Roots
Pt. 3 - Prayer and Pentecost
I. Introduction
You really don’t understand the power of a root until have to try to cut through one. I have been faced with that challenge before. The smallest root can be extremely tough. The root is the lifeline and it tenaciously holds on to the tree and the tree tenaciously holds on to the root. We must do the same. Our root system is crucial and essential for life! Without the roots that I have been talking to you about we will be unstable and we will waver and go after every trend and fad in the kingdom! These 8 things keep us anchored to direction and God’s will for our lives.
Our root system is:
Praise
Purpose
People
Place
Prayer
Pentecost
Presence
Preaching
We are rooted to praise because in our praise is victory, plunder, and peace.
We are rooted to purpose because we understand that we individually and also “we” corporately have God given design and destiny.
We are rooted to people because Jesus was rooted to people. We must remain moved by people. We must take time for people, touch people, heal people and die for people. Without people we are playing church!
We are rooted to this place. God has situated us here for such a time as this. We must impact this place! He could have placed us anywhere, but He hand-selected this community for us!
So let’s examine the next two roots that bring us life. We are rooted to Prayer and Pentecost.
II. Prayer
Let’s begin by talking about prayer. We all know that prayer is a vitally important spiritual discipline. I understand that most, if not all of you, have heard countless messages on prayer. I know that most, if not all of you, have read books on how to pray.
So, I am not really going to look at the way to pray. If you need help on that I can suggest some other resources for you to get. I want to look at prayer a little differently this morning.
I have discovered that it is easy to pray when everything is going well. Granted the prayer isn’t very deep or prolonged, but praying when all is well is easy! I think we learn more about prayer when we examine how someone prays on the hard days, when the chips are down, and when it really matters. I don’t want you or our church to just be people who can only pray when it is good. I want to be connected and rooted to some folks who know how to go to battle in prayer when my life is going bad, when hell is onsite, and when I need help! I think the best place to learn about prayer is Jesus.
We read that Jesus often prayed. That in itself teaches and speaks to us about the importance and position of prayer in our lives. We often turn, and rightfully so, to the “Lord’s Prayer” for instruction on the steps of prayer. However, I think it is even more insightful to find out how Jesus responded to dark days, painful days, and an uncertain future. We get a glimpse into the importance of prayer in Jesus’ life in:
Matt 26:36-44
36Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto his disciples, Sit ye here, while I go yonder and pray. 37And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and sore troubled. 38Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: abide ye here, and watch with me. 39And he went forward a little, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass away from me: nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt. 40And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them sleeping, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour? 41Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. 42Again a second time he went away, and prayed, saying, My Father, if this cannot pass away, except I drink it, thy will be done. 43And he came again and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. 44And he left them again, and went away, and prayed a third time, saying again the same words.
36Then Jesus went with them to a garden called Gethsemane and told his disciples, “Stay here while I go over there and pray.” 37Taking along Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he plunged into an agonizing sorrow. 38Then he said, “This sorrow is crushing my life out. Stay here and keep vigil with me.”
39Going a little ahead, he fell on his face, praying, “My Father, if there is any way, get me out of this. But please, not what I want. You, what do you want?”
40When he came back to his disciples, he found them sound asleep. He said to Peter, “Can’t you stick it out with me a single hour? 41Stay alert; be in prayer so you don’t wander into temptation without even knowing you’re in danger. There is a part of you that is eager, ready for anything in God. But there’s another part that’s as lazy as an old dog sleeping by the fire.”
42He then left them a second time. Again he prayed, “My Father, if there is no other way than this, drinking this cup to the dregs, I’m ready. Do it your way.”
43When he came back, he again found them sound asleep. They simply couldn’t keep their eyes open. 44This time he let them sleep on, and went back a third time to pray, going over the same ground one last time. - - Message
Jesus’ last prayer meeting teaches us several things about prayer and reveals that we must remain rooted to prayer.
1. Prayer is where we go when there are hard days ahead.
Jesus faces his last 24 hours. Think about what he is about to go through. His day will be marked by spit, flesh ripping beating, betrayal, scalp tearing thorns, nails, mocking, a mother’s tears, and death. That is a bad day. You think you had a bad day this week. It pales in comparison to this day. This is the worst day. And on his worst day Jesus prays!
Facing certain and painful death Jesus turns to prayer. What would you turn to if you knew you were about to face torture? To whom or what would you turn to if you knew you were going to be beaten, wrongly accused, and receive a bogus death sentence? That is easy to answer. All you have to do is look around you and discover that most of us facing much less turn to drink, sex, friends, shopping, medicine, etc. to deal with our pain. Yet, Jesus turns to prayer.
We must remain rooted to prayer because it gives us a place to turn on the rough days. We must elevate prayer again in our lives and understand that it isn’t just for the good days (thank you, bless me, let your face shine upon me). No it is for the “I am on the brink of disaster, I have nowhere else to turn, I think I am going nuts” days!
2. Prayer is hard work. Distractions are a constant.
When was the last time prayer was easy? I have to admit to you prayer is hard work. I was taught Larry Lee’s “Could you not tarry one hour” material in my teen years. I can still hear the “it is first a duty and then it will become a delight” mantra rolling over in my mind. I am still waiting for the day that it becomes a delight! Prayer is hard work. In fact, Jesus’ experience shows us that prayer can bring blood to your brow.
Why is prayer so difficult? The flesh will fight you. You will want to sleep rather than pray. The enemy will fight you! Distractions will assuredly come. The phone will ring. The kid will cry. The show will come on the TV. Prayer is difficult work, but it is work that we must commit to!
May I suggest a different model of prayer? Continue to map out 15 minutes here or there. Continue to pull away as Jesus did. We need to do that. But, I don’t want you to underestimate the significance of continuous prayer! I want you to take to heart Paul’s counsel in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 which tells us to, “pray without ceasing.” In other words, pray while driving, while changing the dirty diaper, while putting on your makeup, while printing the document. Make prayer a constant part of your life. Not just in the moments when we pull away! Let it be a part of the tapestry and fabric of your life. I have discovered that the pull away moments are easier if I have been in prayer throughout my day. I have already worked through most of the distractions!
3. Prayer is how we deal with temptation
Matt 26:41- “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
Jesus shares wisdom with us here that you have probably have already come to find out. Our flesh is weak! We will be tempted. Prayer is where we turn prior to temptation. It isn’t enough just to pray while we are being tempted! Jesus teaches us that we need to prayer prior to being tempted. The temptation wouldn’t be so tempting if you had already prayed! The decision to or not to wouldn’t be so challenging if we would pray prior to temptation. Notice the disciples didn’t pray and when temptation came (to deny and run) they weren’t prepared.
I wonder how many of us fall to temptation not because we didn’t pray during the temptation (get me out of this), but because we failed to pray prior (keep me from this) to the temptation?
Pray through temptation before you get there. Draw some lines in your spirit as to what you will and will not cross, will and will say, will and will not do, go and will not go. Allow the time in prayer to solidify these areas! Watch and pray!
If you wait to pray until you are tempted you are too late!
4. Prayer is where we find and submit to God’s will.
Prayer is the means of finding direction and where we find strength.
We don’t find it from any other place. Finding God’s will and direction requires dialogue with the One with the answers. It is after prayer (Luke 9) that Jesus set his face like flint. What does that mean? After prayer Jesus was able to come to grips with what he was about to face in Jerusalem.
I can’t tell you God’s will for your life. Neither can anyone else. That will must be dug out through prayer and then you must also pray to have the strength necessary to walk out that will!
5. Prayer must be repeated often!
There are many passages in the Bible that demonstrate the validity of this premise. Jesus’ Himself prayed all night on numerous occasions. His parables, illustrated with "knock and keep on knocking" and "ask and keep on asking", emphasized the idea of much prayer and of not giving up.
In 2 Corinthians 1:11, Paul emphasizes God’s favor coming on the basis of the prayers of "many":
"You also joining in helping us through your prayers, that thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf for the favor bestowed upon us through the prayers of many."
One of the most basic keys to the health of our church is the volume of prayer that is faithfully practiced by individuals in private and with others.
"Much prayer--much blessing, little prayer--little blessing, no prayer--no blessing," (one church’s motto)
And I would add “A church that doesn’t pray isn’t a church!” It is a pep rally for religious folks.
Jesus returns to prayer 3 times even when no one else would go with him. I encourage you this morning to make a commitment to prayer. By yourself if you must, but pray! It is a lifeline that we cannot afford to cut.
III. Pentecost
I have really been thinking about the root of Pentecost. I wondered what I could say to you that I haven’t already said. If you haven’t been with us very long you can go back to our website and listen to the “FireWorks” Series I did last July. It very plainly tells you why I think Pentecost is so important. So let me just share a couple of thoughts with you and make a couple of statements.
1. God can accomplish more than we can.
“It is not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit says the Lord.” If we want to be a body that sees change in people’s lives we must allow God to do that. That is accomplished by His spirit. We have never seen a more dramatic move of His spirit than at Pentecost. That one outpouring changed the world and it continues to do so. I am rooted in that.
2. It is in the Word.
I am not willing to give up any part of God’s Word. If it is in here it is real and it is for me. I don’t even have to understand how it all works. I just by faith believe that if Jesus told his disciples that they needed to be filled with his Holy Spirit then as one of his current disciples I need it too! Whether I am comfortable with it or not is not the question. I want all that He has for me.
3. If I have to wade through the fake to get to the real then so be it.
The real is worth it.
Imgaine this scenario with me. Someone comes to you and tells you that if you would take the time to work your way through 500 fake diamonds that somewhere in the pile you will find a genuine diamond worth a million dollars. Would you take the time wade through the fakes? And there is one kicker if you find it the real diamond is yours? I don’t know about you, but I would start digging and the fakes wouldn’t deter, frustrate, disillusion me in the mean time. With all the fakes, weirdoes, freaks, mistakes, and challenges that being a Pentecostal church brings with it the real, genuine article is worth it! It will often require digging a little. Ignoring a lot. But it is worth it.
4. Church and life with the Spirit is more fun than church without the spirit!
If you don’t believe that go visit somewhere else next week. Examine someone’s life who isn’t full of the Spirit. Stephen was full of the Spirit and was able to deal with being stoned to death. A Spirit life is stronger!
5. Pentecost is our only hope of freedom and for changing our community.
I can prove this too you with two simple statements from God’s Word.
Where the spirit of the Lord is there is freedom! 2 Corinthians 3:17
At the end of Acts 2 comes verse 47. 3000 have already been saved as a result of Pentecost then in verse 47 after it states they were rooted in praise we read these words, “And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” Before Pentecost . . . no change in their world. After Pentecost . . . folks are being changed daily! I rest my case.
We either want to be a church that produces freedom and change in folks or we don’t. If that is our desire then it requires that we have the power of Pentecost operating in our lives and in our church!
The problem with most of us is that we fall into one of two groups.
Group A - We grew up around Pentecost and have become accustomed to it to the point that we ignore it, overlook it, marginalize it, or sometimes even underestimate it. It has become nothing more than a few goose bumps every once in a while or a grading system to judge the “greatness” of a service. We don’t really utilize or tap into the power supply except during good songs at church.
Group B - We weren’t raised around it so we haven’t experienced it so we are scared of it, don’t understand it, skeptical of it because we know some of the folks from Group A. Therefore, we aren’t sure why we need it.
Let me see if I can help you this morning. I grew up in group A. I have to admit that I have gone through many of these stages. I was baptized in the Holy Spirit at age 12. I immediately wanted to win the world. I remember not long after my day of Pentecost I went out door-to-door witnessing with folks from a crusade that came to town. In fact, I won my first person to the Lord on a cold call. But as the years have gone by the Holy Spirit has become more about good services. That has to change. Those of us Group A must remember that He has been given to us so that we can change the world!
I can’t really speak to Group B. I haven’t been there. Doug and Kelly have. Would you welcome Doug and Kelly Allen as they share their story!
Doug and Kelly Allen Testimony
Pentecost is real and essential if we are going to bring freedom and change to people. I challenge those of you in Group A to shake off apathy and tap into the power again. I am not asking for you to put your spiritual gift on parade during our services so that you can get spiritual brownie points. Use the gifts as a means to bring glory and honor to God. I am asking you to utilize the gift for that which it was intended – to produce freedom and change in folk’s lives. Let’s live up to our name – Pentecostals. Let’s be on fire, in touch with God, used by Him, and led by Him.
I challenge those of you in Group B to go home and read Acts again. Examine Scripture and see if you don’t have a promise in there of a gift from God. It is your inheritance. Allow God to create a hunger in you for more! It isn’t scary, it isn’t freaky. I didn’t say that it wasn’t uncomfortable at times. However, you don’t have to be afraid. Reexamine who the gift is for and go after the genuine diamond.
We will and must remain rooted to prayer and Pentecost!
