A Reason for Being There.

We are living in the greatest time in history for His Church! Travel has made it possible to reach the most remote areas of the world. From one to four adults are watching Christian TV and untold thousands have been moved to accept Christ! George Barna says it is possible that the internet will be the church of the future. It appears that we have finally been able to reach our world with the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ so that most of the people in our cities are getting saved. True? FALSE!

There are more disfunctional families today than ever before and some of them are in our churches. We prayed for years that the Holy Spirit would reach the backsliders and bring them back to the Lord, and they are coming but only after their lives have been broken or messed up. When they returned they thought they would be welcomed by the same warm church family they left behind. But in the meantime the praying people they once knew moved away or went Home to be with the Lord. New believers replacing them in the church didn't know what to do, assumed someone else would take care of the need or were not prepared/taught, so the hurting, wounded restored believer slowly left the church again, marking time and wondering what to do next.

Several years ago, a beautiful young woman in England who grew up in a Full Gospel church and had a glowing personal testimony, left her church against the pleading and counsel of her pastor. She wanted to try the luring calls of the night life and planned to return to the church at a later day. After much prayer by her mother and the church prayer group nearly eight months later, she did return and was eventually restored to the Lord again; however, her life was so changed that people in her home church did not welcome her. The Mother and daughter visited other churches in their city and nearby towns but the daughter was not welcomed at those churches either. The Mother wrote to Dr. David Yonggi Cho of the Yoido Full Gospel (Assembly of God) Church in Seoul, Korea asking him to pray that they could find a church that would welcome and help her to feel accepted. I was still working with Dr. and Mrs. Cho in Korea at that time and I received that letter. As I read it, I felt the pain of that Mother's heart. We prayed and sent the letter to Prayer Mountain where hundreds of Korean Christians meet for prayer every day. Several months later Dr. Cho received a second letter from the Mother thanking him for praying. They found a Holy Spirit filled church with Holy Spirit filled people who loved the daughter all the way back to wholeness and she was living a victorious life again!

Though the people of Dr. Cho's church did not know the young woman, they rejoiced with the Mother because many of them had experienced the same pain with their own daughters. As I observed the Koreans' response, I saw it was those who lived the Spirit filled life daily, who had the powerful prayer life, bathed with compassion, that made the difference in completing the unfinished areas of restoration for the young woman.

The body of Christ needs to look again through the eyes of the Holy Spirit and remember that Jesus loves the sinner! He never changed! The Word of God reminds us, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever!" It is the churches whose prayer groups exemplify the work and ministry of the Holy Spirit like the one in England, that have the power and anointing of the Holy Spirit to help the backsliders, the broken and the wounded to be fully restored.

The Holy Spirit will give to and work through every Christian who deeply desires this power in his life. There are so many people who are still broken and struggling. Have we as a body of believers fully obeyed the Word, "God was in Christ,reconciling the world unto Himself.....and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation?" (2 Corinthians 5;19.) I believe there is a need for us to reconcile men and women to Christ whenever a needy person crosses our path. This is our reason for being here. This kind of preparation comes through faithful prayer.Do you believe it?

Joseph was a stranger in the vile land of Egypt, but God wanted him there to save His people.
Esther was a queen in a land that hated the Jews, but God wanted her there to save His people.
Daniel was jailed in a den of vicious lions, but God wanted him there for a testimony.
Jonah groaned in a watery grave inside a great fish, but God wanted him there to learn a lesson.
Paul and Silas suffered in a prison, but God wanted them there to lead a soul to Christ.
Peter also lay in prison, but God wanted him there to show God's power in answering prayer.
John was isolated on a lonely, rocky island, but God wanted him there to write the Revelation of Christ.

Why does God have YOU where you are today?

(If these entries are meaningful to you, feel free to share them with others.)