PLUS

Acts 16:23-25, 29-32 “And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely: Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks.  And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them … Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?  And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.  And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house.”

Psalm 66:8 “O bless our God, ye people, and make the voice of his praise to be heard”

Psalm 100:1-2 “Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.  Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.”

During the last ten days, humanity has marveled at the strength, courage, and resilience of the Ukrainian people.  Many of these Ukrainian patriots are quick to point out that the invasion didn’t just start a week ago, but eight years ago.  These proud people have been under siege for nearly a decade.  Yet, for them, life goes on.

One of the most encouraging and challenging clips from the last two weeks came from a subway station in Kyiv.  It was there that a group of Ukrainian Christians were recorded singing “Let My Prayer Flow” as they praised God, and called for His protection and provision for them, their families, and their fellow citizens.  It is a powerful clip of God’s people calling for God’s presence in the midst of chaos and conflict.  It is a poignant sign of their faithfulness to an all-loving, all-powerful God as an active and positive response to their challenging circumstances.  The world is listening, we have heard them, we must learn from them, and we must continue to pray for them.  We must similarly draw strength from Him and draw others to His presence.

As we find ourselves in a similar subway station in our own lives, we must follow their example.  While we may never find ourselves in this particular type of conflict, our own circumstances sometimes figuratively cast us into an inner prison with our feet held fast in stocks.  Whenever we find ourselves there, others are listening.  Our active and positive response to challenging circumstances is a sign of our faithfulness to our all-loving, all-powerful God.  Through it all, we can draw strength from Him and draw others to His presence.

PLEASE PRAY FOR THE UKRAINIAN PEOPLE AND UKRAINIAN CHRISTIANS.  May their faithfulness challenge and encourage us to sing in the subway whenever we face challenges in our own lives.

I Timothy 2:1-5 “I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.  For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.  For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.”

Proverbs 21:1 “The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will.”

The PLUS ministry is focused on prompting American Christians to pray for our nation and our leaders so that God will change our national direction and bring about revival.  If He were to do so, it would have a massive impact on our nation, but also on a world that looks to us for leadership, protection, and provision.  While the Lord directs us to provide supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks for all men, for kings, and for all those in authority, it is impossible to pray for all people at all times.  Thus, PLUS emphasizes doing so for those here in America, not from a nationalistic perspective, but from a practical perspective based on impact and influence.  Yet, sometimes in addition to looking upwards, we have to look outwards.

Eight years ago, shortly after the Russian annexation of Crimea, Senator John McCain condemned the aggressive actions of Russia and the long-term malign intent of President Vladimir Putin.  He went on to say that the violation of Ukrainian sovereignty was unacceptable “to an America that stands up for the rights of human beings.”  He punctuated his thoughts with these powerful words: “We are all Ukrainians!”  We are!

As a freedom loving people who champion human rights underpinned by the designs of a loving Creator, our hearts should ache for the chaos in Ukraine.  We should mourn for the Ukrainian people.  We should cheer for the strength of the human spirit on display when men and women, with no military training, take up arms to defend their homeland, their freedom, and their way of life.  We should be humbled by those who are paying the ultimate price for liberty.  Such acts of sacrifice should shake us out of our own complacency about the value of our many blessings in America.  We should be bolstered by tales of heroism and courage stemming from tales about Snake Island, The Ghost of Kyiv, and sunflower seeds.  We should praise the bold leadership of President Volodymyr Zelensky and Mayor Vitali Klitschko on the front lines of a bloody conflict.  And, we should be convicted and challenged by the faith of Christian Ukrainians as we watch them powerfully praise God in a subway station in Kyiv while the city is under siege.

And most importantly, we must pray for the Ukrainian people and their leaders.  After all, they are us!  We are all Ukrainians!

PLEASE PRAY FOR THE STRENGTH, SAFETY, AND SUCCESS OF THE UKRAINIAN PEOPLE AND THEIR LEADERS AS THEY DEFEND THEIR HOMELAND. 

Ephesians 4:32 “And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.”

Galatians 5:13 “For brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.”

Romans 12:21 “Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.”

John 1:3-5 “All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.  In him was life; and the life was the light of men.  And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.”

This past week, Colonel (retired) Gail Halvorsen passed away after a rich long life.  He is better known at Lt Gail Halvorsen, and best known as The Candy Bomber.

In June of 1948, the military of the Soviet Union blockaded the city of West Berlin and its 2-million citizens.  This city was placed under siege by Russian forces, with no way to deliver food, fuel, medicine, and other supplies over land.  In the face of this malicious Russian activity, the people were filled with doubt and despair, realizing that they would quickly starve without a creative solution for support.

The United States Air Force, and its allies and partners, quickly provided the needed support via a robust air-bridge that delivered supplies.  During the height of the operation, aircraft landed in West Berlin every three minutes around the clock.  It was known as the Berlin Airlift, and it successfully broke the will of the Soviet forces after nearly a year of persistent and effective airlift activity.  But, there was a young hero that played an oversized role in bringing hope to the citizens of Berlin during this time – the Candy Bomber.

After talking to a group of kids in Berlin between airlift missions, Lt Gail Halvorsen determined that there was something extra he could do to cast light and convey hope to these young citizens under siege – he could drop candy to them from the air.  As a result, Halvorsen and his crew created small parachutes with a candy payload, and after rocking his wings, he would launch these treats to the children waiting below.  Throughout the Berlin Airlift, and through the support of many around the world, The Candy Bomber launched over 250,000 parachutes, piercing the darkness with light and spreading joy, hope, and resilience through kindness in a world that was filled with tyranny, persecution, strife, and uncertainty.

Christians must live our lives providing parachutes of hope.  People all around us are filled with doubt and despair, overwhelmed by a world characterized by tyranny, persecution, strife, and uncertainty.  They are starving for truth.  We can offer them joy, hope and resilience through our kindness and the truth of our message.

PLEASE PRAY FOR AMERICAN CHRISTIANS TO BE WILLING VESSELS TO OVERCOME THE EVIL OF THIS WORLD WITH GOOD.  May we launch parachutes of hope through our words, our actions, and our message. 

Romans 8:38-39 “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Psalm 139:7-12 “Whither shall I go from thy spirit? Or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.  If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.  If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me.  Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.”

This past week, I spent some time in northwest Greenland.  As I stepped off the airplane, it was -25 degrees Fahrenheit with a wind chill that made it feel 21 degrees colder than that.  From that location, there were no roads that connected to any town.  In fact, there are no roads in Greenland that connect towns together because the distances are too great, the conditions are too harsh, and the terrain is too rugged.  From my location, it was an hour-long helicopter ride to get to the nearest town, a small village of only 100 people.  It was nearly 1,000 miles to a town over 10,000 people (Nuuk), over 1,300 miles to Reykjavik, and over 2,000 miles south to balmy Montreal. 

While it may not be the most isolated and desolate place on the planet, it is pretty close.

My location on that visit is a great metaphor for how we feel sometimes, either as individual Christians or as a Christian movement in America.  The conditions of our lives and in our society make us feel like the distance to revival from our location is too great, the conditions are too harsh and the human terrain is too rugged.  Our conditions feel cold, remote, isolated, lonely, and hopeless. 

But, even then, we are not separated from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord!  Wherever we go, even to northwest Greenland, He is there!

For I am persuaded that neither cold, nor remoteness, nor wind chill, nor loneliness, nor hopelessness … shall separate us from the love of God.  As a result, personal and national revival may be closer than we could ever imagine in the constant presence of a loving God.

PLEASE PRAY FOR AMERICAN CHRISTIANS TO TRUST FULLY IN A GOD WHO IS ALWAYS THERE!  Regardless of the remoteness of our conditions and our societal situation, we can faithfully and hopefully proclaim: God, thou art there!  With that in mind, hope must dominate our demeanors … even in a metaphorical Greenland.

Matthew 6:33 “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”

Psalm 37:4 “Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.”

Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.  In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”

II Chronicles 7:14 “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”

Professional baseball commentator and former Major League Baseball player Doug Glanville wrote a powerful and articulate article this week about inductees into the Hall of Fame in a sport stained by the use of steroids.  In the midst of the article he quotes an ethicist who reminds us of an important truth: “You reward what you value.” 

This poignant statement is true in your life and it is true in leadership.  It is true as a person, as a professional, as a parent, as a pastor, and as a parishioner.  It shapes your personality, your family, your climate, your church, your organization, and your culture.  It shapes a nation!  What is rewarded, and promoted, and recognized becomes who we are.  And, it comes with two equally powerful corollaries:

• What you reward proves what you really value
• What you reward powerfully reinforces your desired personal or organizational values

God’s contingent promises are based on this proverb.  The Lord values faithfulness, focus, trust, humility, prayerfulness, selflessness, righteousness, and repentance.  As a result, he rewards those with these characteristics with joy, peace, grace, direction, motivation, wellness, and revival. 

The world values the antithesis of these characteristics.  And while your Christ-centered lifestyle may not be valued or rewarded by our society, it is God’s rewards that are far more fulfilling than anything offered by a world characterized by turmoil, conflict, contention, rebellion, confusion, depression, and degradation.

PLEASE PRAY FOR AMERICAN CHRISTIANS TO LIVE IN ACCORDANCE WITH GOD-DIRECTED CHARACTERISTICS THAT THE LORD VALUES AND REWARDS.  You reward what you value; He certainly does!

The article mentioned above can be found at:

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/33181692/doug-glanville-why-glad-barry-bonds-elected-hall-fame