Prayers of the Church

Outline and General Thoughts

Thus far in our exploration of “Talking About Jesus” – we’ve focused on love being the driving force, and we’ve talked about really understanding the gospel. I have encouraged you to dig deeper and spend more time immersed in your Bible’s and studying what the good news is. Now, we’re on to one of the key, or perhaps I could even say, the key thing we need to do, when we love God and neighbor, and when we understand the gospel. And that is prayer.

Our NT reading today is from Acts. Prayer in the Bible, and particularly in Acts is an interesting subject. Just think about this, the disciples are in the upper room praying on Pentecost – and then the Holy Spirit comes. The Apostles pray and lay hands on the deacons, and Stephen’s ministry is set alight. Peter is on the rooftop praying – and then the Holy Spirit comes to the Gentiles. Blind Saul is praying, and God sends a vision to Annanais to come and pray for Saul. Prayer it could be said, is a major theme of Acts.

Today, I want to explore the prayers in Acts 4. How God uses our prayers to accomplish his good will, and to note how these prayers worked in the bold proclamation of the gospel, and how prayer informed them of who they were and what they were going through.

Note - They prayed in the name of Jesus, filled by the power of the Holy Spirit they were given boldness to proclaim - and many came to faith.

Let’s just think about this. What were Peter and John motivated by? I think, that the same as Paul, they were motivated by the love of God. Jesus continually was moved by compassion to act, and I think we see that same love in Jesus’ followers. Did they know the gospel? Absolutely, they were ready to share what it means that Jesus died and rose again.

How does prayer fit in? Well the word I would choose is that their ministry was permeated by prayer. It went before they ever met the lame man, it happened to bring about the healing (in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth), and as we’ll see, when everything is said and done, there is deep and continued prayer.

And what is the result of their prayer? The gospel is boldy proclaimed. The church grew from hundreds to thousands.

So much of the talk I hear as a pastor is about church growth models. Much of it is good. We all want to be a church that is healthy and growing, and where people feel welcome, and all of it can be great. But, how much time do we actually spend time in prayer? I like to think I pray, but I long to pray like the apostles do in Acts. As an Anglican priest, I attempt to pray through the Psalms on a very regular basis, but I fall short of my goal all the time.

I fear we all talk about church growth, talk about loving our enemies, talk about evangleism, but what is so easy to do is to forget and not actually do the hard work of prayer: asking God to grow the church, asking God to help our enemies, asking that God would embolden our lips to speak out.

I do not say all of this to make you feel bad. But, to remind you that you need to pray, and for those who are praying, to thank you for your intercession on the behalf of us all. Prayer is not this optional or “best practice” but not necessary in our walk with God. It is the means by which God has ordained for us to grow and be in relationship with him. Pray. Pray without ceasing. Pray for this church. Pray for the lost. Pray for God’s will on earth as it is in heaven. Pray.

Note - When deterred/persecuted, they return to prayer (specifically the Psalms), and they ask God’s kingdom to come.

So, in the midst of all this prayer that permates the Apostle’s ministry, it is interesting to see what happens when they receive actual push back. They’re brought before the sanhedrin, they are told they must stop proclaimign the name of Jesus, and they return to meet together, and they…pray. Note what it is they pray. They pray Psalm 2. This is facinating. They place themselves in Christ, in the Psalms, and their prayers actually function as a way for them to reflect on their predicament, on what happened to Christ, and how they fit into the people of God. They pray:

Why did the Gentiles rage,

and the peoples plot in vain?

26  The kings of the earth set themselves,

and the rulers were gathered together,

against the Lord and against his Anointed

Psalms: They see from this, that David was speaking of the Messiah, and that it was God’s good plan that Jesus die and be raised. And it encurages and it functions so as to explains their own ministry to themselves.

It seems there is a ressurgence among some broadly protestant and evangelical groups to return to the Psalms in recent years. You had people like Euguen Peterson whose book “Prayers of the Heart” helped bring the Psalms back into the light. You have N.T. Wright and “The case for the Psalms” and other such books that help us regain some of waht we have lost in regards to the English Reformations emphasis on clergy and lay together praying the Psalms daily.

And in the Bible there is no pitting of extemporary prayers against the written down. We often get the impression that if someone was filled with the Spirit, they would pray new and different prayers. But, Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit prayed the Psalms regularly. The Apostles do the same. The prayers and theology of the Psalms are constantly on their minds and hearts. The Spirit filled church of God, has always prayed and continues to pray the Psalms. And…because they are in relationship with God, they are also bold to seamlessly pray from the Psalms to what they specifically know they need.

Note - They pray specifically for boldness for themselves (that they would do their part), and pray that they would trust God to do the signs and proving of himself (his part). Specific Need (for faithfulness and growth)

And what the apostles want and need is seen in verses 29 and 30.

Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, 30 while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”

I love this prayer. They pray specifically for boldness for themselves (that they would do their part), and pray that they would trust God to do the signs and proving of himself (his part). They take responsibility for what it is they need to do. They need to proclaim God’s word with boldnes. They need to talk about Jesus. They know the good news, they love the people they are called to speak to, and they ask that God would embolden their words. Now, when it comes to God’s part, they are not rude. They do not tell God what is best. They do not say, we do our part now here is what you must do for us. They say, help us do our part, and we know you are doing your part. What this means for us, in a very practical sense, is that we do not need to sit around and hope that God cares and hope that God is doing something in the hearts of those he has placed in our lives. No! We have complete confidence in the love of God. We know the gospel is good news to the lost, so we trust God is doing what needs to be done. What we pray is that we would be willing and able vessels. That we would be bold.

Note - They are bold because they have been with Jesus. How do you spend time with Jesus?

Before we close today’s sermon on prayer - let me quickly recap and say one more thing. We see in Acts 4 that the apostles ministry and the growth of the church is something that is permated/soaked in prayer. We see that God’s people must learn to use the Psalms to pray and to know God intimatly. And we see that the kinds of prayers we can specifically ask for, that God give us strenght and courage to do our part, while we are trusting God for his part.

But, one thing more is important to note. And it is one of the most beautiful verses we have read today, because I think it paints the perfect picture of what it means to be people of prayer. It is verse 13:

English Standard Version Chapter 4

13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.

Think about this…uneducated, common men were transformed into bold witnesses for God, because of one thing, and it was something the people, even their oppostion could see and point to. They had been with Jesus.

Is Jesus not with us? Is Jesus Christ, the risen Lord, not made available to us? Are we not in him, and he in us? Well, then, let us do the thing which we are called to do. Spend time with him in prayer. Read his word in faith. And let our friends, and our foes know, that we spend time with Jesus. Those closest to us should know we spend time with Jesus, and those who are our enemies ought to know that we are praying for them. Let us pray.

Almighty God our Heavenly Father, through your beloved Son we have perfect communion and relationship with you. Grant us the wisdom to sit at his feet and soak in the Word. Make us to be people of prayer. Make your church grow. We know that you are doing your part, help us to be bold with our words. May they not be our words, but your words through us. Compel us by your love, help us know the good news, and hear our prayers. In Jesus’ holy name. Amen.