How the Church Prays
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· 9 viewsThey pray for boldness to continue preaching the Gospel
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How the Church Prays
How the Church Prays
23 When they were released, they went to their friends and reported what the chief priests and the elders had said to them. 24 And when they heard it, they lifted their voices together to God and said, “Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them, 25 who through the mouth of our father David, your servant, said by the Holy Spirit, “ ‘Why did the Gentiles rage, and the peoples plot in vain? 26 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers were gathered together, against the Lord and against his Anointed’— 27 for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, 28 to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place. 29 And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, 30 while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” 31 And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.
acts4
We tend to think of Christianity as a personal relationship with God. And while that is certainly true it is only partially true. Unfortunately we have allowed our churches in the past century to preach a Gospel that reinforces that idea. And while we must call people to penitent Faith in Christ alone... We have to at least acknowledge that the way we have done this in the past has caused some to have an overinflated view of Christianity as personal and autonomous, separated from others.... here is what I mean.
As has been popular in the last century, Altar calls and responses at the end of church services often ask people to close their eyes and raise their hands to receive Christ. The prayer that these people are lead through is usually something to the effect of, “Ask Jesus into YOUR HEART”. Think about it… If this is what has passed for Gospel preaching in the American Church, it would be easy to understand how people are left to think that what they are receiving from God is nothing more than a personal decision that can be kept private. They can easily think that the repeated prayer they pray is some sort of magical words that save them. This lends itself to creating a culture where the corporate gathering is undervalued.
Now, I would say that none of these things are bad or wrong and we would affirm most of these things, yet if that is all we are giving people it is no wonder that most people believe Christianity is about a personal relationship with God and that others shouldn’t intrude in that. Yet that undermines the Church and our receiving a call into a Community of Believers that is a family and looks like a body.
We live in a culture that really prefers anonymity and autonomy. We live in a day and age where technology has all but replaced the need for face to face interactions. With Social media at the forefront of communication people can portray the best versions of themselves, publicly living the most fun parts of their lives from the comfort of their couch at home in their PJ’s.
The need for human interaction has become drastically lessened as we have become better connected and tethered to our phones and computers in what can only be described as borderline addictive ways.
It is no wonder that the idea of preaching the Gospel is given in such a way that says, “This is a personal decision that you quietly make by repeating this simple prayer, and then you are saved.”
Oh, and by the way, now go to church…??? Your acceptance into God’s family is a closed eyed personal repeated prayer, and then just come to big gatherings and let the person up for you.
It was Bonhoeffer who said, “The Gospel in my brother is stronger than the Gospel in me, and the Gospel in me is stronger than the Gospel in my brother.” That is why we need to preach it to each other, and pray it with each other, and live it our in each others lives.
It was Bonhoeffer who said, “The Gospel in my brother is stronger than the Gospel in me, and the Gospel in me is stronger than the Gospel in my brother.” That is why we need to preach it to each other, and pray it with each other, and live it our in each others lives.
Christianity is a corporate matter, and while the Gospel saves individuals from Hell, it saves them to God’s family that is meant to be a means of Grace to the individual in keeping them stronger until we are all delivered from this world to our Father in heaven.
The text we have before us today is one that clearly shows us the importance of corporate prayer.
At all American sports events we we start by singing the national anthem. This is something that happens regardless of the sport. And when you think about it, the national anthem doesn’t have any bearing on the game being played. It doesn’t help a team score touch downs, it does help them score run or make baskets or shoot goals. It has gotten to the point where it seems as though it is completely unrelated to what everyone is there for. It is treated as a traditional cultural moment that people must endure until its over so that what they really came for can happen.
The Anthem is an add on… It is not what you came to the game for, it was thrown in there as an add on. So people endure it or are inspired by it but the moment passes.
Why do we do this? Originally the thought was that we should recognize the freedoms we have, that ours because others have fought and died for us to be a free people who can enjoy life. It was a means of connecting our citizenship to our daily activities. And whether this is still the case or if it has lost all value for some, I don’t want to get into that here, but rather draw the conclusion that for the athletes on the field it is not something that will actually help them win. For the fans who participate it is a moment of remembering and then is easily forgot. And it is no wonder… We are all American’s playing a game against each other, so the connection to our citizenship is something that is taken for granted.
However it can be inspiring in the moment to hear more than one voice sing it, and especially when every fan and athlete sings in unison… Yet the moment passes and even then it is unrelated to what is happening on the field of play.
I want you to hold that thought of this example as we work through the text today. Because my opening thought is that we can sometimes treat corporate prayer in the church as we do the national anthem at a sporting event. It is nice to do, Pray together that is, but once the prayer is over, let’s get to why we came here.
Corporate Prayer should be our initial response and not treated as an Add-on
Corporate Prayer should be our initial response and not treated as an Add-on
Prayer is a major theme in scripture, and something we should be well acquainted with. And corporate prayer is something that Binds the hearts of God’s people together in the midst of life when they face any hardship.
Yet some have treated it as a means by which we DO something that will cause God to react or will stop God from acting. As we will see from the text before us today, We serve a Sovereign God and yet there is human responsibility in connecting to our Heavenly citizenship as a people… Especially when the Mission of the church is at stake.
The Mission of the Church is to Preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ to all of creation and Make Disciples of all kinds of people. How will the early church respond when that Mission is being attacked? Let’s look at the text...
23 When they were released, they went to their friends and reported what the chief priests and the elders had said to them.
acts4.23
Now please remember where we are in the story here… Peter and John were arrested at the temple because of the miracle preformed on a lame man that caused a disturbance in the temple during prayer. Peter preaches the Gospel and the number of believers grows to 5,000 men. As they stand before the Sanhedrin council they again Preach that Jesus is the only way to salvation. They are commanded not to teach in Jesus name and these guys tell the leaders they cannot listen to them.
Now look what happens… they do not go home and wait until Sunday morning to give a missionary update in the bulletin. They gather with believers and report what had happened.
I’m sure everyone on the outside of the temple heard what happened in the temple and that Peter and John were arrested and they were praying for them. So when they are released they immediately go to there people.
True Biblical Community is important in times of great need
True Biblical Community is important in times of great need
God has created us to be in community with each other and when he saves us he brings us into his family, and this family is made visible by the other believers around us. As we look at the early church we see the importance of the biblical community they were surrounded with.
And as they came together peter and john tell them what was said and how the chief priests and elders responded to them.
And they all went on social media and started complaining about the Jewish leadership in an effort to get different leaders elected… They all posted memes that said, “type AMEN if you agree with me”... NOPE!
Look what their initial response was when the mission of the church is attacked...
24 And when they heard it, they lifted their voices together to God and said, “Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them,
acts4
Before we read this prayer I want us to notice that Corporate Prayer was the first thing they did together. They didn’t gather to dwell on their problems, they immediately connect their heavenly citizenship and God’s master plan for life to their current struggle.
They pray right away...
Being faithful in prayer is an earmark of believers. But when we gather we pray corporately as the early church. I would like us to notice HOW they prayed. There is Theology in their prayers, there in scripture in their prayers and the is Faith in their prayers. Let’s look at their prayer here...
24 And when they heard it, they lifted their voices together to God and said, “Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them, 25 who through the mouth of our father David, your servant, said by the Holy Spirit, “ ‘Why did the Gentiles rage, and the peoples plot in vain? 26 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers were gathered together, against the Lord and against his Anointed’— 27 for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, 28 to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place.
24 And when they heard it, they lifted their voices together to God and said, “Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them, 25 who through the mouth of our father David, your servant, said by the Holy Spirit, “ ‘Why did the Gentiles rage, and the peoples plot in vain? 26 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers were gathered together, against the Lord and against his Anointed’— 27 for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, 28 to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place. 29 And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, 30 while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”
acts4.24-
I don’t know about you, but when I read this I think, “How did they learn how to pray like this?” Is it just me who reads Scripture and thinks, wow that was an amazing prayer? How does thew church pray??? Hold that thought...
Let’s take this prayer apart a little to see if we can learn and how we can grow in matters of corporate prayer.
They had Theology in Prayer
They had Theology in Prayer
Theology is a word that mean the study of God or our understanding of God. It is important to point out that everyone is a theologian… Everybody has a theology or an understanding of God. Not all are right but everyone has formed an opinion based off of something. That is why we have the Bible. This is a supernatural book that God himself wrote through the hands of men as his Spirit carried them along. The Bible is a book about God, not about us. It is a revelation of God to us.
As we look at the prayers we find in the Bible we see and understanding of God that he wants us to know about him. They are more than just patterns of words or structures for us to pray when certain circumstances come against us. Biblical prayers are preserved in scripture for us to learn about God because he wants us to know him in these ways.
So what do we see in this prayer that reveals the nature of God to us?
24 And when they heard it, they lifted their voices together to God and said, “Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them,
acts4.
Sovereign Lord… What does Sovereign mean? Sovereign means to posses supreme or ultimate rule...
Sovereignty of God is the Christian teaching that God is the supreme authority and all things are under His control. ... Sovereignty is an Attribute of God based upon the premise that God as the creator of heaven and earth has absolute right and full authority to do or allow whatever He desires.
They Call God Sovereign Lord… R.C. Sproul said of this title Sovereign Lord here is a term used to express the total creative power and control of the Lord over all His physical creation and over the affairs of humanity.
They mention That the Sovereign Lord made the heavens and earth and sea and everything in them...
God creates everything and controls everything.
A term used to express the total creative power and control of the Lord over all His physical creation and over the affairs of humanity
God rules his creation, therefore… Man’s will cannot stand up to the Sovereign Lord for one moment!
The Theology of prayer is to acknowledge the Sovereign Lord before we ask anything of him. To know God for who he is and what he has done. To trust him no matter what the circumstances we face.
They go on to pray and quote scripture and apply it to their lives and then ask God a request… But not before giving us more deep understanding of what it means for God to be Sovereign...
27 for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, 28 to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place.
acts4.
It is important that you hear me say we believe in the idea of Predestination because the Apostles affirmed the doctrine of predestination. They specifically insert it into their prayer.
Yet we somehow get the idea of Predestination as making us to be robots without a will or a choice and we simply do not see that view from scripture. The Jews and Gentiles did what, (and only what which) God, with his power and in accordance with his will, had planned beforehand.
What that means is that God did not force Jesus’ adversaries to engage in acts of violence against their will, for the evidence shows that they took full responsibility. Instead God allowed them to conspire against him that he might accomplish salvation for his people!
This means that the crucifixion was not some random chance. From the beginning of time God had determined to crucify his Sinless Son to redeem lost humanity. God predestined sending his son to take the divine punishment of Sin on the Cross. The wrath of God that was poured out on Christ was the satisfaction needed to forgive our sin.
God planned beforehand to absorb his own wrath for our sins!
Our Rescue and Salvation was Predestined
Our Rescue and Salvation was Predestined
IF we know this about God… then when we pray we will be mindful of the fact that we are speaking to the one who knows everything and uses everything to accomplish his predetermined will. Our very salvation that awakened our hearts to believe and know this God what given to us because of this predestined planned. we cannot escape it nor should we try.
God is never caught off guard or surprised by people. And he uses his knowledge of everything to predestine even us to come to him...
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5 he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,
11 In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will,
This is how salvation works and it is how God has revealed himself from the very beginning with all the sinful human choices that has come against his people. Remember Joseph?
20 As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.
20 As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.
And when we understand this… we will be confident in prayer as they were because we know our God uses all things including evil sinful acts of men against us.
rom8
28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.
Our theology in prayer can bring assurance to our people that will make much of God or it will cause people to be concerned that something is dependent on their work which is a heavy load we cannot bear.
How glad are you that Jesus did for us what we couldn’t do for ourselves?! Praise the Lord God is Sovereign.
But we are talking about HOW the Church prays… I want you to notice that they didn’t just talk about their feelings and random thoughts… they used Scripture.
They used Scripture in Prayer
They used Scripture in Prayer
Notice that when they prayed here They acknowledged God as Sovereign and even their great King David as his Servant. They are going to quote from and say that even though David spoke it, it was really the Holy Spirit speaking through him.
Because again All of scripture is God breathed meaning God writes all scripture through men as a revelation of God to man.
And so they pray in a way that first acknowledges God as sovereign ruler. And while we could say That they learned prayer from Jesus, and they certainly did… this prayer here shows us how Jewish their roots were. For the beginning of their prayer here looks a lot like when King Hezekiah was surrounded by assyria...
16 “O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, enthroned above the cherubim, you are the God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; you have made heaven and earth.
Remember Nehemiah??? When the people confess their sin to God?
6 “You are the Lord, you alone. You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them; and you preserve all of them; and the host of heaven worships you.
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and how about ?
5 Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God, 6 who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, who keeps faith forever;
When the church gathers to hear the report of what happened to Peter and John they respond in prayer and when the pray they… they are praying God’s word because it is the solid ground they need to stand on.
God has revealed to us in his word How he is to be addressed, with what confidence we can be assured of, in knowing him. They go on quote psalm 2 in this prayer.
25 who through the mouth of our father David, your servant, said by the Holy Spirit, “ ‘Why did the Gentiles rage, and the peoples plot in vain? 26 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers were gathered together, against the Lord and against his Anointed’—
acts4
This is a direct quote from . By them quoting this psalm we can see that they knew God’s word. If you know anything about , then you understand that David, who was God’s anointed king, by Samuel the Prophet, is speaking about how Kings and nations are coming against him, and really coming against God.
So what is being quoted has ben fulfilled by David when it was happening. Yet David is a type of Christ.
We think of David is the little boy who took a slingshot and killed Goliath… But even that story is a type of Christ. We read it and hear it preached as if we need to be David and we need to sling stones at our sin… and we fail to understand God’s word and put a heavy weight of law on ourselves when we do that. Yet when we understand that David was a type of Christ, then we understand that Jesus is the True and better David.
“Jesus is the true and better David, whose victory becomes his people’s victory, though they never lifted a stone to accomplish it themselves.” Tim Keller
Isn’t it amazing that we need to be reminded of this when reading scripture, yet it seems as though the early church was seeing without all the insight we needed to get it.
The church was just established and the Holy Spirit has just be given to them and they are making connections in God’s word with who Jesus really is and how it applies to them. So they pray God’s word to affirm their position. They pray God’s word because it makes sense of everything happening to them… look at it...
27 for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, 28 to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place.
acts4.
The true fulfillment of was IN THIS CITY, it was just something David went through, but as the Holy Spirit spoke through him God spoke of a time when Jesus, the true anointed king, would have Jews and Gentiles conspire against him along with the peoples of Israel. And all this was really happening to them as they watched a Sovereign God predestine a plan to be enacted right in front of them. And this encouraged them to pray. Why?
Sovereignty and Predestination doesn’t undermine the value of prayer… It Informs and Aligns our prayers with God’s Glory
Sovereignty and Predestination doesn’t undermine the value of prayer… It Informs and Aligns our prayers with God’s Glory
When they could see that God’s word clearly spoke of exactly what they were going through it encouraged them that God was in control! It ensured them that God’s Glory would be seen and gave them faith to believe God in the midst of discouraging circumstances.
We should pray as they prayed, mindful of and confident in truth that God is truly in control.
“No area of our lives is out of the bounds of God’s reach and sovereign plan” Al Mohler
How glorious and supernatural is God’s word when it speaks to exactly what we are facing, and we acknowledge God’s predestined plan in all of it! That truth should inform how we pray and align our hearts with God as we pray!
And now I want us to see...
They had Faith to “ask” in Prayer
They had Faith to “ask” in Prayer
All of this paints a glorious picture of our God who we can trust no matter what we face. And how did the early church show they had Faith to ASK God for help in prayer? Look at what they say...
acts4.29
29 And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, 30 while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”
They Ask God for Boldness to continue to preach the Gospel!
Can we just for a second stop and think about the fact that they didn’t thank God for delivering Peter and John from prison. They don’t ask for protection from the inevitable persecution that will come if they disobey the orders they recieved from their religious authorities and continue to preach the Gospel. And they certainly do not ask God to keep them from confrontation and suffering???? They don’t ask for God to make it easy on them, they ask for Boldness to continue.
And not just Boldness to continue but also trusting that God would continue to provide the miraculous to validate the message of the Gospel. It wasn’t much of a thing to be distracted with because they acknowledge that God stretched out his hand and healed through Jesus, not them. They did ask for God to do miracles by their hands, but rather they acknowledge that God will do what he will do and that Jesus is the name through which he works. It didn’t matter who God would use to do what, all they wanted was to be bold to preach the Gospel while God was going to do whatever he determined he would do.
Why? Why don’t they get all caught up with the supernatural here? Because that is God’s job and according to his will, which none of them knew or could control. But there was something they could do to participate… They could speak God’s word in the midst of everything that was happening.
They understood the mission of the church was to Preach the Gospel to all creation and make Disciples of all kinds of people. They saw the Mission of the church of greater importance than personal comfort. They are asking for more boldness because the world would have them struck with fear...
It is the tactic of this world to bring fear into our hearts to stop us from Preaching the Gospel, and it has always been this way. Fear tactics… From Pharaoh refusing to let his slaves go Worship God, to the Lions den and the Fiery furnace. From the crucifixion of Christ to this scene here in acts 4 to all the scenes that will follow, the world breath out murderous threats at God’s people and on into the history of the church from the burning of the temple in A.D. 70 to the martyrs in Roman coliseums on through the dark ages up till Martin Luther during the Reformation and on and on till this day… But for over 2,000 years the Lord has upheld his church.
And what we see from all this… If we know our God because our theology informs our prayers, and we stand on His word to comfort us and align our hearts with his, then we too with Faith ask in for Boldness to Preach this Gospel in our world too!
We corporately, together have a Mission that can’t be thwarted by this world.
To this day, We stand together and we pray as they did… but not like standing for an anthem at the beginning of a sports event… More like when the anthem is played at the olympics and we see our representative standing on a podium. Think of Michael phelps standing there on the high ground with all his medals around his neck. The flag is slowly raised and every Americans heart swells with pride as we stand by in our living rooms and sing the national anthem with tears in our eyes.
So the Corporate prayers of believers in the face of a hostile world is like this scene that is being played out. Where Citizens stand and recognize that someone standing in their place accomplishes something they could never do.
But this is faulty picture I give you because our corporate prayers are more powerful than the most patriotic scene that can be conjured. And here is why...
This is a picture of the Gospel. Remember our mental image of Michael Phelps standing on his first place podium with medals around his neck and people shouting in praise of his accomplishments as the flag is raised and people join him in singing and there isn’t a dry eye in the place. Imagine that in the midst of all this he comes down off the podium and grabs you out of the crowd and places his rewards on your neck, and places you in his rightful place of honor above all others.
The Gospel of Jesus Declares a welcome of God for us and a reward from God to us. And we didn’t earn this, yet God in his predestined plan has determined to save this world by doing for us something we cannot do for ourselves.
When we pray corporately it is as if we all are on that podium with those medals around our neck, standing in the place where only Jesus has the right to stand. We are there acknowledging our citizenship to heaven because of the work of another on our behalf.
And our corporate prayer, unlike the national anthem, has everything to do with what will happen on the field of play.
The early church stood and prayed for Boldness and God answered their prayer. look at it...
31 And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.
Now I would hope that I do not need to tell you that it is not normative for a small earthquake to happen every-time we corporately pray. This is actually a big theological point that is made by a shaking… Why? the ground shook when Isaiah encountered God in the throne room, (). How about when Christ died, and the ground shook and the temple curtain was torn in two, (matt.27:51). The Shaking of the Ground symbolized God’s presence and his approval of their prayer.
It was a sign for them that God was with them, but more than that, they are filled with the Holy Spirit and… Look... the answer to their prayers!
Their field of play is changed by their prayers to God. They need Boldness and God gives them boldness.
What we see from scripture here should be a comforting reminder to us that God will sustain his people and help his Church Preach the Gospel!
Today we are going to respond by praying corporately and singing corporately. but first here are 3 questions to consider in your community groups this week.
Question 1 - Why is it important that we pray corporately?
Question 1 - Why is it important that we pray corporately?
Peter and John could’ve went home and prayed by themselves, but they didn’t. The idea of Biblical community gathering to pray was a priority to them. Why should it be important to us?
In what ways is it different than our personal times of prayer? Is it necessary to pray in our gatherings? Why? How did it make a difference for them? Do we treat it like the national anthem at a sports event?
Question 2 - Why is our Theology important in our corporate prayers?
Question 2 - Why is our Theology important in our corporate prayers?
What would it have sounded like if they prayed in a way that was unsure about who God was or what he was doing? What if they didn’t want to believe in predestination as they prayed. Would it have changed how they approached God and trusted him? If they don’t understand who God is and how God works then how would the newer believers around them feel as they prayed?
Does it matter that we affirm right things about God as we pray together before others?
Question 3 - Why is it important that we pray for things like Boldness rather than comfort when preaching the Gospel?
Question 3 - Why is it important that we pray for things like Boldness rather than comfort when preaching the Gospel?
Do we believe in the mission of the church and our role to play in it? How is it that we often let fear cause us to shrink back from asking God for boldness? Do we pray like this? should we pray like this?
Today can we pray for a Bold witness to Christ in our community that will come from us and not others. that we would boldly make know the mysteries of the Gospel, and that we would not shrink back from others out of fear but be filled fresh and new with the Holy Spirit and boldness to continue to speak the Word of God as we should.