Prayer Series

Introduction

If you are in college and the professor tells you that you need to know this one thing what he or she is saying is that this one thing certainly is going to be on the next test. If your parents tell you to get your chores done before they get home but they emphasis make sure you get this one thing done, they are telling you that they are going to check on that one thing to make sure you did it. If your employer says I am going to be gone from the office for a little while but make sure you handle this one thing. As an employee, it would be smart to handle that one thing.

What I am trying to tell you that when someone says something to you that involves the phrase “this one thing,” you ought to pay attention to it. It is important. It requires your action.

Do you realize that Jesus is just like the college professor I used in my example? During His earthly ministry several times, Jesus used the phrase outright “this one thing,” but there were also several times He implied that phrase by what He said. And we, as believers in Jesus Christ, need to take heed to His instruction, just like the student ought to take heed to the words of their professor.

So, let’s look at our first “this one thing.” This one is an implied “this one thing.” Jesus returned to Jerusalem for the Passover, entering the city triumphantly in what has become known as Palm Sunday. At some point, He enters the temple, and He notices that there are some merchants selling to the people doves and they are profiting from these sales. At that point, Jesus makes an amazing statement. And it is the implied “this one thing.” My House shall be called a house of prayer.”

Let’s read the Scripture.

Matthew 21:12–13 NKJV

12 Then Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. 13 And He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’ ”

My house shall be a house of prayer. He didn’t say my house shall be a house of good Bible teaching. He didn’t say that my house should be a house of sweet fellowship. He didn’t even put them on equal standing. My house should be a house of prayer, good Bible teaching, and sweet fellowship. What He said was: My house should be a house pf prayer.” So, what Jesus is saying is that this one thing prayer ought to excel in my church house. This is what the church ought to be excellent at.

I can probably say that the church has not taken heed to that one thing. Let’s see if I am right. We are going to do a church survey right now.

Raise your hand if you feel our church’s prayer life is poor.

Raise your hand if you feel that our church’s prayer life is acceptable.

Raise your hand if you feel our church’s prayer life is excellent.

The truth is: with Jesus saying stress this, it ought to be the one thing that the church excels at.

And just so you know 14,000 Christians were surveyed by Crossways Ministry in November 2019 and 72% rated their prayer life acceptable or below. And those people walk into the church house, and I cannot image suddenly the church prayer life excels. The church’s prayer life reflects your home prayer life.

And my question is why would Jesus use pray rather than the other ministries to tell us this is where this church need to excel?

Reason #1

Prayer is the one thing that draws me into fellowship with other Christians and together we are in fellowship with God.

Matthew 18:19–20 NKJV

19 “Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.”

Let’s think about this for a moment. When I am praying with you, you and I are in fellowship with one another; we are both engaged with one another, and as we pray, Jesus Christ joins us in fellowship. There is no other part of the church service where we are tied so tightly together as in prayer.

When I am preaching, hopefully I am in fellowship with God. And if you are listening, you are in fellowship with God. But that connection between you and me is there but it is not nearly as close as standing together holding hands voicing our petitions to God. I am standing up here at the podium and you are sitting out there in the pew. I am talking to you, and you are sitting there quietly.