Core Values Disctinctives - Pt 2 Prayer - What Sticks us together

OUR FATHER

DISMISS KIDS

GREET EVERYONE-

If I have not had a chance to meet you; My name is Scott and I am a follower of Jesus and have the privilege of serving Him as the Lead Pastor among the people of Stonewater Fellowship.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Pray - Kairos Men - Upcoming Opportunity for you to participate and Pray.

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Mission Trip - Romania - March 26th

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Friday Before Last - Feb 10 - Stonewater Fellowship had our first worship gathering.

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Open it to Matt 21:22  today as we continue in Exposition or exposing what Jesus says about what VALUES we need to have in our current teaching series -

Matthew 21:22 (ESV)

22 And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.”

Acts 1:14 ESV

14 All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.

James 4:2 ESV

2 You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask.

James 5:13–18 ESV

13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. 17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. 18 Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.

FRAMEWORK, PURPOSE AND PRAYER FOR THE SERIES

As the Body of Jesus, that certainly belongs to Him, A gospel centered people called out of darkness assembled together, we began this teaching series asking the question - What does Jesus say is important for His body?

He owns His Body, His Church and it certainly makes sense that Jesus get to decide what is and what should be important to the members of His body.

A few years back when we began to plant Stonewater - We began to ask that question - What does Jesus say is or should be important to His body - To His Church - To His people who He called out of Darkness - His called out ones who are assembled together around HIM - What does HE say is or should be important to Us?

What should we Value- What are core values or values that are central?

We call them Core Values -

What are they? Core Values in a general sense are Values that describe who we are and who we desire to be as a people.

And as His church we derive the who we are and who we desire to be from Jesus -

and SO as a people owned by Jesus - Certainly Jesus himself is to be valued most - THat Knowing and Pursuing relationship with Jesus is of the utmost importance - For is we know Jesus then we know God and if we don't know Jesus we don't know God. for Jesus said I am the way and the truth and the life - NO ONE comes to the father except than through Me. - When the disciples asked Him - Show us the father - Jesus said - You have seen me you have seen the father.

So Knowing the person of Jesus Christ, as revealed in the Bible, and having a relationship with Him is the most valuable possession any person can have in this life. Pursuing a relationship with Him is the most valuable activity any person can do.

Jesus and the pursuit of relationship with Him is what Brings the us together -

Listen Church - If your calendar would not reflect that knowing the person of Jesus Christ is not VALUABLE to you - Of you do not value Jesus and relationship with Him - There is a SERIOUS issue - If fact it may be an eternal issue -

Jesus is what Brings us together - What Glues us together?

What makes us stick together?

So as we continue with the question what does Jesus consider important for His body for His church? We come to the sustaining activity of relationship with Jesus, through the Spirit and unto the father - PRAYER -

DESIRE FOR THE MESSAGE

My prayer for this message is that the Holy Spirit of God would MOVE upon all of us - That the Holy Spirit of GOD would manifest Himself among us today in Prayer - That we would move prayer up the food chain and let the power of God overtake us and bring us to our knees together in prayer - Regularly praying together -

Here is what today's message can and can-not be - It cannot be a complete and total teaching on the subject of Prayer -

What it can be and what I pray that happens is that todays message is a call to pray - A call to value prayer - A call to value prayer both collectively and individually - A call to do prayer like Jesus does prayer -

TENSION

Here is problem that prayer presents itself in our lives - Prayer, in the bible requires three things - Time, Intention and Trust - We have to TRUST-

Here is the funny Part - We only have to Trust God - We don’t even have to trust each other to Pray - We have to Trust God -

IT is interesting that the least attended event that we could ever have as the Body of Jesus is a Prayer Meeting -

Whats even more interesting is that among us we make it convenient - 9:00 before worship - No calendar fatigue by adding another evening activity to our already busy schedules - Nope - Convenient - 9:00 am Every other Sunday.

However -

Prayer Takes time

Prayer Takes Intention

Prayer take Trust.

Prayer is so important to the life of the church

Prayer is so important to the life of every believer

Prayer is so important to every unbeliever?

Prayer is so important to Jesus -

Lets look at TIME

The new testament has Jesus praying some 25 times-

The Apostle Paul recorded 46 of His prayers -

Acts record for us - The devotion to collective prayer -

Acts 1:24 The believers prayed for guidance in making decisions and choosing leaders

Acts 1: Prayed for 10 days and the Holy Spirit fell on them and with brought POWER of God to the Church.

Acts 2 Devoted them Selves to Prayer with each other and God added to their number every day those who were being saved. Acts 4:31 (23-24a, 31-35) after persecution praying for boldness and courage to witness for Christ… and GOd added great growth Acts 6:6 (6-7) Prayer was a normal part of their daily ministry as they continued praying before choosing leaders…GOd Continued to Add great growth resulted.

ACTS 7:60 Stephen prayed as He dies and God saved some who were watching

Acts 8:14 Peter and John prayed for the Samaritans that they would receive the Spirit and the Holy Spirit manifested himself in signs and wonders.

Acts 9:11 Saul of Tarsus prays in the desperation of His blindness as Jesus saves Him, Makes him new and gives Him a new Identity and millions of Gentiles are now on the map for salvation. Acts 9:40 (40-42) Peter prayed before he raised Dorcas from the dead - praying for signs and wonders… God caused great growth in great growth. Acts 10-11 (Cornelius prayed how to be saved) (Peter in prayer heard from God about going to with Cornelius) prayer surrounded every aspect of the crossing over of the gospel to the Gentiles… a new people group - and Millions over the centuries are saved. Acts 12:12 The Assembled church praying for the release of Peter from prison. GOD delivered from prison and from death. Acts 13:1-3 Prayer and Fasting by the Assembled Church praying before setting aside the first missions/church planting team, Paul and Barnabas Acts 14:23 Prayer and Fasting praying before setting aside new believers in new churches as leaders in every city.

Acts 16:13 A collective prayer meeting in the city of Philippi that God caused the Holy Spirit to bring Lydia - A merchant in fine purple to Trust in Christ. Acts 16:25 Another collective prayer meeting and while praying and singing in prison, resulting in conversion of jailer’s household and God provided the Increase of Great Growth. Acts 20:36 The Church in Ephesus was praying when Paul departing from a church he had planted, Leaving them and God continued to Grow the Church Acts 21:5 The Church in Tyre was praying together when commending Paul to a dangerous situation and certain imprisonment for the sake of the gospel. Acts 22:17 Paul Praying in the Temple - praying in worship so hard as if in a trance and receiving guidance as to future ministry plans.

Acts 27:35 Paul prays thanks giving in the storm for God’s blessing and 267 are saved Acts 28:8 Paul praying for signs and wonders and a gift of healing was given by the power of the Holy Spirit.

So Here - With Jesus and the Apostle Paul - We see them Taking Time to Pray -

Prayer Takes time - But Prayer is valued with Jesus and Valued with Paul - Valued collectively for the church!

WHY?

Prayer is our Life Line

Prayer is our life line both individually at home in our prayer closets,

It is our life line in our small groups -

It is also and most certainly a life line as the assembled body of Jesus

There is actual practical evidence of this that is recorded for us in Tom Rhiners book “the Autopsy of a deceased Church - A case study of 14 churches that had closed their doors

In chapter 9 Tom writes: I asked Mike the question I asked all of the survivors of the deceased churches. Did the church members pray together? Inevitably they paused. They weren’t sure how to answer the question.

Dorothy Answered:“Oh yes,” she said. “We prayed together as a church. We had a Wednesday night meal and prayer time. “Carl, a deacon with a copy machine, would make copies would pass out the prayer list, and one person would have the blessing and pray for those on the list. Then we would eat!

Do you really think that was a meaningful time of prayer? Do you think that’s how the New Testament churches prayed?

Inevitably there would be a pause and then an admission. No, they said. It was more like a routine or ritual. It would hardly qualify as corporate prayer in the New Testament sense.

Not coincidentally, prayer and the health of the church went hand in hand. When the church is engaged in meaningful prayer, it becomes both the cause and the result of greater church health.

You See Prayer is our life line -

WHY - WHy is prayer our life line -

Prayer is our communion with God - When we commune with GOd God hears -

Prayer is what Moves God -

Prayer is what demonstrates faith in GOD

Prayer is where Faith claims what is naturally belongs to it -

EM Bounds - put it this way in one of His books on Biblical prayer -

the ultimate issue, prayer is simply faith, claiming its natural yet marvellous prerogatives — faith taking possession of its illimitable inheritance.

and Faith does the impossible because it brings God to undertake for us, and nothing is impossible with God. Prayer projects faith on God, and God on the world. Only God can move mountains, but faith and prayer move God.

This is why Jesus said -

Matthew 21:22 ESV

22 And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.”

Jesus Speaking in the plural sense of What Ever you all ask in prayer, you will receive, If you have faith. -

You see we don't move mountains - Our faith doesn't move the mountain - Our prayers don’t move the mountain - God moves the mountain - and WHEN we take time to pray, commune with God, Intentionally asking and Trusting that He will and He can - God undertakes for us by His power to move the mountains and the mountains move.

The question is do we believe He can? and is that evident in our devotion to pray, the frequency of our prayers, The passion of our prayers, or the power of our prayers?

Lets underscore the three things for Prayer -

Intention - , Time and Trust.

Intentional -

You have to be intentional in your prayers as we must be international about our prayers -

Most of the prayers listed in the book of acts - Collective Prayers. Assembled body of Jesus praying -

Jesus said “if two of us agree on earth about anything we ask in prayer, it will be given.

Over and over again we will read in the Scriptures - 10 days of praying - Seasons of Prayer - and the power of God happens -

As a Church on Feb 22nd we will be entering into a 40 day season of Prayer -

Jesus says “there are things that can only happen as a result of prayer” - Here is an interesting paradigm that Jesus lays down - THere are certain things that can only be done as a result of Prayer - AS a direct result of pleading before heaven and God undertaking for us -

One of those things is Spiritual Warfare.

You can only see victory in spiritual warfare through prayer - and some will hold to prayer and fasting.

Mark Chapter 9 - There is this story of a boy with a demon. Two actually - A deaf- mute demon - and A murder Violence demon.

The disciples cannot cast it out of the Boy and Jesus says - This kind of Demon can only cast out by Prayer.

You see PRAYER is the primary conduit by which we exercise our faith -

Do we believe that God can?

DO we believe that God will?

DO we believe that God is sovereign?

DO we pray like He can

DO we Pray like He Will

Do we entreat Him to cause in His Sovereigty?

Prayer Causes things to happen that would not happen without prayer. So intentionality is a MUST in meaningful prayer where we see God move and undertake for us so our faith can claim what belongs to it.

Intentionality also brings specificity - Prayer has to be specific!

You see if we are not Intentional about our prayers in the right things God will say NO!

James says -

You do not have becasue you do not ask -

What a phenominal claim - We do not have becasue we do not ask?

Missing Peace with God? you have not asked

Wayward Child? you have not asked.

Unsaved Neighbors? you have not asked.

Cultural Morays of our culture declining? You have not asked

Govt Corruption not stopping? You have not asked.

Healing Needed? You have not asked.

It is phenomenal to know and understand that God has wired it in to his sovereign work the fact that Prayer Causes -

Let me say that Again -

The Bible declares that God sits on His throne in heaven and His sovereignty Rules over all.

And in His Sovereign Rule he has wired it so that Prayer Causes things to happen that would not happen if we had not prayed.

I recently read an article about a man who prayed outside the supreme court everyday for 18 years for Roe v wade to be over turned. The Day the ruling was changed - A lady arrived at the court who had traveled from somewhere in Africa and told him that God had spoken to her and that today his prayers were answered.

DO you Realize that? - DO we live that? - DO we walk that out every day?

How foolish are we that God has ordained prayer to be something that is in His kingdom that CAUSES - That moves God into a Position to Undertake issues and causes for us and on our behalf to bring glory to Himself and we do not pray collectively in a meaningful way EVERY TIME WE GET THE OPPORTUNITY?

James - He then goes on to say you do not receive what you ask for becasue you are asking for the wrong things - Your are asking for things to spend on your passions -

You see sometimes the way we pray and the what we pray cause God to say NOPE -

We pray in any way for us to get glory or not realizing that we are a part of the answer - God might say NOPE

God Save my friend - God says “you share the gospel with Him”

God heal this person - God says “go lay hands on them and pray as a witness for my glory”

The last and most important thing that we need to prayer in a meaningful, spirit empowered way, is:

TRUST -

We have spoken of this often and regularly that in the language of the New Testament - The Words Believe - Faith - and Trust are inter-changeable.

Jesus says - What ever you ask in Trust it will be given you.

E.m. Bounds Said it this way -

Trust is Faith that has become absolute, consummated and ratified

Trust Sees God doing things in the hear and now.

Trust brings hope into fruition, promise into possession, as Trust Sees, Trust Holds and Trust Receives!

Trust grows NO WHERE other than the through the prayer closet or the prayer meeting.

Trust in God forms the foundations of Prayer - Trust in the person of God.

The Trust that fuels out prayers must trust the person of God and of Jesus and trust in their ability and willingness to grant the thing prayers for.

Trust is a condition for Effectual prayer -

This is why James says “the prayers of the righteous person has power and does a lot as it is working.”

The Righteous Person trusts God - Faith Maximized - Maximal Faith - Maximal Belief - Trust in the person of God.

I have often wondered why there are not 100s of people lined up for prayer at the end of our worship time?

I think there is often a fear - A miss trust - An “I don’t know them, I don't know who they are or what they believe or what they will do with my prayer requests”

You are not called by God to trust people - You are called by God to join people in trusting God in prayer.

STICKY POINT

The ONE thing -

Prayer moves God to undertake for us and on our behalf - Prayer, and especially corporate meaningful, passionate, Holy Spirit empowered prayer causes things to happen that would or happen without prayer.

PRAYER - Prayer that is powered by The Holy Spirit when we gather together in prayer and we pray out of our brokenness, our anguish, our need for God and our passion for God’s purposes; this is our life line to come into the presence of God!

Prayer is our life line both as individuals and together as God’s people.

APPLICATION OR IMAGINE

The Glory of God manifesting through our corporate prayer -

When people ask - Why do you devote time to church? you can say “becasue we are a people who pursue our relationship with Jesus and we see God move through our prayers”

Every Other Sunday Morning - 9:00 am - Pray Together!

PRAYER TEAM!