THE FAMILY THAT PRAYS TOGETHER STAYS TOGETHER
Acts 4:23-37
INTRODUCTION
A good Christian lad went camping with his family. He was warned not to stray too far from the campfire, as the woods were full of danger. The young boy had every intention of not straying but curiosity got the better of him and he unwittingly wandered further and further from the fire.
Suddenly, he found himself face to face with a huge and ferocious bear. Seeing no way of escape, he did what he had been taught to do-he knelt down to pray. When he opened his eyes he was rapt to see that the bear was also kneeling in prayer. He said, ‘Oh, bear, this is truly astonishing! You and I so utterly different and yet praying together – who would’ve thought that we could be brothers in the Lord!’
‘Son,’ the bear said without emotion, ‘I don’t know about you, but I’m giving thanks.’
In that story we have a picture of someone leaving safety – the security of the campfire and finding great danger. This morning we are going to focus on one of our campfires – one of the essentials in the Christian walk.
From the reading we heard a few moments ago, would anyone like to suggest what that campfire might be?
(ALLOW RESPONSES)
Yes – prayer! Has anyone seen the sign in front of the Pressie Church just down the road? – ‘Life’s Short Play Pray Hard’. We are going to spend a few moments looking at prayer. In fact I have entitled this message, ‘The Family That Prays Together Stays Together’. You know when we wander from the campfire, when we go it alone, we can end up with big problems cant we?! Do you agree that it’s easy to wander from the campfire of prayer?
Why do you think this is?
(ALLOW RESPONSES)
Well, lets turn our attention back to the passage that Noel and Daniel read to us a few moments ago – ACTS 4:23-37. Here we’ll discover some ‘tips’ in how to become praying people. We’ll discover some distinctives – some distinctives that we would do well to apply to our own lives as a family of believers.
Let’s look at verse 23
(READ VERSE)
What does that verse tell us about prayer? What distinctive do we notice there?
(ALLOW RESPONSES)
Yes -
1. PRAYING PEOPLE COMMUNICATE WITH EACH OTHER
We must communicate - if we are to be effective in prayer - We need to know what we are praying for. We need to know what God is doing in each others lives. We need to know what’s happening – to have our finger on the pulse. We are not ‘islands’ – we are part of a family - we are not meant to ‘go it alone’. We share our trials and joys, our successes and failures, our desires and concerns so that we can pray for, and encourage each other.
We must share what’s happening in our part of the community so that we can pray together.
’On their release, Peter and John went back to their own people and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them.’
Communication is a mark of a praying people. Sharing in the family is a mark of a church close to the protecting campfire of prayer.
Think about it – do you have that mark? If not, what are you going to do about it?
Let’s move on and consider the first part of verse 24.
(READ)
What does that tell us about prayer? There are two ‘marks’ or distinctives there – can you pick them?
(ALLOW RESPONSES)
When Peter and John shared with their fellow Christians, what did those fellow Christians do? The ‘mark’ that we need to see is found in the response those people gave.
What was their response when they heard Peter and John’s account?
(ALLOW RESPONSES)
That’s right - It was to pray.
2. THEY RECOGNISED PRAYER AS FUNDAMENTAL
They understood that prayer was just a matter of course. I don’t think they would have even imagined not praying – prayer was an integral part of life.
Is this a distinctive of my life? Ask yourself right now – ‘is this a distinctive of my life?’ Do I understand prayer to be a matter of course?
’When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer ...’
Praying people know that prayer is fundamental. These are the people who stoke the campfire!
What is the second distinctive we find in the first part of verse 24?
(ALLOW RESPONSES)
3. THERE IS A SPONTANEOUS DESIRE TO UNITE IN PRAYER
A praying people are a people who ’raise their voices together in prayer...’
Where are we on that score - do we spontaneously pray together with one voice? Or have we wandered from the campfire?
Let’s consider the second half of verse 24 - 29
(READ)
Here we discover that -
4. THEIR PRAYER FOCUSES ON THE LORD
They turned their eyes away from man and from the problems at hand, to the Lord who could solve every problem and who is in control of every situation.
Could someone please read to us Psalm 62:5-8?
(WAIT FOR VOLUNTEER)
Whatever problem faces us it is God who matters. The eyes of a praying Church, the eyes of a praying family are upon their God. And the God on which those eyes are fixed is proclaimed in this passage as:-
(1) Sovereign. Look at verses 24 & 28. He is the all-powerful Creator and Sustainer. He is the One Who knows the end from the beginning. He is in control – He can be trusted!
(2) Self-Revealing. Verse 25 tells us that God has spoken, and verses 26-27 tell us that He has spoken not only through the Prophets and in His Word, but finally and primarily in His Son. Could someone read to us Hebrews 1:1-2
(WAIT FOR VOLUNTEER)
(3) A Seeing God. Look at verse 29. God does see all, and He waits to intervene and accomplish His will in answer to the prayers of His people.
The eyes of a praying Church, the eyes of a praying family, are not overwhelmed by the problem – they are fixed on the Lord!
Is this church like that? Are you like that? Do we have this distinctive? Or do we feel defeated by life’s problems and challenges?
Another distinctive of a praying church is found in verse 29:
5. THERE IS A DESIRE TO MAKE CHRIST KNOWN
See how they prayed. Notice that they did not pray, ‘Grant that we may be kept safe’ ‘Grant that Peter and John may be protected’ ‘Lord, don’t let it happen again!’ No, they prayed, ‘Lord, help us to get on with the job of proclaiming the gospel!’ (READ vs 29) In a praying Church there’s an overwhelming desire to make Christ known to all. Does this characterise our Church! Is there a constant effort being made to evangelise! Are we asking our Lord to enable us to speak His Word with great boldness! Are we longing for people to come to Him?
For that is a distinctive of a praying church, a distinctive of a praying people! A distinctive of those close to the campfire.
You know there are many other distinctives of a praying church that we can glean from this passage – such as, in a praying church: MIRACLES HAPPEN (see verses 30-31). They asked God for supernatural supply and He answered their prayer by filling them with the Holy Spirit and enabling them all to speak His Word boldly. Where the importance of prayer is realised, God breaks in with His supernatural acts. When the Church gets on its knees the miraculous happens.
And a praying church is a church where, THERE IS MIGHTY POWER IN GOSPEL PREACHING. Look at verse 33. Conviction and conversions follow preaching which is backed by a praying Church.
And finally, in a praying family,
6. THERE IS MUCH GRACE
In verse 33 the operative words are ‘much grace’. This grace was seen in five ways:
(1) There was the grace of UNITY - verse 32.
(2) There was the grace of ABANDONMENT - verse 32.
(3) There was the grace of FELLOWSHIP - verse 32.
(4) There was the grace of LOVE – verse 33
(5) There was the grace of GENEROSITY - verses 34-35.
These are the marks of a praying Church, but a Church is constituted of people. People who have placed their trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. People who have turned from trying to run their own lives to letting Jesus take control. A praying Church, therefore, is a company of Christians who pray, not only individually, but corporately. Will you do your part, with God’s help, to make this Church a praying Church?
To make this church a body where we share with one another, where we recognise prayer as fundamental, where we spontaneously unite in prayer. A body where our prayers focus on the Lord. A body where there is an overwhelming desire to make Christ known, to see the supernatural at work. A body where there is mighty power in gospel preaching and much grace.
Let’s return to the campfire and see God do marvellous works!
’On their release, Peter and John went back to their own people and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them.When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God.’
‘The Family That Prays Together Stays Together’
LET’S PRAY
