You Can Quit Now

Fantastic. All right guys, so this is the fifth Sunday that we've been talking about prayer V Sunday that we've been talking about prayer and I wonder if any of you are like the person that got in touch with me a couple weeks ago. and said, you know pretty sure the If I remember correctly, this is like the third sermon series on prayer that you've done. Are you done up sermon on prayer a sermon series on prayer every year for the past 3 years. I don't know if they thought this was news to me or or what. They're saying. Why why are you why are you doing that? What the answer that let me tell you story? Some of you may have heard this story about the preacher who was called to a new church. He was called to this church and and the first Sunday he gets up and he preaches the sermon fantastic sermon. Congregation loves it. We're so glad that you're here is our preacher. Thank you so much for encouraging us from the word. Next Sunday rolls around the church gathers they sing. They pray preacher gets up to preach because open your Bibles. And it's the same text as the week before any precedes to preach the same sermon that he had reached the week before they thought that's kind of strange. Must only have one serving. Surely he'll switch it up for the next week third week rolls around the Church of kind of curious at this point. They all show up they sing. They pray reaches is open your Bibles sure same passages the week before receives to preach the exact same sermon that he preached the first two weeks. He was there. After the service is over and all the congregants have gone home. One of the deacons stays behind and goes up to me says Hey preacher, you know, we're really glad that you're here. How come you preached the same sermon 3 weeks in a row. When are you going to preach something different? The preacher said when you start doing what I told you to do in this one?

Every year for the last three years. We've had a sermon series on prayer why? Because I am still convinced that there is much growth needing to take place in my own life in prayer and that there is much growth needing to be taking place in our life together as a church before we can be known as a church that is devoted to prayer. We want to be a church that is devoted to prayer and I'm talking individually praying and collectively praying that is why as we come to 20/20 and that is why most likely in 2021 will be talking about prayer again because Jesus Lives Church. Will be and always has been and always will be a church that is devoted to prayer. So I hope that it hasn't been terribly burdensome on you to talk about prayer again, and I hope that we will continue to grow in this area. But one of the things that I realized that I haven't done and this was thanks to one of our other pastors. You guys see me most Sundays but we do have three other pastors to hear a Pastor Richard Pastor Bryant and Pastor Dan Rather passes. The one who really challenge my thinking on this damn said Well, how do we know if we're praying Church like you keep saying we want to be this and you and you want to see us grow in this but how do we measure that would be some markers of us being a Praying church and that's the title of the sermon this morning. You can quit now. How will we know as a church that we arrived in prayer? How will we know? What are the markers that we'll see when we know? Okay, we don't have to keep talking about it. We got it. How do we measure whether or not we are a Praying church so often I think this is true in the rest of life. It's also true in this regard when it comes to what we are as a church who we are as a church, we'd forget we say these big Grand ideas. This is what we want to be but then we don't talk about what how do we actually know if we're doing that. So this morning my goal is not to walk through a text with you most of the time that's what I do. I walk through a text with you and we apply it to our lives. That's not my goal. Morning, my goal this morning and will be looking at scripture. But my goal is to give us some measures some things that we can look and say this is what it means to be a Praying church. I want to caveat that statement at the beginning. This is not an exhaustive list. This is not like I've now covered every single thing that will Marcus as a church. There will be things that for the sake of time. We will not get to there will be things for the lack of obedience in prayer. I don't know yet. But here are some things that I think we will see as we become a Praying Church. The first thing I want a center stand is when we become a Praying Church. We will desire to pray together. We will want to pray together regularly and specially I want you to open your Bibles to Acts chapter 2. And this is going to be also functioning as a little bit of a preview cuz starting next week. We're going to be beginning a journey through the book of Acts together. So we're going to jump into ax a week early here because I want you to see the description of the first church the first church started in Jerusalem are they didn't have like a cool name like Red Hills are they were just the church and they gathered in Jerusalem, and then there's this description at the end of Acts chapter 2 of that church. Verse 42 they devoted themselves to the apostles teaching and the fellowship to the breaking of bread and the prayers. They devoted themselves. Now. There are entire sermon series to be priests out of that one verse. but I just want you to see that they devoted themselves to prayers they devoted themselves to it. What is devotion?

What is devotion? I am a devoted Boise State football fan. Who is in mourning over the season that will not be in 2020? What does that mean? That means that I actively Clear my schedule. Around Boise State Games. This is less true today praise the Lord than it was before. God has been doing some work in cleaning out my idolatrous heart. But I will put I will subscribe right you guys have Gmail you understand how Google Calendar works. I will subscribe to the Mountain West football calendar every year. That's how bad of a problem is that I'm devoted to it. I will make fun of fans of rival schools the other day. I had a meeting with the pastor who's doing some incredible work by God's grace that came down as plant in the church down in St. George with some colabor some brothers in Christ and some Sisters in Christ down there. God is just blessing them and I was so encouraged to meet with them. Until he showed up wearing brown. easy easy University of Wyoming fan And before we can talk about Jesus we had to get this out of the way. We had to deal with the fact that he had placed his Allegiance in the wrong spot.

What's devotion? Devotion says hey, this is something I think about this is something I organize my schedule around. This is something I earnestly desire to. Do. I want to watch a Boise State game. Do you want to pray? Do you arrange your schedule around prayer? Do we as a church demonstrate the priority that would give to praying. Because we're feeling a calendar or because we really want to pray throughout this month. We have advertised Sunday morning prayer at 9. We've advertised Wednesday evening prayer. I want to just give you a update on how that has gone. Sunday morning prayer before this series. We were averaging three people showing up to pray on Sunday mornings. Through this series. We've averaged three people showing up to pray on Sunday mornings. Now some of you get pass on that by the way.

But that's where we stand. Wednesday evenings rousing success two of the four Wednesday evenings in August. I was the only one there praying.

one of those Wednesdays much to my shame. I just went home. I didn't even pray so I'm not condemning. You guys hear me out, right? Church We want it we can't just schedule prayer. We can't just say this is important to us. We have to want to pray and guess what? None of us naturally want to pray. This is a work that God has to do but one of the markers that shows me that we've become a Praying church is when we don't just schedule prayer. But we arrange our individual schedules and our Collective schedule around that we desire praying together. We can't wait to gather with one another and to pray now. I know that the reason some of you don't show up the prayers because you've been just some of our prayer meetings. Anythink see much value in that write this is not for me. Let me just go ahead and clarify right now. If you attend a prayer meeting, which we're going to we're going to pray again this Wednesday. I know it's out of August, but we're just going to keep keep right on this train this Wednesday. We're going to gather for prayer at 6:30. And this Wednesday, what we're going to do is we're going to come together downstairs and we're just going to pray but we're not going to call you call on you to pray. We're not going to force you to pray out loud because some of you guys aren't comfortable with that. We're just going to gather and everybody's going to pray as they feel that and if it's 15 minutes, praise the Lord and if it's 5 hours, praise the Lord some of your going to lose some sleep. But we're going to gather to pray. Not because it's schedule. I don't want you to come because I've made you feel guilty. Wants to come if you want to pray if you want to see God move you want to see God do the things that only God can do so if we all pray together just like the church there that devoted themselves to pray. I want you to turn a couple chapters over an ex. Acts chapter 4 look at Acts chapter 4 with me and I'm going to just summarize some of this so I don't have to say it all at once but in Acts chapter 4 you have this incredible story of God moving in the early church. Some of the Apostles had been called up in front of the religious leaders and they were telling him look. You need to quit speaking in the name of this Jesus. You need to stop declaring this. And they were punished for speaking about Jesus they left there and they went to their brothers and sisters in Christ and they reported. Okay, here's what the here's what the religious leader said. They said we need to knock it off or we're going to be in big trouble more trouble than we're already in. What was the church's response? Prayer, they immediately began to pray and you can read their prayer there in Acts chapter 4 starting in verse 24 that in just a couple of weeks together as we look a tax, but I want you to look at verse 31. And when they prayed the place in which they were gathered together was shaken and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness. They just been hauled up on charges of religious treason. They came out prayed and job moved cuz what do they pray for? They prayed for boldness? And guess what? They continue to speak with boldness. They prayed for God to do the work and the place where they were meeting was shaken.

When we are at church marked by prayer, like the church and asked we will continually have fresh examples of God answering our prayers the church in Acts that we want to pray. We want to be bold in proclaiming the gospel God would you help us do that and the very next thing, you know, they're being bold in proclaiming the gospel. I think one of the reasons why sometimes we fail to pray is because we don't have any fresh examples, right we get together and we share a story of how God answered prayer in your life and we're thinking back like 3 or 4 years. To the last Pharaoh. We can remember the God answered. Is that because God is suddenly powerless to act in 2020 like this just took him off guard like it did the rest of us surprise.

I can give these people in your testimony to tell about how I've done this know they had fresh testimonies of answered prayer. There was fresh examples, they could point and say we prayed here God moved here now. If we are people to go to the fair will have those kind of stories. We prayed here and look what God did let's talk about that. Let's celebrate what God just did.

I'm going to be talking later in in this sermon. I'll tell you a story that's an answered prayer way back, but I was convicted this week thinking about what I answered prayer. I can think of this week. One of my Seminary professors challenge this class. You said if everything if God answered every prayer that you prayed yesterday today, what would happen?

That's challenging to think about who would be safe today because of what I prayed yesterday. I've got the I'm going to answer every single one.

What needs would be met? How many lives would be changed? When we're faithful to pray will continually have stories of God answering prayer. Just like the church there in Acts chapter 4 how many of you guys know the guy?

Who every time you get together with him he finds a way and and I say he and I don't mean to be sexist to your guys. But we're the ones who are most guilty of this. I'll just be honest how many you guys know the guy who every time we get together, he's talking about the Glory Days talking about this thing that happened back then. Right, man. Yeah, I was I was the second string quarterback on the high school team. And and we we we were running out that state man that lives with good days. You're 50. Find something new to celebrate talk about something else. And we look at our world and we say, come worship with us. Come come worship God and we'll tell you about all these incredible things. He did two thousand years ago.

I do.

Jesus Christ the same yesterday today and forever the Holy Spirit Alive and active in his church. We want to hear some fresh stories. Let's not be that kind of church. Talk about what God used to do here. Let's be at church this praying and saying we prayed and look what God did yesterday this morning 2 minutes ago. Look what God did. If we're a Praying Church devoted to prayer. We're not going to have to search our memory banks for the last time God answered something. We'll have fresh examples. Not only that we're going to be seeing needs met both in the church and in our community. We're going to see our prayers directly relating to needs being met. How do I know this? I know this because this is what God does. In Matthew chapter 9 and you can turn their to double-check me on this, but we're not going to be reading through this. But yeah, you know what you go ahead and turn there with me. I want to hear those pages wrestling. Matthew chapter 9 At the end of Matthew chapter 9. This is a if you've been in church for a while, this is something you've heard before if you haven't been in church a little while, then this may be new to you. But if you've been in church for all you know this right Jesus is going about in the gospels every gospel, but in Matthew he's going about and he's teaching and he's killing. He's proclaiming the kingdom of God and he tells his disciples look to the fields are white unto Harvest. What you saying is the world is ready for the gospel message that you have the world is ready for you to live the kind of transformed lives that I intend for you to let the world is ready for you to go and proclaim the truth. The world is ready. Look at it. Pray for the Lord to send laborers into the Harvest. Jesus is look here's in need all around you the gospel. Here's a need people need. Hope people need salvation people need Redemption and healing here's the need in your community. Look at it. Now pray for the Lord to meet that need pray for the Lord to send people out to meet that need by proclaiming the gospel.

The disciples being disciples do what Jesus means you do what he says to do. So they look at their Community. They see any and they prayed God meet that need. What is Matthew chapter 10 Telus?

Keeping in mind that when this was written there weren't actually like Matthew 9 Matthew 10, there were not these chapter break. This is one narrative. Originally, we broke up to make it easier to find our way in the text, but it would have just gone Boom for a for the lord of the Harvest in Labor's and then straight into chapter 10 where we see what Jesus sending out the very ones. He just told to pray and he says now you go and meet those needs. You go and meet those needs. So often in our lives we see you need. And we pray about it. And like we've been taught in Sunday school. We just leave it right there with God. We leave our burdens at Jesus feet. That's not what he meant. God hears this need in my community. Would you meet it? Peace out? God hears this need in my community. Would you do something about it mean while I'm over here living my life doing my things according to my will and my desires. Good luck. No, the intended pattern is for the people of God to see the need. To pray and seek God meet the need and then insofar as they are able those people go in answer to their own prayer because they have the spirit of God living inside them. God answers our prayers most often. Through our obedience. That's not to say he can't. Jump in and super naturally take care of things on his own not like he needs you and me to answer the prayer but he invites us to be a part of it. And so if we're up church that is devoted to prayer. Guess what we're going to see a need in our community. We're going to pray about it and God's going to call some of us one of us all of us to meet that need. And that's going to happen inside the church to this week. I have the you know, coronavirus has is throwing a lot of plans out the window and some of our brothers and sisters in Georgia the Georgia Georgia Baptist convention. They were having that going to have their annual meeting and during their annual meeting. They're going to have different people talk and do this like keynote speakers and breakout sessions and then coronavirus didn't like what we can't we can't bring everybody together for this anymore. I know let's just put it online and invite anybody that wants to come and watch it to watch it for free. And so this week I was able to participate in the Georgia Baptist convention.

And take this conference and it was a fantastic conference one of the pastors who shared he was one of the key notes.

I think we're not going.

Probably not.

technical Gremlins What are the pastors who stands up and he's talking about this prayer meeting at their Church? Is there doing this Bible study the Dennis prayer meeting and this lady speaks up and she says, you know Pastor I came here because my friend invited me, but as soon as we're done here. I've got to go pay my bills. And the only way I know how to do that is I'm an exotic dancer at a club downtown. So I'm going to leave this Bible study and prayer meeting and I'm going to go to this job that I know you guys think is just horrible.

And the pastor did not reply you Center get out. He said hey. How much is your rent? She told him that my wife and I got that somebody else spoke of how much are utilities my wife and I got that. How much is this? How much is this? How much is this? We got that they covered for months of living expenses. like that

Because when the church seasoning prayerfully says to God use us used someone but meet that need God often gives us the privilege and joy of joining in the work being the answer to the prayers. Then we're going to see needs in our community and needs in our body being met. Cuz that's what God does not I don't have to go to Georgia to get a story about this. This is my life. This is a few years ago this actually I realized this week. This is 12 years ago, which made me feel really old. And some of your like you don't know nothing yet, buddy. But 12 years ago, my wife and I were living in a small town in, Idaho. And I was serving volunteer to church and my wife was serving at the church. But it was not a large church. We were there to learn to grow. It was an internship unpaid. As I was working a couple other jobs to make ends meet to do this.

I used to think that this was a problem like that I've overcome but I'm pretty sure I haven't yet, but I used to be pretty prideful am still kind of prideful.

and when I went into work and my boss said hey, look the Winter's coming up as a resort Town up in Idaho and the particular job that I have. They basically just shut down during winter and about a month before I thought it would happen. He called everybody and he said look, we just don't have the business. We're going to start layoffs early and you you and you you're all laid off starting tomorrow.

I didn't want to tell anybody. I didn't want to tell anybody that I was laid off.

I did tell my pastor there and I said look, you know, I got laid off while we were also at the same time expecting our first child you now know Maylee at that point we didn't. But we are expecting our first child and now I've lost my employment. I had a second job, but let's just say it a peanuts because it basically paid peanuts. Am I I don't know how this is going to work. I don't know how we're going to get through this. shortly after that the fuel pump went out in our car if you were in Sunday school this morning. You heard about this car. long story fuel pump goes out

buying a fuel pump is not a major expense. For most people for me at that point. I was a major expense I buy the fuel pump. I don't know how to install a fuel pump.

Pastor says here. I'll help you with this mess. We're installing it. I'm talking to him about this problem. He says, you know what brand we need to tell the church. I don't know. I would I got this i got this. He tells the church.

And I don't know how it happened. But there was never a day in that three months layoff that there was not food on the table. There was never a bounced check. There was never an unpaid bill.

And I still can't mathematically explain it. But I can't spiritually explain it. the church joined us in praying for these needs and then they Metheny. That's hard for me. to receive that

but it was incredible blessing for the church to give that when we pray as a church when we're devoted to prayer. There will be times when it's our needs were praying about. And God might use our brothers and sisters to Humble us and bless us. There will be other times when we've got more than we need and we hear about a need and we're able to be the blesser. But when we're in it together. Focused in prayer on the needs of our church and our community. God will answer those prayers and you will often let us be a part of it. So if we guess what I expect to see I expect to see our community thriving I expect to see needs being met in our body in chapter 9 Jesus's pray in chapter 10. Jesus says go. Church, we pray and we go a fourth characteristic that I think we'll see if we're devoted to prayer is that our and it's tied to this last one our love for one. Another will be continually growing if we are at church who is devoted to prayer than our love for one. Another will be continually growing now. Here's something if church is just what we do on Sunday morning. This ain't going to happen. If church is just showing up and staring at the back of somebody's head except for the you back row Baptist. We can stare at your butt your head. It's churches are showing up and staring at the back of somebody else's head. We're never going to grow in love. But if we are coming together on Sunday morning and Wednesday night and throughout the week it calling brothers and sisters on the phone meeting together for prayer. Guess what we are going to continue to grow in love because you cannot pray with somebody. And not grow in love for them. I guess. Hypothetically you could but you're not really praying. If we are together in prayer, we will be growing in love. Look at it fusions chapter 6 with me. Ephesians chapter 6

infusions chapter 6 Paul is kind of summing up this letter. He's finishing up his instructions. He's talked about all of these incredible things that we have is Christ followers in Jesus and together in fellowship and he's giving some final injunctions and inverse 18 of chapter 6. He says this praying at all times in the spirit with all prayer and supplication to that end keep alert with all perseverance making supplication for all the saints. He says church if you want to live out the gospel, if you want to live the reality of New Life In Christ of unity in him through his work of Salvation if you want to live that out prey. Particularly pray for one another when we are meeting together in prayer honest for are not the I slap on my fake smile you slap on your fake smile. Let's come together and pretend like everything's okay in here. It's just out there. That's a mess if that's the kind of prayer means we have with this will work. But if we come together we pray and we're saying look our world messed up. My home is messed up. I messed up. I need your prayer guess what will begin to love each other more and more and more because when we pray for one another it forces us to other our minds. Here's the natural thing that happens in your brain because in here so I know it Because it happens in my brain and I am weird but not that weird. Okay, what happens in our brain naturally is it turns in? Our natural concern is to look at ourselves to think about our needs our bills our problems. Maybe I got problems.

Raise your hand if you got problems. You didn't raise your hands. Guess what?

You may not be lying.

Now you're lying. We all got problems. right

We turn inward on our problems. We think about our problems. Oh man, I got to do this and I got to do this and I don't know how I'm going to get this done. And I don't know how I'm going to fix that and my kids are crazy and my marriage is in shambles and I hate this person at work, and I don't know what to do about this bill and oh my goodness. Look at all of my problems and if you stay there like if you just stay in your brain for a second. Like it's really dark really quick turned in on yourself. Only thinking about your problems prayer does the opposite thing a seat weight? Do people have problems to others our mind? It forces our minds to think about what so-and-so is going through. It forces our minds to think about. Oh my goodness. They have this need. Wow, that must make them feel like this. Wow. That must be really tough. Wow. They need God's help. Wow, you know what? You didn't do it the whole time you were thinking about their need their problem what God might do to fix it praying for them. Guess what you didn't do once think about yourself when we other our minds when we turn our eyes outward and we quit looking at ourselves and we start looking at the needs of those around us. We begins to empathize with one another when we empathize with one another we begin to love one another. This is why gossip is such a problem. This is why gossip is such a problem hear me say this gossip takes the needs of others the problems in their lives and instead of taking them to God In Prayer. We take them into ourselves and we stay at least I'm not like so and so and then we begin to tell others and we might even do it in a spiritual way. We might even do it and say like hate pray for so and so I saw the car parked out in front of the liquor store. I think they've got a drinking problem. The other day, I walked into the liquor store.

hoping that none of you drove by

I need it.

Y'all just listen for a second, okay?

I needed some vodka. Cuz we were going to try making homemade vanilla for the first time. but in my head

That's not how I saw the story playing out. In my head, I thought somebody going to drive by in the van. Yes, I drive the family minivan to the liquor store. In the fastest man, and then it was going to start.

Right, that's gossip. That's what gossip does it turns us, maybe not into our own problems, but it turns Us in on ourselves anyways shuts off. The person assumes the worst doesn't take it to God takes it to somebody else is listening ear. Gossip is the desire and the need for prayer perverted. Gossip is taking what God intends to point us to the needs of others and to take to him and instead take it to others. Gossip is the direct opposite of prayer. Nothing will destroy the love of a church for one another more than gossip the moment to call start the moment the whisper Mill starts rolling. Can you believe someone so here's what I heard about him. Here's what I think about her the moment that starts love dies. That is the poison poured at the root of the church. Prayer does the opposite prayer says the pass was parked out by the liquor store again, how much vanilla is he going to make?

Wait another let's go have gas again. Now a prayer prayer does something different.

Fresh says there's a pastor. Lord I pray but he's not falling into his family's pattern of alcohol abuse. Lord I pray Did you keep him strong Lord? I pray and I assume that this is not a problem. I assume there's some good reason for this.

But God, I'm going to let you handle it. And if I see a problem God and you tell me to go and talk to them about it. I'll talk to him about it. But first and foremost. I want you to give me your heart for that person. I want to love them like you love them. I want to give them the benefit of the doubt God. Would you work in the life of my brother sister? Would you bring them to you? every moment of every day prayer build up love Gossip is the cheap counterfeit the breaks it down. So if we're at church that's devoted to gossip that's going to show if we're at church this devoted to a rumor mill that's going to be clearly evident because we're not going to love each other. But if we're at church this devoted to prayer I guarantee you we will be at church whose love for one. Another is continually growing. That's what we want to be. If we are at church this devoted to prayer. Not only are we going to be seeing these things. I've talked about not only were going to earnestly desire to pray. Not only are they going to be fresh testimonies of answered prayer or needs being met or love growing. You know, what else we're going to see we're going to see new disciples being made. If we are at church this devoted to prayer we are going to see disciples being made.. Yes, you're right cuz some of your sitting there saying while Pastor not our job to save people. Yep, pretty much. You are not responsible for somebody choosing to follow Christ or not. But guess what you are responsible for telling others. Sharing living the kind of life that makes people wonder. Why does that person have so much. Hope Peter says we have to always be ready to give an answer for the hope that is within us if we are praying regularly new disciples will be being made regularly.

Romans chapter 10

Now you guys that know me know that I really don't like taking verses out of context, you know that it's really important to me to keep her stint or contacts or just briefly I'm going to say what I'm about to do with this verse is take it out of context. I'll give you the contact. So that makes it okay write the context. Here is Paul is talking about his fellow countrymen. He's talking about the Jews. He's talking about the even though he's preaching primarily to the Gentiles and God has given a Ministry among the Gentiles his prayer is that his countrymen would be saved. That's the context here's the application from it which by the way is the legitimate use of versus the application when we earnestly desire to be saved and we are praying to that ends. Guess what? God will often use us. Like I said before to bring that about God will if we have hearts that are dedicated to praying for somebody to be saved. God will often use us in their lives in that way and sometimes he won't. Paul desire Brothers my heart's desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved his countrymen then I want them to be safe. You know what he did about that. He traveled the known world of his day preaching the gospel in every town and came to His desire for salvation let him to preach the gospel and guess what everywhere he went people got saved new disciples were made. Church, if we are regularly praying for the Lost we will be regularly sharing the gospel. If we are regularly sharing the gospel, there will regularly be people who are coming to faith in Christ. Not everyone. We share the gospel with God has given us the capacity to choose him or reject him. God has given us the decision to make in his we preach the gospel. We don't know which way anybody will choose but we know that if we're praying and sharing some will be saved. It may be 1 there's a missionary famous missionary who went to Africa spent years there when you left 1 convert

was it worth it?

Given that this was a couple hundred years ago. and that converts has now since passed on do you think he would say it was worth it? For that person to share the gospel with him. amen, it is going to happen whether we see little fruit or no fruit the Assurance of the Gospel is it if we are faithful to pray and we are faithful to Proclaim that God will save some God will do it.

Another story from church history. I like church history, by the way. Another story from church history a pastor was speaking to another group of pastors. And this is a very successful pastor and he had an incredible Evangelistic Ministry. I wanted the pastor's he was talking to Sid and I just don't know how you do it. I don't know how every time you get up to preach. It. Seems like somebody's getting saved. Why doesn't that happen for me? And the successful Pastor looked at the other you said well when you preach every time do you expect somebody to get of course not? Every time I pre-tax back somebody get saved.

That's the difference Church. We're not responsible. For the who we're not responsible for the win. We're not responsible for the decision that's made but we are responsible to proclaim the gospel and we can be certain that when we do. God will use that and then some will be saved. So we're at church this devoted to prayer. We're going to be devoted to sharing too and we're can beat we can be assured that disciples will be made. How many people watch the Food Network? Not answer questions. It's okay. You can be honest here. This is a safe space.

Right about now if your belly is anything like mine, you're starting to feel like I could go for some lunch. Today is my son's 9th birthday. The tradition in our house is every birthday. We celebrate with a breakfast of donuts. Do you know how far a glazed donut gets you? On a Sunday morning. Give me to about 45 minutes ago.

When I go home, guess what I'm going to do not turn on the Food Network. I can assure you that.

I'm going to go home and I'm going to eat. I'm going to have some food too often in our churches. We talk a good talk. We get together and we say we want to see people saved we come together. We talk about evangelism. Some of you read books about evangelism. Some of you say, hey, I want the gospel to go out to all the world. There's this desire in me to see people saved some of you pray for people to be saved.

But if you're not sharing you'd be like me going home and watching the Food Network thinking I was going to get full. Doesn't work if I don't get in the kitchen and cook something. The Food Network talking about evangelism.

Doesn't do anybody any good. Prayer that leads to obedient faithful Proclamation that will meet the need. What are the things that we pastors of the Church of talked about is our desire to see people being baptized because we recognize from scripture that baptism is the point when people publicly profess Christ. By entering into baptism we know like that is a huge step for people to take we want to see people baptized. That's not going to happen. If we just sit in here on Sunday morning pray for people to get save talk about people getting saved but never going to share the gospel.

We're going to go and we're going to do it. If we are at church this devoted to prayer. We are going to be actively pursuing Ministry that is too big for us. If we are at church devoted to prayer we are going to be actively pursuing ministry. That's too big about then too big for us. We you and I cannot save anybody and yet I just said if we're praying that's what we're doing sharing the gospel with people seeing people come to Faith that is ministry. That's too big for us. You know, what else would be the ministry too big for us. Sing church has planted all throughout Southern Utah in communities that don't have an Evangelical presents that's too big for us. You know, it's too big for us to see people from our mitts. Called set apart trained and sent out for gospel ministry. That's not something we can do. We're too small. but If we're praying Church, we're going to regularly take on tasks that are way too big for us. Because we know it's not about us. We're at church this devoted to prayer. We've got fresh stories of God answering prayer in so we're not afraid to step out in faith and say let's do this big thing. Even though we are not enough for the task. Why? because God is this is the incredible thing about the Christian Life not a single part of it. Can you do by yourself? And if you can do it, it's not the Christian Life. Not a single part of the Christian Life. Can you do by yourself this morning in Sunday school? We talked about marriage. We talked about a passage in Ephesians that kind of trips us up today wives submit to your husbands husbands. Love your wife as Christ loved the church. Guess what? You can't do that Christ follower. The culture would say to both wives and husbands. I don't bother. Jesus says do it. Jesus says be perfect as your heavenly father is perfect. Guess what? You can't do that. Jesus says go and make disciples of all Nations baptizing them in the name of the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit teaching them to obey all that. I've commanded guess what church we can't do it. . But God can and if we're praying trusting The God Who can do what we can't Will see us stepping out taking some big risks for the gospel and guess what some of those will fail. That's good news. If we are taking big risks and we fail praise the Lord. Praise the Lord means that God did not desire what we desired at the time. We desired it. But God loves to see is people moving. How many of you ever pushed a car that broke down?

If you haven't give it a shot sometime, it's Grant funds.

The hardest part of a car being broken. I used to work in the automotive industry and cars would come in and offer Wreckers and we have to push him in the bay or whatever. It was always at Joker. booty all austere And we be pushing back in and pushing and you know, he's got his foot on the brake.

But even if you didn't still getting the car rolling was really the hard part just getting started was the part that took the most energy once it was rolling. Actually pretty easy. We're all working together. We're all going somewhere. Things are moving. God loves I'm convinced God loves. It when we were already rolling and he may have to redirect us cuz we in our enthusiasm we got pointed in the wrong direction. He's just got to turn the wheel to little bit. Church, if we're praying for things and attempting things that only God can do and he has to redirect us. So be it that's a lot easier than getting us to do something in the first place. If we're a Praying church, we will be actively pursuing ministry. That's too big for us. I'm not going to make you turn there but in 1st Kings, there's a story of the prophet of God Elijah and Elisha is dealing with a religious climate of his day and which everybody was saying Yahweh is not the god that we should worship. We should be worshiping bail and bail had 450 priests and Yahweh had the lighter that was it. And Elijah says, let's try something Church. Excuse me. Let's try something people of God. Let's try something. Let's let the prophets of Baal build an altar with the wood and they'll put a bowl on their altar. And then I'll build an altar of wood and I'll put a bowl on this one and then they can pray and ask their God to send fire and I'll pray and asked Yahweh to send fire and we'll just see who wins we'll just see which gods the real God.