Ministry Momentum

The past week has seen a number of reports from those currently conducting the Community Houses of Prayer ministry and from others who are poised to launch the CHOP ministry in their church contexts. I find it both thrilling and humbling to see that God is pleased to use this tool for the equipping of His saints and mobilization of His church for the sake of the gospel. I love it when people share stories with me about how God is working in the lives of those for whom they are praying through CHOP. You can see the reflection of the glory of God in their faces as they become animated in their descriptions of God's answers to prayer and shaping of them as His instruments. Pastors and lay leaders have shared with me their vision to use CHOP to engage their churches in the work of the kingdom and to cultivate a mentality of personal mission for the cause of Christ. I can only think that as God stirs His people to prayer through CHOP and other means that we are going to see remarkable things happen on a variety of fronts. I recently read a comment from a preacher who was asked by a young minister what was a matter of first importance for him as he undertook his new charge. The preacher's answer took the young man directly to the heart of operations, "Pray for a praying people." I see this as a prayer for revival and a prayer for a people engaged in the work of the kingdom. My prayer is that God would be pleased to use CHOP to equip and engage His people for the effecting of the gospel in their own lives and the lives of others that Jesus Christ may be praised. I hope you'll join me in this prayer.