Serve The City

FAITH DAY AT THE KERNEL'S

2011-07-17T16:57:00.004-05:00

SUNDAY - July 31^st!

Kernels vs. Beloit Snappers
Game time - 2:05 PM - gates open at 1 PM
More information on the Serve the City events page.

Pictures from May 29th Faith Day!

60th Annual National Day of Prayer

2011-05-01T00:01:00.001-05:00

Thursday, May 5, 2011
Noon to 1 PM

Greene Square Park in downtown Cedar Rapids between 3rd & 4th Avenue and 5th St. SE

Prayer Leaders will give guidance to our prayers

No cost to attend - lawn chairs are a good idea

Co-sponsored by the Linn County Association of Evanelicals and the Serve The City Partners

Sunday, April 17, 2011

2011-04-17T05:00:00.000-05:00

Seeking The VISITATION of CHRIST the KING

Seeking God….to Fill the World With His Glory

Scene One:

“And some of the Pharisees in the multitude said to Him, ‘Teacher, rebuke Your disciples.’ And He answered and said, “I tell you, if these become silent, ‘the stones will cry out.’ ” Luke 19:39-40

In the face of opposition, criticism, and intimidation Jesus would not quiet His followers AND they would not be quiet!

Followers of Christ – One Rocks - Zero

Scene Two:

By Thursday night, the disciples are having dinner and the scriptures record this: “And there arose also a dispute among them as to which one of them was regarded to be greatest.” Luke 22:24 From praising Jesus to this……oh my!

Scene Three:

In the garden, Jesus took Peter, James, and John to the Garden to pray…. “Now an angel from heaven appeared to Him, strengthening Him. And being in agony He was praying very fervently; and His sweat became like drops of blood, falling down upon the ground. And when He rose from prayer, He came to the disciples and found them sleeping from sorrow.” Luke 22:43-45

Scene Four:

Moving ahead to (Good) Friday, we have a different scene. At the cross the crowds are subdued, weeping……..and quiet. Turning to the scriptures again we read this: “And Jesus cried out with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom, and the earth shook……and the rocks were split….” Matthew 27:50-51

Followers of Christ – Zero Rocks - One

What about you and I – every day? What will the score be? In the face of doubt, fear, opposition, criticism, and intimidation, will we be prayed up? Will we praise? Our scorecards are prepared each and every day to be filled out!

Followers of Christ – __?__ Rocks - __?__ The daily score is simply up to us.

Today, Palm Sunday, Patricia and I visited Oakhill Jackson Church. One of the verses used this morning was 1 Corinthians 15:57. “…but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” We were challenged to live daily WITH the victory in mind. We were encouraged to be counted among those that will not wilt in the face of some “trial” when we already have the victory.

Pray with me!

We pray that You would visit Your people in ways that rock the nations and turn the attention of all upon You.

Come! Fill this world with Your glory.

Come! Find our city prepared by our prayers to welcome You!

Come! Find our city prepared by the praises of Your people in the midst of those that do not yet know You!

Our eyes may not yet behold You, but You can make Your presence felt.

Reveal the mountainous majesty of Your wisdom.

Cause everyone to sense the surpassing grandeur of Your governing love.

Display the dreadful magnificence of Your wrath against evil.

Reveal Your ferocious passion for Your beloved!

You Word tells us that Your mercies are new each and every day….May we have eyes to see these mercies and tell You….may we PRAISE You for them!

May I, may we, be filled with an expectancy to see Your invisible nature in the creation all around us each and every day!

May our daily score, each and every day be……..

Followers of Christ – __100__ Rocks - __zero__

……as we walk in a lifestyle of Seeking Your Face, seeing Your nature, acknowledging Your hand in our daily lives minute by minute and thanking You for Your great love.

In the mighty and precious Name of our Lord and Savior – Jesus The Christ.

Charles Daugherty

Serve The City

Saturday, April 16, 2011

2011-04-16T05:00:00.000-05:00

SEEKING the JOY of the KINGDOM

Seeking God…..for His Dwelling Amidst His people.

“While they were telling these things, He Himself stood in their midst.” Luke 24:36

Have you ever wondered if there will be anything manmade in heaven? Scripture teaches us there will be only one thing in heaven that is manmade: the scars on Jesus’ body.

Why would God leave these manmade prints on His only Son?

One reason is to remind us that we are not alone when we go through the trials of this life. He is with us in good times and bad. He is with us every second of every day. No matter the gain or loss, Jesus understands everything we are going through and is with us.

Another reason is His love. Every time we see the holes from the nails and spear we remember He died on the cross bearing our sin, resurrected from the grave and offers eternal life to all who trust in Him for salvation.

After the resurrection Jesus appeared to His followers, stood in their midst and said “I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.” (Luke 24:49) Just as Jesus was “in their midst,” He is still in our midst today. He promised us that He will be with us to the very end of the age. While this is true, we also have within our very being, the deep abiding presence of the Holy Spirit. God is truly dwelling among, in and through His people!

Is life throwing you a curveball? Are you facing trials? Look again at Jesus’ scars. He has “been there, done that” and will help you. Lean on the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit within you and drink deep of Christ’s friendship. As you do, people around you will see Christ standing in your midst. They will see his scars and be drawn to Him, seeking His dwelling amidst His people.

John Seitz

Antioch Christian Church

Friday, April 15, 2011

2011-04-15T05:00:00.000-05:00

SEEKING the JOY of the KINGDOM

Seeking God… for Joy in Extravagant Worship.

Have you ever experienced worship so joy-filling that you never wanted to stop, or leave the Holy ground where you were? Have you ever had an experience that focused so deeply on Who God is as our Creator, our Sustainer, our Redeemer, and Friend that you just didn’t know what else to do or express, but allowed the Spirit to fill you with sounds of praise?

When I was in college, I had the unique experience of attending the conference Urbana ’93 in Illinois. There, 25,000 plus college-aged students from different areas of the US, and from around the world gathered for an experience of worship. What an experience it was to be in the presence of other believers lifting their voices in joy and praise to our Heavenly Father! I remember thinking to myself, “What a taste of heaven!” People of all races and all walks of life, giving praise and glory to God for what He has done, continues to do, and will still do for us!

That memory remains in my heart as I continue to fix my heart on who God is, and as I allow Him to fill my heart with joy each day. That experience has been a continual reminder of the glory which comes in knowing The Savior and experiencing life here on earth with Him, in anticipation of the complete fullness of life to come in Glory.

Psalm 89:1-2, “I will sing of the Lord’s great love forever; with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations!”

Father, let us not quickly forget your grace, love, and mercy in our lives each and every day. May we forever bring praises to your name so that others will realize Who you are, and be drawn to You because of your amazing grace.

God's richest blessings,

Kristina Sjogren

Lieutenant
Corps Officer
The Salvation Army – Cedar Rapids, IA

Thursday, April 14, 2011

2011-04-14T14:00:00.000-05:00

SEEKING the JOY of the KINGDOM

Seeking God…..for Abundance with Contentment

What a blessing it is to be counted among those called to intercede for their land. In this season we focus on not only the world, but specifically for our immediate surroundings, our city, our more loosely those who are our neighbors in the geographic location where we each live. Looking at the scope of the events in our world can be very distracting, taking away the passion for the things that are close at hand.

I was talking with a man recently that was concerned that the world was falling part around us so quickly, and his worries are shared by so many. As I was encouraging him as to the faith required to live in peace in a tumultuous time was imperative. His perception of this peace was interpreted as inaction and passivity. I pondered only for a brief moment in his statement spoken with such conviction. I calmly replied that this peace and confidence comes from our Lord and savior, who having no anxiety in the matters of this world, allows us to take a place of quietness thus allowing the Spirit of God to lead us in the direction in which we are to pray.

This is a privilege Gods allows us, to empower His mercy and grace in the lives of the lost, as well as His people to being released from the bondage that quenches the destiny God has planned for all who will choose to humbly surrender to Him.

Who will tear down the walls of Jericho in your city? Will you in your mighty work and strength alone, or will you let God through your faithfulness in prayer and obedience allow Him to accomplish all He has planned in his strength and timing.

Keep praying... remain faithful... and Believe! Remain a servant Of God.

Thomas High

River of Life Ministries

Thursday, April 14, 2011

2011-04-14T05:00:00.001-05:00

Seeking the Joy of the Kingdom

Seeking God….For Abundance with Contentment

“Our riches have made us comfortable, but we are not comforted.” Isn’t that the truth?

To be brutally honest, my prayer of late has been for contentment. The request is revealing, in and of itself. For, in spite of living in the most prosperous nation in the world, serving in a profession that I purposefully chose and a ministry that I feel intimately called to – not to mention being surrounded by loving, devoted families, both at home and at church – I still find myself often struggling with feelings of unrest, discontentment and dissatisfaction. The thing is … I don’t think I’m alone.

Jeremiah 31:14 concludes with God declaring “My people will be satisfied with My goodness.” The DSP (Dan Sanford Paraphrase) unpacks this as: “Discontentment will rule in your heart until you forsake your idols and find true contentment only in me.” We live in a greed-driven culture. Media and marketing constantly bombard us with messages that our lives are incomplete until we purchase their products or acquire their services. Additionally, our selfish flesh and a devious adversary conspire against us to pry our eyes away from the immeasurable Treasure within; onto the paltry “treasures” without.

Where is true satisfaction or contentment to be found? “My people will be satisfied with My goodness.” “My goodness.” Contentment is the byproduct of fixing our gaze upon Jesus, who is the fullest expression of the Father’s goodness. I find that the more I can turn my inner radio station off of KDAN (“all Dan, all the time”) and cultivate an inner dialogue with the Holy Spirit, the more contentment I find. When I stop looking for contentment “out there” and understand that “the Kingdom of God is within,” then I begin to enjoy “the sacrament of the present moment.”

“Our riches have made us comfortable, but we are not comforted.” Jesus promised us only one “Comforter,” and that is his Holy Spirit. My inner feelings of discontentment, truly, serve as a warning bell that my eyes are looking for satisfaction without, instead of within.

As we cultivate our secret, inner life with Christ during this season, may “the things of Earth grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace.”

Dan Sanford, Pastor

First Church of the Open Bible

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

2011-04-13T14:00:00.000-05:00

Seeking the Joy of the Kingdom

Seeking God….to Restore Desolate Communities

Seeing God is as simple as a fat man losing weight. Fat men lose weight by reducing their caloric intake. Consistently pressing past the breakfast donut and choosing the Kashi cereal instead (I've gotta try that someday) easily said, difficult to make a lifestyle habit. It's the same with seeing God; you have to make a habit of searching just a little more when seeking to find him.

I've recently been searching the internet for a class on evangelism. One of the core subjects of evangelism is how to deal with difficult questions. On a site dealing with the subject, I found this question and how to deal with it: "The Bible claims that Jesus sweat blood….that can't be true?" The answer to that question I've included below:

Although this medical condition is relatively rare, according to Dr. Frederick Zugibe (Chief Medical Examiner of Rockland County, New York) it is well-known, and there have been many cases of it. The clinical term is “hematohidrosis.” “Around the sweat glands, there are multiple blood vessels in a net-like form.” Under the pressure of great stress the vessels constrict. Then as the anxiety passes “the blood vessels dilate to the point of rupture. The blood goes into the sweat glands.” As the sweat glands are producing a lot of sweat, it pushes the blood to the surface - coming out as droplets of blood mixed with sweat.

From: Did Jesus really sweat drops of blood?

www.christiananswers.net/q-eden/edn-t018.html.

If I were to have just stored this bit of knowledge away and moved on, I would have missed a wonderful experience of seeing God. A part of the text caught my eye: Then as the anxiety passes “the blood vessels dilate to the point of rupture. I was inspired to see God so; I looked up the scripture passage in Luke 22: 39-45. I was looking for that moment of when “the anxiety passes" and found this portion of the scriptures:

vs. ⁴³ And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him.

vs. ⁴⁴ And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.

Note that an Angel strengthened him which allowed Jesus the ability to pray with more earnest. At that point I was able to see two great truths and see God even clearer. The first truth was the scriptures perfectly line up with science. The second was that seeking God in earnest brings about the passing of anxiety. That tickled my soul. If I hadn't wanted to see God more, I would have missed seeing him. Wow, I'm almost inspired enough to go on a diet…..almost.

Michael Parsons

Oak Hill Jackson Community Church

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

2011-04-13T00:01:00.000-05:00

The Holy Spirit is a gift that has been sent to us to help us in prayer.

Look at Matthew 7:9-11 (NLT): “You parents—if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? ¹⁰ Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! ¹¹ So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him.”

My kids look to me to provide for them, it is a gift to them. When I come back from a trip, my kids look for gifts from dad. Recently, before leaving on a trip to Ireland, my youngest daughter asked me to bring her back a snow globe – she loves to collect them. Of course I returned to Iowa with a snow globe! I searched most of Northern Ireland to find it.

I am their dad, and they love it when I give gifts to them, and provide for them. And they know how much I love them by the ways that I provide for them. The more they look to me for that love, and find it, the more they trust in me as their dad. This relationship with my kids helps me to understand this verse - let’s read it from Luke’s Gospel.

Luke 11:11-13 (NLT): “You fathers—if your children ask for a fish, do you give them a snake instead? ¹² Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion? Of course not! ¹³ So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.”

The context of Luke 11 is Jesus teaching on prayer. He is saying that when we pray for the Father’s provision, that His provision is good, and the more that He provides for us, the more that we will trust Him as our Father.

Did you notice the difference between the wording in these two passages? In Luke it says that our Father will give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him. In Matthew it says that our Father will give good gifts to them that ask Him. To me, Matthew’s version makes more sense because he is initially talking about giving good gifts.

With Luke’s gospel we could ask…What if we weren’t asking for the Holy Spirit, what if we were asking God the Father for something else? The answer to this question unfolds the reason why God sent the Holy Spirit to us.

For example, what if something tragic happened to someone close to you, and you asked God for comfort. God the Father doesn’t just give you comfort, He sends the Holy Spirit who is the comforter. What if you were asking for help? Our Father doesn’t just send help, He sends the Holy Spirit who is the helper.

Maybe you ask for love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, or self-control. The Father doesn’t just give you these things; He gives you the Holy Spirit who makes all of these things a reality in your life.

This is the great promise to us in prayer; we ask God for gifts in prayer, and He gives us the gift giver, we ask God for supply, and He gives us the source.

With the Holy Spirit you don’t just get the snow globe; you get the snow globe manufacturer – wouldn’t my daughter love that!

Daniel Winn

Cedar Rapids Family Church

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

2011-04-12T14:00:00.000-05:00

Seeking The Joy Of The Kingdom

Seeking God….for Joy and Awe as God Moves in Answer to Prayer

My prayer:

As we move closer, Father, toward that day that we will celebrate which gives us hope,

may we not succumb to those distracting voices all around us. We are constantly being bombarded with advertising, music, movies and other solicitations that would want to dumb us down making us think that what they are offering is the norm.

May we never forget what normal really is and what it represents! Father, others may think they are happy with the pleasures of the world, but we know our real joy comes from our oneness with You.

On that Resurrection Day, You offered to us The Normal. Because of this, may those around us see and begin to realize what normal really is. As those around us find less satisfaction in things of this world, while those things seemingly fall away giving them less pleasure, may they see within us the Hope which we have. May they not only see, but may they also desire that Hope. And Father, may I never forget what is normal. Christ in me, my hope of glory. The Normal Christian Life!

Larry Janda

The Refuge Church

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

2011-04-12T05:00:00.000-05:00

Seeking the Joy of the Kingdom

Seeking God….for Joy and Awe as God Moves in Answer to Prayer

When we ask, "Lord hear our prayer do we really believe God is listening?"

I have found solace in knowing God really cares and is listening to all our prayers and wants to love us.

At any time of the day he is waiting, watching, and hoping we use our ears to listen to him and words to talk with him. We are opening up our minds and hearts to him and to receive love.

God answers prayers by saying yes, no, or wait. Sometimes wait, sometimes yes, sometimes no.

He is our Father and we must respect and love our Father. God loves us more than we love ourselves or each other. We can't possibly know how great and the multitude of this love.

All we need to do is let Him in our heart and God will bless us magnificently.

Carol Motske

St. Marks Faith & Life Center

Monday, April 11, 2011

2011-04-11T14:00:00.000-05:00

Seeking The Joy of the Kingdom

Seeking God….For The Joy Of Liberation

As a mother and grandmother I received the blessing of opened eyes when one of my pastors led a seminar on “GENERATION WHY?—Understanding Youth Culture”.

The eye-opener was a conviction concerning what my generation has contributed to the culture of youth. A quote: “Though there are definite unique qualities and habits of youth, maybe much of what they are comes from the cues that they’re taking from adults.”

This raises the questions: Am I conveying to my children/grandchildren the idea that our media (TV, internet, music) can be accepted at face value without any scrutiny? Do I convey the perception that power, education, material wealth/possessions are valid life goals for us as believers in Christ?

Let’s look at our culture, and our part in it, through the lens of a transformed, renewed mind. (Romans 12:1,2) Let’s sort out the trash from the treasure!

Donna Hartman

Stonebridge Church

Monday, April 11, 2011

2011-04-11T05:00:00.000-05:00

Seeking The Joy of The Kingdom

Seeking God….For The Joy of Liberation

I have a wonderful reflection to tell about the Joy of Liberation:

My parents were divorced when I was away in the Army so when my mother remarried another man (Mel) it didn't seem…real…almost.

In time I realized how this man loved my mother and truly cared for her. I also came to know the Lord a few years later and soon realized he and many other of my family members needed Jesus Christ.

Over the next 10 years I prayed for this man and several other family members to come to know Jesus as Savior. I heard about the "Left Behind" series and knowing my mothers second husband loved to read, I sent him some of these books and began to pray more often that God would use these books to touch his heart. And then the Lord led me to start praying for others to reach out to him from the local church.

Amazingly enough a few months went by and I heard that my mother and her husband Mel were now attending a small church and soon after he was saved and baptized. I was so thankful to the Lord for answering my prayers and I thought how wonderful the Lord must have felt as Angels were singing on high that this man came to accept Jesus as his Savior.

Things went well for him and my mother until about a year later when he passed away at 49 years old of a massive heart attack. I traveled with my family to the funeral in Kentucky and when asked to say a few words, I promptly stepped up onto the platform at a small country church. (As I was going up to the front of the church I passed a wonderful photo of my moms second husband (Mel) being baptized.) I shared about how I prayed and how the Lord used these people in this small church to bring Mel to know Jesus as Savior. What a wonderful day to share how the Lord brought this man out of spiritual bondage and knowing that he was now in heaven with his Lord and Savior!

Let us not be weary of praying for our lost relatives and neighbors. And as we see the Lords hand in all we do, let's also not forget too soon all the wonderful things He has done for us.

As today’s devotional said, "It is no small thing for even one to come home to God."

Praise the Lord on high for He is so good to us!

Yours in Christ,

Phil Foster

Valley View Baptist Church

Sunday, April 10, 2011

2011-04-10T14:00:00.000-05:00

Seeking the Joy of the Kingdom

Seeking God…..For Confident Gladness in Turmoil

"always giving thanks to the Lord for everything" – Ephesians 5:20

Lord, we thank you that we can always give thanks for everything because we know that you are "working for our good in all things." Help us to stay on track, because we know that you are working for our good only if we love you and are walking in your will- doing what is right. We know if we stay in your will we can have confident gladness in turmoil. That certainly has been true in my life.

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." – Romans 8:28

Grant Carpenter

His Hands Ministries

Oakland Church of the Nazarene

Sunday, April 10, 2011

2011-04-10T05:00:00.000-05:00

Seeking the Joy of the Kingdom

Seeking God…..for Confident Gladness in Turmoil

As I began writing this blog, the lead story on my yahoo is "Another Strong Quake Strikes Off Tsunami-Hit Japan" and I begin to process this terrible news along with Psalm 46 which is listed in today's scripture prayer reading. This portion of God's Holy Word has been a consistent signature of hope and strength throughout the ages for millions of people. Through it I have a better understanding that God is present and when He declared creation to be good as we read in Genesis; He also remained actively involved with all creation even after sin entered.

Martin Luther certainly processed similar thoughts shared through Psalm 46 which inspired him to write the magnificent song "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God". Through the stanzas we are comforted in the reminders of the truths of God and the promise that His Kingdom will ultimately be fully established. We certainly serve the ETERNAL God. In the meantime as creation is being restored, God's grace is active and He is in control of all things. Though we may not fully understand why such suffering exists due to natural disasters, we do know that ultimately the battle has been won through the power and the blood of Jesus Christ.

"Did we in our own strength confide.
Our striving would be losing;
Were not the right man on our side.
The man of God's own choosing.
Dost ask who that may be?
Christ Jesus, it is He; Lord Sabaoth His name;
From age to age the same, and He must win the battle" (verse 2)

We thank you God for being active among Your creation. Your grace is sufficient and we rely fully on Your promises this day. Lord, grant us more faith and may we begin to see life with an eternal perspective in mind and rely fully on the power that is in the name of Jesus. Amen

Michael Sjogren, Lieutenant
Corps Officer - The Salvation Army
Cedar Rapids, IA

Saturday, April 9, 2011

2011-04-09T05:00:00.001-05:00

Seeking The Peace Of The Kingdom

Seeking God….to Declare Peace Among the Nations

Peace for the world. Interesting thought! Pageant contestants when asked what they dream for they answer, “World Peace.” Wouldn’t it be nice if there was peace in the world?

For the last month and a half we have been watching conflict break out all over the Middle East and North Africa. When the Libyans revolted against their tyrant leader who did they call out to for help? Answer: The United State of America. We were seen as a savior of the oppressed and persecuted. And as usual we pick and choose our response and in this case we decided to help. But, do they have peace? Do they have freedom yet? No. If they do get it how long will it last? One year, ten years, one hundred years?

Peace in a world infected with sin is impossible. Or is it? I am reminded of a great passage in Philippians 3 that reminds us not to worry. Because of Jesus Christ we can have peace. Peace that can only come from Him. True peace in the world won’t come about by the nations choosing peace but rather you and I as individuals relying on “the peace of God that transcends all understanding as we live in Christ Jesus.”

When you and I as individuals live out the peace of God in our individual lives we will live in peace with others.

This reminds me of a bumper sticker that I have seen over the years on cars. It says, “Know God, Know Peace, No God, No Peace.” In closing I say to you all:

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Keith Pitts

Associate Pastor of Youth and Children

Valley View Baptist Church

Chaplain Linn County Juvenile Detention Center

Friday, April 8, 2011

2011-04-08T14:00:00.000-05:00

Seeking the Peace of the Kingdom

Seeking God . . . to Raise up Champions of Peace by His Spirit

Seeking God for….Broken Families

Today we pray for broken families.

“Lord, how your heart must break when you see the pain and despair that accompanies divorce and family separation. I pray that you would pour your wisdom and peace upon husbands & wives and those couples who live together outside of marriage.

Help them, Lord, not to point the finger every time that an issue arises, but rather help them to work together to solve the problem.”

A few years ago experts told us that children were strong – resilient - and divorce did not affect then…that quality time was better than quantity time. We now know that this is wrong, that these are lies from the enemy.

“Please Lord, help families to stay together. Help children who need two parents. Bring others alongside to help single parent families. We pray that Godly couples will help mentor those couples who need their wisdom on staying the course. Help couples forgive each other as Jesus forgives us. And we pray Lord that you would be a Father to the fatherless and a husband to the single mothers & the widows. We ask you to heal the broken hearts and pour healing balm in all their wounds. Amen.

Patricia Daugherty

Serve The City

Friday, April 8, 2011

2011-04-08T05:00:00.001-05:00

Seeking the Peace of the Kingdom

Seeking God . . . to Raise up Champions of Peace by His Spirit

On the night of Christ’s birth the heavenly host proclaimed “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” (Luke 2:14 KJV) Isaiah 9:6 tells us that one of the names given to the child would be “Prince of Peace.”

While men speak much of peace it has proven itself time and again to be quite elusive. Even now nations are at war with nations, politicians of differing philosophies shout at one another across the aisle as to how to secure peace, churches divide over inconsequential matters, families are filled with strife, and the minds, hearts, and spirits of individuals are deeply troubled. Men and women long for peace but seem unable to lay their hands upon it.

The missing piece in many people’s search for peace is the child of Bethlehem. And that is where the Christian comes in. We are to proclaim God’s peace and good will toward men just as the heavenly host did so long ago.

The apostle Paul put it this way in 2 Corinthians 5:18-20 (NIV), “All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.”

In finding peace with God one will be able to find peace with him/herself and with others. And we have the opportunity, nay, responsibility, to be those of whom Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.” (Matthew 5:9 NIV)

May we rise up as ambassadors of the Prince of Peace!

Bill Holley

Eastview Christian Church

Thursday, April 7, 2011

2011-04-07T05:00:00.000-05:00

Seeking The Peace Of The Kingdom

Seeking God…..To Rebuild Devastated Cities

To Rebuild Devastated Cities is our prayer focus today. In light of recent events from the devastating floods out east to Japan’s killer-quake and subsequent tsunami reaching all the way to our most western cities – it’s time to pray!

With civil uprisings from Cairo to the shores of Tripoli one can’t help but be mindful of Jesus’ end-time discourse in Matthew 24 and Luke 21. Prior to His return Jesus warns that wars and civil wars, famines and earthquakes, violence and intolerance would increase. Like the birth pangs of a woman they will increase in frequency and intensity as the return of our Lord approaches.

Lest you think I’m a gloom and doom prophet – let me say how excited I get (maybe enough to shout!) when I read Matthew 24:14, “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.”

We have the Message! We bring tools of hope and the message of life to rebuild our devastated cities. No one needs to hang their head in fatalistic despair but we can all lift our heads towards a brighter tomorrow in Christ Jesus.

Father, today we pray for those whose lives are in ruin. Empower us to reach out through your love to them spiritually, emotionally and physically. Thank you that our faith in you is unshakable.

Larry Sohn

First Assembly of God

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

2011-04-06T05:00:00.000-05:00

Seeking The PEACE of the KINGDOM

Seeking God….For An Early Homecoming For Prodigals

Heavenly Father! Hear the cries for our Children. We hold fast to you Lord God asking for wisdom in these dark times. This world is spiraling down so fast that our Children are being drowned in a sea of darkness. The darkness is cleaver and disguised as all things exciting, shiny & thrilling. You father are our only need, our strength our hope and our Journey. Father, light the path homeward for the lost Children, Husbands who are blinded by distractions & Wives absent from their vows. Set a moral compass within their hands and lead them to back home. The home built with the brick & mortar of the Love of God whose foundation is resting on solid rock. We pray this blessing to be etched into the hearts of the modern day prodigals. In the name of our Mighty Powerful Savior Jesus Christ, Amen!

Leo and Janet Bonifazi

Neighborhood Church

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

2011-04-05T14:30:00.000-05:00

Seeking The Peace Of The Kingdom

Seeking God….for Forgiveness to Heal Broken Relationships

Forgiveness……. the dictionary definition of “forgive” means: to give up resentment against or the desire to punish; stop being angry with; pardon.

Forgiveness doesn’t mean that I forget what has been done or to even trust the person again. Trust has to be earned. Forgiveness is a CHOICE, but the ABILITY to forgive needs the supernatural intervention of mighty King Jesus. The process of forgiveness is beyond my own abilities; however, the choice is always mine.

I have been through much. I’ve experienced physical and emotional hurt, rejection, a sense of abandonment and even betrayal by some family members, friends, church people and ministry leadership.

But through it all I’ve passionately asked the Lord to “guard my heart”. You see, forgiveness allows my heart to stay tender towards the things of the Lord and keeps anger and bitterness from poisoning my life and the lives of those I am around.

My reaction to hurtful people and situations needs to be a CHOICE to forgive. As I cry out to Jesus, He helps me through the process and at the end I no longer feel a sting of pain from the memory. I am able to truly pray God’s best for that person.

What choice will you make about the hurtful situations in your own life? In your childhood? I urge you to choose life…a life of freedom in forgiveness.

Come Holy Spirit………..

Tawnya Gardener

The Salvation Army

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

2011-04-05T05:00:00.000-05:00

Seeking The Peace Of The Kingdom

Seeking God….for Forgiveness to Heal Broken Relationships

Lord, help us to walk free of the prisons we have made for ourselves by our lack of forgiveness and lack of mercy.

Do so by comparing the magnitude of forgiven offenses against us by Christ with the petty offenses by others that have become a log in our eyes.

Enable us to walk in the liberty by which Christ has made us free.

Jordan’s Grove Church

Monday, April 4, 2011

2011-04-04T05:00:00.000-05:00

Seeking The Peace Of The Kingdom

Seeking God…to Teach the Nations His Way of Peace

The thoughts for this day, about God teaching the nations His ways of peace, reminded me of an episode that occurred a few months back at work.

On Friday mornings at work, before our work day begins, I meet with a fellow co-worker for prayer. We span the globe, the nation, and our workplace. Little did I know how our prayers would unfold this day.

I was looking for a co-worker to ask him a question about a program and found him gathered with a group of about 4 or 5 others listening to one explain the rationale of having their teenager use a contraceptive because they were going to choose to become sexually active. When this person got done, and since I had heard a good smattering of the explanation, the speaker turned the group’s attention to me and asked, “So, Bernie what do you think?”

I thought, “Wow, Lord”. I could have quoted verses to them but that’s not what was needed now. Instead I said something like, “It’s commendable that you want to protect your child, but all the things you proposed won’t protect their character, or their heart and emotions, or even their physical well-being. Where is the special-ness in being used and given away over and over and over? There are a number of serious STDs that are transmitted by skin to skin contact that could leave your child ruined for the remainder of their life – unable to have a child, managing chronic flare ups of legions and boils and warts, and, worst of all, struggling to stay alive with AIDS. Outside of the one man- one woman marriage relationship, you are exponentially exposed to all these diseases. (I gave her a link to the Aid to Women website.)

To my utter shock, one of my friends who is more cynical about God than Hawkeye Pierce (on MASH), was visibly nodding his head in agreement as I spoke.

God provided the "teachable" moment. We had to be willing to show up and be used of Him. And, "Lo and Behold", even hardened skeptics were willing to acknowledge the (biblically based) wisdom that God wants to impart.

Bernie Hayes

Noelridge Park

Sunday, April 3, 2011

2011-04-03T05:00:00.000-05:00

Seeking The Peace Of The Kingdom

Seeking God….to Fill Our City With People Who Bring Peace

Peace. That word alone inspires me to pray. To seek God’s face. And to ask the Lord to bring peace to our city, state, nation and the world.

As I contemplate what it means to have peace, I also pray that we would have the mind of Christ.

What does it mean to have the mind of Christ? I read recently that it means that our hearts can be filled with the redemptive, creative thought-life of God. (See 1 Cor. 2.)

Paul had it right. He wrote:

"But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one. For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he will instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ" (1 Cor. 2:14-16).

This revelation is a big help to me. We have the mind of Christ. God wants us to have the Prince of Peace’s mindset, eyes, ears and discernment.

Paul wrote to the Galatians,” My children, with whom I am again in labor until Christ is formed in you" (Gal 4:19).

If we have the mind of Christ, we will have a spirit-led desire for peace. The very nature of Christ is peace.

I believe that God's goal is not only to see us saved and go to Heaven, but for Christ to be formed and living through us on earth. We are not just to have a religion about what Jesus did; we are called to possess the very substance of who Jesus is. If we have the “substance” of Jesus, then peace would surely reign. Wouldn’t it?

We have this promise: We will all go to heaven through a faith in Christ (John 3:16). But, in a world filled with strife and war, He can “showcase” His Son through us. It is ultimately only so Christ, in the midst of a “less than peaceful world”, reveals how His life overcomes death. Now that is true peace.

"For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus' sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh" (2 Cor. 4:11).

My prayer today is…………..

” Grant us, Lord, the motives of Jesus. In a fallen world, teach us to think, not as a prosecutor whose quest is to condemn, but as the Savior whose heart is to redeem………I pray for the peace of Jesus Christ on our city, state and nation…………Lord, we especially pray today for people and churches and countries in Europe and Central Asia………..may you bring the peace of Jesus Christ………...Amen………..”

Carl Gonder

Fellowship of Christian Athletes

Saturday, April 2, 2011

2011-04-02T05:00:00.000-05:00

Seeking The Righteousness of His Kingdom

Seeking God….To Come with Blessing, Guiding Many to Live Rightly

Hostage to Living a Godly Life

Today we pray “for God to intervene to restrain dark powers that hold people in bondage.”

The true battle we face is the war in our head and how we deal with it; “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”

If we identify Satan’s strong hold that is holding us hostage we can eliminate its power and replace it with Christ’s stronghold and His power. Our mind and what we dwell on holds us captive. Paul identifies himself as a prisoner of Christ (Ephesians 3:1). If we can learn to hold all of our thoughts obedient to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5) then we are held hostage to the freedom of Christ.

Picture a crock-pot. When we take off the lid, pour in the ingredients, and let it cook, an incredible meal is served at the end of the day. I want you to take the lid off your head, pour in some Godly ingredients, and let them cook. These ingredients are recorded in 1 Peter 4:7-11. Throw them in your head and let them cook.

Crock-pot ingredients to living right

 Be Alert v 7

 Be Sober-Minded v 7

 Be in prayer v 7

 Love each other deeply v 8

 Be Hospitable v 9

 Don’t Grumble v 9

 Use Your Gifts v 10

 Serve One Another v 10

 Speak the Very Words of God v 11

 Serve in the Strength of God v 11

 In All Things Give Praise through Jesus v 11

Jim Coyle

Neighborhood Church

Friday, April 1, 2011

2011-04-01T05:00:00.000-05:00

Seeking The Righteousness Of The Kingdom

Seeking God…. For Courage To Contend For Righteousness!

Today we are seeking God for courage to contend for righteousness!

That phrase jumps out at me more than anything else on the detailed page, for in that phrase lies an exhilarating truth. We can kneel before an Almighty God and ask Him for courage…..a powerful brand of courage that will fortify us as we “contend for righteousness!”

I work at a Christian school. Using baby steps of courage-building, our faculty trains their charges to seek God for courage in the simplest situations, so that as life gets bigger, and harder, and more complicated, these students will be unleashed into the world girded with courage, persistent and patient in crying out for justice. As they struggle with the enemies of righteousness, they will confidently call on the Lord for courage.

Whether you are a teacher, coach, parent, grandparent – whatever relationship you hold in a child’s life, you can be part of helping them develop courage!

Give them love, for “perfect love casts out fear” (1 John 4:18).

Give them heroes; teach them about heroes of the faith.

Be courageous; help them understand the costs and sacrifices that are involved in wearing the name of Christ (1 Peter 3:14-15).

Share your experiences and ways you stood fast during trials.

And, let them experience difficulty. A wise columnist wrote, “When we protect our children from all that is negative or challenging, we deny them the opportunity to become brave and strong.”

Praise the Lord for building courage into the lives of this new generation.

Kathryne Oates

Isaac Newton Christian Academy

Thursday, March 31, 2011

2011-03-31T14:00:00.000-05:00

Seeking The Righteousness of His Kingdom

Seeking God…..To Give Our Leaders Love For Truth

Leadership is an important element in each one of our lives.

Whether we are a parents, employers, teachers, youth ministers, or volunteer coordinators we need to allow the Lord to hone that leadership spirit within us.

An absence of it leaves us impotent; a misunderstanding of it leaves us as harsh rulers. The very thought of power and authority can corrupt our mind without the balance of God’s heart for leadership.

Can we agree that our leaders are here to lovingly rule in graceful justice and righteous truth? Without us walking in righteous truth and graceful justice ourselves, we will never be able to intercede effectively.

So, let’s seek God to restore truth and justice in us, along with the leaders over us.

Brian Fink

River Of Life Ministries

Thursday, March 31, 2011

2011-03-31T05:00:00.000-05:00

Seeking The Righteousness of His Kingdom

Seeking God…..To Give Our Leaders Love For Truth

Lord, Your word of truth gives us a great deal of wisdom about…

…righteousness in relationships,

…righteousness in government,

…righteousness in education,

…righteousness in business practices,

…righteousness in the messages we communicate through the arts, the press, and the pulpit.

We pray along with your word in Isaiah 32:1 for our leaders in our community to have a love for truth: “Behold, a king will reign righteously and princes will rule justly.”

Lord, give us leaders for our city in all these areas who understand, love, and know how to implement your truth. May they lead us into a culture of truth that will produce a community of people who will see, hear, and discern the truth and will become truth-tellers that You send out into Your harvest fields.

May Your truth reign in our city…

…in our mayor and our city council and other government officials,

…in our educators and in our schools,

…in our chamber of commerce, businesses, and entrepreneurs,

…in our arts and in the press,

…in our churches and pastors.

May Your truth go forth from our city to be a blessing to our region, our country, and even to the ends of the world. Amen!

Dan Koskamp

New Covenant Bible

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

2011-03-30T14:30:00.000-05:00

Seeking The Righteousness of His Kingdom

Seeking God….To Rise Up Against Spiritual Enemies

When I read the scriptures and prayers for this day, the New Testament scripture and prayer struck me the most. Luke 13: 11-13 tells us a little more about the woman, how she met Jesus and how she was healed:

¹¹And there was a woman there who for eighteen years had had an ^[f]infirmity caused by a spirit (^[g]a demon of sickness). She was ^[h]bent completely forward and utterly unable to straighten herself up or to ^[i]look upward.

¹²And when Jesus saw her, He called [her to Him] and said to her, Woman, you are released from your infirmity!

¹³Then He laid [His] hands on her, and instantly she was made straight, and she ^[j]recognized and thanked and praised God.

Verse 11 tells us that it was a spirit of infirmity that caused the woman to have this condition. Because of her condition she was forced to look down. I could only imagine this was a constant reminder of her condition. Imagine all of things in life she missed because she could only look down. This is what Satan does to us. He gets us in a situation and wants to keep us there, with no hope of ever coming out.

Verse 12 tells us that Jesus initiated the healing. Because she could only look down, she couldn't even see Him. Verse 13 tells us that she didn't recognize Him until after she was made straight. Like so many other places in the Bible, Jesus looked on her with compassion and delivered her from the hands of the enemy.

This is what Jesus wants to do in the life of every person that is gripped by Satan's power. Luke 4:18 tell us this is why He came:

¹⁶And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up for to read.

¹⁷And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written,

¹⁸The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,

¹⁹To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.

²⁰And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him.

²¹And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.

God wants to deliver His people. We just have to the enough faith to ask Him.

LaToya Southerland

Greater Word of Faith Pentecostal Church of God in Christ

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

2011-03-30T09:27:00.000-05:00

Seeking The Righteousness of His Kingdom

Seeking God….To Rise Up Against Spiritual Enemies

Today's reading concerns those gripped by Satan's power. I'm struck by the phrase, "Many righteous people have retreated from these settings." How true. As followers of Christ, we often try to remove ourselves from places of darkness and evil. We do all we can to surround ourselves with good Christian friends, read Christian books, listen to Christians music, watch positive shows on TV, and generally surround ourselves with a "Christian bubble." Surveys have shown that the longer a person is a Christian, the fewer and fewer non-Christians friends he or she has. But the result of all this is that too often we cannot have much of an impact on the world around us.

In contrast, I'm struck by Jesus, who seemed to spend much of his time with the needy, the hurting, the partiers, and the sinners--those caught in Satan's grip. Jesus knew that these people were not the enemies--they were the hostages of Satan, and needed to be set free. What if Christians today were to quit worrying so much about our own safety and security, and started spending more time thinking about the needs of others?

It was C.T. Studd, the famous missionary to China, India, and Africa who wrote:

"Some want to live within the sound
of church or chapel bell;
I want to run a rescue shop
within a yard of hell."

As we draw close to Easter, may God give us all the strength and passion to go be a light in dark places.

Terry Seufferlein
Central Church of Christ

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

2011-03-29T14:00:00.001-05:00

Seeking The Righteousness of His Kingdom

Seeking God….To Grant The Gift of Righteousness

During mid-1500s in Germany, there was no concept of a united effort to SEEK GOD FOR THE CITY as we do here today. Evangelical churches were torn by violent religious dissension. For nearly 50 years Protestant groups battled each other.

With a view toward uniting the churches, in 1562, Elector Frederick appointed two prominent church leaders to prepare a catechism replacing all other catechisms and confessions which had been used previously. The result was a series of 129 questions and answers, a simple summary of the meaning of the Christian Faith.

The primary theme is stated in the first Q & A, "What is your only comfort in life and death?

That I am not my own, but belong - body and soul, in life and death, to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ.

He has fully paid for all my sins with his precious blood, and has set me free from the tyranny of the devil. He also watches over me in such a away that not a hair can fall from my head without the will of my Father in heaven: in fact, all things must work together for my salvation.

Because I belong to him Christ, by his Holy Spirit, assures my of eternal life and makes me wholeheartedly willing and ready from now on to live for him". Heidelberg Catechism Q/A1.

"The Spirit calls all believers to embrace God's mission in their neighborhoods and in the world: to feed the hungry, bring water to the thirsty, welcome the stranger, clothe the naked, care for the sick, and free the prisoner.

We repent of leaving this work to a few, for this mission is central to our being. Jesus said, "As the Father has sent Me, I am sending you." Adapted from Our World Belongs to God 2008.

Earl Dykema

Peace Church

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

2011-03-29T08:00:00.000-05:00

Seeking The Righteousness of His Kingdom

Seeking God….To Grant The Gift of Righteousness

My attention was drawn to the phrases: “self- justification pride”, “straighten what is twisted in our arrogant hearts” and “living in hourly reliance upon You” in our prayer guide today.

For many years now, the Lord deals with me primarily in a picture when it comes to my pride. Typically He”shows” me a picture of my own face with kind of a smirk on it. This is one way He confronts me with the sin of pride. Another way is that when I go to prayer or I begin to worship Him in private I sense I am a noisy going and a clanging cymbal (I Corinthians 13) or I sense an emptiness and a distance between Him and me (Isaiah 59:2).

I am so thankful He continues to love me by reproving me and correcting me (Proverbs 3:19). When I confess the pride and the self-reliance and allow Him to straighten out my arrogant heart, there returns to me a tender and open heart to our relationship together.

How does He show you the error of your prideful and self-reliant ways? Be attentive to Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit and be open and thankful to our Saviors’ loving strong hand of reproof and correction.

Stephen J. Russell

Jordan’s Grove Church, Central City

Monday, March 28, 2011

2011-03-28T14:00:00.000-05:00

Seeking the Righteousness of His Kingdom

Seeking God…..to Hear of Our Confession of Unrighteousness

As Daniel, we identify with the sins of our people, Lord. Please forgive us for devaluing life, for not defending the defenseless. Thank you Lord, for hearing our cries for our city, for forgiving us, for giving us new opportunities to speak the truth in love.

We pray today for those in the valley of decision:

"Should I keep this baby?

Who will support me?

Will I be able to finish college?

Adoption??

What will people think?

Can I just get back to life as it was before all this by taking a few pills?"

Lord, speak to their hearts. Give them your vision for their life and the life of this child. Help the Daddy's, Lord. You've called them to defend their children. Awaken that warrior spirit in them to give them courage to stand for the life of their child. Send these moms and dads people who will encourage them, who will stand by them, who will help meet their needs. And give us eyes to see them, Lord, not to judge them, but to lovingly share in their struggle, to speak hope into their lives by the power of your Holy Spirit.

This we pray, in Jesus' name. Thank you for hearing us, Lord, and for your amazing answers. We declare: Jesus, be glorified in this city of refuge.

Marilyn Schneiderman

Aid To Women – Cedar Rapids

New Life Community - Anamosa

Monday, March 28, 2011

2011-03-28T08:00:00.000-05:00

Seeking the RIGHTEOUSNESS of His KINGDOM

Seeking God…to hear of our confession of unrighteousness

The old spiritual says, “It’s me, it’s me, O Lord, standing in the need of prayer.” Yet when it comes to our own sin, we are often blinded to the crippling cancer in our souls. We feel the consequences of those who sin against us. We blame others for their wrongdoing and overlook our own. When someone confronts us, we may excuse ourselves. “At least I’m not as bad as my neighbor Joe.”

In quiet moments, the Spirit of God opens our eyes to the truth. “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23). We begin to recognize that our selfish preoccupation injures others and is an offense to the God of glory. At that moment, we have an opportunity. We can try to forget it and go on or we can humbly admit we need a Savior to rescue us from our guilt.

King David tried the first approach and felt God’s heavy hand (Psalm 32:3-4). Groaning and exhausted he decided to come clean. He admitted his sin to God. The result was dramatic. “I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,’ and You forgave the iniquity of my sin.” (Psalm 32:5).

The ground is level at the foot of the cross. We stand, with every member of our community, looking up at the suffering Savior who alone bore the weight of our sins. But what a message of hope we have for those ravaged by guilt and pain. He “canceled the record of debt that stood against us…nailing it to the cross” (Colossians 2:14). We can be forgiven of all our sins by the One died to set us free. “Lord, give us boldness to lift up Your name to those paralyzed by sin. May we preach good news to those unable to forgive themselves.”

Pastor Randy Scheil

Stonebridge Church

Sunday, March 27 – Saturday April 2, 2011

2011-03-27T15:35:00.001-05:00

Theme Three: Day 19 to Day 25

Theme:

Seeking the Righteousness of His Kingdom

Theme verse:

“The sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings.” Malachi 4:2 NAS

Global Prayer focus:

This week we will extend our prayers for the cities, peoples, tribes and nations of: Africa

Community sub-sets:

Day 19 Seeking God for….International Visitors

Day 20 Seeking God for….Unborn

Day 21 Seeking God for….Fathers

Day 22 Seeking God for….University Students

Day 23 Seeking God for….Business People

Day 24 Seeking God for….Ministries

Day 25 Seeking God for….Prisoners and their Families

** Prayer Walking Ideas! Click here. **

Introduction from page 28 of Seek God For The City from WayMakers:

Righteousness seems to be an old-fashioned word. Our society is at war with the idea that there is virtue, purity, and moral excellence. If someone thinks he is right, then he feels as if he is condemning someone else as being wrong. But our God loves righteousness.

Originally, He created everything with beauty and order – a “rightness” which has been warped by sin. Ultimately He will bring a new heaven and a new earth “in which righteousness dwells.” (2 Peter 3:13)

This week we will pray toward God’s work to bring righteousness to our communities.

If you do not have a prayer guide, pick one of up from Parable Lemstone Christian Store for $ 1.50 and join us in progress!

Calendar item:

When: Friday, April 15^th (Day 38) at 7 PM on your calendar!

Where: Oakland Church of the Nazarene

What: We will pray ‘around the world’ for every nation on the globe!

Keep watching this site. JOIN US!

Sunday, March 27, 2011

2011-03-27T08:00:00.000-05:00

Seeking The Righteousness Of His Kingdom

Seeking God….To Establish Justice

In today’s reading from Isaiah 42:1-4, God says: I have put My Spirit upon Him. He will bring forth justice to the nations…” The passage goes on to say: He will be gentle – He will not shout or raise His voice…(4:2 NLT).

Jesus, reading from Isaiah 62, said: The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, for He has appointed Me to preach Good News to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the downtrodden will be freed from the oppressors, and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.

He rolled up the scroll and sat down. Everyone in the synagogue waited, probably for what seemed like an eternity, wondering what he would do next. Then Jesus stood up and basically said, Oh, and by the way, TODAY this has been fulfilled.

Jesus brought righteousness and justice when he came to earth. How? Not by screaming, but by His presence. We will never change the world; never bring God’s righteousness or justice, by pointing out sin and screaming at people. Remember, the only ones Jesus condemned were the religious leaders who thought they had it all together and pointed out the sin of the people. Interestingly, Jesus once criticized the Pharisees saying… you ignore the important things of the Law – justice, mercy and faith (Matthew 23:23).

We NEED to pray for righteousness and justice. Jesus taught us to pray… Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, they will be done, on earth as it is in heaven… That is the place to begin. Thy kingdom come… in MY life. May Jesus reign and rule in MY life – TODAY. Thy will be done… in MY life.

PRAY for justice, but begin by praying that God will help you live in such a way as to demonstrate and bring justice. Don’t ignore the more important things of the Law – justice, mercy and faith. Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the orphan. Fight for the rights of widows (Isaiah 1:17).

May our prayers be answered – in what people see in us. May the world see Christ in us. And may they know that we are Christians by our love. After all, isn’t that what justice is all about?

Jim Goodrich

The Church on Northland

Saturday, March 26, 2011

2011-03-26T14:00:00.000-05:00

Seek The Gospel Of The Kingdom

Seeking God…..For Singles

When I was reading this section I was drawn to the single people how they can seek the love of God in their hearts. Many singles today who do not know God seek for love in the wrong places.

Those divorced or widowed become despaired and lost, bitter...

I pray those singles can be reached and search for the glory of God, that as Christians we can come out of our comfort zone and be bold enough to reach out to them.

CR Grace

Saturday, March 26, 2011

2011-03-26T08:00:00.002-05:00

Seek The Gospel Of The Kingdom

Seeking God…..To Become Famous For His Works

Today, in the Scripture reference taken from John 12:27-28, 30 we hear Jesus tell those listening that the voice that they heard, “. . . has not come for My sake, but for your sakes.” I’m struck by a great sense of humility as I read Jesus’ statement and bring it to a personal level. It wasn’t for Him but for me . . . the voice wasn’t for Him but for me . . . His birth wasn’t for Him but for me . . . His miracles weren’t for Him but for me . . . His suffering on the path to Golgotha wasn’t for Him but for me . . . His crucifixion wasn’t for Him but for me . . . His appearances after the resurrection weren’t for His benefit but for my benefit. Everything that Jesus came to do wasn’t for His own need but for my great need.

This shouldn’t come as a surprise to us considering that at the start of His ministry He set this goal. Listen to Jesus in the synagogue as He speaks of His reason for coming, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” (Luke 4:18-19). Wow, it always has been for “my sake” and “your sake” so that we might experience eternal life with God to the full and maximum starting today. It’s been the ultimate mission of grace and we’ve been the targets of that love whose height, depth, length, and breath continues to reach into the darkest recesses of the human soul to bring life. It’s this realization that makes me join with the Psalmist in Psalm 72 to pray, “May His name increase as long as the sun shines . . . Blessed be the Lord [our] God, the God of Israel, who alone works wonders. And blessed be His glorious name forever. And may the whole earth be filled with His glory. [Amen.]”

Tim Carter

First Church of the Nazarene

Friday, March 25, 2011

2011-03-25T20:00:00.001-05:00

Seeking the Gospel of the Kingdom

Seek God…to Advance the Citywide Movements.

Within the Serve The City partners alone we have a little better than 10 thousand people who represent Christ as Lord in the metropolitan area. There is so much that has the potential to divide us or keep us at a safe distance from one another, yet there is one message; Jesus Christ is Lord.

Jesus said “come and follow Me”. A movement is not a movement till there are followers. Throughout the world God is moving powerfully, showing Himself to be the one and only true God. Each and every believer is a testimony of His greatness and His desire is that His children become an orchestra united in the Kingdom message that Jesus Christ is Lord.

In the book of Romans Paul says “…let God be found true though every man be found a liar…”.

Let us layside everything that seeks to divide us and let us stand as a finely tuned symphony orchestra proclaiming over our city that Jesus is Lord.
Let our testimony be that of Jesus.
Let every act of kindness and compassion be done because of Jesus.
Allow God to have His way in our city, no – His city, by lifting up the name of Jesus and He will draw all men unto Himself.

Steve Irwin

River Of Life Ministries

Thursday, March 24, 2010

2011-03-24T14:00:00.000-05:00

Seeking The Gospel of The Kingdom

Seeking God….To Form Many New Church Communities

Father we thank you for all the times you have demonstrated that you are the Shepherd and overseer of our soul. Please remind us of all the tenderness and patience you've shown us.

Remind us of how you rescued us from our sin, restored our innocence and our hearts. Father we ask you now to release us to love like we've been loved. We boldly ask for you to draw every single person in this City and Country to Yourself.

Please Father forgive us the times when Your Holy Spirit prompted us to share you and testify to what you've done in our life but we didn't.

Let your perfect love cast out all fear of man and release a new boldness in our spirits.

We're asking You for divine appointments with the lost. We're asking you to send us to the poor, rich, broken, hurting, fatherless and cross-culturally. Holy Spirit, bring conviction and give authority to the words we share.

In the Holy Name of Jesus I pray. Amen

Blessings

Caleb Plumb

Encounter Christian

Thursday, March 24, 2011

2011-03-24T08:00:00.000-05:00

Seeking The Gospel of the Kingdom

Seeking God to Form Many New Church Communities

In my office, I keep a miniature sheep on a bookshelf. This sheep serves as a reminder to me. When I look at it, I remember the time in my family's life when we spent a year living on a sheep farm in rural central Illinois. I learned a lot watching those sheep each day. I began to read up on sheep. My resources told me that sheep eat the pasture to the ground. I also learned that sheep will die of starvation on that same plot after the grass is gone, because they don't leave to look for other food. Without a shepherd to guide them, sheep stay in the same place. Without a shepherd, the sheep are hopelessly lost.

According to Hebrews 13:21, Jesus, our Good Shepherd, has equipped us with everything good for doing His will. And what is His will? God is for people. He desires that all would come to know Him. We are reminded in today's reading that no people are beyond God's reach.

God is capable of reaching and changing the hearts of every person in this city. God equips us to be part of that mission. In the Gospels, Jesus used the image of a shepherd searching for his lost sheep to describe God’s love for those who have strayed. I want to be part of that mission.

We, like the shepherds of Israel, are cautioned in Ezekiel 34:4 about not caring for the flock. “You have not strengthened the weak or healed the sick or bound up the injured. You have not brought back the strays or searched for the lost.” We are on mission from God--to gather the sheep, so they aren't lost.

Let's join in unity of prayer and purpose that God would use each of us to bring these sheep into His fold – that not one part of this city would be left out in the bare pasture.

Dean Ridder

Administrator, Isaac Newton Christian Academy

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

2011-03-23T20:22:00.000-05:00

Seeking The Gospel of The Kingdom

Seeking God….To Bring Healing That Reveals His Glory

Is it time to for you to repent?

In the book of James we are told: “You do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive because you ask with wrong motives…”

Wrong motives? Not me! I don’t ask for things for myself! I pray for others more than I pray for myself! But what if….

What if we pray and ask for healing for ourselves or others because:

‘That’s what a Follower of Christ does?
Or “because I’m supposed to”
Or “because I automatically pray when I hear of someone that is ill”
Or…I’d feel guilty if I didn’t….that would show I don’t care!

Jesus waited 3 days when He heard that Lazarus was very sick. Jesus was in the habit of seeking God for how He should pray.

If we would ask the Holy Spirit to examine our heart, are we praying from a place of believing with bold expectations? (As the New Testament prayer for today suggests)

If the Holy Spirit were to show us our belief system what would He find? Would He find that we believe healing might happen in rare cases? Very little? Not at all? What would He find?

Key: Are we surprised when someone is healed? If the answer is ‘yes’ that should tell us something about our heart core belief system.

I suggest you stop right now and ask the Holy Spirit to give you an x-ray of your core belief system. Are there some ‘holes’ in place of holy places?

I further suggest that you read/pray the Old & New Testament prayers for today as found on page 24 of the prayer guide. If you don’t have one, you can still join us in progress….purchase one for $1.50 from Lemstone Christian Stores.

For now, I give you a portion of the NT prayer for today.

“Father God, give Your people such bold expectations of Your coming kingdom that they would pray for sick people. We are asking that they demonstrate the grand-scale goodness of Christ’s kingdom. Holy Spirit, we ask You to confirm the message of Christ with observable power over all that affects bodies and families in such a way that those far from You would know that You gave the answer and ARE the answer. May the declaration of the kingdom be joined by a might demonstration of Your love for us and Your loving grace filled power. In Your Name and By Your hand, Amen.

Charles Daugherty

Serve The City

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

2011-03-22T17:38:00.000-05:00

Seeking The Gospel of The Kingdom

Seeking God….To Rescue People From Darkness.

Have you ever fumbled through a dark room when the power has gone out? What is normally a pretty non-eventful trip through the living room can turn into an interesting and oftentimes a painful adventure. I can't imagine taking this journey of life without the Light of the world.

Life apart from God can be characterized by blindness because without God you have completely no direction in life. You mostly just follow your desires for attention, praise, pleasure, lust, power, etc., which leads you on a path of self-destruction. Following your desires is a horrible way to make choices in life, and will leave you really disoriented and empty. Since you don’t know God, you don’t know the author of life. Therefore, without God, you go through life like a blind person, not knowing the path that He has set before you.

When I pray for unbelievers, I frequently remind myself what He said about His own mission. He came to undo what Satan had done. He came to free what Satan had bound. When people live without God, they are walking spiritual mummies. Physically they are alive, but their spiritual life and vitality has been snuffed out by sin and Satan. They are his captives, and only Jesus has the spiritual authority to set them free.

Isaiah 49 offers an encouraging promise to those who pray for spiritual captives:

This is what the Lord says: “In the time of my favor I will answer you, and in the day of salvation I will help you... to say to the captives, 'Come out,' and to those in darkness, 'Be free!'”

That's exactly what Jesus did at Lazarus's grave. He looked at a man held captive in the darkness of his own tomb and simply said, “Come out!” That's what we want Jesus to do for our unbelieving friends and loved ones – to speak into the darkness of their spiritual coffins. We want them to rebuke the lies, addictions, selfish motives, pride, fears, materialism, empty religion, false belief systems, and spiritual baggage that make up their grave clothes. And when the dead man comes to life and is standing at his tomb's door, be ready to help him shed his grave clothes.

Brent Schulte

Antioch Christian

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

2011-03-22T08:00:00.000-05:00

Seeking The Gospel of the Kingdom

Seeking God to Rescue People Enslaved in Spiritual Darkness

No matter what country or neighborhood we live in, what culture surrounds us, what church we attend, as Christians, we cannot help but see the spiritual darkness that permeates the world around us – both near and far. A perfect “too close for comfort” example is Saturday’s Gazette, the Faith and Values section, which boldly displays an ad misusing the name of God. Nothing subtle about this insipid mockery.

Spiritual darkness is not a myth; it is a very real epidemic with symptoms of blindness, stubborn rebellion and captivity. The common denominator is unbelief, and sadly it has even wormed its way into God’s church and God’s people.

Darkness is an all-consuming, empty void longing to be filled. There is only one true antidote for this disease – only one thing that can fill and satisfy the emptiness. In the words of Psalm 90:14-15...

Satisfy us each morning with your unfailing love,
so we may sing for joy to the end of our lives.
Give us gladness in proportion to our former misery!
Replace the evil years with good.

The remedy? God’s unfailing love. But before those walking in spiritual darkness can accept their remedy, the common denominator (unbelief) must be cancelled out and a new denominator must take its place. All who are blinded by their own darkness are living in false safety and security, afraid of what the light might reveal. Some don’t even know how miserable they are! But they share the same need, the need to believe.

Do you believe God’s unfailing love? Do you believe God’s one and only Son is the light that shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it? Do you want to be part of the remedy? If so, then let us pray together:

O Lord, satisfy all my longings and fill all the hollow places with Your lavish unfailing love. I give my whole heart to You. Exchange my heart with a heart that loves you more than anything else. As I am filled to overflowing every morning, let me join You in the battle as You hold back the darkness and extend the time of light in order to complete what You began. May thousands be released from their captivity and find hope and new life in Your gift of unfailing love. AMEN!

We stand in the midst of a great war with spiritual evil, and Christ stands in the middle of the battle to lead us. The kingdom of God is here in our midst. Let your unfailing love surround us, Lord, for our hope is in you alone. (Psalm 33:22)

Kim Drischell

St. Mark’s Lutheran

Sunday, March 20 – Saturday March 26, 2011

2011-03-21T19:09:00.001-05:00

Sunday, March 20^th – through Saturday March 26, 2011

Theme Two: Day 12 to day 18

Theme:

Seeking the Gospel of the Kingdom

“Seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness all these things will be added to you.”

Our Father….Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done….”

Theme verse:

“I will appoint you as a covenant to the people, as a light to the nations. Isaiah 42:6c

Global Prayer focus:

This week we will extend our prayers for the peoples, cities, churches and families of:

Asia and the Pacific, including Japan

Community sub-sets:

Day 12 Educators

Day 13 Native Peoples

Day 14 News Media

Day 15 Laborers

Day 16 Marriages

Day 17 Health Care Workers

Day 18 Single People

** Prayer Walking Ideas! Click here. **

Introduction from page 20 of Seek God For The City from WayMakers:

He (Christ) is thwarting evil, liberating people and establishing outposts of heaven’s life on earth. As people answer God’s call to live as Christ’s servants, they are changed, and they become God’s agents to transform their communities.

Jesus said that the gospel of the kingdom would be proclaimed “in the whole world as a testimony to all the peoples, and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:14) What wonderful hope: Every place. Every people. We can pray with confidence for the gospel to come to every geographical area and every cultural arena. Evangelization is the beginning point of all God will do to bring transformation.

If you do not have a prayer guide, pick one of up from Parable Lemstone Christian Store for $ 1.50 and join us in progress!

Calendar item:

Put Friday, April 15^th (Day 38) at 7 PM on your calendar! Join us as we pray through this guide for every nation on the globe! Keep watching this site.

Charles Daugherty

Serve The City

Monday, March 21, 2011

2011-03-21T08:00:00.000-05:00

Seeking The Gospel of the Kingdom

Seeking God…to Empower the Proclamation of His Word

Go and proclaim everywhere the Kingdom of God. Luke 9:60

Today's verse is not just an idle command. In context, the command is given to a man who has agreed to go, but he wants to go and bury his father first. Jesus says, "Let the dead bury their own dead."

Jesus wants us to make the proclamation of the gospel of the Kingdom of God a priority. He commands us to make it the top priority, even more than family responsibilities. Don't defer the task. Don't make excuses. Just go and proclaim the Kingdom of God. There is no higher purpose. No excuses. "Seek ye first the Kingdom of God." First is first. We must not let anything trump it.

Bur we are not expected to do it alone. Jesus told the disciples to "tarry in Jerusalem until the Holy Spirit come upon you." They went to the upper room and prayed and their prayer was granted. They were able to preach the gospel with power that amazed the crowd. And thousands joined the church that day.

1 Thessalonians 1:4 "our gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction."

Lord, I pray that you give your Spirit to your church that we may "Go and proclaim everywhere the Kingdom of God" in power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction.

Michael L. Pearson

New Covenant Bible

Sunday, March 20, 2011

2011-03-20T08:00:00.000-05:00

Seeking the Gospel of the Kingdom

Seeking God…to Send His People to Every Place

As I was a looking through this book I was trying to figure out what to write about this subject which seems very prevalent to me right now. As you are reading this I am in El Salvador helping to build relationships, structures and teach the Jesus story.

This is something a little different for me but as Christ says, go to the ends of the earth to preach the gospel." Mark 16:15 He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved,” What a privilege to do what we are told to do – spread the good news about Jesus and make disciples.

I wonder: Am I doing this at home as well…..am I….Are we?

We have been praying for, caring for and praying for the lost in our communities. Let us not grow weary in this great undertaking!

Are praying with the authority that Jesus gave to us? Again, are we?

We all have family and friends with whom to share the Jesus story and we don't even have to go any where. We should do this in the unity that the love of Jesus gives to the least of these.

Seems like we have our work cut out for us no matter where we are.

My prayer for us is to stand with the armor on, standing on the rock that Christ said his Church would be built on knowing the hope for eternity with Jesus.

Oakland Church of the Nazarene

George J Mantor

Saturday, March 19, 2011

2011-03-19T14:30:00.000-05:00

Seeking God’s Face:

Seeking God… to Manifest His Presence

As we serve the Lord in ministry, we can encounter some very heavy things. Faced with brokenness, destructive choices, addictions, fears, deceptions, disease, violence, and poverty, life can sometimes feel dark. And yet, we carry with us a tremendous hope: the God of the universe has chosen to reveal Himself as Emmanuel, “God With Us.”

We look forward to the return of Christ with joyful anticipation, but He also gives us joy for today, hope for today, even as we walk through sorrows. The Lord is present and moving in powerful ways all around us. Oh that our eyes may be opened to see His hand at work!

1 John 2:8b encourages us that “the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining.” Let that joyful news flood you today with hope, even as you watch heartbreaking events take place on the news, as you sit across from a wounded, broken soul, as you learn of a choice that you know will bring devastation. Stand in the face of darkness knowing that the true light is already shining, shining in you, around you, and through you. Allow Him to open your eyes to “how near He has been all along.”

Katie Sandquist

Aid to Women

Saturday, March 19, 2011

2011-03-19T08:00:00.000-05:00

Seeking The Gospel of the Kingdom

Seeking God….to Manifest His Presence

For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form. – Colossians 2:9

My prayer is that we, God’s adopted sons and daughters, through the blood of Jesus, would realize the manifest presence of God in Christ. That we, men and women, moved by the Spirit through the Word, become Christ-centered. That we would allow God’s vision to become ours. That we would not be ashamed of the gospel and live our lives so as to the manifest His presence before the lives of men and women around us, not adopted into God’s Kingdom. That we would know and understand God; and know His great love for us and for the lost of this world, believing the gospel is the power of God for the Salvation of everyone who believes.

Manifest – to reveal or become evident.

Jerry Owen

Valley View Baptist

Friday, March 18, 2011

2011-03-18T14:30:00.000-05:00

Seeking Gods FACE

Seeking God…for an Outpouring of His Spirit

Over the last 2000 years, the Church has evolved in some pretty amazing ways. We added church buildings. We added pews and pulpits. We added choirs and organs. We added sermons and worship bands.

We added bulletins and Sunday School. We added offerings and 501 (c) 3 status. And there is nothing inherently wrong with any of those things. But none of these things are what makes a church a church.

The Church was birthed in Acts 2 when God poured out His Spirit. Nothing has changed. You don’t need a building to be a church. And you can have a building, but without the Spirit, you don’t have a church!

The longer I pastor the more I realize that the simple things are the important things.

We need all the creativity we can get, and I am all for systems and technologies and strategies. But what we need more than anything else if we are going to have the kind of impact the first century Church has, is the an outpouring of the Spirit of God!

Pastor Robin Tyner

Stonebridge Church

Thursday, March 17, 2011

2011-03-18T08:00:00.002-05:00

Seeking Gods FACE

Seeking God…..to unite His people

Common causes fail to hold us.

Pastor King mentioned our common enemy. Our adversary the devil would seek to get us to focus on him and all that he is doing. Jesus made the case for focusing on Him…“only one thing is necessary.” That one thing is vital. That one thing supersedes everything else. Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and all these things will be added unto you.”

One line in the Old Testament prayer for today guides us to the place of victory. “Give us today a greater unity, one that grows from sharing a common love and hope.” That’s it! A common love for Jesus and common hope, a hope that is an anchor big and strong enough to hold us in front of the Lord in a place that is filled with h-o-p-e!

Jesus said: “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” NOT if you hate our enemy enough you will keep My commandments. NOT if you love to fight for what is right…no, if you love ME! WHAT IF we grew daily in our love for Jesus? What would that do for our love for one another? WHAT IF we, out of our love for Him, would pray for one another, defer to one another, submit to one another, give preference to one another, forgive one another and truly walked with one another? What would our witness look like? What would happen to those that see this kind of ‘practicing what we preach?’

I firmly believe that the opposite of loving one another is fighting over “who is the greatest.” What happened to Peter on the day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit fell on the disciples? Peter, the one that was always prefacing his statement with the word “I” suddenly uses the word “these.” He defends the rest of the disciples without wanting the attention himself. He was not moving in self-centered pride but in humility speaking on behalf of his brothers and sisters. AS A RESULT, 3,000 people turned over control of their lives to Jesus The Risen Christ.

John 17 records one of the prayers of Jesus and in verse 21 He prays “that they might be one……that the world may believe that Thou didst send Me.” That oneness was to be like the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are one! And, as a result, people that were destined for Hell would see this incredible sight and “believe” that Jesus was sent to earth for them.

In verse 23 this oneness becoming more perfect in practice would make such a statement that the world would “know” that Jesus did in fact come to earth. What is more incredible is the last ten words in the verse; “and didst love them , even as Thou didst love Me.”

Let us review:

Fuss with other Believers and fight over who is the greatest and by doing so tell the world that Jesus did not come and that God does not love them.
Grow daily in our love for God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. As a result, we grow in our love for His other sons and daughters ending in lost and lonely people believing and then knowing that God loves them and that they have hope.

How do you vote every day with your life message?

Charles Daugherty

Serve The City

Thursday, March 17, 2011

2011-03-17T08:00:00.002-05:00

Seeking Gods FACE

Seeking God…..to unite His people

I don't want to be a casualty of The Ministry, nor do I want any of the pastors in our community to flame out. But we must acknowledge that The Ministry exacts a high price from us, both physically and emotionally.

One of the strategies God offers to help us is "fellowship." We really do need each other if we're going to go the distance. The world says, "Don't mingle with the competition." Jesus, however, prays that we would unite together to overcome a common enemy. It can be lonely in ministry, but it doesn't have to be!

Dave King

Oakland Church of the Nazarene

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

2011-03-16T08:00:00.006-05:00

Seeking God’s Face:

Seeking God….to Give Us Steadfast Love For Him.

It is the love of God experienced in the body of Christ that truly marks Christians as truly unique. It is the wonder of a group of persons who find acceptance with one another despite their differences, shortcomings, and failures that truly marks the church as different from other groups of people in this world. So, we are “holy,” that is, set apart, not by anything that makes us better or superior to anyone else. Rather, we are “holy,” because we are literally carriers (vessels) of the love of God, called to share this “treasure” (as St. Paul calls it) with everyone.

However, we can only carry God’s love to others when we ourselves are in a love relationship with God. Yet, our hearts are indeed restless (as St. Augustine reminds us), and they are prone to wane in passion for God as we wrestle with our affections for the attractions of this world. So it is clear that we need brand new hearts, hearts that can “rest” in God. The prophet Ezekiel states this picturesquely when he proclaims, “I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh” (Ezekiel 11:19). Only God can give us the kind of love needed to desire God, and here this kind of love is described as an “undivided heart” and as a “heart of flesh.” This is not any kind of human love. It is the work of God in us. It is God’s doing entirely!

So this is why St. Augustine says, “our hearts are restless, O Lord, until they find their rest in You.” All other objects of our affection are for the satisfaction of our own desires, so they just make our hearts “harder” and more “divided,” like crushed stone. When God is our desire, our hearts are transformed into something real, something living, something whole – something from God. This is why only with our hearts can we believe, because a heart in love with God is God’s gift of being made right with Him. As the Apostle Paul proclaims in his letter to the Romans, “…with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness…(Romans 10:10).

How, then, do we love God with a steadfast love, an “undivided heart,” a “heart of flesh?” Do we strive in Herculean spiritual effort to produce this love? Do we immerse ourselves in deep theological studies? Do we give ourselves in great sacrificial service to others? No, we cast ourselves upon God’s Word, trusting God with our lives. “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart” (Deuteronomy 30:14). God’s promises are sure, and it is through trusting God’s Word that we “may love Him with all your heart and with all your soul, and live” (Deuteronomy 30:6)!

In Christ’s Peace,

Will Jackson

Come Rest Ministries

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

2011-03-15T08:07:00.000-05:00

Seeking Gods FACE

Seeking God…for Humility Before God

“If My people will humble themselves…” You and I belong to Jesus. For these 40 days of prayer let’s stop worrying and blaming as to the ungodliness of our city, our nation. In Matthew 11:28 Jesus isn’t pointing a finger, He is opening His arms unconditionally to all people to come to Him to find real rest, love, salvation.

In 2 Chronicles the Lord is not calling to everybody. He is conditionally calling to us who are called by His name to humble ourselves, pray, seek His face, and turn from our twisted ways. If we lean on Him to do these things, --holding nothing back from Him—His presence will heal our ungodly land. Take Him at His word. Bow, pray, seek, and turn. For years wonderful believers have declared the Greater CR area as His City of Refuge for hurting people in the days ahead. I agree. I also believe the Lord wants CR to become His City of Rest for His Presence. Refuge for people, resting place for God. The two must go hand in hand.

The Lord has done it several times in the last 2000 years. Why not here? A great citywide awakening of real love is coming. His fire will break out first in humble hearts, marriages, friendships, house groups, and neighborhoods-- and then spill into the churches. People are more sacred to Him than church buildings. The church is not a building to go to, but people going to Jesus; people upon whom the Holy Spirit rests, people whose lives become a loving refuge for other hurting people. In Isaiah 66:1-2 the Lord asks, “Would you try to build a house for My resting place…to this one I will look, he who is humble, contrite, and trembles at My word.” To be humble means to come just as you are to Jesus and let Him have control in every area of your life. Abandon yourself to His arms of love and soon your life, your church, your city will become His resting place, His refuge of love.

Will you accept His call to set aside your agenda so He can set you ablaze?

Blessings,
Pastor Dick Speight
Come Rest Ministries

Monday, March 14, 2011

2011-03-14T11:00:00.005-05:00

Seeking Gods FACE

Seeking God For Freedom From Conflicted Desires

Diversions. Distractions. Things that demand our attention. Things that demand our focus. Good things. Fun things. Important things. The worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things. It is so easy to live life and to forget God. So easy to just go about our routine and do it our way, and never seek His face.

But John 17:3 tells us that eternal life is knowing God. Can you imagine a close, intimate relationship with the Creator of the universe? A relationship closer than a brother. A mentor that stands by our side constantly, who is able, willing, and committed to perform anything asked in His name.

He tells us to ask, to seek, to knock, and we will receive. He tells us that whatsoever we ask in His name, He will hasten to perform. "Whatsoever" is a very big word that covers more than we can think or imagine. Why don't we ask? Why do we struggle and fight and grow weary? Why don't we take it to the Lord in prayer?

Is it because we don't believe? The first chapter of James tells us to ask for wisdom, and it will be given to us...unconditionally. But if we don't believe that He gives wisdom, we don't recognize the wisdom and try to act on our own. We are focused on ourselves, our own comfort, safety, and convenience; our own pride. Then we are tossed to and fro like a wave on the ocean.

Oh, Lord, grant me the wisdom to seek your face in everything I do or encounter. Lord, please abide with me. Lord, please show me great and mighty things of God.

Michael L. Pearson

New Covenant Bible

Sunday, March 13, 2011

2011-03-14T09:00:00.005-05:00

Seeking Gods FACE

Seeking God…to impart zealous passion for Him

It seems a bit strange that God seeks seekers. We sometimes talk about seeking God as if this venture is something we initiate. Truth is, God initiates both worship and seeking. He searches for people who are hungry for Him. The Holy Spirit moves on hearts to draw near to the Lord. As we respond to that tugging of God, we will be swept into His presence. It is in His presence with a hungry and obedient heart that a zealous passion for God will be sparked.

To encourage seeking God, the Lord gives this promise: “He will receive blessing from the Lord and vindication from God his Savior…” The blessing described as “vindication” is from a root word that forms the name Melchizedek---“king of righteousness”. God grants us both a righteous standing before Him and the transformational righteousness that we receive by hanging around God.

wreggy daniel

Church Of God

Sunday, March 13, 2011

2011-03-13T21:00:00.012-05:00

Seeking Gods FACE

Seeking God….To Impart Zealous Passion For Him

ARE YOU ZEALOUS FOR HIM?

Zealous according to the dictionary means: full of, characterized by, or due to zeal; ardently active, devoted, or diligent.

Today, we are “Seeking God to impart zealous passion for Him”

It's who you are and the way you live that count before God. Your worship must engage your spirit in the pursuit of truth. That's the kind of people the Father is out looking for: those who are simply and honestly themselves before Him in their worship. God is sheer being itself—Spirit. Those who worship Him must do it out of their very being, their spirits, their true selves, in adoration." – John 4:23-24 (The Message)

I like how “The Message” says, “Those who worship Him must do it out of their very being…” We are to be on FIRE FOR HIM; not lukewarm. We are His people that God Himself is out looking for to be honest before Him in their worship!

People who know me know that I get very excited talking about how God has changed my life. Oh how I get so excited too being in a room full of Christians worshiping and praising God. However, I admit that day to day in the “world” I can get caught up in the “woes” of life. People who do not believe, the ones who have no hope, or the ones that think they can do everything on their own; when I am around them too much my fire goes dim, so the only way that I can prevent that is to daily SEEK HIS FACE. I have to intentionally seek His face. If I don’t then I risk becoming a “lukewarm Christian”. We all know what that means.

I pray that we all can have that zealous passion for Him daily! To spread the GOOD NEWS!

And for “Seeking God for…FAMILIES:

“The world is tugging at our children’s hearts, pulling them down away from God. Loving our children means we are willing to get down in the trenches and fight to turn our children’s hearts toward God - toward His Word and His ways.” – Elizabeth George

Anita Owen

Valley View Baptist

Saturday, March 12, 2011

2011-03-13T20:34:00.001-05:00

Seeking God for power to forsake falsehood.

Today’s post is going up on Sunday….and is an unplanned example to you, the reader, that we are under grace and not law as we pursue prayer using this book as a resource.

Disguise: To modify the manner or appearance of ___ in order to prevent recognition…to conceal or obscure, a false show, misrepresent.

Dalliance: Another word for “flirtation” or frivolous spending of time.

As I read/prayed the Old Testament prayer for today, I was both sad and joyful at the same time.

Sad? I was remembering the times before I had surrendered to Christ. The times that I sinned – made a mistake – fell short – slipped up – let people down and I tried to disguise the situation (worthless attempt to ‘hide’ my sin) to look good. Oh the stress, worry and anxiety of someone finding out and condemning me…walking away from me…never talking to me…making fun of me.

Joy? Oh the knowledge of turning my life over to Jesus and knowing He would NEVER leave me nor forsake me…that nothing could separate me from His love. I meet so many people that are walking around Linn County with disguises. I have no condemnation for them for I was once one of them and the Father, Son and Holy Spirit did not condemn me!

We all come by it honestly. “And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the cool of the day and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.” Genesis 3:8

I can remember attempting to partition off my life and justify living one way on Sunday/Wednesday and another way the rest of the week! It never worked before and it will not work today…for anyone. There was/is something in me just as there is in every single person on the planet that desires an open/transparent relationship with the God! We were made by the Father in our mother’s womb. We were fashioned for a purpose by the God whose very being defines the word purpose. He is the designer and each one of us is a design masterpiece.

May I encourage each one of you to return to the New Testament prayer for today and pray the two bullet points with passion for specific people! Name them in your prayer. When you pray for them in this manner you are fulfilling your mandate in 2 Corinthians 5:17-21…for them to be reconciled to God, He and us not counting their trespasses against them, but entreating them in prayer while loving them in humility.

Integrity:

1. Steadfast adherence to a strict moral or ethical code.

2. The state of being unimpaired; soundness.

3. The quality or condition of being whole or undivided; completeness.

Pray with me:

Father God, we do pray for each person that is called by Your name, that they may be steadfast and immoveable in their love for You. May Thy kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven into, all around, in front and behind each one of them. Your Word tells us that we have been given a sound mind. You have made us whole beings. You have taken our divided minds and given us a sound mind. You have made us complete human beings that are seated with You in heavenly places right now. Such is the mystery of the Kingdom. It is beyond our own reason. Thank you Father God for loving us. We accept that You are sending us into this world to pray for, care for and share with them who You are and the indescribable freedom that can be found in You. Amen.

Charles Daugherty

Serve The City

Friday, March 11, 2011

2011-03-11T15:34:00.000-06:00

When I saw today’s heading, “Seeking God to give us pure hearts”, my mind immediately thought of the worship song “Give us clean hands”. The lyrics go like this:

We bow our hearts
We bend our knees
Oh Spirit come make us humble
We turn our eyes
From evil things
Oh Lord we cast down our idols

So give us clean hands
and give us pure hearts
Let us not lift our souls to another
Oh give us clean hands
and give us pure hearts
Let us not lift our souls to another
Oh God let this be
a generation that seeks
Who seeks Your face, Oh God of Jacob
Oh God let us be
a generation that seeks
Who seeks Your face, Oh God of Jacob

This is one of the reasons I believe we as a nation are in the shape we are: far from God. We as the Church have followed after the world in seeking other gods; the god of money, fame, even church. Yes, church can be a god. When we focus on doing church instead of being the church it can become a god; man- made religion trying to work our way to heaven by doing church, our church becomes an idol. We compare our “church” to the one down the street and we compete with them for visitors. Our “church” becomes the focus instead of Christ’s Church. Let us instead Love Jesus instead of loving our “church”. God, give us clean hands and a pure heart and let us not lift our souls to another; not ourselves or our “church”.

Pastor David Carrick, CR Grace Church

Thursday, March 10, 2011

2011-03-10T16:13:00.000-06:00

Last night for youth group I had the students create masks because masks are what we use to hide our true selves. We hide our sin. We hide our shortcoming. Basically, we hide anything that we do not want others to see. That takes care of the inside, but what about the outside? That is where our masks really come in handy. With our masks on, we can pick and choose exactly what we want others to see. This led to the following instructions for the students; on the outside they put words representing how others see them. On the inside they put their fears, doubts and shortcomings. When they finished, they put their masks aside and we discussed Jesus’ forty days in the wilderness using a video from your tube based on “40” by Si Smith with the song “How He Loves” by John Mark McMillan.

Today’s New Testament prayer mentions how we are still “sometimes paralyzed in fear.” That is when we put the masks on. We want to hide our pain from everyone, even God, but God does not want that for us. He wants us to be honest with ourselves and with Him. God wants us to share those fears, shortcomings and doubts.

God know we struggle and face temptations. Jesus struggled and faced temptations in the desert when the devil tempted Him. Jesus showed us that we can get past those struggles and temptations by relying on God. We ended youth group by turning off the lights, the room lit by a single candle. In silent prayer each student came forward and placed their masks with all the fears, doubts and shortcomings at the foot of the Cross. They placed it in God’s hands. Won’t you?

Father, I pray that we can truly “rise up” and “follow You fearlessly.” Go not let us fall prey to ways of the world, but instead help us to get up and not be afraid.

Amen.

Terry Van Wyk

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

2011-03-09T09:17:00.001-06:00

As I opened up Seek God for the City to today’s reading, God drew my attention to the bottom of the page where it says “Seeking God for…Women”. The minute I read that line I began praying for a friend who spent nine agonizing days in the hospital after a blood clot traveled from her leg to her heart and exploded depositing hundreds of smaller clots into her lungs.

Late one afternoon we went to see her and she told us of the trials she had been through while there in the hospital. During our conversation she admitted that she never prayed for herself because she did not feel worthy enough, but something had changed while there. She knew she needed God’s healing touch and she has been reaching out to him daily.

Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.”

Matthew 15:28

I looked at her and reminded her that because of Christ’s sacrifice she is worthy and that she should never think any other way. She is God’s child and He loves her. When we left, my wife and I both gave her a hug and it was then that the Holy Spirit whispered to her through me, “You are worthy, never forget that.”

It definitely took some time for me to get back on track after reliving that moment in time. Then I began reading the rest of today’s prayer and I was struck again by what I read. “In the fog and frenzy of too-busy living, we hear the distant sound of Your voice calling, life muffled background noise.” I cannot tell you the number of times I have wished for we could just slow down.

Today, almost every where you look, you see someone on their cell phone or other mobile device talking, texting, emailing, on the Internet, or playing games. I am just as bad. How many of us can remember a time recently when we left our cell phone and turned around and went back to get it even though it might have made us late? Sadly, I have. It is not just cell phones. Cable or satellite TV with the hundreds of channels and video games occupy large blocks of our time. Throw into the mix the kids who are in sports and the practices and games during the season, not to mention the leagues that require more practice and more games, and we really do enter into “the fog and frenzy of too-busy living.”

Where does our time with our families happen? In the 10 minutes we have to eat a quick dinner at a fast food place? As we are rushing past one another while we get ready for work or school? In the few minutes before we go to bed? I have to wonder if this has anything to do with families who are daily falling apart. I know that is what, in part, led to the implosion of my first marriage and had God not intervened, I would be in that same position now. I thank God every day for my wife and the relationship we not only share, but continually grow in. God’s intervention was not between my wife and I, it was between me and Him. When God allowed the scales to fall from my eyes I was then able to seek Him more earnestly. Everything else that happened was directly related to that moment. I realized that life wasn’t all about money and getting ahead no matter what it took. The relationship that I continue to develop with God is what guides and directs the way I live my life. I now know that if I lose sight of Him, everything else will go back to be foggy and in a frenzy. God “desires to enfold us in the same love He has for His Son.”

Even though our friend spent nine days in the hospital and now will be off work for another month, she seized the opportunity to step out of the “fog and frenzy” so she could “Seek God’s Face”. She knows she will get through this time with God’s help.

Father, I pray that we do not need a wake up call for our hearts to desire You. Remind us daily to step out of the “fog and frenzy” of our lives so we can seek Your face. Amen.

Terry Van Wyk

Hus Church

Forty Days to Palm Sunday

2011-03-03T11:32:00.002-06:00

March 9 to April 17, 2011

Serve The City will be joining thousands of churches and ministries in Cedar Rapids and around the world during the 40 days leading up to Palm Sunday. Last year in Linn County over 3,100 guides were handed out.

Seek God for the City 2011 helps you pray with clarity and biblical hope for others.

Vivid prayers help you form your own prayers from Scripture.
Ideas for relevant prayer help you focus on different people and challenges of our city.
Booklet form makes it possible to find your own place and time to pray, linking your prayers with many others.
The tone of hope and focus on Christ helps praying for others become a joy.

Before He acts, He wants to be asked.

Pray your way into something great!

During the 40 days of Lent follow us here and share your insights to the daily readings. Need a prayer guide? Contact your church or email Serve The City (if you are using a web based email, send your email to prayer@servethecity.org and put Seek God for the City Blog in the subject line).

Bless and Be Blessed!

Sunday, March 28 – Day 40

2010-03-31T10:04:00.000-05:00

Seeking His Peace Among All Peoples

Seek God…for Christ to visit our communities

…with His presence and transforming power

Today is the last day, sort of, and since we only have one entry; it is a little lengthy but it is all good.

Part One of Three

Silence or Praise – the choice is ours – stones or living stones?

It’s a parade! Jesus entered the city to large crowds of people! Hosanna! Palm branches on the ground in front of Him! (Thus the name.) Shouts! Jumping up and down, climbing trees – what a day! The rulers spoke to Jesus – “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!” His reply, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.” The stones…

(We are reminded of John The Baptist confronting some Jewish leaders; “and do not suppose that you can say to yourselves, ' We have Abraham for our father'; for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham. From these stones… Matthew 3:8-10)

On Good Friday the stones did cry out. “And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up His spirit. And behold the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom, and the earth shook, and the rocks (stones) were split.” Matthew 27:50-51

Let us ponder one sentence in the children’s prayer for today, Day 40. Lord “As interesting as it would be to watch the stones worship You – we’d like for the crowd of worshipping people to be so loud that they don’t need to cry out.” A worshipping people or shall we say…living stones? Yes! living stones that have died to themselves (split open, yielded the throne of their life) and found their true calling as sons and daughters of God.

Part Two of Three

Will a Zeal and a Passion for HIS House consume us?

No paragraph, just the question and a scripture for us all to ponder. John 2:13-17

Part Three of Three

Seek God On Behalf Of The Coming Generation

On Day 39, I wrote about the elder Caleb taking the high country. Today, we stand with the Joshua’s and those even younger! An entire generation died in the wilderness because they believed a bad report from 10 of the 12 spies. After 40 years in the wilderness, those that ‘crossed over’ into the Promised Land had been taught the ways of God by Moses, Caleb and Joshua. They believed. They obeyed. The put their faith into action and took the land.

Oh God – may those of us who are “older” have a heart for and to teach the coming generation so that someday we will have mighty men and women to hand the baton to! May the younger generation find a way to listen and learn from us so that they are equipped to do war! May we serve in this hour and this day with passion and a “Zeal for Your House” that will consume us! Amen.

Brother Charles

Serve The City

Saturday, March 27 – Day 39

2010-03-28T08:18:00.001-05:00

Seeking His Peace Among All Peoples

Seek God…for Christ’s Lordship to be welcomed by the nations

Seek God On Behalf Elderly People

The prayer walking suggestion for today is to pray at a retirement community or an extended care facility.

I may be going out of a limb here a little, but “elderly” is sometimes a perception. When I was 20 I thought 60 was really old. Come to think of it, when I was 43 I had no idea that I would be able to do the things I am now doing. Amazing! Perception! Now, I’m almost 64 and it doesn’t seem old at all….well, most days anyway.

Where am I going with this? The label ‘retirement community’ does not necessarily mean a lack of ability or a sound mind or a lack of willingness to be involved; nor should it.

At our combined annual meeting for the Mission America Coalition and CityReachers we were all challenged by a ‘young man’ in his mid-twenties. The moderator was thanking this ‘young man’ for being with the 250 of us, asking God for more young men and women to join us (kind of carrying on about us being, well, ‘old.’) when the young man was asked to share with all of us his thoughts on the week.

He challenged us to stop thinking as though we were about to become useless! Wasn’t Caleb over 80 when he took the high country?! Wasn’t this person over 70 when he….?! Wasn’t this person…??? He continued with sentences like “we all need each other…” I say like as I really can’t tell you what he said but I can tell you the impression it made on me.

The Holy Spirit brought scriptures to me like “he who endures to the end.” I am often tired of the battle, struggle, fight, and warfare (all scriptural words). I don’t think 64 but most often my daily capacity to work betrays my chronological age and the 37 years of enduring and fighting the good fight. However, we who are over 60 or 70 or 80 have an important part in this fight!

We are closer to the return of Christ that we all know. As we prepare to celebrate Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and RESURRECTION DAY, Easter, I have an idea for us all.

Let’s take the high country!

Brother Charles

Serve The City

Friday, March 26 – Day 38

2010-03-26T14:00:00.000-05:00

Seeking His Peace Among All Peoples
Seek God…to gather all peoples in worship

One day all believers in Christ will worship Jesus together. John described this glorious scene, “After these things I looked, and here was an enormous crowd that no one could count, made up of persons from every nation, tribe, people, and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb dressed in long white robes, and with palm branches in their hands. They were shouting out in a loud voice, ‘Salvation belongs to our God, to the one seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!’” (Revelation 7:9–10 NET).

I was able to experience a glimpse of such worship when I was in India earlier this month. I was with fellow Christ-followers who literally had nothing. They were the poorest of the poor. They have nothing in this world but Jesus, and Jesus is enough! I experienced worship with such joy and happiness because of God’s love and grace.

I am so glad that we are beginning to experience such worship in our community. This is happening as Serve The City churches unite together to reach our community for Christ and proclaim the praise of the One who saved us. We are linking arms for the cause of Christ regardless of denominations, traditions or differing cultures.

May we continue to move out of our comfort zones and reach out to every person both locally and globally. May you and I pray for God to break down barriers in our hearts that keep us from unconditionally loving those who are “different” from us. Pray for unity among God’s people that is so obvious that people in our communities take notice. Pray for God to be glorified as we gather together to serve Christ by serving the city.

Bob Westfall
New Covenant Bible Church

Friday, March 26 – Day 38

2010-03-26T11:32:00.003-05:00

Seeking His Peace Among All Peoples
Seek God…to gather all peoples in worship

As I read and prayed over today's topic, my first thought was of the prayer service that will take place on Day 38. I pray that this will be the first of many opportunities for congregations within the city of Cedar Rapids to come and worship the Lord together. As the body of Christ gathers together in love, we will be an example for others and show them the unity and love that can only be found in Christ Jesus. In John 17, Jesus prayed that the body of Christ would be one:

²⁰Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; ²¹That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. ²²And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: ²³I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. (John 17:20-23)

As those who don't know Christ look at us, they should compelled to draw closer to the Lord because the love and unity that they see among the body of Christ. We should be joined together to accomplish the work of the Lord. In Acts Chapter 2 we see that there are great results when we come together on one accord:

¹And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. ²And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. ³And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. ⁴And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

Let us continue to pray that God would unite us all!

God Bless

LS
Greater Word of Faith Pentecostal COGIC

Thursday, March 25 – Day 37

2010-03-26T11:29:00.001-05:00

Seeking His Peace Among All Peoples
Seek God…to calm the storm of war.
Seek God On Behalf Of The Military

“A Centurion” mentioned in today’s passage from Matthew reminds me of the “The Centurion” mentioned (Matthew 27) who stood at the foot of the cross. After seeing the manner in which Christ died was the first to say “Truly this was the Son of God.” Today we pray for the 500,000 plus/minus of our soldiers plus family members that are deployed in 120 nations. Nations that we have been praying for over these 40 days.

What if…revival continued to grow in our military?
What if indeed.

As Iowa prepares to send the largest deployment of our National Guard soldiers to Iraq and Afghanistan over the summer, we have a practical way of demonstrating the love of Christ to them. We are providing a 9-hour workshop Making Your Marriage Deployment Ready on April 16^th and 17^th. If you know of someone that is married and will possibly be deployed this year, encourage them to attend this amazing workshop.

For $20 per couple they receive two manuals, a commemorative coin, free childcare, Friday night dessert, and a hearty lunch on Saturday! Catch all the details at www.servethecity.org on the events page!

Brother Charles
Serve The City

Friday, March 26 – Day 38

2010-03-26T07:37:00.005-05:00

Announcing Seek God for One Hour of prayer TONIGHT.

What/when: One hour of prayer from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. TONIGHT

What: 20 prayer leaders from 20 different ministries – coming together to lead us in prayer for the world.

Why: Theme: Seek God…to gather all peoples in worship.

How: The gym floor will be set up to represent the world as we have prayed for every nation – we will move from continent to continent and island to island in prayer – for one hour.

Where: Oakland Church Of The Nazarene - 3000 42nd St. NE

Entrance: Park in the lower lot and come in the lower parking lot side door.

If you are a UNI alumni/fan, you will be home in time for the 8:30 start!

For more details – check the EVENTS PAGE at www.servethecity.org after lunch today.

Wednesday, March 21 – Day 36

2010-03-24T23:44:00.000-05:00

Seeking His Peace Among All Peoples

Seek God…for enemies to be blessed

“As enemies nailed you to a cross, You cried out for God to forgive them.” (See Luke 23:34)

This is the first line of today’s NT prayer; it merits a more in-depth look:

Here’s the setting.

The Jews…

…had arrested Him illegally, mocked Him, spit on him, beat on Him with their fists, slapped Him and certainly did other things that are not recorded.

The Romans…

…spit on Him, scourged Him (used a whip to pull pieces of flesh from His back, mocked Him in as a “king”, push a crown of thorns on His head, force Him to carry His cross until He physically can’t, and nail His hands and feet to the cross.

Everyone…

…including the two thieves on His left and right continue to mock, taunt, and insult Him.

He remains…..silent.

Finally He speaks: “Father forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.”

We see in Hebrews this statement: “Jesus for the joy set before Him, endured the cross…”

In this passage endured is understood as “staying in the place of a servant” “remaining under to support.” The One who came to serve and not to be served, stayed in the place of a servant to the very end.

The results…

One thief repents and is guaranteed to be with Jesus that very day in Paradise, the Centurion believes, the sky was dark from noon to 3 p.m., the rocks split open, the temple curtain was torn in two from top to bottom…plus more…wow!

Years ago, I dismissed this act ‘as only something God in man could do…nice part of the story, no application to me. THEN, I read how Stephen (Acts 7:59) said the same forgiveness when he was being stoned to death…..Stephen, a man just like me. I was without excuse.

Conclusion? We can do this through Christ who to gives us the strength to do so!

Brother Charles

Serve The City

Tuesday, March 23 – Day 35

2010-03-23T00:01:00.000-05:00

Seeking His Peace Among All Peoples

Seek God…for Christ to restore relationships.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God.

The prayer today asks Christ to restore broken relationships. We have little understanding of the importance of relationships. God has placed each of us in a family, the perfect family, in accordance with His perfect plan. When we allow family relationships to deteriorate, either through pride, or greed, or just inattention, we become an obstacle to God's perfect plan.

Similarly, God has placed us in our church, our community, our school, and our jobs. Each is built on personal, one-on-one relationship. Trusting relationships are a prerequisite for successfully spreading the Gospel.

Jesus modeled the perfect relationship, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost; the power of perfect unity. In fact, John 17:3 defines eternal life as the ultimate relationship: This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.

Father, we pray that you heal our broken relationships, so that you may be glorified.

Mike Pearson

New Covenant Bible, Serve The City staff

Monday, March 22 – Day 34

2010-03-22T00:01:00.000-05:00

Seeking His Peace Among All Peoples

Seek God…..for God to restore children to their parents..

We are admonished to seek God

...to restore children to their parents:

“Dear Father, there are so many children who are alienated from their parents. I know that is not your plan. Father, bring them home! Reunite them with their families in body and in spirit. Many have sought the "easy way" out of a bad situation only to end up in much worse situations than they ran away from. My heart is especially heavy for the many young girls who have been enslaved by sex traffickers, and don't see any way out. Lord, show them the way! Help us to do our part to rescue those who are lost!”

...to seek God on behalf of broken families:

Our country is filled with families that have been torn apart, leaving permanent scars on the hearts of all those involved. “Lord, help us to set good examples, to encourage struggling marriages, and be a support to those children who have know the heartache of broken relationships with parents and siblings. You, Lord, are the answer to all their needs. Help them to determine to break the cycle of broken marriages as they grow into young men and young women.”

...and for those who have lost a loved one through death:

“God, fill the void with Your love, show them the joy of being part of Your family, guide them in the decisions that need to be made, surround them with positive friends who know You and can affirm Your love for them.”

Trudy Carpenter,

Aid to Women, His Hands Free Clinic, Oakland Church of the Nazarene

Sunday, March 23 – Day 33

2010-03-21T14:00:00.000-05:00

Seeking His Peace Among All Peoples

Seek God…..for Christ to bless the nations with peace.

In the New Testament prayer today, one of the suggested prayers is “For trust to be restored between the diverse peoples that may dwell in your neighborhood.”

I was recently part of a funeral where those coming to support the grieving Haitian family were from 13 different nations. That was a very special day that I will never forget. As I moved from table to table in order to meet as many fellow Believes as I could; there was the common bond of Jesus The Christ at each table. We shared stories and grieved and laughed together. I could not help but be filled with great joy.

Families from three different nations had lived in the same neighborhood in Cedar Rapids and remained friends after moving in different directions. Others had met in support groups while others had met in different activities.

The Lord has brought “the nations” to Eastern Iowa for those of us that cannot travel abroad. As we pray the prayers today, may we purpose in our heart to seize the moment and see with our spiritual eyes the opportunities we have to be a house of prayer for all the nations - - as well as in practical….caring….actions.

Brother Charles

Serve The City

Sunday, March 23 – Day 33

2010-03-21T00:01:00.000-05:00

Seeking His Peace Among All Peoples

Seek God…..for Christ to bless the nations with peace.

As I have read and prayed about "Ethnic Communities" today I was particularly struck by the prayer for "the peace of Christ to become a new factor at work in situations of longstanding racial tension." I think of the conflict that continues between various ethnic communities in this country due to past racial injustices. I am reminded that it is truly only Jesus that can bridge this divide; for Jesus is the great reconciler because He reconciled sinners with a righteous and holy God.

It is through who Jesus is and what He has done for us that broke down barriers between Jews and Gentiles in the early Church. Jesus continues to break down barriers even into the present day. He who makes the dead alive can bring peace from any ethnic conflict that exists. Though conflict will continue to be with us until Jesus' return, let us work to focus others on their need for Jesus for their salvation. Let us pray that as we witness to those of different physical ethnicities that they do not see us, but rather see Him.

God Bless,

JB

Cedar Valley Bible

Saturday, March 20 – Day 32

2010-03-20T00:01:00.000-05:00

Seeking His Righteousness In Our Communities

Seek God....For the city to experience God’s righteousness.

In and of our own strength we can’t make more than a temporary impact in our communities. When we attempt to conquer the city for God on our own initiative, we see the black storm of life churning, the winds of injustice blowing and the raging waves of indifference crashing around us. When this happens we begin sinking into the dark waters of despair. It’s when we come to the end of ourselves, when there’s nothing left and we cry out to Jesus, that He takes our hand and lifts us up to kneel before Him, where the true power lies. And when His power is unleashed, people are changed!

No corruption, no indifference, nothing at all, can stand in the way when God moves. But it all starts with us in our most powerful position: on our knees before God Almighty, Creator of Heaven and Earth!

As we willingly submit our meager strength before the Throne of Grace, He enables us to accomplish the tasks He has set out for us since before the beginning. His power works through willing and submitted hearts to win eternal victory in our communities.

“Gracious God,

Grant us eyes to see our weakness and our inability to effect change in our own strength. Enable our hearts to willingly submit to You and Your plan; and as we submit, work through us that the city might be brought into Your righteousness. For Yours is the kingdom, and power, and glory forever!”

In Jesus name we pray,

Amen

Greg Larson

Faith Bible

Friday, March 19 – Day 31

2010-03-19T00:01:00.000-05:00

Seeking His Righteousness In Our Communities

Seek God….to establish righteous leaders.

1 Timothy 2:1-2 indicates that a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty is the result of Christians praying on the behalf of all who are in authority. If we walk after the flesh we fall into criticism of those in authority, but if we walk after the spirit we will intercede on behalf of those in authority. We affect what type of society we will find ourselves living in. If we are not leading a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty, we need to examine our prayer life. God has given us a clear path to follow. The hearts of those in authority are in God’s hands - he’s waiting to hear from us.

Jordan’s Grove Baptist

Thursday, March 18 – Day 30

2010-03-18T11:30:00.000-05:00

Seeking His Righteousness in Our Communities
Seek God for freedom from terror

Bombings, breach of airline security, earthquakes, flooding, and kidnappings-these are just some of the terrors we face in today’s world. If we dwell on the threats of today, we wouldn’t have a moment’s peace. We would just sit around waiting to see what awful thing would happen next.

I was raised on Isaiah 41:10 “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you: I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” What a promise to us. We do not need to be fearful or concerned about what may come next. He is our God and He’s with us to strengthen and help us.

We can be free from terror because He will protect us. Praise God that He has us in His loving arms, assuring us that we do not have to be afraid.

LD
Cedar Hills Community

Thursday, March 18 – Day 30

2010-03-18T00:01:00.000-05:00

Seeking His Righteousness in Our Communities
Seeking God….for freedom from terror

Fear is probably the most powerful weapon that the enemy uses against the Body of Christ. If there is any one thing that draws us to Jesus, and there are many, it would have to be the reality of a man who never walked in fear. The Body of Christ needs a fresh daily reminder, that as followers of Jesus, we are not followers of fear.

Jesus’ encouragement to His followers throughout the Gospels is to ‘fear not’, and ‘be not afraid, He then reminds us that, ‘He is with us’, the One who never walks in fear.

Fear disguises itself in so many ways, its goal is to paralyze, and its plan is to keep us from accomplishing The Father’s will. When that happens we become a people who are more consumed with defending the Gospel than we are sharing the Gospel. That is an indication that we are not operating out of righteousness, but rather self-righteousness.

Isaiah’s prophecy in Isaiah 54:14 was speaking of being established in our position of righteousness, and not in the condition of what goes on around us. Even though oppression, fear, and terror may be close to us naturally, it can be far removed from our heart, our mind, and even our emotions.

John said that, ‘perfect love casts out fear’. Every time that we pull back from loving the people that we don’t want to love, it affects how we love the people that we do want to love. Fear then remains a factor in both relationships.

Jesus didn’t come to change us, He came to love us, and as a result of that love we desire to change. Those changes then continue the process of establishing us in the position righteousness that we already have in Christ. Our position is greater than our condition.

Daniel Winn
Pastor, Cedar Rapids Family Church

Wednesday, March 17 – Day 29

2010-03-17T13:05:00.002-05:00

Seeking His Righteousness In Our Communities
Seek God….for His Spirit to empower His People
We seek God and behalf of Depressed People

Editors note: this is a long entry – there is really no way to shorten it – and I can guarantee that when you finish reading it, you will agree!.

“We can’t tell them Jesus loves them until we are ready to love them too” is a line from one of the first contemporary Christian songs I heard as a teenager. This one simple line lights fire in me that can cast away the business of life and remind me that our witnessing is done through relationships. You would think with Facebook, Twitter, texting, and e-mail we would be better at relationships, but those can each be just another place for our friends to hide their feelings of worthlessness and depression. Depression is a silent killer and it affects a significant part of our churches.

See, I knew a man with a wife and three small children that came to church every Sunday. He was active in the men’s group and even invited his neighbors across the street to attend with his family. He was persistent, and finally his neighbors were saved. He was a witness to his extended family and tried his best at being a husband and father to his young family. But something was wrong. He was feeling more and more down. He quit attending special church functions and sometimes was hard to get out of bed to go to church. His wife dragged him to a doctor and he was placed on medication for depression. He went to see a therapist. He learned that he had clinical depression and it ran in his family. He continued to spiral downward. His wife was at a loss for what else to do. His church family initially tried to help, but then pulled away. All the couple’s friends pulled away. This man was trying everything to make the pain of his depression go away. In the end, this man took his life and left his three small boys and wife behind to pick up the pieces. This man was my late husband. (2002)

Please, I beg of you to go to a family that you know is dealing with depression and listen, lift them up in prayer, and learn about this disease. We as a church need to be the comfort zone of our families dealing with this depression. In Christ, we can help families deal with this and get them proper help. This is the first time I have said anything publicly about my late husband, but I felt lead to share in hope that others will seek help for their family members and friends. There is HOPE in our risen Savior!

Blessings in Christ,
Regina B.
89.1 The Spirit

Editors Note: Some say that 20 % of the population deals with depression. (The elephant in the room that no one wants to talk about.) I applaud Regina for her transparency. God directed this assignment from the beginning. I did not know her story when I gave her this day to write about. She listened to my transparency at our last monthly luncheon –how I escaped going into depression – getting close from working too many hours, not taking a vacation, sleeping too little, etc. The more responsibility one has the more time they need to spend in the Bible and I had not increased my time as the responsibilities had increased. May I encourage you to do some study, to talk to someone, to be aware of someone else that might need your encouragement, to eat right, to exercise and get the right amount of sleep? There is no shame in dealing with depression, but there will surely be disappointment if we don’t. The Lord exhorts us via Paul to “press on toward the goal…” We have an adversary that will try to “de-press us from heading toward the goal.” Listen to God. Brother Charles

Tuesday, March 16 – Day 28

2010-03-16T18:33:00.002-05:00

Seeking His Righteousness In Our Communities
Seek God....to inspire a yearning for righteousness

….to inspire a yearning for righteousness. (inspire: 1. To affect, guide, or arouse by divine influence.) (yearning = a persistent, often wistful or melancholy desire; a longing) (righteousness = 1. morally upright; without guilt or sin: a righteous parishioner.2. In accordance with virtue or morality: a righteous judgment. 3. Morally justifiable: righteous anger.)

This is a good day to look at the words being used by the writer of these prayers! I would ask you to pray with passion for a divine influence in your prayers. Obviously those who defined the word in the dictionary put in the very first definition the words “divine influence” so let’s go for it! Can you ask the Holy Spirit to put ‘salt’ in the soul of those that you are praying for that they would yearn for right standing before their God! AND we can pray (see the NT prayer for today) from a place of celebrating the sinlessness of Christ!

The fourth sentence in the NT prayer for today is electrifying for me!! “Your words, Your deeds, Your prayers – everything about Your life was lived in outrageous fullness.” Outrageous fullness. [In today’s prayer, consider the word ‘outrageous’ to be defined as: well beyond the understanding! Not only full, but beyond our ability to comprehend what full is. More than full. Running over! An inability to contain it all.] This is what we have to celebrate!

When we go to prayer – we can move in prayers of outrageous celebration!!! Think about it – as I write these sentences I am not sure I comprehend all that the Holy Spirit is telling ME! Let’s try this together – I believe we will have some outrageous answers!

Brother Charles
Serve The City

Tuesday March 16 - Day 28

2010-03-16T00:01:00.000-05:00

Seeking His Righteousness In Our Communities
Seek God…to inspire a yearning for righteousness.
Seek God On Behalf Of Substance Abusers

Recently I read a book entitled Fasting by Jentezen Franklin, pastor of a large church in Gainesville, Georgia. Every year, at the beginning of the year, his congregation takes a journey of fasting for 21 days. I had never even gone so much as a complete day without food. (other than when I was sick) To imagine 21 days without food was mind boggling. But after reading the book, I decided to try it.

Oh, I haven't gone completely without food, I've drunk juice and eaten fruit and had a couple of partial meals along the way, but I wanted to seek God with my whole heart. In the midst of my experiment, I was at our school and the students had macaroni and cheese, lasagna and salad, and topped it off with chocolate covered donuts. They offered me one, and juices shot out into my mouth. I could hardly resist the temptation to chomp down one of those little round gems. This reminded me of our need to hunger and thirst for righteousness. The promise is that we will be filled.

We also need to hunger and thirst for those who struggle with substance abuse. May our prayers be as passionate for their souls as is their desire for a fix. Indeed, may Jesus be our addiction! When He is, we will need no other and our lives will flow like a river of righteousness into the lives of those who struggle for freedom.

God Bless,
Pastor Dave
7^th Day Adventist