WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:09.120 God together. So, I'm deliberately focusing on the together aspect. And one reason is because of… 00:00:10.839 --> 00:00:14.280 someone asked the question, what happened to the church prayer meeting? You know, 00:00:14.859 --> 00:00:19.260 praying together seems to be something that happens less and less. It was a very 00:00:19.260 --> 00:00:27.660 revealing statistic I came across recently. There's a Barna Research Institute that 00:00:27.660 --> 00:00:32.579 researched trends within the Christian church. And a group of Christians, a couple of thousand 00:00:32.579 --> 00:00:38.480 Christians, were polled on their spiritual habits over a three-month period. And, you know, on the 00:00:38.480 --> 00:00:45.379 positive side, many of those Christians reported praying, you know, at least once a week over those 00:00:45.379 --> 00:00:54.240 three months. But 94% of those who prayed only ever prayed alone. So, never with a friend, never in a 00:00:54.240 --> 00:01:01.539 family, and never in a church gathering. And so, the researcher drew this conclusion. Corporate prayer 00:01:01.539 --> 00:01:10.980 and corporate needs are less compelling drivers in people's prayer lives. So, praying together and 00:01:10.980 --> 00:01:18.480 the needs of one another seems to be of less importance if 94% of people only ever pray 00:01:18.480 --> 00:01:25.180 themselves. Maybe the statistic reveals a struggle that we have when it comes to praying together with 00:01:25.180 --> 00:01:32.079 and for others. Again, sometimes people struggle with it because it seems so unusual. You know, 00:01:32.120 --> 00:01:37.780 when we gather to pray, you sit around in a circle, you close your eyes, there's often silence. One person 00:01:37.780 --> 00:01:47.500 prays, heads are bowed. It can seem unusual. In a day of great activity, stopping to pray together, 00:01:47.500 --> 00:01:52.959 for the church to give time to pray together, can seem really passive. Well, shouldn't we be out 00:01:52.959 --> 00:01:59.180 there doing and doing? Again, we thought about it last week. It seems very unspectacular. 00:02:00.000 --> 00:02:06.099 Or maybe it's just that we feel awkward about it, that it's something that we've never begun. And the 00:02:06.099 --> 00:02:13.139 longer that you go without praying with someone else, the harder it can seem to be. And so, for many 00:02:13.139 --> 00:02:22.019 Christians, we struggle with the idea of praying with anybody else. And I was thinking about the 00:02:22.019 --> 00:02:26.259 loss that that brings. So, I was imagining a household. Imagine a household where you have, 00:02:26.679 --> 00:02:32.599 you know, lots and lots of kids in the house, but each of those kids only ever spoke to their mom and 00:02:32.599 --> 00:02:38.759 dad on a one-to-one basis. There was never those shared family conversations around the table. 00:02:38.759 --> 00:02:44.099 Everything was always just me and my parent. And you would think, well, you're missing sort of 00:02:44.099 --> 00:02:51.259 learning and growing and enjoying together. Because it is a privilege for the family of God to be able 00:02:51.259 --> 00:02:57.579 to spend time together as brothers and sisters in Christ, talking to our Father in heaven together. 00:02:57.979 --> 00:03:01.819 So, that's what I want us to think about this evening, the incredible privilege that we have 00:03:01.819 --> 00:03:13.359 of praying to God together. We just sang Psalm 106, which reminds us wonderfully of the power of prayer. 00:03:14.079 --> 00:03:20.139 You know, we find so many examples, but Moses is a great example. Moses is a mediator for his people. 00:03:20.759 --> 00:03:27.560 In Psalm 106, he's presented as standing in the gap between the holy God and sinful Israel, 00:03:27.560 --> 00:03:37.400 claiming covenant promises so that they would not be destroyed. And God gave Moses that job and gave him 00:03:37.400 --> 00:03:42.960 those words to pray so that they would not be destroyed. Or maybe we can think of that battle. 00:03:43.080 --> 00:03:47.860 Remember that battle scene where Joshua and the armies are down below, and there's Moses up on the 00:03:47.860 --> 00:03:52.599 hill, and he's lifting his hands. And while his hands are lifted in prayer, the people are winning the 00:03:52.599 --> 00:04:00.460 battle. But when his arms begin to droop, the other side wins. So, you see Aaron and her holding his hands 00:04:00.460 --> 00:04:08.460 up in prayer for victory. Or how we began with Solomon in the temple. As the temple is finished, 00:04:08.519 --> 00:04:16.659 and as the people gather together for worship, the glory of God is there. So, we need to understand 00:04:16.660 --> 00:04:24.760 that when we pray, and when we pray together, we're accessing the power of God. We are together 00:04:24.760 --> 00:04:32.720 invited to enjoy the presence of God, and to understand that God is pleased to use our prayers 00:04:32.720 --> 00:04:41.080 for his purposes. Think about the example of Jesus. We've seen that in Luke's gospel. He was the 00:04:41.079 --> 00:04:47.560 man of prayer, and he created a praying community. Remember his disciples asking the question, Lord, 00:04:47.680 --> 00:04:58.099 teach us to pray. And then he gave them the Lord's prayer, which focuses on the corporate nature and 00:04:58.099 --> 00:05:05.039 reality for the people of God. And so, Jesus creates this praying community that we then see 00:05:05.040 --> 00:05:12.240 in the book of Acts. So, Luke in his gospel focuses on Jesus, the man of prayer. In the book of Acts, 00:05:12.280 --> 00:05:18.640 there's a focus on the church as the people of prayer. It's fundamental to the life of the early 00:05:18.640 --> 00:05:27.520 church. So, I want us to be encouraged as we look at three snapshots that Luke takes of prayer meetings 00:05:27.520 --> 00:05:34.939 that happen in the first church in Jerusalem, to remind us of the privilege that we have when we pray. 00:05:35.040 --> 00:05:43.020 And when we pray together. First of all, in Acts chapter 1, and especially verse 14, 00:05:43.560 --> 00:05:50.580 we're going to think about these first disciples praying for the Spirit. So, in Acts chapter 1, 00:05:50.620 --> 00:05:57.480 verse 14, they all join together constantly in prayer. Now, the context, as Stephen read it for us, 00:05:57.480 --> 00:06:05.960 Jesus is about to return to heaven. Jesus has promised the Holy Spirit. And so, they're told 00:06:05.960 --> 00:06:14.280 in verse 4 and verse 5 to wait in Jerusalem for that gift. Wait until the Spirit comes on them in 00:06:14.280 --> 00:06:21.620 power. They're told in verse 8, you'll receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you'll be my 00:06:21.620 --> 00:06:28.079 witnesses. So, they are to wait for this power because this power is going to enable them to 00:06:28.079 --> 00:06:36.819 continue in the mission of Jesus. As a by-the-by, sometimes this book is just called Acts. Sometimes 00:06:36.819 --> 00:06:42.100 it's known as the Acts of the Apostles. But as you read it, don't we discover that it's also 00:06:42.100 --> 00:06:48.540 the Acts of the Apostles as they are filled with the Spirit? And we also understand that it's the 00:06:48.540 --> 00:06:55.740 ongoing activity of Jesus by the Spirit and through the church at the same time. So, these great 00:06:55.740 --> 00:07:03.560 promises are made. Jesus returns to heaven. Then, verse 12 and 13, we find the apostles heading back 00:07:03.560 --> 00:07:10.520 to Jerusalem as they were told to do. They go to that upstairs room. There's 120 of them gathered. 00:07:10.520 --> 00:07:18.420 There's the apostles. There's some women. There's some of Jesus' brothers who are followers. 00:07:18.540 --> 00:07:27.680 Now that they've met Him, resurrected in glory. And then, we come to the reality that they all 00:07:27.680 --> 00:07:31.340 joined together constantly in prayer. And we could say, well, we don't know what they were praying for, 00:07:31.439 --> 00:07:38.820 but surely, surely we're to understand that they are praying for this gift that Jesus has said they are 00:07:38.820 --> 00:07:45.379 to wait for. Surely, that's what they're doing. And we find then for 10 days, the gap in between 00:07:45.379 --> 00:07:53.680 ascension of Jesus and Pentecost, praying together that God, that Jesus would send the Spirit as He 00:07:53.680 --> 00:08:03.620 promised. And look at verse 14. They all joined together. There is a unity. There is one heart, 00:08:03.620 --> 00:08:08.540 this one desire that they would get this gift that was promised. 00:08:08.540 --> 00:08:16.360 Christ. And they all joined together constantly. So, they're persevering. They know this is 00:08:16.360 --> 00:08:25.000 supremely important if they are to be effective in their mission of serving Jesus. Jesus has just 00:08:25.000 --> 00:08:33.039 taught them to wait. And remember, too, and that just before Jesus died, in His farewell address that we 00:08:33.039 --> 00:08:38.860 find in John's gospel, He gave them so much information on why the coming of the Spirit was 00:08:38.860 --> 00:08:50.199 profoundly good news. So, if you turn over to John chapter 14, we will see there, we're just going to 00:08:50.199 --> 00:08:57.059 look very briefly at just some of what Jesus promises about the ministry of the Spirit. Because this will 00:08:57.059 --> 00:09:02.519 help us to see, I think, why they persevere for 10 days waiting for the Spirit to come, and why it's 00:09:02.519 --> 00:09:08.519 important for us to pray for the ministry of the Spirit in our lives and in our shared life, too. 00:09:08.639 --> 00:09:17.279 So, John 14, 18 is a good place to begin. Having spoken about the Spirit of truth, in verse 18, 00:09:17.399 --> 00:09:24.259 Jesus says, I will not leave you as orphans. I will come to you. How does Jesus come to His people? He 00:09:24.259 --> 00:09:30.600 comes by the Spirit. We pray for the Spirit because the Spirit brings the presence of Jesus to His people. 00:09:30.600 --> 00:09:38.240 John 14, verse 26, the advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, 00:09:38.580 --> 00:09:44.759 will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. So, here's the 00:09:44.759 --> 00:09:49.379 ministry of the Spirit in the life of the apostles. All the rich teaching that they heard from Jesus, 00:09:49.480 --> 00:09:54.860 they'd be able to recall, to understand its significance, and to communicate. It's what we have 00:09:54.860 --> 00:10:04.940 in the New Testament. John chapter 15, verse 26, when the advocate comes, who I will send you from 00:10:04.940 --> 00:10:12.180 the Father, the Spirit of truth, who goes out from the Father, He will testify about me. So, the Father's 00:10:12.180 --> 00:10:17.940 going to send the Spirit of truth, the Spirit who reveals the truth about Jesus. The Spirit is going to 00:10:17.940 --> 00:10:26.220 testify. The Spirit wants us to know the glory of Jesus, to know the truth that Jesus brings. And in 00:10:26.220 --> 00:10:33.900 verse 27, it says, you also must testify. People who are filled with the Spirit are then able to testify 00:10:33.900 --> 00:10:43.600 as the Spirit testifies. And then John 16, 13 to 15. Well, verse 12, Jesus says, I have much more to say 00:10:43.600 --> 00:10:48.740 to you more than you can now bear. But when He, the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all 00:10:48.740 --> 00:10:56.700 the truth. So, the Spirit's going to keep speaking to them from Jesus and of Jesus. He will not speak 00:10:56.700 --> 00:11:02.440 on His own. He'll speak only what He hears, and He'll tell you what is yet to come. He will glorify 00:11:02.440 --> 00:11:08.660 me, because it's from me that He will receive what He will make known to you. So, the Spirit guides into 00:11:08.659 --> 00:11:18.379 truth. The Spirit reveals the glory of Jesus. The Spirit brings Christ and His gift to His people. 00:11:19.759 --> 00:11:27.139 So, having been told that by Jesus, of course, they pray and they pray and they pray, because they know 00:11:27.139 --> 00:11:34.259 they want and they need this gift. Back to the book of Acts. How's the prayer answered? It's answered at 00:11:34.259 --> 00:11:43.259 Pentecost, isn't it? Acts chapter 2. In verse 4, we find the Spirit comes to be present. All of them 00:11:43.259 --> 00:11:51.860 were filled with the Holy Spirit. We find them then beginning to preach about Jesus straight away. 00:11:52.799 --> 00:11:58.439 Verse 11, we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues. Remarkably, the Spirit enables 00:11:58.440 --> 00:12:05.920 them to preach in other languages. And we recognize the power of the Spirit in transforming hearts and 00:12:05.920 --> 00:12:12.580 lives. At the end of Peter's sermon, it talks about people being cut to the heart. Brothers, what shall we 00:12:12.580 --> 00:12:20.160 do? Repent and be baptized, and you'll receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. And so, 3,000 people are added 00:12:20.160 --> 00:12:26.660 to the church, and they receive the gift of the Spirit. What are we seeing happening at Pentecost? 00:12:26.659 --> 00:12:34.539 Jesus comes to be present by His Spirit, and His mission continues in the power that He gives. 00:12:37.559 --> 00:12:43.379 Let me think about two ways for us to apply this today when it comes to our praying together with 00:12:43.379 --> 00:12:48.100 and for one another. The first way I think this is really important is when it comes to our own 00:12:48.100 --> 00:12:55.159 sense of Christian identity. So, I guess it must have been the tail end of last year. 00:12:55.159 --> 00:13:01.699 Where King Charles, big supporter of the big issue, as is Prince William. And you probably saw in the 00:13:01.699 --> 00:13:09.139 news, Prince William spending a morning out as a big issue vendor, having that experience just for a 00:13:09.139 --> 00:13:17.219 few hours here as a prince, but he's acting as if he is in poverty. He went back to his palace, of course. 00:13:17.220 --> 00:13:25.279 But sadly, in our Christian experience, though we are rich, we can act as if we are poor. 00:13:26.379 --> 00:13:32.420 In Jesus, we are children of the King, and we have every spiritual blessing, 00:13:32.419 --> 00:13:41.799 but so often we can lose sight of that. We can be prone to wander. We can be prone to lose our focus. 00:13:43.079 --> 00:13:49.719 And so often we hear in the Bible that call to be who we truly are. And that takes us 00:13:49.719 --> 00:13:57.059 to the ministry of the Spirit and why we pray for the work of the Spirit. Because the Spirit is, 00:13:57.059 --> 00:14:02.779 according to Paul, the Spirit of adoption. The Spirit that confirms to our hearts that we are 00:14:02.779 --> 00:14:09.139 children of God. It's the Spirit who helps to remind us of the truths of the gospel. 00:14:10.139 --> 00:14:17.619 It's the Spirit who shows us the glory of God our Father, of Jesus our Savior, the privileges that we 00:14:17.619 --> 00:14:23.379 have of being the people of God. And so we need the ministry of the Spirit for ourselves and for 00:14:23.379 --> 00:14:30.500 others to help our hearts believe maybe what our heads know. But there can be a great disconnect, 00:14:30.720 --> 00:14:36.879 can't there? So we need to pray together for each other, bearing in mind this important ministry of 00:14:36.879 --> 00:14:46.019 the Spirit, that we would know who we are, that we would know who we belong to, that we'd pray for 00:14:46.019 --> 00:14:54.139 each one of us to have help to live out our identity as children of the King. I think praying for the 00:14:54.139 --> 00:15:04.439 Spirit also has significance when it comes to our Christian mission. So we have a warming scene up 00:15:04.439 --> 00:15:11.600 there of a log fire. Some of us have wood-burning stoves, or maybe over the holidays you went home and 00:15:11.600 --> 00:15:19.139 you got to enjoy a roaring fire. While it's very nice and attractive to see a fire with logs all 00:15:19.139 --> 00:15:25.759 stacked up, we know that there is something missing. There is no heat until there is fire. 00:15:26.879 --> 00:15:36.440 When it comes to our work of mission, our responsibility is, as it were, to pile up the logs. 00:15:36.440 --> 00:15:46.300 We present truth. We teach God's Word in church and at home, in our conversations. We look to bear 00:15:46.300 --> 00:15:52.140 witness to the good news of Jesus' death and resurrection so that people would have the 00:15:52.140 --> 00:15:58.160 information to go on. But we know that we don't have the power to change a heart. 00:15:58.159 --> 00:16:06.879 We need the fire. We need the fire. The fire comes from the Spirit. And so we pray together 00:16:06.879 --> 00:16:18.079 for God to set hearts burning as people encounter Jesus, that we would pray for the effectiveness of 00:16:18.079 --> 00:16:28.019 our mission. All our preaching, all our teaching comes to nothing unless the Spirit is pleased to 00:16:28.019 --> 00:16:36.539 take it. Take it and bless it in the hearts and lives of others. And so we too are to pray 00:16:36.539 --> 00:16:43.579 constantly with one mind and heart and purpose, that Jesus would continue His work, that He would 00:16:43.579 --> 00:16:52.120 continue to come in power. So we pray for the Spirit. Now we're going to look at another of our 00:16:52.120 --> 00:16:57.199 prayer meetings in the Jerusalem church. That's the one that was in Acts chapter 4. So you can turn there 00:16:57.200 --> 00:17:03.340 to Acts chapter 4 where we encounter a different kind of prayer meeting. It's prayers as the church 00:17:03.340 --> 00:17:11.019 faces opposition. One of the things that this section reminds us of is that principle that no soldier 00:17:11.019 --> 00:17:21.279 fights alone. If you like watching war movies or if you like reading history about world wars or other 00:17:21.279 --> 00:17:30.559 wars, what gives courage to soldiers in the heat of battle, you know, what gave courage to soldiers on 00:17:30.559 --> 00:17:36.000 those beach landings when they knew that they were going to come under heavy assault was the fact that 00:17:36.000 --> 00:17:43.059 they stood shoulder to shoulder with a band of brothers. And in the heat of spiritual battle, 00:17:43.059 --> 00:17:51.940 our need likewise is to form that spiritual band of brothers and sisters in Christ, those who will 00:17:51.940 --> 00:18:01.659 stand with us when things get tough. So our context this time in Acts chapter 4, the apostles are beginning 00:18:01.659 --> 00:18:08.000 to feel opposition as a follower of Jesus. Remember Jesus said, they hated me, so they'll hate you also. 00:18:08.000 --> 00:18:16.740 And so they've been arrested and they've been questioned for both their power and their preaching 00:18:16.740 --> 00:18:23.339 of Christ. It's really interesting. Chapter 4, verse 8, look at what happens when Peter is filled with 00:18:23.339 --> 00:18:30.160 the Holy Spirit. Look at the power of his communication. Verse 10, know this, you and all the people of Israel, 00:18:30.240 --> 00:18:35.480 it's by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, but whom God raised from the dead, 00:18:35.480 --> 00:18:43.140 that this man stands before you healed. Salvation is found in no one else. For there is no other name 00:18:43.140 --> 00:18:48.980 under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved. Peter, before the Spirit, before the 00:18:48.980 --> 00:18:55.019 resurrection, was hiding in fear, but now the Spirit has come. Now he knows Jesus is alive. He is powerfully 00:18:55.019 --> 00:19:03.620 proclaiming true. And so as the story goes on, we find these apostles threatened but released. And as 00:19:03.619 --> 00:19:10.699 they are released, they return to the church in verse 23. And in verse 24, what happens? A prayer meeting 00:19:10.699 --> 00:19:16.500 begins. And again, let's ask the question, what do they ask? Before we ask the question, what do they 00:19:16.500 --> 00:19:25.199 ask? We need to recognize who they are praying to. Before they ever ask anything of God, we hear this, 00:19:25.279 --> 00:19:29.259 when they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God's sovereign Lord. 00:19:29.259 --> 00:19:35.720 They've been confronted by the religious authority, the political authority of their day, 00:19:35.839 --> 00:19:39.680 but they remind themselves there is a higher authority. There's an ultimate authority, 00:19:39.799 --> 00:19:45.420 the sovereign Lord. And this sovereign Lord, He's the God of creation. You made the heavens and the 00:19:45.420 --> 00:19:52.500 earth and the sea and everything in them. He's the God of revelation. Verse 25, you spoke by the Holy 00:19:52.500 --> 00:19:58.700 Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David. And this is the God of history. 00:19:59.380 --> 00:20:05.240 Because they see in the attitudes and the actions of Herod and Pontius Pilate and that conspiracy of 00:20:05.240 --> 00:20:12.960 evil against Jesus, a fulfillment of those words spoken of in Psalm 2. And they understand, 00:20:13.480 --> 00:20:17.619 verse 28, they did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen. 00:20:17.619 --> 00:20:23.899 Fulfilling Scripture, fulfilling God's plan of salvation. God is the sovereign Lord. 00:20:25.239 --> 00:20:30.319 And I think it's worth reminding ourselves that the clearer our vision of our God is, 00:20:30.919 --> 00:20:37.399 the greater our boldness and our confidence in prayer will be. I think that's why Jesus told us, 00:20:38.299 --> 00:20:42.199 our Father in heaven, your kingdom come, your will be done. And then we come to our request. 00:20:42.200 --> 00:20:50.940 There are three requests. Verses 29 and 30. The first is interesting. Verse 20, now Lord, 00:20:52.100 --> 00:20:59.880 consider their threats. That's it. Simply consider their threats. We might pray, or we might pray for 00:20:59.880 --> 00:21:08.840 the persecuted church. You know, stop those evil opponents. Smash those who are against the church, 00:21:08.839 --> 00:21:13.779 or at least give the church safety and security. But that's not how they pray. Consider their threats. 00:21:14.459 --> 00:21:20.059 And then the second request, enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. So they have 00:21:20.059 --> 00:21:25.639 been boldly speaking with the help of the Spirit. They don't want to lose that in the face of opposition. 00:21:25.639 --> 00:21:32.939 So they pray to be enabled to continue. And the third one, stretch out your hand to heal and 00:21:32.940 --> 00:21:39.500 perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant, Jesus. Asking that God would continue 00:21:39.500 --> 00:21:44.820 through them to work miracles of mercy, to point to the truth and reality of Jesus as Lord. 00:21:45.740 --> 00:21:52.299 Not miracles of judgment, but miracles of mercy. How is the prayer answered? Well, we see it first in 00:21:52.299 --> 00:21:57.080 verse 31. After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken, and they were all filled with 00:21:57.079 --> 00:22:04.019 the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly. God answers their bold prayer. We see it in chapter 00:22:04.019 --> 00:22:11.879 5, verse 12. The apostles perform many signs and wonders among the people. And in verses 27 to 29, 00:22:11.879 --> 00:22:17.980 we find the apostles brought in for questioning before the religious leaders again. And Peter declares, 00:22:18.159 --> 00:22:23.720 we must obey God rather than human beings. So you get this wonderful thing, 00:22:23.720 --> 00:22:30.180 this recognition that Christian discipleship and mission takes place on a spiritual battlefield. 00:22:31.779 --> 00:22:37.319 And that prayer is bringing the Spirit with power to enable them to continue boldly. 00:22:38.539 --> 00:22:44.480 A spiritual band of brothers is being formed here in Jerusalem. And so they stand together, 00:22:44.660 --> 00:22:51.620 and they pray together for one another, and they're proclaiming Jesus together. And that bold speaking 00:22:51.619 --> 00:22:56.779 would go on in response to God answering as the church prayed together. 00:22:59.259 --> 00:23:07.379 How do we apply this today for our praying together? I wonder if you can identify with a sense of 00:23:07.379 --> 00:23:14.679 sometimes feeling discouraged in your faith and witness. Perhaps there are people in your life that 00:23:14.679 --> 00:23:19.919 you've been looking to share faith with for years, and you seem to be getting nowhere. 00:23:19.920 --> 00:23:30.920 Perhaps you feel worn down by circumstances, feeling oppressed or opposed, maybe aware of personal weakness, 00:23:31.920 --> 00:23:39.779 maybe tempted to give up and go home. Maybe you feel that it would be much easier to stay silent rather than to speak up. 00:23:39.779 --> 00:23:54.819 I would suggest that what we need by God's design is a praying band of brothers and sisters to pray with us and for us to pray with and for them, 00:23:55.319 --> 00:24:01.700 to give us strength, to encourage us when we feel like that. Like William Carey, 00:24:01.700 --> 00:24:10.920 the founder of the missions movement who resolved to go to India in 1793, he told his praying friends, 00:24:11.039 --> 00:24:18.200 I will go down into the mines. I'll go into the darkness of India if you will hold the ropes, 00:24:18.460 --> 00:24:25.920 if you will pray, if you will bear me up in prayer. As a missionary or as a church member goes into the world 00:24:25.920 --> 00:24:34.460 representing Jesus, we don't want to do that alone. We need the prayers of the church. 00:24:36.460 --> 00:24:42.700 Two points of application then for when we pray together. I think it's important that we find 00:24:42.700 --> 00:24:52.740 an ability to share our personal stories, our joys and our struggles, that we make room to share our prayer needs. 00:24:52.740 --> 00:24:59.140 Perhaps if we feel isolated as Christians in our family, perhaps if there are challenges and struggles in our workplace, 00:24:59.720 --> 00:25:02.900 maybe it's the temptations and struggles that we encounter week by week. 00:25:03.440 --> 00:25:07.240 Maybe it's the gospel opportunities that we have or we long to have, 00:25:08.059 --> 00:25:12.759 that we would make room in our community groups, engine room, in our Christian friendships 00:25:12.759 --> 00:25:17.200 to make time, spaces to share and to pray. 00:25:17.200 --> 00:25:24.960 But I think whenever we think about a church facing opposition, it reminds us of the importance of us standing 00:25:24.960 --> 00:25:27.720 to support the persecuted church. 00:25:28.559 --> 00:25:32.500 Those who endure levels of hatred and opposition that we will likely never know. 00:25:33.299 --> 00:25:36.799 In North Korea or Afghanistan or Iran, parts of Nigeria. 00:25:37.460 --> 00:25:41.360 That we would stand shoulder to shoulder to do what we can. 00:25:41.359 --> 00:25:43.500 To pray for them. 00:25:45.219 --> 00:25:48.719 To ask for them to have the courage to stand for Christ. 00:25:49.139 --> 00:25:51.839 To live and even to die with hope. 00:25:52.659 --> 00:25:58.199 To pray that Jesus would continue building His church in the darkest of places. 00:26:00.439 --> 00:26:02.079 One last prayer meeting to look at. 00:26:02.419 --> 00:26:03.639 And it's in Acts chapter 6. 00:26:04.839 --> 00:26:07.000 Acts chapter 6 verses 1 to 7. 00:26:07.179 --> 00:26:09.519 Context for this prayer meeting. 00:26:09.519 --> 00:26:39.500 Let's read. 00:26:39.519 --> 00:26:41.879 And we'll give our attention to prayer. 00:26:42.559 --> 00:26:43.579 And the ministry of the word. 00:26:43.700 --> 00:26:45.559 So what we see here is that the church is growing. 00:26:45.660 --> 00:26:46.960 The church in Jerusalem was growing. 00:26:47.440 --> 00:26:49.039 And church life was getting messy. 00:26:49.240 --> 00:26:51.299 Church life is always messy. 00:26:51.879 --> 00:26:53.379 They're pursuing God's concern. 00:26:53.519 --> 00:26:55.160 God said the church should care for the poor. 00:26:55.259 --> 00:26:56.619 They're looking to care for the poor. 00:26:56.720 --> 00:26:59.220 But the administration of that is going wrong. 00:27:00.599 --> 00:27:02.039 One group is being overlooked. 00:27:02.160 --> 00:27:03.559 And tensions are building up. 00:27:03.559 --> 00:27:07.480 One of these points of danger in the early church. 00:27:07.480 --> 00:27:08.279 Of splitting. 00:27:08.419 --> 00:27:10.139 Of dividing along cultural lines. 00:27:10.240 --> 00:27:12.259 And so the apostles call the church together. 00:27:13.339 --> 00:27:14.500 What do they ask? 00:27:14.839 --> 00:27:18.119 In effect, they ask the church to appoint deacons. 00:27:18.599 --> 00:27:24.319 Wise and godly men who will be able to oversee the practical food distribution. 00:27:24.319 --> 00:27:26.259 Why don't the apostles do it? 00:27:26.339 --> 00:27:28.919 That's not because serving others is beneath them. 00:27:29.899 --> 00:27:31.359 They saw Jesus do it. 00:27:31.879 --> 00:27:34.639 It's not because social care doesn't matter. 00:27:35.200 --> 00:27:36.960 Because they saw Jesus do it. 00:27:39.179 --> 00:27:42.299 No, it's because they were called to proclaim God's word. 00:27:42.299 --> 00:27:46.119 And they knew it was so important for them to stay focused. 00:27:46.240 --> 00:27:50.279 And that others who were gifted could do that work. 00:27:51.579 --> 00:27:52.799 Look at verse 4. 00:27:55.119 --> 00:27:58.879 We will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word. 00:27:59.559 --> 00:28:00.440 A natural connection. 00:28:00.599 --> 00:28:01.319 Prayer and preaching. 00:28:01.440 --> 00:28:02.460 They belong together. 00:28:03.899 --> 00:28:07.319 The seed of the gospel needs watered by the Spirit for it to grow. 00:28:09.299 --> 00:28:12.220 Preaching is vital and prayer is vital. 00:28:12.299 --> 00:28:16.180 They needed to communicate. 00:28:16.419 --> 00:28:19.740 And they needed to communicate with God and seek blessing. 00:28:20.539 --> 00:28:24.339 And the apostles are afraid that those priorities would be squeezed out. 00:28:24.960 --> 00:28:27.659 Now is it wrong to make sure that widows have food? 00:28:27.720 --> 00:28:28.639 Of course not. 00:28:30.180 --> 00:28:34.680 But for them, they were called and set aside to communicate the gospel. 00:28:34.819 --> 00:28:38.019 And so they needed to keep that as their first priority. 00:28:38.220 --> 00:28:40.079 Now how is this prayer answered? 00:28:40.079 --> 00:28:43.099 Prayer is answered in two different ways. 00:28:43.199 --> 00:28:47.919 We see it first in verses 5 and 6 as this mixed group of godly deacons are appointed. 00:28:49.460 --> 00:28:53.859 And then in verse 7, the prayer is answered as the word of God spread. 00:28:54.399 --> 00:28:57.839 And the number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly. 00:28:57.839 --> 00:29:01.019 So now there are more people using their gifts. 00:29:01.099 --> 00:29:03.000 Now there are more people doing what they're called to do. 00:29:03.079 --> 00:29:05.240 There are more people serving and loving others. 00:29:05.559 --> 00:29:08.059 The church is praying and the church is preaching. 00:29:08.299 --> 00:29:10.359 And the mission continues. 00:29:12.899 --> 00:29:14.779 How do we apply this today? 00:29:14.779 --> 00:29:18.579 When we think about our praying together. 00:29:19.799 --> 00:29:23.139 Let me give one specific and one general application. 00:29:23.299 --> 00:29:26.879 Specifically, can I ask us to be praying for our elders? 00:29:28.259 --> 00:29:33.119 And particularly praying that our elders would be men of prayer. 00:29:33.119 --> 00:29:41.459 With all the good things and all the various responsibilities that could land on an elder's plate. 00:29:41.959 --> 00:29:44.739 With the limits of time and various responsibilities. 00:29:45.079 --> 00:29:50.379 Can we pray that our elders would be given to prayer? 00:29:52.259 --> 00:29:56.739 That as a church we'd be praying for our elders to be spiritual and godly leaders. 00:29:56.740 --> 00:30:09.099 But then generally, this text reminds us that prayer is a fundamental priority of a church that looks to be on mission. 00:30:10.740 --> 00:30:15.799 That the book of Acts is showing us, the Old Testament, the New Testament is showing us time and time again. 00:30:16.059 --> 00:30:20.400 That God is pleased to act in response to the prayers of his people. 00:30:21.319 --> 00:30:23.900 That God has designed the world in that way. 00:30:23.900 --> 00:30:32.980 That his mission, his plan of salvation will continue in part in response to the prayers of his church. 00:30:35.140 --> 00:30:38.400 And so it needs to be a priority for us. 00:30:39.580 --> 00:30:40.680 To pray. 00:30:41.980 --> 00:30:46.640 Remembering our wonderful privilege that the Spirit brings the presence of Jesus. 00:30:46.820 --> 00:30:48.900 We share the presence of Jesus together. 00:30:48.900 --> 00:30:53.860 The same Spirit equips us to speak and act for Jesus. 00:30:54.980 --> 00:30:57.759 That same Spirit is the power to bring change. 00:30:59.120 --> 00:31:04.900 So let me just close by encouraging each of us to, in our own way, to enjoy the privilege of praying together. 00:31:05.600 --> 00:31:08.580 To enjoy being the children of God. 00:31:08.980 --> 00:31:10.420 Sharing family life together. 00:31:10.600 --> 00:31:12.400 Speaking to our Father together. 00:31:12.740 --> 00:31:15.280 Doing his work in prayer together. 00:31:15.279 --> 00:31:20.879 To use the analogy of a soldier. 00:31:21.539 --> 00:31:24.960 That we would sign up, we would enlist to be spiritual soldiers. 00:31:25.960 --> 00:31:28.480 Ready to sacrifice time and energy. 00:31:29.599 --> 00:31:31.740 Ready to sacrifice time so we can pray. 00:31:32.319 --> 00:31:39.359 Pray with and for our fellow soldiers in spiritual battle to seek God's kingdom advance. 00:31:39.359 --> 00:31:45.359 I'll leave you with John Stott's challenge and encouragement. 00:31:46.500 --> 00:31:48.439 He once said this, 00:31:48.539 --> 00:31:56.859 We should take the task of public intercession much more seriously than we commonly do. 00:31:56.859 --> 00:32:07.859 If local churches were to bow down before God every Sunday for 10 or 20 or even 30 minutes, 00:32:08.319 --> 00:32:11.859 what might God be free to do? 00:32:12.779 --> 00:32:16.579 God is pleased to work through the prayers of his people. 00:32:17.740 --> 00:32:20.679 And so we're going to start on a journey of discovery tonight. 00:32:21.419 --> 00:32:23.539 We're going to pray for 10 minutes. 00:32:23.539 --> 00:32:27.759 And once we've closed our service, maybe after 10 minutes or so, 00:32:28.000 --> 00:32:31.159 anybody who wants to stay, please stay. 00:32:31.480 --> 00:32:35.639 So that we can pray for the mission of God in our church. 00:32:36.099 --> 00:32:38.639 To pray for God's work in our lives. 00:32:38.740 --> 00:32:41.319 To pray for the world. 00:32:42.339 --> 00:32:45.460 To find out what might God be free to do. 00:32:46.180 --> 00:32:48.299 As we enjoy the privilege of praying together. 00:32:49.559 --> 00:32:50.980 To that end, let's pray. 00:32:51.619 --> 00:32:52.899 Father God, we thank you.