Why Church #2 Praying Produces Powerful People Series

~ Intro: Loose connection … Missionary, Herbert Jackson used to tell how, as a

new missionary, he was assigned a car that would not start without a push. After pondering his problem, he devised a plan. He went to the school near his home, got permission to take some children out of class, and had them push his car off. As he made his rounds, he would either park on a hill or leave the engine running. He used this ingenious procedure for two years.

Bad health forced the Jackson family to leave, and a new missionary came to take his place. When Jackson proudly began to explain his arrangement for getting the car started, the new man began looking under the hood. Before the explanation was complete, the new missionary interrupted, "Why, Dr. Jackson, I believe the only trouble is this loose cable." He gave the cable a twist, stepped into the car, turned the key and to Jackson’s astonishment, the engine roared to life.

For two years, needless trouble had become routine. The power was there all the time. Only a loose connection kept Jackson from putting that power to work.

Many of God’s followers live the same way. To learn how to tighten the spiritual connection … turn with me to our text for today Ephesians 1:15…

1. Our prayers need to be plentiful and positive.(vrs 15-16)

• Paul says he doesn’t stop praying.

• The focus of these unceasing prayers is thanksgiving.

- For their faith.

- For their love for all of God’s people.

~ Christians can be rather unlovable. But when you come to Christ through a heart of faith and repentance and when you recognize how much God has loved you, then your response is to begin to love other Christians.

~ We sing song the song, “I’m so glade, I’m a part of the family of God” but it could be honestly sung, “I’m surprised you’re a part of the family of God”

~ We show this love is by meeting needs, putting others first, and dealing with conflict in a Biblical way.

- Anything short of this is rebellion and sin!

and that brings us to our 2nd point…

2. Our prayers should be for the deepening growth in others relationship with God.(vrs 17-18)

• This continued growth is what recharges us and amplifies God’s power in us.

• The church should grow in at least 2 ways.

- We need to grow in wisdom and knowledge of God.

~ Do know and understand Him better today than we did yesterday.

- We need to grow in understanding of our hope that is in Christ.

~ A number of years ago, off the coast of Massachusetts, a ship rammed a submarine. The submarine sank before anyone could escape. The entire crew was trapped. Ships rushed to the scene of the disaster, but there was nothing any of them could do. Divers were sent down to evaluate the situation. One man put his helmeted ear against the vessel and listened for any sounds. What he heard was someone tapping in Morse code. Because he knew Morse code he could decipher the message. It was this: "Is - there - any - hope?"

Our world is asking the same thing. In this age of philosophy where there no meaning and no future, the world is hungry for hope.

~ God has a promised future for those who follow Him.

~ When we know God’s plan for our life, hope keeps us from heading off in another direction.

this bring us to our final point today…

3. Our prayers should be for all followers to live in the power of God.(vrs 19-23)

• God’s power for His follower remains largely untapped.

- A Spotlight and a Laser Beam

Have you ever wondered what makes the difference between a spotlight and a laser beam? How can a medium-powered laser burn through steel in a matter of seconds, while the most powerful spotlight can only make it warm? Both may have the same electrical power requirements.

The difference is unity. A laser can be simply described as a medium of excited molecules with mirrors at each end. Some of the excited molecules naturally decay into a less excited state. In the decay process they release a photon, a particle of light. It is here that the unique process of the laser begins. The photon moves along and “tickles” another molecule, inviting another photon to join him on his journey. Then these two photons “tickle” two more molecules and invite two more photons to join the parade. Soon there is a huge army of photons marching in step with each other.

It is this unity that gives the laser its power. A spotlight may have just as many photons, but each is going its own independent way, occasionally interfering with other photons. As a result, much of its power is wasted and cannot be focused to do any useful work. However, the laser, because of its unity, is like an army marching in tight formation and is able to focus all its power on its objective.