Sunday, June 04, 2006
Global Day of Prayer - GDOP
Today Singapore joins the rest of the world for the Global Day of Prayer, GDOP. This event was started in South Africa in 2001 and has since spread throughout the whole world. This year more than 220 million from 189 nations will pray from Fuji to Hawaii!
June 4th is also Pentecost Sunday. Pentecost, calculated as beginning on the fiftieth day after the beginning of Passover, was originally an Old Testament festival giving thanks for the "first fruits" of the early spring harvest (Lev 23, Exo 23, 34). It was called the Feast of Weeks (Shavuot)
By AD 70, the festival focus shifted to God's gracious gift of Torah (the "Law") on Mount Sinai, 50 days after the Passover and exodus from Egypt. Pentecost means 50.
The New Testament writers associate the events of Acts 2 with Pentecost, and relate it to the prophecies of Joel 2 and promises of Jesus Acts 1:8. In both, the emphasis is on a empowerment through the Holy Spirit to enable the people of God to share the gospel.
Pentecost thus, celebrates the coming of the Holy Spirit or the giving of the Holy Spirit transiting from the giving of the Law in the Old Testament. This marks the move from Law to Grace. The GDOP have thus chosen Pentecost Sunday for its yearly prayer movement for the next 4 years. It?s a call to humble ourselves and seek after God, who promises to hear from heaven and heal our land. 2 Ch 7:14
Have you ever wondered why we are called to prayer when God knows our needs even before we open our mouths? The typical answer is that God has ruled that only when we ask will HE answer. My further understanding is that because God is just and fair HE has willingly limited His divine intervention in our lives to our prayers so that the evil one can't accuse God of uneven playing field. That's why God is calling us to prayer; for therein is a reservoir of divine power and strength waiting to be tapped for our struggles against principalities and powers.
In Eph 6:18 , we are exhorted to pray in the Spirit on ALL OCCASIONS with all kinds of prayers and requests! What is Paul saying here? 1 Cor 14:14-15, ?For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful. So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my mind.? Paul went on and basically said that speaking in tongues is for private use. So one interpretation is that praying in the Spirit is praying in tongues privately. The other is to take the earlier chapters of Ephesians where Paul talks about being filled with the Spirit. Thus this praying in the Spirit is the result of being fully surrendered to the Spirit. Whatever view you take we are encouraged to pray all kinds of prayer. Diversity in prayer is permitted and exhorted! May this GDOP renew our passion for prayer
June 4th is also Pentecost Sunday. Pentecost, calculated as beginning on the fiftieth day after the beginning of Passover, was originally an Old Testament festival giving thanks for the "first fruits" of the early spring harvest (Lev 23, Exo 23, 34). It was called the Feast of Weeks (Shavuot)
By AD 70, the festival focus shifted to God's gracious gift of Torah (the "Law") on Mount Sinai, 50 days after the Passover and exodus from Egypt. Pentecost means 50.
The New Testament writers associate the events of Acts 2 with Pentecost, and relate it to the prophecies of Joel 2 and promises of Jesus Acts 1:8. In both, the emphasis is on a empowerment through the Holy Spirit to enable the people of God to share the gospel.
Pentecost thus, celebrates the coming of the Holy Spirit or the giving of the Holy Spirit transiting from the giving of the Law in the Old Testament. This marks the move from Law to Grace. The GDOP have thus chosen Pentecost Sunday for its yearly prayer movement for the next 4 years. It?s a call to humble ourselves and seek after God, who promises to hear from heaven and heal our land. 2 Ch 7:14
Have you ever wondered why we are called to prayer when God knows our needs even before we open our mouths? The typical answer is that God has ruled that only when we ask will HE answer. My further understanding is that because God is just and fair HE has willingly limited His divine intervention in our lives to our prayers so that the evil one can't accuse God of uneven playing field. That's why God is calling us to prayer; for therein is a reservoir of divine power and strength waiting to be tapped for our struggles against principalities and powers.
In Eph 6:18 , we are exhorted to pray in the Spirit on ALL OCCASIONS with all kinds of prayers and requests! What is Paul saying here? 1 Cor 14:14-15, ?For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful. So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my mind.? Paul went on and basically said that speaking in tongues is for private use. So one interpretation is that praying in the Spirit is praying in tongues privately. The other is to take the earlier chapters of Ephesians where Paul talks about being filled with the Spirit. Thus this praying in the Spirit is the result of being fully surrendered to the Spirit. Whatever view you take we are encouraged to pray all kinds of prayer. Diversity in prayer is permitted and exhorted! May this GDOP renew our passion for prayer
// posted by sleepless wherever @ 6:49 AM 
