Heart for Souls
(This Weekly Prayer Summary was written by Lisa Ang, assistant director of the CBC English Prayer Ministry, and edited by Brigitta Tedja)
Watch full sermon here
James opened the sermon with his gym testimony. He happened to see someone with leg braces on and he felt led to pray for him. It turned out that it was a high school soccer player who got injured while playing. James encouraged all of us to be watchful of our surroundings and to share the Gospel wherever we are.
June is Mission Month at City Blessing Church. James shared about the direction our Church has with the Great Commission. At the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, He called His disciples to become fishers of men (Mark 1:16-20) and then before He ascended to heaven, His final mandate for us is to go and make disciples of all nations. Some of the ways that we can do are listed below but not confined to:
To go out and DO! We should be the Church on a mission
Structure our CARE Cell gatherings differently
Host creative events
Encourage people to go out and share
And many more!
Heart of Compassion
Matthew 9:35-38 NKJV: “Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore, pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”
Jesus was teaching, preaching, and healing
Jesus was DOING the work of the kingdom.
The multitude was drawn to Jesus because of WHAT He did.
Jesus was responding to the NEEDs of the people.
As Jesus did all of these, His HEART for the lost is revealed.
“But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them”
The doing was the outflow of an inward conviction—the expression of Jesus’s heart.
The heart and the doing go hand-in-hand. You cannot do one without the other. All works with no heart will cause you to burn out; yet, if you only have the heart but do nothing, it resolves to nothing.
It is not your heart that fuels ministry; it is Jesus.
We need the revelation of Jesus’ heart. His heart is for the lost!
“Like sheep having no shepherd”
Jesus is the Good Shepherd
The Father’s heart is connected to Jesus’ calling.
The Father’s heart is always connected to your calling.
Our Calling
What does the Word tell us about what is on God’s heart?
“For God SO LOVED the world that He gave His one and only Son…”
The love of God for humanity is what compelled Him to give.
The outward expression of His love was the gift of Jesus Christ.
May we be moved to action by the heart of God for souls.
Each of us has a story of how God touched our lives; in turn, our story puts a burden in our hearts that is connected to the calling over our lives. Each of us has a part of God’s heart. Each of us are called for different purposes and different age groups. For example:
If you are a college student, then you might be called to do campus ministry.
Some have the heart for the unborn, so they are called to fight abortion.
Some have the heart for social justice, so they might be called to establish foundations to fight for social injustice.
Those that have the heart for the poor/homeless might be called for ministries to serve the poor/homeless.
All these things happen so that people might encounter the love of God that is transforming. It takes all of us combined to reflect God’s heart for the lost.
Who Are Called?
Fishers of Men
Mark 1:16 AMP: “As Jesus was walking by the shore of the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon [Peter] and Simon’s brother, Andrew, casting a net in the sea; for they were fishermen.”
The Sea of Galilee was a fresh water lake about 13 miles long and 7 miles wide, almost 700 feet below sea level and the center of a busy fishing industry. Jesus called His disciples while they were in the middle of doing things. Jesus was using what they already knew and what they were already working on. Immediately when Jesus said “Follow Me”, these men dropped everything and followed Him.
To make a comparison between the above verses with our current culture, imagine Jesus going around:
Silicon Valley and pulling software engineers out of their desks
Hollywood and calling actors and movie producers
Wall Street and calling brokers and traders
Financial District, hedge fund managers
Right in the middle of everything they were doing, Jesus said “Follow Me”
Mark 1:17-20 AMP “And Jesus said to them, “Follow Me [as My disciples, accepting Me as your Master and Teacher and walking the same path of life that I walk], and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately, they left their nets and followed Him [becoming His disciples, believing and trusting in Him and following His example]. Going on a little farther, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and his brother John, who were also in the boat mending and cleaning the nets. Immediately, Jesus called to them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired workers, and went away to follow Him [becoming His disciples, believing and trusting in Him and following His example].
You may never spend a minute of your life on staff in a Church, but wherever He finds you, follow Him whether you are a:
Doctor
Janitor
Lawyer
Gardener
Software developer
Real estate developer
Carpenter or fisherman
Entertainment industry or education
Other jobs
We are all called to be a full-time follower of Jesus. We are given that same call: “Follow Me” and in that call is the commission to make disciples of all nations.
Who Are We Called To?
Sick and Sinful
Mark 2:15-17 NKJV Now it happened, as He was dining in Levi’s house, that many tax collectors and sinners also sat together with Jesus and His disciples; for there were MANY, and they followed Him. And when the scribes and Pharisees saw Him eating with the tax collectors and sinners, they said to His disciples, “How is it that He eats and drinks with tax collectors and sinners?” When Jesus heard it, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”
Jesus is not after the self-righteous and the religious. He is after the sinners, the broken, the captives, the sick. He brings FREEDOM and FORGIVENESS. Jesus sat with sinners but called them to repentance. We were the sinners, tax collectors, broken-hearted but we have been redeemed. We need to do the same to others.
Luke 4:18 NKJV
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,
Because He has anointed Me
To preach the gospel to the POOR;
He has sent Me [a]to heal the BROKENHEARTED,
To proclaim liberty to the CAPTIVES
And recovery of sight to the BLIND,
To set at liberty those who are OPPRESSED.
To the groups we see; the poor, the broken-hearted, the captives, the blind, the oppressed, Jesus gives:
Beauty for ashes
A garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness
Double-honor for your shame
Easy yoke and light burden for the weary and burdened
Jesus did not die for good people to become better. He died to bring the dead back to life. That is the power of the Gospel. What we are bringing to people is the power of God that transforms lives. The power of God is always meant to be aligned with the heart of God. He has brought us out of darkness and into His light. He has given us new life.
Galatians 2:20 NKJV “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.”
He is calling us to bring that same resurrection life and hope into the lives of those around us. We are called to bring the message to our friends, classmates, family members, neighbors, coworkers and more.
As we embark on this Mission Month, let us be moved into action for the sake of the Gospel. May we know the call of God and the power of God in our lives that equips us to go and share the Good News with all who will hear. May we never be ashamed of the Gospel, but recognize it is the power of salvation and what encapsulates the heart of God for souls.
Prayer Points:
Pray that we will answer Jesus’ call to follow Him.
Pray that we receive the revelation of God’s heart for the lost.
Pray that we are never ashamed of the Gospel for it brings life’s transformative power.
Pray so that we can overcome the fear of rejection.
Pray that we understand the power and authority given to us to preach the Gospel; set the captives free; heal the brokenhearted and perform signs, miracles and wonders.
Pray that we will no longer be contained by the four walls of the Church but to go out and make disciples of nations wherever we currently are.
Be the Salt & Light:
Join our weekly prayer for California and for the nations:
Every Friday 8:30PM - 9:30PM PT
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85611634995?pwd=STl6TC9uZFhvcTM4NXZid0lZeHRTQT09
Pray for California:
AB2223 passed the Assembly floor on 5/26/22. It is now headed to the Senate. Please continue to pray that this bill will not move forward. Pray for Holy Spirit to convict our lawmaker's hearts and end AB2223.
California primary election is on June 7th, 2022:
Pray for election integrity.
Pray that God will elevate godly candidates and open up the doors for them to get elected.
Pray that Christians will rise up and vote for godly candidates.
Pray for America:
There has been an increase of violence happening all around our nation. Every few days there are news of mass shootings happening.
Pray for grace, comfort, strength and healing on the victim’s family and their community.
Pray against the spirit of violence in our state and nation.
Pray that our leaders and representatives will not turn this issue into a political theater
Gas prices, inflation, supply-chain disruptions, threats of a global food crisis, and baby formula crisis are still very much in the fore-front of our lives. Pray for wisdom for our leaders to come up with policies that will get these issues under control.
Pray for Ukraine:
Let us not forget that war is still raging in Ukraine. The number of casualties keep increasing. There are on-going war crime investigations. Please continue to pray for Russia-Ukraine war to end swiftly.
Let us know our calling and be moved into action by bringing the Good News wherever we are!