Sunday, August 19, 2012

Pray Hard! THE CIRCLE MAKER Part 3 Message Notes



 A Definition for Prayer: 
Prayer is talking to God


Colossians 4:2-6, Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart. 3Don’t forget to 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 prison. 4Pray that I will proclaim this message as clearly as I should.

Ephesians 6:18 (NLT), Pray at all times and on every occasion in the power of the Holy Spirit. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all Christians everywhere.

Ephesians 6:18 (MSG), prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters.


Luke 18:1 (NLT), One day Jesus told his disciples a story to illustrate their need for constant prayer and to show them that they must never give up.


Colossians 1:9 (NIV), …since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you


1.   WHY SHOULD WE PERSIST IN PRAYER? 

Answer: Because prayer changes what is possible 


Human history belongs to the intercessors.  It belongs to those who believe and pray the future into being.” — Walter Wink


“Imagine the scene.  We come into God's storehouse where every wondrous blessing of joy unknown and peace without limits is stored.  The Lord has called the angels to attention, and they have prepared a huge chariot to transport the blessings his children will request.  Twenty thousand of heaven's finest, fresh from the Heavenly Fitness Center, stand ready to do the heavy lifting and load our cargo.  And for what will we ask?  We look around longingly at all these treasures and then quietly beg God for a small pack of dry crackers and a glass of water!  The Father is appalled.  The angels are dumbfounded.  They give us the tiny things we request, and after we trudge out they ask the King, "What's wrong?  Why do they pray such puny prayers?”

“With a sad smile, he replies, ‘They have a hard time asking as big as I can give.’”

“What a tragedy to realize that God has bigger things planned for us but we miss out on them because we simply won’t ask for them.” — Jeff Walling, Until I Return, page 146

  
Romans 8:34 (NLT / NIV), …[Jesus Christ] is the one who died for us and was raised to life for us and is sitting at the place of highest honor next to God, interceding for us.


2.   HOW DO WE PERSIST IN PRAYER? 

Three Resolutions For People Who Want To Persist In Prayer

1.)  Be Consistent!

Colossians 4:2, Devote yourselves to prayer…


“Praying hard is two-dimensional. It’s praying like it depends on God, and working like it depends on you. It’s praying until God answers, no matter how long it takes.” — Mark Batterson, The Circle Maker


Some Practical Suggestions:
a.   Select a time.
b.   Choose a place.
c.    Start out small.
d.   Eliminate distractions.
e.   Follow through.
f.     Don't waste time on guilt.


2.)  Be Bold!

Genesis 18:23-26 (NLT), Abraham approached [God] and said, “Will you destroy both innocent and guilty alike? 24Suppose you find fifty innocent people there within the city—will you still destroy it, and not spare it for their sakes? 25Surely you wouldn’t do such a thing, destroying the innocent with the guilty. Why, you would be treating the innocent and the guilty exactly the same! Surely you wouldn’t do that! Should not the Judge of all the earth do what is right?”
26And the LORD replied, “If I find fifty innocent people in Sodom, I will spare the entire city for their sake.”

Genesis 18:27-29 (NLT), Then Abraham spoke again. “Since I have begun, let me go on and speak further to my Lord, even though I am but dust and ashes. 28Suppose there are only forty-five? Will you destroy the city for lack of five?”
And the LORD said, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five.”
29Then Abraham pressed his request further. “Suppose there are only forty?”
And the LORD replied, “I will not destroy it if there are forty.”

Genesis 18:30-33 (NLT), “Please don’t be angry, my Lord,” Abraham pleaded. “Let me speak—suppose only thirty are found?”
And the LORD replied, “I will not destroy it if there are thirty.”
31Then Abraham said, “Since I have dared to speak to the Lord, let me continue—suppose there are only twenty?”
And the LORD said, “Then I will not destroy it for the sake of the twenty.”
32Finally, Abraham said, “Lord, please do not get angry; I will speak but once more! Suppose only ten are found there?”
And the LORD said, “Then, for the sake of the ten, I will not destroy it.”


Ephesians 3:12 (NLT), Because of Christ and our faith in him, we can now come fearlessly into God’s presence, assured of his glad welcome.


Hebrews 4:16 (NLT), let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it.


Mark 9:24 (MSG), No sooner were the words out of his mouth than the father cried, “Then I believe. Help me with my doubts!”


3.)  Pray For Open Doors.

Colossians 4:3, pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message…

Colossians 4:5, Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.

Friday, August 17, 2012

The Apple of His Eye


The Apple of His Eye

In Psalm 17:8 (ESV) David makes an amazing statement. David is praying and he says to God, "[God, would you] Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings..." 

That little phrase “apple of your eye” is used a few times in Scripture. It can be translated, “the little man of the eye” or “the daughter of the eye.” 

It's an expression based upon what happens when you look a person in the eye at point-blank range. When you get really, really close to a person and look them in the eye you can actually see an image or reflection of yourself in the eye of the other person

When you’re very close to another person, their eye literally serves as a kind of mirror for you. When you gaze deeply into the eyes of another person, you can actually see yourself…

Wow! 

Here’s what I believe is going on in David’s head and heartIn Psalm 17, David’s feeling a little distant from God He feels as if he has just come through a time of testing, but believes he has demonstrated purity and integrity

However, the evil one is the “accuser of the brothers” (Revelation 12:10), and he constantly assaults the minds and hearts of the sons and daughters of God with thoughts and feelings of inadequacy, inferiority, shame and guilt… David is experiencing one of these attacks

So he cries out to God… “I am praying to you because I know you will hear me when I pray. Show me your unfailing love in wonderful ways. By your mighty power you rescue those who seek refuge from their enemies” (Psalm 17:6-7). Then David reaches Verse 8 and prays this amazing prayer, “God, would you guard me… Would you keep me as the apple of your eye…”  
           
David was basically saying, "God, I want this kind of relationship with you.  I want to get so close to you… I want to be able to look you in the eyes and see my reflection staring back.  Because when I look in your eyes, I know what I’ll see…  I’ll see extravagant grace, unending mercy and amazing love"

Psalm 17 reminds us that when we choose to respond to the grace of God, we’re invited into an intimate relationship with a God who knows us fully and loves us unconditionally

In fact, Psalm 34:5 (NLT) says,Those who look to him for help will be radiant with joy; no shadow of shame will darken their faces.”

The Bible invites us to get as close to God as we can get Why? Because David was on to something in Psalm 17! David understood  David knew David lived with this amazing idea, “If I can just look into the eyes of God, I know that regardless of what culture says about me… Regardless of what significant peers or authority figures in my life say about me… Regardless of what they “see” in me… Regardless of what the evil one whispers in my mind about me… I know if I can just look into the eyes of God, I’ll be reminded that God sees me with eyes saturated with grace…”

Here’s the implication from Psalm 17 and Psalm 34 for you and me! If we get close enough to God we’ll be able to see ourselves the way God sees us!  We’ll see ourselves through the eyes of God…  And we’ll discover that even with all of our flaws and failures; we are loved, prized, cherished and treasured in the eyes of God! 

In fact, according to Zechariah 2:8, this is not simply one of David's prayers, but it’s a divine reality. 

Zechariah 2:8 says, whoever touches you touches the apple of his eye…”

That’s how important you are to God!  You matter to God!  We matter to God!

Why not pause today? Get still Get quite… Ask God, “…keep me as the apple of your eye…”  Then, let the Holy Spirit remind you of God’s extravagant love for You.

Yes, sometimes the gaze of God will bring conviction of sin… Sometimes His gaze will cause us to fall on our faces in deep repentance. But even then, God’s gaze is not meant to produce shame, but it is meant to free us from anything that keep us from experiencing God’s best for our lives…

My prayer today: “Keep me as the apple of Your eye.”

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Dream Big! THE CIRCLE MAKER - Part 2 Message Notes


Dear Big!
THE CIRCLE MAKER – Part 1
August 12, 2012  · Chris Goins

Suggested Reading: The Circle Maker, Chapters 5-7 (The First Circle – Dream Big!)


Prayer: A Working Definition
Prayer is constant communion with God.

         Through prayer we…
         …come to know God and understand His heart;
         …align ourselves with God’s purposes and plans;
         access God’s incredible power!  


“Nothing honors God more than a big dream that is way beyond our ability to accomplish. Why? Because there is no way we can take credit for it. And nothing is better for our spiritual development than a big dream because it keeps us on our knees in raw dependence on God.” — Mark Batterson, The Circle Maker

“If you’ve never had a God-sized dream that scared you half to death, then you haven’t really come to life. If you’ve never been overwhelmed by the impossibility of your plans, then your God is too small. If your vision isn’t perplexingly impossible, then you need to expand the radiuses of your prayer circles.” — Mark Batterson, The Circle Maker


Thought: Big dreams are often born out of great desperation 


Two People with a God-Sized Dream Born Out of Desperation:
(Mark 5:21-43; Matthew 9:18-26; Luke 8:40-56)


Mark 5:21-23 (NLT), Jesus got into the boat again and went back to the other side of the lake, where a large crowd gathered around him on the shore. 22 Then a leader of the local synagogue, whose name was Jairus, arrived. When he saw Jesus, he fell at his feet, 23 pleading fervently with him. “My little daughter is dying,” he said. “Please come and lay your hands on her; heal her so she can live.”


Mark 5:24-25 (NLT), Jesus went with him, and all the people followed, crowding around him. 25 A woman in the crowd had suffered for twelve years with constant bleeding.

THOUGHT: It’s interesting that we’re told that Jairus’s daughter was twelve years old and that this woman has been suffering… She has been sick for twelve years… Her sickness began the same year that Jairus’s daughter was born…


Mark 5:26-28 (NLT), She had suffered a great deal from many doctors, and over the years she had spent everything she had to pay them, but she had gotten no better. In fact, she had gotten worse. 27 She had heard about Jesus, so she came up behind him through the crowd and touched his robe. 28 For she thought to herself, “If I can just touch his robe, I will be healed.”


…if you aren’t willing to put yourself in “this is crazy” situations, you’ll never experience “this is awesome” moments.Mark Batterson, The Circle Maker


Mark 5:29 (NLT), Immediately the bleeding stopped, and she could feel in her body that she had been healed of her terrible condition.

Mark 5:30 (NLT), 30 Jesus realized at once that healing power had gone out from him, so he turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my robe?”

Mark 5:31 (NLT), “But Master, Look at this crowd… The people are crowing and pressing against you… What do you mean, ‘Who touched me?’”  (Mark 5:31; Luke 8:45)

Mark 5:32 (NLT) But he kept on looking around to see who had done it.

Mark 5:33-34 (NLT), Then the frightened woman, trembling at the realization of what had happened to her, came and fell to her knees in front of him and told him what she had done. 34 And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace. Your suffering is over.”

Mark 5:35-43 (NIV84), While Jesus was still speaking, some men came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue ruler. “Your daughter is dead,” they said. “Why bother the teacher any more?”   
     36 Ignoring what they said, Jesus told the synagogue ruler, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.”    
     37 He did not let anyone follow him except Peter, James and John the brother of James. 38 When they came to the home of the synagogue ruler, Jesus saw a commotion, with people crying and wailing loudly.
     39 He went in and said to them, “Why all this commotion and wailing? The child is not dead but asleep.” 40 But they laughed at him.
     After he put them all out, he took the child’s father and mother and the disciples who were with him, and went in where the child was. 41 He took her by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum!” (which means, “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”). 42 Immediately the girl stood up and walked around (she was twelve years old). At this they were completely astonished. 43 He gave strict orders not to let anyone know about this, and told them to give her something to eat.

 
Two Attitudes That Keep Us From Dreaming Big:

1.   I have God completely figured out! (Jairus)
                                

Isaiah 55:8-9 (NLT), My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.”


“Visions are born in the soul of a man or woman who is consumed with the tension between what is and what could be… Visions form in the hearts of those who are dissatisfied with the status quo.” — Andy Stanley, Visioneering, page 17


Examples: Promises I’m “Circling”

Isaiah 43:5-7 (NIV), Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring your children from the east and gather you from the west. 6 I will say to the north, 'Give them up!' and to the south, 'Do not hold them back. Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth— 7 everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made."

Isaiah 54:1-3 (MSG), “Sing, barren woman, who has never had a baby.  Fill the air with song, you who’ve never experienced childbirth!  2 Clear lots of ground for your tents!  Make your tents large.  Spread out!  Think big! Use plenty of rope, drive the tent pegs deep.  You’re going to need lots of elbow room for your growing family.” 


2.   I’m not worthy of God’s attention. (Unnamed Woman)

Romans 8:31-32 (NIV84), What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?


Next Steps:

·      Practice the discipline of daily, continual surrender to the purpose and plan of God.


·      Learn to listen by asking two questions:

-       What does God want to teach me about Himself? (Jairus – I’m bigger than you think…”)

-       What does God want to teach me about myself? (Unnamed Woman – You are loved!”)


·      Take your next step of obedience.  Faith is active, not passive.


·      Expect God to blow your mind with His awesome activity!


Mark Batterson,  The Circle Maker: Praying Circles Around Your Biggest Dreams and Greatest Fears (Kindle Locations 543-544). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.

Dream Big! The Vision Is Jesus!!!

In his book, The Circle Maker, Mark Batterson writes, "One litmus test of spiritual maturity is whether your dreams are getting bigger or smaller..." 

Wow! 

This statement hit with the force of a solid upper cut to the lower jaw.  So I wondered, "Are my dreams getting bigger or smaller? What am I believing God to do in my life and for a2 Church? What is my big dream?"  

For some reason I remembered a piece I read a few years ago by Peter Grieg titled, The VisionSo I went back, dusted it off and slightly tweaked it to sum up my "big dream" for a2 Church.  


The Vision
Adapted from Peter Grieg

So this guy comes up to me and says, "What's the vision? What's the big idea?"  I open up my mouth and the words come out like this... 

The vision?


The vision is JESUS: obsessively, dangerously, undeniably Jesus! 
The vision is an army of people — young, middled-aged, ..."old"...
You see bones? I see an army.



And they are free from materialism—

They laugh at nine-to-five little prisons. They could eat caviar on Monday and crusts on Tuesday. They wouldn’t even notice…
They are free yet they are slaves of Jesus... Servants of the hurting, the dirty and dying…

What is the vision? 

The vision is holiness that hurts the eyes.
It makes children laugh and self-righteous religious people angry. 

It gave up the game of minimal integrity long ago to reach for the stars. 

It scorns the good and strains for the best. 

It is dangerously pure. 



Light flickers from every secret motive, from every conversation. 

It loves people away from their suicide leaps—their Satan games.

This is an army that would lay down its life for the cause. 

A million times a day, its soldiers choose to lose that they might one day win the great “well done” of faithful sons and daughters. 



Such heroes are as radical on Monday morning as they were Sunday.

They don’t need fame from names. 

Instead they grin quietly upwards and hear the "great crowd of witnesses" (Hebrews 12) chanting again and again: “COME ON!”


And this is the sound of the underground, the whisper of history in the making, foundations shaking, revolutionaries dreaming once again. 

Mystery is scheming in whispers, conspiracy is breathing…
This is the sound of the underground.



And the army is disciple(in)ed—

People who "beat their bodies into submission." 

Every soldier would take a bullet for his comrade at arms.
The tattoo on their back boasts “for me to live is Christ and to die is gain.”

Sacrifice fuels the fire
of victory in their upward eyes. 

Winners.
Martyrs.
Who can stop them? 

Can hormones hold them back? 

Can failure succeed? 

Can fear scare them or death kill them? 



And this generation prays
like a dying man with groans beyond talking, with warrior cries, sulfuric tears and a passion for God's glory that will not quit... 
 
Waiting. 

Watching. 

24-7-365.

Whatever it takes they will give: 

Breaking the rules, 

Shaking mediocrity from its cozy little hide aways, 

Laying down their rights and their precious little wrongs,
Laughing at labels, 

Fasting essentials. 

The advertisers cannot mold them. 

Hollywood cannot hold them.
Peer-pressure is powerless to shake their resolve at late-night parties before the rooster crows... 
They are incredibly cool,
dangerously attractive (on the inside).
On the outside? 

They hardly care! 

They wear clothes like costumes:
to communicate and celebrate,
but never to hide. 



Would they surrender their image or their popularity?
They would lay down their lives, swap seats with the man on death row, guilty as hell: a throne for an electric chair. 



With blood and sweat and many tears,
with sleepless nights and fruitless days,
they pray as if it all depends on God
and live as though it all depends on them. 



Their DNA chooses Jesus. 
He breathes out. 

They breathe in.
Their subconscious sings. 

They had a blood transfusion with Jesus. 



Their words make demons scream...  

Don’t you hear them coming? 



Herald the weirdoes!
Summon the losers and the freaks. 

Here come the frightened and forgotten
with fire in their eyes! 

They walk tall and trees applaud. 

Skyscrapers bow. 

Mountains are dwarfed
by these children of another dimension. 



Their prayers summon the Hound of Heaven
and evoke the dream of Eden. 



And, this vision will be. 

It will come to pass. 

It may not come easily, but it will come... 

It will come soon. 



How do I know? 

Because, this is the longing of creation itself,
the groaning of the spirit,
the very dream of God. 


My tomorrow is His today.
My distant hope is His 3-D. 

And, my feeble, whispered, faithless prayer invokes a thunderous, resounding, bone-shaking, great “AMEN!” from countless angels, from heroes of the faith, from Christ himself.

And He is the original dreamer, the ultimate winner.
Guaranteed.

What is the vision? What is the big dream? 

It's Jesus! 
It's all about Jesus!
It's always about Jesus!
It's only about Jesus! 

Thanks, Mark B., Peter G., and Wed AM Small Group for inspiring me to think about "the big dream." 

My big dream?  JESUS!  

Seven Prayers To Pray for Your Child

This Sunday a2 Church will host our annual Back To School Celebration which includes a special time of prayer and blessing over students, parents and educators.  

Have you ever wondered, "How should I pray for my child?"  

Stormie Omartian has written several books on prayer, and in article for Parentl Life, Stormie suggests seven prayers we can pray for our children as they beginning a new school year.  Here's the article.  Thanks to Stormie for the insights.  
 
Back-to-School Prayer
Written by Stormie Omartian

This article is courtesy of ParentLife.

The beginning of the school year is a time of new beginnings filled with new learning and social challenges. And any new challenge for your child means a new challenge for you.


Seven Prayers to Pray

The following specific prayers will inspire you to pray every day.
1. Pray for your child’s friends. “Lord, Your Word says, ‘A righteous man is careful in dealing with his neighbor, but the ways of wicked men lead them astray’ (Proverbs 12:26). I pray that my child will choose godly friends and that you will separate her from all ungodly influences.”


2. Pray for your child to have a close walk with God. “Lord, Your Word says, ‘Listen! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him’ (Revelation 3:20). I pray that my child always will open the door of her heart to You and Your voice so that You can lead her on the path You have for her.”


3. Pray for your child to resist rebellion. “Lord, Your Word says of those who ‘were disobedient and rebelled against You’ that You ‘gave them deliverers who rescued them from the power of their enemies’ (Nehemiah 9:26-27). I pray that my child will be obedient to You, me, and other God-ordained authority figures.”


4. Pray for your child to feel loved and accepted. “Lord, Your Word says that nothing ‘has the power to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord!’ (Romans 8:39). I pray that my child will always sense Your love, as well as the love of family and friends, and feel accepted by us all.”


5. Pray for your child to have the joy of learning. “Lord, Your Word says that ‘all your children will be taught by the Lord’ (Isaiah 54:13). I pray that You would give my child the joy of learning and the ability to learn well.”


6. Pray for your child to have a good relationship with each family member. “Lord, Your Word says, ‘Blessed are the peacemakers, because they will be called sons of God’ (Matthew 5:9). I pray that my child will be a peacemaker and have the kind of strong relationship with each family member that brings a sense of confidence.”


7. Pray for your child to have wisdom. “Lord, Your Word says that ‘wisdom is supreme so get wisdom’ (Proverbs 4:7). I pray that You will give my child wisdom that will serve to protect and guide her in all that she does.”