BOLD PRAYER – Mission Critical International

Pray Bold

Pray Bold VII

by Matt Bullen July 11, 2017

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Be surrounded by prayer warriors. Someday YOU will NEED them…

MY MIRACLE

See previous posts in this series

Wow! How could I have known that when I started writing this blog series a few months ago I was about to personally experience the greatest prayer miracle of my life? But not my prayers, oh NO! rather the mighty prayers of my warrior princess wife, my warrior kids, my amazing pastor and his family and our church, my precious Tres Dias Ministry brothers and sisters around the state, and thousands of friends and family around the world. They prayed oh so very BOLD prayers on my behalf and God so tenderly heard them and literally saved my life. Praise Jesus!!!!

This April 11th, 2017 I went to do a commercial building inspection to make a little money to help fund our ministry. The first thing I needed to do was inspect the roof which was 16′ high so I extended my ladder to full height, put my camera strap around my neck, and climbed to the edge of the roof. That’s the last thing I remember…

As I am told now, I fell 16′ and landed on concrete on my left side. Miraculously there was a young woman named Renee eating her lunch in her car nearby which was totally unplanned because she usually brings her lunch to work and eats at her desk BUT that day she forgot her lunch and so drove and bought some and was eating in the back parking lot (where no one usually is) and saw me fall. If God hadn’t placed her there I would have died there in just a few minutes. She called 911 and the EMTs got me to the hospital in 11 minutes. My now hero Dr. Timothy Hodges, trauma surgeon spent the next 8 hours working on me “putting out fires in my body” as he says. I had extensive internal bleeding, 3 brain bleeds, 8 broken ribs, my whole face was shattered with scores of fractures, 3 broken vertebrae, a Hemothorax lung, a Pneumothorax lung, dead spleen, partially damaged kidney, damaged colon, and later we found out partial blindness in my left eye and total blindness in my right eye.

My family rushed to the hospital and began to pray! Soon over 40 Christian brothers and sisters flooded the ICU waiting room that first night and prayed! Doctors told my family to prepare themselves because there was no way I would survive this. But they prayed! The next morning Dr. Hodges was shocked to find me still alive when he came in. I ended up with pneumonia, sepsis, a urinary tract infection, and a blood infection. I lay unconscious in that ICU for 25 days. My wife Lisa and my daughter Rebekah rarely left my side. My pastor, other pastors, and many friends and family came every day to pray over me. Many drove from Dallas and other parts of Texas. My daughter and son in law, Brooke and Oscar, were flown in from Colombia by my daughter Beverly, my daughter Mercy and her fiancee, Bobby came from Dallas and stayed, my mother and brother and family came from Missouri. A mighty wall of prayer surrounded me and rose up to heaven and pulled me back from the edge of death. Messages came in from around the world where I have ministered of people praying for me. One day my wife received a message from the radio host of an underground Christian radio station in Pakistan assuring her that 2.7 million Christians in Pakistan were praying for me!

Not only prayers but funds came in from precious brothers and sisters everywhere. Tens of thousands of dollars for medical bills came in. People would bring my family so much food and waters and Gatorade as they camped in the ICU waiting room day after day that my wife began to distribute the extra among other families with a loved on in the ICU and then she would go around and pray for each of them and share Jesus with them. Mighty miracles began to take place in that ICU with me and with others. Some of my Tres Dias sisters went way beyond in helping Lisa to protect me and to get me the best possible care. Others created artful fundraisers with a theme from one of my sermons of the past “But God…” It was beautiful the love, prayers, and help that was poured out on us.

Finally on May 3rd, 2017 the doctors told my wife she needed to put me in hospice to die. I just wasn’t going to get any better. She said,”ok but we are praying that he will wake up…” The next morning she had gone home to shower and change and was kneeling in her prayer closet begging God to wake me up when her phone rang and our pastor, Frankie Mazzapica said, “tell me what’s new.” She explained about hospice and that she was kneeling in her prayer closet praying for me to wake up. Pastor Frankie prayed over the phone that I would wake up. Lisa drove to the hospital, walked in my room and I said, “Good morning beautiful!” I was wide awake and my mom was holding my hand. Everyone started coming to see me and I knew each one and I was so happy to hear how I got there and that God had raised me up!!! I was moved the next day to a new room in the hospital and then a week later to Rehab to learn to walk and talk and such and in 3 weeks I was so back to normal that I got to come home!!! On the day I woke up when Dr. Hodges came to see me I took his hand in my two hands and said, “Thank you for saving my life.” He cursed accidentally and said, “YOU ARE A MIRACLE! sorry for my language” and then left. We laughed and praised God!

I’ve been home 5 weeks. Have loved attending church and many precious friends coming by and my pastors encouragement and time with my AMAZING family. Still praying for my left arm to work again and my right eye blindness to heal but filled with unspeakable joy because it is obvious that I will be strong enough soon to preach again and someday to travel and minister again and God did it all in answer to the promise that He loves, He hears, and He answers bold prayers!

[quote]”Every time you pray the tide of the battle turns” – Frankie Mazzapica (Psalm 56:9)[/quote]

A big thank you to our dear friend and ministry partner, Shannon Arnold, for prompting this series…

Pray Bold

Pray Bold VI

by Matt Bullen March 14, 2017

Become a prayer expert. Study prayer and prayer warriors.

Most importantly PRAY

One of Satan’s greatest strategies in my life is to downplay the importance of prayer and I have a suspicion that he works similarly in your life as well. As a defense against this diabolical ploy, I maintain a full quiver of books, quotes, and stories about prayer to remind me that prayer is vital and indispensable to my life.

Here are some of the voices that continually remind me of the importance of prayer, the deadly soul destroying dangers of a prayerless life, and help me drown out the lying voices to the contrary.

[quote] “The one concern of the devil is to keep Christians from praying. He fears nothing from prayerless studies, prayerless work and prayerless religion. He laughs at our toil, mocks at our wisdom, but he trembles when we pray.” – Samuel Chadwick[/quote]

[quote]”Prayer does not fit us for the greater work; prayer is the greater work.” – Oswald Chambers[/quote]

[quote]”There is no power like that of prevailing prayer, of Abraham pleading for Sodom, Jacob wrestling in the stillness of the night, Moses standing in the breach, Hannah intoxicated with sorrow, David heartbroken with remorse and grief, Jesus in sweat of blood. Such prayer prevails. It turns ordinary mortals into men of power. It brings power. It brings fire. It brings rain. It brings life. It brings God.” – Samuel Chadwick[/quote]

[quote]”We give too much attention to method and machinery and resources, and too little to the source of power.” – J. Hudson Taylor[/quote]

[quote]”It is in the field of prayer that life’s critical battles are lost or won.” – J.H. Jowett[/quote]

[quote]”Prayer is the first thing, the second thing, the third thing necessary to a minister. Pray, then my dear brother; pray, pray, pray.” – Edward Payson[/quote]

[quote]”Praying men are the vice-regents of God; they do His work and carry out His plans.” – E.M. Bounds[/quote]

[quote]”Oh, for determined men and women who will rise early and really burn for God. Oh for a faith that will sweep into heaven with the early dawning of morning and have ships from a shoreless sea loaded in the soul’s harbor ere the ordinary laborer has knocked the dew from the scythe or the lackluster has turned from his pallet of straw to spread nature’s treasures of fruit before the early buyers. Oh, for such.” – Homer W. Hodge[/quote]

[quote]”No learning can make up for the failure to pray. No earnestness, no diligence, no study, no gifts will supply its lack.” – E.M. Bounds[/quote]

[quote]”Men may spurn our appeals, reject our message, oppose our arguments, despise our persons, but they are helpless against our prayers.” – J. Sidlow Baxter[/quote]

[quote]”Satan does not care how many people read about prayer if only he can keep them from praying.” – Paul Billheimer[/quote]

[quote]”0h brother, pray; in spite of Satan, pray; spend hours in prayer; rather neglect friends than not pray; rather fast, and lose breakfast, dinner, tea, and supper–and sleep too–than not pray. And we must not talk about prayer, we must pray in right earnest. The Lord is near. He comes softly while the virgins slumber.” – Andrew Bonar[/quote]

[quote]”Satan trembles when he sees the weakest Christian on his knees.” – William Cowper[/quote]

[quote]”As is the business of tailors to make clothes and cobblers to make shoes, so it is the business of Christians to pray.” – Martin Luther[/quote]

[quote]”True prayer is measured by weight, not by length. A single groan before God may have more fullness of prayer in it than a fine oration of great length.” – C.H. Spurgeon[/quote]

[quote]“What the church needs today is not more machinery or better, not new organizations or more novel methods, but men whom the Holy Ghost can use — men of prayer, men mighty in prayer” – E.M. Bounds[/quote]

[quote]”You are only ONE PRAYER away from a totally different life.” – Mark Batterson[/quote]

Pray Bold V

by Matt Bullen February 11, 2017

Borrow the faith of prayer warriors of the past and then PRAY BOLDER

Hebrews 12:1 (NLT) Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.

Someone once said that testimonies are so powerful because when we hear them we are able to borrow from the faith of those people for our own situation. I love that. One of the greatest inducements in my life to keep praying bold are the many stories from history of bold prayers that changed the world because I know that God is no respecter of persons and He will answer us in similar fashion if we will cry out as the saints of old did. Here are some of the stories that keep my soul fire burning brightly.

Moravian Prayer Meeting – Count Zinzendorf called together the 300 Moravian refugees he had allowed to live on his property on the night of August 12, 1727, and they conducted an all night prayer meeting. The next day is referred to in history as “The Moravian Pentecost” (August 13, 1727) The Holy Spirit visited them in a supernatural blessing of love, unity, and power. They decided to form a continuous prayer meeting. They signed up for prayer slots around the clock, 3 at a time praying together in their little chapel every minute of the day and night. That prayer meeting lasted unbroken for 110 years.

Six weeks into the prayer meeting Zinzendorf stood up and challenged their little band to go to the nations. The next day 26 of their group stepped forward and gave their lives to go to the mission field. Some of them were too poor to go so they sold themselves into slavery to get a free ship ride to be missionaries to the slave trade.

In the first 28 years of the prayer meeting over 200 missionaries were sent out of a their little community of 600 people.

They excited a missions passion everywhere they went and inspired thousands to follow their example and go to the nations. They dramatically impacted such notables as John and Charles Wesley, William Carey, and many many more. Oh! that we could catch a little of that Moravian fire!!!

The Holy Club – John and Charles Wesley and later George Whitefield formed a prayer meeting when they were students at Oxford that became known on campus as the Holy Club. Later John was changed forever by his contact with the Moravians. Out of that Holy Club prayer group the Wesley’s ushered in the Great Awakening in England while George Whitefield along with Jonathan Edwards ushered in the Great Awakening in America. Countless souls were swept into the kingdom and the world has never been the same! Oh God! Meet us today and draw us to BOLD PRAYER!

Concert of Prayer – John Erskine, a Scottish pastor in 1742 suggested a concert of prayer for Christ’s kingdom to advance to all the nations of the earth. In 1744 the Scottish leaders organized two years of concerted prayer at designated times for international revival. Word of this prayer concert reached Jonathan Edwards in America and he published a little booklet encouraging the colonies to join together in these prayer concerts. Soon followed the American Great Awakening and ultimately the American Revolution. More than any other thing our nation and the world today needs Christians to join together in a concert of BOLD PRAYER to God.

Union of Prayer – Following the above examples a movement of prayer began in Britain through William Carey, Andrew Fuller and John Sutcliffe—and other leaders who began what the British called “the Union of Prayer.” It was resolved to set apart an hour on the first Monday evening of every month, “for extraordinary prayer for revival of religion, and for the extending of Christ’s kingdom in the world.” Out of that prayer meeting came the Baptist Missionary Society and the beginning of the modern missionary movement. What He did for other He can do for us!

At about the same time in America, Isaac Backus and Stephen Gano, along with twenty-three other New England ministers, distributed a circular letter in 1794, which called for a concert of prayer of believers to pray for a general awakening. Having been directly influenced by the First Great Awakening, they invoked the memory and authority of Jonathan Edwards, and agreed that, beginning in January 1795, two o’clock on the first Tuesday of the four quarters of the year would be set aside for a concert of prayer in support of the new awakening. This prayer concert would launch the Second Great Awakening! Out of the Second Great Awakening came the modern missionary movement, the abolition of slavery, popular education, Bible societies and Sunday schools.

The Haystack Prayer Meeting – Five Williams College students met in the summer of 1806, in a grove of trees near the Hoosack River, then known as Sloan’s Meadow, and debated the theology of missionary service. Their meeting was suddenly interrupted by a thunderstorm and the students: Samuel J. Mills, James Richards, Francis L. Robbins, Harvey Loomis, and Byram Green took shelter under a haystack until the sky cleared.

It was the first documented resolution ever made by Americans to begin foreign missionary work. In its first fifty years, the group that resulted sent out over 1250 missionaries. Today it has sent out nearly 5000 missionaries to 34 different fields, and it all began with five young men praying in a haystack.

“In September 1857, a man of prayer, Jeremiah Lanphier, started a prayer meeting in the upper room of the Dutch Reformed Church Consistory building, in Manhattan. In response to his advertisement, only six people out of the population of a million showed up. But, the following week, there were fourteen, and then twenty-three, when it was decided to meet every day for prayer. By late winter, they were filling the Dutch Reformed Church, then the Methodist Church of John Street, then Trinity Episcopal Church on Broadway at Wall Street. In February and March of 1858, every church and public hall in downtown New York was filled.

“Horace Greeley, the famous editor, sent a reporter with horse and buggy racing around the prayer meetings to see how many men were praying: in one hour, he could get to only twelve meetings, but he counted 6100 men attending. Then a landslide of prayer began, which overflowed to the churches in the evenings. People began to be converted, ten thousand a week in New York City alone.

In America more than a million people were converted to God in one year out of a population of thirty million. Then that same revival jumped the Atlantic, appeared in Ulster, Scotland and Wales, then England, parts of Europe, South Africa and South India, anywhere there was an evangelical cause. It sent mission pioneers to many countries. Effects were felt for forty years. Having begun in a movement of prayer, it was sustained by a movement of prayer. What are we waiting for???!!! Let’s PRAY BOLD!

[quote] “Each prayer is like a seed that gets planted in the ground. It disappears for a season, but it eventually bears fruit that blesses future generations. In fact, our prayers bear fruit forever.” ― Mark Batterson[/quote]

[quote]”Prayer is the mighty engine that is to move the missionary work.” — A.B. Simpson[/quote]

[quote]“When we depend upon organizations, we get what organizations can do; when we depend upon education, we get what education can do; when we depend upon man, we get what man can do; but when we depend upon prayer, we get what God can do.” – A. C. Dixon[/quote]