“Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world. 4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.” Galatians 4:3-5

When I think of my life before Christ I think back to my high school years. You may think back to your years in college, your 20’s or 30’s or growing up in the church but never having experienced the love of the Father. Whatever the case, we were in bondage. Whether we were bound by ignorance, idolatry, or intellectualism we were slaves to sin, enthralled by the wisdom of the world yet searching for answers. Little did we know that the Father had His heart set on us and was actively pursuing our adoption as sons and daughters of the living God being brought into His family.

When my wife and I decided to pursue adoption we had no idea where to start. We had been praying for the ending of abortion and the ending of human trafficking for many years and hadn’t made the connection. We knew we wanted to see abortion end in the U.S., but had no grid for it actually happening. If abortion ended then there would be 3,700 additional unwanted babies in the world every day. On the other end of the spectrum, we were asking God for justice for the 100,000 minors involved in sex trafficking in the U.S. each year, most of which have been  involved in the foster care system.

John Piper says it like this “Adoption is greater than the universe. It was there before the universe, it is above the universe and it is the purpose of the universe.”

We then began to see the connection. Even as we were children and in bondage under the elements of the world, the Father sent His son to bring us into His family as adopted sons and daughters. The answer was there the whole time. Adoption at the horizontal level is rooted in adoption at the vertical level. What are we to do to answer the cry of the 3,700 children that are slaughtered in the womb each day? Prayer and Adoption. When the average age of girls entering sex trafficking in the U.S. is 12 years old and there are 122,000 kids in the foster care system WAITING for adoption, what must our response be? Prayer and Adoption.

We can change the destiny of a child. We can reach into the life of an 8 year old girl who next year might get sold into slavery and say “You are mine! Come be apart of our family.” We can physically and practically do this. Lives can be changed forever. Let’s be like our Father and give our lives, open our hearts and our homes and bring justice to those who have no hope.

This article was originally written for the Orphan Justice Center. You can see the original article as I wrote it on their website here: http://orphanjusticecenter.com/2010/08/09/freedom-through-adoption/.

We are in the midst of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa and I’m compelled again today to pray for the lives of  the 40,000 or so victims of modern-day slavery (i.e. sex trafficking) in the cities where these events are held. The World Cup is said to draw some 500,000 visitors from all over the world and it is well known among anti-trafficking groups that where massive sporting events take place, sex trafficking is rampant. The women and children involved in the forced prostitution there can expect to be raped between 10 and 30 times a night, and with so many visitors in one place, if you do the math you can see why these events are such a draw for traffickers.

Over the past few weeks many anti-trafficking groups, including our very own Exodus Cry, have taken to the streets of Johannesburg, Cape Town and many of the cities in South Africa. Blaire Pilkington, Exodus Cry’s director of philanthropy, and her team are there to pray, raise awareness and minister to girls and tourists wanting to buy sex in hopes that they can detour people from participating in this immoral industry and possibly rescue a few out.

“We’ve seen several women that have gotten rescued out of prostitution already….” says Pilkington in an update from their website. “We began ministering to the two ladies, telling them of the Lord’s love for them, His plan for their life… and the girls’ faces began to change as we talked, and they told us they were ready, they wanted out. We grabbed their hands and led them through the streets littered with clubs, pimps and prostitutes.”

Children are at the tip of the arrow when it comes to trafficking as the average age of those entering into sex trafficking is 12. An article by CTV News shares the story of a 15 year old named Maggie, who was able to escape after she had been captured. “There was this other guy looking good, then came to me and was like ‘I’m looking for people who want to do modeling,’” she recalled in Soweto, an impoverished Johannesburg neighborhood. “I said okay. I’m good for modeling and I can do it.”

Stories like these in foreign countries are far too common. But even in the U.S., according to the department of health and human services, we have more than 100,000 children who are involved in forced prostitution. Children need fathers and mothers like never before. What we are seeing today is prophecy fulfilled. The hearts of the fathers are NOT turned to the children today and because of this the children have turned their hearts away from the fathers. The fatherless generation that is being created in this world is setting the stage for the harlot babylon yet at the same time for the turning of the fathers’ hearts back to the children and for the return of Christ to the earth. In that moment we will see the finalization of our adoption take place and be together with our Lord forever.

Adoption IS the preventative measure for human trafficking. Adoption, in many cases, is a rescue operation that snatches children out of the hands of future traffickers. What the underground railroad was to slavery, adoption is to human trafficking and abortion.

Join with us… let’s start an adoption revolution.

For the Parker family and the little one we are adopting (rescuing)! July 25 is the RSVP date!

Stephanie and I will be speaking that night as well as few others. Please join us!

We will be serving a catered full course dinner at our Adoption Banquet and will be selling tickets to cover the cost of the dinner and raise money for our adoption.

You can RSVP and buy your tickets using the Paypal link below or by emailing me at adamparker@ihop.org.

You can choose at what level you’d like to partner with us in this adoption by purchasing one of the following tickets (tickets are per person to cover the cost of the dinner in addition to helping raise money):

To RSVP and buy your tickets by debit/credit click here:

https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=1016595

If you can’t make the fundraiser, but would still like to contribute you can do it online by clicking the link above or by mail on our Partner page.

I wrote this post last week for the Orphan Justice Center which you can find here, but I thought that many of you would also love to hear some of these practical ideas for caring for orphans that anyone can do. You don’t have to be working in an orphanage in a country that ends with “stan” to be someone who cares for orphans. You can do it right along with your busy schedule.

In America, the task of caring for orphans (which I define here as any young person who has lost their parents through death, abandonment, abuse or neglect) for the most part has been given over to the government and to some whose heart has been moved to action. Most Americans think that adoption is a great thing, but less than 4% of American families have actually adopted according to the National Center for Health Statistics.

In the scriptures we see over and over again God’s heart of justice for the fatherless and His command for all christians to care for orphans. However, much of the church in America has adopted a similar cultural norm of pushing this responsibility off to others and allowing the government to take the lead role.

So I thought I would give 10 easy ways to care for orphans in an ongoing way.

1. Pray for them

When you pray for orphans and for families who are adopting, you are partnering with God’s heart in such an incredible way. In Luke 18 Jesus says that those who cry out night and day will have “speedy justice.”

2. Partner Financially with the Parker Family

We are building a team of partners who want to see an adoption revolution. Our mission is to rescue, adopt and restore orphaned children and our partners are an integral part of making this happen. Click here to become a Partner with the Parker Family.

3. Give Finances to Adoptive Families

We have families in the OJC family who are currently adopting and you may also know families who are adopting. Adoptions range from $7,000 – $30,000 so it really does take a community to rescue a life. We are among many who are CURRENTLY RAISING FUNDS for Adoption. Click here to give towards our Adoption.

4. Help raise funds for Adoptive Families

The task of fundraising for adoption is a hurdle sometimes for adoptive families. Having people who will help raise those funds makes a huge difference for both the child and the family.

5. Give your time to help an adoptive family

At OJC we have people who are committed to giving their time and energy to help adoptive families. We call them FIA’s (Family Integration Advocates). They also give time and energy to training and becoming skilled in child development and caring for orphans who have come from less than optimal circumstances. You may have an organization that does this in a different way through mentoring or big brother / big sister. Either way, giving your time to care for a child can change their life forever. Click here for more information on becoming an OJC FIA >.

6. Volunteer 2-4 hours a week/month with a Organization that Helps Orphans

Many organizations that help orphans have ways that you can volunteer hours a week or hours a month. This can be anything from mowing a lawn, delivering food, helping with paperwork or providing respite care.

7. Volunteer to mow an adoptive families’ lawn

Don’t want to bother with an organization? Get involved yourself. Ask if you can mow a lawn, wash a car or help with a household project they are working on. Any amount of help you can give will go a long way for families who have adopted.

8. Sell unwanted household items on ebay and donate the proceeds

Again finances is an easy way to help, so find some unwanted household items… or even some valuable stuff and downsize! Donate that $50 you got from selling an end table or the $500 you got from selling that toolbox. Even a small gift goes a long way.

9. Ask your church to sponsor an orphan monthly or give towards an adoption.

Your church may already have adoption support on their radar, but if they don’t you can suggest it as a mission project! Saving the life of an orphan from an abusive, neglectful or abandoned situation will change their life forever. What better ongoing mission project than to get to the end of the year knowing your church has rescued x number of orphans!

10. Become an Adoptive or Foster Family

Consider becoming an adoptive or foster family. Visit an adoption agency or attend an adoption or foster care info meeting and find out more about adopting a child. You’ll find that adoption is easy. It’s not something that comes naturally, it may take some training and preparation and will stretch you like nothing else. But it’s putting one foot in front of the other and taking one step at a time. Adoption must be done and children need families, why not yours? Click here to find out more about becoming an OJC Family >.

Schedule

Thursday

12:00pm – Registration

2:00pm – Session 1
Worship with Misty Edwards
Teaching by Corey Russell

6:00pm – Session 2
Worship with Misty Edwards
Teaching by Mike Bickle

Friday

10:00am – Session 3
Worship with Laura Hackett
Teaching by David Sliker

2:00pm – Session 4
Worship with Marcus Meier
Teaching by Zack Hensley

6:00pm – Session 5 / IHOPU Student Awakening Service
with Wes Hall, Cory Asbury, Ashley Prior, and more

Saturday

10:00am – Session 6
Worship with Tim Reimherr
Teaching by Lou Engle

2:00pm – Session 7
Worship with Jaye Thomas
Teaching by Misty Edwards

6:00pm – Session 8 / IHOPU Student Awakening Service
with Cory Asbury, Matt Gilman, and more

Sunday

8:30am – Forerunner Christian Fellowship (FCF) Service
10:30am – Forerunner Christian Fellowship (FCF) Service
6:00pm – Forerunner Christian Fellowship (FCF) Service

Manuel, 6, Gerardo, 4 and Dana 2 came into our home 6 weeks ago. The beginning of their time here was very challenging. They weren’t used  to structure or discipline or bedtime and those three things are huge  parts of our family life. So, needless to say, the first couple of weeks held a lot of battle of wills. Overtime though the kids grew to not only obey our house rules, most of the time, but to actually enjoy the rules and the structure we have in place. They thrive on living within a schedule and we have seen much progress.

Manuel came to us very behind in school, but I have been homeschooling and he is making steady strides to catch up. He is also opening up and receiving our love more readily. Gerardo came to us hungry for attention and when we showered it upon he turned into this amazing  outgoing little boy who is the life of the party, A.K.A our house.  Dana was prone to many tempers in a day, but now her attitude is much more obedient and she is starting to really let her personality shine.  She loves to be girly and often has a half dozen hair clips in her hair and gets very upset if she isn’t wearing her favorite shoes and dress. Unfortunately, the 4 boys have their G.I.Joe’s attack her doll house, so her girliness is often thwarted by the boys. David is loving being the oldest. He is trying hard to be an example and all the kids are lucky to have him for a big brother. Noah, who has always been super social, has taken it to another level with these kids. He is loving the interaction with all his brothers and sister. Life to him is one big play date. Not everything is perfect and easy taking in 3 kids and going to a family of 5 overnight, but the positive far outweigh the negative and we love having these children in our home!

- Stephanie

This life will come to an end very soon. In a matter of moments it will all be over for each one of us and though it seemed like it lasted forever, a lifetime comes and goes as a vapor. There is a time to be born and a time to die, and that death will be here to bring closure to a life. There will be no reruns, no do-overs and no chances to do things better a second time. Very soon we will either bite the dust or see our King returning in the sky and at that point we will receive our rewards and face our regrets.

Live without regret, redeem the time now before its too late.

However, in addition to the urgency these things bring, we want to have an overarching urgency in our prayer life concerning the Jesus’ return to earth. When we study what the Bible has to say about the future we are empowered to be victorious in love and power during the most glorious and difficult time in history. It prepares us to actively participate under Jesus in the end-time events and to rightly interpret Jesus’ leadership in the coming global crisis, instead of being offended by Him (Matt. 11:6).

Studying the End Times awakens urgency in us for intercession, knowing that our prayers may minimize evil and increase victory. Understanding end-time scriptures strengthens our confidence in God’s sovereignty by knowing that He is in control and is never surprised.

When you look at scripture you find that most of the prophets spoke about the future “Day of the Lord” which relates to the events of Jesus’ coming. There are actually more than 150 chapters in the Bible where 51% or more are focused on the end times.

In light of the overwhelming amount of information the scriptures have to say about the End Times we should be preparing ourselves and others for the King’s return to the earth. The key to preparing is to consistently and prayerfully study what the scriptures say about the End Times. Jesus called this “watching.” Daniel received revelation of God’s prophetic purposes for this generation by diligently studying what God’s Word said about it (Jer. 29:10-14). He embraced a lifestyle of Bible study with prayer and fasting (Dan. 9:2-4) to receive “skill to understand” (Dan 9:22).

Why not spend spring break at IHOP-KC getting equipped and resourced to start, grow and/or sustain a prayer furnace on your campus or in your region? IHOP-KC will be hosting 2 Spring Break Luke18 Fuel Schools in March 2010.

Wes and a few of our Luke18 staff sat down and took some time to explain why you should spend your week of spring break at IHOP-KC.

For more information click here.

God is seeking and searching for those who will intercede, who will “stand in the gap”, for people and nations of peoples. Sin requires a response from God, however God does not want anyone to perish but that all would come to repentance.

This may seem obvious but many of us do not have a vision for the importance of intercession in our prayer life. And even for those of us that do we must be encouraged again and again of God’s purpose for and response to intercession.

Without Moses’ intercession for God’s people, God’s wrath would have been poured out against His people many more times than it was for their sin (Exodus 32:7-14; Deuteronomy 9:8-9, 12-20, 23-27; Psalms 106:23). When man’s sin requires a response from God we can change the outcome through intercession like Moses did in Exodus 32:7-14… “So the Lord relented from the harm which He said He would do to His people.”

When we get a vision that intercession is both an intimate partnership and an agreement with God we will begin to enter into it with a greater passion to touch the heart of God. God wants us to know His heart and more so, to feel the very emotions of His heart, then to hear us cry out for the longings of His heart to come to pass. We begin to feel and do what the Father feels and does.

“For Zion’s sake I will not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest…” (Isaiah 62:1)

“I have set watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; they shall never hold their peace day or night. You who make mention of the Lord, do not keep silent, and give Him no rest…” (Isaiah 62:6)

When we partner with the heart of God in intercession we are being the means by which God’s will is established on earth. God does not act apart from human beings partnering with His heart. In intercession we come into agreement with God and what God promised to do. When we ask God to do what He desires to do, we are declaring that we agree that His desires are good, and that His desires have become our desires.

Below are some practical ways to encourage ourselves and others in gaining vision for intercession:

• Experience God’s Beauty (Intimate Partnership) by
  • Simply asking God to reveal His beauty to you
  • Turning the Word in to dialogue with God
  • Praying in the Spirit and Singing Spontaneously
• Experience God’s Desires (Agreement w/ God) by
  • Praying the prayers of Scripture
  • Practice praying positive prayers
• Pray Aloud, Leading Others in Intercession (when applicable to your prayer meeting)

Other Scriptures on Intercession:
Genesis 18:23-32; Job 16:21; Lamentation 2:18-19; Joel 2:17; Acts 12:5-12;