Day 4: Sunday, May 4: Preparing to pray beyond ourselves.

 Preparing to pray beyond ourselves.
Pour out your heart before God. Thank Him for what He has already done. Lift the burdens of others, allowing your heart to be moved to cry for the tremendous needs of your community and country.

Holy Spirit, our Comforter, help us in our weakness.

We do not know what we ought to pray for, but You intercede for us with groans that words cannot express.

Reveal to us what You are praying for.

Teach us to become intercessors and to pray for others.

Open our eyes to see the need of the world around us.

Move and break our hearts with the things that break the heart of God.

Let us see the world through your eyes.

We are selfish by nature, but Jesus commanded us to love others as we love ourselves.

We submit to You our emotions and thoughts.

You are abounding in love and kindness.

You let the sun rise on both good and evil and let it rain on both just and unjust.

Teach us to pray without judging, to love without prejudice, to give without expecting anything back and to honor and respect every person because You value each one of them.

Fill our hearts with compassion for saints and sinners alike.

Help us to look beyond the surface to see the needs and suffering in our communities.

Help us to carry the burden of others before You in prayer and in practical ways. Let us understand the significance of standing in the gap before You, on behalf of our peoples and nations.

Amen

Day 1: Thursday, May 1 2008: Prepare to encounter God as His people.

Day 1: Thursday, May 1 2008: Prepare to encounter God as His people.

Lord God, You created us because You are a God of love.

You purchased us with the Blood of Your Son, Jesus Christ, when we were still sinners, and invited us to enter into Your presence behind the veil.

We present ourselves to You today as You today as your beloved children, to serve You in spirit and in truth.

Set our hearts ablaze with love and obedience to You.

Cleanse us from all filthiness so that we can encounter You with pure and undefiled hearts.

Teach us to tarry in Your presence and to simply wait on You.

You are the One who is enthroned in the heavens. You are God from eternity to eternity.

You are indescribable in glory and holiness. You abound in love, faithfulness and truth.

You cannot lie and will fulfill all Your promises to us.

You called us as witnesses in the Kingdom of Your Son.

Allow us to become eyewitnesses of Your work among the children of mankind in our generation.

As we gather to pray as families, churches and communities, fill us with faith that You will bring lasting transformation in our lives and throughout entire communities.

Let your Kingdom come, let your Will be done on earth today as it is in heaven.

You are precious in His sight!

わたしの目にあなたは価高く、貴く／わたしはあなたを愛し／あなたの身代わりとして人を与え／国々をあなたの魂の代わりとする。

イザヤ書 / 43章 4節

I am told that this verse in Japanese is much stronger than in English.  I will need to take their word for it!  Isaiah 43:4 says: "Since you are precious and honored in My sight, and because I love you, I will give men in exchange for you, and people in exchange for your life."

The message that this verse deals with is a MOST needy piece of information for today's people.  Here in Japan, I hear about the number of people who kill themselves by falling in front of trains.  A wooded area near Mt. Fuji where people go to kill themselves.  PLEASE STOP!  

Know that He, the God who made you, LOVES you so much!  YOU are precious and honored in His sight!  Know that, my dear visitor.  Know that and tell Him of your situation.  He knows it anyway.  (He is God!)  And ask Him for help.  Tell Him of your need for love.  Your need for understanding.  Your need of relationships.  He will not only understand your cry for help, HE WILL HELP YOU!

Contact a friend who loves you.  Contact a local Church.  Ask for a Bible and read the Gospel of John, in the New Testament.  This part of the Bible will let you see who Jesus is and you will learn of His gift of His life for yours.  He paid the price to set you free.  Ask Him to forgive you for your sins.  He IS faithful and will forgive you of your sins. (1 John 1:8-9)  He will forgive you and come into your life with His promised Holy Spirit.  He will clean you up and give you His Heart.  Sounds strange?  But you know it is true.

May His Grace fill your heart today as you seek Him.

Just in from JEMA

GLOBAL DAY OF PRAYER...

is a movement based on 2 Chronicles 7:14 to seek the face of God for His harvest world-wide. It has grown to the point that this year it includes over 208 countries involved in ten days of united prayer leading up to Pentecost Sunday.

There is a ten-day Prayer Guide available to help in this united effort. This can be downloaded from http://www.globaldayofprayer.com

To order the Prayer Guide in Japanese email poc@gdopjapan.com or call 06-6768-4385. To order English Prayer Guides go to http://www.gdop-usa.com

You could also download a copy of the prayer guide from that same US site.

Those in the Higashi Kurume area are invited to come to the Seibi Kaikan on May 11th, Global Day of Prayer, for an evening of praise, worship, and prayer. It will have an international flavor. For more info contact Stan (Kanto Point Person [English] for GDOP) at iccsjapan@aol.com

Only a few more days until we start the TEN days of prayer.  Come back each day for a fresh topic of prayer.

Please also remember that THIS Sunday is the International Prayer Day for North Korea.

More on the Global Day of Prayer

GLOBAL DAY OF PRAYER is a movement based on 2 Chronicles 7:14 to seek the face of God for His harvest world-wide. It has grown to the point that this year it includes over 208 countries involved in ten days of united prayer leading up to Pentecost Sunday.

There is a ten-day Prayer Guide available to help in this united effort. This can be downloaded from http://www.globaldayofprayer.com

To order the Prayer Guide in Japanese email poc@gdopjapan.com or call 06-6768-4385. To order English Prayer Guides go to http://www.gdop-usa.com

Those in the Higashi Kurume area are invited to come to the Seibi Kaikan on May 11th, Global Day of Prayer, for an evening of praise, worship, and prayer. It will have an international flavor. For more info contact Stan De La Cour (Kanto Point Person (English) for GDOP) at

BLOOD

Last weekend, I gave a pint of blood.

Looking back, I feel the event really did not change me.  What is one pint to what I have already have in my body.  I heard of a leader of a small country who was shot in resent weeks.  He lost over 80% of his blood.  I gave one pint.

There was no pain.  I got two small cold drinks to refresh my body and was told to drink a lot of water before going to bed.  They gave me two pens, a card that tells that I gave blood, when I gave, and some other medical facts.  I have an ID number and a number to call if I experience any difficulties.  In the Red Cross area of life, I am 19-049*******.  (You don't need to know that!)

This was not my first time to give blood.  I hope to give blood every time I am called upon to give.  Blood is a good think.  I remember the first time I gave blood.  I was 18 and a fellow worker was in the hospital.  He needed blood for his operation.  No one at work gave.  They were not willing to even take the afternoon off from work to give one simple pint of blood.  All except a big truck driver and myself.  He was a BIG man.  When he rolled his shirt up, the health-care givers smiled.  He had tubes instead of blood vessels.  They were almost outside his skin.  They had no problem finding a vain to 'hit'.  

As I sat there and experience a little (very little) pain of the needle, I looked over to the big man.  He was smiling at the ladies around him but no one was watching his arm.  I could see that the arm had 'grown' a large air pocket!  I said to the lady next to me; "Look, is that OK to happen?"  She looked over and the world exploded!  Nurses and doctors and maybe even the hall cleaner came to his aid.  Air had gotten into the site and his arm started to 'blow up!'  Well, I sure was surprised!  They removed the needle from that arm and started the other arm before he could protest.  He was not only a big man, he did not want to look like a sissy so he let them.

After we returned to work, everyone told us that we did good.  They seemed proud of us, but yet they would not give.  When the man returned to work a few weeks later, he thanked me.  He was aware that only two of his fellows helped him.  I was proud to have done that but felt so sad that others did not want to help.

I was told: "To each his own."

I don't believe that.  We are to help each other and look for ways to support each other in times of need.  I was a young believer at the time yet I do not remember feeling it was my Christian duty to help in this way.  

    I was a  human. Some one need help.  I was there, so I helped.  A real no-brainer!

That seemed like a good thing to do, so I did it.  I even got paid for the time away from work.  Back then, it was only $1.25 per hour but still...

Since that time, I have given blood a lot.  Even gave platelets a number of times in LA.  I felt good to do that as I had good platelets to give.  During these times now, I think of another who gave His Blood for me...for us.

Jesus went to His Death for us.  He bled and died for us.  His very life blood was poured out for us all.  No one really asked Him for it.  He was 'working on the clock', as it were.  It was His Joy to obey His Father to give us His Life so that we could be set free.  He died and took my punishment for my sins.  He died and took your punishment for your sins.

What response do you give?

"Nice of Him."

"Wow, I didn't know!"

"I need to thank Him."

"So what?"

Interesting.  I have heard them all.  There is a right answer but it really depends on your heart.  As for me, I NEED to thank Him for His shed Blood for my sins.  Thank Him and live for Him.

That is what He would want of anyone.

Our thanks and our obedience to serve Him.

There is no other wise response.

Romans 5:6 says: 

"You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly...8 But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." 

The Master is ALIVE!!! Sunday April 6,2008

Hear the voice of one of the Followers of Jesus on the fifth day after the Resurrection:

The Master was alive! He came to us in the upper room. The doors were locked and there He was! It was really Him! He shard with us some words of comfort and then, as He came, He left--leaving us in our wonder and in our joy!

That was how it was back then. I can only imagine what they were thinking.

If we missed things before and He IS the Messiah, them maybe we will get it right now that He has come back from the dead! Maybe now is the time He will take over! His Kingdom now on Earth! Roman rule will end and the Throne of David will be re-established. How good is that and to think, I am here to see it happen!

You’d be mistaken!

As we know from this account and from history, Jesus had always had a different plan for His followers. His world is not the world we live in! His ways are not our ways. His end is not the end we were thinking of or hoping for! His wants will become clear to His followers. This is the Best-Thing-That-Could-Ever-Happen-To-You sort of a day.

The Master is ALIVE!

1. His Plan for us. To bring Him Glory and to FIND HIS WILL:  The whole duty of man is to love God, keep His Commands and to enjoy Him forever.  Not too hard, is it?  Just these three things and He will give us the POWER to get them done.  If He has called us to do and to be something/one, then He will provide the way to do it!  Believe in His Name!

(see chart called Discovering at end.)

2. His Will for us. To reflect Him in our walk: John 14:12

3. His Way for us. To respond to His Word in such a way as to show His power in us so that others will know.  1 John 2:5-7

It is not the ‘kind’ of animal we choose to use for the sacrifice, not how we hold the animal or how much force we use or that we say special words. No, He is the sacrifice. Lev 16:8-10, 20-22! He alone can satisfy our hearts and lives. Him alone!

Looking at this in the setting of the Lord’s Table. What did Jesus tell us to remember to do?

When He returns, what will He find? Phil 3:17-20

Be patient and stand firm. James 5:7-11

Be kept blameless 1 Thess 5:23-24

Keep this command 1 Tim 6:11-14

Below, please find a chart I found that can help us :

Discovering What He has Already Given To Those Who Believe!

Lordship / Must deny self  / Luke 9:23

God’s Word  / Gives Light / Psalm 119:130

Prayer / Present your request  / Phil 4:6

God Given Gifts / Gifts, service, works / 1 Cor 12:4-11

Prompting of Holy Spirit / Good Spirit  / Pas 143:10

Godly Counsel / Listen/accept advice / Pro 19:20

Providential ways / God is at work / Rom 8:28-30

Practical Information / Acquires knowledge  / Pro 18:15

Peace  / We have confidence / 1 John 3:21

Timing  / Wait for Him  / Pas 27:14

Faith  / Trust in Him always  / Pas 37:3-7

Also, I want you to have the questions we had in the handout to help you work thru this message.  It would be grand if you could talk with someone else as you deal with the questions.  Let me know if this has ben helpful but sending an email to ICCSJAPAN@AOL.COM

Thank you.

Questions and concerns for Small Group.

Looking back over the sermon notes, what different things can you list that was brought to your attention? How has the Resurrection of Jesus effected your walk...your life? Take a look at the eight statements that follow. Ask God to make Himself that real to you this week.

1. He created me in His own image.
   
2. He knows me and calls me by name, as He did with Abraham, Moses, Gideon and others.
   
3. He has given talents and gifts to me . . . just as He has determined. I Corinthians 12:11)
   
4. He has written my name on the palm of His hand.(Isaiah 49:16)
   
5. He indwells me, since the day I invited Jesus into my life.
   
6. He tells me that I am a co-worker and joint-heir with Him.
   
7. He has a plan for my life.
   
8. He has convinced me that I MATTER TO HIM.
   

     In the Book of Exodus, we can be blessed to focus on this phrase that He spoke to Moses ... I am pleased with you, in Exodus 33:17. What an amazing phrase for Moses to hear ... really for any of us to hear. Moses’ life was far from perfect yet God was pleased with him. Ever wondered what caused God to say that? Perhaps God was pleased because Moses trusted God, as strongly stated in God’s Hall of Faith, Hebrews 11. There we read these words ... Without faith it is impossible to please God (11:6). It also says specifically that Moses...persevered because he saw Him who is invisible (11:27).
     Many of us cannot imagine that God is pleased with us. But Moses heard God tell him that . . . God was pleased with him. In the previous paragraph we learned that God is pleased with us too, as we trust Him. So add these words to your memory bank ... GOD IS PLEASED WITH ME. How does that change how I do life? How I conduct myself at work...at home...at school...here at ICCS?