A PEOPLE WITH PURPOSE:
THE MISSING INGREDIENT
Acts 2:42-47
S: Church
C: Purpose of the Community
Th: A People with Purpose
Pr: WE ARE TO BE DEVOTED TO PRAYER.
?: How? How do we act when we are devoted to prayer?
KW: Approaches
TS: We will find in our study of Scripture three approaches that demonstrate our devotion to prayer (and thus, to God).
Type: Propositional
The ____ approach is…
I. ALONE AND TOGETHER
II. STRUCTURED AND SPONTANEOUS
III. SEEKING AND SILENT
PA: How is the change to be observed?
• Set time aside and seek out God.
• Pray corporately.
• Make prayer a constant act in your life (like breathing).
• Be silent and listen.
Version: ESV
RMBC 29 January 06 AM
INTRODUCTION:
My apologies to those caught last week in my humor about the non-existent book of Hezekiah.
I, too, was burned on that one during one of those Bible drills.
Find Hezekiah 14:3.
And there we all are flipping pages endlessly, while the leaders are snickering.
Yeah, real funny…
So…
How good are you with prayer?
ILL Prayer: Bears
Many years ago, when the Chicago Bears were a football powerhouse, Michael Singletary was leading a chapel before the game. As Michael began to speak, he asked William Perry (aka “The Refrigerator”) to lead the group in the Lord’s Prayer after he finished.
Jim McMahon, the quarterback, was sitting in the back next to the team’s chaplain. McMahon whispered to the chaplain, “Look at Perry.”
The chaplain looked and saw that Perry was sweating profusely.
McMahon continued, “He doesn’t know the Lord’s Prayer.”
To which the chaplain responded, “Of course he knows the Lord’s Prayer. Everyone knows it.”
McMahon then showed the chaplain a fifty-dollar bill saying, “I’ll bet you $50 that he doesn’t know it.”
Finally, Singletary finishes his message, and Perry, with great hesitation stands, clears his throat, and says, “Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep…”
It is then McMahon turns to the chaplain, hands him the fifty-dollar bill, and says, “I didn’t think he knew it!”
Well, hopefully you do know the difference!
TRANSITION:
1. This year, our theme is “A People with Purpose.”
As believers in the Lord Jesus, we have been given purpose.
We are not left to drift, and just do the best we can.
God has invested into us an ability to understand Him and know Him.
God has endowed us with the capacity to work in such a way that we will see His kingdom come here on earth, as it is in heaven.
In our studies this month…
2. We have learned that believers in Jesus are characterized by devotion (Acts 2.42).
They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. (NIV)
This particular verse is loaded, because we see the first church, guided by the power of the Holy Spirit, has already established priorities.
These are God-given priorities.
On January 1st, we started out the year right by celebrating the priority of the breaking of bread – communion – the Lord’s Supper.
Two weeks ago, we considered the priority of community.
We make a huge mistake if we fail to understand the importance of our fellowship together.
God calls us to a true community in which we live authentically – loving one another – and growing and maturing in our faith.
Last week, we studied the importance of being devoted to the apostles’ teaching.
God has graciously given us His Word, and in it, He has revealed Himself and His will for us.
Today, we learn that…
3. WE ARE TO BE DEVOTED TO PRAYER.
Simply, prayer is talking to God.
It is not meant to be complicated.
It is not meant to be full of flowery language, characterized by 17th century English.
It is conversation, and privileged conversation, I might add.
God desires it.
The most awesome, powerful, magnificent Being of the universe calls on us to converse with Him.
So, if you think about if for a moment, it is foolish to not be devoted to prayer.
It is an act of foolishness on our part to not be men and women of prayer.
Frankly, it is too often the missing ingredient in the church.
Churches that truly believe in God believe in prayer, and they demonstrate it … by praying!
Consider what the 19th century “Prince of Preachers,” Charles Spurgeon has said:
ILL Prayer: Charles Spurgeon
“If God be near the church, it must pray. And if He not be there, one of the first tokens of His absence will be a slothfulness in prayer.”
For the early church it was a constant.
They didn’t just talk about it.
They just didn’t tell people to pray.
They were a people who prayed!
And in so doing, they show us that…
4. We are to move from “need to” to “want to” when it comes to our relationship with God.
You know, I rarely meet a Christian that does not know that prayer is to be a priority.
I rarely meet a believer who does not realize that they need to pray.
But I must tell you where I do find the rarity.
It is finding people that “want to” pray.
My heart is very much at this point today, for how God desires us to move past the obligation into an enthusiasm to be with Him.
You see…
He not only wants us remember His work on the cross for us, He wants us to experience His Presence when we break the bread.
God not only wants us to enjoy fellowship with one another, He wants to be in community with us.
He not only wants us to know Him through His Word, He gives us His Spirit, the Living Word, so we will experience Him.
So…
How do we do this conversation?
Well…
5. We will find in our study of Scripture three approaches that demonstrate our devotion to prayer (and thus, to God).
OUR STUDY:
I. The first approach is ALONE AND TOGETHER.
First, let us note that
1. Prayer is a personal matter (Mark 1.35)
And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he [Jesus] departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.
Jesus established the example for us.
For Jesus, prayer preceded life and ministry.
It was so important that no matter what the requests were of his friends and the world, time alone with the Father was the priority that was not to be disturbed.
Is that true for you?
Are you setting time aside every day that is exclusive for the Lord?
Give Him your best.
If it is your morning, do it then.
If it is late at night, do it then.
If it is the midday, do it then.
Whenever it is best, do it then.
And did you note the common concept of those statements?
Do it!
Take the time.
Spend time alone with God, for this is true devotion.
Alongside of this, note that…
2. The church was born in a prayer meeting (Acts 1.12-14).
Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away. And when they had entered, they went up to the upper room, where they were staying, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot and Judas the son of James. All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.
Note again…
“All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer…”
So, we see that this first church is birthed in prayer.
We see that this first church is bathed in prayer.
It was not just praying alone that was a priority.
Praying together was also a priority.
Jim Cymbala, the author of Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire, a challenging book on the importance of community prayer, was heard saying at a conference…
ILL Prayer: Cymbala
“When you hear Christians talk about no prayer in the schools…give it a rest. There’s no prayer in the church!”
Sometimes, I think we lack the desperation that is needed to be together in prayer.
We are too self-sufficient.
I don’t know how to explain it.
Perhaps subconsciously, we think that if God doesn’t show up, we will get through and still have church anyway.
Perhaps then, we need to hear what Del Fehsenfeld has said…
ILL Prayer: Fehsenfeld
A church that is not a praying church may be large and widely-acclaimed; it may offer every conceivable type of program for every age group and interest; it may boast massive buildings, dazzling productions, and impressive statistics. But it will be a barren church, and it will never experience the manifest presence and glory of God in its midst. As R. A. Torrey expressed it, ’The devil is not afraid of machinery; he is only afraid of God, and machinery without prayer is machinery without God.’"
Del Fehsenfeld Jr.
All the more reason to be hearing God together in prayer!
II. The second approach is STRUCTURED AND SPONTANEOUS.
1. When we plan to pray, we establish that God is our priority (Ephesians 6.18).
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. (NIV)
When it comes to the “how much” and the “how long” of prayer, there is not a required amount of time.
There is no formula.
And don’t worry; I doubt we can ever pray too much.
I do believe, though, that a portion of our prayer time ought to be structured so that we firmly establish it as a pattern and habit.
Just from a practical matter, I think it is helpful to mix up our patterns, so we don’t feel we are punching a clock during our prayer time.
Let me share with you my present patterns…
Monday: Scripture passages just studied and about to study, with a focus on personal application;
Tuesday: Family members (Dondra, kids [and those that have become close to them], my parents);
Wednesday: Staff, because they are my partners in ministry;
Thursday: Ambassadors (prayer cards) and other friends that are serving the Lord;
Friday: Other pastors (CB, local, Denver)
Saturday: Those I have the privilege to mentor and counsel.
ILL Prayer: Prayer Changes Me
In a scene from Shadowlands, a film based on the life of C.S. Lewis, Lewis has returned to Oxford from London, where he has just been married to Joy Gresham, an American woman, in a private Episcopal ceremony performed at her hospital bedside. She is dying from cancer, and, through the struggle with her illness, she and Lewis have been discovering the depth of their love for each other. As Lewis arrives at the college where he teaches, he is met by Harry Harrington, an Episcopal priest, who asks what news there is. Lewis hesitates; then, deciding to speak of the marriage and not the cancer, he says, "Ah, good news, I think, Harry. Yes, good news."
Harrington, not aware of the marriage and thinking that Lewis is referring to Joy’s medical situation, replies, "I know how hard you’ve been praying… Now, God is answering your prayer."
"That’s not why I pray, Harry," Lewis responds. "I pray because I can’t help myself. I pray because I’m helpless. I pray because the need flows out of me all the time, waking and sleeping. It doesn’t change God; it changes me."
SOURCE: Thomas G. Long, Whispering The Lyrics, CSS Publishing Company.
You see…
There is to be a naturalness to prayer.
Lately, I have been thinking of it more like breathing.
It is that essential.
2. We should breathe prayer (Romans 12.12; I Thessalonians 5.17).
Note how Paul describes it…
Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.
…pray without ceasing…
I don’t live without breathing.
And in the same way, I don’t live without praying.
In other words, prayer is more than planned.
It is to be spontaneous throughout the day.
There is a constant spirit of communion, in the recognition that God is a continual presence in our lives – He is always on our minds.
III. The third approach is SEEKING AND SILENT.
One of the themes I have been trying to get across to us as a church this month is that we are to be intentional when it comes to our Christian life.
Please do not consider this as a statement of superiority, because this has been a personal message for me.
I need to hear all of this.
I need to act on all of this.
So, in saying that, allow me to remind us all that…
1. Prayer is a deliberate coming to God.
It is a privilege to seek God out and know that He hears.
It is an honor to join in kingdom work, as we call on God in worship and bring petitions before Him.
And if you are ever just stuck, and you don’t know what to pray, may I suggest that you have a guidebook.
Take the Bible and make it prayer, for in it, God is constantly revealing Himself and His will to us…
[Use the Scripture reading of the day and give examples.]
ILL Prayer: "Bruce Almighty" -- Real Prayer
In the film, Bruce Almighty, Bruce Nolan (Jim Carrey) is a mediocre news reporter in midlife crisis. He complains to his girlfriend that God does a poor job of running the world, and he could do far better. To his surprise, God (played by Morgan Freeman) gives him the chance.
Bruce does poorly at playing God, and after wrecking his relationship with his girlfriend, Grace, he begins to ask God for help. The turning point comes when God helps Bruce cut through the pomp and pretense and teaches him to pray about the real issues in his life.
"What do you want me to do?" Bruce asks.
"I want you to pray, son. Go ahead."
Bruce squints his eyes and attempts a prayer, "Um…Lord, feed the hungry and bring peace to…um…all of mankind. How’s that?"
"Great…if you want to be Miss America," God responds. "Now come on. What do you really care about?"
"Grace," Bruce says, thinking of his girlfriend.
"Grace. You want her back?"
Bruce seems surprised by his own response. "No. I want her to be happy, no matter what that means." Bruce closes his eyes. "I want her to find someone who will treat her with all the love she deserved from me. I want her to meet someone who will see her always as I do now…through your eyes."
"Now that’s a prayer," God says. "I’m going to get right on it."
Elapsed time: 01:26:53 to 01:29:04 (DVD scene 18); Content: Rated PG-13 for language and sexual situations; Citation: Bruce Almighty, (Universal, 2003), directed and produced by Tom Shadyac, written by Steve Kornen and Mark O’Keef
When we pray, we are often get stuck on ourselves.
We start praying…God, bless me…do this for me…give this to me.
And when that happens, it is time for a change.
You see…
2. Sometimes, it is time to stop talking (Psalm 46:10a).
God calls on us to do this!
Be still, and know that I am God…
Sometimes we need to come before the throne of grace and be quiet.
Because it is then, He will reveal to us that He has been blessing us…
He has been working for us…
And in that quiet, we will hear Him whisper our name.
In that silence, we will know that we are loved.
In that hush, we will find out that He continually wants to pour out His grace on us.
But until we get to that place of stillness and calm and unhurriedness, we will miss it.
Not only that, we will miss the opportunity to be conscious of God’s perspective and aligning ourselves with it.
God will give it to us.
I know He does.
But you have to stop.
You have to sit still.
And listen.
APPLICATION:
Again…
1. Be deliberate in private.
Make your private time with Lord a priority.
Make it more than just devotions.
Make it a time of devotion between you and your Lord.
Remember to be deliberate.
For to fail to plan is a plan to fail.
Next…
2. PUSH.
PUSH is an acronym for Pray Until Something Happens.
Now the last thing I expect you to take from this is that there is some magical formula when it comes to prayer.
But I do know that God uses prayer.
He allows Himself to be moved by it.
And God is always ready to teach us in prayer.
From experience, let me warn you that the best lessons are not learned right away.
We have to allow God to do His thing in His time (if you will pardon me for saying it that way).
In the meanwhile, we are to keep pushing – we are to keep praying until something happens – for that is a faithfulness that God desires to honor.
Finally, I wish to recommend that we…
3. Use the opportunities that are available.
3.1 Prayer Chain
Many of you are a part of the prayer chain.
And when a request comes in – pray.
Don’t delay, but bring it before the Lord.
Also, use the…
3.2 Prayer Gatherings
We have organized four times a week that we gather specifically for prayer: Sunday morning, Tuesday morning, Wednesday evening and Saturday morning.
There is always a prayer leader that is designated to get things going.
We also have a special prayer team.
They have two main functions at this point in time.
1) They take on very special, and even private requests.
2) They pray during our morning worship.
We are looking for people to join in this even more.
It is here that I am really sensing God’s movement.
3.3 Prayer at Noon
Would you be interested in this?
3.4 Calls to Prayer
Special prayer gatherings – concerts of prayer, prayer walks…
Soon, we are going to call for a day of prayer for our church family.
As we continue to work with NCD with a goal to being a healthy church, God is bringing change.
It is dangerous.
It is going to make us extremely uncomfortable.
God’s kind of change often does.
So…
In every way, let us truly be devoted to prayer.
BENEDICTION: [Counselors are ]
Be devoted to prayer…spend time alone with Him, because any relationship worth having demands time; listen, open the Word, read, listen, talk, be quiet, and listen.
Be devoted to prayer…by being devoted to praying with the body, for God desires to not only move in us as individuals, but also as His body.
Be devoted to prayer…by breathing it, realize that we do not live without Him and that prayer should be a constant that reflects our worship, our dependence and our love of Him.
"The LORD bless you and keep you;
the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you;
the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace."
RESOURCES:
Books:
Barclay, William. The Acts of the Apostles. Revised ed. Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1977.
Bruce, F. F. Commentary on the Book of the Acts The New International Commentary on the New Testament, ed. F. F. Bruce. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1975.
MacArthur, John, Jr. Acts 1-12 The MacArthur New Testament Commentary. Chicago: Moody Press, 1994.
Stott, John R. W. The Spirit, the Church, and the World. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1990.
SermonCentral:
Cole, Jason “Are You Devoted to Prayer?”
Santos, Joel “’Must’ for the Growing Church”
Taylor, David “Practical Steps to Give Ourselves to Prayer”
_____ “Making a Foundation of Prayer”
Wilson, Wayde “What If We All Prayed”
Zukas, Tim “42 Leads to 47”
