Mission: Developing A Culture of Prayer

By Lou Perez

Many years ago, I had a dear friend who was a devoted prayer warrior. He had been faithfully praying as to whether he should continue his medical practice here in the US or move back to his native country of Zimbabwe to be near his family.  After many months, I asked him if he had decided what he would do. Without flinching, he responded, "I haven't heard anything yet."  At that moment, I was struck by the realization that there was a lot more to prayers than just saying them, and like “fire and forget” missiles, disregarding them - that prayer was much more than a resource we tap.

E. M. Bounds, in his book “Power Through Prayer” said, “We are constantly on a stretch, if not on a strain, to devise new methods, new plans, new organizations to advance the Church and secure enlargement and efficiency for the gospel . . . The Church is looking for better methods; God is looking for better men.”

God has given us many ways accomplish prayer like:  Personal prayer, Public prayer, Meditative prayer,  Intercessory prayer, Prevailing Prayer, Prayer without ceasing.   All these and more were given to us in order to facilitate a culture and life of prayer. However in 2005, LifeWay Christian Resources surveyed more than 1,300 evangelical leaders from around the world to determine what they perceived to be the "Top 10 Issues Facing Today's Church." Number one was Prayer: The need for more ongoing, passionate prayer in both personal and church life.

Although a 2005 statistic can seem outdated, I believe the same is true today. A high percentage of us are not praying. How is it possible to have so many methods and infinite resources for prayer and yet have such a high percentage of us not praying? What is in us that so neglects prayer?         

Could it be that one of the reasons why some Christians don’t pray is because they have this tacit idea lodged in the back of their minds that prayer simply does not work. Many have become discouraged from lack of answers to prayer. They have become hopelessly stuck like an insect in amber and missed the lesson my African doctor-friend modeled before me - that prayer requires the unmistakable quality of persevering Faith. James tells the seeker to ask,  “in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind”. James 1:6 (ESV)

If prayer isn’t working for us we might want to explore the possibility that  we have approached God  conceptually, not  intimately. A Christian might have a theoretical idea about God through their knowledge of Biblical doctrine, and yet not have fellowship with God. It’s easier to learn academically the five points of “how to” then it is to encounter God through prayer. Charles Spurgeon spoke to this when he said, “As the flower is more lovely than the root, so is the experience of fellowship with the risen Savior more lovely than the doctrine itself” ^[1].           

This kind of cold approach to God will turn what could have potentially been an intimate encounter into mere Devotions. Yes It is possible to have “devotions” and mistakenly consider it to be the sum of our commitment to God. In having devotions, we can put God in a box along with all our other boxes of responsibilities in life - Only taking out that box once a day or whenever needed. Prayer however cannot be contained by space and time, but takes in your whole being. A person can’t say I’m going to have “commitment or “dedication to God” because these qualities are continual states of being, not acts.  E. M. Bounds defined devotion as “the particular frame of mind found in a person entirely devoted to God”.

The vacuum created by lack of intimacy with God will inevitably result in a substitute intimacy. Things like Work, Entertainment, ,family schedules, and social media will rush to fill the vacated space once reserved for God and us. Our modern technological devices. though not inherently evil, have in many cases become our intimate connection instead of God. Time, our only real coin of trade in this life, then becomes devoured by these proxy interactions.  

 Whatever reason a person may have for not praying, one thing is clear: It is more unnatural not to pray than it is to pray. Prayer is not only ingrained in our original creation when our first parents talked to God, but also in our Redemption.

“And this is eternal life, that they know You the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent” (John 17:3).

Redemption has never been about the rescue, but about knowing the Rescuer. Seeking God intimately is the foundation to all other kinds prayer which remain fruitless without divine connectedness.

It is imperative that prayer become our center, our culture, and our life - not just another formality. As seeking His face sustains all other forms of prayer God has given us, it should always move us out of the Prayer Closet and into God’s mandate to reach the lost.

You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:13 (ESV)

^[1]Spurgeon, C. H. (1995). Morning and evening : Daily readings (November 22 PM). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

^[2]The Holy Bible : King James Version. 1995 (Lk 18:1). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

^[3]The Holy Bible : English standard version. 2001 (Jn 17:2-3). Wheaton: Good News Publishers.

Lou and Louisa Perez both grew up in New York City and met in the first Church Lou pastored in Schenectady, NY. In 1999 they started Destiny Christian Church in Niagara Falls with the vision of taking Church outside the four walls. Visit their website at www.destinychristianniagara.com.

Mission: Finding Life in the Word of God. Study, Meditate, Listen, Pray, Speak.

Until the time that his word came to pass, The word of the LORD tested him.Psalm 105:19 (NASB)

Do you read the Word of God for information, or revelation? Do you approach it as the transformative power in your life, or do you simply read it as a resource? Do you try to bend it for your own purposes, or do you allow it to bend you?
     Today’s instructional climate encourages knowledge through education for the purpose of using what you know as a tool to better yourself. We are encouraged to read the latest book with the template on “how to”, watch the latest life coach video, or listen to the most innovative speaker on how to maximize your life. Though there is nothing inherently wrong with these things, there is an underlying mindset that in order to succeed you must gain knowledge and manipulate it for your purposes.  We are encouraged to even approach eternal truths the way a scientist puts his experiment under a microscope. Henry Nouwen wrote:

“My growing suspicion is that our competitive, productive, skeptical, sophisticated society inhibits our reading and being read by the Word of God.”

  I liken this to eating your food without savoring or chewing each bite. Like taking a food supplement that has all the right nutrients but not taste or relish.
The Bible has even been used in history to justify the most atrocious acts on humanity. Some Christians wield the Bible the way a person wields a gun. They look for proof texts, to justify their position and use that knowledge to beat on people. In the world of Bible scholars the one who knows how to dissect the scriptures the best wins. Some use the Bible only as a resource to enhance their life or to solve some dilemma. Others use it only for comfort during hard times, or even to yield riches and wealth. What is wrong with this picture?
Even we Christians can use the Bible in a way that is self serving and manipulative. Just give me the five principles for success in the Word and I will do it.  Instead of being read by the Word the way Joseph was, we merely read the word for it’s informational-how to value, but never as God invites us to “taste and see that the Lord is good”.
It is clear that the way God views His word is different than just a resource or a set of principles to help us be better people. “The word of the LORD tested him. (Joseph). This was a process Joseph could not control or dissect in a laboratory, but could only submit to.  He couldn’t master teachings on 3 ways to get out of prison. He could only surrender to the Word of God. That is indeed humbling to our flesh.
The saints and mystics of old approached the Word of God in a way that is not informational, but revelational. “Lectio Divina” is Latin for divine reading, spiritual reading, or holy reading, and has been practiced by Christians and Catholics alike.  It is a way of approaching the scriptures that calls a person to study,meditate, listen and, pray and (even sing) and speak from the Word, from their heart.
This is vastly different from approaching the Word for what it can do for us. Submitting to the Word means that the Word doesn’t just do something for me, but it does something to me.
It’s not what we read, but how we approach what we read. Do we approach it with a full cup of intellect, or a cracked empty cup meekness?
Approaching Gods word is a lot like feasting. First you take a bite, (read) then you chew, (meditate) then savor, (speak it) then you digest making it part of your body. (It becomes part of your life)
  As we come to the Word, do we say: “Lord lay I open my heart, my thoughts, and my life. Transform me into what I must become”?

Lou and Louisa Perez both grew up in New York City and met in the first Church Lou pastored in Schenectady, NY. In 1999 they started Destiny Christian Church in Niagara Falls with the vision of taking Church outside the four walls. Visit their website at www.destinychristianniagara.com.

Mission: Reaching Israel with the Gospel of Jesus Christ

By Lou Perez

     Reaching the Jewish peoples for Christ is not a simple task. There are almost 13 million Jewish people in the world with beliefs and ideologies as diverse as Joseph’s coat.

Many are atheists, agnostics, and skeptics. Some embrace Eastern philosophies, liberal lifestyles, and western materialism. There are those who focus on following Jewish ethical and ritual laws to the letter, while others retrofit the ethics and traditions to keep up with modern times. Some believe that the Scriptures came from God, while others aren’t so sure. There are even Jews in the orthodox religion who are atheists. I know it’s difficult to believe such a disparity, but in Jewish religion, as Richard Robinson so eloquently puts it, “Judaism is a religion of deed, not creed”. In other words, personal beliefs are not as important as following the traditions and rituals.

So how do we reach the Jewish people when each tread with their own unique gait?

Some Challenges and Myths: Among many hurdles to reaching the Jewish people, there are challenges and myths Christians must navigate when sharing the gospel.

One of the first challenges to reaching Jewish people is that to many, Christianity does not square with what it has done to Jews in its name throughout history. Events like the crusades immediately come to mind when some think of Christianity.

Another obstacle to Jewish people hearing the Gospel is the idea that believing in Jesus will somehow make them less “Jewish”, thus losing their cultural identity - That Believing in Jesus is strictly for the gentiles. This is not to mention the social consequences believing in Jesus would engender among the Jewish culture. Paul called the idea of Jesus a “stumbling block” to the Jews.

There are many other challenges that can be mentioned, but let’s talk about some myths that must be dispelled so that we can better reach the Jewish people. Jonathan Bernis gives three:

The first myth is that Jewish people have their own custom-made salvation and don’t need Jesus. Some might debate this in favor of a custom salvation, but let’s remember Paul’s words in Romans 1:16, “The Gospel is to the Jew first”. Also Peter’s words, “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other Name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:12 ESV.

A second myth is that Jewish people have a greater knowledge and understanding of what they Bible says than we do – Yet it is believed that “Only about 10% of the Jewish community is actually involved in the study of Scripture”.  This tells us that most Jewish people have never really read the Bible.

The third myth is that all Jews reject Jesus as the Messiah. The fact is that many Jews have no idea who Jesus really is.  Most are conditioned when they hear the name Jesus, what comes to mind is “the God Christians serve”, not the true Jewish Messiah.    Many Jewish people do not know the simple fact that that “Christ” is simply the Greek word for Messiah. 

Being sensitive to these hurdles will give us sensitivity when sharing the Gospel with Jewish people. So how should we share?
Connect before you seek to convert. It is human nature to zealously bring people to our side before we have earned the right to be heard. It has been well said that “Counsel not asked for is not well received”.  The title of a book recently written by John Maxwell also bears this out, “Everyone communicates but not everyone connects”.  When we are connected with someone, the question, “How did you come to your faith?” will naturally come up at some point, opening a door.

We should beware of our “Christianize” (words that only Christians understand). There are “Christian subculture” words we use that, to the average Jewish person, you may as well be speaking in code. Veteran Jewish Christians insist on using the term Messiah over Christ or even Joshua. This is closer to the language Jewish people understand.

Tell them your story.   You don’t have to be a theologian to win souls. People can argue with your theology, but they cannot invalidate your story. As the saying goes, "A man with an experience is never at the mercy of a man with an argument".  “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony,” Revelation 12:11.

Show them how the Old Testament is totally interconnected with the New Testament though messianic prophecies. To do this, we must read and understand the Old Testament. It says in Acts 28:23 that the apostles “explained the kingdom of God from the law of Moses”. There are over 300 messianic prophecies that can be used to share with our Jewish friends.

Affirm that you believe in the Jewish Messiah. Acknowledge that you cannot be saved without Him. It’s important to note that Jesus is not just the God of Christians, but the God of all. A Jewish person may view converting to Jesus and converting to Christianity as one and the same. But these are two entirely different things. One is a personal thing, and the other cultural. In America especially, a person can be a convert to the Christian culture without really belonging to Jesus. On the other hand a Jewish person can convert to Christ without having to convert to Christian culture.  When I came to Christ at the age of thirteen, I did not have to give up my Hispanic cultural heritage to be saved, only my sin.

 

Lou and Louisa Perez both grew up in New York City and met in the first Church Lou pastored in Schenectady, NY. In 1999 they started Destiny Christian Church in Niagara Falls with the vision of taking Church outside the four walls. Find out more at www.destinychristianniagara.com.

Final Thought: Mission: Reaching a Post-Modern Generation With the Gospel.

By Lou Perez

     For better or worse, today’s Church lives in the postmodern era. When I first began hearing about postmodernism many years ago, I would always walk away with a foggy understanding of what it was. Then I looked at the term “Postmodernism”. “Post” speaks of what comes after. In this case, modernism, was the era we have been transitioning out of for the past 60 years.  What helped me to understand postmodernism is when I started to notice the things it reacts to. Postmodernism is a reaction to the age of Modernism that began during the Renaissance and focused on science and reason as the way to find truth. In modernism, Sunday morning Church was based on many hours of Bible study, apologetics, and exegesis, which although is important, does not always connect with postmodern seekers.

     Postmodernism is characterized in general by a rejection of objective truth. You might hear post modern’s say things like, “There is no such thing as one way to God”. They tend to reject a single definition of truth. In fact, for postmoderns, truth is based on each person’s own experience. Postmoderns take a wrecking ball to the last era of modernism and rebuild it with materials borrowed from every religion and philosophy the world has to offer.

Postmodernism has not been without impact on the Church. Here are some ways this has occurred.

Challenge of authority: Postmodernism challenges the authority of the Church and the revelation it stands on. This is all done in an attempt to discover truth for oneself - a personal “journey of spirituality.”

No Objective Truth. Since postmoderns don’t believe in “one truth fits all,” Christianity is seen as just another buffet line where you pick and choose what you like and then go to other religions and philosophies for the rest. 

The image has replaced the truth. Postmoderns tend towards a shallow understanding of truth. Because we live in a media saturated “copy and paste” society where ideas can be remixed and photo-shopped, there is a tendency for postmoderns to create their own image of the “truth”. To put it simply, an image has replaced what is real. This is no different that Aaron’s golden calf in Exodus 32:1.

The problem with postmodernism is that Christ taught a specific set of non-negotiable truths that are relevant for every age.

“I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”   

John 14:6 ESV

So how do we as the Church thrive in a post modern world? How do we reach postmoderns?       Here are six suggestions:

     We can continue to do what we have always done and see what the next age brings. It may be a while however. Or we can go to where the postmodern lives. Paul did this by “becoming all things to all men”.  

“To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law.” (1 Corinthians 9:20–23 ESV)

     We can engage the postmodern person. We can do this by affirming what is right and challenging what is wrong. If there is one area where postmoderns are correct it is that intellect and reason is not enough to find truth. At the same time, we can lovingly challenge the postmodern’s notion that “there is no absolute truth”. The problem postmoderns cannot account for is that it’s impossible to make absolute statements when you don’t believe in absolutes.

     Let’s be sure that we are fighting for the right thing. We don’t want to contend for the “good old days” of modernism where people swooned at our insights. One of the faults of modernism is the arrogance and condescension that came from knowledge.

     Let’s change our methods without changing the message. In an honest effort to reach people, some postmodern seeker-sensitive churches have reworked certain Bible passages to soften their blow. It is a dangerous thing to amend what one did not write, especially when it involves a saving truth.

     Experience and encounter. Provide opportunities for people to encounter God. This brings them beyond just head knowledge and into intimacy with God.

     Use stories and metaphors to illustrate Biblical truth. One final thing we can do to reach postmoderns is to tell a story to illustrate a deeper truth. Postmoderns love stories and will respond to the truth easier when it is embedded in a story. This isn’t just postmodern, this is Jesus. Jesus used parables as a delivery system for eternal truths.

      The Church has a sacred responsibility to engage the postmodern world, and with the wisdom and discernment of the Holy Spirit, to bring people to the unchanging Gospel truths that are relevant in every generation.

   

Lou and Louisa Perez both grew up in New York City, and met in the first Church Lou pastored in Schenectady, NY. In 1999 they started Destiny Christian Church in Niagara Falls with the vision of taking Church outside the four walls. Find out more at www.destinychristianniagara.com.