I believe this day marks an important day in the life of this church. I hope that is not spin, fluff, preacher talk. A church that prays is a church that makes a difference. Over the next 13 weeks, I am proposing that we enter a season of prayer. 13/18 sermons, 13 sermons in 9 weeks. Revival. New Life. Revive us again!
(The plan: A Season of Prayer)
I. Our Model for Prayer.
Consider the position, power, prominence, of prayer in the early church. I begin by reading just a few select verses: Acts 1:14,24; 2:42; 4:31; 6:4; 12:1-19a
I believe a great need is to develop praying members in the church. Praying members know Jesus. We must meet Jesus. We must restore Jesus to our lives. We must find life, new life, in Christ. We will not/cannot share what we do not know. We must experience prayer. The power of prayer, the presence of his power.
Developing praying members is a first priority. We must become a praying church. I want us to be known as a praying church. Our care results in prayer. For one another, for others. God moves as a result of prayer.
If we want...visitors and conversions...more members sharing Jesus...more people serving...spiritual leaders...people involved in ministry...dedicated disciples...PRAY.
II. A Ministry of Prayer
This is new ground for me. I am dreaming of church growth. I have spent a year among you, we have established a benchmark. We know where we are. We know what is what. We can measure ourselves. We have begun to grow. We are growing spiritually. We are growing in generosity. We have experienced several moves away--41 in the last 12 months. But new people have come. We are who we are today.
I am dreaming of the next years. In ministry, I have typically tried harder, preached harder, worked harder, and done it myself. I have undertaken projects. I have been a good deacon and I have never been a deacon. I have painted, spruced up, rearranged, reorganized, cleaned, repaired, planned.... I know what can happen by human power. We can grow this church by human power. We can teach. We can reach out. It is not hard. But is it God's way?
I have never seen a modern plan for church growth begin with prayer, but I believe this is the message of the Bible. We will find revival when we pray about God's presence and our purity. There is power in prayer. For Jesus before the cross, in the upper room before Pentecost, in the life of the early church.
Consider the results when we don't pray...
The promises God gives with regard to prayer are clear: Mt. 7:7; 7:8; John 16:24; Mt. 7:11; 21:22; John 14:12-14.
III. Our Method in Prayer.
Let us expand our study of Acts with a study of prayer.
1:14; 1:24; 2:42; 3:1; 4:24,31; 6:4; 7:59-60; 8:22,24; 9:11,40; 10:2,4,9,31; 11:5; 12:5,12
We could go on in Acts, but these are enough for our lesson today. We are going to study and pray. We are going to pray and eat. We are going to meet and pray. That is the schedule for this day. Then we will go home, and I hope before the day is over that you will pray again.
There is a difference in the practice of the world--its principles and policies--and the practice of the church in its power. We are not of this world, we seek power and direction beyond this world. We live in a day not unlike the first century. We have sin in high places-- dangerous, at times brutal, threatening, demeaning us, dragging us down. Do not doubt: God works conspicuously still; faith matters continuously.
As we think about our methods in prayer, I want to share 10 characteristics of prayer I have discovered in the first half of Acts.
If we were to continue we would read of sending prayer to commission missionaries, prayer for leaders, times and places of prayer, prayer in distress, prayer in times of separation, prayer in worship, prayers of thanksgiving, prayers for God's work in this world.
Conclusion
The Bible, especially in the early chapters of Acts, gives us a model for prayer. Where is the contemporary church with a ministry of prayer? We must seek God's presence without demanding his power. We must pray in faith. We must pray and let God. This will be our method. We will pray expectantly for God's life in our lives. We will pray for renewal and revival. We will pray that our ministries will be bathed in prayer. We will pray for ministries current and new. We will seek God's guidance as we shine his light into this world of darkness. We will pray for one another and for others. Ours will be a ministry of reconciliation because our method is praying for God's presence and power.
We hope you will join us on this journey of prayer. We will wait expectantly for God to work in our lives, in our community, and in our world.
I issue these specific challenges. If you are not walking with God as a faithful Christian, why not begin today. We know God will hear your prayer for his forgiving power, and you can begin that walk or renew that walk. As a faithful Christian, will you resolve to at least participate in this effort to increase our prayer activity as a church. Will you just say to God, I will pray more. Perhaps you need the support of brothers and sisters--we will pray. Count me in. Let us learn prayer, to depend upon prayer. Expecting, planning, reaching out.
Please respond, in whatever way is appropriate for you and your situation, as we sing.
