I believe that no revival happens without being preceded by a season of prayer. Revival is what this Bootcamp and my passion for Community Culture is all about! When I began to write about Church, Community, and Culture, I intended to write resources to help people to engage in worship in a deeper way. What tumbled out of my heart instead was a passion to worship with people and to feel connected to them.
I have been to many wonderful worship conferences. They all left me with a sense of longing for deeper worship in my church. I want to see my people on fire for God, holding nothing back in their worship of our King! Growing my sense of community with them is the first step, but it is not the only step. There is so much more that God wants to do with my church once we have established a healthy expectation for Biblical community in our congregation.
What is your dream for your church? Do you have one? Most people I talk to are attending their church because they:
- Like the preaching
- Their kids like the kid’s ministry
- That’s all the reasons….
Matthew 16:18 says, “And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock, I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
Have you ever considered the implications of this verse? So often we think about the church as a defense against the darkness of the world. We are a shield, slowly taking damage from the fiery darts of the enemy as we wait for Jesus to return and to rescue us all. However, that is not the picture that this verse paints. According to this verse, the church is not on the defense, but on the offense.
Can you picture yourself storming the gates of Hell??! Better yet, can you picture yourself storming the gates of Hell while standing next to the person who sat next to you in church this past Sunday? Do you trust them to have your back if things go sideways? Are you willing to take an arrow for them? Could you trust them to hear you in the chaos of a battle?
When I say today’s assignment is for you to pray for your church, that is what I mean. I don’t mean for you to ask God simply to “Be with” your church, but that He would empower and equip your church for the task at hand. Pray fervently for them today.
Jason Hundley 