Thursday, July 24, 2008

July 24th

Hi there!

Thanks for praying for Convergence Christian Church! I can't adequately express how powerful a gift I believe prayer to be.

When Jesus talked to His disciples about faith He said, "I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins." -Mark 11:23-25

Do you notice the link with prayer/forgiveness/faith? This isn't Jesus saying, "Make a shopping list and I'll give it to you- just like Santa!" He is indicating that, as we grow in our relationship with Him, our faith and trust increase, which will give us confidence as we pray.

However, part of our growth comes from seeing things more like He sees them. Hence, we begin to forgive others, but not because they have done something to deserve it. Instead, we do it because it reflects that we realize how God has treated us and that we want to be like Him.

If we strive to see things more like God sees them, it not only affects how we forgive; it affects how we pray. Our prayers are less likely to be influenced by a "shopping list" mentality and more likely to be influenced by a seeking of His will. When we seek His will, we can pray and be confident that He will answer.

As the week continues, please keep praying with us as we look for a place to meet. We certainly don't need anything huge, but our group has grown past the point of being comfortably full in a home. We still have several months to go before our "official" public start date, so we are looking for a sort of "in between" location; something that could fit around fifty people total, and have a good space for our kids/youth.
In the meantime, we will keep meeting in homes, and I would appreciate your prayers for those meetings as well, since things are a little crowded right now.

May you be confident as you pray.

In Him We Live,

Jeff

2 comments:

Mustang Monty88 said...

How exciting it must be for you guys. It sounds as if our God has placed you in fertile grounds, and that roots are stating to take hold. Know that you are in my prayers daily and that we think of you guys often. We love you and miss you but are so proud of your courage and devotion. Stay in touch God Bless.
Tim

Jeff said...

Thanks Timmy. We are very grateful for your (and everyone's) prayers. We miss you all as well, and can't wait to see what God does next through the Parkview family!