A quiet, zealous forty-six-year-old businessman in New York was appointed on July 1,1857 , as a missionary in downtown New York at the Dutch Church. Jeremiah Lamphier had been converted in 1842 in Broadway Tabernacle, Finney's church that was built in 1836.
Lamphier felt led by God to start a noon-time weekly prayer meeting in which business people could meet for prayer. Anyone could attend, for a few minutes or for the entire hour. Prayers were to be comparatively brief. Lamphier's group met on the third floor of the old North Dutch Reformed Church on Fulton Street in New York. Lamphier printed some handbills announcing the prayer meetings with the title, "How Often Should I Pray?" He left these in some offices and warehouses. He also put one on the door of the church on the street side.
The first day, September 23, 1857, Lamphier prayed alone for half an hour. But by the end of the hour, six men from at least four denominational backgrounds joined him. The next Wednesday there were twenty. On October 7 there were nearly forty. The meeting was so blessed that they decided to meet daily. One week later there were over one hundred present, including many unsaved who were convicted by the Holy Spirit of their sin.
Within one month pastors who had attended the noon prayer meetings in Fulton Street started morning prayer meetings in their own churches. Soon the places where the meetings were held were overcrowded. Men and women, young and old of all denominations met and prayed together without distinctions. The meetings abounded with love for Christ, love for fellow Christians, love for prayer, and love of witnessing. Those in attendance felt an awesome sense of God's presence. They prayed for specific people, expected answers, and obtained answers.
This took place just a few blocks north of the NYSE. It made a huge impact not only upon NYC but the world and this nation. It preceded the Great Civil War, in which 600,000 men were killed on the battlefields of America: and according to one report, 20 percent of all southern soldiers came to faith in Christ during that horrific period.
Just look at the headlines this Monday Morning:
Troubled papers are canceling their A.P. service – Subscribing to the Associated Press news service, at a cost of around $1 million a year, is an expense fewer and fewer newspapers can afford. [Source: The New York Times]
Private equity fund buys TV Guide for one dollar – The 55-year-old magazine lost $20 million last year. To unload their lemon, Macrovision sweetened the deal with a $9.5 million loan. [Source: Advertising Age]
Facebook may launch a music store – If rumors are right, the social-networking site is considering its own music service. Sounds like a me-too move after the launch of MySpace Music last month, but it may have legs since Facebook just edged out MySpace in unique visitors worldwide.
Anything worth doing is worth knowing WHY. If you are facing significant uncertainty -> WHY is your #1 question you need to answer.
Transition is a process which occurs when one cycle is ending and another cycle is beginning. It is comprised of two components: a) The New and b.) The Old.
The problem arises that WHEN (not if, for transitions must invade our lives) the New arrives, if the Old doesn't die, they both perish.
The ‘trick’ to a successful transition is to recognize the event for what it is: a birth and a death. Start taking the right steps toward the new direction, and always try to keep moving forward.
Transitions Always Involve 3 Major Demands:
▲ A learning new language
▲ A learning new set of skills/tools
▲ A experiencing new territory or location
Other Take-aways from the Transition Map:
1. Movement is always required.
2. Transitions don't follow straight path.
3. Transitions always took longer than expected.
4. The Process often requires going deeper before going higher.
5. Confrontation was part of the package.
6. Lots of desert and empty spaces.
7. Expect “epiphanial” encounters.
8. Stop looking for shortcuts. Pain is typically a big part of the process. Pain has its purpose: it is there to remind you of important lessons learned.
9. Learning new lessons will became new tools for the new paradigm.
10. Expect to pass along your lessons, otherwise known as wisdom, to the next generation. The most valuable wisdom in life is discovered in a Transition.
There is one other take away: when the Hebrews were trekking across the desert, they did it together. Together is an important safety feature when in transition.
BOLD invites you to join us every Tuesday afternoon 12:45 to 1:15 at St.Barts (50th & Park) as God meets us through prayer and fellowship. BOLD Ministry, since 1989, has been impacting New York City with the power and the Spirit of the Gospel. We are committed to the transformation of our city, state and nation through the power of prayer and word of truth.
Prayer is friendship expressed.
Extreme answers to prayer require extreme lifestyles.
If what you are praying doesn’t move you, it won’t move him.
I go beyond convenience, into the realm of sacrifice.
Character is more than the absence of doing bad things
Character is the actual nature of God expressed.
Character is incomplete without joy
The one (Jesus) headed to the cross had more joy than anyone around him.
Character is incomplete without joy
People who spend time with God leak
So many stop one prayer thought of breakthrough
Jesus Christ is the will of God.
Pray with God not at him.
Bill Johnson
Well, just getting the ABC news team to go to St. Bart's was something. And the fact that they promoted the piece on radio and TV was something... but Lord knows how many of the best pieces of the story ended up on "the cutting room floor."
To read the transcription of the story, click here.
