Monthly Archives: June 2009

The Power of United, Believing Prayer

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Today, I spoke with Pastor Cornel Boingeanu of Romania regarding the prayer revival we will be a part of next week. It is a tremendous blessing to serve the nation of Romania in uniting the pastors and people in worshipping God through prayer. The student choir from Prestonwood Church will help lead in worship along side a praise team from Romania.

As I discussed the times of praying together in this wonderful evening we agreed that our brothers and sisters from Romania would pray in Romanian and we would pray in English without translation. Although these prayers will not be discernable by many of us, they will be discernable by God.

I am reminded of the day of Pentacost. The people of all nations were together in one accord and the Holy Spirit enabled the disciples to speak the languages of the nations in order to advance the good news of Jesus Christ. There is something very powerful about united, believing prayer. The Holy Spirit waits for the body of Christ to unite in believing prayer to move in mighty, miraculous and new ways.

Throughout history, all great spiritual awakenings were preceded and sustained by united, believing prayer. Only the Lord knows what He awaits to unleash for Romania, the US, and the nations of the earth as we come together and pray.

Prayer is an issue of faith where many of us go horizontal and tell others of all of our trials and tribulations, while we should be going together vertically to a God who is able to meet our every need. It seems that now, more than ever, with such great despair, anxiety, and hopelessness in our nation and around the globe that the bride of Christ, the church, called by God, a house of prayer, should lift their voices to the Great I Am that I Am. I am Able, I am with you, I am your Sustainer, I am your Provider, I am your Healer, I am the Way, and I am your All in All.

May we each seek God’s face daily without ceasing, but may we also pray for spiritual leaders across our land to call us together in united, believing prayer. I am grateful for the spiritual leadership of these Romanian pastors who are coming together by faith to call on a great God to bring an awakening to their land.

May God grant us this same sense of urgency to stop and pray and seek God’s face for the revival of His church and the restoration of our land. God is waiting to move in new and miraculous ways. We have not, because we do not ask in united, believing prayer.

Faith of a Mustard Seed

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Yesterday while talking with my brother, Mel, who leads BridgeBuilders in San Antonio he mentioned his great joy of having “church under the tree.”  I’ve seen this church in the urban center of San Antonio.  There are 5 or 6 men who gather daily, under a tree setting on crates and talking and letting the days go by without any apparent purpose.  Recently while Mel was doing his weekly Bible Study with these men, one of them looked at him and said, “we are going to change our community.”  Mel was shocked that these men, who have welcomed him, and West Point graduate and former Lt. Col. in the army, were discussing how they were going to take back their community.  Sounds a little bit like Gideon’s army.  What a joy it was to hear my brother express his thanks for these men that have asked him to teach them the Bible to speak these words of faith.  There is little outward change in their lives or the community at this time, but thank God that with the faith of a mustard seed, we can say to this mountain move and it will move.  God works in amazing ways and most often through the foolish to confound the wise.  I am thankful that my older brother reminded me that with God all things are possible.  We have seen the gospel of Jesus Christ transform all who have called upon His name, even the people the world says have no values, or wisdom or great faith.  Prayerfully, we will all have our own opportunities to experience great faith as we walk among God’s people.

A Clean Sweep

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This past Saturday I was humbled as over 500 volunteers gathered together to serve the community of Bonton and H.S. Thompson Elementary School.  This is a great work that allows many of our corporate partners like the Beck Group, Manhattan Construction, Puritan Financial and Guaranty Bank to collaborate with key church partners in Prestonwood and Oak Cliff Bible to bless and serve our city.  It’s amazing to me that the group comes every year and will do the most menial of tasks with the greatest heart.  This year they refinished and painted the school’s playground, landscaped around the school, built benches in the courtyard, cleaned rooms in the school and picked up trash around the community.  This amazing group of servants reminds me that the least shall be the greatest.  Over these past five years we’ve seen tons of debris and trash removed, lots transformed, landscaping added and a sign of true community begin to foster through those who serve and the amazing residents of the Bonton community. 

            I am reminded of Mayola who has lived in that neighborhood for over 50 years say to us that we are the answer to her prayers.  Lives are being changed and hope is being restored. I thank God for all the nameless people who are known by God who have given the Bonton community another clean sweep.  The neighborhood is changing thanks to these faithful servants.  I am certain they will each hear from the Lord someday, “well done good and faithful servant.”

The Edges of the Field

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During these difficult economic times with such high unemployment, the body of Christ has a tremendous opportunity to use our positions in the market place to help train those in need with employable skills and actually hire them in our companies.  The story of Boaz and Ruth is a great example of God’s plan for those in need to work the edges of the field to meet their needs.  Too often today we are more concerned with our profit margins and not our faith and obedience margins.  Where in the Bible does it say we are to ignore the needs of others and focus on our profits to the detriment of those in need?

            There are however, many great examples of some Christians in the market place who see their business as a ministry for God and others.  One of our partner companies with BridgeBuilders has employed five men who have completed employment training classes.  We believe along with their employer that someone’s past does not define them today or for their future.  Praise God that “there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”  This particular CEO has now opened his company for a weekly Bible study open to all of his employees taught by BridgeBuilders volunteers.  In addition, he has donated over 1200 sq ft of his building for training space for our ministry to train in employment skills and make disciples for the Lord.  As I have watched the faith and faithfulness of this brother in Christ, I am in awe of his faith margins in a down economy.  He is now looking at how he can plant a factory in Romania to help bring a place of employment and discipleship to our work there.  I am certain this man will receive a great reward in Heaven for his faithful service to God.

            I am prayerful that God will continue to awaken many more Christians in the market place to realize our command is still to make disciples before making dollars.  Amazing to me that if we seek first His kingdom that everything else will be added to us.  It is time to trust and obey and watch God meet all of our needs and the needs of so many who are in great despair.  Remember it is all His yet He is just asking for the edges of the field.

Giving Beyond their Ability

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In the scriptures the Macedonians were the poorest of poor yet the Word says they gave beyond their ability.  While in West Virginia I am reminded of this scripture.  The joint income for two is $24,000 a year.  Yet in this place of great need, God is working greatly.  I am humbled by the unity of the pastors in prayer and the study of the Word.  There are wonderful city servants that are seeking to give their resources to help bring much needed services of medical care and development.  God has raised up some amazing business leaders who have a heart for God and the least. 

Most of all I’m humbled by Jimmie, a 92 years old resident of Monticello, an area of the city that is in great need.  Jimmie has given the ministry a house that will be a lighthouse for the Lord in this strategic community in Clarksburg.  She serves her neighbor who is very ill, she helps serve food to the volunteers who serve her community but most of all she loves people.  She welcomed us as her family.

                I am also overwhelmed by Thelma’s dreams for her community.  One of her children was murdered.  When I asked her about her dreams for her life she said she wanted to have a home someday for troubled youth to have a safe haven.  Thelma came to know the Lord through BridgeBuilders just this past year and already her heart is filled with a desire to give back. 

                Lord, help us to give with such joy and abandon.  There is no limit to what God will give to those who will be a conduit of his resources and blessings.  The Lord is doing an amazing work in Clarksburg, West Virginia and through the faith and faithfulness of the remnant who are praying, sharing the gospel, serving and giving with all their hearts.

                A.W. Tozer says “God is looking for people through whom He can do the impossible.  What a pity we plan to do only the things that we can do by ourselves.”

Ordinary Heroes

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James 1:22 “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves.  Do what is says.”

                 Ray and Tressa Shaw are two of my heroes of the faith.  Several years ago during a building campaign at Prestonwood we asked the people to pray and ask God what He should have them do.  Ray and Tessa heard an amount to give, but they also heard God say surrender everything: sell your home, quit your job, and return to WV where Tressa’s family lives. They obeyed and began A Flame for Christ Ministry.  This vibrant ministry is committed to serving the church in WV, to create house of prayer and help teach and train in evangelism.  While the Lord is providing amazing fruit through this wonderful work, they began to see with the eyes of Christ the needs of the least in the Bridgeport/Clarksburg area.  They responded and told us they felt led by God to begin HISBB in WV.  They already live day by day by faith and now have added the needs of hundreds of the poor in their area.

                In a recent book I read by Francis Chan, he says “Lukewarm people are moved by stories about people who do radical things for Christ, yet they do not act.  They assume such action is for “extreme” Christians, not average ones.  Lukewarm people call  ”radical” what Jesus expected of all His followers.”   I find myself often looking at Ray and Tressa as radicals for Christ excusing my lack of ordinary obedience that Christ calls each of us to.  I am prayerful that while we are with them this week in WV I can continue to seek their same day to day dependence on God in prayer, their passion for souls and for the least.  Please pray for our work in WV.  It is truly ordinarily extraordinary because God is in it and because of the faithfulness of Ray and Tressa Shaw.

                I hope and pray we will all ask God to show us the areas of our lives where ordinary obedience to His Word and His ways will lead us to be ordinary heroes for the cause of Christ.

Power of Prayer

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This past weekend I had the opportunity to travel with my three sons and attend the Global Day of Prayer in San Antonio. The BridgeBuilder’s San Antonio branch served by helping bring together over 20 churches in corporate prayer this past Pentecost Sunday. It was an amazing blessing to see the body of Christ from all different walks of life come together to lift their city up in prayer. Our ministry believes that a prayerless ministry is a powerless ministry and we have sought to bring about city-wide prayer movements in each of the cities where we are called.

The previous 5 years, H.I.S. BridgeBuilders has partnered with Dr. Bob Bakke and Prestonwood Church in uniting the churches of Dallas together to lift the city up in prayer. The result of these five years has been amazing. We are seeing God move in ways that we could never have imagined. The lives of believers are being ignited which is leading to the salvation and transformation of the lost all around the city. Churches, businesses, and government officials in Dallas are working together more collaboratively now than ever before to renew hope to the hopeless of our cities.

In Acts, we see the early church gathered in united prayer and the Spirit of God was freed to move in miraculous ways. The salvation of over three thousand people in one day seems impossible in our current society. However, maybe if we spent more time praying together and less time seeking our own way we would see the miraculous movement of God in our cities and communities, because “our God is the same yesterday, today, and forever”.

In prayer we get God, we experience His love and fellowship, His resources and power, yet many times we look to our own strength and knowledge for the answer. 2 Chronicles 7:14 says, “If My people who are called by My name humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land”. We must humble ourselves and pray together for His glory as He works through us to do what we cannot in our own strength.

H.I.S. BridgeBuilder’s newest branch, in Romania, has begun serving pastors and urban communities in the city of Galati. I am humbled by the privilege of co-leading a concert of prayer in Bucharest this July. Please join me in praying that this movement will bring about renewal and revival to the nation of Romania. We are humbled to serve in this continual role as a catalyst of corporate, united, believing prayer. For our God is able to transform urban centers and cities across the world for His glory.

Welcome to my blog!

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I am very excited about the launch of my new blog today, Restoring Hope for a Better Tomorrow. In America, and around the globe, hope needs to be restored. There are plenty of people that believe education, capitalism, or welfare is the pathway to restoring hope. While these ideas can bring knowledge, wealth, or food to our lives they cannot restore hope or bring joy. The missing element is the essential element, salvation in Christ.

Our culture has been taught for too long that the answers to our problems lie in the hands of a political ideology. This misunderstanding penetrates both sides of the spectrum: liberal and conservative. I fear that believers are placing more faith in a political ideology and not in a powerful Savior. 

While each political party has its strengths and weaknesses, Jesus does not. While they both flip-flop and double speak, Jesus does not. While they take public opinion polls and give false promises, Jesus does not. While they say one thing and do another, Jesus does not. Jesus has no weakness, speaks no lie, goes against the grain, and follows through on His promises. It is time that as believers we get back to the basics. Our identity is not that  we are just Americans, conservatives or liberals, Texans or New Yorkers; we are believers in Christ. The answers to our society’s problems are not found in who has political power, the answer is and always will be Jesus.

Believers in America have gotten too caught up in political rallies and not prayer rallies. We are too concerned about our tax rates and not the salvation rates. Christians are spending more time worrying about their investments but not enough concern about the boy or girl that doesn’t have enough money to pay for school books. Liberals are wrong in thinking it is the government’s job to take care of the hurting, while conservatives are wrong in thinking it is the market’s job to take care of the hurting.

As believers it is our job to take care of the hurting and the hopeless. Christ did not call us to stand by and live big while others are struggling and falling apart. The life of a Christian should not be characterized by comfort and ease. In fact, the life of a Christian should be physically, mentally, and financially draining. However, the spiritual rewards outweigh anything we could attain otherwise.

We must get back to doing what God has called us to do. That is praying, obeying, and making disciples. Our lives are no longer about us when we accept Christ, they are about Him. If Christians in America do not wake up and start carrying out the mission that God has given us, we will not like the results 10, 15, or 20 years from now. We have a merciful God that has given us many more chances then we deserve, but if we continue to live in the same patterns of idolatry and selfishness, then punishment will come.

Believers, we must stop pushing aside our responsibilities and step up to the higher calling given to us by God. How can we allow God to use us where we are? What skills and abilities has God given me that I can use to make disciples? The command is clear. Make disciples. Who are you going to make your disciple today? Who will you take under your wing, adopt into your family, train and teach? Remember that Christ did not call us to simply make converts, but disciples. We must be a father to the fatherless!

Over the next weeks, months, and years I plan to use this blog as a way to communicate with believers in America and around the globe how we can bring true hope and restoration to our nation and the world. God Bless.