I still did it!  But I believe God allowed me to play to my weakness to eventually reveal His strength.

Confession:  There is a little more to that very first Bible Study than just "No One Came"  I wanted you to see to what depth God was working by fast-forwarding to my neighbor's phone call.

But, if you notice, I stopped the narrative at 10:30am on that fateful Friday.

10:30am...I had waited 30 minutes for someone to come.  Truly, no one came.

10:31am...I got a knock on my door.

It was another neighbor...a believer, down the street named Mary, that I had met before.

I have to admit, I was super disappointed.  "Great!", I thought, "Another Christian.  I was trying to reach seeking people, this lady is a waste of my time!"  (I'm so nice)

Mary was checking in to see how my Bible Study was going, having received a flyer but also having a commitment that day.

Mary sat down and I told her about my heart to reach my friends.  She told me that she struggled with the same thing.

We talked and talked and talked.  We talked about how Great our God is.  We wondered why we were so scared.  We started wondering what God could do through us.

Then...we did something I hadn't really done alot of...we prayed.

Oh did we pray.  Mary is a prayer.  We wept and plead with the Lord.  We confessed things.  We lifted each other up.  We worshiped.

We decided to meet again the next Friday..."just" to pray.

Why do we always say that?  Why do we always say, "All I can do is pray!" as if, by praying, we've thrown our hands up in the air in total and utter defeat?

Why does prayer feel like a gesture of helplessness?

Well, at the time, it did feel that way.  I'd tried the Bible Study thing.  I'd done something bold and beautiful and failed.

Might as well try praying...

Mary and I met the next Friday.  I don't know when it happened, but our conversations started changing.

The more we prayed, the less helpless we felt and the more strategic we became.

What was once, "God help us!  We don't know what to do!"

Was now, "You know what, God?  Isn't it interesting that (insert neighbor's name) just asked Mary to pray for her after years of turning a cold shoulder to any talk of faith?  Interesting..."

Names came to mind, people were specifically mentioned before the throne of God.

We began "noticing things".

A couple tragic things happened on our quiet little street that suddenly brought the concept of eternity right to the forefront.  We did not rejoice in these tragedies, but weeks and months later we noticed that they occurred and realized that we'd had some very honest conversations with neighbors.

I noticed that, instead of just trying to share the gospel quick...like taking off a band-aid...to say I'd done it, I was actually forging deep friendship and relationships built on trust.

Sometimes, I over-strategized.  Sometimes, I could not stop talking to Mary about how overwhelmed I felt and helpless I felt to reach so many people.

"Calm down!", Mary would say.  "Let God work.  Just be patient."

I did feel so helpless.  I felt like I was "just" praying.  In my mind people that "just" prayed for their neighbors instead of DOING something were being wimps.

But that's where I was wrong.  Prayer IS something.  Prayer is EVERYTHING.  Prayer is the artillery barrage before you send in the ground troops.  (Me being the ground troops)

Every Friday.  We prayed.

Then, 7 months later, I get the call from Melissa, who was interested in attempting the Bible Study again.

Its interesting to me that, about the time Melissa called, Mary started fading out of the picture.  She often had migraines.  It wasn't her fault.  And she is still a vibrant prayer warrior.  But, God phased out our season of prayer as I began my journey toward action.  Mary passed the baton to Melissa, so to speak.

"How does prayer work?"

I could not explain to you in theological terms how prayer works.  But I can tell you this.  Planning this second Bible Study was an entirely different ball game.

It felt like God had literally prepared the way for us.  He had actually "gone before us". As real as I see the street in front of my house, I could see God raising up individuals out of the woodwork.  It was effortless.

I am trying to parse out a thousand layers of my life into blog posts...its very difficult.  There is more.  More from Melissa, more about our Bible Study.

But for now, your new Be the Revival rule is this:

4.  You Never "Just" Pray

My friend just posted this quote today on his Facebook page:

"Prayer does not fit us for the greater work; prayer is the greater work." Oswald Chambers.

You want to Be the Revival.  But you are too scared.  You just had a baby.  You just moved.  You aren't sure if you are supposed to start a Bible Study or just plain old talk to your friends.  You aren't sure WHO to talk to or what to say.

Pray.

Its your first bit of practical wisdom from the Be The Revival series.  Pray.

Pray passionately.

Pray consistently.

Pray strategically.

Pray persistently.  

I mentioned Luke 18...the parable about the persistent widow...I love how it starts:

"Then Jesus told them a parable to show them that they should always pray and not...lose...heart."


Here are some other things I prayed...often personalizing these prayers to read as if they were for me (ie, "Help me to be wise in the way I act, making the most of every opportunity")

Colossians 4:3-6
³ And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. ⁴ Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. ⁵ Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. ⁶ Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.

Psalm 20:7
 ⁷ Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
    but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. (for when I felt overwhelmed or scared)

1 Corinthians 2: 4,5
⁴ My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, ⁵ so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power.

 There are so many more.  As I think of them, I'll post.

Pray these verses.  Mention your friends to the Lord.  What a cool thing, to know that you can bring your friend or family member up before the very throne of God!

So the next time someone asks "How does prayer work?"

Be ready with your own story.

I can't wait to hear it!