Beginning to prepare our hearts for the 24 hour prayer vigil

On Friday and Saturday of this coming week-end we will gather around the altars at NRN for our annual 24 hour Prayer Vigil.  Across the years we have witnessed a visitation from God for the answers of many prayers.  We have seen people anointed with oil and prayed for and God's healing grace administered. We have seen miracles take place.  This week will be a time of preparation to hear a call to prayer on Friday April 11th at 6:00pm and then prayers being raised to heaven for a 24 hour period of time as I plan to close the time in prayer with a heart felt AMEN at 5:59pm on Saturday April 12th. 

A personal goal that I carry as pastor is to see our church as a House of Prayer for 24 hours,  Be prepared for changed lives to give testimony to the working of God in our midst! Let us begin now to prepare our hearts for the 24 hour prayer vigil:

Reflections from my message today at NRN

Today was an awesome day at church today.  As we recited the Apostle's Creed I noticed "goose bumps" on my arms as I declared the proclamation of faith that has been recited generation after generation.  The time of worship was wonderful and I sensed the anointing of God upon my message as I began speaking the first words.   Here is a summary:

 

Series: ENCOUNTERS BY THE SEA

Part 4:  Experiencing Provision

Mark 6:30-44      Matthew 14:13-21; Luke 9:10-17; John 6:1-14

Intro:  Over the past 3 weeks we have been looking at incredible encounters by the Sea of Galilee.  Last week was truly amazing as we saw the miracle working power of Jesus as he healed an unclean woman and raised a 12 year old girl from the dead!  After this Jesus and the Disciples went around teaching from town to town. Then Jesus sent out the 12 to preach and minister.  It was an emotional and physically draining time (as ministry often is).  They received the news that the cousin of Jesus – John the Baptist was beheaded.  Recorded in all four gospels. In today’s passage Jesus provides an example of position and provision; expecting God to show up and do great things, and thinking big! God wants us to have the expectation that He will show up and provide.  

God’s Provision:

1. Comes in a place that is UNFAMILIAR

30 The apostles gathered around Jesus. They told him all they had done and taught. 31 But many people were coming and going. So they did not even have a chance to eat. Then Jesus said to his apostles, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place. You need to get some rest.” 32 So they went away by themselves in a boat to a quiet place. 33 But many people who saw them leaving recognized them. They ran from all the towns and got there ahead of them.

34 When Jesus came ashore, he saw a large crowd. He felt deep concern for them. They were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.                                                                                                                             Mark 6: 30-34

Genesis 22:14

The story begins with a strange command from God to Abraham, instructing him to offer his “son of promise,” Isaac, as a burnt offering. Early the next morning, Abraham packs wood and a knife, and he and Isaac travel to Moriah, the place God had specified. As they near the site, Isaac questions Abraham concerning the intended offering: “Where is the lamb?” With great faith and foresight, Abraham responds, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son” (Genesis 22:1-8). The New Testament tells us that Abraham believed God would raise Isaac from the dead (Hebrews 11:19).

Upon reaching the place God had chosen, Abraham demonstrates his faith and obedience by building an altar, binding Isaac, and placing him on the wood. Before Abraham can finish the offering, the Angel of the Lord calls to him from heaven, and Isaac’s life is spared. Then, “Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son” (Genesis 22:13). Abraham names the place “Jehovah-Jireh” because of God’s gracious provision of a substitute for Isaac. (Genesis 22:14) Immediately afterwards, God reconfirms His covenant with Abraham (v 17-18). Centuries later, King Solomon would build the temple in the same location (2 Chronicles 3:1). So Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide. And to this day it is said, "On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided."       Genesis 22: 14

The account of Abraham on Mt. Moriah thus becomes more than a dramatic illustration of faith and obedience. It is a presentation of the Lord’s eternal grace, continual provision, and all-encompassing wisdom. Jehovah-Jireh is not “The LORD Did Provide,” but “The LORD Will Provide.” In other words, the name does not simply memorialize a past event; it anticipates a future action.           

God’s Provision:

2.  Overcomes our times of UNBELIEF  

35 By that time it was late in the day. His disciples came to him. “There is nothing here,” they said. “It’s already very late. 36 Send the people away. They can go and buy something to eat in the nearby countryside and villages.” 37 But Jesus answered, “You give them something to eat.” They said to him, “That would take eight months of a person’s pay! Should we go and spend that much on bread?   Are we supposed to feed them?”                           Mark 6:35-37

But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.     James 1:6 (NIV)

But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind.                                                                                       James 1:6 (NLT)

 He replied, "Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."                                        Matthew 17: 20

God’s Provision:

3.  Is EXTRAVAGENT:

Much is present but not SEEN

 “How many loaves do you have?” Jesus asked.  “Go and see.” When they found out, they said, “Five loaves and two fish.” Then Jesus directed them to have all the people sit down in groups on   the green grass. So they sat down in groups of 100s and 50s.  Jesus took the five loaves and the two fish. He looked up to heaven and gave thanks.

 

He broke the loaves into pieces. Then he gave them to his disciples to set in front of the people. He also divided the two fish among them all. All of them ate and were satisfied. The disciples picked up 12 baskets of broken pieces of bread and fish. The number of men who had eaten was 5,000.  Mark 6: 38 – 44

Action Point:  ASK


 

Preparing for Worship at NRN on April 6, 2014

As we gather for worship tomorrow at NRN we will celebrate communion together as the family of God.  I sense in my heart that there will be a moving of the Holy Spirit in our midst.,  Let us gather on Sunday with an expectation of the Presence of God.  Let our heart anticipate an outpouring of His Spirit.  Come prepared to worship and position your heart to draw near to God.  This would be a good time to pause and pray to ask God who are you to call, text or email and invite them to join you at church tomorrow.  It could be a life changing experience for them.  Here are the songs and plans in our worship set:

We begin with a warm welcome and call to worship in prayer.  Then we rise to our feet and proclaim our praise for our Great God!

Now we remain standing an recite in unison - a creed of the Early Church.

Apostles’ Creed

I believe in God, the Father almighty,

creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, God's only Son, our Lord,

who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,

born of the Virgin Mary,

suffered under Pontius Pilate,

was crucified, died, and was buried;

he descended into hell.

On the third day he rose again;

he ascended into heaven,

he is seated at the right hand of the Father,

and he will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,

the holy catholic Church,

the communion of the saints,

the forgiveness of sins,

the resurrection of the body,

and the life everlasting. Amen.

Now we prepare for prayer and communion:

We provide an opportunity for people to bring their prayer request to the altar.  Each request will be remembered during our upcoming 24 hour Prayer Vigil on Friday and Saturday April 11 -12.  People can spend time in prayer and preparation to receive the elements of communion - or - they can be served and then move to the altars for a time of personal reflection and prayer.

This is a scared and beautiful time to draw near to the Lord.  We bring our time of communion to a close with a beautiful song to the Lord.

Series: ENCOUNTERS BY THE SEA

Part 4:  Experiencing Provision

Mark 6:30-44      

Matthew 14:13-21; Luke 9:10-17; John 6:1-14

Over the past 3 weeks we have been looking at incredible encounters by the Sea of Galilee.  Last week was truly amazing as we saw the miracle working power of Jesus as he healed an unclean woman and raised a 12 year old girl from the dead!  After this Jesus and the Disciples went around teaching from town to town. Then Jesus sent out the 12 to preach and minister.  It was an emotional and physically draining time (as ministry often is).  They received the news that the cousin of Jesus – John the Baptist was beheaded.  

In today’s passage Jesus provides an example of position and provision; expecting God to show up and do great things, and thinking big! God wants us to have the expectation that He will show up and provide. 

Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassion's never fail, They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I will say to myself,"The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him." 

Friday Funny - Come to Sunday School

Today I thgouht you would like to see a simple invitation clip from a church to encourage everyone to come to Sunday School.   - No pressure -  just check it out:

Why Nobody Wants to Go To Church Anymore

Last weekend I was privileged to attend a great workshop entitled:

                         Why Nobody Wants to Go to Church Anymore.

This newly released book by Thom and Joani Schultz of Group Publishing clearly portrays the truth about the American Church today. A fundamental thought of the book is that faith is not a subject. Faith is a relationship. 

The four acts of love described in the book are as follows:

The 4 ACTS OF LOVE

ACT OF LOVE #1: RADICAL HOSPITALITY

ACT OF LOVE #2: FEARLESS CONVERSATION

ACT OF LOVE #3: GENUINE HUMILITY

ACT OF LOVE #4: DIVINE ANTICIPATION 

Here are some promotional information to bring this to our attention: The first clip reveals What's happening in the church today.  The music is from Petra. 

This clip is an interview with the authors:

When God Showed Up at John Wesley's Prayer Meeting

This evening at 6:30 we gather in Room 133 at North Raleigh Church of the Nazarene for our Corporate Prayer Time.  This is the time when we call the church together for a time of prayer to remember the prayer requested placed upon the altar last Sunday.  We also meet to pray for our church, that God would build our church to His Glory!  We also pray to experience the presence and moving of the Holy Spirit in our midst.  I am reminded of this posting in John Wesley's Journal:

About three in the morning as we were continuing instant in prayer, the power of God came mightily upon us, insomuch that many cried out for exceeding joy, and many fell to the ground.  As soon as we recovered a little from the awe and amazement at the presence of His Majesty, we broke out with one voice, 'We praise Thee, O God, we acknowledge Thee to be the Lord."  -- John Wesley

You are invited to join us this evening for prayer!   

JAY LENO'S TRANSITION AND A SURPRISING FAITH FACT

Jay Leno has been the star of "The Tonight Show" for 22 years.  The comedian was famously forced off the show in January 2010 and hastily re-hired two months later after his replacement bombed in the role.  This time, the transition has been much more positive.  After leaving the show in February 2014, Jay immediately went back on the road as a traveling comedian.  As he told the LA Times, "I've always been a stand-up comedian that had a day job."

Transitions can be tough.  After Satya Nadella was promoted to succeed Steve Ballmer as CEO of Microsoft last week, critics are already claiming that the company should have brought in an outsider to shake things up.  J. C. Penney recently ousted CEO Ron Johnson 17 months after hiring him, returning his predecessor to the job. 

Corporate transitions, while important, are temporal.  Faith transitions are eternal.  Here the numbers are frightening: 7 in 10 Protestants ages 18 to 30 who went to church regularly in high school have quit attending by age 23.  The Barna Group says that 6 in 10 young people leave church permanently or for an extended period starting at age 15.  Young adults complain about the church's intolerance and irrelevance.  But there's another factor at work as well.

Dr. Vern Bengtson is a pastor's son and social work professor at the University of Southern California.  After studying 350 families for 40 years across four generations, he learned much about the transmission of faith from parents to children.  His major conclusion: to continue in the faith, children must be bonded emotionally with their parents, especially their father.  "Fervent faith cannot compensate for a distant dad," he discovered.

If we want our children to love Jesus, we must do more than pass on religious rules and responsibilities.  After studying parents whose children followed them in the faith, Dr. Bengtson concluded that we need "the kind of passion these parents had for wanting their children to achieve the peace and the joy and the hope and the inspiration they had found for themselves."

Be passionate about your Father and your children, and they will want the faith they see in you.  New York Timescolumnist David Brooks recently quoted Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel: "Our goal should be to live life in radical amazement... get up in the morning and look at the world in a way that takes nothing for granted.  Everything is phenomenal.... To be spiritual is to be amazed."

Tragically, Heschel notes that for many of us, "faith is completely replaced by creed, worship by discipline, love by habit; when the crisis of today is ignored because of the splendor of the past; when faith becomes an heirloom rather than a living fountain; when religion speaks only in the name of authority rather than with the voice of compassion."

The psalmist could sing to God: "All my springs are in you" (Psalm 87:7).  Is your faith an heirloom or a living fountain today?

This article taken from the Denison Forum