5.15.22 - Learning To Pray Like Jesus

May 15, 2022 - Learning to pray like Jesus (Mark 9:14-29) Good morning! For a number of months here at the Vineyard... we have been studying the Gospel of Mark. We're going to pick up another section of that this morning, so why don't you grab a Bible in front of you, or pull up Mark 9 in your device... and let me share a story as you are turning there. As a number of you know, I grew up attending a small town Lutheran church. One of the interesting items of that setting was the distinction between the pastor and the rest of the church. For services, our pastor would wear a long robe, and stand alone at the altar, with the rest of the church in the pews. The pastor was the one that read the Bible, that prayed and that preached. The assumption was that it was the pastor's role to do the ministry and the rest of us listened, sang, repeated a few phrases, and gave some money. This dynamic was so steeped in our culture, that I think I was 17 before I realized that our pastor had a first name other than "Pastor." All I had ever heard was... ● Good morning, Pastor. Great sermon, Pastor. ● Pastor... would you like some carrot, pea and pistachio jello salad? ● Remember - we were Lutheran! And my pastor's real name was Ken, btw. Fast-forward to my young adult years (during & right after college) Andrea and I were part of an independent pentecostal church in Eastern IA. This was very different from my traditional Lutheran upbringing. We had a rock band and there was a strong emphasis on the work of the Holy Spirit through things like healing, prophecy and even seeing people get freed from demonic oppression. But, interestingly, there was still a bit of a divide between the folks up front and the rest of the congregation. One of the elements of our church culture was we'd regularly do special services in which a well-known prophet or healer would come speak... and for some people, it was a really big deal to get prayed for by the anointed, important person that was up on stage. Fast forward again to a few years later, as we connected with Vineyard churches. One of the things that immediately impressed me in this new setting was the priority that was given to involve everyone in the church. My mentor, Marty would repeat phrases like "Everybody gets to play." That was more than just a tagline - there was a concerted effort to equip every single follower of Jesus to do the things that Jesus said to do. That emphasis was super impactful on me and immediately drew me in to get more involved. The more I learned, the more I realized we didn't have a corner on the market. Ultimately, this wasn't ultimately a "Vineyard thing" - this was the way of Jesus. As I read through the gospels, I saw how intentional Jesus was to train his original disciples to do ministry like he did it. And that didn't stop with the first 12 disciples... Jesus told them to teach and equip the people that they led... who, in turn, were to train the next round of disciples, and the next round, all the way to us today. It's been 25 years now since those early experiences, but I am more convinced than ever about these priorities. All of us are invited to engage in ministry. This isn't just something for a select few, important people. Everybody gets to play - everyone gets the opportunity to participate in the work of God's kingdom. ● But there is a process to learning how to do ministry like Jesus did it. ● The disciples didn't figure it all out in one day and neither will we. But, if we stay committed to learning: we'll get to see some pretty cool things happen in and through our lives. That's a lot of what we want to talk about today. Did you make it to Mark 9 yet? Let's take a look at this intriguing story, where Jesus does another round of training with his disciples in the midst of healing and freeing a little boy from demonic oppression. ( We'll start in verse 14. ) While you find that: here's some context: immediately before this... Peter, James & John had been off with Jesus, taking in a pretty amazing experience... Jesus was transfigured before them, emanating with this overwhelming, heavenly glory. ● Let's pick up on what the other disciples were doing in the meantime. 14 When they (again Jesus, Peter, James and John) came to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd around them and the teachers of the law arguing with them. 15 As soon as all the people saw Jesus, they were overwhelmed with wonder and ran to greet him. 16 "What are you arguing with them about?" Jesus asked. 17 A man in the crowd answered, "Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech. 18 Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not." 19 "You unbelieving generation,"Jesus replied, "how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me." 20 So they brought him. When the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth. 21 Jesus asked the boy's father, "How long has he been like this?" "From childhood," he answered. 22 "It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us." 23 " 'If you can'?" said Jesus. "Everything is possible for one who believes." 24 Immediately the boy's father exclaimed, "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!" 25 When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, he rebuked the impure spirit. "You deaf and mute spirit,"he said, "I command you, come out of him and never enter him again." 26 The spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently and came out. The boy looked so much like a corpse that many said, "He's dead." 27 But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him to his feet, and he stood up. 28 After Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked him privately, "Why couldn't we drive it out?" 29 He replied, "This kind can come out only by prayer." Wow... what an intriguing passage! On the front end, we see the disciples trying to heal a boy afflicted by a demon. On the back end, we see the disciples asking Jesus, "Why couldn't we drive the demon out?" And in-between, we see Jesus modeling some core elements about supernatural ministry. ● There is so much for us to learn from what Jesus says and does here and We'll get to a bunch of practical details on that in a moment, but... ● as we dive in, let's acknowledge this first... (pause) This story can seem a little weird to our 21st century eyes and ears. ● Some of you may have a bit of inner skepticism... ● Really? It sounds like the boy maybe just had some kind of epilepsy. ● Could this really have been caused by a demonic presence?" As Americans / Westerners, we typically make sense of the world through our intellect and rationality. We give high value to what we can see and measure and test and quantify. That's great, but what if that is not the only bucket? To the rest of the world (not only in centuries past, but up to today) there is an additional emphasis given to the supernatural, or spiritual realm of life. And that's not just true about folks that live more simply, but also by highly educated people. In today's passage, the boy's father, the disciples and Jesus were all on the same page: there was a spiritual dynamic connected to this boy's condition. ● What if there is something for us to learn from this, rather than immediately dismiss it? Here is a first item I think we can pick up: We are supernatural people living in a spiritual world. This is the picture we get in the gospels and in the early church. There was a very real dynamic of supernatural ministry going on through Jesus and then through the first disciples. As Michael and Becca touched on last week from John 10, there is a conflict of kingdoms going on in & around our lives. Jesus' goal is to welcome us into a flourishing life, but he also says that we have a spiritual enemy... whose goal is to steal, kill and destroy. ● If that is true... then, it is crucial that we learn how to engage in ministry that pushes back the work of the enemy and that welcomes more of what Jesus wants to do in our lives. But again, that can feel odd to us at first. ● Maybe this can help. Recently, Michael and I have started reading a fascinating book by Jordan Seng called "Miracle Work." Listen to this from his introduction, in a section subtitled... normal weirdness. Supernatural ministry is weird by definition. The practice of healing, deliverance or prophecy can certainly feel weird as we do it. But I think the biggest problem among believers is not that we think supernatural ministry is too weird; it's that we try to make God too normal. Think about it. We believe in an invisible being with no beginning who spoke the universe into existence; who lives outside space and time with fantastic angelic creatures; who is everywhere and knows everything and can do anything; who sent his God-man Son into our world, brought him back to life after he was thoroughly killed and then returned him to heaven; and who resurrects us so we can live forever. Once you swallow all that overwhelmingly supernatural stuff, it is only the tiniest step to accept supernatural healings and demonic deliverances. Seng goes on: One nice thing about supernatural ministry is that it can help us stop pretending we're normal. Such experiences remind us that we're weird and this can be really helpful for spiritual living. If you're unusual enough to try to heal people supernaturally, then you'll probably have less trouble being supernaturally generous with the poor or with disrupting your life to reach out to the unreached. And you'll have an easier time thinking about finances, relationships and life goals in a way that are "not of this world." Supernatural ministry reinforces (what I'd call) daily kingdom living. So, yes, venturing into praying for people in this way is a bit odd. But it's not as far of a reach as we might think. And, I resonate a ton with what Seng highlights in this final paragraph. As we step out to pray for others, it surprisingly reinforces what it means to follow Jesus in daily life.... I've also found that to be true. ● Okay... all of that is some great backdrop. Let's dig further into Mark 9 and get more detail to what Jesus models to us about this kind of ministry. Skip to the end of the passage.. V.28-29 After Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked him privately, "Why couldn't we drive it out?" He replied, "This kind can come out only by prayer." Can you put yourself in the scene of this passage? The disciples were understandably amazed at what had happened with the boy and could hardly wait to get Jesus alone so they could ask the reason for his success and their failure. I love this: when the disciples got stuck... they went back to Jesus with their questions, saying: "Jesus, we don't get this. Can you tell us again? Can you show us again?" (Side note...) ● What if, this week, whenever you ran into a problem or got stuck, you went to Jesus with that... Praying: "Jesus, I don't get this. Can you help me?" Specific to our topic today... here is the next item I take away from the disciples interaction with Jesus at the end of today's passage: ● Supernatural ministry is something we can learn to do. I would go so far as to say: this is something we are meant to learn as followers of Jesus. Jesus was so intentional in training his disciples. Back in Luke 9, we read that when Jesus sent out the twelve disciples, he gave them authority over demons and sicknesses. He told them to declare the availability of God's kingdom and to demonstrate its presence with works of power. When he sent out the 70, it was with the same commission. ● In some cases (like in Luke 9) the disciples were immediately successful. ○ People were healed and demons were cast out. ● In other cases (like here in Mark 9) there was still more for them to learn. I find it very reassuring that the disciples didn't figure this out in one day, because that means there is room for us to learn as well. This is a big theme in Jordan Seng's book. Too often we assume that supernatural ministry is reserved for a few people that are really gifted - that someone either has the gift of healing or they don't. That they have the gift of deliverance or they don't. But there is more to it than that. There are actually 4 key Components of supernatural ministry: gifting (yes is a part of it) but there is also authority, faith and consecration. Which are all items that we can grow in. Here's what we've found super helpful to facilitate that kind of growth: ● Learning a framework for prayer vs. following a formula Think about this: Jesus didn't cast out a demon every time he healed someone. Sometimes people were just sick. And there were lots of different ways Jesus prayed in different situations. There was not one set formula. ● There are many ways to pray and see powerful things happen. A big part of the learning process is building awareness about what approach to prayer is the right fit for the situation in front of you. This is something we cover in our class called "Learning To Pray Like Jesus." that we host that every other month. That class is part of our core curriculum (if you will) here at the Vineyard, and a primary way we introduce people to how Jesus prayed for people... and then giving them a chance to try it out. ● Just like college programs have learning adjectives and core competencies in a course of study.. this is one of those things for us: One clear outcome of following Jesus (and being involved at the Vineyard) is that you'd learn how to pray for people like Jesus did. This is just what we do. Specifically, we train people in a 5 step model for praying for others. Again, it's not a formula, where you say the same thing each time. Instead, it's a framework that you can use to minister in the power of the Holy Spirit. There's a more detailed version we teach to adults over a couple hour class. But this is also something we teach our kids. My wife works with the 4th and 5th graders each week, and it is amazing how God will use 10 and 11 year olds in praying for others. Up on screen is a simplified version of the prayer model that we use with our kids. ● Begin by Asking...what do you want pray for? ● Move on to Inviting the Spirit's presence. The truth is we can't heal / deliver someone on our own... so we take time to wait / ask for the Holy Spirit ● Next, we begin to Pray. Sometimes those prayers are simple, "Please help, God, please heal this, God." And other times the prayers are more direct. We'll touch on that more in a moment. ● Next, we Check-in We ask.. What is God up to? How are you doing? I love how relational this approach is and how we create safe places for people to receive prayer ● Finally, we Plan to pray again sometime, or offer some simple follow-up as we finish praying. When the early Vineyard leader John Wimber developed this model... it wasn't out of thin air. It was drawn directly from the ministry of Jesus. You see some of these core elements in today's passage. Jesus spent some time asking the father about the boy's condition. He waited. He chose an approach to prayer, and then he closed up the interaction with genuine care. ● If you've never taken the Learning To Pray Like Jesus class (slide), I can't encourage you more strongly to do so. What I've just covered is a 2 minute intro... you will get some much more out of the entire 2 hour class. We've got another session coming up in July. Details are on the screen there or you can find out more on our website. Okay.. let's come back to an intriguing statement Jesus made in v.29. The disciples asked... Why weren't we able to cast the demon out? Jesus answered: "This kind can only come out by prayer." Another gospel records the last phrase as "this kind can only come by prayer and fasting." What does Jesus mean by that? ● One aspect is what we referred to earlier as consecration. Basically, as we make more room for God in us, there becomes more room for God to work through us. As we learn to live in surrendered obedience to Jesus, our capacity for powerful ministry to others grows. That's one angle. ● Other writers highlight a second item: pointing to how Jesus was expanding the disciples' understanding of what prayer included. Particularly, Jesus had some further training to do with them about how to pray with authority. (Learning to pray with authority) Look again at verse 25. Jesus rebuked the impure spirit. "You deaf and mute spirit,"he said, "I command you, come out of him and never enter him again." Jesus did not pray as we ordinarily think of prayer. In fact, he did not talk to God at all. Instead, he spoke directly to the demonic spirit and commanded it to leave. This is likely part of what Jesus was covering again with disciples... as they asked: "why did this work for you and not for us?" Have you ever noticed this in reading the Bible? That... Jesus' prayers for people were often very short. Think about it. ● He commanded the lepers, "Be clean." He touched blind eyes and deaf ears, saying, "Be opened." To the paralytic he ordered, "Get up." And at the grave of his friend Lazarus he commanded, "Come forth." Let's look further at what we'd call The prayer of command / authoritative prayer. In this type of "prayer," we are calling forth the will of the Father upon the earth. Here we are not so much speaking to God as we are speaking for God. We are not asking God to do something; rather we are using the authority of God to command something done. ● Other forms of prayer proceed from earth to heaven, where we are asking for forgiveness, or giving thanks or seeking healing. That is prayer upward. ● But authoritative prayer moves in exactly the opposite direction. We are bringing the resources of heaven to bear upon a particular matter on earth. That is prayer downward, if you will. Story from Thursday night... Michael was leading the class, and was walking through the prayer model with everyone by praying for our compassion ministry directory Barry. As Michael "prayed" he spoke directly to the pain in Barry's back, commanding it to dissipate and leave. Super short prayer. I texted with Barry the next morning, and here was his response: "What a great class. I learned so much. I have a little stiffness in my back, but no pain. Yipee!" This approach to prayer can be super powerful... but it is also something that we need to learn to use with great care. You can imagine, if people walked around to strangers, slapped them on the head and screamed "Be healed!" Not a good approach!!! ● Another book I've been reading again recently is Richard Foster's classic: Prayer - Finding the Hearts True Home. In it, he covers 21 different approaches to prayer, including a chapter on the prayer of command or authoritative prayer. His wisdom about how to utilize this type of prayer with sensitivity and compassion is fantastic. ● This is something I love about the approach to prayer ministry that we teach. There is no need to build things up, to talk really loud or in a weird voice. We're just regular people trying to learn how to pray like Jesus did. Okay... a final set of items to touch on... about: Learning to pray with faith ● Look again at verses 22-24. "(The demon) often throws him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us." "If you can?" said Jesus. "Everything is possible for one who believes." Immediately the boy's father exclaimed, "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!" Mark 9:22-24 Faith is another important component to praying for others, but it's crucial that we clarify what we mean. I think that it is... ● Less about.. faith = certainty. (and) More about... faith = trust When I was writing this section of today's talk, I was remembering a great illustration that John Kliewer used in a message before he went on sabbatical. Here's my version of it. Imagine you are hiking up the North Shore and you come to a spot with a big ravine. The only way to keep moving forward is to try to jump over the ravine. Imagine 3 different people: ● Person #1... is crazy smart and able to do physics in their head.. Figuring out mass and angle and velocity, and calculates with 99% certainty... I will make it over the ravine. So, they run and jump and they make it over. ● Person #2... has seen a few others jump over the ravine, but they're pretty unsure. 51% faith, 49% doubt. They run, jump and also make it over. ● Person #3... is thinking "there is no way. I don't think I can do this." Percentage wise, at best, they have 1% faith, and 99% doubt, but somehow, they decide to run and jump... and they make it over as well. Here's the question: Which of these people had "enough" faith? All of them did! Even the person filled with 99% doubt. They all took a leap of trust and it paid off. ● That's so much of what I see in the father's statement in verse 24. ○ Lord, I do believe, but help my unbelief. ● To move forward with Jesus, or even to operate in supernatural ministry doesn't require that we have 100% faith and are free from all doubt. All that is required is to put faith into some kind of action. Does that make sense? ● Again... it's less about faith = certainty, and more about faith = trust. Here's another way to describe this dynamic. Here are the Vineyard we say that: Faith is spelled R-I-S-K We're not very good spellers around here! ● Over the years, I've learned to have lots of trust that God is going to do something great when I pray... but even after 25 years, I often have very little certainty of what that "something" is! So, there is always an element of risk. What if the person isn't healed or helped? What if I look weird? ● Those are natural questions to ask... but let me tell you, it is worth the risk. This week, I was remembering story after story of taking risks with this kind of ministry and seeing God show up. ● Remembering back to earlier stories in Iowa, like praying for a person with a headache and for the first time, healing came through my prayers. ● Stories in the midst of starting the Vineyard church in Mankato, where we saw a friend get healed of series ulcers in her esophagus, or how we did this little exercise called 30 second prayer and one of our college students getting their ankle healed, because their young adult friend prayed for them for 30 seconds... ● Stories of people being hounded with dark thoughts and oppressive presence, and praying simple but authoritative prayers and them stepping into a sense of peace instead ● As you can probably tell, I get pretty jazzed about this. It is a blast to see God's love & power come to other people ● And it is so much fun to teach others how to engage in this kind of ministry. Again - this isn't reserved for a select few people. This really is meant for all of us to do. Does it always work? Is everyone get healed/set free in the way that we'd like? Of course not. Part of that is because we still have more to learn (Just like the disciples.) And another part is that there is some mystery to this. God's kingdom is already here and it is still yet to come... and so we don't always see the results we'd like to see on this side of heaven. But sometimes we do & so it's worth it. I love this quote that's included in one of the sessions in the Alpha course. It's from Vineyard founding leader John Wimber: "When we prayed for no one, no one was healed. Now we pray for lots of people and some are healed." Wimber said that roughly 40 years ago, as our group of churches, the Vineyard was first emerging. That philosophy and the approach to ministry that I'm talking to you about today... this is central to our DNA and is at the core of why thousands upon thousands have been impacted all over the world. This is also at the core of the story of this church - how it went from a group of 40 folks 25 years ago, to hundreds of people here & through the churches we have started. ● Some of you are brand new to the Vineyard... today's message is a great overview of some things that we are inviting you into ● Others of you have been around our church quite a while. Maybe you have experienced what I'm talking about in the past, but have let go of it. Or maybe you've never taken some of these risks before. If so... you are missing out on some key aspects of what it means to follow Jesus You are missing out on key elements of what it means to be part of a church community We are meant to be participants and partners in this work of God's kingdom. God has chosen for his love and power to come to the world through people just like you and me. Ministry time: ● Have a need... healing, experiencing spiritual oppression, just feel stuck ○ Power of the Spirit is present to heal ● Prayer for empowerment and equipping... make a commitment to learning how to do this stuff... for the first time, or re-upping on this in a fresh way ● Challenge those that used to do this but have let it slide...