You’re the God of this city

Jesus said:

Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves. I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.

John 14:11-14

Brothers and sisters, do you realise how powerful a weapon prayer is? It is our attack on the battlefield against Satan’s desire to hold people back from freedom. 

Do you realise that, as followers of the LORD on this side of Christ’s victory on the cross, that we are purposed to do even greater things than the miracles Christ had performed? For He purposed us, and empowered us by the Holy Spirit, to be his witnesses to the ends of the earth. As a people who declares to be “Christians”, followers of Christ, are you obeying His Word? When you see the state of the city that you live in, does your heart break? For Christ’s heart broke for His city.

And as a people declaring to trust in His promises, do you trust that He can answer prayer? Because God can, and does answer bold prayer.

Here is one incredible example of the church asking the Father for big things in Christ’s Name. This prayer is answered for it is in line with the will of God to see more and more come to life.

 When they were released, they went to their friends and reported what the chief priests and the elders had said to them. And when they heard it, they lifted their voices together to God and said, “Sovereign Lord,who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them, who through the mouth of our father David, your servant,^[a] said by the Holy Spirit,

    “‘Why did the Gentiles rage,
   and the peoples plot in vain?
The kings of the earth set themselves,
   and the rulers were gathered together,
   against the Lord and against his Anointed’—

for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever your hand andyour plan had predestined to take place. And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servantsto continue to speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.

- Acts 4:23-31

Christ came to preach good news to the poor, proclaim liberty for the captives, recover the sight of the blind, set at liberty those who are oppressed, and proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour. 

Are you witnesses to this? 

Body of  Christ, are you doing what Christ did, following His command? Are you preaching good news to the poor? Are you proclaiming liberty for all those who are held captive by and oppressed by government, or their family, or their addiction, or their brokenness, or their greed? Are you recovering the sight of those who are spiritually blind?

It’s a big mission.

But it is God’s will for His body to be alive and moving, and He will empower you with His Spirit.

Pray for greater things to be done in your city, because Jesus is not just the LORD of Christians. He is LORD of all, and one day every knee will bow at His Name. Pray for revival. Body of Christ, proclaim that your LORD is risen, and call those who are spiritually dead to come awake and rise up from the grave.

Greater things have yet to come, greater things are still to be done in this city! We believe; we believe in You God 

You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred towards God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.

-James 4:4

How long, how long, will you call Him, “Friend,” and yet continue to spit on the face of Christ?

soo, ladies…

Time to cut the gossip. Time to cut the whispering around. Time to stop ignoring the Spirit when we’re telling other people’s secrets or making speculations or just sharing intimate details about someone’s life because they “just really need prayer”.

They get into the habit of being idle and going about from house to house. Not only do they become idlers, but also gossips and busybodies, saying things they ought not to.

- 1 Timothy 5:22

How often do we enjoy being busybodies? How often do we enjoy being curious in other people’s business? How often to we make each other stumble in this area, when we ask people questions about business that’s not theirs, either?

Be women of purity, sisters. I pray that God helps us to have a rein on our tongues. May we speak only words of encouragement and love.

Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.

- Ephesians 4:29

It takes humility to be a follower of Christ.

It takes humility to declare that you have absolutely nothing to bring to God. It takes humility to cry out to Him in your brokenness and cling to the cross. It takes humility to admit that without the Saviour washing away your sin your only destination is death and destruction. It takes humility to admit that you have failed before God. It takes humility to admit that you rely completely on His grace.

It takes humility to live like Christ Jesus, who being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness, and being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death - even death on a cross.

And yet, why is it that so many non-Christians see not our humility, but our pride? Why is it that people are more likely to see us as judgemental, annoying, self-righteous? Why is it that we are unable to serve others without desiring the praise of man? Why is it that we are so easily jealous of other people’s gifts or talents? Why is it that we care too much about what other people think to truly pour ourselves out for others with the same attitude as Christ?

Perhaps it’s time to make ourselves nothing again.

heartbroken

by all this arguing and division and confusion, even on things that people are agreeing about.
will everyone take a few minutes to go and just listen to the Father?
we’re breaking His heart.

as a christian student

I’ve been convicted of discontentment and grumbling about uni, and it’s time for that to change. The joy of being a Christian student is knowing that your identity is not found in your academic performance but in Christ alone, and having that weight lifted off my shoulders. And yet, that shouldn’t lead to your laziness or an unwillingness to study; rather, it frees you up to jump into our learning as an opportunity to glorify Him.

In Scripture, we’re told to be diligent in our lives as part of role as witnesses. In 1 Thessalonians 4, Paul writes:

Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.

And in Philippians 2:14-16:

Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.”Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life.

Our attitude towards study can either be an obstacle to others knowing the LORD or something that we allow God to shine through. As the children of God, be set apart in a crowd that constantly takes their opportunity to study for granted. If the Christ we claim to follow was tortured and died for us without complaining, surely we can get through the exam period or a paper without grumbling. We all have a choice: either we complain about our education on our blogs and procrastinate by posting a chain of animated GIFs as an expression of our discontentment, or we trust that the God who has promised to provide for us will give us the energy and focus we need to study well without complaining. My prayer is that we choose Christ over ourselves.