Our prayer teams have been interceding for the many requests that have been posted on the “Wailing Wall” in our sanctuary. We are all prone to overindulgence in things that diminish our spiritual sensitivity. Many people have given up sweets and alcohol for these twenty-five days. Some have let go of TV and other distractions. Others have gone on complete fasts for entire days or longer. Ultimately, the purpose of these fasts will not be found in what we let go of, but in what we embrace. We are being drawn to seek the Lord and embrace His grace. We will celebrate the breakthroughs that come after our fasting season ends next Wednesday. Some of us will have specific prayers answered in the days to come. All of us will be able to experience a deeper relationship with the Lord who loves us, and continues to reveal himself to us.

When I study the scriptures I see a vision of the Kingdom of God. I see the churches in unity being led by apostles and prophets. I see people filled with the Holy Spirit using the gifts of God as they proclaim the good news of the gospel. I also must confess that we are stuck in captivity to a lifestyle which is far less than the glory of God’s kingdom. I hope you will read Daniel 9 this week and look at how Daniel identified with the people’s sin as he interceded for a breakthrough.

If we are going to have breakthroughs in our families, in our church and in our nation, it will not come as a result of us being more critical of the mistakes of others. Breakthroughs will come as we see in the Scriptures what God wants to do and unite our lives to fulfill His will. We are humbling ourselves the first twenty-five days of January with fasting, prayer and worship so that we will see God’s Kingdom come and his will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

This week we will see how Jesus teaches that the Holy Spirit is the key to these prayers being answered. I have been praying the Lord’s Prayer since I was a child and studying these scriptures for years, but I had never seen the connection between the Lord’s Prayer and the Holy Spirit until this last week. The revelation that came to me is that Jesus teaches about the Holy Spirit in Luke 11 because the Spirit is the one who enables the Lord’s prayer to be fulfilled in our lives.

This passage also has a parable in which Jesus teaches us to be bold when we come before our Father in heaven. If we believe we can trust Jesus, then we can be bold before the throne of God. If we believe our world has a big need for the Kingdom of God to come and his will to be done, then we must be bold when we come before our Father in Heaven. We are called to be a people who will bring glory to God because we are filled with the Holy Spirit. God wants us to be bold in our prayer and our proclamation of the good news about Jesus. Let’s pray together this week that many people will have breakthroughs and be transformed by the Lord as we gather for worship at Living Steams this week.

I was twenty years old when I started following Jesus Christ in 1970. My parents were divorced and my seven younger brothers and sisters were in various stages of rebellion and confusion because of the influence of the 1960′s culture and our family turmoil. As the Lord began to heal and deliver me from evil, I had a strong desire to see our family come to know Christ and be healed as well.

For the past forty years I have felt called to help establish healthy churches and families. There are many similar dynamics in building a healthy family, church or team. Serving one another, forgiving one another and working together in unity are essential in each area. There are also differences that are important to understand. My sermon this Sunday will touch on a few of these areas and hopefully help you serve the Lord by blessing the family of God as well as your own family.

I would like you to prepare your heart for this Sunday as well as Thanksgiving next week by meditating on this blessing from Romans 15:5-6: May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Wednesday night I attended a memorial service for Leo Godzich, a pastor at Phoenix First Assembly and founder of N.A.M.E. (National Association of Marriage Enhancement), an international marriage ministry. Leo, 51, was killed in a traffic accident in Uganda last week. Over 4,000 people gathered to honor Leo. We heard testimonies from his wife, his three daughters and several people whose marriages were saved through his ministry. We cried as Leo’s daughters talked about how much their dad loved them. We laughed as his wife Molly and Tommy Barnett shared stories about Leo’s wild and wonderful life. It is heartbreaking when a man who loves others deeply dies in the prime of his life. Yet as we celebrated Leo’s passion, his wisdom and his legacy, the power of the Lord touched our hearts and inspired us all. His memorial was a wonderful testimony of the reward that comes to those who serve the Lord.

Our desire at Living Streams is to equip you with the grace and truth of Jesus Christ so that your life will also will bring glory to God, and your reward will be great.

Kristina and I had already helped to plant churches in San Rafael, Novato and Vallejo, CA before we moved to Phoenix in 1984. Those churches had grown and helped to launch churches in Petaluma, San Francisco, Sonoma, London and Mexico City as well. Even though the Lord sort of dragged me to Phoenix due to our son’s asthma, I came with a lot of confidence about how to establish and lead a healthy church.

I did not know much about the culture differences between Phoenix and Northern California when we arrived. I also had a lot to learn about leading a church in a healthy way. Early this week, I made a list of some of these lessons and I was going to simply read them off at the beginning of my message. As I looked at the list, I felt like it would be a good anniversary message. These are simple, practical truths, some of which I have learned the hard way, that I believe will be helpful to you in life and ministry.

One of the greatest treasures of my life is the people of Living Streams. You are God’s people, and it is my privilege to serve Jesus with each of you.

As Mel’s businesses thrived, he became part owner of the Phoenix Suns and the Arizona Diamondbacks. When he first came to Living Streams, Mel was recovering from several surgeries. We got together and enjoyed talking about the Lord, the Word, business, and sports.

Mel had played a lot of golf before his accident, but the first time we played nine holes, he had not been on a course for months. He shot two under par, ten strokes better than me.

Over the next several years, we played golf many times, and Mel would beat me easily. Last spring, we were playing nine holes and our match was close. I was playing well, while he was distracted by phone calls. On several occasions, as my ball headed toward the hole, Mel was cheering, “Go in! Go in!” I sank a few long putts and edged him by one stroke.

When I saw Mel with his sons Tom and Ben at a restaurant the next week, he smiled and said, “Mark beat me last week!” In case you don’t know me well, I should admit two things. First, if you ever saw me in competition, the chances are good that the words you heard were not me rooting for the other guy. Second, if the other guy beat me, the chances are good that I didn’t tell people about it.

I have also played golf with Tom and Ben. They have the same spirit as their dad. They root for their opponents to make good shots. They cheer when their competitor’s putt drops into the hole. They too share the news if their friends win. They compete to win, but they have a higher priority. They want their friends to thrive. The joy of their friends is as important to them as the satisfaction of a victory.

So what’s the big deal since most of the world could care less about golf? Mel and his sons have given me a glimpse into the heart of our Father and the love of true brothers. Jesus intercedes for us at the right hand of God. He intercedes for our success. He is cheering for us and he wants us to root for each another.

When I competed with my children, I tried to win, but I also was happy when they became good enough to beat me. That’s pretty common for parents, because we love our children and want them to surpass us. It is a lot harder to root for the church down the street, or the success of your friends when they are competing with you.

When we love one another enough to rejoice in each other’s success, we fulfill Jesus’ words, “My command is this; Love one another as I have loved you.” (John 15:12) When we pray for each other, we are sending spiritual cheers to heaven that rebound into the souls of those we pray for. Our prayers lift people up with grace and strength so they can triumph in life. I receive a lot of grace when faithful friends pray for me. That’s why I’m sending this with a prayer for you.

We spent a week in Pretoria with Chevian and Anny Breedt. They are leaders in Doxa Deo, a great church in Pretoria with 15,000 people in ten related congregations. Johannesburg and neighboring Pretoria are modern cities with millions of people. Many white people live in homes as nice as any in America. Many black people live in townships filled with plywood shacks built like primitive tool sheds.

We also spent a week in Cape Town with Floyd and Sally McClung. Cape Town has tropical beauty and majestic mountains on the seacoast. Their ministry, All Nations, trains leaders to plant house churches in the townships and cities throughout southern Africa.

One night after an All Nations leadership meeting, we drove through a township called Masiphumelele to drop off some young black leaders. The winding narrow streets between the shacks were teeming with people walking, drinking, and cooking over outdoor fires. It looked like an impoverished Harlem, built out of scrap lumber. Later that night, a fire broke out and over 1500 of these shacks burned down. The All Nations community mobilized quickly to rebuild homes for their members, and for children without parents.

We drove through the South African countryside to the city of George where Kristina and I were speaking to the All Nations leaders retreat. We passed along the coastline where large waves roll in from the Indian Ocean. As we drove through rolling hills, past farms, vineyards and mountains with wild game, I began to feel the pull of the adventure which still lures explorers to travel this great continent.

The leaders we spoke to came from Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique. They looked like people in a typical retreat setting, but their hearts were unique. Some were whites who had left lives of comfort in South Africa and America. Others were blacks who had been raised in African poverty. They were all putting their lives on the line to extend the Kingdom of God. They were joyfully obeying the Lord’s call to go to all nations with the good news that Jesus is alive.

We had an opportunity to see a new continent, pet lion cubs, and make new friends. Jesus commanded us to preach the gospel and make disciples of all nations. When He opens doors for you, go for it. It can stretch you to obey the Lord, but the promise of scripture is, Those who trust in Him will never be put to shame. Romans 10:11