“Talking to God about people before you talk to people about God” – Ed Sylvoso
We are always doing this wherever the Lord brings Messiah’s Vision. This time around – Bergen Ave. When we started to distribute food, we also walked around or drive around and and started to pray for the place. I told Liz my wife, on the onset of this year, that we will do prayer walks.
We walked down the streets of Bergen Avenue, praying and asking God to bless the people around that community starting from those whom we have contact with through the food distribution. Declaring for peace, healing to those who are sick and needing strength, praying for each houses, building and businesses that God will protect and keep everyone safe from any harm.
Next stop that day: City Hall. We proceeded to pray and lay hands on the building it self. Walked around and prayed for God’s favor to bless and touch the local officials, for a relationship between the local group of Pastors and the city will be born and for God’s grand plan to materialize.
We believe that prayers for this community should not stop, that it will keep going on. So that’s what exactly what we did, every Sunday morning we walk around and kept on lifting up the entire community, as we walk block by block, to the Lord.
The Lord impressed upon my heart that we should go and pray for the “gate” where all the immigrants passed through. Me, Liz together with Mami began declaring that those who came, the first settlers who are also believers, who started a congregation in the early years, that God will raise up remnants who will start seeking for the Truth.
We hold fast on to what the Lord shows in His word in Luke 10:5,8-9 and is the primary truth Ed Sylvoso expounded; 1) speak peace to them, 2) fellowshipping with them, 3)taking care of their needs and 4) proclaiming the good news.
Contrary to how most ministries starts off – in a traditional building, we listen to the Holy Spirit and let Him guide us. There was an instance while handing out food at Bergen Ave. when two ladies asked, “by the way, where is the church”? I said, with my arms stretched wide open along Bergen ave. and said, “here, right here is the church”! And one guy over heard us and said, “Yeah, you’re right, this right here is the church, because this ‘ain’t gonna happen inside the church no more”! At that moment, since we prayed and we planned about the food distribution, I believe and took that moment as a confirmation from the Lord. That’s why when people asks me or my wife, “where is your church”? We say, “at Bergen Ave. we walk and build relationship among the people who walks there, whom the Holy Spirit directs us too, we go to Wonder Bagels, to pray and listen to the instructions of the Lord.”
In Mark 6:34 it says “When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.” Prior to this verses, Him and His disciples where trying to get some rest, because they were really busy, Jesus was just ministering in His hometown, the disciples were sent out and were ministering on the streets and headed back to report to Jesus. And then we read verse 34. You see, Jesus was never confined in the four walls of the building. Yes He visited some temples, but never ever conduct His earthly ministry confined in a building. He just met the needs of the people in the streets. He did not use the miracles and His words to entice people and count them to become His “members”. There was no membership form to be filled out. Jesus was not confined to man-made structures. He saw a large crowd, and right away He had compassion on them, other translations rendered it – “it broke His heart”. Right there and then, He wants to “shepherd” them. And it did not took him days or weeks or months to consider whether to teach them or not, the scripture says……..”so He began teaching them…” Everything happened in an instant, right there, on the streets. This is why we do this, we bring the “church’ to the people.
In the early years of Messiah’s Vision God already placed in our hearts what the future will look like. We said, and this words are journaled, saved in a file:
“We can reach people who look for God’s blessings right in their living rooms, backyards and neighborhoods. If they will not come to an established church, we can come to them.”
“If you want God in your life, we want to bring Him to you. It takes more than a lifetime to learn His heart. Too big to deliver in a day or a moment, He comes immediately to the ones who call out, “Jesus, help me!” or “Jesus, save me!”
” We want to break the conversion-notion, – “We must convert that person.” Instead, we want to connect in a real way with those who want to. “Let’s go to her, let’s see what she needs and help her.” If she sees the Face of the real Jesus (through the actions of His people) in this way, perhaps she’ll want to know more.”