Sermon Tone Analysis

Intro

Opening Story

Ephesians 6:10-

Let’s frame our battle correctly.

Here is the vision.

Here is the enemy.

Here is the battle.

Ridicule

nehemiah 4:1-

Nehemiah 4:4

Ephesians 6:

Truth wins over ridicule

Attack

Nehemiah 4:7-

Nehemiah 4:

Ephesians 6:14

Righteousness (right walking with God) gives us courage to stand

Weariness

Nehemiah 4:10

Ephesias 6:15

Peace wins when our hearts are worn and weary

Fear

Nehemiah 4:11-

Nehemiah 4:13-14

Ephesians 6:16

Faith gives us confidence in uncertainty

Revive and Change

Ephesians 6:17

Knowledge of Salvation and the word of God give us clear direction

Change in Structure

Nehemiah 4:15-

Intentional planning and execution gives that direction focus

Change in Attention

Nehemiah 4:18-

Putting our thoughts on God and his strength give that focus power

Revival of Passion

Intentional, consistent action brings the mission to it’s goal

Opposition drives to revival and needed change…Prayer

In the words of Faith Hayes, July 5, 2007

This morning I was doing dishes in the sink, again.

Now, for those of you who don‘t know, we don‘t have a dishwasher, and by that I mean the machine kind.

I am the dishwasher.

God sends me beautiful hot, dry air to be my ―dryer‖ so I don‘t have to do all the work.

Now, to best wash dishes by hand you need several things.

One – hot water.

Check! (...at least most of the time I have that...) Two - soap.

Check.

Three - clean water with which to rinse.

Yep, we‘re set.

Now lately I‘ve been noticing something.

When the water pressure is low (basically 90% of the time) I have practically NO suds and therefore really slimy, inadequate dishwashing conditions, no matter how much soap I put in there.

So I‘ve been doing something to help the situation.

I agitate the water.

You know, put my hand in there and swish, swish, swish.

Do you know what happens?

I get mounds of beautiful suds!

And the dishwashing water actually lasts until I‘m finished w/ the entire clean-up of the kitchen!

know, we don‘t have a dishwasher, and by that I mean the machine kind.

I am the dishwasher.

God sends me beautiful hot, dry air to be my ―dryer‖ so I don‘t have to do all the work.

Now, to best wash dishes by hand you need several things.

One – hot water.

Check! (...at least most of the time I have that...) Two - soap.

Check.

Three - clean water with which to rinse.

Yep, we‘re set.

Now lately I‘ve been noticing something.

When the water pressure is low (basically 90% of the time) I have practically NO suds and therefore really slimy, inadequate dishwashing conditions, no matter how much soap I put in there.

So I‘ve been doing something to help the situation.

I agitate the water.

You know, put my hand in there and swish, swish, swish.

Do you know what happens?

I get mounds of beautiful suds!

And the dishwashing water actually lasts until I‘m finished w/ the entire clean-up of the kitchen!

So what in the world does this have to do with prayer??? Good question and I‘m sure several people in my family don‘t quite understand all the parallels I draw from this example.

But that‘s okay, God knows how to bring things into focus for me and relate to where I am.

Here follows my lengthy explanation:

If you read our last email update you know that we have been struggling a bit lately with opposition.

Not maybe blatant, outright, ―I‘m taking you out of service‖ type opposition but more the ―I‘m going to pick and pick and pick and make this go wrong and make that break down and ruin these things and try and get you so bogged down with just maintaining the very basics that you become practically ineffective‖ - that kind of opposition.

It‘s been interesting in my quiet times, in the things we‘ve had coming up, in conversations lately w/ friends; the topics have wandered toward spiritual warfare.

Not a subject I‘m totally familiar with or even comfortable with for that matter.

But!! I love this passage of scripture and it is hitting home for me…

Ephesians 6:

19 Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains.

Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.

Wow.

It‘s funny because even as I was copying this out of my bible, I realized that I have parts of it underlined and highlighted.

But, I stopped highlighting after vs 18. Verses 19 and 20 are EXACTLY why I am writing this update.

God is so good to me and opens my eyes, even when I am not paying attention to the less famous parts...

As I was agitating my dishwater this morning and watching how much more effective my dishwater became, I realized that we need to ask you, our family, friends, and brothers in Christ, to help agitate our waters so to speak.

Prayer.

We need it.

Parts of me feel like slimy, cold dishwater.

We are working and serving here but I am now asking that you would lift us up that we might be more effective.

What that looks like we don‘t know, but wow, I‘d like to find out.

Prayer is the place the battle begins.

I can tell you we need more people to teach our kids on Sunday mornings.

I can tell you we need people to lead life groups.

I can tell you we need people who will serve in a thousand ways.

But today I tell you we need people to pray.