OCTOBER 2005
REFLECTION: PRAYER
MISSIONARIES
My son, John Burton, is a pastor of a small
nondenominational church in Manitou
Springs, Colorado. Recently he changed the
name of the church to “Revolution House of
Prayer”. While there are still regular
church services and people who call
RevolutionHOP “home”, the Holy Spirit is
guiding John and his family to increase focus
on prayer, to invite people of other churches
to come and pray while remaining members
of their own church, and to invite
intercessors from around the nation and
around the world to pray via a website and
e-mail. He is, of course, very much
aware of the UP Team, and
we are exploring ways
to partner. He has
already put SW
Missouri as a region
to pray for on his
website. Listen to a
prophetic word one
intercessor received and
shared with John via e-mail: “For the
Branson area I got: That God would bring
purity to the area, a purity that is derived
from the meaning of being ‘tried’ and thus
yielding fruit…That God would reveal
strongholds to the people who have a great
authority over the land and that they would
know how to conquer those effectively…
That God would begin to transform Branson
into a worship haven for the latter days, that
the gift of music that is in that place would
begin to be ‘tapped and rewired’ for the sole
purposes of God. We will see people travel
from all over, as they already do, to come
and worship in excellence.” In a
“Frequently Asked Questions” e-mail, John
recently addressed the vision for prayer that
God has given him. Here are a few excerpts:
“A house of prayer is a group of believers
who are committed and excited about
unified and continual prayer, worship and
intercession for their region. They spend
time discovering what God wants them to
pray about and then come into agreement
with Him…As a house of prayer, we are
keenly focused on the primary purpose of
ministering to God. We desire to keep the
fire burning and white hot! As people
continue and advance in
intercession, cities and
regions will catch the fire
of God. Out of this
furnace of prayer, God
will continue to launch lay
leaders into their giftings
and dreams…People who participate at the
Revolution House of Prayer are first and
foremost ‘prayer missionaries.’ They spend
time each week deep in the presence of God.
There is a saying around here that speaks
volumes: ‘It’s easier to move a mountain
with our mouth than with a shovel.’…As
people pray, cities, regions and nations are
affected. Prayer works. Prayer is the most
powerful force in the universe…
Additionally, a prayer missionary is a person
who carries an ‘Anna anointing’ (Luke 2:
37)…It is a person whose primary ministry
is to fervently serve the Lord in prayer…
There is a new paradigm of mission work
that God is initiating. For quite some time
most mission work has centered on the
Second Commandment
(Love your neighbor as
yourself): To reach out
to the world with the
love of God. However,
for the work of the
Second Commandment
to be effective and anointed it
should be accomplished by individuals
whose hearts are alive and passionate in
intimacy through experiencing the reality of
the First Commandment (Love God with all
your mind, heart, soul and strength). It is
essential that we purpose to restore the First
Commandment to first place. With the First
Commandment in first place, hearts are
energized in love and ministry…with a view
to establishing a 24-hour canopy of prayer
that will help to make outreach more
anointed and effective.” I really like the
term “prayer missionary.” That is what the
UP Team is all about: Reaching out to
people who believe in prayer and working
toward 24/7 prayer by true missionaries.
The core truth here, folks, is that when we
commit to prayer, to extended prayer, to
making our life itself a prayer, we become
true missionaries, just as much missionaries
as those called to take the Gospel to people
who have never heard about Jesus Christ.
CONTINUING REFLECTION:
PARTNERING CLOSE TO HOME
It is fascinating to me how God nudges
people, opens doors, creates spiritual
synergy. Just as we are exploring
partnership with Manitou Springs, Colorado
(they are at the western edge of the
Heartland), so, too, the Holy Spirit is
encouraging a closer relationship between
two groups that are
remarkably similar: The UP
Team of Stone and Taney
Counties and the UP Team
of Polk and Cedar
Counties. I had breakfast
recently with Gregory
Thompson of
Humansville and
Colleen Staley, also of
Humansville. Gregory has begun the
ministry “Asleep kNOw More” and Colleen
is the Coordinator of the UP Team in that
area. We must have been deep into
discussion about the things of God, for we
caught the attention of two waitresses, who
came over, sat with us for a bit, and learned
what we are about. (The young ladies are
Jeannette and Nichole; I sent them UP cards
and asked them to pray about an UP Team
in Greene and Christian
Counties – the two
Counties would then
connect with Stone and
Taney and Polk and
Cedar.) The UP
Team to the north
of us is structured
just like ours. The only difference is that on
Monday they pray for Agri-Business instead
of Entertainment. I discovered that when
they sign people up for an hour they ask
them to include Stone and Taney Counties.
So, please do the same for Polk and Cedar.
SO, WHAT’S NEXT?
Our UP Team Steering Committee believes
that the best way to begin is to not focus on
specific hours, but to use our “No Sector”
approach. These are people
who have not taken an hour
but are committed to pray
for the UP Team – its people
and its needs and for
spiritual transformation in the
area. So, I will be sending you
information about Manitou
Springs and about Polk and Cedar Counties
and asking you to pray for them. They are
doing the same for us. And this is very
exciting, to see how God is drawing
intercessors together. With regard to
Manitou Springs, as an additional step, those
of you who have e-mail will be able to
connect with the website there. These two
examples of how intercessors can join forces
leads me once again to something that I
believe is of paramount importance here:
The joining forces of prayer groups in our
area. We can do that without people losing
their identity with their current groups; the
goal is synergy and togetherness, not to
separate people from their groups. There
are many, many prayer groups – in
churches, in organizations, in homes. Each
of you is probably aware of several. Please
be a “prayer missionary” in another way:
Encourage them to pray for us and ask them
if they would like us to pray for them. If so,
we can exchange information and become
partners. It is that simple. God is not
interested in the name or label of a group;
He looks at the hearts of intercessors and is
highly pleased and honored when we come
together spiritually as members of the Body
of Christ and pray for one another and for
our area.
ON THE LIGHTER SIDE
“The computer swallowed Grandma. Yes,
honestly, it’s true. She pressed ‘control’ and
‘enter’ and disappeared from view. It
devoured her completely, the thought just
makes me squirm. She must have caught a
virus or been eaten by a worm. I’ve
searched through the
recycle bin and files
of every kind; I’ve
even used the
internet, but
nothing did I find.
In desperation I
asked for help, my searched to refine; the
reply to me was negative, not a thing was
found ‘online.’ So, if inside your ‘Inbox,”
my Grandma you should see, please “Copy,’
‘Scan’ and ‘Paste’ here, and send her back
to me!”
MORE ON THE LIGHTER SIDE
More fractured English: “He was a very
astute politician with both ears glued to the
ground.”…Classified: “An unexpected
vacancy for a knife-thrower’s assistant.
Rehearsals start
immediately.”…”We have
buttered our bread, and
now we have to lie on
it.”…”I had been driving
for about 40 years when I
fell asleep at the wheel and
had an accident.”…At a
basketball court: “Anyone
hanging from the rim will be
suspended.”…Clarification in a
newspaper: “The phrase
‘Dummy Head,’ which was
accidentally printed beneath a
photograph in Thursday’s
Clarion-Dispatch, was intended
as a typographical notation for
use in the production process.
It was not intended in any
way to describe the subject
of the photograph.”…”The
pastor will sing his farewell
message, after which the choir
will sing, ‘Break Forth Into
Joy.”…”Wanted: Electric kiln for school,
big enough for 40 children”…”Man who lost
ear waives hearing.”…”In your opinion, how
far apart were the vehicles at the exact time
of the collision?”…”They performed without
musical accomplishment.”…”Old school
pillars are replaced by alumni.”…”Please do
not feed the animals. If you have any
suitable food, give it to the guard on duty.”
STORY: BAILEY’S JESUS
“God recently allowed me to see Jesus
through they eyes of someone seeing Him for
the first time. Every year we attend a local
church pageant at Christmas time. It tells
the story of Jesus from His birth through His
Resurrection. It is a spectacular event, with
live animals and hundreds of cast members
in realistic costumes. The Magi enter the
huge auditorium on llamas from the rear.
Roman soldiers look huge and menacing in
their costumes and make-up. Of all the
years we have attended, one stands out
indelibly in my heart. It was the year we
took our three-year-old granddaughter,
Bailey, who loves Jesus.
She was mesmerized
throughout the entire
play, not just watching,
but involved as if she
were a player. She
watched as Joseph and
Mary travel to the inn and
was thrilled when she saw the
baby Jesus in His mother’s arms. When
Jesus, on a donkey, descended the steps from
the back of the auditorium, depicting His
triumphal entry into Jerusalem, Bailey was
ecstatic. As He neared our aisle, Bailey
began jumping up and down, screaming,
‘Jesus, Jesus! There’s Jesus!’ She
alternated between screaming His name and
hugging us. ‘It’s Jesus! Look!’ I thought
she might actually pass out. Tears filled my
eyes as I looked at Jesus through the eyes of
a child in love with Him, seeing Him for the
first time. Then came the arrest scene. On
stage, the soldiers shoved and slapped Jesus
as they moved Him from the Garden of
Gethsemane to Pilate. Bailey responded
with terror and anger. ‘Stop it!’ she
screamed. ‘Bad soldiers, stop it!’ As I
watched her reaction, I wished we had
talked to her before the play. I said, ‘Bailey,
it’s OK. They are just pretending.’ But she
continued, ‘They are hurting Jesus! Stop it!’
She stood in her seat, reacting to each and
every move. People around us at first smiled
at her reaction, thinking ‘How cute!’ Then
they quit smiling and began watching her
watch Him. In a most powerful scene, the
soldiers led Jesus carrying the cross down
the steps of the auditorium from the back.
They were yelling at Jesus and whipping
Him; He was bloodied and beaten. Bailey
was now hysterical. ‘Stop it, soldiers! Stop
it!’ She must have been wondering why all
of the people watching did nothing. She then
began to cry instead of to scream. ‘Jesus, oh
Jesus!’ People all around us began to weep
as we all watched this devoted little disciple
see her Jesus beaten and killed as those first
century disciples had. Going back and forth
between her mother’s lap and mine for
comfort, she was distraught. As she sat in
my lap we talked through the cross and
burial. I told her to watch for Jesus. The
tomb began to tremble and lightning flashed
as the stone rolled away. A Super Bowl
touchdown cheer couldn’t come close to
matching this little one’s reaction to the
Resurrection.
‘Jesus! He’s OK, Mommy. He’s OK,
Grandma. It’s Jesus!’ I shall never forget
seeing Jesus’ suffering, crucifixion and
Resurrection through the eyes of an innocent
child. Following the pageant, the actors all
assembled in the foyer to be greeted by the
audience. Bailey broke away from us and
ran toward the actor who portrayed Jesus.
She wrapped herself around his legs, holding
on for dear life. He hugged her and said,
‘Jesus loves you.’ But she wouldn’t let go.
She kept clinging to him, laughing and
calling his name. She wasn’t about to let go
of her Jesus. I think God in heaven stopped
whatever was going on that day and directed
everyone’s attention to Bailey. I think Jesus
might have said something like, ‘Now look
there! Do you see what I meant when I said,
‘Of such is the kingdom of heaven?’”
(Author unknown)
REFLECTION ON BAILEY
Connect this story to the reflection on prayer
missionaries. We human beings tend to get
so wrapped in form and format, on numbers
and nomenclature. But the Father, the Son
and the Holy Spirit just want us, from the
bottom of our hearts, to love Them and to
love others. When we bring the love and
passion of Bailey to our worship, to our
thanksgiving, to our repentance, to our
intercession, we have no grasp of the power
that is unleashed. For God looks at our
hearts filled with love and yieldedness and
obedience in prayer and uses that by His
plan to touch the world with His grace.
MISTAKE?
A carpenter was building some crates for the
clothes his church was sending to an
orphanage in China. He then helped pack
the crates and he nailed them shut. On his
way home, he discovered that his glasses
were not in his shirt pocket. He realized that
they must have fallen out of his pocked and
into one of the crates. His glasses, brand
new ones, were on their way to China!
It was during the Great Depression, and he
had six children. He could ill-afford to
spend money for a replacement pair of
glasses. In his anger and frustration he cried
out to God: “I’ve been very faithful in
giving of my time and money, and now this!”
Months later, the Director of the orphanage
was on furlough in the United States. He
wanted to visit all of the churches that
supported him in China, and one Sunday he
was the guest speaker at the carpenter’s
church in Chicago. The missionary began
by thanking the people for their faithfulness
in supporting the orphanage. Then he said,
“But most of all, I want to thank you for the
glasses you sent last year. You see, the
Communists had just swept through the
orphanage, destroying everything, including
my glasses. I was desperate. Even if I had
the money, there was
simply no way of
replacing those
glasses. Along
with not being able
to see well, I
experienced headaches
every day. So, my coworkers and I were
much in prayer about this. Then your crates
arrived. When my staff removed the covers,
they found a pair of glasses on top of the
clothes in one of the crates.” After pausing a
moment, he went on: “Folks, when I tried
on the glasses, it was as though they had
been custom made just for me! I want to
thank you for being part of such a wonderful
gift to me.” The people listened, happy for
the missionary. But they were puzzled, too.
There had been no glasses on the list of items
they worked from. But sitting quietly, with
tears streaming down his face, an ordinary
carpenter realized that the Master
Carpenter had used him in an extraordinary
way. Sometimes we want to blame God
instead of thank Him; but God has a perfect
plan, all the time. Let’s keep looking for
those perfect mistakes!
PRAYER FOR MISSOURI
Regina Shank, from Missouri Prayer
Mission, sent the following suggestions for
prayer focus over the State of Missouri: 1)
To restore a dwelling of God in the Spirit; whole body. Above all else, guard your
pray that the foundations will be repaired in heart, for it is the wellspring of life.
this State in preparation for the building of a
Put away perversity from your mouth;
dwelling for the Lord and for a continued
release of grace from the Lord’s heart in the keep corrupt talk far from your lips.
“heartland.” 2) That, in the Show-Me State, Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix
the Lord will show us His ways, so that we your gaze directly before you. Make
will walk in His level paths for your feet and take only
glory and cry out as ways that are firm. Do not swerve to
Moses did in Exodus
the right or the left; keep your foot
33, “Show me Your
glory;” that as a State from evil.” (Proverbs 4: 20-27)
will not go forward
without His Presence God bless you and peace to you and
going before us. 3) That yours.
this “gateway to the
West” will be diligent to
our call as “spiritual gatekeepers”. 4)
That white supremacies and racism be Bob Burton
eradicated from the State and that the roots 331-1028
of fear that fuel this hatred will be removed
through the perfect love of the Lord. 5) That
perversion not have a stronghold in Missouri
and that we walk the “highway of holiness
(Isaiah 35); that families, homes and
relationships be held together through
knowledge and application of the ways and
purposes of God. 6)
That the Body of
Christ in Missouri rise
to its calling and that
the five-fold ministry
come forth – that the
members of the Body
function together as
the Lord originally
designated (Ezekiel 37).
7) That the “river of
God” that flows from His throne will flow
through this State (Ezekiel 47).

SCRIPTURE
“Pay attention to what I say; listen
closely to my words. Do not let them
out of your sight, keep them within
your heart; for they are life to those
who find them and health to a person’s