East End Ecclesia

· Day 40: Closing

o “For yours is the Kingdom and the Power and the Glory forever.”

o If you have ever been to a church that uses the Lord’s prayer as part of their liturgy, then you
have prayed this as the ending to the prayer. This closing is not part of the original manuscripts.
Most scholars believe that this was a closing that early churches repeated after reading the
Lord’s Prayer. After time, what was placed in the manuscripts as a “side note” eventually
worked its way into the text itself. Even though this closing sentence is not part of what Christ
had taught, it is still a theologically solid statement or prayer. This statement is a reminder that
it is all about God, it all belongs to God, and it is all because of God. It is HIS Kingdom, it is HIS
power, and it is HIS Glory. The danger comes when we take what God is doing through us and
begin to treat it as if it is our own. If East End Ecclesia has any value at all, it is because it is
God’s church and it is His will to establish this church. If God is not the one that is motivating
the establishment of East End Ecclesia, then it should not be established. If East End Ecclesia
exists for anything other than God’s Glory, God’s Kingdom, and God’s mission, then pray that
we will no longer exist as a church.
o Today pray that we would be reminded that God is sovereign and He is Lord. Pray that we
would always remember that He will establish His church and His Kingdom, and we are called to
be tools by which He will accomplish these things. Pray that we would trust in God’s power, not
our own, to accomplish His will. Pray that this church would truly be established for the Glory of
God and not for our own glory or recognition. Pray that we would truly be His church and that
we would truly become the church that God intended.
We are so very grateful for you faithful prayers over the past 40days. Please continue to keep the city of
Pittsburgh and East End Ecclesia in your prayers as we seek to join God in His mission to bring restoration to
the city of Pittsburgh.
“You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us
through the prayers of many.” 2 Co 1:11

· Day 39: Ephesians 6: 11-12

o 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the
devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the
authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of
evil in the heavenly places.

o It is critical to remember that our ultimate enemy is not physical, but spiritual. This is something
that has become quite real over the past year in preparation to plant East End Ecclesia. Sure we
have faced many physical setbacks and trials as we press on toward the mission set before us,
but the greatest trials we have faced have not been physical, but have been spiritual attacks.
Though the attacks of Satan that we have faced have been hard at times, there is also a bit of
encouragement found in these attacks. The reality is, Satan is not God. He is not omnipotent or
omnipresent, and he is limited in his resources. So if he is using his resources to attack you, he
isn’t using those resources somewhere else. So in other words Satan will not waste his time
with you unless you are a threat. So even though I have seen many attacks coming from the
enemy, I’m encouraged because this means what we are doing is a threat to the enemy. With
all that being said, the frequency and amount of attacks have been taxing. There have been
many days in which I have been left worn out, beat up, and ready to quit. There have been days
in which all I could do is drop to my knees and ask God for the strength to endure and seek
Christ for protection from the enemy.
o Today pray against the attacks of the enemy. Pray that God would provide protection for all of
those involved with this new church, along with those who will come along side of us as
leaders. I ask that you would please pray also for my family, that Judah would be protected, and
that Coleen and my marriage would be guarded from the attacks of the enemy. Pray that we
would not be discouraged by the attacks that will come, but be encouraged to press forward
giving no credence to the enemy.

· Day 38: 1 Timothy 4:16

o 16 Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will
save both yourself and your hearers.

o Paul tells Timothy to not only keep watch on his doctrine but also to keep watch on how he
lives. Teaching sound doctrine is important, but living a consistent life is also very critical. In
more “theological” terms, it is critical to maintain both orthodoxy and orthopraxy. We live in an
age where we have witnessed the destructive effect caused by ministers whose lives do not
follow the message they preach. There are very few things that can hinder the Gospel more
than the moral failings of those who stand as representatives of the Gospel. I remember
hearing of a man who came up to a pastor and claimed “I would possibly believe in Jesus as
redeemer when I actually see a life that looks redeemed.” There is a sting of truth in what that
skeptic proclaimed. When our lives reflect the restoration found through Christ, our message
has power because the audience has actually seen that which we proclaim.
o Today pray that God would protect us from temptation and sin. Pray that our lives would be a
testimony of the transformative power of the Gospel. Pray for me that the message I preach
would not be hindered by the life I live, but instead the life I live will bring validity to the
message I preach.

· Day 37: 2 Timothy 4: 3-5

o 3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears
they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4 and will turn away
from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. 5 As for you, always be sober-minded,
endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

o The time that Paul is speaking of surely has come. We live in an age where churches have
grown immensely by “slightly” altering the Gospel in order to meet the desires of our culture.
Right before this admonition to Timothy, Paul commands young Timothy to “preach the Word”
and to reprove, rebuke, and exhort. It is not as hard to exhort, but it is slightly less pleasant to
reprove and rebuke according to the Word of God. The question we must ask is, “Is it God’s
desire for us to establish a large church at any expense, or to proclaim His Truth at any cost?”
Don’t get me wrong, I believe God’s word proclaimed clearly is very powerful and many
churches have grown immensely while unashamedly preaching the word of God. But ultimately
our responsibility is to be obedient to God, proclaiming Truth, even if it may hinder growth.
There were many prophets during the time of Jeremiah who had many followers because they
spoke what the people wanted to hear. Yet Jeremiah spent his entire life proclaiming the word
that God had given him without even one person ever repenting. Even though he did not have
success like many of the other prophets of his day, he was not a failure because he was faithful.
The temptation will always exist to accommodate the message to appease the masses. But if
East End Ecclesia is truly going to be the church that God intended, then we can never
compromise the message to fit the desires of the masses. The question should not be “does it
work” but instead it should be “is it True”.
o Today pray that we would remain faithful to God’s Word no matter what the cost may be. Pray
for me that I would preach the whole council of Scripture, even the parts that are less
appealing. Pray that we would never sacrifice obedience to God’s Word for the sake of numbers
or growth. Pray also that we would see growth that is because of obedience to the Word, not in
spite of His Word.

· Section 5 “Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.”

o Paraphrase: Lord protect us from temptation and deception and keep us pure in the midst of the evil around us. o Focus 5 days praying that God would protect us from sin and compromise, as we establish East End Ecclesia.

· Day 36: John 17: 15

o 15 I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one.

o There seems to be 2 common responses to culture when it comes to the church. The first is a response of retreat. These are the churches that say that the world is so evil we must separate from it in order to remain pure. These churches often refuse to go to secular establishments, refuse to have non Christian friends, and often create a parallel “Christian” culture so that they will not have to involve themselves with the messy secular culture around them. This response has an appearance of wisdom, but it forgets that God has not just called us to be holy, but also to be on mission. The other error in this response is that it places trust in the external environment of the individual as the primary source of sanctification, instead of the internal work of the Holy Spirit. In other words by their actions they are saying that it is your environment that makes you Holy, not the work of God within you. On the other hand some churches respond to culture with a mentality of compromise. These are the churches that often say that we need to relate to the secular world in order to reach the world. In some ways this is true, but often for the sake of being “accepted” by the surrounding culture they accept many of the fallen aspects of the surrounding culture. In the effort to “connect” with the world they begin to “conform” or resemble the fallen world around them. This verse is part of a larger prayer that Christ prays for His disciples. In this part of the prayer Jesus is praying that we would not be separatists, yet also that we would not be conformists. In other words we are to be like Christ, who did not remain distant but instead came into the fallen world walking among fallen men. Though Christ “incarnated” or came into fallen human culture, He also remained pure, reflecting God’s perfect will “within” the culture of His day. o Today pray that we would not retreat from the messiness of our city. Pray also that while in the midst of the fallen culture we would remain distinct, reflecting God’s intentions not the city’s perversions.

· Day 35: Colossians 4:3-4 cont.

o The second aspect of this passage is Paul’s request that the Colossian church would pray that
he would be able to speak with clarity. I can preach all I want, but if what is said is not
understood, then what is proclaimed will be of no use. If our teaching and preaching has any
lasting effect, it will be because the Spirit has enabled us to preach with clarity and power.
o Today pray that when the opportunities come, I will be able to preach with full clarity, by the
power of the Holy Spirit. Pray that God would equip others with the ability to teach and preach
God’s word effectively with all clarity and that He would provide others that are gifted and
equipped in the preaching and teaching of God’s Word.

· Day 34: Colossians 4:3-4

o 3 At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare
the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison – 4 that I may make it clear, which is
how I ought to speak.

o This plea that Paul makes to the church of Colossians, I ask of you also. As I walk the streets of
the East End I’m often overwhelmed by the need I see in this area, the sheer number of people
living separated from God. I’m also burdened knowing that without God opening up
opportunities to preach and share the Gospel, I will be left with this message to proclaim and
no opportunity to proclaim it.
o Today pray that God would begin opening up doors for His word to be declared. Pray that we
will have opportunities to share the Gospel with people in the East End. Also pray that God
would establish this Church as an avenue to preach His Word and have it heard by the masses.

· Day 33: Acts 4: 29-30

o 29 And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your
word with all boldness, 30 while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are
performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”

o This powerful prayer given by the early disciples came after Peter and John were beaten and
threatened to no longer preach about Jesus. In such circumstances the natural response would
be to pray that they would remain safe or that the persecution would stop. But instead they
prayed that they would be enabled to preach with more boldness in the face of persecution.
The apostles must have remembered the promise that Christ had given them, that, “as He was
persecuted, they too will be persecuted.” They knew that there would be opposition to the
Gospel; they knew they would face trials, so they prayed for the boldness to push on
proclaiming the Good News that Jesus is Lord. If you continue reading, the passage then says
that the room began to shake. I believe the room shook because in that moment their prayer
was radically aligned with the will of God. They were aligning their hearts with Jesus, who while
being beaten and crucified used what little strength He had left to pray forgiveness over His
persecutors. Now I wouldn’t say that it would be wrong to pray that persecution would stop,
but the reality is opposition will always exist, so our proclamation of the Gospel can never be
contingent on the response of the people.
o Though we do not face beatings or imprisonment, we have and will continue to face opposition
to the Word of God. Today pray that we would be empowered by the Holy Spirit to proclaim
the Gospel in this City with all boldness no matter the consequence. To seek the salvation of
those who persecute you is an active representation of the Lord’s prayer which says to “forgive
those who trespass against you.” Pray that we would embody this prayer, offering forgiveness
even to those who come against us.

· Day 32: Romans 10: 13-15

o 13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” 14 But how are they to call
on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have
never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 15 And how are they to
preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach
the good news!”

o It is God who draws people to Himself, but God also chooses the means by which He will draw
people to Himself and His primary means is through the Word of God preached. If we desire to
see many saved within the East End of Pittsburgh, we must pray that God would grant
opportunity for His word to be preached and heard.
o Today pray that God would begin to open up opportunities for us to proclaim the Gospel within
the East End. Pray that God would establish this church and grant opportunity to preach His
Word to the multitudes throughout this city. Please pray for me, that I may preach His Word
with the power of the Spirit in all boldness and clarity, and that those who are lost may hear
and believe. Pray also that God would send others to join us in teaching and preaching His
Word throughout this city.

· Day 31: Ezekiel 36: 25-27

o 25 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and
from all your idols I will cleanse you. 26 And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will
put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of
flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful
to obey my rules.

o In this passage the Prophet Ezekiel speaks of the day when God would begin to restore His
people. He is speaking of today, the time in which the Messiah has come and God is calling a
people to Himself as He prepares to restore all of creation. As we can see in this passage, it is
God who will replace the hardened hearts of the people. From this prophecy along with many
others we see that the salvation and restoration of those who are lost in the city of Pittsburgh is
part of God’s eternal will, by God’s grace we are allowed to join Him in His will. In my
encounters so far within Pittsburgh, there are many who are hardened by years of hardship,
false religiosity, and the sense of oppression that seems to be over so much of this city. No man
can soften a hardened heart, only God can.
o Today pray that God would be softening the hearts of those in Pittsburgh. As we see in this
prophesy, it is God’s will to give men a new heart and to cleanse them of their sins. So pray that
we would submit and align ourselves with God’s perfect will that has been prophesied years
ago. God can transform even the hardest of people. Pray that we would serve, love, and
proclaim the Gospel to everyone, never writing off anyone because they seem too “hard”.