NIGHTWATCH FOR EUROPE week beginning Sunday May 11th 2008
‘Could you not watch with me for one hour?’ (Mtt26: 40)
WELCOME TO THE NIGHT WATCH FOR EUROPE
What do we say and pray in the light of the healing grace currently reported in Florida? Well, thank God of course, and praise the Lord for those from Europe who’ve been, are going and are bringing good things back with them. At least one person known to some of us got massively impacted by happening on the coverage by the God Channel on Monday night. For sure there are many more stories to come (let us have yours). So what is the reservation that some people feel even while they are wide open to the supernatural moves of God? Last week we touched on it, now we need to stir up prayer with even greater clarity. The crucial issues are contained in the narrative which follows Jesus’ warning about signs in Matthew 16 that we prayed into briefly last week. This week we will give substantial time to it. It is so important that we will depart from out normal practice of suggested timings, and simply leave it to the individual watcher and the leading of the Spirit as to how and what weight to give the various points.
If you know of anyone who would also like to receive this night watch prayer bulletin each week, they can subscribe by going to www.passion.org.uk/announcemail and submitting their details on the web form. Alternatively they can email us at admin@passion.org.uk
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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. This Nightwatch began in November 2003 and we are looking to carry on until the end of September 2008 after which there will be a transition into a different form of intercessory support. If you have to miss an occasional watch it’s OK as the rest of us will carry it. A three month commitment is probably a good place to start.
THE CONTENT OF THE WATCH FOR THE WEEK BEGINNING SUNDAY 11th MAY 2008
In order to understand the importance of this week’s material we will begin with a brief reminder of some of the significant moves of the spirit impacting Europe over the last century. The three generations principle (“I AM the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob”) reminds us of the potential there is for the Pentecostal, Charismatic and Nineties’ moves of the Spirit to culminate in an overcoming generation that can share in an unprecedented breakthrough of the kingdom of God. The last of these moves was characterised by the prophetic statement ‘I want my church back,’ and has been accompanied by the three related emphases of standing in the gap for the sins of the past, the repositioning of the church into the world and the unraveling of the structures of empire beginning with the church. Signs, wonders and healings need to be interpreted in this context and not only enjoyed! With this in mind, let’s pray into the following important narrative that precedes Jesus’ definition of church in Matthew 16.
“The Pharisees and Sadducees came up, and testing Jesus, they asked him to show them a sign from heaven. But he replied to them, ‘When it is evening, you say, “It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.” And in the morning, “There will be a storm today, for the sky is red and threatening.” Do you know how to discern the appearance of the sky, but cannot discern the signs of the times? An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign; and a sign will not be given it, except the sign of Jonah.’ And he left them and went away (vv 1-4).
And the disciples came to the other side of the sea, but they had forgotten to bring any bread. And Jesus said to them, ‘Watch out and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.’ They began to discuss this among themselves, saying, ‘He said that because we did not bring any bread’ (vv5-7).
But Jesus, aware of this, said ‘You men of little faith, why do you discuss among yourselves that you have no bread? Do you not yet understand or remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets full you picked up? Or the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many large baskets full you picked up? How is it that you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread? But beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.’ Then they understood that He did not say to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees” (vv8-12).
Notice the following key points:
1. The Lord is not in the habit of providing signs when asked, but expects his people to interpret the signs they have been given (see verses 1-4). The last move of the Spirit was accompanied by many extraordinary manifestations. Some criticised them and others simply encouraged us to enjoy them. But it was generally advised that we did not ask what they meant. From Jesus’ words here we can see that this was bad advice. We should have asked what do these things mean, and we must ask that question again of any ongoing signs and wonders. Let’s pray for the desire and the revelation to know what God is saying through these supernatural signs.
2. Despite being disciples our selfish immaturity leads us to focus on ourselves and our needs. The disciples were still thinking about material bread, or about their inadequacy and guilt. But Jesus was challenging their mindsets and perceptions and wanting something deeper from them (see vv 5-7). Here in twenty-first century Europe we generally have enough food, and it is our health needs that more often concern us. The danger is that we are more concerned about healing, which is important, like bread, but we fail to ask the deeper questions about the meaning of the sign of healing. Let’s pray for a deeper maturity in the body of Christ at this time, so that we don’t miss the fullness of what the Holy Spirit is after.
3. Jesus challenges his disciples to take notice of the diminishing returns in relation to his signs. The feeding of the four thousand was less than the feeding of the five thousand, and the after effects were less too. For those who ate, or who were involved in the miracle, both must have seemed amazing. But the interpretation really mattered to the Lord. The sign related to the powers represented by the Pharisees and Sadducees. It demonstrated the way that religion progressively undermines the impact of the kingdom of God. The Pharisees and Sadducees had different theology from each other, the Pharisees believed in resurrection and the Sadducees did not. But it was not their theology that Jesus had a problem with but their motives. They used religious belief and behaviour to gain and maintain power, status and money. Pray that the body of Christ will understand and refuse these powers.
Finally, pray for an acceleration of the progress of the church as it stands in the gap for the sins of the past and present, as it repositions into the world and continues to deconstruct the structures of empire.
Let’s finish by praying together as the Lord instructed us:
"Pray, then, in this way: 'Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.’” (Matt 6:9-13)
