2008 Year of Repentance Contents:
2008 A YEAR OF REPENTANCE NO 7 IN A SERIES - LUKEWARMNESS
“Then He (Jesus) began to reproach the cities in which most of His miracles were done, because they did not repent.” Matthew 11:20
“Break up your fallow ground for it is time to seek the Lord.” Hosea 10:12
Fallow ground is ground that has been left untilled and unsown for a season. To break up the fallow ground in our lives is to bring the mind into such a place where it is fit to receive the Word of God. The Word of God, like a hammer, smashes through the lies we have believed about ourselves and others, and confronts us with the truth of our sin and lack of intimacy with Jesus.
The deepest desire of God’s heart is to have communion with us, His children. He is a God of relationship. God has continually offered Himself to His people and we have continually broken His heart by refusing Him and choosing instead to live like the world around us. Jesus came to bring us His life – in the entirety of its fullness – abundant life.
Today, many of us, would rather our leaders seek the Lord for us instead of spending time with our Father, studying his Word. Like the Israelites before us, we find God’s presence is withdrawn from us as we are drawn more to the world.
Lukewarmness“The gospel is not an old, old story, freshly told. It is a fire in the Spirit, fed by the flame of Immortal Love; and woe unto us, if, through our negligence to stir up the Gift of God which is within us, that fire burns low.” – Dr R. Moffat Gautrey p62 Why Revival Tarries by Leonard Ravenhill
Take a Closer Look
Am I consciously or unconsciously creating the impression that I am better than I am? In other words, am I a hypocrite?
Did the Bible live in me today?
Do I give it time to speak to me everyday?
Am I enjoying prayer?
What do you need to ask the Spirit of God to reveal to you that you have not yet understood? Rev 3:15-17 “I know everything you have done, and you are not cold or hot. I wish you were either one or the other. But since you are lukewarm and neither cold nor hot, I will spit you out of my mouth. You claim to be rich and successful and to have everything you need. But you don’t know how badly off you are. You are pitiful, poor, blind, and naked.”
Matt 24:12 “And because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold.”
Matt 7:26 “And everyone who hears these words of mine, and does not act upon them, will be like a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand.”
James 4:17 “There fore, to one who knows the right thing to do., and does not do it, to him it is sin.”
Rev 3:19, 22 “I correct and punish everyone I love. So make up your minds to turn away from your sins. If you have ears, listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.” He Promises Acts 28:27
“For the heart of this people has become dull, and with their ears they scarcely hear, and they have closed their eyes; lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart and return, and I should heal them.”
Need Help In This Area? Suggested Resources –
Your Bible – start in the Gospel of John and re-discover God’s love for you! The Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan. There are now easy to read versions available. Also, for a quicker read, look out for the children’s version of the story – Dangerous Journey.
Why Revival Tarries by Leonard Ravenhill. A classic on Revival. Weary Warriors Fainting Saints by Joyce Meyer The Heavenly Man by Paul Hattaway. The true story of Chinese Brother Yun.
2008 A YEAR OF REPENTANCE NO 6 - NOT CARING FOR THE POOR Our Invitation “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: To loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter – when you see the naked to cloth him and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? Isaiah 58: 6-7
Take a Closer Look – Not caring for the Poor
‘Evangelism has to be concerned not about saving souls but about saving people in their wholeness. I would go as far as to say that a born-again Christian without a social conscience is a menace” Sir Alan Walker
“The biblical word is clear; we cannot seek our own salvation without seeking that of our neighbor, and we cannot minister to the anguish of our neighbor’s soul without ministering to the anguish of our neighbor’s body” Birch & Rasmussen; Predicament of the Prosperous
“Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in a final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, from those who are cold and are not clothed” President Eisenhower
“It is because of this hardhearted human tendency to disdain distributive justice that God’s justice functions primarily on behalf of the disadvantaged. God calls humans to preserve and protect the rights of all. But if we forsake the needy, they will not remain forsaken. God will execute justice for them by cutting down the wealthy and bringing about redress. We see this bias toward the disadvantaged in the beatitudes of Jesus.” Bruland & Mott; A Passion for Jesus
· Have I shut my ears to the cry of the poor?
· Have I understood God’s heart for the poor?
· Am I hardhearted and tightfisted?
· Do I content for the poor?
· Have I ministered to “the least of these’?
· Have I walked past those in need?
Psalm 82:3
Defend the cause of the weak and the fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed.
Proverbs 21:13
If a man shuts his ear to the cry of the poor, he too will cry out and not be answered.
Deuteronomy 15: 7
If there is a poor man among your brothers… do not be hard-hearted or tight-fisted towards your poor brother.
Proverbs 19: 17
He who is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward him for what he has done.
Matthew 25:40
The King will reply, I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine you did for me
He Promises –
If you spend yourselves on behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness….. you will be like a well-watered garden…. Isaiah 58:10-11
Need Help? Suggested Resources… "God's Plan for Your Money." Derek Prince “Snakes in the Temple” by David Orton “Disciples Living in a Broken World” Bible Study Series – Four books for people who want to explore what the Bible says about such themes as wealth, poverty, compassion… & Christian responsibility (Money & Mercy; God, Justice & Power; God’s Economics; Poverty, War & Peace. Published jointly by Scripture Union & Tear Australia. 1989. Excellent Website - www.micahchallenge.org.au Resources for churches – see www.tear.org.au/resources Bono Article www.ausprayernet.org.au see Feature Articles (Titled –“Bono speaks out on Religion, Poverty & Justice”) Source: Australian Prayer Network (Top)
2008 A YEAR OF REPENTANCERepentance It has become a cliche to say that repentance is not just feeling sorry. Real repentance…begins when we realise the consequences for God (and his Son); this is that godly sorrow which does not of itself constitute repentance, but which can lead to it (2 Cor 7:9). Light dawns when we realise we have sinned against heaven, as well as against others, and in a sense, against ourselves (Luke 15:18,21). Only then are we able to grasp that we have defied God’s authority, broken his laws, polluted his creation, spoiled his pleasure, provoked his anger and deserved his judgement. pp22-23 The Normal Christian Birth, by David Pawson. Published by Hodder & Stoughton. 1989
Our Invitation But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that He will not hear. Isaiah 59:2
Take a Closer Look In Greek society abortion was widely practiced. Both mechanical and chemical means were available from early times, and unwanted pregnancies were evidently ended by rich and poor alike, for many of the same social reasons as govern abortion today. The subject was evidently controversial, in that the famous Hippocratic oath made physicians swear to refrain from abortion…A similar situation prevailed in Rome. Cameron & Sims, Abortion: the crisis in morals & medicine, p25
For the whole of Christian history until appreciably after 1900, so far as we can trace it, there was virtually complete unanimity amongst Christians, evangelical, catholic, orthodox…that, unless at the direct command of God, it was in all cases wrong directly to take innocent human life. David Braine, Medical Ethics and human Life, p11
Today, a majority of Australians agree with a woman’s right to choose. In 1990, an estimated 23 per cent of all known pregnancies in Australia were terminated. This makes abortion one of the most common surgical procedures in the country, with around 80,000 women undergoing abortion every year. Our current ratio of one abortion in every four pregnancies is an improvement over the estimated one in three recorded in Australia in the 1930s. Recent statistics are difficult to obtain for various reasons. Abortion methods include contraceptive methods that interrupt a pregnancy, such as the morning after pill (RU486); vacuum aspiration for first trimester and for 2nd trimester the D&X procedure – Dilatation & Extraction but better known as Partial Birth Abortion. And of course, there are cruder ‘home’ variations that have been used in the past – eg binding the body tightly around the womb, striking the womb, the use of needles or oral drugs, many mixed with alcohol.
To whom have you shown God’s love this past week?
What area of your life do you feel that God most wants to change?
When did I last pray for those in the medical profession?
What is God teaching you?
What is God telling me to do?
Gen 9:5-6 5 I will demand blood for life. I will demand the life of any animal that kills a person, and I will demand the life of anyone who takes another person’s life.
6 Whoever kills a human being will be killed by a human being, because God made humans in his own image.
Psalm 127:3 3 Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him.
Psalm 139:13-16 13 You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. 14 Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—and how well I know it. 15 You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. 16 You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.
Exodus 20:13 13 You shall not murder.
Matt 10:21 21 Brother will betray brother to death, fathers will betray their own children, and children will rise against their parents and cause them to be killed. Luke 1:41,44 41 At the sound of Mary’s greeting, Elizabeth’s child leaped within her, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.44 When you came in and greeted me, my baby jumped for joy the instant I heard your voice! He Promises There will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents, than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance. Luke 15:7
Need Help? Resources include:- http://www.survivorsofabortion.org.au/ Testimonies & support http://www.karinyahouse.asn.au/ Karinya House is an ACT based community, non-denominational organisation. They offer a secure and caring environment for women who are pregnant and without appropriate support and accommodation http://www.health.gov.au/ National Pregnancy hotline List of some pro-life organizations and websites in Australia:
Australian Council of Natural Family Planning
http://www.acnfp.com.au/
Australian Family Association
http://www.family.org.au/ Australian Federation of Right to Life Associations
http://www.righttolife.asn.au/ Pregnancy Counselling Australia
http://www.pregnancycounselling.com.au/ Pregnancy Help Australia, Pregnancy Support
http://www.pregnancysupport.com.au/
Right to Life Australia
http://www.rtlaust.com/
Women's Forum Australia
http://www.womensforumaustralia.com/ Source: Australian Prayer Network
2008 A YEAR OF REPENTANCEOur Invitation
"Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, each according to his conduct,' declares the Lord God. 'Repent and turn from all your transgressions, so that iniquity may not become a stumbling block to you. Cast away from you all your transgressions which you have committed, and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! Why will you die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone who dies,' declares the Lord God. 'Therefore, repent and live." Ezek 18:30-32
Take a Closer Look - Broken Promises
Life cannot be divided into compartments - those where God is involved and those where He is not. There is not one language for church and another for the workplace. God is involved in all our activities and speech. He hears every word we utter, whether it is addressed to Him or not. Our words and our lives should be consistent, whether we are in church or out of church. We cannot bring God into our transactions any more than we can keep Him out. All promises are sacred since they are all made in the presence of God.
"Jesus tells his disciples simply to speak the truth on every occasion. We are to cut out all finger crossing: yes must be yes and no must be no. To add anything else is unnecessary. We should be people who keep our word. Jesus said, 'I am the .truth' (John 14:6).
Christians should be known for their truthfulness, reliability and trustworthiness in their homes, personal relationships and work." From Chap 7- How to Live & Act With Integrity, Challenging Lifestyle by Nicky Gumbel
Am I honest in all my acts and words, or do I exaggerate?
In what ways have I not told the truth this week?
In what ways have I not completed the responsibilities I committed to do?
What have I held back from God that I need to surrender?
Have I shown integrity in all my business dealings?
Do I honour all contracts entered into - eg lay-by purchases, car or house
repayments, loan agreements?
Matthew 5:33-37
"You have also heard that people were told in the past, 'Do not break your promise, but do what you have vowed to the Lord to do.' But now I tell you: do not use any vow when you make a promise..Just say 'Yes' or 'No' - anything else you say comes from the Evil One."
Numbers 30:2
"When a man makes a vow to give something to the Lord or takes an oath to abstain from something, he must not break his promise, but must do everything he said he would."
Leviticus 19:11-12
"Do not steal. Do not lie. Do not deceive one another. Do not swear falsely by my name and so profane the name of your God. I am the Lord."
Ecclesiastes 5:4-5
"When you make a vow to God, do not delay in fulfilling it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfil your vow. It is better not to vow than to make a vow and not fulfil it."
He Promises -
"Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; be zealous, therefore, and repent." Rev 3:9
Need Help?
Suggested Resources -
"Challenging Lifestyle" by Nicky Gumbel Source: Australian Prayer Network (Top)
Our Invitation
"Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return to the Lord, & He will have compassion on him; & to our God, for He will abundantly pardon." Isaiah 55:7
Take a Closer Look - PORNOGRAPHY
Five Myths- * It's just harmless fun. ("I'm not hurting anyone.")
* It only affects me.
* I can control it.
* Prayer will rid me of it. ("Breaking free is God's responsibility, not mine.")
* I will never again be clean enough to be used by God.
A growing number of Christians struggle with pornography. The fear of being caught visiting an adult bookstore or an X-rated movie used to keep many men from becoming involved in pornography. With the prevalence and easy access of videos and Web sites, men can now indulge their lusts without ever leaving home.
Pornography is impacting society and changing our values. It subtly affects the way we view others, distorting our view and undermining our capacity for healthy relationships. Repeated exposure leads to sexual addiction. Research shows, "heavy consumption of common forms of pornography fosters an appetite for stronger materials". What was considered "hard-core" in the past has become soft-core in the present.
Pornography: Impacting Your Family
"The results are clear and consistent; exposure to pornographic material puts one at increased risk for
[1] developing sexually deviant tendencies,
[2] committing sexual offences,
[3] experiencing difficulties in one's intimate relationships, and
[4] accepting the rape myth.
This epidemic isn't confined to individuals, however. Pornography is one of the leading causes of family breakdown today.
Two-thirds of the divorce lawyers attending a 2002 meeting of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers said excessive interest in online porn contributed to more than half of the divorces they handled that year. They also said pornography had an almost non-existent role in divorce just seven or eight years earlier.
A recent poll conducted by the above organisation found that 50 percent of more than 50,000 respondents had been negatively affected by pornography.
This devastation isn't confined to adults either. The US Justice Department estimates that nine of 10 children between the ages of 8 and 16 have been exposed to pornography online. Software company Symantec found that 47 percent of school-age children receive pornographic spam on a daily basis, and representatives from the pornography industry told Congress' COPA Commission that as much as 20 to 30 percent of the traffic to some pornographic Web sites was initiated by children.
How do I spend my spare time? What temptations have I met with? How was I delivered? Have I exposed myself to any sexually explicit material? Am I defeated in this part of my life? What is God telling me to do?
2 Tim 2: 21-22 "Therefore, if a man(or woman) cleanses himself from these things, he/she will be a vessel for honour, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work. Now, flee from youthful lusts, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart."
Romans 8:6 "For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace."
Psalm 119:9-11 "How can a young man/woman keep his/her way pure? By obeying your commands. With all my heart I try to serve You; keep me from disobeying Your commandments. I keep Your law in my heart, so that I will not sin against you."
He Promises -
"If then you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God..." Col 3:1-3
Need Help?
Resources include:-
http://www.xxxchurch.com/ on-line accountability for men.
http://www.pureonline.com/ resources, articles and online individual workshops
http://www.careforcelifekeys.org/ A 10 session study & devotional designed to 'fortify and restore the moral & spiritual integrity of men.'
http://www.netalert.gov.au/ For free internet filter from Australian Government. Source: Australian Prayer Network (Top)
Our Invitation “Repent therefore and return, that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.” Acts 3:19
Take a Closer Look – Greed Definition – an eager and selfish desire or hunger – greedy – having a keen desire for food, drink, wealth etc.; ravenous; covetousness. (Collins English Dictionary) Do I pray about the money I spend? Am I a slave of the latest… fashion in clothes, homes, coffees, cars, boats, technology? Do any of my financial dealings lack integrity? Do I find joy in giving to others who are not as well off? Have I been a faithful steward of all the Lord has given to me? Are my appetites for ‘more’ out of control?
Haggai 1:6-7 “You have sown much, but harvest little; you eat, but there is not enough to be satisfied; you drink, but there is not enough to become drunk; you put on clothing, but no one is warm enough; and he who earns, earns wages to put into a purse with holes. Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘Consider your ways!’”
Luke 16:10-13 “He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous in much. If therefore you have not been faithful in the use of unrighteous mammon (riches), who will entrust the true riches to you? And if you have not been faithful in the use of that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own? No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one, and love the other, or else he will hold to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon (riches).
Mark 8:36-37 “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul? For what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?”
Matthew 6:19-21 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves brake in and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasure in heaven, … for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”
He Promises – Matthew 10:42 “And whoever … gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water to drink, truly I say to you he shall not lose his reward.”
Need Help? Suggested Resources – "God's Plan for Your Money." Derek Prince “Snakes in the Temple” by David Orton “Disciples Living in a Broken World” Bible Study Series – Four books for people who want to explore what the Bible says about such themes as wealth, poverty, compassion… & Christian responsibility (Money & Mercy; God, Justice & Power; God’s Economics; Poverty, War & Peace. Published jointly by Scripture Union & Tear Australia. 1989. Excellent Site - www.micahchallenge.org.au Resources for churches – see www.tear.org.au/resources Bono Article www.ausprayernet.org.au see Feature Articles (Titled –“Bono speaks out on Religion, Poverty & Justice”) Source: Australian Prayer Network (Top)
No 1 IN A SERIES
WHAT IS REPENTANCE “Repentance is not just being sorry for something you’ve done, or sorrowful over a situation. It’s changing your mind. It’s changing your will. It’s changing your direction. It’s choosing God and His way. It is a return to obedience.
When you repent, you not only ask for forgiveness, but you put away from yourself that which displeases God. It includes submitting to doing something God has asked you to do. It’s turning from the direction you’ve been going, and turning to the direction God’s told you to go.” Pursuit of His Presence, K & G Copeland.
Our Invitation
In Luke 15:11-32, Jesus maps out for us a number of steps involved in the repentance process–
In this story (the Prodigal Son), a young man turns his back on family, home, and responsibilities to explore life ‘in the fast lane’. When all his money is gone a process of change of heart begins.
He comes to his senses. (verse 17)
Acknowledges & confesses his sin (verses 18,21)
Returns home to his Father (verse 20)
Restored again as a son (verses 22-24)
We, too, need this on-going work of change in each of our lives. Many of us have known the work of the Spirit in bringing us to our senses and the joy of restored relationship with our Heavenly Father. We invite you to continue this process. Allow the Word of God to light up areas of your life that are sin. Spend time in confession. Determine to change your direction and return to the Father. He is watching and waiting for us.
THE SIN OF DISUNITY
“How can we expect the world to hear our message of love when we, as Christ's body, fail to love each other? We have no right to condemn the world for its pride and arrogance when we, the body of Christ, still refuse to humble ourselves and work with the other churches in our neighbourhoods…”
“…Jesus Himself wept over the divisions of Jerusalem, lamenting, "How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling" (Matt 23:37). This mourning concerning the dis-unified condition of the Father's house ought to be in our hearts as well. Yet, for most of us, not only have we failed to mourn our situation, we have not even grasped that our disunity, jealousy and strife is a fallen state!”
Francis Frangipane
Take a Closer Look –
Is there anyone whom I fear, dislike, disown, criticise, hold resentment to or disregard? If so, what will I do about it?
Do I express a forgiving attitude toward others?
Do I pray for Christian friends?
Do I pray for the other churches in my community to bless them?
How do I speak of other churches & their leaders? Do I view them as ‘family’ or ‘the competition’?
John 15:12-3
“This I commandment you, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.”
1 Corinthians 1:10
“Now, I exhort you brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree, and there be no divisions among you, but you be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgement.”
He Promises –
“Behold, how good and pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity! It is like precious oil upon the head, coming down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard, coming down upon the edges of his robes… For there the Lord commanded the blessing – life forever.” Ps 133:1-3
Need Help In This Area?
Suggested Resources –
Total Forgiveness by R.T. Kendall; ISBN-10:034075639X Publisher – Hodder & Stoughton.
Choosing Forgiveness by John & Paula Sandford & Lee Bowman. ISBN 0-9637741-1-5 www.clear-stream.com
Transformations – a documentary. Video produced by The Sentinel Group
The Bait of Satan by John Bevere Publisher – Charisma House
John Bevere's "Trembling at His Word". DVD
Louie Giglio DVD's "Indescribable" and "How Great is our God". Source: Australian Prayer Network (Top)
We still regularly receive emails from members in rural and regional Australia pleading that we dismiss media publicity that the drought has broken. For some 50% of Australians on the land that is far from the case, particularly in southern Australia. Farmers have asked that we not forget them and to keep them in our prayers on an ongoing basis. Farmers suiciding is still reported as occurring in some areas.
It is true that we have come a long way in the past 12 months and recent heavy rains and subsequent floods in much of Queensland has captured the headlines and given the impression that the drought is finally over. The reality however is that many parts of Australia have had below average rainfall again over the past month.
Our readers will recall that in late 2006 the Australian Prayer Network asked intercessors to "seek the face of God" as to what was needed to break the drought. The very clear answer that came back was "repentance". The National Solemn Assembly, which preceded major rainfall mid last year was based exclusively on repenting of the sins God had spoken during the season of "seeking His face" as being an offence to Him. Since then tens of thousands of Australian's have continued to pray into those issues including a further season of 21 days of repentance by our Aboriginal brothers and sisters in October.
Whilst recognising the faithfulness of God in sending the rain He has over the past 12 months the Australian Prayer Network believes He has an even deeper work to do in His people before a full breakthrough occurs and has therefore decided to continue with the theme of repentance throughout 2008 until the drought is fully broken in all parts of Australia and we see the spiritual breakthrough that we believe will accompany the final breaking of the physical drought. We invite all readers, whether you are in a drought affected area or not, to join us as we seek this final breakthrough for all in our nation.
Each fortnight throughout 2008 we will issue a challenge to our readers to give serious consideration to, and to deal with, the specific areas of sin that may be affecting our own walk with Him as well as the corporate life of His Church at this time. This week we start with the issue of "Disunity".
Our thanks go to Kathy Bolte from Townsville who has committed to prepare each fortnights material for your prayerful consideration.
Brian Pickering
National Coordinator
Australian Prayer Network(Top)
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