"Step into the world of prayer. Quiet your mind and open your heart. God will whisper his will for you, let Christ comfort, and heal you, and the Holy Spirit encouragement and guide you. In this experience God and his love." C.Thomas, 2024
I believe I have always known that one of the most important things I can do as a Christian is pray. For many years it seemed my prayer life revolved around my cries for help, prayers of lament. In essence my calls for help usually revolved around my shortcomings, my mistakes, my deficiencies. On occasion I prayed for others, but mostly it was about me, my life, my needs. Don't misunderstand, there is great benefit in prayers of Lament, Psalms is full of them and sometimes they are very necessary to release pain from our hearts, but many of mine were selfish in nature. It wasn't until years later that I learned my priorities were askew. God, Family, Church, Community, then me. The more I read Paul's letters, the more I learn about discipleship and leadership in that environment. The more I read about Jesus ministry on earth, the more I learn about the ministry I want to be a part of. Jesus was the perfect example of what God calls us to do and be in this world. Well, because he is God, God incarnate. I imagine, Jesus started and ended each day in prayer and possibly mid day too. It was while in prayer to his father that he would find encouragement and strength to continue his ministry. To meet the needs of people and teach the ways they should go.
In today's world, we have become accustom to worshiping and serving God in buildings and in some cases, that's the only place. It might be we need to meditate on the ministry of Jesus, and the ministries of the disciples after Jesus ascension. His charge to them; to go and be fishers of men, go and take the good news of salvation to the world. It required "going" to where the people were, meeting them in small groups, praying and teaching. Bringing hope, peace, joy & love to all who would listen. Those names we assign to advent candles with meaning connected to the coming Messiah are the same things we continue to share, teach and encourage each other with. Why? Because they reflect the same meanings applied to when Christ will come again. Hope in the fulfilling of that promise, peace knowing we have salvation, joy that we will live eternally with him in heaven because of his LOVE for us.
The beginnings of the church started in peoples homes, in many cases hidden from the authorities for fear of persecution. The early church often struggled with false teachers. Paul's letters were a source of encouragement, instruction and love, but sometimes admonishment when it was reported the church was not conducting itself according to Christ teachings. While, in prison Paul had plenty of time to pray over the churches, the Christians within them, calling upon the Holy Spirit to guide them and instill in them to love one another. When he wasn't in prison he traveled to the different churches that were being started and growing. Today we call that missionary work, but isn't it our core mission to reach beyond the walls of our church buildings and be the church where ever there are people that need love, compassion, grace and mercy? In doing so we show them the kind of love, God has for all mankind. When people learn and feel that kind of love they are drawn to it and it remains our prayer they will draw close to God. God will take it from there.
The lessons Jesus taught during his ministry on earth were simple, but the most powerful lesson one will ever learn: LOVE GOD and LOVE EACH OTHER. Every ministry needs to begin with prayer and remain in constant prayer that God will bless that ministry, that it will reflect the teachings of Jesus Christ and will be sustained by the power of the Holy Spirit. Pray in private and pray together in corporate prayer, just as we worship in corporate worship, together, as a community of faith. Some may think prayer circles and prayer meetings are too old school, but I believe it is more important today than it has ever been. So many in our communities are in need of healing, comfort, in need of love and encouragement. Let us raise their names up to the Lord, individually and as a community. In Paul's letter to the Christians of Collossae, he wrote;
Colossians 1: 9-14 (NIV) For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
Do you need truth? Go to God's word. Go to God in Prayer and May the grace of God be with you now and forever, AMEN
