6. Topical Prayer: Revival

Revival

Never a Revival Without Mighty Praying

By R.A. Torrey

Prayer will do more to bring a deep and lasting and sweeping revival, a revival that is real and lasting and altogether of the right sort, than all the organizations that were ever devised by man.

The history of the Church of Jesus Christ on earth has been largely a history of revivals. When you read many of the Church histories that have been written, the impression that you naturally get is that the history of the Church of Jesus Christ here on earth has been very largely a history of misunderstandings, disputes, doctrinal differences and bitter conflicts. But if you will study the history of the living Church, you will find it has been very largely a history of revivals. Humanly speaking the Church of Jesus Christ owes its very existence today to revivals. many times the Church has seemed to be on the verge of utter shipwreck, but just then God has sent a great revival and saved it.

Every real revival in the Church has been the child of prayer. There have been revivals without much preaching; there have been revivals with absolutely no organization; but there has never been a mighty revival without mighty praying.

What we need more than anything else today in our own land and in all lands, is a real, mighty outpouring of the Spirit of God. The most fundamental trouble with most of our present-day so-called revivals is, that they are man-made and not God-sent. They are worked up by man's cunningly devised machinery-not prayed down.

Oh, for an old-time revival, a revival that is really and not spuriously of the Pentecostal pattern, for that revival was born of a fourteen days' prayer-meeting. But let us not merely sigh for it. Let us cry for it, cry to God, cry long and cry loud if need be, and then it will surely come!...

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Prayer and Revival

What is a “Real Prayer Meeting?” It is united prayer. “The prayer that God particularly delights to answer is united prayer. There is power in the prayer of a single individual, and the prayer of individuals has wrought great things, but there is far greater power in united prayer.” (R.A. Torrey, The Power of Prayer)

What wond’rous grace! who knows its full extent?

A creature, dust and ashes, speaks with God--

Tells all his woes, enumerates his wants,

Yea, pleads with Deity, and gains relief.

’Tis prayer, yes, ’tis ‘effectual, fervent prayer,’

Puts dignity on worms, proves life divine,

Makes demons tremble, breaks the darkest cloud,

And with a princely power prevails with God!

And shall this privilege become a task?

My God, forbid! Pour out thy Spirit's grace,

Draw me by love, and teach me how to pray.

Yea, let Thy holy unction from above

Beget, extend, maintain my intercourse

with Father, Son, and Spirit, Israel’s God,

Until petitions are exchanged for praise

Irons.

Never a Revival Without Mighty Praying By R.A. Torrey

Ps 854-6 “Turn us, O God of our salvation, And cause thine indignation toward us to cease. Wilt thou be angry with us for ever? Wilt thou draw out thine anger to all generations? Wilt thou not quicken us again, That thy people may rejoice in thee?”

Prayer will do more to bring a deep and lasting and sweeping revival, a revival that is real and lasting and altogether of the right sort, than all the organizations that were ever devised by man.

No great spiritual awakening has begun anywhere in the world apart from united prayer---Christians persistently praying for revival.

J. Edwin Orr

The revival of religion and the revival of prayer are inseparable.

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Revival Prayer Meetings

Iain Murray in Revival and Revivalism, p 79 quotes Jesse Lee, He described the year 1787:

“There was a remarkable revival of religion in the town of Petersburgh, and many of the inhabitants were savingly converted; and the Christians greatly revived. That town never witnessed before or since such wonderful displays of the presence and love of God in salvation of immortal souls. Prayer meetings were frequently held both in the town and in the country, and souls were frequently converted at those meetings, even when there was no preacher present; for the prayers and exhortations of the members were greatly owned of the Lord.

“The most remarkable work of all was in Sussex and Brunswick circuits, where the meetings would frequently continue five or six hours together, and sometimes all night.

“At one quarterly meeting held at Mabry’s Chapel in Brunswick circuit, on the ;25^th and 26^th of July, the power of God was among the people in an extraordinary manner: some hundreds were awakened; and it was supposed that above one hundred souls were converted at that meeting, which continued for two days, i.e., on Thursday and Friday. Some thousands of people attended meeting at that place on that occasion.

“The next quarterly meeting was held at Jones’s Chapel, in Sussex county, on Saturday and Sunday, the 27^th and 28^th of July. This meeting was favored with more of the divine presence than any other that had been know before . . .

“The great revival of religion in 1776, which spread extensively through the south part of Virginia, exceeded any thing of the kind that had ever been known before in that part of the country. But the revival this year far exceeded it.

“It was thought that in the course of that summer there were so many as sixteen hundred souls converted in Sussex circuit; in Brunswick circuit about eighteen hundred; and in Amelia circuit about eight hundred. In these three circuits we had the greatest revival of religion; but in many other circuits there was a gracious work, and hundreds were brought to God in the course of that year.

“. . . the work was not confined to meetings for preaching; at prayer meetings the work prospered and many souls were born again . . . It was common to hear of souls being brought to God while at work in their houses or in their fields. It was often the case that the people in their corn-fields, white people, or black, and sometimes both together, would begin to sing, and being affected would begin to pray, and others would join with them, and they would continue their cries till some of them would find peace to their souls.”

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7. Topical Prayer: Testimonial

Testimonial

A Call for National Repentance

The United States of America is in the midst of a moral crisis. The outrages against God are so many that I will not begin to list them here. Society has tried educating these problems away (sex education, drug education), throwing new technology and money at these problems (schools need more funding or more computers), and analysing ourselves to death (i.e. pop psychology). God is calling us to repent for our sins and pray for the healing of our nation.

A Case of Repentance

After the American Revolution, there was a moral and spiritual crisis in America. Drunkeness was epidemic. 6% of the population were confirmed drunkards. 15,000 deaths annually were a result of alcohol. Shocking profanity was become a fashionable movement. Assault against America women was increasing so that women fear leaving their homes. Churches were at an all time low in attendance. US Supreme Court Chief Justice John Marshall wrote "The church is too far gone ever to be redeemed." Voltaire said that Christianity would be forgotten in 30 years time. Kentucky had all but become a criminal state.

In 1794, Isaac Backus, a Baptist pastor, made a plea for repentant prayer. The first Monday evening of each month a small number (about 30) ministers prayed for revival.

Within 5 years the following effects were seen: 1800, the Great Kentucky revival (with over 11,000 saved in one service); 600 colleges were founded by revivalist; the US missionary movement started; the impetus for the abolition of slavery; Yale, in a little over a year, went from an institution of infidelity to a student body represented by approximately 50% strongly professed Christians; the foundation of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions; and the foundation of the American Bible Society.

A Plan for Repentance

Starting April 7, 1997 and every first Monday evening from 7PM - 9PM EST I will be devoting myself to prayer for a revival in the United States. I will, of course, be recruiting people locally to pray with me.

I would like to hear from Christians who will commit to pray with me, where ever you are. I will be journaling testimonies and reporting anything exciting to all involved.

God Bless You! David Rettig [email protected] 5355 Great Oak Drive Apt H, Columbus, OH 43213

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Pray for Kings & Governments

1 Tim 2:1-8 “First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.”

Most of us, at least occasionally, pray for the leaders and authorities in various countries of the world. I fear that we do this without expecting any results.

Bill Bright gives the following story in Changing the World Through Prayer, leaders guide p 22. “An Old Testament illustration of how God uses His Word to encourage us to pray is found in Daniel 9:1-23... Daniel lived at a time when the nation of Israel was in captivity. But God had promised that he would deliver His people. Daniel was reading the Scriptures, specifically the words of the prophet Jeremiah. As Daniel read, he noticed that Jeremiah predicted that the Israelites would be in captivity for seventy years. That time was almost up. When he understood what Jeremiah was saying about the release of God’s people from their captivity, Daniel turned to pray. God answered that prayer by fulfilling His promise to release His people after seventy years.

“Do you see the link between prayer and God’s Word in this example? Daniel prayed based on what was written in God’s Word. God honored Daniel’s faithfulness to the Word. In a similar way, God will use His Word to speak to us, and that will open up avenues for our prayers.

“Let me give you a dramatic example. In 1986, the director of Campus Crusade for Christ in Russia was praying for that land, which was then dominated by a Communist government. The people were oppressed, especially believers. Christians were not allowed to worship God freely, and many lost their lives as a result of their faith. The director, who was reading this same passage in Daniel, was amazed when he read the story of Daniel’s prayer about the faithfulness of God in releasing the captive Israelites. The Israelites’ situation and that of the Russian people were parallel in one way. Communism began in Russia in 1917. Since it was now 1986, the Russians had endured almost seventy years of Communist captivity. The director was impressed by God to pray that the years of Russian Communist repression would end. Would God repeat history?

“The director shared his vision for the end of Communist rule with other believers and Russian pastors. They began praying together. Then in 1987, perestroika began and Russia’s Communist government crumbled. Believers were now able to worship and witness freely.

“Of course, we must be careful about what we assume God is saying to us. We should always look toward God’s Word to make sure what we pray is according to His will. But when we feel God impressing us to pray in a certain way, we can forge ahead with what He is telling us. At the same time, we must never forget that God is in control and that what we think may happen is not necessarily what God will do. God still speaks to men and women today through His Word--and often with miraculous and thrilling results.”

Dick Eastman in his book Love on its Knees, p 13 gives us a similiar story. “Several years ago, in May 1986, I was preparing to take School of Prayer training to Poland at the invitation of a dynamic young pastor from Pittsburgh, Mark Geppert. Six weeks prior to my departure for Eastern Europe, I met with Mark to finalize our schedule. There’s been a change in my itinerary,’ Mark said. ‘I’ll meet you in Warsaw as planned, but first I’ll be going to the Soviet Union for a month.’

“ ‘The Soviet Union?’ I asked, puzzled. ‘What will you be doing there?’ ‘I’m going to pray,’ Mark responded. ‘God spoke to me a few days ago and told me I was to go to Russia just to pray. He told me exactly where to go and what to pray about. I’m to pray that God will shake all of Russia. I’ll ask Hiim to use current events--whatever they are--to shake what can be shaken, so doors will open to the Gospel and believers will have a new freedom to worship.’

“Thrilled that someone would go anywhere ‘just to pray,’ I asked Mark to be sure to send me a copy of his itinerary so our ministry could be praying with him before I joined him in Warsaw. The itinerary arrived and I thought little of the specifics until a few days before my departure. Suddenly, Mark’s presence in the Soviet Union praying for God to shake that nation held unusual significance. Just before my departure at the end of April 1986, headlines shouted the story of a shocking incident that occurred there at a nuclear power plant in a small city named Chernobyl. Chernobyl, the papers said, was just a short distance from the sprawling Soviet city of Kiev. Wasn’t Kiev on Mark’s itinerary? In fact, if memory served me, wasn’t Kiev the final place God told him to visit?

“I immediately got out the letter Mark sent me listing the places God told him to visit. My recollection had been accurate. Mark’s mission was to end that very weekend in Kiev with a train trip to Poland that would take him right through the area of disaster. I had been on a train trip with Mark before, in China. To Mark a train is just a long prayer meeting on tracks, moving from one place of prayer to another.

“Checking the itinerary more carefully, I noted that Mark had planned to leave Keiv late on the evening of April 25, 1986, and would be passing close to Chernobyl early the next morning. That happened to be the exact time of the explosion of Chernobyl’s nuclear power plant.

“Only later would analysts see that Chernobyl played a major role in the events of glasnost, the Russian word for openness. Under normal circumstances the Soviets would have kept secret the news of such a disaster. But this was not possible with Chernobyl. In a matter of hours after the nuclear accident, scientists spotted a sudden elevation of radiation in Sweden. The source could be traced with absolute accuracy to the Soviet Ukraine.

“So in the case of Chernobyl, glasnost was forced onto the Soviets. Being secretive was not an option. Suddenly, whether they wanted to or not, they were forced to be open. I couldn’t wait to see Mark in Warsaw. Had he kept his itinerary? If so, how had God asked him to pray?

“We had hardly checked into our hotel in Warsaw before I was asking my questions. Mark indeed had kept his schedule, exactly as the Lord directed. It included four days of prayer in Kiev, ending on Friday, April 25. That day was to be the culmination of his mission of intercession. And now I was more anxious than ever to hear how directed Mark to pray.

“‘Well,’ said Mark, settling back in his chair in our hotel room, ‘I went to the square in the center of Kiev and sat down under a huge statue of Lenin. Every fifteen minutes I changed the focus of my intercession for believers in Russia. I could tell when a fifteen-minute period passed because there was a gigantic clock in the square that let out a bong each quarter hour.’

“I asked Mark if he felt anything unusual during this prayer. ‘Only at the end,’ Mark responded. ‘lt was on the last day, the day I made my final prayer visit to the city square. Just before noon I was suddenly convinced God had heard and that even then something was happening. Something that would shake the Soviet Union. Something God would use to bring more freedom.’

“With excitement Mark continued, ‘I began to lift my voice in praise, sitting there underneath the statue of the founder of Communism in Russia. But at the same time I needed a confirmation that God had heard me, so I cried out to Him: ‘O God, give me a sign, even a little sign.’ I waited, wondering what might happen next. And just then in the distance the hands of the huge clock moved into the twelve o’clock position.’

“Mark laughed as he continued, ‘And you know what, Brother Dick? It didn’t gong. Every hour, for each of the four days I had been praying, the clock had chimed on the hour. So I waited for twelve chimes, but they never came. It was as if God was saying an old pattern was over. The very next day I began hearing about Chernobyl.’

“Weeks later, after reading volumes on the significance of Chernobyl, I came across fascinating information detailing events surrounding the disaster. Scientists pinpointed the first major mistake as happening twelve hours before the actual meltdown. This would have been within minutes of Mark’s declaration of praise, when he knew in his spirit that events were occurring that the Lord would turn into a blessing.

“Later still I heard a television commentator discussing the long-term impact of the Chernobyl disaster. ‘Chernobyl,’ he said, ‘means Wormwood in the Russian language. Wouldn’t it be interesting if a decade from today we were to discover that the despotic Soviet system had disappeared from the scene, replaced by a more open society, and that this change came about as the result of a simple mistake at a nuclear facility in a small Ukrainian community called . . . Chernobyl?’

“It would seem that glasnost may be taking hold more rapidly than anyone was prepared for, opening doors where the Gospel had previously been hindered. Just two years after Chernobyl, new laws were beings readied that amounted to an extraordinary retreat from power on the of Soviet authorities. None other than Soviet Deputy Justice Minister Mikhail P. Vyshinsky said, ‘A revolution is taking place here. Not everyone realizes this, but that is what it is--a revolution.’

“And then came the big news. At the historic General Conference of all party leaders, first in 47 years, Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev made a series of statements concerning coming changes. Among them was a call for new tolerance toward the religious faiths in the Soviet Union--although, to be sure, Communism is still atheistic at its roots, and when dealing with the purported changes this should always be kept in mind .

“Intercessors like Mark are rarely surprised when answers come. In fact, I’m convinced that when we stand before God with the record of spiritual successes and failures, we will learn that intercessory prayer had more to do with bringing about positive changes in our world than any other single spiritual activity.

“Intercessors, in short, hold the key to releasing God’s best for the world.”

No doubt that we will be using the first few hundred years in Heaven sharing just such stories as these two.

God moves in a mysterious way

His wonders to perform;

He plants His footsteps in the sea,

And rides upon the storm.

Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take;

The clouds ye so much dread

Are filled with mercies, and shall break

In blessings ’round thy head.

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Edward Payson

E. M. Bounds in his classic little book "Power Through Prayer", wrote, "What the Church needs today is not more or better machinery, not new organizations or more and novel methods, but men whom the Holy Ghost can use - men of prayer, men mighty in prayer."

Edward Payson was just such a man; a man mighty in prayer. "He prayed without ceasing and felt safe nowhere but at the throne of grace. He may be said to have studied theology on his knees. Much of his time he spent literally prostrated with his Bible open before him pleading the promise; "I will send the comforter and when He, The Spirit of Truth is come, He will guide you into all truth." Payson's advice to his fellow ministers was, "prayer is the first thing, the second thing and the third thing necessary to a minister. Pray then my dear brother, pray, pray." It has been well said that the secret of Edward Payson's ministry was that he prayed much in secret. The scars on his bedroom floor testify to this fact. Next to Payson's bed where deep grooves in the hardwood floor were his knees had pressed repeatedly in times of travail.

To read "Praying Payson's" diary is to be touched by his heart longings and tender love for Jesus and the lost. On January 4, 1807, he wrote, "I was favored with a spirit of prayer beyond all my former experience. I was in great agony and wrestled both for myself and others with great power. God seemed to bow the heavens and come down and open all His treasures, bidding me, take what I would."

January 29th, "I never felt such longings after God or such a desire to depart to be with Christ. My soul thirsted for more full communion with my God and Savior. I do not now feel satisfied as I used to with the manifestations of the divine presence, but still feel hungry and craving." February 18, "I was enabled to lie at Jesus' feet and to wash them with the tears of contrition. No pleasure I have ever found in the Christian life is superior to this." February 28, "I was favored with great enlargement in prayer. I seemed to be carried out of myself into the presence of God."

Like all true men of prayer, Payson understood the need for true humility. "It was the burden of his secret prayers that he might be delivered from pride, from self-seeking, from preaching himself instead of Christ Jesus the Lord." Through humility and fervent prayer he was always in hopes of seeing a fresh wave of revival. "The revivals which took place under his labors where numerous and where characterized by a depth and power seldom seen." Often Payson congregation was overwhelmed with a sense of Christ's presence and power and irresistibly brought to tears. Mr. Payson's diary testifies of the power and necessity of prayer for revival. September 27th, "In the evening I was favored with great faith and fervency in prayer. It seemed as if God would deny me nothing, and I wrestled for multitudes of souls, and could not help hoping there would be revival here." September 28, "I was favored with the greatest degree of freedom and fervency in interceeding for others. I seemed to travail in birth with poor sinners and could not help hoping the God is about to do somethings for His glory and the good of souls." Within days, "Praying Payson" saw his prayers answered through a fresh work of revival power.

On April 23, 1808, Edward Payson wrote, "My heart seemed ready to break with its longings after holiness." Such longings for heart purity, revival power and the person of Jesus are the marks of a healthy and normal Christian life. The lack of these precious things in the modern Church reveal a nominal* Christian life. Too much of what is called the Church today is not fit to live or die. The nominal* Christian is unfit to deal with our demon possessed age or the coming judgment seat of Christ. Truly the Church's greatest need is for men and women, mighty in prayer. We need men and women who will pray and crave for revival. The choice is ours, either to pray or to perish.

From the Heart of Edward Payson "It is natural to man, from his earliest infancy, to cry for relief when in danger or distress, if he supposes that any one able to relieve him is within hearing of his cries. Every man then who feels his own dependence upon God, and his need of blessings which God only can bestow, will pray to Him. He will feel that prayer is not only his duty, but his highest privilege. The man then who refuses or neglects to pray, who regards prayer not as a privilege, but as a wearisome and needless task practically says in the most unequivocal manner, I am not dependent on God; I want nothing that He can give; and therefore I will not come to Him, nor ask anything from His hand. I will not ask Him to crown my work with success, for I am able, and determined, to be the architect of my own future. I will not ask Him to instruct or guide me, for I am competent to be my own instructor and guide. I will not ask Him to strengthen and support me, for I am strong in the vigor and resources of my own mind. I will not request His protection, for I am able to protect myself. I will not implore His pardoning mercy nor His sanctifying grace for I have need of neither the one nor the other. I will not ask His presence and aid in the hour of death. For I can meet and grapple, unsupported, with the king of terrors, and enter, undaunted and alone, any unknown world into which He may usher me. Such is the language of all who neglect prayer. "

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The Moravian Prayer Experience

The Homeless Piled In; Missionary Pioneers Poured Out.

Imagine that you have a big house and ample land. Imagine further that a refugee shows up at your door asking if he might camp out in your backyard for awhile. You are moved to compassion and say OK. A little later he asks if some of his relatives, who are also homeless, might also come and live on your property. You are a Christian. These people are also believers. How can you turn them away? So again you say yes. But then many more hear and they too come. And more. And more! Soon there are hundreds. What have you gotten yourself into, you begin to wonder?

Something like that is what happened to a 22-year-old German nobleman in 1722. His name was Niklaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf. His estate was in East Germany. He was heir to one of Europe's leading royal families. As you might expect, the neighbors were not too pleased with his offering the "riff-raff" asylum near them. But there was no stopping the influx. The first group of ten arrived in December, 1722. By May of 1725 there were ninety. And by late 1726 over 300. The place was known as "Herrnhut" meaning "The Lord's Watch." It soon developed into a small city of grateful and motivated Christian craftsmen and laypeople.

As Zinzendorf looked at what he had gotten himself into, he began to realize that instead of being burdened, he was being blessed with one of the historic opportunities of all time. His refugee crowded estate within a little more than a decade would be transformed into one of the most dynamic and strategic missionary launching pads since the early church.

Zinzendorf Was a Rich Young Ruler Who Said Yes

Zinzendorf was born on May 26, 1700, in Dresden, Germany and brought up under strong Christian influence. Even as a child he showed a deep spiritual awareness. Invading Swedish soldiers broke into the castle where he lived when he was six years old and were astounded to observe the child's prayers. Zinzendorf later trained at Halle under the Pietist movement leader August Francke. At age twenty the young nobleman was overcome while observing a painting of Christ crowned with thorns. An inscription below the painting said: "I have done this for you; what have you done for me?" Zinzendorf responded that day: "I have loved him for a long time, but I have never actually done anything for him. From now on I will do whatever he leads me to do." No doubt at that moment he had no idea that within two years he would have his estate swarming with homeless people from Moravia. Nor could he have imagined the role that would be his in bringing the message of Christ to the whole world. There followed a rapid succession of events. Some of the highlights:

<> The community rapidly organized into an efficient and productive little society.

<> But then jealousy, divisions and discord set in and threatened to undermine them.

<> Zinzendorf organized everyone into "bands." These were small groups who met together regularly to discuss their spiritual growth, study Scripture, pray together, reprove and encourage each other.

<> The Moravian community was moved to repentance for its divisions, and on August 13, 1727 they experienced a powerful outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

<>They began to pray fervently and seek the purposes for which God had brought them together under Zinzendorf. What did he want them to do?

<> A twenty-four-hour-a-day prayer chain was organized. At least two people were at prayer every hour of the day. This prayer meeting would last over 100 years.

<> They became known by the nickname "God's Happy People."

<> Anthony, a former slave, came to speak at Herrnhut of the deplorable conditions of the slaves in the West Indies. The night he spoke, two of their young Moravians could not sleep as they struggled with a sense that God was moving their hearts to offer themselves to go and minister to those slaves. When they were told that perhaps the only way they could do this was to become slaves themselves, they said they were willing if that is what it would take.

<> Their first two missionaries, Leonard Dober and David Nitschmann, left Herrnhut on August 25, 1732 to sail for St. Thomas.

<> Thereafter, other lands were studied and more missionaries were sent. They went to the toughest places under the most severe conditions. Many of them quickly died. For example, of 18 who went to St. Thomas as reinforcements for the work begun by Dober and Nitschmann, half died within the first nine months. But, the more that died, the more that volunteered to go to replace them. Within 25 years more than 200 had gone out as missionaries from this small community to every continent of the world.

<> Their influence spread far beyond their own efforts. Consider two notable examples. Moravians played the key role in the profound religious experience of John Wesley. Wesley went on to lead the Methodist movement. William Carey is popularly hailed as the "Father of Modern Protestant Missions." But William Carey sailed 60 years after the first Moravian missionaries went to the West Indies. Carey would probably insist that the real father of modern missions was Zinzendorf and the Moravians. In Carey's classic "Enquiry Regarding the Obligation of Christians" he used the Moravian experience as a model. In his letters and journal he often referred to them and drew inspiration from their example, and in his "Serampore Compact" -- a covenant for Christian missionary community living -- he again appealed to Moravian precedents.

<> Their influence extended to North America. The Moravians founded two communities in Eastern Pennsylvania -- Bethlehem and Nazareth. Zinzendorf personally came to the colonies. Not far from the offices of Christian History Institute, and long before the word "Ecumenism" was in vogue, Zinzendorf pled unsuccessfully with the various religious communities in Eastern Pennsylvania to transcend their European denominational backgrounds and witness and work together as one Body of Christ.

<> While in America, Zinzendorf legally renounced his titles because he found them an impediment among the colonists. Benjamin Franklin was present at the ceremony, which was conducted in Latin in front of the Governor of Pennsylvania. Zinzendorf was said to be the only European nobleman who went among the Indians, visiting their leaders as equals.

<> Though Zinzendorf did not promote the abolition of slavery, inside the Moravian Church slaves were truly equal. In Bethlehem, PA, at the Single Sisters' House you could find a German noblewoman, a Delaware Indian, and an African slave sleeping side by side in the same dormitory room. Where else in the world at that time might that occur?

<> Zinzendorf endured much criticism for allowing women to preach and to hold roles of leadership in the church.

A New Phenomenon

Think of what it would mean if everyone in your church thought of themselves as missionaries. They did at Herrnhut, and this represented a significant development in the history of Christian missions. Eminent Yale University historian, Dr. Kenneth Scott Latourette, in his classic History of the Expansion of Christianity commented, "Here was a new phenomenon in the expansion of Christianity, an entire community, of families as well as of the unmarried, devoted to the propagation of the faith. In its singleness of aim it resembled some of the monastic orders of the earlier centuries, but these were made up of celibates. Here was a fellowship of Christians, of laity and clergy, of men and women, marrying and rearing families, with much of the quietism of the monastery and of Pietism but with the spread of the Christian message as a major objective, not of a minority of the membership, but of the group as a whole."

Christian History Institute's Debt to Count Zinzendorf

Twenty years ago our sister company Gateway Films/Vision Video was approached to make a dramatic film on the 250th anniversary of the launch of the Moravian missionary movement under Count Zinzendorf to be celebrated in 1982. We had already put out a film on the life of the 15th century pre-Reformation martyr John Hus, and we had also been requested by Wycliffe Bible Translators to make a film on John Wycliffe for the 600th anniversary of his death. Although these three films treated subjects that occurred over close to four hundred years, we were struck by the amazing connection among them. Wycliffe's movement and his memory were condemned in England, but his plea for reform was carried to Bohemia and advanced there by John Hus. The followers of Hus formed the Unitas Fratrum, The Unity of the Brethren. They somehow managed to survive three centuries of persecution and became the major core of the Moravian refugees who settled on the estate of Count Zinzendorf beginning in 1722. Christian History Institute was founded to provide educational print support materials for such films. Our first project was Christian History magazine with the first issue devoted to Zinzendorf. Incidentally, the magazine soon demonstrated that it deserved a life of its own and we are pleased to have it now published by Christianity Today Inc. The film we made on Zinzendorf was a drama titled First Fruits. That was the catalyst that led us to recognize that our primary calling in both film and publishing was the telling of the stories from our Christian history for lay audiences.

On May 12, 1727, Zinzendorf addressed the community for three hours on the blessedness of Christian unity. The people sorrowfully confessed their past quarreling and promised to live in love and simplicity. Herrnhut became a living congregation of Christ. The entire summer of 1727 was a golden one at Herrnhut as the community worked together in peace and love. There was eager anticipation that more was to come.

A turning point On August 5, Zinzendorf and fourteen of the Brethren spent the entire night in conversation and prayer. On August 10th, Pastor Rothe was so overcome by God's nearness during an afternoon service at Herrnhut, that he threw himself on the ground during prayer and called to God with words of repentance as he had never done before. The congregation was moved to tears and continued until midnight, praising God and singing.

The next morning, Pastor Rothe invited the Herrnhut community to a joint communion with his nearby congregation at Bethelsdorf on Wednesday evening, August 13. Count Zinzendorf visited every house in Herrnhut in preparation for this Lord's Supper. The exiles, gathered at Herrnhut, had come to a conviction of their own sinfulness, need, and helplessness. During the service, they made many painful prayers for themselves, for fellow Christians still under persecution, and for their continued unity. Count Zinzendorf made a penitential confession in the name of the congregation. The community united in fellowship. Count Zinzendorf looked upon that August 13th as "a day of the outpourings of the Holy Spirit upon the congregation; it was its Pentecost."

Yes, for 100 years! Like the first Pentecost, men and women would move forth with the gospel from Herrnhut to the uttermost parts of the earth. Two weeks after the revival, twenty-four men and twenty-four women of the community covenanted together to spend one hour each day, day and night, in prayer to God for His blessing on the congregation and its witness.

For over 100 years, members of the Moravian church continued nonstop in this "Hourly Intercession." All Moravian adventures were begun, surrounded, and consummated in prayer. They became known as "God's Happy People." They launched a missionary society in a time when Protestant missions were unknown. The first missionaries, two young men, declared their willingness to become slaves if necessary to reach the slaves in the West Indies with the Gospel. Within fifteen years of the revival, the Moravians at Herrnhut had established missions in the Virgin Islands, Greenland, Turkey, the Gold Coast of Africa, South Africa, and North America. They endured unspeakable hardships. Many died in difficult circumstances. But as fast as they died, others came forth to take their places.

An unquenchable flame The eighteenth-century revivals in America and England were influenced by the Moravian mission and prayer movements. Peter Boehler, a Moravian missionary in England, counseled John Wesley, later leader of the Revival in England, leading to his conversion. Wesley wrote of Boehler, "Oh what a work hath God begun since his coming to England! Such a one as shall never come to an end, till heaven and earth pass away!" --but that's the subject of our next issue.

A new phenomenon The noted historian, Kenneth Scott Latourette, said of the Moravians: Here was a new phenomenon in the expansion of Christianity, an entire community, of families as well as of the unmarried, devoted to the propagation of the faith. In its singleness of aim it resembled some of the monastic orders of earlier centuries, but these were made up of celibates. Here was a fellowship of Christians, of laity and clergy, of men and women, marrying and rearing families, with much of the quietism of the monastery and of Pietism but the spread of the Christian message as a major objective, not of a minority of the membership, but of the group as a whole.

GLIMPSES is published by Christian History Institute

Box 540

Worcester, PA 19490

Tel. 610-584-1893, Fax 610-584-4610

E-Mail [email protected]

Prepared by Ken Curtis PH.D., Beth Jacobson, Diana Severance Ph.D., Ann T. Snyder and Dan Graves. by Christian History Institute.

http://www.gospelcom.net/chi/GLIMPSEF/Glimpses/glmps037.shtml

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The Testimony of C.H. Spurgeon

Charles Haddon Spurgeon has been acclaimed to be the greatest preacher since the Apostle Paul. He would not agree with that, he would say George Whitefield or someone else. The fact remains that what God did with him at and through the Metropolitan Tabernacle in, London, England is recognized by many in all different evangelical groups as to be greatest work ever in a local church. He began preaching at that church in 1854 and died in 1892 and his ministry has continued until this moment, and obviously will continue until the Lord comes. The New Park Street Pulpit and The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit—the collected sermons of Spurgeon during his ministry with that congregation—fill 63 volumes. The sermons' 20-25 million words are equivalent to the 27 volumes of the ninth edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica. The series stands as the largest set of books by a single author in the history of Christianity.

When Spurgeon arrived at The New Park Street Church, in 1854, the congregation had 232 members. By the end of his pastorate, 38 years later, that number had increased to 5,311. Altogether, 14,460 people were added to the church during Spurgeon's tenure.) The church was the largest independent congregation in the world. Spurgeon began a pastors' college that trained nearly 900 students during his lifetime-and it continues today. In 1865, Spurgeon's sermons sold 25,000 copies every week. They were translated into more than 20 languages. At least 3 of Spurgeon's works (including the multi-volume Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit series) have sold more than 1,000,000 copies.

Occasionally Spurgeon asked members of his congregation not to attend the next Sunday's service, so that newcomers might find a seat. During one 1879 service, the regular congregation left so that newcomers waiting outside might get in; the building immediately filled again.

Mr. Spurgeon once wrote in “The Sword and the Trowel”:--“A Wesleyan minister lately said that he was never more surprised in his life than when he dropped into the Tabernacle, and found the ground-floor and part of the gallery filled at a Prayer-meeting. He believed that such a thing was almost without a parallel in London, and that it accounted for the success of the ministry. We concur in his impartial judgment. Will not all the churches try the power of prayer?” (Only a Prayer Meeting, C. H. Spurgeon, introduction, page v.)

“How are the prayer-meetings almost universally neglected?” says Spurgeon. “ Our own church stands out like an almost solitary green islet in the midst of a dark, dark, sea; one bright pearl in the depths of an ocean of discord and confusion. Look at the neighboring churches. Step into the vestry, and see a smaller band of people than you would like to think of, assembled around the pastor, whose heart is dull and heavy. Hear one brother after another pour out the dull, monotonous prayer that he has said by heart these fifty years; and then go away and say: ‘Where is the spirit of prayer, where the life of devotion?’ Is it not almost extinct? Are not our churches ‘fallen, fallen, fallen from their high estate?’ God wake them up, and send them more earnest and praying men!” (The Prayer-Meeting, Lewis O. Thompson, 1874, page 190)

Note that Spurgeon agrees with the Wesleyan brother that the “Prayer-meeting” was that which “accounted for the success of the ministry.” Maybe Spurgeon could give us some advice about conducting the prayer-meeting.

“Our brethren will excuse our offering them advice, and must take it only for what it is worth; but having to superintend a large church and to conduct a prayer-meeting which scarcely numbers less than from a thousand to twelve hundred attendants, we will simply give our own notions as to the most efficient method of promoting and sustaining these holy gatherings.

1. Let the minister himself set a very high value upon this means of grace. A warm-hearted address of ten minutes, with a few lively words interposed between the prayers, will do much, with God’s blessing, to foster a love for the prayer-meeting....

2. Let the brethren labour after brevity. If each person will offer the petition most laid upon his heart by the Holy Spirit, and then make room for another, the evening will be far more profitable, and the prayers incomparably more fervent than if each brother ran round the whole circle of petition without dwelling upon any one point. As a general rule, meetings in which no prayer exceeds ten minutes, and the most are under five, will exhibit the most fervour and life.... When we have had ten prayers in the hour, varied with the singing of single verses, we have far oftener been in the Spirit, than when only four persons have engaged in supplication....

3. Persuade all the brethren to pray aloud. If the younger and less-instructed members shrink from the privilege, tell them they are not to speak to man, but to God. If a child may not talk at all till it can speak fluent English, will it ever learn to speak well?...

4. Encourage the attendants to send in special request for prayer as often as they feel constrained to do so. These little scraps of paper, in themselves most truly prayers, may be used as kindling to the fire in the whole assemble....

5. Suffer neither hymn, nor chapter, nor address, to supplant prayer. Remember that we meet for prayer, and let it be prayer; and, oh, that it may be that genuine, familiar converse with God which shall drive out the formality and pomposity which so much mar our public supplications!...

6. It is not at all amiss to let two or even three competent brethren succeed each other without a pause, but this must be done judiciously; and if one of the three should become prolix (gabby or long-winded), let the pause come in as soon as he has finished. Sing only one verse, or at the most two, between the prayers, and let those be such as shall not distract the mind from the subject....

Of course, we ought to have said all manner of good things about the necessity of the Holy Spirit; but upon that matter we are all agreed, knowing right well that all must be in vain without His presence. Our object has rather been to gather out the stones from the way than to speak of the Divine life which alone can enable us to run therein.” (Only a Prayer Meeting, p 26-30)

“How could we look for a Pentecost if we never met with one accord, in one place, to wait upon the Lord? Brethren, we shall never see much change for the better in our churches in general til the prayer-meeting occupies a higher place in the esteem of Christians.” (Only a Prayer-Meeting, p 11)

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5. Topical Prayer: Misc

2. Miscellaneous

The A.C.T.S. of Prayer

“Pray??” “I don’t know what to say.” “Talk to God?” “I don’t know what to talk about.” If we haven’t said this we surely have felt it. The following is a topical outline for the content of our prayers, whether public or private. Knowing what to talk about can not only help us get started in praying but also can us have the right content and balance in our praying. The order is very important. Don’t miss the message in the order of the points of the outline. “Supplication” or requesting from God is the last thing not the first thing and surely not the only thing in our prayers. God is not a cosmic bell hop to supply our desires. We are to first “adore” Him for Who He is and then “confess” that we are unworthy and then “thank” Him for what He has done, is doing, and has promised to do. Then if we have something that we desire, as we abide in Christ, we ask or “supplicate” our loving and generous God for those things in the will of God. This acrostic is easily remember, even when we are praying with our eyes shut.

Adoration

“Adoration may be defined the homage rendered to God in the immediate view of his majesty, blessedness and glory, filling ;the soul with corresponding emotions of veneration and awe.” Palmer

Ex 15:11-- “Who is like unto thee, O LORD, among the gods? who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?”

Ps 104:1,2-- “Bless the LORD, O my soul. O LORD my God, thou art very great; thou art clothed with honour and majesty. 2 Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment: who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain:”

“Oh, the selfishness of the thought which restricts prayer to mere petition! Shall nothing drive us to God but the pressure of want? Shall we think of him only when we are hungry, and forget him when we are full?..Is there nothing attractive in the character of Jehovah Himself to draw us with the power of a magnet?” Palmer

Confession

Confession means “speaking together”-- relating to sin, it means that we agree with God about our sin. To confess our sins is to acknowledge the Sovereignly of God. A true Christian will be grieved when he sees sin in his life and will agree with God that it is sin ;and he will turn from it.

Ps 51:4--“Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.”

Lk 18:13--“And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.”

Ja 5:16--“Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”

Ac 19:18--“And many that believed came, and confessed, and shewed their deeds.”

Thanksgiving

To give thanks is to acknowledge benefit received and express gratitude.

Co. 4:2-- “Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving;”

1 Th 5:18-- “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”

1 Co 1:4-- “I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ..”

2 Co 9:15-- “Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.”

Ro 1:21-- “Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.”

Supplication

Supplication is prayer as the expression of need. Sometimes our need is an indication of what God wants to do us.

Ps 55:1--“Give ear to my prayer, O God; and hide not thyself from my supplication.”

Ph 4:6-- “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”

John 15:7 “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.”

(Each of the above could be the subject making four sessions of prayer)

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Adoring God

Sometimes we use the acrostic “A.C.T.S.” as an outline to help us in prayer. A = adore, C = confession, T = thanksgiving, S = supplication. Let’s consider the first, Adoring God. A dictionary defines “adore” 1. To worship as divine, 2. To love or revere deeply. “Adoration may be defined as the homage rendered to God in the immediate view of his majesty, blessedness and glory, filling the soul with corresponding emotions of veneration and awe.” Palmer

When Jesus was asked “‘which commandment in the law is the greatest?’ Jesus said to him, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’” Mat 22:36.37 John follows this with “The person who does not love does not know God, because God is love.” 1 Jn 4:8 The true child of God has a love for Him but if it does not express itself in verbal communication is not a very passionate love.

Adoring God should be the easy but sometimes it is hard to express our love to Him. The problem is not because God is lacking in adorable qualities, but that our depraved nature can not appreciate the character of God. Even though we are saved from the awful and eternal judgment of God, and even saved from the sorrow and consequences of sin here in the nasty now and now, still, our nature is dull and slow to receive an understanding and appreciation of the character of God. Sometime it is hard to express our love for God when great and unexplained tragedy has occurred in our lives. Job said “If he slays me, I will hope in him.” 13:15. It is wiser to bow in submission and adoration of God than to try to judge him.

To adore God involves both our understanding and our emotions. As we come to understand that God is “omnipresent (is in all places at all times), omnisciencent (knows everything whether past, present, future, or potential), omnipotent (is all powerful wether directly of through means), immutable (can not change, is always the same), infinitely holy and completely just, glorious in all His manifestation, self-existent and eternal, sovereign, faithful, wise, loving, graceful, merciful, long-suffering, gentle, kind, and the list goes on and on. Who is a more loveable person than God? There is none other. “Who is like unto thee, O LORD, among the gods? who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?” Ex 15:11 Who most deserves to be loved and adored? It is the God of our salvation.

God is to be approached in both awe and adoration. When we pray we should tell God that we love Him because of who He is and what He has done for us. “Oh, the selfishness of the thought which restricts prayer to mere petition! Shall nothing drive us to God but the pressure of want? Shall we think of him only when we are hungry, and forget him when we are full?..Is there nothing attractive in the character of Jehovah Himself to draw us with the power of a magnet?” Palmer

If we abide in adoration for our God sin not will capture our affections. “If you love me, you will obey my commandments.” Jn 14:15 Obedience is a response of devotion and adoration of the Redeemer who set us free.

God has not saved us without respect to our emotions, they are a vital part of our relation and communication with Him. Our counselors tell us that is important for husband and wife to express their love for one another in both actions and words. It is important that we tell our spouse “I Love You” but is more important that we tell God “I Love You” and Jesus “I Love You.” We need to tell God that we love him. It does not fulfill a need in Him, but it does please Him and glorify him. We have a genuine need to express our love and adoration to God personally (secretly and corporately). This process gets our emotions out where we can recognize and confirm them and have a stronger and more intimate relationship with our God.

Our Lord ranks love for Him as of more importance than love for our family, “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.” Mat 10:37 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother, and wife and children, and brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.” Lk 14:26 Our Lord is using the term “hate” in a figurative sense, which is operating on a relative scale. God is to be loved more than family or self.. Our love for God should make our love for a spouse, a parent or a child seem like hate, relatively. Our service for God is hindered if of our love for Him is not of the right quality.

Since “the love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” Rom 5:5 shouldn’t we pour out our love to God. Privately for sure and publicly for His glory. As we pray we should express our love to Jesus. Surely we are not ashamed of Him, especially after He has done so much for us.

“Lips cry ‘God be merciful’ That ne’er cry ‘God be praised.’ O come let us adore Him!” The Kneeling Christian

“The most healthy state of a Christian is to be always empty in self and constantly depending upon the Lord for supplies; to be always poor in self and rich in Jesus; weak as water personally, but mighty through God to do great exploits; and hence the use of prayer, because, while it adores God, it lays the creature where it should be, in the very dust.” CHS

More Love to Thee, O Christ

More love to thee, O Christ,

More love to thee!

Hear thou the prayer I make

On bended knee;

This is my earnest plea,

More love, O Christ, to thee,

More love to Thee

More love Thee

Once earthly joy I craved,

Sought peace and rest;

Now Thee alone I seek’

Give what is best;

This all my prayer shall be,

More love, O Christ to thee,

More love to Thee,

More love to Thee

Let sorrow do its work,

Send grief and pain;

Sweet are the messengers,

Sweet their refrain,

When they can sing with me,

More love, O Christ, to Thee,

More love to Thee,

More love to Thee

Then shall my latest breath

Whisper thy praise;

This be the parting cry,

My heart shall raise,

This still its prayer shall be,

More love, O Christ to Thee,

More love to Thee,

More love to Thee.

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Confession in Prayer

Sometimes we use the acrostic “A.C.T.S.” to help us in prayer. A = adore, C = confession, T = thanksgiving, S = supplication. Let us look at confession in prayer. Confession means “speaking together”-- relating to sin, it means that we agree with God about our sin. “...God and ourselves, unite in a concurrent declaration in regard to sin. God...declares it the abominable thing which his soul hateth. The sinner...feels the terribleness of it in his own experience; and running upon this line, unites with God in declaring it that abominable thing which every soul ought to hate.” (Theology of Prayer, B.M. Palmer) A true Christian will be grieved when he sees sin in his life and will agree with God that it is sin and he will turn from it. Confessing our sin clears God of our wrong doing and protects His name. Confession is necessary in order to pray: 1. Because God is offended. 2. Because We are guilty, therefore, disqualified to pray. 3. Because the essence of prayer is honestly communicating with God.

We need to confess that our basic nature is to sin.

That we are far from God and not naturally in submission to God’s law and will. The theologians call this original sin. “Look, I was prone to do wrong from birth; I was a sinner the moment my mother conceived me.” Ps 51:5 We are not sinners because of bad examples around us. We were willing and eager student to learn sin. “ If God places no trust in his holy ones, if even the heavens are not pure in his eyes, how much less man, who is abominable and corrupt, who drinks in evil like water! ” Job 15:15,16

We need to confess actual sins that we have committed.

Privately committed sins need to be confessed privately. Publicly committed sins need to be confessed publicly. We can sin in act, word, and thought. Our sin may not get out of our thoughts but it is still actual sin. We need to recognize that we are guilty and that it separates us from God and His blessings. We need to confess our personal sins “The tax collector, however, stood far off and would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, be merciful to me, sinner that I am!’” Lk 18:13

We need to confess our corporate sins.

Ezra confessed the corporate sin of Israel. “I prayed, ‘O my God, I am ashamed and embarrassed, my God, to lift my face to you. For our iniquities have climbed higher than our head, and our guilt extends to the heavens.’” Ezra 9:6

We need to confess that our sin is basically against God.

Even though sin hurts other, it is basically sin against God and must always be dwelt with in our relationship with God. “Against you, especially you, I have sinned; I have done what is sinful in your sight. So you are just when you confront me; you are right when you condemn me.” Ps 51:4

We need to confess to one another.

“So confess your sins to one another and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great effectiveness.” Jam 5:16 This keeps us humble, makes us accountable and helps us discipline ourselves to prevent it happening again.

We need to confess our sins so God will hear us.

“ If I had harbored sin in my heart, the sovereign Master would not have listened. However, God heard; he listened to my prayer. God deserves praise, for he did not reject my prayer or abandon his love for me!” Ps 66:18-20

It is not a matter of “If we have sinned, we should confess.” The Bible tells us plainly that we have sinned and we are to confess it. “If we say we do not bear the guilt of sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. But if we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous, forgiving us our sins and cleansing us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar and his word is not in us.” 1 Jn 1:8-10 The basic definition for sin in the NT is “to miss the mark,” this definition alone give us abundant opportunity for confession because we have all missed very badly the standard that God’s holiness requires.

How do we discover the sin in our life to confess? To compare ourselves to others will not reveal our sin to us. On the contrary, it will increase our sin by hiding the sin we have and feeding our pride. We must put ourselves before God and give Him time to show us ourselves. This can be done personally and corporately. The Psalmist said “Examine me, and probe my thoughts! Test me, and know my concerns! See if there is any idolatrous tendency in me, and lead me in the reliable ancient path!” Ps 139:23-24 The most mature saints have not matured past the need for confession but have learned how to detect sin in their lives and deal with it quickly. “The one who covers his transgressions will not prosper, but whoever confesses and abandons them will find mercy.” Prov 28:13

"Prayer has often been compared to breathing; we have only to carry out the comparison fully to see how wonderful the place is which the holy spirit occupies. With every breath we expel the impure air which would soon cause our death, and inhale again the fresh air to which we owe our life. So we give out from us, in confession the sins, in prayer the needs and the desires of our heart. And in drawing in our breath again, we inhale the fresh air of the promises, and the love, and the life of God in Christ. We do this through the holy spirit, who is the breath of our life..." A. Murray

What better can we do, than to the place

Repairing, where He judged us, prostrate fall

Before Him reverent; and there confess

Humbly our faults, and pardon beg; with tears

Watering the ground, and with our sighs the air

Frequenting?

(John Milton has Adam saying to Eve)

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Corporate Prayer: What Is It

The word “corporate” is an adjective meaning 1. Of or being a corporation. 2. Combined into one body: joint or corporate action. The term “corporate prayer” would mean two or more children of God praying the same prayer at the same time. When one person is verbalizing the prayer we call it “leading in prayer.” If more than one person is verbalizing the prayer, we call it “praying in unison.” If all are praying the same prayer in mind and spirit then we are experiencing true “Corporate prayer.” “Corporate prayer” is not just several people in the same room taking turns praying, but each one experiencing union of soul with the one leading and all becoming one in communion with God. This union of mind and spirit is the result of the work of the Spirit.

Paul make two concluding statements about tongues in the church service: 1 Cor 14:15-17 “What is the outcome then? I will pray with the spirit and I will pray with the mind also; I will sing with the spirit and I will sing with the mind also. Otherwise if you bless in the spirit only, how will the one who fills the place of the ungifted say the “Amen” at your giving of thanks, since he does not know what you are saying? For you are giving thanks well enough, but the other person is not edified.” and in verse 26 “What is the outcome then, brethren? When you assemble, each one has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification.” The thrust of Paul’s teaching is that when someone speaks, sings, or prays it must be with understanding so others can participate and agree and say “Amen” which means “so be it.”

It is normal that not every one gets to pray audibly in the prayer meeting. Some think that they have wasted their time in coming to the meeting since they did not get to participate and they may have done so if that is all they came to do. But that should not and need not be the case. We that are silent need to join our spirits with the one speaking to God. “Even though we may not take part audibly in the action, yet if we are there in a right spirit - there really to wait upon God, we marvelously help the tone of a meeting.” C.H. Mackintosh

It is not always necessary that we take prayer requests, we can lead one another to the throne to pray with the “corporate support” of the entire group. If one Jacob can prevail over the angel, then what could several Jacobs accomplish? “While it is true that one man who knows how to pray and make intercession in the Spirit has far more power with God than a host of half-hearted ones, it is nevertheless a glorious fact that the prayers of a sanctified host, when of one heart and soul, become irresistible.” –Thomas Payne

Our Lord Jesus teaches us about agreeing together, “Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven. For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst.” Mat 18:19-20 This lesson of our Lord involves more than just agreeing in prayer, but it is fundamental to His teaching and to effectual corporate prayer.

“The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.” Compare a machine in working order with a box of the same parts. “What we cannot obtain by solitary prayer we may by social...because where our individual strength fails, there union and concord are effectual.” Chrysostom 400 AD

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 “Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor. For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up. Furthermore, if two lie down together they keep warm, but how can one be warm alone? And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart.”

Lev 26:6-9 “I shall also grant peace in the land, so that you may lie down with no one making you tremble. I shall also eliminate harmful beasts from the land, and no sword will pass through your land. ‘But you will chase your enemies and they will fall before you by the sword; five of you will chase a hundred, and a hundred of you will chase ten thousand, and your enemies will fall before you by the sword. So I will turn toward you and make you fruitful and multiply you, and I will confirm My covenant with you.” A ratio of effectiveness of 1/20 increases to 1/100 by an increase in corporate size. “There is a power in conferring and covenanting, on the part of kindred spirits, to come before God, and plead together some special promise.” The Prayer Meeting and Its History, J. B. Johnston

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“The prayer that God particularly delights to answer is united prayer. There is power in the prayer of a single individual, and the prayer of individuals has wrought great things, but there is far greater power in united prayer.” The Power of Prayer, R.A. Torrey

"It is a tremendous responsibility to lead God's people to God's throne and into God's presence in public prayer. God can so strongly anoint the one who leads in prayer that all present are brought into consciousness of God's presence until the one praying is forgotten and the people as one in heart and soul unite and agree in the prayer." Mighty Prevailing Prayer, Wesley Duewel, p 129

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Corporate Prayer: The Open Secret

By “open secret” we mean something that is common knowledge but everyone’s actions make it look like it is a secret. Concerning the apostolical history of meetings for prayer Spurgeon said, “these meetings must have been very common indeed. They were, doubtless, every-day things...” Let’s look at the N.T. passages that refer to the “corporate prayer meeting.”

Matt 6:5,6 “When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.” The Jews practice was that everywhere there were ten men they should build a house for prayer, this they called the Synagogue.

Mark 11:17 “And He began to teach and say to them, Is it not written, My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations? But you have made it a robbers’ den.” (Lk 19:46)

Lk 1:8-10 “Now it happened that while he was performing his priestly service before God in the appointed order of his division, according to the custom of the priestly office, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. And the whole multitude of the people were in prayer outside at the hour of the incense offering.”

Lk 18:10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.”

Act 1:13,14 “When they had entered the city, they went up to the upper room where they were staying; that is, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas the son of James. These all with one mind were continually devoting themselves to prayer, along with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.” One of the first uses of the prayer-meeting, then, is to encourage a discouraged people.

Ac 2:41-43 “So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls. They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles.” If we are to understand the functions of “teaching” “fellowship , “breaking of bread” as corporate functions why would we think of this reference to “prayer” as anything else? Just look at the results.

Ac 3:1-7 “Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the ninth hour, the hour of prayer. And a man who had been lame from his mother’s womb was being carried along, whom they used to set down every day at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, in order to beg alms of those who were entering the temple. When he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple, he began asking to receive alms. But Peter, along with John, fixed his gaze on him and said, Look at us! And he began to give them his attention, expecting to receive something from them. But Peter said, I do not possess silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you: In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene—walk! And seizing him by the right hand, he raised him up; and immediately his feet and his ankles were strengthened.” Today the Church in America has the silver and gold but not the power to change peoples lives.

Ac 4:31 “And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak the word of God with boldness.” The prayer-meeting is the comfort and resource of a persecuted church.

Ac 6:4 “But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” If “ministry of the word” is corporate why not “prayer”?

Ac 12:5 “So Peter was kept in the prison, but prayer for him was being made fervently by the church to God.”

This prayer meeting may have been in a home but still it was the church praying in a prayer meeting(s) that prevailed.

Ac 13:2,3 “While they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them. Then, when they had fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.” The early Christians had an atmosphere in which the Holy Spirit could speak and here He give instruction for missionary operations.

Ac 14:22,23 “Strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying, Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God. When they had appointed elders for them in every church, having prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed.” In the midst of persecution we must commend each other to the Lord by prayer.

Ac 16:12,13 “and from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of Macedonia, a Roman colony; and we were staying in this city for some days. And on the Sabbath day we went outside the gate to a riverside, where we were supposing that there would be a place of prayer; and we sat down and began speaking to the women who had assembled.”

A prayer-meeting became the first foothold of the gospel in Europe just as it is for any work of God.

1 Cor 11:4,5 “Every man who has something on his head while praying or prophesying disgraces his head. But every woman who has her head uncovered while praying or prophesying disgraces her head, for she is one and the same as the woman whose head is shaved.” 14:15 “What is the outcome then? I will pray with the spirit and I will pray with the mind also; I will sing with the spirit and I will sing with the mind also.” Paul was so concerned about “corporate prayer” in the Corinthian church that he gave detailed instruction for it.

1 Thess 5:17 “pray without ceasing;” This is given in a context of exhortation to the corporate church body.

1 Tim 2:1,8 “First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men....Therefore I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and dissension.” When Paul gave instruction to Timothy he included corporate prayer.

“How could we expect a blessing if we were too idle to ask for it? How could we look for a Pentecost if we never met with one accord, in one place, to wait upon the Lord? Brethren, we shall never see much change for the better in our churches in general till the prayer meeting occupies a higher place in the esteem of Christians.” Only a Prayer Meeting, p 13. We like to glory in Spurgeon’s success but we fail to strive for a Monday night service which he said “scarcely ever numbers less than from a thousand to twelve hundred attendants...” p 27

“The prayer-meeting is an institution which ought to be very precious to us, and to be cherished very much by us as a Church, for to it we owe everything. When our comparatively little chapel was all but empty, was it not a well-known fact that the prayer-meeting was always full? And when the Church increased, and the place was scarce large enough, it was the prayer meeting that did it all. When we went to Exeter Hall, we were a praying people, indeed; and when we entered on the larger speculation, as it seemed, of the Surrey Music-hall, what cries and tears went up to heaven for our success! And so it has been ever since. It is in the spirit of prayer that our strength lies; and if we lose this, the locks will be shorn from Samson, and the Church of God will become weak as water and though we, as Samson did, go and try to shake ourselves as at other times, we shall hear the cry, The Philistines be upon thee, and our eyes will be put out, and our glory will depart, unless we continue mighty and earnest in prayer.”

What Should Be the Great Object of the Prayer-meeting,

1. First, it must be the glory of God, or else the petition is not sufficiently put up.

2. And then, in subservience to that, let us pray for a blessing on the Church.

3. Then we should also pray for the conversion of the ungodly.

“History confirms the truth that wherever evangelical and vital religion flourish, there lives the earnest gatherings for social prayer.” The Prayer Meeting and Its History, J. B. Johnston

A church is never more like the New Testament church than when it is praying.

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Corporate Prayer: How to Have the Manifest Presence of God

The basic assumption of James 4:8 “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you” is that there is a something more than the omnipresence of God. God can draw nearer than the presence that He has at all times in all places. Before the fall God came in special visitation to Adam and Eve. “They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.” Gen 3:8 That presence must have been something more than His omnipresence. When they fell they hid from that presence. In our salvation God has restored our relationship with Him but we are still struggling with His special presence. What is the manifest presence of God? It is not the presence of God as He is all present or omnipresence. It is not His providence that is ever waiting on us. It is when He becomes undeniably real, irresistibly and powerfully changing saint and sinner, when He gloriously glorifies Himself among His people. The presence of God is unquestionably Sovereign and irresistible, nothing stands in His way. When He reveled Himself to us in our initial salvation experience it was His sovereign prerogative to do so and likewise with His manifest presence.

In Jn 14:21 our Lord teaches us about His and His Father’s relation to us, “He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him. Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, Lord, what then has happened that You are going to disclose Yourself to us and not to the world? Jesus answered and said to him, If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him.” The word “disclose” is emphanizo meaning to manifest, exhibit to view, to show one's self, come to view, appear, be manifest, to indicate, disclose, declare, make known. Too often we read into the Scriptures what is norm in our experience. There is much more for us in our relation to God than we know.

Paul said to the Corinthians “I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling, and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God. 1 Cor 2:3-5 Demonstration here is a making manifest, showing forth, a demonstration, proof. May God help us to experience the “ demonstration of the Spirit and of power” personally and corporately.

The question then is “How can we have this special and manifest presence of God?”

The answer may be simple in principle but difficult to acquire. In Matt 6:5,6 Jesus give us instruction in praying, “When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.” We are not told not to pray in the synagogue or assembly, but that we are not to do it “ like the hypocrites.” Public praying is good but it requires a counterpart “private praying.” “The term translated room refers to the inner room of a house, normally without any windows opening outside, the most private location possible.”

The important thing is that we have a time and a place each day that we go to for private communion with God. It is best if it is where we won’t be distracted and where others cannot hear us. The best method is to be on our knees and pray out loud to God. The word “reward” means to pay off, discharge what is due, to give back, restore. Our Lord is saying that God will give us what is due if we pray in secret. Note that the context here is public or corporate praying. If we base our public life, praying and otherwise, in our private life then God will bless our public life. How are we to have the special and manifest presence of God in our corporate experience? Answer--Have the manifest presence in our private prayer experience. We cannot expect to have the “manifest presence of God” publicly if we do not have it privately. If we do not have it privately or publicly who's fault will it be. The secret of praying is praying in secret.

It is also true that the degree of spiritual maturity that each of us brings to this corporate prayer meeting will increase the corporate experience of the presence of God. There is a sense in which we can “bring the presence of God with us” to the prayer meeting. No, we cannot control God but we can abide in His presence and carry that with us where ever we go.

For us to advocate that we have the manifest presence of God in our church services and not first and fundamentally have it in our secret prayer lives is classic hypocrisy.

“If we pray among a select society of Christians, we draw near to God with holy boldness, something like what we use in our duties of secret worship. We have reason to take more freedom among fellow saints and whose hearts have felt many of the same workings as our own.” A Guide to Prayer, Isaac Watts, p 58

If we be faithful to secret prayer God will be faithful to our corporate prayer.

A dynamic praying church must be built from the inside out, employing all four levels of prayer: the secret closet, the family altar, small group praying and finally, the congregational setting. Developing your Secret Closet of Prayer, Richard Burr, p 19.

Lord, I have Shut the Door

Lord, I have shut the door, Here do I bow;

Speak, for my soul attend Turns to Thee now.

Rebuke Thou what is vain, Counsel my Soul,

Thy holy will reveal, My will control.

In this blest quietness clamorings cease;

Here in Thy presence dwells Infinite peace;

Yonder, the strife and cry, Yonder the sin;

Lord, I have shut the door, Thou art within!

Lord, I have shut the door, Strengthen my heart;

Yonder awaits the task - I share a part.

Only through grace bestowed May I be true;

Here, while alone with Thee, My strength renew.

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Paul’s Exhortation to Corporate Prayer

“First of all, then, I urge that requests, prayers, intercessions, and thanks be offered on behalf of all people.” 1 Timothy 2:1

Paul begins this letter by exhorting Timothy concerning doctrine (1:3-7) and continues talking about the law (1:8-11), and how all this related to him (1:12-17), and again exhorts Timothy to fight the good fight (1:18-20). The two main parts of public worship are the ministry of the word and prayer and Paul is dealing with these as two areas of concern. Now, Paul moves from the doctrinal to the practical, especially as it relates to their corporate conduct.

The word for “first” means “first in time or place or first in rank,” here the latter definition applies. “The exhortation here is not addressed particularly to Timothy, but relates to all who were called to lead public prayer.” (Barnes’ Notes on the NT, p 1133) Paul is referring to “Timothy and the congregations; Timothy is to direct them, and the congregations are to follow his directions. Few commentators will entertain the thought that Paul’s directions are intended only for individuals and not for congregations. Timothy should not be regarded as being the pastor of the church in Ephesus, the elders were the pastors. Timothy was Paul’s representative who directed pastors and churches in the entire province; hence, Paul also puts these directions into writing in case somebody raised objection.” (Interpretation of First Timothy, R.C.H. Lenski, p 538) That Paul is referring to corporate conduct is further evidenced when he begins chapter 3 by dealing with “the office of overseer” which is a church body issues.

Paul is compassionate in his dealing with Timothy. When he says, “I urge” he is using the word that means to call to one’s side, to admonish, exhort. The noun form of this word, parakletos, is used to refer to the Holy Spirit, the comforter or the one that comes along side to help and strengthen. This word also occurs in 1:3, there it is in the aorist tense where it has a sense of finality to it to as he deals with doctrine and here it is present tense indicating that the exhortation to prayer is ongoing and continual. These two occurrences indicate that these two sections are to be considered in comparison to each other, the one doctrinal and the other practical.

Paul proceeds to give us four things that ought to be included in corporate prayer.

1. “Requests” as seeking, asking, entreating, entreaty to God. “The picture behind the word is that of a beggar sitting at the side of the road, begging for the help of the king as he passes by. It expresses destitution and inadequacy, inability to meet one’s own needs, and total dependence on another. It is need expressed in a cry... a definite need keenly felt.” (Prayer Power Unlimited, J. Oswald Sanders, p 29)

2. “Prayers” as addressed to God or a place set apart or suited for the offering of prayer. “As used here the word for prayers means prayer-wishes that are expressed in the presence and by the side of another…it is the word that refers to needs that are always present, in contrast to petitions (requests) which have specific situations in view.” (Prayer Power Unlimited, J. Oswald Sanders, p 29)

3. “Intercessions” means a falling in with, meeting with, an interview, that for which an interview is held, a conference or conversation, a petition, supplication. “In intercession, we are concerned about the needs and interests of others. Intercession is the unselfish and altruistic aspect of prayer…in intercessions the believer is acting as an intermediary between God and other people. We forget ourselves and our own needs in our identification with the needs of the one for whom we pray.” (Prayer Power Unlimited, J. Oswald Sanders, p 30)

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Thanksgiving in Prayer

“Be devoted to prayer, keeping alert in it with thanksgiving” Col 4:2

“First of all, then, I urge that requests, prayers, intercessions, and thanks be offered on behalf of all people.”

1 Tim 2:1

Sometimes we use the acrostic “A.C.T.S.” as an outline to help us in prayer. A = adore, C = confession, T = thanksgiving, S = supplication. Let us consider thanksgiving in prayer. Thanksgiving is defined as, “To give thanks is to acknowledge the bounty of that hand from which we receive our blessings, and to ascribe honour and praise to the power, the wisdom and the goodness of God upon that account.” A Guide to Prayer, Isaac Watts p 29 “Thanksgiving is the act of expressing specific gratitude to God for blessings He has bestowed upon us.” The Hour that Changes the World, Dick Eastman p 95

There are two types of things we are to give God thanks for:

1. Those things He has given us.

Those things He has given us without our asking. God has included us in His great plan of redemption. “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift.” 2 Cor 9:15 We are to thank God for being a just God. We are to thank God for revealing Himself to us sinful creatures. For His protecting us from harm and suffering that others endure.

Those things He has given us in answer to our prayer. “The prayer of a righteous person has great effectiveness. ” James 5:16 For our forgiveness of sins and our hope of eternal life. For delivering us from dangers and evils that we face. The ten lepers could pray for mercy and healing but only one returned to express thankfulness. How soon we forget where our blessings come from.

For all the mercies of life; for things spiritual, for Christ Himself, and for all spiritual blessings in him; for electing, redeeming, sanctifying, adopting, pardoning, and justifying grace; for the work of sanctification in our lives, and for eternal life itself; for the Gospel that we have heard and that we hear preached, promises of God, truths that the Holy Spirit has helped us to see, the privilege of public worship without persecution.

2. Those things that He will do for us, both that which we will not ask for and that which we will ask for. When our Lord was about to raise Lazarus from the dead He said “Father, I thank you that you have listened to me.” Jn 11:41 Obviously Jesus had already prayed about this situation and received the answer and was now thanking His Father for what He was about to do. In Mt 15:36 Jesus thanked His Father for the seven loaves knowing what His Father was about to do. It honors God for us to thank Him for what He has not yet done but what we expect Him to do in the future.

The giving of thanks is not something reserved for private prayer. I Chron 16:8 says “Give thanks to the Lord! Call on his name! Make known his accomplishments among the nations!” In Eph 5:19,20 we are told “speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making music in your hearts to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for each other in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, ” The “psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody” are things done in the meeting of the saints, the corporate meeting. So should we “Give thanks” in the corporate prayer meeting. The prayer meeting is a place of His special presence and we ought to “Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give him thanks! Praise his name!” Ps 100:4 “Always rejoice, constantly pray, in everything give thanks. For this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” I Th 5:16-18 The context of this passage is the body life of the local church, this is probably a reference to the prayer meeting.

We give God extra glory when we thank Him in circumstance that are not convent, in times of adversity, desertion, temptation, affliction, and persecution, as well as in prosperity. “Let them present thank offerings, and loudly proclaim what he has done!” Ps 107:22 A sacrifice offering of thanksgiving is to express thankfulness when we are hurting, being reproached, suffering for His name, depressed, discouraged, in doubt, defeated. It is associated with pain and giving up something of value to us.

The world is searching for peace, internationally and personally but peace can only come from a right relationship with God that includes thankfulness. “Do not be anxious about anything. Instead, tell your requests to God in your every prayer and petition—with thanksgiving. And the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” Ph 4:6,7 “If anyone would tell you the shortest, surest way to all happiness and all perfection, he must tell you to make a rule to yourself to thank and praise God for everything that happens to you, if you thank and praise God for it, you turn it into a blessing.” William Law

We are to be full and overflowing with thankfulness. “Therefore, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him and firm in your faith just as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.” Col 2:6,7

Just as we are saved through the work of Jesus Christ so we are to give our thanks back to God through Him. “And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father through him.” Col 3:17

“Count your blessings, name them one by one, and it will surprise you what the Lord has done.”

“Praise and thanksgiving not only open the gates of heaven for me to approach God, but also ‘prepare a way’ for God to bless me.” The Kneeling Christian

Thanks to God

Thanks, O God, for boundless mercy from Thy gracious throne above;

Thanks for ev’ry need provided from the fulness of thy Love!

Thanks for daily toil and labor and for rest when shadows fall;

Thanks for love of friend and neighbor and Thy goodness unto all!

Thanks for thorns as well as roses; thanks for weakness and for health;

Thanks for clouds as well as sunshine; thanks for poverty and wealth!

Thanks for pain as well as pleasure – all thou sendest day by day;

And Thy Word, our dearest treasure, shedding light upon our way.

Thanks, O God, for home and fireside, here we share our daily bread;

Thanks for hours of sweet communion, when by Thee our souls are fed!

Thanks for grace in time of sorrow and for joy and peace in Thee;

Thanks for hope today, tomorrow, and for all eternity!

Thanks to God by August Ludvig Storm, 1862-1914,

translated by Carel E. Backstrom, 1901-

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Supplication in Prayer

“Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication

with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.” Ph 4:6

Sometimes we use the acrostic “A.C.T.S.” to help us in prayer. A = adore, c = confession, t = thanksgiving, s = supplication. Let’s consider the fourth, “Supplication in Prayer.” Supplication is prayer as the expression of need, its asking for something desired. Sometimes our need is an indication of what God wants to do for us. He wants us to enter into what He is doing in our lives by learning what our need is, asking for it and trusting Him for it.

In Luke11:1-4 We have two prayers. The second is the answer to the first. “Now Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he stopped, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray.” That was the first prayer, they asked for “prayer” to be taught to them. This may be the most fundamental prayer of all. Praying is not a natural skill, it is an acquired and developed ability. We must be taught by the Spirit to pray. The first answer to the question of what should we supplicate and ask for in pray is, “We should pray for ourselves to have the ability to pray.” Once this skill is achieved it’s exercise will supply all the other needs we have.

“And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Father, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Give us day by day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins; for we ourselves also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And bring us not into temptation.” Lk 11:2-4 Jesus now becomes a teacher of prayer. He did not think like some people that say that prayer can not be taught. “Everything that is legitimate to pray about can be found in the Lord’s Prayer.” (And When you Pray, Ray Pritchard p 23). If you can’t find it in this model prayer you shouldn’t pray for it. Sometimes we struggle with exactly what to pray for but Jesus specified five catagorize of petition or supplication:

1. Glorification of God. “Hallowed be thy name.” There is no problem here to know what to pray for. We are to pray that everything glorify our God. “For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever! Amen.” Rom 11:36 We have authority to pray only for those things that Glorify God. “So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God.” 1 Cor 10:31 What ever the circumstance, need or crisis we are to pray that it will bring glory to our God.

2. Kingdom business. “Thy kingdom come.” Let’s not miss the fact that “the kingdom of God” is something we are to pray about. We don’t think that this is limited to the Second Coming of our Lord as described in 2 Thess 1:4 “when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels.” Rom 14:17 tells us what our kingdom business is “For the kingdom of God does not consist of food and drink, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.” The next category deals with food and drink but first we are to pray about spiritual and practical things that will glorify God. It is not just to pray for the kingdom but pray for the kingdom first. A big responsibility in this area is intercession for others. Paul was very desirous for the Christians to pray for him. “Be devoted to prayer, keeping alert in it with thanksgiving. At the same time pray for us too, that God may open a door for the message so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may make it known as I should.” Col 4:2-4 “Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is being proclaimed, and in this I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, for I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ.” Phil 1:18,19

3. Daily need. “Give us day by day our daily bread.” God could and many times does supply our need, without our asking. So why ask at all? Answer: Jesus said to, that is why. Our needs are great and varied. We need a lot more than food; we need the health to eat and use its energy for God. We should include in this category the needs of others. Our needs are spiritual as well as physical. We need for God to work in our hearts to conform us to the image of Jesus Christ. Let’s not miss the fact that the needs here referenced are “daily” not “monthly” or “yearly.” A large bank account balance is not a “daily need.” Sometimes God in His super abundant grace allows us to have savings and retirement accounts but it is daily needs that we have authority to pray for.

4. Forgiveness of sin. “And forgive us our sins; ” If we are truly Christian we are saved, justified and forgiven for all our sins, past, present and future then; why ask for forgiveness? There is a difference between our legal position and our life performance. Part of our sanctification is coming to understand what sin is, to identify our sins and deal with them. Asking for forgiveness acknowledges the fact of our sin, and agrees with God that it is wrong and is an effort to move away from that sin. In this category we have the authority to deal directly with God; no middle person is needed. “If we say we do not bear the guilt of sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. But if we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous, forgiving us our sins and cleansing us from all unrighteousness.” 1 Jn 1:8,9

5. Predeliverence from sin. “And bring us not into temptation.” A genuine Christian does not want to sin; he knows that he is weak in himself and cannot keep himself from sin. He doesn’t trust himself and does not want to be tested. To ask that God deliver us from the opportunity to sin is a safe and healthy attitude to have. “The meaning is, that God would not suffer us to be overcome by temptation; that we may not be given up to the power of temptation, and be drawn into sin.” (The Lord’s Prayer, Thomas Watson, p 187) This is the opposite of Peter’s attitude when He said “Even if I must die with you, I will never deny you.” And all the disciples said the same thing.” Matt 26:35 The wise Christian knows he is liable to fall and wants to avoid it.

I CANNOT PRAY

I cannot say OUR if my religion has no room for others and their needs.

I cannot say FATHER if I do not demonstrate this relationship in my daily living.

I cannot say WHO ART IN HEAVEN if all my interests and pursuits are in earthly things.

I cannot say HALLOWED BY MY NAME if I, who am called to bear His Name, am not holy.

I cannot say THY KINGDOM COME if I am unwilling to give up my own sovereignty and accept the righteous reign of God.

I cannot say ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN unless I am truly ready to give myself to His service here and now.

I cannot say GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY BREAD without expending honest effort for it, or by ignoring the genuine needs of others.

I cannot say FORGIVE US OUR TRESPASSES AS WE FORGIVE THOSE WHO TRESPASS AGAINST US if I continue to harbor a grudge against anyone.

I cannot say LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION if I deliberately choose to remain in a situation where I am likely to be tempted.

I cannot say DELIVER US FROM EVIL if I am not prepared to fight in the spiritual realm with the weapon of prayer.

I cannot say THINE IS THE KINGDOM if I do not give the King the disciplined obedience of a loyal subject.

I cannot say THINE IS THE POWER if I fear what my neighbors and friends may say or do.

I cannot say THINE IS THE GLORY if I am seeking my own glory first.

I cannot say FOREVER if I am too anxious about each day’s events.

I cannot say AMEN unless I honestly say “Cost what it may, This is my prayer.”

Source unknown

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The Act of Prayer has its own Benefit

“Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens.” —Lamentations 3:41

The act of prayer teaches us our unworthiness, which is a very salutary lesson for such proud beings as we are. If God gave us favours without constraining us to pray for them we should never know how poor we are, but a true prayer is an inventory of wants, a catalogue of necessities, a revelation of hidden poverty. While it is an application to divine wealth, it is a confession of human emptiness. The most healthy state of a Christian is to be always empty in self and constantly depending upon the Lord for supplies; to be always poor in self and rich in Jesus; weak as water personally, but mighty through God to do great exploits; and hence the use of prayer, because, while it adores God, it lays the creature where it should be, in the very dust.

Prayer is in itself, apart from the answer which it brings, a great benefit to the Christian. As the runner gains strength for the race by daily exercise, so for the great race of life we acquire energy by the hallowed labour of prayer. Prayer plumes the wings of God's young eaglets, that they may learn to mount above the clouds. Prayer girds the loins of God's warriors, and sends them forth to combat with their sinews braced and their muscles firm. An earnest pleader cometh out of his closet, even as the sun ariseth from the chambers of the east, rejoicing like a strong man to run his race.

Prayer is that uplifted hand of Moses which routs the Amalekites more than the sword of Joshua; (Ex 17:12 “But Moses' hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; And his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.”)

It is the arrow shot from the chamber of the prophet foreboding defeat to the Syrians (2 Ki 13:18 “16 And he said to the king of Israel, Put thy hand upon the bow; and he put his hand upon it. And Elisha laid his hands upon the king's hands. 17 And he said, Open the window eastward; and he opened it. Then Elisha said, Shoot; and he shot. And he said, Jehovah's arrow of victory, even the arrow of victory over Syria; for thou shalt smite the Syrians in Aphek, till thou have consumed them. 18 And he said, Take the arrows; and he took them. And he said unto the king of Israel, Smite upon the ground; and he smote thrice, and stayed. 19 And the man of God was wroth with him, and said, Thou shouldest have smitten five or six times: then hadst thou smitten Syria till thou hadst consumed it, whereas now thou shalt smite Syria but thrice.”).

Prayer girds human weakness with divine strength, turns human folly into heavenly wisdom, and gives to troubled mortals the peace of God. We know not what prayer cannot do! We thank thee, great God, for the mercy-seat, a choice proof of thy marvelous loving kindness. Help us to use it aright throughout this day!

Morning & Evening, C.H. Spurgeon October 11 AM

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American Christians

I. The problem.

The American Christians are: Insulated from the way most Christians live and the problems they face.

In the age of information and extremes we are extremely ignorant to what the Christians in China, Korea, Sudan, Russia, etc, are experiencing as to persecutions and to revival blessings. The average Christian in America can not believe that there are 168,000 Christian martyrs per year. We have been dumbed down by the TV and newspaper news media.

The American Christians are: Intoxicated with material things.

The affluencey of the American Christian reveals his carnality. We buy and consume in the same styles and to the same degrees as the unsaved pagans in our neighborhoods. The Christian family in American has the same number of TVs and the same designer cloths as anyone else.

The American Christians are: Inoculated to the presence and power of God.

When one is inoculated to a disease he is given a small sample of the disease so his immune system will build a defense against it. American Christians have had small sample of real Biblical Christianity and have developed an immunity to getting the real thing. We go to church a little bit, we read our Bibles sometimes, we pray at our meals and when we have a crisis and we call that normal Christianity. It is normal “American Christianity” but not normal Net Testament Christianity.

Because of this the American Christian is not a praying Christian. He doesn’t feel the need or sense the urgency to pray. Oh, where are the “men of God” that should be proclaiming needs of the day.

II. The Solution

Answer to Insulation: Education, get the facts of what’s going on in the world. Involvement, adopt a mission field to learn about and pray for. Joh 15:15 “No longer do I call you servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I heard from my Father, I have made known unto you.”

Answer to Intoxication: Fasting. We need to pray that God would wean us from the world and make us hungry for Him.

Mt 10:38 “And he that doth not take his cross and follow after me, is not worthy of me.”

Mt 16:24 “Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man would come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.”

Answer to Inoculation: Personal experience of the God. We ask as Elisha did, “Where is the Lord God of Elijah” We say there is a God but we practice “practical atheism”. We need to experience privately and corporately.

Lu 14:27 “Whosoever doth not bear his own cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.”

Lu 9:23 “And he said unto all, If any man would come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.”

Mr 10:21 “And Jesus looking upon him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me.”

Php 3:10 “that I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, becoming conformed unto his death;”

Gal 2: 20 “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I that live, but Christ living in me: and that life which I now live in the flesh I live in faith, the faith which is in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself up for me.”

Every converted sinner is a soul revived to prayer. Every saint restored from backsliding, is a soul returned to the life and power of prayer. Every congregation enjoying an outpouring of the Spirit, is a congregation revived and alive to the prayer meeting. The Prayer Meeting and Its History, J. B. Johnston

No time to pray!

O, who so fraught with earthly care

As not to give a humble prayer

Some part of day!

No time to pray!

What heart so clean, so pure within,

That needeth not some check from sin.

Needs not to pray?

No time to pray?

‘Mid each day's dangers, what retreat

More needful than the mercy seat?

Who need not pray?

No time to pray!

Must care or business' urgent call

So press us as to take it all,

Each passing day?

What thought more drear

Than that our God His face should hide,

And say, through all life's swelling tide,

No time to hear!

Anonymous

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Boring and Blasting, Ours and His

From: Prayer, by Ole. Hallesby, p 75

"pray without ceasing;" 1 Thess 5:17

"And let us not be weary in welldoing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not." Gal 6:9

We notice, too, that God now and then sends us an awakening. Nevertheless there is something in this connection which we should think about, especially with reference to our prayers. In the first place, I would point out the fact that awakenings occur very seldom. As a rule decades elapse between revivals in our cities and rural communities. In the next place, I would make mention of the fact that the revivals which do take place are usually not very great, being limited to a single locality. Finally, I would say that they are often representative of but very little spiritual power. By this I do not mean that there are no powers at work. There are often tremendous, almost brutal powers at work. But it becomes apparent, often during a revival, and especially afterwards, that there was much human power and but little divine power in the work that was done.

The reason for all this is that we fail to labor in prayer. We long for revivals; we speak of revivals; we work for revivals; and we even pray a little for them. But we do not enter upon that labor in prayer which is the essential preparation for every revival.

Many of us misunderstand the work of the Spirit in the unconverted. We think that this work is limited essentially to the time when the awakenings are taking place. We seem to think that the unconverted are not subject to divine influence between times. This is a complete misunderstanding. The Spirit works without interruption, during awakenings and between awakenings, even though He works differently, and the effect therefore also is different in the hearts of men.

The work of the Spirit can be compared to mining. The Spirit's work is to blast to pieces the sinner's hardness of heart and his frivolous opposition to God. The period of the awakening can be likened to the time when the blasts are fired. The time between the awakenings corresponds, on the other hand, to the time when the deep holes are being bored with great effort into the hard rock.

To bore these holes is hard and difficult and a task which tries one's patience. To light the fuse and fire the shot is not only easy but also very interesting work. One sees "results" from such work. It creates interest, too; shots resound, and pieces fly in every direction!

It takes trained workmen to do the boring. Anybody can light a fuse. This fact sheds a great deal of light upon the history of revivals, a history which is often strange and incomprehensible.

There are many people who would like to light the fuse. Many would like to be evangelistic preachers. And some preachers are even so zealous that they light a fuse before the hole has been bored and explosive matter put in place. The resulting revival becomes, therefore, nothing but a little display of fireworks!

During a revival our zeal for souls is so great that we are all active. Some are so active that they are almost dangerous during an after-meeting. When, on the other hand, the awakening has subsided, and everyday conditions, perhaps even dry seasons, return, then most of us lose our zeal and cease our activity.

But that is just when the Spirit calls us to do the quiet, difficult, trying work of boring holy explosive material into the souls of the unconverted by daily and unceasing prayer. This is the real preparatory work for the next awakening. The reason why such a long period of time elapses between awakenings is simply that the Spirit cannot find believers who are willing to do the heavy part of the mining work.

Everybody desires awakenings; but we prefer to let others do the boring into the hard rock. There are, God be praised, in every community some who take up this work which tries one's patience so sorely. The Lord reward you, brother and sister, and, above all, give you grace to persevere in the holy work you have taken up!

Let us be faithful to prepare the way with persistent praying.

Let us be faithful to wait on the Spirit to give wondrous workings of His power.

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Fervent Praying

James 5:16 “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”

The words “effectual” and “fervent” are the translation of one Greek word energeo meaning to be operative, be at work, put forth power, to effect, show one's self operative. It has the prefix en which means “In” “inside” or “within” so the emphasis is what is going on within our own soul.

Also, energeo is present tense and middle voice. This kind of praying is ongoing or continuous and is done personally and with much involvement. It is doing something in and to the one praying. After all God is not the one that needs to be changed, it is us that needs to be conformed to Him. From the Divine perspective, this may be the main benefit of praying, i.e. the change it brings in us. This kind of praying is not cold or even lukewarm, not formal but personal, not indifferent but importunate. This quality of praying “avails much.” Here the word means to be strong, to have power as shown by extraordinary deeds.

“Some translate the word ‘inspired,’ the Spirit of God breathes into men the breath of spiritual life, and they live, and being quickened by him, they breathe; and prayer is the breath of the spiritual man, and is no other than the reverberation of the Spirit of God in him; and such prayer cannot fail of success: it may be rendered ‘inwrought.’ True prayer is not what is written in a book, but what is wrought in the heart, by the Spirit of God; who is the enditer of prayer, who impresses the minds of his people with a sense of their wants, and fills their mouths with arguments, and puts strength into them to plead with God, and makes intercession for them according to the will of God; such prayer is always heard, and regarded by him: this has great power with God; whatever is asked, believing, is received; God can deny nothing prayed for in this manner.” John Gill

This quality of praying was manifested when:

1. Elijah prayed earnestly Ja 5:17 “Elijah was a man of like passions with us, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain; and it rained not on the earth for three years and six months.”

2. Moses prayed pleadingly Ex 32: 11-13 “And Moses besought the LORD his God, and said, LORD, why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people, which thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power, and with a mighty hand? Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, and say, For mischief did he bring them out, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against thy people. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou swarest by thine own self, and saidst unto them, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it for ever.”

3. Daniel prayed intensely Dan 9:17-19 “Now therefore, O our God, hearken unto the prayer of thy servant, and to his supplications, and cause thy face to shine upon thy sanctuary that is desolate, for the Lord's sake. O my God, incline thine ear, and hear; open thine eyes, and behold our desolations, and the city which is called by thy name: for we do not present our supplications before thee for our righteousness, but for thy great mercies' sake. O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord, hearken and do; defer not, for thine own sake, O my God, because thy city and thy people are called by thy name.“

4. Paul prayed agonizingly Rom 15:30 “Now I beseech you, brethren, by our Lord Jesus Christ, and by the love of the Spirit, that ye strive together with me in your prayers to God for me;“

5. Jesus prayed persistently Mat 26:39-44 “And he went forward a little, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass away from me: nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt. And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them sleeping, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. Again a second time he went away, and prayed, saying, My Father, if this cannot pass away, except I drink it, thy will be done. And he came again and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. And he left them again, and went away, and prayed a third time, saying again the same words.”

Outline from Principles and Practice of Prayer, p 119, by Ivan French.

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How to Pray

“How to do anything is the secret and soul of its accomplishment.” F.E. Marsh

1. Pray Secretly in the closet of communion. Ma 6:6 “But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.” Lk 9:18

2. Pray Watchfully in the alertness of wakefulness. Ma 24:42 “Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.” Mat 26:41 “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

3. Pray Believingly in the simplicity of faith. Ma 21:22 “And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.”

4. Pray Unceasingly in the continuance of well-doing. 1 Thes 5:17 “Pray without ceasing.”

5. Pray Abidingly in the will of God and in Christ. Jn 15:7,8 “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.”

6. Pray Directly in the pointedness of definite petition. Jam 5:17,18 “Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.”

7. Pray Effectually in the power of the Spirit. Jude 20 “But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,” Rom 8:26 “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.”

We often speak of the “Secret of Success.” Prayer is the secret to spiritual life, growth and service.

If prayer is the secret to Christian service then the secret to praying is “praying in secret.”

It is a necessity for our prayer meetings, that each person attending the corporate prayer meeting be praying in secret so when they come to the prayer meeting they will bring with them the presence of God the Spirit.

To know the secret and not to use it is worse than not knowing it at all. Jam 4:17 “Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.”

One of the main objects of prayer is our “prayer life.” We should be constantly be praying that we will grow in our communion with our Savor and our God.

Nothing is more calculated to begat a spirit of prayer than to unite in social prayer with one who has the Spirit himself. Mighty Prevailing Prayer, Wesley Duewel

Be not afraid to pray; to pray is right;

Pray if thou canst with hope, but ever pray,

Though hope be weak or sick with long delay;

Pray in the darkness if there be no light;

And if for any wish thou dare not pray

Then pray to God to cast that wish away.

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In Praying We Should

Claim His attributes - Plead His justice, His mercy, His faithfulness, His wisdom, His longsuffering, His tenderness. Abraham pleaded for God’s justice when he prayed for the city of Sodom. He asked for the city to be saved and at the closing of his prayer he said, “Shall not the judge of all earth do right?”

Ge 18:25 That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of ll the earth do right?

I. Claim His promises.

When Jacob was waiting on the other side of the brook, when his brother Esau was coming with armed men, he pleaded with God not to destroy the mother and children, but the main reason he used for pleading in this prayer was: “And thou said, surely I will do thee good.”

Ge 32:12 And thou saidst, I will surely do thee good, and make thy seed as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.

III. Claim the Great Name of God. Moses did this in his prayer on one occasion when he was praying for Israel. “What will thou do for thy great name? The Egyptians will say, Because the Lord could not bring them into the land, therefore he slew them in the wilderness.”

IV. Claim mercy for our unworthiness - David prayed, “Lord, have mercy upon mine iniquity, for it is very great.” Ps 25:16 Turn thee unto me, and have mercy upon me; for I am desolate and afflicted.

V. Claim the sufferings, death, merit and intercession of Christ Jesus.

Jesus himself said, “If you need anything of God, all that the Father has belongs to me; go and use my name.”

Col 1:12-14 “giving thanks unto the Father, who made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light; who delivered us out of the power of darkness, and translated us into the kingdom of the Son of his love; in whom we have our redemption, the forgiveness of our sins:”

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Intercessory Prayer: Some Biblical Examples

“I exhort therefore, first of all, that supplications, prayers, intercessions, thanksgivings, be made for all men;”

1 Tim 2:1

If we are really interested in others we will pray for them. But, the fact of the matter is that, most of our praying is for ourselves. Even when we pray for our family and friends it is, in part, a form of praying for ourselves. Intercession means “to go to or meet a person, especially for the purpose of conversation, consultation, or supplication, to pray, entreat.” To “interceed” is to go to God for someone and ask for their benefit. The highest form of prayer is intercession for others, and the most effective ministry is that which we exercise for other’s benefit. The following are a few cases of noble intercessors who prayed for blessing upon others.

1. Moses, the self-abnegator, who was willing to be blotted out from the Lord’s book so long as Israel was spared. Exod 32:30-32 “And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses said unto the people, Ye have sinned a great sin: and now I will go up unto Jehovah; peradventure I shall make atonement for your sin. And Moses returned unto Jehovah, and said, Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold. Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin-- and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written.”

2. Samuel, the faithful prophet, pleaded for Israel. 1 Sam 7:8,9 “And the children of Israel said to Samuel, Cease not to cry unto Jehovah our God for us, that he will save us out of the hand of the Philistines. And Samuel took a sucking lamb, and offered it for a whole burnt-offering unto Jehovah: and Samuel cried unto Jehovah for Israel; and Jehovah answered him.”

3. Daniel, the humble statesman, pleaded for the nation of Judah when in captivity by identifying himself with the sin of the nation. Dan 9:4-6 “And I prayed unto Jehovah my God, and made confession, and said, Oh, Lord, the great and dreadful God, who keepeth covenant and lovingkindness with them that love him and keep his commandments, we have sinned, and have dealt perversely, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even turning aside from thy precepts and from thine ordinances; neither have we hearkened unto thy servants the prophets, that spake in thy name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land.”

4. Epaphras, the loving pleader, interceded for the saints at Closse that they might stand perfect and complete in all the will of God. Col 4:12,13 “Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, saluteth you, always striving for you in his prayers, that ye may stand perfect and fully assured in all the will of God. For I bear him witness, that he hath much labor for you, and for them in Laodicea, and for them in Hierapolis.”

5. Paul, the intense intercessor, pleaded for the Church at Ephesus, that they might have God’s unparalleled riches. Eph 1:17-19 “that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him; having the eyes of your heart enlightened, that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, and what the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe,” 3:16-20 “that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, that ye may be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inward man; that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; to the end that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be strong to apprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge, that ye may be filled unto all the fulness of God.”

6. John, the loving disciple, who prayed for his friend Gaius, that he might have soul prosperity. 3 John 2 “Beloved, I pray that in all things thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.”

7. Christ, the gracious Lord, who prayed for Peter that his faith not fail. Lk 22:31,32 “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan asked to have you, that he might sift you as wheat: but I made supplication for thee, that thy faith fail not; and do thou, when once thou hast turned again, establish thy brethren.”

The wonderful intercessory prayer as recorded in Jn 17 is a sample of how the Lord is interceding for His people now. “Wherefore also he is able to save to the uttermost them that draw near unto God through him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.” Heb 7:25

(Outline from 1000 New Bible Readings, F. E. Marsh, p 216)

There is no better way to serve others than to pray for them.

Prevailing prayer is almost always for the sake of others. --Mighty Prevailing Prayer, Wesley Duewel

Lord, help me live from day to day

In such a self-forgetful way,

That even when I kneel to pray,

My prayer shall be for others.

–Charles Delucena Meigs

“Intercession is the noblest work God entrusts to us humans.” T.W. Hunt

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Intercessory Prayer: Who and What

“This kind of prayer is perhaps the noblest of all. It draws the believer out of himself into the lives of others, it enlarges his own soul, expands his interest and increases his sympathies. It brings him very near to Christ, for He was constantly giving of Himself to others, serving others and praying for others.” (Principles and Practice of Prayer, French, p 73)

The Three Intercessors are:

The Lord Jesus Jn 14:16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may be with you for ever.” Jn 16:26 “In that day ye shall ask in my name: and I say not unto you, that I will pray the Father for you;”Jn 17:9,15,20 “I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for those whom thou hast given me; for they are thine... I pray not that thou shouldest take them from the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil one...Neither for these only do I pray, but for them also that believe on me through their word;”

Ro 8:34 “It is Christ Jesus that died, yea rather, that was raised from the dead, who is at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.” Jesus prayed for Peter Lk 22:31 “Wherefore also he is able to save to the uttermost them that draw near unto God through him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.” Heb 7:25

The Holy Spirit Rom 8:26,27 “And in like manner the Spirit also helpeth our infirmity: for we know not how to pray as we ought; but the Spirit himself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered; and he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.”

The believer 1 Tim 2:1,2 “I exhort therefore, first of all, that supplications, prayers, intercessions, thanksgivings, be made for all men; for kings and all that are in high place; that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and gravity.” Abraham, the Father of the Faithful, is interceding for Lot and a wicked city in Gen 18:23 “And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou consume the righteous with the wicked?”

Intercessory Prayer is praying for the kingdom of God: Jesus taught us to pray for the kingdom. Lk 11:2 “And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Father, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come.” Lk 10:2 “And he said unto them, The harvest indeed is plenteous, but the laborers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he send forth laborers into his harvest.” Ps 122:6 “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: They shall prosper that love thee.”

Intercessory Prayer is desired by a true seeker for salvation: Ac 8:24 “And Simon answered and said, Pray ye for me to the Lord, that none of the things which ye have spoken come upon me.”

Intercessory Prayer is for other’s holiness: 2 Co 13:7 “Now we pray to God that ye do no evil; not that we may appear approved, but that ye may do that which is honorable, though we be as reprobate.” 2 Co 13:9 “For we rejoice, when we are weak, and ye are strong: this we also pray for, even your perfecting.”

Intercessory Prayer is for others spiritual maturity: Php 1:9 “And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and all discernment;” Col 1:9 “For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray and make request for you, that ye may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,”

Intercessory Prayer is praying for those who treat us wrongfully: Mt 5:44 “pray for them that persecute you.” Lu 6:28 “bless them that curse you, pray for them that despitefully use you.” Job 41:8 “my servant Job shall pray for you; for him will I accept, that I deal not with you after your folly; for ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right, as my servant Job hath.“

Intercessory Prayer is getting for others what God wants to give: 3 Jn 1:2 “Beloved, I pray that in all things thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.”

Intercessory Prayer is what we ask of one another: 1 Th 5:25 “Brethren, pray for us.” Jas 5:16 “Confess therefore your sins one to another, and pray one for another.”

Intercessory Prayer is the preaching of the Word of God: 2 Th 3:1 “Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may run and be glorified, even as also it is with you.”

In introducing his book The Ministry of Intercession, Andrew Murray says, “The present volume owes its existence to the desire to enforce two truths, of which formerly I had no such impression as now. The one is--that Christ actually meant prayer to be the great power by which His Church should do its work, and that the neglect of prayer is the great reason the Church has not greater power over the masses in Christian and in heathen countries...The second truth...we have far too little conception of the place that intercession, as distinguished from prayer for ourselves, ought to have in the Church and the Christian life.” The Ministry of Intercession, p 4.

“The power of the Church truly to bless rests on intercession--asking and receiving heavenly gifts to carry to men.” The Ministry of Intercession, Andrew Murray, p 5.

“In intercession our King upon the throne finds His highest glory; in it we shall find our highest glory too.” The Ministry of Intercession, Andrew Murray, p 5.

What an awesome privilege and responsibility it is to be an intercessor.

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Intercessory Prayer: The Test of our Praying

“If Petition is prayer relative to our personal need, Intercession is prayer relative to the need of others, for we can never intercede on our own behalf. In all intercession at least three persons must always be concerned: the one who speaks, the one spoken to, and the one spoken for or against. And at least three things must always be presumed: need on the part of the one spoken of; power, on the part of the one spoken to and contact with both these persons, on the part of the one who speaks. In worship, confession, and petition there need only be two persons involved, but, let me repeat, in intercession there can never be less than three.” .Method in Prayer, W. Graham Scroggie p 73

Intercessory Prayer:

Obeys the command of our Lord.

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:34,35 To love means “to choose the object to love and sacrificially dedicate oneself to its well being.” Our Lord “commands” this, it is not optional for us to love each other. “This I command you, that you love one another.” Jn15:17 It is a sin not to obey His command. Praying for each other may be the easiest way to exercise the love we are to have for one another. If this is the case, then, not to pray for one another is the greatest way to sin against our brothers and to disobey our Lord. “Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you.” 1 Sam 12:23

Follows the example of our Lord.

“Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the Apostle and High Priest of our confession;” Heb 3:1 A priest is one that goes between two parties, or intercedes. “Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.” Heb 7:25 No one could pray more genuinely than our Lord as He prays in Jn 17. In v 1-8 He prays for Himself, in 9-19 He prays for His own, in 20-26 He prays for the world. “In intercession our King upon the throne finds His highest glory: in it we shall find our highest glory too.” (Ministry of Intercession, Andrew Murray p 5) “Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.” Heb 2:17 If Jesus has condescended to be made like us, how much more should we be made like Him. We need to join with Him in His intercessory work.

Evidences the validity of our profession.

To say we love the brethren and not to pray for them puts a question on our profession. But the Scripture goes further, “You also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” 1 Pet 2:5 Believers are a priesthood, and priest are to be intercessors. If we are not doing the work of a priest, then our priesthood is in question. The principle of Mat 12.34 “For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart.” applies to prayer. Most of our praying is for ourselves. Even when we pray for our friends and family, it is a form of praying for ourselves. The content of our prayers reveals where the care of our heart is. “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” Jn 14:15 To not love our brothers and pray for them is to evidence that we do not love our Lord.

Exercises our relationship to the world.

“ I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;” 1 Tim 2:1-5 Here the Scripture commands us to intercede for the unsaved and even wicked rulers of the world. Sometimes God wants to change the way governments are being run and He want us to have a part in that by seeing and feeling the need and asking Him for that change.

Advances the Kingdom of God.

“And He was saying to them, The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” Luke 10:2 We are to pray for labors. Advancing the Kingdom of God is hard labor and it has eternal results. Our Lord said “labors” not hired professionals. God will give the wisdom and provisions, that is not to concern us. It is laborers with warm hearts and flexible wills that get the job done. Paul ask “Brethren, pray for us.” 1 The 5:25 Paul was always asking for the Christians to be praying for his missionary efforts. “The power of the Church truly to bless rests on intercession--asking and receiving heavenly gifts to carry to men.” (Ministry of Intercession, Andrew Murray p 5)

“Let us all unite in praying to God that He would visit our souls and fit us for that work of intercession, which is at this moment the greatest need of the Church and the world. It is only by intercession that power can be brought down from Heaven which will enable the Church to conquer the world. Let us stir up the slumbering gift that is lying unused, and seek to gather and train and band together as many as we can, to be God's remembrancers, and to give Him no rest till He makes His Church a joy in the earth. Nothing but intense believing prayer can meet the intense spirit of worldliness, of which complaint is everywhere made.” Ministry of Intercession, Andrew Murray p 19

“Intercession is the noblest work God entrusts to us humans.” T.W. Hunt

The heartbeat of intercession is servanthood. (Love On Its Knees, Dick Eastman p 6)

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Joy in Prayer

Prayer can be and should be the most joyous experience this side of Heaven. When we think of Heaven, we have to think of a place of infinite joy. If, as Peter says of our Lord Jesus “whom not having seen ye love; on whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice greatly with joy unspeakable and full of glory:” 1 Pet 1:8

When we are in prayer, we are in a special presence of the most joyous person there is or can be. Nothing can diminish His joy. God is perfect and infinite in His joy. Just as we cannot expose ourselves to the bright rays of the sun and be unaffected by it, so we can not expose our souls to the glory of the “Son” of God and not be affected and changed by it. “But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord the Spirit.” 2 Co 3:18 So as we encounter the infinitely joyous one, we take on an unspeakable joy. Jesus connected “prayer” and “joy” when He said in John 16:24 “Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be made full.”

But why is it that our prayer meetings are so dull and depressing, instead of exciting and joyous. It is expected that a prayer meeting is the least exciting meeting that a church has. Many pastors and churches have given up the prayer meeting and wonder why their churches are dead and powerless. It appears to us that our churches have become self-centered and complacent and that has made them spiritual cadavers.

We experience “Joy” in praying when we properly order our relationships. All persons can be grouped into one of three groups: 1. God, 2. Others, 3. Ourselves. The order in which we prioritize these three groups determines our joy in prayer.

J Jesus

O Others

Y Yourself

J Jesus Communion

We are made social beings. We are to socialize horizontally with other humans and we are to socialize vertically with God. Prayer should be first and foremost an active relationship and fellowship in a social sense. Not a rehearsing of a list of wants. Our priority should be our socially experiencing our God. It is common with the most spiritual saints of God that they give priority to their relationship with God, even to the point of engaging in that vertical relationship before (that is early in the morning) they relate to others horizontally. “Thou wilt show me the path of life: In thy presence is fulness of joy; In thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.” Ps 16:11 A local church should give priority to the prayer meeting as a personal encounter with God.

O Others Intercession

Most answered prayer is prayer for others. Intercession is a test as to the genuineness of our motive in prayer. Are we most interested in getting blessings for ourselves or for others? Do we pray for those outside of our natural family and church family? Paul’s testimony was “always in every supplication of mine on behalf of you all making my supplication with joy,“ Phip 1:4 “Wherefore, my brethren beloved and longed for, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, my beloved.” Phip 4:1 If we seek our own joy we will miss it, but if we seek the joy and good of others, then we will have ours. “Not that we have lordship over your faith, but are helpers of your joy: for in faith ye stand fast.” 2 Cor 1:24

Y Yourself Supplication

“There is nothing wrong with asking for ourselves, if we ask last.” Remember the principle, “So the last shall be first, and the first last.” Mt 20:16 The Bible commands us “draw near with boldness unto the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy, and may find grace to help us in time of need.” Heb 4:16 Jesus commands us to “ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be made full.” John 16:24 How can we refuse to do what will give us full joy. It seems that our needs are a gift from God for our prayer life. We are to come “with boldness,” which means with free speaking. As we abide in Him we can approach God with openness and without reservation about what we pray about. “Great is my boldness of speech toward you, great is my glorying on your behalf: I am filled with comfort, I overflow with joy in all our affliction.” 2 Co 7:4

“For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” Ro 14:17 Our prayer meetings can be the most joyous and exciting of all of our church services as well as the power source for its ministry.

Prayer is not given us as a burden to be borne, or an irksome duty to fulfil, but to be a joy and power to which there is no limit. The Kneeling Christian

The reason we do not pray as we ought is because we do not enjoy prayer as we ought.

Lord, what a change within us one short hour

Spent in Thy presence will prevail to make!

What heavy burdens from our bosoms take,

What parched grounds refresh, as with a shower!

We kneel, and all around us seems to lower;

We rise, and all the distant and the near

Stands forth in sunny outline, brave and clear.

We kneel, how weak! we rise, how full of power!

Why, therefore, should we do ourselves this wrong,

Or others, that we are not always strong,

That we are ever overborne with care,

That we should ever weak or heartless be,

Anxious or troubled, when with us is prayer,

And joy, and strength, and courage are with Thee?

R. C. Trench

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Kneeology 101

The apostle Paul said “..I bow my knees unto the Father.” Eph 3:14 When praying we need to kneel in:

1. Reverence Phi 2:10 “That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;”

2. Dedication 2 Chr 6:12,13 “And he stood before the altar of the LORD in the presence of all the congregation of Israel, and spread forth his hands: For Solomon had made a brazen scaffold, of five cubits long, and five cubits broad, and three cubits high, and had set it in the midst of the court: and upon it he stood, and kneeled down upon his knees before all the congregation of Israel, and spread forth his hands toward heaven,”

3. Worship Ps 95:6 “ O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker.”

4. Continuance Dan 6:10 “Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.”

5. Confession Ezr 9:5,6 “And at the evening sacrifice I arose up from my heaviness; and having rent my garment and my mantle, I fell upon my knees, and spread out my hands unto the LORD my God. And said, O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to thee, my God: for our iniquities are increased over our head, and our trespass is grown up unto the heavens.”

6. Submission Isa 45:22,23 “Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else. I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.”

7. Forgiveness Ac 7:59,60 “And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.”

8. Privacy Ac 9:40 “But Peter put them all forth, and kneeled down, and prayed; and turning him to the body said, Tabitha, arise. And she opened her eyes: and when she saw Peter, she sat up.

9. Public Ac 21:5 “And when we had accomplished those days, we departed and went our way; and they all brought us on our way, with wives and children, till we were out of the city: and we kneeled down on the shore, and prayed.”

10. Fellowship Ac 20:36,37 “And when he had thus spoken, he kneeled down, and prayed with them all. And they all wept sore, and fell on Paul's neck, and kissed him,”

11. Intercession Ma 17:14,15 “And when they were come to the multitude, there came to him a certain man, kneeling down to him, and saying, Lord, have mercy on my son...”

12. Sincerity Mk 10:17 “And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?... and he went away sorrowful…”

While bodily posture is secondary to the attitude of the soul, it is instructive to note that at times Jesus prayed while standing, just where He happened to be at the moment. At another time, He knelt while on yet another occasion it is recorded that He fell on His face. If the Son of God got down upon His knees, yes upon His face before God, what attitude should we ordinary mortals assume as we go into His presence? While posture is not everything, it is something. Principles and Practice of Prayer, Ivan French

Advantages of kneeling:

<>It follows Biblical examples and principles cited above.

<>It promotes humility. Sometimes a proud person kneels but it is not his kneeling that made him proud.

<>Some say that body language is 80% of our communication. If this is true, what does our kneeling or refusing to kneel say to God. Making excuses for not kneeling is dangerous.

E. M. Bounds said of Edward Payson "He prayed without ceasing and felt safe nowhere but at the throne of grace. He may be said to have studied theology on his knees. Much of his time he spent literally prostrated with his Bible open before him pleading the promise...The scars on his bedroom floor testify to this fact. Next to Payson's bed where deep grooves in the hardwood floor where his knees had pressed repeatedly in times of travail.”

Remember: “God’s Army Marches on It’s Knees”

How dare we work for Christ without being much on our knees? The Kneeling Christian

Lord, what a change within us one short hour

Spent in Thy presence will prevail to make!

What heavy burdens from our bosoms take,

What parched grounds refresh, as with a shower!

We kneel, and all around us seems to lower;

We rise, and all the distant and the near

Stands forth in sunny outline, brave and clear.

We kneel, how weak! we rise, how full of power!

Why, therefore, should we do ourselves this wrong,

Or others, that we are not always strong,

That we are ever overborne with care,

That we should ever weak or heartless be,

Anxious or troubled, when with us is prayer,

And joy, and strength, and courage are with Thee?

R. C. Trench

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"Let us lift up our heart”

"Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens." Lam 3:41 The act of prayer teaches us our unworthiness, which is a very healthy lesson for such proud beings as we are. If God gave us favors without constraining us to pray for them, we should never know how poor we are; but a true prayer is an inventory of wants, a catalogue of necessities, a revelation of hidden poverty. While it is an application to divine wealth, it is a confession of human emptiness. The most healthy state of a Christian is to be always empty in self and constantly depending upon the Lord for supplies; to be always poor in self and rich in Jesus; weak as water personally, but mighty through God to do great exploits; and hence, the use of prayer, because, while it adores God, it lays the creature where it should be, in the very dust. Prayer is in itself, apart from the answer which it brings, a great benefit to the Christian. As the runner gains strength for the race by daily exercise, so for the great race of life, we acquire energy by the hallowed labor of prayer. Prayer prepares the wings of God's young eaglets, that they may learn to mount above the clouds. Prayer girds the loins of God's warriors, and sends them forth to combat with their sinews braced and their muscles firm. An earnest pleader comes out of his closet, even as the sun arises from the chambers of the east, rejoicing like a strong man to run his race. Prayer is that uplifted hand of Moses which routs the Amalekites more than the sword of Joshua; it is the arrow shot from the chamber of the prophet foreboding defeat to the Syrians. Prayer girds human weakness with divine strength, turns human folly into heavenly wisdom, and gives to troubled mortals the peace of God. We know not what prayer cannot do! We thank thee, great God, for the mercy-seat, a choice proof of thy marvellous lovingkindness. Help us to use it aright throughout this day!

C.H. Spurgeon Morning & Evening, October 11 AM (Revised)

What the Church needs today is not more or better machinery, not new organizations or more and novel methods, but men whom the Holy Ghost can use --men of prayer, men mighty in prayer. Power Through Prayer, E. M. Bounds

Come, My Soul, Thy Suit Prepare.

Come, my soul, thy suit prepare:

Jesus loves to answer prayer;

He himself has bide thee pray,

Therefore will not say thee nay;

Therefore will not say thee nay.

Thou art coming to a King,

large petitions with thee bring;

for his grace and power are such,

none can ever ask too much;

none can ever ask too much.

With my burden I begin:

“Lord, remove this load of sin;

let thy blood, for sinners spilt,

set my conscience free of guilt;

set my conscience free of guilt.

Lord, I come to thee for rest,

take possession of my breast;

there thy blood-bought right maintain,

and without a rival reign;

and without a rival reign.

While I am a pilgrim here,

let thy love my spirit cheer;

as my Guide, my Guard, my Friend,

lead me to my journey’s end;

lead me to my journey’s end.

Show me what I have to do,

ev’ry hour my strength renew:

let me live a life of faith,

let me die thy people’s death;

let me die thy people’s death.

John Newton, 1779; HENDON 7.7.7.7.rep; Henri A Cesar Marlan, 1827

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Missionary Praying

When you ask a missionary what is their greatest need, they most often say “Pray for Us.” We usually take that request too lightly. The Scriptures teach us to pray for missionaries. Paul consistently asked for prayer for his missionary work; he was an Apostle by office and a Missionary by function.

There is much debate over whether the great commission was given to individuals or to the church. “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.” Mat 28:19 Jesus was speaking to individual believers that were in a body of believers. We think it is was both. The church can not do anything except through its individual members, the fulfilling of the great commission can only be done as a team effort.

There are three ways to fulfill the Great Commission:

1. In Person 2. In Provision 3. In Prayer

It may take years for a person to get to the field and with much provision. Prayer is instantaneous in its reaching our Father in Heaven and can be instantaneous in His answering back to earth. The global positions of the prayor and the prayee have no significance in the prayer process.

In lands where the Gospel has been preached, demonical activity is minimized. In lands where the Gospel has not been preached demonical activity is maximized. The essence of being a missionary is the going to an unevangelized people and driving out the demons of darkness with the light of the glorious Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Why should we pray for missionaries?

1. Because of the nature of missionary activity.

Eph 6:12f “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world-rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens. For this reason, take up the full armor of God so that you may be able to stand your ground on the evil day, and having done everything, to stand. Stand firm therefore, by fastening the belt of truth around your waist, by putting on the breastplate of righteousness, by fitting your feet with the preparation that comes from the good news of peace, and in all of this, by taking up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” In Dan 10 names of various princes are named which were the powers of those localities.

2. Because prayer based on God’s Word is the only weapon man can use to touch the invisible foe.

Paul continues in Eph 6 “With every prayer and petition, pray at all times in the Spirit, and to this end be alert, with all perseverance and requests for all the saints. Pray for me, that I may be given the message when I begin to speak—that I may confidently make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may be able to speak boldly as I ought to speak.” We can of ourselves do nothing. Jn 5:30

3. Because God has designed that the missionary on the field not do his work alone.

Ex 17:8-13 “Amalek came and attacked Israel in Rephidim. So Moses said to Joshua, “Choose some of our men and go out, fight against Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the rod of God in my hand.” So Joshua fought against Amalek just as Moses had instructed him; and Moses and Aaron and Her went up to the top of the hill. And whenever Moses would raise his hands, then Israel prevailed; but whenever he would rest his hands, then Malek prevailed. When the hands of Moses became heavy, they took a stone and put it under him, and Aaron and Her held up his hands, one on one side and one on the other, and so his hands were steady until the sun went down. So Joshua destroyed Malek and his army with the edge of the sword.” When the intercessor’s hands fall, Malek prevails on the mission field.

“Experience has repeatedly shown that the believing prayer of one humble intercessor at home can bring about a revival on the foreign field and save thousands. The experience of one missionary was that, as far as man can see results, he was able to do more for the heathen toiling as an intercessor in America than while he was among the heathen without intercessors pleading for him.” (Principles and Practice of Prayer, Ivan H. French)

What should we pray in praying for the missionaries?

It is hard for some of us to believe but many church fellowships do not have any missionaries that they know and are personally are involved with. Some things that churches should pray are:

1. For some of its members to be called to the mission field.

2. For God to bring some of His laborers to them for their provisional and prayer support.

3. For God to bring to their fellowship a foreign national for Him to use them to convert and prepare to send to his home people.

4. For individual missionaries. Specific individuals in the church could have responsibility for specific missionaries.

5. For specific nationals, by name, that God would save them.

6. For God to raise up nationals to evangelize their own people.

7. For the language ability and cultural interaction of the missionary.

8. For fresh fillings of the Holy Spirit of those on the field.

9. For the health of the missionaries in adverse environments, being under severe strain and burden for the work.

10. For the loneliness that comes to all missionaries. They can’t go to a friend’s house for fellowship and encouragement. Missionaries normally separate themselves from their natural families but no amount of distance can separate them from their Spiritual family, their brothers and sisters in Christ.

The Lord Jesus prayed all night for the first 12 missionaries. Isn’t that example a mandate for us. “It is a significant fact that there is no distinct command for man to send forth missionaries. That work was done by Christ Himself and then by His Spirit when He chose Paul and Barnabas.” (Principles and Practice of Prayer, Ivan H. French) Our responsibility is to pray. Mat 9:37,38 “Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest.”

Hudson Taylor wrote back to England from China to request ten prayer warriors for ten struggling mission stations. Later he wrote and informed them that seven of those ten mission stations had miraculously revived. Someone in England, who had read both letters, sent the letter back and told Taylor that they had been able to find only seven prayer warriors to pray.

The missionary leaves by taking ship or plane; the intercessor leaves by shutting the door of his closet. Principles and Practice of Prayer, Ivan French

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Perseverance in Prayer

1 Thess. 5:17 - "Pray without ceasing"

(From Works of Ezekiel Hopkins, 1874, Vol. 3, pp 579-581)

1. That may be said to be done without ceasing, which is done constantly, and at set times and seasons. So we have the word used, Gen. 8:22: “While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night, shall not cease:” that is, they shall not cease, in their courses and appointed times. So, here, “Pray without ceasing” that is, observe a constant course of prayer, at fixed and appointed times; still keeping yourselves from any superstitious observations. And, thus, Exod. 29:42: the daily sacrifice is called “a continual burnt-offering;” and yet it was offered up only every morning and every evening, and yet God accounts it a continual offering. So here “Pray” continually, or “without ceasing:” that is, keep up frequent and appointed times for prayer, without intermission.

2. To pray without ceasing, is to pray with all importunity and vehemence. So, in Acts 12:5, “the Church” is said to pray for Peter “without ceasing;” that is, they were very earnest and importunate, and would give God no rest until he heard them. So, also, in the parable of the unjust steward, which our Saviour spake on purpose to show how prevalent with God importunity is, Luke 18:1, it is said, that the Lord would teach them that they “ought always to pray:'' that is, that they ought to pray earnestly and importunity is not giving over till they were heard. So, also, I Sam. 7:7,8 the children of Israel entreated Samuel not to cease crying to the Lord for them: that is, that he would improve all his interest at the throne of grace to the utmost in their behalf. So we are bid to “pray without ceasing:” that is, to be earnest and vehement, resolving to take no denial at the hands of God. But yet we must do other duties also, though we are vehement in this. We may learn how to demean ourselves in this case towards God, by beggars who betimes come to your doors and bring their work along with them: they beg importunately, and yet they work betwixt whiles: so also should we do: we should beg as importunately of God, as if we depended merely upon his charity; and yet, betwixt whiles, we should work as industriously as if we were ourselves to get our livings with our own hands.

3. To “pray without ceasing,” is to improve all occasions, at every turn, to be darting up our souls unto God in holy meditations and ejaculations. And this we may and ought to do, when we hear or read the word, or in whatever duty of religion we are engaged: yea, this we may and ought to do, in our worldly employments. If your hearts and affections be heavenly, your thoughts will force out a passage, through the crowd and tumult of worldly businesses, to Heaven. Ejaculations which are swift messengers, which require not much time to perform their errands in. For there is a holy mystery in pointing our earthly employments with these heavenly ejaculations, as men point their writings sometimes with stops [periods]; even now and them shooting up a short mental prayer unto heaven: such pauses as these are, you will find to be no impediments to your worldly affairs. This is the way for a Christian to be retired and private, in the midst of a multitude; to turn his shop or his field into a closet; to trade for earth, and yet to get heaven also into the bargain. So we read of Nehemiah 2:4, that, while the king was discoursing to him on the state of Judea, Nehemiah prayed unto God: that is, he sent up secret prayers to God, which, though they escaped the king's notice and observation, yet were so prevalent as to bow and incline his heart.

4. There is yet something more in this praying ''without ceasing.” And that is this: we may then be said to “pray without ceasing” when we keep our hearts in such a frame, as that we are fit at all times to pour out our souls before God in prayer. When we keep alive and cherish a praying spirit; and can, upon all opportunities, draw near to God, with full souls and with lively and vigorous affections: this is to “pray without ceasing.” And this I take to be the most genuine, natural sense of the words, and the true scope of the Apostle here; to have the habit of prayer, inclining them always freely and sweetly to breathe out their requests unto God, and to take all occasions to prostrate themselves before his throne of grace.

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Pray Big for God’s Glory

Mrs. Charles E. Cowman in Springs in the Valley reminds of us a story about “Alexander the Great who had a famous, but indigent, philosopher in his court who was once particularly straightened in his circumstances. To whom should he apply but to his patron, the conqueror of the world? His request was no sooner made than granted. Alexander gave him a commission to receive of his treasury whatever he wanted. He immediately demanded in his sovereign’s name ten thousand pounds. The treasurer, surprised at so large a demand, refused to comply, but waited upon the king and represented the affair, adding withal how unreasonable he thought the petition and how exorbitant the sum. Alexander listened with patience, but as soon as he heard the remonstrance replied, ‘Let the money be instantly paid. I am delighted with this philosopher’s way of thinking; he has done me a singular honor: by the largeness of his request he shows the high idea he has conceived both of my superior wealth and my royal munificience.’”

We can dishonor God by asking too little. Yes, He can give us a parking place but He can also open great and unlimited fields of Christian service. “Saints have never yet reached the limit to the possibilities of prayer. Whatever has been attained or achieved has touched but the fringe of the garment of a prayer-hearing God. We honor the riches both of His power and love only by large demands.” A. T. Pierson

We remember the story in 2 Kings 13 of Joash the king of Israel who went to see Elisha when the prophet was dying. Elisha’s instructions are recorded in verses 15-19, “And Elisha said unto him, Take bow and arrows; and he took unto him bow and arrows. And he said to the king of Israel, Put thy hand upon the bow; and he put his hand upon it. And Elisha laid his hands upon the king's hands. And he said, Open the window eastward; and he opened it. Then Elisha said, Shoot; and he shot. And he said, Jehovah's arrow of victory, even the arrow of victory over Syria; for thou shalt smite the Syrians in Aphek, till thou have consumed them. And he said, Take the arrows; and he took them. And he said unto the king of Israel, Smite upon the ground; and he smote thrice, and stayed. And the man of God was wroth with him, and said, Thou shouldest have smitten five or six times: then hadst thou smitten Syria till thou hadst consumed it, whereas now thou shalt smite Syria but thrice.” God’s wants to give us more victory than we ask for. “We have not because we ask not.” Ja 4:2

Asking too little not only limits the blessings we get from God, but also limits the glory He gets out of our lives. We forget that He “is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think.” Eph 3:20

When asking someone for help, we are embarrassed and careful not to ask for too much. We know others are limited and we don’t want to strain or be burdensome to them. When we come to pray, we act as if God is limited or stingy with His blessings. We ask as if we were afraid to ask “BIG”. We seem to be content with creature comforts, our daily bread and the physical health of ourselves and our friends, when we should be praying for God to do great and mighty things in the advancement of His kingdom. Why pray for a good attendance at church Sunday when we can pray for a great ingathering of souls across our nation. Why just pray for lost family members when we could be praying for the lost around the world. God’s kingdom is bigger than our church or denomination.

God can not give too much, or run out of supplies, or be found unable to accomplish His will. All we have to do is to abide in Him and “And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.” Mt 21:22

Did God make this world and all things in it and does He not continue to sustain and govern it? It is without question that such an Omnipotent God could not be strained with our request.

The problem with our praying is not that we ask for too much, but that we don’t ask for enough. God is more glorified when He does greater and more unusual things, especially those that the world can see.

Thou art coming to a King,

Large petitions with thee bring;

For his grace and power are such

None can ever ask too much.

–John Newton

“Nothing is beyond the reach of prayer except that which was out of the will of God.” Prayer Power Unlimited, J. Oswald Sanders

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Prayer--What it Does

Pleads the Name of Jesus

Jn 14:13,14 “Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.”

Regards the Work of Jesus

Heb 10:19-22 “ Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.”

Abides in the Person of Jesus

Jn 15:4-11 “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples. Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.”

Yields to the Will of Jesus

1 Jn 5:14,15 “This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.”

Expects Fulfillment of Promise

2 Cor 1:18-20 “But as God is faithful, our word to you is not yes and no. For the Son of God, Christ Jesus, who was preached among you by us—by me and Silvanus and Timothy—was not yes and no, but is yes in Him. For as many as are the promises of God, in Him they are yes; therefore also through Him is our Amen to the glory of God through us.”

Remembers the Conditions

2 Cor 7:1 “Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.”

No time to pray!

No time to pray!

O, who so fraught with earthly care

As not to give a humble prayer

Some part of day!

No time to pray!

What heart so clean, so pure within,

That needeth not some check from sin.

Needs not to pray?

No time to pray?

‘Mid each day’s dangers, what retreat

More needful than the mercy seat?

Who need not pray?

No time to pray!

Must care or business’ urgent call

So press us as to take it all,

Each passing day?

What thought more drear

Than that our God His face should hide,

And say, through all life’s swelling tide,

No time to hear!

Anonymous

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Praying for Preaching

We speak to God in prayer and God speaks to us in and through the Word of God.

I. God’s Method

Our Lord commanded us to preach, “He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.’” Mk 16:15 Paul understood this “For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God...For since in the wisdom of God, the world by its wisdom did not know God, God was pleased to save those who believe by the foolishness of preaching...but we preach about a crucified Christ, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles. But to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God.” 1 Cor 1:18-25

Sometimes it is difficult to know God’s will and how to pray, but when it comes to preaching there is no doubt about what God wants. His revealed will is for us to carry out His method of advancing His kingdom, preaching the Word. Jesus said “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.” Jn 15:16 Here our Lord connects prayer and preaching with “whatsoever you ask.” If one man says to another man “whatsoever” that is generous enough, but when God says “whatsoever” it is truly unlimited.

Paul told the Romans “Thus I am eager also to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome. For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is God’s power for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” Rom 1:15-16 Do we really want to see the unsaved converted? God says that the Gospel preached is His power to salvation. Then what should we do? Answer: Pray for preaching and those who preach. We thank God that we still have the freedom to preach the Word of God. We should pray for specific preaching opportunities, for God to call men to preach, for people to come to preaching. For the anointing of the Holy Spirit on the preaching of the Word.

II. God’s Messenger

Paul repeatedly asked for others to pray for his preaching. “That the true apostolic preacher must have the prayers of other good people to give to his ministry its full quota of success. Paul is a preeminent example. He asks, he covets, he pleads in an impassioned way for the help of all God’s saints. He knew that in the spiritual realm, as elsewhere, in union there is strength; that the concentration and aggregation of faith, desire, and prayer increased the volume of spiritual force until it became overwhelming and irresistible in its power. Units of prayer combined, like drops of water, make an ocean which defies resistance. So Paul, with his clear and full apprehension of spiritual dynamics, determined to make his ministry as impressive, as eternal, as irresistible as the ocean, by gathering all the scattered units of prayer and precipitating them on his ministry. May not the solution of Paul's preeminence in labors and results, and impress on the Church and the world, be found in this fact that he was able to center on himself and his ministry more of prayer than others? To his brethren at Rome he wrote: ‘Now I beseech you, brethren, for the Lord Jesus Christ's sake, and for the love of the Spirit, that ye strive together with me in prayers to God for me.’ To the Ephesians he says: ‘Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; and for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel.’ To the Colossians he emphasizes: ‘Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds: that I may make it manifest as I ought to speak.’ To the Thessalonians he says sharply, strongly: ‘Brethren, pray for us.’ Paul calls on the Corinthian Church to help him: ‘Ye also helping together by prayer for us.’ This was to be part of their work. They were to lay to the helping hand of prayer. He in an additional and closing charge to the Thessalonian Church about the importance and necessity of their prayers says: ‘Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified, even as it is with you: and that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men.’ He impresses the Philippians that all his trials and opposition can be made subservient to the spread of the gospel by the efficiency of their prayers for him. Philemon was to prepare a lodging for him, for through Philemon’s prayer Paul was to be his guest..Paul’s attitude on this question illustrates his humility and his deep insight into the spiritual forces which project the gospel. More than this, it teaches a lesson for all times, that if Paul was so dependent on the prayers of God's saints to give his ministry success, how much greater the necessity that the prayers of God's saints be centered on the ministry of today!” E. M. Bounds

“If some Christians that have been complaining of their ministers had said and acted less before men and had applied themselves with all their might to cry to God for their ministers -- had, as it were, risen and stormed heaven with their humble, fervent and incessant prayers for them -- they would have been much more in the way of success.” Jonathan Edwards

Spurgeon said much about others praying. “The preacher, no matter how brilliant, godly, or eloquent, has no power without the Spirit's help: The bell in the steeple may be well hung, fairly fashioned, and of soundest metal, but it is dumb until the ringer makes it speak. And ...the preacher has no voice of quickening for the dead in sin, or of comfort for living saints unless the divine spirit gives him a gracious pull, and begs him speak with power. Hence the need of prayer for both preacher and hearers.”

“As prayer meetings fail in a congregation, so will the ministrations of the pastor become unfruitful, the preaching of the word fail to convert sinners and promote holiness in the professors of religion.” The Prayer Meeting and Its History, J. B. Johnston

God has not changed His methods. The modern techniques of today’s churches are not in accordance with God’s method and He has no obligation to honor them, but He will honor the preaching of His Word. We must pray for preaching, and our brothers that preach and those who hear.

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The Pray-er’s Attitude

What is the attitude of the heart of one that is truly praying? Following are some attitudes that we should strive for.

Prayer is a duty.

Duty is not the highest of motives, but it is a legitimate one and a good one. Jesus said that men ought always to pray. Luke 18:1 We call Jesus “Lord.” How can we call Him Lord and fail to do what He says (Luke 6:46)? That which is done from a sense of duty (obedience) soon becomes delight.

Prayer is a privilege.

It is none other than Almighty God who invites us to pray Jer. 33:3, Jesus Christ, the second person of the Triune God, who has made it possible for us to pray John 14:6; Heb. 10:19, 20 Holy Spirit, the third person of the Triune God, who has come to assist us in our praying (Rom. 8:26, 27). Does not the opportunity extended to us, unworthy sinners, fill us with a sense of privilege as we approach the throne of grace?

Prayer must be in humility.

No one has the inherent right to enter into the presence of God and petition Him. That right was forfeited by sin and reclaimed for us at the great price of the death of Jesus Christ. Correct views of our own depravity, the graces extended to us and the sinfulness of our hearts (Jer. 17:9) will remove all arrogance and enable us to approach God boldly (Heb. 4:16), yet humbly (Luke 18:13).

Prayer must be in submission.

Prayer that pleases the Father is that which is offered to Him in the spirit of His own Son, "Yet not My will, but Thine be done" (Luke 22:42, NASB). But God, for great and wise reasons, denied requests of Moses, Elijah, and Paul. In every case, His denial issued in greater blessing. The logic of submission is simply God's wisdom. He knows me, the way ahead and the thing that is best. Therefore, I rest in Him (Phil. 4:6, 7).

Prayer must be in fervency.

Too much of our praying is perfunctory, even lackadaisical. It lacks real seriousness, genuine desire and fervent longing: Elijah prayed earnestly James 5:16, 17, Moses prayed pleadingly Ex. 32:11-13, 31,32; 33:12-16, Daniel prayed intensely Dan. 9:17-19, Paul prayed agonizingly Rom. 15:30; Gal. 4:19, Jesus prayed persistently Matt. 26:39-44.

We should give all diligence to develop these attitudes in our prayer

Revised from Principles and Practice of Prayer, Ivan French chapter 12 Attitudes and Approaches in Prayer

“A great part of my time is spent in getting my heart in tune for prayer.”

Robert Murray McCheyne

Teach Me to Pray, Lord

Teach me to pray Lord, teach me to pray,

This is my heart cry day unto day;

I long to know Thy will and Thy way;

Teach me to pray Lord, teach me to pray.

Power in prayer, Lord, power in prayer,

Here ‘mid earth’s sin and sorrow and care;

Men lost and dying, souls in despair;

O give me power, power in prayer.

My weakened will, Lord, teach me to pray;

My sinful nature Thou canst subdue;

Fill me just now with power anew,

Power to pray and power to do!

Teach me to pray Lord, teach me to pray;

Thou art my Pattern, day unto day;

Thou art my surety, now and for aye;

Teach me to pray, Lord, teach me to pray.

Refrain:

Living in Thee, Lord and Thou in me;

Constant abiding, this is my plea;

Grant me Thy power, boundless and free:

Power with men and with power with Thee.

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Pray the Lord of the Harvest

Matt 9:35-38 “And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is he plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”

We are to pray for laborers. “The power of the Church truly to bless rests on intercession–asking and receiving heavenly gifts to carry to men.” (Ministry of Intercession, Andrew Murray, p 5) Advancing the Kingdom of God is hard labor and it has eternal consequences. Our Lord said “laborers” not hired professionals. God will give the wisdom and provisions, that is not to concern us. It is laborers with warm hearts and flexible wills that get the job done.

Laborers are simply to do what they are told when they are told. Sometimes without explanations or understanding. They are not managers or executives. The employer or Lord of the harvest is responsible to know what they should do and what to do with the results of the laborer. Laborers many times are not professionals. They have basic skills that they develop with experience and use to their Master’s benefit. Paul was always asking for the Christians to be praying for his missionary efforts. “Brethren, pray for us.” 1 Thess 5:25 Paul considered himself to be sent out into the harvest.

The word here for “send out” is the same word to casting out demons. It means to cast or send out. Sometimes it is used to refer to being deprived of the power and influence one exercises in the world or to expel a person from a society: to banish from a family, to draw out with force, tear out with implication of force overcoming opposite force; to cause a thing to move straight on its intended goal; to reject with contempt, to cast off or away, to lead one forth or away somewhere with a force which he cannot resist. This language is many times an accurate description of how God puts His people to work in His kingdom and some of the circumstances and reactions encountered in that process.

The church, its members and leaders, is to pray for laborers in two areas:

1. For itself. The local church needs a variety of gifts and graces to be manifested in its weekly and daily life. There needs to be continual prayer that the Lord of the harvest would raise up and send forth individuals in the body to “do the work of the ministry.” The pastor is not to do some of everything or all of anything. A healthy and spiritual body life involves everyone, each according to his giftedness laboring where the Master wants them. When God gives the laborers, it is the responsibility of the rest of the church to recognize and support them in their God ordained tasks.

2. For the fulfillment of the great commission. Fulfilling the great commission “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have you.” (Mat 28:19,20) is our great responsibility. “All nations” include our own not just those across the ocean. This charge includes all the organizational and support functions necessary to fulfill it. Laborers are needed for every part of this endeavor and we are charged to pray for them to be sent and sustained in the work. We can not muster the work force, only God can do that, but He has commanded us to pray and in this way be part of the cause of making it happen.

We are hypocrites if we pray for others to go and are not willing to go ourselves. If we rejoice when the children others are going out and are glad when our children are staying close to us, then we are double-minded and grieve the Holy Spirit. A laborer is a laborer regardless of where he is laboring. The Master of the harvest wants us to be faithful to the task He assigns us. Note the last words of our text, “ into his harvest.” It is His work and it cannot fail. It is our privilege to have a part. Our function is two-fold. 1. Execute the task assigned us to His glory. 2. Requisition a multitude of additional laborers to carry the work on for His unlimited glory.

Hudson Taylor wrote back to England from China requesting ten prayer warriors for ten struggling mission stations. Later he wrote and informed them that seven of those ten mission stations had miraculously revived. Someone in England, who had read both letters, sent the letter back and told Taylor that they had been able to find only seven prayer warriors to pray.

In 1860 while in England, recovering from sickness, Taylor wrote “I had a growing conviction that God would have me seek from Him the needed workers and go forth with them ... In the study of the divine Word, I learned that to obtain successful workers, not elaborate appeals for help, but first earnest prayer to God to thrust forth laborers, and second the deepening of the spiritual life of the Church, so that men should be unable to stay at home, were what was needed...I had no doubt but that if I prayed for fellow-workers, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, they would be given. I had no doubt but that, in answer to such prayer, the means for our going forth would be provided, and that doors would be opened before us in unreached parts of the Empire.” Hudson Taylor’s Spiritual Secret, p 110

Send Thou, O Lord, to every place

Swift messengers before Thy face,

The heralds of Thy wondrous grace,

Where Thou, Thyself, wilt come.

Send men whose eyes have seen the King,

Men in whose ears His sweet words ring,

Send such Thy lost ones home to bring:

Send them where Thou wilt come—

To bring good news to souls in sin,

The bruised and broken hearts to win,

In every place to bring them in,

Where Thou, Thyself, wilt come.

Gird each one with the Spirit’s sword,

The sword of Thine own deathless Word,

And make them conquerors, conquering Lord,

Where Thou, Thyself, wilt come.

Raise up, O Lord the Holy Ghost,

From this broad land a mighty host,

Their war cry–We will seek the lost,

Where Thou, O Christ, wilt come!

A Member of the China Inland Mission, Hudson Taylor’s Spiritual Secret, p 251

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Prayer, What It Is

The Empty Hand Of Need

Mat 8:2,3 “And a leperapproached, and bowed low before him, saying,‘Lord, ifyou are willing, you can make me clean.’ 3 He stretched out his hand and touchedhim saying, ‘I am willing. Be clean!’ Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.”

The Cry Of Despair

Ps 107:1-28 “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, and his loyal love endures!2 Let those delivered by the Lord speak out,those whom he deliveredfrom the powerof the enemy, 3 and gathered from foreign lands, from east and west, from north and south. 4 They wandered through the wilderness on a desert road; they found no city in which to live. 5 They were hungry and thirsty; they fainted from exhaustion.6 They cried out to the Lord in their distress; he delivered them from their troubles. 7 He led them on a level road,that they might find a city in which to live. 8 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his loyal love, and for the amazing things he has done for people!9 For he has satisfied those who thirst,and those who hunger he has filled with food.10 They sat in utter darkness,bound in painful iron chains,11 because they had rebelled against God’s commands,and rejected the instructions of the sovereign king.12 So he used suffering to humble them;they stumbled and no one helped them up. 13 They cried out to the Lord in their distress; he delivered them from their troubles. 14 He brought them out of the utter darkness,and tore off their shackles. 15 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his loyal love, and for the amazing things he has done for people!16 For he shattered the bronze gates,and hacked through the iron bars.17 They acted like fools in their rebellious ways,and suffered because of their sins. 18 They lost their appetite for all food,and they drew near the gates of death. 19 They cried out to the Lord in their distress;

he delivered them from their troubles. 20 He sent them an assuring wordand healed them; he rescued them from the pits where they were trapped.21 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his loyal love, and for the amazing things he has done for people!22 Let them present thank offerings, and loudly proclaim what he has done!23Some traveled onthe sea in ships, and carried cargo over the vast waters.24 They witnessed the acts of the Lord, his amazing feats on the deep water. 25 He gave the order for a windstorm,and it stirred up the waves of the sea.26 Theyreached up to the sky, then dropped into the depths. The sailors’ strengthleft thembecause the danger was so great.27 They swayedand staggered like a drunk, and all their skill proved ineffective.28 They cried out to the Lord in their distress; he delivered them from their troubles.”

The Key To Heaven Supplies

Ac 4:31 “Whenthey had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken,and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speakthe word of Godcourageously.”

The Hedge Of Protection

Neh 6:9 “They all were wantingto scare us, supposing, “Their hands will grow slack from the work, and it won’t get done.” So now, strengthen my hands!”

The Sap Of Fruitfulness

Jn 15:7,8 “If you remainin me and my words remainin you, ask whatever you want, and it will be done for you.8 My Father is honoredby this, thatyou bearmuch fruit and show that you aremy disciples.”

The Companion Of Praise

Ac 16:25 “About midnight Paul and Silas were prayingand singing hymns to God,and the rest ofthe prisoners were listening to them.”

NET

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Prevenient Praying

The word “prevenient” means to go before, to prepare the way. Sometimes an army will make a “pre-emptive strike” to get the advantage over the enemy. Some times they will send “special forces” in ahead of the regular solders to prepare the way. Another term to describe this kind of action is “pro-active.” “Prevenient praying” then, is to go before and prepare the way by praying. We don’t wait until something happens but we seek God’s will and pray and work to bring it about. In the hussels and hassels of life we sometimes let ourselves live under the “tyranny of the urgent.” Always reacting to one emergency and then another.

Sometimes our prayer life becomes one of praying for one trouble then another, after they have become troublesome. Certainly we should pray concerning our troubles, this is one of the reasons we have trouble, to make us pray. But if we are always on the defensive, we won’t be gaining much ground. Someone has said the life is over 90% reaction to our circumstances and less than 10% action that we initiate ourselves. There is something here for us to consider in relation to praying. We certainly have the responsibility to pray for the unsaved, the sick and afflicted, believers in sin, etc. But, the well rounded prayer life (individually and corporately) will go beyond the pressing problems of the moment and carry us into the future with an eye for God’s glory. Some Biblical examples of prevenient or proactive praying are:

Our Lord taught us to pray saying, to our Father “your kingdom come, may your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us today our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we ourselves have forgiven our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” Mat 6:9-13 Much of what He mentions here is not a reaction to a problem but deals with things that are not but ought to be, “kingdom come,” “daily bread” seems to be a reference to the coming day, but especially, “do not lead us into temptation.” Jesus is teaching us to pray “Preveniently,” before the fact, that we should not be taken into tempting, trying, and testing times that might hinder our service for God. What is the greatest danger to need protection from? It can be none other than sin. Each of us has the cancer of sin within us. Jesus is teaching us to pray for protection from temptation. We should be praying that God, in His providence, will not allow us to be drawn away by our own sinful nature from Him into sin. Every Christian needs to pray this prayer.

When we pray for the Lord of the harvest to send labours we are praying pro-actively and preveniently. Ma 9:37, 38 “Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest.” We know there is much to be done so we pray for God to call and prepare believers to get the job done.

“And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.” Mat 16:18 Jesus said that the gates of Hell will not prevail against the church; this implies that we are attacking the gates of Hell, that is being on the offensive. This involves praying before the fact. Isn’t this what we are doing when we send missionaries into heathen lands?

When Jesus was praying the night before His crucifixion, He prayed; “I pray not that thou shouldest take them from the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world even as I am not of the world. ” Jn 17:15,16 Jesus knew that Satan would try to destroy us so He prayed before the fact that we would be safe. We should take great comfort in our Lord’s praying for us and pray for one another in this way.

When Paul was telling the Roman Christians what he was praying about, he said “and I always ask in my prayers, if perhaps now at last I may succeed in visiting you in the will of God.” Rom 1:10 He was praying for safe travel and the opportunity to see them and be a spiritual help to them.

Paul told the Philippians, “Do not be anxious about anything. Instead, tell your requests to God in your every prayer and petition—with thanksgiving. And the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” Phil 4:6 Being thankful will preempt discouragement. “This pre-answer gratitude is a preemptive strike against bitterness and disappointment over how and when our heavenly Father chooses us answer. Also, it is an expression of enormous faith to thank Him in advance of His response. Our understanding that He will always do right by our petitions prompts us to be grateful to Him before they are answered.” Developing your Secret Closet of Prayer, Richard Burr, p 114.

“Finally, pray for us, brothers and sisters, that the Lord’s message may spread quickly and be honored as in fact it was among you,” 2 Thes 3:1 We don’t want the preaching of God’s Word to be ineffective so we pray He would empower His Word to work in the hearts of men.

“Praying ahead of our exploits for God allows us to command an offensive position against our adversary. Prevenient praying precludes presumption by ‘covering all the bases.’ ...Prevenient prayer in the corporate setting assumes a special significance. The Scriptures often speak of the church as the army of God. God’s plan is for His army to establish His Kingdom on earth. Lone warriors, however gifted, will never accomplish His purposes. In corporate prayer every member of the body assembles on the front lines of the outreach effort.” The Praying Church, Sue Curran 95.

The more preveniently and proactively we pray, the more efficiently we will be in our prayer life and the more we will advance the Kingdom of God into new territority, claiming it for God.

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Three Biblical Principles for Corporate Prayer

1. The Family Principle
The church is the family of God. In any family it is right and proper for all the children to make requests of their parent. It can be expected that the request will have a considerable impact upon the will and emotions of the parent. Using this as an analogy in the spiritual realm, we are reminded that it is appropriate for the children to petition their heavenly Father.

In a family there is “bi-directional love” which is vertical and horizontal. There is a vertical love between the parent(s) and the children. We see in 1 Joh 3:1 “See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.”

There is a horizontal love between the children.   Jesus says in John 14:34,35: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” The standard is given by our Lord in John 15:12 “This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you.”

As we pray to our loving Father we will not want anything that He does not want for us. As we pray we will be concerned for our brothers and sisters around the world and pray for them. When they hurt, we hurt; when they rejoice, we rejoice.

2. The Body Principle

The body life is realized when each individual part or member of the body is living in contact with the head and function as the head directs.

In 1 Cor 12 we are taught that the local church is the Body of Christ. “For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ.” 1 Cor 12: 12 When a body is in a state of good health, all of its parts function harmoniously and according to their intended purpose. So when the members of the spiritual Body, the church, are functioning harmoniously with their Head and with each other, it may be expected that the Body will accomplish it’s intended purpose for the Kingdom of God in this world.

Act 12:1-25 tells of how Peter was put in prison, “4 When he had seized him, he put him in prison, delivering him to four squads of soldiers to guard him, intending after the Passover to bring him out before the people. 5 So Peter was kept in the prison, but prayer for him was being made fervently by the church to God.” The church prayed and the angel was sent to deliver Peter.   The application of this principle to a praying church is both individual and corporate. Individually each believer is to pray to God personally and privately. He is to maintain his own prayer life.   At the same time he is to maintain corporate or partner praying with his fellow believers. Just as each organ in a physical body performs its function, so each believer fulfills his responsibility and joins in prayer as they commune with God. This could be in pairs, in small groups, or in the entire corporate body prayer meeting.

3. The Unity Principle

When we pray in unity, we need to: 1. Recognize that our life comes only from our Father and thank Him for giving us that life. Joh 1:13 “who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. ” 2. Recognize our dependence upon him. We must be in agreement that we can do nothing without Him

In Mat 18:19 we have an outstanding promise: “if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven.” Even though the context of this verse has specific reference to procedural matters in the church, the principle carries over into other areas of our life. When we come to God united and agreeing in what we ask, we gain a special presence of and power with God.

The great day of Pentecost was realized in an atmosphere of unity in prayer. “When they had entered the city, they went up to the upper room where they were staying; that is, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas the son of James. 14 These all with one mind were continually devoting themselves to prayer, along with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.   Acts 1:13,14

Unity is established by the Spirit, “For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.” 1 Cor 12:13   If we are being led by the Spirit, we will be led to unity whenever that is possible.

“Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, 3 being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling. ” Eph 4:1-4

Richard Lovelace speaks of visiting a famous harpist’s storeroom, where he kept harps of various sizes. When he plucked the largest harp, every harp in the storeroom resounded with the same note. When the Spirit plucks the heart of one believer in the church, then every other believer should harmonize with what the Spirit is doing.

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The School of Prayer Part 1

“Lord teach us to pray.” Lk 11:1

As the disciples made the above request so should we. Some have said that prayer can not be taught, it must be “caught” or learned by experience. But this was not Jesus’ answer. He immediately began to teach them. The following is from Ole Hallesby’s book on Prayer, 161f.

“So few of us become sanctified and skilled petitioners because we do not continue in the school of prayer...There is something about this school which tries our patience sorely. Jesus Himself alludes to it on several occasions, especially in Luke 18:1-8, where He says ‘that they ought always to pray and not faint…’

“It is the Spirit of prayer who superintends the instruction in the school of prayer. He does not offer a variety of subjects, but concentrates purposely on a few central things. It is not necessary to master a large variety of subjects in order to become skilled in prayer...

“In the first place, the Spirit must be given an opportunity to reveal Christ to us every day. This is absolutely essential. Christ is such that we need only ‘see’ Him, and prayer will rise from our hearts. Voluntary prayer, confident prayer. We know that Christ can answer prayer. We know also that it gives Him joy to do so. Prayer and intercession have become a delightful and fascinating means of co-operation between Christ and the praying soul. The instruction which the Spirit imparts has as its aim the removal of everything which hinders Him from revealing Christ in our hearts...

“In the second place, the instruction which the Spirit imparts, aims at making us earnestly solicitous. Intercessory prayer is like an ellipse, which rotates about two definite points: Christ and our need. The work of the Spirit in connection with prayer is to show us both, not merely theoretically, but practically, making them vital to us from day to day. Comfort yourself with the thought that it is the Spirit who is working these things in your heart every day. It is not necessary for you to strive in your own strength to keep your eyes open to Christ and the needs of the world. No, all you need to do is to listen to the Spirit as He speaks to you every day in the Word and through prayer about Christ and your need, and you will soon notice yourself making progress both in prayer and in intercession.

“In the third place, the Spirit teaches us the necessity of self-denial in connection with prayer.There is something about prayer and intercession which calls for more self-denial than any other work to which the Spirit calls us. The greater part of the work of intercession is, of course, done in secret; and work of this kind requires the expenditure of greater effort than work which can be seen of men. It is astonishing to see how much it means to us to have others see what we do. It is not only that we all have a great weakness for the praise of others, but the fact that our work is appreciated and valued is a remarkable stimulant to us.

“Furthermore, we all love to see results from our labors. But the work of prayer is of such a nature that it is impossible for us always to know definitely whether what happens is a fruit of our own intercession or that of others.

“Both of these facts call for a great deal of self-denial in connection with prayer...

“In the fine and difficult art of prayer, intercession is undoubtedly the most difficult of accomplishment. As far as my understanding of these things goes, intercessory prayer is the finest and most exacting kind of work that it is possible for men to perform.”

The request “Lord teach us to pray” is itself a prayer. Our Lord began immediately to answer that prayer in the following verses. We need to ask our Lord, and the Holy Spirit, to teach us to pray and be ready for Him to do so. Our Lord’s lesson on “Praying” included three things: 1. an outline for the contents of prayer in verses 2-4, 2. the need for persistence, in verses 5-10, and 3. encouragement that the Father will give us the one thing needed in verses 11-13.

“Jesus taught his disciples that the highest exercise of prayer was in obtaining God’s divinest bestowment, the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Lk 11:13 William Patton

“Prayer is an art which only the Spirit can teach us. He is the giver of all prayer.” C. H. Spurgeon

“The biggest thing God ever did for me was to teach me to pray in the Spirit.” Samuel Chadwick

O Lord, by Whom ye come to God,

The Life, the Truth, the Way,

The path of prayer Thyself hast trod;

Lord, teach us now to pray.

Teach Me to Pray, Lord

Teach me to pray Lord, teach me to pray,

This is my heart cry day unto day;

I long to know Thy will and Thy way;

Teach me to pray Lord, teach me to pray.

Power in prayer, Lord, power in prayer,

Here ‘mid earth’s sin and sorrow and care;

Men lost and dying, souls in despair;

O give me power, power in prayer.

My weakened will, Lord, teach me to pray;

My sinful nature Thou canst subdue;

Fill me just now with power anew,

Power to pray and power to do!

Teach me to pray Lord, teach me to pray;

Thou art my Pattern, day unto day;

Thou art my surety, now and for aye;

Teach me to pray, Lord, teach me to pray.

REFRAIN

Living in Thee, Lord and Thou in me;

Constant abiding, this is my plea;

Grant me Thy power, boundless and free:

Power with men and with power with Thee.

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The School of Prayer Part 2:The Content of Prayer

The request “Lord teach us to pray,” in Lk 11:1 is itself a prayer. Our Lord immediately answered that prayer in the following verses. He gives three lessons on “Praying”: 1. An outline for the contents of prayer in verses 2-4, 2. The need for persistence, in verses 5-10, and 3. Encouragement that the Father will give us the one thing needed in verses 11-13.

Let us look at the first lesson in our Lord’s teaching on praying. “And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Father, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Give us day by day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins; for we ourselves also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And bring us not into temptation.” These words are repeated in corporate worship thousands of times each Lord’s day. We feel that the greatest value in this prayer is not the saying of the words but in what it suggests for content in our prayers; either public, corporate, or private. The first part centers around the person of God. The Second part concerns our need.

The Person of God: “Father, Hallowed be thy name.” The most basic thing about prayer is that, is a conversation between two persons, a child and a Father. Our prayer must be addressed to God alone Who is our Father in creation, election, and sanctifying grace. The first thing we should talk about in prayer is God Himself. We should “hallow” or sanctify His name, meaning “to separate from profane things and dedicate to God.” Sanctifying His name is not making Him holy but is acknowledging, and declaring Him to be holy, and glorifying Him, and all His perfections. Isa 12:4 “And in that day shall ye say, Give thanks unto Jehovah, call upon his name, declare his doings among the peoples, make mention that his name is exalted.” Eph 1:3 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ:”

The Plan of God: “Thy kingdom come.” The kingdom is essentially the “rule of God”. We are to pray for God’s will to be realized. Where? In our society, church, family, and personal life. There is an underlining issue of authority here. God has the “right” to rule in all areas of everyone’s life. To pray this we must be in submission to God, lest we be hypocrites. Ps 47:7,8 “For God is the King of all the earth: Sing ye praises with understanding. God reigneth over the nations: God sitteth upon his holy throne.” The kingdom of God does not come with observation and is within us, Lk 17:20,21, but it is also something to be seen, Jn 3:3.

The Provision of God: “Give us day by day our daily bread.” This subject of our praying too often becomes the main thrust of our prayer and even the only concern in our prayer. But in its proper place it is a necessary part of prayer. The reference is to “daily bread” not “daily caviar.” Php 4:19 “God shall supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” Jam 4:2 “...ye have not, because ye ask not.“

The Pardon of God : “And forgive us our sins; for we ourselves also forgive every one that is indebted to us.” Pardon or forgiveness is necessary to prayer in three ways: 1. The fact of our being pardoned, or forgiven for our sin, 2. The realization of that fact in our consciences and 3. Practicing forgiveness in our relationships with others. Jesus is linking our forgiveness from God with our forgiveness to others. Mat 18:21-35

The Protection of God: “And bring us not into temptation.” What is the greatest danger to need protection from? It can be none other than sin. Each of us has the cancer of sin within us. Jesus is teaching us to pray for protection from temptation. This might be called “preemptive praying.” “Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God; for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempteth no man: but each man is tempted, when he is drawn away by his own lust, and enticed.” Jam 1:13,14 We should be praying that God, in His providence, will not allow us to be drawn away by our own sinful nature from Him into sin. Every Christian needs to pray this prayer. The psalmist said, “...I will fear no evil; for thou art with me.” Ps 23:4

The words of verses 2-4 is a “pattern prayer;” it is not the real prayer. The real prayer is that which we pray following this example. The difference is like the difference between a “cookie cutter” and a “cookie.” Just as a “cookie cutter” is not acceptable food, neither is the mere repetition of these words acceptable to God as real prayer. The cutter gives design and development to the cookie as this model prayer does to our prayers. What may be most important in this model prayer is the order of these ideas. That is, making God’s glory and will come before our needs. When we are praying (privately or corporately), it would be good to follow these topics in the order that Jesus has given them.

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The School of Prayer Part 3: Importunity

The request “Lord teach us to pray,” in Luk 11:1 is itself a prayer. Our Lord immediately answered that prayer in the following verses. He gives three lessons on “Praying”: 1. An outline for the contents of prayer in verses 2-4, 2. A lesson by comparison showing the need for persistence in verses 5-10, and 3. A lesson by contrast showing that the Father will give us the one thing needed in verses 11-13.

Let us look at the second lesson in our Lord’s teaching on praying, The need for persistence. “And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say to him, Friend, lend me three loaves; for a friend of mine is come to me from a journey, and I have nothing to set before him; and he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee. I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will arise and give him as many as he needeth. And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.”

There are three friends in this story: the needing friend, the interceding friend, and the supplying friend. The lesson is about the intercessory prayer, but it is about something more: it is about persistence in intercessory prayer. To many this sounds inappropriate and even irreverent, but it can not be that because the Lord Jesus is doing the teaching.

Christ Jesus encourages us to be fervent and persistent in our prayer for others. We must come for the needs of those that God has brought into our lives, as a man does to his neighbor or friend. We must come for bread; for that which is needful and we all have many people in our lives that have much need. If God does not answer our prayers speedily, He will in due time, if we continue to pray. Heb 4:16 “Let us therefore draw near with boldness unto the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy, and may find grace to help us in time of need.” The word for “boldly” here means “free speakingly;” that is for any and all needs. God gives us needs for us to pray about and He promises that He will meet that need or give us mercy and grace to bear it, either way the need is removed.

The implication, here, and in Lk 8:1-8, is that God is reluctant to answer prayer. But-- “The lesson is that lukewarmness in prayer, as in everything else, is nauseating to God and comes away empty-handed. On the other hand, shameless persistence, the importunity that will not be denied, returns with the answer in its hands...There may be other reasons why the divine response tarries and importunity is needed...

1. We may be asking without caring greatly about the issue. If we are not in earnest, why should God bestir Himself? We shall find Him when we seek with all our hearts.

2. We may be asking for selfish reasons, and the discipline of delay is necessary to purge us of this. Selfish motivation is self-defeating in prayer.

3. We may unconsciously be unwilling to pay the price involved in the answering of our prayers, and our Father desires us to face up to this fact.

4. We may be misinterpreting what God is doing in our lives in answer to our prayers....

5. ...apparent delay or denial of an answer...secures our humble dependence on God. If He bestowed our desires as gifts of nature and did not want our solicitations, we would tend to become independent of Him.”

Prayer Power Unlimited, J. Oswald Sanders, p 84,86

Every unanswered prayer is a clarion call to search the heart to see what is wrong there; for the promise is unmistakably clear: "If ye shall ask anything in My name, that will I do" John 14:14 Adoniram Judson said, “God loves importunate prayer so much that He will not give us much blessing without it. And the reason He loves such prayer is that He loves us, and knows that it is a necessary preparation for our receiving the richest blessing He is waiting and longing to bestow.”

Our Lord concludes this lesson with triple emphasis: “Ask--Seek--Knock” and He re-emphasizes it again by saying, “For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.” This teaching is from Jesus the Son of God; it has to be true.

Which “friend” are you “the needing friend,” or “the interceding friend?” It is God’s will that we grow spiritually and become the intercessor that can be good stewards in the business of the kingdom.

“God delays in answering our prayers because men would pluck their mercies green; God would have them ripe.”

Unanswered yet? Nay, do not say unanswered,

Perhaps your part is not yet wholly done,

The work began when first your prayer was uttered,

And God will finish what He has begun.

Keep incense burning at the shrine of prayer,

And glory shall descend sometime, somewhere.

Unanswered yet? Faith cannot be unanswered;

Here feet are firmly planted on the Rock;

Amid the wildest storms she stands undaunted,

Nor quails before the loudest thunder shock.

She knows Omnipotence has heard her prayer,

And cries, “It shall be done sometime, somewhere.”

Ophelia Guyon Browning

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The School of Prayer Part 4: A Package Deal

Let us look at the third lesson in our Lord’s teaching on praying, The praying for the Holy Spirit. “And of which of you that is a father shall his son ask a loaf, and he give him a stone? or a fish, and he for a fish give him a serpent? Or if he shall ask an egg, will he give him a scorpion? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?”

Sometimes a father is asked for basic and necessary things that he does not have to give. A human father is limited and many times unable to do what he wants. Never is it such with God. God gives more than we ask. More than we can imagine. “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.” Eph 3:20

God’s children are to ask for the Holy Spirit; they are to receive Him and God is sure to give Him when we ask persistently. Nothing could be more obvious from our text.

Our relationship with the other members of the Trinity is not as personal as it is with the “Holy Spirit.” In comparing our text with Ma 7:11 we must conclude that the Holy Spirit is equivalent to all “good things.” The sum total of all of our needs is the presence of God liberated in our lives. The best prayer is the most important prayer and the one of which Jesus says “how much more shall your Heavenly Father give you.” Only here Jesus adds the Holy Spirit (pneuma hagion) as the great gift (the summum bonum) that the Father is ready to bestow.

Jesus tells us in Jn 14:16,17, 26 “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may be with you for ever, even the Spirit of truth: whom the world cannot receive; for it beholdeth him not, neither knoweth him: ye know him; for he abideth with you, and shall be in you... But the Comforter, even the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said unto you.” The word “comforter” is a translation of paracletos also translated Advocate or Helper. It means properly “one who is summoned to the side of another” to help him in a court of justice by defending him, Anyone who is summoned to plead a cause. ”Advocate” is the proper rendering of the word in every case where it occurs. It is worthy of notice that although Paul nowhere uses the word paracletos, but he presents the idea when he speaks of the “intercession” both of Christ and the Spirit Ro 8:27,34.

If any of us are living a meager Christian life of coolness, prayerlessness and uselessness, it is because we do not have the Spirit. We do not have the Spirit because we do not seek him importunately and with a deep sense of our need of him.

Having the Holy Spirit is the real answer to the question “How to Pray?” The ultimate object for and answer to prayer is the Holy Spirit who is the author and sustainer of prayer. The Holy Spirit is the initial cause of faith and salvation and He is the continuous cause of prayerfulness and fruitfulness.

We might think of the Holy Spirit here as a “Package.” When we buy a car, we don’t buy just a motor and gears and wheels. We buy a package which includes all the things that make up a car, even some things like a radio, air conditioner, even a service warranty to make sure the car continues to function as intended. When we buy a computer we usually get many more things along with it to support it and make it practical, like tech support, web access, and a printer. When we get the Holy Spirit, He comes with all that is necessary for our lives to be fully functional and glorifying to Jesus Christ. One of the primary parts of this “Holy Spirit” package are “gifts.” The Holy Spirit gives gifts to believers to indicate how they are to function in the Body of Christ.

So when we pray for and receive the Holy Spirit, we have done all that is necessary to realize the will of God, advance the Kingdom of God, and Glorify the Son of God. To ask for the Spirit is to pray “in Jesus Name.” He told us to do it and when we pray for the Holy Spirit we are acting on His authority.

Jesus taught his disciples that the highest exercise of prayer was in obtaining God’s divinest bestowment, the gift of the Holy Spirit. Lk 11:13 William Patton

But it is the Holy Spirit of God Who is the prayer’s great Helper. The Kneeling Christian

All true prayer is exercised in the sphere of the Holy Spirit, motivated and empowered by Him. Eph 6:18

Breath on Me

Breathe on me, breathe on me, Holy Spirit, breathe on me

Take Thou my heart, cleanse every part, Holy Spirit, breathe on me.

Holy Spirit, breathe on me, Until, my heart is clean;

Let Sunshine fill its in most part, With not a cloud between.

Holy Spirit, breathe on me, My stubborn will subdue;

Teach me in words of living flame, What Christ would have me do.

Holy Spirit, breath on me, Fill me with power divine;

Kindle a flame of love and zeal, Within this heart of mine.

Holy Spirit breath on me, Till I am all Thine own,

Until my will is lost in Thine, To live for Thee alone.

Edwin Hatch 1835-1889

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Unpossessed Possessions

Can any of us say that the blessings that we have from the Lord are all that God has for us, or that God can not or will not to do greater things for us? Paul said in 1 Cor 2:9 “But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.” Also in 3:21 “All things are yours, for you are Christ’s.” These inspired statements are clear, but confusing when we realize how spiritually impoverished we are. They are ours, but so many of us do not possess our possessions.

Unrealized Wealth is illustrated in The Kneeling Christian Ch 8 “The owners of Mount Morgan, in Queensland, toiled arduously for years on its barren slopes, eking out a miserable existence, never knowing that under their feet was one of the richest sources of gold the world has ever known. There was wealth, vast, undreamt of, yet unimagined and unrealized. It was ‘theirs,’ yet ‘not theirs.’ The Word of God is telling the Christian of the riches we have in Christ Jesus, but we do not seem to know how to possess them.” Jesus said Jn 14:12-14 “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he shall do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.” This text reveals both the potential and the problem. The potential is that we can do greater works that our Lord Jesus did. Hard to believe it, but He said it and it is true. With the statement comes the question, “Why am I not doing these works?” The solution to the problem is in the text, v 14 “If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.” Here is the solution, “asking in Jesus name.” If we don’t know how to “ask in Jesus Name” then we have our first prayer objective. We must begin to beg God to show us what it is to “ask in Jesus Name.”

God told Jeremiah “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.” (33:3) God has blessings for us that we don’t know about, that our eye has not seen, our ear not heard, nor our heart desired. The way to know, see, hear, and desire is to ask. Ask for desire, vision, courage, and the ability to ask.

There are two men in the O.T. that set us a good example. Joshua 14:6-14 gives us the story of Caleb. Caleb was forty years old when he and the other spies went out to spy out the land for Israel to possess. Because the other spies did not believe that God was able to do what He said, the nation of Israel had to wander in the wilderness. Forty five years later, after the wilderness wandering and the initial battles for the land had been fought, Caleb asks “Now therefore give me this mountain, whereof the LORD spake in that day; for thou heardest in that day how the Anakims were there, and that the cities were great and fenced: if so be the LORD will be with me, then I shall be able to drive them out, as the LORD said.” This is a man that “wholly followed the Lord,” with patient persistence in asking for what God had for Him. His possession did not go unpossessed.

The other man is Jabez. We only hear of him once in Scripture 1 Chr 4:10 “And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that thine hand might be with me, and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me! And God granted him that which he requested.” Jabez wanted more land, more responsibility, more opportunity but not just of the temporal type but spiritual blessings, covenant blessings, the sure mercies of David, which are the real as opposed to the unreal physical things. He was willing to deal with any problems, like the Canaanites, that might be there. He was looking at the increase of his boarders as a spiritual enlargement. A deliverance from spiritual enemies, with the grace and spiritual ability to use the blessings for God’s glory. He asked God for more and “God granted him that which he requested.”

Ps 119:32 “I will run the way of thy commandments, when thou shalt enlarge my heart.”

1 John 5:14,15 “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.”

God can not grant us our request if we don’t “request.”

God help us to possess all our possessions.

Lord, Listen to Your Children

Lord, listen to your children praying,

Lord, send your Spirit in this place;

Lord, listen to your children praying,

Send us love, send us pow’r, send us grace.

Some-thing’s gonna happen like the world has never known,

When the people of the Lord get down to pray;

A door's gon-na swing open, and the walls come a tumbling down,

When the people of the Lord get down to pray.

He’s gon-na take over, He’s gon-na take control,

When the people of the Lord get down to pray;

He’s gon-na move the mountain He’s gon-na make the waters roll,

When the people of the Lord get down to pray.

You’re gon-na know it when the Lord stretches out His hand,

When the people of the Lord get down to pray;

There’s gon’na be a brand new song of vic-try in this land,

When the people of the Lord get down to pray.

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Violent Praying

“From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and forceful people lay hold of it.” Mat 11:12

Prayer is a duty which keeps the business of religion flowing. When we either join in prayer with others or pray alone, we must use holy violence; not eloquence but violence in prayer makes it effective. Theodorus, speaking of Luther, once said, “I overheard him in prayer, but, good God, with what life and spirit did he pray! It was with so much reverence as if he were speaking to God, yet with so much confidence, as if he had been speaking to his friend.”

There must be a stirring up of the heart, first, to prayer, and secondly, in prayer. First, a stirring up of the heart to prayer: “As for you, if you prove faithful, and if you stretch out your hands toward him,” Job 11:13. This preparing of our heart is accomplished by holy thoughts and ejaculations. The musician first tunes his instrument before he plays. Secondly, there must be a stirring up of the heart in prayer. Prayer is a lifting up of the mind and soul to God, which cannot be done rightly without offering violence to one’s self. The names given to prayer imply violence. It is called wrestling in Gen 32:24, and a pouring out of the soul in 1 Sam 1:15, both of which imply vehemency. Affection is required as well as invention. The apostle speaks of an effectual, fervent prayer, which is a parallel phrase to offering violence. “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” Ja 5:16

Far from offering violent prayer are they who give God a dead, heartless prayer. God would not have the blind offered Mat 1:8; to offer the blind is as offering the dead. Some are half asleep when they pray and will a sleepy prayer ever awaken God? The prayers that God likes best come seething hot from the heart.

Far are they from offering violent prayer who give God distracted prayer. While praying, they are thinking of their jobs and business. How can one shoot straight who doesn’t keep his eye on the target? Will a king tolerate his subject delivering a petition and speaking to him while he is playing with a toy? When we send our hearts on an errand to Heaven, how often do they loiter and play by the way?

Prayer without fervency and violence is no prayer; it is speaking, not praying. Lifeless prayer is no more prayer than the picture of a man is a man. To say a prayer is not to pray; Aschanius taught his parrot the Lord's Prayer. Ambrose said it well, “It is the life and affection in a duty that baptizeth it, and gives it a name.” It is the violence and wrestling of the affections that make it a prayer, else it is no prayer.

The zeal and violence of the affections in prayer best suits God's nature. He is a Spirit, Jn 4:24, and surely that prayer which is full of life and spirit is the savory meat He loves, “you yourselves as living stones are built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood and to offer spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” 1 Pet 2:5. It is not the stretching of the lungs, but the vehemency of the desire, that makes music in God's ears. 1 Tim 4:8

It is only violence and intenseness of spirit in prayer that has the promise of mercy affixed to it, “Knock, and it shall be opened” Mat 7:7. Knocking is a violent motion. It is violence in prayer that makes heaven's gates fly open and fetches in whatever mercies we stand in need of.

When we pray with a sense of our wants, we become the more violent in prayer. A beggar pinched with want will be earnest in craving alms. Christian, review your wants; you want a humble, spiritual frame of heart; you want the light of God's countenance; the sense of want will quicken prayer. A man can never pray fervently who does not pray feelingly. How earnest was Samson for water when he was ready to die! “I die of thirst” Judg 15:18.

If we would be violent in prayer, let us beg for a violent wind. The Spirit of God is resembled to “a violent wind” in Acts 2:1,2; “Now when the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like a violent wind blowing came from heaven and filled the entire house where they were sitting.” We are violent when this blessed wind fills our sails, when we are “But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith, by praying in the Holy Spirit” Jude 20. “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness, for we do not know how we should pray, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with inexpressible groanings.” Rom 8:26

(Condensed and revised from Heaven Taken by Storm, by Thomas Watson, Chapter 5 Offering Violence by Prayer)

Prayer does not consist in gifted expressions and a volubility of speech; but in a brokenness of heart.

Prayer does not consist in the elegance of the phrase, but in the strength of the affection.

John Mason (1646-1694)

I often say my prayers, but do I ever pray?

And do the wishes of my heart, go with the words I say?

I might as well kneel down, and worship gods of stone,

As offer to the living God, a prayer of words alone.

O watch and fight, and pray.

The battle ne’er give o’er.

Renew it boldly every day,

And help divine implore.

Ne’er think the victory won,

Nor lay thine armor down;

The work of faith will not be done,

Till thou obtain thy crown.

Fight on, my soul...

George Heath

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What Prayer Is Part 1

John Bunyan

Prayer is a sincere, sensible, affectionate pouring out of the heart or soul to God, through Christ, in the strength and assistance of the Holy Spirit, for such things as God hath promised, or according to the Word, for the good of the church, with submission, in faith, to the will of God.

In this description are these seven things. First, It is a sincere; Second, A sensible; Third, An affectionate, pouring out of the soul to God, through Christ; Fourth, By the strength or assistance of the Spirit; Fifth, For such things as God hath promised, or, according to his word; Sixth, For the good of the church; Seventh, With submission in faith to the will of God.

For the first of these, it is a Sincere pouring out of the soul to God. Sincerity is such a grace as runs through all the graces of God in us, and through all the actings of a Christian, and hath the sway in them too, or else their actings are not any thing regarded of God, and so of and in prayer, of which particularly David speaks, when he mentions prayer. "I cried unto him," the Lord "with my mouth, and he was extolled with my tongue. If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear" my prayer (Psa 66:17,18). Part of the exercise of prayer is sincerity, without which God looks not upon it as prayer in a good sense (Psa 16:1-4). Then "ye shall seek me and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart" (Jer 29:12-13). The want of this made the Lord reject their prayers in Hosea 7:14, where he saith, "They have not cried unto me with their heart," that is, in sincerity, "when they howled upon their beds." But for a pretence, for a show in hypocrisy, to be seen of men, and applauded for the same, they prayed. Sincerity was that which Christ commended in Nathaniel, when he was under the fig tree. "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile." Probably this good man was pouring out of his soul to God in prayer under the fig tree, and that in a sincere and unfeigned spirit before the Lord. The prayer that hath this in it as one of the principal ingredients, is the prayer that God looks at. Thus, "The prayer of the upright is his delight" (Prov 15:8).

And why must sincerity be one of the essentials of prayer which is accepted of God, but because sincerity carries the soul in all simplicity to open its heart to God, and to tell him the case plainly, without equivocation; to condemn itself plainly, without dissembling; to cry to God heartily, without complimenting. "I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself thus; Thou has chastised me, and I was chastised, as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke" (Jer 31:18). Sincerity is the same in a corner alone, as it is before the face of the world. It knows not how to wear two vizards, one for an appearance before men, and another for a short snatch in a corner; but it must have God, and be with him in the duty of prayer. It is not lip-labour that it doth regard, for it is the heart that God looks at, and that which sincerity looks at, and that which prayer comes from, if it be that prayer which is accompanied with sincerity.

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What Prayer Is Part 2

John Bunyan

It is a sincere and Sensible pouring out of the heart or soul. It is not, as many take it to be, even a few babbling, prating, complimentary expressions, but a sensible feeling there is in the heart. Prayer hath in it a sensibleness of diverse things; sometimes sense of sin, sometimes of mercy received, sometimes of the readiness of God to give mercy, &c.

1. A sense of the want of mercy, by reason of the danger of sin. The soul, I say, feels, and from feeling sighs, groans, and breaks at the heart. For right prayer bubbleth out of the heart when it is overpressed with grief and bitterness, as blood is forced out of the flesh by reason of some heavy burden that lieth upon it (I Sam 1:10; Psa 69:3). David roars, cries, weeps, faints at heart, fails at the eyes, loseth his moisture, &c., (Psa 38:8-10). Hezekiah mourns like a dove (Isa 38:14). Ephraim bemoans himself (Jer 31:18). Peter weeps bitterly (Matt 26:75). Christ hath strong cryings and tears (Heb 5:7). And all this from a sense of the justice of God, the guilt of sin, the pains of hell and destruction. "The sorrows of death compassed me, and the pains of hell gat hold upon me: I found trouble and sorrow." Then cried I unto the Lord (Psa 116:3,4). And in another place, "My sore ran in the night" (Psa 77:2). Again, "I am bowed down greatly; I go mourning all the day long" (Psa 38:6). In all these instances, and in hundreds more that might be named, you may see that prayer carrieth in it a sensible feeling disposition, and that first from a sense of sin.

2. Sometimes there is a sweet sense of mercy received; encouraging, comforting, strengthening, enlivening, enlightening mercy, &c. Thus David pours out his soul, to bless, and praise, and admire the great God for his loving-kindness to such poor vile wretches. "Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.6 Who forgiveth all thine iniquities, who healeth all thy diseases; who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with loving-kindness and tender mercies; who satisfieth thy mouth with good things, so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's" (Psa 103:1-5). And thus is the prayer of saints sometimes turned into praise and thanksgiving, and yet are prayers still. This is a mystery; God's people pray with their praises, as it is written, "Be careful for nothing, but in every thing by prayer, and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your request be made known unto God" (Phil 4:6). A sensible thanksgiving, for mercies received, is a mighty prayer in the sight of God; it prevails with him unspeakably.

3. In prayer there is sometimes in the soul a sense of mercy to be received. This again sets the soul all on a flame. "Thou, O lord of hosts," saith David, "hast revealed to thy servant, saying I will build thee an house; therefore hath thy servant found in his heart to pray - unto thee" (II Sam 7:27). This provoked Jacob, David, Daniel, with others even a sense of mercies to be received which caused them, not by fits and starts, nor yet in a foolish frothy way, to babble over a few words written in a paper; but mightily, fervently, and continually, to groan out their conditions before the Lord, as being sensible, sensible, I say, of their wants, their misery, and the willingness of God to show mercy (Gen 32:10,11; Dan 9:3,4).

A good sense of sin, and the wrath of God, with some encouragement from God to come unto him, is a better Common-prayer-book than that which is taken out of the Papistical mass-book, being the scraps and fragments of the devices of some popes, some friars, and I wot not what.

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What Prayer Is Part 3

John Bunyan

Prayer is a sincere, sensible, and an Affectionate pouring out of the soul to God. O! the heat, strength, life, vigour, and affection, that is in right prayer! "As the hart panteth after the water-brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God" (Psa 42:1). "I have longed after thy precepts" (Psa 119:40). "I have longed for thy salvation" (ver 174). "My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God" (Psa 84:2). "My soul breaketh for the longing that it hath unto thy judgments at all times" (Psa 119:20). Mark ye here, "My soul longeth," it longeth, it longeth, &c. O what affection is here discovered in prayer! The like you have in Daniel. "O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord, hearken and do; defer not, for thine own sake, O my God" (Dan 9:19). Every syllable carrieth a mighty vehemency in it. This is called the fervent, or the working prayer, by James. And so again, "And being in an agony, he prayed more earnestly" (Luke 22:44). Or had his affections more and more drawn out after God for his helping hand. O! How wide are the most of men with their prayers from this prayer, that is, PRAYER in God's account! Alas! The greatest part of men make no conscience at all of the duty; and as for them that do, it is to be feared that many of them are very great strangers to a sincere, sensible, and affectionate pouring out their hearts or souls to God; but even content themselves with a little lip-labour and bodily exercise, mumbling over a few imaginary prayers. When the affections are indeed engaged in prayer, then, then the whole man is engaged, and that in such sort, that the soul will spend itself to nothing, as it were, rather than it will go without that good desired, even communion and solace with Christ. And hence it is that the saints have spent their strengths, and lost their lives, rather than go without the blessing (Psa 69:3; 38:9,10; Gen 32:24,26).

All this is too, too evident by the ignorance, profaneness, and spirit of envy, that reign in the hearts of those men that are so hot for the forms, and not the power of praying. Scarce one of forty among them know what it is to be born again, to have communion with the Father through the Son; to feel the power of grace sanctifying their hearts: but for all their prayers, they still live cursed, drunken, whorish, and abominable lives, full of malice, envy, deceit, persecuting of the dear children of God. O what a dreadful after-clap is coming upon them! which all their hypocritical assembling themselves together, with all their prayers, shall never be able to help them against, or shelter them from.

Again, It is a pouring out of the heart or soul. There is in prayer an unbosoming of a man's self, an opening of the heart to God, an affectionate pouring out of the soul in requests, sighs, and groans. "All my desire is before thee," saith David, "and my groaning is not hid from thee" (Psa 38:9). And again, "My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God? When I remember these things, I pour out my soul in me" (Psa 42:2,4). Mark, "I pour out my soul." It is an expression signifying, that in prayer there goeth the very life and whole strength to God. As in another place, "Trust in him at all times; ye people, - pour out your heart before him" (Psa 62:8). This is the prayer to which the promise is made, for the delivering of a poor creature out of captivity and thralldom. "If from thence thou shalt seek the Lord thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul" (Deut 4:29).

Again, It is a pouring out of the heart or soul TO GOD. This showeth also the excellency of the spirit of prayer. It is the great God to which it retires. "When shall I come and appear before God?" And it argueth, that the soul that thus prayeth indeed, sees an emptiness in all things under heaven; that in God alone there is rest and satisfaction for the soul. "Now she that is a widow indeed, and desolate, trusteth in God" (I Tim 5:5). So saith David, "In thee, O Lord, do I put my trust; let me never be put to confusion. Deliver me in thy righteousness, and cause me to escape; incline thine ear to me, and save me. Be thou my strong habitation, whereunto I may continually resort: - for thou art my rock and my fortress; deliver me, O my God, - out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man. For thou art my hope, O Lord God, thou art my trust from my youth" (Psa 71:1-5). Many in a wording way speak of God; but right prayer makes God his hope, stay, and all. Right prayer sees nothing substantial, and worth the looking after, but God. And that, as I said before, it doth in a sincere, sensible, and affectionate way.

Again, It is a sincere, sensible, affectionate pouring out of the heart or soul to God, THROUGH CHRIST. This through Christ must needs be added, or else it is to be questioned, whether it be prayer, though in appearance it be never so eminent or eloquent.

Christ is the way through whom the soul hath admittance to God, and without whom it is impossible that so much as one desire should come into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth (John 14:6). "If ye shall ask anything in my name"; "whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, I will do it" (John 14:13,14). This was Daniel's way in praying for the people of God; he did it in the name of Christ. "Now therefore, O our God, hear the prayer of thy servant, and his supplications, and cause thy face to shine upon thy sanctuary that is desolate, for the Lord's sake" (Dan 9:17). And so David, "For thy name's sake," that is, for thy Christ's sake, "pardon mine iniquity, for it is great" (Psa 25:11). But now, it is not every one that maketh mention of Christ's name in prayer, that doth indeed, and in truth, effectually pray to God in the name of Christ, or through him. This coming to God through Christ is the hardest part that is found in prayer. A man may more easily be sensible of his works, ay, and sincerely too desire mercy, and yet not be able to come to God by Christ. That man that comes to God by Christ, he must first have the knowledge of him; "for he that cometh to God, must believe that he is" (Heb 11:6). And so he that comes to God through Christ, must be enabled to know Christ. Lord, saith Moses, "show me now thy way, that I may know thee" (Ex 33:13).

This Christ, none but the Father can reveal (Matt 11:27). And to come through Christ, is for the soul to be enabled of God to shroud itself under the shadow of the Lord Jesus, as a man shroudeth himself under a thing for safeguard (Matt 16:16). Hence it is that David so often terms Christ his shield, buckler, tower, fortress, rock of defence, &c., (Psa 18:2; 27:1; 28:1). Not only because by him he overcame his enemies, but because through him he found favour with God the Father. And so he saith to Abraham, "Fear not, I am thy shield," &c., (Gen 15:1). The man then that comes to God through Christ, must have faith, by which he puts on Christ, and in him appears before God. Now he that hath faith is born of God, born again, and so becomes one of the sons of God; by virtue of which he is joined to Christ, and made a member of him (John 3:5,7; 1:12). And therefore, secondly he, as a member of Christ, comes to God; I say, as a member of him, so that God looks on that man as a part of Christ, part of his body, flesh, and bones, united to him by election, conversion, illumination, the Spirit being conveyed into the heart of that poor man by God (Eph 5:30). So that now he comes to God in Christ's merits, in his blood, righteousness, victory, intercession, and so stands before him, being "accepted in his Beloved" (Eph 1:6). And because this poor creature is thus a member of the Lord Jesus, and under this consideration hath admittance to come to God; therefore, by virtue of this union also, is the Holy Spirit conveyed into him, whereby he is able to pour out himself, to wit, his soul, before God, with his audience. And this leads me to the next, or fourth particular.

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What Prayer Is Part 4

John Bunyan

Prayer is a sincere, sensible, affectionate, pouring out OT the heart or soul to God through Christ, by the strength or Assistance of the Spirit. For these things do so depend one upon another, that it is impossible that it should be prayer, without there be a joint concurrence of them; for though it be never so famous, yet without these things, it is only such prayer as is rejected of God. For without a sincere, sensible, affectionate pouring out of the heart to God, it is but lip-labour; and if it be not through Christ, it falleth far short of ever sounding well in the ears of God. So also, if it be not in the strength and assistance of the Spirit, it is but like the sons of Aaron, offering with strange fire (Lev 10:1,2). But I shall speak more to this under the second head; and therefore in the meantime, that which is not petitioned through the teaching and assistance of the Spirit, it is not possible that it should be "according to the will of God (Rom 8:26,27).

Rom 8: 26 And in like manner the Spirit also helpeth our infirmity: for we know not how to pray as we ought; but the Spirit himself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered; 27 and he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

Joh 6:63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.

1 Corth 2:9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. 10 But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. 11 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.

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What Prayer Is Part 5

John Bunyan

What prayer is. Prayer is a sincere, sensible, affectionate pouring out of the heart or soul to God, through Christ, in the strength and assistance of the Holy Spirit, for such things as God hath promised, or according to the Word, for the good of the church, with submission, in faith, to the will of God.

Prayer is a sincere, sensible, affectionate pouring out of the heart, or soul, to God, through Christ, in the strength and assistance of the Spirit, for Such Things as God Hath Promised, &c., (Matt 6:6-8). Prayer it is, when it is within the compass of God's Word; and it is blasphemy, or at best vain babbling, when the petition is beside the book. David therefore still in his prayer kept his eye on the Word of God. "My soul," saith he, "cleaveth to the dust; quicken me according to thy word." And again, "My soul melteth for heaviness, strengthen thou me according unto thy word" (Psa 119:25-28; see also 41, 42, 58, 65, 74, 81, 82, 107, 147, 154, 169, 170). And, "remember thy word unto thy servant, upon which thou hast caused me to hope" (ver 49). And indeed the Holy Ghost doth not immediately quicken and stir up the heart of the Christian without, but by, with, and through the Word, by bringing that to the heart, and by opening of that, whereby the man is provoked to go to the Lord, and to tell him how it is with him, and also to argue, and supplicate, according to the Word; thus it was with Daniel, that mighty prophet of the Lord. He understanding by books that the captivity of the children of Israel was hard at an end; then, according unto that word, he maketh his prayer to God. "I Daniel," saith he, "understood by books," viz., the writings of Jeremiah, "the number of the years whereof the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, - that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem. And I set my face to the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes" (Dan 9:2,3). So that I say, as the Spirit is the helper and the governor of the soul, when it prayeth according to the will of God; so it guideth by and according to, the Word of God and his promise. Hence it is that our Lord Jesus Christ himself did make a stop, although his life lay at stake for it. I could now pray to my Father, and he should give me more than twelve legions of angels; but how then must the scripture be fulfilled that thus it must be? (Matt 26:53,54). As who should say, Were there but a word for it in the scripture, I should soon be out of the hands of mine enemies, I should be helped by angels; but the scripture will not warrant this kind of praying, for that saith otherwise. It is a praying then according to the Word and promise. The Spirit by the Word must direct, as well in the manner, as in the matter of prayer. "I will pray with the Spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also" (I Cor 14:15). But there is no understanding without the Word. For if they reject the word of the Lord, "what wisdom is in them?" (Jer 8:9).

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What Prayer Is Part 6

John Bunyan

For the Good of the Church. This clause reacheth in whatsoever tendeth either to the honour of God, Christ's advancement, or his people's benefit. For God, and Christ, and his people are so linked together that if the good of the one be prayed for, to wit, the church, the glory of God, and advancement of Christ, must needs be included. For as Christ is in the Father, so the saints are in Christ; and he that toucheth the saints, toucheth the apple of God's eye; and therefore pray for the peace of Jerusalem, and you pray for all that is required of you. For Jerusalem will never be in perfect peace until she be in heaven; and there is nothing that Christ doth more desire than to have her there. That also is the place that God through Christ hath given to her. He then that prayeth for the peace and good of Zion, or the church, doth ask that in prayer which Christ hath purchased with his blood; and also that which the Father hath given to him as the price thereof. Now he that prayeth for this, must pray for abundance of grace for the church, for help against all its temptations; that God would let nothing be too hard for it; and that all things might work together for its good, that God would keep them blameless and harmless, the sons of God, to his glory, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation. And this is the substance of Christ's own prayer in John 17. And all Paul's prayers did run that way, as one of his prayers doth eminently show. "And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge, and in all judgment; that ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere, and without offence, till the day of Christ. Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ unto the glory and praise of God" (Phil 1:9-11). But a short prayer, you see, and yet full of good desires for the church, from the beginning to the end; that it may stand and go on, and that in the most excellent frame of spirit, even without blame, sincere, and without offence, until the day of Christ, let its temptations or persecutions be what they will (Eph 1:16-21; 3:14-19; Col 1:9-13).

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What Prayer Is Part 7

John Bunyan

And because, as I said, prayer doth Submit to the Will of God, and say, Thy will be done, as Christ hath taught us (Matt 6:10); therefore the people of the Lord in humility are to lay themselves and their prayers, and all that they have, at the foot of their God, to be disposed of by him as he in his heavenly wisdom seeth best. Yet not doubting but God will answer the desire of his people that way that shall be most for their advantage and his glory. When the saints therefore do pray with submission to the will of God, it doth not argue that they are to doubt or question God's love and kindness to them. But because they at all times are not so wise, but that sometimes Satan may get that advantage of them, as to tempt them to pray for that which, if they had it, would neither prove to God's glory nor his people's good. "Yet this is the confidence that we have in him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us; and if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him," that is, we asking in the Spirit of grace and supplication (I John 5:14,15). For, as I said before, that petition that is not put up in and through the Spirit, it is not to be answered, because it is beside the will of God. For the Spirit only knoweth that, and so consequently knoweth how to pray according to that will of God. "For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man but the Spirit of God" (I Cor 2:11). But more of this hereafter. Thus you see, first, what prayer is.

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Why Importunity Is Needed

Luke 11:5-9 “And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say to him, Friend, lend me three loaves; for a friend of mine is come to me from a journey, and I have nothing to set before him; and he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee? I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will arise and give him as many as he needeth. And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.”

Our Lord says the man got what he wanted “Because of his importunity” To importune means “To press with repeated requests.” Importunity is making repeated request, i.e. asking, seeking, knocking. Why does God want us to be ‘Importunate’ ? If it is His will why doesn’t He give the answer straight away. Importunity is necessary because of:

1. Insufficient Desire

We may be asking without really caring about what we are asking. Jesus taught us to “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.” Mt 22:37 To be any less is not fitting for the God of Omnipotent power and Infinite Glory. We shall find Him when we seek with all our hearts “And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.” Jer 29:13 “It is reasonable that God should withhold a blessing, until we feel our need of it sufficiently.”

2. Inappropriate Motives

We may be asking for selfish reasons, and the discipline of delay is necessary to purge us. “Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may spend it in your pleasures.” Jas 4:3 Our motive in all things should be solely to “do all to the glory of God.” 1 Co 10:31 If we knew the truth about ourselves it might shock us to know that we are really worshiping ourselves in much of our praying.

3. Ignorance of what God is doing

We may be misinterpreting what God is doing in our lives in answer to our prayers. This was true of John Newton, the converted slave trader. He give his testimony in verse:

I asked the Lord, that I might grow

In faith, and love, and every grace,

Might more of His salvation know,

And seek more earnestly His face.

It was He who taught me thus to pray,

And He, I trust has answered prayer;

But it has been in such a way,

As almost drove me to despair.

I hoped that in some favored hour,

At once He'd answer my request:

And by His love's constraining power,

Subdue my sins, and give me rest.

Instead of this, He made me feel

The hidden evils of my heart;

And let the angry powers of hell

Assault my soul in every part.

Yes more, with His own hand He seemed

Intent to aggravate my woe;

Crossed all the fair designs I schemed,

Blasted my gourds, and laid me low.

Lord, why is this, I trembling cried,

Will You pursue Your worm to death?

"This in this way," the Lord replied,

"I answer prayer for grace and faith."

"These inward trials I employ,

From self and pride to set you free;

And break your schemes of earthly joy,

That you may seek your all in Me."

5. Incomplete Dependence on God

As we react to God’s delays with importunate praying we realize how completely we are dependent on Him. “It secures our humble dependence on God.” D.M. McIntyre “Except Jehovah build the house, They labor in vain that build it: Except Jehovah keep the city, The watchman waketh but in vain.” Ps 127:1 “Not until we are shut up to a difficulty which we can in no way touch, may we rely on prayer alone.”

6. Immaturity in our Relationship with God

Intimacy with God, in long and serious interaction with Him will make us spiritually mature. We must learn to abide in Him whether we have quick answers or long delays. “The promises to hear prayer are not made to the mere form, but to the appropriate spirit.” “Importunate perseverance is a pre-requisite to success in prayer, because it has an intimate connection with the preparation of a right spiritual condition in us.” The round-the-clock prayer meeting begun in Count Zinzendorf’s community in 1727 continued for 100 years! The community was called Herrnhut, ‘the Lord’s Watch” (Isa 62:6-7).” (Teach us To Pray, Carson) Imagine that, a prayer meeting that lasts 876,000 hours. That kind of persistence and importunity did and still can have world wide impact.

Pray, though the gifts you ask for

May never comfort your fears,

May never repay your pleading:

Yet pray, and with hopeful tears,

An answer --not that you sought for,

But diviner--will come one day:

Yet strive and wait and pray.

Adelaide A. Procter

(Quotes from: Prayer and its Remarkable Answers, William Patton p 72)

It can easily be shown that all want of success, and all failure in the spiritual life and in Christian work, is due to defective or insufficient prayer. The Kneeling Christian

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The Principle Business Of The Church Is Prayer

“And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all those who were buying and selling in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves. And he said to them, ‘it is written, My house shall be called a house of prayer; but you are making it a robbers’ den’” Mat 21:12,13

The following was written in 1936 and is still true for us today.

A careful study of the Church in the Acts will reveal how very much time the early church spent in prayer. It seems that when any problem, difficulty, or persecution arose, the Church resorted to prayer-not argument, controversy or reasoning, not even preaching, important as was and is, but to prayer.

Perhaps it is not amiss to say that, comparatively, too much emphasis is placed on preaching and too little on prayer in the modern church. Oft times we find the preacher’s general prayer from the pulpit to be of the nature of a short sermon. Jesus called the temple “a house of prayer” we have made it a house of preaching. Jesus never taught his disciples to preach--so far as the record goes--but He did teach them to pray.

It has been said that the Sunday morning service of a church advertises the popularity of that church-you are able to tell the standing of the church by the class of people attending the morning service, and the make of automobiles parked outside the church. The evening is said to advertise the popularity of the preacher-that is where he gets his chance to speak on striking, popular, sensational themes or to review the latest popular novel thus affording him an opportunity to display his native powers and ability. The midweek meeting is said to advertise the popularity of the Lord, and, alas what a small number of people attend that meeting as compared with the Sunday morning and evening meetings! The mid-week meeting is, or rather should be, a meeting for prayer, but, actually, prayer has a very subordinate place in it. It would seem as if, God’s people can be gathered together for anything--but prayer.

Let us not forget, then, that prayer is the business of the Church, a business which cannot be neglected without serious spiritual loss. Suppose the business of any large city should suspend operations for one week, no telephone communication, no railroads running, no street cars operating, no ledger or desk opened, no bank handing out money, no office open to transact business, can you imagine what would happen? You say that such a thing is absolutely out of the question nowadays; that it is unthinkable and you begin to enumerate the awful consequences following such a supposed suspension of business. You say that “babies would perish for want of milk; adults die for want of food; people freeze for want adults die for want of food; people freeze for want of fuel; well,” you say, “it is just impossible, that’s all.” But have you ever thought on what the result would be if the church suspends her business of praying? “If a man see his brother sin . . . he shall pray, and God shall give life for those that sin...” Yes, but suppose we do not pray! Then that soul is not forgiven, shall we say Oh, the fearful spiritual disaster following in the wake of the neglect of prayer by the Church! Churchly organizations and activities without prayer are as useless as a telephone or radio without electricity.

The more time we spend in prayer the more we show our dependence upon God; the less time we devote to pleading with God the more conscious we are of our own ability. Less of prayer, more of self; more of prayer, more of God.

A praying church is an invincible church. The gates of Hades shall ne’er prevail against it, and the powers of evil shall tremble in its presence.

Any man or church that is to busy to pray is busier than God ever expected any church or human being to be. Why Pray? by William Evans, 1937 p 31,32

“Thus Solomon finished the house of the Lord and the king’s palace, and successfully completed all that he had planned on doing in the house of the Lord and in his palace. Then the Lord appeared to Solomon at night and said to him, “I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for Myself as a house of sacrifice. “If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among My people, and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 2 Chr 7: 11-14

History confirms the truth that wherever evangelical and vital religion flourish, there lives the earnest gatherings for social prayer. The Prayer Meeting and Its History, J. B. Johnston

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True Grounds for Prayer

“The pagan idea was that there is something in a prayer--a mysterious power or a hidden value--which if brought to bear upon God may attract Him, propitiate Him, or in some way cause Him to change His mind, and come to the help of the supplicant.…the popular notion to-day is that the thing which attracts God is not the prayer itself, but the faith that is behind it and that runs through it…. the ground upon which it rests is always something outside of God. The pagan prays because he has faith it’s the power or virtue of his prayers and the paganized Christian (or, more accurately, the Christianized pagan) prays because he has faith in the power of faith.”   What Did Jesus Really Teach About Prayer? Edward Pell, p 83 Pell wrote those words in 1921 but we still see the errors today.

The two errors are:
1. Trusting in the mechanics of prayer. Jesus rebuked this, “when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words.” Mat 6: 7

When the Lord answered the disciples’ request to teach them to pray, Luk 11:1-13, He did not mean for them to mechanically repeat the words that He gave, but to have dialogue, interaction with their Father. There is nothing magical about the words of the Lord’s Prayer. Neither is there anything magical about closing a prayer with the phrase, “In Jesus name.” It is not the saying of the words but the living of the meaning of them that gives prayer reality and connection with God.

Prayer does not have its ground in the saying of words, in form or contents. It matters not how much a man prays for forgiveness he will not receive it if he is unforgiving to his brother.   “Forgive us as we forgive others…” Jesus taught.

2. Trusting in our faith in our prayers. It is said that if we just have sufficient faith our prayers will be answered. That is, if we really believe. And then when our prayers are not answered in the way we want we are told that it is because we don’t have sufficient faith. Jesus said that with a small amount of faith, “the size of a grain of mustard seed” you could command a mountain to move. “And He said to them, Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you.”   Mat 17:20

Both of these errors focus on man and his assumed ability. The Scripture clearly says. “In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should” Rom 8:26

We would counter these two errors with two grounds for praying are:

1. The fact that God is our Father.

When Jesus taught the disciples to pray, “He said to them, when you pray, say: Father...” Luk 11:2 He was teaching us to come to God as a father, that is on the grounds of a father child relationship. Jesus goes on in the lesson to reinforce the reasonableness of treating God as our Father. We can safely expect that God will be a better, more loving, kind, and gentle Heavenly Father than any earthly father. Our Heavenly Father is not limited in the good that He can do for us.

Jesus did not put His faith in His prayers or in the faith of his prayers. His strength came from the relationship that he had with His Father.

We can claim the Fatherhood of God but our praying will be fruitless if we don’t ground our praying in a second foundation.

2. The exercise of abiding in Him, i.e. an obedient relationship.

Joh 15:4,7    “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me… If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” What is it that is not included in “whatever?” Anything and everything can be and is ours when we truly abide in Him.

As we pray, privately or corporately, let’s not concern ourselves with the method, manner, and even the matter of our prayers. Not the loudness or the length of them. Let’s just be children of our Heavenly Father and fellowship with Him and seek His will.

Sweet Hour of Prayer

Sweet hour of prayer, sweet hour of prayer,
That calls me from a world of care,
And bids me at my Father’s throne,
Make all my wants and wishes known!
In seasons of distress and grief,
My soul has often found relief,
And oft escaped the tempter’s snare
By thy return, sweet hour of prayer.

Sweet hour of prayer, sweet hour of prayer,
The joys I feel, the bliss I share
of those whose anxious spirits burn
with strong desires for thy return!
With such I hasten to the place
Where God, my Saviour, shows his face,
and gladly take my station there,
and wait for thee, sweet hour of prayer.

Sweet hour of prayer, sweet hour of prayer,
thy wings shall my petition bear
To Him, whose truth and faithfulness
Engage the waiting soul to bless:
And since he bids me seek his face,
Believe his word, and trust his grace,
I’ll cast on him my every care, and wait for thee,
Sweet hour of prayer.

By William W. Walford 1842

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1. Esther Becomes Queen (Esther 1:1-2:18)

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Lesson

PPT TITLE

Main Point: God is Sovereign. He is in control of all things.

Key Verse:

The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord. He directs it like a stream of water anywhere He pleases. - Proverbs 21:1

Props: Clear glass pitcher (a clear drinking glass would work for a small group of students), water, 4 colors of food coloring, salad oil - as clear as possible, large spoon

Background/Review

Note to teacher: The term, “Jew,” began as a name for anyone who lived in the kingdom of Judah (2 Kings 16:6). Later, after the carrying away of the ten tribes, the term applied to all the Israelites (Jeremiah 32:12).

Say: Because the Israelites had disobeyed God, God allowed them to be taken captive. The tribes were split up and taken to Babylon. At this time, the Israelites were also known as Jews. The Israelites, or Jews, became a sad race. They didn’t have a land, they could not worship God in His temple, and they didn’t have their freedom. But God promised, through the prophet Jeremiah, that one day He would gather the Israelites together again and restore their land (Jeremiah 30:1-4).

Sixty years later, the king of Persia, King Cyrus, conquered Babylon. After the Persians took control of Babylon, the Lord gave a message to King Cyrus. God wanted the Jews to leave Persia and return to Jerusalem in the Promised Land. He wanted them to rebuild His Temple that had been destroyed.

The message was written down. It said, “Cyrus, the king of Persia, says, ‘The Lord is the God of heaven. He has given me all of the kingdoms on earth. He has appointed me to build a temple for Him at Jerusalem in Judah. Any one of his people among you can go up to Jerusalem. And may the Lord your God be with you.’ ”- 2 Chronicles 36:22b-23

Many of the Israelites obeyed God’s call. The Old Testament book of Ezra tells about the joy-filled returning of tens of thousands of Israelites to Jerusalem after their long captivity. But, sadly, Israel did not return complete. Some Jews chose not to return to Jerusalem as God had commanded. Just two books later, we find the book of Esther. Esther is an account of what happens when we don’t stay under the protection of God’s commands and promises. In the amazing story of Esther, we will see that God is FAITHFUL to keep His promises, no matter what people choose to do.

Esther (Esther 1)

When the book of Esther opens, the great-grandson of King Cyrus, a man named Xerxes, was king over the massive territory of Persia and Media. It had been over 70 years since the Lord had commanded the Jews to leave Persia and return to Jerusalem, yet some of the Jews were STILL living in Persia. We must ask ourselves why these Israelites were still living in a foreign land where they did not belong. Perhaps they had grown attached to the land they were in. Maybe they liked the people and the culture. As we saw with the Israelites in the Promised Land, many had probably married the foreigners around them.

Note to Teacher: Xerxes reign began in 485 BC, nearly 75 years after King Cyrus’ decree from the Lord in 559 BC (2 Chronicles 36:22).

As chapter one of Esther begins, we read that King Xerxes was throwing a huge party. The party lasted for six months!

In the third year of his rule King Xerxes gave a big dinner. It was for all of his nobles and officials. The military leaders of Persia and Media were there. So were the princes and the nobles of the territories he ruled over. Every day for 180 days he showed his guests the great wealth of his kingdom. He also showed them how glorious his kingdom was. - Esther 1:3-4

Ask: Who was present at the six month banquet? All the nobles and officials, military leaders, princes.

Say:

Every day for 180 days he showed his guests the great wealth of his kingdom. He also showed them how glorious his kingdom was. - Esther 1:4

The King wanted the leaders to think he was amazing. The King gave them all a six month vacation with the best places to sleep, the best food to eat, and the most fun they had ever had.

Ask: Would you side with someone who did all of this for you? probably, yes

Say: The six-month party was followed by an additional seven-day party at the palace for EVERY man in the capital city of Susa. That’s amazing! There would have been thousands of people there. The king’s court was decorated beautifully. The couches they sat on were made of gold and silver and they drank out of golden cups. The King was very determined to show his great wealth to everyone.

Say: At the very end of the King’s parties, when he was just about finished showing off this splendor to all of Susa, the king made one request. He asked for his wife, Queen Vashti, to be brought to his party. He ordered his officials to go and get the queen.

He told them to bring Queen Vashti to him. He wanted her to come wearing her royal crown. He wanted to show off her beauty to the people and nobles. She was lovely to look at. The attendants told Queen Vashti what the king had ordered her to do. But she refused to come. So the king became very angry. In fact, he burned with anger. - Esther 1:11

Say: In front of all the people of Susa, the King’s request was turned down. For the King to be turned down by his very own queen in front of so many people was not alright with the king. He became very angry. Verse 12 says, “He burned with anger.”

Ask: How do you respond when things don’t go your way, or when you’re embarrassed in front of your friends?

Say: The King asked the wise men around him what he should do about Queen Vashti. The wise men told King Xerxes that he should decree that Queen Vashti must be dethroned. Everyone was watching King Xerxes to see what he was going to do. A royal decree meant the King could never change his mind. It would be final. King Xerxes took away the queen’s crown. And so, Queen Vashti never saw the King again. Queen Vashti was wrong to refuse her husband’s wish, but sending her away forever was a very sad solution. We know that God hates divorce (Malachi 2:16) and God requires us to forgive one another (Colossians 3:13).

Application: King Xerxes took advice from those around him, and that advice changed the lives of himself, his wife, and everyone in the kingdom. When you look to others for advice, be sure to choose people who follow God and know what the Bible says. They will give you advice from God’s word. It is rich in wisdom (Colossians 3:16). It is the very best advice, because it is from God (2 Timothy 3:16-17). He knows the past, present, and future, and He wants the very best for you.

A New Queen (Esther 2)

Say: Even when people make bad decisions, God can use it for His purposes. We will see that the banishment of Queen Vashti opened the door of opportunity for God to protect His people.

Four years passed between chapters one and two of Esther. According to history, the king may have gone to battle with Greece during this time. King Xerxes’ plan of controlling Greece had failed. This meant he would have returned to Susa very disappointed, ashamed, and frustrated - AND without a queen.

Later, the anger of King Xerxes calmed down. Then he remembered Vashti and what she had done. He also remembered the royal order he had sent out concerning her. - Esther 2:1 NET

Ask: What do you think was going through the King’s mind when he thought about Vashti? Regret of what he did, missing Vashti Ask: Have you ever regretted something you did in the midst of being angry or upset? Have you ever hurt someone’s feelings with something you said?

Say: King Xerxes was not angry any more. But, because he ordered that Vashti be removed as queen, he could not bring her back.

The king’s servants who attended him said, “Let a search be conducted in the king’s behalf for attractive young women. And let the king appoint officers throughout all the provinces of his kingdom to gather all the attractive young women to Susa the citadel.” - Esther 2:2-3a NET

Say: The king’s advisers suggested a kingdom-wide search for a new queen. It was almost like a beauty pageant. They planned to gather all the young women who were not married, take them to a special part of the palace, and give them beauty treatments. The king would meet with each of them, and the one he liked the most would take Vashti’s place as queen (Esther 2:4). Here is where Esther entered the scene. She was one of the women gathered up to be taken to the palace.

There was a Jew living in the safest place in Susa. He was from the tribe of Benjamin. His name was Mordecai. - Esther 2:5a

Mordecai’s family had been from the land of Judah to Babylon years before by military force (Esther 2:6).

Mordecai had a very beautiful cousin named Esther, whose Hebrew name was Hadassah. He had raised her as his own daughter, after her father and mother died. When the king ordered the search for beautiful women, many were taken to the king’s palace in Susa, and Esther was one of them. - Esther 2:7-8 CEV

Ask: What do we know about Esther from these verses?

Her Jewish name was Hadassah
Both of her parents had died
She was raised by her cousin, Mordecai
She was a Jew
She did not return to Jerusalem

Say: Esther didn’t know what it was like to have a dad, and she didn’t have the hugs and kisses of a mom. Instead, God provided her cousin, Mordecai, to care for her. Know that God works with ALL kinds of people with ALL kinds of families!

In the palace, Esther lived with girls from all of the provinces from India to Ethiopia. For one year, each young woman received perfume baths and special treatments with the sole purpose of being beautiful for King Xerxes. Esther’s cousin Mordecai told Esther to keep it a secret that she was a Jew, and Esther obeyed his wish. Finally, it was Esther’s turn to meet King Xerxes.

She was taken to King Xerxes in the royal house. It was now the tenth month. That was the month of Tebeth. It was the seventh year of the rule of Xerxes. The king liked Esther more than he liked any of the other women... So he put a royal crown on her head. He made her queen in Vashti’s place. - Esther 2:16-17

Say: Esther was chosen! She was crowned queen in place of Vashti. King Xerxes held a big dinner in Esther’s honor. He made the day a holiday and gave away expensive gifts (Esther 2:18).

Esther was not in her homeland. She was now married to a man who didn’t even know her godly heritage as a Jew or Israelite. She was surronded by people who did not share her belief in God. She was certainly out-of-place, and many people around her were going to make terrible decisions. But God will NOT forget His promise to make Israel a Great nation. And so, in the book of Esther, we will watch God stay true to His word, and use Esther in an amazing way!

Application: Like Esther, you might find yourself surrounded by people who do not believe in the God you serve. As believers, God calls us to be different. God wants us to affect the people around us. He does NOT want the people around us to affect us. Jesus compared Christians to salt and light (Matthew 5:13-16). When we sprinkle salt on bland food, the salt changes the taste of the food. The food does not change the taste of the salt. Also, Jesus said we are the light of the world. When a candle is lit and placed in a dark room, the candle flame lights up the dark room. The dark room does not dim the candle flame. Light dispels darkness. Darkness does not dispel light.

At one time, God wanted His people to be separated from those around them to keep them pure (Deuteronomy 7:16, Judges 2:2-3). But that is not the case now. God does not separate believers from those around them. Because Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to live inside of every believer (Romans 5:5), we are able to live pure lives, no matter where we are (1 Corinthians 10:13, Titus 2:11-12).

Teacher: Take the large clear pitcher and fill half full with water. Say: This glass pitcher represents the world we live in. We’ll say this water stands for people. The Bible says everyone in the world has sinned. We’ll let this food coloring represent sin. Choose the red food coloring and add several drops to your water. The people break the laws God has given. They do what they want to do, instead of what God wants. Choose another color and add it to the water. They make up their own ideas of what God is like, and they follow that. Choose another color and add it to the water. They choose to hurt other people. Choose another color and add it to the water. They are self-centered and think only about what is best for them. Stir and show the pitcher to the kids. (The water should be very dark by now.) This is the very sinful world we live in. Now, hold up your bottle of salad oil. But, the GREAT news is, when we chose to put our trust in Jesus, He takes our sin away and makes us a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). We will let this oil represent those who trust in Jesus. There is no color in them, because their sins have been washed away. But as we said earlier, believers are called to live in the world with all the other people. That way, those who don’t know Jesus can be affected by the Christians. The non-Christians can see the pure lives of the believers, and learn about Jesus. Pour about an inch of oil into the pitcher. Give the water a good stir each time you mention the following: The believers live in neighborhoods with other people, they go to school with other people, they work with other people, and they are on sports teams with other people. Remove your spoon and allow the water to settle while you say the next few lines. Remember how Jesus said we should affect those around us, but they should not affect us? The other people in the world are not following God. They are not living pure lives. The believers are in the world, interacting with these people, but they must live godly lives. Take your spoon, and carefully get a spoonful of oil from the top inch. In a way that the children can see, pour the oil into a clear glass to show the oil is still clear. Just like the color did not get into our oil, our lives must remain pure. This means, we do not live the way the rest of the world lives. We do not choose to sin. We do not do things our own way. We do things God’s way. When we live God’s way, our lives will be full of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, and self-control. Then the other people will be drawn to us, and we can point them to Jesus (1 Peter 2:12).

Say: Next week we will see what God does next in the lives of Esther, Mordecai, and a terribly wicked man named Haman.

PPT MAIN POINT

Main Point: God is Sovereign. He is in control of all things.

Unless otherwise noted the Scriptures taken from: Holy Bible, New International Reader’s Version, (NIrV®)

Special thanks to John R. Cross, The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus, GoodSeed International.

Related Topics: Children, Children's Curriculum

2. Esther’s Choice (Esther 2:19-5:2)

Related Media

Lesson

PPT TITLE

Main Point: God is Sovereign. He is in control of all things.

Key Verse:

The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord. He directs it like a stream of water anywhere He pleases. - Proverbs 21:1

Props: An umbrella; [Optional Demonstration: rolled up paper with fancy writing for “scroll,” playdoh or sealing wax, a ring with engraved top for signet ring]

Background/Review

Last week, we learned about a beautiful Jewish, or Israelite, girl named Esther. She was living in the city of Susa with her older cousin Mordecai. Mordecai had raised Esther, because her parents died when she was a little girl. When we left our story last week, King Xerxes had chosen Esther from all the young women of the kingdom to become his new queen. This sounds like something out of a storybook, but danger lies ahead. Mordecai had not taken Esther to live where God wanted them to live. God had instructed all of the Jewish people to return to their homeland to be together and rebuild His temple (2 Chronicles 36:23). Mordecai and many other Jews had ignored God’s instructions. They had become comfortable in the foreign land of Persia, and they remained where they did not belong. Furthermore, Mordecai had told Esther not to tell the king that she was a Jew. Esther kept her family a secret. Listen this week as we hear how God orchestrated all the events in Esther’s life to carry out His plan and keep His promises.

Plot Uncovered (Esther 2:18-23)

One day while Mordecai was at the palace gate, he overheard two of the king’s officers talking. No doubt, God had placed Mordecai right where God wanted him to be.

Bigthana and Teresh were two of the king’s officers. They guarded the door of the royal palace. They became angry with King Xerxes. So they decided to kill him. They made their evil plans while Mordecai was sitting at the palace gate. So he found out about it. And he told Queen Esther. Then she reported it to the king. She told him that Mordecai had uncovered the plans against him. Some people checked Esther’s report. And they found out it was true. So the two officials were put to death. - Esther 2:21-23a

All of these things were written in the king’s official record book. God is always at work! Isn’t it amazing how God had Mordecai at that gate just at the exact time that he would overhear this terrible plan to kill the king? By reporting this to Esther, he saved the king’s life!

Haman Plots To Kill The Jews (Esther 3)

Note to Teacher: In 1 Samuel 15:1-35, Israel was commanded to completely destroy the Amalekites - every man, woman, and child. They did not kill Agag, the King of the Amalekites, although they were told to do so. From Agag’s family line came Haman, a consequence of past sin.

King Xerxes had an another official, named Haman. Haman was from the family line of Agag, a great enemy of the Jewish people (1 Samuel 15). King Xerxes gave him a very high position, and even ordered that everyone bow down to him. Because Mordecai was a the palace gate, he knew of this decree, and he knew who Haman was, yet he refused to bow down to Haman (Esther 3:2). When the officials asked Mordecai why he would not bow down, he told them it was because he was a Jew.

Haman noticed that Mordecai wouldn’t get down on his knees. He wouldn’t give Haman any honor. So Haman burned with anger. But he had found out who Mordecai’s people were. So he decided not to kill just Mordecai. He also looked for a way to destroy all of Mordecai’s people. They were Jews. He wanted to kill all of them everywhere in the kingdom of Xerxes. - Esther 3:5-6

Say: Haman was furious that Mordecai would not honor him, and Haman acted in anger. He came up with a plan to kill ALL the Jews in King Xerxes’ kingdom. Remember, this was a huge, far-reaching kingdom that included many countries.

Then Haman said to King Xerxes, “Certain people are scattered among the nations. They live in all of the territories in your kingdom. Their practices are different from the practices of all other people. They don’t obey your laws. It really isn’t good for you to put up with them. If it pleases you, give the order to destroy them. I’ll even add 375 tons of silver to the royal treasures. You can use it to pay the men who take care of the matter.”

So the king took his ring off his finger. The ring had his royal seal on it. He gave the ring to Haman. - Esther 3:8-10a

This time King Xerxes didn’t even go to his counsel of wise men for advice. The king blindly followed the plan of Haman. Haman had the royal secretaries write orders to all the governors and officials. The orders said they must kill all the Jews on a single day, eleven months away. The king gave Haman his ring with the royal seal. Once the orders were marked with the royal seal, they could not be undone. Optional Demonstration: Either place a small piece of playdoh or melt a small amount of wax on your rolled up scroll. Press a signet ring into the wax or playdoh to “seal” the document. If using Playdoh, tell the students this was originally done with melted wax. Keep this sealed scroll to refer to next week.

Haman was certainly an evil man. His pride caused him to think he was great and worthy to have an entire kingdom bow down to him. When Mordecai refused to bow to him, he became angry enough to kill an entire race of people. But, would God stand for this? Let’s take a quick look back into the history of the Jewish people. Way back in the beginning of Genesis, God blessed Abraham by making him the ancestor of all the Jewish people. The entire Jewish race started with Abraham and his wife, Sarah. God made these promises to Abraham:

PPT VERSE

I will make you into a great nation.
I will bless you.
I will make your name great.
You will be a blessing to others.
I will bless those who bless you.
I will put a curse on anyone who calls down a curse on you.
All nations on earth will be blessed because of you.” - Genesis 12:2-3

These promises were NOT “if - then” promises. They were “no matter what” promises. There was nothing Abraham’s people could do to earn these things. And there was nothing that they could do to stop God from keeping these promises. These promises did not depend on the Jews’ obedience. It was based ONLY on God’s grace and love.

Ask: What was the first promise? I will make you into a great nation.

Say: God promised to make Abraham’s descendants in to a great nation. The word used for great in this verse (gadowl) means very important, and large in number. God promised to keep Abraham’s people, the Jews, large in number. Haman planned to kill a very large number of the Jews.

Ask: Also, what did God’s promise say about anyone who cursed Abraham’s people? God will put a curse on them. Say: Haman had certainly called down a curse on the Jewish people. Remember, God ALWAYS keeps His promises.

However, do not miss this point: God had instructed all the Jews to return to Jerusalem. If Mordecai and the rest of the Jews had obeyed God, there would not have been any Jews left in Xerxes’ kingdom for Haman to kill! Following God’s command would have protected the Jews from the evil plan of their enemy, Haman. It is ALWAYS best to obey God’s commands.

Application: Following God’s commands keeps us under the umbrella of God’s protection (Psalm 91:14). When we choose not to obey God, we remove ourselves from the protection of God (Deuteronomy 23:14, 2 Chronicles 24:20, Joshua 7:10-12).

Teacher: Choose a child from the group, and use your umbrella to illustrate this point. Part of God’s plan of protection for children is placing them in the care of their parents. He has given your parents authority over you, and they are responsible for taking care of you. If you follow their commands and obey their rules, you will be under the umbrella of God’s protection. God promises this! Open the umbrella and hold it over the child. (Or point to the power point illustration.) God loves us very much, and wants us to live under His loving protection. But, if you choose to disobey your parents, you step out from under the umbrella of God’s protection. Have the child step out from under the umbrella. Do not move the umbrella, because God’s care does not move or change; it is our choice to step away from His care. It breaks God’s heart when we make this choice (Genesis 6:6, 1 Chronicles 21:15). He does not want us to be open to trouble and harm. Listen to God’s promise, and remember, God ALWAYS keeps His promises!

Children, obey your parents as believers in the Lord. Obey them because it’s the right thing to do. Scripture says, “Honor your father and mother.” That is the first commandment that has a promise. “Then things will go well with you. You will live a long time on the earth.” - Ephesians 6:1-3

Note to Teacher: God had warned that destruction and hard times would come if Israel was disobedient. So, it is not surprising that the Jews, remaining in Persia and Media, feared for their lives. Speaking through Moses, God told Israel that this would happen if they did not follow Him.

There will be very few of you left, though at one time you were as numerous as the stars in the sky, because you will have disobeyed the Lord your God. The Lord will scatter you among all nations, from one end of the earth to the other. There you will worship other gods that neither you nor your ancestors have known, gods of wood and stone. Among those nations you will have no rest nor will there be a place of peaceful rest for the soles of your feet, for there the Lord will give you an anxious heart, failing eyesight, and a spirit of despair. Your life will hang in doubt before you; you will be terrified by night and day and will have no certainty of surviving from one day to the next. - Deuteronomy 28:62, 64-66 NET

Esther’s Choice (Esther 4)

Say: As chapter 4 begins, Mordecai and all the Jews in the entire Persian empire were in mourning. A day had been given when all their lives would come to an end. Mordecai sent a messenger named Hathach to tell Esther about the decree against the Jews. It was dangerous for Esther to have this conversation, because the king did not know she was a Jew. Mordecai sent Esther a copy of the order to kill all the Jews.

Mordecai told Hathach to show the order to Esther. He wanted him to explain it to her. He told him to try and get her to go to the king. He wanted her to beg for mercy. He wanted her to make an appeal to the king for her people. - Esther 4:8b

Esther hesitated when she was challenged to go to the king, because there was a very strict law about visiting the king. Anyone who went to see the king without being called for would be killed, unless the king held out his royal scepter, or gold rod.

Esther’s words were reported to Mordecai. Then he sent back an answer. He said, “You live in the king’s palace. But don’t think that just because you are there you will be the only Jew who will escape. What if you don’t say anything at this time? Then help for the Jews will come from another place. But you and your family will die. Who knows? It’s possible that you became queen for a time just like this.” - Esther 4:13-14

Mordecai reminded Esther that even she would not be safe from the order to kill all the Jews. Mordecai was right when he told Esther that if she did not go to the king, then help would come from somewhere else. Mordecai knew that God had promised that the Jews would be a great nation. Esther considered Mordecai’s challenge, and accepted it. She told Mordecai to ask the Jews to fast for three days on her behalf, and she would then go before King Xerxes – unsummoned.

Three days later, Esther put on her royal robes and approached the king’s court. Imagine the fear in Esther’s heart as she walked toward the thrown room. If King Xerxes did not hold out his royal scepter to her, she would be put to death. Not only would she die, but then she could not beg for the lives of her people. Thousands of lives hung in the balance. Esther walked, no doubt, trembling, toward the king.

The king was sitting on his royal throne in the hall. He was facing the entrance. He saw Queen Esther standing in the courtyard. He was pleased with her. So he reached out toward her the gold rod that was in his hand. - Esther 5:1b-2a

Against all odds, once again, Esther found favor in the eyes of the King. She was NOT killed, and she began her journey toward rescuing her people.

Say: At her young age, Esther put her life on the line, and bravely went before King Xerxes to save the lives of many. Next week we will see the AMAZING twists that God caused in Ester’s story. We will see that no matter what people do, or fail to do, there is nothing that can stop God from keeping His promises!

The Lord blocks the sinful plans of the nations. He keeps them from doing what they want to do. But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever. What he wants to do will last for all time. - Psalm 33:11

PPT MAIN POINT

Main Point: God is Sovereign. He is in control of all things.

Unless otherwise noted the Scriptures taken from: Holy Bible, New International Reader’s Version, (NIrV®)

Special thanks to John R. Cross, The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus, GoodSeed International.

Related Topics: Children, Children's Curriculum

3. God Uses Esther to Save His People (Esther 5-10)

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Lesson

PPT TITLE

Main Point: God is Sovereign. He is in control of all things.

PPT VERSE

Key Verse:

The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord. He directs it like a stream of water anywhere He pleases. - Proverbs 21:1

Props: Large fancy scroll, decorated with tassels, [Optional: Sealed scroll from last week]

Background/Review

Say: When we left our story, a cruel man named Haman had convinced King Xerxes to command the killing all of the Jews in his kingdom. By royal decree, the date was set. The Jews had only months to live. Queen Esther was challenged by her cousin, Mordecai, to go before the King and make an appeal for the lives of the Jews. Esther struggled with this challenge. Simply going before the king without being invited could result in her own death. As she walked into the courts of the king, the most dramatic scene in the Book of Esther unfolded. Certainly, all those who watched the beautiful queen approach the king held their breath in anticipation. King Xerxes extended his scepter to Esther, as a symbol that he would allow her into his presence. Esther found favor in his eyes.

Note to Teacher: Parallel to Salvation and coming into the Presence of God Salvation is made possible by God, who grants sinful and undeserving men and women to draw near to Him when this should mean death for us. Sin separates men from God. God cannot dwell in the presence of sinful men nor can sinners approach a holy God. We see this illustrated by King Xerxes. The law stipulated that no one could approach the king unless invited by him. Those who came uninvited were put to death, unless the king extended his scepter and graciously spared their life. We cannot approach God apart from His grace in granting that we might come into His presence. And this we can do only because He extended Himself to us in the coming of Jesus Christ. In the righteousness of Jesus Christ, we can approach God boldly.

Esther Before The King (Esther 5)

The king asked, “What is it, Queen Esther? What do you want? I’ll give it to you. I’ll even give you up to half of my kingdom.”

Esther replied, “King Xerxes, if it pleases you, come to a big dinner today. I’ve prepared it for you. Please have Haman come with you.” - Esther 5:3-4

After the dramatic entrance of Esther, the King wanted to know why she had come to him. No doubt, Xerxes could tell she was greatly troubled. More than likely, she was trembling, or pale in the face. The king seemed to want to soothe Esther’s distress. The king told her she could have anything - up to half of the kingdom! All she asked for was to have dinner with the king and Haman. So King Xerxes and Haman went to the dinner that Esther had prepared for them. Again, the king asked Esther what she wanted. Again, he told her he would give her anything - up to half of the kingdom.

Esther replied, “Here is what I want. Here is my appeal to you. I hope you will show me your favor. I hope you will be pleased to give me what I want. And I hope you will be pleased to listen to my appeal. If you are, I’d like you and Haman to come tomorrow to the big dinner I’ll prepare for you. Then I’ll answer your question.” - Esther 5:7-8

Say: What a strange request - a second banquet. We aren’t told why Esther did this. But no matter the reason, God used this one extra day to do something incredible.

Haman left Esther’s first dinner very pleased that the queen had invited him to two special dinners.

That day Haman was happy. So he left the palace in a good mood. But then he saw Mordecai at the palace gate. He noticed that Mordecai didn’t stand up when he walked by. In fact, Mordecai didn’t have any respect for him at all. So he burned with anger against him. - Esther 5:9

Application: Haman was an evil man. His heart was filled with sin. He was very proud and he lacked self-control. First, let’s look at pride. Have you ever been angry because someone didn’t give you the attention or praise you thought you deserved? Maybe one of your friends chose to invite someone to his or her house instead of you. This might cause you to become angry. This anger is really pride. Pride is thinking too highly of ourselves. The Bible says God hates pride and bragging (Proverbs 8:13) and God is far away from people who are proud (Psalm 138:6). God wants us to know that we are valuable to Him because He created us, He loves us, and His Son died for us. There is no need for us to be proud of ourselves. Everything good in our lives comes from God (James 1:17)! Furthermore, we do not need to beg for the attention of others when we know that the Creator of the universe loves us with an unchanging, unfailing love (Jeremiah 31:3, Zephaniah 3:17).

Secondly, Haman did not have self-control. His pride filled him with anger. Haman let his feelings determine how he lived. He made decisions according to how he felt. Haman was a very proud man who could not control his emotions, and soon we will see that these characteristics would lead him into terrible trouble.

After Esther’s first banquet, Haman went home, gathered his friends and family, and talked all about himself and how great he was. He talked about how rich he was, about how many sons he had, and about the great job he had with King Xerxes. He boasted that he was more important than any other official in the kingdom, and he even bragged that he was the only person, besides the king, that Queen Esther had invited to dinner.

Haman loved to talk about himself!

Then Haman said: “But even all of that doesn’t satisfy me. I won’t be satisfied as long as I see that Jew Mordecai sitting at the palace gate.” - Esther 5:10b-12

Say: Haman listed all the incredible blessings he had, but it was still not enough for him. He wouldn’t be happy until Mordecai was dead. So his wife and his friends gave him some advice. They told him he should build a tall tower where he could have Mordecai hanged. Haman was thrilled with this idea, and he had the gallows built.

Application: Again, we see that Haman is an example of how not to live. We must surround ourselves with godly people who will give us Biblical advice. Not one of Haman’s friends talked sensibly. No one told him that he had plenty to be thankful for, and to forget about Mordecai. No one told Haman that his anger would end in his own destruction (Proverbs 29:22). The people that Haman chose to spend time with told him only what he wanted to hear. This is a very important lesson for us to learn. Do you choose to be around people who add fuel to your fire? Or do you choose to be around people who will advise you to do the right thing, according to God’s Word? We must choose friends who will encourage us to be more godly (Proverbs 27:17).

Mordecai Honored (Esther 6)

Say: That night, the King was unable to sleep. So, he asked for the Chronicles, or history book, of his reign to be read to him. Hold up large scroll, and pretend to read from it. Instead of falling asleep, King Xerxes became very interested in one of the stories which was read to him. Ask: Can you guess which story? Listen to answers.

Say: Do you remember at the beginning of last week’s lesson, we learned that Mordecai had overheard two of the king’s officials plotting to kill King Xerxes? Mordecai told Esther and the plot was stopped. Mordecai had saved the King’s life but he had never been rewarded. This was the exact part of the Chronicles that was being read to King Xerxes! Ask: Do you think it was just a coincidence that the king could not sleep that night and the story of Mordecai was being read that night? No! Or, could it have been that something or Someone greater was controlling what was happening? God was controlling it!

Say: King Xerxes realized that Mordecai was never honored for saving his life. King Xerxes was determined to reward Mordecai in some way. Just as the King was considering what to do, Haman entered the courts. Haman had come to the King to receive permission to hang Mordecai.

Before Haman had a chance to make his request, the king asked Haman what should be done to honor a man whom the king favored. Haman described a lavish plan for King Xerxes, because Haman was SURE that he was the one the king wanted to honor.

“Have your servants get a royal robe you have worn. Have them bring a horse you have ridden on. Have a royal crest placed on its head. Then give the robe and horse to one of your most noble princes. Let the robe be put on the man you want to honor. Let him be led on the horse through the city streets. Let people announce in front of him, ‘This is what is done for the man the king wants to honor!’ ” - Esther 6:8-9

Haman was thrilled about his idea. He could picture himself parading through the streets on the king’s horse, as people admired his greatness.

“Go right away,” the king commanded Haman. “Get the robe. Bring the horse. Do exactly what you have suggested. Do it for the Jew Mordecai.” - Esther 6:10a

What a blow to Haman’s pride! Haman did as the King said. Mordecai was honored, and Haman returned home that day very ashamed and embarrassed as he prepared for the second banquet with Esther. This is an example of God’s warning in Isaiah 2:11. It says, “A man who brags will be brought low. Men who are proud will be put to shame.”

Note to Teacher: Haman seems to view the king’s honor as Satan viewed God’s glory. Haman’s view of honor was to experience the honor of the king himself. He would love to wear the king’s clothing and ride the king’s horse. He would love to wear the king’s crown. He would love to parade about having the entire city bow down to him as they would the king. Is it not evident that Haman really would like to be the king?

Haman Hanged (Esther 7)

Say: King Xerxes and Haman came to Esther’s second banquet. The king intentionally asked what was on Esther’s heart. Surely he was extremely curious by this time.

Then Queen Esther answered, “King Xerxes, I hope you will show me your favor. I hope you will be pleased to let me live. That’s what I want. Please spare my people. That’s my appeal to you. My people and I have been sold to be destroyed. We’ve been sold to be killed and wiped out.” - Esther 7:3-4a

Say: Esther finally said it! She asked the king to spare her life and the lives of her people. Remember, the king did not yet know that she was a Jew, so he did not realize that Esther’ was talking about Haman’s wicked plot.

King Xerxes asked Queen Esther, “Who is the man who has dared to do such a thing? And where is he?”

Esther said, “The man hates us! He’s our enemy! He’s this evil Haman!” - Esther 7:5-6a

Burning with anger, King Xerxes walked away from the banquet trying to think about all that Esther had just told him. Ask: What do you think would have been going through your mind if you were Xerxes? How could I have ordered my wife’s death through my very own decree? The decree had my royal seal and cannot be taken back.

Say: King Xerxes returned to the banquet and found Haman desperately begging Esther to have mercy over his life. Haman knew his day would not finish any better than it began. At this very moment, one of the King’s servants arrived with a message which took King Xerxes’ anger over the edge.

Then Harbona, one of the king’s personal servants, said, “Your Majesty, Haman built a tower seventy-five feet high beside his house, so he could hang Mordecai on it. And Mordecai is the very one who spoke up and saved your life.”

“Hang Haman from his own tower!” the king commanded. - Esther 7:9 CEV

Say: What timing! Over and over, the right people entered the scene at the right time. Notice how God moved people to be at certain places at certain times.

Mordecai overheard the two officials plotting to kill the king.
Haman entered the King’s court after the King’s restless night of sleep.
Esther had a second banquet which allowed Mordecai to be honored, and Haman to be humbled.
The King’s servant entered with news of the gallows Haman had built for Mordecai, just as the King was determining Haman’s fate.

These events were not just incredible timing and coincidence! God works in the lives of all different kinds of people to bring about what He wants.

Say: Last week we reviewed the promises that God had made to Abraham way back in Genesis 12. Ask: Who can remember what God said He would do to anyone who cursed Abraham’s family, the Jews? God promised to curse them (Genesis 12:3b).

Say: God destroyed Haman because God promised that He would.

Conclusion (Esther 8-10)

Say: Xerxes decided to replace Haman with Mordecai, elevating him to a position of great power. Although Haman was dead, the killing of the Jews in Persia and Media was still “on the calendar.” The King had decreed it, and it was irreversible. Teacher: If you did the Optional Demostration last week (using the signet ring to seal the scroll) show the scroll and seal to the students again.

Mordecai came up with a plan! He asked Xerxes to send out an additional decree allowing the Jews to take up weapons and defend themselves. The Jews in Persian and Media were able to fight back. Their enemies became afraid of them, and the Jews were not destroyed.

Ask: Does anyone remember the first promise God made to Abraham? He would make Abraham’s people into a great (important & great in number) nation (Genesis 12:2).

Saving the Jews was also part of God’s promise to Abraham (Genesis 12:2-3, Psalm 68:20). Again, we see God was faithful to keep His promises, even when His people were disobedient.

Make no mistake - God is in control. He will accomplish what He sets out to do (Psalm 33:11). Nothing can interrupt His plan. Proverbs 21:30 says, “No wisdom, wise saying or plan can succeed against the Lord.” God may even choose to use ungodly people, and twist the sinful schemes of people to accomplish His plan (Genesis 50:20). But it would have been FAR better for all the Jewish people in the book of Esther to have done things God’s way and return to their homeland. They would have avoided heartache and bloodshed.

Application: At times, we will all have things in our lives that are difficult. Sometimes we are in hard circumstances because of poor choices we have made. For instance, if you choose to play video games instead of studying for a test, more than likely you will earn a poor grade. Even more serious than that, there are bad circumstances that follow when we choose to sin. For example, when you hit someone because you are angry, you will hurt the other person and you will get in trouble. But sometimes, hard circumstances come even when we have not done anything wrong. Examples of this are when someone we love dies, illness, or being teased for following Jesus.

No matter what situation comes your way, remember that God is sovereign. Other words for sovereign are: controlling, absolute, highest, kingly, majestic, master, principal, ruler. All this means that God is in control! God is bigger than any circumstance in our life. God is bigger than any person in our life. God is bigger than the mistakes we have made, and God can work everything together for our good (Romans 8:28).

This is not to say we should go out and do anything we want, because God will pick up the pieces and make everything alright. No, the Bible says not to test, or challenge, God (Deuteronomy 6:16). We should ALWAYS try to follow God’s instructions from the Bible and our prayer time. Following God’s instructions gives us God’s BEST for our life. But when you fail, turn back to Him. And if you are in a difficult time that you cannot control, know that you serve a mighty God who can do anything. Ask God to give you grace to get through it, and for Him to use it for His glory 2 Corinthians 12:10-11).

PPT MAIN POINT

Main Point: God is Sovereign. He is in control of all things.

Unless otherwise noted the Scriptures taken from: Holy Bible, New International Reader’s Version, (NIrV®)

Special thanks to John R. Cross, The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus, GoodSeed International.

Related Topics: Children, Children's Curriculum

1. The Crucifixion (Matthew 27:27-44; Mark 15:16-32; Luke 23:26-43; John 19:16-27)

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Lesson

PPT TITLE

Main Point: Even though Jesus was innocent, He willingly suffered for those who were guilty.

Key Verse:

For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ. - 2 Corinthians 5:21 NLT

Props: Crown of thorns; Optional: Purple cloth; Sign that says: “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews”; A large paper cross taped up on the wall, sticky notes and pens for several volunteers, a sign that says “Jesus”, tape

Teacher, begin with prayer: Lord, the truth that we will study today is very difficult for us to think about. Help us to understand that because You were willing to go to the cross in our place, we can be set free from punishment and the power of sin! Amen.

Background/Review

Say: Jesus was betrayed by Judas. He was arrested and put on trial before the Jewish leaders. When Jesus declared that He was the Christ, the Son of God, the Sanhedrin said He was a liar, or blasphemer. They wanted Him put to death. They took Jesus to the Roman governor, Pilate, who was ruling over the Jews at that time. Pilate knew that Jesus was innocent, so he did not want to kill Jesus. Pilate offered to release any prisoner that the people chose. He hoped they would choose Jesus. Ask: Can anyone remember whom the crowd cheered for? Barabbas. Say: They shouted for Pilate to let Barabbas go, and for Jesus to be crucified. The words of the people must have stung the ears of Jesus. How must it have felt to be hated and despised by the ones He had come to save?

Barabbas was a famous criminal. He was guilty of murder. Soon, we will see that Jesus took the place of the murderer, Barabbas. Jesus took the punishment that Barabbas deserved.

In Biblical times, the meaning of a name was very important. The name Barabbas means: “the son of a father.” The son of a father? What is special about that? That could be anyone, right? Actually, that could be everyone. When Jesus died on the cross, He took the place of every murderer, liar, and thief. He took the place of every sinner - every man, woman, and child (2 Corinthians 5:21).

Application for older students: The crowd yelled out, “Barabbas! Set Barabbas free! Kill Jesus instead.” I can easily imagine my own name in place of Barabbas. Because I am a sinner, I deserved to be punished. My sin earned death for me (Romans 6:23). But Jesus took my place. It’s as if, all those years ago, the crowd was shouting, “_____! Set ____ free! Take Jesus instead!” And Jesus willingly went in my place. Can you imagine your name in place of Barabbas?

Mocked By Soldiers (Matthew27:27-31, Mark 15:16-20)

Say: The next part of the story is very sad. After Pilate gave in to the people’s demands to release Barabbas, the soldiers took Jesus away. They whipped Him across His back, over and over. The blood of our Savior began to be poured out, just as He had told the disciples at the last supper (Luke 22:20). The soldiers also beat Him with a wooden staff, and they made fun of Him.

Note to Teacher: Pilate handed Jesus over to be scourged, as was the custom, before He was crucified. Scourging was a particularly cruel and brutal tradition. The Roman scourge, or “flagrum” was a short whip made of several strips of leather attached to a handle. The strips were knotted with pieces of metal or bone. The criminal was whipped across his back, quickly removing flesh and exposing muscle. Due to excessive bleeding, the scorging left the criminal near death. With no legal limit to the amount of blows that could be administered, the scourging stopped just short of killing the criminal, so he could be subjected to the public humiliation of the cross.

The soldiers put a purple robe on Jesus. Then they twisted thorns together to make a crown. They placed it on His head. They began to call out to Him, “We honor You, King of the Jews!” Again and again they hit Him on the head with a stick. They spit on Him. They fell on their knees and pretended to honor Him.

After they had made fun of Him, they took off the purple robe. They put His own clothes back on him. Then they led Him out to nail Him to a cross. - Mark 15:17-20

The soldiers made a crown out of thorny vines and placed it on Jesus’ head. Teacher: Show your crown of thorns. They did this to make fun of Jesus because He said He was the King of the Jews (Mark 15:2). The soldiers did not realize that the thorns were a symbol of something very important.

In the beginning, thorns were the consequence, or punishment, of Adam’s sin. Once Adam and Eve sinned, they could no longer live in a perfect garden. God told Adam, “I will produce thorns and thistles for you.” (Genesis 3:18) Thorns are a symbol for sin (Ezekiel 28:24). When the guards put the thorny crown on Jesus, it showed a picture that Jesus had come to wear our sin (Isaiah 53:6).

Additional teaching for older students: The soldiers also put a purple robe on Jesus. Teacher: Hold up your purple cloth. Back in the time of Moses, when God’s people were wandering in the dessert, God told them to build a Tabernacle, or large tent. Inside, there was a room called the Holy Place, and inside that there was the Holy of Holies (or Most Holy Place). At certain times, God’s glory would enter into the Holy of Holies. A thick curtain separated the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies (Exodus 26:33). That curtain was woven with blue, purple, and scarlet yarn. When God’s presence entered the Holy of Holies, this curtain stood between a perfect God and sinful men. Hebrews tells us that Jesus’ body became like the curtain for us (Hebrews 10:20). Only Jesus could stand between us and God, because God is holy.

The Cross (Matthew 27:32-44; Mark 15:21-32; Luke 23:26-43; John 19:16-27)

Say: Being hung on a cross was called crucifixion. It was the way the Romans punished criminals back in Jesus’ time. Anyone who was guilty of a crime, such as stealing, murder, or rebelling against the government, was crucified. It was a very humiliating, shameful way to die because the person was hung for everyone in the town to see. The person who was going to be crucified was usually forced to carry his own cross to the place of execution. Then the large wooden cross was laid on the ground. The person was forced to lay on top of the cross with his arms outstretched. The soldiers would tie or nail the person’s hands and feet to the cross. Then several soldiers hoisted the cross upright and jolted the bottom of it into a hole that had been dug in the ground. Most people died of suffocation, because they could not catch their breath while hanging with their arms out. Sometimes it took several days for the person to die.

After all of His beatings, Jesus was probably too weak to carry the heavy beams. The Roman soldiers forced a man who was passing by to carry Jesus’ cross. His name was Simon (Mark 15:21). They came to a place called Golgotha, which means the Place of the Skull (Matthew 27:33). There, the soldiers nailed Jesus’ hands and feet to the cross (John 20:25). The soldiers offered Jesus wine mixed with myrrh. This mixture was used to help relieve some of the pain. But Jesus did not take it (Mark 15:22).

Pilate ordered that a sign be placed on the cross above Jesus. Teacher: Hold up the sign. It read, “Jesus of Nazareth, The King of the Jews.” (John 19:19) The religious leaders complained, saying it should say that Jesus claimed to be the King of the Jews. But Pilate refused to change the sign. This may be further proof that Pilate believed Jesus was who He said He was.

When the soldiers hung Jesus on the cross, Jesus prayed these amazing words:

Jesus said, “Father, forgive them. They don’t know what they are doing.”

The soldiers divided up His clothes by casting lots. - Luke 23:34

Just imagine, through His pain, Jesus prayed for the men who had beaten Him and nailed Him to the cross. Even while the soldiers were gambling for His clothing, Jesus prayed for their forgiveness. By saying they didn’t know what they were doing, Jesus meant that the soldiers did not understand the full impact of what they were doing. They thought they were just doing the same job they did day after day - hanging criminals. They did not know that they were crucifying the very Son of God. They did not realize who Jesus was until after His death (Matthew 27:54).

In our human mind, it is almost impossible to imagine Jesus praying for the people who tortured Him. But we must remember, forgiveness was the very reason Jesus came and the reason that He willingly died on the cross (John 12:47).

Jesus looked down and saw His mother standing helplessly next to the cross. Mary was broken-hearted. Jesus took pity on her. His disciple John was also there.

Jesus said to his mother, “Dear woman, here is your son.” He said to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, the disciple took her into his home. - John 19:26b-27

Jesus tried to comfort Mary, and make sure that someone would take care of her.

Note to Teacher: This event was God’s plan since the beginning, yet it was excruciatingly difficult for Mary and those who loved Jesus. The pain of this moment was foretold to Mary by Simeon when Jesus was just an infant. “And a sword will pierce your own soul too.” (Luke 2:35)

Many people were very sad about Jesus (Luke 23:27), but some yelled insults at Him.

In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders made fun of Him. “He saved others,” they said. “But He can’t save Himself! He’s the King of Israel! Let Him come down now from the cross! Then we will believe in Him. - Matthew 27:41-42

Note to Teacher: These taunts and jeers are very reminiscent of Satan’s temptation of Jesus in the wilderness. In essence, Satan said, “If you are the Son of God, prove it! Show off your power.” Satan attempted to snare Jesus in the same way he, himself, was tempted: pride. In the wilderness, as at the cross, Satan tried to derail God’s plan for the salvation of man. Satan did not take into account Jesus’ perfection. He was without the sin-nature that we have. Jesus did not falter. “For the joy set before Him, (He) endured the cross, scorning its shame.” (Hebrews 12:2b NIV)

Ask: Could Jesus have come down off the cross if He wanted to? Yes! Say: Yes, Jesus was fully God. He could have come down with great power. But Hebrews 12:2 says, “He paid no attention to the shame of the cross. He suffered there because of the joy He was looking forward to.” Ask: Can anyone guess what JOY He was looking forward to? Listen for answers. He was looking forward to bring people back to God.

Two Criminals (Luke 23:39-43)

Say: The Bible tells us that Jesus was not the only man condemned to die that day. There were two robbers who were crucified with Him, one on either side of Jesus (Luke 23:33, Matthew 27:44). This was foretold in the Old Testament. Isaiah 53:12 says, “He was counted among those who had committed crimes.” One of the criminals believed that Jesus was who He claimed to be, but the other criminal did not.

One of the criminals hanging there made fun of Jesus. He said, “Aren’t you the Christ? Save Yourself! Save us!”

But the other criminal scolded him. “Don’t you have any respect for God?” he said. “Remember, you are under the same sentence of death. We are being punished fairly. We are getting just what our actions call for. But this Man hasn’t done anything wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.”

Jesus answered him, “What I’m about to tell you is true. Today you will be with Me in paradise.” - Luke 23:39-43

This robber had faith in Jesus, and because he trusted in Jesus, Jesus promised that he would see heaven that day. There was nothing this criminal could do to earn God’s approval. He simply believed, and Jesus made him right with God.

The believing robber said that he and the other criminal deserved the punishment they were getting, but Jesus had not done anything wrong. Jesus was innocent. Why did the innocent Jesus hang on a criminal’s cross?

Ever since the first people chose to disobey Him, God has required an animal to be killed on the altar to pay for the sins of His people. They couldn’t use just any animal. Very often it was a lamb (Exodus 12:3), and it had to meet several requirements.

The sacrifice had to be:

firstborn (Exodus 13:15)
male (Exodus 12:5)
without any flaws (Exodus 12:5)
had to die (Exodus 12:6)
no broken bones (Exodus 12:46)
the blood of the animal paid for the sin of the person (Leviticus 17:11)

John the Baptist called Jesus, “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). Jesus was all the things that God required:

Teacher: Point to the PowerPoint slide of God’s sacrifice requirements when listing the characteristics of Jesus.

Jesus was firstborn among his brothers and sisters (Matthew 1:25)
Jesus was a male (Matthew 1:21).
Jesus was without flaws because He never sinned (2 Corinthians 5:21).
Jesus was killed on a cross (Romans 5:8).
None of His bones were broken (John 19:36).
1 John 1:7 tells us, “The blood of Jesus, God’s Son, purifies us from all sin.”

Application: The Bible says that each one of us has sinned, and we each deserve death. Because Jesus was completely sinless, He was able to be our substitute on the cross. If we place our trust in Jesus, His blood makes us right with God. Our sins will be forgiven, and we will have eternal life.

Say: I have sinned. My sin has earned death. Not death on a cross, but death that is eternal separation from God (2 Thessalonians 1:9). Teacher: Point to cross on the wall. This cross can be a symbol for death and separation from God. Write your name on a sticky note and stick it to the cross. Call for volunteers. (You may choose to use adult leaders.) As volunteers come up, hand them each a sticky note. Have them write their name on it and stick it to the cross. Say: This is what each of us deserves. But that is NOT what God wanted for us. He sent His Son. Jesus did not die for His own sin - He was innocent. He hung on the cross in my place, and your place, and your place. All we do is place our trust in Him. Take down the sticky notes, and place the sign with “Jesus” on the cross. Say: Let’s read this verse together:

PPT KEY VERSE

Key Verse:

For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ. - 2 Corinthians 5:21 NLT

PPT MAIN POINT

Main Point: Even though Jesus was innocent, He willingly suffered for those who were guilty.

Unless otherwise noted the Scriptures taken from: Holy Bible, New International Reader’s Version, (NIrV®)

Special thanks to John R. Cross, The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus, GoodSeed International.

Related Topics: Children, Children's Curriculum

2. In the Garden and the Arrest of Jesus (Matthew 26:36-56; Luke 22:39-46; John 13:21-14:31)

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Lesson

PPT TITLE

Main Point: Jesus obeyed the will of His Father.

Key Verse:

“Father, if You are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from Me. Yet I want Your will to be done, not Mine.” - Luke 22:42 NLT

Props: a plain rock about 1/3 larger than a golf ball

Background/Review

Say: Last week, we saw the disciple named Judas make a dirty deal with the chief priests. Ask: What did Judas take in exchange for promising to turn Jesus over to His enemies? 30 pieces of silver. Say: God’s plans cannot be ruined by people! (Isaiah 14:24) Today we’ll see that God even used Judas’ underhanded agreement to accomplish His plan of saving the world.

Jesus shared a special meal with His disciples in a home in Jerusalem. We call this meal the Last Supper because it was the last time Jesus ate before His death. Jesus continued to teach His good friends, and He showed them how the Passover meal was a symbol of the sacrifice He was going to make for all people. The bread was like His body that would soon be given up, and the grape juice was like His blood that would soon be shed. Jesus wanted His disciples, including us, to have this special meal again to REMEMBER His sacrifice.

Jesus Predicts His Betrayal (John 13:21-30)

Say: Then Jesus foretold what Judas was about to do.

Jesus’ spirit was troubled. This is the testimony He gave. “What I’m about to tell you is true,” He said. “One of you is going to hand me over to my enemies.”

His disciples stared at one another. They had no idea which one of them He meant. - John 13:21b-22

One of the disciples leaned close to Jesus and asked which one of them would do this.

Jesus answered, “It is the one I will give this piece of bread to. I will give it to him after I have dipped it in the dish.”

He dipped the piece of bread. Then he gave it to Judas Iscariot, son of Simon. As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him.

“Do quickly what you are going to do,” Jesus told him. - John 13:26-27

No one but Jesus and Judas knew what this meant. Then Judas ran out into the night. Judas left Jesus’ side to run to Jesus’ enemies. Judas made a tragic choice. Jesus said, “How terrible it will be for the one who hands over the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born.” (Mark 14:21)

Jesus Teaches The Disciples (John 13:31-38; John 14)

Say: After Judas left, Jesus announced that it was time for His Father to be glorified, and that the Father would glorify Jesus (John 13:31-32).

Let’s look at the word glorify. It means: to cause the greatness and worth of something or someone to be made clear. Look at this photo. It looks like an ordinary rock, right?

What if I told you that this is actually one of the largest diamonds ever found? It is a 620-carat diamond! When it comes out of the ground, most people would have no idea what it really is. But, then a master diamond cutter gets his hands on it. Just by cutting into it, all of the diamond’s purity and brilliance is seen. After it is cut, it will be worth millions and millions of dollars. All this from a rock about this size! Teacher: hold up your rock. The diamond-cutting expert is trained to reveal the stunning beauty and sparkle that is actually inside the rock the entire time. In a way, he makes clear, or glorifies the diamond.

When Jesus said it was time for the Father and Him to be glorified, He was saying it was time for God’s greatness, mercy, grace, forgiveness, and love to be made clear. Jesus would show that He was the Savior that God had sent to earth. All of God’s promises about the Messiah would be fulfilled when Jesus gave up His life on the cross. The disciples probably had a very different picture in their minds. They mistakenly thought Jesus was about to become an earthly king, and that they would be part of His royal court.

Jesus told His friends that He was about to leave them. But Peter begged to go with Jesus. Peter said He would even die for Jesus.

Then Jesus answered, “Will you really give your life for Me? What I’m about to tell you is true. Before the rooster crows, you will say three times that you don’t know Me! - John 13:38

Peter had no idea how difficult the night ahead would be. Even Peter, the boldest disciple, would become a coward in the face of the real danger that was coming. In fact, Jesus predicted that very soon all of the disciples would turn their backs on Him. But He said His Father would never leave Him (John 16:32).

Jesus knew that He only had a short time left with His disciples. In His last hours, He taught His friends many things about Himself, the Father, the Holy Spirit, and heaven. He told them to love one another, and to trust in God (John 13:34-35, 14:1). Jesus said that He was going to prepare a place for them and one day He would come back for them (John 14:2-4). The disciples were confused about where Jesus was going, and how they would get there. Jesus spoke these important words:

PPT VERSE

“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” - John 14:6

Jesus taught them that He was the only WAY to heaven; He was the TRUTH that would set them free; and only He offered new LIFE!

In The Garden (Matthew 26:36-45, Luke 22:39-46)

After the Passover Meal was finished, Jesus went out to a mountain ridge called the Mount of Olives. It was named this because there are so many olive trees growing there. The rest of the disciples followed Jesus to a garden called Gethsemane. Jesus had taken the disciple to this place many times. Jesus purposely went to a place where it would be easy for Judas to find Him (John 18:2-3).

Jesus took Peter, James, and John, and stepped away from the others. He told His closest friends that His soul was deeply troubled, even to the point of death (Matthew 26:38).

None of us can really know the depth of Jesus’ sadness at this time. The word used (perilypos) is the strongest possible word for sadness. The event that was about to take place was the very reason Jesus had come, but it was a terrible task! He was about to be arrested, though He was innocent. He would be lied about, though He was the Truth. He would be beaten, though He came to bring peace. He would be hung on a cross and left to die - the punishment of a murderer, though He was the Life. But, worse than anything men could do to Him, God would turn away from Him when He took on the sins of the world (Matthew 27:46, Isaiah 59:1-2). This was almost more than Jesus could bear. His heart ached at the thought of being without His Father for even a moment.

Jesus told His disciples to pray. He did not ask then to pray for Him. Instead, He told them to pray for themselves - that they would not fall into sin (Luke 22:40).

Note to Teacher: Matthew 26:38 and Mark 14:34 record that Jesus asked Peter, James, and John to keep watch for Him. This phrase means, “to watch; give strict attention to, be cautious, active; to take heed lest through remission and indolence some destructive calamity suddenly overtake one.” Jesus knew that armed soldiers were on their way to get Him. Jesus asked his three friends to be His “lookouts” so He could focus on nothing other than praying to His heavenly Father.

Then He went a short distance away from them. There He got down on His knees and prayed. He said, “Father, if You are willing, take this cup of suffering away from Me. But do what You want, not what I want.” An angel from heaven appeared to Jesus and gave Him strength. Because He was very sad and troubled, He prayed even harder. His sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground. - Luke 22:41-44

Note to Teacher: The “cup” of which Jesus spoke, is the cup of God’s wrath, or judgment, on the wicked. See Psalm 75:6-10, Isaiah 51:17, Jeremiah 25:15-20, Revelation 14:9-11.

Can you hear the heart of Jesus as He prayed to His heavenly Father? Jesus agonized over His situation. The weight of the sin of the entire world was about to come crashing down on the only sinless Person who has ever walked the Earth. Jesus was fully God, yet He was fully human (1 Timothy 3:16). In His human body, He did not want to suffer. He did not want to feel the shame of sin flood into His perfect body (Hebrews 12:2).

Jesus said, “Father, if You are willing, take this cup of suffering away from Me.” Please understand this: God was certainly ABLE to keep Jesus from suffering on the cross. God could have spoken one word, and Jesus would have been taken right out of the garden, and seated beside His adoring Father in heaven. But God was not WILLING for Jesus to avoid the cross. If Jesus had NOT given His life on the cross, our sins would not be forgiven. We would be punished for our sins. We would face eternity in hell, separated from God.

Imagine God looking down on this scene. Teacher: Hold up one hand, then the other. On one hand there was Jesus: perfect, submissive, pure, peaceful, loving. God loved Jesus so much. On the other hand, there was, well, all of us: sinful, violent, going our own way, ignoring God. So God made His choice. He chose YOU! That’s how much the Creator of the universe loves YOU.

Then, with His next breath, Jesus submitted to His Father’s will. To submit means to give up your control to someone else, to say, “I’ll do it your way.” Jesus promised to do whatever His Father wanted Him to do. Jesus set aside what would seem to be good (not dying on the cross) for God’s plan that was FAR better.

It’s very clear that Jesus’ sadness was affecting His physical body (Luke 22:44). Did you know that you could be so sad that it can make your body weak or sick? People have even died from being really, really sad. As Jesus was praying, God sent an angel to strengthen His body (See also, Matthew 4:11).

Ask: Who remembers what Jesus told the disciples to do? Pray. Say: They were supposed to pray. But when Jesus went to check on them, what do you think they were doing? Sleeping. Say: As I read these verses, I want all of you to read the bold words with me.

(Jesus) got up from prayer and went back to the disciples. He found them sleeping. They were worn out because they were very sad. “Why are you sleeping?” He asked them. “Get up! Pray that you won’t fall into sin when you are tempted.” - Mark 14:37-38

Jesus gave His beloved disciples specific instructions. He told them to pray so they wouldn’t fall into sin - the sin of not submitting to God’s will. The disciples should have listened and prayed.

Jesus stepped away from the disciples again to continue praying to His Father. Jesus was about to do something VERY difficult. He was going to give up His life. It was the very reason He had come to Earth. It was God’s plan since the beginning (Genesis 3:15). But it would NOT be easy! So, Jesus ABIDED with His Father. He rested in Him and remained with Him so God’s perfect will would be Jesus’ all-consuming thought. Jesus bowed before His Father to gain the strength He would need to accomplish God’s amazing plan.

The Arrest (Matthew 26:47-56)

Say: The disciples fell asleep two more times when Jesus stepped away from them to pray. Jesus woke them up just moments before a crowd of people entered the garden.

Judas arrived. He was one of the Twelve. A large crowd was with him. They were carrying swords and clubs. The chief priests and the elders of the people had sent them.
Judas, who was going to hand Jesus over, had arranged a signal with them. “The one I kiss is the Man,” he said. “Arrest Him.”
So Judas went to Jesus at once. He said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” And he kissed Him.
Jesus replied, “Friend, do what you came to do.”
Then the men stepped forward. They grabbed Jesus and arrested Him. - Matthew 26:47b-50

Right away, Peter drew his sword and swung it at one of the men. The sharp metal struck the servant of the High Priest, cutting off his ear (John 18:10). But Jesus touched the man’s ear and healed him (Luke 22:51). Jesus told Peter to put his sword away. He said:

Do you think I can’t ask My Father for help? He would send an army of more than 70,000 angels right away. But then how would the Scriptures come true? They say it must happen in this way.” - Matthew 26:53-54

Jesus was NOT weak! He was submitting to God’s plan (Philippians 2:6-8). The men who arrested Jesus had NO power over Him except what He allowed them to have. He did not need Peter to fight for Him. Jesus could have just said the word and been free, but He chose to allow the arrest in order to fulfill God’s plan. Perhaps if Peter had been praying instead of sleeping, he would have understood this. Jesus’ prayer to His Father gave Him the strength to restrain His awesome power and allow the men to arrest Him. Then, just as Jesus foretold:

Then all the disciples left Him and ran away. - Matthew 26:56b

Application: Ask: Why do you think Jesus was able to submit to God’s will, even though it would cause Him to suffer SO much? Listen for answers. Say: Jesus could submit because He trusted God. Jesus really knew God. He knew that God is GOOD (Psalm 34:8). He knew that God is LOVE (1 John 4:8). He knew that God knows ALL things, past, present, and future (1 John 3:20). He knew that God wants what’s best, and that God has the power to make all things work together for good (Romans 8:28). Ask: Would you want to submit to someone you did not trust? Would you go to someone that you knew to be selfish and cruel, and say, “I’ll do whatever you want”? No. Say: It is awesome that our God is so good! We can trust Him completely. We can obey His every word!

Jesus knew His heavenly Father SO well, because He was with Him so often. We should follow Jesus’ example. We should abide with the Lord. We should get to know Him better by reading His written word, and by listening to His voice every day.

And we should spend time with God in honest prayer so we will know His will, His plan. Then we submit to Him; we agree than His plan is FAR greater than what we want. We agree to do whatever He wants, and it is a joy because He is so good, and He only wants what’s best for us.

PPT KEY VERSE

Key Verse:

“Father, if You are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from Me. Yet I want Your will to be done, not Mine.” - Luke 22:42 NLT

PPT MAIN POINT

Main Point: Jesus obeyed the will of His Father.

Unless otherwise noted the Scriptures taken from: Holy Bible, New International Reader’s Version, (NIrV®)

Special thanks to John R. Cross, The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus, GoodSeed International.

Related Topics: Children, Children's Curriculum

3. Jesus Appears to His Disciples (John 20:19-31)

Related Media

Lesson

PPT TITLE

Main Point: Jesus appeared so that people would believe in Him.

Key Verse:

Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen Me but still have believed.” - John 20:29

Props: A piece of shear fabric, apple with a bite taken out

Teacher: Before class, choose a volunteer to look up Hebrews 11:1, and mark the place until you call on him or her.

Background/Review

Say: Jesus had risen VICTORIOUSLY from the grave! He conquered death and sin for all time! Jesus appeared to different people. Several times when He appeared to people who knew Him very well, they didn’t recognize Him right away. We wonder how this could be. Okay, who can name a really famous person? Allow kids to answer. Choose one of the names they have given to use as your example. Let’s say that ________ came to our church one day. He/she was dressed like all the rest of us. There were no security people around, and no one was taking pictures. You might see that person and think that he/she looks like ________, but you wouldn’t believe it was really him/her. Why not? Because he/she is famous; because he/she lives in (Hollywood or wherever); because if that really was the famous person, everyone around him/her would be taking pictures. You wouldn’t believe it was actually him/her because in your mind everything would not add up. Even more so, all the people who loved Jesus had seen Him die. They KNEW He was dead. In their mind, there was no way He could be standing in front of them three days later. In addition, in at least one case, God purposely kept people from recognizing Jesus.

Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene. She didn’t recognize Him at first, but when she did, she ran to tell the disciples. They didn’t believe her because they had not seen Him with their own eyes (Mark 16:9-11, Luke 24:10-11). Then Jesus appeared to two of His disciples on the road to Emmaus. He started from the very beginning of the Scriptures and explained that He was the Messiah - God’s plan to take away the sin of all who would believe in Him. Jesus wanted them to understand God’s plan, and believe in Him. He wants the same for us today.

The two disciples ran back to find the other disciples and tell them that Jesus was alive. Still, the other disciples did not believe because they had not seen Jesus (Mark 16:12-13).

Jesus Appears To The Disciples (John 20:19-23)

Say: Most of Jesus’ original disciples were gathered together. One of the disciples, named Thomas, was not with them, and of course Judas was not there. The disciples had locked themselves in a room to hide. Ask: Can anyone guess whom they were hiding from? The Pharisees, the Jewish leaders Say: They were hiding from the Jewish leaders who had demanded that Jesus be killed. The disciples thought they were in danger because they were close followers of Jesus. In addition, the Roman guards had lied and said that the disciples had stolen Jesus’ body. The disciples were afraid for good reason!

Jesus came in and stood among them. He said, “May peace be with you!” Then He showed them His hands and His side. The disciples were very happy when they saw the Lord. - John 20:19b-20

Say: Wow! Jesus walked in - right through a locked door. Because His friends were afraid, His very first words were words of comfort.

Again Jesus said, “May peace be with you! The Father has sent Me. So now I am sending you.” He then breathed on them. He said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven. If you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” - John 20:21-23

The book of Matthew tells us that Jesus said:

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. So you must go and make disciples of all nations. Baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Teach them to obey everything I have commanded you. And you can be sure that I am always with you, to the very end.” - Matthew 28:18b-20

Say: Jesus told these men - the very men who deserted Him, who ran in fear, and who were now hiding behind a locked door - that He was going to send them to teach men and women how to be saved from their sins. It is quite amazing that Jesus would send these men. They had already blown it. On their own, they had no strength and no courage. But Jesus was not going to send them out on their own.

Jesus breathed on them as a symbol that He was going to send the Holy Spirit to them very soon (Acts 2:4). The Holy Spirit would be poured out on them, and it would fill their souls, just like breath fills our lungs. Only the power of the Holy Spirit would give them the strength to go OUT into the world that they were now hiding from.

Holy Spirit Promises (John 14:15-27, 16:5-16)

Before this time, God’s Holy Spirit filled certain people at certain times for certain tasks (Mark 12:36, Luke 1:35). But this was about to change. Soon, ALL believers would be filled with the Holy Spirit, and He would NEVER leave them. Let’s look at the promises Jesus had already made to the disciples about the Holy Spirit.

During the Last Supper, right before Jesus was arrested and taken to the cross, He told His disciples that He was about to leave them. They were very sad to hear this, but Jesus told them not to be sad. Jesus said that after He left, He would send the Holy Spirit to them (John 16:5:7).

I will ask the Father. And he will give you another Friend to help you and to be with you forever. The Friend is the Spirit of truth. The world can’t accept him. That is because the world does not see him or know him. But you know him. He lives with you, and he will be in you. But the Father will send the Friend in my name to help you. The Friend is the Holy Spirit. He will teach you all things. He will remind you of everything I have said to you. - John 14:16-17, 26

Jesus also said that the Holy Spirit would help lost people see their own sin, and their need for a Savior (John 16:8-11).

And even before the Last Supper, Jesus told His disciples not to worry about what to say when they were telling others about Him, because at the just right time, the Holy Spirit would give them the words they needed (Mark 13:10-11).

Let’s list Jesus’ awesome promises about the Holy Spirit:

God would send the Holy Spirit after Jesus left them
He would be their Friend
He would teach the disciples
He would help the disciples
He would remind the disciples of what Jesus said
He would show people that they are sinners that need a Savior
He would give them the right words to speak

Jesus did not ask His disciples to go make disciples on their own. God would never ask us to do something without giving us the power to do it.

Application: It should encourage each one of us that Jesus’ plan included the men who had made very big mistakes. These were not special men. They were regular people. At times they were weak; at times they lacked faith; at times they thought only of themselves. Come to think of it, that sounds a bit like me sometimes. I am so thankful that it is NOT about what I have to offer God! God sends the Holy Spirit to live inside of ALL believers (1 Corinthians 6:19). He will use me - and you - when we allow the Holy Spirit to guide our steps. He has the power, not us!

Jesus Appears To Thomas (John 20:24-31)

Say:

Thomas was one of the Twelve. He was called Didymus. He was not with the other disciples when Jesus came. So they told him, “We have seen the Lord!”

But he said to them, “First I must see the nail marks in His hands. I must put my finger where the nails were. I must put my hand into His side. Only then will I believe what you say.” - John 20:24-25

Thomas said he had to see Jesus with His own eyes, and feel the scars with his own hands, to believe that He was alive. We don’t hear much about the disciple Thomas. In fact, because this is one of the only times he is mentioned, he has become known throughout history as “Doubting Thomas.” Even today, if a person doubts something, he might be called a “Doubting Thomas.” We know that Jesus can read peoples’ thoughts (Matthew 9:4), so let’s see what Jesus will do.

A week later, Jesus’ disciples were in the house again. Thomas was with them. Even though the doors were locked, Jesus came in and stood among them.

He said, “May peace be with you!” Then He said to Thomas, “Put your finger here. See My hands. Reach out your hand and put it into My side. Stop doubting and believe.”

Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” - John 20:26-28

When Jesus appeared again, He spoke directly to Thomas. He told him to touch the scars in His hands and side. We don’t know if Thomas actually did touch Jesus’ scars. He may have believed the moment he saw Jesus and heard His voice.

Notice Thomas’ words. He didn’t just say, “Now I believe You are alive.” He said much more than that. Thomas said, “My Lord and my God!” When Thomas saw that Jesus had been raised from the dead, it proved to him that Jesus was who He claimed to be.

Before He was crucified, Jesus told the disciples over and over what was going to happen (Matthew 17:9, Luke 9:22, 24:7). He said the chief priests would reject Him, He would be killed, and He would rise to life on the third day (Matthew 16:21). But, the Bible says Jesus spoke figuratively and the disciples didn’t fully understand Him (John 16:17-18, 25). They heard His words, but the meaning was not clear to them. It’s sort of like seeing through a veil. Teacher: Hold up your apple, with the sheer fabric in front of it. Say: You can see through this a little. You know there is something here, and you might even know what it is, but you can’t tell the details. You may not know the color, or that there is a bite taken out of it. Reveal the bitten apple. Say: The disciples understood some, but not all, of what Jesus had told them.

It was only after Thomas saw Jesus alive that he everything became clear to him. At that moment Thomas confessed that Jesus was Lord.

PPT KEY VERSE

Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen Me but still have believed.” - John 20:29

Ask: Who is Jesus talking about here? Listen for answers. Has anyone in this room actually seen Jesus in His body? No. Say: No, we haven’t seen Him because He is in heaven now (Acts 1:9). Jesus is talking about all the people throughout history - from the time He left the earth until now - who have believed in Him. That includes you and me. It was good for Thomas and the disciples to believe in Jesus after they saw Him raised from the dead, but it is even BETTER for us to believe even though we have not seen Him.

Say: There is a word for believing in what you have not seen. Call on your volunteer to read Hebrews 11:1 aloud. Ask: What is the word? Faith. Say: The Bible says without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 1:6).

So, how do we believe something that we have never seen? We read the words of the people who did see Him. The disciple John wrote:

Jesus did many other miraculous signs in front of His disciples. They are not written down in this book. But these (miracles) are written down so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. If you believe this, you will have life because you belong to Him. - John 20:30-31

PPT VERSE

The Bible was written to US - to you and me. John makes it clear that he wrote the book of John in order to explain that Jesus was the Messiah, sent by God to take away the sins of the world. By all the amazing miracles He did, He proved that He was who he said He was. Yes, it takes faith to believe something we have never seen. But God will give you the faith you need (Ephesians 2:8). Jesus said we would be blessed because we have faith in what we did not see.

PPT MAIN POINT

Main Point: Jesus appeared so that people would believe in Him.

Unless otherwise noted the Scriptures taken from: Holy Bible, New International Reader’s Version, (NIrV®)

Special thanks to John R. Cross, The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus, GoodSeed International.

Related Topics: Children, Children's Curriculum

4. Jesus and Death and Burial (Matthew 27:45-61; Mark 15:33-47; Luke 23:44-56; John 19:28-42)

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Lesson

PPT TITLE

Main Point: Jesus died to take away the sin of the world.

Key Verse:

Christ suffered for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but He died for sinners to bring you safely home to God. - 1 Peter 3:18a NLT

Props: Sign that says, “SIN”; Stuffed animal lamb

Teacher: Before class, choose a student to look up John 8:12. Tell him or her to be ready to read it aloud when called on.

Teacher, begin with prayer: Lord, thank You for willingly going to the cross. You were innocent and You did not deserve to die. Thank You for dying to take away my sin. Amen.

Background/Review

Say: Last week we studied a really difficult thing. It was the beginning of the most important event in history - when Jesus went to the cross. Being hung on a cross was called crucifixion, and it was the way the Romans punished criminals back in Jesus’ time.

It is very important for us to realize that Jesus was NOT a criminal. He never did anything wrong; He was innocent. People purposely lied about Him. The Jewish leaders who were in charge of His trial wanted to find Him guilty of something. When He said He was the Christ, the Son of God, they said He must be a liar, a blasphemer. Jesus was the Truth, but they called Him a liar.

Ask: Could Jesus have stopped the men from doing what they did to Him? Yes! Say: This is sort of like asking if a person can stop an ant! Jesus could have stopped them at any time. The men had NO power over Him (John 19:11). Jesus was the one with ALL the power, but He held back His power and allowed the men to arrest Him, lie about Him, whip Him, and nail Him to the cross. Jesus willingly went to the cross to become the sacrifice for our sin, to make us right with God (2 Corinthians 5:21).

Note to Teacher: The four Gospel accounts tell the story of the Crucifixion from different points of view. It is interesting to note that only Matthew and John were actual witnesses of the event. It is widely held that Mark was Peter’s interpreter in Rome, recording Peter’s thoughts and recollections of Jesus’ life. Luke, a companion of Paul, wrote his account largely through research. His account does not include Old Testament prophecy, because he wrote to the Gentiles, who did not know of the prophecies.

Jesus’ Death (Matthew 27:45-56; Mark 15:33-41; Luke 23:44-49; John 19:28-37)

Teacher: Have your volunteer read John 8:12 aloud. Ask: What did Jesus call Himself? The Light of the world. Say: That Light was about to leave the world. God gave the people there a dramatic picture of this: He made the sun stop shining in the middle of the day.

From noon until three o’clock, the whole land was covered with darkness.

About three o’clock, Jesus cried out in a loud voice. He said, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” This means, “My God, My God, why have You deserted Me?” - Matthew 27:45-46

Jesus was quoting an Old Testament verse in Psalm 22:

My God, my God, why have You deserted me? Why do You seem to be so far away when I need You to save me? Why do You seem to be so far away that You can’t hear my groans? - Psalm 22:1

We can’t imagine that God would ever leave Jesus. God, the Father, LOVED His Son. Why would God ever leave Jesus, or seem far from Him?

The answer is SO important to us: It was at this point, that Jesus willingly took on the sins of the entire world (2 Corinthians 5:21).

Teacher: Call up two volunteers: one student, one adult. Say: (Name of student volunteer) will stand for mankind, for each one of us. When God created Adam and Eve, they were good. They were pure, and they spent time with God. The people had a relationship with God. God came down and spent time in the garden with the man and woman. Motion like “God” is above the volunteer. Motion back and forth between the volunteer and “God.” There was nothing blocking their relationship, and everything was great. Then Adam and Eve sinned. Have volunteer hold “SIN” sign over his head. The Bible says:

It’s your sins that have cut you off from God. Because of your sins, He has turned away and will not listen anymore. - Isaiah 59:1-2 (NLT)

Sin separates us from God because God is perfect and holy. Because of their sin, He could no longer spend time with the man and woman. They were polluted with sin; God had to turn away.

Say: Enter Jesus. Point to your adult volunteer. Say: Jesus never sinned (2 Corinthians 5:21). And God was greatly pleased with Him (Mark 1:11). They abided with each other. Motion back and forth between “God” and “Jesus,” signifying that they have a relationship. Their relationship was perfect. Say: But then...Have the adult volunteer hold out his arms, as Jesus did on the cross. Say: At three o’clock that afternoon, Jesus cried out to God. At that moment He took on the sin of the world. Take the “SIN” sign and transfer it to your “Jesus” volunteer. 1 Peter 2:24 says, “He personally carried our sins in His body on the cross.” (NLT) When God saw the sin that Jesus had taken on, He had to turn away from Jesus. This was SO painful for Jesus because He had never known separation from God (John 10:30) - until that very moment. This separation from His Father cut Jesus deeper than the wounds on His back or the nails in His hands and feet.

Application: (Say this while volunteers are still in place. Refer to volunteers.) Each one of us has sinned. Jesus was willing to take on my sin, and your sin. If you place your faith in Jesus, then when God looks at you (point to first volunteer), He no longer sees your sin. Your relationship with Him is restored. (Motion from volunteer up to “God.”) Thank your volunteers.

Optional Illustration: Think back to the Old Testament sacrifices. When a person brought an animal to sacrifice, he had to place his hand on the head of the animal (Leviticus 1:4). Place your hand on your toy lamb. This symbolized the man’s sin being placed on the animal. The animal became the substitute for the guilty man. The animal was killed because the blood of the animal covered the man’s sin (Leviticus 17:11). The animal sacrifice was a picture of what Christ was going to do for every person one day. This day, on the cross, the sins of all people were placed on Jesus.

Say: From the beginning of time, Jesus’ death and resurrection was God’s plan to save the world. Everything had happened in God’s perfect timing. There was one more prophesy about Jesus’ death.

Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” As a cruel trick, one of the people dipped a sponge in wine vinegar, tied it to a stick, and offered it to Jesus. This had been foretold in Psalm 69:21.

Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit. - John 19:30 (NASB)

Jesus proclaimed, “It is finished!” The Greek word is tetelestai. It means to complete, or to pay in full. In Jesus’ day, the word tetelestai was written on reciepts to show that a bill had been paid in full. Jesus called out, “Tetelestai!” because the sins of mankind had been paid for - in full. The job that God had given to Jesus was completed. The prophecies were fulfilled. The final Lamb had been sacrificed.

Notice that Jesus gave up His spirit. Almost a week earlier, Jesus had told the disciples, “No one can take My life from Me. I sacrifice it voluntarily. For I have the authority to lay it down when I want to and also to take it up again. For this is what My Father has commanded.” (John 10:18) At just the right time, Jesus chose to give up His life.

Additional teaching for older students: At that moment the temple curtain was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook. The rocks split. Tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs. After Jesus was raised to life, they went into the holy city. There they appeared to many people. - Matthew 27:51-53

When Jesus gave Himself as the final sacrifice, He brought victory over death. A symbol of this was that many people were raised from the dead. And like an exclamation mark at the end of a powerful sentence, God sent an earthquake to finish off this important moment.

These are amazing things, but by far, the most amazing was the temple curtain being torn. Remember, in the Old Testament, the temple was where God came to be with His people. However, because God is perfect and holy, no one could look at His presence. A very thick curtain hung between the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place. This curtain separated sinful men from the holy God. When Jesus gave up His life to take away our sin, that curtain split in two. It tore from the top to the bottom - this showed that it was God who did the work of bringing man back to Himself.

And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place. - Hebrews 10:19-20 (NLT)

Application: If you are a believer in Christ, Jesus has made the way for you to enter into God’s presence. You are welcome to draw near to God anytime!

For younger students: At the moment that Jesus gave up His life, God made the earth tremble, and other amazing things happened.

The Roman commander and those guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened. They were terrified. They exclaimed, “He was surely the Son of God!” - Matthew 27:54

Ask: Why do you think these men were terrified? Listen for answers. Say: With their own hands, they had nailed the Son of God to a cross. They made fun of Him, and watched Him die. We can only imagine the look on their faces when the earth shook and they realized who Jesus was. Luke 23:47 tells us the Roman commander began to praise God.

Sometimes, it would take a person several days to die on the cross. The next day was going to be a special Sabbath day - or a day of rest. The Jews did not want any bodies hanging on the crosses on the Sabbath. They wanted to make sure Jesus and the criminals were dead, so they could take down their bodies. Sometimes the soldiers would break the legs of a criminal to make him die faster.

But when they came to Jesus, they saw that He was already dead. So they did not break His legs. Instead, one of the soldiers stuck his spear into Jesus’ side. Right away, blood and water flowed out. - Luke 23:33-34

Blood and water mixed together was a sign that someone had died. The Old Testament had foretold these things also (Numbers 9:12; Psalm 34:20, Zechariah 12:10).

Jesus’ Burial (Matthew 27:57-66; Mark 15:42-47; Luke 23:50-56; John 19:38-42)

That evening, a rich man named Joseph of Arimathea, went to speak to Pilate. Joseph was a Jewish leader who had become a follower of Jesus (Mark 15:43). But he was afraid to tell anyone that he believed in Jesus. He asked Pilate if he could take Jesus’ body for burial (Matthew 27:57-58).

Nicodemus went with Joseph. He was the man who had earlier visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought some mixed spices... The two men took Jesus’ body. They wrapped it in strips of linen cloth, along with the spices. That was the way the Jews buried people’s bodies. - John 19:39-40

Joseph and Nicodemus placed Jesus’ body in a new tomb that was cut out of rock. Then they rolled a large stone in front of the tomb. Several women who loved Jesus watched all of this from a short distance (Matthew 27:56). One of the women was named Mary Magdelene, from whom Jesus had once cast out seven demons (Luke 8:2). The women went home to prepare spices and perfumes to annoint Jesus’ body.

The next day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to speak to Pilate. They told Pilate that Jesus had predicted that on the third day, He would come back to life. The leaders were afraid that Jesus’ disciples would steal Jesus’ body and then tell everyone that He had been raised from the dead. Pilate sent soldiers to seal and guard the tomb (Matthew 27:62-66).

Jesus’ disciples had scattered. These men were crushed because their leader, and dear friend, had been put to death. They had given up everything to follow Jesus. They did not understand that this was why Jesus had come. They would soon learn that God does not allow death to have the last word.

He will swallow up death forever. The Lord and King will wipe away the tears from everyone’s face. He will remove the shame of his people from the whole earth. The Lord has spoken. - Isaiah 25:8

PPT KEY VOICE

Key Verse:

Christ suffered for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but He died for sinners to bring you safely home to God. - 1 Peter 3:18a NLT

PPT MAIN POINT

Main Point: Jesus died to take away the sin of the world.

Unless otherwise noted the Scriptures taken from: Holy Bible, New International Reader’s Version, (NIrV®)

Special thanks to John R. Cross, The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus, GoodSeed International.

Related Topics: Children, Children's Curriculum

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