If you’re going to follow Jesus, be prepared to be moved.
Pastor Carter Conlon of Times Square Church in New York City shares what he’s learned in his powerful book, The 180 Degree Christian.
In the early months of 2001, Carter was driving back from Rochester, New York with another pastor. He had been reading aloud from the book of Hebrews and felt a strong nudge from the Lord.
“I felt the Lord beginning to speak to my heart that a very difficult moment was coming to New York City. I felt the Lord telling me, ‘You’ve got to teach the people how to come to find grace. To find help. Teach them how to pray. Because this city is going to experience a very very difficult moment.’”
Carter shared with the church staff what God had shown him, and they began to teach the church out of the book of Hebrews in preparation for this “moment.”
One day in July, something happened.
“Suddenly in one of our services, there was a weightiness of God in the sanctuary. I remember that the choir tried to sing and they stopped in the middle of a song. We couldn’t preach. There was just a weight [that] came into the sanctuary and we realized the Lord was preparing us. We canceled a missions conference; we canceled a women’s conference. And then we just simply began to meet, to pray. And we prayed, ‘God, make us ready to minister in the city when this moment comes.’”
On September 11, 2001, the reason for God’s movement at Times Square Church was made clear. Carter walked into the church and saw a number of people kneeling and weeping after the terrorist attacks. Despite the horrific circumstances, Carter rallied the people to serve.
“I remember clapping my hands and I said, “Everybody, on your feet. We were trained for this moment. We were warned about this moment. We’ve been praying about this moment. It’s time now to work. The time to pray was yesterday; the time to work is today. And so let’s roll up our sleeves and get to work.”
The people of Times Square Church prepared food and water for those around Ground Zero. They took in travelers and those in the city who had nowhere to go. They became a beacon of light and truth in a week of deep darkness. It began with a church that was willing to drop its agenda and follow God’s direction.
The church was meant to be a mobile body of believers, a force of God on the earth to bring His message and love to a dark world. Yet sometimes we let comfort, wealth, or even fear prevent us from stepping into that role. Search your heart today and ask God – what’s holding me back from fully serving You?
Key Scriptures: Mark 11:22-24; Hebrews 4:16
Featured Songs: My Jesus, I Love Thee by Darlene Zschech; Victor’s Crown by Darlene Zschech; In Jesus’ Name by Darlene Zschech
