Haven For The Heart

The Lord’s Prayer – Never Walk Alone

This reflection/discussion prayer tool was initially designed to help build teams of praying pastors who cultivate praying churches. Walking with God is more important than working for God. Recovering from A Martha metric and recapturing a Mary mindset (Luke 10:38-42) requires leaders to pray (Luke 11:1-4).

The fruitfulness of church life is built on the health of it's leadership team. Spiritual and relational maturity is the focus of heaven for the heart-"encouraging people in heart and uniting them in love"(Colossians 1:28-2:3).

FOCUSED~CREATIVE~TRANSFERABLE

-I've chosen The Lord's Prayer as the template Jesus gave his disciples. It keeps us focused on three things that matter to our hearts, relationships and ministries: contentment, forgiveness and temptation.

- I have outlined four practical experiences that provide a platform for many creative prayer options. These prayer exercises help leaders To Pray, not simply talk about prayer or study about prayer.

- This template, along with the tools, provide a transferable model for your church gatherings and small groups. In our church, we live this out in our worship services and ministry teams.

SMALL GROUP MEETING FORMAT

Begin your meeting with 15-30 minutes of catch up and announcements. Just set an atmosphere conducive to pursuing God together. Facilitate four prayer experiences and encourage them to make this a part of their daily devotional disciplines.

Surrendered Celebration – 15 minutes

· Praise God for who he is and that nothing can thwart his will.

· Surrender yourselves to his purposes in and through you “not my will but yours.”

· Listen to or sing a worship song.

Personalized Psalm – 15 minutes

· Review basic content of Petition (Petition #1 for September, Petition #2 for October, Petition #3 for November) Write a personalized prayer for yourself that is related to this petition.

· Lexio Divina Prayer (I’ll explain in phone conversation)

Silent Listening – 15 minutes

· Ask the Holy Spirit to awaken or make you aware of what He’s doing in you and wants you to release or embrace related to this petition.

· Get alone or take a walk, but be silent and listen.

Collective Intercession – 15 minutes

· Pray out loud for one another and others in your life, church and community.

· Each prays spontaneously for whoever God lays on their heart.

· Everyone prays for one at a time around the circle.

Take the last part of Cluster meeting to discuss two key response questions as “action steps.”

1. Praying Pastors – What is God revealing in you or calling you to do in relationship to him? How are you going to walk with God, in the Spirit (praying without ceasing) and not simply work for God?

2. Praying Churches – How is God leading you to cultivate a prayer focus in your flock and on your leadership team? What are some practical ways to implement the four prayer experiences into your church services and small groups?

Teach us to Pray

Jesus’ disciples listened to the interaction with Martha and heard him teach on many occasions. They watched him closely since they were often with him. He modeled his message in the way he strongly handled self-righteous religious leaders and compassionately loved humble broken sinners. Jesus intrigued and confused them. In one of Jesus' teachable opportunities the disciples finally asked, “Teach us how to pray.”

They noticed he rose up early in the morning to get away to solitary places and pray. They saw him pray all night on several occasions. It began to dawn on them that the secret to his peacefulness, his presence and his powerful purpose was in those alone times with his father. They must have wondered what he talked about with his Father and what the Father said to him. They must have concluded that Jesus drew his joy, strength, wisdom and all he needed to handle life from this communion with the father. In those times of solitude and prayer Jesus learned who (whose) he was, what he was called to do (not driven or pressured by the voices of others expectations or needs) and whom he was living to please.

Do people ask you to teach them to pray? Does your lifestyle message make people wonder how you get your peace, joy, strength and wisdom? Isn't that the question we want our children to ask us? Are the conversations you're having, the small groups you're leading or the discipleship counseling sessions you're facilitating, really enticing people to pray and draw near to Jesus?

I believe our goal, as leaders need to be prayer – walking with God not working for God! The aim of our ministries is to equip people to be devoted to a Mary heart not driven by a Martha metric.

After several years of using my counseling and teaching gifts as a pastor and a professor, I came to realize that I was educating their minds and encouraging their hearts, but not really leading them to Jesus. I pointed people to Jesus, I told them to spend time with Jesus, I nudged them to make Jesus the center of their lives. All that was good, but they weren't asking me to teach them to pray!?

People have often asked me to help them figure something out or fix something in their lives. They want answers to their questions and affirmation in their struggles, but not to learn how to pray! My goal is no longer to solve their problems or sooth their pain. Rather than fixing their lives to make them feel happier, my aim is to help them find God in the midst of their challenges. It's the same goal that Gary Thomas in his book "Sacred Marriage" is trying to get married couples to adopt. What if life, as God wants it, is more about our holiness than our happiness?

Make more of Jesus

We need to learn to make much more about Jesus; he is at the heart of the gospel. The heart is central to Christianity. All of the issues of life stem from the heart. It doesn't matter how hard you try to change society or your life, if the heart doesn't change there is no hope.

There's only one person who can change the heart. He is the way to the Father, the truth that will set us free, the life we were built to have! It might baffle or sadden you, but the core problem in Christianity is that we always lose Christ! It becomes about so many other things, church fellowship events, social justice causes, etc. The result is that Jesus often ceases to be the focus, the fuel, and the foundation!

A friend of mine was speaking at a conference. Afterword an elderly gentleman came up with tears in his eyes and put his hands on my friend’s shoulders. While looking at him face-to-face and heart-to-heart he began to say, "That was awesome! People really need to hear that!" He went on with many affirming comments, but ended with this, "But make more of Jesus!" This hit my friend to the core of his being and he changed his language and focus concerning his message from that time forward.

So let me be clear. Life change – real transformation that is at the heart of the Gospel, is all about Jesus! The point of anything we do in community life, is responding to God. Only prayerfully walking with Jesus will transform our soul!

When I was a young Christian, we sang a song every Sunday that always touched me, comforted me and motivated me, “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, there’s just something about that name.” In fact, any song that centers me on Jesus is a winner! One of the songs that I used in my concerts illustrated this so well with a verse that simply said, “I could wish you…(it gave a list of everything we believe that make life awesome), but I wish you Jesus more than anything. Because when I wish you Jesus, I’ve wished you everything.”

Sit to Listen Before You Stand to Lead

The Lord's Prayer begins with a humble surrender of our independence and arrogance and replaces this mindset with a genuine desire to embrace God's truth. When we want little children to settle down from their temper tantrums, we have them take a "time out". This allows them to settle and reflect, gain some peace and perspective. I think more adults need "time-outs"! The Hebrew people in the Old Testament had three built-in "time-outs" as part of their daily routine.

I vividly remember sending my young child to his room for a “time out” when he had a difficult time coping with what was happening in his world and could no longer interact with his friends or siblings in a good way. Being around others in the midst of a chaotic world can feel impossible. There are times when I wish someone would put me in a “time out”…maybe for a week or two!!

Let me talk to you as a spiritual coach who is helping you run the race God has designed for you. We all need a pre-game preparation time (let's call this a spiritual breakfast). We all need a halftime experience to evaluate the first half of our day, get some rest/refreshments, and prepare for the second half of our day (let’s call this our spiritual lunch). We all need a post-game time for reflection and celebration (let's call this our spiritual dinner). Jesus warns us to not make these prayer times simply a ritualistic routine of meaningless repetition or a show of public piety. It's fine to use memorized or written prayers as a point of thoughtful departure or a platform on which to dive into the pool, but we must engage our hearts and minds in the contemplative and celebratory nature of prayer.

I didn't come from a Christ-fearing family, but they did make us recite a dinner prayer: "Come Lord Jesus, be our guest, let this food, to us be blessed, Amen." My father, who had a deeper sense of spirituality, taught us a bedtime prayer. "Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take. Amen.” When we said these memorized prayers, they were never meaningful or reflective. They were written with meaning and have the potential to be heart-felt prayers, but they were simply a mealtime or bedtime ritual.

We have tried to teach our own children to have a lifestyle of authentic prayer. One night, while lying in my bed next to my son Luke, he spontaneously blurts out, "God is great!" My heart leapt with joy to hear my son express his heart to God without any prompting from me. The next phrase, which didn't seem to fit with his first phrase and began to concern me a bit was, "Beer is good!" Although, coming from a German heritage, I silently agreed that a beer didn’t sound too bad. Before I could process anything he had said, there came a third declaration of truth, “People are crazy!" Okay, I could really agree with that one. I started laughing hysterically. Then, after I realized that this wasn't his good night prayer, I asked him, "Where did that come from?" He simply replied, "I heard it in the car when I was with my sister". I guess that might be three phrases to begin a prayer, but we probably should consider a little more biblical truth as we continue our prayers.

Sitting and listening is where the spiritual life, the abundant and eternal life of Christ, begins! It's where the Lord's Prayer begins and where my real-life began when I came to know him. I can still remember going to the altar singing, "Just as I am". Jesus concludes his CPR conversation by inviting Martha to join Mary as she sits and listens to a larger story that leads to transformation.

Many people begin their relationship with Jesus on the wrong footing – believing a wrong message. As a result, they struggle with never experiencing God and never really being transformed by God. They begin their kingdom walk by accepting Jesus into their heart, rather than surrendering their life to him. They have basically asked him to cooperate with their agenda for the life they long to have. In a real sense, they simply invite him to help them accomplish their dreams and to make their life wonderful. For these people, Jesus simply becomes part of their script. They add him to the abundant life they have always desired.

This is a difficult "call" for Martha types, because it hits us at the core of our pride and fear. To relinquish our control of being in charge and receive from someone else is painful and terrifying on so many levels. To admit that I am needy, helpless, and powerless goes against the very essence of my depravity. It not only strikes at my pride, but the fear I have to be vulnerable and dependent on someone else. I am an American; I don't need anyone else and I can do it all by myself! I learned at a young age that people will let you down, so I became the Proverbs fool who says in their heart, "There is no God,” I must take on the role of God in my own life.

Like Martha, we are all driven by subconscious voices that make this call very difficult to accept. Some of us live with an internal script that makes our value or significance dependent on what we do -"No one will really love me or want me if I'm unproductive or incompetent, so I must perform well to get people’s involvement or approval.” Some of us live with an internal script that makes us fear involvement. This is because when we were included and enjoyed, we were used for another person's pleasure or reputation. Other people's internal script makes them believe or think that they are special, the center of the universe. A lot of children get that message from their parents who don't want their kids to get hurt and are working toward their success at all costs. When I was a university sports chaplain, my eyes were open to how many athletes felt better and more special than others. Often those of us who have had special privilege or unique giftings are praised for what we do. This can cause a deep sense of internal pressure that we must come through for others (gain their acceptance and affirmation). It can also make us think we are the prince or princess. Whatever your internal script is and wherever it came from, it is controlling you!

To sit and listen is to be still and know that there is a Holy Living God. Once you know who God is, you will settle down. Once we realize we aren't God and there is a God who is in control, we can rest and everything will change.

Before Jesus taught his disciples what to ask, he invited them to sit and listen. I've noticed that when I do this and don't start with my many requests, what I ask for is much different and the energy behind my petitions is less demanding and frantic.

I'm often like a man from the Old Testament, named Job. He came before God with all the complaints and accusations that are driven by rage, panic and the loss he had experienced through the sufferings of living in a fallen world. If he had begun his prayer by listening to God first, his prayer would have been very different.

In my college years I started a discipline and have carried it through to this day. College students don't get up very early because they stay up so late studying or partying. Therefore, morning times are very quiet. I remember taking long walks and just singing hymns, choruses and then my own spiritual songs (personalized Psalms). Until recently I didn't know why that time gave me so much peace, joy, strength and hope. I now know that it was the truth in those hymns, Psalms and spiritual songs that set me free and settled me down. Psalm 23, like the Lord's Prayer, was one of those capsulations of truth that helped me embrace the whole of the Christian life.

King David exclaims in the Psalms, "Come let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the Lord our God our maker" and the Hebrew people would begin with the declaration, " Hear oh Israel the Lord your God is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength." This caused them to humble themselves, settle down and refocus their thoughts on truth.

How does Jesus’ call to worship settle us down and allow us to be anchored? His two beginning statements set the stage. These two statements of declaration are a summary of my theological core. Jesus has a knack for condensing large amounts of truth to a simple, yet profound, statement. He concisely summarizes the Old Testament law and prophets by saying, " Love God with all your heart and your neighbor as yourself.” To sit and listen begins by acknowledging two core assumptions.

1. I am His and He is mine – "Our Father who is in heaven, we honor your name."

Our prayer time must begin by acknowledging that we are not alone. The first part of this acknowledgment is that it's not "me alone" but "we together.” The entire prayer is filled with collective statements like, "us" "we" and "our", never “I” or “me.”

One of the most devastating lies of the evil one(s) is to convince you that you're alone, no one is for you, and it’s all up to you! We weren't created to be alone.

To be fully human is to be in community. We are part of a larger family of brothers and sisters who have gone before us, as well as those who are presently living among us in all parts of the world. There's a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us – we are not alone.

The second part of this first declaration is that we have a "heavenly father.” A God that is both intimately involved as a loving daddy and transcendently powerful as a holy Trinity. Many books have been written just about this verse and volumes are available on the nature of God. For our purposes, I simply want you to begin your daily lifestyle walk with God by reflecting on who he is. Fixing your eyes on Jesus!

2. He is in control and I can rest – "Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven."

This declaration of truth is designed for us to acknowledge that his kingdom has come and is coming – that nothing can thwart his will, and he is in control! I do not have the space in this short book to share all that is involved in that word "kingdom", but this rule of God and the qualities of this kingdom are worth deeper study from anyone. The point of this declaration is for us to stop trying to control or be responsible for what we must trust a good, capable God to do.

When we embrace the truth that a good, holy and all-powerful God is in control, we can be like Jesus napping in the mist of the storm, we can rest. Nothing can thwart the purposes of God and nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus!!

Preparation for the Three Petitions

"While Jesus was on his way," he was not only walking with a transformational peace, and incarnational presence, but now we see his missional purpose. Those who claim to be followers of Jesus are to walk as Jesus walked and be imitators of God. This cannot happen unless we can keep in step with the Spirit and pray without ceasing.

Jesus now introduces his disciples to three spiritual disciplines through the Lord’s prayer, that will help them walk with peace, presence and purpose. These three petitions are more like three platforms on which Jesus invites them to dive into the real issues surrounding their hearts, relationships and ministries. These are the three dynamics of Kingdom life that they are to assess and address on a daily basis. They are relevant for how we parent our kids or pastor our collegians. They help us as we help them through the turbulent years of formulating and embracing three developmental challenges:

-Their identity and worldview: who they are and what they believe.

-Their community and companionship: how they'll love and who they'll love.

-Their career and Jesus' commission: how God has gifted them and ways they can use their lives to glorify him.

Years ago, I developed a tool for leaders on how to evaluate and cultivate the health of biblical community. I based that tool on my understanding of John 15, where Jesus deals with the three pillars of his Kingdom life. Likewise, these three petitions of "The Lord's Prayer" also reflect Jesus' theology of the Christian life as he taught it in John 15. I encourage you to use “The Lord’s Prayer” as a divinely inspired tool to think through and personally talk to God about your hearts, relationships and ministries.

This daily process is critical for all believers who want to walk in the Spirit by praying without ceasing, but it's essential for those leaders who are called to equip God's people to walk as Jesus walked. We are to keep a close watch over our lives and doctrine, our character and convictions! Who we are and what we believe as leaders is central to our equipping of people and shepherding the flock under our care. Leadership begins by example, modeling the message and inviting others to "follow us as we follow Christ" 1 Timothy 4:15. The apostle Paul instructs the eldership teams in local churches to set an example by letting people see their progress in the Lord-let them see you struggle and grow. That's very different advice than most leaders have been given. We have heard that we must "be strong and not share our issues.” In some Christian circles, it's a sin to struggle! The apostle Paul not only shared his inadequacies and struggles, but also boasted in them!

Now, let's see how to pray these three petitions as platforms on which to dive into reality, rather than as meaningless repetitions and a show a public piety. Let's learn to walk in the Spirit with "The Lord's Prayer" to gain peace in our hearts, presence in our relationships and purpose in our ministries.

Romans 12:1-2 makes it clear that to be transformed (exhibit godly choices from godly convictions) requires renewal of minds by embracing biblical beliefs. It encourages us to not only become biblically reflective and listen to the word of God, but become personally responsive and do what it says!

Therefore, to help you reflect on truth in a way that renews your mind and helps you become responsive to God, I've divided each petition into a content focus and process focus.

-The content focus of each petition is a synopsis of biblical truth that this platform is inviting us to dive into.

-The process focus of each petition involves questions that invite you to personally apply this to your lives and practically implement this into your ministries.

Three Dynamics of the Christian Life (John 15) = Three Petitions in the Lord’s Prayer (Luke 10)

I’ve stated in this document that the three petitions of The Lord’s Prayer are connected to his teaching about kingdom living in John 15. The Lord’s Prayer is simply a practical way to internalize the three dynamics of the spiritual life.

In John 15, Jesus summarized his teaching about life in his kingdom. He addresses three dynamics of Spirit filled living in a very succinct manner. He begins by reviewing his call to a new covenant relationship, which is built on abiding in Christ. The first petition in our Lord’s teaching on prayer to his disciples was about dependency on him. This first petition is all about contentment. Jesus’ second teaching in John 15 is related to his call to a new commandment. His parallel prayer petition focuses his disciples on the core challenge of relationships. It’s all about forgiveness. Jesus’ final teaching in John 15 focuses on how his disciples should live this out in the world. The challenge of our new commission is a new temptation. The final petition Jesus gives to his disciples, in what we’ve titled, The Lord’s Prayer, is the key to fulfilling his Great Commission. It’s all about Temptation.

#1 Renewing our Heart’s Passion - Called to a New Covenant

“Give us our Daily Bread”

Most people's lives revolve around the daily anxieties and hassles of the physical, emotional, material and financial stuff. For many of us, our happiness or personal sense of well-being is what life is all about. Our sense of peace is rooted in our prosperity (physically, emotionally and financially). Once we shift our goal from being happy to being holy, we start enjoying God and stop using life as our source of joy.

The first temptation that hit Jesus in the wilderness was the challenge to focus on his needs – that which would make him happy! It would have been simple for him to turn rocks into loaves of bread and feed his appetite, but he chose to forgo personal happiness for a larger purpose.

In our Haven retreats, our first focus is the battle for the heart! Once "it is well with your soul,” nothing else feels like a life or death issue!

Content Focus:

In the first part of John 15, as with this petition, Jesus calls us to renew our hearts’ passion by daily embracing a new covenant. To walk with transformational peace and not strive for worldly prosperity will require us to cultivate a trusting dependence and a thankful contentment. To walk in peace and enter His rest, we must eat His daily bread. Once you trust God for everything (dependence) and are thankful to God in everything (contentment), you will then experience transformational peace that guards your heart and mind.

• Dependence (Trust)

As human beings, we are dependent on a creator to sustain our lives. God needs nothing outside himself to exist. Before Adam's original sin and God's divine curse, humanity had no felt awareness of need or longing. Adam and Eve were fully secure and fulfilled with no sense of fear or shame. They enjoyed beauty, intimacy and adventure – real connection and meaning as they walked with God in a perfect garden paradise.

Through their disobedience and God's judgment, they were separated from intimacy with God, harmony with nature, connection with each other and psychological wholeness. As a result, we now experience longing and neediness as well as emptiness and meaninglessness. Rather than experiencing a legitimate intimacy with others and a fulfilling impact in the world, we now feel inadequate and frustrated at home and work – always avoiding, withdrawing, controlling or manipulating. Indeed, it has also affected our financial security and sexual identity.

Humanity does not live by bread alone, but by every word of truth that liberates the soul. This petition is less a request for the basic necessities of life like food, water and shelter. Jesus had already told them to not worry about these things and that their lives were not dependent on the abundance of their possessions. He clearly promised to meet all our needs according to his glorious riches.

Instead, Jesus says that the financially poor are blessed and "blessed are those who are poor in spirit.” This simply means that those who acknowledge their need and hunger for God's food will be fed. This petition is a way to acknowledge our dependence and to trust God with all of our hearts, for apart from Him we can do nothing of lasting significance, but with the Lord as our shepherd, we will lack nothing.

Anything or anyone we are dependent upon other than God will become our addiction. Any false God or man-made idol that we love or fear (worship), believing it has the power to fulfill or destroy us, will end up enslaving us.

In a practical sense, this petition is a call to abide in Christ and embrace His truth. When believed, the gospel of Jesus has the power to set us free from the arrogance and anxiety that undermine dependence and trust.

• Contentment (Thankfulness)

The flipside of trusting dependence is thankful contentment. We were created to find life in Christ, but through our disobedience and God's judgment, we are not only independent, but discontent. If we are not dependent on Christ, we must be dependent on whatever meets our needs. Most of us have forsaken God as "the wellspring of life" and are trying to fill our "leaky buckets" on our own. Therefore, we look for anything that temporarily satisfies our felt needs or suffocates our core longings. Since we refuse to go to God, we live with discontentment, "The eyes of a man are never full.” We always want more. The grass is always greener on the other side.

I see this very clearly as a parent. The more affirmation and affluence my children experience, the less content and thankful they are. It seems that the more needy or poorer we are, the more grateful and selfless we can become.

A person's sense of security or significance isn't satisfied with more possessions or power. Those who make it their goal to get richer (more possessions and power) fall into many temptations and become trapped by the evil one.

Once you realize that God will take care of you and will meet your needs, you can rest. He will give you all you need to live a godly life and love well! The challenge of this petition is to trust that whatever God provides is what we really need: no more no less. It's to be thankful for what ever we have, because what we have is what he believes we need!

Process Focus:

1. Do you fight against a dependency and trust? Why? What do you need to believe about God in order to truly rest? How are you going to reflect on God's truth all day long? What have you depended on other than God? What has been the result of that? I would be happy if...(fill in the blank)?

2. What would it take to be more content and thankful? Are you willing to simplify your life and live with more gratitude and generosity, rather than complaining and selfishness? What would that require? I would be satisfied if (fill in the blank)?

3. What would you be like, what would it be like to be around you, if you were experiencing the transformational peace of being dependent (trusting) and content (thankful)?

#2 Reclaiming our Relationship Devotion - Called to a New Commandment

"Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us"

We are created for, and called to, community. To be fully human is to be fully connected. It is not good for human beings to be alone. We aren't built for isolation or solitary confinement. God has wired us for fellowship with himself and relationship with one-another (koinonia). Despite this, everything seems to work against us staying connected to God and others.. This is very difficult for some and will become increasingly difficult as the return of Jesus approaches.

This petition helps us shift from a self-centered focus to an other-centered focus, from being popular to being present. I don't need to use people; I can be free to love people!

In this petition, Jesus is beginning to focus on the nature of His Church. His focus on Church always comes down to healthy relationships. We all long for perfect relationships, where we can love and be loved with a sense of purity and permanence. Ultimately, the reality of community is disappointment, hurt and conflict. It is interesting to note that out of all the areas Jesus could've focused on when it comes to relationships, he chooses forgiveness. Since relationships are central to church, then forgiveness is central to relationships. We can't love without forgiveness. Loving people is a lifestyle of forgiving people! But, as we shall see, biblical forgiveness will free us to love but does not guarantee reconciliation.

Content Focus:

In John 15, as with this petition, Jesus calls us to reclaim our relationship devotion by embracing a new commandment. This requires a real shift in focus. A shift from self-centeredness to other-centeredness, or from focusing on being popular (I'll use you) to focusing on being present (I'll love you) is rooted in the experience and expression of forgiveness.

• Humble Gratitude: "forgive us our sins"

To love well is the goal of the Christian life and leadership. I long to have harmonious and meaningful relationships. I yearn to be loved and have genuine connection. That can only be my desire, since it is out of my control.

Reconciliation is the fruit of two people repenting, whereas forgiveness is the fruit of one person obeying. Biblical forgiveness is something we need. Our love for others is not based on their actions toward us. Forgiveness frees us to love wisely and compassionately. It requires nothing from the other person. On the other hand, enjoying relationships and experiencing partnership does require both people confessing and forgiving. This prayer is designed to free us to love, regardless of whether we are loved in return.

• Gracious Involvement: "as we forgive others who sin against us"

Once we have been released from the punishment we deserve, there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ. We are also freed from the need to be liked, because His perfect love casts out fear. God can fill us with the grace to love. Those who have been forgiven much will love much!

Forgiving people begins by releasing them from our core need of them and no longer making them pay for what they did or did not do. God did not give us what we deserve and we do not give them what they deserve.

Forgiveness is blessing them in ways they do not deserve. Just as God has loved us in ways we have not deserved. This new freedom to love will bring a whole host of questions. Being a blessing does not necessarily mean that you will continue in that relationship or allow the ongoing abuse. But, it will mean doing what ever is in the best interest of that other person.

Process Focus:

1. Are you aware that, at core, you were created for community – built for relationship? Why do you think people are not fully functioning as human when they live in isolation (why is it not good for humans to be alone)? What works against developing biblical community or building healthy relationships? Think through the psychological and sociological barriers to this process. What can you do to build bridges and foster consistent authentic community or genuine connection? What is it about these dark times that makes it more difficult to connect and build community? Healthy church is built on biblical relationships. Christ centered relating requires a lifestyle of forgiveness. Why is forgiveness the central ingredient in loving well?

2. Who have you been using to fill your "leaky bucket"? How have you been demanding, distancing, destructive and divisive in your relationships or community? What does God need to forgive you for and release you from so that you can be a blessing to others? If you confess your real sin with real brokenness, not simply the surface symptoms, then God will forgive and cleanse you. Reflect on how David did this in Psalm 51. Until you are deeply humbled and incredibly thankful for God's grace (that he's released you from what you deserve and blessed you in ways you don't deserve), then you're not ready to love or forgive others!

3. Who do you need to forgive – love with gracious involvement? What have you been doing to punish them and protect yourself? What do you tend to do when you are hurt? How do you deal with disappointment and conflict? What would blessing or loving someone look like if you defined forgiveness as wanting another person's highest good and not simply their feeling good?

4. As an individual or as a couple, who do you need to invite into your life to live out the one-anotherings of the new commandment? This is very difficult and terrifying for leaders, but we must be part of the community too! How will you do this? When will you do this? What do you need from God to do this?

#3 Recapture our Ministry Vision – Called to a New Commission

"Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil"

When we don’t abide in Christ and stay connected to one-another, as the first two petitions encourage, then we easily fall prey to the temptations of the evil one(s). As we shall see, the over arching temptation, and the one that makes us most vulnerable to the darts of deception, is to try and live the Christian life alone – become isolated (wolves love attacking lone sheep). When you’re disconnected from God (petition #1) and disconnected from others (petition #2), then you’re vulnerable to all kinds of evil temptations from without and within.

In this section I will summarize three ways to understand this third petition about temptation: The purpose that evil is trying to accomplish through temptations; the ploys Satan uses to tempt us, and the pathway through temptation.

The Purpose of Temptation: To Undermine the Great Commission

Jesus’ final instructions to his disciples in John 15 was the challenges that they’d face being “in the world,” but choosing to not be “of the world,” as they lived out their new commission. Jesus began his call to those first disciples by inviting them to come to him for true rest and real life. This call was coupled with a commission. He was training them to be fishers of men, to be his witnesses and make disciples in a world that was no longer their home. They were being commissioned as foreigners of a different kingdom, to be his aroma of salt and light and his ambassadors prepared to preach the gospel in a world they once called home.

This great commission brings great temptation. The evil one(s) has an agenda. It is to steel, kill and destroy anything that brings us and others abundant and eternal life. The devil and his dominions will do anything to paralyze us with fear, shame or indifference, in an attempt to get us out of the battle. Getting us to settle for a safe, secure and somewhat satisfying life (self centered mission) is their goal.

The purpose of evil temptations are to dry us up spiritually (petition #1), disconnect us relationally (petition #2), and ultimately derail us missionally from living out the gospel in a dark world. The evil one’s temptations are designed to entice us to live for lower purposes and lesser desires. The kingdom of satanic darkness is always working to suffocate our hearts, sabotage our relationships, and get us sidelined from his mission by settling for worldly dreams or desires.

The evil one(s) wants to entice us to live a worldly and self-centered existence that simply craves prosperity, popularity and power. God wants to entice us to enjoy beauty, intimacy and adventure by experiencing a spiritual peace, a relational presence and a missional purpose. That’s what The Lord’s Prayer makes possible! Satan’s temptation is ultimately designed to undermine God’s commission. When we live for God in an anti-Christ world opposed to biblical revelation and gospel transformation, we are vulnerable to temptations of the evil one(s) and can easily be dragged away by our fallen and worldly desires.

The Ploys to Tempt Us: The Evil One’s Deception and our Evil Desires

If the primary purpose of Satan’s temptation is to derail us from Jesus’s commission then how does he do this? How does this actually happen?

To battle temptation and live to be a blessing for others requires a basic understanding of the nature of evil: where temptation comes from and how it operates in us. We know from the Bible that the devil and his demons are real and limited in both presence and power. Unlike God, who is omnipresent, they can only be in one place at one time. Unlike God, who is omnipotent, they only have limited power of deception and destruction.

Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit into the desert wilderness to be tempted by the evil one. God will never allow us to be tempted beyond what we can endure through him. He always offers a way of escape. He will never personally tempt us. He will allow all kinds of temptations and trials into our lives to reveal and refine our faith.

Some of us are directly tempted by the evil one, while others are simply dragged away and enticed by their own evil desires. As believers we live with a sinful nature that has no power over us as long as we die daily to the old self. Whatever we believe has the power to fulfill us or destroy us can become our source of temptation, our pathway of addiction, the god we worship.

The evil one(s) uses our past events, hurts and traumas to wrap a wall of deception and bondage around us. Satan has a way of paralyzing us through emotional temptations too. He wants to overwhelm us with past shame and guilt, present frustrations and anger, future worries and fears. The evil tempters want to use emotional reactions to distort truth.

The nature of evil is all about lies and deception. Satan is the father of lies! The evil temptations lose their grip when we are connected into communion with Christ (1^st petition) and community with his church (2^nd petition). The strategy of the evil one(s) is simple and very effective. He wants us to be independent and isolated, to experience disconnection and division so that he can separate us from Jesus and one-another.

Practical Outworking of Satan’s Ploys

We are commissioned to penetrate the darkness and to shine as stars as we share the word of life. Along with this commission comes temptation, all designed to get us to retreat or disengage. To “go and be” can seem too risky. We’d rather invite people to “come and see”. So, we start seeker sensitive churches with programs designed to attract the darkness into the light, rather than be the salt and light in the darkness. We’d rather invite people than get involved with people. Therefore, we make our churches more like a hotel or cruise ship rather than a hospital or battleship. We build fortresses to bring people in (or keep those inside safe), rather than be a force in our communities, impacting every aspect of cultural life.

Many spiritual leaders are tempted by sex, money and power (Richard Foster’s book). Read Henry Nouwen’s book, “In the Name of Jesus.” In this book he captures the three challenging temptations of Christ as they relate to Christian leaders.

What do we do when we are under stress and overwhelmed or bored and discouraged? I withdraw or work harder, isolate myself with food (coffee and donuts), become negative, pessimistic, critical, judgmental and moody. I’m not sure that I want temptation to lead me down that path. Do you?

Most parents want their children to be happy and successful. As long as they are feeling good and performing well, we are all happy. Most collegians are trying to get the degree that will land them the job they believe will make them most wealthy and happy. They are also trying to get a date that might turn into a life- long love! The belief is simply that a career and a companion will make us happy and that's what life is all about. What a scheme of the evil one(s).

Many married couples have no higher purpose than to get their dream house, raise happy successful kids and enjoy their retirement. They don't have any larger purpose than doing a few good deeds and having a few good friends, of course with lots of good food and fun! All that is fine, but Jesus calls his disciples to forsake or die to anything that becomes a goal greater than joining him on a mission where the world will hate us. But of course, most people want the world to love them and will do anything to conform to it. What a deceptive temptation to embrace.

The Pathway through Temptation: How to Battle and be Delivered

It begins by understanding the purpose behind temptation. The evil one(s) want to derail you from a larger commission that’s not primarily about your worldly happiness. Have you ever realized that the overarching goal of temptation is to deaden your heart, disconnect you from others and distract you (often by good things) from being fully alive as his instrument of blessing? What lower purposes or lesser desires do you live for? What temptations do you need to deal with in order to be free to love? If you want to avoid falling into temptations and being delivered from evil, then you will need to be aware how the evil one is tempting you or where you’re evil desires are leading you. What are the temptations you encounter where you live, work and play? Discuss the internal dynamics of temptation with a trusted friend. How and why does temptation hit you? What does it do to you?

What does it mean for you to flee evil desires while not killing godly longings? How can you face the genuine longings underneath your selfish lusts? How can you resist the evil one’s deceptive darts? The Lord’s Prayer draws us near to God and helps us pursue God together, which is the ultimate pathway through temptation.

There are four practical exercises you can do personally and collectively to experience this petition and the other two petitions, in prayer with God and others.

Surrendered Celebration: Take Time (5-15 minutes)

· Praise God for who he is (his character and promises)

· Surrender your shame, worries and need for control

· Listen to or sing worship songs

Personalized Psalm: Take Time (5-15 minutes)

· Reflectively and slowly read through The Lord’s Prayer

· Petition (thinking through other related biblical truths) and write a prayer that uses your requests

Silent Listening: Take Time (5-15 minutes)

· Take a walk, get alone with no interruptions

· Ask the Holy Spirit to awaken your soul and make you aware of what he is doing in you, and what he wants to release or embrace related to this petition

Collective Intercession: Take Time (5-15 minutes)

· Pray this petition for others in your life, church and around the world

· Invite others to do this with you

No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means (electronically, mechanically, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without prior written permission from the publisher.

I have copied “The Lord’s Prayer section of my upcoming book called, CPR for the Soul. I’ve reworked it as a resource for you to prepare for your cluster meetings, church services, leadership teams and small groups. Simply comply to the copyright laws.

Saturday, October 24, 2015