the Power of Prayer

On Tuesday night we started a Jericho Prayer Walk at Southeast Community College in Lincoln. Earlier I blogged about this same type of prayer walk at Doane. We walk around the campus praying for walls to come down (spiritual and relational walls) one time each day for six days in a row. On the seventh day we walk around the campus seven times, and at the end declare praises to God. It is inspired, of course, by Joshua 6 in the Old Testament, and what it is for me is a faith step, and commitment to listen and obey God.

As I was driving there I wasn't expecting a lot. Southeast is two year school with no dorms. Who, I wondered, would come out at 9:30 p.m. in the freezing cold to walk around their school. I sat in the parking lot for a couple minutes with the heat on high in my car and asked God to come with me onto campus. What I need to learn is that God wants to show up...He's waiting for us to ask Him for things, or recognize where He is working...so I should have known that God was about ready to do some crazy things at Southeast. When I went to meet the group, God said, "watch me work" as seventeen students showed up to walk around their campus that night and pray.

Tonight was the third night, and already walls at Southeast are coming down. Last night two of the girls on campus (Teresa and Rachel) both had a certain teacher on their hearts. They stopped outside her room and prayed for her and opportunities to talk with her about what they believed. Today (the day after yesterday) God showed up and answered that prayer. Teresa had an opportunity to share her faith with this teacher, as well as ask her about her spiritual background. When Teresa was telling me about this conversation tonight she repeatedly used the word amazing, and couldn't keep the smile off her face. We haven't even reached day seven yet and already God is bringing down walls in a teachers life at Southeast.

What a blessing it is to work with students who believe. Students who are trusting God to transform their campus. Join with us as we continue praying for walls to come down at Southeast Community College.

-terah

Barbarian Way IV

“The entire focus of our faith has been the elimination of sin, which is important , but inadequate, rather than the unleashing of a unique, original, extraordinary, wonderfully untamed faith.”

As I'm writing I’m near Rapid City, South Dakota at a men’s retreat and a few minutes ago a student and I were talking about this very thing. He was making the point that men struggle most with lust they’re “bored”. At the same time when I ask guys around the state how their life is going the answer I hear the most is some variation of, “I’m soooo busy right now”.

I don’t think the problem of boredom comes down to a lack of options for how they might spend their time, but rather, a compelling vision that captivates their thoughts and imagination. Thus, the problem comes out something like this:

I want to be a good Christian
I have no vision for what the Kingdom could be on my campus.
I want to eliminate these thoughts and habits but I have nothing to replace them with
I get into an “accountability group” to help me eliminate this sin
If it works I’ll achieve a measure of victory because maybe I won’t commit this sin anymore.

What if it didn’t start with an attempt to eliminate sin, but rather a compelling vision of fulfilling the great commission at your school? What if victory wasn’t an elimination of your sin, but every student at your college having the chance to say “yes” to a personal relationship with Jesus. What if the focus of your life wasn’t yourself?

I long see clumps of students who are gripped by the work of God’s Kingdom, resulting in an elimination of the boredom that’s created by a life of self gratification. I envision small groups of students who are so enraptured by the call of Jesus on their lives that they find themselves desperate to eliminate sin in their lives because their friends’ spiritual lives are stake.

What if “accountability groups” kept one another accountable for personally accepting responsibility for their slice of the great commission pie? What if accountability consisted of a group of your friends calling you out of the mediocrity of the majority and into your unique calling in the service of the King?

-Ethan

Barbarian Way III

“For the early disciples Jesus was right there for them to watch and hear. For the rest of us, we have to learn how to see the invisible and see the inaudible. Although you can learn important things about God from others, in the end to know the barbarian way you must receive your instructions from God himself. If this isn’t enough to drive you crazy, I don’t know what is.”

God, I want this to be true of me…I want to hear your voice clearly and have the courage to follow where you lead. You said my sheep know my voice and they follow, I pray God that when my days are done this, above all else, would be true of me. Take me Lord, speak loudly to my busy ears and come firmly to my numb senses.

I struggle so often with results and continuing to follow you when I don’t see the immediate result of what you’ve called me to. Help me trust you equally with the action and the result. Make my heart lead my mind. Help me live a life in the spiritual realm, living by faith and faithfully following to whatever end.

Lord I repent of the stuff that clutters my mind and life, distracting and diluting the potency of your voice and call on my life.

-Ethan

Barbarian Way II

“History again and again reveals to us that we are less likely to do good when we perceive ourselves a part of a larger crowd than if we make the choice standing alone. When we are in a crowd, we are more prone toward acts of evil or at least compliance to evil. For some reason the civilized can rationalize apathy and feel themselves absolved from personal responsibility. Good needs to be done, but someone else will take care of it.”

Boy, isn’t that the truth. You could do a little research and find this simple truth in social psychology, in the church, or in America in general.

As Jesus ended his time with the disciples he gave them a very simple command: “go and make disciples” (Matthew 28:18-20). What will it take for you to take personal responsibility for making disciples where you are?

Can you imagine if half of the people in your Crusade movement or local church suddenly decided that they were personally going to obey this command? What would this look like? I imagine it would mean that people would have to stop going to potlucks because they are instead having their neighbors over for lunch on Sunday. I think it would mean that people would worry a whole lot less about programs and instead start worrying about people whom they have relationships with who don’t have a relationship with God.

You see, when we start to think about reaching every student at _____ College I believe we’re starting to think like Jesus. I believe that Jesus has a heart for every tribe, tongue, nation, and people. But, here’s a newsflash: you aren’t going to reach every student at your college with a meeting.

“But we’ll get a better band.”

Nope, they’re not coming…not all of them at least.

“But we’ll try harder.”

Nope, they’re not coming…not all of them at least.

“Maybe we’ll facebook everyone at our school…”

Listen, if they didn’t come to a meeting to see God in the flesh they’re sure aren’t going to come to your meeting. Jesus said he came to seek and to save the lost…who’s doing the movement in that statement?

Students will be reached when you and a couple of your friends get together and make a commitment to God and each other to live in the Spirit and make disciples of those whom he puts in your path…and then start moving. This might mean that you’re spending time in your suite-mates room talking about the divorce that his parents are going through instead of spending time at band practice.

What will it take for you to step out of the majority; out of the anonymity of the crowd and into your unique calling to bring light to dark places on campus? What will it take?