Acts 1,2,3,4,6,7
1. last week I spoke on prayer. We pray & God answers with a Yes, No, or Wait.
2. today I want us to pray with the early church. We are gong to look at 5-6 vignettes, pictures, of prayer from the book of Acts.
3. 1st Mike Higgs on prayer @ CAC…
Prayer story: Rogelio Dubrico
1. Rogelio Dubrico is a Filipino pastor. I met him in 1976-77 when I was a college student on a short-term mission in the Philippines. We’ve maintained a friendship since then. I saw him again 3 years ago when John Abraham & I went to the Philippines.
2. when Rogelio was 16-17 years old he had a string of boils around his stomach, sides & back. He was sick & getting sicker. Losing weight. Told by doctors that there was nothing they could do for him. His mother began to fast & pray for his healing. He was near death & made a bargain with God – if you heal me. I will serve you with my life!
3. God healed him. I’ve seen the scars that circle his stomach & back. Rogelio has been a pastor, church planter, bible college founder, D.S. & now is the National Director for Church Planting in the Philippines. He’s one of the most amazing Christ-followers I’ve known.
4. his whole ministry has been birthed, guided, driven & empowered by prayer. When I saw him 3 years ago, after some probing, he told me that he often spends 2 hours praying in the middle of the night.
Acts 1:14 + 2:42 + 6:4 – persistence in prayer
1. there is one word that Luke uses to describe the prayer practice of the beginning church – proskartereo:
Þ 1:14: constantly – they all joined together constantly in prayer
Þ 2:42: devoted – they devoted themselves to…prayer
Þ 6:4: give our attention: we will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word
2. the root of proskartereo is to be strong, steadfast. This is a word of action & discipline. Action fueled by commitment & discipline. Persistence. Staying with something. Holding on.
3. this word is not about feelings – do I feel like praying? No, this word is about the will. Willing oneself to pray in spite of feelings or circumstances.
1:14
1. the 11 disciples, the women, Jesus’ mother, his brothers are waiting for the baptism of the Holy Spirit (1:5). This is after Christ’s death, resurrection, return to heaven.
2. they joined together to pray. Another important word – with one mind or passion. They agreed together. They were unified. Physically, they met together. Spiritually, they were one in what they prayed for.
3. in the 1st days after Christ’s ascension, what do we find his followers doing? NOT preaching or teaching or healing or giving witness of Christ BUT praying.
Acts 2:42
1. devoted – those 1st followers of Christ gave themselves to teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread & prayer.
2. prayer was part of what defined them. This is the rank of file. The Petes Marys Bills Daves Rachels of the church. Ordinary people. Devoted to prayer. Think daily discipline.
Acts 6:4
1. there was a problem in the food panty of the early church. Grecian Jewish widows were being overlooked by the Hebraic Jews in the daily distribution of food. Conflict.
2. don’t miss this – what do we find those 1st followers of Christ up to? Running a food panty, feeding widows, taking care of the poor.
3. 7 men were chosen to oversee the food panty. The 12 were freed up to give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word. Give our attention is our word – constantly & devoted.
4. the people in 2:42 & the leaders in 6:4 were defined by their prayer lives.
Acts 3:1 – fixed hour prayer
1. Peter & John – 2 of the 12 disciples, 2 of the leaders of the beginning church.
2. were going up to the temple at the time of prayer at 3 in the afternoon. Going clear back to the time of David, 1000 years before this, the Jewish people prayed 3xs a day – morning, afternoon, evening. This prayer was usually offered in the temple.
Þ Psalm 55:16-17
Þ Daniel 6:10 – prayed 3xs day
3. Peter & John, as followers of Christ, continued this Jewish custom of prayer.
4. eventually this became the church’s practice of prayer – the daily offices of prayer. These offices were kept alive in the monastic movement. Are being rediscovered today across the church: Praying With The Church by Scot McKnight.
5. prayer was woven into the very structure of the day.
4:23-31 – prayer meeting
1. Peter & John were thrown in jail for preaching that Jesus was resurrected from the dead (2-3). They were questioned by the religious leaders in Jerusalem. Then released.
2. they went back to “the church” and gave them a report. A prayer meeting broke out:
Þ Sovereign Lord – in control of all
Þ you made the heaven earth sea everything – God of creation
Þ you spoke by the Holy Spirit... – God of revelation
Þ Herod and Pontius Pilate… - God of history
Þ speak with boldness – prayer request
Þ heal signs wonders – prayer request
3. what happened? God showed up. Place shook. They were filled with the Holy Spirit. They spoke the word of God boldly!
Acts 7:59-60 – prayer at death’s door
1. the 1st martyr of the church was Stephen – stoned to death.
2. Stephen prayed while he was being stoned. Lord Jesus, receive my spirit – a prayer of surrender & relinquishment. Stephen’s faith remained strong till the end.
3. Lord, do not hold this sin against them – a prayer of forgiveness. Stephen forgave those who were killing him.
4. who has killed something in you by stoning you with their words, actions, behavior, indifference? I think the order here is important. We 1st surrender our lives to Jesus – we are his. And then we can forgive those who sin against us.
5. who do you need to forgive this morning?
What lessons can we learn from these vignettes?
1. prayer deserves our best efforts & strictest discipline. These are bound up in the word proskartereo. Constantly, devoted, give attention. These are the bench marks we should aim for in our church.
2. corporate prayer should be a high value. The first 4 vignettes are pictures of the beginning church at prayer together. Part of what we should do when we gather together is pray – in worship, in our bible studies, small groups, classes, ministry teams, leadership meetings. NOT prayer as an agenda item BUT prayer as the very essence of who we are as the church.
3. leaders are called to live lives of prayer. A word to those of us in leadership. The 12 said we are called to give ourselves to pray & Scripture. One thing I’ve learned about leadership from Bobby Clinton at Fuller Seminary is this – if God calls you to lead a ministry then you are called to pray for that ministry.
4. all of us who lead various parts of the ministry here at CAC – how are we doing? Do we pray? Are we committed to pray? Do we set aside time to pray?
5. leaders are called to live lives of prayer. Corporate prayer should be a high value. Prayer deserves our best effort & strictest discipline.
Prayer story: Sam Sesay
1. Sam & Josephine moved to Lungi several years ago (Muslim village of 20,000, no infrastructure – power, lights, sewer). Rented a house near the ocean. Were told it was a ‘bad’ house – tree in the backyard had been used for witchcraft, offerings, sacrifices for years.
2. began to have nightmares, couldn’t sleep. Hear noises in the house at night, in the dark. Felt oppression. Affecting them physically, spiritually, emotionally.
3. fasted & prayed for 3 days for the power of God to come down upon that house & free them.
4. at the end of 3 days a huge wind came up & blew the tree over into the ocean. 10-15 minutes later people started arriving at the house from the surrounding area – where’s the fire? They told Sam & Josephine they saw fire fall down from the sky in the area of their house!
5. power encounter between God & the powers of darkness. God established his presence in the village & in Sam & Josephine’s ministry. God answered prayer!
………
Music I listened to while sermonizing –Coldplay
Books I was reading & studied while sermonizing – The Spirit, The Church & The World by John Stott; Acts by Simon Kistenmaker; Acts by Ajith Fernando; Consuming Jesus by Paul Louis Metzger; A Community Called Atonement by Scot McKnight
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