Recalibration: Praying and living in the power of the Spirit.

Big Idea:

Spiritually mature people pray and live in the Spirit’s power.

Intro:

Good morning!

My friends… I feel old. Some of you are looking at me funny. [Most of the Youth are agreeing - yes, you are old! But others are…] Like, what are you talking about? You’re not even close to being old!

Well… I’m 43, so I know I’m not technically old, but sometimes I feel old. Not necessarily physically, because I think I can still hold my own athletically [outrun all these young folks…], but I really feel old with technology!

I’m at that point in life where I’m not downloading anymore apps. It’s like I can’t keep up with the changes. I don’t even mess with “the” TikTok (notice how I said “the” - automatically makes me old). And I definitely can’t play video games anymore.

I watch Kade play Call of Duty and think, “What are you shooting at?” It’s too much to process for my old brain. I haven’t played video games since playing James Bond 007 on Nintendo 64. That was an eternity ago!

My favorite video games had two buttons: B & A. I played games like Contra. That’s old school.

You remember that? Now, Contra was a hard game. I don’t know anyone who beat the game with the standard 3 “lives” they give you. For all the old people in the house who are tracking with me… what did you have to do to beat Contra?

You had to put in the cheat code to get 30 lives!

Anyone remember the code? Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, select, start.

But that wasn’t enough, right? Because you start the game with the standard rifle. You weren’t going very far with that thing! You had to shoot the “Power-up Capsules” to get better weapons - I liked the “Spread Gun.”

My brother and I spent hours trying to beat that game. We finally did… but it wasn’t easy! And we certainly never did it with only 3 lives and the standard rifle only. That would be impossible!

...I think some of feel the same way about living for Jesus. It feels impossible to follow Jesus (or spiritually mature) in today’s world. Like Contra, it’s like everything is shooting at us, trying to take us out. And we’re trying to beat the game WITHOUT the “cheat code” or “power-up capsules.” We’re under-resourced and under-powered.

This morning, I’m here to tell you that if you desire to follow Jesus, if you want to spiritually mature, it’s NOT impossible! And if feels that way, it’s probably because we’re doing it the wrong way. An we may need to change our strategy… we need to RECALIBRATE...

And that’s what our current sermon series is about… RECALIBRATION. It’s part of our bigger 2023 vision of SPIRITUAL MATURITY. We believe God is calling our church to “grow up,” and some times to grow up, we need to get back to the basics… or recalibrate.

And I’ve defined “recalibration” as “Caring about the thing Christ cares about.” Spiritual maturity requires us to SYNC our heart with God’s heart.

And let me tell you why recalibration is NECESSARY. I’ve observed that very often people don’t even realize they are “off” and needing recalibration. For example, in my One-Year Bible Reading Plan...

Btw, many of you started the year with me reading a plan that would take us through the entire Bible in one year. I hope you guys are still with me on this journey! But if not, here’s my encouragement… start again! Don’t worry about catching up if you’ve missed days or stopped. Pick up your Bible reading plan on August 27th and keep going!

Anyways, in my plan, I’m currently reading the Book of Job. I used to hate Job. Mostly because I never really understood it. I also couldn’t stand what I perceived as constant whining!!! I’d be like, “Enough already!”

But everything changed when I took a class on Job in my undergrad. Now, I love the book.

If you don’t know the story… Job is the most righteous man on earth. God is a huge fan of him. And Satan is allowed to basically destroy his life, even though Job has done nothing wrong. And God is confident that Job will remain faithful even with the horrific circumstances.

Also, Job has these 3 friends counseling him for what feels like 574 chapters! They sound really wise. And if you were to read their statements in isolation, everything sounds right… but they aren’t! They are way off. And God says this at the end...

Job 42:7 NLT

After the Lord had finished speaking to Job, he said to Eliphaz the Temanite: “I am angry with you and your two friends, for you have not spoken accurately about me, as my servant Job has.

And we can often be like Job’s friends. We think we’re living right… we think we sound wise… but we’re off. And we need to recalibrate so that we can be right with God - so we can spiritually mature.

And for us today, a great place to discover how we should live as Christians is the Book of Acts, which is the story of the early church.

Last week, during our time in Acts, we saw the necessity of being transformed by the Holy Spirit. Jesus said...

John 3:3 ESV

Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

And we see this kind of transformation happening all throughout Acts in the early church. And we were faced with asking ourselves the tough question, “Have we been transformed by the Spirit?”

But today, I want to look at something else we see the early church doing throughout Acts. When you read acts, what you see them consistently doing is PRAYING!

Acts 2:42 NLT

All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer.

This one verse accurately defines the practices of the early church...

They learned the Scriptures...

They spent time together as God’s family...

They ate meals and took communion together...

And, they PRAYED together!

And regarding their commitment to prayer... if the disciples (followers of Jesus) were people committed to “caring about the things Christ cares about,” it would makes sense they would commit to prayer because Jesus said...

Matthew 21:13 ESV

He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers.”

The early church took that command seriously. Their commitment to prayer was sourced from their desire to care about what Christ cares about!

Here’s the recalibration question for us to ponder today...

Are we committed to prayer?

Because if not, then guess what? We’re not committed to what Christ cares about. And we need to recalibrate!

Now, before going any further, let’s quickly define prayer. I think it’s accurate to say the following about prayer:

Prayer is talking to God. Our God is living, relational, and present (with us). He wants to talk to us.

Prayer is listening to God. Like any healthy conversation, communication is two-ways.

Prayer is worship. Prayer acknowledges our need for God in our lives. And it also expresses gratitude for the goodness He pours out on us.

But why is prayer so important? Why does Jesus care about it? Why should we care about it?

Prayer is not just words, but an action. It may feel like simply talking, but prayer is ACTUALLY DOING SOMETHING. And it’s the process God has chosen to accomplish His will. Therefore, when we pray, we can EXPECT THINGS TO CHANGE - For God’s Kingdom to come and His will to be done, on earth as it is in heaven!

Or, think about it this way...

Prayer changes circumstances.

In Acts 12, King Herod began to persecute the church. He kills the apostle James, which makes him popular, so he decides to arrest Peter too… fully intending to kill him.

So, now, Peter’s sitting in jail, powerless. Impossible circumstances stacked against him. It’s game over for him.

...But while Peter is in prison, the church is PRAYING… and that’s when things begin to change. Check it out...

Acts 12:5–10 ESV

So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church. Now when Herod was about to bring him out, on that very night, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries before the door were guarding the prison. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood next to him, and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him, saying, “Get up quickly.” And the chains fell off his hands. And the angel said to him, “Dress yourself and put on your sandals.” And he did so. And he said to him, “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me.” And he went out and followed him. He did not know that what was being done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision. When they had passed the first and the second guard, they came to the iron gate leading into the city. It opened for them of its own accord, and they went out and went along one street, and immediately the angel left him.

Peter was as good as dead. But the church PRAYED. And the impossible became possible. Prayer changed the circumstances.

…but prayer doesn’t just change CIRCUMSTANCES, it changes PEOPLE too - and it changes us!

Last week, I mentioned a man named Saul. He was killing Christians before it was popular with King Herod...

Acts 9:1–2 ESV

But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.

But then, Saul meets Jesus on the road to Damascus. In the encounter, Saul is blinded. Then...

Acts 9:10–16 ESV

Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” And the Lord said to him, “Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying, and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.” But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem. And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name.” But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.”

Ananias is like, “Lord, pray for Saul? Are you crazy? This guy is going to kill me!” But the Lord replies, “Just go pray for Him and see what happens.”

Acts 9:17–19 ESV

So Ananias departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was baptized; and taking food, he was strengthened. For some days he was with the disciples at Damascus.

In this story, we see that not only does prayer change circumstances (as verse 31 would go on to tell us that the “circumstances” change from the church being hunted down and killed to now dwelling in peace and comfort)… but prayer radically changes people.

Prayer changed Saul into the apostle Paul. When Ananias went to pray for Saul, it says that Saul was...

Transformed by the Holy Spirit...

He was healed! Scales fell from his eyes and he regained his sight!

God chose to use Ananias’ PRAYER to accomplish His will and change a PERSON. An impossible person at that!

I wonder how many of us have an “impossible person” in our lives. Someone we’d never think would serve Jesus. What if God is calling you to pray for them, so that He can change them? If you have someone like that… KEEP PRAYING!

But Ananias wasn’t the only one praying in this story! What did it say in verse 11?

Acts 9:11 ESV

And the Lord said to him, “Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying,

As Saul was praying, he was personally being changed. That’s because prayer changes people, but it also changes us. We become different when we pray.

So, again, why do we pray?

Because God has chosen to use prayer to accomplish His will.

It’s how we change things.

It’s God changes people.

It’s how we change.

And let me add this important aspect of prayer...

Prayer reminds us of the truth that we were designed to live with the power of God. We were never meant to live apart from God. Jesus said...

John 15:5 ESV

I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

It WILL be IMPOSSIBLE for us to spiritually mature, or to live the lives God created us for, in our own strength.

Have you ever felt like you’re not enough? Respectfully, GOOD! That might be God’s grace and mercy on your life.

If you are in impossible circumstances…

If you have nothing left but your weakness…

You are exactly where God needs you to be!

When the apostle Paul (who many of us consider the GREATEST Christian who ever lived) was at his weakest… when he didn’t feel “enough,” God told him...

2 Corinthians 12:9 ESV

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

God reminded him, “You don’t need to be enough. In fact, it’s actually better if you just rely on Me.” And Paul believed him, which is why he goes on to write, “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”

… And for us, prayer puts us in the same heart posture.

It reminds us that we are NOT enough.

That we NEED God’s help.

And that things are better when we live this way - when we are completely dependent on God and entrust our lives into His hands.

In fact, Paul speaks to this specific thing earlier in 2 Corinthians...

2 Corinthians 1:8–11 ESV

For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again. You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many.

[Stuff happening in the Book of Acts]

Prayer is important because...

It reminds us how God has chosen to accomplish His will in and thru us.

It changes both circumstances and people.

...And I know the idea of prayer (and it’s purposes) is hard for us self-sufficient, independently-minded Americans. I think it’s especially difficult for New Englanders!

I remember first moving to Connecticut. I was working as a manager for Boston Market. And that first winter, I experienced snow storms for the first time in my life!

...That was back in the day when it used to snow in Connecticut...

But it’d be snowing hard. The state would “officially” shut down the roads. And I figured it was gonna be an easy day at work… maybe I could go home early too.

No! Of course not. Not in New England. Why? Because nobody tells New Englanders what to do… especially not the weather! This is the birthplace of American independence. Live free or die!

We’d be MORE busy during snow storms just because people wanted to express their independence! Therefore, I’m SURE the idea of being completely dependent on God is difficult! We’ve always been told to value this kind of independent mindset.

… but, as great as it is to be free (and yes, personally, I am one of those people who believe America is the greatest place to live and am thankful for my freedom!), what if we’re actually like Job’s friends?

We think we’re right.

We sound right.

But we’re actually wrong in God’s eyes?

And we need to recalibrate.

If today, we are not okay with living completely dependent on God...

If we are not a praying people (which shows our reliance on God)...

Then, we are wrong. And we need to recalibrate. Because according to God, the people of God, are a praying people.

So the question remains: Are we committed to prayer?

And maybe the answer is no, but it’s not because we don’t want to pray, but rather we don’t know how to pray. So, let me quickly address that… If you want to know how to pray, let me give you 4 things to consider...

1) Prayer happens by conversation.

Prayer is an extremely powerful and holy thing, but it is TRULY AND SIMPLY talking to God. It is not something to be intimidated by. God loves you. And He WANTS to talk to you. So, have a conversation with him.

Tell Him what’s on your mind, what you’re worried about, and what you need.

And then, listen for His reply.

If you want to pray, have a conversation.

2) Prayer happens in community.

When the church gathers to pray, powerful things happen (as we read earlier). But what ALSO happens is people get to LISTEN to other people pray, and they LEARN to pray.

Their words become our words.

Their boldness becomes our boldness.

Their faith becomes our faith.

If you want to learn to pray, pray with other people!

And at TRC, we have two specific times we pray together as a church:

30 mins before service (9:30), we pray together for 15 mins. If you’ve ever experienced anything good at church, I’m confident it can be traced back to the time of prayer before service.

On Thursday mornings at 730am, we pray together on Zoom. Now, I’m about to challenge you guys. I’ve asked the question, “Are we committed to prayer?” I can tell you, our church is somewhere around 250-300 people, if everyone were to show up on the same day. Our Zoom prayer meetings (which are easy… you can join in anywhere) usually have 10 people. That’s approximately 3% of our church. Are we a praying church if 97% of our church is not at the prayer meeting? I’ll let you guys answer that.

And yes, I get it’s early.

I get it’s a work day…

...but is that really why 97% of our church isn’t praying with us?

My friends… it’s easy. Log on. You can even turn your camera off and stay muted. But pray with us!

3) Prayer happens by copying.

Similar to the last one, just as we can learn to pray by copying what other people say… we can also copy Scripture to learn to pray. If you don’t know how to pray, open your Bible, and pray the words of the Bible. Let me show you…

Psalm 23 ESV

A Psalm of David. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Finally...

4) Prayer happens in communion with God.

Prayer is a spiritual act. And it requires the power of the Holy Spirit. That being said, if you have not been transformed by the Holy Spirit (what we discussed last week), you are going to struggle to pray.

Maybe you are not praying because you are not right with God. You are still in your sins. If so, let me pray for you right now...

Father, whoever this prayer is for, we believe that you change people by prayer. Today, someone is ready to turn from their sins. They are ready to put their faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior, so they can receive forgiveness, eternal life, and be filled (transformed) by the Holy Spirit. Change them today in the name of Jesus, amen!

Here’s something else that’s cool...

Romans 8:26 NLT

And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words.

When we are in communion with God, the Holy Spirit, who dwells in us, but is also completely synced with the Father’s heart, prays for us!

Response:

As we close, I want to read to you what the apostle James writes about prayer...

James 5:13–18 ESV

Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. 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. 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. 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. 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. Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.

Prayer changes things. If today, you are facing impossible circumstances, if you are facing impossible people, if it feels impossible for you to change… PRAY.

I’ve heard it said before, “Too often prayer is our last resort instead of our first response.” God desires His church to be a praying church. When we’re not... LIFE WILL BE IMPOSSIBLE. It’s kinda like Contra...

Prayer needs to happen first… in the same way that the Contra 30-life code needs to happen at the beginning of the game.

And then, we need to keep praying, so we can power-up, because the weapons we start with are not enough to win this game of life. Prayer gives us access to the power of God!

Let’s pray...