“Becoming a Praying Church”

3. “Becoming a Praying Church” Weekend of August 2nd & 3rd

4. Introduction • Today, we will study several passages of Scripture, to give us a well rounded view of prayer. • With this view of prayer, it is my hope and prayer that St. John would become a more effective praying church. • I am not just talking about praying in worship, but that we each would agree to make time through-out the week to include prayer on behalf of this Church and its ministry. Would you agree to that?

5. Becoming a Praying Church • 1 Timothy 2:1-4 - I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone-- 2 for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. 3 This is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.

6. Becoming a Praying Church • “I urge first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone.” • Paul is not merely requesting that prayer be made; • Rather, he says, “I urge you” in other words this is non- negotiable. • Not only does he urge prayer, but says this is the first and most important thing a church can do. • The need for constant prayer has never been more urgent than today – Satan is working overtime! So must we!

7. Becoming a Praying Church • Paul lists the kinds of prayers we are to offer: • Requests: Praying humbly to God for things we need; • Intercessions: This is praying on behalf of others; • Giving Thanks: This is not a general “Thank You,” but a detail of our thanks for the wonderful things God has done for us; • We are to pray for all people: • Not just Christians; • But especially those who do not know Christ; • In a world, where falling away from Jesus seems to be the norm, we need to Pray!

8. Becoming a Praying Church “I strongly suspect that if we saw all the differenceeven the tiniest of our prayers make, and all the people those little prayers were destined to affect, and all the consequencesof those prayers down through the centuries, we would be so paralyzed with awe at the power of prayer that we would be unable to get up off our knees for the rest of our lives.” • Paul lists those for whom we are to pray – “for kings and all in authority.” • We would say today for our President and the Congress, for our State Governor and legislators; for our Mayor and local government; • If we want this country to be safe and to reap the benefits of a good Government, we need to pray for our leaders; • We live in a world where governments can really effect our lives, for better and for worse; • A good example is the Supreme Court upholding the constitutional right of religious groups not to have pay for abortions in their insurance programs. Why is this so important? Remember?

9. Becoming a Praying Church • When you and I pray for those in authority over us, Paul says, “this pleases God, who wants all to come to know our Savior.” • God wants to get personal with us in prayer; • Since sin rules our world, when the Church prays for those in authority, we set in motion the plan of God to win the whole world back to Jesus Christ; • God made it personal, by sending His only Son to die on a cross and rise again on the third day; • God never forces anyone to believe but offers His free gift of Grace, inviting people to respond; • Bottom line: Everyone must serve somebody! But who? Either God, or Satan?

10. Becoming a Praying Church • Matthew 7:7-8 - "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. • Ask and it shall be given you. • Seek and you will find; • God wants to be found, so seek Him and keep on seeking Him; • When we seek God, we are really saying that He is that important to put forth the effort of finding Him; How hard is that?

11. Becoming a Praying Church • Knock and the door will be opened unto you; • God’s door is always unlocked, just waiting for your knock; • But this is also a good illustration of when we are praying for something that God does not want for us; • You knock on your neighbor’s door. Do they answer after the first knock? • If not, you may knock again, a little louder and harder; • But how long will you knock without someone answering the door? • Sometimes we knock on heaven’s door and God does not answer. • God may be saying, “That’s not what I want for you!” Sometimes! 5 times; 20 times? Why?

12. Becoming a Praying Church • Only as we wrestle with God in prayer, will we be brought to this realization and admit as Jesus had to, “Not My will but Yours be done.” • Jesus is teaching us that in our asking, seeking and knocking, we are to persevere in prayer. • Pray and pray often; • Pray with sincerity and seriousness; • Ask in prayer again and again; • Seek diligently; • Knock earnestly; • Do you know what the abbreviation ASAP stands for? “As Soon as Possible”

13. Becoming a Praying Church • Matthew 21:22 – “If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer." • “If you believe…” • When we pray, we must have faithand believe God is going to answer our prayer; • Otherwise, we are wasting our breath; • “You will receive whatever you ask for…” • God does not limit what we should pray for; • There are no requests too big or too small, that God cannot answer; • So, does mean I can ask for a Million $ and God will grant it? No!

14. Becoming a Praying Church • We must remember, that our Heavenly Father loves us dearly, and will not grant every request just because we asked; • Our Father wants what’s best for us and therefore must answer some of our requests with • When God does this, He is really saying to us: “No!” “This request would not be good for you.” “I have something better in mind.”

15. Becoming a Praying Church • John 14:13-14 – “And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.” • Jesus says, “whatever you ask in My Name.” • This gives us a fuller picture to the last passage; • Praying is Jesus’ Name is NOT simply adding those words at the end of our prayers; • Praying in Jesus’ Name is praying for the very things that Jesus would Himself ask His Father to give us;

16. Becoming a Praying Church • Not only are we to pray “in Jesus’ Name” but our prayer requests are to bring glory to God the Father. • This is how the selfishness of so many of my prayers is revealed; • I simply ask, “Do these prayers of mine, bring glory to God?” or are they just to satisfy my selfish desires and wants? • That’s why St. Paul encourages us in 1 Corinthians 10:31 “…whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” • Verse 14 is crucial: “You may ask Me for anything in My name,and I will do it.” • Jesus is encouraging us to stay closely in touch with His desires and wants for us;

17. Becoming a Praying Church • From that list of the good things Jesus wants for us, we can ask absolutely any thing; • I wonder, sometimes if we really believe that? • Can you say as Paul says in Philippians 4:13? • You and I have all the resources to face anything that comes our way! In Christ, we have it all!

18. Becoming a Praying Church • Luke 18:1-8 - Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. 2 He said: "In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men. 3 And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, 'Grant me justice against my adversary.' 4 "For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, 'Even though I don't fear God or care about men, 5 yet because this widow keeps…

19. Becoming a Praying Church … bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won't eventually wear me out with her coming!'" 6 And the Lord said, "Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7 And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? 8 I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly.

20. Becoming a Praying Church • Jesus give us this story of this persistent widow: • To show us how we are to persist in prayer and never give up; • It is to help us understand that prayer is both our privilege and our duty; • Unlike the judge in Jesus’ story, we have a Heavenly Father, who dearly loves and cares for us: • God does not need to be forced or threatened into helping us like the judge in Jesus’ story; • God cares deeply for us, again just opposite to the judge in Jesus’ story;

21. Becoming a Praying Church • The main point of reference in Jesus’ story is the persistence of the widow: • Just because our prayers are not answered right away doesn’t mean God isn’t going to answer them; • And it certainly doesn’t mean we should quit and give up; • Jesus wants us toperseverein faith by continually praying; • How are we to know if we should continue in prayer? • Is my request in God’s Will? • What benefits will I receive if God answers my prayer? • Helps me grow in confidence in God’s fatherly love and care;

22. Becoming a Praying Church • 2 Chronicles 7:14 – “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” • In prayer, we humble ourselves and recognize we are not in control of our lives; • We constantly need to turn from our sins and our wicked ways, if nothing more than selfishness and self-centeredness; • To repent means to “turn in the opposite direction;”

23. Becoming a Praying Church • To repent means to “change our way and ways;” • Once I was heading in a direction away from God; • With repentance, I turn back to God; • Then, God hears our prayers in heaven, forgives our sin and, as an added benefit, pours out blessings on our land, our city, and our nation; Sin Repent

24. Becoming a Praying Church • Jeremiah 29:11-13 - For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. • Our Father in heaven has wonderful plans for us, even before we ask in prayer; • These plans are good for us, provides us hope and a wonderful future;

25. Becoming a Praying Church “Choose you this day whom you will serve! As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!” • If that is the case, why do we wait so long to get around to praying? • Losers often use prayer as a “last resort;” • Why should we wait until we are losing the battle to finally get to praying? • Our sinful nature, though, wants life both ways: • We want all the things of this world; • We want all the things of God; • Jeremiah says, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me withallyourheart.” • Joshua 24:15 says it this way:

26. Becoming a Praying Church Questions? -or- Comments?