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"As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend."
(Proverbs 27:17)
In this week's devotions, I have been sharing about my recent trip to Brooklyn, NY, where a group of 50 pastors from Texas spent some time with Pastor Jim Cymbala and the Brooklyn Tabernacle. It was a refreshing two days for each pastor who went. All these pastors are very busy, and we were all glad that we took the time to make this journey. I think it was Woody Allen who said, "Eighty percent of success is showing up." Showing up, especially in the presence of people who love Jesus and serve Him well, positions you in a way to receive many blessings and great favor.
On Tuesday morning, I got a message from one of the young pastors on our trip asking me to join him and a few other pastors for breakfast. We had a great time of fellowship. There were six of us, and we talked for almost three hours at the Apollo Diner. One of the pastors is facing a tremendous challenge at his church. He has bent over backwards to help a deteriorating situation, but to no avail. The church will vote soon to exercise church discipline on a group in the church who are causing much dissension. Five of us pastors listened carefully to our brother share, and we sought to give counsel the best we could. The Bible has stern warnings for those who would be contentious and sow discord in the church. Solomon listed seven things that God hates in Proverbs 6:17-19, with the last one being, "one who sows discord among brethren."
Before we met with Pastor Cymbala for dinner, we were led to a prayer room by one of the staff members at Brooklyn Tab. This lady, if I recall correctly, is the key leader of the prayer ministry. She allowed us to go and see how they pray. In the prayer room were three ladies calling out to God in intercessory prayer. It was so powerful to just witness this. Brooklyn Tab have what they call "prayer bands", people who meet for one hour prayer times and lift up the various needs of the church and specific requests that come in from around the world. For twelve hours a day, these prayer warriors form these bands and pray. The prayer coordinator provides leadership to these prayer bands, and he or she commits to three hours a week.
Pastor Cymbala shared with us pastors from Texas the true story of how one Sunday he overheard someone praying and asking God, "Please protect our pastor." The person praying was very much pleading with God in earnest. Later that morning, during the worship service, a man approached Pastor Cymbala with a gun. It was a very scary moment both for Jim and for his wife Carol who was sitting at the piano right behind him. Pastor Jim was able to speak calmly to the man. He gave up his gun, and people in the church were able to sit with him and minister to him.
Praise God for prayer warriors who intercede in Jesus' name for God's protection!
How is your prayer life and the prayer ministry in your church? I encourage you to make much of prayer! God loves to hear from His children both individually and corporately. If there is no prayer ministry in your local church, gather a few more people and begin one. There is no perfect way to have a prayer ministry. Often, perfection is the enemy of getting anything done. I cannot beseech you enough to pray and pray some more!
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