So then you are no
longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and
members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles
and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole
structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple
in the Lord. (Ephesians 2:19–21)
In those early days, the church started in Jerusalem and
grew to include many surrounding areas. Then they had another frontline prayer
meeting. For it, “prophets and teachers”
in the church at Antioch met; the Bible names five, but there may have been
more. “While they were worshiping the
Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for
the work to which I have called them.’ Then after fasting and praying they laid
their hands on them and sent them off.” (Acts 13:2–3)
From the results, their praying likely included request
that God would show them how to reach the world with the good news of Jesus
Christ, for it was after this prayer meeting that the world was changed
forever. That change happened because these men took seriously the promises of their
Lord about prayer.
Jesus said, “I tell
you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it
will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks
finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.” (Luke 11:9–10)
This astonishing promise came after a story that
illustrates what the asking is supposed to be about. Jesus said, “Which of you who has a friend will go to
him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves, for a friend of
mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him’ . . .”
(Luke 11:5–6) He wasn’t talking about a personal request, but about asking God regarding
the needs of someone else. In the context, this was not mere bread but the
bread of life, the need of every person. The story and the promise are about
supplying the souls of others with spiritual nourishment. It is about asking
concerning eternal matters. In other words, it is about frontline praying.
Frontline praying not only seeks for the ways and means to
minister bread to others, it also seeks for understanding about who is hungry
for this bread. This is information that is known only by the Holy Spirit, but He
is willing to guide our efforts and He did that for these first missionaries. On
their journey, Paul and his co-workers “went through the region of Phrygia and
Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia.
And when they had come up to Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the
Spirit of Jesus did not allow them. So, passing by Mysia, they went down to
Troas. And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was
standing there, urging him and saying, ‘Come over to Macedonia and help us.’
And when Paul had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go on into
Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.”
(Acts 16:6–10)
I’m convicted by this. When I think about the size of my
community and their need to hear the Gospel, I tend to be overwhelmed instead of
moving out as these early Christians did and experiencing God directing them as
they went. Holding back reveals that I am selfishly concerned about my own
maintenance even if I often pray those frontline prayers for the spiritual needs
of those around me.
God is challenging me on this, and at least one other
person in our church. She is involved in a prayer group that she says are still
mainly in maintenance mode, but is excited that one other person wants to see a
change. Will this be the beginning of another adventure with God? That is what
the Spirit seems to be telling us to put in our prayer requests.
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