Prayer is Practicing Community
Prayer: Practicing Community
Matthew 6:5-13 (NIV)
5 "And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
9 "This, then, is how you should pray: "'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,
10 your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today our daily bread.
12 Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.'
In the middle of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus speaks to the issue of prayer. What I am going to share is not original with me. Daniel Henderson, founder of Strategic Renewal Ministries emphasizes that we often misunderstand the biblical teaching about prayer because we live in a different culture than the bible. He quotes Gene Getz in his book Praying for One Another, in explaining this cultural difference:
The answer, I believe, relates to our culture and how it has influenced biblical interpretation. The hallmark of Western civilization has been rugged individualism. Because of our philosophy of life, we are used to the personal pronouns “I” and ‘my” and “me.” We have not been taught to think in terms of “we” and “our” and “us.” Consequently, we individualize many references to corporate experience in the New Testament, thus often emphasizing personal prayer. The facts are that more is said in the Book of Acts and the Epistles about corporate prayer, corporate learning of biblical truth, corporate evangelism, and corporate Christian maturity and growth than about the personal aspects of these Christian disciplines. Don’t misunderstand. Both are intricately related. But the personal dimensions of Christianity are difficult to maintain and practice consistently unless they grow out of a proper corporate experience on a regular basis.”
Acts 1:14 (NIV) 14 They all joined together constantly in prayer, Acts 2:1 (NIV) 1 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Acts 2:42 (NIV) 42 They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
Acts 12:11-12 (NIV)
11 Then Peter came to himself and said, "Now I know without a doubt that the Lord sent his angel and rescued me from Herod's clutches and from everything the Jewish people were anticipating."
12 When this had dawned on him, he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark, where many people had gathered and were praying.
Throughout the book of Acts and the Epistles of the New Testament the church consistently gathered together to fellowship, to learn and to pray. One way that they prayed was to use God’s own words and apply them to their own situation. It is good for us to do the same. Acts 3 and 4.
Acts 4:23-31 (NIV)
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. 27 Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people 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.
Going back to Matthew 6, we ask: but what about going into our closet to pray in private? Here is where we have lost the meaning of what the King James Version was saying as language changed over the centuries. Matthew 6:6 (KJV) 6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
Henderson visited a castle in Scotland and was told that his tour would visit the King’s and Queen’s Closets. He thought of clothes and shoes and things. But he discovered that in the 1500’s closet referred to an inner room where consultations could take place with advisors. We might better think more in terms of the upper room where all the disciples gathers to fellowship with Jesus. Not talking about praying by yourself as much as speaking about one’s motivation. Don’t pray as a show – “to be seen by men.” That is affirmed when we notice that the pronouns in the Lord’s prayer are all plural,, from “OUR Father” to “deliver US from the evil one.”
A. 9 "This, then, is how you should pray: "'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,
Sermon – Entering God’s Presence together
Our Father – Together, by faith in Christ Jesus, we belong to God, not as property or servants, but family. We are made brothers and sisters by the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. Jesus says that as we pray we need to recognize our family relationship with one another as much as we recognize our relationship with God. You cannot have one without the other! He who says he loves God, but does not love his brother is a liar, says the Scripture. 1 John 4:21 (NIV)
21 And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.
Our Father in heaven. In Heaven refers to the incredible power of God. He created all that exists. Nothing on earth can compare with the One who is in heaven. Her is all powerful. All of the nations in the world are as a drop of water in a bucket compared to God’s power. Thus it follows that we are to set His name apart: Hallowed be your name. This means to give God the glory that is due Him. Honor Him. Worship Him.
“Come Let us Worship and Bow Down” (Doherty)
Prayer –Use a scripture-- if God brings one to mind. Pray loudly, one at a time. Pray silently.
1. Recognize that God is Our Father. We are His children.
2. Recognize His Power
3. Give Him glory.
B. 10 your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Sermon – Trusting in His Power and Wisdom
God is the Ruler. He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. One day His kingdom will be revealed on earth. We are to pray for that day. But our prayer is not just for some day in the far off future. By our obedience and by our prayers for others to have the strength of obedience as well, we advance the coming of His Kingdom.
your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Not what we want – but what God wants. We are to pray for our brothers and sisters that they may have what they need to do His will on earth even as it is done right now in heaven. And we are to pray that the biblical values will become the values of His family on earth and reflected in our national values. We are to pray for the outcome of the elections. For God’s will to be done.
“He Reigns” (Furler, Taylor)
Prayer
1. Pray for God’s Kingdom to Come.
2. Pray His will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Surrender to the Holy Spirit.
3. Pray for the elections and for the values of life, from conception to natural death, and biblical truth to be shared and lived.
C. 11 Give us today our daily bread. 12 Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.'
Sermon – Serving Him, together
Matthew 6:25-33 (NIV)
31 So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
Trust the One who rules the universe to take care of you, so that you won’t take advantage of your brothers and sisters.
Matthew 7:3-5 (NIV)
3 "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4 How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.
“You’re not the boss of me!”
Trust the One who rules the universe to take care of your brothers and sisters. You don’t have to be Lord of them.
“Light the Fire Again” (Doerksen)
“Blest Be the Tie that Binds” (hymn #138)
Prayer – Silently so as not to reveal confidences.
1. Pray for our needs.
2. Pray for conflicts between family members.
3. Pray for the humility to forgive.
4. Pray for victory over temptations for yourself and for your brothers and sisters. Pray for the ability to rely on God’s resources, including your brothers and sisters.
God calls on us to come away, out of the public eye, to pray together. There is power and encouragement in praying together. It humbles us. Sometimes others can pray what we cannot. Sometimes another’s prayer empowers and emboldens us to be and do what God is calling us to be and do. In coming together for prayer we learn and grow together. We are bonded as family.
“Bind Us Together” (Gillman)
Closing Prayer
John 1:12 (NIV)
12 Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God--
Luke 13:18-19 (NIV)
18 Then Jesus asked, "What is the kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it to?
19 It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air perched in its branches."
Philippians 2:14-16 (NIV)
14 Do everything without complaining or arguing, 15 so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe 16 as you hold out the word of life--in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing.