2013 Thriving Summit: Crawford Loritts | Fight for Your Walk with God

 

2013 Thriving Summit – Reflection #3 | Pastor Crawford Loritts

Read previous reflections from the 2013 Thriving Summit below:

Reflection #1 | Pastor Eric Mason – Fight for Gospel Truth
Reflection #2 | Pastor H.B. Charles, Jr. – Fight for Maturity and Purity

This is a continuing series reflecting on 4 key discussions given at the 2013 Thriving Summit held in Philadelphia, PA on Friday, October 11 through Saturday, October 12. Crawford Loritts provided the first session on Saturday morning. Notes and reflection are provided below.

Dr. Crawford Loritts | Saturday, October 12
Hebrews 12:1-3 – Fight for Your Walk with God

"The only reason God blesses you is to give you open hands. Your ministry is meant to be a conduit, not a cul-de-sac. We will never minister beyond our depth and relationship with God. Our resources will run out. His never do."

1) There needs to be a wholeness to our lives and ministry.  
Everything we do is permeated by worship of something or someone. Don't edit the Lord Jesus out of the details – big or small – in your life. He is the focus of our worship and is the only one who gives us anything in return for our worship.

2) Don't get seduced into thinking your call is your walk with God.

"God will call you to do things you're not competent to do so you will grow in your dependence. Everything you do needs to have the signature of dependency. The impossibilities are pathways into God's sovereignty."

3) Background, education, and experience is no match for the power of God.  
And the response of people does not mean you have the smile and pleasure of God.

"Our usefulness is related to our diligence in the removal of sin. You can control neither the clock nor the calendar. Get on with it. There is never a time to reduce your urgency in your sanctification. Look to Jesus – analyze, contrast, and compare what kept Jesus going to what keeps you going. And remember, accuracy and rightness does not mean you are being transformed into looking like Jesus. It's '...not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit' says the Lord."

4) Don't make assumptions about the power of God.  
Be intentional with the power of the Spirit of God. The principles are not the power. The Holy Spirit is the power. According to John 16, the Holy Spirit is powerful in:

– Convicting us of sin and righteousness
– Leading us into all truth
– Glorifying the Lord Jesus in us and through us

We are commanded to be controlled by the Holy Spirit continuously. "You will be my witnesses..." is a statement. If we have been given His Spirit, we are His witnesses. But what or who are we witnessing to? Does the world say, "Wow, whatever or whoever is leading that person or that church doesn't come from anything I've seen in this world."?

 

Final Thoughts on Crawford Loritts' "Fight for Your Walk with God"

Crawford Loritts' message was full of good, strong warnings from a man who has served the Lord faithfully for nearly 40 years. He spoke from a deep reservoir of passion, conviction, and memories of the pitfalls he himself and others he's known and loved have fallen into. 

I greatly appreciated many of this thoughts, and continue to feel conviction in reflecting on the message. How many times do I try to pull back or find a solution on my own when I face a situation that requires God's strength and interaction? Far too often. I turn to my own strength rather than the power of praying and trusting the Spirit of God to move.

God has already called me to things that I'm not competent to do. But despite the fact that I've preached on prayer recently, have written about conviction for prayer, and organized how Emmaus City will need to pray, I am still guilty of editing Jesus and the Spirit out of the details of my day-in and day-out living. 

I too quickly turn to my own knowledge and strength instead of to the Spirit's power to work in my life and the life of others. And yet all I desire for myself, for my family, for Emmaus City, for our neighborhoods, and for our city, is what the Spirit of God has come to do: 

– Convict us of sin and righteousness
– Lead us into all truth
– Glorify the Lord Jesus in us and through us

What kept Jesus holy and wholly motivated in walking with God and in others in love? The Holy Spirit. And Jesus, by His grace, has made us His witnesses by giving us His Spirit. We are His body. It's our identity. But do I live from this identity?

How incredible He would call me to be His witness with what little I have to offer? And yet, through Him, how amazing are the things that He has done, is doing, and will do?! 

I need, just like Jesus needed, the Spirit of God to inspire me and move me by faith to live and walk with Him in light of what He can do in me and with Emmaus City. 

This is the truth He has called all of us to turn to again and again. And we need to turn (aka "repent") by His Spirit to be reminded of to fight sin, seek His righteousness, and glorify Him. Continuously.

Check back tomorrow for my final thoughts on the 2013 Thriving Summit: Reflection #4 | John Bryson – Fight to Lead

– Sully

Curiosity piqued? Something inside you being stirred? Go ahead and connect.
 

2013 Thriving Summit: H.B. Charles, Jr. | Fight for Maturity and Purity

2013 Thriving Summit – Reflection #2 | Pastor H.B. Charles, Jr.

Read previous reflections from the 2013 Thriving Summit below:

Reflection #1 | Pastor Eric Mason – Fight for Gospel Truth

This is a continuing series reflecting on 4 key discussions given at the 2013 Thriving Summit held in Philadelphia, PA on Friday, October 11 through Saturday, October 12. H.B. Charles provided the last session on Friday evening. Notes and reflection are provided below.

Rev. H.B. Charles, Jr. | Friday, October 11

1 Timothy 4:11-16 – Fight for Maturity and Purity

The world at its worst needs the church at its best. In order to faithfully proclaim the Word, we need to faithfully practice the Word.

1) Fight for maturity and purity in your spiritual leadership
Spiritual leadership is knowing you are one who is under authority. Tell others what the Word of God tells you to tell yourself and others. And remember, seniority and credibility don't necessarily go together. Be an example and lead by the life you live.

"Teach with the authority Jesus is. Live with the integrity Jesus gives. 'Command and teach these things. Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.'"

2) Fight for maturity and purity in your public ministry
Preach the Word, and don't rely on your own gifts. The power doesn't come from you. It comes from God – His Word and His Spirit. Keep asking yourself, "What am I teaching? How am I living?"

"'Devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching.' As you're working this out from His Word, God is working it in you."

3) Fight for maturity and purity in your personal development
Faithful ministry is hard work. Immerse yourself in it. It ought to be obvious that if nothing else is moving or developing, there is obvious evidence that we are growing in the knowledge and grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.

"'Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress. Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.' If Derrick Redmond's father will help him finish his race, how much more will your Heavenly Father help you finish yours? Persist. Then hit repeat until you finish.

Final Thoughts on H.B. Charles Jr.'s "Fight for Maturity and Purity"

Right now, in the early stages of planting a church, it is good to be reminded again that Jesus is at work every day. He is working in and with the people who are joining us. He is working in and with us to reach out to neighbors in our communities He has commanded us to love. And He is working in and with me, regardless of what I can see with my eyes.

I need to hear again and again:

"...It ought to be obvious that if nothing else is moving or developing with Emmaus City to the human eye, there is still obvious evidence that you are growing in the knowledge and grace of our Lord Jesus Christ..."

I truly do need Him every hour. Desperately. I'm so quick to be my own savior or act as my own judge. And I'm my own worst enemy.

I need God to protect me from me, and I need to point others to find their Savior to be Jesus in each and every way. If I want others God has made me responsible for to grow in the knowledge and grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, I need to regularly assess if am I doing this in slow times and fast, in good times and bad. 

Is His grace sufficient for me? Yes. Am I teaching this by how I live and speak? God, help me. Am I becoming more like Jesus in my words and actions? God, help me.

Will Emmaus City become more like Jesus together? Only when we immerse ourselves in God's Word and His Spirit, practicing the mercy, grace, and forgiveness together that we see God enacting in His story, and devoting ourselves – publicly and privately – to obeying the words of Jesus for the love of God and each other. 

Then we will grow in our purity and maturity as we grow together as the family of God.

Check back later for Reflection #3 | Crawford Loritts – Fight for Your Walk with God

– Sully

Curiosity piqued? Something inside you being stirred? Go ahead and connect.

2013 Thriving Summit: Eric Mason | Fight for Gospel Truth

2013 Thriving Summit – Reflection #1 | Pastor Eric Mason

This month has been filled with so much learning, I felt compelled to not only review, meditate, and write the wisdom out again, but I also wanted to share it with you.

Friday, October 11 through Saturday, October 12, I had two close friends who are also part of Emmaus City join me on a road trip to Epiphany Fellowship in the heart of Philadelphia for a conference that continues to sear its mark on my soul. The 2013 Thriving Summit was an onslaught of powerful preaching and instruction from leaders who minister in urban contexts around the U.S.  

Each of the posts in this four-part series will include a summary and reflection on one of the main sessions. I won't be able to cover everything the speakers shared or discussed. If you want to hear more details, feel free to drop me a line. For now, here is a first taste of what was served in Philly a few weekends ago. 

Dr. Eric Mason | Friday, October 11

1 Timothy 6:3-21 – Fight for Gospel Truth

You're going to have to engage and not complain. Paul challenged Timothy in Ephesus – the theological center of the church's activity – that he was going to need to fight the good fight for faith in Jesus. In his city, there were plenty of people who could talk about faith, but not many who were standing strong in the truths about the Person in which Timothy had placed his faith.

1) When you're in a fight, you have to know when to retreat.
There will need to be distinctions between you and others, and there are going to be things you're going to need to flee like: (1) lording it over people, (2) feeding an unhealthy craving for conspiracy, (3) causing divisiveness, (4) growing pride, and (5) loving money.

"Don't get caught in a fight that doesn't move discipleship and the kingdom forward. Be willing to flee and say, 'I'd rather look ugly so God can look beautiful.' Until you're real with your struggle, you won't know when to flee to God."

2) When you're in a fight, you've got to eat your rations.
God never takes something from you without giving you something. Exercise the "steadfastness" He has given you where you are at. Then pursue the opportunities that are hard. You've got to actually make a decision to walk in His righteousness. Strive for, hasten, and press toward Him and what He has given you. "Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called. I charge you in the presence of God – keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ." Then share from what you have learned.

"A vision from God is one in which only He can accomplish it. You've been entrusted with the riches of Christ in His gospel, and you're called and commanded to pour them out for others no matter what the cost."

3) Only fight the fight that God requires.
Know your capacity. Deal with your sin. Plant where you stand. Preach the Word. And be patient for change. People need to pastor each other, and pastors need to be included with those who are pastored. You can be honest and trust God, or lie and lose. In the life of the individual and the life of the church, there needs to be a growing level of honesty and submission to Jesus, to the leaders He provides among His people in the church, and to each other.

"There is no greater fighter than Jesus. And He fights with us now. We want to join Him in what He is already doing. We're not fighting for our victory. We fight together from His victory."

Final Thoughts on Eric Mason's "Fight for Gospel Truth"

I appreciated Mason's session for not only reminding me of Who is standing with me and how I have been entrusted to stand for Him, but I also greatly appreciated being made aware again (from Paul's instructions to Timothy) of what I will and should be fleeing from when I am standing with Jesus. 

– When I'm gracious, I'm standing for the gospel of Jesus. I won't have to try to force others to see Him; they will based on my Spirit-led posture before Him and grace-filled actions toward them. So I can flee "lording over" the gospel message to people and instead fight for faith in Jesus that serves them so they will ask for a reason for the hope I have in Him.

– When I'm simple, I'm standing for the gospel of Jesus. I don't need to engage with conspiracy theorists; they're not looking for clarity in who Jesus is if they're more concerned with questions that can never be answered. So I can flee their craving to get into a circular argument that leads nowhere, and instead fight for faith in Jesus to bring the focus back to Him and how His life, death, and resurrection changes everything it is true.

– When my words unite with Jesus' words, I'm standing for the gospel of Jesus. I don't need to determine who I'm "with" or who I'm "for" as far as being divisive on secondary issues that the Bible is unclear on. Boasting only in Jesus and Him crucified, holding to His story and truths shared in Scripture, and following the Spirit's lead in giving Him glory, will create enough dividing lines. So I can flee those who promote divisiveness and instead fight for faith in Jesus and cling to His prayer to the Father by the Spirit for unity in His church in John 17. 

– When my attitude is shaped by generous humility, I'm standing for the gospel of Jesus. Killing my pride requires a daily meditation on what Jesus did and is doing for me through His Word and His Spirit, and with His people. So I can flee trying to justify my actions, and instead I can fight for faith in Jesus to rest in my identity as a son who has been received by God into His family only because of the grace given my by Jesus.

– When my confidence and contentment is secure in God's provision, I'm standing for the gospel of Jesus. Trusting Him to provide my family's needs will continue to challenge the recesses of my heart that hide a love for money. So I can flee when fear and false hope rests on what I have in the bank, and instead I can fight for faith in Jesus to trust that God is true to His promises to provide all I will need from His eternal riches.

But to do all of this, I need to make the daily choice to hold to Jesus and His words as He builds my character, competence, and commitment to be more like Him. He has already won the ultimate victory over sin and death. But I want to see Him helping me win the fight in my daily battles more regularly, so I see the sins and the temptations that provoke me to hunger after lies steadily losing their grip on my mind and heart.

Check back this week for Reflection #2 | H.B. Charles, Jr. – Fight for Maturity and Purity

– Sully

Curiosity piqued? Something inside you being stirred? Go ahead and connect.

Lenten Considerations for Every Year | Jesus Is Our Servant?

Jesus The Suffering Servant – Worthy of Prayer, Wonder & Awe

Last month, I wrote about how "Jesus is Better" based on a song written by Aaron Ivey and Austin Stone Worship. This month, the new worship song I have been returning to again and again is called "Suffering Servant," recently released by Dustin Kensrue. The words of the song are almost directly taken from Isaiah 52:13 – 53:12.

In fact, I used the music and the lyrics of "Suffering Servant" to open our time of prayer earlier this week. At the beginning of the evening, we took the time to reflect in silence on this Suffering Servant together through the words from Isaiah written more than 700 years before Jesus stepped foot on the earth. Then we took the time to respond to this Righteous Servant who chose to suffer for us so we could not only have our prayers heard, but have everything we could ever need answered in Jesus Himself.

Even in listening to the song again as I write this post, I am brought to tears. Who is this Man of Sorrows who would endure all of this for me? And who could this Righteous Servant be, so strong He is able to endure such suffering, while also conquering sin, wickedness, and death itself? I don't deserve for anyone to serve me like this, let alone Someone like this.

The rousing lyrics and melodic crescendo of verses 3 and 4 in particular shake my soul and cause me to wonder. 
 

He offered up His soul to death. 

He poured it out ‘til none was left.

He died but now shall rise and surely see 

The many He has righteous made.

And satisfied, His work surveyed, 

This Man of Sorrows evermore shall be.

On high, exalted, lifted up, 

The Righteous Servant raised above.

His mighty hand shall work the will of God. 

The nations all shall hear and see,

Astonished at His victory. 

The kings of men shall shut their mouths in awe.

Suffering Servant

By Dustin Kensrue

Verse 1

His appearance was so badly marred,

He could not have been recognized;

So disfigured, so beyond all human likeness

That we hid our eyes.

Though He carried all our griefs and bore our sorrows,

We esteemed Him not,

But despised Him and considered Him afflicted

And as one reviled by God.

Chorus

Though all of us have gone astray,

Though all have turned to their own ways,

The Lord has laid our wickedness on Him.

His punishment has brought us peace

And crushed for our iniquities;

He died to save His people from their sin.

Verse 2

He was stricken, and though pierced for our transgressions,

He did not lash out.

But was silent,

Like a lamb led to the slaughter

So He opened not His mouth.

(Chorus Repeat)

Refrain

The might of Yahweh stands revealed,

And by His wounds we are all healed.

Verse 3

He offered up His soul to death.

He poured it out ‘til none was left.

He died but now shall rise and surely see.

The many He has righteous made

And satisfied, His work surveyed.

This Man of Sorrows evermore shall be.

Verse 4

On high, exalted, lifted up,

The Righteous Servant raised above.

His mighty hand shall work the will of God.

The nations all shall hear and see,

Astonished at His victory.

The kings of men shall shut their mouths in awe.

Christ is all,

Rev. Mike "Sully" Sullivan

Email Pastor Mike | Website | Visit Us | Support Us | Facebook Us

Core Conviction 7 | Worship Embodying

To read previous core convictions, check out the links below:

CORE CONVICTION 1 | Jesus Treasuring
CORE CONVICTION 2 | His-Story Honoring
CORE CONVICTION 3 | Disciple Making
CORE CONVICTION 4 | People Loving
CORE CONVICTION 5 | Diversity Celebrating
CORE CONVICTION 6 | Praying Constantly

 
If we treasure Jesus, honor His story, obey Him and make disciples, love our neighbors generously and sacrificially, seek to reach every area and ethnicity of our city, and enjoy conversation with God regularly, then we won't have to prepare ourselves for worship, or sing a song to worship, or go to a service of worship in a building once a week to feel good about our worship quota.

Instead, all of life will become worship service.

Scotty Smith's statement that "what we do on a Sabbath day is only one of many services of worship, but Jesus intended that all of life should be worship service" continues to humble me and instruct me when I try to separate the spheres of life into sacred and secular. Jesus never did. He loved God the Father and walked with God the Spirit whether He was getting baptized, reading the Scriptures in a synagogue, eating with a tax collector, saving a woman caught in adultery, feeding thousands, comforting a prostitute, or washing His disciples feet. Every moment, Jesus brought together the divine and the humane in the wondrous harmony of the Incarnation. He was always worshiping in the midst of others as well as when He was alone.

The Scriptures describe the church as Jesus' body. We are to continue in His lifestyle, going to places He would go and being with those He would spend time with – preaching and teaching repentance in His name and declaring that His kingdom is coming – in both our words and our actions. One-on-one and in groups. In our homes and in our workplaces. In the park or in a restaurant. 

The power of the good news that Jesus is King can infiltrate every area of life because His gospel of grace has no boundaries.

His grace is available all the time and to anyone who is willing to receive it – for the single mom who is exhausted with her two kids under three and is dreading the next who is on the way; for the high school student who is looking for acceptance in all the wrong places and is trying everything in order to feel like he is liked; for the middle-aged man who hates his job, drinks to escape, and goes into debt to keep meeting his wife's and kids' demands.

And when His grace is experienced in our greatest highs and deepest lows in every moment of life – then He can and will be worshiped in every area of life as we express back to Him our gratitude and adoration for loving us even when we are sinners.

And when we gladly give our lives to Him, we will live out what Paul instructed Christians in Rome to do when he said:

"And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all He has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice – the kind He will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship Him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect...Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us. Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other."
– Saint Paul (Romans 12:1-5)

We still need a change in our thinking, each and every day. Because of all He has done for us, He deserves more than services of worship attendance or moments we find convenient to give Him credit. If we truly want to worship Him, we will offer all we are and all we have to Him. We belong to Him. And we belong to each other. This will take sacrifice. But it will provide a living and holy light that reveals more of God in us and with us.

A nearly four hundred year old confession of the Christian faith poses this question: What is the chief end of men and women?

The answer: To enjoy God and worship Him forever.

Within and without Emmaus City, we want to see people knowing and enjoying God and His grace fully. We want them to know and enjoy that forgiveness for every sin is possible and complete in God the Son no matter who they or what they have done. We want them to know and enjoy that they do not have to prove themselves, but can rest in the love of God the Father who adopts them into His family. We want them to know and enjoy whole satisfaction in a holy God, filled by His Spirit, so they don't have to tirelessly and repeatedly search for partial satisfactions in the next new thing or the million old things that could never fully satisfy.

And when we embody what the body of Christ is supposed to share and show with each other, we will be worshiping wherever we are and in whatever we're doing. So when we get to the service of worship on a Sabbath day, it will be a continuation of the services 
of worship that have come before and will continue after.

– Sully

Curiosity piqued? Something inside you being stirred? Feel free to connect.

Core Conviction 6 | Praying Constantly

To read previous core convictions, check out the links below:

CORE CONVICTION 1 | Jesus Treasuring
CORE CONVICTION 2 | His-Story Honoring
CORE CONVICTION 3 | Disciple Making
CORE CONVICTION 4 | People Loving
CORE CONVICTION 5 | Diversity Celebrating

If we are a local church in Worcester who treasures Jesus, honors His story, obeys Him in making disciples, loves our neighbors generously and sacrificially, and seeks to reach every area and ethnicity of our city, then we will need to enjoy prayer. Not only that, we will need to be enjoying the conversation with our God on a constant basis.

Let's be honest. Prayer is humbling. It's acknowledging that there is Someone there you can't see, who could give you everything need, but who also has the freedom and the wisdom to answer differently than you want because He knows better. 

At the same time, this One who knows us so well is also the loving Father Jesus invites us to enjoy prayer with. He is the only One who can bring a Kingdom of complete love, joy, peace, goodness, and kindness into our neighborhoods and work places. And through Jesus, He is the One who gives us access to begin to experience glimpses of His Kingdom now. That's why He taught the disciples to pray this way:

“Father, may Your name be kept holy. May Your Kingdom come soon. Give us each day the food we need, and forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. And don’t let us yield to temptation ... I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. You fathers—if your children ask for a fish, do you give them a snake instead? Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion? Of course not! So if sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him” (Luke 11:2-4, 9-13).

(I also recently preached on this passage. The title of the sermon was "Praying Shamelessly and Persistently.")

Am I shamelessly and persistently praying His kingdom come in the lives of those in my city? Am I looking for the One who is the Author and Finisher of true faith? Am I asking for the Bread of Life – the only One who can satisfy my deepest need? To be honest, not often enough.

Life is too often like being out in the middle of the night hungry. We’re enslaved to the desires of ourselves and those around us, and we can often become afraid of losing everything even when we truly never own anything. In those moments of needed helplessness, God reminds us that sometimes all anyone has left is a prayer. 
But what happens when we begin to call out to God regularly? What happens when we keep knocking on His door? We need a God who cares regardless of who we are and what we’ve done. What happens when we begin to trust the possibility that He is full of grace for us? And what happens when He surprises us and answers us in our deepest need? What's next? 

We go to Him again. And again. We keep persisting and praying. And when we do, we come to the great truth about communicating with God: There is no special time for prayer. Nothing is too small, too late, or too needy. We need God in everything. And He is ready and waiting. He is the Author of life everlasting. He gives what allows us not to thirst after empty things anymore. And guess what? His available hours are infinite and He has no limitations on what we discuss with Him. So, we can talk to Him about our broken relationships. We can talk to Him about our stealing, lust, and gossip. We can talk to Him about our crazy, selfish kids. We can talk to Him about our drunkenness and drug use. We can talk to Him about our self-righteousness. He already knows. But praying helps us begin to trust Him with our lives more than we trust ourselves.

Wondering how you can begin to talk to God honestly and openly about your life? Go to the middle of a Bible, look for the Psalms, and begin praying them. Pray God’s words back to Him and see what He does with your heart. Take Psalm 27 for example. Listen to how David, the man after God’s own heart, talks to his heavenly Father, beginning in verse 7:

"Hear me as I pray, O LORD. Be merciful and answer me!My heart has heard You say, “Come and talk with Me.” And my heart responds, “LORD, I am coming.” Do not turn Your back on me. Do not reject Your servant in anger. You have always been my helper. Don’t leave me now; don’t abandon me, O God of my salvation! Even if my father and mother abandon me, the LORD will hold me close. Teach me how to live, O LORD. Lead me along the right path…" (Psalm 27:7-11)

How can someone talk so shamelessly and persistently with the God of the universe? If we go back to verse 4 of this Psalm, David describes his relationship with God in this way:

"The one thing I ask of the LORD—the thing I seek most—is to live in the house of the LORD all the days of my life."

David knows where his true home is. And David knows He can say things like, “Hear me. Do not turn Your back on me. Don’t abandon me. Teach me. Lead me.” He is appealing to the fatherly character of God and the promises He has made to His children. How awesome is it that God wants us to pray like this regularly? Paul Miller, author of A Praying Life: Connecting with God in a Distracting World, says, 

“A praying life doesn't take no for an answer. The psalmist was in God's face, hoping, dreaming, asking. Prayer is feisty.”

David was persistently feisty in His prayers because he knew he was a child who needed to be in His Father’s house. And Emmaus City needs to be a community of people who come constantly to our Father's house, resting in our identity as His children, so we can share His love and His gospel with the people we come into contact with. 

And when we have begun to truly love our neighbors – celebrating and suffering with them – we will know the Father's house we need to return to again so we can pray that our neigbors and friends may see that Jesus is with them, too, and that by His Spirit, they can begin to trust Him, too.

CORE CONVICTION 6 | Praying Constantly
A Church that Humbly Prays Together and Shamelessly and Persistently Asks God to Do Things Only He Can Do

Only God can save people by the good news of Jesus and keep people hungry for His righteousness. Only God can bring about repentance and faith and change regularly. Only God can begin to change the dynamics of a city. So we're going to ask Him to again and again. We're going to commit ourselves to praying for Jesus to be shared in word and deed in our city and for many to come to know Him. And we're going to pray that we become the answer to such prayers. We will pray that He will pour out His Spirit and grace on us so that we will be faithful to becoming more like Jesus together.

"In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express" (Romans 8:26).

"I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know Him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you..." (Ephesians 1:16-18).

"For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of His will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding" (Colossians 1:9).

"...pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests...Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel...Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should" (Ephesians 6:18-20).

"...we constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of His calling, and that by His power He may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith. We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ" (II Thessalonians 1:11-12).

"...pray for us that the message of the Lord may spread rapidly and be honored..." (II Thessalonians 3:1).

"I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ" (Philemon 1:6).

"...All the disciples and their wives and children accompanied us out of the city, and there on the beach we knelt to pray" (Acts 21:5).

Check back next week for the finale – CORE CONVICTION 7 | WORSHIP EMBODYING
 
– Sully

Curiosity piqued? Something inside you being stirred? Go ahead and connect.