Ambassadors of Christ and the discipline of prayer

Intro

Today I want to take some time and go over the spiritual discipline of prayer. Prayer is a vast topic, so today I will be speaking from our identity as Ambassadors in Christ on the subject of prayer. I will only scratch the surface today, but I hope it encourages you wherever you find yourself, whether you pray all the time or you feel you need to pray more. I hope it inspires you to dig deeper into what your prayer life could look like fully surrendered and partnered with Christ.

I’m gonna pray because I need God to guide this message and I desire Him to touch our hearts. I don’t plan on giving you a big persuasive speech today, but I hope God would impact each and every one of us in regards to our identities here in His kingdom.

Pray. (as His disciples prayed God I want you to teach us how to pray today.)

My great aunt ends conversations with me by saying ‘onwards Christian Soldier’. Nothing like it to remind me i’m in war.

There is a war being fought every moment of every day for your soul, for the soul of your spouse, for the souls of your children, for your parent’s souls, there’s a war being fought for the soul of your coworkers, for your friends, for your neighbor’s soul. I see the war raging everywhere. I see it in our midst, I see it in my classroom at the daycare, I see it in my family and I know God is calling me to fight for Him in every situation. Are you aware that you are a soldier in this war? Do you feel equipped to be in this war? Today I pray you leave more equipped for the good fight of faith than when you came in. These may be old truths for some, but as we follow Jesus old truths are often refreshed and grow deeper in us and it never hurts to hear them again.

Pastor Chris just finished a series on evangelism and as I reflect on that topic it draws me into prayer for the lost in my life. But with the knowledge of this war we are in I don’t want to just see the lost come to know Jesus, I want to see my sisters and brothers here walking in freedom from sins entanglement and I want to see God’s glory revealed in all of creation. The devil is not going to let that happen easily, He’s putting up a fight, but friends, the devil is a defeated foe of the believer.

I would have to agree with him as we go over our position in Christ today. I believe it will help us join in intercession with Jesus and we will shine brighter and see the Kingdom of Heaven come to earth as we have been commissioned in.

We are Ambassadors of Christ

Let’s open our bibles up to 2 Corinthians 5:20. Here we will be going over our identity in Christ as Ambassadors and the ministry of reconciliation that we have been given. This passage isn’t directly about prayer, but I believe as we know who we are we will be empowered to take ground for Christ and see God’s kingdom come through prayer.

20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.

We have ambassadors for our country in almost every nation, just as most other nations do. I remember in Romania I took a Romanian language course and in my class a guy there was an ambassador from Hungary that worked at their embassy in Romania. As an ambassador he represents the government of Hungary on behalf of the president in treaty negotiations, immigration discussions, foreign aid projects and humanitarian aid projects. He has no authority of his own, but he is authorized by his president’s authority to represent the nation sending him. This man would also aid citizens of Hungary that are traveling in Romania and provide security for Hungarians during emergencies and natural disasters.

All Ambassadors are chosen because their higher authority believes they will represent them well. It would do the president of Hungary no good if his ambassador to Romania made treaty negotiations that weren’t in line with the values of the presidency. So in order for the president to choose his ambassador and use his ambassador their needs to be some strong communication and agreement about the values the president holds for his country.

With this in mind let’s go back to 2 Corinthians 5:20

2 Corinthians 5:20 ESV

Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.

So we are ambassadors from Heaven to earth for the sake of the Gospel. Just as the president entrusts their ambassador to represent Him in another country. God entrusts us with the privilege of re-presenting Him on this earth. We are sent ones who go on no authority of our own, but the authority of Jesus to bring the Kingdom of Heaven here.

We are to negotiate strategies to bring Heaven to this earth. We are to build up other citizens of heaven and protect them.

This verse in it’s context is about how we are speaking on God’s behalf for all men to be reconciled to Him. Jesus died on the cross to forgive us that we may be washed clean to stand before a Holy God in right relationship with Him and God is commissioning us to be ministers of this good news to the world around us.

Jesus said in John 20:21

John 20:21 ESV

Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.”

Now as an ambassador of Christ we need to know the Gospel, we need to know our Father in heaven and His truth that sets us free so we can adequately communicate and minister reconciliation to others. We should do our very best to be on the same page with Christ so we can be His representation here on the earth.

I’m an ambassador of Christ in my daycare classroom, I desire Heaven to come in my classroom, I desire my kids in there to know the love of Jesus, I desire them to know about His forgiveness, I desire them to know His truth that will set them free, I desire they grow up in the things of God. I teach them the bible story of the week and use different circumstances to teach them how to love one another, I share the gospel with them and provide a safe space for them with structure and boundaries that helps them grow in the ways of God.

As an ambassador I represent Christ and operate in His authority, but I’m also very called to pray for the people God’s entrusted me to influence that He may move on their behalf. This Hungarian ambassador to Romania that I’m using as an example needed to communicate on behalf of Romania to the president of Hungary. He needed constant communication both ways to continually know how best to represent his homeland. In the same way we need correspondence with Heaven.

Jesus paid it all for everyone, but He’s commissioned us to partner with him in saving the lost. God sends us out as ambassadors and enlists us to share the Gospel as we share we begin to love others and listen to them we realize their needs and these needs are what brings us to our prayer closets.

Jesus died on the cross for all.

He made forgiveness available for all.

He overcame once and for all.

Does that mean everyone is saved?

Does that mean everyone is forgiven?

Does that mean everyone overcomes?

No! God desires all to be saved, but being saved requires a trust and belief in God. When you truly see Jesus, the Son of God as your Lord and Savior you are covered by His sacrifice and receive what Jesus did for all. So how do people come to saving faith?

Most of the time it’s through you and me as Ambassadors of Christ that go out and love the world and come to our prayer closets and stand in the gap on their behalf. When we come to our prayer closets we learn we are not fighting against the flesh in these people’s lives, but against powers and principalities. The devil is ultimately defeated, but he is running loose still until the return of Jesus.

Again as an ambassador for Christ in my classroom mostly I war for their souls in prayer. Not all of my kids go home to a Christian household and even if they do, the devil is at work. He’s deceptive and sneaky causing most things that influence our kids fly under the radar of their parents and unfortunately strongly distract them from the things of God.

The kids in my classroom are a lot like the people you work with, they’re a lot like your family members, etc. In that their soul is being fought over. Most everyone has at least one person in their life speaking up against God or is being influenced by ungodly movies/music/media. As ambassadors for Christ we no longer play by the rules of the world, but by the ways of the Kingdom of God and we are sent out here to bring the Kingdom of God here and that takes loving people with our actions and words and going to battle for their souls in intercession partnering with Jesus.

Jesus promised to build His church

So as ambassadors we probably feel a responsibility weighing in on us so let’s remember together the promise Jesus gave to us, let us open up our Bibles to Matthew 16:18

Matthew 16:18 ESV

And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

Jesus here is talking to Peter promising that Jesus will build His church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.

So we’re pretty clear there is a war going on for the souls of all around us, but who is in charge of building the church?

Jesus!

Who has defeated the devil?

Jesus!

As we operate as Ambassadors for Christ it’s important that we properly handle our responsibility. It can be a costly responsibility and that’s okay because following Jesus is costly and if our lives aren’t faced with the cost of following Him, are we truly following Him? There is a difference though as with all the requests of Jesus there is a grace that is poured out for us to walk in as we obey. It’s not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit declares the Lord of Hosts Zech 4:6

We stand in the gap for people all around us out of obedience to Christ, we have been given the ministry of reconciliation and with that comes time spent in prayer with trust that God will build His church. God equips us with all things for the battle we’re in, we have nothing to fear.

Jesus teaches us how to pray.

As Ambassadors of Christ we trust God and obey Him as we follow Him and His lead in this war that we’re in.

To begin to understand how to pray I need to scale it back. I’ve talked much of intercession and fighting this war although vaguely, but here I want to cover more vastly the concept of prayer and then cover a bit more of what intercession consists of. Our identity isn’t only an ambassador as I’ve been dialing in on, but as a Child. I believe without a doubt that we can only love others and tell them about Jesus after we’ve loved ourselves and accepted Jesus for ourselves. We can only be an ambassador after we know are right place as child.

Paul instructs us to pray without ceasing in 1 Thessalonians 5:17

1 Thessalonians 5:17 NKJV

pray without ceasing,

Prayer is talking to God in it’s simplest definition. The best part about us being requested to pray without ceasing is that prayer is talking with God.

As children of God we should be running to our Father for everything. All the good and all the bad and everything in between. God enjoys hearing from us. God desires that intimate communication with us. He wants to be the first one we go to in our time of need, He wants to be the first one we tell the good news to most likely in thanksgiving. He wants to be the shoulder we cry on when we’re hurt and the one we process with when we’re frustrated.

When Paul tells us to pray without ceasing it’s because God is our closest and most faithful friend, He’s our Father and always has the best in mind for us, He’s our comforter, He’s our shepherd and He will lead us on the straight and narrow path no matter the situation.

As we encounter His love for us we will love Him in return and we will love others. We will be concerned about the cares and needs of others. As we are set free by the truth of God in our lives we will see and discern what is happening in the world around us and we will be empowered to stand up and fight. We will operate in our roles as ambassadors.

As I began sharing earlier an ambassador stands in the gap for those around us. We communicate with our Father the needs of the people around us. We strategize in bringing Heaven to earth.

Matthew 16:19 NASB95

“I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.”

Jesus gives us the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven, He’s paid the price for all to be set free of the bondage of sin and to come into His kingdom and as Ambassadors for Christ we carry the keys to others. We intercede on their behalf that they would one day walk in the fullness of all God has purchased for them.

Then Jesus goes on to teach about binding and loosing things here on earth as have been bound in Heaven. This is referring to what Jesus has already accomplished on the Cross and in His resurrection.

Drunkeness, idolatry, rebellion, sexual immorality, adultery, greed, lying, bitterness, envy, jealousy, hatred, etc are all things that nailed Christ to that Cross and He was the perfect sacrifice to break their bondage and free the enslaved. We can bind the power these sins have on people up and loose the mercy, grace and forgiveness accomplished for them on the cross.

Remember we are not trying to defeat the devil in our prayer life, we are proclaiming and agreeing with what’s already been accomplished by Jesus in our prayers.

How to practically build up your prayer life.

I’ve been listening to podcasts and reading books on how to become a great leader. Trust me no one wants to follow a lousy one, so I’m growing and working my way to be a great one. Paul told people to follow Him as He followed Christ, I believe God wants us each to live for Him like Paul that we could say ‘follow me as I follow Jesus’. This mentoring that Paul set an example for is one we can all reach to attain in our own spheres of influence. You may be the first one in your family to know Jesus, you may be the only christian at your job, you may be a husband who is leading your family in the ways of Christ, you may be a parent raising your family to serve the Lord, you may be a teacher who shines the light of Jesus and cares for kids, you may sing on the worship team and lead others into the presence of Jesus, in each of these scenarios you are called to lead others to Christ. Each and everyone of you are a leader, you all know Jesus and are leading people to Him.

From all that I gather about good leaders, one thing is clear they have good habits. For us who desires to lead others to Christ it is vital to have good healthy habits. I would argue the healthiest habit a Christian can have is taking each and every thought captive and making it obedient to Christ so our eyes can remain fixed on Jesus.

There are two spiritual disciplines that help with this renewal of the mind and they are reading the Bible and praying.

While I’m not focusing on reading the Bible today in my sermon I want to encourage all of you to get in the word daily. In my opinion, it doesn’t matter how much you read, but with what kind of spirit you read it with. Ask God to give you a teachable spirit as you open your bible and then let God lead your time in the word. Pray throughout your time spent reading God’s word so you can rightly understand the word of God and as you know the truth the truth will set you free. As you can see praying intertwines with the spiritual discipline of reading the bible.

The spiritual discipline of prayer is what I’ve been steering towards throughout my message. Craig Groeschel says ‘Successful people do consistently what other people do occasionally.’ In this area the success I’m aiming for in having a discipline of prayer would look like encountering God and becoming more like Him in my prayer time.

2 Corinthians 3:18 (ESV)

And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

I know for me forming the habit of prayer has to look very intentional. Setting my alarm to be up before my day needs to start is what intentionality in forming this habit looks like for me in this season. For you it may be setting aside your break time at work to seek God in prayer or it may be staying up later so you can intentionally form this habit into your day to day. I think for each of us it’s different when this specific set apart time can happen, it will depend on the season of life you’re in. I know God will be delighted at your intentionality in giving Him your best. I have seen that if I can start my day off with this intentionality, I actually seek Him more throughout my day. I would say there may be something to giving God your ‘first fruits’ of the day to God. Every season of life brings about it’s challenges in doing this, but if your willing to pay the costs for this season I know you will be rewarded.

Then coming to your prayer time with a format in place may help you build this discipline so I’d like to share with you a few resources:

the acronym ACTS is simple and covers the basics.

Adoration

Confession

Thanksgiving

and Supplication

Spend time adoring God in worship. Confess your sins. Thank God for what God has done. Then ask for all you need and pray for others.

That one is easy to remember, but you can take it as deep as you like, but I urge you all to not just check off your list, but engage with God as you do every step.

Another option is Dick Eastman’s hour that changes the world

The Hour that Changes the World

1 | PRAISE Recognize God's Nature [Psalm 63:3] This is a great time to remind ourselves how big our God is, how great His power and how amazing His love and grace. Read selections from Psalm 145 onwards to gain inspiration and content for your declaration. Praise God for His heart and redemptive purpose for the church.

2 | WAITING Silent Soul Surrender [Psalm 46:10]

Read 2 Corinthians 3:16-18 as encouragement of the promises when we turn our hearts to the Lord. This is a great time to fill our mind with Him, reflecting on His nature, His presence, and His love for us and for the world.

3 | CONFESSION Temple Cleansing Time [Psalm 139:23]

Read Psalm 139:23-24 and Psalm 51, especially verses 10 and 11 dealing with our actions, attitudes, affections and words. Seek personal forgiveness, cleansing and anointing. Read 2 Chronicles 7:14 - identifying with the sins of humanity as did Nehemiah (Read Nehemiah 1 for further insight).

4 | SCRIPTURE PRAYING Word-Enriched Prayer [Jer. 23:29]

Read Jeremiah 1:5-12 and 23:29; “‘Is not my word like fire,’ declares the Lord ‘and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?’” Also look at Isaiah 40:8-10; 44:24-26 and 55:10-11. Be open to the Holy Spirit to bring others to mind. You may wish to stand or walk around as you make these declarations. Promises of God’s blessing and God’s justice are equally important to declare.

5 | WATCHING Develop Holy Alertness [Colossians 4:2]

Remain alert to spiritual opposition and strengthen yourself with great verses. Read Romans 8:26-27 and 1 Corinthians 14:2, 4, 14 and 15. Be open to pray through those things that come to mind concerning the world. Make a note of things you think may be significant to re-visit in prayer, or to share with others such as our prayer co-ordinator. This introduces a dimension of the prophetic which allows us to pre-empt the enemy’s plans rather than fighting a rear-guard battle.

6 | INTERCESSION Remember the Word [1 Tim. 2:1-2]

Read Genesis 18:16-33 and 1 Kings 18:41-46. These are great examples of others who have stood in the gap in powerful prayer. James 5:16-18 also gives us much cause for encouragement. Pray for the lost in our city, our nation and the world. Some other areas you can cover include workers for the harvest (Matthew 9:38 and Psalm 110:1-3), open doors and opportunities to share the gospel (Colossians 4:3 and Revelation 3:7-8); fruit that will remain (John 15:16), and finances for the ministry of the church (Malachi 3:8-12).

7 | PETITION Share Personal Needs [Matthew 7:7]

This is for your own life with the Lord, your ministry, your personal needs, your loved ones and your church, ensuring that your requests are in tune with the Lord’s will. Read 1 Chronicles 4:9-10 and ask the Lord to increase your capacity for prayer and to enlarge your heart for the nation. Bring areas of personal concern before Him and be encouraged by Philippians 4:6.

8 | SINGING Worship in Song [Psalm 100:2]

This is a wonderful gift from God and a key to being filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18-20). Read 2 Chronicles 20, especially verse 22, and Acts 16:16-34. We can sing songs of: praise (Psalm 135:3), power and mercy (Psalm 59:16), thanksgiving (Psalm 147:7), God’s name (Psalm 96:30), God’s word (Psalm 119:54), a new song (Psalm 144:9), and among the nations (Psalm 57:9). Don’t worry about your singing ability, God has an auto-tuner!

9 | MEDITATION Ponder Spiritual Themes [Joshua 1:8]

Read Joshua 1:8, noting that the word ‘meditate’ in Hebrew means ‘to mutter upon’. Focus on God himself, on His word, His works, past victories and blessings, and on things positive and good. Read Philippians 4:8.

10 | THANKSGIVING Confess My Blessings [1 Thess. 5:18]

Thank God for what He has done, and for what He will do for us in response to our prayers. Read Luke 17:11-19. Thanksgiving helps us to focus on God’s faithfulness. Confess all His spiritual, material, physical and external (that is, blessings in other people’s lives) blessings. Be very specific and note that this is an area that should not only be part of a prayer time, but a way of life. If you spend your days in thankfulness you will find the gateway to His presence to much easier to enter. Thank the Lord for our communities and for the many ways in which we are blessed. Psalm 103 will help with this.

11 | LISTENING Receive Spiritual Instruction [Eccl. 5:2]

Wait for instructions and have a pen ready to write things down. Read John 5:19-20, 30 and Isaiah 50:4-5. Be open to revelation about yourself or the world.

12 | PRAISE Conclude with Praise [Psalm 52:9]

Finish as you started the session by praising the Lord and magnifying Him with confidence that He has heard for prayers for our nation and the world, that the answer is already on the way and that His power and wisdom are more than equal to every situation. Read Isaiah 65:24. May your hour bring you much joy in His presence, increased effectiveness in your daily walk, a sense of fulfilment in the part you are playing God’s mission, and some amazing answers to your prayers.

Adapted from “The Hour that Changes the World”, Dick Eastman, Baker 1978

Also prayer lists can be huge. We have our list of people of the last series we should be praying over them for the the Holy Spirit to soften their hearts towards the things of God and ready them for the Gospel.

I may not be the expert in praying for children, but as I’ve begun to pray for them during nap time I feel God has laid certain things on my heart to pray for them and I want to share some of my prayer list.

Pray that they would know Jesus and follow Him. I often pray the child would encounter His love.

Pray that God would prepare a Godly spouse for the child and send them in His timing.

Pray that they would have a pure mind and a pure heart. For the pure in heart shall see God.

Pray for the courage to do what is right, to stand up for righteousness. Boldness to share the Gospel.

Pray for wisdom in choosing friends and protection from the bad ones.

Pray for wisdom in managing money and a generous heart, that they would learn to put one another before themselves and share well.

Pray they would make an impact in this world for Jesus starting with their families.

As with all habits perseverance is another key. Jesus teaches us to pray like the persistent widow and not give up. We walk by faith and not by sight. It’s important to trust God to move and let Him answer the way He sees fit.

In Conclusion

The war around us is raging, but we can equip ourselves and bring Heaven to earth through prayer.

EM Bounds says ‘ God shapes the world by prayer. The more praying there is in the world the better the world will be, the mightier the forces against evil… The prayers of God’s saints are the capital stock of heaven by which God carries on His great work upon earth. God conditions the very life and prosperity of His cause on prayer.’

Let’s engage with God in conversation and win the lost to know Jesus.

I challenge you to pick one of the ways I shared in how to pray and form a habit with it this week. in two weeks we are having our 24 hours of prayer. Sign up for a slot and seek God.

Onward Christian Soldiers