THE TEST.

Paul said that every man's work will be tested by fire. Every man's work. Sometimes that testing is a time of falling away and discouragement, as when church attendance sags and people start to become critical and worn out. Sometimes the testing comes from outside persecution, and a man's work becomes scattered and some fall away. Sometimes testing is a new wind of doctrine that causes followers of Christ to waver in their faith, being blown back and forth in the wind, or it is a false teacher or immoral leader within the flock. But every man's work will be tested. What will be left after the test?

Moses experienced a testing in the wilderness at Meriba. Moses' sister had just died, and on top of his grief, Moses heard the people complaining (again) about having no water to drink. His first reaction was right: he fell on his face before the Lord and asked what to do. God told him to speak to the rock and water would come out.

But Moses was human, and all those months of complaint and tension and stress were getting to him. When he gathered around the rock with all the people, he did more than just speak to the rock. He yelled at them, and said that he (notice who) would have to bring them water from the rock, and then he struck the rock with the rod of God--twice. Sure enough, the water came out (it worked), and the people all drank and stopped complaining (for the moment).

But Moses did wrong. He did not show God to be holy in front of the people. He performed the "miracle" himself. He claimed the power and did the act, rather than letting God do all the work.

Moses' work was tested by fire, and this time, Moses did not pass the test. As a result, he was not able to enter into the Promised Land with the people. The people made it over Jordan, but not Moses.

Every new church plant will grow up into a mature church, which will be the bride of Christ. What kind of materials are used to build that church will determine how the church makes it through the fire. And the reaction of the leaders when the fire comes will determine what kind of reward they will receive when the test is done.

I believe that the first great test of fire for cciph was two years ago when we lost key people and there was a change in leadership. Now we are going through a second test. Falling on our faces before God is the first correct response. What will be next? Will we be tested by fire and find that we built with the best materials? Will we react in such a way that we let the Lord show himself to be holy?

AMERICAN CHRISTIANITY.

I am tired of American Christianity, as lived out in the vast majority of churches. I think that after multiple generations of competitive churches, looking to be the most seeker-friendly, we have created a watered-down version of discipleship that is but a shadow of what God wants. And church services cater to that kind of “Normal” Christian life in America.

The cynical side of me sees that most American Christians want to come (if they want to come at all) for no more than 70 minutes of time for what is called worship. In that amount of time, they want to have a short set of great, uplifting music, a practical, encouraging message, pray a little, have a sense of personal spiritual growth, have the feeling that all is well in the church and that people are coming to Christ, and then they want to go home. Once a week, they want to be involved in a significant program, in the sense that they want to feel like they are making as much difference as possible in as short a time as possible. They might spend only an hour doing that program, but they touch maybe 50 or 100 peoples’ lives in that hour. And so with a clear conscience they can mentally “count” those 50 or 100 people as the ones they have a ministry with. Then they can go home and live their lives watching TV, managing their personal things, and generally living in the flesh, and they genuinely feel that they are in good standing with the Lord’s work.

If on Sundays they had to come prepared by, say, interceding for two hours, and they were expected to bring a song or a word for the body, if they were made uncomfortable to go across the room and discuss a difficult topic or lay hands on someone or in other ways minister to people, most American Christians (notice it is unique to American culture) would choose to go elsewhere. In short, they want to not to have to “work” at their worship.

And while a program that touches dozens of lives in an hour is certainly significant, and there are many worthwhile programs to do, it would be unfair to say that a believer is actually “discipling” 100 other people. To really do life together with other people, as Jesus did with his disciples, requires getting messy, and most of us simply don’t have the time for it.

To put it another way, American Christians feel good about their mission involvement if they tithe to the local church (which has a strong missions program), and if they give $32 a month to Compassion. They even put the picture of their sponsored child on their refrigerator and genuinely pray a little for that child from time to time. Those who are really radically committed to missions use their vacations to go on short-term missions trips, where they help to run a VBS or to build a church building, orphanage or house. And, again, with that much commitment, we can go on with our lives with a clear conscience, knowing that we are well above average in our commitment to mission.

What I am talking about, however, is everyone in a church becoming a missionary. Full time, immersing yourself into the culture and the neighbors and the needs around you. Being missional in every interaction and sacrificially committed to the neighborhood you live in. Purposely living well beneath your means, choosing to live in a needy neighborhood and to invest your life in those persons of peace who come around on a daily basis. And more.

I’m tired of the “Normal Christian Life” as we have come to know it in the United States, and I long for something radically different. Will anyone join me in that quest? So far, a few have. Several have come for a time and then have given up to go back to their NCL bubbles. That’s okay. The Suburban American Christian Life isn’t sinful. But it’s not what I long for. What I’m talking about is messy. It is not a neat and tidy outreach program, where I sweep in and bless some lives and go back to my home. There is no going back. There is only immersion.

THE LORD'S ANOINTED ONE.
Moses is considered to be a great leader of Israel, and yet in his generation Moses seemed to be almost constantly opposed. After all, Moses led the people out of Egypt and into a wilderness, and tried to bring them into the land of Canaan. This was new and hostile territory for all of them, and they had no Bible or Commandments already established. There had to be a tremendous amount of trust in Moses.

The Bible describes Moses as the humblest man of his generation. Just a couple of chapters earlier, he had established 70 leaders who all received some of the spirit that was on him, and they all prophesied. Moses declared that he would like it if all of Israel were to prophesy. He was willing and even anxious to share leadership.

But in Numbers 16 Korah incites a rebellion with 250 other leaders, "all members of the assembly." They claim that Moses and Aaron have gone too far! They say, "Everyone in Israel has been set apart by the Lord, and he is with all of us. What right do you have to act as though you are greater than anyone else among all these people of the Lord?"

Moses' response is to throw himself down on the ground, and to invite everyone to come into the Lord's Presence the next day, each with a bowl of incense. He allowed God to be the one to determine who His anointed one(s) would be.

Of course, God clearly chose Moses and Aaron, and he destroyed Korah and all the others, then sent a plague among the Israelites who had sided with Korah.

Lessons for me: Never touch the Lord's anointed. Ever. And never claim to be His anointed without God's own confirmation.

RECASTING THE VISION

The elders had an encouraging discussion last Friday. We are in this season of prayer, asking the Lord for what happens next when the Powells leave. So we asked, "What has God showed you so far?" Most of us have prayed long enough to see the problem a bit, but as we discussed the bits of impressions we have about our roles in the solution, we found ourselves revisiting old ground.

When a bell cracks, it cannot be repaired and still keep its tone. It must be melted down and re-cast. The same mold is used, and the same metal is used, but when the bell is recast, it becomes new again, just like the old one. That is a fresh vision that we seem to be rediscovering.

So, we may have some new wrinkles. We may even go in some radically new directions. But we seem to all have the strong impression that our foundational principles were right, and we want to revisit them again.

"Thank You, Lord, that You do not abandon us in our weakness. We ask You to re-ignite our flame, to re-energize our souls, to renew our walk with You, and to refresh us in our weariness. We trust You to do this, because we know it to be Your will in Jesus Christ. Amen."

IS GOD ABLE?

God sent representatives of the twelve tribes of Israel into the land of Canaan to discover two things: What kind of land is it? and What kind of warriors live there?

What did God want them to come back and say? I'm sure it is just what Caleb said: The land is beautiful (especially in contrast with this wilderness), and the people are huge but we can conquer them if God is with us.

Of course, what ten of the scouts said was, "The land is beautiful, but we can't possibly conquer those people. They are huge and scary."

Seeing a humanly impossible situation should strengthen faith and resolve. But of course, the people all follow the report of the ten. They even plot to stone Moses and Joshua and choose a new "leader" who will take them back to Egypt.

God is leading us through a desert wilderness right now. If we send scouts to pray and search out Price Hill, with what kind of report would they return? Would it be a negative report, like, "This community has great potential, but the crime element is too strong"? Or would those scouts see through Caleb's eyes: "There is much darkness, but if God calls us here, He will overcome the darkness. Let's move forward!"

THE GOD WHO SPEAKS.

While we are in the prayer room, or in other ways spending extended time in earnest prayer, what is God saying to us?

How does God speak to me?

In Numbers 12, God says that even to his prophets he speaks in riddles, such as visions and dreams. God sometimes gives me dreams, and I have a sanctified imagination, I suppose, so I can relate to the OT prophets.

But with Moses He would speak face to face, as with a friend. Even so, Moses was deeply affected and afraid when he saw something of God. I'm not so sure what to make of this for my life.

Of course, God speaks today through His Word, which is largely contained in the Bible. That is a non-experiential source of communication, you might say, but those words can be trusted as from God, and they provide a great way for me to know the kind of things God might say, if He were to speak to me face to face, as with a friend.

In these last days (which have lasted 2000 years now), God has spoken to us through His Son. "We" beheld his glory, our eyes saw him, our hands touched him, and He became one of us--Emmanuel. That's powerful. What's more, Jesus rose from death and lives today. But that is only of theoretical help to me, because I have no promise that Jesus talks to me today.

However, Jesus promised his disciples that he would send another counselor, the Holy Spirit. Now we're getting somewhere.

This is a tricky subject, because it is so personal and subjective. There are plenty of people out there who are deranged but claim that God spoke to them. But just because there are false spirits doesn't mean that I should reject every spirit. Rather, I am told to discern the spirits to see if they are from God. If it is the Spirit of God, then I am to listen and obey.

If that Spirit indwells me, if I walk in step with the Spirit, if I am filled with the Spirit, if I do not despise prophecies and do not forbid speaking in tongues, if I do not quench or grieve the Spirit, and if I heed the Spirit, I believe that, on a very experiential level, I can hear God's voice and respond to His direct communication.

While we are in the prayer room, or in other ways spending extended time in earnest prayer, what is God saying to us? I want to invite anyone to comment or to send a blog.

What have you heard from God in the last week or two?

UNHOLY COMPLAINERS.

They are in every church. People who are kind of on the outside edge of the body who find things to complain about. They were in Israel during the Exodus, too. For some reason that encourages me.

In this case (Numbers 11), they complain about their hardships, and God destroys several of them with fire at Taberah. Then "the foreign rabble who were traveling with the Israelites began" to complain. (Notice how the people on the outer edge influence the central people.) Their complaint was that they "only" had manna to eat every day. Never mind that this was a daily miracle that God performed for them, that it tasted good and was flexible for making several kinds of dishes (bamanna bread, manna burgers, manna waffles, etc.). They pined for the variety of Egypt--where they had been slaves, for crying out loud!

Before I click my tongue in disbelief at their ungrateful response, I suppose I should do some inventory. When God provides miraculously day after day, do I begin to despise the apparent smallness of it all? Do I crave what I used to have when I lived in the world? "At least I was happy and had a clear conscience back then." Oh, no. It was awful! It was slavery! This is miraculous!

So God sends them quail. Lots of quail. And they get sick and puke the quail out their nostrils (that's what it says), and some of them die, and the rest are so sick they wish they would die, too.

So maybe the Bible isn't exciting enough. Maybe the straight life is too restrictive. Maybe prayer is too dull and takes too much work. Maybe. But if so, I have learned nothing from history.

EVERYONE PROPHESIES.
Moses is leading the people of Israel through the wilderness, and the people are mostly complaining and suing one another. Not exactly a picnic. In exhaustion and frustration, Moses says to the Lord, "What did I do to deserve the burden of a people like this? . . . I can't carry all these people by myself! The load is far too heavy!"

God's answer is to set His Spirit upon 70 of the leaders of Israel. And these men all prophesied.

Was Moses threatened by these men and their inspired messages? Did he feel the power seeping through his fingers as he lost control of his leadership position? Was he afraid that he would not be needed anymore? No, Moses was the most humble man of his generation. He said, "Are you jealous for my sake? I wish that all the Lord's people were prophets, and that the Lord would put his Spirit upon them all."

One of our weaknesses as a church is that we don't have a single prophet to lead, teach and motivate us. But that perceived weakness is by design, to become our greatest strength. Our long-term goal is for "all the Lord's people" to become prophets. (Or, as Paul says it, "two or three prophets should speak, and the rest of you should weigh carefully what is being said.")

Oh, that puts a different kind of pressure on folks who attend on Sundays, doesn't it? All of us share the responsbility to have heard from the Lord during the week. And when we do, then our assemblies are filled with supernatural power of the presence of God. When we don't hear from the Lord during the week, our assemblies are dull, lacking in direction, and ineffective.

I don't want to give up the dream. I want to be totally dependent on God to "show up" on Sundays.

How do we do this? As I pray, some ideas begin to form in my spirit.

HOME-BASED HOSPITALITY MINISTRY. Some years ago, the Read family decided on a mission statement. The center of that statement was that our priority is home-based hospitality ministry. There are so many worthwhile programs to throw myself into, that I often revisit my ministry philosophy. Is home-based hospitality ministry the most effective?

Most weeks, I can FEEL like I am being much more effective when I touch 100 other lives for one hour a week, rather than gambling to pour all of me into my wife and children and those to whom we can minister as a family. We seem to say no to so many good broad ministries by this choice, and our church has lost many good families because they are looking for "a church that's more outreach oriented," meaning more programs.

How many lives might we have touched had we worked at summer camps every summer for the last 25 years, for example? But then it occurred to me today: both Daniel and Cora are working full-time all summer this year, and Becky has done that for two summers, as well. Becky will be a dorm mom for Solid Rock, and works at handi-camp often. Katie has worked as a swimming instructor to special needs children for three years. Add all that involvement up, and in the last five years, Ellen and I have had more impact in camps than we would have had over the last twenty.

I think of what Jesus said about his disciples doing "greater works" than He did Himself. There may be other layers to His meaning, but maybe it's at least partly because our Lord poured Himself into eleven lives, and now there were eleven men, not just one, to do the work. We have invested ourselves primarily in our children and their contacts, and I feel affirmed here on Father's Day that we made the right choice. Light touches of the masses pale in comparison to deep life change in a few.

So, what's next for Ellen and me? We could jump into pastoral work, or we could volunteer to create or do outreach programs, but this is not the season for us to work too much outside of the home. If you see the kind of traffic we have in and out of our home, you will realize that we have our hands more than full already.

So, we will stay the course. I will focus on being home as much as reasonable, focus on disciplining the younger boys, and reach out to their friends. The time has come for a Sunday baseball league; perhaps the time has also come for another Backyard Bible Club. This summer I would like to host a men's camping retreat. But that's about it. And I will have to trust that in the end, when we look back on a lifetime of service for Christ, we will be satisfied that we have made the right choices.

LIFECHANGE EVANGELISM
How do we evangelize? Some churches send out teams, or go door to door. Some have big events to draw a crowd and then preach the Gospel to those who come. Some train counselors and have altar calls.

I notice how Jesus did things. He meets a man possessed by several demons. No one can control this man, not even with chains; he is out of control. After he meets Jesus and Jesus addresses his central problem (which is always spiritual), he is self-controlled. Jesus tells the man to go back to his family and tell them what God has done. The next time Jesus comes to that region, crowds flock to meet Him. The man was a powerful evangelist because his life was powerfully changed.

Next, Jesus is sleeping in the boat on the lake, and other boats are out there, too. A furious storm arises, Jesus speaks to the wind a waves, and all is calm. The disciples are amazed because Jesus has power over the forces of nature. (All authority in heaven and earth includes the wind and the waves.)

Next, Jesus meets a man whose daughter is on the verge of death. All hope seems to be lost when word comes that the little girl is dead, but Jesus goes anyway, and when He speaks to her she gets up! Then he tells the parents not to speak about it. Of course, they don't follow that advice very well!

I realize that when I see Jesus in power, and when my life is changed by that power, then I don't have to be an eloquent speaker, or a trained counselor, or an organized administrator. My life itself becomes my most powerful witnessing tool.

If Jesus makes no change in me, it doesn't matter what manipulative or guilt-driven techniques I use to convert others; no one wants what I have to give. On the other hand, if Jesus radically and miraculously changes me, others will ask what makes the difference; and all I need to say is, "Let me be clear: Jesus made the difference!" Amen.

PRAISE AND INTERCESSION

Psalm 89 is one of those psalms that covers the whole gamut of faith and emotion. Maybe it captures the essence of praise and intercession better than any modern prayer.

Ethan the Ezrahite writes it, and he opens with exhuberant, faith-filled praise.
5 The heavens praise your wonders, O LORD,
your faithfulness too, in the assembly of the holy ones.

Then he rehearses the unbreakable covenant relationship that God had with David.
35 Once for all, I have sworn by my holiness—
and I will not lie to David-
36 that his line will continue forever
and his throne endure before me like the sun;
37 it will be established forever like the moon,
the faithful witness in the sky."
Selah

Suddenly he shifts mood to cry out to God that the blessed promises to Israel are not coming true.
38 But you have rejected, you have spurned,
you have been very angry with your anointed one. . . .
46 How long, O LORD ? Will you hide yourself forever?
How long will your wrath burn like fire? . . .
49 O Lord, where is your former great love,
which in your faithfulness you swore to David?

Finally, he returns to praise.
52 Praise be to the LORD forever!
Amen and Amen.

How like Ethan I am! One second I am speaking God's praise, and in the next I don't believe a thing He says. A psalm like this one gives me permission to be human when I talk to God. Because reality tells me that life is a mix of good and bad, faith and doubt, yes and no, the present imperfect and the future perfect. I can just relax and say what's on my heart, as Ethan did.

"Thank You, LORD, that You accept me and my prayers just as we are, good, bad and ugly. I praise You and I doubt You, and You can sort through it all by the Holy Spirit's interpretations. Jesus, as Son of Man, maybe You even had those moments in the Garden. Hear my prayer, O Lord. Amen."

TOO DANGEROUS?

Have you ever wondered?

Perhaps this neighborhood is beyond redemption.
Perhaps the building too expensive.
Perhaps it has become too dangerous to be in that building.
Perhaps it takes too much work.
Perhaps this is a group of people that just can't work together.
Perhaps Jesus would tell his disciples to shake the dust from their shoes and leave.
Perhaps Jesus would have not been able to do many miracles here because of the unbelief.
Perhaps fear is stronger than love, darkness and stronger than light, and Satan will win in the end.
Perhaps.
But I don't think so.
I think that where there is an unsafe place, there are unsaved people.
I think that the building is a gift from God, and He wants to provide.
I think that perfect love casts out fear, light overcomes darkness, and Jesus will win in the end.
What do you think?

MARKS OF THE SPIRIT

How do I know whether the Holy Spirit is leading me? Are there any marks by which I know whether it is just "me" living my life in the flesh, or it is "God" living His life through me? Yes, there are some clear indicators.

In the prayer room, one of the areas is filled with symbols of the Holy Spirit. Fruit, Scripture written on cards, a comfortable seat, a comforter, and five pillows with these words or symbols: Faith, Hope, Love, Joy, and Peace. That is fruit that comes into my life when it is guided by the Holy Spirit.

There are different spirits that can influence my life. If I am listening to and following the leading of the wrong ones, my life becomes marked by doubt or presumption, by discouragement and despair, by selfishness and anger, by moodiness and depression, and by criticalness and argumentation. I might maintain a public image, but my inner life becomes less and less . . . what's the word? Holy.

I guess that's why He's called the Holy Spirit.

JESUS WRITES US A LETTER

The prayer time on Thursday afternoon was wonderful. During that time, I was reminded that the Lord had impressed upon me that, of the seven churches in the book of Revelation, CCiPH was the sixth church, Philadelphia. Here is His word to them:

"To the angel of the church in Philadelphia, write:
This is the message from the one who is holy and true.
He is the one who has the key of David.
He opens doors, and no one can shut them,
He shuts doors, and no one can open them.

"I know all the things you do,
and I have opened a door for you that no one can shut.
You have little strength,
yet you obeyed my word and did not deny me.
Look! I will force those who belong to Satan--
those liars who say they are Jews but are not--
to come and bow down at your feet.
They will acknowledge that you are the ones I love.

"Because you have obeyed my command to persevere,
I will protect you from the great time of testing that will come upon the whole world
to test those who belong to this world.
Look, I am coming quickly.
Hold on to what you have,
so that no one will take away your crown.
All who are victorious will become pillars in the Temple of my God,
and they will never have to leave it.
And I will write my God's name on them,
and they will be citizens in the city of my God--
the new Jerusalem that comes down from heaven from my God.
And they will have my new name inscribed upon them.

Anyone who is willing to hear should listen to the Spirit
and understand what the Spirit is saying to the churches." (Rev. 3:7-13)

Some of these words take on even more import to me now.

WHAT TIME IS IT?

"There is a time for everything, a season for every activity under heaven.
A time to be born and a time to die.
A time to plant and a time to harvest.
A time to kill and a time to heal.
A time to tear down and a time to rebuild.
A time to cry and a time to laugh.
A time to grieve and a time to dance.
A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones.
A time to embrace and a time to turn away.
A time to search and a time to lose.
A time to keep and a time to throw away.
A time to tear and a time to mend.
A time to be quiet and a time to speak up.
A time to love and a time to hate.
A time for war and a time for peace." (Eccl. 3:1-8)

With the Powells being called to west central Ohio, what is the "time" for cciph? What "time" is it for me? These are the questions we bring before the Lord in prayer in the coming weeks. What kind of season will this next one be?

I am tempted to start through the list and highlight some of those words, but feel checked in my spirit to do so until I have spent time spreading this passage out before the Lord in concentrated prayer. I want Him to be the one to impress on me what season it is for my life, not my own emotions or plans or logic.

"LORD, where from here? What time is it? Teach me to number my days, that I may apply myself to a heart of wisdom. Do so with Fatherly grace, through the sacrifice of the Son and in the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen."

SATANIC ATTACK

"His tail dragged down one third of the stars, which he threw to the earth. He stood before the woman as she was about to give birth to her child, ready to devour the baby as soon as it was born. . . . And when the dragon realized that he had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the child. . . . Then the dragon tried to drown the woman . . . Then the dragon became angry at the woman, and he declard war against the rest of her children--all who keep God's commandments and confess that they belong to Jesus." (Rev. 12:4-17)

Satan sought to destroy Jesus. When he failed, he went after Israel, and after any followers of Jesus. This is not just a metaphor or a nice story; it is warfare. Satan's forces are vanquished at the shout of praise, and so the enemy of our souls will do anything he can to stop true praise, and especially to hear that Wonderful Name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

When CCiPH started, three notable women were powerful intercessors. They had a dream of establishing a prayer room, which would become a house of prayer. But shortly after it was started, Jodi's husband moved to Waynesfield, Bethany's husband died, and Pam's neck was broken. The prayer room has largely been unused. Coincidence?

What's more, I know Tom Powell to be a man of prayer, and now he is called to go to the same area as Jodi and Jay. Who will step up to take his place as an intercessor and a worshiper when he is gone?

Arise! Let us rebuild the tabernacle of David in our generation! Let us march into war, armed with the testimony of our Lord Jesus.

WHAT DO WE DO WITHOUT THE POWELLS?

We have often used Acts 13:1-5 as a model for ministry. There, we find five of the prophets and teachers of the church at Antioch worshiping the Lord and fasting. That's when the Holy Spirit told them to dedicate Barnabas and Saul for the work to which He had called them. Two of the five were called away! Notice what the Spirit called them to do--NOT to confirm the calling, but to dedicate them. Barnabas and Saul had heard the calling, but the task of the other three was to further fast and pray, and then to lay hands on them and send them on their way. This is what our leadership team is being called to do now.

Tom and his family have clearly heard a call from the Lord to move back to Tom's hometown and start a church there. It has been confirmed by virtually all members of the family. So, what now, for those of us who are left? Perhaps more of us are being called away, as well. Ben and Cindy Mathis have found a church near their house, where they and their extended family feel called. There will probably be others, as well.

The church began in the city of Jerusalem, and within a year or two (the first seven chapters of Acts), there were thousands of believers in that city. Then came chapter 8:1 "A great wave of persecution began that day, sweeping over the church in Jerusalem, and all the believers except the apostles fled into Judea and Samaria." Imagine how the church staff must have felt about this. We have twenty-thousand people one Sunday, and the next week there are only forty. Life as we now know it is coming to an end. The church of Jerusalem is dead.

But read verse 4: "But the believers who had fled Jerusalem went everywhere preaching the Good News about Jesus." The church multiplied all over the known world, not because of human plans, but because God is sovereign over even persecution. Had it not been for that wave of persecution, who knows how history (and my own salvation) might have been affected?

"LORD, this is a crisis and an opportunity for us. I come to you with earnestness, seeking your face anew, wanting to hear from You. I will watch. I will pray. I will listen. I will stay. Let me speak. Let me learn. I repent. I return. Amen."

PRAY UNTIL

God did amazing things in the early church. But prayer is the prelude to all that God was doing. They had been together for ten days, praying, when the Day of Pentecost changed everything. And in those wonderful first days in Jerusalem, when miracles were taking place and they were devoting themselves to so much, in the midst of the description is this detail: "all the believers met together constantly . . . They worshiped togehter at the Temple each day . . . and each day the Lord added to their group those who were being saved." Meeting together for worship and prayer was a key ingredient to daily conversions. I think I am beginning to see a glimpse of why that is true. Prayer changes things. Starting with the one who prays.

Here's what God has been showing me in the last week: If I pray for a time, God reveals the core of a problem to me. I am tempted to stop at that point, and to try to fix things myself. But I must continue to pray until God shows me my role in the solution to the problem. It is not enough for me to merely realize there is a problem if I have not heard from God what I am to do about it.

When I advocate remaining in prayer, I don't mean that if I pray for an hour I see the problem, and if I stay for two hours I see the solution. What I mean is that sometimes I see a situation from God's perspective, but it might be months or years before He tells me that I am to be a part of the solution. I mean that in having a few token minutes of prayer, many churches are still full of opinions and infighting, but in the early church, they prayed with "one voice" (Acts 4:24), fully submitted to God's sovereignty, even in the toughest of circumstances, and God answered powerfully.

What do I do until God tells me to move? I pray. Should I tell someone else about what I think? No. I pray. What if God reveals someone's secret sin to me? If the Lord hasn't also revealed to me what my role is in restoring that person, all I do is pray. If I think I have seen what God sees about some other country, do I immediately send postcards or money or buy a plane ticket or call my congressman? No. I pray. And I wait until He tells me whether I am to be a player in the solution.

This is the secret life of the true intercessor. All true intercessors know what I am talking about, because they live it every day. They have dreams and revelations often, they weep and cry out to God, and then they keep silent and keep the unity until God sends them. An intercessor intercedes. And prayer is much harder than action. You can pray in the flesh, at least for short seasons. But spending much time in fasting and prayer turning our eyes upon Jesus will tend to make the things of earth grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.

I think there is a promise here. Unity is a mark of a praying church, just as surely as love, peace, joy, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control are the fruit of the Holy Spirit. Because where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is peace.

"LORD, teach me to pray. No more tokens or polite nods in the direction of prayer, but in true, sacrificial intercession. Show me things in the secret places, and then tell me when it is time to shout them from the housetops. I ask you in the name of the One who taught us to pray. Amen."

PRAYER AND BROKENNESS

What is the key to experiencing revival? What is the key to finding your mission? What is the key to avoiding burnout? What is the key to extravagant worship? What is the key to effective evangelism? What is the key to changing this church to be all that God intends us to be?

Prayer. and brokenness.

I think it is time to regroup and to re-invent what this church is all about. Paul says that every man's work will be tested by fire--every man's work. That includes ours. How is ours being tested? By apathy, discontent, confusion, weariness and lack of direction. We are all tempted to bail at such times. This is a testing by fire.

I am convinced that we have done some things wisely and well, and that we have not done others so well. We are relational, flexible, open and many other good things. But we are proud, self-congratulating, full of excuses, selfish and tired. Moreover, I am arrogant in my unteachable visionary-ness. And in an effort to keep everyone together who names the name of Christ, we have opened the door so far that some who do not consider Christ to be divine have influenced us. Love and unity are essential, but so is correct doctrine, and Jesus is where we must draw the line.

What is the answer? Fasting and prayer. Focused, extended worship. Bathing every gathering in prayer. Bathing the neighborhood in prayer. Should we make our building a place where round-the-clock prayer takes place? That was an early vision. No matter what, it is time to get on our knees and become desperate for God.

"LORD, if You do not go with us, we will not leave this place. Take us with You, and we in turn will take You with us. In the name of Jesus. Amen."