Advancing on our Knees
Advancing on our Knees
What Happens When a Church Prays?
June 19th and June 20, 2004
Free tape from last week to all who want it.
1. Our Attitude about Prayer
-Last week and this week I realized how vital prayer inviting the Presence of God is.
-The early church made it a huge part of their lifestyle.
Acts 2
42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. [1] (They had a real sense of awe in their midst.)
-We know Jesus made prayer a large part of His lifestyle.
-When Jesus selected the twelve, He spent the night praying. That is an hour for each of them.
-Someone said that Jesus’ ministry was simply Him going from one place of prayer to the next. On the way He encountered people and demons. His emphasis seemed to be prayer.
-I think the Church in America and some other parts of the world have switched PRAYER with PERFORMANCE.
-Bryn Jones shared a principle that I have included in my Healthy Church Seminars overseas. There are three types of leadership:
· Passive (you respond to the needs as they arise and the squeaky wheels.)
· Performance (You have your act down good, it comes over slick.)
· Prophetic (You are hearing God and acting out of revelation. Proverbs 29:18: 18 nWhere there is no 4revelation, the people cast off restraint;
But ohappy is he who keeps the law.[2] NKJV
2377 חָזׄון [chazown /khaw·zone/] n m. From 2372; TWOT 633a; GK 2606; 35 occurrences; AV translates as “vision” 35 times. 1 vision. 1a vision (in ecstatic state). 1b vision (in night). 1c vision, oracle, prophecy (divine communication). 1d vision (as title of book of prophecy).
[3]
-We need to evaluate our attitudes. Do we feel like more work is better than more prayer?
-I think it would be a good thing to be known as a church of prayer and power than a church with great music and a good preacher.
-We can entertain them; but only God can change them!
READ QUOTE BY OSWALD CHAMBERS
2. The Power Behind Prayer
Acts 4
23 On their release, Peter and John went back to their own people and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them. 24 When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. “Sovereign Lord,” they said, “you made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything in them. 25 You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David:
“‘Why do the nations rage
and the peoples plot in vain?
26 The kings of the earth take their stand
and the rulers gather together
against the Lord
and against his Anointed One. a’ b
27 Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people c of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. 28 They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen. 29 Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. 30 Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”
31 /After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly. [4]/
-The believer’s had no question about where the source of their power was coming from.
-The power of prayer comes from Jesus.
· His Blood
Romans 3
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25 God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, a through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— 26 he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.
/27 Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. On what principle? On that of observing the law? No, but on that of faith. [5] /
-Faith in His blood is believing that Jesus’ blood put you in a position at the right hand of God in Christ.
-We have been raised with Christ and given power over all of His enemies and our enemies.
-Faith in His blood reminds you that Jesus was a conqueror and we are more than conquerors.
· HIS NAME
-Taking the Lord’s name in vain is using it as a rabbit’s foot and not realizing the power that is in it.
Example
Toll road. The guy doesn’t have a car but I know his authority is granted to him by a higher authority and he just represents them.
Acts 3
16 /By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through him that has given this complete healing to him, as you can all see. [6] /
-Peter said it was faith in the name of Jesus that healed this man.
-When you use the name of Jesus in faith; Jesus is present in His name.
Matthew 18
19 /“Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.” [7] /
· The Word
Matthew 8
5 When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. 6 “Lord,” he said, “my servant lies at home paralyzed and in terrible suffering.”
7 Jesus said to him, “I will go and heal him.”
8 /The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” [8] /
-God is present in His Word.
-If we believe that it causes us to have power in prayer.
-The angels hearken unto the voice of His Word.
-We have weapons:
· The Blood
· The Name
· The Word
3. The Plan: How do we DO IT?
-Stop being religious about it.
-How much should I talk to Becky?
-It isn’t just a business meeting even though there is that aspect to it.
· Regular Conversation
1 Thessalonians 2
13 /And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe. [9] /
1 Thessalonians 5:17 pray continually;
-This is simply a running conversation with God. Some of this is thoughts and some is spoken.
(Teva video?)
· Devotional prayer
-This is a meeting you set with God to communicate.
-To me this is more of a “business meeting”.
-You are presenting your requests to Him and this could be in written form.
-There is a direct connection between your health and 20 minutes of “journaling”.
-This is a meeting. This is a date. This is a regular part of your life like Jesus getting up while it is dark and going out to pray.
· Specific Prayer
-This is like Jesus praying all night before selecting His disciples.
-This is praying until I know whether to go to Jakarta or not.
-Your emotions are involved and you have to take enough time to “have no mind of your own”.
Philippians 4
6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, 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, 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. [10]
-It is very good to write these prayers or to keep a record of them.
· Corporate Prayer
-This is when we pray together.
-This is what we do in services and on Wednesday mornings.
-We have power in agreement.
(Matthew 18:19)
-This was more of a part of the early church than it is now.
-I think we need to change that.
· Prayer in the Spirit
1 Corinthians 14 Message
If you praise him in the private language of tongues, God understands you but no one else does, for you are sharing intimacies just between you and him. But when you proclaim his truth in everyday speech, you’re letting others in on the truth so that they can grow and be strong and experience his presence with you.
The one who prays using a private “prayer language” certainly gets a lot out of it, but proclaiming God’s truth to the church in its common language brings the whole church into growth and strength. I want all of you to develop intimacies with God in prayer, but please don’t stop with that. Go on and proclaim his clear truth to others.[11]
-This is normal Christianity
· Wait on God /Be Still and Hope in His Presence
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[1]The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (Ac 2:42). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.
n 1 Sam. 3:1; Ps. 74:9; Amos 8:11, 12
4 prophetic vision
o Prov. 8:32; John 13:17
[2]The New King James Version. 1996, c1982 (Pr 29:17). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
n n: noun
m m: masculine
TWOT Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament
GK Goodrick-Kohlenberger
AV Authorized Version
[3]Strong, J. (1996). The exhaustive concordance of the Bible : Showing every word of the test of the common English version of the canonical books, and every occurence of each word in regular order. (electronic ed.) (H2377). Ontario: Woodside Bible Fellowship.
a That is, Christ or Messiah
b Psalm 2:1,2
c The Greek is plural.
[4]The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (Ac 4:23). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.
a 25Or as the one who would turn aside his wrath, taking away sin
[5]The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (Ro 3:23). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.
[6]The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (Ac 3:16). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.
[7]The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (Mt 18:19). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.
[8]The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (Mt 8:5). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.
[9]The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (1 Th 2:13). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.
[10]The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (Php 4:6). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.
[11]Peterson, E. H. (1995). The message : New Testament with Psalms and Proverbs (1 Co 14:1). Colorado Springs, Colo.: NavPress.