No, I do not have a prophetic word to release at the beginning of this year that rhymes with 2024. Nor do I have one that involves the success or failure of high-end businessmen in national elections. Rest assured, I am very much a believer, adherent, and practitioner of the prophetic. But if there's one thing I've learned about God's timing, it's that His calendar rarely syncs up with mine. He is no respecter of persons nor of schedules. When He wants to speak or move, He is not bound to wait for the beginning of a year or the changing of a clock hand to do it. So, as I enter my first official calendar year as the lead pastor of a charismatic church, I have decided to forego the all-too-common "Here's what God is saying about 2024" blog post. Much love to those who do. I respect anyone who seeks to hear and share what the Lord is saying. Perhaps it's a mistake and I'm sacrificing internet fame in the process, but I decided instead to simply share what I'm asking for the Lord to do in His Church this year.

THE WORD

"This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of Him. "

-1 John 5:14-15

It was St. Augustine who penned the words, “Without Him we can’t. But without us He won’t.” God's vehicle for transformation in the world is His Church. It's the beauty of the bride. Christ does not need her, yet He chooses to see her as though He does. He involves Her not only in His kingdom but in the expansion of that kingdom and equips her with gifts to do it. If we're going to love Jesus with all of our hearts, we're going to have to love His bride as well.

At gatherings in our city I often remind people that there's only one Church in Fayetteville... we just meet in separate buildings at different times. God's Church is diverse and multi-faceted. So as you walk into a new year, if you set your heart to pray for nothing else, pray for God's vehicle of transformation on the earth to prosper in its time, to excel in its calling, and succeed in its mission.

I'M PRAYING FOR THE CHURCH...

1. To See Genuine Conversions

"Produce fruit in keeping with repentance." (Matthew 3:8)

When John the Baptist says these words in Matthew 3, he is baptizing a mass of people who desire to outwardly express their repentance and turning to God. But he specifically says it in the midst of a tirade against the pharisees who were coming to criticize him.

We often see the pharisees referred to as hypocrites in the gospels. In our modern vernacular, a hypocrite is what we would classify as someone who says one thing but does another. However the Hebrew understanding of the Word hypocrite was someone who would actually do the right things with the wrong motivations. The Pharisees were actually really good at keeping the law and doing the holy stuff. It wasn't their actions but rather their hearts that were wicked.

I've been in the Church long enough to see people visit altars, repeat prayers, and bow knees only to result in zero fruit in their lives. The reality is, cultural christianity exists. You can play the role of a Christian in today's modern era without ever having submitted your life to Christ. You can attend services, sing the songs, and wear the conveniently over-sized scripture hoodies that all the Gen-Zers are into these days and yet possess no genuine conversion experience.

This year I'm asking the Lord for us to see genuine conversions across the Church. Not just in the altar, but in the aisles, in the seats, in cars and living rooms... wherever people will call on Him. I'm asking for the Lord to bring in a harvest of souls who have a genuine encounter with Him apart from relying on a "weekend experience" in a Church building.

There is no greater joy than leading people to Christ in a service. However, some of the most powerful transformations I have seen in peoples' lives over the years were the result of sitting under the Word of God for a time and then surrendering their life to Him at home, in a small group, or one-on-one with someone. The how and where doesn't matter, but the authenticity does.

I'm praying the Church becomes less concerned with counting how many people repeated a prayer and more concerned with souls bearing fruit. The first step to genuine conversions is preaching the genuine gospel.

2. To Make Disciples

"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20)

Look closely at the structure of Jesus' sentence here. He says "go and make disciples" and then He proceeds to tell us how that is to be done. It's the result of first baptizing them and THEN teaching them.

Some of the most exciting services at Breezewood are our Baptism services! I love seeing people come out of the water in celebration and watching their family members beam with tears of joy. However, baptizing someone does not make them a disciple. It makes them a convert (and if we're being technical, it doesn't even do that, rather it's simply the result of their conversion, not the cause of it).

What I'm getting at is that believers are not born again just to get dunked. They're born again to be discipled and that only starts in the water.

I love the title of Walter A. Henrichsen's book: Disciples are made, not born. Don't you feel like you've just read the whole book by reading that title? It's great, I highly recommend it. It simply highlights what the gospels have been telling us for thousands of years. We are commissioned not just to preach a gospel but to slowly and strategically help others in their pursuit to become more like Christ. In doing so, we become more like Him as well.

"Teaching them to obey all that I have commanded" is what it looks like to make a disciple. How do we do that? Well we should probably start by being very familiar with all that He has commanded and attempting to live out those commands ourselves. But hear me, if you wait until you've figured them all out before intentionally discipling others, you never will.

The best way to help someone in their spiritual formation is to invite them to come alongside you in yours. I'm praying this happens all over the Church at all times. Our Pastor team is making a big push to personally disciple people in small group settings throughout this year. That decision is beginning to bleed into the culture of our church. The other night I walked through our lobby to grab something out of our cafe and noticed one of our young adults sitting with a middle schooler, reading the Bible together. Last Sunday I noticed in between our services a few young guys dipped into one of our side rooms to do a quick discipleship meeting with one of our worship leaders.

What would the Church look like if everyone became as intentional about becoming like Jesus as we were about worshipping Jesus? This year I am praying for the elevation of the average Christian. I'm praying that across the Church there would be a tangible, felt need to become more like Jesus by way of obedience to His words.

3. To Be Apostolic In Nature

"They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved." (Acts 2:42-47)

DISCLAIMER: I'm not asking for more people to put their hat in the ring to be considered for the apostle position on the church circuit. I'll save my dissertation on the fivefold leadership structure for another time, and simply say this: the Church was always meant to be apostolic in nature and to cease to be so, in many ways, could mean to cease to be the Church at all.

The word "apostle" is actually a greek military term for someone who is given commands to go and carry out instructions in another land or place. In short it means"sent one."

The reason the Romans were able to dominate the known world for centuries was their ability to send out these kinds of agents into the lands they had conquered who would then transition those places into Roman segments. They took very seriously the practice of converting a city or a kingdom to become a part of their empire.

To be apostolic in nature means the Church gives special consideration to the community that surrounds it. Every local church should see their city as their assignment. How we reach, serve, and love our cities should be at the forefront of our minds. It's through the commission of Christ that we will see our regions begin to look more like heaven if every believer will take very seriously the call to go.

4. The Presence Of God In Increasing Measure

"Jesus called His twelve disciples to Him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness." (Matthew 10:1)

I should say this is the closest I've come to a Word from the Lord for the year. I began to feel this strong in my spirit towards the end of last year and told our staff to begin praying into this. We have declared this to our people all across the church, that this year we are asking for His tangible presence like never before.

Matthew 10 was a real turning point for Jesus' disciples. It's actually the point at which they became apostles. They were no longer just following Him but were now being sent by Him. But before He launched them out in power, it says He first called them to Himself. Before the sending was the gathering.

Like an archer pulling back the bow for the arrow to rest on his chest, for just a slight moment, that arrow becomes acquainted with the heartbeat of its sender. Just as it does, it is then released in absolute power towards its intended target. This picture captures why we we gather for services and events, to encounter His Word and His presence, only to leave again to fulfill His call on our lives.

I am convinced that if we will regularly gather around the presence of God, conversions, discipleship, and empowerment will all happen naturally. His presence is His voice, His direction, His instruction, His peace... it's the very essence of God.

So, I'm asking God to interrupt our meetings this year. To enhance every gathering simply by showing up in a tangible way. We are beginning to start our staff meetings each week with prayer and worship. We're going to be starting our board meetings with prayer and worship. At the end of the day, if we all show up and He does not, we're wasting our time. So my greatest desire for the Church in 2024 is that God's presence would take His rightful place there.

Will you join me in praying for the bride this year?