NIGHTWATCH FOR EUROPE: week beginning Sunday 11th March 2007
‘Could you not watch with me for one hour?’ (Mtt26: 40)
WELCOME TO THE NIGHT WATCH FOR EUROPE
Last week we continued to pray through the word concerning the Nazarite vow, which speaks of how God is marking his people in order to be prepared for the emerging new spiritual and cultural season. This week we’ll complete our push on this by focusing on the supernatural kingdom that we are receiving
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If you are receiving this material unexpectedly it is because someone has suggested that you may be interested to join in. If you do not want to keep receiving it please inform us immediately and we will stop sending it to you. We want to let those of you who are newcomers know that we are very pleased to have your partnership in this watch. We are simply asking for a commitment of an hour a week some time between 9pm and 6am whatever time zone you are in.
We will send you a brief outline for prayer each week according to the prophetic direction coming from the contemporary prophetic movement in Europe. You will not always agree with everything in the watch material. Go with what you can and trust the Lord to help you with the rest. We are looking to carry on for another year and eight months, while realising that some can’t commit right now for as long as that. We are pleased for you to enlist for as long as you can. If you have to miss an occasional watch it’s OK as the rest of us will carry it. A six-month commitment is probably a good start.
THE CONTENT OF THE WATCH FOR THE WEEK BEGINNING SUNDAY 11th MARCH 2007
Remember that the Nazarite vow (i) not to cut the hair spoke of the Lord’s supernatural wisdom; (ii) not touching strong drink spoke of the need to imbibe the Lord’s supernatural comfort and not false comfort; (iii) the final vow, of not touching death, spoke ultimately of receiving a supernatural kingdom from God. These need now to be built into us as the people of God in Europe and are being resisted by the devil.
Last time we focused mainly on the first two of these. This week, we’ll dig into the third. Remember the word from Sue Mitchell that the Lord would test us in the coming years on the third vow, which is never to touch death, in order to receive a supernaturally different kingdom.
1. TAKE 20 MINUTES TO PRAY OVER THE FOUNDATIONAL WORD OF RESURRECTION FOR EUROPE
The resurrection of Lazarus in John 11 is one of the key words for us in Europe as we seek God’s Kingdom. The initial work of God in this continent became weakened as a result of compromise and embracing those things which were essentially dead. We had become dead and smelly and are in need of the Lord’s resurrection. The word that has come to us is that, like Lazarus, the Lord is extending us extraordinary grace and will raise us up out of our graveclothes! As the church, we must have plenty of hope and faith, but we must also be sure that we give no room to the devil.
Godfrey Birtill has a song, entitled “When I look at the blood”, which sets the values of the Kingdom of God, as incarnated by Jesus, against the fallen ways of human behaviour that we face in life. Ours is the task of living by laying our lives down, “for he who loves his life will lose it”, and choosing not the easier ways of serving ourselves.
Pray over the Lazarus word and give thanks that there is hope for us in Europe. Let’s pray also over the words of Godfrey’s song, that the strength for not touching death would be built into us, and all the people of God in this continent, as we lay down our lives for the building up of others and God’s upside-down kingdom!
2. TAKE 20 MINUTES TO PRAY OVER THE FOLLOWING COMMENTS FROM MARTIN SCOTT
“There is a pressing need that we (the body of Christ) are as 'high in the heavens' as we can be - as well as deeply immersed in creation. We need both aspects, so if we are deeply immersed in all creation we also need to be open to the heavenly dimension. Jesus spoke of supernatural signs and the poor having good news proclaimed to them”, Martin Scott (March 07)
God’s kingdom is expansive and stretches from the interface with people’s everyday lives to huge transitions in history, culture and government. As we pray through Martin’s insights above, let’s be sure to challenge any mindsets which create a false divide between what needs to shift in the heavens and what needs to move on earth. For example, we might engage with spiritual powers, but this can and should have an impact on the poor and marginalised of our city or land. If our primary focus has been in the heavens, let’s ask the Lord how we can live for him more fully in the earth and vice versa.
3. TAKE 20 MINUTES TO PRAY THROUGH JESUS’ PROVOCATIVE COMMENTS ABOUT THE KINGDOM OF GOD
When Jesus went to Nazareth near the beginning of his ministry, he read aloud the opening passage of Isaiah 61:
"THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME, BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR. HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO THE CAPTIVES, AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND, TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED, TO PROCLAIM THE FAVORABLE YEAR OF THE LORD." (Luk 4:18-19)
As Martin suggested above, the Gospel involves supernatural signs as well as the poor having good news preached to them. The call to the church is, like Jesus, to seek out and serve the poor, the oppressed, the blind etc. in addition to persevering in signs. It is a supernatural discipline that we need as the people of God to choose to serve and speak on behalf of those who are disadvantaged.
Pray for all Christians throughout the spheres of society, who are living their daily lives and seeking God’s Kingdom. It is time for us to turn from our inward-looking focus as the people of God and fix our eyes on those who are poor and powerless. The Gospel is going in their direction, like Ezekiel’s river OUT of the temple.
Take some time to pray also for the issues facing the poor and homeless in your city and region. It is time for the needs of the marginalised to come to the fore in our continent and globally. Ask the Lord for unusual wisdom to know how to respond where you (and the church as a whole) find yourself!
