Pray

This is church! And I know that might appear as the most obvious statement of the day… but this… THIS is church!

This building is not the church, our service is not the church… but this congregation… this body of believers IS church!

Church is not a thing we own or an event we attend, it is a community, it is something we belong to and are a part of. When speaking of the church in his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul identified the church in this way:

1 Corinthians 12:27 NIV

27 Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.

The church doesn’t make up just a random body… we are identified in Scripture as the body of Christ!

This body is brought together and held together by the love of Jesus.

This body is made up of different parts and spiritual giftings, but these giftings are all given by the same Spirit.

This body is to be body in motion, a body of action… it is not to be a body that sits idle or motionless.

This body works not to make a name for itself, but works to bring honor and glory to the name that is above all names.

THIS IS CHURCH! This is how the Bible would define and identify what the church is and what the church is to be doing.

As we are now one week into the new year, God laid on my heart to cover some core or fundamental elements that are critical to our existence as the church.

As I preached on last week, we are living in the last days. We know that Jesus is coming soon. That knowledge should have us doing two things:

Be ready - make sure our lives are fully surrendered to the Lord.

Be serving - make sure that when Jesus returns, He finds His church doing what He instructed us to do before He ascended into heaven.

And these two points lead us into our next series which is simply called, “This is Church”

I believe that in these last days, God wants to build His church. God is going to strengthen and empower His church. Let’s personalize this a bit… I believe God wants to strengthen and empower you… you who are a part of the Body of Christ.

Why do I believe this? Because the body of Christ is to be the extension of Jesus’ ministry on earth until He returns. 2 Corinthians 5:20 literally identifies believers as “Christ’s ambassadors.” Paul goes on to say “as though God were making His appeal through us.”

When Jesus told His followers that they were the salt and light of the world, HE MEANT IT! We carry His name… we tell the good news! God desires to do an incredible work in the heartland… THROUGH HIS CHURCH!

God is already doing an incredible work… but I believe He wants us to prepare for more. It’s time to build… not a build, but a body… it’s time to prepare… it’s time to make ready for what the Lord has in store. Therefore, we make sure our fundamentals are in place… to make sure our hearts and minds are in the right place.

The video we played at the beginning of the message ended with a question: How does God build a body?

When we build… anything… we start with the foundation or the frame. To be clear, the foundation of the church is the Word… no argument or negotiation there. If the church is built on anything else, it will not stand through the trials and storms of this world (Matthew 7:24-27). So we understand today that the Word… is our foundation.

Within this Word are a few key instructions regarding what the Body of Christ should be doing. I’ll call these building blocks, if you will. This will not serve as a comprehensive list… but it will highlight some important fundamental actions we need to be displaying daily as the church.

These fundamentals build us up. They keep us engaged. They remind us what it means to be the church.

And our first fundamental point we will look at is Prayer. We believe in the power of prayer. AND… if we want to be a strong body today, then we MUST be a praying body.

This morning marks the beginning of the Assemblies of God annual week of prayer. Each year, the first full week is designated as a week of prayer. We need to start this year off… by talking to God.

Each new year will present its own ups and downs. We can try to plan as best we can, but the best thing we can do… is talk to the Lord through prayer!

Prayer is one of the more simple spiritual disciplines yet perhaps one of the most neglected. Prayer is simply talking to God AND taking time to hear from Him. Prayer is ESSENTIAL in our walk with the Lord.

This year, the AG has suggested the theme of “Awakening” for our week of prayer… and I am thankful for this direction.

The Church.... needs an awakening. The Church… needs spiritual revitalization. We are seeing more churches close their doors instead of new ones opening. We are seeing churches compromise their stance, their foundation, to appease the culture and ways of the world.

We need God to pour out His Spirit on His churches! The truth is… His Spirit is here! His power has been made available! But many are choosing to not be receptive of what God is pouring out.

Prayer helps to bring awakening. Prayer moves us from the things of the world into the realm of God’s presence. Prayer strengthens and revitalizes our Spirit when we are weary, it helps to place our hope in the Lord… in the One who can give us strength.

God laid on my heart three points of awakening that come through prayer and they come from our main text found in Philippians 4:4-9

Philippians 4:4–9 NIV

4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

God desires to awaken some weary souls today a prayer is going to serve as His spiritual alarm clock. Remember, prayer is not only talking to God, it is also listening to what He would say to us.

So point one today is...

Prayer AWAKENS Our Praise.

How many understand today that our God is worthy of our HIGHEST praise?

There is no one like Him, none that comes close in comparison, no one more worthy than He! His praises should be evident in our lives NO MATTER what our circumstance might look like!

Paul said in verse 4 to rejoice in the Lord, ALWAYS! And then he repeats himself. Praise is to be a part of our walk with the Lord and prayer helps to awaken this praise. And some might be asking… how so, pastor? How does an active prayer life translate into awakened praise?

To answer that, I would have us go back to Jesus’ example prayer that He gave us in His Sermon on the Mount.

Jesus was giving instruction on how to pray. And the first thing He does is tell His followers how NOT to pray.

Prayer is NOT an opportunity to grandstand or show off. Big words, many words, or “babbling” on might be impressive to the world, but it’s far from impressive to God. Why? Because such action places the person at the center of the prayer instead of God.

So Jesus says this at the beginning of what we know as The Lord’s Prayer:

Matthew 6:9 NIV

9 “This, then, is how you should pray: “ ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,

What did Jesus just do here? He gave God PRAISE! He began His example prayer with praise to the Father!

Okay, preacher… what’s the big deal here? Why is this important?

Because praise unto the Lord places God above all else… especially our self!

Praise is an act of surrender. Praise is an act of submission. Praise takes our focus off everything around us - good or bad - and places our focus on the Lord.

When we praise God no matter what, we surrender ourselves to the Lord, not our circumstance.

When we praise God no matter what, we acknowledge our trust and hope in Him in all our ways.

When we praise God no matter what, we put our self in check as we prioritize God over all things.

Listen church, some of us need our praise to be awakened! Some of us need to remember who God is and what He has done. Some of us need to get beyond self and back to surrender. Some of us have allowed our circumstance, opinion, or agenda to rob us of praise. Prayer… talking to God… will help awaken your praise!

Hear me today… if your praise for the Lord is conditional, then you are missing the point of praise.

If you’re waiting for the right song, the right beat, the right place, or the right time, or the right situation… then you are missing out on praising the Lord.

Do you know where Paul was when he wrote Philippians 4:4 that says “Rejoice in the Lord, always?” HE WAS IN PRISON!!! Yet that prison didn’t steal his praise because he remained in communication with the Lord!

Some of us have imprisoned our praise... for our preference. It’s time give the Lord the praise He deserves no matter what circumstance we find ourselves in! Prayer helps to awaken our praise!

Secondly, Paul shows us in Philippians 4 that prayer awakens another important part of our walk with the Lord.

Prayer AWAKENS Our Peace.

Peace is a hard thing to come by these days.

I’m not speaking of peace between neighbors, political parties, or nations… I am talking about personal peace… spiritual peace. I am talking about freedom from inward worry and restlessness.

Telling a person or a congregation not to worry about what is going in their lives seems kind of… out of touch. Per the world’s standards, we really do have a lot to worry about - if we come at it from our perspective alone.

But then… we remember who it is that we serve. We remember that our Lord and Savior is Jesus… the One who overcame this world. We remember that God is Jehovah Jireh - our provider - the One who supplies for our EVERY NEED.

So what are we to do when worry tries to creep up and overwhelm our hearts? We choose peace over anxiety by presenting our needs to the Lord - THROUGH PRAYER. And look at what Philippians 4:7 says will happen:

Philippians 4:7 NIV

7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

See, the problem is… you’ve left your heart and mind unguarded for a lack of prayer. God’s peace is absent not because He has withheld it, but because you have denied yourself of it.

Too often we treat prayer as a last resort… instead of a first response. We get ourselves worked up because we have denied God’s power access to our lives.

God doesn’t want you living in turmoil today. God doesn’t want you wrestling with anxiety today. God wants you LIVING and OPERATING in His peace that transcends ALL understanding!

Think of it this way… He wants you living in peace… when it doesn’t make sense! Per the world’s understanding, you should be an emotional and mental disaster but with God and through prayer… you are living in peace!

I have no doubt today that the rise of mental/emotional disorders and the decline of prayer are connected today.

The world… is anxious. The world is nervous. People are coming apart on the inside. They are facing challenges they never imagined possible and… they are facing them without God’s peace.

Hear me today: I am not against modern day forms of therapy, medication, etc. I am against secular counsel that promotes ungodly principles. But hear me today… the Word is clear. If you desire to experience a peace that goes beyond your level of understanding, then prayer is the answer you are looking for.

Again, Jesus includes presenting our requests to God in His example prayer.

Matthew 6:11–13 NIV

11 Give us today our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’

Jesus covers some important needs here: our need for the Word, our need for forgiveness o be received and extended, our need for guidance and deliverance.

As these these needs are presented, we find peace in knowing that God will answer and take care of those needs.

It’s time to guard your heart and mind today… not with bitterness, worry, anxiety, fear, etc. It’s time to guard your heart and mind with peace… and prayer is how it is accomplished. Prayer AWAKENS our peace.

Lastly, there is one more point to be considered regarding what prayer does...

Prayer AWAKENS Our Purpose.

Perhaps one of the largest robbers of our peace… is a lack of purpose… a feeling of being lost or insignificant.

I want to make something very clear here… going back to what Paul said regarding the church in 1 Corinthians. Every believer is a part of the body of Christ AND every part of the body is important: every part has a purpose. That purpose or gifting is something the the Spirit of God distributes to the different parts of the body.

These giftings are given for the glory of God and for the expansion or building of the body. We need to be about our God-given purpose today.

Paul again spoke of being about the plan and purpose of God in Philippians 4:9 - he said to put into practice what the reader had learned from Paul… this being the instruction of the Lord.

Prayer helps to awaken our purpose.

If you feel a bit lost or in the dark regarding what the Lod has in store for you, that purpose can be awakened through prayer.

Jesus encouraged us to pray for this in His example prayer:

Matthew 6:10 NIV

10 your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Your will be done… that’s what we need to be praying for today… not the will of the world or the will of our community, or even the will of ourselves. We want God’s will to be done!

If we want to know His will, if we desire to go as the Spirit would lead us, then we need to pray and ask God for His direction.

Much of His direction can be found in His Word. But God also gives us specific direction through the voice of His Spirit. Which brings me back to the point that when we make time to pray… we also need to make time to listen… because the Lord will answer you!

There is nothing like knowing you are operating in the plan of God.

There have been times in ministry that God’s calling… was all I had to lean on in difficult times. My flesh questioned why I remained in the fight… but the Spirit reminded me of the calling God had given me. And had I left it up to my flesh, I would have missed out on some incredible moves of the Lord.

God’s purpose for our lives is not always easy… and our natural tendency is to look for the path of least resistance. Sometimes God’s plan takes us through difficult situations. But so long as we keep our eyes and hearts locked in on His plan, the Lord WILL get you through. Remember what Jeremiah 29:11 says

Jeremiah 29:11 NIV

11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

That’s the kind of plan I desire for my life. That purpose can only be found in the Lord. Some might be lacking in the area of purpose… because you lack in the area of prayer. God wants to rebuild a consistent prayer life in you today.

Closing

God desires to build and strengthen this church. If we desire to be a strong body today… then we must be a praying body - a body that calls out and talks to the Lord.

We believe in the power of prayer. We know that God hears and answers our prayers. I believe God is going to awaken some sleeping areas today through prayer.

God wants to awaken your praise.

God wants to awaken your peace.

God wants to awaken your purpose.

Will YOU make the choice to take it to the Lord in prayer?

This week is an opportunity for us to develop a consistent prayer habit that draws us closer to the Lord. Each day, we will post prayer points on Facebook with hope that you will take a moment to pray regarding that topic.

But today, we begin with this call. I want to quote lyrics from an old song that will serve as our call to prayer today. Those lyrics say this:

What a friend we have in Jesus, All our sins and griefs to bear! What a privilege to carry Everything to God in prayer! Oh, what peace we often forfeit, Oh, what needless pain we bear, All because we do not carry Everything to God in prayer!

Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere? We should never be discouraged—Take it to the Lord in prayer. Can we find a friend so faithful, Who will all our sorrows share? Jesus knows our every weakness; Take it to the Lord in prayer.

If you need your praise reawakened… then come and pray. If you need peace reawakened in your life, then come and pray. If you need purpose reawakened and refocused, then come and pray. If you have a need today that is overwhelming you, then come and pray.

Start by praising. Rejoice in who He is and what He has done. Then call out to His name. We believe in the POWER of prayer!