Prayer-The Place Where Sincerity And Vulnerability Bring Inner Transformation
Pastor Ryan Brown

Listen to Sermon: Prayer- The Place Where Sincerity And Vulnerability Bring Inner Transformation

Join us in praying for God to awaken our community…..

1. Pray that the Spirit would anoint his church with a fresh boldness in evangelism. No fear, genuine love and compassion, eyes to see the need around, ears that hear the cry of the poor/ widow/ orphan, and feet that are swift to step out and go as God leads.

2. Pray that the generational cycle of poverty would be broken in the lives of people.

3. Ask God to give his church Kingdom imagination. Creativity and ministry ideas that are fresh, have community impact and bring about salvation.

4. Pray that God would increase our compassion and deepen our love for one another and our community.

5. Ask God to give wisdom to those who are stuck in a violent lifestyle in our region.

6. We need the Holy Spirit to restore and give a godly work ethic that is biblical and is based on wisdom, grace, and integrity.

7. Pray that the strongholds of alcohol, drugs, pornography, witch-craft, prescription drugs, abuse, homosexuality, and racism would be torn down as we pray.

Let me start off this morning by saying that if you missed our time of worship and prayer last night in the Theatre- I am sorry that you missed it. No sarcasm or right jab intended. It was an absolutely beautiful time of worship before the Lord and sweet time of prayer. Did mountains move and skies fall? I don’t know. Did family members get healed immediately? Again I don’t know.

What I do know is that God was there and he moved among us by His Spirit! We sang, we prayed, we laid hands on one another- it was all about God and him being lifted up and worshipped. At one point during our time I knelt down on my knees to pray over the leg of one of our NLC family members. As I was at his feet, touching them and praying over him I was instantly taken to the time when Mary burst into the room with an expensive jar of perfume and did the unthinkable- she broke it and poured it over the feet of her Savior. She then began to wipe Jesus’ feet with her hair. HUMILITY all over the room! She unveiled herself before Jesus and everyone else in the room, it wasn’t a show- it was worship. As I was on my knees praying, crying out for healing I realized that while I started on my knees pleading I ended my time just worshiping.

Being in the presence of God and people who are seeking his face changes things. It becomes less about what I need God to do, and more about just wanting more of him. The place of prayer is a place of seeking more of God. The longer I prayed the more I was willing to just wait on him. No agenda, no sense of time or expectation of having everything now. As we worshipped I came to realize in an even deeper way the reality and truth of eternity. My waiting 10 years for something to be realized by God through prayer is only moments in God’s timing. As I prayed and sought God- as my worship deepened and He became my agenda my willingness to wait and trust grew.

I don’t know what is going on in your life right now. It may be that you are going through one of the roughest times you could imagine. Can I make a suggestion…. get down on you knees…. pour out your heart to him…. soak in his presence and let him love on you!

Learning,

Pastor Ryan

Check out the Praying Together Page for updated prayer items.

There is absolutely nothing like being able to celebrate good news with someone who receives it. I was on the phone with one of our NLC family members who received long awaited good news tonight. I almost lost it when he told me! We’ve been waiting for and pursuing this for a few years now, and it finally came. The interesting thing about good news is that it removes hopelessness. His entire tone and personality changed from hearing the good news. He left doom and gloom and experienced relief and peace for the first time in a long time!

This experience reminds me that we have the best news ever! The GOSPEL is the story of our being saved and set free from a hopeless situation. It is the story of our restoration, redemption and renewal. The good news of Jesus changes everything for someone who will listen, and then believe. The GOSPEL is my story, it is your story and our mission must be to see it become the story of our neighbors, friends, and family members who haven’t heard it yet.

Take some time with me right now to pray for several people who have yet to hear and believe that Jesus changes everything!

Celebrating,

Pastor Ryan

Prayer-The Place Where We Can Make A Difference
Pastor Ryan Brown

Listen to Sermon: Prayer- The Place Where We Can Make A Difference

Prayer-The Place Where Humility and Dependency Bring Healing
Pastor Ryan Brown

Listen to Sermon: Prayer- The Place Where Humility and Dependency Bring Healing

For those of you who have been following my daily (almost daily) blogs, yesterday was… well…a tough day to say the least! This morning I had another one of our NLC family members come in to let me know that her boyfriend (a new NLC friend too!) was picked up on a bench warrant. I’m frustrated, but not as worked up as yesterday.

If you struggle to know why prayer is absolutely essential you need to spend a day with us in the Church Office. The “Hub” as we are now calling it- seems to be an emergency room. NLC’s vision is to be a family living out the acceptance, healing and hope of Jesus each and every day. Well it is happening for a number of us! My question is whether or not it is happening in your life? Be honest. Are you living out the acceptance of Jesus? Are you taking every opportunity possible to pray for healing? Are you sharing the hope that you have in Jesus?

We’ve become a culture of Christians that are relying on traditions of the past and “church” structures to do the work for us. God doesn’t use programs- he uses people! It is not about methodology (it can help), but more importantly it is about our depth of relationship with Jesus.

I wonder what Jesus felt as he spent time with prostitutes, homeless men and women, addicts, and watched some of them continue to spin their wheels and walk away? I bet that is what caused him to weep. I know that he got angry with the religious bench boys- but I think he cried about the ones who were so broken that they couldn’t stand on their own.

I love Jesus so much! I want to love just like him!

Growing in love today,

Ryan

Zambia:

Praise God for the five individuals who were baptized recently and became members of the new church plant in the Western Province town of Mongu.  Pray for Pastor Ephraim Mweene as he leads this congregation which is far from the mainstream of the Brethren in Christ work in Zambia.
 

Worldwide:

Ramadan, the Islamic month of fasting, begins today.  As many Muslims in London and around the world become more religiously focused during this time, pray that they would encounter the True and Living God.

Colombia:

Praise the Lord that a BIC church has been planted near the city of San Jose by Nicaraguans who migrated to Costa Rica for better employment.  Pray for God’s guidance for Nicaraguan church leaders as they target another area in Costa Rica for a second church plant in 2010.