Reality London Prayer Tour is under way!
The prayer blog should be updated every day or so, please check it out here and pray with us!
Reality London Prayer Tour
Reality London has a been in the works for almost 2 years beginning primarily with prayer. During this time God made it clear that Mark and Lizzie Dyrud, who were both on staff at Reality LA, were to plant a church in London. After a time raising support they moved to London in the summer of 2008 in preparation for the launch of Reality London.
For the past year they have been praying, planning and meeting with people and are now launching their first service at the end of this month. To assist in the launch of the church plant we have organized a group of 100 people (from Reality LA and Reality Carpinteria) whose primary purpose is to fly to London and pray for the city. Here is a summary of thoughts that have been shared at previous Reality prayer tour meetings.
Why a prayer tour? Quite simply, it is the way we are starting Reality London. Sharing the gospel and serving the city will be built into the “DNA” of the local church once Reality London has launched. Until then we are focusing our efforts on praying for the city.
Why take 100 people to London? We believe that going to a city, learning its history and culture, and taking in the sights and sounds, will lead us in greater and deeper prayer. As we walk the streets of London we can pray with:
Researched Insight: Examining the history and culture of this great city will fuel our prayers. For this reason, every night will consist of both Historical overviews of London and Biblical Teachings by Reality Pastors. The entire team of 100 people will be broken up into teams of 10 who will all rotate going to and praying for many districts within London. We will also be praying for the existing churches in London that they would grow, be strengthened, and continue steadfast in the faith. There are many amazing churches in this city and we are privileged to come alongside them in the great work of gospel ministry.
Responsive Insight: By observing people in the city we are motivated by Christ’s love and compassion which will lead us in prayer for them. Also, as we walk and pray with eyes open we become immersed in entire communities in which we ask God to show us the idols of the culture (every city has them). Our prayer is that the gospel will expose and destroy these idols, replacing them with the all-sufficient love of God.
Revealed Insight: As we are firmly grounded in the Word of God we believe that His Spirit will make us aware of the needs of the people around us and how to pray for and meet those needs. We will also be trusting God to lead us by His Spirit in our conversations with the people that we meet along the way. These are opportunities that only walking, observing and praying can create.
In short our goal is very simple: Intercession, Evangelism, and Advertisement. While prayer is our main objective we are also encouraging our entire team to share with anyone and everyone about Jesus as they are led while also informing those who would be interested about Reality London and their first service on Sunday Aug. 23rd. The whole trip will take place from Aug. 16th-26th.
We have created a prayer blog for this trip so that everyone can follow each team as they post photos, prayer requests and updates throughout each day. Please pray for us as we pray for London!
Euna and Laura Freed!!
They have been freed and are on route to be united with their families!! We are all so thankful for everyone who prayed, sent letters, and supported the cause in any other way through facebook, twitter, email etc. We praise God because of His faithfulness!!
Please continue to keep both women and their families in prayer during this transitional season.
Psalm 36:5 “Your love, O Lord, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies.”
Trials: God’s Approval
If your understanding of a relationship with God is “Good things happen when God is happy with me, bad things happen when He is displeased with me” then not only you will be shocked by what the Bible says about trials, but it may indicate that you have a misunderstanding of the gospel. Jesus said that trials, troubles, and tribulations (from a variety sources!) would increase for those who put their trust in Him and that far from being a proof of God’s disapproval they serve as evidence that you truly belong to Him. The gospel tells us that all of God’s disapproval and displeasure against us was placed upon His own Son at the cross of calvary so that we would now only receive the trials of grace that He allows to awaken us, test us, mature us, chasten us and shape us. (James 1:1-12, 1 Peter 4:12-13, Heb. 12:1-11)
I came across an old out-of-print book by J. Oswald Sanders entitled “Men from God’s School” and in it I found a quote that presents this truth wonderfully:
“Severe testing is not the mark of divine disapproval, rather the reverse. Only Ore which bears precious metal is subject to processing and crushing. Only alloy in which there is valuable metal is placed within the refiner’s fire. Since God has pledged Himself never to subject His children to tests beyond their ability to bear, a severe test is in reality His vote of confidence” Men from God’s School pg. 20
Jesus or Legalism?
“Any sermon that aims to apply the biblical text to the congregation and does so without making it crystal clear that it is in Christ alone and through Christ alone that the application is realized, is not a Christian sermon. It is at best an exercise in wishful and pietistic thinking. It is at worst demonic in its Christ denying legalism” Graeme Goldsworthy, Preaching the Whole Bible as Christian Scripture
Two reporters held in N. Korea
Many are aware of the fact that Laura Ling and Euna Lee have been held in N. Korea for months now but few know how to help. The Laura and Euna website has been created for this very reason. On the site you will find the latest information as well as instructions on how you can help.
Euna Lee, her husband Michael, and their 4 year old daughter have been a part of our church in LA for some time now and we are encouraging everyone to pray, write letters, sign petitions, and spread the word as much as possible. Michael will be sharing at our church services this Sunday on how we can pray and help.
Please continue to pray for their release, visit the site, and spread the word.
Here are four ways to pray:
1. Pray for peace and comfort for Laura and Euna: While we know that our government has been making efforts toward their release it is most likely that Laura Ling and Euna Lee have little or no knowledge of such efforts. Please pray for the “peace of God that surpasses human understanding” to guard their hearts (Phil. 4:7)
2. Pray that they would be released through these negotiations: Now that negotiations have begun, let us intercede for this whole process, that God would move mightily for their release.
3. Pray for the families: We can only imagine what these families are going through, may we pray that they too would be comforted by the peace of God.
4. Pray for the North Korean Leaders.
Why is there Suffering? What is the Solution?
Whether we realize it or not, everyone has a worldview that informs how they deal with suffering – in fact, it is usually in difficult times that our basic views are most clearly revealed in our lives. When pain is involved, things move quickly past the theoretical into the practical.
Since everyone experiences hardship in one way or another, it is vital for us to understand why it exists and how we should approach it. Many philosophies propose a solution to the problem of suffering, but they all break down at one point or another. When I say that the Bible contains the answers to these important questions, I do not do so lightly. This is not a matter of simply winning an argument, it is a matter of getting at the truth.
Philosophical debates over soy lattes is fun and even sometimes helpful, but at some point the problem of suffering will become extremely personal. The questions we ask will not remain in the ivory tower of theory but in the present experience of pain and loss. At the risk of oversimplifying, the Bible states that the reason there is suffering is sin (rebellion against God), and the solution is what God has done for us in the person and work of Jesus Christ. We will unpack these in a following post.
In order to get a good grasp on how the Bible answers these questions, I have found the books listed below to be extremely helpful, regardless of your background. If you had to read only one book on the subject I would recommend D.A. Carson’s “How Long O Lord?: Reflections on Suffering and Evil”.
“How Long O Lord?: Reflections on Suffering and Evil” by D.A. Carson
“The Problem of Pain” by C.S. Lewis
“A Grief Observed” by C.S. Lewis
“A Path Through Suffering: Discovering the Relationship Between God’s Mercy and Our Pain” by Elisabeth Elliot
“Comforting the Bereaved” by Warren Wiersbe
“When I don’t Desire God: How to FIght for Joy” by John Piper (or see the free PDF version of the chapter “When the Darkness Will Not Lift”)
“Spectacular Sins” by John Piper
“Spiritual Depression” by D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
“The Reason for God” by Tim Keller (or listen to the audio version of the chapter in the book on “Suffering: If God is good, why is there so much evil in the world?”)
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