if My people...

If My people, who are called by My name, will 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. - 2 Chronicles 7:14

I can't begin to express the heaviness of my heart for the Church in Baltimore right now. I’m hesitant to write this because I know it could be read the wrong way or feelings of those working in the Church may be hurt, but I’m writing because the Church so desperately needs your prayer right now. It has been a full summer of ministry and outreach happening all over the city and county and mission teams have flooded our fields once again, but the work is far from completed, in fact, it feels the work has barely even begun. As you may know, I work mainly with our churches on outreach such as VBS and Bible Clubs - this season is always supposed to be the most exciting because of the fruit it yields with hundreds of unchurched children finding their way into our church sanctuaries and hearing the glorious Gospel of Jesus preached loud and clear, at their level of understanding. This summer we've not seen the fruit in these ministries that we’d expected or hoped for, and I know that's due in part to the fact that as a Church we expect big movements of God without a willingness to commit to the big work those results require. Perhaps it’s also due to a void of purity and holiness within the Church. Perhaps it’s due to Churches failing to produce disciples of converts. Perhaps we have truly hardened our hearts and blinded our eyes to the great need of this dark city. Perhaps it’s safer to stay inside, to build a holy community that cannot be sinfully tainted, or to shut out the needs of those around us in order to focus on meeting our own needs. Whatever the case, sin and evil are rampant as ever in this broken city (check out this link for recent news: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/bal-md.ci.violence28jul28,0,6786209.story) and even the Church whose calling is to storm the gates of hell is silent in the chaos.
Please, brothers and sisters, pray with me for our Church in this city – for believers to humble themselves and pray and seek the face of our just and holy God. He desires to hear the cry of a broken heart offered in humility and repentance. Please pray with me for a passion for purity, a contrite and repentant spirit, disciples to be made intentionally, leaders to lead with wisdom and integrity, and a unified desire for our LORD to take His place as King in our hearts, our Church, and our city.

thank you for your continued faithful prayers....

love-m