Dear Brothers & Sisters:
Isn’t it encouraging, sustaining, and wonderful when we see answers to our prayers? We ask the Lord for safety, and he gives it. We ask the Lord for words to say, and he fills our mouth. We ask the Lord to touch people’s hearts and he does it. We ask him to provide our needs and he abundantly blesses.
We are thankful for safety in travel, for welcome in our engagements, for God’s blessing on our teaching, preaching, and counsel- at least in the reception they have been given. Thank you God for paying our bills, giving us strength to keep going, and seeing your people plant churches, practice discipleship, and care about justice and mercy.
We are not paying or trying to buy a blessing, we are beseeching, supplicating, and begging for his mercy and help. Yes, we can do it boldly and with confidence since he is our Great High Priest but we are not his Lord, he is ours! Learning to “wait on God” means we keep praying, keep asking, and keep seeking his face while we humble ourselves to accept whatever answer he might give. It is not always easy for us to wait.
We were honored to do some teaching at the MNA Church Planting and Renewal Conference in Nashville. We were encouraged by those who are planting churches among the poor and seeking to build cross-cultural churches. We were delighted to do a marriage seminar for Elders and their wives at Christ the King Dorchester (in Boston), to hear Joan share about “resilience” in ministry, thankful to feel God’s power as we preached for them and for Global Ministries Christian Church, and do a radio show for Boston Praise Radio. The Lord gave us safety, great fellowship ( we really like those folks in Boston) the honor of lifting up his name and Word, and provided our needs.
I think the Lord would really like there to be righteousness in our country. I think God wants there to be peace, respect and love for our neighbors, kindness in our words with an absence of malice, and no sense of arrogance, racism, or hatred. I think God wants for us to see churches being planted in poor neighborhoods and communities, with people being led to Christ, taught in Christ so that they would love the Lord, his Word, his people, and love their neighbors. To that end I would love to see brave, believing, and bold pastors stand for truth and justice, developing ministry that is appropriate, needed, and effective to raise people up out of their miserable conditions. I would love to see generous congregations instead of selfish or greedy ones.
I would love to see local churches respected and praised for being life giving and making a difference in marginalized communities, champions for widows, single moms, orphans, strangers, and a place of healing for all kinds of broken, wounded, or abused people. I would love for there to be no phony, false, abusive, or scandalous churches or pastors who might distract or discourage people from following Christ. If you agree, say Amen!
It is obvious we must wait on the Lord for such men, churches, and things. It is necessary for us to make our waiting to truly be intercessory (prayers that ask God to do something specific), and our waiting to be preparatory for our obedience. If we want positive change we must pray for it, and we must then work for it in the power of the Holy Spirit.
PRAYER REQUESTS:
- Pray for the LDR conference coming up on Labor Day Weekend, there is a fresh wind blowing for this conference and we seek the blessing of God on every person who comes. For more information about this conference go to LDR Weekend.
- Please pray for our daughter Keren and her husband Alex as they await the birth of their first child, prior to their move to work on staff at New City Beachwood in Rochester, NY.
- Pray for several of our congregations who are still seeking new pastors.
- Pray for wisdom on choosing the next city to host the next MNA Mercy Conference.
- Pray for all of our congregations that are still considered to be “church plants” that the Lord would raise up godly Elders who might be well trained and so that each plant would morph into an organized and particular church.
- Pray for more men who would be called into cross cultural ministry for church planting, both majority and minority brothers, who would have great chemistry and compatibility together so they could serve as a team.
- Pray for more of our congregations to have a passion to be effective in ministry to the poor that actually creates disciples and brings people into the worshipping life of the church.
Thank you for waiting on the Lord on our behalf, for the poor, and for the ministry of reconciliation.
Sincerely,
Randy and Joan Nabors
Urban and Mercy Ministries
thenewcitynetwork.org
Phone.770.905.6976