Dear Praying Friends,

Matthew chapter 18:18 says, "Surely I say to you, whatsoever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." I'm sure we've all known this verse for many years. Perhaps it has even been an important component of some our prayers—I know it has been in mine at times.

This year I am reading through the New American Standard Bible, the 2020 updated version. And when I read Matthew 18:18 yesterday morning, it just blew me away! Verse 18 says, "Truly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven." (εἰμί, Strong's No.g1510) That is extraordinary! What a change a huge difference that makes. Recently I've been talking about sticking close to the Lord in my podcasts. We need to lean more on the Lord and be bathed in His word and His presence, and really have our hearts guided by Him, rather than operating in our own strength.

And so what this seems to emphasize is that if we're really keeping our hearts close to heaven, then what we bind on earth shall have already been bound in heaven—it has already been bound before we pray. So by sticking close to the Lord, and really leaning into being sensitive to the Holy Spirit, we are hearing from heaven what has been bound, and we bind it on earth.

Jesus is our model for prayer and intercession. He said, "What I see My father do, I do... What I hear My father speak, I speak." This really challenged me. And so then following on in verse 19 it says, "Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done by my father who is in heaven." So it's the same concept and really adds a totally new dimension of power to our praying.

Even with the best of intentions, we shouldn't just decide spontaneously, "Hey, let's pray for this, or let's pray for that." "Yeah, that's a good idea. Let's go for it." Rather this underlines our absolute need to really be listening to the Lord. Then when we pray together and we agree on something together, we're going be agreeing on things that we've heard from heaven and have already been done.

We just need to stay as close to Him as we can, so that our words, our prayers, and our actions are originated by Him, and not from within ourselves. It's all about staying aware of the weakness of our own human hearts and making it our priority that God's heart be the main influence in our own. That's food for thought and fuel for prayer.
- - - - - -

The following is quoted directly from Relevant Magazine on Instagram. You can see the post at this link...
Last Friday night in East London, more than 2,000 people—most of them young adults—packed into Saint Church's Hackney location for an all-night prayer and worship gathering. The multi-church event—created in collaboration between Saint Church, King’s Cross Church and Imprint Church—ran from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. and sparked what many attendees are calling a powerful spiritual outpouring marked by salvations, spontaneous worship and moments of deep repentance.⁠

“There was a thick and heavy sense of God’s presence,” recalled Al Gordon, pastor of Saint Church. “Dozens giving their lives to Christ, healing, freedom. Moments of extraordinary weight and glory. Singing like I’ve never heard: passion, raw, hunger."⁠

In a recap post on Instagram, Gordon shared there were also testimonies of healing, deliverance and salvation, and spontaneous worship.⁠ According to the event’s website, the bimonthly joint prayer gatherings are moments of “unity, prayer and worship,” focused on calling on God to revive neighborhoods, the city and the next generation.⁠

The gathering is part of a growing movement in the U.K. some have called “The Quiet Revival”—a surprising rise in faith among young adults. In the last six years, the number of 18- to 24-year-olds in Britain who identify as Christian and attend church has risen from 4% to 16%. Among 25- to 34-year-olds, the number has jumped from 4% to 13%.⁠

Pastor Dave Ferguson of Community Church in Naperville, Illinois, who was also in attendance on Friday, shared that he believes what is happening throughout the U.K. will spread to the U.S.⁠ "There is early evidence that it is also moving across the Atlantic to the United States," Ferguson shared. "I personally believe this is coming our direction."⁠

"One thing is certain: we are witnessing a profound and sovereign spiritual moment," Gordon said. "You can’t orchestrate this... And at the end of the day, the true sign of God at work is not numbers, or experience even, its lives transformed, made new, sent out."⁠

On a parting note—there's more... In Amsterdam last month there was an event called Presence—A Worship Symphony on the streets of Amsterdam. Beautiful and powerful. People came to know Jesus, were set free by the grace of God, and baptized. Right in the heart of Amsterdam, on Dam Square.
- - - - - -

We trust these bits of news will encourage you as they have encouraged us. And there is so much more going on as we lend our ears and hearts to the Lord. May He bless us all with His closeness and favor,

Dick & Gladys