M
MrVersatile48
Guest
The Church's Secret Weapon
Greg Laurie
Harvest Ministries
I doubt anyone would dispute the fact that the United States is in serious trouble right now as we face a myriad of problems, from shootings on high school campuses to ethical and moral breakdowns in our society.
But as we look at the spiritual condition of our nation, one thing is clear: the remedy is not political.
While I believe all Christians should be involved in the political process by exercising their right to vote, we need to also recognize that political solutions will not solve the real problems of our country.
This is where the church comes in, and specifically, where you and I come in. Yet I fear that many in the church today have the right ideas but are going about them in the wrong way. For the most part, the church has abandoned the very message that is so desperately needed at this critical time in our history.
In a day when we ought to engage our culture with the one truth that has any hope of transforming it, many of us have turned aside to fight the world on its own terms and with its own strategies. However, the front line of this battle is in the proclamation of the gospel, and one of the most powerful weapons God has given us is prayer.
Consider the early church.
They faced a daunting task as they sought to reach their culture and their world. With no political base to speak of, no voting bloc in the Roman senate, and not one Roman emperor (with the exception of Constantine) who was sympathetic toward the church, these first-century believers dramatically impacted their culture.
Acts 12 gives us a classic example of why the early church turned its world upside downâ€â€and why we don't today. As the chapter opens, we find Herod, the consummate politician, harassing the church. James was put to deathâ€â€the first of the apostles to be martyredâ€â€and Peter was arrested next. Things were looking bleak. James was gone. Peter was probably going to be gone. It was a horrible situation.
What did the church do?
Something we don't do enough of these days. They prayed.
"Constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church" (v. 5). Though all other doors were closed, one remained open: the door of prayer. This wasâ€â€and isâ€â€the church's secret weapon.
Let's consider what made their prayers effective...
http://www.crosswalk.com/spirituallife/11552828/
Ian
Greg Laurie
Harvest Ministries
I doubt anyone would dispute the fact that the United States is in serious trouble right now as we face a myriad of problems, from shootings on high school campuses to ethical and moral breakdowns in our society.
But as we look at the spiritual condition of our nation, one thing is clear: the remedy is not political.
While I believe all Christians should be involved in the political process by exercising their right to vote, we need to also recognize that political solutions will not solve the real problems of our country.
This is where the church comes in, and specifically, where you and I come in. Yet I fear that many in the church today have the right ideas but are going about them in the wrong way. For the most part, the church has abandoned the very message that is so desperately needed at this critical time in our history.
In a day when we ought to engage our culture with the one truth that has any hope of transforming it, many of us have turned aside to fight the world on its own terms and with its own strategies. However, the front line of this battle is in the proclamation of the gospel, and one of the most powerful weapons God has given us is prayer.
Consider the early church.
They faced a daunting task as they sought to reach their culture and their world. With no political base to speak of, no voting bloc in the Roman senate, and not one Roman emperor (with the exception of Constantine) who was sympathetic toward the church, these first-century believers dramatically impacted their culture.
Acts 12 gives us a classic example of why the early church turned its world upside downâ€â€and why we don't today. As the chapter opens, we find Herod, the consummate politician, harassing the church. James was put to deathâ€â€the first of the apostles to be martyredâ€â€and Peter was arrested next. Things were looking bleak. James was gone. Peter was probably going to be gone. It was a horrible situation.
What did the church do?
Something we don't do enough of these days. They prayed.
"Constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church" (v. 5). Though all other doors were closed, one remained open: the door of prayer. This wasâ€â€and isâ€â€the church's secret weapon.
Let's consider what made their prayers effective...
http://www.crosswalk.com/spirituallife/11552828/
Ian