ABOUT 100 DAYS OF PURSUIT
From January 1st to April 10th I invite those who are interested to join me in “100 days of pursuit.” It is an effort to go deeper in Christ. The winter months can be dark and lonely, but I want to redeem this dreary season and turn it into something good—a season of intensified pursuit of God!
Another reason I want to set apart these 100 days is to “pay much closer attention” (Heb 2) to what God is saying to us in this strange season. Whether you believe the pandemic was ordained by God or permitted by God, I think it’s clear to most who understand the Bible that the Sovereign God uses these kinds of afflictions to refine His people. There are many examples of this in the Scriptures. Sometimes God would send terrible judgments, but the people would not return to the Lord. Here’s an example from the book of Amos:
I sent among you a pestilence after the manner of Egypt; I killed your young men with the sword, and carried away your horses, and I made the stench of your camp go up into your nostrils; yet you did not return to me, declares the LORD.—Amos 4:10
When we look out on the spiritual landscape of our land we see a Christianity that has been brushed to the margins as irrelevant. Sin of all kinds has been tolerated. False or diluted teaching is coming out of many pulpits. In many churches, the glory of God has either departed or has diminished. I am convinced that God is trying to get the attention of His people in our day to return us to our first love (Rev 2) and the simplicity of devotion to Christ (2 Cor 11). It’s time to put aside sin and distractions; it’s time cry to the Lord for mercy with a similar urgency expressed in the book of Joel:
Blow the trumpet in Zion; consecrate a fast; call a solemn assembly; gather the people. Consecrate the congregation; assemble the elders; gather the children, even nursing infants. Let the bridegroom leave his room, and the bride her chamber. Between the vestibule and the altar let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep and say, "Spare your people, O LORD, and make not your heritage a reproach, a byword among the nations. Why should they say among the peoples, 'Where is their God?'"—Joel 2:15-17
I don’t believe the restoration of the glory of God upon the Church is something we can just make happen in 100 days. But I am fully convinced that God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him (Heb 11). I am persuaded it is good and right to position ourselves humbly before God. And I know from church history that whenever God’s people set themselves to earnest prayer—God does extraordinary things!
To participate in the 100 Days of Pursuit I’m not asking that you submit to any sort of particular structure of prayer or fasting. It is just an agreement to make a hearty effort to pursue God in whatever ways the Spirit leads you. There will be no specific requirements or meetings to attend. I’m only asking that you join with me in pursuing hard after God in this season.
That said, I will be providing daily content via email to fuel your 100 day pursuit. These will be Scriptures, reflections, prayers, suggestions, stories, sermon links, book reviews and other resources. This is my Christmas gift to you. I will be asking God daily to give me something fresh to help you in your pursuit of God. I plan to not hold back anything in light of the urgency of the hour. I’ll be raw, vulnerable and blunt. My aim is not to be eloquent but to speak words that will be like wind in your sails. Or a kick in the pants on occasion.
Besides providing these daily emails, the second part of my gift will be a commitment to pray earnestly each day for those who join me in this initiative. I believe most who will join me are those who already have a deep life of prayer, but I’ll be praying for an increase, a double portion—that you’d go from one degree of glory to another!
If you are someone who is new or perhaps don’t possess any unusual passion for God, you might feel this isn’t for you. This might feel like an advanced class. I want to encourage you from my own life. I came to Christ at 21 years of age in 1989. I had very little knowledge of the Bible or the Christian life, but I jumped straight into the deep (I didn’t really know better, it’s just what happened). I found myself consuming books by Tozer and Spurgeon, Edwards and Murray, Bounds and Chambers. I started reading books on revival. The church I was attending in NYC had a very intense prayer meeting that went for 2-3 hours weekly and I devoted myself to it, even though I was a total beginner.
My point is that the best way to learn how to swim in the deep end is to dive into the deep end. Life is too short to take a decade or two to ease into a life of prayer. I know that even the youngest Christians can learn to seek the Lord and get answers to prayer. The same Holy Spirit that was in the Apostle Paul is in you!
I hope you’ll join me in this special season of pursuing God. May the glory of God rest upon each of you in this new year with a radiance that can be seen (Isaiah 60)!
—Pastor Scott