A Call to Pray
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Intro/Welcome
Intro/Welcome
Good morning One Hope
Good to be with you today.
My name is Justin, one of Pastors
Today will be a a little bit different
a stand alone Sermon
We’ve just finished out Becoming Whole series where for 12 weeks, we looked at what Biblical Transformation is
Next week we will begin our Advent Series: The Songs of Christmas
We examine theological truths from our most beloved Christmas hymns
Today I want to share with you a little bit what God has been teaching me and showing me and what that means for us as a church.
We are 35 days into our 150 Days of Prayer
We believe in the power of prayer
Today I want to talk about the power of prayer and call the church to join in this prayer movement.
Let me pray for our time today.
Pray
Pray
Praying
Why 150 days of Prayer
Why 150 days of Prayer
Why 150 days of prayer?
where it came from
takes up to 3/30/20
What are we praying for?
Permanent Home/Location
Spiritual Health (Life)
Spiritual Revival (Awakening)
What is Prayer?
What is Prayer?
Prayer is a conversation with God made possible by the person and the work of Jesus.
Do you ever talk to God as if he were a real person, sitting next to you?
Christ is the mediator
5 For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,
Christ is the translator: He speaks both “God” and “Man” and can thus connect us with God as the only mediator.
This allows us to:
16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
James 4:8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you...
Do you ever talk to God as if he were a real person, sitting next to you?
This is what is available to us.
A direct line to the most powerful, the most connected, the most loving being in all the universe.
And he loves to answer prayers.
Moses talked with God as a friend face to face
Jesus calls us friends in his last sermon to the disciples
He calls us to pray
He calls us repeatedly, continually, emphatically to call upon him, to simply ask.
15 and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.”
22 And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.”
Mark 11:24, Matt 7:7, John 14:13-14, Phil 4:6, John 15:7, Matt 21:22, Luke 18:1-8, Luke 11:13, Psalm 37:4
The Purpose of Prayer
The Purpose of Prayer
But is prayer about getting what we want?
Prosperity Gospel?
Health, wealth and success?
Well, yes and no.
4 Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Oprah’s favorite verse
Delight
Delight
Delight in the Lord means to love the Lord
When we delight in the Lord, it shapes our desires
he literally then gives us the desires themselves
He will give
He will give
Then he loves to fulfill those desires
this is answers prayer.
It’s not just that we ask what we want, but rather that when we ask what God wants he answers
Jesus specifies in
John 15:7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish (desire), and it will be done for you.
As we abide in Him, ‘delight in him’
and his words abide in us
He will answer prayer.
So what actually happens when we pray
our hearts are shaped to be more like God’s heart
and thus we ask for things that won’t glorify ourselves, but will glorify God.
God loves to answers these kinds of prayers
Which leads me then to the Power of Prayer
The Power of Prayer
The Power of Prayer
I am at my best when I am fully aware that ‘prayer’ is really the only weapon we have
But it is the most powerful.
Think about it.
We can call upon the Creator of all things. He who owns all things. He who has power over all things.
He who spoke the world into exists by his very words.
And the Bible says that in Christ. He is not against us but for us.
31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?
This is the power available to us.
What the Church needs today is not more or better machinery, not new organizations or more and novel methods, but men and women whom the Holy Spirit can use--people of prayer, people mighty in prayer. The Holy Spirit does not flow through methods, but through men and women. He does not dwell in machinery, but in men men and women. He does not anoint plans, but men and women men of prayer. - E.M. Bounds
Let me share with you one powerful historical example of this.
George Mueller (1805-1898)
German born pastor in the 19th century.
God called him to Bristol England to pastor a church and to establish orphanages for children.
Why was that necessary?
Bristol (and most of England) had been enduring a Cholera outbreak which was extremely dangerous.
once you caught cholera, you could be dead within 12 hours.
Highly contagious and spread becuase of the unsanitary conditions of that time in England.
The result of this epidemic was the death of many fathers and mothers, leaving many orphans.
George devoted his life to helping these orphans and giving them a home.
After 62 years of service it was said of George mueller’s ministry that he fed 10,000 orphans.
And he did so without ever asking anyone for a single penny.
Well that’s not entirely true, he did ask one person, and one person alone
He asked God.
George Mueller estimated that over 50,000 of his prayers were answered.
in fact, he said later in life, that he couldn’t remember as single prayer that wasn’t eventually answered.
In the end it was said that George Mueller fed 10,000 orphans by the power of prayer alone.
One of the great effects of Mueller's ministry was to inspire others so that “fifty years after Mr. Mueller began his work, at least one hundred thousand orphans were cared for in England alone.
To glorify God
To glorify God
Was this to glorify George Mueller as if he had some magical power?
No it was to glorify God.
And he went at lengths to say that this was not a power unique to him.
but was available to every believer.
All believers are called upon, in the simple confidence of faith, to cast all their burdens upon him, to trust in him for everything, and not only to make everything a subject of prayer, but to expect answers to their petitions which they have asked according to his will, and in the name of the Lord Jesus
This is what I am calling One Hope Church to.
Let’s call upon the God of all things to do miracles amongst us.
This is the idea behind 150 Days of Prayer
This isn’t just a spiritual exercise
it is the only hope we have
and the true power behind any effective ministry
The Plan of Prayer
The Plan of Prayer
So what are we praying for?
Home
Home
A Permanent Home
This is a tool to do more effective ministry.
God doesn’t owe us a home, but we are asking becuase we want to glorify His Name.
Think about a family.
Why do most families move into a home?
Why do many want to buy a home?
Because it offers them more freedom
They can do more things
Be more hospitable.
This is how we view a permanent home.
We love the Y but there are certain limitations
We want to be able to do more.
host events, serve those in need, be hospitable, shift our focus of serving
We believe a permanent location would help in this.
So we are asking.
I’m personally praying that God would give us something where we won’t have to incur any debt.
I believe he can
Spiritual Health
Spiritual Health
But a permanent home is of no use if we are not a spiritually health people.
This is what this whole falls series was about.
What does it mean to be a transformed people?
It means to be a people whose lives begin to look a lot more like Jesus’ life.
How he loved people
How he served people
How he shared God’s love with people
How he laid down his life for others.
A Spiritually healthy person does this becuase they find their power not in themselves, but in God alone.
But when we become spiritually healthy and whole,
our hearts and lives are shaped more like God’s
And he can do big things.
Why we spent 12 weeks looking at Spiritual Transformation
The Rhythms of Healing and Repentance
Rest, Reflecting and Receiving
Now, praying for Spiritual Power.
One practical way that looks for us right now is simply in being the family of God.
We provide for each other’s needs.
Just as in my family.
We all have roles to play
We are the family of God.
Our culture has drifted towards — that church is something you go to
but church is not a place, but a people
it is not an event but a lifestyle.
don’t just come to observe but come to serve one another.
10 So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.
We come together to worship God b/c we believe in the power of Corporate Worship
It’s why we are doing Group Serve
We believe groups that are serving together are maturing together.
Serving together strengthens community.
Elise and I’s wedding experience
The people of God are not an audience to be entertained,
but an army to be trained.
So if you are coming here just to observe — don’t
Come to serve, get invovled
experience the life of the church.
It begins here.
This is what it means to be the church.
One body, many members, differing gifts used for the edification or building up of the body.
We are one body, filled by one spirit, called to One Lord and on One Mission to bring the One Hope of Jesus Christ to the City, Nations and Generations.
When the church is healthy, Ephesians says
15 Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. 16 He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.
We become a Church full of spiritual life.
this leads to our last prayer.
Spiritual Revival
Spiritual Revival
A spiritual awakening to the power, the presence and the purposes of God in and through One Hope Church.
When we give ourselves fully over to the power of God and let him work through us.
Big things can happen.
Not for the sake of our name, but for the sake o his name.
Every revival starts and is aided by prayer
becuase God is the one who revives people.
A Call to Pray
A Call to Pray
So, church family, will you answer the call to pray?
Join in on 150 days of Prayer.
Sign up a day to pray
Let’s call upon the Lord together
20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
Let’s pray and fast for God to do a work in and through One Hope Church.
Pray for a Few minutes
I will close us in prayer.
Let’s Pray
Let’s Pray