The Gospel of Matthew tells us the traditional Christmas story. It is the beautiful one that we hear year after year. It is an incredible story and deserves to be told over and over. A little different approach to the Christmas story is also an old one and it too needs to be told over and over. It is found in the Prologue to John’s Gospel where John talks about God coming as a man. In this passage is contained some of the most incredible theology you will find in scriptures and it explains why God came to earth in the form of a man.
JOHN 1:1-18
VERSES 1-2.
1 In the beginning [before all time] was the Word (aChrist), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God bHimself. [Isa. 9:6.]
2 He was present originally with God.
The Prologue to John’s Gospel is one of the high water passages of the Scriptures. In it we find some serious theology. First of all, is the coming of Jesus as a man. The pre-existent Christ was not a creation. God did not create the Word since the Word existed from the beginning. The Word was with but distinct from the Father. As part of the Holy Trinity, He has always existed. He was with God and He was God. Jesus was not a created man. He was God incarnate as we will see in verse 14. The Word is not some new or different being. It is another name for God. The Greek word for Word is logos from which we get words like logical or logic which means basic or foundational. He is the logic or meaning of creation and all that exists. God is the very meaning of life. This is a difficult word to translate because it is so expressive. The word logos means logic, logical, meaning, manifestation, expression, reason, and much more. English cannot really grasp this magnificent word.
We cannot comprehend the Trinity. God is one, yet there are three different manifestations of Him. I am one person yet I am a husband, father, and son all three. Just as God works in different ways in each of His roles, I work in different ways in my roles as father, son, and husband. I am the same person yet I have different roles and responsibilities.
Who is Jesus?
Who is Jesus to you?
VERSE 3
3 All things were made and came into existence through Him; and without Him was not even one thing made that has come into being.
Christ was the agent of creation. Without Him, nothing would have been created. Therefore it is to Him that we owe our very existence.
God had no beginning yet the world did. Genesis tells the story of how the world was created. God alone created the world, owns it, and controls it. The things of this earth will come to pass. Our destiny is determined by what we do with this light. Choose to follow the light and we will receive the gift of eternal life. Choose to ignore the light and the consequences will be eternal punishment.
Why is it not enough just to be a good person.
VERSES 4-5
4 In Him was Life, and the Life was the Light of men.
5 And the Light shines on in the darkness, for the darkness has never overpowered it [put it out or absorbed it or appropriated it, and is unreceptive to it].
Life emanates from Him. That life is the light of men which shines in the darkness and the darkness was not sufficient to overshadow this light. When we say that Jesus is the light of the world, we are saying that He came to show us the way to overcome the darkness. There is no need to walk in darkness when the path is so clearly lit. Men love darkness because their deeds are evil. They refuse the light because it exposes their evil deeds which they foolishly choose over the light of Jesus.
Sometimes your very presence sheds light on people that they may not like. You don’t have to do anything. If someone knows you are a Christian, they may treat you with hostility and you wonder why because you haven’t done anything to attack them in any way. If some of the light of Christ shines in you, it may shine on their evil deeds and they don’t like it so they attack you. They know that they are doing something wrong and your presence reminds them of God and Jesus. Since they can see you and not God, they attack you as if you have done something wrong. Never take such an attack personally but be pleased that they see enough of Christ in you to feel convicted.
Jesus said in John 10.10, “I have come that they might have life and have it abundantly”. His desire is not that we should have a difficult life but that we might have an abundant life. This doesn’t necessarily mean that we will have an easy life. Some people have been dealt some hard blows through no fault of their own. Still, you cannot wallow in self pity. With Christ we are able to be overcomers and find the abundant life. One of the strange paradoxes of the Christian faith is how we can have joy in the midst of struggles and trials.
In John 8.31-32 Jesus said something that is often misquoted because the quoting omits the first part. Over the door to libraries, you will often see the misquote, “the truth will set you free”. Jesus was NOT saying that knowledge will make us free. There are a lot of educated people who live in virtual shackles. Verse 32 is conditioned on verse 31. IF you continue in My word, THEN you will know the truth that will set you free. It is not the knowledge of His word that frees us. It is the obedience to His word that frees us.
An intellectual with a seminary degree and incredible knowledge of the Bible does not have one thing on a person who never even finished high school. It’s all based on obedience, not knowledge or activity. The person who is obedient will be serving God but it is not the service that saves Him. We are saved by our profession of Jesus as Lord and Savior and committing our lives to Him. That commitment is manifested by our lives.
People often take pride in their knowledge or enlightenment. I’m here to tell you that there will be some people in heaven with no more than a grade school education and some in hell with PHD’s. It’s not how much you know. It’s who you know and the who is Jesus Christ.
The first act of creation was creating light therefore light was the beginning of creation and the beginning of life. Life after the light will bear no resemblance to light in the darkness. Life will have meaning, purpose, and hope as never before and that is the very reason Jesus came. More than anything else, that is the Christmas story. He came that you might have the abundant life. Just as the creation of light dispelled the darkness on the face of the earth, Jesus’ coming dispels the darkness in our lives.
If Jesus is the light of the world, why do men still live in darkness?
Is Jesus the light of your world?
What do you do that proves that He is the light of your world?
VERSES 6-7
6 There came a man sent from God, whose name was John. [Mal. 3:1.]
7 This man came to witness, that he might testify of the Light, that all men might believe in it [adhere to it, trust it, and rely upon it] through him.
There was a man named John, a cousin of Jesus who was six months older than Jesus. He was an evangelist and foretold of the coming of Jesus. Even though Jesus was alive on earth at the time John was preaching, Jesus had not yet been revealed as the Messiah. John was a popular preacher and had a following yet he proclaimed that there was One coming whose shoelaces he was unworthy to tie. John’s purpose was to prepare the way of the coming of the Messiah.
Why did John the Baptist come?
VERSES 8-9
8 He was not the Light himself, but came that he might bear witness regarding the Light.
9 There it was—the true Light [was then] coming into the world [the genuine, perfect, steadfast Light] that illumines every person. [Isa. 49:6.]
John was not the light but was telling the world to get ready for the true light that was coming.
Just as John was only a messenger, we too are messengers sent to tell others about the eternal life and light that is found only in Jesus. There may be someone in your life who will never know who Jesus is unless you tell them. We are never to assume any position of greatness or superiority but we are merely sign posts pointing to Christ. I believe that the reason for the failure of some of the prominent preachers in recent years is that they thought they were so important that they could not fail God no matter what they did. We can all fail God but the Good News is that we can be forgiven and start over again.
What is it that is important to know about the light of Christ?
How does the light impact our lives?
VERSES 10-11
10 He came into the world, and though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize Him [did not know Him].
11 He came to that which belonged to Him [to His own—His domain, creation, things, world], and they who were His own did not receive Him and did not welcome Him.
V10-11. Even though Christ had created the world, the world did not recognize Him. Not even His own people accepted Him.
Because the world does not readily recognize the light, we are responsible to help them to see it and follow it. God did not create you to stand in the darkness and attempt to point the way. You must step out of the darkness and call to those still in the darkness. Let them know that you have found the light and there is plenty for everyone. Some will not come to the light and you will not have to answer for their being in the dark IF you have told them where the light is.
People did not recognize Jesus as the Light because they were so bent on doing things their own way. We have the same situation today. An important question to ask is, “Do people see the Light of Jesus in my life?” Am I a help or hindrance in enabling others to see the light?
Many today choose to live in darkness because they do not know a better way. We can help them by sharing some of our light with them. If we keep all of our light to ourselves, it may be that we don’t have as much light as we think we do.
Why did Jesus own people not receive Him?
Why do people today not receive Him?
VERSES 12-13
12 But to as many as did receive and welcome Him, He gave the authority (power, privilege, right) to become the children of God, that is, to those who believe in (adhere to, trust in, and rely on) His name—[Isa. 56:5.]
13 Who owe their birth neither to cbloods nor to the will of the flesh [that of physical impulse] nor to the will of man [that of a natural father], but to God. [They are born of God!]
To those who did receive Him, He gave the right to be the children of God. Those who did so were born of God and had the right to eternal life.
This light is available to anyone who chooses to accept it. It must be a decision you make on your own. You do not become a follower by virtue of your parents beliefs or any other relative. You have to make a decision of your own. It is a gift of God. You don’t even have to fully comprehend it. Step to the edge of the light and allow someone who is there to help you to see the light more clearly. After you have been in the light for a while, you should see more clearly. If not, then you need to seek some help so you can take full advantage of the light in your life.
Do you ever feel that you wander in and out of the darkness? If so, there is hope for you. You can find a place of permanent residence in the light if you surrender completely to Jesus. Only if you give Him top billing in your life can you reside permanently in the light.
What does it take to be assured of eternal life?
Who can have it?
VERSE 14
14 And the Word (Christ) became flesh (human, incarnate) and tabernacled (fixed His tent of flesh, lived awhile) among us; and we [actually] saw His glory (His honor, His majesty), such glory as an only begotten son receives from his father, full of grace (favor, loving-kindness) and truth. [Isa. 40:5.]
V14. In this verse lies the heart of the Christmas story. God became man and dwelt among us. Those who believed were able to see the glory of God through Him because He was God. He did not point us to God. He was God, full of grace and truth. God’s becoming human is a distinction of the Christian faith. As far as I know, no other religion claims that their God became a man in order to demonstrate His love.
John’s generation saw God’s glory in Jesus. Just as they saw the man Jesus physically, we see Him spiritually through our relationship to Him. No, they did not have the advantage over us because we today have the Holy Spirit to indwell our lives. We can experience the love, power, and grace of Jesus in our lives in a more powerful and living way than those who walked the earth with Him because He is a living God. When He walked the earth, there was only one of Him and people had to share Him. Today, He is a living, omnipresent God who is everywhere at once. That should stagger the imagination. He’s everywhere at once.
Why did God become man?
What did that do for us?
VERSES 15-16
15 John testified about Him and cried out, This was He of Whom I said, He Who comes after me has priority over me, for He was before me. [He takes rank above me, for He existed before I did. He has advanced before me, because He is my Chief.]
16 For out of His fullness (abundance) we have all received [all had a share and we were all supplied with] one grace after another and spiritual blessing upon spiritual blessing and even favor upon favor and gift [heaped] upon gift.
V15-16. John said that the One coming after Him had surpassed Him because He existed before Him even though John had been born six months before Jesus. We have received grace in abundance.
In the ancient world, people believed that those who lived earlier were greater than those who lived later. Since John the Baptist lived earlier than Jesus, they would have thought that he was more important than Jesus but John pointed out that Jesus existed before him yet He was much more important.
Why was there any question about who was more important?
Why did John consider Jesus more important than himself?
VERSES 17-18
17 For while the Law was given through Moses, grace (dunearned, undeserved favor and spiritual blessing) and truth came through Jesus Christ. [Exod. 20:1.]
18 No man has ever seen God at any time; the only eunique Son, or fthe only begotten God, Who is in the bosom [in the intimate presence] of the Father, He has declared Him [He has revealed Him and brought Him out where He can be seen; He has interpreted Him and He has made Him known]. [Prov. 8:30.]
Moses gave the law but grace and truth came through Jesus. With Moses, we could only be saved by the law and works. But with Christ, it is by grace that we are saved through faith. No one has ever seen God but God was revealed through the Son.
The gift of the Ten Commandments was a great gift to the world because it gave them guidelines for living in the right relationship with God and with others. But what God did in the giving of Jesus was incredibly superior to the law of Moses. What the law could not accomplish, Christ did through his life, death, and resurrection. Through Him we have salvation and life.
Moses only saw God’s back. No one has seen His face. Human eyes cannot comprehend God’s glory. Yet Jesus revealed God’s glory as clearly as we can see and understand. In Jesus life and death, we have the clearest demonstration of God’s love, care, and grace and His challenge to live more committed to His will.
What did Jesus give us that the law of Moses did not?
What did Jesus reveal?
Who is Jesus?
Who is Jesus to you?
Have you made Him the Lord and Savior of your life? That’s not the same thing as asking if you have joined the church and been baptized.
Saturday, December 22, 2007
Monday, December 10, 2007
THE COLORADO TRAGEDY
THE COLORADO TRAGEDY
Recently I have been studying Matthew and writing a journal as I proceed. Today, December 10th, 2007 I was reading 10.21-25. Coincidentally (perhaps not), the news today is about the shooting in the Colorado yesterday. Several Godly people were killed at a Youth With A Mission training center in Arvada and at New Life Church in Colorado Springs who had done no wrong to the gunman or anyone else.
Here’s what Jesus said, “ You will be hated by everyone because of My name. But the one who endures to the end will be saved” (Mt 10. 22). A law enforcement official said that Matthew Murray hated Christians. He didn’t say why but perhaps the days to come will unfold some insight into this question. No matter how hard we try, we cannot make people love God or us. There will always be people who hate God because of their sin and the great separation they feel from Him. If the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever, then the antithesis of this must be that those who feel the greatest separation from Him must have the deepest hurts. Matthew Murray was obviously a young man who hurt deeply because he hated God and His followers so much that he wanted to kill as many believers as he could.
Even though he grew up in a Christian home, was at one time a part of a youth missions group, and had a brother attending a Christian university, the love of God was not in control of his life. Maybe something will surface to give us some insight into what happened that triggered these tragic events
Jesus understood that these kinds of things would happen and gave us fair warning when he made these statements. He didn’t explain why or give us a defense plan to keep them from happening. He simply said they would happen. But why must innocent people be hurt? I don’t propose to have all of the answers and perhaps even the answer I have isn’t correct but here’s what I see. When people have sin in their lives and either don’t want to or can’t give up their sin, they feel guilty and sometimes hate God because they feel God is at fault. After all, if there were no sin, they wouldn’t have any guilt and could feel good about everything they do. Therefore it is a lot easier to hate God than to surrender to Him. God, in their opinion, is wrong to have commandments, the breach of which makes them feel guilty.
There are people like Matthew Murray who would assassinate God if they could get to Him. The next best thing for them is to kill some of His followers. A lot of the church’s opposition today would not go so far as to kill but they do want to wound or harm believers. That’s why so many want to eliminate God from everything possible. No more manger scenes in public places, a cross in a church that was to be used for a high school graduation was considered to be so offensive to one parent that he sued to try to get it remover or covered for the ceremony, “happy holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas”, and on and on the list goes.
God’s laws and their lifestyle are in conflict so they hate Christians. It may not be popular to hate God or they may be afraid of Him, so they just hate His followers instead. This shouldn’t be surprising given Jesus’ words that the world will hate us because of Him. James 1.2 says, “Count it all joy when you meet various trials”. Christian joy is not found in the avoidance of all danger and conflict. It is found only in obedience to Him.
If we suffer because we are obedient to Him, He will reward us by laying aside treasures in heaven. If we avoid suffering and in doing so become disobedient, we will have to answer to that. God will also have appropriate retribution to those who harm His followers. We don’t need to try to take care of them. God can do a much better job.
have deep feelings for this church who suffered the loss of their founding pastor last year due to moral problems. Now they are having to suffer this senseless tragedy. This is a time to stand up straight and show the world what we are made of. We need to pray for all of the families of victims. Probably the ones who are hurting the most are the family of Matthew Murray who not only lost a son and brother but must feel great remorse for what Matthew did.
The lessons for us to learn are many. Some of them are (1) Show deep compassion and love to everyone not matter how they treat us. (2) Accept the fact that some people will hate us no matter what we do. Don’t take it personal but do be obedient to God and Christlike toward them. (3) Keep on keeping on no matter what. Don’t let anything keep you from being obedient to God.
Recently I have been studying Matthew and writing a journal as I proceed. Today, December 10th, 2007 I was reading 10.21-25. Coincidentally (perhaps not), the news today is about the shooting in the Colorado yesterday. Several Godly people were killed at a Youth With A Mission training center in Arvada and at New Life Church in Colorado Springs who had done no wrong to the gunman or anyone else.
Here’s what Jesus said, “ You will be hated by everyone because of My name. But the one who endures to the end will be saved” (Mt 10. 22). A law enforcement official said that Matthew Murray hated Christians. He didn’t say why but perhaps the days to come will unfold some insight into this question. No matter how hard we try, we cannot make people love God or us. There will always be people who hate God because of their sin and the great separation they feel from Him. If the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever, then the antithesis of this must be that those who feel the greatest separation from Him must have the deepest hurts. Matthew Murray was obviously a young man who hurt deeply because he hated God and His followers so much that he wanted to kill as many believers as he could.
Even though he grew up in a Christian home, was at one time a part of a youth missions group, and had a brother attending a Christian university, the love of God was not in control of his life. Maybe something will surface to give us some insight into what happened that triggered these tragic events
Jesus understood that these kinds of things would happen and gave us fair warning when he made these statements. He didn’t explain why or give us a defense plan to keep them from happening. He simply said they would happen. But why must innocent people be hurt? I don’t propose to have all of the answers and perhaps even the answer I have isn’t correct but here’s what I see. When people have sin in their lives and either don’t want to or can’t give up their sin, they feel guilty and sometimes hate God because they feel God is at fault. After all, if there were no sin, they wouldn’t have any guilt and could feel good about everything they do. Therefore it is a lot easier to hate God than to surrender to Him. God, in their opinion, is wrong to have commandments, the breach of which makes them feel guilty.
There are people like Matthew Murray who would assassinate God if they could get to Him. The next best thing for them is to kill some of His followers. A lot of the church’s opposition today would not go so far as to kill but they do want to wound or harm believers. That’s why so many want to eliminate God from everything possible. No more manger scenes in public places, a cross in a church that was to be used for a high school graduation was considered to be so offensive to one parent that he sued to try to get it remover or covered for the ceremony, “happy holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas”, and on and on the list goes.
God’s laws and their lifestyle are in conflict so they hate Christians. It may not be popular to hate God or they may be afraid of Him, so they just hate His followers instead. This shouldn’t be surprising given Jesus’ words that the world will hate us because of Him. James 1.2 says, “Count it all joy when you meet various trials”. Christian joy is not found in the avoidance of all danger and conflict. It is found only in obedience to Him.
If we suffer because we are obedient to Him, He will reward us by laying aside treasures in heaven. If we avoid suffering and in doing so become disobedient, we will have to answer to that. God will also have appropriate retribution to those who harm His followers. We don’t need to try to take care of them. God can do a much better job.
have deep feelings for this church who suffered the loss of their founding pastor last year due to moral problems. Now they are having to suffer this senseless tragedy. This is a time to stand up straight and show the world what we are made of. We need to pray for all of the families of victims. Probably the ones who are hurting the most are the family of Matthew Murray who not only lost a son and brother but must feel great remorse for what Matthew did.
The lessons for us to learn are many. Some of them are (1) Show deep compassion and love to everyone not matter how they treat us. (2) Accept the fact that some people will hate us no matter what we do. Don’t take it personal but do be obedient to God and Christlike toward them. (3) Keep on keeping on no matter what. Don’t let anything keep you from being obedient to God.
Monday, November 5, 2007
Keep on Keeping On
Luke 11:5-10
What friendship could not achieve, persistence and importunity did. The friend did not respond with the bread because of their friendship. He responded because the man was relentless in his asking. He would not give up until he got what he needed. Does God expect us to be this persistent? Do you really think He wants us to keep knocking in the middle of the night and keep asking even though He has already told us no more than once? Absolutely, positively, without a doubt, YES!
Remember this was Jesus telling this story. It wasn’t something made up by this author. Jesus said we are to ask and keep on asking. We are to search and keep on searching. We are to knock and keep on knocking. We are to be unyielding in our pursuit to get God to answer our prayer. If we ask God once for something and He says no, to walk away and not keep on asking is like saying, “That’s OK God. I didn’t really think you could do that anyway.” If that’s our attitude, we shouldn’t even bother praying. That kind of praying is worse than a waste of time because it teaches a wrong theology of prayer. If you don’t believe God can answer your prayer, there is no point in praying. God wants boldness, confidence and persistence in our prayers.
A similar story from my own life is the time when I was young and wanted to make a “long distance” call to a town seven miles away. My father said no but I kept on asking and asking until I wore him down. He finally said, “Go ahead, it’s worth a nickel (the cost of the call) just to get you to leave me alone”. When we want something badly enough to keep on asking and asking until we get what we want, that’s the kind of persistence God wants us to have. Is God bothered by our persistence? no! No! NO! What bothers God is our lack of persistence. If we ask once or twice (or even more) and then stop asking, He gets the impression that we don’t really want what we are praying for very much. He then refuses to answer that prayer because our heart isn’t really in it. When we keep on and finally convince Him (maybe even after seventy times seven times) that we are determined to get a positive answer, He will respond. He then becomes our strongest supporter.
God is waiting to hear from you. He may not hear you the first time just as Jesus did not hear the Syrophoenician woman. He heard her but was waiting for her plea to reach a certain level of intensity. He wanted her faith to come to the point that she was willing to pursue the matter in the face of obstacles. Her cries were bothering the disciples to the point that they asked Jesus to send her away. Several times Jesus told people their prayers would be answered because of their faith. This is one of only two instances where He said, “Your faith is great”. She knew Jesus had the power to heal and she would not give up easily. She wanted Jesus to heal her daughter. Two things attributed to getting her request answered. First of all, she had great faith. She really, beyond any shadow of a doubt, believed that Jesus could heal. Secondly, she believed it so much she was willing to be a nuisance if that was what it would take.
The Waiting Father is like the father of the prodigal son who watched and waited constantly for his child to come home. God is waiting for you to come to Him with your requests but He doesn’t want a mealy mouthed request. He wants you to come pleading and begging. Never give up.
Father, I have prayed many short prayers and walked away from them hoping you would hear and respond. I even tacked on, “….if it be your will” to give you an out in case you chose not to answer the prayer. Forgive me for my lack of faith and persistence. When I have a prayer request, I won’t quit asking. I will keep on asking until you answer……….
What friendship could not achieve, persistence and importunity did. The friend did not respond with the bread because of their friendship. He responded because the man was relentless in his asking. He would not give up until he got what he needed. Does God expect us to be this persistent? Do you really think He wants us to keep knocking in the middle of the night and keep asking even though He has already told us no more than once? Absolutely, positively, without a doubt, YES!
Remember this was Jesus telling this story. It wasn’t something made up by this author. Jesus said we are to ask and keep on asking. We are to search and keep on searching. We are to knock and keep on knocking. We are to be unyielding in our pursuit to get God to answer our prayer. If we ask God once for something and He says no, to walk away and not keep on asking is like saying, “That’s OK God. I didn’t really think you could do that anyway.” If that’s our attitude, we shouldn’t even bother praying. That kind of praying is worse than a waste of time because it teaches a wrong theology of prayer. If you don’t believe God can answer your prayer, there is no point in praying. God wants boldness, confidence and persistence in our prayers.
A similar story from my own life is the time when I was young and wanted to make a “long distance” call to a town seven miles away. My father said no but I kept on asking and asking until I wore him down. He finally said, “Go ahead, it’s worth a nickel (the cost of the call) just to get you to leave me alone”. When we want something badly enough to keep on asking and asking until we get what we want, that’s the kind of persistence God wants us to have. Is God bothered by our persistence? no! No! NO! What bothers God is our lack of persistence. If we ask once or twice (or even more) and then stop asking, He gets the impression that we don’t really want what we are praying for very much. He then refuses to answer that prayer because our heart isn’t really in it. When we keep on and finally convince Him (maybe even after seventy times seven times) that we are determined to get a positive answer, He will respond. He then becomes our strongest supporter.
God is waiting to hear from you. He may not hear you the first time just as Jesus did not hear the Syrophoenician woman. He heard her but was waiting for her plea to reach a certain level of intensity. He wanted her faith to come to the point that she was willing to pursue the matter in the face of obstacles. Her cries were bothering the disciples to the point that they asked Jesus to send her away. Several times Jesus told people their prayers would be answered because of their faith. This is one of only two instances where He said, “Your faith is great”. She knew Jesus had the power to heal and she would not give up easily. She wanted Jesus to heal her daughter. Two things attributed to getting her request answered. First of all, she had great faith. She really, beyond any shadow of a doubt, believed that Jesus could heal. Secondly, she believed it so much she was willing to be a nuisance if that was what it would take.
The Waiting Father is like the father of the prodigal son who watched and waited constantly for his child to come home. God is waiting for you to come to Him with your requests but He doesn’t want a mealy mouthed request. He wants you to come pleading and begging. Never give up.
Father, I have prayed many short prayers and walked away from them hoping you would hear and respond. I even tacked on, “….if it be your will” to give you an out in case you chose not to answer the prayer. Forgive me for my lack of faith and persistence. When I have a prayer request, I won’t quit asking. I will keep on asking until you answer……….
God is Looking for a Few Good Men and Women
Judges 7:2-7; Mt. 18:20
What a joy it would be if we had entire churches filled with men and women whose prayer lives were exemplary. It would even be great to have half or even a fourth of our churches filled with praying men and women. It doesn’t take a mighty army to accomplish God’s will. He can trim the forces down to a smaller force and use those men and women to win the battle.
How many does it take to start a strong prayer ministry? At least one! God can take those who are committed to Him and use them to bring others into the fold. Large groups praying together may not be the best way to go. In large groups, some of the lesser aggressive ones will remain silent and only a few have the opportunity to pray. The best way to pray with others is in smaller groups where everyone has the opportunity to pray. In large groups, individuals may feel intimidated because they feel they are “on stage” so to speak. In smaller groups it is easier to speak openly and honestly without feeling intimidated.
You can learn a lot about how to pray to be in a small group and listen to others pray, especially if people are praying from their hearts. It may take some people several times in the group before they will voice a prayer aloud. God is looking for a few good men and women who will learn how to pray. What you learn in a class if good but what you learn praying with others is invaluable. You cannot catch the spirit of prayer in a class or a book. The best way to learn to pray is to pray both alone and with others.
I have gone to prayer meetings weary and exhausted from a day’s work. I would much have preferred to have just gone home and rested. But after a time of praying with other believers who prayed heartfelt prayers, I was spiritually and physically invigorated. I was relaxed and felt good. What a blessing are times like that.
Jesus has promised to be in the midst of those gathered to pray in His name. When we pray, not just for the sake of praying but because of a heartfelt need, we receive power. Do the math! If one person prays and others just listen, that’s one prayer even if there are 1000 people present and if that prayer is not heartfelt and genuine, it’s not even one prayer. Take a small group of 12 people and each one prays. If the other 11 are actively praying by listening and participating in the prayer through their intense focus, that’s 12 prayers rather than one. If all 12 voice a prayer, that’s 144 prayers.
Active participation in group prayers could mean intense focus and attention or it could mean a silent or verbal response such as, “Yes, Lord”, “Amen”, or other appropriate statements. Don’t take away from the person praying but support him or her in their prayers. To passively listen means to merely hear with our ears but our hearts are not really in tune with the words being prayed.
God is looking for a few good men and women who will join their hearts together to pray for the needs of His people and for the salvation of lost souls. He wants those people to pray for sick people but not to limit their prayers to the physically sick. Would you like to join with His people as they approach His throne and see the power of the Spirit reign down? If so, find some other believers and pray with them.
Father, teach me to pray. I pray alone so much that maybe my praying is becoming stale and I need a fresh infusion of your Spirit. Please provide me with the opportunity to join with others to pray and grow in my prayer life. Thank You. Amen
What a joy it would be if we had entire churches filled with men and women whose prayer lives were exemplary. It would even be great to have half or even a fourth of our churches filled with praying men and women. It doesn’t take a mighty army to accomplish God’s will. He can trim the forces down to a smaller force and use those men and women to win the battle.
How many does it take to start a strong prayer ministry? At least one! God can take those who are committed to Him and use them to bring others into the fold. Large groups praying together may not be the best way to go. In large groups, some of the lesser aggressive ones will remain silent and only a few have the opportunity to pray. The best way to pray with others is in smaller groups where everyone has the opportunity to pray. In large groups, individuals may feel intimidated because they feel they are “on stage” so to speak. In smaller groups it is easier to speak openly and honestly without feeling intimidated.
You can learn a lot about how to pray to be in a small group and listen to others pray, especially if people are praying from their hearts. It may take some people several times in the group before they will voice a prayer aloud. God is looking for a few good men and women who will learn how to pray. What you learn in a class if good but what you learn praying with others is invaluable. You cannot catch the spirit of prayer in a class or a book. The best way to learn to pray is to pray both alone and with others.
I have gone to prayer meetings weary and exhausted from a day’s work. I would much have preferred to have just gone home and rested. But after a time of praying with other believers who prayed heartfelt prayers, I was spiritually and physically invigorated. I was relaxed and felt good. What a blessing are times like that.
Jesus has promised to be in the midst of those gathered to pray in His name. When we pray, not just for the sake of praying but because of a heartfelt need, we receive power. Do the math! If one person prays and others just listen, that’s one prayer even if there are 1000 people present and if that prayer is not heartfelt and genuine, it’s not even one prayer. Take a small group of 12 people and each one prays. If the other 11 are actively praying by listening and participating in the prayer through their intense focus, that’s 12 prayers rather than one. If all 12 voice a prayer, that’s 144 prayers.
Active participation in group prayers could mean intense focus and attention or it could mean a silent or verbal response such as, “Yes, Lord”, “Amen”, or other appropriate statements. Don’t take away from the person praying but support him or her in their prayers. To passively listen means to merely hear with our ears but our hearts are not really in tune with the words being prayed.
God is looking for a few good men and women who will join their hearts together to pray for the needs of His people and for the salvation of lost souls. He wants those people to pray for sick people but not to limit their prayers to the physically sick. Would you like to join with His people as they approach His throne and see the power of the Spirit reign down? If so, find some other believers and pray with them.
Father, teach me to pray. I pray alone so much that maybe my praying is becoming stale and I need a fresh infusion of your Spirit. Please provide me with the opportunity to join with others to pray and grow in my prayer life. Thank You. Amen
First of All
I TIM 2:1-8
Paul was a man of prayer. It seems that we spend a lot more time discussing his theological teachings than his teachings on prayer. Not that there is anything wrong with his theology or studying it. The problem is that we do so at the neglect of his powerful teachings on prayer. Let’s take a look at some of these teachings.
To begin with, he puts prayer first. He starts by saying “first of all”. Prayer is primary and should come before anything else. We do not pray to ask God to bless what we have already decided to do. If we make a decision to do something before we pray about it, then we are on our own. Sometimes that’s called the yoyo approach (You’re On Your Own). God wants us to come to Him for direction in our lives, not confirmation that we made the right decision without His help. We are so prone to choose things that we like to do because we enjoy doing them. That’s okay in our personal lives, at least to some degree but when it comes to serving God, it is disobedience. Just because we are filling a position in the church does not mean that we are serving God. Sometimes we are only serving ourselves or attempting to salve a bleeding conscience.
I love the story about the woman who, when she wanted to do something for her husband, would bake him a rhubarb pie. She loved baking rhubarb pies and was quite good at it. The only problem was that he did not like rhubarb pies. She was only doing what she enjoyed doing and wanted him to enjoy the fruits of her labor. Her efforts were self-serving. He did not get any satisfaction or fulfillment out of what she did. Neither does God pleased with our self-serving efforts in the church. Sometimes we accept a position to serve in the church in order to avoid what God really wants us to do. God doesn’t want substitute service. He wants us to do what He calls us to do.
If we do not seek first of all His will and direction, we will be misguided and will not find a sense of joy in service. More than anything else, joy comes as a result of obedience. It may come in the midst of doing something we thought we would not like to do. There is a song that says, “It is no sacrifice to follow Jesus”. No matter what we have to give up to follow Him in loving obedience, we will be more than rewarded both here on earth and later in heaven.
Prayer cannot be relegated to later when we have more time. God wants us to seek His leadership before we consult with ourselves. First of all means before anything else. Therefore He wants us to pray to begin each day. Prayer is to be the foundation of all that we do. Before we start looking for that new house or new car, we should pray. Before we go to work, before we start a project at home, before we start studying to teach a Bible Study lesson, before we go to choir practice, before we go to school, before we do anything we are to seek His guidance.
When we do some simple task such as go to the grocery store to buy a loaf of bread? Certainly not! Ask God to safely take you there and return you home. God may even give you an opportunity to minister to someone while you are out. He may have a blessing in store for you if you dedicate this simple little trip to Him. How long does it take to say, “God please give me a safe trip and bless any encounter I have with people on this trip”. This kind of prayer might prepare you for any difficult encounter you might have with someone. To pray for “mundane” things like this is “praying without ceasing”.
God wants us to pray first of all, during, and at the conclusion of all of our activities.
Paul was a man of prayer. It seems that we spend a lot more time discussing his theological teachings than his teachings on prayer. Not that there is anything wrong with his theology or studying it. The problem is that we do so at the neglect of his powerful teachings on prayer. Let’s take a look at some of these teachings.
To begin with, he puts prayer first. He starts by saying “first of all”. Prayer is primary and should come before anything else. We do not pray to ask God to bless what we have already decided to do. If we make a decision to do something before we pray about it, then we are on our own. Sometimes that’s called the yoyo approach (You’re On Your Own). God wants us to come to Him for direction in our lives, not confirmation that we made the right decision without His help. We are so prone to choose things that we like to do because we enjoy doing them. That’s okay in our personal lives, at least to some degree but when it comes to serving God, it is disobedience. Just because we are filling a position in the church does not mean that we are serving God. Sometimes we are only serving ourselves or attempting to salve a bleeding conscience.
I love the story about the woman who, when she wanted to do something for her husband, would bake him a rhubarb pie. She loved baking rhubarb pies and was quite good at it. The only problem was that he did not like rhubarb pies. She was only doing what she enjoyed doing and wanted him to enjoy the fruits of her labor. Her efforts were self-serving. He did not get any satisfaction or fulfillment out of what she did. Neither does God pleased with our self-serving efforts in the church. Sometimes we accept a position to serve in the church in order to avoid what God really wants us to do. God doesn’t want substitute service. He wants us to do what He calls us to do.
If we do not seek first of all His will and direction, we will be misguided and will not find a sense of joy in service. More than anything else, joy comes as a result of obedience. It may come in the midst of doing something we thought we would not like to do. There is a song that says, “It is no sacrifice to follow Jesus”. No matter what we have to give up to follow Him in loving obedience, we will be more than rewarded both here on earth and later in heaven.
Prayer cannot be relegated to later when we have more time. God wants us to seek His leadership before we consult with ourselves. First of all means before anything else. Therefore He wants us to pray to begin each day. Prayer is to be the foundation of all that we do. Before we start looking for that new house or new car, we should pray. Before we go to work, before we start a project at home, before we start studying to teach a Bible Study lesson, before we go to choir practice, before we go to school, before we do anything we are to seek His guidance.
When we do some simple task such as go to the grocery store to buy a loaf of bread? Certainly not! Ask God to safely take you there and return you home. God may even give you an opportunity to minister to someone while you are out. He may have a blessing in store for you if you dedicate this simple little trip to Him. How long does it take to say, “God please give me a safe trip and bless any encounter I have with people on this trip”. This kind of prayer might prepare you for any difficult encounter you might have with someone. To pray for “mundane” things like this is “praying without ceasing”.
God wants us to pray first of all, during, and at the conclusion of all of our activities.
Keys to a Powerful Prayer Life
The story is told of a country boy who was more brawn than brain. He was a hard worker who cut firewood for a living. One day when he went into the hardware store to get a new saw, the clerk told him about a chain saw and promised him that he could cut five times as much wood a day. The country boy bought the chain saw but came back at the end of the next day and said that he didn't cut nearly a much wood with the new saw as he did with his old one. The clerk told him that he had to get up early and work late. The next day he worked from sunup to sundown and was still unhappy. The following day he went back in and demanded his money back. The clerk said, "let's take this saw outside and check it out". When they got outside, the clerk cranked it up and it immediately went, "varoom, varoom". The country boy stepped back and said, "Hey, what's that noise".
It isn’t funny when we try to use something that requires power and we don’t even try to access the power. How could you use an electric corded drill without plugging it in? Or how about using your microwave when it is unplugged? I couldn’t tell you how many times I have tried to use a power tool or appliance when I had no power and all of you have done the same thing. We know better but we just forget that the power isn’t there.
Like the ole boy with the chain saw, we try to operate on our own power. His problem was that he didn’t know any better. Our problem is a little different. We know better but we don’t seem to trust the power source. God tells what He will do if we are righteous and if we truly have faith in Him. Because of our disbelief, we have disconnected ourselves from the source of power.
I want to talk to you about six keys to a powerful prayer life. There are many more but we are only to talk about these today.
1. ACCESS GOD’S POWER.
Back in the late 60’s when I was living in Louisville, a man died who lived in a cheap boarding
hotel in downtown Louisville. Unlike the typical boarding house resident, his death made the
headlines of the Courier-Journal the next day. His name was John Y. Brown, the richest man in
the state of Kentucky. Even though he had millions of dollars at his disposal, he chose to live an
impoverished life. Our plight is similar to his. Even though we are children of God who has
untold spiritual blessings that He is waiting to give us, we choose to live an impoverished
spiritual life. We have as much of God’s blessings and power as we choose to have. You
may want to argue with me on that one but think about it. You have not because you ask not.
Prayer is not some sweet little thing that good Christians do to be religious. Prayer is the
conduit to the greatest power in all of creation. We claim to believe in a God that is all
powerful. A God that can do absolutely anything without reservations. We claim to believe
that there is no task beyond His power. We say we believe in a God with no limitations yet we
restrict God to do only those things we believe He can do. We have therefore put a limit on
God by our lack of faith. For example, we pray for people to be healed but our prayers are too
weak to be heard. Also, we may pray only once or twice and expect God to answer the prayer.
Then when He doesn’t, we cover our lack of faith by saying that it wasn’t God’s will. Not
always, but most of the time, that is a cop out for our lack of perseverance in prayer.
James 5:16 says, “The faithful fervent prayer of a righteousness man availeth much”. That
verse says several things. First of all, our prayers must be faithful, that is full of faith. Secondly,
they must be fervent. And thirdly, they must be prayed by a righteous person.
When we have truly learned that God is all powerful, we will have access to that power
through prayer. Don’t miss this point. The incredible power of the Greatest God in creation is
available to us if we ask. He will share His power with us “You have not because you ask not”.
God will share His power with us if we ask Him to but He won’t if we don’t ask. Jesus said
In John 14:12, “he who believes in Me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater
works than these shall he do; because I go to the Father.
2. PRAY WITH EXPECTATION.
There’s no point in praying if we don’t expect God to answer our prayer. In fact, it may even be a sin to pray when we doubt that God will answer. That is the sin of unbelief. That means we doubt God’s ability to answer our prayer. We don’t really believe Jesus was telling the truth when He said “Whatsoever we ask in His name, He will do”. If we don’t believe God will answer our prayers, why bother. Satan would rather see faithless prayers than no prayers at all.
When you pray, believe that God will answer. Really believe it. Don’t just say you do. Take God at His Word. Claim His promises. Not to claim them is to deny them.
Did Jesus give the disciples the right to cast out demons? NO! He did not give them the right to cast out demons. He gave them the RESPONSIBILITY to cast out demons. When we fail to pray and lay hold of God’s power, we have been disobedient.
3. BELIEVE THAT YOU CAN CHANGE GOD’S MIND.
Our tendency is to think that we cannot and should not try to change God’s mind. I have heard it said that the purpose of prayer is to align ourselves with God’s will. Many times, that is the purpose but there are times when we should seek to change God’s mind. There are numerous Biblical examples where God’s mind was changed. In Deut 9:12-21, God was set on destroying Israel and the prayer of Moses changed the purposes of God. God sent Isaiah to Hezekiah to tell him to get his house in order for surely he would die. Hezekiah prayed and God added fifteen years to his life. Nineveh was given forty days before destruction would occur but Nineveh repented and prayed and God spared the city.
God may have plans that can be changed if His people care enough to persevere in prayer and come before Him in humble repentance. Remember that God hears the prayers of the righteous and He will not hear us if we are living in sin. Cleanse yourselves and fall on your knees and you will see great and mighty things that will stagger your imagination. God is not through with anything or anybody yet. I don’t say this negatively, but God may not have even begun to work in some of our lives yet. Our most productive days and years may still be in front of us even if we are 60, 70, 80, or even older.
To believe that we can change God’s mind should motivate us to a new level of praying.
4. SPEND TIME IN PRAYER.
Surely you can’t be serious about having a powerful prayer life if your prayer life consists of two or three minutes of prayer time every few days. I’m sure you have heard it said that if you are too busy to pray, you are too busy. Tell me what it is in your life that you do that is more important than prayer and if you can convince me that it really is more important, then I will apologize to you for accusing you of negligence. If I have any takers on that, you are free to speak up now or see me after we are finished tonight.
Not having enough time is a cover up for the real problem. Some of the problems we face are the lack of belief that God will actually hear and answer our prayers. Because we are afraid of unanswered prayers, we just don’t pray. We may not know how to really pray. I have two good suggestions for you and these are points number five and six.
5. SPEND SERIOUS TIME IN GOD’S WORD.
Spend serious time in God’s Word and your prayer life will improve. Serious study of the Word will prompt things for which you should pray. There is credible logic in tying Bible Study and Prayer together all of the time. Serious study of the Scriptures will convict you of numerous needs in your own life and in the life of the church. Of course there is such a thing as studying the Bible for the sake of Bible study alone. That won’t help you grow. You’ve got to dig deep in a small area, not attempt to cover 160 acres at a time.
6. PRAY WITH OTHERS.
Whether you struggle with your prayer life or not, praying with others who know how to pray will enhance your prayer life tremendously. I am blessed by being a part of Prayer On Wheels. People thank us for coming to their homes to pray but it is we who go who are really blessed. Many a time, I feel that I am too tired to go. I have had a long day at work and I would like to go home and relax. But when we finish praying, I feel rejuvenated physically and spiritually. I recall one night in a pastor search committee meeting when we had prayed for 20-30 minutes. When we finished, I said, “Wow, I feel good”.
A real side blessing of praying with others is that you learn more about praying. You see how others pray, things they do, and things they say. You pick up new phrases. You participate actively in prayer. With rare exception, our prayers at church are formal prayers when one person prays for the entire group. We generally are passive listeners rather than active participants. Let me explain what I mean by active participants. This is when we do more than just listen quietly when someone else is praying. We may say “Amen”, “Yes, Lord”, “That’s right Lord”, or even groaning. There is nothing wrong with verbalizing support when someone else is praying. When you do that, it encourages the person praying and their prayers get stronger and bolder and more powerful. I’m not suggesting we get verbal in worship services with active participation but we can quietly whisper our support of the person praying.
When one person prays for a group, that’s one prayer. But when eight people gather to pray and all eight pray and everyone is an active participant, that’s 64 prayers. If it were me being prayed for, I will take the 64 prayers anytime.
PRAYER:
Father, we come before you tonight seeking to become praying deacons and a praying church because we know where the power is and it’s not in us. Forgive us of our sins of negligence in prayer because we have not prayed as often or as faithfully as we ought. We have not called on you because we have not really believed that you would hear and answer. We call on you right now and repent of the sin of unbelief that your power might be unleashed in this room tonight and that we might be unshackled from all hindrances to a powerful prayer life. I ask that every man here be touched and filled with your power that our prayer lives will become what they ought.
Lord, what happens in this church is largely dependent on what happens to the men who are in this room right now. I pray that your Spirit will come down and touch us as we continue in prayer. Amen.
PRAYER TIME:
When we come to our prayer time, I don’t want to set an inflexible agenda. I will always have something ready for you but don’t let that be your prayer guide unless the Holy Spirit tells you it is OK. There are two things I want to suggest tonight. The first is for one person to share with your small group how they can best pray for you and then gather around that man and pray for him. Do this for each one in your group. The second suggestion is for each man to take one or two of the scriptures I have prepared and share with the group how this passage speaks to you and our church and let that fuel your prayer time. Or you may want to merge these ideas. Would you gather in groups of five or six at this time to pray?
It isn’t funny when we try to use something that requires power and we don’t even try to access the power. How could you use an electric corded drill without plugging it in? Or how about using your microwave when it is unplugged? I couldn’t tell you how many times I have tried to use a power tool or appliance when I had no power and all of you have done the same thing. We know better but we just forget that the power isn’t there.
Like the ole boy with the chain saw, we try to operate on our own power. His problem was that he didn’t know any better. Our problem is a little different. We know better but we don’t seem to trust the power source. God tells what He will do if we are righteous and if we truly have faith in Him. Because of our disbelief, we have disconnected ourselves from the source of power.
I want to talk to you about six keys to a powerful prayer life. There are many more but we are only to talk about these today.
1. ACCESS GOD’S POWER.
Back in the late 60’s when I was living in Louisville, a man died who lived in a cheap boarding
hotel in downtown Louisville. Unlike the typical boarding house resident, his death made the
headlines of the Courier-Journal the next day. His name was John Y. Brown, the richest man in
the state of Kentucky. Even though he had millions of dollars at his disposal, he chose to live an
impoverished life. Our plight is similar to his. Even though we are children of God who has
untold spiritual blessings that He is waiting to give us, we choose to live an impoverished
spiritual life. We have as much of God’s blessings and power as we choose to have. You
may want to argue with me on that one but think about it. You have not because you ask not.
Prayer is not some sweet little thing that good Christians do to be religious. Prayer is the
conduit to the greatest power in all of creation. We claim to believe in a God that is all
powerful. A God that can do absolutely anything without reservations. We claim to believe
that there is no task beyond His power. We say we believe in a God with no limitations yet we
restrict God to do only those things we believe He can do. We have therefore put a limit on
God by our lack of faith. For example, we pray for people to be healed but our prayers are too
weak to be heard. Also, we may pray only once or twice and expect God to answer the prayer.
Then when He doesn’t, we cover our lack of faith by saying that it wasn’t God’s will. Not
always, but most of the time, that is a cop out for our lack of perseverance in prayer.
James 5:16 says, “The faithful fervent prayer of a righteousness man availeth much”. That
verse says several things. First of all, our prayers must be faithful, that is full of faith. Secondly,
they must be fervent. And thirdly, they must be prayed by a righteous person.
When we have truly learned that God is all powerful, we will have access to that power
through prayer. Don’t miss this point. The incredible power of the Greatest God in creation is
available to us if we ask. He will share His power with us “You have not because you ask not”.
God will share His power with us if we ask Him to but He won’t if we don’t ask. Jesus said
In John 14:12, “he who believes in Me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater
works than these shall he do; because I go to the Father.
2. PRAY WITH EXPECTATION.
There’s no point in praying if we don’t expect God to answer our prayer. In fact, it may even be a sin to pray when we doubt that God will answer. That is the sin of unbelief. That means we doubt God’s ability to answer our prayer. We don’t really believe Jesus was telling the truth when He said “Whatsoever we ask in His name, He will do”. If we don’t believe God will answer our prayers, why bother. Satan would rather see faithless prayers than no prayers at all.
When you pray, believe that God will answer. Really believe it. Don’t just say you do. Take God at His Word. Claim His promises. Not to claim them is to deny them.
Did Jesus give the disciples the right to cast out demons? NO! He did not give them the right to cast out demons. He gave them the RESPONSIBILITY to cast out demons. When we fail to pray and lay hold of God’s power, we have been disobedient.
3. BELIEVE THAT YOU CAN CHANGE GOD’S MIND.
Our tendency is to think that we cannot and should not try to change God’s mind. I have heard it said that the purpose of prayer is to align ourselves with God’s will. Many times, that is the purpose but there are times when we should seek to change God’s mind. There are numerous Biblical examples where God’s mind was changed. In Deut 9:12-21, God was set on destroying Israel and the prayer of Moses changed the purposes of God. God sent Isaiah to Hezekiah to tell him to get his house in order for surely he would die. Hezekiah prayed and God added fifteen years to his life. Nineveh was given forty days before destruction would occur but Nineveh repented and prayed and God spared the city.
God may have plans that can be changed if His people care enough to persevere in prayer and come before Him in humble repentance. Remember that God hears the prayers of the righteous and He will not hear us if we are living in sin. Cleanse yourselves and fall on your knees and you will see great and mighty things that will stagger your imagination. God is not through with anything or anybody yet. I don’t say this negatively, but God may not have even begun to work in some of our lives yet. Our most productive days and years may still be in front of us even if we are 60, 70, 80, or even older.
To believe that we can change God’s mind should motivate us to a new level of praying.
4. SPEND TIME IN PRAYER.
Surely you can’t be serious about having a powerful prayer life if your prayer life consists of two or three minutes of prayer time every few days. I’m sure you have heard it said that if you are too busy to pray, you are too busy. Tell me what it is in your life that you do that is more important than prayer and if you can convince me that it really is more important, then I will apologize to you for accusing you of negligence. If I have any takers on that, you are free to speak up now or see me after we are finished tonight.
Not having enough time is a cover up for the real problem. Some of the problems we face are the lack of belief that God will actually hear and answer our prayers. Because we are afraid of unanswered prayers, we just don’t pray. We may not know how to really pray. I have two good suggestions for you and these are points number five and six.
5. SPEND SERIOUS TIME IN GOD’S WORD.
Spend serious time in God’s Word and your prayer life will improve. Serious study of the Word will prompt things for which you should pray. There is credible logic in tying Bible Study and Prayer together all of the time. Serious study of the Scriptures will convict you of numerous needs in your own life and in the life of the church. Of course there is such a thing as studying the Bible for the sake of Bible study alone. That won’t help you grow. You’ve got to dig deep in a small area, not attempt to cover 160 acres at a time.
6. PRAY WITH OTHERS.
Whether you struggle with your prayer life or not, praying with others who know how to pray will enhance your prayer life tremendously. I am blessed by being a part of Prayer On Wheels. People thank us for coming to their homes to pray but it is we who go who are really blessed. Many a time, I feel that I am too tired to go. I have had a long day at work and I would like to go home and relax. But when we finish praying, I feel rejuvenated physically and spiritually. I recall one night in a pastor search committee meeting when we had prayed for 20-30 minutes. When we finished, I said, “Wow, I feel good”.
A real side blessing of praying with others is that you learn more about praying. You see how others pray, things they do, and things they say. You pick up new phrases. You participate actively in prayer. With rare exception, our prayers at church are formal prayers when one person prays for the entire group. We generally are passive listeners rather than active participants. Let me explain what I mean by active participants. This is when we do more than just listen quietly when someone else is praying. We may say “Amen”, “Yes, Lord”, “That’s right Lord”, or even groaning. There is nothing wrong with verbalizing support when someone else is praying. When you do that, it encourages the person praying and their prayers get stronger and bolder and more powerful. I’m not suggesting we get verbal in worship services with active participation but we can quietly whisper our support of the person praying.
When one person prays for a group, that’s one prayer. But when eight people gather to pray and all eight pray and everyone is an active participant, that’s 64 prayers. If it were me being prayed for, I will take the 64 prayers anytime.
PRAYER:
Father, we come before you tonight seeking to become praying deacons and a praying church because we know where the power is and it’s not in us. Forgive us of our sins of negligence in prayer because we have not prayed as often or as faithfully as we ought. We have not called on you because we have not really believed that you would hear and answer. We call on you right now and repent of the sin of unbelief that your power might be unleashed in this room tonight and that we might be unshackled from all hindrances to a powerful prayer life. I ask that every man here be touched and filled with your power that our prayer lives will become what they ought.
Lord, what happens in this church is largely dependent on what happens to the men who are in this room right now. I pray that your Spirit will come down and touch us as we continue in prayer. Amen.
PRAYER TIME:
When we come to our prayer time, I don’t want to set an inflexible agenda. I will always have something ready for you but don’t let that be your prayer guide unless the Holy Spirit tells you it is OK. There are two things I want to suggest tonight. The first is for one person to share with your small group how they can best pray for you and then gather around that man and pray for him. Do this for each one in your group. The second suggestion is for each man to take one or two of the scriptures I have prepared and share with the group how this passage speaks to you and our church and let that fuel your prayer time. Or you may want to merge these ideas. Would you gather in groups of five or six at this time to pray?
ASK OF ME
ASK OF ME
Ps 2:7-9; II Chron 7:14, 19-22
Ask of me is the condition. God has promised that He would give us the earth for our possession if we ask. We have not asked and therefore, Satan still has control. If we want to depose Satan and send him packing, we must ask God for possession of the land. Because we have failed in prayer, Satan has prospered. It’s time to reclaim the land. We can go back and blame previous generations for the rampant wickedness in our country. We can blame the Republicans or the Democrats. We can blame the liberal theologians or the fundamentalists for driving people away. The bottom line is that it doesn’t matter who broke it, it’s still got to be fixed. Why waste our time trying to analyze what happened or who caused it. Let’s just fix it.
II Chronicles tells us what we need to do. We are to (1) humble ourselves, (2) pray, (3) seek His face-be obedient, and (4) turn from our wicked ways-repent. If we are faithful to do these things, He will hear, forgive, and heal. If we forsake His commandments, He will uproot us from the land. He will give it over to the enemy and we will experience adversity. Since we have not done what God requires, we have not been given possession of the land. We are merely wannabees.
In Deut 1:21 God commanded His people to take possession of the land without fear. In verse 26 we are told that they disobeyed God by refusing to go. Verse 45 tells of their repentance but it was too late. They had to wait another forty years wandering aimlessly in the desert.
I get chill bumps thinking how exciting it must have been in the Israeli camp after the death of Moses and Joshua was given the charge to take the people in. Joshua 1:6-8 gives the formula for success that Joshua followed and is the same formula that will give us success today. We are to be strong and courageous, meditate on God’s Word day and night, and be perfectly obedient to God’s commands. After forty wasted years, their dream was finally going to be realized. Joshua sent word to the people to get ready. They promised to be obedient. When they were, they had great success. When they were not, they had great failures.
With Moses gone, and Joshua now in charge there is an opportunity for a new beginning. God’s plan was the same as it was from the beginning of time. Blanton Collier was a long time coach of the Cleveland Browns. Once when his team was losing at half time he came into the locker room and said, “We have got to get back to the basics.” Then he held up a football and said, “Gentlemen, this is a football.”
Don’t look for some new innovative program to revolutionize things. God has not changed the basics. The pastor might stand in the pulpit hold the Bible up and say, “Ladies and Gentlemen, this is a Bible. We need to get back to the basics of studying His word, praying, and being obedient.” And when we do, we will see God pouring out His blessings on us day after day.
Our pastor recently shared a dialogue between a youth minister and Jim Cymbala, pastor of the Brooklyn Tabernacle, a great praying church. The youth minister asked Rev. Cymbala what he did for his own spiritual life. The response was, “Read the Bible and pray.” Not satisfied, the youth minister said, “No, what do you really DO?” The response was the same, “Read the Bible and pray.” Still not satisfied, the youth minister wanted to know his secret so he kept asking and kept getting the same answer. For whatever reason, we think there is something more effective than Bible study and prayer. God has not changed the basics.
Bible study and prayer time can be as deep or shallow as we want it to be. There is no devotional book or other aid that will take you to the depths of the Word if you are not ready. Until you are hungering and thirsting after God, your study time and prayer life will be on the surface level and you be disappointed.
Historically, great spiritual movements were preceded by a return to studying God’s Word. Many efforts have been made to have revival in a church but those efforts that rely on preaching alone are short lived. Studying God’s Word is not the icing on the cake. It is the basic ingredient. I’m not talking about the kind of Bible study that leads to edification but that which leads to changed lives. It is only when God’s Word finds its way into our behavior that it can take root. Bible study for the sake of knowledge alone is powerless.
Father, forgive me for being lax in my Bible study and prayer time. Don’t let me use another man’s writings as anything more than a jump start. Teach me how to encounter you personally in my quite time by studying Your Word and allowing You to show me how to fashion my life according to Your Word. Show me how to make the study of the Scriptures and prayer the foundation of my life…………………….
Ps 2:7-9; II Chron 7:14, 19-22
Ask of me is the condition. God has promised that He would give us the earth for our possession if we ask. We have not asked and therefore, Satan still has control. If we want to depose Satan and send him packing, we must ask God for possession of the land. Because we have failed in prayer, Satan has prospered. It’s time to reclaim the land. We can go back and blame previous generations for the rampant wickedness in our country. We can blame the Republicans or the Democrats. We can blame the liberal theologians or the fundamentalists for driving people away. The bottom line is that it doesn’t matter who broke it, it’s still got to be fixed. Why waste our time trying to analyze what happened or who caused it. Let’s just fix it.
II Chronicles tells us what we need to do. We are to (1) humble ourselves, (2) pray, (3) seek His face-be obedient, and (4) turn from our wicked ways-repent. If we are faithful to do these things, He will hear, forgive, and heal. If we forsake His commandments, He will uproot us from the land. He will give it over to the enemy and we will experience adversity. Since we have not done what God requires, we have not been given possession of the land. We are merely wannabees.
In Deut 1:21 God commanded His people to take possession of the land without fear. In verse 26 we are told that they disobeyed God by refusing to go. Verse 45 tells of their repentance but it was too late. They had to wait another forty years wandering aimlessly in the desert.
I get chill bumps thinking how exciting it must have been in the Israeli camp after the death of Moses and Joshua was given the charge to take the people in. Joshua 1:6-8 gives the formula for success that Joshua followed and is the same formula that will give us success today. We are to be strong and courageous, meditate on God’s Word day and night, and be perfectly obedient to God’s commands. After forty wasted years, their dream was finally going to be realized. Joshua sent word to the people to get ready. They promised to be obedient. When they were, they had great success. When they were not, they had great failures.
With Moses gone, and Joshua now in charge there is an opportunity for a new beginning. God’s plan was the same as it was from the beginning of time. Blanton Collier was a long time coach of the Cleveland Browns. Once when his team was losing at half time he came into the locker room and said, “We have got to get back to the basics.” Then he held up a football and said, “Gentlemen, this is a football.”
Don’t look for some new innovative program to revolutionize things. God has not changed the basics. The pastor might stand in the pulpit hold the Bible up and say, “Ladies and Gentlemen, this is a Bible. We need to get back to the basics of studying His word, praying, and being obedient.” And when we do, we will see God pouring out His blessings on us day after day.
Our pastor recently shared a dialogue between a youth minister and Jim Cymbala, pastor of the Brooklyn Tabernacle, a great praying church. The youth minister asked Rev. Cymbala what he did for his own spiritual life. The response was, “Read the Bible and pray.” Not satisfied, the youth minister said, “No, what do you really DO?” The response was the same, “Read the Bible and pray.” Still not satisfied, the youth minister wanted to know his secret so he kept asking and kept getting the same answer. For whatever reason, we think there is something more effective than Bible study and prayer. God has not changed the basics.
Bible study and prayer time can be as deep or shallow as we want it to be. There is no devotional book or other aid that will take you to the depths of the Word if you are not ready. Until you are hungering and thirsting after God, your study time and prayer life will be on the surface level and you be disappointed.
Historically, great spiritual movements were preceded by a return to studying God’s Word. Many efforts have been made to have revival in a church but those efforts that rely on preaching alone are short lived. Studying God’s Word is not the icing on the cake. It is the basic ingredient. I’m not talking about the kind of Bible study that leads to edification but that which leads to changed lives. It is only when God’s Word finds its way into our behavior that it can take root. Bible study for the sake of knowledge alone is powerless.
Father, forgive me for being lax in my Bible study and prayer time. Don’t let me use another man’s writings as anything more than a jump start. Teach me how to encounter you personally in my quite time by studying Your Word and allowing You to show me how to fashion my life according to Your Word. Show me how to make the study of the Scriptures and prayer the foundation of my life…………………….
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)