Oh come let us adore Him, Christ the Lord! I arise this morning in complete adoration and awe of you Jesus!
“After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go. And he said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” (Luke 10:1-2)
Last night the One Direction Community house church I belong to met in the Food Court at the Parkway Place Mall in Huntsville. We came there to prayer walk the mall. In the middle of the food court we pushed tables together to accommodate us and for the first 30 minutes we shared a BYOD (Buy-Your-own-Dinner) together from food vendors of your choice. Afterwards, I spent about seven minutes giving a short teaching on prayer and prayer walking. We then went into a time of prayer together over ourselves and then the people in the mall we were about to encounter. We then shared the Lord’s Supper and closed by singing together the chorus of, “Go Tell it on the Mountain.” There were 13 of us, so we divided up into three groups and walked off into different direction to prayer walk the mall for an hour. As each group walked they would stop and talk to a shopper or store employee and tell them they are prayer walking and praying over the mall and the people here and ask them if there was something they could pray for them. “and I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective for the full knowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ.” (Philemon 1:6)
Afterwards we met back up at our table in the Food Court and spent time sharing our encounters and experiences, praying over prayer requests of people we met and each other, then left for our homes. When the three groups shared with the rest of us after prayer walking, all of them shared stories told them by the people they talked with. Stories of struggles with health and finances and school, work, or family issues. Most in the groups expressed they experienced uncertainty or fear approaching someone, however after they did and began to hear the peoples stories of life and pray with them, they all felt peace and joy from it and as they walked away.
I was so proud of all who attended. One family that attended was a family new to Christ and the Church that I just baptized 6 months ago. I told them though they have only walked with Christ 6 month’s they are experiencing and living out all Christians call to be a disciple of Jesus, one who imitates Jesus’ life, in a greater way than people who have been in the “church” for years. Jesus' “Church” is a movement, not a location. What a completely different understanding and experience of church they are forming from their experience of church last night than from another family sitting in a pew or seats in a “sanctuary” removed from the world. They discovered that they themselves are the “living sanctuaries” where God resides.
I want to encourage you: your church, small group, Sunday School class, and as a family to go out and prayer walk. We chose the mall because it was dark outside and cold at that time, however you can prayer walk your neighborhood, apartment complex, Wal-Mart, a college campus, Flea Market,... anywhere. And here is the thing, unlike other church programs or trainings that require having a building and class room, video teachings, TV or projector, workbooks or other materials, and a pastor or gifted teacher, what we did last night was free! It did not cost us a penny, we did not need any materials, curriculum, video equiptment or gifted leaders, all were simply led by the Holy Spirit and we all just did it!
My family, I pray today you will come to embrace more church as a movement and not a location. I pray today as you walk through your day you will seek interruptions by two things- God and people, and enter into the interruptions and be both transformed and agents of transformation by and in the power of the Holy Spirit. In Jesus’ name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you my friends!!
Please share your reflections and prayers in the comment box below.
Please support and partner with my self and my family as we serve as local missionaries to those in our community with your year-end financial gift. Donations can also be made by checks made out to: ODc, PO BOX 1293 Madison, Al 35758