Got Any Prayin' People 'round Here?

Larry Brincefield

larkayb@earthlink.net

Sunday, January 12, 2003

Title: "Got Any Prayin’ People ’Round Here?"

Text: 1 Timothy 2:1-4

Introduction

1. The sun was lowering and the air was like an oven when the stranger rode into town.

With every step his horse kicked up little puffs of dust from the dry, powdery street

No one had seen the likes of him before.

He was a stranger to these parts.

No one knew for sure what to make of him.

Leather creaked as he slid out of the saddle.

The ground shook as the big man’s boots hit the street.

He hitched his horse to the rail,

looked around,

stepped up on the wooden sidewalk

and headed toward the saloon.

When his lengthening shadow spilled through the swinging doors a hush fell over the crowd.

The bartender stopped pouring.

The dealer stopped shuffling.

The bargirls stopped shmooching.

Even the piano fell silent.

Chairs creaked,

and necks craned

as every eye tried to catch a glimpse of the stranger.

The stranger stopped and spoke for the first time, "Got any praying people around here?"

Those were the first words that Francis Asbury

(an itenerant Methodist preacher)

spoke when he rode into a new town.

"Got any praying people around here?"

2. That’s how the Methodist Church became the largest and most influential Christian denomination of the 19th and early 20th century.

They knew that revival came when Christians prayed.

(Note: I borrowed this introduction from one of Roger Griffith’s sermons here on sermoncentral.com, entitled: "Praying for Revival")

Today, we are going to kick off our prayer campaign for our revival.

Our Revival begins on February 5, only 3 1/2 weeks away.

The success of our revival depends on the answer to that question..."Got any prayin’ people ’round here?"

Read Text: 1 Timothy 2:1-4

Body

1. When you put Christ First, you will be a person of Prayer

In our vision for 2003, we’ve been talking about putting Christ First.

You should remember that the "I" in Christ stands for intercession.

Paul says, "I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone" 1 Tim 2:1 (NIV)

Paul says, "I urge you"...

"I’m begging you"...

"I implore you"...

Obviously this is very important information that Paul is communicating to Timothy.

In 1 Timothy 1:3, we learn that...

Paul had assigned Timothy to provide pastoral leadership to the Church at Ephesus....

while he went on to Macedonia....

Paul was hoping to come back soon....

but he realizes that he may be delayed...

and that’s why this letter was written.

In 1 Timothy 3:14-15, Paul says, "Although I hope to come to you soon, I am writing you these instructions so that, if I am delayed, you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God’s household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth"

So, how should people conduct themselves in God’s house?

We should be people of prayer.

Paul urges not only Timothy and the Church of Ephesus...

But he is urging you and me...

here in the Church of Belleview COTN...

to be people of prayer.

Paul says, "first of all"

He doesn’t think that prayer is way down the list of priorities...

He doesn’t think that prayer is a hit or miss exercise....

He doesn’t think it is something you just do if you have the time...

Paul says, "I urge you FIRST OF ALL" to be people of prayer.

Paul mentions 4 types of prayer here in verse 1.

requests...

prayers...

intercession....

and thanksgiving.

Requests (supplications in KJV)

Requests or supplications are made when we see that there is an urgent need...

so we go to God and beg Him to intervene.

In the dictionary, the word "supplication" means...

To make a humble request...

an earnest petition

to beg.

When Ethan was injured by a baseball....

and his spleen was ruptured...

and he had internal bleeding...

and it looked like he might have emergency surgery....

I can assure you that as I laid my hand gently on his stomach and prayed...

I was making an urgent request...

when we get to the point that we pray for revival with the same sense of urgency and desperation that we pray for one of our sick family members...

revival will come!!!

The next word Paul uses is "prayers".

"Prayers" is an inclusive term.

It includes the other 3 types of prayers mentioned in this verse.

Requests, intercession, and thanksgiving are all types of prayers.

Intercession has the meaning of coming to God...

as in a conference or conversation on behalf of someone else.

This is what we do when we pray for our lost loved ones.

Or when we pray for the President, our military men and women, and other leaders.