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Bob Hunter’s Prayer

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If you are a follower of Jesus Christ, you are also a priest. Peter 2:5 says, “you also … are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood.” And one of the jobs of being a priest is prayer and intercession.

A friend of mine, Doug Coe, told me that he challenged a new Christian named Bob to pray for Africa for 45 days. So Bob started praying every day, “God, help Africa.” After about three weeks of prayer, Bob meets an African American lady and learns that she runs an orphanage in Uganda. She pleads with him to come see the orphans and maybe as a businessman he could do something. So he flies to Uganda, looks at the kids, and of course his heart breaks. He comes back home and begins to do all sorts of things for the orphanage.

Then one day, the president of Uganda calls and asks him to return to Uganda because of the work hes done for the orphans. So Bob goes back to Africa and befriends the President. Through their friendship, the president ends up releasing numerous all his political prisoners who had unjustly been imprisoned.

What an amazing story! Yet this could happen to you, too! When you take your priesthood seriously, theres no telling what God could do with your life, and whom you may touch with His Spirit.

Service

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You may have heard the saying, “Practice random acts of kindness.” I like it. But did you know that there is an entire movement based on this concept? Theres actually something called the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation. Their motto? “Do kindness.”

People reach out to others in an effort to make life better for them. Some raise funds to help kids who use wheelchairs. Others give out hamburgers to hungry people on the street. One little girl collected books, toys, and stuffed animals to give to kids in the hospital. She wanted everyone to have a friend to hold onto. Thats touching. Its a great concept.

Jesus calls His followers to something on top of good deeds. He calls us to evangelism! “Go and proclaim the Good News” he said. The heart of Christ is that others would know Him and experience the life-changing power of the Holy Spirit. Yes, reaching out in love and kindness to others is certainly something God expects every Christian to do, everyday. But it should never replace the call of the Great Commission.

Evangelism is social action. It is the greatest act of kindness in the whole universe. We should share with others how to experience a personal relationship with Jesus and with God the Father, giving them the hope of eternal life and heaven when they die. So, do good deeds on a practical level and do the greatest good deed… give people the Good News of the cross and resurrection of Christ.

Evangelism

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Did you know that Christian missionaries brought the gospel message to the Fiji Islands almost two centuries ago? A few years back a European count visited the islands. He had heard of its beautiful girls, wild dances and pristine beaches. But when he got there he was sorely disappointed. The Fijians were modestly dressed and not partying like he had hoped.

The man complained to the tribal chief. He said that they never should have listened to the missionaries-that their message was outdated and boring. The chief looked at the count. He said, “Do you see that rock over there? Before the missionaries came, we would take people like you and cut off their heads on that rock. Then we boiled them, and ate them. So, youd better thank the missionaries that they came and that we believed their message of the love of God. Because if it wasnt for them, wed have chopped your head off right now and youd be boiling for dinner tonight.” What a great response!

In Matthew chapter 28, Jesus said, “Go and make disciples of all nations.” The life of the people around you may not seem as barbaric as that of 200 years ago in the Pacific. But they are still living in darkness. We have the message of light. We have the message of Jesus Christ. It is our duty, and our privilege, to let them know that theres a Savior who can liberate us from everything that enslaves us.

All This is Ours!

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Have you ever thought about the amazing privileges we have as children of God? Think about it. Hebrews chapter 10 tells us all about them. First, it says we can draw near to God with a sincere heart. That we do that in full assurance of faith. That our hearts are sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscious. That our bodies are washed with pure living water.

We hold unswervingly to the hope that we profess, because the One who promised it is faithful. We spur one another on to love and good deeds. We meet together for fellowship. We encourage one another and, it says, all the more as we see the Day of our Lord approaching.

You know, all these privileges are ours in Jesus Christ! Is that amazing or what? The blood of Jesus purified and opened the door in such a way that we can actually walk right into the most holy place, the very presence of God. In the Spirit, in prayer, in worship, in meditation-you and I can actually feel and be by faith, in reality, in the very presence of God Almighty.

Hebrews 10:19 says, “We have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus.” Check it out for yourself. You can make an amazing impact on your world when you live life in light of Gods promises, Gods privileges, and Gods reality.

More Than Enough

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The theological experts tell us that number seven is the number of perfection. The book of Hebrews says seven times: “Once for all, once for all, once forever, once for all.” Seven times it repeats that the death of Christ was once for all. Why? Because it was sufficient. It was so perfect that there was no need for another sacrifice, by Christ or anybody else.

First Peter says: “For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.” Thats one of the most amazing passages perhaps in the whole Bible. It is so rich! Think about it. Meditate on it. Under the old covenant the sacrifices went on and on and on and the people couldnt take it. But the Lord allowed those sacrifices to happen so as to drive home to them that the point was sacrifices are necessary for salvation.

There are still some times I dont get it all. I mistakenly think that if I do this or that, then God will think Im such a good little boy. But its just not true. Jesus death on the cross was enough. It was more than enough. It paid the price for every one of us, so we can have abundant life here on Earth and eternal life when we die! His once-for-all, perfect sacrifice is what the world needed then and its what the world needs today! So, let them know about it.