On November 16th I got up a lot earlier than usual. I was at the airport by 5:30AM... to catch a chartered plane with 170 people from Grace Church to JFK. We left MSP at about 7:30AM.
The point of the day trip to NYC was to visit the Tuesday evening prayer meeting at the Brooklyn Tabernacle in downtown Brooklyn. Each week, hundreds of people come together to pray and worship. The doors open at 5PM - and the service starts at 7PM. The service is fluid - the pastors are very open to the prompting of the Holy Spirit. Their guideline is that as long as the service is edifying for the church then it is a go. Their Sunday services go about 2.5 hours.
We arrived at the church in time for lunch. Jim Cymbala, their head pastor, spoke to our group for over an hour detailing some of the history and purpose of the Brooklyn Tabernacle church. The church is known for its choir - which is full of former drug addicts, and former street people who have let Jesus transform their lives. The church is located in downtown Brooklyn. On an average day, over 100,000 people pass by the church. I was surprised by the beauty of the church building. About 3 years ago the church purchased an old theatre and have spent millions of dollars renovating the building - restoring it to its former beauty. The building has wonderful old marble and wood decor. It reminded me of Northrup Mall on the U of M campus.
The church service finally started at 7pm - and the church was packed with people from all walks of life. Street people along side business executives kneeling at the throne of Grace.
It was an amazing experience. But it was also a culture shock. I don't yell my prayers. It's just a style thing that my scandawhovian blood can't deal with. And I don't think that God hears loud prayers any better than those whispered in the quietness of your heart. But I was challenged by their deep belief in God and their trust that God is working through their prayers.
I must balance: "You don't have because you don't ask" with "God wills and works to His good pleasure". Father, help my unbelieve.
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