Calling the Church to Fast & Pray
4 Strands of Stewardship
Heart, Home, Highland Community Church, North Highland community
Week One: Our Heart
As we prepare our hearts for the next chapter, Highland, let’s seek the Lord’s face together! Let’s seek Him, asking that His magnificence be put on display as we prepare to move in our new building! Throughout this month, each Wednesday, during lunch hour, let’s fast and pray as a church. This week, let’s pray and fast over our hearts by asking for:
More! An overflow of God’s spirit in our hearts, causing our hearts to be renewed and revived.
This prayer for “more” is not because God hasn’t already given so many good gifts, because He absolutely has. His presence, power and provision for the Highland Tribe has, at times, been astounding! He has proven Himself to be a good Father who loves to give good gifts to His children. Therefore, when we ask for more, we are not asking out of a spirit of deficiency, but rather out of a spirit of expectancy!
“Sing a new song” is a phrase that is often repeated in the book of Psalms. To sing a new song does not mean that we need to sing a song that is newly written. When God says, “Sing a new song”, He is saying, “Sing to Me a fresh song. Something that comes from an overflow of fresh waters overflowing from your soul.” This reminds me of Ezekiel’s vision in chapter 47 of the book of Ezekiel. Ezekiel is given a vision of the temple. At first, he sees just a trickle of water coming from the temple. Then the waters from the temple became ankle-deep. Then they became knee-deep. Then they became waist-deep. Till at last the waters had risen deep enough for swimming. That’s a way to look at what it means to ask for “more”. It’s a way of saying, “I want a fresh outpouring of Your Spirit, deep enough to swim in!”
Ezekiel was not the only prophet who anticipated experiencing more of God. In Isaiah 64 we read, “Look down from heaven and see from Your holy and glorious habitation; where is Your zeal and Your mighty deeds? The stirring of Your heart and Your compassion are restrained toward me — Oh, that You would rend the heavens and come down! That the mountains might quake at Your Presence…as fire kindles the brush, as fire causes water to boil - that we may tremble at Your presence among us. For from days of old they have not heard or perceived by ear, nor has the eye seen a God like You, who acts on behalf of those who wait/hope in Him!”
As we fast and pray today for an overflow of God’s presence in our hearts, feel free to use this guide. These are a couple methods I have used over the years as I have learned how to pray and they have proven to be very effective for me. Of course, this is just a suggestion, so feel free to take it or leave it.
P.R.A.Y
P - Pause to be still.
R - Rejoice and Reflect by meditating on a Psalm (If needing suggestions: a few of my faves are Psalm 65/66/67)
A - Ask God to open your eyes to see wonderful things in His word. Ask God to open your ears, that You might hear His voice. Ask God to open Your mind to conceive what is beyond your own thinking and imagination. Ask God to open Your heart to receive His word. Ask God to open your mouth to speak His Word.
Y - Yield to His will and way in Your life
Here’s a song that goes with our fasting and praying for a fresh outpouring of God’s spirit upon our hearts. You can also make the words of this song a prayer from your heart - a new (fresh) song you sing to the Lord!
Update on my Dad
My dad continues to battle great bouts with pain and is struggling to get back on his feet. Pray along with us, asking the Lord for answers. We are hopeful that he will soon find the road to recovery.
Food Collection For Those In Need
Highland, let’s step in and help. At times, our neighbors are running short on groceries. We would love to keep a few items on hand to help as needed. Due to limited space, we cannot keep our usual food boxes but we could store a few bags at a time. The items pictured are an example of items needed. The cost for these items is about $35 per set. We could also use some of the reusable shopping bags for distributing the items. If you are interested in purchasing a set, please contact the church.
Also, The Food Mill offers a food give away every second and fourth Tuesday at the Fox Community Center from 2:30-6:00.
Throughout the Week
Mondays @ M2540, 6:30pm
Each Monday at 6:30–7:30, we partner with M2540 to love our neighbor. All are welcome to join our team and care for those who often have more month than money.
Prayer Gathering, Wednesdays, 9am
Patti leads our Prayer Gathering each Wednesday, at 9am. It is held at the Firehouse. Come and seek the Lord along with our team.
Throughout the Weekend
Chicken & Rice, Saturdays, 10am
This Saturday, our team continues to reach out to those on our streets and minister to them. They offer the love of Christ, while serving them a meal that has been prepared by the Chicken & Rice team. Volunteers are welcome. 10am, Saturday, in the cafe’.
Movie Night: Free Burma Rangers, Saturday, Aug 19th
(Geared for an older audience)
On Saturday the 19th from 5:30 pm -7:30 pm, we have a chance to watch an amazing documentary film about a group of people working in Myanmar (a.k.a. Burma) to show the love of Jesus to those who are caught in the middle of a horrific war. The film is a great introduction to the country of Myanmar and to global missions in crazy places. But ultimately the film is about a bigger question: What would you do if God called you to something that feels crazy? Come see how love triumphs over evil when we have courage to respond to Jesus.
Childcare and pizza dinner (for adults and kids) will be provided, and we'd appreciate it if you could register here to help us plan food and childcare.
Viewer discretion is advised, and the youngest children are not encouraged to come, as the movie depicts war zone realities. Please watch this 4 minute introduction before deciding on the appropriateness of the content for your kids.
Sunday Mornings at 9am
Grab a cup of coffee and a breakfast sandwich and head to class this Sunday morning. Joseph’s teaching on holiness in our old sanctuary at 9am, Robert’s leading our men’s Bible Study in our educational-building and Jo Ellen holds devotion in the Firehouse. Looking forward to seeing you!
SUNDAY MORNINGS AT 10AM
Our church service (we call “Firehouse Gatherings”) are held each Sunday morning in the Firehouse (3402 6th Ave). We are meeting here while construction on our facility is being completed – praise the Lord for all He is doing! He is almighty and continues to prove faithful to us. All are welcome to attend.
This month, we are in the final lap of our series entitled: The Magnificent Move. In this series, we have honed in on how we are to prepare our hearts to move into the new building. This passage below has guided the thinking of our leadership:
“By wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established; by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches” (Proverbs 24:3-4).
Precious and pleasant riches are not: ornate designs, nifty tech and sound equipment, strobe lights or dry ice, it’s people, created in His image. It’s the worship of those who delight in His righteous commands by way of a repentant heart.
So, the process here is that:
When our hearts are submitted to the wisdom of the Lord
We gain discernment and understanding of His heart and His plans
Thereby we can define what is precious in His eyes.
The word “precious” is defined in two ways:
As people who recognize the value of truth, thereby treasuring truth (Proverbs 23:23 - Buy, do not sell truth – go after it; Matthew 13:44 - Our life’s worth is found in the treasure of truth).
Faithful stewardship, whether we have a lot or a little (Luke 16:11; Matthew 25:21).
This is what we will covering this Sunday.
I love you, Highland.
Looking forward to seeing you Sunday,
Rob