Jesus had a “prayer vault”

Jesus focused and spent time in Father’s presence. I’m convinced that even as he grew up, then in the 40 days of wilderness, then in the early mornings and in the night, Jesus stored up hours upon hours of knowing Father, his Word and Holy Spirit. It was like creating a giant safe in heaven, full of God’s faith and love. When he encountered storms, demoniacs, thousands of hungry people, sick and distressed multitudes, cold religious leaders, unbelief in his closest followers, and ultimately the cross, He could open that vault and release heaven on earth.

How full is my prayer and intimacy vault? Tending my garden begins in my will—to choose Christ. Tending begins in my mind—to learn how Christ thinks and tear down my own strongholds. Tending begins with the practice of spiritual disciplines until I delight in Christ and share His own conviction and passion

This week I was convicted that just the daily discipline of morning prayer was not going to be fruitful without my heart truly seeking His. His grace convicts me to lift my voice in thanks praise and not just read over names of lost or unchurched people but to feel his heart and cry out in faith that He will save them and they will bring him glory.

Lord convince and convict us to fill our heavenly prayer vault and to repent not just to be forgiven sins but all the way to minds being renewed until we are releasing heaven on earth.

Gen 1:27-28 God created them. And God blessed them and said to them, Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth... Gen 2:8,15 And the LORD God planted a garden in and put man in it to tend and guard and keep it.

Faith, belief-to live by-Greek word PISTIS-Vine’s dictionary specifies three aspects of faith: Conviction focuses us. We ask God’s grace to both convince us with all certainty of God’s unconditional love and convict us of ways we reject or transgress his love. Concentration makes us faithful: We ask Christ to bring us nearer together in Christ, His Word, His Spirit, and His Body. Psalm 1 meditation renews our minds in Christ. The practice of spiritual disciplines like contemplation bring us deeper. Consecration which will bring fruitfulness. I ask God for the grace to consecrate my time, my treasure, my talents, my relationships. Grace and peace to you. ~PD

What do we mean “focus” on our Master and Tending?

DeVern Fromke wrote in Sharpen Your Focus, “WHAT DO WE MEAN BY FOCUS? Let me explain with this quote from Charles Cowman:

The human eye is so constituted that a sailor standing night-lookout watch at sea, can see a dim object more clearly by focusing on a point a little to one side of this, than by staring directly at it. In a similar manner, your spiritual vision is designed so that you can see God’s will for you, not by concentrating on it, but by looking at Him.

This can be an important correction for those who become focused on knowing God’s will. We should never let seeking God’s will become a substitute for God Himself. When we are rightly occupied with our Father/God, we shall find that knowing His will falls into its rightful place. Walking ‘in His light, we shall see light.’”

DeVern Fromke wrote as his life-focus, “My availability, my adjustability, and my accountability will be my constant focus—a life seeking to be well-pleasing to Him.”

Examples of God blessing and tending us include:

• God’s protection around Gloria
• His comfort for Whites, Ports and Elwynne having released loved ones into God’s eternal presence.
• And insurance recently paid for needed repairs and improvements in our roof.

Meditate in God’s Word and Listen for His Voice
In Genesis 2:15 the Hebrew word shamar is translated to tend, protect, keep watch, guard. The Hebrew word abad means to serve as in dress or nurture.

God tends and nurtures us.

We are made in His image so as we focus on Him we will be blessed and be a blessing (Hebrew word barak).

Ask Him to make you aware of a gift or blessing in your life and give him thanks. (Barak also means to adore, and abad also means to worship).

Ask Him to make you aware of how He can bless another through you:

Also ask God to reveal anything hindering your focus and love for God: Deut 6:13 only worship and serve God the Lord.

Jesus answered Satan and his temptation in the wilderness by quoting Exodus 23:24 You shall not worship their gods, nor serve them, nor do according to their deeds; but you shall utterly overthrow them and break their sacred pillars in pieces.

The prophet Haggai called the people to not just tend their own house but to come together and focus on God. Then they would know he was with them and they would be blessed.

2011 A Year of Tending: Focus, Faithfulness and Fruit
Our theme verse echoes this focus on God:
Whoever tends the fig tree shall eat its fruit;
so he who patiently
and faithfully guards and heeds his master
shall be honored.
~Pro 27:18

Highlights from Vision Weekend

“Become the bear” Sat AM Dwight’s pastor, Dennis Cole, challenged men with the many commands in the New Testament to be imitators of our leaders’ faith and ways which help us become like Christ. And he told us how the trackers had to become the bear to try to find it.
Saturday night we celebrated “Barbara Awards” for various members of the congregation-praising character and service.

2011 A Year of Tending: focus, faithfulness and fruit.
Pro 11:18 Whoever tends the fig tree shall eat its fruit; so he who patiently and faithfully guards and heeds his master shall be honored.

Dennis preached Sat eve and Sun AM from Haggai
“The Lord is with us." Haggai 1:13-14
And the Lord aroused the spirit of all the people, so that they came and labored on the house of the Lord of hosts, their God
The Lord is already stirring people and uniting hearts with "to do lists" and “to give.” Several have come to Dwight with what is on their hearts to do.

Ch 2 “Who is left who saw former glory? Be strong, courageous and work and don’t be afraid, because My spirit is with you.” Haggai said we're to tend Master's garden - his house.
He breaks our strength and intellect of self and pride but from this day forward I WILL BE BLESSED (vrs 21).
Dennis honored past leaders and called us not to look back but forward- ”It’s a new day.” God’s goal in us tending His “house” and our “garden” is to extend from Genesis 2 to Revelation 21 until the nations are healed
Larissa presented her prophetic painting of Haggai chapter 2: I will shake the nations and fill you with their treasures and my glory so the glory of the latter house will be greater than before.
Jeremiah Cole gave a word to us that wisdom of older is combined with the strength of youth so young don't shape according to bow of burden and wounds of older but rather the older be healed.
JK's painting of fire around a hand is God bringing light in dark through our hospitality and service and smiles.

Finances
We received $419 toward honorarium and expenses which totaled a little over $1,000. The difference was shared by MCOKC and CLC. We also received a $100 scholarship donation toward the GateKeepers Conference (brochures on counter).
As reported we’re trusting God to increase our monthly income to restore some things we’ve had to cut.

-PD

2011 Fasting Week Friday
-John Port

We are not really an agricultural society anymore, so when we talked about going into a year of proper planting, it was necessary to explain what was involved in planting—preparing the soil for the seed, and so forth. As we move out of the year of proper planting, we now need to realize what comes after the planting—which, by the way, a year is a really long window for a planting season. But after the planting comes a period of growth and not until after the growth and ripening comes the harvest. There are things that have to be done during those times in order to improve the odds for a good harvest.

Just as the soil must be prepared and the seed scattered or planted during the planting stage, in the growth stage, the new young plants must be watered, and fertilized, and weeded, and protected from birds and insects and vermin and even disease.

I honestly don’t know what that would mean in a spiritual analogy, but we might need to find out, because after the planting comes the growth, and typically the growth season is much longer that the planting season. I understand we’re subject to God’s economy and timetable here, so it might not be very long at all, but if planting season is typically a few weeks, and growth and ripening several months—we just went through a year long planting season and we may be several years growing before we get to the harvest. That could be a whole lot of watering, and fertilizing, weeding, and protecting!

And if the analogy holds to the next stage, harvesting includes things like cutting, and hauling, and storage. What does that mean, and how do we get ready for that?

Sowing: The natural verses the spiritual
-Glenn Beaty

Sowing in the natural take a lot of patience, time, and work. The farmer plants his crop then works it weeding, watering, and waiting for something to happen. When another farmer plants a fruit tree he waters it, prunes it, and waits ( for 7 years ) for it to bear fruit. This takes much patience.

Sowing in God takes a lot of faith. As you sow your money, time, help, or work, it goes with a lot of prayer. You must have faith, for this is a miracle in progress. For when it comes, it comes in the blink of a eye. It may happen at the moment you pray, or it may happen at another time, but it happens in a blink of an eye because it is a miracle of God. This takes much faith.

Jesus said if we only had faith we could move a mountain. (Matt 21:21,22)

Review of words and prayer from Friday’s Night of Prayer

(PARTS OF THE MEETING WERE RECORDED)
Many words like Faithfulness, Continued Commitment, Tenacious Tending and Trust.

Tim—Heb 5, if we still need milk it’s because we haven’t matured enough to be teaching others. (The context in Hebrews 5 is that if ears are dull and hearts hard from not listening we remain infants dependent on milk.) Mary added that it’s time for us to be not just seeds and babies on milk but mature graftings and looking around how to help others into maturity.

Larissa and others also had confirming words on tending garden, Kendra—excitement of anticipation for seed we’ve planted and been waiting for to break through the ground—this year break through. John—growing seasons vary in length but there is time in waiting for growth after planting and still more time waiting for harvest. Mary—this coming year growth and the next and the next but God will also prune after each growth stage to increase fruit. Jeffrey—as things mature we tend them differently. Robert Miller received a detailed picture of a family farm from having spent half his life on one (he will share Sunday morning).

Dennis had a word from Psalm 133 on us being blessed by properly relating to authority, from elders to deacons to servant leaders through the whole congregation. He also prayed powerfully and clearly from Hebrews 13 that we would honor and submit to and obey our leaders that they can give account with joy. Levi reminded us of Gary Cake’s word on changes in Dwight and Barbara and leadership and us not to be critical. Dwight shared details about relating to Pastor Dennis Cole now and commented on change with Barbara being home with grandkids and the effects in him from doing the St. Ignatius Prayer Retreat in Daily Life last year.

Tim McCoy gave word on Preparing the Way for the Lord: that this was to be a year of breakthrough for leadership and the congregation taking their places with strong heart and spiritual authority.

Many others also had prayers and comments. Continue to pray and fast as led and to write down the words and send them to clcweekofprayer@gmail.com.

Richard explained the financial report from 2011: $5,000 shortfall after a $3000 shortfall in 2009 (which in 2009 included the loss of Ash Gockel and Rosh Pinah’s rent). 2010 tithe was down nearly 2% producing a monthly deficit of $400 (meaning we have been using reserves). But it was also our second year in a row of making cuts to keep pace with both the loss of rental income in 2009 and the decreases in tithe. Three options are more cuts in staff salary/benefits, to find a renter or to sell the building. Regardless of how we address the financial shortfall, the answers come as we as members of Christ seek intimacy with God to see and hear his vision and become his incarnation into the world.
Dwight shared that after listening to all the words he felt an increasing and common cry and hunger for growth and outreach, building on the sound of repentance and desire from last September’s congregation meeting which produced our prayer walking the neighborhood, fall food drive, fall party and neighborhood Sunday. It is growth and obedience to God in mission which releases faith and provision.

Fifteen years ago the congregation decided to not close the church and sell the building but to call Dwight to come from Ohio to be the pastor. One confirmation was that they had just received a new roof from insurance settlement. We are about to have some repairs and improvements made to our roof also paid for by insurance. There was specific prayer to make up the $400 monthly deficit so there would be no more cuts and to increase beyond that to restore things that have been cut and to grow and go in mission.

Larissa presented a beautiful prophetic painting and Scriptures on God’s glory being on His people who seek Him and His kingdom, even as He is shaking everything that can be removed all around us in the world. Laura danced while MC’s led worship and presented a prophetic song they received Thursday. We also prayed for the sick members of our congregation and for lost people.

THANK YOU LORD FOR THIS BEGINNING

Reflections from A Year of Proper Planting

John Clark gave the importance of taking notes and later reviewing them because we value other people who may be at risk if we are complacent. He shared personal testimony of the fruit of self-denial (Mt 10:38-39). And he exhorted us that in this year of proper planting if things actually seem to have died which we expected to live, then God can open a door to do more than we could have thought or made happen. So we as a congregation need some old ways to be burned off to be purified and new can grow (like becoming more incarnational and missional instead of inward focused and believing that people should be attracted.

Richard shared personally and from 2 Corinthians 9:9—we are God’s fellow workers, his field and his building (factory) so by his grace in us we produce fruit and precious things that will stand the fire. In verses 7-10 we read that one sows, another reaps but God gives the increase and loves the cheerful giver. Of what am I glad for having sown and/or perhaps reaped?

• Richard Lineberry To sow in areas of prayer, giving and serving.

• John Clark Port I have changed this year as a result of God’s blessing and grace helping me choose to be a son in the house

• Susan Mitchell My view of evangelism changed as we prayed and obeyed to bring light in the darkness leaving results to Him.

• Mary Port I have found more freedom as I have put away reactive judgements toward others.

• Dennis Frost Gave thanks for spiritual authority in his life by the elders and that his family is getting in God’s order as he takes responsibility to sow good seed instead of bad. God has blessed his family with more peace as they stepped out to be foster parents and MC hosts.

• Jeffrey Port During the summer MC service projects as outreach into the neighborhood I realized mission and evangelism is not just about trying to get more people into our church.

• Joyce Hanson Gave thanks for the congregation’s love and ministry to her son and that he is a changed man.

• Kendra Cunkle gave thanks that as she has sowed into being the worship leader and secretary and other ways of serving she believes God has confirmed that she is in her proper place.

Fill in your own testimony______________

Merry Happy,
PD

2010 in Review
By Richard Lineberry

As we draw to the end of a year that the Lord has designated as a “Year of Proper Planting,” it might be good to see what changes He has brought in us.
When Ronald Reagan was campaigning against Jimmy Carter, he asked people, “How is your life better than it was four years ago?” Obviously, he was wanting to draw attention to him having a better plan if he was elected.
So, my question is, “Is your spiritual life any better than it was at the end of 2009?” Have you learned anything about planting seeds? Have you seen any results? What adjustments did the Holy Spirit make in your life?”
I think, in review, “proper planting” refers to a variety of things. I made a special attempt to adjust my own prayer life. It’s easy for prayer to become a routine rather than a high point of life. I realized again that prayer must accompany FAITH that you really believe God is going to act in the things you are talking to Him about.
Proper time adjustment for us is always good to consider. What am I doing that is most profitable for His kingdom and where am I wasting time? Am I spending time with God as well as investing time in those that I can help? If not, I probably am spending too much idle time somewhere else.
Finances, of course, is that subject we don’t like to mention too much, but it certainly fits all of the sowing/reaping rules. How are we doing? God wants to increase us in every facet of life but we must sow regularly for Him to have something to work with. To neglect this area of following Christ would be like a farmer wondering why he didn’t have a harvest when he hadn’t planted any seed.
My prayer for us is that God will continue to guide us in proper planting of everything He has blessed us with: Our time, gifts, finances and ability to serve His people. May the Lord give us wisdom and increase our resources in 2011 to do the work of the ministry.