Wednesday, September 1, 2010 40 Days of Prayer & Impact: 39 Days to Launch

Today, there are 39 DAYS before the Encounter Grand Opening on 10-10-10. We are asking you to join us in what God is doing and is going to do in these last 40 days.

Pray with us. Act with us. Imagine the impact we could have in Helena if each one of us is individually involved in making Helena a better place. Imagine the lives that could be touched. Imagine how the spiritual landscape of our community could be changed even BEFORE the grand opening.

The Kingdom Has Come Near

Today we are looking at Matthew 10:7-8...

Go and announce to them that the Kingdom of Heaven is near. Heal the sick, raise the dead, cure those with leprosy, and cast out demons. Give as freely as you have received!

The Kingdom of Heaven and the Kingdom of God were often spoke of by Jesus — well over 100 times through the New Testament scriptures. His message of the coming Kingdom is far more than about heaven, but a state of existence where there is no sorrow, no sickness, no evil. The laws of nature as we know them and the patterns of this world will pass away.

What if "the Kingdom of Heaven is near" not only means that the Kingdom is near in time, but that it is near in physical proximity? For example, Jesus instructs his disciples in Luke 10:9 to go out and proclaim that "the Kingdom of God has come near to you." To those they encounter, they will proclaim a nearness to the ways of God's coming Kingdom — love, joy, peace, kindness, and more.

For those of us who have made Jesus the Lord of our lives, for those who are part of a community of faith called the Church, the Kingdom is already forming within us. And part of our joy, part of our excitement, part of our calling, is to help bring the Kingdom near to those we encounter in our lives. It's part of what we call Engage Culture – engaging and transforming our culture by investing our lives into others.

We are called to give as freely as we have received — that is how others will know that the Kingdom of God has come near to them.

TODAY'S PRAYER

Today we are praying for the Kingdom of God, the Kingdom of Heaven, to be evident in us. If we are not allowing Jesus to "reign" in us, then let us surrender. This prayer is also for the growing community of faith called Encounter. We're asking that others will Encounter God and and His Kingdom through us with Encounter Church. Let us be an example of that Kingdom in our lives, through our thoughts and actions, so that the Kingdom of Heaven can "come near."

TODAY'S IMPACT

Allow someone to experience the Kingdom of God today. Do something unexpected — something that contradicts the patterns of this world. Buy a coffee for someone behind you in line at Starbucks. Give the drive-through cashier a tip. Show kindness where kindness is not deserved or expected. Give freely to others as God has freely given to you.