God is ready to move in our region.We as God’s people can get ready.
Over the past season, people who follow Jesus through New England have been leaning into more prayer and worship together across states, congregations, traditions, ethnicities, and cultures.
The hope is that in trusting God comes where He's wanted, we will posture ourselves to do our part in opening the door of hospitality to Him and to those beginning to seek Him as we long for revival.
Here are notes from these times together:
+ In Our Time w/ Jon Tyson: March 15, 2023
+ In Our Time w/ Jon Tyson: March 15, 2023
Ultimately, we want to reveal Jesus
who said "I Am the Door" to:
who said "I Am the Door" to:
+ open hearts asking for healing,
+ sinners longing for salvation, and
+ rebels ready to receive redemption
When it's all about Jesus,
we see Him move in people's lives
in ways only He can.
We can't make happen what only God can do through our prayers and praise, but we can prepare for the time when He comes by how we humble ourselves before Him and humble ourselves before those He has given us to love. Some ways we've been practicing this posture in August include:
On Saturday, August 3, 2024 in Worcester, Massachusetts, more than 100 people came together for an evening of wonder and worship.
On Saturday, August 10, 2024 in Warwick, Rhode Island, more than 100 people came together for a day of consecration, activation, equipping, and encouragement.
On Wednesday, August 14, 2024 more than 30 people with Living Word Church and Emmaus Church came together for an evening of prayer that finished with repenting for any division in Jesus' Church in Worcester and praying blessings for congregations and parishes by name across our city and region.
This post features a few pics from some of these times along with some notes from Consecrate: Hitting Refresh on a Movement of United Prayer on August 10.
May God refresh our hearts for prayer.
And may we become living sacrifices
whose bodies, minds, and hearts are renewed.
Consecrate 2024:
Building New Altars
+ Greg Johnson
What is an altar
(in the heart, home, church, and city)?
An altar is a sacrament of seeking God
outwardly with visible signs of hearts
that have resolved and agreed
to pursue God together
for the blessing of all.
In 1 Kings 18, we enter a time of 50+ years of decline in the life of people who walk with God, including natural and supernatural drought that has withered worship and creation.
Elijah is known as the "Troubler of Israel" (1 Kings 18:17) because he knows "there's nothing normal about 'always winter.'" Sadly, when he looks to others to decide if they will follow God during this time, so he asks, “How long will you waver between two opinions? ... (1 Kings 18:21). Sadly, "the people said nothing."
This is also a question for our time.
And as those who follow Jesus,
will we say nothing?
Will we do nothing?
Seek the LORD
while He may be found.
Call on Him
while He is near.
+ Isaiah 55:6
My heart says of You, LORD,
"Seek His face!"
Your face, LORD,
I will seek. ...
Wait for the LORD;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the LORD.
+ Psalm 27:8, 14
Lift up your heads, you gates;
lift them up, you ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.
+ Psalm 24:9
Elijah seeks the LORD,
builds an altar,
and prays:
"Answer me, LORD, answer me,
so these people will know
that You, Lord, are God,
and that you are turning
their hearts back again (to You).”
that You, Lord, are God,
and that you are turning
their hearts back again (to You).”
+ 1 Kings 18:37
United, we can pray together to:
Build altars of prayer and worship.
Unstop wells of repentance and renewal.
Pray for hearts turning back to God.
Consecrate 2024:
Developing an Alter in the Home
+ Fr. Len Cowan
While we get to continue to come together as Jesus' Church, we also want to see people experiencing the holy presence of God in our homes. With the help of the Holy Spirit, we get to create spaces where people can encounter God.
To begin we simply and humbly look to God for inspiration. Like Solomon, we ask God for wisdom only He can give.
+ Start with a Humble Appeal
"I would like to meet with Jesus with you."
No demands of acceptance.
Gentle invitations to participate.
+ Make a Concrete Agreement
(Space and Time)
"Aim at nothing and you'll hit it."
Look at your weekly calendar.
Find the space and time to pray.
+ Create Patterns Centered Around God
Solidify specific places of prayer
(ex. by a window, in a room, on a chair)
Solidify specific times of prayer
(morning or evening, 8:10 a.m. + p.m.)
We can't stay where we've been and expect new results. It's time to get a little uncomfortable. It's in our weakness that God displays His power. God uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things.
Anybody can be a cynic.
Anybody can be a critic.
Anybody can complain.
Anybody can not do much.
But who will say,
"Lord, we want
what You want."
Be a flame to fan.
Be a fire to stoke.
We can look again to
the wild voice crying in the wilderness,
the wild voice crying in the wilderness,
the spirit of Elijah
found in John the Forerunner,
the Baptizer:
He will go on before the Lord,
in the spirit and power of Elijah,
to turn the hearts of the parents to their children
and
in the spirit and power of Elijah,
to turn the hearts of the parents to their children
and
the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—
to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.
to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.
+ Luke 1:17
God doesn't need a majority.
God uses wild ones, like Elijah,
like John,
to turn hearts back to Him
and to each other.
It's time to
learn the fear of the LORD again,
to be humble,
to speak honestly,
and to hunger for holiness.
To develop our hearts as altars.
Don't get caught up
in expectations.
Though John never
performed a miracle,
his life was on fire
with the supernatural.
Don't let pain and disappointment
define you for this moment
and hide the light God has given you.
Ask Jesus to make you shine,
to transform your brokenness
into a living sacrifice for what God wants.
Consecration is about holiness.
Jesus' holiness will set you apart.
He will see His Church shine.
Let's continue to pray and plan for more
days and nights
to witness and worship together
in Worcester and throughout New England
with Jesus' Church
across congregations, traditions, and nationalities.
Maranatha.
Come, Lord Jesus, come.
May God's Kingdom come, His will be done.
Que le Royaume de Dieu vienne,
que sa volonté soit faite.
愿神的国降临，愿神的旨意成就。
Nguyện xin Nước Chúa đến, ý Ngài được nên.
Jesús nuestra Rey, venga Tu reino!
🙏💗🍞🍷👑🌅🌇
que sa volonté soit faite.
愿神的国降临，愿神的旨意成就。
Nguyện xin Nước Chúa đến, ý Ngài được nên.
Jesús nuestra Rey, venga Tu reino!
🙏💗🍞🍷👑🌅🌇
With anticipation and joy,
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