Now, let's have our thoughts directed toward the
Word of God, and what I would like
to do is something that is going to
be too brief to be profitable in one
sense, and yet just a very simple reminder.
Earlier in the week, we looked at the
references of our Lord in prayer, and the
practice of prayer and the experience of our
Lord, or in the life of the Lord
Jesus.
What we'd like to do is look at
some references rather quickly, just one right after
the other, with the thought of impressing our
mind afresh with the practice of prayer in
the life of the early church of our
Lord Jesus.
So, we look in the book of Acts,
and in Acts chapter 1, we find the
first reference, and what we'll do is just
rather briefly look at a series of references,
just making mention of them that if you
have a pencil in order to make down
the jotting, and could look them up later
and give some thought to them.
For some of them, some interesting thoughts can
be derived by reflecting on it, but we
just want to see the frequency with which
God's people are found in prayer, and in
a very broad and varied kind of practice.
In chapter 1, in verse 14, these all
continued with one accord in prayer and supplication
with the women.
This is an innovation.
The first time we find men and women
together in prayer.
Previously, during the temple arrangements, the women had
a separate courtyard and separate activities, but the
church, the body of Christ, and the Christian
teaching has removed that, and they're drawn together,
and now the men and the women are
found in prayer together.
In Acts chapter 2, in verse 42, this
company of newly baptized believers added to the
others, in verse 42, and they continued steadfastly
in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in
breaking of bread, and in prayers.
This is the continuity now, this consistency.
This is one of the major practices, the
four essential practices of the early church, and
they continued in prayers.
Chapter 4, in verse 31, some of the
apostles had, or the disciples, had suffered greatly
because of their testimony and the persecution, and
they came back, and there was a unified
exercise of heart, and in that meeting, we
find in verse 31, and when they had
prayed, the place was shaken, where they were
assembled together, they were all filled with the
Holy Ghost, and they all spoke the word
of God with boldness.
And here, they resort to, after they had
come together, a season of prayer, and the
season of prayer turned to be quite a
remarkable impact on the physical building, because of
their unity and warmth and expression and intensity
of feeling.
In chapter 6, the apostles realize that they
are much in need of spending more time
with the Lord, and they make the observation,
in verse 4, we will give ourselves continually
to prayer and to the ministry of the
word.
So, their exercise was to intensify their prayer
life, and avail themselves of the opportunity of
ministering the word of God as a result
of this prayer time, and so they chose
out from among them these seven men that
were going to maintain some of the physical
ministries, possibly doing these services as what we
might think of as deacon work, and in
verse 6, whom they set before the apostles,
and when they had prayed, they laid their
hands on them.
It's very easy to see that in all
different aspects of the life of the body
of Christ, they were in prayer, they resorted
to prayer.
It wasn't particularly just convened meetings for prayer,
but they were men and women that appreciated
the importance of going frequently into the presence
of the Lord.
In chapter 9, the spirit of God draws
our attention to something that's noteworthy, and that
is that the apostle Paul has been touched
by God, he has physically blinded, Ananias is
urged to go down and find him, and
the description that is given to Paul to
Ananias is in chapter 9, in verse 11,
the Lord said, Arise and go into the
street which is called straight, and inquire in
the house of Judas for one called Saul
of Tarsus, for behold he prayeth.
The mark of a man that's been brought
into a relationship with the Lord, that was
his distinguishing feature.
Now as a Pharisee, and possibly a member
of the Sanhedrin, a man who was a
teacher and skilled, he had spent much time
in prayer, but the Lord describes him now,
behold, he's a praying man.
This is a man who is in prayer.
Chapter 10, and verse 9, And on the
morrow, as they went on their journey, they
drew nigh unto the city.
Peter went up upon the housetop to pray
about the sixth hour.
And here, just a simple statement that the
implication is, it was his practice, but certainly
he had set himself aside for this day,
in the middle of the day, in the
heat of the day, to find a respite,
and go to the rooftop and spend some
time in prayer.
In chapter 12, and verse 5, the word
of God reminds us that Peter had been
put into prison, James had been decapitated, and
the peril of all the others were just
the apprehension and the fear, and the whole
city was in a tumult as a result
of this activity, and a very familiar statement
in verse 5, Peter therefore was kept in
prison, but prayer was made without ceasing of
the church unto God for him.
The exercise to intercede for others in a
time of peril.
In chapter 13, it's quite different circumstance that
Antioch, the prophets and the teachers, the leadership
of the local assembly are together, they're exercising
their heart before God, and in verse 2,
they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the
Holy Ghost said, separate me Barnabas and Saul
for the work whereunto I have called them.
Most instructive, and a very important principle, that
it was not that Barnabas and Saul received
the call here, they obviously knew they had
been drawn by God to this service, but
the fact that the leadership in the local
church were told, separate me Paul and Barnabas,
and their activity was, and when they had
fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on
them, they sent them away.
Identifying themselves with the new workers, they would
intercede for workers that are in prison, and
they're going to intercede for workers that are
being thrust out and let go to do
the work of the Lord.
A constant reminder, even though these are just
brief, but we see the early church almost
in every chapter, in every varying experience, men
of prayer, men and women who were before
God, exercised in concern.
Some of this spirit seems to be slipping
away from us.
It's not so frequent and not so regular
and not so consistent.
There are times for prayer, and we come
together, hopefully, and assemble with God's people for
stated, planned meetings for prayer, but that does
not seem to be the tone of prayer
here.
They do that, obviously, but the thought is
there's a constant retreat to prayer, a constant
concern to be in prayer, and the missionary
in chapter 14, after he has established a
work, and God has given him wisdom to
seek out on this first missionary trip those
that would be appropriate for leadership, we read
in verse 23, and when they had ordained
them elders in every church and prayed with
fasting, they commended them to the Lord on
whom they believed.
Here again, the exercise of heart to identify
prayer on the behalf of those that are
going to be leadership in the church.
This is not particularly a specific meeting, but
rather that which is in the logical flow
of the activities of the local church.
They seem to have made God very near,
very real, a sense of their dependence upon
him, a constant retreating into his presence, a
consistent exercise of soul to be in touch
with the Lord and involved with him and
laying out the problems and the needs of
the local church before him.
In chapter 20, in verse 36, again it
was the apostle, as we mentioned last evening,
after he met with the elders at Ephesus,
they had come down to meet him at
Miletus, there was a very moving time together,
and in verse 36, when he had thus
spoken, he kneeled down and prayed with them
all.
A token of fellowship, certainly.
A token of commending these men who are
potential leaders for the church at Ephesus into
the hands of God is an expression of
separation.
All of these things are involved, but again,
it's the thought of doing it in prayer.
Speaking to God about the work of the
Lord and the needs of the work.
Constantly exercising our hearts before him.
It is this that gave dynamic and power
and effectiveness to the early church.
We oftentimes don't see each other.
We oftentimes do not have the same privilege
in our heavily structured lives in large metropolitan
cities with businessmen constantly on the move and
housewives seeking to take care of their responsibilities,
and how important it is when we do
come together to be able to pray, to
have that freedom.
But it seems everything else will interfere with
those things.
But it is very pleasant where there is
an opportunity, and if we are living in
a quieter community where there is privilege to
be together, that we would turn to the
Lord in prayer.
Not in formality because of an obligation, but
rather because of warmth and desire to share.
When we hear of the needs of others,
we would think of immediately going to his
presence and praying for them.
Praying for protection on the road, praying for
their strengthening and blessing, praying for those that
might be coming to visit, praying for the
meetings that are going on.
There are many different ways that we can
individually express our interest and concern and support
for one another.
Now, in all of these references, and in
Exercises of Heart, it establishes a very basic
concept that the practice of prayer in the
early church was evident.
But what did individuals think about this?
Now this is what we would like to
direct our thoughts to.
The Apostle Paul in 2 Thessalonians chapter 3.
2 Thessalonians chapter 3.
Now here is a man who is in
the middle of this missionary journey, and as
he travels, he looks back, and as near
as we can tell, this is the first
set of letters that he has written.
In 1 Thessalonians he writes his first letter,
and this letter is the first volume, the
first expression of church doctrine that is included
in the word of God.
This letter appears to be the first one
that he has written, and in the end
of this letter he urges, in 1 Thessalonians
5 and 17, that we should pray without
ceasing.
But being more specific, in 2 Thessalonians in
chapter 3, he says, Finally brethren, at the
end of his second letter, Finally brethren, pray
for us, that the word of the Lord
may have recourse and be glorified, even as
it was or is with you, and that
we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked
men, for all men have not faith.
The letter is dealing with the latter times,
and the responsibilities of the church, and giving
them insight, and correcting misconceptions regarding some teaching
that they had been exposed to, or whether
human natural thinking had led them, and after
he is clarifying this, he says, Now finally
brethren, pray for us.
Why does Paul want prayer?
What is he expecting their prayer to do
for him?
Chapter 3, verse 1.
What's the first request that he has?
The word of the Lord have recourse.
What does that mean?
What do you imply from that?
Not be hindered.
What else?
Obstacles to be removed.
What might be obstacles that would hinder the
word of God?
Those who are blatantly opposed to Christian doctrine.
That's right, the political time, the feeling of
the era, and the people.
Ridicule of the word itself.
I said, Now pray that this the word
would be free, and, what's that second phrase?
And be glorified, even as it is with
you.
How did they glorify the word?
Getting to know it, studying it.
Studying it, by getting to know it, by
accepting it into their lives, and having it
affect their lives.
And as they received the word, and it
affected them, there sounded out from them the
gospels all over Achaia, all over the Greek
peninsula.
People were hearing the word of God, because
these Thessalonians had embraced the truth.
And he says, Now what's been effectively done
in your heart?
Pray.
Pray for us, that, 1.
The word of the Lord would have recourse,
and that it would have its good effect.
2.
Be free to be magnified in the life
of the listeners, and that, secondly, we may
be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men.
Prayer for what?
Safety, protection for the missionary, that the worker
himself would be kept from peril.
Now these are very simple, basic things, but
they give us good insight.
Are there areas today, workers in areas, there
is perilous to announce the word of God?
There might be political or religious opposition to
it?
Certainly.
For what should we be praying?
The word would have recourse, and in those
that hear it, they would truly embrace it,
and it would be a glorifying thing to
God, and to the word, and that the
worker himself, those that are serving, he or
she might be given protection and care.
The world is filled with wicked, unreasonable people
that do not have faith, that are not
sensitive to respond to the word of God.
Now, in this first group of letters, he
announces his convictions concerning prayer.
We should continue in prayer with a group
of believers at Thessalonica, pray that the word
would go forth with power, and not only
with freedom, but it would have a good
effect in the listeners, and that the worker
himself would be protected.
Now, if you would, would you look at
2 Corinthians?
This would appear to me, at least, to
be the next in the series of these
little letters.
2 Corinthians, in chapter 1, he is talking
about physical peril now, physical hazards that threaten
his very life.
For you would not, brethren, have you ignorant
of our trouble which came to us in
Asia, that we were pressed out of measure,
above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of
life, that we had the sentence of death
in ourselves, that we should not trust in
ourselves, but in God, which raiseth the dead,
who delivereth us from so great a death,
and doth deliver, in whom we trust that
he will yet deliver us.
You also, helping together by prayer for us,
that for the gift bestowed upon us by
the means of many persons, thanks may be
given by many on our behalf."
Verse 11 tells us what?
Paul's conviction, and what does he think concerning
their prayer?
All right, very good.
Starts us off with, it's valuable.
What is its effect?
What is the real value of this prayer?
You also, helping together by prayer for us.
Helping do what?
We're in fellowship and in cooperation with God,
and God who delivered him from what?
From trouble and death itself.
The very threat and the peril of death,
and God comes in, and what part did
the Corinthians have?
By praying for him.
They might not have known, particularly, that he
was in this condition over there in Asia,
but when he writes this letter, he says
that God has delivered me, and he is
delivering me, and I believe he will yet
deliver me.
You also, helping together.
Now, he doesn't talk this way in his
last epistle to Timothy.
He knows that he is going to be
executed, and he has accepted that, but he
senses the freedom and the enabling, and he
attributes it to the cooperative prayer of God's
people.
How many times, in my simple experience in
serving the Lord, we have felt God's special
help, and special enabling, and the confidence, not
being able to write or say to an
individual, it was your prayer, but knowledge that
the intercession of God's people had been helpful,
and encouraging, and sometimes, in a very specific
way, enabling.
We cannot overemphasize the importance of being mindful
of those that are serving the Lord and
their need for prayer.
It is of great importance that those who
are handling the word of God, to keep
them humble, to keep them useful, to keep
them enabled to be fruitful, to make them
be in the position where they can sense
what it is they should be doing, and
what specific ministries.
We all need prayer, but these are the
worker himself, very mindful of the great importance
of intercessory prayer.
Now, this is emphasized, I think, in the
last part of the book of Romans.
A most remarkable statement is made in Romans
chapter 15.
We've been thinking now, in Thessalonians, the next
letter Corinthians, the next letter Romans, statements concerning
Paul's convictions of prayer.
We know that the early church practiced prayer
in every imaginable aspect of their life.
Prayer was woven into it.
Now, Paul is convinced that he is practically
helped by this.
Now, he says, in verse 30, I beseech
you, this is an imploring, an intense word,
I beseech you, brethren, for the Lord Jesus
Christ's sake, and for the love of the
Spirit, that you strive together with me in
your prayers to God for me.
Now, that word, strive together, it's the only
time it's used in the New Testament, and
it's a compounding of words.
And the idea is, it's the English, our
English word to agonize, comes from this basic
word that is described here as strive together.
And so the idea is, in the language
in which this Bible was written, and during
that time, we might say, we saw maybe
an athletic event with, say, a remarkably great
basketball team, and they moved very rapidly, and
they seemed to pass quickly, and there was
great movement and symmetry, and they just seemed
to be unstoppable, unbeatable.
And we would say that they did everything
in concert, there was real team workmanship, or
team play, that's the expression here.
It was applied in the Greek games to
any kind of physical competition with a group
of people that were acted in concert with
each other with intensity, and exercise of physical
and mental strain, that's what's conveyed, a very
strong word.
And I beseech you, who there at Rome
can be together as a collective team, remember
now, each of these letters are written to
corporate groups of believers.
And what is in mind here is not
individual prayer at Thessalonica, and not individual prayer
at Corinth, nor at Rome, but corporate prayer,
coming together in team concert, in team cooperation,
exercise of heart, and strive together, toward what
end?
That I may be delivered from them do
not believe in Judea.
Physical protection, right?
And secondly, that my service which I have
for Jerusalem may be accepted of the saints.
He is carrying a gift, a gift from
whom?
Gentile believers, right?
Christians at Macedonia, Corinth, he's carrying this gift,
and he's moving toward the city of Now
what is he asking for?
That my service which I have for Jerusalem
may be accepted of the saints.
Why would they not want to accept this
gift?
Because it came from Gentiles.
What do we call that?
Prejudice?
National pride?
Independent spirit?
We're not going to receive anything from Gentiles?
Pardon?
Pride?
That's right.
Now, what is he asking that the corporate
prayer of God's people would do?
Bind them together in love.
Good expression.
Effectively overpower national prejudices or pride.
And it's very easy for one person, a
worker of any kind, coming into an area,
making a parallel in a contemporary time, that
you might have misunderstanding amongst the people to
whom you go.
That we should be praying that they would
be giving this special enabling and God would
predispose those to whom he or she is
going to minister to be able to receive
their ministries, whether it comes in the form
of financial gifts or the teaching of God's
word.
But the exercise of heart, what does this
tell us about prayer?
Corporate prayer amongst God's people.
Give us an inclination.
Start our thoughts.
Without the exact detail of repeating each of
the things, what does it tell us about
corporate prayer?
Very good.
It changes things and people, does it not?
What else?
Pardon?
It has an effective power operating, not only
through the word of God, but in the
hearts and lives of individuals who may not
be disposed, humanly speaking, to think and feel
that way.
These are great significant things.
Why does the prayer have that effect?
Is it because I bow my head and
speak?
Is there something mystical or magical about the
posture of prayer or the fact that we
are doing this together?
What's the real force?
The Spirit of God doing what?
Right, moving in our hearts corporately, freeing him
and liberating him.
And the real effectiveness is our great God
seeing mutual corporate agreement in the name of
the Lord, confessing impediments, mutual concern for the
glory of Christ, and he is thus freed
to work and be enabled in some capacity.
It's a realm that we do not really
understand, but we know that we don't wrestle
against flesh and blood, but against principalities and
powers, the rulers of darkness and the wickedness
in high places.
It's a spirit conflict, and we need to
free and be participant in it and capacitate
those that are serving that they'd not be
encumbered with the opposition.
Tremendous potential if we are exercised for prayer.
Now the apostle goes further, and in Philippians
chapter 1, he writes something that is very
familiar to us, but it describes a little
intimate exercise of heart that comes from this
man.
We're moving later into his life now.
I read from chapter 1 in verse 12,
but our thoughts are found in verse 19.
I would that you should understand, brethren, that
the things which have happened unto me have
fallen outrather unto the furtherance of the gospel.
I am in jail.
I am in prison, but the gospel is
being furthered.
Don't lament because the great apostle to the
Gentiles has been detained in some way.
It's actually been turned to the furtherance of
the gospel, so that my bonds in Christ
are manifest in all the palace and in
other places.
I have freedom to move around in the
areas where others cannot go, right amongst the
royalty, in the houses where their soldiers live
and the servants are, and I am reaching
out with the gospel, and many of the
brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my
bonds, are much more bold to speak the
word without fear.
Others are being freed who felt impeded because,
well, I can't speak because the apostle's here,
but now because he has been detained, now
they have been raised up, and they are
sharing the word of God.
Some, indeed, preach even out of envy and
strife.
Unfortunately, there were some that thought, aha, Paul's
in prison, and now I'll really add to
his burden.
I'll go out and preach, and that'll make
him feel bad.
It was just envy and strife, a contentious
attitude, but they were preaching Christ.
The one preached Christ of contention, not sincerely,
supposing to add affliction to my bonds, but
the other of love, knowing that I am
set for the defense of the gospel.
What then?
Notwithstanding every way, whether in pretense or in
truth, Christ is preached, and I therein do
rejoice.
Yea, and will rejoice, for I know that
this shall turn to my salvation through your
prayer and the supply of the spirit of
Jesus Christ.
He has a confidence that even though there
is a great hurt to himself, people meaning
to add offense, that the gospel is still
going forth, and that these very experiences are
going to be turned to his greater freedom,
and maybe even a liberation from the prison,
and the apprehension of immediate death, all because
of their intercessory prayer.
He said concerning Corinth, I know that your
prayers have delivered me.
Here he is saying to Philippi, I believe
your prayers will deliver me.
The past experience and his convictions about corporate
prayer on his behalf have assured him that
there will be something in the future done
and giving him special enabling, and it might
also mean that these things shall turn and
through your prayer and the supply of the
spirit, there will be an extra ministration given
to me.
Do pray for me over there at Philippi.
I don't know how many times we have
heard servants of the Lord, missionaries, ask us,
brethren, pray for us, and I don't know
how many times we have been moved by
the spirit of God and reminded.
Now I know that it is very difficult.
We sometimes become discouraged, and we look at
that large manual, and there's so many workers,
and there's so many preachers, and there's so
many needs, but it would be a very
fine thing if the Lord touched your heart
through this week that we have spent together
and talked about prayer, and seen scores and
scores of portions, some in detail, some just
a cursory observation, but the whole idea is
the Lord spent time in prayer when he
was on earth.
The Lord is spending time in prayer now
that he is in heaven.
The whole church in the early years spent
time in prayer.
The Lord has exhorted us to pray.
The apostle has affirmed again and again the
power and the effectiveness of turning to him
in prayer.
It says, concerning Job, whose afflictions and problems,
oh, we just don't have to go over
it.
Just the name brings back some real heartache
and grief beyond our comprehension, but what does
it say about him?
The Lord did something for Job when he
did something for others.
He turned his captivity.
The Lord moved in his life and freed
and blessed him when he started to pray
for his friends.
Up to that time, he had been thinking
about himself, and something happened when he started
to pray for others, and those men that
were ministering to him, and he prayed for
them, and raised his heart to God for
them, and the Lord delivered himself.
He spared him.
He refreshed him.
He enabled him.
I am sure there is a great blessing
available to us, and of course, I would
be rather careless to say the least if
I didn't personally say, I surely trust that
maybe one or two of you in the
coming days and months might just have something
nestle in your heart, and you might remember.
There's many people that come through, and many
friends, and many contacts, but what a blessing
for us, for Joyce and me, that you
might remember us in prayer, and think of
us, and ask the Lord to do his
will in us, and then through us.
In the latter part of Colossians, there's kind
of a summary statement.
In Colossians chapter 4, in chapter 3, he
begins a series of exhortations to wives, to
husbands, to children, to fathers, to servants.
It goes over into chapter 4.
It's an unfortunate chapter division, and to the
households, servants, and to the masters, and then
he says in verse 2, continue in prayer,
and watch in the same with thanksgiving, with
all praying also for us, that God would
open unto us a door of utterance to
speak the mystery of Christ, for I am
also in bond, that I may make it
manifest as I ought to speak.
This is a little linkage.
He has just described the Christian home, and
how it should function, and then he says,
be continuing in prayer.
Be constantly before the Lord in prayer.
The only way the Christian home is going
to work, and the things that I start
to tell you in chapter 3, verse 18,
all the way through into chapter 4, verse
1, the only way that's going to work,
and be realistic as you continually give attention
to prayer, and then constantly be alerted in
that prayer time with thanksgiving.
Just believe that God is going to work,
and that brings down our prayer right into
our daily family living.
It's not just reaching way off to foreign
lands.
It's not just thinking of missionaries.
It is not merely our communion in expressing
to God.
It's not only for our good to be
Christ-like.
It's not merely for enlarging our lives spiritually,
but it's coming right into the experience of
daily life, husband and wife, father and children,
children to parents, all these intimate relationships.
Be constantly alerted and continually speaking to God
in prayer.
What's the issue of all of that?
And Paul says, and for me, that I
might be enabled to speak out the great
mystery of Christ, the truths of the church,
the dispensation given to me.
It's a wonderful thing, isn't it, that we
can speak to God, and bring blessing to
our own souls, and blessing into the lives
of others.
Well, come up and close for us, will
you?
Come up and close for us.
What a privilege we have.
The living God.
Don't touch it.
The living God, listening to all that was
said this morning.
We're unable to take it in, but thank
God He knows that, too, and makes up
for it.
Our Father, we thank Thee from the depths
of our hearts for the fact that Thou
hast touched our own hearts to be part
and parcel of that which our brother has
been able to bring to our remembrance.
The need is great.
Oh God, we have to confess.
We carry little with us as we leave
here, but it is line upon line, precept
upon precept, and eventually, blessed Lord, we'll be
in Thy very presence and understand it all.
For this privilege, then, this morning, we thank
Thee.
Pray for our brother.
Lord, He has asked us in the closing
remarks to pray for him.
We would with hearts vowed in Thy presence
and remember that he, too, is like us,
just a human individual, but the Spirit of
God has given him great thoughts from Thyself.
We thank Thee this morning for any part
that has reached our own hearts in all
that has been said.
We commit one another to Thee.
Pray for the blessing of God on what
has been said to the essence that our
Lord Jesus Christ will be exalted in our
own lives, day by day, as we wait
for Him in the precious, purest name of
our Lord Jesus Christ.
We ask Thy blessing, giving thanks.
Amen.