The Heart Matters

This first appeared in NeoNews in October 2008. I have republished it as it first appeared.

… Awaken the dawn!

On Saturday, August 18, 2007, it was another typical morning in Northeast Ohio. The sky shone bright with light; the air seemed rather thick, perhaps from the early morning dew and the humidity of the “Dog Days of Summer”; a sweet fragrance lingered in the moist air. Creatures were buzzing about with activity. A new day had dawned.

Yet, in Cuyahoga Falls on that particular morning, things were anything but typical. The sun did shine, but the light shining was not the sun. The air was thick, but thick with anticipation and a burden; oh, and the fragrance – oh so sweet – was not morning glories (or even coffee and donuts), but the sweet aroma of Brothers and Sisters busying themselves with God’s mission. Indeed, a new day had dawned for NeoXenos as people gathered together to pray for God’s Will to be done – throughout the world!

From Psalms 108:2-3

Awake, harp and lyre;

I will awaken the dawn!
I will give thanks to You, O LORD, among the peoples.

And I will sing praises to You among the nations.

Representatives from all our cell groups were in attendance. After a “killer” spread of breakfast delights (Yes, there were bakery fresh, honey glazed donuts), each attendee collected valuable information on what God says about world missions and about praying for missions, why missions are important to our church, how to build a mission’s ethos, and how NeoXenos intends to financially support missionaries.

Greg started the meeting off with prayer followed by a teaching on God’s perspective of missions and why we should pray for His will to be done no matter what. His teaching focused on why we should care and why even pray.

WHY SHOULD I CARE?

The last thing Christ said to his disciples before he ascended into heaven was:

“… You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.” – Acts 1:8

When you are about to leave someone for a long time and never see them on this earth again (Yes, kind of like death-bed last words), your last words are going to be the most important and lasting.

WHY PRAY PERSISTENTLY?

The answer to this question was found in Luke 18:1-8 in the story of the persistent widow. Jesus told this parable “to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart.” Basically if an unrighteous judge would grant this lowly widow what she repeatedly asked for because she wore him down “…will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them?” Yes, God does want us to petition Him again and again; it matters that we care.

BROTHER (OR SISTER) CAN YOU SPARE A DIME?

In a word, “Yes!” You can spare a dime. That’s why we are implementing the “What’s-That-In-Your-Pocket Fund”. Each Cell Group leader will be collecting spare change to bring to the monthly World Missions Meeting. Please bring your spare change to your cell meeting and it will be added to our World Missions Fund. Or, better yet attend the next meeting yourself! The change will be counted and sent to a missionary family – the Gibson’s of World Team for starters.

WHAT CAN I LEARN AT THESE MEETINGS

For starters, you will learn that Cuyahoga Falls and Stow, Ohio, or even the United States of America, are not the center of God’s Plan.

From Isaiah 45:22-23

“I invite the whole world to turn to me and be saved.

I alone am God! No others are real.

I have made a solemn promise, one that won’t be broken:

Everyone will bow down and worship me.” (CEV)

You will gain a broader perspective of God’s mission – of God’s planned future. You will have the opportunity to learn about other people groups and the actual mission’s work going on among the “unreached”. You will learn how to effectively pray for those lost and those presenting the gospel to the lost. You will learn to care!

PERSPECTIVE, PERSPECTIVE, PERSPECTIVE

In January 2008, The Perspectives Class will be offered at the Green Campus of the Akron Chapel. Provided is a link for that class: http://www.perspectives-neo.org/. This class is an excellent opportunity to build your budding burden and to build relationships with fellow Christians. This course is intensive and a bit pricy, but those who have taken it say it “changed their world” and “opened their eyes to eternity.”

SO WHEN’S THE NEXT MEETING?

That’s easy. It is the third Saturday of each month!

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