Pray
Pastor Henry read from
1 Timothy 2:1-7 this morning which begins with this verse, "
The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know. " Paul is urging Timothy who is a church planter in Ephesus to make prayer his first priority because God wants everyone to be saved and to know the truth that there is one God and the only way to Him is through Jesus His only son.
Who do you normally pray for? Who else is God calling you to pray for this week?
I try to pray for everyone, but in the normal course of a day, I pray most for those near to me and much of the time, myself. In the second verse of today's text, Paul told Timothy to pray for the rulers. I am reminded to pray for those in power so they can keep the peace in the world so we can also live in peace. How about you?
Labels: Prayer
A Piece of the Prayer Pie for Those Who Persecute You
In continuing the sermons about prayer, Pastor Henry talked about how Jesus taught us to pray for those who persecute us. We read from
Matthew 5:43-48 and especially the part that says, "
Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you."Why should we do this? We should because this is what God has done for us. God sends grace like rain on the righteous and unrighteous alike, and we should do as He does. And this is what sets us apart as sons of our Father in Heaven.
The text ends with the verse, "Be perfect therefore, as your Heavenly Father is perfect." Pastor Henry told us that perfect here is used in the sense of being whole or complete. We should be whole or complete in the same way as how God pours out love on all people - by loving friend and enemy. This verse in The Message says,
"You're kingdom subjects. Now live like it. Live out your God-created identity. Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you."Is God calling you to pray for anyone who has persecute you or wronged you in the past? I can't really say that I am being persecuted directly at this time. We live in a country where we have freedom to worship as we choose. When I think about how this verse can apply to this, I thought about how our values and the things we believe in are trashed by the media and popular culture. Therefore, it would be a good thing to pray for those who are against what we believe and hold dear.
Labels: Prayer
Who Do We Pray To?
Note: I missed last week because we were out of town... it was so great to be back today!!!
Today, Pastor Henry continued the series on Prayer by addressing the question, "Who do we pray to?" or "Who do we focus on?" When I was a kid, I pictured and old white haired man on a throne who was good, but it was all pretty hazy and I don't think I could connect very well. Pastor Henry read the following from Hebrew 4:14-16:
14Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens,[a] Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. 16Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.We talked about different situations where we ask someone for help, and agreed that we needed to ask someone who was sympathetic to our needs. And right here in this passage, we are reminded that Jesus can sympathize with our weaknesses - He knows what we're going through because He has been tempted in every way like us. It's easier to connect with someone who knows what we're going through. Verse 16 urges us to approach the throne of grace with confidence because of what Jesus did for us. The Message puts it like this: "
So let's walk right up to him and get what he is so ready to give. Take the mercy, accept the help." We read more in Hebrews about the role of a high priest:
1Every high priest is selected from among men and is appointed to represent them in matters related to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. 2He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray, since he himself is subject to weakness. 3This is why he has to offer sacrifices for his own sins, as well as for the sins of the people. 4No one takes this honor upon himself; he must be called by God, just as Aaron was. 5So Christ also did not take upon himself the glory of becoming a high priest. But God said to him,
"You are my Son;
today I have become your Father.[a]"[b] 6And he says in another place,
"You are a priest forever,
in the order of Melchizedek."[c]
7During the days of Jesus' life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. 8Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered 9and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him 10and was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek.
Because of Jesus' perfect obedience, suffering, and death, He became the source of eternal life and salvation for those who believe.
Don't be afraid to ask for help.
Labels: Prayer
A House of Prayer
I wondered today if we would continue talking about prayer in church since it was Palm Sunday, and wouldn't you know, there is a connection. Pastor Amy read the story of the Triumphal Entry from
Luke 19:28-46 and talked about how Jesus was trying to get his message to the people. As Jesus approached Jerusalem, He wept over the city and said,
If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace--but now it is hidden from your eyes. The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God's coming to you."
They weren't getting it. After Jesus enterred Jerusalem, He went in to the temple, drove out the money changers and told them, "It is written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer, but you have made it into a den of robbers'" This actually comes from
Isaiah 56 where God tells Israel that even foreigners would find joy in His house of prayer for it would be a house of prayer for all nations. Israel was trying to fit into surrounding cultures, and then they went the opposite direction and closed themselves off from other nations. God told them through Isaiah that they still had it wrong - what is really important is that my house is to become a house of prayer
for all nations. What we can learn from this is that there is a way to live as God's people right in the middle of the culture we are in. Don't keep His message to yourself.
So what did you hear today that tugged at your heart? What I have been thinking about is what it means to be a
house of prayer for all nations. We have been talking a lot about prayer lately and I think prayer is a place where we recognize God's sovereignty and our place in our relationship with Him. Since the coming of the Holy Spirit, His temple is in our hearts, and so, we want our hearts and our attitudes to be such that we believe God is sovereign. We look to Him for our needs, our hurts and our wants, we confess to Him and we repent; and we thank Him for who He is and what He has done for us. Now, if all nations, all people believed this message, what a wonderful world it would be.
Labels: Prayer
Persistence in Prayer
Pastor Amy talked about prayer today by comparing the story of Abraham pleading for Sodom and Gomorrah in
Genesis 18:16-33 and the story of the persistent widow in
Luke 18:1-8. In looking at how prayer was used in the 2 stories, we saw these 4 similarities:
Persistence
Boldness
Seeking justice and deliverance
God is a Judge
Amy brought up 3 good questions regarding these similarities.
1. What is the purpose of our persistence? Why can't God deliver us now?When we pray with persistence, we are declaring our faith in God. Because we believe in His mercy and deliverance, we do not give up! Luke 18:8 describes it this way: "However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?"
2. What kinds of prayers do we persist in?Should we keep praying for a pony? :) Both of the stories today were about persistence in prayer to God the
Judge. We should keep praying in and for situations where justice is needed and we should pray that God's justice will prevail.
3. Will God answer these prayers?Yes, He will because He is merciful, and He does deliver.
Monday addition: What are you persistent in prayer about?
As a parent, of course I am persistent in prayer for my family - that my kids all know God and mature in their faith. I also pray for the patients who come to Pine Rest (where I work) to find Jesus' healing. I think these are both prayers to persist in - for God's goodness and justice to prevail over evil.
Labels: Prayer
