You'll often hear people say in the media, it's a regular thing in response to some kind of a tragedy.
Our thoughts and our prayers are with their loved ones.
I've heard it even from the mouths of avowed atheists tweeted.
Our prayers are with you. Our thoughts and our prayers are with you.
And I'm kind of thinking in that moment, what does that mean for you?
The word prayer in that moment.
You see, most people on this planet pray at least some time in their lives.
It is true, I think, that prayer is practically a worldwide activity.
But what prayer actually means is vastly different from individual to individual.
The difference in what prayer means or what it is or how you go about it is determined by what we think the God or the being is that we're praying to.
What we think that relationship is with our God will determine what prayer is like for us.
So, in other words, when a Buddhist spins his prayer wheel or the Hindu sits in mystic silence or the Muslim with his prayer mat faces Mecca five times a day,
all are reflecting the character of the God or the gods to whom they're praying to and what that relationship with that God or that being is like.
And it's exactly the same for the Christian.
Our prayer is shaped and defined by the being to whom we pray.
And what the Bible reveals about God shapes our prayer life in two major kind of ways.
First of all, for instance, Jeremiah 32 is a great little passage, 32 verse 17, which says,
That verse alone shapes the way you pray and your expectations when you pray.
Or take it from that and go to, for instance, Romans 8.
And you get this stunning picture in Romans 8 of the Christian life where it says that we were once slaves to sin.
We were slaves to death and fear.
We were hostile to God.
We were unable to please God in any kind of way.
And now we are free sons of the Father and co-heirs of his kingdom in Christ.
That is, through being united with Jesus, who died to free us,
we now live a new life in which God himself dwells with us by his Holy Spirit.
It's because of the saving work of God that we are raised up from our low position of being cut off from God
and being granted free access to the almighty, true and living God,
which Jeremiah says nothing is too hard for him.
He's the one who creates everything and sustains everything.
And according to Romans 8, there's no barrier between us and this God because of Jesus.
It's been torn down.
It's like Jesus, through his life and death and resurrection, has reconnected the phone lines.
And we can start communicating with God again.
What that means is that prayer is not an addition.
It's not an appendix to the Christian life.
It's not sort of sitting over here, one of these things that we get to do when we get around to it.
But our prayer life is, in fact, at the very heart of who we are as Christians.
It's the very heart of who we are as Christians and how we relate to our heavenly Father.
It is phenomenal that the most famous of prayers, the Lord's Prayer,
simply starts with our Father or quite literally, my Dad.
It's phenomenal.
And our prayer life is, therefore, one of the greatest indicators of our spiritual health,
individually and corporately.
It shines light on whether we know about God through theological concepts
or actually in communion with our Father, our Dad.
That relationship is operating, working, communion with God.
So what an incredible privilege that we have as Christians.
One of the photos I love is JFK in the Oval Office
with a bunch of the heads of the United States at that time,
having obviously a very important meeting,
and little John Jr. coming into the Oval Office,
having direct access to the Commander-in-Chief,
unquestioned, not stopped by anyone.
Everyone else in that room needs to make an appointment,
except the son.
At any time, he wanders in.
What a privilege we have in prayer.
And so it is one of the greatest indicators of our spiritual health.
Not your Bible knowledge.
How well are you communing with God?
And so as we kick off this new year of ministry,
as we do for, and have been doing for a number of years,
we begin the ministry year in a week of prayer.
And it's just a week, and a week of 52 weeks is one thing,
but I think what I want to do every year
is at very least symbolically
to start the ministry year on our knees
and to independence upon God,
seeking His agenda, His will for our church,
His enabling for Him to do His work,
and to continue the year on our knees.
So we do this every year to make a statement as a church.
It's a statement to God.
It's a statement to this world in which we live.
It's a statement to our own consciences
that we exist as a church
to do things that we cannot do
without the supernatural grace of God.
Everything good, everything worthwhile,
everything eternal,
and God-glorifying that we seek to do as a church,
we cannot do without the supernatural grace of God.
And so this prayer week, as it does every year,
proclaims that we exist as a church here at St. Paul's
mainly to do the humanly impossible.
The humanly impossible.
I love what Jacob said just a moment ago
and how that shapes the organisation of IJM.
I communicated at our heartbeat night in November
that for the next three years,
we're going to make a concerted effort
into breaking what is known as the 200 Barrier.
It's details that I'm going to talk about a lot
and have talked about a lot,
breaking this 200 Barrier.
We've hovered around as a church
for at least a couple of decades,
and so we're going to put energy and focus
into taking steps, deliberate steps,
to move beyond that.
And the intention and the vision
behind this concerted effort
is to see people know and treasure
the Lord Jesus Christ for the first time
through the ministry of,
and the people of this church.
And our vision statement says
that we are desperate
for people to encounter the Lord Jesus.
And the word desperate
just implies for me sweat,
labouring, sacrifice,
change for God to be glorified.
Our Lord has not called us
to an impossible mission.
He's called us to a demanding mission.
And I chose Colossians 4, 2-4,
for the beginning of prayer week
for this very reason.
Because we cannot be comfortable
sitting the size of the church we are
and not making desperate moves
for more people to see Jesus.
If God chooses not to grow,
that's His business.
But it's another thing
where there's moral and spiritual apathy
not to want to change.
That's reprehensible
as far as I'm concerned.
And so we're making deliberate changes.
Nick's alluded to them.
They're going to start next week
of moving forward as a church.
But I want us to know
that we're moving forward,
seeking God to do
what we cannot do
as we work forward.
Yes, there is sacrifice,
there is sweat,
and there is thoughtful strategy,
there is risk on our behalf.
But it is a deeply spiritual
and God-dependent activity
that we are doing.
And so if I understand Colossians 4,
which hopefully got in front of you right now,
open that is,
if I understand this text correctly,
the human key
that might unlock
the blessing of God's power and grace
in our mission to Chatswood
is devoted,
watchful,
and thankful prayer.
You see, this text here
gives me a strong hope
that God will open a door
to His word in Chatswood
and that faith will come to many people
if we pray desperately
for Him to do that.
In Colossians 4, 2-4,
Paul is urging the Colossians
to pray
just like I am urging us today
to pray.
In fact,
to pray for something quite specific.
And I see two things here
in these verses
that he wants them to pray for.
We'll look at those first,
those two things first
before I will then turn our attention
to how it is
that we pray
for those two things.
The two things
are for an open door
and for a powerful word.
An open door
and a powerful word.
Paul here
wants God
to work both
in the recipients
of the message
and him,
the preacher
of the message.
So in verse 3,
he says,
Now there are
at least
three other times
in the New Testament
that Paul uses
this same image
that he does here
of an open door.
He uses it
in Acts 14, 27,
in 1 Corinthians 16, 8, 9
and in 2 Corinthians 2, 12.
And each time
this open door
means,
seems to be
a remarkable set
of circumstances
that would have been
very effective
for the gospel.
That's what he's praying for.
Remarkable circumstances
for the gospel,
reception of the gospel.
And so when Paul says
in verse 3,
Pray for us too
that I may,
that God may open a door
for our message
so that we may reclaim
the mystery of Christ,
I take him to mean
that God
changes
things
and changes
people's hearts
and changes
circumstances
and does a remarkable work
when people pray.
When Christians pray.
Circumstances
and attitude
and receptivity
of the gospel
change
so that instead of
hitting a brick wall
again and again
and again,
the gospel
finds an open door
and becomes
inexplicably
effective.
Give you some,
one example
of this
was a case
of Duncan Campbell.
He's a minister
last century
in the United Free Church
of Scotland.
And on the Monday
of Easter
1952,
Campbell
was seated
on the platform
of Hamilton Road
Presbyterian Church
in Bangor,
Northern Ireland
and it's a church
that Nat and I
have visited twice
and I've spoken at
and he had just
finished speaking.
He's sitting on the platform,
just finished speaking
to the Faith Mission
Convention
when he
sensed
an inner voice
say to him,
Bernare.
Now Bernare
is a small
island
in the Hebrides
and
in that moment
Duncan bowed
his head
and he prayed
silently
and again
came the name
Bernare.
He prayed on
and it came again
Bernare.
And so
in that moment
sitting on the
platform
Campbell turned
to the chairman
of the convention
and whispered
in his ear
brother
you'll need
to excuse me
the Holy Spirit
has just told me
that I've got to
go to Bernare.
Chairman
objected
mildly
you're the
speaker for
tomorrow.
What are we
going to do?
But nothing
would stop
Campbell.
He'd never
been to Bernare
before.
He had never
known anyone
from Bernare
before.
He had
never received
any correspondence
from anyone
from there.
He went
straight back
walked off
the platform
went straight
back to his
hotel
packed his
two suitcases
and contacted
the airport.
The airport
said
we don't have
any connections
with that
island.
It's too
small.
It's too
far out of
the way.
No one
flies there.
So he said
fly me to
the nearest
island.
So he flew
him to
the nearest
island and
when he got
to the
nearest
island he
went down
to the
coast and
asked how
do I get
to Bernare?
And the
answer from
fishermen was
there's no
commercial route
between here
and Bernare
but as it
happens I'm
going that
way and I'll
take you there
on my
fishing boat
for a
certain amount
of money
and the
certain amount
of money
was exactly
what he had
in his pocket
in that
moment.
Got to
Bernare
fishermen
dumped him
on the
beach
he climbed
up a hill
on the
beach
found himself
alone
sitting up
there
except he's
on the
edge of a
ploughed field
where the
farmer's doing
some work
he called
the farmer
over and
said can
you go and
tell your
pastor of
this island
that Duncan
Campbell has
arrived
and the
farmer said
we don't
have a
minister
do you
have elders
Campbell
asked
yes
well then
go and get
the nearest
elder and
tell him
Duncan
Campbell's
arrived
so the
farmer
somewhat
puzzled
as you
would be
headed off
across the
field
and Campbell
sat there
on his
suitcases
and waited
for him
to come
back
the farmer
comes back
after some
time and
says
he's expecting
you
he's been
waiting for
you to
arrive
he has a
place ready
for you
and he's
already
announced
the meetings
are beginning
at nine
o'clock
tonight
you see
while Campbell
had been
speaking at
that convention
in northern
Ireland
three days
earlier this
elder had
spent his
day praying
in his
shed
for God
to send
revival to
this island
and his
wife heard
him from
the house
praying in
the shed
and his
wife heard
him say
Lord I
don't know
where he
is but
you know
where he
is and
everything is
possible for
you according
to Jeremiah
32 so you
send Uncle
Campbell to
this island
and he
knew that
God was
going to
do it
he was
so sure
of it
that he
would be
there in
three days
that he
made all
the arrangements
to use the
local church
and announced
all the
services
and from
nine o'clock
that night
great revival
came to the
island of
Bernare
great door
had opened
to the
word
that no
man could
shut
because God
had opened
it beyond
expectations
do you pray
like that
desperate
for people
to know
Christ
desperate
for revival
to come
to Chatswood
so the
first thing
we should
pray for
this year
is that
God
would work
in all the
circumstances
surrounding
our people
and our
ministry
including
the hearts
of everyone
who hears
the gospel
to open
wide
and effective
the door
of the gospel
let this
sink into
your minds
and your
hearts today
the key
to opening
the door
of God's
blessing
on our
vision
is in
seeing people
come to
Christ
is that
kind of
prayer
but it's
risky
isn't
it
it is
risky
trustful
hopeful
prayer
and that's
the first
thing
that Paul
mentions
for prayer
and the
second
thing
for prayer
is for
clarity
of the
message
and boldness
of the
messenger
have a look
there in
verses 3
and 4
pray for us
2
that God
may open
a door
to our
message
so that
we may
proclaim
the mystery
of Christ
for which
I'm in
chains
and pray
that I
may
proclaim
it
clearly
as I
should
so Paul
exhorts
the
Colossians
here
to persevere
in prayer
and follows
it immediately
with a request
for them
to pray
for himself
and his
co-workers
and the
content of
his prayer
is not
for personal
benefit
for Paul
it's not
about his
retirement plans
it's not
about his
superannuation
it's not
about his
family
it's not
about
you know
his
work
scenario
it's
it's for
Paul
and his
companions
to preach
the word
of God
clearly
and he
mentions
specifically
here
that he
is in
chains
for his
preaching
but he
doesn't
ask
for prayer
to be
released
from the
chains
in order
to go
on
preaching
he's not
asking for
that
he's not
asking God
you know
guys pray
for me
that God
will solve
all these
issues
so that I'm
now set
free to
proclaim
his gospel
doesn't
pray for
personal
benefit
he prays
for the
effectiveness
of the
message
going
out
and we
see
at a
number
of
points
in the
New
Testament
that Paul
places
a great
importance
on his
converts
and other
Christians
partnering
with him
through
prayer
as he
seeks to
win the
Gentile
world
for
Christ
see that
in Romans
15
Ephesians
6
1
he
earnestly
desired
their help
and support
as he
labored to
see the
gospel
spread to
the ends
of the
earth
and I
want to
suggest
there is
no
better
way
to
express
this
partnership
than
intercessory
prayer
no better
way to
express
this
partnership
we
exist
in a
materialistic
world
that is
so
obsessed
with
doing
partnership
is me
doing
stuff
I
want to
suggest
to you
if you
cannot
fill a
roster
here
that
in
no
way
is
prayer
at
all
a
secondary
activity
when
he
calls
these
Christians
to pray
for him
and his
colleagues
he's
calling
them
to an
ongoing
activity
this
is a
prayer
for the
preacher
for the
evangelist
for the
community
group
leader
for the
music
director
for everyone
every
Christian
who has
the word
of God
on their
lips
can I
say
that as
your senior
pastor here
at St.
Paul's
that I
am aware
constantly
every day
that I
need your
prayers
the
longer
I
have
been
in
pastoral
ministry
which is
over
20
years
now
I
am
becoming
more
and more
aware
that the
work
that God
has called
me to
do
is
very
demanding
and I
can't do
it
I
barely
know my
own
heart
let alone
yours
and God
is in the
business of
shifting
people's
hearts
and minds
to align
themselves
to Jesus
that's a
work that
he does
and so
Paul needed
their prayers
because he
could imagine
himself
speaking the
gospel in a
way that was
not clear
that was not
bold
that was
not
powerful
I
got to
say how
much
more
can I
imagine
that for
myself
of needing
that prayer
the greatest
preacher
and
missionary
who ever
lived
said that
the
effectiveness
of his
preaching
depended on
the prayers
of the
church
so if
you're
sitting
here
and you're
going
I'm not
being gripped
by this
preaching
it might
be your
fault
I'll
just put
that as
a
side
if it's
true for
Paul it's
true a
hundred times
over for
me
I put
that
aside
slightly
as a
humorous
thing
but it's
actually
true
I sort
of
emphasize
that
it
actually
is
true
preaching
is a
two-way
activity
I'll
preach
on this
one day
once upon a
time
one day
sometime in
the future
it's a
two-way
activity
if you've
not
prepared
your
heart
don't
expect me
to be
able to
prepare
it for
you
we're
gathered
for
worship
your
heart
needs
to be
prepared
so what
what happens
right now
even as we
have the
word of
God
open in
front of
us
in
Colossians
4
2
4
depends
in great
measure
on how
you have
prayed
for me
or us
as we
gather
have you
ever thought
about that
these are
Paul's
two prayer
requests
for a
door to
be open
in the
lives of
unbelievers
and secondly
for a
clear and
powerful
gospel message
to go
through that
door
and it is
with a
real sense
of urgency
that I
call you
to devote
yourselves
to those
prayers
in 2018
so this
brings me
to how
we are
to pray
and Paul
mentions three
things in
verse 2
devote
yourselves
to prayer
being watchful
and thankful
pray with
devotion
with watchfulness
and with
thanksgiving
the call
of God's
word here
is to
devote
yourselves
to prayer
it should
not come
as a
surprise
given what
Paul has
requested
we pray
for in
verses 3
and 4
if prayer
is so
great
and central
to unlocking
God's purpose
for the
universe
and for
your life
and for
my life
it's not
surprising
that God
would command
us to
devote
ourselves
to
prayer
and to
this prayer
specifically
the word
be devoted
to
or persevere
in
or continue
in
occurs
six times
in the
New Testament
in relation
to prayer
Acts 1
14
they all
join together
constantly
in prayer
Acts 2
42
they
that's the
early church
devoted
themselves
to the
apostles
teaching
and to
the fellowship
and to
the breaking
of bread
and to
prayer
Acts 6
4
the apostles
said that
they would
devote
themselves
to
prayer
and to
the ministry
of the
word
Romans 12
12
be joyful
in hope
patient
in affliction
faithful
in prayer
they go
all together
those three
things
can't have
one without
the other
joyful in
hope
patient
in affliction
faithful
in prayer
Ephesians
6
18
pray in
the spirit
on all
occasions
it means
to pray
often
it means
to pray
regularly
prayer
is not
infrequent
and prayer
is not
hit
and miss
being devoted
to prayer
means that
you are not
haphazard
you're not
forgetful
it means
that you
take steps
to see
that it
is part
of your
regular
life
in the
same way
that eating
and sleeping
and going
to the toilet
are part
of your
regular
life
and I
think
this is
also
implied
in the
word
watchfulness
to describe
the sort
of prayer
life
that we
are called
to
watchfulness
is often
used
in reference
to the
second coming
of Christ
and the
final judgment
in the
New Testament
the vision
of the future
God's plan
his purposes
the coming
of the Lord
Jesus
and the
final
ushering
in of the
kingdom
of God
is to
govern
not just
the content
of our
prayer life
but the
devotion to
our prayer
life
God
is working
out his
purposes
and he
will bring
it all
to
completion
so don't
go to
sleep
at the
wheel
direct
your mind
to Christ
and his
coming
and the
fulfillment
of all
our hope
and joy
labor
against
the
distractions
labor
against
the
hindrances
and the
temptations
towards
prayerless
praying
prayerless
praying
is when
we go
through
the motions
we're not
actually
communing
with God
we're
ticking off
a list
but we're
not actually
communing
with God
that's
prayerless
praying
and you
may as
well not
pray
be vigilant
my friends
like a
sentry on
duty outside
the camp
at night
knowing that
if you go
to sleep
in this
job
the enemy
will overthrow
the mission
this is
the tempo
of prayer
that is
often
missing
when the
church
has settled
into the
world
and is
just
using
prayer
as a
domestic
intercom
system
instead of
a battlefield
walkie-talkie
and is
so
serious
the battle
is
heaven
and hell
hang
in the
balance
for
potentially
people
sitting
in this
room
right now
but a whole bunch of people who are not sitting in this room right now
and it's hanging the balance for those people this year.
This year, it's hanging the balance for them.
So be watchful, awake, vigilant and pray.
Pray the way you would if you knew that two of your unbelieving friends
would hear the gospel for the very last time next Sunday.
Pray that way.
And finally, Paul calls us to pray with thanksgiving.
It doesn't seem right to pray for God, to open a door of faith for others
without remembering that that's the very thing he has done for you if you're a Christian.
Through remarkable circumstances,
someone has prayed that you would receive the gospel,
and God has done it.
And you didn't do it.
You didn't know about it.
God did it.
When we pray for the salvation of others,
isn't the fervency of our prayer a mirror of how thankful that we are of our own salvation?
That is, if there's not fervency in prayer
for the gospel to go out to others,
then maybe the issue is not my prayer schedule or the devotional book I'm using,
but in actual fact, my grasp of the gospel itself.
My own gratitude for it.
I suspect that as we grow in thankfulness for our own rescue, for our own salvation,
we will pray with a new zeal for others.
Now, I wrote a core value of devotion to prayer based on this passage in Colossians 4.
It's a core value for us as a church written on board just outside the door there.
But I want to be honest.
I need this core value to further penetrate my heart and shape my life in 2018.
I've always, in my 20-something years as a Christian,
always found prayer to be hard work.
It's partly because of my sin,
and it's probably mostly because of my sin,
but it's also partly the way God has wired me,
although I'm not blaming him for wiring me in a particular way.
I'm not doing the Eve, Adam and Eve issue there.
You gave me that woman.
It's your problem.
I'm an activist,
which means that when my feet hit the ground first thing in the morning,
they generally don't stop.
I get busy on stuff.
And so what I've got to do is I have to take steps
to ensure it is incorporated into my daily life.
And I do this in a number of ways in terms of meetings with staff
and other things like that.
But for me personally,
there's a window of quietness in my household and in my life
at the beginning of every day,
somewhere between 5.30 and 6,
but definitely by 6.30 when I get up
and the first thing I do is I put the kettle on and get a cup of coffee.
And then I sit in a quiet spot
and I immediately engage with God
through his word and prayer in that moment.
I need it before everything starts happening for me.
And I've got a scheduling.
And because it's so crucial,
it's in my diary and alarm goes off.
Bing, bing, bing, bing.
To make sure that it's happening every day.
Our core value says that as a church,
we are committed to consistently bringing all things to God in prayer,
intentionally building prayer into the center of our life together,
developing a culture of natural and instructed prayerfulness
when interacting with each other,
encouraging and equipping for prayer on a personal and family level,
and incorporating prayer into every church activity.
So let us join together in seeing this core value,
which is written on the wall,
be written, in fact, into our hearts in such a way
that it shapes our actions and our attitudes,
which is what values actually are meant to do
and do, in fact, do.
But in the immediate,
will you join me in this prayer week
and throughout this year
in being devoted to praying
that a door would open to the gospel
among many, many precious unbelievers
and that we would proclaim the gospel
with clarity and with power.
So two very simple things to do this week,
this coming week.
Come to Heartbeat on Wednesday night
and be reminded of our vision
and some of the strategies and risks
that we're taking to reach people
and then we're going to pray for those things.
So come to Heartbeat this Wednesday night here.
And this week, as Nick has already said,
in this coming week,
we're sending out prayer points via email.
The staff are going to be gathering
for prayer at 10 o'clock each day
and if you are here on site,
then please come and join us.
But if you're not,
which I suspect majority are not,
then set an alarm,
put in your diary,
do whatever it is that you need to do,
wrap string around your finger
and wherever you are,
wherever God has placed you,
stop and pray in that moment
at 10 o'clock each day.
Another thing you could do
is join the team here,
nine o'clock every Sunday morning
and we pray not that the music will go well
or people would come.
We pray for the proclamation of the gospel.
Hearts will be open
in all of our corporate gatherings each Sunday.
And so, brothers and sisters,
pray for a door to be opened to the gospel
as we labour,
take risks,
sacrifice
to make the gospel known
with clarity and boldness
in our mission field in 2018.
Amen.