Leadership and Prayer

Prayer is the most vital part of leadership. It is not the only aspect, but it is the single most important tool that affects all other aspects of leadership. Dr. Earley asks:

• Do you believe God can do things bigger than you can?

• Do you believe God can do things faster than you can?

• Do you believe God can do things better than you can?

• Do you believe God can do things more long lasting than you can?[1]

 “Leadership is influence…Since leadership is the ability to move and influence people, the spiritual leader will be alert to discover the most effective way of doing this…Prayer influences men by influencing God to influence them.”[2] J. O. Sanders

S.D. Gordon says, “Prayer strikes the winning blow, and service is merely picking up the pieces.”[3] Andrew Murray says, “In spiritual work everything depends upon prayer.”[4]

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[1] Ibid.

[2] Sanders, J. Oswald. Spiritual Leadership. The Moody Bible Institute, (Chicago: 1994). 82-84.

[3] “Christian Prayer Quotes”, http://www.christian-prayer-quotes.christian-attorney.net/.

[4] Murray, Andrew. Prayer Life. Wilder Publications, (Radford, VA: 2008).

Five Grand Conditions of Prevailing Prayer

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George Muller has lots of lesson’s to teach on prayer. One extraordinary lesson is his five grand conditions of prevailing prayer:

1.                    Entire dependence upon the merits and mediation of the Lord Jesus Christ, as the only ground of any claim for blessing (John 14:13-14; 15:16).

2.                    Separation from all known sin. If we regard iniquity in our hearts, the Lord will not hear us for it would be sanctioning sin (Psalm 66:18).

3.                    Faith in God’s Word of promise as confirmed by his oath. Not to believe him is to make him both a liar and a perjurer (Heb. 6:13-20; 11:6).

4.                    Asking in accordance with this will. Our motives must be godly: we must not seek any gift of God to consume it upon our own lusts (1 John 5:13-15; James 4:3).

5.                    Importunity in supplication. There must be waiting on God and waiting for God, as the husbandman has long patience to wait for the harvest (James 5:7; Luke 18:1-8).[1]

These five conditions were the foundation for Mueller’s believing prayer. He saw God work in mighty ways! Mueller has numerous stories of times when God answered very specific prayer. A favorite and well-known story is the time when there was no food for breakfast at one of the orphanages. There were about three hundred orphans at this time and there was no food available and no money to purchase any. The children lined up behind their chairs. Mueller gave thanks for what the Lord was going to provide. He did this in faith, as they had nothing to eat that morning. Soon after the children sat down there was a knock at the door. When Mueller opened the door, the baker stood there with freshly baked bread. He said that he was unable to sleep the night because he thought the orphans would need bread that morning. So he had gotten up around 2am to bake bread for them. Soon there was a second knock at the door. The milkman's truck had broken down in front of the orphanage, and he needed to remove the milk in order to repair his truck and offered the milk to the children!

 God is faithful and supplies all our needs when we pray in faith and take him at His Word!

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              [1] George Mueller, Release the Power of Prayer. New Kinsington, PA: Whitaker House, 2005. 91-94.

Encouragment and Inspiration from the Life of Martin Luther

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          The life of Martin Luther is one of the most fascinating and intriguing stories of church history. Perhaps, the single most impacting part of the Reformation was the renewal of the Word of God in the form of a book so that even peasants could read it. Luther understood that, “God preserves the experience of salvation and holiness from generation to generation by means of a book of revelation, not a bishop in Rome, and not the ecstasies of Thomas Muenzer and the Zwickau prophets.”^[1]

         Pope Leo X was in need of money to build St. Peter’s Basilica and the major income of the church came through the sale of indulgences. In 1517 he put a Dominican monk named John Tetzel in charge of selling indulgences in Saxony. Tetzel was an unscrupulous salesman who was willing to say anything to increase sales. He even promised people complete forgiveness from all sin. He also said that if a person would purchase indulgences for a loved one, they would be released from Purgatory. His famous saying was, As soon as the coin in the coffer rings, a soul from Purgatory springs.

          Some of Luther’s parishioners bought indulgences from Tetzel. This enraged Luther and drove him to write his 95 Theses against the practice of selling indulgences and other factors he saw flawed in the Church of Rome. On October 31, 1517, Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door of the church in Wittenberg.  Pope Leo X eventually received a copy of the 95 Theses, to which he was very unimpressed and directed the Augustinian order to handle the situation.

          On October 10, 1520, the Pope issued the Exsurge Domine, a papal bull that appealed to God to protect his church from Luther’s threat. “Arise, O Lord, and defend Thy cause! A wild boar has invaded Thy vineyard.”^[2] Luther was to be excommunicated from the Church of Rome if he did not recant within 60 days. According to the Holy Roman Church, salvation is only available through the church and to be excommunicated means eternal damnation. Luther, once a fearful monk, now stood and refused to recant his newfound faith. Pope Leo X excommunicated Luther on January 3, 1521.

            Luther was summoned to stand before the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V, to recant his views at the Diet of Worms January 22, 1521. Eck, the spokesman for Charles V, said Luther had no right to teach contrary to the Church. He asked plainly if Luther would reject his books and the errors they contained. Luther replied: “Unless I am convicted by Scripture and plain reason—I do not accept the authority of popes and councils, for they have contradicted each other—my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and will not recant anything, for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe, Here I stand. I can do no other. God help me. Amen.”^[3]

While the assembly was holding private conferences to determine Luther’s fate, Luther left Worms destined for Wittenberg, but was kidnapped by Prince Frederick the Wise's masked horsemen who escorted him safely to the Wartburg Castle at Eisenach. Martin Luther had no idea that he was going to be kidnapped and taken away to the Wartburg Castle. In fact, Luther was sure that the Diet of Worms would bring him to his death. On May 25, 1521, The Emperor issued the Edict of Worms, declaring Martine Luther an outlaw and a heretic and banned all his literature. 

During this year of exile, Martin grew a beard and wore the clothes of a knight, calling himself, Knight George. He worked on translating the New Testament into German, which was eventually printed, September of 1522. Yet this time of exile was not easy. He describes his feelings in a letter he wrote begging his friends for intercessory prayer:

I sit here at ease, hardened and unfeeling—alas! praying little, grieving little for the Church of God, burning rather in the fierce fires of my untamed flesh. It comes to this: I should be afire in the spirit; in reality I am afire in the flesh, with lust, laziness, idleness, sleepiness. It is perhaps because you have all ceased praying for me that God has turned away from me ... For the last eight days I have written nothing, nor prayed nor studied, partly from self-indulgence, partly from another vexatious handicap [constipation and piles] ... I really cannot stand it any longer ... Pray for me, I beg you, for in my seclusion here I am submerged in sins.^[4]

Even, Luther struggled intensely with distraction, sin, and laziness! Luther was doing a mighty work for the Lord, and the enemy was standing close by to kill, steal and destroy. Luther struggled with the passions of his flesh that waged war against his soul. He saw the power and significance of the praying saints and so begged for his fellow bearers of the cross to intercede on his behalf. Luther literally shook the whole known world with the start of this reformation and the enemy was close at hand to discourage.

Martin Luther’s boldness and courage to stand up for the truth of the Word of God led to the Protestant Reformation. His works were published and well read throughout Germany. Soon other theologians and thinkers arose and started other Protestant sects. Martin Luther’s legacy is still felt across the western world today.

Luther’s last recorded words were, “Wir sein Bettler. Hoc est verum.” ^[5] We are beggars. This is true”6 God is free in his grace. We are beggars, or in other words, we are prayers. This is how one lives and this is how one studies, so that God receives all the glory and we receive all the grace. Luther’s approach to studying the Word of God was rooted and founded on prayer.

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^[1]     Philip Schaff, ed. Religious Encyclopedia, Vol. 2, (New York: The Christian Literature Co., 1888), p. 1596. For Luther's response see A. G. Dickens and Alun Davies, eds., Documents of Modern History: Martin Luther, (New York: St. Martin's Press, 1970), pp. 75-79.

^[2] Ibid. 

^[3] Ibid, 142-144.

 ^[4] E. G. Rupp and Benjamin Drewery, editors, Martin Luther: Documents of Modern History, (New York, St. Martin's Press, 1970), pp. 72-73.

 ^[5]Heiko A. Oberman, Luther: Man Between God and the Devil, p. 324.

Pray for Nepal!

Day 1

Psalm. 98:2 The LORD has made his salvation known and revealed his righteousness to the nations. 

Father God, I pray that the Nepali people would turn to You from their idols and serve the living and true God and wait for Jesus, Your Son from heaven, whom You raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come. I pray that the LIGHT of the gospel breaks through the satanic veil that blinds their eyes. Reveal yourself to them. Bring them to salvation so that the Word of the Lord would sound forth from the people of Nepal into all the world and that their faith in God would go everywhere! 

Day 2

James 3:17 But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. 

 Lord, You are the beginning and the end, the Alpha and Omega, and there is nothing hidden from Your sight. You are the wisest counselor of all. I thank You for your promise, that You give wisdom to those who ask. 

Father God, I pray that you would give my team the wisdom we need to minister to the Nepali people. Fill us with heavenly wisdom that is pure, peace-loving, and considerate. Reveal to us the divine strategies we need to navigate the cultural issues we will face with the people of Nepal. Inspire us with creative solutions to the challenges that hold back the Gospel among the Nepalis. Lord, release your wisdom and light the path before us to penetrate this people group with the truth of Your love.

Day 3

Matthew 11:25 At that time Jesus said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. 

Father, I thank You for the Holy Spirit that You have sent to lead us into all truth, I lift up the people of Nepal to You, and I pray for the children among them. Holy Spirit, I ask that today you would visit one of these children and spark in their heart the revelation of who You are. Over-shadow them with Your presence Lord, and touch them with the truth of Your love. Draw them near to You Lord, give them eyes to see beyond what they have been taught. Open their hearts to receive Your love and Your truth. Comfort them with Your peace and set them on a new course for the rest of their life.  

Day 4 

Luke 4:18 The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. 

You, Oh God are Lord forever and there is no one who can challenge Your authority and power. You rule for ever and ever, and there is no end to Your Kingdom.

Lord, anoint my team as we work with wisdom and insight to reach out to the poor and needy. Enable us to put Your truth in a form that can be easily understood. Anoint our words with power to penetrate hearts. Open the ears of those who hear, and make the Good news of Your son Jesus, real to them.  Lord, Your heart is near to the poor and oppressed, anoint us, to represent you as Lord and Savior.

Day 5 

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.-Ephesians 3:14-21 

Father God, may your Kingdom come to Nepal. Shine your LIGHT and your truth into the hearts of the people. Awaken them! Give them ears to hear, eyes to see and hearts to receive your Word, your Spirit. May we be grounded in love so that we can have the strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and the depth and to know the love of Christ so we may be filled with all the fullness of Christ Jesus. 

Day 6

Father God,  may we be holy and have compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as You have forgiven us, so we also must forgive. And above all these we put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And may Your peace rule in our hearts, to which indeed we were called in one body. And may we be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in us richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in our hearts to God. And whatever we do, in word or deed, may we do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to you, God the Father... (Col. 3)

Day7

Father God, I pray you would be in the midst of the Nepali people, a mighty one who will save. I thank you that you will rejoice over them with gladness, and quiet them by your love and exult over them with loud singing (Zeph 3:17) I pray you would pour your Spirit on the Nepali people, that their sons and daughters would prophesy and their old men would dream dreams and that their young men would see visions. (Joel 2:28-29)