| Glad in God |
PRAY TO MAKE THE NATIONS GLAD IN GOD{bible 49}1 Timothy 2:1-8{/bible}1 First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, 2 for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. 3 This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave Himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time. 7 For this I was appointed a preacher and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth. 8 I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling; Once again we are taking this week before Easter Sunday to come together in prayer as a church for the purpose of church-wide concerted prayer for the lost. I just want to remind us again of why we are here and what we ought to be engaged in - heart and soul, body and spirit. The Lord Jesus has given us, His church a commandment and a commission. The commandment is - to boil it down to the essentials - Love God supremely and love your neighbor as yourself. The commission and mission is this: Go and make disciples. In response to this commandment and commission, we are building our lives and ministry around the following truths: you have heard them before - you'll hear them again - until they become an integral part of your thinking and heart. We were created to glorify God by enjoying Him forever. This is the part about loving God supremely. We were meant to worship and enjoy the God who made us. If we miss this - we miss what this life is all about. We have been commissioned by Christ to spend our lives making others eternally glad in God. This is the part about loving our neighbor as ourself. Love is the accurate estimation and adequate supply for another's need - and the accurate estimation is that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God and the adequate supply is the gospel of Jesus Christ to meet that need in every man, woman and child. We are called by Jesus to cultivate a lifestyle that reflects our everlasting enjoyment in God by risking temporal loss for eternal gain. This is the part about going and making disciples. It is not enough that we should be washed in the precious blood of the Lamb and enjoy God in our lives - but that enjoyment should compel us to risk everything in this life for the sake of the gospel. I pray that Christ would free us from the seduction of security - that He would release us from the paralyzing effects of comfort and ease - that He would explode the myth of safety and ignite our hearts to risk it all for the sake of Christ. I pray that none of us would in the end have to cover our face and say 'I've wasted it.' We must set ourselves as a church toward the goal of reaching the nations with the gospel. I want you to understand that when I talk about the goal of reaching the nations with the gospel I am talking about your unsaved friend, relatives and neighbors. And I am also talking about hometown missions of mercy, like CareNet, Love Inc., and Friends and Servants. And I am talking about overseas cross- cultural missions. We need to be massively engaged in all these arenas. The core of the gospel is this: 'For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.' {bible 49} 2 Corinthians 8:9{/bible} It was for our sake and the sake of all those that have gone before and those yet unborn, that He spent the capital of heaven lavishly to secure our enjoyment of God. The salvation we enjoy and proclaim to others is a ministry of those who have been made rich, spending their wealth so that those who are poor might be made rich in Christ. Therefore I want us as a church to be engaged in the great work of God like never before. I want to see everyone of those who call this place home spending their lives, their time, their wealth and energy in the work missions of mercy at home and abroad, and cross-cultural missions here at home and abroad. My prayer is that Summit Christian Fellowship would impact not only this corner but this world with the gospel of Jesus Christ - that we would be those living to make the nations glad in God through the gospel. This begins with a revelation - a revelation of who Jesus is, and what He has called us to do. And this vision or revelation is sustained by prayer - all kinds of prayer - private prayer and public prayer, prayer vigils and prayer closets, prayers with praise and singing, prayers with tears and sorrow, individual prayer and corporate prayer - all kinds of prayer. First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, {bible 49}1 Timothy 2:1{/bible} This week I want to challenge you to make these next five nights a priority in your life. Don't see how little prayer you can get away with - instead entertain the expectation of what God might do through much prayer. Much prayer - much blessing. Pray that our hearts together would be ignited with a passion for the triumph of God in the world Pray that everything in our lives would testify that Jesus is more precious than life Pray that our lives would not be wasted in trivial pursuits and prove to be a tragedy and not a triumph Pray that we would be those who cultivate a lifestyle that risks temporal loss for eternal gain. Pray that we who have been made glad in God would live to make others glad in Him through the gospel. |
