Hey our friend
We hope you had a great week. Ours started along with our San Francisco summer which is mostly in April and May and September and October. Through the good weather we were able to reach out to the people in the park as well. We also have 2 new people working with us at the boys and girls club which is amazing. One girl is from Germany and the other one from Columbia. Please keep them in your prayers over this season.
Lets change the world
For the next few weeks we will share with you a bit about how you can be a part of changing the world. When Jesus gave us the great commission He didn’t just give it to his disciples but to every Christian that lived from then till today. So bear with us over the next few weeks to get you equipped and ready to influence your circles. And also please share the link to the blog on your facebook (or other social networks), email and with other Christians you know. We feel that God really wants to use those posts over the next weeks to empower people for the great commision.
Week 1 Prayer and who are the people
When you are thinking about the ministry Jesus did and how he reached the people you will find 2 great patterns.
First he reached the people that were close to him. If you look at the people who he had the most impact on you find out that these were the people that lived with him on a daily base, his disciples. Jesus was all about an intentional community. So when you start praying about the people God has for you, start where you live. Think about 6 neighbors (I put down the number 6 since it is a great number to host in a living room without having it too crowded but also create a openness) that are living right next to you. After you found those people start praying for them. But one thing that is really important in that, ask God to give you His heart for them. NEVER SEE THEM AS A PROJECT AND NEVER APPROACH THEM LIKE A PROJECT!!! Instead go up to them with a genuine heart and mindset to truly get to know them and become friends with them. Don’t just make it your only agenda to get them to church. But in the same way don’t make it a secret that you love Jesus, just bring it in the right timing. People want to know how much you care before they trust you.
Second Jesus prayed. Jesus spent lots of time in Prayer with His father to understand what He wanted to do as well as understand how he could do that. He spent 40 days in the desert to fast and spend time with his Father. How much time do we spend in Prayer before we go out to do ministry, work, groups, sports etc? I I think many times we are more about doing hands on ministry instead of spending time in Prayer. But I believe a ministry that has no prayer foundation will have a hard time lasting. So before you do any ministry, spend at least 40 days in Prayer for the people God puts on your heart to reach. A few things are happening then. You get a deeper heart for these new friends and deeper inside into there lives. You get more compassion and love for them. And you lay a foundation for God to move in a deeper way in their lives. So don’t neglect the importance of Prayer. And trust me it can be a bit hard at the beginning spending a long time in Prayer but as more you are fine-tuned to Gods voice you have a hard time stopping.
So start the challenge of week 1 with one other Christian either your wife or husband or a friend who lives really close to you and start praying for the new friends that God wants you to reach.
Have a blessed week
Markus and Jen
In today’s time it is really important for us as Christians to have knowledge and experience. As an example if you have a car and you know everything that it can do or all the features it has that doesn’t make you a good driver. But you still need the knowledge since otherwise you might sell the car some day and realize that it had many features that you didn’t know about. But you become a good driver by driving the car and experiencing through that how it handles and works. To get more knowledge of God we can read our bible and study different books about who He is, but that only means that we have knowledge of Him. To really know Him you need to experience Him and spend one and one time with Him. This translates also into ministry. To be able to share our faith with others we need to learn how to do it. You can take a class, talk to your pastor, or the best way let the Holy Spirit teach you. But then you still need experience, and that only comes by doing it. If you look at Jesus and His ministry you see the same principle. He gave the disciples knowledge but then he got them into action. Go and share your faith with your friends and coworkers since you have something special that can change their lives forever.