PRAYER.CARE.SHARE. Week # 6
So did you see the Prayer Care Share Wall in the lobby as you came in today? If you weren’t here last week…we had a GREAT DAY…writing our names on our bookmarks onto the wall.
Go to the Wall…taking our prayers to the extreme.
In 30 plus churches in CR…Prayer Wall is there. Even Lemstone Bookstore! Over 10,000 Christians agreeing together…publicly…PRAYING TOGETHER for the 30-50K names on the PRAYER WALLS.
This is a LIVING WALL If you didn’t get a chance to write your BOOKMARK names down on the wall last week. Do it today as you leave. Get a BOOKMARK..it’s not too late to join us!
Our children are adding their names the next 2 weeks. Stop LOOK at the WALL. PRAY. AGREE with the PRAYERS for these names.
So…now that a lot of names are on THE WALL..What now?
We ALL corporately keep praying, right?
Last week you heard a lot of those prayers...
Salvation, Closer to Christ, Healing, Urgency for major God activity, the person sitting with me on Easter morning, etc.
Be SURE TO EMAIL US or let us know HOW GOD IS ANSWERING OUR PRAYERS.
One person: my former husband. His name on her bookmark. God activity is softening his heart. My kids are with me at church this week…because his heart is softening toward me..
My story. God is working…meddling with person on my list…answering prayers.
Fasten your seatbelts folks…we’re going into the fun part of Prayer Care Share
SO…NOW we enter the CARE & SHARE part of the PLAN.
You might say..."Isn’t praying enough? I can pray for that person, but God don’t ask me to participate with your work. I can pray…but don’t pull me into the actual story…I can’t do that."
GOD will have nothing of that.
In MOST of your cases…God will say to you…so you’ve been praying for your bookmark names…now are you ready to part of my miracle story?
GOD DRAWS US INTO HIS STORY. HE’S NOT WILLING TO BRING MAJOR GOD ACTIVITY INTO PEOPLE’S LIVES WITHOUT HUMAN INVOVEMENT. OUR HUMAN INVOLVEMENT.
There are so many examples in scripture of this principle.
Moses being reluctantly drawn into God’s deliverance story with His people in slavery.
Gideon, trying to hide from Israel’s oppression, so an angel comes to the place he is hiding away…saying ARISE, MIGHTY MAN of GOD…who me?
Jesus…His disciples…standing on front of a hungry crowd…You give them something to eat. You heal them.
You must know this about the God you serve…He will never answer your PRAYERS without drawing YOU into full participation with His answer.
YOU are a vital part of God’s answer to your prayers for your loved ones, your BOOKMARK names.
So…knowing that…what do you do?
Let’s talk about it … CARE! What do we mean by CARE?
Loving "the hell" right out of people. Conspiracy of Kindness…Simple acts of love. Kindness. Mercy.
People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.
People on your BOOKMARKS are just like that. They are not interested in how much you know about Jesus! They may not be able to tell you this…but what they are waiting for is to KNOW HOW MUCH YOU CARE for them.
HOW MUCH LOVE DO YOU HAVE FOR THEM?
IF YOU DO LOVE THEM…HOW DO I SHOW THAT LOVE TO THEM?
This brings us to THE KEY TO CARE
The way you & I approach CARE will determine how successful PCS will be. We’ll either go out & treat this CARE like a project. And CARE according to our best thought out formulas & plans OR We’ll turn to God and say…OH GOD…show me what You’re doing in my friends life so I can hear you telling me how I might CARE for this person.
Read John 5: 16-30
So…like Jesus…He walks up to His BOOKMARK PEOPLE…and
1. Jesus KNOWS that God the Father is ALREADY at work in this person’s life. Why..because Poppa’s always at work (verse 17)…Caution: God at work sign
2. Jesus KNOWS that His own creativity in CARE will not cut it. It will not have life or value or good results…(verse 19)
3. Jesus knows His job is to find out what God is doing in the person’s life before He acts …he’s asking… Father…what are YOU ALREADY DOING in this person’s life?? (verse 19) What words or actions (CARE) on my behalf will BENEFIT & COMPLIMENT what YOU are already doing in this person’s life?
4. Jesus knows that God will gladly show Him what He is doing. (verse 20) Why…cause the Father takes GREAT PLEASURE in HELPING HIS HUMBLE KIDS do the right thing! (verse 30)
Some might say…this is JESUS telling us how the SON OF GOD operates…not a model for us.
BAH-HUMBUG…
Jn 14:12-14 I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.
The key to CARE? Find out what the Father is doing…adjust your CARE to match with that.
Let’s PRAY…
