men of God

Acts 10:2
He was a devout, God-fearing man, as was everyone in his household. He gave generously to the poor and prayed regularly to God.

Think how strange it would be to consider Islam or Judaism as being mainly a female faith. “Muslim or Jewish men don’t really get involved in their faith lives.” This just wouldn’t make sense.

Yet, with Christianity there appears, at times, to be a feminization of the faith. At least, this is a lament that goes out in the American Church. Where are all the men?

Cornelius has it right. Men provide a model for all those around them when they honor God. Maybe today, more then ever, men make influential models because it appears so optional in a guy’s life.

Pray for an important male in our life today.

two for the road

Acts 8:15
As soon as they arrived, they prayed for these new believers to receive the Holy Spirit.

It is the Holy Spirit that Jesus promises us to empower our mission and ministry. All Christians, new and old, need this power to be energizing their kingdom work. When we pray for each other, we are also praying for Jesus to connect with the other through the Spirit. Prayer is not a passive act; it invites the expansion of our influence together.

Pray for the Holy Spirit to come upon two of your Christian friends today and let them know.


Acts 9:11
The Lord said, “Go over to Straight Street, to the house of Judas. When you get there, ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul. He is praying to me right now.”

Saul is converted by Jesus directly and will become the great leader Paul. Notice what Paul is spending his time on after his transformation. Prayer.

Is it only when one comes to faith that prayer seems so right and necessary? What do you think? How is God using you to transform the world today? Why not pray about it?

Pray for God to direct you to someone who is seeking God.

touch

Acts 6:6

These seven were presented to the apostles, who prayed for them as they laid their hands on them.

Laying on of hands is a wonderful tradition in the life of the Christian community. It emphasizes the connection we have with each other and the “touch” of God as it signifies we are receiving God’s direct attention and power when we are being prayer over. Like a king declaring a subject a knight with his sword, we represent King Jesus when we declare, “This is from God.”

Pray for someone today and lay hands on their shoulder or head.

pastors

Acts 6:4
Then we apostles can spend our time in prayer and teaching the word.

The leaders of the first church communities spent most of their time praying and teaching the Bible through preaching and teaching. Is this the case for church leaders today?

Having adequate time to be in prayer and Bible reading and prioritizing that time are critical to being fueled by the Holy Spirit. Too many pastors find themselves running on empty and then what?

Pray for pastors and encourage them to pray.

ten commandments in 20 minutes

the ten commandments are not a list of rules, but a description of a way of life

together

Acts 2:42
They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.

Prayer is not only a conversation between you and God. Prayer also connects believers together with God. When we pray together, it breaks down barriers, encourages, lifts us around common concerns, and makes us more community, less individual prayer cogs.

Pray with others today.

constant prayer

Acts 1:14
They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.

On the surface, monks and nun in monasteries and cloisters may seem like they are trying to get away from the world. Yet, reality is far different. They are pouring out blessings upon us and battling the forces of darkness bent on destroying us. Their prayers connected to God’s grace are a powerful fuel to energize our service in this world. I shudder to think what our world would be like without their prayers…

Pray for those who pray for you this day.

getting through

John 11:41
Then Jesus looked up and said, "Father, I thank you that you have heard me.

Isn’t it wonderful to have God hearing us? Even in this day of cell phones, e mail, text messaging, and “I M”-ing, God is our most direct line. He is there whenever we need him, which is always. No dropped calls or lost messages with God. He is always on the line.

Find a new way to thank God today.

never give up

Luke 22:44
And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.

In times of deep trouble you pray longer and harder. You don’t quit. It really is only in tough times that you discover if Jesus is the one you turn to. During good times or neutral days, it’s easy to get distracted.

Jesus faced all the anguish of all people all time and the whole rest of creation’s pain and he didn’t quit. We, who face so much less, why would we quit praying?

Pray for someone going through a great trial in life right now.

personal prayer

Luke 22:32
But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers."

Jesus says this just before Peter denies him three times. What are you, nuts, Peter?!

Notice the amazing freedom Jesus gives us to fail. Peter messes up even though Jesus is praying for his faith not to fail. Thank Jesus for forgiveness. Peter spends the rest of his life drawing on that forgiveness to serve in a powerful way.

What do you need Jesus to pray for the most for you personally?

surprise

Luke 18:10
"Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector."

Jesus always turns the world upside down. The devout and pious Pharisee is a religious hero of the day. A tax collector is despised. One obviously has God’s ear. One does not. The big surprise is they both have God’s ear but not in the way they think. The tax collector rightfully repents of his sin; the Pharisee does not. Yet, many Pharisees did repent, including, thank God, Paul!

Who is one of your faith “heroes?” Model one thing from their life today.

the gospel

the Christian faith is not about legalism or leniency
there is only one way that works
the third way...the gospel

always

Luke 18:1
1Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.

“Always pray.” This is what we do. As Dallas Willard has said, “We are not in charge of the results.” Yet, we are in charge of the effort. Praying becomes a habit and then it can become a way of life. Can prayer become a natural part of who we are? We will never know unless we try. We try by praying.

Pray on the hour every waking hour today.

dad

Luke 11:2
2He said to them, "When you pray, say:
" 'Father,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come.

Jesus tells us to speak to God as we would our ideal dad. Dad is going to listen and encourage. He is going to be generous in his accolades and will speak a clear vision of my possibilities. With that kind of dad, who also happens to be God, what kid is ever going to fail in life? Not one.

Practice trusting God today when he says he absolutely adores you.

teaching prayer

Luke 11:1
1One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples."

Who taught you to pray? Mom? Dad? Grandma? Who? When the disciples ask Jesus to teach them, it doesn’t mean they never prayed or had never seen prayer. They are really asking to pray more effectively. They are asking for a better, “how?” And he gives them what they need.

Think of some parents of small children that you know and pray for them throughout the day.

together

Luke 9:28
28About eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray.

Jesus isn’t always alone when he prays. He also chooses others to join him. Prayer builds relationship between God and us. Prayer also builds relationship when we pray with others. There is something bonding when we directly pray for someone else and are directly prayed for by someone else. We join with them and God. We are a complete community.

Pray with one or two other people this week.

hard prayer

Luke 6:28
bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.

If someone is mean, filled with rage, a pain in the butt or worse, the easy thing to do is ignore them or take revenge. Neither of these responses works in God’s Kingdom ways.

If you want people who view themselves as your enemies to be transformed, they need the power of Jesus and his forgiveness. We don’t get right before God on our own. The only source of hope for them is the same as for you. Jesus. So, go to Jesus about them.

Who do you need to pray for in this category?

are Christians narrow-minded and intolerate?

if what Jesus said and did are true, then to not try to get others to believe in him would be the most wicked thing you could possibly do.

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an Easter message

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high places

Luke 6:12
12One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God.

Mountain praying is fascinating. Living in a valley I experience both. When you look up at a mountain and pray from a valley floor, it reminds you that God is beyond the highest mountains and surrounds you with his power. When you look down from a mountaintop, you think of the people in the valley below.

Mountain praying. Praying with God and praying for others.

Go to a high place and pray for those below.

lonely place

Luke 5:16
16But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.

Luke interviews many eyewitnesses to get the most accurate historical account of the life of Jesus. This verse is an interesting word choice for one of Jesus’ activities. Luke doesn’t say Jesus went to a place alone. He says Jesus goes to “lonely places.” How can a place be lonely, and why did Jesus go there so often?

I know this is only a figure of speech but when you think about it, it makes sense. Anywhere is lonely without Jesus present.

What lonely place can you enter into today and bring the presence of Jesus?

holy communion

three views of Holy Communion
the intersection of God's domain and our's

download at ITunes "Christcast"

money sex power

Jesus turns the world upside down by transforming the three great influencers:
money sex power

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heavens

Luke 3:21
21When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened…”

Now that Jesus is in your life, the heavens surround you, because you catch glimpses of his reality. As Christian author N.T. Wright put it,

“God’s space and our space intersect at Jesus.”

I have always been intrigued that Jesus identifies with being in community with us so much he is baptized. Indeed, the heavens are opened for good.

Pray for someone you know who was recently baptized.

temple prayer

Luke 2:37
37and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying.

Anna, the prophet, has been widowed for most of her adult life. Rather than remarry, she is married to the Lord and his presence. It seems strange to be into prayer, worship, and fasting day and night, but with Anna, at age 84 she meets baby Jesus face to face.

Aren’t there times you wish you could just give yourself over to God like Anna? You can. You carry the temple with you now, as you share the love of Christ with your neighbor.

Call a friend who is a widow today and encourage her.

watch

Mark 14:38
38”Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak."

There is a spiritual discipline of the “watch.” This is where one abstains from sleep in order to pray. Another word used for this is, “vigil.”

With the difficulty faced by so many to get a “good night’s sleep,” it is doubtful whether this is a practice that should be in your regular regimen of disciplines. However, this is effective, especially in the quiet of the middle of the night.

If you want to test this out short term, set your alarm for 2 a.m., go outside and pray for an hour.