March 27, 2007

It's a Promise!

Still studying the Sermon on the Mount. I counted the number of verses in the sermon. There are 106. We are currently on verse 3! This is rich stuff...
Shane spoke again recently. He gave us an explanation of mourning and what it means for us to embrace this feeling in a heart lovesick for God and not where we were created to be. He showed us that mourning was not uncommon even for Jesus. There is a greater future coming, a culmination of a journey bigger than you or I, that will "bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ" (Eph 1:10). We were created to love Him and be loved by Him. Our future home is with Him forever, joined in intimacy and moving in step with His heart. The King of Heaven is going to split the sky and come to this earth for His people, His bride made ready for the wedding day seen in Revelation.

The key to the time in between is to know the end of the story. Though we mourn our own lack now, realizing the wickedness of our own hearts and how easily we give ourselves to lesser pleasures than to the One who loves us, there is an amazing future ahead. Embrace the lack in your life, He says, for you will be comforted. It's a promise! The Son of God has said it is so.

Embracing the Sermon and building well produces changes now. But, they are not always what you expect. Jesus said you are blessed when you realize your povery of spirit. He said you are blessed when you mourn your lack. The word for "blessed" is an interesting one...from the Strong's concordance, it says:


G3107
μακάριος
makarios
mak-ar'-ee-os
A prolonged form of the poetical μάκαρ makar (meaning the same); supremely blest; by extension fortunate, well off: - blessed, happy (X -ier).


Hmmmmm...supremely blessed! Well off. Happy. Some have even translated the term "extremely happy". Embracing your lack, knowing that there is more and longing for it, from the viewpoint of Heaven, is being well off, happy and supremely blessed. I love it! It's what we don't know about God and His kingdom that makes me excited and hungry for more. As a friend of mine loved to say, His kingdom is upsidedown!

Be blessed to embrace your weakness before Him! He is so wonderful. And, your future is secure and wonderful as you press forward into the One who waits for you. He is doing a good work in you and you are going to love how it ends :)

Brian Creary
Ministry Director

March 22, 2007

For HIM!


I love this photo. It is a recent shot taken from one of our sets. These are just some of the many singers whose main task it is to "prophetically" sing through and in response to scripture passages prayed for this city, the church found in it and the lost who need Jesus. They are a crucial component to our house of prayer. They are much more than back-up singers. We rely on them to hear the words the Spirit is speaking and bring that forth in song. We need them to know the scriptures for they are helping us as we sing and pray through the written word of God. They often carry us as we pray. The help us connect our weak and sometimes cold hearts with a God who loves us more than we know. They are people just like the rest of us, with the same weakness and struggle that presses in on them daily as it does to all of us. But, they are bold! They are willing to take the lead and minister to the heart of God as their first purpose in our house. They have seen something of their bridegroom that has captured their hearts. And they are convinced that they are to sing it out to the Audience of One! Sing, Zion, sing!!


Brian Creary

Ministry Director

March 20, 2007

Build Well


We are studying the Sermon on the Mount line-by-line, section-by-section, these days. At the speed we are going we will be in this section of scripture for many months, if not years. But, we are in no hurry to move on. We have a firm conviction that the teaching laid out in Matthew 5-7 is "Christianity 101", the basics of the faith. It is a plan given to every believer to guide them along their journey toward eternity. It is meant to be taken seriously. It is meant to be lived out and not just given mental assent. If it takes us a year or two to cover all of the material, so be it. It is going to take a lifetime to make it a reality in our hearts and actions.

I think the end of the Sermon ties it together well.

Matthew 7:24-27

24"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash."

Jesus is telling his disciples (and the rest of us) that hearing these words, even believing them, and doing nothing with them will make you a fool. A wise person actually builds these teaching into his life, believing that this is wisdom for living. Even more than that, it is direction from Jesus, the uncreated God standing before them in human flesh. He knows everything, has infinite wisdom, power and strength and is giving them direction for life. He is right...only a fool would ignore the words of such a man.

But, why is this so critical to act on? The key is found in the image of a house standing (or falling) under the force of a storm. Jesus is saying this life is going to bring storms and they are unavoidable. Every person will experience them at some point in their life. They come in the form of sickness, economic hardship, even death of a loved one. They are rarely expected and hit us like a storm out of control, powerful enough to knock us off balance if not well rooted to the ground. Seasons of uncertainty sometimes bring out the best in us, but all too often bring out the worst instead. Jesus is saying, "You are going to experience difficult times, some of which will hit you with force when you do not expect it...build well, for your house can fall if you have ignored my counsel".


There is a second "storm" that has the potential to strike us off balance as well, but is experienced on a national or even global level and is entirely out of our control. Living in the Western world, we only sometimes think of this kind of trouble, but the suffering church in China, the hungry and AIDS-inflicted children in Africa or those running from military fallout in Iraq and so many other nations will tell you differently. Trouble can come from outside your sphere of influence and completely change your life. The scriptures say that before the return of Jesus to the earth again when He comes to establish His reign on the earth, there will be "there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again (Matt 24:21). This earth is going to feel the storm like no other in that hour.


The final and perhaps most severe storm is waiting for some on the other side of this life. Again, the scripture teaches that there is a judgement awaiting all, an evaluation of our lives and real decisions will be rendered to correspond with it. He is going to judge the earth. He who knows everything about us; every thought, every action, every choice ever made by every person. There will be nowhere to hide on that day. The eternal God of infinite love will not suspend his eternal and infinite justice as He looks into our very being. His evaluation will be right. We will know it.


Be wise...build well!


Brian Creary

Ministry Director

March 07, 2007

Fasting Again...


We are on the final day of a 3-day corporate fast and it has been a good time. We have decided to join in with our friends at the International House of Prayer in Kansas City and take on a 3-day fast on the first Mon-Wed of each month. They call it the "Global Bridegroom Fast". Catchy title :) We have taken part twice now and have mostly focused around the ideas found in Revelation 22:17. It has been a joyous adventure to turn our hearts (and stomachs) toward the idea of the return of Jesus to the earth. It is not something most people think much about. It is almost never included as part of an intercession meeting. But, we are finding it to be critical to who we are and what God is calling us to pray for in this hour of history.


This passage is a real motivator for me. I love the phrase "the Spirit and the Bride say COME". What an amazing thing that the Holy Spirit is initiating an ever-increasing cry from deep within the Bride for the return of the Bridegroom to the earth! Hearts will be stirred to the reality of His return. Eyes will be open to who it is we really long for and how much better it will be to have Him with us here in this place. The Spirit is leading us into truth. He is stirring our hearts for a greater reality than what we now know. He is ushering in the culmination of the kingdom. The "not-yet" will finally overtake the "already" and we will see the plan that the Father has designed before any of us ever took a breath and called this place home.


As well, the passage says, "let him who hears say COME". The call to any who are listening and can understand what the Spirit is saying to the church right now is "COME". Agree with what God is stirring in His bride in this hour! Join our voices to His purpose. In fact, we like to ask that He will "come to us before He comes for us". We want God to pour out His Spirit in a move of power in this age that will sweep oh so many into the kingdom. We want Him to have mercy on our city and break the controls of darkness that keep people in bondage and despair. Before you return for your Bride, add to it significantly in our city!


The issue is not when Jesus is returning exactly. The issue is agreeing that, in fact, He really is coming back and we can have confidence in this. We can agree with His plans, ask for his compassion and justice in the place we live and look with love and expectation for our great and glorious hope.


Brian Creary

Ministry Director