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Published on January 19, 2022 21:00

January 5, 2022

From Glory to Glory: The Trans[Formative] Power of Worship

Worship transforms us. We all worship something, and we inevitably become like the object of our worship. Psychologist Jordan B Peterson has recognized that the “instinct” to worship is part of the natural injunction to imitate that which we find most valuable. That which we judge to be most beautiful, virtuous, worthwhile and glorious becomes the thing to which we give our allegiance, our affection, our adoration and our attention. And rightfully so, as long as our judgment is correct and our worship is pointed towards that which is truly worthy of it.

When I say “worship” here, I’m obviously not just speaking about the singing portion of a church service, which is the activity that most evangelicals would associate with that word. Worship in a broad sense is a lifestyle or a “way of life” — a life oriented around the object of worship. The term worship is used more specifically, biblically and culturally, to describe gathered times of religious activity. In modern Christianity, we have more narrowly defined “worship” as the musical portion of our church gatherings (rather than the entire church service). This is actually not a bad thing, although the more appropriate biblical term for this musical activity would be “praise.”

One of the points I make in my book David’s Tabernacle: How God’s Presence Changes Everything is that corporate praise and worship is transformative. David’s model of worship was a “new covenant” model of worship that was ahead of its time. It was based on the heavenly liturgy that we see in Revelation 4-5, and when communities embrace “Davidic worship” (which is what Christian communities should do) they begin to experience a greater manifestation of heaven on earth. This idea is summed up in the phrase from David in Psalm 22:3 that God “inhabits” or is “enthroned” in the praises of His people. When we praise God, He manifests His presence. And God’s presence changes everything.

The New Testament promises that as we “behold” Jesus (presumably through worship and prayer) that we will be transformed “from glory to glory” into the image of Jesus (2 Corinthians 3:18). We can be assured that time in the presence of Jesus makes us more like Jesus. But how exactly does this work? And how long does it take?

Throughout my journey of life and ministry, I’ve become increasingly convinced of the power of God’s presence to change lives, cities and nations. However, I’ve noticed various paces at which that transformation happens. Sometimes transformation is fast and sometimes it’s slow. I was not able to articulate these two processes or speeds of transformation in my book, but I’d like to begin to tease them out here.

Miracles and Transformation

Sometimes, as God manifests His presence among His people, there is quick and notable transformation and breakthrough. Someone puts their faith in Christ. A body is instantaneously healed. Someone is baptized in the Holy Spirit and starts speaking in tongues. A relationship is reconciled. A depressed person finds joy and is free from that moment on. An addiction is broken. Scars disappear. I have seen many miracles like these happen over the years, and I rejoice! I spent much of my book emphasizing these radical and quick breakthroughs that happen as a result of praise, worship and prayer.

However, sometimes the process is much slower. I’ve been to hundreds of worship gatherings and prayer meetings where there was no dramatic story or testimony. I’ve prayed many, many times for healing and it didn’t come. Where is God doing in those moments?

I believe God’s presence changes everything, but that sometimes it happens slowly.

I believe God’s presence changes everything, but that sometimes it happens slowly.

Those who find themselves in the charismatic stream of Christianity love to push for the miracles, instantaneous healings, radical testimonies and breakthrough TODAY. We are “kingdom now” people. Me too! God can change everything in one moment in His presence. I long for more of these moments, and I will keep pursuing them in my life and ministry.

But the danger in only seeking the quick breakthrough is that we can sometimes miss the slow breakthrough God wants to bring through the process of formation. If we don’t realize that sometimes God changes us more slowly than we want, then we may become disillusioned. We may begin to believe the lie that God’s presence doesn’t change everything. If we sing and sing, and we’re still sick, does God’s presence change everything? If we pray and pray, but our loved one is still far from Jesus, does prayer really work? If I go to church every week, or go sit in a prayer room, and nothing seems to happen, am I wasting my time?

The answer is no. It’s not a waste. Prayer does work. And God’s presence does change everything. But sometimes it takes time.

Slow, Formative Worship

In the title of this article I put brackets around the word “formative” inside the word “transformative.” I want to use these two words to help make my point.

I will use “transformative” to describe the quicker, more dramatic stories of change like I described earlier. I will use the word “formative” to describe a slower process of change that occurs as we’re faithful in worship, prayer and serving God over the course of time. I’ve spent a lot of time in my book and other places championing the “transformative” power of worship, so I want to focus the rest of this article on the “formative” power of worship. My hope is that this will encourage you to stay steady in the place of God’s presence — in corporate worship and prayer — even when it seems like nothing is happening. We don’t want to give up the pursuit of the quick moments of transformation, but we also want to sign up for the lifelong journey of slow formation into the image of Christ.

We must think of our times of worship not just as an opportunity for ecstatic encounter but a place of spiritual formation. Glenn Packiam, a pastor at New Life Church in Colorado, has been steeped in charismatic Christianity, but is recognizing the formative power of worship. Here’s a quote from his book Discover the Mystery of Faith: How Worship Shapes Believing.

“If you’re anything like me, you’ve spent most of your life thinking of prayer and worship as an expression of the faith that is in our hearts. There is certainly something true about that. Our prayers and our worship do, indeed, reflect the faith in our hearts. It is an overflow of it. But in another sense—perhaps a larger sense—prayer and worship form our faith. Worship doesn’t just reflect our faith; it is what shapes our faith.”

Glenn Packiam

We charismatics can glean much from our brothers and sisters in liturgical churches about the value of formation. The idea that worship (what they would call “liturgy”) forms us and shapes us is at the core of why they put such emphasis on the liturgy. They recognize that the details of what we do when the Church gathers together has a profound impact on the soul of the worshiper. By the way, charismatics and evangelicals have their own “liturgy”, even if they don’t use that word. Every local church has their own order of service, traditions, cultures, tendencies, musical styles, decor, etc. Each element of our times of corporate worship affects us, whether we call it “liturgy” or not.

This idea that God is present in liturgy has been a part of Christianity from the beginning. Here’s one of the early church fathers:

“Following His Ascension, the Lord sits with his Heavenly Father in the heavens and at the same time, He is present with the faithful Christians in the Divine Liturgy… His Presence fills the earth… and the heavens! Thus, together with Christ, the Christian who is in the Church and communes is at the same time on earth and in heaven.”

St. John Chrysostom (c. 347-407 AD)

A number of charismatic leaders are beginning to embrace this reality and recognize the need for adopting some practices of “liturgical” churches without forsaking the biblical charismatic practices such as the gifts of the Spirit and passionate singing. Pastor and theologian Andrew Wilson has called for “Eucharismatic Worship” where we view worship as both a place of supernatural encounter and a place of formation around liturgical practices such as the eucharist (communion or the Lord’s supper).

Whether we feel it or not, things are happening as we worship. When we sing, pray, hear a sermon, take communion, lay hands on one another, share a prophetic word, recite a creed… God is manifesting His presence and forming us. We are being fed, impacted and shaped — little by little, from glory to glory — to be more like Jesus.

Over the years, I have noticed a clear trend from those who have been involved in our parachurch ministries. Those who were rooted in solid, biblical, spirit-filled churches were far more likely to stay true to Christ. We had many people get involved in our prayer rooms and Burn events over the years who would not commit to a local church (despite our encouragement). Most of them who were churchless have now turned away from Christianity completely. Whether we realize it or not, our involvement in local church and regular (even “boring”) worship is helping us. I once heard Rick Joyner say that he only remembered a few meals that he had eaten over the years, but that each meal had been a part of keeping him alive. He said reading the Bible was the same way. We may only have a few memorable and dramatic encounters with God, and that is ok. We may not have a profound revelation or a supernatural encounter every time we read the Bible, pray, or gather for worship, but each one of these activities is “feeding” our souls and sustaining our spiritual lives. We have to stay steady.

A quick side note to leaders. If this is true — if worship shapes our beliefs and lives — then pastors, ministry leaders and worship leaders should probably give even more care and attention to their “liturgy.” Our church gatherings, facilities, order of service and worship times should be biblical (while gleaning from historic Christianity) so that we are formed biblically. It’s natural for our culture to impact our expression of worship. For example, we preach and sing in our culture’s language, dress in a culturally relevant way and use musical styles that are present in our culture. However, we want to make sure the “liturgy” that’s forming us is a biblical worship expressing itself through our culture , not just an expression of the secular culture’s values labeled as “worship”. The Church should provide counter-culture liturgies with “otherworldly” values and activities. Church isn’t just a place to come hear the information of the Gospel, it is a place for people to encounter God and be transformed in His presence by His word and His Spirit.

The Liturgy of Houses of Prayer

Thankfully, I have experienced a value for long-term formation in the house of prayer movement. While some in the charismatic world focus impatiently on the need to always get an immediate breakthrough (fueled by unbiblical prosperity teaching), I’ve found that those from places like IHOP-KC have carried a high value for the slow transformation that occurs through regular, biblical (dare I say, liturgical?) worship & prayer. I’ve heard Mike Bickle, the founder of IHOP-KC, say that we should judge the impact of our intercession by decades. Pray for ten years, then look back and see if it seems to be making a difference. It reminds me of Jonathan Edwards’ call to prayer, which encouraged leaders to gather in corporate prayer for seven years before evaluating if they should keep going. This is an entirely different approach to pursuing transformation than urging people to come down to the altar to get your “breakthrough” (and then many times they go home unchanged). Again, God can change people profoundly in a moment, but those moments don’t usually happen every week.

Those familiar with IHOP-KC have probably heard of the “Harp & Bowl” model used in their 24/7 prayer room. It focuses on singing and praying through Scripture. Without a doubt, Harp & Bowl is a valuable and effective “liturgy” of the prayer movement. And the liturgy of Harp & Bowl gives intercessors and worshipers (especially the staff who are sitting in the prayer room for hours each day) a way to stay engaged in prayer, worship and Scripture, even when they don’t feel inspired.

Christian Philosopher James K A Smith has also argued extensively that our liturgy forms and shapes us. In his book You Are What You Love (pg.83-84) he says:

“[God] invites us into a different embodied liturgy that not only is suffused by the biblical story but also, via those practices, inscribes the story into our hearts as erotic calibration, bending the needle of our loves towards Christ, our magnetic north. The Scriptures seep into us in a unique way in the intentional, communal rituals of worship… the Word is caught more than taught.”

James K A Smith

This is actually a great description of what I have seen happen in prayer rooms that pray and sing the Bible (such as those that use Harp & Bowl). God’s word “seeps” into those who sing it and pray it. We “catch” the truth of God’s word, not just in our minds but in our hearts. Scripture goes from giving information to causing trans[formation]. From my perspective, some of the most humble, anointed and biblical preachers and teachers of recent years have been those who have come out of houses of prayer after spending years or decades doing the “liturgy” of Harp & Bowl in hiddenness before God. It seems to me that the liturgy is working successfully to “form” and “shape” some of the most godly messengers in this generation.

One of those teachers is Samuel Whitefield, a teacher at IHOP’s University, wrote a book called “Discipleship Begins with Beholding”, which argues that “Discipleship begins with the people of God corporately beholding the glory of God in the face of Jesus.” The primary Scripture he builds from is 2 Corinthians 3:18, which I mentioned earlier. It promises transformation “from glory to “glory” as we gaze upon Christ. The term “discipleship” is helpful in this conversation, because it implies a process. It sets an expectation that our transformation and breakthrough will be connected to a slow, deliberate, and life-long pursuit of Jesus.

God’s presence changes everything. Whether it be a quick transformation or the slow process of formation, we become what we behold. And because our transformation is connected to our beholding of Jesus, the ultimate breakthrough and transformation will come when Christ returns. Paul says that “now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. “ (I Corinthians 13:12). John promises that “when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.” (I John 3:2). Because we see “dimly”, our trans[formation] tends to be slow. By God’s grace, we can sometimes experience miracles and instantaneous manifestations of God’s kingdom in our lives. But we also know that there is a sense in which the kingdom of God is yet to come. Until Jesus returns, we are only experiencing a “foretaste of glory divine.” And when Christ comes again, we will finally go from glory to ultimate glory.

The post From Glory to Glory: The Trans[Formative] Power of Worship appeared first on Matthew Lilley.

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Published on January 05, 2022 21:00

December 15, 2021

God’s Relational Presence: The Megatheme of Scripture

“The presence of God is the central fact of Christianity. At the heart of the Christian message is God Himself waiting for His redeemed children to push into conscious awareness of His presence. ”

– AW Tozer (The Pursuit of God. pg 35)

The Bible is a unique collection of 66 books with at least 40 different human authors that were written over the course of 1500 years. This diverse set of writings is compiled for a reason. There must be a primary theme and cohesive narrative throughout the Christian Scriptures. Yet how do we define the center of biblical teaching?

What Exactly Changes Everything?

Some scholars and theologians are beginning to embrace the idea that the “relational presence of God” could be the thread that ties every book of the Bible together into a cohesive whole. J. Scott Duvall and J. Daniel Hays argue for this idea comprehensively in God’s Relational Presence: The Cohesive Center of Biblical Theology. The pair of scholars have partnered together — each bringing their individual academic specialties to the table — to walk the reader through both the Old Testament (Hays) and New Testament (Duvall). The authors’ main thesis is that ‘the relational presence of God is the “cohesive center” of biblical theology’ (pg. 5). In their conclusion they restate their claim:

“..the Triune God desires a personal relationship with His people and so makes his presence known to establish and cultivate this relationship. In other words, this relational presence of God lies at the heart of the Bible’s overall message, at the heart of biblical theology.”

(pg. 325)

In my book David’s Tabernacle I proposed that God’s presence changes everything. While I was not arguing academically, I did make my case from Scripture and my own experience to demonstrate the power of God’s presence through worship & prayer to bring heaven to earth and transform lives. God wants to dwell among, know and love His people in a tangible and personal way. This is at the heart of our existence and the redemptive narrative of history. God is restoring His presence to His creation, and it really does change everything. For some, my emphasis on the manifest presence of God could seem exaggerated. It changes everything? Really?

I’m not the first to be so bold. Amazon released a laughable ad this fall that claimed that “Prime changes everything.” Cyndi Lauper once sang that money changes everything. Awaken the Dawn, a ministry where I serve on staff, uses the phrase “Jesus Changes Everything.” Now that’s more like it. Various Christian movements, denominations and streams put differing biblical themes in the “center” of their paradigm for understanding and expressing Christianity. Duvall and Hays note that others have put forth “redemption, creation, the kingdom of God, covenant, God’s glory and the sovereignty of God” (pg. 4) as primary theological themes.

The Megatheme of the Bible

With so many claims as to what’s most important, even within Christianity, it may have been a bit audacious for me to claim in my book that God’s presence is the central theme in understanding God’s purposes. You can imagine my excitement when I discovered in God’s Relational Presence that a few Baptist theologians are making the same case through their extensive study of the whole canon of Scripture. They seem convinced that God’s presence, more than any other topic, is what the Bible is all about. They are also quick to point out that they are not the first ones to make this argument. 1

‘… the cohesive central megatheme of God’s relational presence connects all… other themes into the big overarching plot of the biblical story. In our view, most… other major biblical themes are actually “subplots” (so to speak), each of which is interconnected and related to the megastory of God’s relational presence.’

(pg. 5)

The authors spend most of the 300+ page book diving into Scripture, book-by-book, to trace the prominence of God’s presence in nearly every chapter. This is a thorough, academic book. I made my way through it, but it is not light reading. However, the scope of their findings is quite overwhelming. Once you begin to see the pervasiveness of God’s relational presence in Scripture, you start to understand God’s heart to be among and know His people. You begin to interpret the myriad of biblical stories, prophecies and songs within the overarching narrative of God’s desire to be in a relationship of covenant love with us.

‘…God’s relational presence offers the ultimate reason for creation: the self-giving Triune God inviting his people to enjoy perfect community. Presence also lies at the heart of the covenant: “I will be your God; you will be my people; I will dwell in your midst.” The fall of humanity is best seen as a loss of presence. Presence incarnate in Jesus Christ and made real by the empowering Spirit makes possible the people of God as the new temple. Presence describes the end result of God’s kingdom: eternal communion with the King…. Presence supplies the goal of the Gospel: salvation, for fellowship, and for worship. Presence stands as the final chapter of God’s salvation story…. He will wipe away our tears and we will see his face… At the center of it all is God — the Triune God, who has created and redeemed and invited his people to enjoy his relational presence for eternity. That is what the Bible is all about. That is indeed the center of biblical theology.’
(pg. 336)

What is God’s Relational Presence?

One of my favorite contributions that this book makes is the simple but profound use of the phrase “God’s relational presence.” They say that God “makes his presence known to establish and cultivate…relationship.” (pg. 325)

I teach in my book that God is omnipresent but that His presence can manifest itself in specific places — most notably in the midst of His worshiping people. Some call this the “manifest presence” of God or the glory of God (pgs. 88-90 in David’s Tabernacle). This is a biblical way of thinking about God, but it can also be helpful to think about God’s presence relationally. Being “close” to God is less about proximity and more about intimacy.

Being “close” to God is less about proximity and more about intimacy.

We understand this principle when we speak about “drifting apart” from someone who used to be a close friend. We don’t mean that our physical body is now miles away from theirs. We mean that there has been a decrease in the familiarity of our relationship. Likewise, our “nearness” to an omnipresent God is primarily about the condition of our relationship to Him. If our love is strong, God seems near.

When the apostle James writes “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” (James 4:8), he’s not imagining the Holy Spirit zooming through space from the other side of our galaxy to come visit us as we worship and pray. His point is that as we open our hearts to the Lord, disclosing ourselves to Him, we will be able to experience more of God’s heart, presence and power in our lives as well. It’s primarily about an intimate relationship, not a specific locale.

One way the authors connect the ideas of presence and relationship is through a series of phrases that are repeated throughout Scripture. Paul quotes these phrases in 2 Corinthians 6:16:

“I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God, And they shall be My people.”

Here the ideas of God dwelling among His people and relating to His people in love come together as one expression. Knowing God is being with God. To love God is to experience His presence. These phrases used to describe God’s desire for relational presence (some version of “I will be their God; they shall by my people; I will dwell in their midst”) are found throughout the Bible — from God’s covenant with Israel at Sinai, to the Old Testament prophecies and throughout the New Testament writings.

While I think it’s appropriate and biblical to ask God to “come”, we must remember that our asking is an expression of our longing for depth and vibrancy in our relationship with the Lord, not a request for God to relocate. We can experience more of God — if we’re willing! And ultimately that ache for “more” of God’s presence will be fulfilled when Jesus himself returns to the earth in His second coming. God’s Relational Presence highlights this reality when they note Jesus’ “here but not yet” condition in His letters to the churches in Revelation 2-3 (pg. 312). In one sense, Jesus is near to the churches in what the authors call His sustaining presence. In another sense, Jesus claims to be “coming soon” (Rev 2:25, 3:11) in what the authors call His promised eschatological presence. We may be experiencing a measure of God’s presence now, but we long for more in this age and the age to come.

Worship: The Chicken or the Egg?

One area in which my teachings and God’s Relational Presence would slightly disagree is in how we recognize the role of praise in experiencing God’s presence. I teach in my book (quoting King David, CS Lewis and others) that praise causes us to experience more of God’s presence. The authors argue that praise is a result of God’s presence:

“We see glory (in the sense of praise) to be the result of glory (in the sense of presence). Presence precedes praise and makes it possible. Praise is the result of presence.” (pg. 329)

This may seem to contradict my position, but it may also be the chicken and the egg scenario. Which comes first?

I believe that praise and worship is a context in which God’s manifests His presence. I believe we should offer a “sacrifice of praise” to God, even if we don’t feel His presence, simply because He is worthy to receive it. And many times when we choose to praise God, we will then begin to sense the manifestation of His presence.

I certainly agree with the authors that God’s presence results in praise as well! This can become a scenario in which praise and presence are fueling one another. We praise and begin to experience more of God; then we praise God because we’ve experienced more of God.

Perhaps John Piper’s quote from Let The Nations Be Glad is helpful when he says that worship is both the fuel and the goal. In context, Piper is referring to global missions, but the principle applies more broadly. Praise and worship are both a means and an end. We sing in order to draw near to God, but we also sing as a response to God’s nearness. Praise fuels the manifestation of God’s presence and kingdom (which is what I spend most of my book talking about), but once we are experiencing God’s presence and kingdom, what do we do? We worship, of course!

I imagine that the authors may agree with me on this point, although their emphasis in the book is on praise as a response to God’s presence, rather than a catalyst for it.

In conclusion, I’m thankful for theology books like God’s Relational Presence that undergird the prayer movement and presence-centered ministries with a theological foundation. After reading it, I’m more convinced than ever that God’s relational presence changes everything.

1 They point to The Elusive Presence by Samuel Terrien, writings by Old Testament scholars R.E. Clements and Tremper Longman, G.K Beale’s work such as The Temple and the Church’s Mission, and Ryan Lister’s The Presence of God.

P.S. Be sure to follow the Presence Pioneers podcast where I will talk about this same topic on an episode in the near future.

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Published on December 15, 2021 06:24

October 8, 2021

Special Podcast Update: Fall 2021

Matthew Lilley shares a special update on why we will be pausing new podcast episode releases until December.

Until we return, you can check out our 90+ episode archive here: https://www.presencepioneers.org/presence-pioneers-podcast/

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Published on October 08, 2021 10:53

September 23, 2021

Don Rayno on Citywide Prayer & Unity Movements

In this episode, Matthew chats with Don Rayno, director of Raleigh-Area Concerts of Prayer. They’ve been bringing hundreds of people together for years to pray, and Matthew refers to him as a “hidden gem” of the prayer movement.

Don started out as a nuclear chemist, for about 20 years. The term “concerts of prayer” actually comes from Jonathan Edwards in the 1700’s, when he and another pastor wanted to bring people together for prayer across denominational lines. Don and a friend from work started the Raleigh Concerts of Prayer group, with about 30 people in 1984! Don laughs that they went through “prayer movement growth” from 30 to 3. He was encouraged by a Jonathan Edwards book that said to keep praying regularly for 7 years and then see if God wants you to keep going, so he determined in his heart to power through.

After a couple years, they reached out to local pastors and got 12-15 to join in, and by the time they did another big rally, there were 35 pastors and 1,000 people in attendance! However, one of his mentors told him after the event he needed to do more to get the pastors unified and praying. He put together a one day camp for local pastors to come together, share struggles, and encourage each other. That has continued every year except 2020!

At this point Matthew points out Don’s faithfulness in the small things. As Matthew puts it, before you bring an entire city together to pray, you might have to bring together just a handful of people for a long time!

In 1996, Don’s friends in Concerts of Prayer asked him about doing this full time and quitting his job. He and his wife talked about it and weren’t sure. They were doing more and more prayer events, like traveling around in a bus with local pastors and a police officer to stop and pray over places that needed it the most. Then, Don got his answer – he came home smiling one evening and informed his wife he’d been laid off! This allowed them to really jump in with both feet.

Since then, the focus has been not just building prayer meetings but building prayer in the local churches. They have their big rallies in the fall, but it’s never promoted on social media – every church has a coordinator and brings people from their church. This has also led to a great mix of different types of people and churches, across racial and socio-economic lines. They now have about 120 churches involved just in the Raleigh area!

What about the challenges? Don says keeping the differences lower on the agenda than just being “saturated with Jesus” is the way to get around that. He also says that he saw some people early on get discouraged and leave the prayer movement, and then miss out on the growth and excitement.

In the last 5-8 years, Don’s biggest encouragement is seeing guys in their 20’s and 30’s, like him with he started, picking up the baton and leaning into prayer and unity. He says it won’t look exactly like it has looked for the last 30 years, but that’s okay. To those young people, he says : find a mentor, and prepare to be tested. You’ll have to transition through the stages of your life while keeping your commitment to this ministry. God will use all the enthusiasm, but He will also build patience in you.

To end, Don says he always thought revival was coming in his generation, but now gets the sense that they were building to prepare for this upcoming generation, so that revival could finally come. He believes there is a lot to look forward to!

Key Scripture: Zechariah 8:20-22

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Published on September 23, 2021 04:03

September 20, 2021

Why Christians Get Deceived and Divided

When only 20% of those in the US have read their whole Bible, it’s no surprise that we are easily deceived by crafty politicians, manipulative media pundits and smooth-talking YouTubers who do not carry the heart of God.

If we don’t know Gods word, then we have no ability to discern that which sounds good from that which is truly biblical. We are left gullible and easily manipulated by the latest conspiracy theory going viral on social media or propaganda being promoted by government bureaucrats.

We need to be sensitized by Scripture and the Holy Spirit so that we can sniff out the lies, deception, manipulation and misinformation that is rampant in our culture. Immersing ourselves in the Bible helps us to recognize the “tone” of God’s voice, and when people speak something in a different tone, it is obvious to a Scripture-saturated believer.

So much of our infighting as Christians is fueled by spending more time absorbing media than the word of God. I have been guilty of this too. So rather than uniting around biblical truths and values, we find ourselves bickering over the latest partisan issue that is presented to us on the news. In fact, many times we Christians end up aligning with completely unbiblical ideas and attitudes because they are being promoted by our political “side.” At times, we don’t even realize we are in contradiction to God’s kingdom. Even when we are affirming truth, we may be doing so with impure motives or communicating in an ungodly way. The word of God helps us avoid these pitfalls.

What does God’s word actually have to say about what’s happening in our lives and the world around us? Have we taken the popular verses and read them in context? Have we done some word searches? Have we read commentaries on confusing passages? Are we regularly reading through the entire Bible to get a feel for the overarching themes and narrative? Are we praying, singing and meditating on verses the Holy Spirit highlights to us?

If we do these things, I believe we will be more prepared to discern unbiblical ideas and attitudes and to unite as the Church around the principles and truths of the kingdom of God as found in the Scripture.

International Prayer Connect Website Trey Kent episode Worthy of my All

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Published on September 20, 2021 08:36

September 16, 2021

Jason Hubbard on the Moravians’ 100-Year Prayer Meeting

In today’s episode, Matthew has a conversation with Dr. Jason Hubbard, director of the International Prayer Connect.

When Jason began his career as a pastor, he says they had good teaching, but no prayer or discipleship. The Lord confronted him in prayer one day and asked, “Do you think you can do this better than Me?” This led their leadership into establishing a prayer room at their church in 2007, and they saw growth by 1000 people in a year under “this canopy of prayer”, as he put it. They began drawing other churches in, and by 2009 there were 30 churches involved!

Now from his international position, with 25 leaders in 17 nations around the world, Matthew asks Jason – what do you see happening with prayer around the world? To start with, the nation they had teach others about prayer at their meeting was Indonesia! They have 100 prayer towers (equivalent of IHOP-KC) going 24-7, including a strong children’s prayer network. In 2017, the network saw a shift more towards praying for the unreached and the gospel movement. During Covid, Jason said there’s been more connection built between both prayer leaders and gospel-sharing leaders than ever before. He believes this is an historic moment for the world.

Moving to the story of the Moravians, Matthew asks Jason to go into the story and why it impacted him so much. To start with, Jason says Zinzendorf was a young leader. Even at university, he started prayer societies. Then at a museum, he saw a painting of Jesus on the cross and had an encounter that ended with him on his knees. This idea of Jesus as the Lamb was woven through much of his writing and the Moravians’ beliefs.

Fast forward to 200-300 people fleeing persecution and landing in Herenhut, nearby where Zinzendorf was from. In the early 1700’s, there was a lot of fighting and false teaching pervasive in culture and the church. Zinzendorf goes to these families and pleads with them to forgive those who persecuted them. This led to a “summer of revival”, and on August 13th they had an outpouring of the Holy Spirit often called the Moravian Pentecost. But what Jason points out is that the night before this outpouring, it was the children of the village crying out and travailing all night. He believes this children’s prayer movement is what brought down the revival.

So on August 13th, they are headed to church for a communion service – still so divided that they walk on different sides of the road from each other. Zinzendorf preaches again on the Cross and forgiveness, then does Communion. And, as Jason puts it, it started with repentance. That church is now called the Church of Reconciliation. A few weeks later, Zinzendorf preached on Revelation, and the idea that Heaven looks like 24-7 prayer, so he though it should be happening on earth too. He had people sign up for one hour to sing and then pray to cover every hour of every day.

This led to a huge missionary outpouring as well. As best as they can figure it, about 5,000 missionary settlements came out of this little village. They also started the idea of being missional in the marketplace.

Jason believes this is what we’re seeing today on a global scale. The prayer movement is exploding, but he believes that God is preparing the ground for the remaining harvest of souls through that. He also sees the Moravians reflected in the outpouring of spontaneous songs in the place of encounter now.

As a closing thought, Jason reflects on pastor Andrew Brunson, who was imprisoned in Turkey a few years ago. He says that after 11 months, when he was sentenced to 3 life sentences and there was no hope, he began to sing a song every day in solitary confinement. The title of the song is “You’re worthy of my all”, and Jason believes it’s a message we need to cling to.

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Published on September 16, 2021 04:30

September 9, 2021

My 12 Year Old Daughter Teaches The Lord’s Prayer

In this episode, Matthew goes over the lessons for how to pray in the Lord’s Prayer with his 12 year old, Shiloh.

This simple prayer outline is helpful for adults, children and families. It can be utilized if you have five minutes to pray or want to spend two hours in prayer. If you need some guidance on what to do in your prayer time or some fresh ideas for prayer, this episode will be a resource for you.

1. Praise – “Our Father in Heaven, Hallowed be Thy Name”

This is a space for coming into God’s presence with thanksgiving and praise.

2. Intercession – “Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done”

Intercession is praying for others first, before yourself.

3. Petition – “Give us this day our daily bread”

This is where you ask for what you need – in Jesus’ example, He has it 3rd in line, even though this is the only type of prayer a lot of people are aware of. It’s also not just about physical needs – more often we need some emotional or mental needs met, and He is able to do it!

4. Repentance – “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us”

This is where “if we confess our sins, He is faithful to forgive them”. This is also a good place to let go of offenses that have piled up!

5. Spiritual Warfare – “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil”

This is where you can take an active role in the spiritual battles happening in your life.

6. Praise (again!) – For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the Glory forever and ever”

This is a space to re-center your heart. it can be more prayers, or it can be music, or some other expression of praise between you and God.

Shiloh’s take-away advice is not to worry about exactly what you say – God’s happy you’re talking to Him! Matthew comments that He likes how Shiloh prays because it’s very natural, like talking to a friend, to which Shiloh says “Well, He is a friend.”

Key Scripture: Matthew 6:9-13

rayhughes.org 107 Things I Forgot Book

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Published on September 09, 2021 03:54

September 2, 2021

Ray Hughes on Creative Worship and Discipling Artists

In today’s episode, Matthew gets to interview Ray Hughes, worshiper and teacher for many decades. Ray has inspired many, including Matthew, who first heard of the Tabernacle of David from Ray.

To start off, Matthew asks Ray if King David was the first person ever to form a band,sort of as a joke – but of course Ray knows the answer- it was Samuel! He formed what was called a “band of prophets”, which would’ve been a group of musicians, walking in a straight line and worshiping into the atmosphere. David would definitely have been influenced by this set up!

Next, Matthew brings up Ray’s book, 107 Things I Forgot to Say the Last Time I Talked About Worship, Creativity, and Music. Ray’s first point in the book is “If we change the way the Church thinks about music and worship, we’ll change the way the World encounters God”. Matthew asks simply, why is that the case? Ray says we’ve learned everything we know about music from more Greek lineages, instead of Biblical ones. He believes there is a lot we’re missing about what David’s worship actually looked like. True biblical worship reveals truths about God.

One of the things Ray is known for is his pursuit of Creativity in worship – Matthew quotes this book again, number 34 – “You think you’re not creative, but you are. You may not be artistic, but you’re creative.” So what’s the difference? Ray puts it this way – Art is not decoration; art is exploration. He argues that we wrongly believe that perfectionism and excellence are the same thing – but they’re not! Everything God created, creates. It’s not about what you produce – it’s about walking through the process and being in partnership with the Creator.

When it comes to worship and the Church specifically, Matthew wonders if Ray has suggestions for bringing creativity into those environments. Ray says it’s about building a sense of community where there can be an authentic and humble atmosphere. As he puts it, we’re worshiping God, not tip-toeing through the tithers. It can be a challenge to pastor creative people, he admits, but it’s where the Church needs to go.If you see the manifest presence of God, Ray says, I challenge you to go away unchanged!

In Ray’s experience, in 50 years of being in church, Matthew asks what is happening now. He sees a lot of it moving in seasons, but warns that worship is NOT seasonal – it’s eternal. He sees a tendency to copy and paste cultural truths into our services and beliefs. He points out that the Church is typically 20 years behind the world in creativity, and we need to be more open to trusting the creativity in the Church to take that back. What he warns about happening is the casualness of modern Church, where we forget who God is, and downplay His Holiness and Majesty.

Last question – Matthew asks Ray what he’d say to himself 45 years ago as a young guy starting out in ministry. Ray says the main thing is that ministry is never about success – it’s about sacrifice. If you know that going in, you’ll face a lot less disappointment when a dream doesn’t come true. But, he says, dreams don’t have to come true to be valuable. God will use those dreams to give you hope and sustain you through the dark times. He says he seldom knows what’s next, but he knows it starts with him saying yes.

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Key Scripture: 1 Samuel 10:5

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Published on September 02, 2021 04:42

August 26, 2021

Dick Eastman on Prayer & Missions in the Nations

In today’s episode, Matthew interviews Dick Eastman, international president of Every Home for Christ.

Every Home for Christ actually started in the 1940’s in Canada as a radio show! At the time, people were more likely to be handed communist pamphlets than a piece of Christian literature, and this radio show host wanted to change that. Then, on a missions trip in Japan, the founder of Every Home noticed that for every one person they could engage, ten got past them. Seeking God for help, they were pointed to Acts, where the disciples preached the gospel in the temple courtyard and “from house to house” – and their ministry blueprint was set.

Matthew first asks Dick how we should be praying right now, looking at the crisis in Afghanistan. He says first of all, to actually pray! Just thinking about praying isn’t enough. He says that we need to pray for the protection of the Christians there, since they are a direct threat to the Taliban’s way of thinking. We should pray that God can take this curse and tun it into a blessing. He believes we are in a battle spiritually, and we need to show up and pray.

Next, Matthew asks Dick to share something encouraging from their ministry. Dick says openly that in April 2020, they had to really look at their ministry’s supplies and finances and wonder if they would even exist by the end of the year. Covid initially knocked down some of their supporters’ businesses, and made it hard to replenish printed supplies. But as time went on, they realized that while most officials we scared to travel and provide transportation, their staff and volunteers were ready to go. They were able to help in practical ways, like transporting medical staff, while also being allowed to share the gospel everywhere they went.

Going from there, Matthew says he’s curious to know more about the Prayer Corps that Dick started. In the 60’s, as the Jesus Movement was breaking out, Dick was a youth pastor in California. They were seeing growth, and seeing kids get saved, but he felt like there was something else they needed to do. He organized a prayer retreat up in the mountains for any of the youth that were interested. Only 22 signed up, but he went ahead anyway. It started normal and awkward, but God broke through and these 13-17 year olds got caught up in all night intercession! The Prayer Corps was born out of this youth group – the calling was to take a year between high school and college and sustain a year of night and day prayer. The Change the World School that came out of the Prayer Corps went on to touch future leaders like Mike Bickle and Lou Engle!

So looking ahead – Matthew asks “Where do we go from here?” Dick insists that we need to pray consistently, not just count on “crisis prayers”. He recalls a time in prayer where he felt burdened by all the things NOT happening in the world because people weren’t praying. He decided then he’d memorize all the nations of the world so he could pray for them every day – and he has. His encouragement to those in the prayer movement is to actually pray! And to those not in the prayer movement who have a heart for prayer, he encourages you to find like-minded people to join in with. He also suggests diving into books on prayer, to read the stories of those who have gone before, to “pour gasoline” on your fire.

Links from This Episode

Every Home for Christ

Key Scripture: Acts 5:42, Isaiah 62, Revelation 12