NIGHTWATCH FOR EUROPE week beginning Sunday May 4th 2008
‘Could you not watch with me for one hour?’ (Mtt26: 40)
WELCOME TO THE NIGHT WATCH FOR EUROPE
Among the responses to last week’s watch guidelines came the shortest we have ever received:
“Love it!”
This encourages us to continue to explore some of the implications of putting the kingdom of God first in contemporary Europe. So we will pray over a longer response from France and then continue to pray about the temple and the times and reflect over some fundamental warnings and challenges for today.
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 4th MAY 2008
1. MONEY OR PRAYER? (20 minutes)
Last week we considered the two occasions on which Jesus cleansed the temple as revealing the economic idolatry of Roman Israel and the need to put compassion for all nations back at the heart of their society.
“And he said to those who sold doves, Take these things away from here. Do not make my Father's house a house of merchandise.” (John 2: 16)
“And he said to them, "It is written, ‘my house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations’ but you are making it a robber’s den." (Matt 21:13)
Pray over the following response:
a) Money
“I think to its credit, Europe has not gone down the pure capitalist road of the US, but there are signs that it would do so more and more. While America's economic decline may remove some of the impetus to compete on the economic world stage, Asia, and in particular China is poised to pick up that baton. There appears to be the kind of economic shaking worldwide that signals the end of an era. If Jesus' cleansing of the temple was the end of an era, it certainly came in a chaotic way ... talk about markets crashing! If God is bringing something down, and I think he is, we have here an opportunity and a challenge at the gates of Europe. If after something has been swept and put in order and it is not occupied in a righteous way, then the enemy has potentially an opportunity as well. As intercessors, this is our time to press in so that these economic gates would be occupied by those who would align themselves and their economic spheres with God's heart of compassion and investment in lives. I think we have here a topic of concerted intercession to really see God's plan.”
b) Prayer
“I wonder if Europe might have a unique calling of intercession that is more nations-focused in the sense that what God is raising up as a prayer movement throughout the earth has different flavours and colours in different places. Europe is, after all, about ethnic groups wrestling to live together in a non-homogenized way. So could God be raising a nations-consciousness in Europe that expresses itself in nations praying one for another and praying for the discipling of whole nations? Pieter Bos’s book THE NATIONS CALLED (available from www.servingthenations.org) gives a picture of the nations as individual members in the Body of Christ, where one nation that has more honour naturally learns to give greater honour to a more humble nation, and so we learn to value the unique redemptive gifts of different peoples and encourage them to come to their full destiny.”
2. LET’S PRAY OVER THE FOLLOWING PERSECTIVES, WARNINGS AND CHALLENGES (40 minutes)
a) “Do you not see all these things?” (5 minutes)
Some people talk of plans to plant or build mega churches in Europe. But won’t these just give the Lord the problem of how to minimise the pain involved in tearing them down?
“Jesus came out from the temple and was going away when his disciples came up to point out the temple buildings to him. And he said to them, "Do you not see all these things? Truly I say to you, not one stone here will be left upon another, which will not be torn down." (Mat 24:1-2)
b) “An evil and adulterous generation looks for a sign.” (5 minutes)
God has given some amazing supernatural signs to his people in Europe during the last three generations. We hear of some wonderful breakouts in various places right now. We need to ask what they are pointing to, not seek the signs for themselves.
"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.” (Mat 16:3-4)
c) “I never knew you.” (5 minutes)
The core motives of his kingdom are what matter to Jesus. Many of our practices, plans and successes obscure the fundamental issues that drive us. We must understand and pursue the things that Jesus came, lived, died and rose again to establish.
"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name cast out demons, and in your name perform many miracles? And then I will declare to them, I never knew you. Depart from me you workers of iniquity.” (Mat 7:21-23)
d) “Take away from me the noise of your songs.” (5 minutes)
Treating people like things for economic and military purposes, breaking covenants of relationship and brotherhood and dishonouring the weak and the defenceless, all cause the Spirit of the Lord to grow tired of his people’s musical worship. (See Amos chs 1-2.) It is no good improving its material or spiritual quality if we don’t alter our economic and political behaviour.
"Take away from me the noise of your songs; I will not even listen to the sound of your harps. But let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.” (Amos 5:23-24)
e) No “looking back.” (5 minutes)
Some people talk of restoring the ancient Christian heritage of various aspects of European society, whether it’s ‘Christian’ England or Huguenot France, or Swiss pietism and so on. While we thank God for every moment of life lived in the Spirit since the gospel first reached Europe, the kingdom of God is growing not dying! We must discover how it works today and in the future with excitement and hope.
“But Jesus said to him, "No one, after putting his hand to the plough and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God." (Luke 9:62)
f) “Looking for and hastening the coming day of God.” (5 minutes)
God has asked for his church back. The only head of the church on earth is the Holy Spirit. He is in charge of his work. We look foolish when we organise ministries, take charge of networks and accept hierarchical roles. Perhaps it is sometimes necessary in order to influence and change things from within, but we still need to be humbled by the stupidity of it. Soon his fire will destroy all the empire way of doing things. Our task is to discover and live now in the way of life of the kingdom that belongs to and brings the new heaven and earth that is coming.
“Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat! But according to his promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.” (2Pet 3:11-13)
