Diversity, Dreams, and Vision
Today, as the Underground, we come together in prayer and fasting. Every great move of God in the Bible and throughout history begins with Extraordinary Prayer and Fasting. From the other side of eternity, we will find that the most influential people were not, perhaps, Presidents or Prime Ministers but the people who walked with God through passionate prayer.
Strategic Focus: Diversity, Dreams, and Vision
Listen again with fresh ears and open heart to God’s dream.
“‘In the last days, God says,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your young men will see visions,
your old men will dream dreams.
Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days,
-Acts 2:17
Let this passage be our guide as we pray for our city and the KC Underground today.
MOVE #1: DIVERSITY/UNITY
I will pour out my Spirit on ALL PEOPLE
Acts 2 is a paradigmatic picture of a church in a city. ALL PEOPLE. We know that each ethnic group heard the gospel in their own language that day...15 nations are specified there (Acts 2:5-12). From the very beginning, God’s design for the church has been ethnic diversity. The climax of human history is when people from every tribe, every tongue, and every nation (maximum diversity) gather together as a family around the throne of God (intentional unity), worshiping Jesus Christ (maximum glory).
Pray for the KC Underground to become a reconciling community where greater ethnic diversity can be unified around the person and mission of Jesus.
Consider your relationships and way of life; to what degree does it reflect this ultimate outcome of diversity unified a family in Christ? Ask the Lord to speak to you in this regard. After you listen, pray for yourself to grow in this part of God’s design for the church.
MOVE #2: SONS AND DAUGHTERS, MEN AND WOMEN
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
Even on my servants, both men and women,
On both MEN AND WOMEN, the Spirit was poured out. We will never fill the city with the Good News if half of the body is not fully invited, welcomed, equipped, and celebrated in reaching their maximum influence and potential the Spirit is calling them to.
Then God calls this woman an ‘ezer kenegdo. The Hebrew word ‘ezer might be translated as “help,” but it does not mean what we might assume. An ‘ezer is not a lesser “assistant” or “helper” as much as it is someone who plays the mutual role of an “indispensable other,” a strong and wise guide, without whom the intended good cannot happen. The only other character in the Bible given this title (‘ezer) is God himself. Not your average helper, right?
-Dr. Tim Mackie
Pray for the KC Underground to become a movement where both men and women can reach their maximum potential, working in synergistic ways that reveal the glory of God.
Consider your relationships and way of life; to what degree does it reflect this dance of mutual submission and mutual honor? Ask the Lord to speak to you in this regard. After you listen, pray for yourself to grow in this part of God’s design for the church.
MOVE #3: YOUNG AND OLD
your young men will see visions,
your old men will dream dreams.
YOUNG and OLD. We need every generation - Builders, Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, Gen Z, Gen Alpha - invited, included, and equipped in every aspect of the KC Underground: missionaries, microchurches, hubs, and collectives. We need the richness of multi-generational community and ministry to fill our city with the beauty, justice, and good news of Jesus.
Pray for the KC Underground to become a movement where all generations benefit from the others, celebrating each other’s strengths and buttressing each other’s weaknesses.
Consider your relationships and way of life; to what degree does it reflect the need to be in relationship with and learn from every generation? Ask the Lord to speak to you in this regard. After you listen, pray for yourself to grow in this part of God’s design for the church.
your young men will see VISIONS,
your old men will dream DREAMS.
MOVE #4: DREAMS AND VISIONS
DREAMS AND VISIONS. There is a Spirit-birthed dream in your soul. You have a one-of-a-kind Masterpiece Mission (Ephesians 2:10). As surely as the Spirit is sharing fruit in us to become like Jesus (Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Gentleness, Faithfulness, and Self Control), the Spirit also gives us dreams, visions, callings, and the gifts to go with it.
Pray for the KC Underground for the outpouring of Spirit-given dreams and visions. Pray that every person will be activated as a disciple-maker into their unique Masterpiece Mission, their personal calling.
Consider for yourself, to what degree do you have clarity on your Masterpiece Mission, your personal calling? Ask the Lord to speak to you in this regard. After you listen, pray for yourself to grow in this part of God’s design for the church.