The disciple’s first response to persecution was to pray. When they prayed about their problem, they acknowledged the sovereignty of God then gave God the problem. They concluded by committing themselves to live according to the promises of God rather than by conventional wisdom. As a result of this prayer, “the meeting place shook, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. Then they preached the word of God with boldness” (Acts 4:31, NLT).
It takes prayer to create the movement of God.
Maybe you’re like me in that you’ve tried to create the movement of God on your own, apart from prayer. Doing things like bargaining with God or trying to earn favor by your good works are just a couple of ways we try to create movement. But the bottom line is that God moves in response to prayer.
When he does move, he moves within his people to fulfill his plan and purpose. The disciples were filled with the Spirit, and when they were filled with the Spirit the gospel spilled from their lips. Remember that whenever you’re shaken, whatever fills you will spill out. In Acts 4, when the place was shaken the gospel spilled out of the disciples because the Spirit was what they were full of.
Showing posts with label Prayer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Prayer. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Praying About Problems
Do you ever wonder how you should pray when you face a problem? Life is certainly filled with adversity, and as people of faith we are compelled to take those problems to God by way of prayer. Acts 4:24-30 contains the content of the prayer that Peter and his cohort prayed in response to the persecution that broke out following the healing of the lame man. While their problem specifically involved religious persecution, I think the prayer itself offers a very helpful blueprint on how to address God with our challenges.
The first thing the disciples did in prayer was acknowledge the sovereignty of God. “O Sovereign Lord, Creator of heaven and earth, the sea and everything in them—you spoke long ago by the Holy Spirit through our ancestor David, you servant, saying, ‘Why were the nations so angry? Why did they waste their time with futile plans? The kings of the earth prepared for battle; the rulers gathered together against the Lord and against his Messiah.’ In fact, this has happened here in this very city! For Herod Antipas, Pontius Pilate the governor, the Gentiles, and the people of Israel were all united against Jesus, your holy servant, whom you anointed. But everything they did was determined beforehand according to your will” (Acts 4:24-28, NLT). Notice in those verses that they confessed their belief that God was in control and on his throne. God had foreknown this event and was not caught by surprise.
The second thing they did in prayer was to hand the problem over to God. Acts 4:29 continues, “And now, O Lord, hear their threats, and give us, your servants, great boldness in preaching your word.” The disciples realized that the opposition they were facing was nothing personal. The opposition was to the gospel. Therefore, the problem was God’s, not theirs. Their job was to be faithful, and God’s job was to handle the challenges that accompanied the task at hand.
Finally, they claimed the promises of God. In verse 30 they conclude their prayer by asking God to “stretch our your hand with healing power; may miraculous signs and wonders be done through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” Every time we face a problem we face a choice between conventional wisdom and faith. Faith is simply behaving in ways that are consistent with what God has said. The disciples prayed that God would do what he promised to do in order to advance the gospel. What God had said was more important than what the officials had said.
Next time you take time to pray about a problem, remember the template of Acts 4. Begin by acknowledging the sovereignty of God. Then give the problem to God, and make the choice to live by faith and not by sight.
The first thing the disciples did in prayer was acknowledge the sovereignty of God. “O Sovereign Lord, Creator of heaven and earth, the sea and everything in them—you spoke long ago by the Holy Spirit through our ancestor David, you servant, saying, ‘Why were the nations so angry? Why did they waste their time with futile plans? The kings of the earth prepared for battle; the rulers gathered together against the Lord and against his Messiah.’ In fact, this has happened here in this very city! For Herod Antipas, Pontius Pilate the governor, the Gentiles, and the people of Israel were all united against Jesus, your holy servant, whom you anointed. But everything they did was determined beforehand according to your will” (Acts 4:24-28, NLT). Notice in those verses that they confessed their belief that God was in control and on his throne. God had foreknown this event and was not caught by surprise.
The second thing they did in prayer was to hand the problem over to God. Acts 4:29 continues, “And now, O Lord, hear their threats, and give us, your servants, great boldness in preaching your word.” The disciples realized that the opposition they were facing was nothing personal. The opposition was to the gospel. Therefore, the problem was God’s, not theirs. Their job was to be faithful, and God’s job was to handle the challenges that accompanied the task at hand.
Finally, they claimed the promises of God. In verse 30 they conclude their prayer by asking God to “stretch our your hand with healing power; may miraculous signs and wonders be done through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” Every time we face a problem we face a choice between conventional wisdom and faith. Faith is simply behaving in ways that are consistent with what God has said. The disciples prayed that God would do what he promised to do in order to advance the gospel. What God had said was more important than what the officials had said.
Next time you take time to pray about a problem, remember the template of Acts 4. Begin by acknowledging the sovereignty of God. Then give the problem to God, and make the choice to live by faith and not by sight.
Monday, August 23, 2010
Prayer as the First Response
When Peter and John were released from custody, they returned to their group and shared all that had taken place. Upon hearing the news that persecution was breaking out against the gospel, their first response was to pray.
“When they heard the report, all the believers lifted their voices together in prayer to God” (Acts 4:24, NLT).
More than 20 years ago I participated in a study on prayer that was written by Peter Lord. His “2959 Prayer Plan” provided Christians with a comprehensive method to systematically pray for personal needs and to intercede on behalf of others. One of the first principles that Peter Lord taught was that believers should make prayer “their first response, not their last resort.”
That principle made a lasting impression on me. Reading this verse reminded me of how critical it is for each of us to pray first when our world gets topsy-turvy. It was convicting to reflect on my life and to see how often I try to fix things myself or depend on my own resources and resourcefulness as my first response. Too many times our attitude toward prayer is that of the final, last ditch effort when all else has failed. Not the apostles. They were so dependent and desperate for God to work in their lives as they spread the gospel that it was natural for them to pray. It was quite childlike. May we never mature beyond the point of childlike faith and desperate dependence.
“When they heard the report, all the believers lifted their voices together in prayer to God” (Acts 4:24, NLT).
More than 20 years ago I participated in a study on prayer that was written by Peter Lord. His “2959 Prayer Plan” provided Christians with a comprehensive method to systematically pray for personal needs and to intercede on behalf of others. One of the first principles that Peter Lord taught was that believers should make prayer “their first response, not their last resort.”
That principle made a lasting impression on me. Reading this verse reminded me of how critical it is for each of us to pray first when our world gets topsy-turvy. It was convicting to reflect on my life and to see how often I try to fix things myself or depend on my own resources and resourcefulness as my first response. Too many times our attitude toward prayer is that of the final, last ditch effort when all else has failed. Not the apostles. They were so dependent and desperate for God to work in their lives as they spread the gospel that it was natural for them to pray. It was quite childlike. May we never mature beyond the point of childlike faith and desperate dependence.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
What Happens When People Pray Together (part 3)
The final thing that happens when people pray together is that unified people empowered by the Spirit advance the Kingdom of God. There is an often quoted verse found in Proverbs 29:18, which says, “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” Modern translations do a better job than the KJV with this verse. A more accurate rendering would be “Where there is no unified purpose, the people all do what is right in their own eyes.” The upper room prayer meeting was not for the disciples to figure out what they were going to do next. The prayer meeting was to bring them together and to put them in touch with the plan of God and the power of God to bring the Kingdom of God.
It has been said that the disciples prayed 10 days and preached 3 minutes and 3,000 people came to faith. Today, we want to pray 3 minutes and preach 10 days and we wonder why our communities are not transformed. God has a plan already on the drawing board. We need to pray together and get on the same page together for the sake of our communities and our world.
But what happens when people do not pray together?
We resort to an economy of scarcity vs. an economy of abundance.
We drive our private agendas vs. the corporate mission.
We exhibit pettiness vs. exhibiting grace.
We emphasize rules over relationships.
We value independence vs. dependence.
We become small in our thinking vs. visionaries who dream of reaching our world.
We turn into creatures of habit vs. innovators who are able to creatively share the gospel of Christ.
Don Miller once remarked, "Jesus said that his Father's house was to be a house of prayer. If it's not a house of prayer, then its somebody else's house." That's a good thought for the week.
It has been said that the disciples prayed 10 days and preached 3 minutes and 3,000 people came to faith. Today, we want to pray 3 minutes and preach 10 days and we wonder why our communities are not transformed. God has a plan already on the drawing board. We need to pray together and get on the same page together for the sake of our communities and our world.
But what happens when people do not pray together?
We resort to an economy of scarcity vs. an economy of abundance.
We drive our private agendas vs. the corporate mission.
We exhibit pettiness vs. exhibiting grace.
We emphasize rules over relationships.
We value independence vs. dependence.
We become small in our thinking vs. visionaries who dream of reaching our world.
We turn into creatures of habit vs. innovators who are able to creatively share the gospel of Christ.
Don Miller once remarked, "Jesus said that his Father's house was to be a house of prayer. If it's not a house of prayer, then its somebody else's house." That's a good thought for the week.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
What Happens When People Pray Together (part 2)
“They all met together and were constantly united in prayer…” (Acts 1:16, NLT)
When people pray together, they become one. Think about the diversity that was in the room. The larger text tells us that there were 120 present, including the apostles, Jesus’ mother and brothers, and some women. Through all of the diversity, they became one in spirit through prayer. Prayer begins as communication. But when prayer occurs with consistency and fervency, communication becomes communion. The result of communion with God is union. As I understand it, prayer begins with talking to God and listening to God about a particular need or concern. Communication (the sending and receiving of messages) is a back and forth exchange. The difference between communication and communion is that it communion, the posture changes from across the table to side by side. Two are in agreement about the same thing. Union occurs when the two become one to the extent that the relationship is more significant than the request. It think that’s what transpired in the upper room over the course of those 10 days between the ascension and Pentecost.
When people pray together, it creates an environment for the Spirit to come. The prayer in the upper room was not a prayer of ignorance. They knew they were to pray with anticipation that God would bestow his Spirit. Though they anticipated the coming of the Spirit, they had no idea what would transpire on the day of Pentecost. Pentecost would arrive and the Spirit would come in breath taking fashion, largely due to the fact that they were in one accord in the upper room. Which leads me to a simple question: What would God do if his people were united in prayer?
When people pray together, they become one. Think about the diversity that was in the room. The larger text tells us that there were 120 present, including the apostles, Jesus’ mother and brothers, and some women. Through all of the diversity, they became one in spirit through prayer. Prayer begins as communication. But when prayer occurs with consistency and fervency, communication becomes communion. The result of communion with God is union. As I understand it, prayer begins with talking to God and listening to God about a particular need or concern. Communication (the sending and receiving of messages) is a back and forth exchange. The difference between communication and communion is that it communion, the posture changes from across the table to side by side. Two are in agreement about the same thing. Union occurs when the two become one to the extent that the relationship is more significant than the request. It think that’s what transpired in the upper room over the course of those 10 days between the ascension and Pentecost.
When people pray together, it creates an environment for the Spirit to come. The prayer in the upper room was not a prayer of ignorance. They knew they were to pray with anticipation that God would bestow his Spirit. Though they anticipated the coming of the Spirit, they had no idea what would transpire on the day of Pentecost. Pentecost would arrive and the Spirit would come in breath taking fashion, largely due to the fact that they were in one accord in the upper room. Which leads me to a simple question: What would God do if his people were united in prayer?
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
What Happens When People Pray Together (Acts 1:12-14)
It must have been quite a sight! Having given his followers their marching orders, Jesus simply began to levitate into the air and out of their sight. And with that, the disciples began the three quarters of a mile hike back to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives. The Bible says that they returned to “the room.” Because the Greek language uses a definite article (“the”), one could easily suppose that they returned to the upper room where they had observed the Last Supper with Christ.
Their first act of obedience following the ascension was to wait. I don’t know what the disposition of first century culture was toward waiting, but I do know human nature, and if there’s anything we hate to do its wait. What did the disciples do while they waited for the “promise of the Father?”
Using a little sanctified imagination, and trying to put myself in the group, I wonder if they discussed what they had just witnessed. Certainly they had seen Jesus walk on water, but floating away like a balloon would have been a new one! Maybe they talked about that.
Perhaps the conversation turned to the things they had just heard. Jesus had laid out the mission and its resources, explained the strategy, and challenged them to count the cost. Maybe someone speculated as to how 120 people were going to take the message of the resurrection and make it go viral.
Possibly the disciples expressed curiosity about the events of the world. You know, the normal stuff about family, kids, and jobs. Maybe one had a subtle temptation to go fetch a newspaper. But they were told to wait, and somehow in the mix they began to pray about what they had heard and to ask the Father for the promised Spirit.
If you’ve been serious about Christianity for any length of time, you know there is a difference between meetings with prayer and prayer meetings. When God’s people get serious about prayer and pray together, there is an energy and dynamic that is beyond description. Sometimes when God’s people pray together, the Spirit of God moves in a way that evokes relational reality and transparency.
In my mind, as I sit in this meeting of 120 people and pray, I see Thomas rise from his place of prayer to speak. Thomas says something like, “You know, when Jesus first appeared after his resurrection, I wasn’t there, and as you well know, I didn’t believe. I demanded tangible proof before I would believe what Jesus said about rising again, and for that matter, what you were saying about his resurrection. I was wrong to doubt. I should have believed. And for that, I’m sorry.” And he sits down.
The disciples continue to pray, and then Jesus’ brothers stood up and asked for everyone’s attention. “If we could have a moment,” they begin, “as you know, during Jesus earthly ministry we didn’t believe. In fact, we thought Jesus was nuts. We were so embarrassed by his words and actions. We couldn’t believe he was who he said he was. But seeing how he handled himself during the crucifixion, and seeing him alive after he arose, we can’t believe how blind we were! We should have been there for him and for you. We could have helped. We’re sorry, and we’re all in!”
The disciples prayed a little more, then James and John spoke. “We have always struggled with ambition. When Jesus started teaching about his kingdom, we wanted to be recognized and have positions of power. That ambition was unhealthy, and we know our thirst for power and recognition was a real distraction, even on the night of Jesus arrest. We were wrong, and we’re sorry.” And like the others, they sit down and resume their prayers.
Peter, who always spoke first, speaks last. He stands and straightens himself. Clearing his throat to gain everyone’s attention, Peter speaks. “I’ve always been a big talker. I told Jesus that he would never die for me. That if anyone was going to do any dying, it was me for him! I told Jesus I would never deny him. Yet when he was arrested, I was fearful and cowardly beyond levels that I knew existed. I know many of you looked up to me and counted on me, and I let you down. I let the Lord down. He has forgiven me, and I need to ask for your forgiveness as well.”
True prayer always reveals something about who God is, and when we see who God is, then we can come to terms with who we are. God doesn’t use perfect people to conduct his mission. He uses imperfect people who are forgiving and forgiven to conduct his mission. James 5:16 states, “Confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so you may be healed” (HCSB).
Their first act of obedience following the ascension was to wait. I don’t know what the disposition of first century culture was toward waiting, but I do know human nature, and if there’s anything we hate to do its wait. What did the disciples do while they waited for the “promise of the Father?”
Using a little sanctified imagination, and trying to put myself in the group, I wonder if they discussed what they had just witnessed. Certainly they had seen Jesus walk on water, but floating away like a balloon would have been a new one! Maybe they talked about that.
Perhaps the conversation turned to the things they had just heard. Jesus had laid out the mission and its resources, explained the strategy, and challenged them to count the cost. Maybe someone speculated as to how 120 people were going to take the message of the resurrection and make it go viral.
Possibly the disciples expressed curiosity about the events of the world. You know, the normal stuff about family, kids, and jobs. Maybe one had a subtle temptation to go fetch a newspaper. But they were told to wait, and somehow in the mix they began to pray about what they had heard and to ask the Father for the promised Spirit.
If you’ve been serious about Christianity for any length of time, you know there is a difference between meetings with prayer and prayer meetings. When God’s people get serious about prayer and pray together, there is an energy and dynamic that is beyond description. Sometimes when God’s people pray together, the Spirit of God moves in a way that evokes relational reality and transparency.
In my mind, as I sit in this meeting of 120 people and pray, I see Thomas rise from his place of prayer to speak. Thomas says something like, “You know, when Jesus first appeared after his resurrection, I wasn’t there, and as you well know, I didn’t believe. I demanded tangible proof before I would believe what Jesus said about rising again, and for that matter, what you were saying about his resurrection. I was wrong to doubt. I should have believed. And for that, I’m sorry.” And he sits down.
The disciples continue to pray, and then Jesus’ brothers stood up and asked for everyone’s attention. “If we could have a moment,” they begin, “as you know, during Jesus earthly ministry we didn’t believe. In fact, we thought Jesus was nuts. We were so embarrassed by his words and actions. We couldn’t believe he was who he said he was. But seeing how he handled himself during the crucifixion, and seeing him alive after he arose, we can’t believe how blind we were! We should have been there for him and for you. We could have helped. We’re sorry, and we’re all in!”
The disciples prayed a little more, then James and John spoke. “We have always struggled with ambition. When Jesus started teaching about his kingdom, we wanted to be recognized and have positions of power. That ambition was unhealthy, and we know our thirst for power and recognition was a real distraction, even on the night of Jesus arrest. We were wrong, and we’re sorry.” And like the others, they sit down and resume their prayers.
Peter, who always spoke first, speaks last. He stands and straightens himself. Clearing his throat to gain everyone’s attention, Peter speaks. “I’ve always been a big talker. I told Jesus that he would never die for me. That if anyone was going to do any dying, it was me for him! I told Jesus I would never deny him. Yet when he was arrested, I was fearful and cowardly beyond levels that I knew existed. I know many of you looked up to me and counted on me, and I let you down. I let the Lord down. He has forgiven me, and I need to ask for your forgiveness as well.”
True prayer always reveals something about who God is, and when we see who God is, then we can come to terms with who we are. God doesn’t use perfect people to conduct his mission. He uses imperfect people who are forgiving and forgiven to conduct his mission. James 5:16 states, “Confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so you may be healed” (HCSB).
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Praying Like Jesus Prayed
We often refer to the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13) as the Model Prayer. It’s true that Jesus gave this to us as a blueprint for the prayers we offer to God. Another example of prayer is found in Jesus’ intercessory prayer in John 17:1-26. Within this prayer that Jesus offered on the night of his betrayal are four important requests that also serve as a pattern for prayer.
The first request is for the glory of God (John 17:1-5). This request was for the revealed presence of God that puts all things in perspective. Our first consideration when we come to God in prayer is God, not us or anything else. What does God will? What will honor God? What will make God’s name honored? It has been said that we have not really begun to pray until we have prayed for the glory of God.
Request number two is for followers of Christ to have a confident faith (John 17:6-12). Those disciples that followed Jesus would face incredible persecution during the passion of Christ and following his ascension. Confident faith comes through immersing ourselves in Scripture, through our relationship to God as his children, and through his name by which he grants to us his authority.
The next request is for holiness (John 17:13-19). Jesus prayed that his disciples would be set apart from the values of this world by his word for the sake of the world. Holiness that only focuses on separation usually defaults to legalism. Holiness is always purposeful. In our case, holiness is for the sake of the world in which we live. Like a great meal served on fine china, holiness is our presentation of the treasure of the gospel.
The final request Jesus made was for the unity of all believers (John 17:20-26). There’s a lot of talk about unity in religious circles. I’m not convinced that those who speak of unity are all speaking of the same thing. Unity is not uniformity which crushes diversity. Unity is not organizational, but organic. It’s not institutional, but is observable. It’s not reaching for the lowest common denominator. The problem with reaching unity through lowest common denominators is that lowest common denominators always elevate self. The highest common denominator, God and his glory, always diminishes self.
How do we achieve unity? How do we pray for unity? When we pray for unity, what are we praying for? We find unity in our common message of the gospel (17:20), in our common source for living in dependence upon God’s power (17:21), by striving for our common purpose as we humbly serve the marginalized and neglected (17:22), by sharing in the common spirit of love which becomes our chief tool of influence (17:23), and holding to the common goal of eternal glory in heaven wherein we recognize that all that we do here and now is for then and there (17:24).
Let me invite you to use these four requests in your prayer life this week. See how it shapes the requests that you offer to our God.
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