3 Prayers for other believers in the middle of a trial
Notes
Transcript
Announcements
Announcements
Women’s ministry baby shower Thursday night and gathering next Sunday night
Next Sunday is also meet and greet.
Introduction
Introduction
We can learn a lot about a persons faith by listening to their prayers.
We can learn a lot about our theology (view of God)
Who in your life has been a model of dynamic prayer?
Pastor Dean
Woody Church
Brock Graham Robbie Simons
Uncle Rich at Thanksgiving
In This series:
In This series:
We are hoping to grow our prayer life, by looking at the way that the Apostle Paul prays.
Paul is a man who had such an incredible encounter with the Lord that it flipped his entire life upside down.
You can almost hear his testimony in his prayers
So in this series we are going to bounce around the new testament and explore what these prayers can teach us.
Expositional vs topical (Biblical theology and Systematic theology)
You will have the chance to hear from me, Jon, Bill Walker.
May the Lord use this series to grow us in how we:
A. Pray for other people
B. Pray to the Father in faith.
C. Pray through our personal needs.
At the end of the day may we be a church our lives be marked by Prayer
Prayer is a statement of our dependence on God.
Its no secret We desire to be a praying church!
Its no secret We desire to be a praying church!
These first two weeks we are going to be in 2 Thes 1.
2 Parts on Praying for other believers.
Pray & Read
Pray & Read
Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy,
To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing. Therefore we ourselves boast about you in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions that you are enduring.
Background:
second Letter..
Paul has recieved a report (Persecution + When is Jesus going to come back and whats it going to look like)
So Paul Writes a second letter to adress both of these things.
We get a clear picture of how to pray for people in the middle of persecution.
1st century persecution was brutal. People are being mocked, and killed for their faith.
Big Idea:
Big Idea:
Three Prayers for believers in the middle of a trial
Three Prayers for believers in the middle of a trial
You may be encouraged by these truths this morning if you are in a trial… and if not use this to pray for someone who is.
Posture of these prayers:
Posture of these prayers:
We ought to always give thanks.
Not why God? but rather thanks God.
This is a huge shift… you are praying to God out of trust rather than questioning what is happening.
We turn to God in frustration.. What if we came to him with Thanksgiving that he is active in the thing we are frustrated about?
Here they are being persecuted and Paul opens the letter “We give thanks to God”
Grow their faith
Grow their faith
We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing.
This has the chance to wreck them… or strengthen them.
Why do people walk away from the faith?
Grow faith in God… a bigger view of God out of this not a smaller one…
What does a growing faith look like?
A. Clinging to the things of God ( Scripture, Prayer, Church Community, Spiritual Disciplines)
B. Growing View of God (Circumstances pale in comparison)
C. Faithful action in spite of circumstances.
We do not have the capicity to do this on our own.
Transition: Thanks be to God that he grows believers faith in the midst of persecution in the midst of trials. Secondly…
Grow their love
Grow their love
We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing.
Circumstances can harden us… or soften us.
God has the ability to make you more loving in the midst of trial.
Chronic Pain…
Wood Church.
By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
Do you believe God can grow your love in persecution? Your love in trial?
Love towards others? to God? To you friends, even to your enemies?
Help them endure help them persevere.
Help them endure help them persevere.
Therefore we ourselves boast about you in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions that you are enduring.
Sometimes the only way out is through - Robert Frost.
Endurance- is having the ability and stamina to handle difficult things. In essence, short-term pain for long-term gains.
Perseverance- on the other hand, is continuing on a journey despite the obstacles, to reach a destination or goal.
Though the night is long and dark the light is coming.
May they Endure… not escape?
May they persevere not avoid.
To sit in and hold.
This is a work of God.
The Hurricane of Live Passes through they are anchored to God.
What a powerful testimony when we can do this?
Here is the reality?
While you may not get through this on this side of heaven… you have have all eternity.
Eternal Perspective.
He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
Vindication comes because of Jesus.
Prayer Prompt:
Prayer Prompt:
Who in your life is going through a trial.
Posture yourself in a spirit of thanksgiving because you know God is active in these things.
Lord, Grow ______ Faith.
Lord, Grow ______ Love .
Lord, Help _______ Persevere.
