Missional Formation | Revival + Awakening - Jon Tyson
Feb 10, 2025
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Pastor Jon delves into the radical standards of discipleship, emphasizing the role of tangible presence in revival and awakening. He discusses the transformative nature of contending prayer and spiritual renewal through Nehemiah's journey. The importance of intercessory prayer in today’s context, especially for Gen Z, is highlighted, advocating for a broader community perspective. The speaker reflects on New York's historical and spiritual evolution, urging listeners to engage deeply with prayer and act against societal injustices.
The podcast emphasizes the importance of tangible presence through Revival and Awakening, paired with the discipline of contending prayer to foster deep spiritual transformation.
A significant focus is placed on creating vocational mission and cultural apologetics centers to equip individuals for integrating faith into professional lives and addressing societal challenges.
The church recognizes the need for a permanent ministry center to sustain its growth and enhance community engagement, reflecting a commitment to long-term outreach in New York City.
Deep dives
The Urgency of Discipleship in New York City
New York City faces a significant spiritual crisis, with nearly 5 million residents not knowing Jesus. The church has noticed a troubling 20% decline in religious faith among adults over the last two decades, compounded by an alarming trend among the next generation. The church aims to counteract this decline through a mission centered on raising disciples who will impact various societal spheres. The current end-of-year giving campaign aims to raise $3 million to fund initiatives that address these challenges and strengthen their outreach in the city.
Building Centers for Mission and Apologetics
The church plans to create a vocational mission center to help individuals integrate their faith with their professional lives, providing resources and expert insights on ethical challenges. Additionally, there is a proposal to establish a cultural apologetics center aimed at addressing complex cultural issues and equipping leaders to articulate a faithful response. These centers are intended to elevate the church's mission, creating environments where faith can be explored and lived out authentically within the urban context. By developing these resources, the church hopes to empower individuals to advance God's kingdom in their workplaces and communities.
Vision for Evangelism and Growth
Despite significant growth over the past few years, the church recognizes the need for a real estate expansion strategy to establish a lasting presence in the city. With a remarkable 70% increase in attendance, there is a call to deepen their roots through the establishment of a permanent ministry center. This strategic move will provide the necessary space for outreach and community engagement, ensuring the church can continue its work in evangelism and discipleship. By investing in a fixed location, the church aims to create a stable foundation for ministry that reflects its commitment to the long-term revitalization of New York City.
The Power of Contending Prayer
Contending prayer is positioned as a critical practice for the church, emphasizing a shift from personal, self-centered praying to intercession that focuses on God’s heart and kingdom. The biblical example of Nehemiah serves as a compelling teaching point, illustrating how prayer can lead to profound change when it is earnest and rooted in God’s promises. Participants are encouraged to embrace a vision for prayer that moves beyond trivial requests, pushing into heartfelt cries for divine intervention in societal issues. By praying together and individually with intensity and purpose, the church believes it can ignite revival in New York City.
A Call to Corporate Responsibility in Prayer
The church experiences a pressing need for collective action in prayer, highlighting that individuals must take responsibility for the spiritual climate of their communities. The emphasis is placed on drawing broader circles of concern, beyond personal needs, to engage with the crises faced by society, especially among the youth. A commitment to prayer is encouraged, with specific practices proposed, such as dedicating 15 minutes daily to prayer and participating in community prayer initiatives. This call to higher engagement is framed as essential for cultivating a faithful and responsive church that mirrors the compassion and urgency of Jesus.
This Sunday, Pastor Jon continued our Missional Formation series with a teaching on the first of nine distinctives and corresponding disciplines of Church of the City’s radical minimum standard for discipleship. We believe compelling missional disciples are marked by three things — tangible presence, counter formation, and sacrificial mission — and the distinctives and disciplines we will be diving into this season make up how to practically live these out in our day to day lives. The first distinctive, sitting under tangible presence, is Revival and Awakening, and the discipline is contending prayer.
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