Everyday Evangelism: Praying With People

Everyday Evangelism: Praying With People

by | Sep 11, 2024 | Equipped, The Pattern

One of the things that Christians seem to struggle with, no matter how far in their walk with the Lord they might be, is praying for others.

Many of us just don’t have that kind of personality, we don’t have that boldness…

We see in Mark chapter 6 that Jesus sent out the Twelve in pairs of two to go and do some practical ministry. We read in verses 12-13: “ They went out and preached that people should repent.  They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.” (NIV)

The disciples were sent out to pray for people – amongst other things. 

And we, as disciples of the Lord Jesus, are all called to do the same.

The good news is that it doesn’t have to be complicated or super spiritual. It just needs to be authentic – from the heart.

That being said, I offer a few guidelines below to get you started:

1. Finding a person to pray for:

Usually the opportunity to pray for someone will present itself naturally. Other times you might be led to pray for someone in church, or even in a public place (as has often happened to me). 

I would advise that you avoid praying for a member of the opposite sex alone. If you are a man praying for a woman, please make sure that your wife, or another woman from your team is present – and vice versa.

Also, before you start praying for someone make sure to introduce yourself properly, and ensure that you know their name.

2. Ask the person if you can pray for them:

Once you have found someone who needs prayer, ask them if it is okay for you to pray for them right there and then. Do not just launch into prayer and the laying on of hands. It is important that the person you are praying for is comfortable with what is about to happen.

Remember to always check before laying hands on anyone.

3. Ask the person what you can pray for:

It will make your task of in-person prayer so much easier if you have a specific need to pray for. Make sure your prayer specifically addresses this need. Pray in a way that is encouraging and loving.

4. Keep it short and simple:

You don’t have to pray a long, eloquent prayer. God hears our faith – not our words. If your prayer is only a sentence or two – don’t worry – there is power in the faith-filled prayer of the righteous!

5. Make sure you end the time of prayer with a clear AMEN.

You want to be sure that the person you are praying for knows when the prayer has ended.

Conclusion: Praying for someone else in person doesn’t have to be hard. God wants us to pray for one another, and it can be a great way of opening the door for you to share your faith.

If you find yourself praying for a person who does not go to church, or is perhaps unsaved, why don’t you take the opportunity to invite them to your church – so that you can carry on praying and walking with the person in the Lord.

We are all called to pray for one another. 

Let us take up the work of prayer and make a difference for the Kingdom wherever we might find ourselves.

Araphel: The Revival Womb

Araphel: The Revival Womb

by | Sep 4, 2024 | Articles, Called, God in the Details, Revivo, The Pattern

“If My people who are called by My name will 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” (2 Chronicles 7:14)

At the dedication of the Temple, in 2 Chronicles 6:1-2: Solomon says: “The Lord has said that he would dwell in a dark cloud; I have built a magnificent temple for you, a place for you to dwell forever.”

The words ‘dark cloud’ have always piqued my interest. What did Solomon mean by this?

We know that in the Exodus from Egypt God appeared to the Israelites as a cloud. It is in this same sort of cloud that He appeared to them on Mt. Sinai and His presence also rested on the Tabernacle as a pillar of cloud – the Hebrew word used in all these instances is ‘anan’ (aw-nawn), translated properly as a cloud or a thick mist and indicative of God’s presence.

The Lord’s visible presence in the world, in the Old Testament, is often represented by this Glory Cloud – the ‘anan’.

In 2 Chronicles 5 – after the Ark had been placed in the Temple – God’s presence filled the place – once again the ‘anan’ of God – the glory of God, the presence of the Most High in the form of a thick mist or heavy cloud – so much so that the priests could not even stand to minister.

But in 2 Chronicles 6 at the dedication of the Temple Solomon describes a different kind of cloud. 

The word used in the original Hebrew to describe this dark cloud is ‘araphel’ which is indicative of darkness and gloom – in Deuteronomy 4 and 5 we see that God appeared in both the ‘cloud’ (anan) and the darkness (araphel) – both present at the same time. Where the cloud – the ‘anan’ of God signifies God’s presence, ‘araphel’ describes a mystery. 

Eliphaz the Temanite shares a similar idea in Job 22:11-14: 

“Is not God in the heights of heaven?
 And see how lofty are the highest stars!
Yet you say, ‘What does God know?
 Does he judge through such darkness (araphel)?
Thick clouds veil him, so he does not see us
 as he goes about in the vaulted heavens.”

The Hebrew Bible uses this word to describe the presence of God at least 15 times – and most of the time it is in a situation where some facet or even all of God is obscured and unseen.

In Psalm 30 David is prophetically praying over the Temple that was to come. He had not been able to build the Temple, because of the blood on his hands, and so the duty fell upon his son Solomon to build this habitation for the presence of the Lord.

At one point, in the middle of the Psalm, he makes the following statement: 

“When I felt secure, I said,
    “I will never be shaken.”
Lord, when you favored me,
    you made my royal mountain stand firm;
but when you hid your face,
    I was dismayed.” Psalm 30:6-7:

It is not uncommon for us to feel like God is hidden – like David felt here. We look at our situations and our circumstances and simply cannot see Him anywhere. One of the most common questions I get asked as a pastor is: “where is God?”

We become dismayed because we feel like God has hidden himself from us.

But God is in the ‘araphel’. Just because we don’t see Him doesn’t mean He is not present in the darkness before us. The darkness is not without God.

Solomon dedicated the Temple, pouring out his heart before the Lord – he prays for his people, his nation. He prays for justice, and the vindication of the innocent. He prays against drought, famine, pestilence and sword. He prays against disaster and disease. He prays for a turning of hearts towards the Lord, for forgiveness and repentance.

He even prays for the nations – for the foreigner and the stranger in their midst, those who come from afar, that God would hear their cry from heaven and answer – that these same foreigners would go forth and become witnesses of the goodness and the glory of the God of Israel.

Most of the situations he was praying for and about are the same kind of situations we find ourselves praying for today. All of these are the kinds of circumstances in which we might ask ourselves: “where is God?”

And in that moment, as soon as Solomon had finished his prayer, God answered with the fire from heaven.

We find ourselves, as the Church, in a similar situation right now. Many of us can relate to the sentiment that Eliphaz was sharing in Job: “God is hiding, way up there in Heaven, beyond the darkness, unaware and uninterested in the comings and the goings of humanity. Going about His business in a vaulted – or closed – Heaven.”

We look at the world around us, and that is how many of us feel. There is so much chaos, confusion, sin and depravity. There is so much injustice and unrighteousness – and we haven’t even started talking about the natural chaos of the world – earthquakes, fires, floods, famine, drought…

And we look at the darkness and we ask – “where is God?”

God appeared at Mount Sinai in Fire, in the Cloud and in a Thick Darkness.

Moses said unto the people: “Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning.” (Ex. 20:20)

And after saying this Moses approached the thick darkness where God was while the people remained at a distance. (Exodus 20:21)

The ‘araphel’ represents the mystery of God, but also the fear of the Lord. It describes the separateness or the otherness of God – the Holiness of God. The fact that God is obscured by this veil that our mortal eyes cannot pierce and our fragile minds cannot comprehend is indicative of the fact that He is unique and removed from us even when He is right in front of us.

We cannot begin to understand the vastness, the might and the power of God. The mere thought of His fullness inspires awe and reverence. He is not of this world. We cannot begin to fathom God.

We see Solomon, at the dedication of the Temple calling into the ‘araphel’. We see Moses stepping into it – knowing full well that it is within that place, within the ‘fear of the Lord’ where God is found. 

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” (Proverbs 9:10)

It is in embracing this fear – this reverential awe of the Lord – that we find our way forward.

In Acts, chapter 1, just before His ascension, the disciples ask Him if this is the time in which He will restore the Kingdom to Israel.

Jesus, instead, challenges them to venture into the unknown. ““It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:7-8)

Because of their reverence of the Lord, their fear of the Lord, they dive head first into the ‘araphel’ of God. The ‘unknown of God’. The ‘Secret Place’.

In Psalm 139 David refers to the secret place of his mother’s womb – that God saw him ‘hidden’ in his mothers womb.

The ‘araphel’ of God, this ‘obscuration’ – the ‘thick darkness’ or ‘secret place’ – is a sort of Spiritual Womb where direction and a way forward is birthed. It is in this ‘Spiritual Womb’ where the Will of God is conceived and where revival is birthed from.

Like Moses and Solomon we must step into this ‘thick darkness’ – into the ‘araphel’ – into the ‘fear of the Lord’.

Like the disciples we must venture into the unknown. We must press on and into the secret place.

Paul writes to the Corinthians: “don’t you know that your body is the Temple of the Holy Spirit?” (1 Corinthians 6)

Elsewhere, in Romans 12, he admonishes us to be a living sacrifice – to offer up our lives – unto the Lord.

We must dedicate the Temple of our Body to the Lord, like Solomon, with awe and reverence in prayer.

We must provide the sacrifice of our own flesh as a burnt offering before the Lord. 

We want God to move on our terms, according to our ways towards our expectations and according to the motives and agendas of our carnal minds.

But God is in the ‘araphel’.

Revival is coming. And it might not look like we want it or expect it to look. It is not going to come through the writing of super-spiritual books, endless prophetic and apostolic courses, it is not going to come through lights and loud music – and it is certainly not going to come through the words of eloquent preachers, their titles or their charismatic choreography.

Revival is going to come through one thing only – the Fire from Heaven will come only when we dedicate the Temple of our Body to the Lord in prayer.

After the dedication of the Temple, the Lord accepted the burnt offering and filled the House with His Glory.

After waiting upon the ‘unknown’ of God, dedicated to prayer, the Lord poured out His Fire from Heaven upon the upper room – shaking the place with His presence.

The Lord came to Solomon in those days, after the dedication, in the night and said: 

“I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a temple for sacrifices.

When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.  Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place.  I have chosen and consecrated this temple so that my Name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there.

As for you, if you walk before me faithfully as David your father did, and do all I command, and observe my decrees and laws, I will establish your royal throne, as I covenanted with David your father when I said, ‘You shall never fail to have a successor to rule over Israel.” 

(2 Chronicles 7:13-18, NIV)

It is through prayer that the Throne of God is established in the hearts and the lives – in the midst of His people.

Nothing else.

Not through sacrifices, tithes, offerings, festivals – but through the sacrifice of ourselves in prayer.

It is through prayer that the birthing of revival and restoration takes place.

In this time, let us turn to the Lord in prayer.

I need healing in my body, in my life, in my family. I need healing in my church. I need healing in my country – and we certainly need to see healing in the world as a whole.

Let us, this royal priesthood, this holy nation, the Body – the Bride – a people called by His Name – humble ourselves, turning back to the Lord, repenting of our foolishness and our own depravity, and approach the ‘araphel’ of God. Let us turn back to the Lord. Let us step into ‘the fear of the Lord’ – approach Him with reverence and awe. Let us enthrone Him with the highest praise, give Him the highest place in our lives. Let us turn to the Lord in prayer.

Hymn of Heaven

Hymn of Heaven

by | Aug 6, 2024 | Devotionals, Worship Reflections

“And every prayer we prayed in desperation
The songs of faith we sang through doubt and fear
In the end, we’ll see that it was worth it
When He returns to wipe away our tears”

Hymn of Heaven, Phil Wickham

“And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

Revelation 21:3-4, NIV

While it is true that the Kingdom is come it is only a part of the Kingdom. We also look forward, expecting the Kingdom that is yet to come.

The Bible makes this clear, that the Kingdom has come but it is also coming.

In Revelation 21 we read about this coming Kingdom.

It is a place where God reigns in totality. Where His dominion is established and recognized by all things. It is a place where every tear is wiped away – where there is no mourning, crying or pain. The coming Kingdom is a place where there is no infirmity, no illness, no disability – where our bodies are complete and whole. The coming Kingdom is a place undefiled and incorruptible – completely Holy as God is Holy.

The coming Kingdom is a place where there is no death.

The truth is that while this life endures many of us will only see a portion of the Kingdom. In this age – this time of preparation in which God is preparing a Bride for Himself – we will still have hardships.

I have heard in this last week of two people who once were very dear to me passing on.

There is still death in this world.

A friend is currently in hospital under observation.

There is still pain in this world.

There is still mourning and crying, and not every tear is wiped away. Some tears are planted like seeds in the ground of our lamentation, supplication and intercession – one day to be reaped as joy.

In this current age we are to prove ourselves as a faithful Bride to the One who is to come.

We are to keep our garments clean and undefiled, trusting, longing and waiting on Jesus and His coming – the coming Kingdom – where all things, all of creation, will be made new.

In the mean time we endure. Steadfast in prayer – praying not only for ourselves but for the world at large. We pray for our families. We pray for our schools. We pray for our churches and our communities. We pray for a wave of repentance and a great awakening to occur.

We stay faithful in trial and trouble, we persevere even in persecution and press in and press on towards the final destination of our faith – where we will be united and eternally locked in communion with our Bridegroom and the Lover of our Souls – Jesus!

We stay faithful, knowing that in this world we will have trouble. In this world and in this life we will cry many tears – but this too shall pass and give way to glory. This current life will pass – wither and fade like flowers and grass – but His Word and His Kingdom will be forever.

Do not grow weary of waiting for the time is soon – the Kingdom comes like a thief in the night.

Do not grow weary of waiting. Keep your lamps trimmed and burning.

One day God Himself will wipe away our tears – but for now we keep planting those tears for our friends and family. We keep planting those tears for the unsaved, the unloved and the unwashed – we keep planting the tears of lamentation, supplication and intercession – for in the Kingdom come we will reap joy!

Prayer: Lord, today I cry for my family. I cry for my friends. I cry for my community. As I shed these tears Lord, tears of compassion, longing and love – let not one go to waste. Hear my cries oh Lord God of Hosts, shine Your face upon us. Save this broken and dying world. Hear our prayers, oh Lord, and give us peace. Give us the peace of knowing that one day we will reap joy unspeakable and full of glory. Help me endure in waiting. Help me keep my lamp trimmed and burning. In Jesus Mighty Name. Amen.

King of Kings: Pentecost Fire

King of Kings: Pentecost Fire

by | May 24, 2024 | Devotionals, Worship Reflections

“And the church of Christ was born
Then the Spirit lit the flame
Now this gospel truth of old
Shall not kneel, shall not faint
By His blood and in His name
In His freedom I am free
For the love of Jesus Christ
Who has resurrected me”

King of Kings, Hillsong

“ Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. “

Acts 2:2-3, NIV

The Church can be defined as an assembly – a coming together. The older Greek roots of the word ‘church’ refers to the place where this congregation takes place – in the Lord’s House.

Christ came, showed us the way, was crucified, resurrected and ascended to the Right Hand of God. After this the disciples assembled – congregated – gathered together in the upper room and waited upon the Lord.

This last week I’ve been seeing, in my mind’s eye, wood being placed like in a fireplace. 

This is what the disciples did. They came together – assembled like wood – in the fireplace of the upper room.

And the Lord sent His Spirit like a flame of fire. 

And we have seen, over decades and centuries, the Lord igniting fires – and in some cases re-igniting fires. And we are in need, as the church, of a spark to set us alight again.

We need revival. 

The fire was lit on Pentecost – but as with any fire, the ash eventually starts suffocating the flames. 

The ashes of tradition, philosophy and bad theology have suffocated the flames of that Pentecost Fire in us – but the Gospel Truth of old will not faint and will not be snuffed out. 

Under the ashes are the red hot embers of Truth waiting to be fanned into flame again.

Under the ashes are the red hot embers of a church waiting to be fanned into flame again.

Sometimes it is necessary for us to add kindling to the fire, to add fuel, for the fire to burn again.

Let us shake off the ashes that suffocate the fire – and let us present ourselves as wood in the fireplace of the upper room waiting for the Spark of His Spirit – let our hearts be the kindling, let our lives be the flame.

Let us become a people of prayer once again – let us assemble and congregate in our Father’s House and wait on Him for fresh fire.

He is faithful.

The Fire of the Holy Spirit kept the steam engine of the Church going in even the darkest times – through persecution, in the face of famine, nakedness and sword – and gave momentum to the propagation of the Gospel and expansion of the Kingdom.

The Fire of the Holy Spirit enabled the church to be a light in the darkness leading the lost back home – a source of warmth and safety to those who had been alone and stuck out in the colder fringes of society. 

The Fire of the Holy Spirit is what purifies us, like silver and gold in a furnace – the Fire transforms us, conforms us more and more into the image of Christ so that we may be the light that the world needs.

 Let us come together. Let us be assembled like wood in the fireplace of prayer. 

 Let us seek the Lord like never before. 

 I want to urge you to find like-minded brothers and sisters to pray with. Let our churches become houses of prayer. Let our homes become altars unto the Lord.  

 Let us pray together and set the world ablaze.

 Prayer: Lord, come and set Your church alight. Come and pour out fresh fire. As we turn to You in prayer Lord, come and heal us. Come and restore us. Help us shake off the ashes of old and be renewed, restored and revived – so that we may be Your light in a dark and dying world. In Jesus Name. Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer: Kingdom Come

The Lord’s Prayer: Kingdom Come

by | May 9, 2024 | Devotionals, Worship Reflections

“Father, let Your Kingdom come
Father, let Your will be done
On Earth as in Heaven
Right here in my heart”

The Lord’s Prayer, Matt Maher

“6 Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Acts 1:6-8:

Jesus, in teaching His disciples to pray, starts His prayer with: “‘Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be Your name, Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

The prayer starts with an emphasis on the coming of His Kingdom. 

Jesus commands His disciples, upon their asking if the kingdom will be restored to Israel, to wait in Jerusalem for the gift of the Holy Spirit.

With the Holy Spirit comes the power, dominion and authority of the Kingdom of God – the power of Christ IN us by which He works THROUGH us to affect the world AROUND us.

God wants to establish His throne within our hearts.

He wants to reign and rule IN us and THROUGH us.

Jesus’ ascension is the crowning of His exaltation – the point at which any doubt of His divinity is completely removed. He very much is the physical manifestation of the Right Hand of God.

Before the ascension Jesus was fully God, and fully man walking on the Earth, leading His disciples through word and deed. After the ascension He is still fully God but now leads us through the indwelling of His Holy Spirit, moving in our midst and enthroned, not only in Heaven, but also in our hearts.

His ascension does not make Him less present in our lives, but rather, makes Him more present as He pours Himself into every vessel willing to believe and waiting to receive.

He commanded the disciples, at His ascension, to wait in Jerusalem.

What are we waiting for?

My social media is full of people talking about church growth and revival – but almost none of them even mention prayer. 

In Bible college we used to sing a song which roughly translates as, “early in the morning, and late in the evening, I will wait for You upon my knees…”

The mistake that many of us have made is that at the first hint of an encounter with God’s Spirit we leave the upper room and stop waiting – but there is always more – more of Him to be found. The waiting should never stop. We should always be waiting on God for a richer, fuller and deeper experience of who He is.

How can we ever get enough of an infinite God?

God moves in prayer. His will and purpose for our life is conceived in His heart and birthed in our prayers. Revival comes forth from the womb of prayer.

I want more of God in my life. I want His Kingdom established here in my heart. I want His will to be done here in my life – and then through me in the lives of others.

I want to invite you today to want the same. 

Whatever we have experienced of God, it is not even the tip of the iceberg. There is more – there is deeper.

Jesus taught His disciples how to pray, saying: “Let Your Kingdom come, let Your will be done in the earth as in Heaven…”

Let us wait upon the Lord.

Prayer: Jesus, be my desire. Let me not look to the left, or to the right, but let me keep my eyes fixed upon You. I pray Lord that You would come and guide me, lead me deeper into Your heart and will for my life. As I wait upon You today Lord pour out Your presence. Let Your Kingdom come, let Your will be done here as in Heaven. In the Mighty Name of Jesus – the Name above every name – Amen!