Begin With Prayer
Bless Every Home FBC • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Bless Every Home- Begin with Prayer
Romans 10:1-4
Romans 10:14-17
INTRODUCTION
Praying for your neighbors opens doors.
Del Norte trying hard to get access into the apartment complexes with doors shut tight.
We used Bless Every Home to begin looking where our prayers were being concentrated.
One closed community had several church members living in it who were actively praying for their neighbors.
We had a special meal for those living in that community.
I was expecting an easy target.
However, Their manager had made it difficult for them to do religious things in their community center.
After praying for a few weeks we approached him about having a Christmas event for the community in their community center.
To the surprise of those who went with me, he allowed it. And even waived the fee.
We did the Christmas event to over 80% of the residents and saw a Bible study get started.
If we are going to reach McAlester with the Gospel, it begins with prayer.
1 Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved.
2 For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.
3 For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness.
4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.
14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?
15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”
16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?”
17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
4 Considerations in Praying for Your Neighbors
4 Considerations in Praying for Your Neighbors
1. Your Heart's Desire (1)
1. Your Heart's Desire (1)
1 Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved.
Desire their salvation over them leaving you alone.
We have a lot of heart desires that get in the way of our desire to see our neighbors saved.
2. Your Prayer's Power (1)
2. Your Prayer's Power (1)
1 Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved.
Prayer is not a waste of time.
Paul never treated prayer as a waste of time.
Jesus never treated prayer as a waste of time.
Early church got together and prayed.
When Peter was arrested and miraculously taken out of the jail in the middle of the night, he found the church together praying.
Sometimes it seems our prayers are not being heard. We must keep praying.
12 Then he said to me, “Fear not, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand and humbled yourself before your God, your words have been heard, and I have come because of your words.
13 The prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days, but Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I was left there with the kings of Persia,
14 and came to make you understand what is to happen to your people in the latter days. For the vision is for days yet to come.”
3 For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh.
4 For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.
3. Their Desperate Need (2-3)
3. Their Desperate Need (2-3)
2 For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.
3 For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness.
Paul was referring to the Jews. But what a picture of cultural Christianity in Oklahoma.
They do not understand God’s righteousness which means they don’t see their own sin as God sees it.
They are seeking their own truth. There is only one Truth.
They are not submitting to God.
They add him to their life.
Not any different than a Hindu who will add Jesus to their already large number of gods they worship.
4. Their Only Hope (4, 14-17))
4. Their Only Hope (4, 14-17))
4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.
Pray for workers in the harvest.
36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few;
38 therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”
14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?
15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”
16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?”
17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
CONCLUSION
Prayer needs to happen first. Begin with prayer.
Will you begin with prayer?
Will you begin with prayer?