Jan 2023 Prayer Meeting

INTRODUCTION:

We are here tonight to meet with God and to speak with God. We’re here to experience his presence and to receive his help.

The good news is that God delights in giving us the gift of his presence but we’ve got to come to the Lord on his terms.

Busyness - arrogance - pride and sin … these are attitudes and dispositions that prevent us from experiencing God’s presence and the ministry of his Spirit.

None of us will ever be sinless or perfect. I’m not saying we have to get our lives put together before we can pray or reach out to God. That’s nonsense!

But what we DO have to have is a spirit of need and desperation. We have to WANT to hear from God in order to hear from him. And so part of what we’ll do tonight is create that kind of spirit in our hearts.

A.C.T.S.

One of the easiest ways to get your heart and mind in a place where you’re ready to pray and hear from God is by using an acrostic called A.C.T.S.

Acts is an acrostic that can help us orient our heart toward God.

It starts with Adoration. Adoration is about putting God into “proper perspective.”

Adoration is followed by Confession. Confession is about putting ourselves in “proper perspective.”

When we see God for who he really is and ourselves for who we really are do you know what happens? We see how worthy he is and how unworthy we are.

And that makes us express our gratitude and thanksgiving for how he has bridged that gap through the person of his Son.

So the T in Acts is Thanksgiving. Giving thanks to God for his blessings in our life. The blessing of salvation and the other good gifts that God has given.

Finally it ends with Supplication. That’s laying out our needs before the Lord. Which we will do tonight as well. In one on one times and in corporate times of prayer.

ADORATION:

Spend time thinking about who God is and what He has done in your life.

Some times it’s helpful to meditate on certain names of God.

Names like “King of Kings” or “Lord of Lords.”

1 Chronicles 29:10–13 CSB

10 Then David blessed the Lord in the sight of all the assembly. David said, May you be blessed, Lord God of our father Israel, from eternity to eternity. 11 Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the splendor and the majesty, for everything in the heavens and on earth belongs to you. Yours, Lord, is the kingdom, and you are exalted as head over all. 12 Riches and honor come from you, and you are the ruler of everything. Power and might are in your hand, and it is in your hand to make great and to give strength to all. 13 Now therefore, our God, we give you thanks and praise your glorious name.

Sometimes we need to focus on certain gifts of God like his love.

Psalm 63:1–4 NLT

1 O God, you are my God; I earnestly search for you. My soul thirsts for you; my whole body longs for you in this parched and weary land where there is no water. 2 I have seen you in your sanctuary and gazed upon your power and glory. 3 Your unfailing love is better than life itself; how I praise you! 4 I will praise you as long as I live, lifting up my hands to you in prayer.

Sometimes adoration takes the shape of praising Jesus for the gift of salvation.

Revelation 5:8–14 CSB

8 When he took the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and golden bowls filled with incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9 And they sang a new song: You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slaughtered, and you purchased people for God by your blood from every tribe and language and people and nation. 10 You made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they will reign on the earth. 11 Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels around the throne, and also of the living creatures and of the elders. Their number was countless thousands, plus thousands of thousands. 12 They said with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb who was slaughtered to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing! 13 I heard every creature in heaven, on earth, under the earth, on the sea, and everything in them say, Blessing and honor and glory and power be to the one seated on the throne, and to the Lamb, forever and ever! 14 The four living creatures said, “Amen,” and the elders fell down and worshiped.

CONFESSION:

Spend time thinking about your own sin against God. Where you’ve rejected his designs and lived life your way instead of His.

Ask God to search your heart and life for things you know displease him.

Psalm 139:23–24 ESV

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! 24 And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!

Are there any thoughts you have harbored?

Any words that tore down instead of build up?

Any thing your eyes have seen that dishonor the Lord damage your witness?

Anything your hands have done?

Any places your feet have taken you?

Any things that your arms have accomplished for you?

You were bought with a price - glorify God with your body.

After we confess our sins we need to remember that in Jesus Christ we receive forgiveness of our sins.

1 John 1:9 ESV

9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Jeremiah 31:34 ESV

34 And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”

That leads us to the next letter which is thanksgiving.

THANKSGIVING:

Spend time going through all of the blessings in your life. How has God been good to you? How has he protected you and helped you through tough times?

Psalm 100:4–5 CSB

4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and bless his name. 5 For the Lord is good, and his faithful love endures forever; his faithfulness, through all generations.

1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 ESV

16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Philippians 4:6–7 ESV

6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

One of the ways we can pray to God is through singing Psalms, hymns and spiritual songs to God.

Ephesians 5:19–20 ESV

19 addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, 20 giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,

SUPPLICATION:

Finally the last letter is Supplication.

Spend time asking God for his help and provision in your life or in the life of another person you care about.

Breakout Prayer

Pray for the schools, teachers and students in our city.

(you can pray for your own or for another you’re familiar with)

Spend time praying for your family or those who care for you.

Pray for your friends and those you hang out with at school or other activities.

Spend time praying for your family or those who care for you.

Pray for your friends and those you hang out with at school or other activities.

Pray for any needs that exist in your group whether personal or a loved one.

Pray that our attitudes, words and actions honor Christ and show others the power of his grace.

Pray for power to resist temptation and peer-pressure to sin against God.

Pray for the leaders in our local church.

Pastor Wes & Pastor Vernon

Taylor Miller & Russell Routon

Ora Morrison & Tiffany Lohse

David Earles & Tonya Holland

David Cason & Bonnie Barlow

Cyndy Engel & Jeff Hinton

SUBMITTED PRAYER REQUESTS

Our pastor / deacon screening / election process

Pete / Judy Jones Daughter - Surgery

Cheryl Edge - Healthy Issues

Pat Cavitt - Suffering from great pain

Bill Debusk - 99 yrs today. Foot wounds. Diabetic

Dick Burgess - Cancer. Chemo Jan 31st.

Alan & Peggy McAlister - Zambia today. Teaching/Travel

SLIDE:

ACTS 1:8

Rudra and team in Kolkata

Churches in Lesotho and work there

Sabine & Florine Boruga in Romania

Redemption City Church (Fort Worth, TX)

Living Stone Church (Broomfield, CO)

Cross Community Church (Downtown Houston)

Tanner and Kendra Clarke - Missionaries in Poland

People they’re sharing Gospel with/ministering to - Marta, Sabina, Iga, Diana, Julia, Darek, Wojtal, and Michael

Visa approval

Making connections at kids school and Josiah and Lydia to gain confidence in language.

Language learning

That they can have people in their homes soon