Each year, students gather around their school's flag pole for SYATP - the Global Day of Student Prayer. This year, SYATP is on September 25 and we want to show the power of prayer in the Nashville community.
The following article, containing dozens of spiritual quotes by our United States Presidents, is taken from Ed Moore's book, Prayer Force One: Across America. It is presented here in order to preserve the foundations of our nation's spiritual heritage. You may order Ed Moore's book by clicking on the book at the right.
A clarion call has been made to gather the saints for a grassroots effort across the state of Tennessee. We will serve those in authority from the Courthouse to the White House. We will serve through intercession for and interaction with governmental leaders in order to impact our cities, our state and nation. We will not only minister to those in the high place, but also those in the forgotten place. We will discern the heartbeat of cities and communities from mayors and city and county officials to determine how we can best serve those in authority. May we rise up rather than fall back in this hour and walk through the gates of government to serve with the heart and mind of Christ.
Welcome to The Belonging! We are a Church that loves God and loves people. We are passionate about seeing people encounter God through worship, and experience the freedom that comes through knowing Jesus. Whoever you are, and wherever you come from, you are welcome!
The power of prayer is an incredible thing. At Philanthropy, we know that prayer is something important – but let us attempt to explain how much the Lord blesses us every day. About a year ago, Philanthropy started The Prayer Wall based on a story of a personal battle with cancer, and a mission set on our hearts from one of our customers. A random interaction turned into a very important day for all of us.The Bad News of the Gospel
Whoa! Hold on just a minute! Stop the presses! What????
The Gospel of Jesus Christ is good news, that's for sure, but that is only one side of the story.
There's bad news and then there's good news, in that order.
The bad news. . . We are all sinners.
The good news. . . Jesus Christ is our Saviour!
Christ suffered for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but he died for sinners to bring you safely home to God. 1 Peter 3:18 (NLT)
But we don’t hear much about this bad news in the church these days. We hear that God is love and that’s good and very true, but what are we? I'm not saying that we should go out and preach hell and damnation, but in order for someone to truly receive the good news about God’s love and salvation, they must first hear about their sin.
Yes, I know, the bad news is hard for us to swallow, but ignoring it will not make it go away!
Yes, the bad news of the Gospel is not popular today, but that doesn’t change its role in getting us to repentence.
Yes, eventually, every one of us, that were born into this world, even if we didn’t ask to be born into this world, will have to face the S-word, SIN, either in this life or in the life to come.
Hearing the whole, entire Gospel of Jesus Christ is the very first step in finding our Savior.
The Gospel is very clear about God’s love and the Savior of the world and yes, our sinful state as well.
But God has shown us how much he loves us—it was while we were still sinners that Christ died for us! By his blood we are now put right with God; how much more, then, will we be saved by him from God's anger! . . Sin came into the world through one man, and his sin brought death with it. As a result, death has spread to the whole human race because everyone has sinned. Romans 5:8-12 (GNT)
We do not want to die in our sins. Jesus told us how to avoid that.
And he said unto them, Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world. I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins. John 8:23-24
We must believe on Jesus Christ, not on us. We must believe on His good, not our good!
So, when did this dreadful thing called sin begin? In the beginning. For in the beginning, everything God made or willed to be, was very good, then the man and women He created, did something that wasn’t good. They went against the one rule, that we know about, that God had given them. Read Genesis 1-2
And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. Genesis 2:16-17
And so the plight of sin began.
You might say, there’s no way that tree story really happened! Well, a lot of people try to brush the account of Adam and Eve and sin aside. If we don’t believe in sin, we cannot believe in salvation and it’s as simple as that. And just in case you’re one of the ones that don’t believe in the Adam and Eve and sin account, if you believe in Jesus, you must believe in them, for He spoke of them.
Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?. Matthew 19:4-6
So, we could say that sin is breaking a rule. . . a God rule; a good rule. All of us know that if we break good rules down here, there are consequences. If we drink too much, we’re disobeying a good rule of health and could be sentenced to heartache, sickness or even death. If we steal, we’re disobeying a good rule of honesty, and we could be sentenced to jail.
We were born into this world, as descendants of Adam, we need salvation so we can be born of God.
. . . Ye must be born again. John 3:7
These days, we are told we can do just about anything and that it’s okay, God is love after all. We love our kids, do we let them do anything they want to do? No.
Yes, it’s a gray world out there today folks. More and more, we are getting away from that sin word, in fact, if we mention sin, or that something is evil or immoral, we will probably be considered ignorant or even worse, a hater. Now isn’t it just like the hater of men’s souls to use hate to hinder people from getting saved? The enemy is subtle in how he gets us to sin people! He can make sin look honorable, or even. . .popular!
Some people will follow anything to get followers.
The best thing for us to do is FOLLOW JESUS.
People may think they are good, but most people would never consider themselves, holy. So, what is holy? God is holy. I think one way to describe holy is. . . PURE GOOD!
Even before the world was made, God had already chosen us to be his through our union with Christ, so that we would be holy and without fault before him. Because of his love God had already decided that through Jesus Christ he would make us his children—this was his pleasure and purpose. . . Ephesians 1:4-8 (GNT)
When we are related to someone, we could say that they are our flesh and blood. Like I said, we were born into this world with flesh and blood (life) that is not holy. Jesus Christ came to give us flesh and blood (Life) that is holy. . .His and the Father’s! In Jesus Christ, we are made relatives of God! God’s children!
Jesus said,
. . . Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. . . . .Read John 6
Choosing Jesus Christ is choosing life. He is life.
Now before salvation, there must be submission. Another S-word the world does not like. Submission is a precondition to salvation.
People do not like the sin or the submission word because of pride. To be saved we must,
- submit to the truth of the Gospel with our hearts
- admit the truth of the Gospel with our mouths
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. Romans 10:9-10 Jesus Christ is the good news of the Gospel.
Now, let’s look at 2 kinds of prayers from 2 very different people. One is proud, the other one is humble.
The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself. . .
God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.
The Pharisee is basically confessing that he is not a sinner.
The publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying. . .
God be merciful to me a sinner.
The publican admits he is a sinner.
Jesus said the publican went down to his house justified rather than the Pharisee
Luke 18:10-14
Salvation is the work of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
It was not because of any good deeds that we ourselves had done, but because of his own mercy that he saved us, through the Holy Spirit, who gives us new birth and new life by washing us. God poured out the Holy Spirit abundantly on us through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that by his grace we might be put right with God and come into possession of the eternal life we hope for. This is a true saying. Titus 3:4-8 (GNT)
And Jesus told His disciples. . .All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
Go ye therefore, and
- teach all nations,
- baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost
- Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you
And, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen. Matthew 28:18-20
Prayer
I believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I am a sinner in need of a Savior. I believe Jesus Christ came into this world to save sinners, like me. I believe Jesus Christ died on the cross for my sins and that God, You raised Him from the dead so that I would not perish but have everlasting life. I repent of my sins, and ask for Your forgiveness. I now turn my life over to you God. Thank you for cleansing my heart, and receiving me as Your own. I pray that Your Holy Spirit walk beside me and help me walk out this new life faithfully as a brand new, beloved child of a loving, heavenly Father. In the Name of Jesus Christ I pray, amen.
Mark 1:15, John 3:16, 1 John 1:9, Romans 6:4, 10:9-10