London Prayer Tour: Team Terry/Potter Final Prayer
Thank you so much for praying with and for us. We were blessed to see God move mightily on this trip – not only in the city of London, but in each of us. By the time you read this we will be safely back in Los Angeles by the grace of God. To cap off our trip, we wanted to leave you all with a few thoughts and burdens God impressed us with.
Nathan – Ephesians 2:14-21 was impressed early on me as something to pray for the city of London. While attending a West Ham football (soccer) match I saw men treating their young children like beer buddies and teaching them to hate and attack others over a sports club. Pray that the working class, burdened with hopelessness, hatred and alcoholism, would see their hopes fulfilled in the One True God, and that the men of this city would stand to show the love of God the Father to their children, raising up a new generation who walks in righteousness.
Ian – I went on this trip expecting God to do incredible things in London (which He does), and ended up getting rocked by Jesus myself. The Lord revealed a lot of stuff in me that needed doing away with – issues with pride and such – and taught me more about Himself in our devotional times and teachings. It was a time of great breaking down and building up for me. I also fell in love with Mark and Lizzie and can say, like Tim ‘I don’t need to be reminded to pray for Mark and Lizzie, I just do. They’re on my heart.’
Denise- Galatians 3:2 – God really impressed upon my heart the people of Islam. When we went to the London Central Mosque I felt an overwhelming spiritual darkness. My heart breaks for the deception of their works based theology and their slavery to their god. I love that Jesus calls us His children and loves us regardless of how many times a day we pray. He knows the conditions of our hearts, and grants us mercy in the work of Christ. God has expanded my heart for the people of Islam, and I will continue to pray that the true Lord of all reveal Himself to them.
Theo – I was particularly grieved by how the devil keeps people ignorant of, and hard-hearted towards the gospel even within Christian churches. After touring John Wesley’s house my heart was burdened for the many churchgoers who turn to religious idolatry and historical tradition instead of Christ. Pray that those within the churches of London (and in our own country for that matter) would place their faith in Christ alone for salvation, and that the Lord continues to raise up laborers who preach, rather than assume, the Gospel.
Michelle Terry – My biggest burden came from our time at Wesley’s Chapel and talking to Jeannie, a tourist from Chicago. Pray for all who are ‘religious’, calling themselves Christians but having no desire to know Jesus, the true Savior and cornerstone of the Church. Pray the Lord would shake these people up so they see the power of the Gospel to salvation and know that without Christ there is no Christianity.
Myrrhia- Firstly, all glory, honor and praise to Jesus! In many ways, this trip was confirmation for what my heart has been previously burdened with – namely God’s work in the London youth, and my potential place within that mission. I was blessed to be able to meet with Mark Walley, the youth pastor of All Souls Clubhouse to discuss God’s work among the young people of London. Pray for wisdom for Mark and the Clubhouse staff as they lead this biblical, Christ-centered ministry in the heart of the city. I could go on about all of the opportunities God provided, but I will conclude with this – God adores His children with an all-consuming fire.
Kaelie Baer – God did more than I expected on this trip. Not only in burdening me for the city and helping me to build solid relationships. The Lord dealt with my own heart issues, making me more broken and available to His will for London. My biggest burden came from the amount of dead churches throughout the city. There are some amazing buildings made for glorifying God, but are now used as money makers and historical landmarks. I pray that they would be revived through the preaching of the Gospel, and sharing the love of Jesus with the city. I was also touched by Mark and Lizzie being completely honest with their struggles in London, but trusting in Gods plan and being dedicated to following the Spirit.
Westminster Abbey
London Prayer Tour: Team #4
A day full of church services – observation – participation – Jesus put on full display in many different ways. What could have been exhausting in a debilitating way was instead exhausting in a filling way.
We began the day by visiting All Souls, Langham Place ( an Anglican Church formerly pastored by John Stott). The scripture taught on was 2 Timothy 3:10- 4:5, which reminds us that the Bible is God speaking sufficiently and supremely to us.
Paul writes to Timothy. “The time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears, the will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.”
This verse says much of our observation of the people of London.
It was a very traditional and structured service, “Welcome,” Opening prayers,” “The Lord’s Prayer,” “Song…” etc. Within the structure, the Gospel was preached. The sufficiency and supremacy of scripture taught, and Jesus and His living Word were exalted. We again heard the history of Tyndale, who was strangled and burned to death for the sake of Christ after translating the Bible into English so that every man could read scripture for himself and not only depend on the teachings of the church. The current pastor, Hugh Palmer, drove home the supremacy of scripture over any teaching that the church might formulate that may be out of line with the Word of God.
Our next service was at HTB, Holy Trinity Brompton (a reformed Anglican Church). Ordered, wooden, All Soul’s pews were replaced by peach colored wide stairstep stadium seating. The tall ornate old pulpit towered from the front but was now unused. A time of contemporary worship bled into teaching on Mark 10:17-31. A relaxed “story style” weaved together teaching that cumulated in another point that has been recurring throughout our stay in London.
The destructive and detrimental tendency for self sufficiency. He taught specifically that wealth enables self sufficiency. It was convicting to realize that every person in the United States, even those below the poverty line are still in the top 10% of the world. We are all wealthy. We all attempt self sufficiency at times.
We need to be desperate broken people for Jesus.
After a delicious lunch at Paul’s (a bakery), where everyone was able to fellowship and refuel, we all went our separate ways for reflection, prayer, and rest before our REALITY LONDON SERVICE!
to be continued…
London Prayer Tour: Team #5
Sunday was our marathon church day, 3-4 services. We started at “All Souls” which preaches the gospel, is scripture based and is awesome. Then we headed to Holy Trinity Brompton. Then off to Hillsong London. Crowning it off with Reality London
It was amazingly refreshing and encouraging to see other Christians in London worshipping the Lord, desiring to know more about Him! please join us in prayer for the unifying of these churches- we are all one body.
I know that there is so much more to share, but as we are coming up on our final day in London, please pray for us to be led by the Holy Spirit and to grant us favor with the people of the city, to let His will be done.
The devotional this morning was so encouraging as well, while some of us are planters, some are waterers and in the end all the glory goes to God who gives growth. On this trip it is so evidently clear that God has given each of us different strengths. It has been beautiful to see all the different gifting and to see this church family come alongside each other for His glory!!!! Praise Jesus!!!
London Prayer Tour: Team #4
A Visit to Regent’s Park and Camden Town:
God has been so faithful to orchestrate each day of this trip so that we would be strengthened, encouraged, challenged, and stretched. After seeing God’s hand unite us on a deeper level the day prior, He lead us into some slightly heavier circumstances on Friday.
Our first stop of the day was the Islamic Cultural Center, casually known as Regent’s Park Mosque. Each of us could say that upon entering these grounds, the heaviness and spiritual oppression that surrounded us was apparent, and rather odious.
We hesitantly entered the main foyer which eventually made way into the huge room underneath the high dome ceiling. Inside the giant room, bodies prostrate themselves in silent prayer to Allah. Sidelong glances from temple patrons seemed skeptical and brief, as they were engaged in conversation with one another or seemed not to care to welcome our rag-tag crew of foreigners who were obviously not comfortable in this environment.
The women could not enter the main prayer room, so some of the females on our team went into the women’s prayer room and were asked to participate in some basic ceremonial cleaning (hands & face) before they could enter the upstairs room to pray. They politely refused and remained downstairs in the women’s foyer. A few of our guys went into the main prayer hall and had only to remove their shoes.
A few other team members engaged in conversation with a very zealous Muslim man named Ziaa. What began as an informative dialogue soon spiraled into a pious rant against Christians, their beliefs and their practices. He did not know that we were Christians until we finally had to defend the gospel and our faith which he attacked very forcefully.
God graciously gave us peace, patience and boldness throughout the whole 45min conversation. Though Ziaa was not willing to hear anything we had to say, and we were not trying to convert him, we were thankful for this opportunity to have some light shed on some of the beliefs of a very dedicated muslim man who seemed to have some influence within his community. Our hearts broke even more as we filtered out and swarms of muslims filed into the temple in response to the call to worship.
Our prayers in response to this visit were desperate cries for God to move somehow and in someway through this community, and to disable the growth of this religion throughout the world. We were also reminded of God’s sovereignty and the fact that He has enabled them to have such influence in modern culture, and that He, in His infinite power, has control over every movement of man and every scheme of the devil. Pray for people to be delivered out of Islam, and for Christian laborers to be raised up to minister to them!
Our other destination, Camden Town, is an area of vibrant chaos. Venders gather weekly to sell eclectic offerings to the thousands of locals and visitors who flock to this iconic punk and bohemian culture scene. It is not much of a place for conversation when winding through the stalls of clothing, food, trinkets, and crafts, but the presence of such a diverse crowd makes it a great place to see the many cultures that thrive within London.
Pray for those we encountered that were filled with bitterness and anger (about what, we don’t know), for the artists that flock to this area and make a living at these street markets, for the youth that are lost and are desperate for stability and community.
London Prayer Tour: Team #1 (Team Preeminence)
The affluent towns of Kensington and Knightsbridge were on the agenda for our team today, along with Notting Hill, where Reality London had its first service around this time last year. Our morning started off with prayers not just for those residing in these areas, but also for what God is doing in our hearts during this trip. As the days pass and we fall more in love with this beautifully fascinating city, we are coming to realize how much more of Jesus we need, and how important it is for us to understand the foundational elements of his love and grace.
We were reminded to pray for God’s love to be real in our hearts and for it to be something established in a will and resolve to serve, instead of how any one of us is feeling at any particular moment. We prayed that we would love the way that God does, who died for us while we were still sinners and whose love for us is not based on what we deserve but on the kind of heart that He possesses.
One of our first opportunities to do this came about as we were walking towards Hyde Park and met a couple squatters from Bosnia who shared a little bit about their lives. The woman had to shoo the men in our group away because of the Ramadan holiday in August (where Muslim woman are forbidden to speak to non-Muslim men in addition to fasting), but the man was open to talking to us.
We were able to converse and pray with them, as well as provide some Euros for food and other expenses, trusting that God would make good out of what we were giving them regardless of intention. Since He is a patient God of grace, we are continuing learning on this trip what it means to give grace in the same way.
The rest of our time was spent on Portabella Road, a market-lined street dotted with small business vendors, and a variety of artists and craftsman hoping to sell their work to locals and tourists. We had a great time finding and purchasing unique treasures and meeting with the shopkeepers.
We are exactly mid-way through our trip right now, and are excited for the remainder of our time here. Although it is such a blessing to be here, our flesh is always battling against the will of God so all prayers are greatly appreciated.
It’s also been very encouraging to be receiving e-mails and prayers from our friends in Los Angeles, so we thank you for that and would just like to remind everyone to keep Mark and Lizzie in their prayers. Lizzie met up with us today and shared the struggles of being here. The soil is hard, but they have been incredibly faithful as far, so please pray for patience, timing and wisdom.
Prayer Requests:
- Endurance and perseverance for the remainder of the trip, so that we would be able to better observe our surroundings and prepared to minister and serve the great amount of people here
- Wisdom and discretion as to how to behave towards the locals and to one another that would best reflect who Christ is; that seeds would be planted through our interactions with them and we would be patient and trusting regarding the fruit of these actions
- For the growing Muslim population to experience and witness the love of genuine Christians and have their perception of Christ be turned around as a result
- Courage that is rooted in love and powerful enough to overcome any anxieties that may hinder us from reaching out
- Sincerity in our conversations and trust in God to speak through us, and not simply from ourselves
LOVE, Gloria (on behalf of Adam, Nicole, Patrick, Pip and Anu)
London Prayer Tour: Team Terry/Potter
Hello beloved Brethren!
Today was another blessed day in the city of London. After a start at Paul (its not idolatry, its just really really good food) took in the communion service at St. Paul’s Cathedral. The liturgy was sound and filled with Scripture; however, it was very apparent to us that there was no heart behind the people’s worship.
We are not the Lord and cannot see into the depths of the soul, the Holy Spirit does impart discernment and wisdom to those in whom He dwells. As we sat through the service, the Lord once again revealed to us the emptiness pervasive in the religiousness ever-present in London.
Our own hearts were grieved to hear the masses reciting sweet phrases such as “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty” without any fervor or joy or reverence and seemingly without understanding. At times it seemed we sat in a whitewashed tomb – beautiful, but lacking life – and The Lord brought 2 Timothy 3:5 to remembrance. Together we yearn to see them fall in love with Jesus Christ, who saves by grace through faith, not by works so that no man can boast.
Please continue to labor with us that moralism and religiosity would crumble to pieces, that people would abandoned systems and trust the Savior. There is JOY in salvation that is nowhere to be found within the Cathedrals or places of worship, but only in Christ Jesus.
Afterwards, to the glory of God, the religiosity in our own hearts was brought to light. We praise our faithful Father to discipline those whom He loves. There was and is nothing but thankful brokenness amongst us.
The Lord blessed the rest of our afternoon with a time of sharing, confession, and repentance within the group. Honestly, we feel royally leveled by the goodness of God in the most beautiful way possible. Thank you for praying for our hearts, we praise God for our faithful brothers and sisters who have been lifting us up during this mind-blowing journey. Jesus Christ is worthy of any and all praise!
Tomorrow, after a teaching by Adam Smith, we’ll have the day to go about as we please. Pray that our spirit of brokenness would not subside, Jesus is shown as strong in our weakness! Also, pray that our intentionality would not fade as we tour, recreate and shop throughout the city.
London Prayer Tour: Team #5
Shoreditch and Islington today. Aaron and James had an opportunity to pray with a man named Paul. Paul’s parents are Christian, but he had hardened his heart to Jesus, and had so much bitterness towards Christianity. What was really cool though, was how God worked us all together as a team. While Aaron and James were talking to him, the rest of the team just began to pray for a softening of his heart, a seed to be planted and for him to not forget what he had heard.
When the guys came back over, they told us his situation and it had been exactly what we had been praying for! Just an amazing reminder that God has it all in His hand. His plans are perfect and He knits us together for His will.
Please pray with us for Paul’s salvation, and for him to come to church this sunday.
London Prayer Tour: Team #1 (Team Preeminence)
Today was a pretty awesome day for Team 1. After Lizzy Dyrud rocked us all with the devotion she prepared, we went out to Buckingham Palace and saw the changing of the guard. We prayed for the Royal Family and for the nation in a nearby park. We walked through Soho and then came back to Westminster Abby and the House of Parliament.
At the end of the day we met a young woman from Poland, Jastine, who was in town with the Make a Wish Foundation. She was here with a 17 year old boy named Tom. Tom has Lukemia and has always dreamed of studying english in London. She told us that she was Catholic but that a priest recently told her that she was “the daughter of the Devil”. We told her about the love of Christ and explained the gospel to her. When Tom came out from touring the House of Parliament, we had the opportunity to pray for both of them.
Throughout the day, God really created a bond within our team. The six of us shared with one another about what God had been doing in out lives and prayed for one another. We are super excited about what God is doing in London and in our team.
Please keep praying for us and please pray also for Jastine and Tom.
London Prayer Tour: Team #5
Yesterday 8/18 we traveled to SoHo (which according to Buxton’s new book) was named such after some famous general’s battle cry. We walked, prayed, and sat in the middle of the square where many people were eating lunch. Seeing the brokenness and bondage of so many youth, was extremely hard. Our hearts were burdened to pray for healing of their hurt, confused sexual identities and of their misconception of Christians and Christ’s love.
Please pray with us for miraculous salvation & to raise up missionaries to come & love on these kids.
Today 8/19 we traveled to Kensington where Reality London meets at this pub called “the kensington.” The owner Sarah and employee Chloe, are two beautiful people who we want see blessed. Because of there allowing us to worship Jesus in their business!
We took a break at a local playground where we had so much fun on the swings, just enjoyed laughter and each other! If all you amazing family members back in Los Angeles could pray with us for the children of the city, that their innocence be protected, hearts to be softened for them to hear the truth of the Gospel, that would be awesome.
Following lunch, we got to spend some time with mark & lizzie praying for them at their flat. Being with these sweet godly people has really convicted us to pray for our church family near and far who are doing the Lord’s work.
Lastly, please pray for all of us out here, that we can love each other and see each other as Christ’s sees us. That beyond tiredness, jet lag, hunger, heat and cold that we are truly servants to one another. Encouraging and uplifting one another as we share the Gospel with London.
“Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Out do one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. ” Romans 12:9-11 (ESV)
London Prayer Tour: Team Terry/Potter
What another blessed day serving the Lord in this city!
We started the day out with exploring the area of Marylebone and decided to go into the local church of the same name. As we sat and prayed inside the church, we were all overcome with a beautiful awe and wonder of the Lord. In the apse behind the altar, Jesus was shown as seated at His glorious throne with all of creation and all of the angels rejoicing in His splendor. God ministered to our hearts, and we were blessed with some rest and quiet worship.
Afterward we headed to Paul for some killer sandwiches and pastries. Walking down the street and eating our lunch in the appropriately named Garden of Rest and the Lord used this area to confirm a particular calling to France for one of the team members.
We then strolled through Regent’s Park, to the London Central Mosque. While in the Mosque, the team had various experiences, from the feeling of an oppressive presence, to demons revealing themselves and being cast out, to a free Qur’an being given by a stranger. As we sat down afterwards to discuss and pray, there was one clear impression everyone was left with – Islam is the same religiosity and works-based salvation system as any other.
Pray:
- For release from religious bondage
- Freedom from confusion and contradiction
- This subtle lie to be apparent to all believers who look into the religion and especially those who visit this Mosque
We spent some time in deep prayer and thanksgiving, then headed back toward the college to rest up and grub before the night’s service. However, it turned out God was not finished with us. Some of the group chose to walk back while the others chose to take the tube. The walkers happened upon a simple blue door on a side street that read ‘All Souls Clubhouse’. We recognized the church made famous by John Stott’s teaching and decided to drop in. It turned out that that little door lead to a place where God has been working for some time. In this off-the-path locale, we met two women who have been working in ministry with youth, elderly and single parents for years.
The youth ministry has seen a recent growth of children with Muslim backgrounds receiving the Gospel and starting next month they will have a youth intern from a Muslim nation who was awakened by the Gospel and fled to London to serve God’s work there. We were able to encourage and pray for a few of the workers at the clubhouse and were blessed to have them pray for us as well. Praise God for this little oasis and a comforting end to our day.
Pray:
- Praise! The clubhouse is transitioning right now and there are more laborers coming to help with the harvest
- They also need direction as they plan new programs and outreaches to touch the forgotten of society with the Gospel
- For young workers of the Truth to preach the grace-filled, compassionate Truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the Islamic population of London
Praise God for His soveriegnty and devine appointments. He is and has been working in London! This great city has not been abandoned by the love of God!
Praise the Almighty who was and is and is to come!
Team Terry Potter out.
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