Read the following to understand what this page is all about.
“People overestimate what they can do in one year, underestimate what they can do in ten years, and drastically underestimate what God can do when His people pray.”
Ten years from now is 2033, the approximate 2000th anniversary of when Jesus gave us the Great Commission as written in Matthew 28:19-20. The theme for our November, 2023 conference was “Let’s Complete the Task – Where Do I Fit?“. We looked at what has been done, what still needs to be done, and keys to where we and our church may fit. We looked at reasons why the task has not been completed and what needs to change to enable the completion of the task. Then, beginning the week of Missions Fest, we started a new item on our website called “Helps for the Task”. It offers helps & ideas for individuals and churches to use in looking at the year ahead and planning/prayer for the next ten years. Come back to this page every 2 – 3 months to explore helps and ideas for Completing the Task.
November, 2023
We begin this adventure with God, the One who is the great mover and shaker and initiator. In fact, the Celtics referred to the Holy Spirit as the Wild Goose. So we begin this year, these ten years, by learning more how to listen to Him and hearing what He has to say. In much of our prayers, we are the speaker. We speak and God hears us, and that is great and wonderful. But a relationship needs to be two way so we also need to learn to listen more. In three places in the gospels, we are commanded to “listen to Him.” (Matthew 17: 5; Mark 9: 7, Luke 9: 35) Following are some resources to help us learn to do that better.
God Guides by Mary Geegh (god-guides.com)
Learning to Hear God (Two Listening Exercises) by Dallas Willard, Trevor Hudson, and Brian Morykon – Download a free pdf at renovare.org/hear
Hearing God by Dallas Willard
Whisper: How to Hear the Voice of God by Mark Batterson
Invitation to Silence & Solitude by Ruth Haley Barton
Listening Prayer by Leanne Payne
The Art of Listening Prayer by Seth Barnes
Learning
We also need to learn more about cultures in our world today, and especially that people and God are on the move. Read this Lausanne paper: “People on the Move“. Here’s also a brief video about Lausanne.
Evangelism Masterclass: While we are praying and planning, let’s not forget about reaching out to those around us. This free masterclass will teach/show us how to do so with wisdom & compassion in a changing culture. Click & let Kevin Palau & Ed Stetzer introduce you to it today.