The Gathering Spring ’11 Summary(thurs nights)

So this Spring w all of you has been awesome! Maggie and i have been blown away by HIS faithfulness and you’re willingness!

We started out talking about the word ‘saved’. What it means/doesn’t mean etc. That led to the idea that we are saved from something (sin-death) but we are also saved to something (abundant life now-eternal life later). That led to the idea of who HE is that saves us and who we become because of it: Sons and Daughters of the King of the Universe (appropriate today especially;) That led to the discussion that as royalty we ought to probably ‘be’ different, our behavior, our life, our everything should reflect the King since we are His reps here.

This led to the concept of Sanctification. We talked about being sanctified once for all by Christ AND being sanctified lifelong as we are transformed by the Holy Spirit into the likeness of Christ. This happens as we get to know HIM better and the best way to do that is to spend time w/HIM: read the Word and Pray! We talked about Scripture, spending time in it (the great Big-Story) and Prayer and the necessity of it.

That led to Holy Week when we talked about Palm Sun, Maundy Thurs, Good Fri, Holy Sat; their origins meaning and history. That led us to Easter week and on Maundy Thurs we watched the movie The Passion and shared communion w/each other. WOW…powerful!!!

This past week we talked about that movie (not much said last week after it) and then we listened to an Easter Sermon from one of our favorite pastors, John Piper. This was because this message really seemed to tie that whole journey together: it is for Freedom that Christ set us Free, and we are Free indeed!!! He Frees us from sin that produces compelling desires that ‘seem’ better than Christ (idolatry) and sin that condemns us to death! True Freedom requires opportunity, ability, desire and happiness that lasts FOREVER…no regrets! PLEASE GO WATCH THIS!!! It can be found here:

http://www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/sermons/you-will-know-the-truth-and-the-truth-will-set-you-free?lang=en

We are going into summer and are kicking off our next series by reading a John Piper book together, “Don’t Waste Your Life”. There is a video that goes with it each week so if you didn’t read you can still come and enjoy the discussion! We know people will be in and out w trips etc but our hope is that if you’re around you’ll come hang out w/us, maybe bring a friend or 2, and HIM!!!

Peace and thanks again for being on this adventure together!!!

Love in Action

Northland @ Oviedo has been moving each week towards a community wide movement of love, 7 days a week. Creating opportunities for the body of Christ to engage in the love of God and each other through the study of His Word, in gatherings all across town, and by serving one another on Sundays. 1 John 3:18 says, “Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.” There is a movement to the emotion of Love, it is not stationary or stagnant, love is both a noun and a verb. We cannot be called Disciples of Christ and not be soldiers of Love, He declares this is how the world will know we are His.

How do you love for His glory? How do ‘we’ love for His glory? Who do we love for His glory? How do we love for His glory?

The answers are simple, but not easy. We are to love everyone for His glory. From our family to neighbors, to coworkers, to…our enemies, those who don’t love us back, the unlovable! Remember the Sermon on the Mount? If not go read it again, Matthew 5, 6, 7 and into the beginning of Chapter 8. Jesus is clear, we are to be in this world, to bring glory to the Father, by loving in a radical way! Well before that all becomes too much to handle, maybe we ought to start small and easy. If it is essential that to truly love someone we must know them, and to truly know someone we must spend time with them, then it seems like the first step to loving others, and in turn to truly love God, is to get to spend some time getting know each other and Him better. I have an idea…

Get into a Secret Church gathering this fall. Signup for Sunday Serve. It is that simple!

Sunday Serve

So we spent last week talking about the power of living in community toward Christ. We looked at the early church and the Great Commission and thought about what it means to us today, here and now. We also talked at length about LOVE and the mark of the Disciples of Christ. We came to the conclusion that if we are to call ourselves Christians there must be something about us that agrees with that self-diagnosis. LOVE is the key, we must be marked by love for Him and for each other and to love someone, you must know them, and to know them you have to spend time with them. We want to make that as easy as possible in this busy world so we have launched these gatherings all over Oviedo and E Orlando this fall, to study God’s Word, so we can know Him by spending time with Him, which will allow us to love Him better and deeper. While doing that we will gather with other believers which will allow us to get to know them better by spending time with them and thus being capable of loving them better and deeper as well. Easy-peasy; so sign up to host or attend, whatever God is calling you to do, but just get started and be a part of it with us!

Since we are we making it that easy for the first part of this effort we thought we would help out and make it just as easy for the second part. One of the end results of loving better and deeper is living a life of worship to God by serving others in His name. This is glorifying the Father in heaven, as it says in 1 Peter 2:12 “Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.” James covers this in length as well in Chapter 2 on his treatment of faith and works and their interdependent parts, and in Radical, by David Platt it is said this way, “The means of our salvation is faith in Christ alone, and the basis of our salvation is the work of Christ alone. We are not saved by (works) but caring of the poor (among other things) is evidence of our salvation. The faith in Christ that saves us from our sins involves an internal transformation that has external implications.” To glorify God by serving others, seems simple enough yet I hear time and time again from people, “I would love to but I am just not sure how, when, where, etc?” Since the verse we landed on last week as motivation for all of this discussion was John 13:35 where Jesus tells his Disciples, “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another”, we thought we would start there, by your loving service to one another.

Starting in September we are calling every single one of you to serve everyone else at least once this fall. We want you to come and serve from start to finish, serve all day, meet the 9 o clock crowd, the 11 o clock crowd, serve them all. We know this will be a challenge for some with kids, etc so the other option is to come and serve at one service and attend the other, but if this is your best option then do it twice this fall. Why? Because we need the help? NO!!!! Because this is how community is formed in deeper ways, this is how you get to know someone, which allows you to love them and like it or not, that is what He told us to do, and what would bring Him the greatest glory…our Love for one another! So get signed up right now, and who knows you might even like it and want to do it more!

Last week…This Fall…Secret Church

We were recently blessed by the preaching from Elder Fayez through one of our partner church relationships in Egypt. What an amazing message and time we had talking about how we can respond right here, right now. We talked about many gatherings throughout the Oviedo community this fall, studying Gods Word in a unique way that connects the each other, God and the church around the world, like Qasr El Dobar in Egypt. Its called Secret Church. Let me explain what this is and why we are encouraging everyone in Oviedo/E Orlando to participate.

First, remember we are Northland, A Church Distributed; distributed , across CFL and the whole world. One of the things Maggie and I have been stretched by is the consistent refocus not on ourselves but on the church around the world, from our DJs (which we had 16 people on 8 trips around the world from here in Oviedo), to the guest preachers, worship music, prayers, media and more we are often being reminded that we are a church distributed, everywhere, every day. In many places around the world, including where Elder Fayez is from, people have to meet in secret to study the word of God, these Christians who are all over the world may never experience what we are a part of every weekend. They don’t have lots of churches and services to choose from. They risk everything to be a believer, as the early church did. We need to know and remember that, to pray for them and experience what they are experiencing…an intense interaction with God and His Word and His people!

That brings me to the second point, and a passion of ours, and you know what it is. You’ve heard me say, “Church is not an event on Sunday, it is a people we are/become, 7 days a week.” It happens out there, living life together; in His Word, and in each other’s lives! That takes some other types of gatherings, some other times or places and it takes more than just community, more than just serving, it takes community with a purpose of becoming more like Christ together and as a result serving the world around us with His power!

Third, we are blessed each week with incredible preaching that directly impacts our life from God’s Word from Pastor Joel, Pastor Vernon and Dr Steve Brown. But what I have become keenly aware of is that many people have never thought about or read Gods Word for themselves and/or connected the whole story, His Story, to their own. Many do not read the Bible because they are intimidated and not sure how to start, or if it even connects with their life and our world. It does and they can!

The body of Christ around the world, the body of Christ gathered right here, the Word of God and the story it tells that connects us all from Adam and Eve to you and me, and from Egypt and India to Oviedo. I am convinced that this is what changed the world forever, what changed me, what is changing the world around us. It is that simple!

If you are interested in learning more about Secret Church this fall through Northland Oviedo please contact me (Jeremy.jobson@northlandchurch.net) ASAP for details.

Hospitality

As we continue to unpack what it means to love God and others, I am struck by the power of Hospitality. In one sense a gesture of love to others and in another sense a great picture of response by us to Him by being obedient to who He told us to be known as, men and women of love, and all that only possible because He loved us first!

We have had a team of people come together recently to think about the gift of Hospitality led by our own Cyndi Lott and WOW they are right on track. Their first meeting was not too long ago and in that meeting they remembered that this is not about bagels, decorations or crafts, although they can be a part it, this is about something much bigger than that. Their mission statement as a ministry makes it all very clear, “Lovingly serve our neighbors, our community and church family by connecting them to Christ and to one another through acts of hospitality“. That night Cyndi read from an article published online through Revive Our Hearts Ministry, taken from and interview with Leslie Basham and Nancy Leigh De Moss that aired on Tuesday, Dec 3, 2002 called: The Heart of Hospitality: Jesus the Ultimate Host. This week and next weeks articles will be from that interview because sometimes it is just said really well by someone else…enjoy! If you would like to be a part of the Northland Oviedo Hospitality team seeking to impact all of our Oviedo community for Christ, please contact Cyndi Lott (Cyndi.lott@northlandchurch.net).

Leslie Basham, “As you read the Book of Romans, you realize that the first several chapters are Paul talking about some pretty heavy doctrinal matters. He’s talking about the Gospel of Christ. Then as he comes to the second half of the Book of Romans he starts saying, “How does this affect the way that we live?” When we come to chapter 12 of Romans, Paul gives many practical exhortations about what it means to live out the Gospel of Christ. In verse 10 of Romans 12, Paul says “Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, having received what you have in Christ, now love one another.” Then he goes on to say “pursuing hospitality.”

We are talking about the ministry of hospitality and how, as we open our homes and hearts to other people, we manifest, we express the Gospel of Christ to them. We want to talk today about what Christian hospitality is.

What does it mean to be hospitable? The word hospitality in the New Testament comes from two Greek words. The first word means love and the second word means strangers. It’s a word that means love of strangers.

The dictionary talks about hospitality as giving a friendly welcome and kind or generous treatment offered to guests or strangers. Another dictionary defines hospitality this way, “The act of receiving and entertaining strangers or guests without reward and with kind and generous liberality, to be friendly, welcoming, kind and generous to guests or strangers.”

Now when I think of the word hospitality there are some other similar words that come to mind, words like hospital. And I wonder, Did these words have anything in common?”

“As I went back and studied them, I discovered that they did. For example, the word hospital in its original meaning was a place of shelter and rest for travelers, a charitable institution for providing and caring for the aged, the infirmed and the orphaned; a place where people are cared for.

I’ve experienced that kind of ministry as a guest in people’s homes numbers of times over the years as they have brought me into their home at times when my spirit just desperately needed to be refreshed or strengthened or encouraged. I’ve found in other people’s homes a hospital, a place where their hospitality was ministering to my wounded spirit.

I think of the word hospice. That’s another similar word. In the dictionary it says that a hospice is a place of shelter for travelers, a home for the sick or poor; a home-like facility to provide supportive care for terminally ill patients.

It’s a place where care is provided for people who are desperately needy and, as we have come to use the term today, a hospice is care for those who are terminally ill. Hospital, hospitality, hospice is a way of caring for those who are needy.

But there’s another word that is at the root of all of those words. It’s the word host–someone who receives or entertains guests, someone who entertains another at his own house without reward.

Now there’s an interesting concept when we think of the word host that shows us how hospitality, being a gracious host or hostess, ties us into the Gospel of Christ. Because, you see, the word host can also mean a victim or a sacrifice. It’s applied to our Savior who offered Himself for the sins of men.

He is our host. In fact in our liturgical churches when the Lord’s supper is served, the wafer, the piece of bread, is called the host. It speaks of representing the body of Christ that is offered and consecrated and eaten. We partake of His body symbolically during the Christian ceremony of communion. That says to me that Christian hospitality, being a godly host or hostess, takes us back to the cross. The cross is where Christ spread out and opened His arms, wide–He opened His arms wide to the world and He said, “I welcome you. I receive you.”

The cross is where Christ said, “I will die in your place so that I can be your host. Welcome to my Father’s house, welcome home. You are invited to my Father’s house. I want you to come home with me. I want you to live there with me.”

On the cross He became our host. Now He says to us “Open your arms, open your heart, lay down your life, give up your life, be willing to open your heart and your home to receive others as I have received you.” He did it without hope of reward and He said to us, “You do it whether you ever get rewarded for it or not.”

As He invites us to come and partake of Him, even as we partake of communion, we are reminded of the hospitality of God, the host that Christ is to us. Then we realize that we can be His representatives here on earth, opening our hearts, our arms and our homes to others and welcoming them to come with us into the home and heart of God.”

That whole interview is awesome to me and seen clearly in the ministry mission statement for this Northland @ Oviedo Hospitality team, “Lovingly serve our neighbors, our community and church family by connecting them to Christ and to one another through acts of hospitality”

His Holiness, Our Togetherness

We have had such an amazing first half of the year here at Northland Oviedo from the double digit Baptisms to the 16 people who went on 8 mission Trips around the world including Haiti, Jamaica, Ukraine, Swaziland, Khayelitsha South Africa, Egypt, Sierra Leone and Atlanta! We have experienced lots of community building including neighborhood gatherings, small groups, classes at the NOCC, vibrant student ministry life and lots of service and outreach to the surrounding community and each other.

Recently the Northland Oviedo staff, elders and leadership team came together for a retreat at one of our homes to thank the Lord for all of this, get to know each other better, and pray over the rest of the year and on. We fasted and then ate together; we worshipped, prayed, listened to Scripture and shared some life stories. It was a sweet time of fellowship and connection. There are many of you who are leaders in our community who could have been there too, like when we gathered over a year ago at the Live Oak Clubhouse for our Vision Summit. We hope that more and more of you will be involved in these kinds of gatherings in the near future as we look to grow our faith family through various community settings…stay tuned!

The theme of our retreat was simple: His Holiness and Our Togetherness! We spent time in the Word looking at the incredible picture of who God really is (go read all of the Book Four of the Psalms 90-106, Exodus 19:16-18, Isaiah 6:1-6, Ezekiel 1:22-28 and Revelation 4). We talked about how this picture of God is so huge and yet He chose to make it so personal by sending His Son here as a baby, to know our temptations and to save us from our sins. We thought about how that accurate picture should impact us and how we live our lives, especially how we accomplish His will here together!

Then we looked at that call of us on mission for Him and His glory, TOGETHER! We read through John 17, Romans 15:5, Ephesians 4, Col 3:12-15, John 13:35 and Matthew 28:18-20. We talked about this Great Commission at the end of Matthew and how it accurately starts with a picture of who He is, “All authority on heaven and on earth ahs been given to me.“ Then he calls us to live life on life together, becoming learners of who He (Christ) was, over a long period of time (I mean God himself in the form of man chose to spend three years with His disciples, not 6 weeks) and while we are doing that, we would teach each other how to obey all that He commanded. We discussed how there are NO shortcuts to this thing called the Christian Life and how it is not optional, it is necessary!

We look forward to continuing on in this adventure with all of you and bringing glory to God as we do it! I pray you will join in with us and be a part of it!!!

The Importance of Prayer: What Scripture Says (Part 3)

We have been meeting on Wednesday nights for several weeks now, and it has been amazing! Why wouldn’t it be? This is the body of Christ in communion with each other and with God; is there anything better? Rather than your taking my word for it, for the last few weeks, I simply have been listing some verses on the importance of prayer for us, His people! (All are taken from the NIV.)

Luke 22:40: “On reaching the place, he said to them, ‘Pray that you will not fall into temptation.’”

John 14:13-14: “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 15:7: “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.”

John 16:23: “In that day you will no longer ask me anything. I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.”

Romans 8:26: “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.”

1 Corinthians 14:15: “So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my mind.”

Ephesians 6:18-19: “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. 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.”

Philippians 4:6: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”

Philippians 4:19: “And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.”

Colossians 1:9-15: “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. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”

Colossians 4:2: “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.”

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18: “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

1 Timothy 2:1-4: “I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone – for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.”

1 Timothy 2:8: “I want men everywhere to lift up holy hands in prayer, without anger or disputing.”

Hebrews 4:16: “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

James 1:6-7: “But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord.”

1 Peter 3:7: “Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers.”

1 Peter 4:7: “The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray.”

1 John 1:9: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

1 John 3:21-22: “Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him.”

The Importance of Prayer: What Scripture Says (Part 2)

We have been meeting on Wednesday nights for about a month now, and it has been amazing! Why wouldn’t it be? This is the body of Christ in communion with each other and with God; is there anything better?

Well, rather than your taking my word for it, for two more weeks, I simply will list some verses on the importance of prayer for us, His people! (All are taken from the NIV.)

Matthew 7:7-8: “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.”

Matthew 7:11: “If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!”

Matthew 21:22: “If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”

Mark 9:28-29: “After Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked him privately, ‘Why couldn’t we drive it out?’ He replied, ‘This kind can come out only by prayer.’”

Mark 11:17: “And as he taught them, he said, ‘Is it not written: “My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations”?’”

Mark 11:22-25: “‘Have faith in God,’ Jesus answered. ‘I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, “Go, throw yourself into the sea,” and does not doubt in his heart but

believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.’”

Luke 6:12: “One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God.”

Luke 11:1-13: “One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.’ He said to them, ‘When you pray, say: “Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.”’ Then he said to them, ‘Suppose one of you has a friend, and he goes to him at midnight and says, “Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, because a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have nothing to set before him.” Then the one inside answers, “Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children are with me in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.” I tell you, though he will not get up and give him the bread because he is his friend, yet because of the man’s boldness he will get up and give him as much as he needs. So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!’”

Luke 18:1-10: “Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. He said: ‘In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men. And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, “Grant me justice against my adversary.” For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, “Even though I don’t fear God or care about men, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually wear me out with her coming!”’ And the Lord said, ‘Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?’”

Luke 18:1, 9-14: “Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. … To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: ‘Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: “God, I thank you that I am not like other men – robbers, evildoers, adulterers – or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.” But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, “God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.’”

The Importance of Prayer: What Scripture Says

We have been meeting on Wednesday nights for about a month now, and it has been amazing! Why wouldn’t it be? This is the body of Christ in communion with each other and with God; is there anything better?

Well, rather than your taking my word for it, for the next three weeks, I simply will list some verses on the importance of prayer for us, His people! (All are taken from the NIV.)

Exodus 33:8, 11: “And whenever Moses went out to the tent, all the people rose and stood at the entrances to their tents, watching Moses until he entered the tent. … The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend. Then Moses would return to the camp, but his young aide Joshua son of Nun did not leave the tent.”

1 Kings 18:36-38: “At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: ‘O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. Answer me, O Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, O Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.’ Then the fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench.”

1 Chronicles 16:11: “Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always.”

2 Chronicles 7:14-15: “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 will I hear from heaven and 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.”

Psalm 4:1: “Answer me when I call to you, O my righteous God. Give me relief from my distress; be merciful to me and hear my prayer.”

Psalm 5:3: “In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation.”

Psalm 17:1: “Hear, O Lord, my righteous plea; listen to my cry. Give ear to my prayer – it does not rise from deceitful lips.”

Psalm 25:1: “To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.” Psalm 46:10: “Be still, and know that I am God.”

Psalm 50:15: “Call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me.”

Psalm 55:17: “Evening, morning and noon I cry out in distress, and he hears my voice.”

Psalm 65:1-2: “Praise awaits you, O God, in Zion; to you our vows will be fulfilled. O you who hear prayer, to you all men will come.”

Psalm 142:1-2: “I cry aloud to the Lord; I lift up my voice to the Lord for mercy. I pour out my complaint before him; before him I tell my trouble.”

Psalm 145:18: “The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.”

Proverbs 15:8: “The Lord detests the sacrifice of the wicked, but the prayer of the upright pleases him.”

Proverbs 15:29: “The Lord is far from the wicked but he hears the prayer of the righteous.”

Proverbs 21:13: “If a man shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, he too will cry out and not be answered.”

Isaiah 55:6: “Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near.”

Daniel 6:10: “Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day

he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before.”

Daniel 9:3-4: “So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes. I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed: ‘O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with all who love him and obey his commands ….’”

Daniel 10:12: “Then he continued, ‘Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them.’”

Habakkuk 2:1: “I will stand at my watch and station myself on the ramparts; I will look to see what he will say to me, and what answer I am to give to this complaint.”

Matthew 5:43-45: “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven.”

Matthew 6:5-12: “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. This, then, is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.’”

Prayer

“Prayer is not preparation for the greater work, it IS the greater work!” Oswald Chambers. If you have been around Northland Oviedo for any amount of time you have probably heard me say this once or twice. For one reason, Oswald Chambers is one of Maggie and mine favorite authors. His work, Utmost for His Highest is one of the most influential works in both of our lives. If you don’t have this daily devotional PLEASE go get it and start reading it everyday. It is not very long but supernaturally speaks to so many people lives, at the same time, not sure how that works but just know it to be true. You can view it at rbc.org or utmost.org. Secondly I love the peace of this statement, it is all HIS. His work, His purpose, His power, His plan it is all His. The more I am tapped into that reality, the better off I am, so how about, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” (phil 4:6 NASB)

We just started a weekly time of gathering for the simple purpose of one thing and one thing only: to PRAY TOGETHER! I have been so surprised by the reactions of individuals who have asked questions like: What are you going to do during that time? What kind of prayer exactly? Will it be free-form or guided and structured? In hind-sight I realize these are great questions that come from many different places including our multi-faith mix congregation as well as the number of new Christians we have in our midst who have never participated in prayer. But I have also come to believe it is because we just don’t pray enough!

Throughout Scripture the people of God are set apart and marked by many things, for one we are called to be Holy because He is Holy. But one of these things has always been by the deep connection His people have had to Him through prayer. I recently heard someone say that great things happen throughout Scripture when the people of God remember to get serious about praying! For example, the story of Abraham’s servant sent to find a wife for Isaac who prays and waits (gen 24:15) or Jehoshaphat in 2 Kings 20 who when about to be attacked doesn’t get the battle plans together but instead calls the entire assembly to fast and cry out to the Lord, or in Joel 1:14 when the entire inhabitants of the land were called to ‘cry out to the Lord’. It is no different in the New Testament, as Christ continuously goes off by Himself to pray to the Father. Peter and Cornelius, Paul and Silas in prison, It is over and over and over, the prayer of Gods people that sets them apart. How about us?

Well lets start small, lets gather every week and pray together. That simple, that easy, that do-able. Our staff and leadership are meeting and praying together multiple times a week now, and yesterday we spent a half day together praying for each of you and the work God has invited us into here at Northland Oviedo. Hope to see you up at the NOCC on Wednesday nights over the summer from 8-9pm where we will be there praying together, as the body of Christ, so come and be a part of it with us!