Praying for Change

Thesis: We need to pray for change in our lives.

Thesis: We need to pray for change in our lives.

Thesis: We need to pray for change in our lives.

For kids: Potter's Prayer

Change my heart, 0 God

Make it ever true

Change my heart, 0 God

May I be like You

You are the Potter

I am the clay

Mold me and make me

This is what I pray

My Cup Runneth Over...

Sermon Overflow

Me

Lucky that I got to preach twice this week already because I've been off 2 Sundays in a row.

Many preachers, build up sermons throughout the week and if we don't get an opportunity to let it out in a timely manner you get 2 sermons trying to fit into one at the next opportunity.

Why is that?

Some of it is about feeding our egos

But some of it is because most of what you and I receive from God is meant to be shared.

And for myself at least, I believe that sharing God's Word and the encouragement I receive from it truly makes a difference , changes people, and changes our world around us.

Has God given you anything to change the world?

Psalm 104:24–35 NRSV

24 O Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom you have made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. 25 Yonder is the sea, great and wide, creeping things innumerable are there, living things both small and great. 26 There go the ships, and Leviathan that you formed to sport in it. 27 These all look to you to give them their food in due season; 28 when you give to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are filled with good things. 29 When you hide your face, they are dismayed; when you take away their breath, they die and return to their dust. 30 When you send forth your spirit, they are created; and you renew the face of the ground. 31 May the glory of the Lord endure forever; may the Lord rejoice in his works— 32 who looks on the earth and it trembles, who touches the mountains and they smoke. 33 I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have being. 34 May my meditation be pleasing to him, for I rejoice in the Lord. 35 Let sinners be consumed from the earth, and let the wicked be no more. Bless the Lord, O my soul. Praise the Lord!

God has made everything

He cares for it all each day

God gives and He takes away

Nothing imperfect lasts

So, if we expect to continue living, we had better get used to change... No, we had better pray for change.

How do we pray for change?

the Psalmist says we need to sing those prayers in praise to God

Psalm 104:33–35 NRSV

33 I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have being. 34 May my meditation be pleasing to him, for I rejoice in the Lord. 35 Let sinners be consumed from the earth, and let the wicked be no more. Bless the Lord, O my soul. Praise the Lord!

Listen to where he refers to singing

If you are singing right, it involves your whole body - you feel it in your toes.

Read John Wesley, on singing in church

Active submission to God

Acts 2:1–13 NRSV

1 When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability. 5 Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. 6 And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. 7 Amazed and astonished, they asked, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? 9 Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, 11 Cretans and Arabs—in our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power.” 12 All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” 13 But others sneered and said, “They are filled with new wine.”

All together in one place

the Holy Spirit is given to the Body of Christ, not just every individual believer

Like parts of a engine, we can turn over, or spark, or light up on our own, but the engine only runs and the work on gets accomplished when all the pieces are using their gift in relationship with one another.

It is harder to start submitting in community, but it is easier to stay submitting in community.

Is your faith just a flash in the pan, or does your faith actually work?

Acts 2:14–21 NRSV

14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, “Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. 15 Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning. 16 No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel: 17 ‘In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. 18 Even upon my slaves, both men and women, in those days I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy. 19 And I will show portents in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and smoky mist. 20 The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the coming of the Lord’s great and glorious day. 21 Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’

All the gifts of God have purpose and mission.

Church as gift with purpose and mission

We make disciples of Jesus Christ to transform our community

Why not saving souls?

We believe inviting others into relationship with Jesus and a community that follows Him is the best way to save souls.

Scripture tells us that many who "got saved" left the faith - especially when persecuted for thin faith or falling into other kinds of temptation.

Judas Iscariot was baptized and followed Jesus as a leader for 3 years but still betrayed Jesus and left the church permanently.

Peter, on the other hand, also left Jesus, but stuck with the church and persevered.

Story of Jason Clark losing his faith in college

He needed change

His old faith was not strong enough

It needed to grow

He needed to be in community and filled with the Holy Spirit again.

the very moment he was questioning his faith was the perfect time for him to be with other believers.

Peter tells an old prophetic story of change - from the book of Joel in the Old Testament

In the last " days"...

Change does not happen overnight

But it doesn't say " years'' either

If you invite the spirit in, and wait patiently, yet expectantly, you will begin to see that change within days

Perhaps not the whole change - but steps in the right direction

But remember, this is not a wish list kind of prayer

this is active submission to God

the change that comes may not be the change you planned on

thats what makes this prayer so scary and so powerful.

We believe because we have seen - if you invite God in to bring His change in you, God will begin to change the entire world through you.

What gift has God given you in order to change the world?

What gift has God given you in order to change the world?

You

What gift has God given you in order to change the world?

Communion together:

Brought together and assembled (Remembered) in alignment with Jesus

Filled and powered by His Spirit

So that we, the Church, the Body of Christ can get running and change the world as Jesus is changing us.

Change our hearts, 0 God

Make them ever true

Change our hearts, 0 God

May we be like You

You are the Potter

We are the clay

Mold us and make us

This is what we pray