God of the How Much More with Ptr. Edmund Chan 01/31/2016

today friends were so honored and privileged to have with us as our guest speaker a seasoned disciple-making pastor as you all know CCF is a church that believes and practices disciple-making our guest speaker is a leadership mentor of the Covenant of angelical Free Church in Singapore and he's passed that church for 25 years in 1995 he launched the annual intentional disciple making church they called I DMC it's a conference for pastors and leaders around the world and I've had the privilege together my wife and many leaders of CCF to attend this conference many many times he serves likewise on as an advisor advisory council of several Christian organizations most recently he together with pastor Peter tan she have joined their hearts and visions and established the global discipleship Congress and that was first held in CCF Center in 1990 2013 and again over the past four days it was a successfully attended conference with over 25 nations and many people from different countries six thousand leaders he's authored many books just to name a few growing deep in God growing deep in faith and managing paradigms he travels around the world inspiring and challenging leaders Christian leaders in intentional discipleship he's from Singapore he's married to an his wife who's very very active ministers actively alongside him they have two lovely daughters Amanda and delecia let's all give a warm reciting CCF alabang welcome to Pastor Edmond Chen thank you faster thank you good morning to Jesus prayer is crucial vital in developing the spiritual life and more significantly in accomplishing the purposes of God on planet Earth that is why in Luke chapter 10 verse 2 Jesus said to his disciples the harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few therefore pray that a lot of the hovers would send forth laborers into the harvest field but we got to understand this contrast first of all the harbor's is everything the farmer works for so in an agricultural society the harvest is of utmost importance to have a plentiful harvest as good news but here's the contrast is the bad news the harvest is plentiful and you need plentiful laborers however in contrast the laborers are few can you see the bad news good news harvest plentiful bad news laborers are few then Jesus say therefore pray he did not say therefore go and recruit more laborers it's important but that's not foundational he did not say go and mobilize everyone so that they can get into the hovers rather he says therefore pray that the lord of the harvest was sent for the laborers now it comes to impress upon our hearts how important pray is so when you come to one chapter after that Luke chapter 11 turn him in your Bibles to Luke chapter 11 verse 1 he says and Jesus was praying it begins in in verse 1 now Jesus was praying in a certain place and when he finished one of his disciples said to him Lord teach us to pray as John taught his disciples we need to be taught to pray I remember when my daughter was very young we stay in a tree tear family my parents my daughters and and any myself and when my daughter was very young grandma was eating fish there was a fishbone lodge in the throat and she couldn't take it out and my little daughter came to pray for her she was very very young listen to a prayer Lord Jesus bless grandma's fishbone bless it to her body in Jesus name Amen kids say is the funnest thing by God's grace a grandmas fishbone did not trouble her the Lord answered the prayer of the little child then I remember as a youth way back I was a youth wife see you for price speaker we went to a camp the youth leaders gathered they decided to pray for the CEM and they decided to pray for the camp premises so they went to every room they went to the dining hall they pray for the the meeting place that the presence of the Lord would be there and they pray for every place including the toilet and this is how one of the youth leaders inadvertently pray Lord we consecrate this toilet for your use teachers to pray in 1994 I was ministering in Chicago and after speaking there three board members I was I was in my forties in those days and three board members in the 50s 60s and 70s came to me and say pastor Qian would you teach us to pray ah I did not say come lisandro in a class or I give you a book of prayer or let's do a Bible study I said come and pray with me you want to learn to pray come and pray me we meet every Tuesday night and we're coming I remember the first prayer meeting they came after dinner and they expected this American and church leaders the yujo the you juries we sit we get to know another which each air we share pray requests then we pray they sat down in the first thing I did was immediately free and then they join in the prayer and we were so caught up in the worship in the presence of God in the prayer one hour later I closed in prayer and then I asked them what's the number one lesson they learned up a prayer and all three of this layer American lay leaders said we learn that in the presence of God time flies because they were also surprised how we can pray for one hour and that the time just flew by you see there is a supernatural naturalness of a pray at this point the disciples didn't really realize that so they waited for Jesus he was praying in a certain place the Bible ptosis and after he finished they came to him and said Lord teach us to pray now these was he was bringing a certain place and when he had finished they said to him it's actually redundant in superfluous now please understand in the early days they don't have books books is cheaper to produce books is cheaper in print in those days it is very expensive to write things now in peppers and other instruments of writing is costly so the economy of worse is important so in new chapter 1 verse 11 verse 1 it could simply be stated now after Jesus praying his disciples came to him and he did not stake my way he stated now when Jesus praying in a certain place after he finished now here's the question between the he was praying after he finished what happened what happened was they were standing in awe of something that was stirring in their soul the Son of God was praying and they stood there and they were thinking to themselves if this is so important to him it must be important to us but what is he praying we want to know we want to learn there is something special there's something sublime there's something tremendous in seeing the Son of God pray so they came in did not cheat other you go ask him no no you go ask him they have one question and the question is in a form of a request Lord teach us to pray as John taught us taught his disciples the question is how do you pray now please understand the prayer request is very specific they did not say teachers to pray the specific places teachers to pray as John taught his disciples so the question is how the John teaches disciples John taught his disciples in a rabbinic way in a Jewish way where he wrote them a prayer formula the rabbis would come write a prayer formula or the prayer prayer they will recite and the apprentice the disciples will recite the prayer they will recite the prayer formula in other words this is what happened they saw Jesus praying they were moved by the sublimity of the moment they came to him with a specific request give us a prayer formula teach us to pray notice they did not say teach us to pray as you pray because they had something specific in mind teach us to pray as John taught his disciples in other words Lord as John gave a prayer formula like a Jewish rabbi to his disciples now know as John gave his disciples we early disciples if there was a prayer formula now if I were Jesus I will go like you are apostles in training what is this thing about pray formula grow up Jesus did not answer that way Jesus gave them a prayer formula so in in Luke chapter 11 verse 2 to 4 this was the prayer formula he gave them our Father who art in heaven hallowed be thy name thy kingdom come Luke chapter 11 verse 2 2 for I call it the approved pattern this is a prayer formula and it is what is known now as the Lord's Prayer it's a misnomer The Lost Prayer actually is recorded in John chapter 17 with a lot prayed this is actually the disciples prayer the prayer he gave to his disciples there was a little boy who came back from sunny school very excitedly and the father asked what do you learn in sunny schools I learned a new name of God what's the new name of God God's name is Harrow where do you get there he recited I learned our Father who art in heaven Hallowed is your name another little boy in Sunday school when like a father in ah who art in heaven hallow what is your name now there are many things to say about lots praise very special is very profound because at the center of the Lord's Prayer is thy kingdom come Thy will be done on earth in our own earth as it is in heaven the kingdom of God there is a to centricity of God centeredness in the prayer but today my focus is not on the Lord's Prayer for a simple reason listen carefully now when the disciples say Lord teach us to pray as John taught his disciples to pray Jesus taught them the greatest lesson about prayer ever taught in the entire scriptures the Lord's Prayer was only the preliminary you understand they asked for a pattern they asked for a formula so he gave them a formula in answer to their question and request but he has something more from that formula the approved pattern he gave them an astounding parable now if you are in the habit of writing an outline for the Bible text these are the three main points I want to shave you today I'll give it to you first and then I unpack it for you the first in chapter r 11 verse 2 to 4 Jesus gave the approved pattern the prayer formula and then in verse 5 to 8 he gave an astounding parable verse 5 to 8 and finally we will look at the abiding principle from verse 19 verse 30 the approve button the astounding parable and the abiding principle from verse 2 to 4 five to eight and verse nine to thirteen but let me unpack for you after giving this approved pattern he gave them a parable in other words he wasn't just answering the question he was more significantly answering the question nur Lord teach us to pray as John taught his disciples give us a prayer formula so he gave them a prayer problem formula known as the Lord's Prayer but he moved on listen now to teach them the most important lesson Jesus ever taught about prayer and he taught it in the form of a story look now Allu chapter 11 verse 5 this is the astounding parable he gave them and he said to them which of you who has a friend who will go to him at midnight and say to him friend lend me three loaves for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey and have nothing to set before him and he will answer from heaven do not bother me the door is now shut and my children are with me in bed I cannot get up and give you anything verse 8 I tell you though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend yet because of his imprudence he will rise and give him whatever he needs the greatest lesson Jesus ever thought about prayer in the form of a story and the principle thereafter would you posit me in prayer for a moment and just asked a lot to enlighten our mind to what this greatest lesson is would you pray of me father once again we ask open our eyes to be whole wonderful truth out of your word and teachers not just be hearers of your word but doers also we thank you in Jesus name Amen now I'm gonna give you a handle to study parables any parable in the Bible there are only three things you look for and you can apply these three things to all the parables of the Bible you are studying the first is determined the setting the second the story and the third the significance for every parable you study the setting the context by which the parable is told the story itself what is the parable what's the story and then lastly the significance of it the moral of the story in this context is very simple the parable was toe in a setting where the disciples came and say Lord teach us to pray here's the story bang bang bang bang bang bang what is this it is near midnight bang bang bang what is it give me some bread I'm asleep now here's the interesting TV asleep you cannot say you are asleep he's saying go away don't disturb me bang bang bang I have a friend coming from a distant country and no food to set before him I cannot get up to give you my I'm asleep my kids are in bed bang bang bang please help now please understand this in our culture in a modern world we don't understand the urgency of this and the significance of this in the ancient world in the day of hospitality you have a friend coming from afar if you have no food to place before your friend it is not just a shame to you or even your entire family it's a shame to the entire village you should provide but I have nothing to set before him please help bang bang bang go away bang bang bang and listen to what Jesus said Jesus said verse 8 I tell you though he would not get up and give him anything because it is his friend know what is he say he will not get up to give him anything because he is his friend I'm your friend I will not give you anything that's not the meaning the better translation would be he did not get up to give him anything even though he is his friend not because of his restrain but even though he is his friend yet because of his bang bang bang he gave him and gave him he rose up gave him everything he needs now he has a significant thing to understand about this parable because it's one of the most misunderstood parables in all of the Bible why because we fail to realize this is a parable of contrasts the Jews used the rhetoric of contrasts in their teaching there's a wise man there's a foolish man the wise man built his house upon the sand foolish member of his house upon the rock contrast contrast the house on the sands fell flat the house on the rock stood firm contrast the Jews and Jesus in the rabbinic tradition used contrast a lot in his teaching we got to understand this is a parable of contrasts in other words put it in simple terms listen now God is not like that this is the heart of the parable God is not like that if we fail to understand this as a parable of contrast we were thing immediately that the lesson of this parable setting story significance the significance of this parable is that you must come to God as a reluctant God and you must gain bang-bang-bang and you come again in prayer bang bang bang somehow you twist the arm of God until he cannot stand you and he says ok ok what do you want God is not like that in other words prayer is not trying to overcome God's reluctance prayer is cooperating with his highest willingness some of us with the wrong thing King we think Jesus is teaching that you need to be persistent before the Lord bang bang bang bang bang bang and then the lower answer you we think we need a certain prayer formula say the right words the sincerity and intensity of our words the loudness of our words the length of our prayer will move God God is not like that this is a parable of contrasts God is not like the reluctant neighbor God is willing to give now here's the question then why is it in verse 8 Jesus gave the story its principle in stating it as a rhetorical question when he asked him verse when he said in verse 8 the statements are in no question the statement he made in verse 8 even though he was his friend and wasn't willing to give him anything but because of his persistence he rose up and gave him now I want to suggest the words that persistence is not capturing the Greek word accurately the Greek word is an idea and idea is translated in some version because of his persistence I do not believe that Jesus there is a need for persistence in prayer but I do not believe that this is the text that teaches persistence and pray the word an idea is a compound word the a in front is what we call a a prefix that is stating the negative an idea has the idea of shame the prefix a is no shame or without shame so when you put the word an idea together the idea is no shame without shame now when you are with out say it is bonus the ESV translated it interestingly the what n idea is translated imprudence imprudence have the idea basically you are not embarrassed without shame I was talking to a dear friend Bible translator Bible scholar Bruce woky we were talking about users of lipika words one day I called him up he said oh I mean no his wife said oh he's in Switzerland you try and call him in his context in Switzerland he was they in Europe translating with a group of international translators of the Bible he's one of the eminent scholars in the scriptures and so we call him up and he said em and I got good news for you he said what you wrote in the book growing deep in God an idea without shame rather in persistence the newer translation has captured the Greek word more accurately it is bolli or without shame or imprudence not persistence now here's the idea it's the idea if its persistence then it's bang bang bang no answer bang bang bang no answer if you bang bang bang enough the answer will come that's the idea of persistence imprudence is I have nothing I have nothing that's what the men said I have nothing to set before my friend you come before the Lord with I have nothing if you want to underline the Bible underline these words I have nothing nothing I'm ashamed I'm embarrassed but now I come to God without shame without embarrassment as a lord I have nothing but you supply you provide because you are faithful because you answer prayer can you see that I will got the lights in answering prayers even though we have nothing years ago when N and I went Bible College this is quarter of a century ago of more than quarter century ago the Lord led us to a chem operation mobilization came this is in saran man Malaysia and in the camp I was appointed a prayer leader to lead a group of young people to pray and in the operation mobilization came they go out for evangelism to distribute literature etc and my job was to get a group of young people to pray so in an O and lo Chinese school in in Seremban East Malaysia in the typhoon season the Montori that monsoon season where there's no not just rain but thunderstorms my job was to pray that that day there would not be rain I was young there was my job description we are going on vandalism and and in Malaysia in that particular area there there is no up high-rise apartments they were all fields and an single-story unit houses meaning meaning if he paused the evangelism effort will be squashed so we were praying Lord hold the rain hold arraign because it's monsoon season thunderstorm season in Malaysia as we were young people gathering together praying with great fervency in their old school the winds were strong and and all windows the shutters were slamming against the windows slamming against the shut-ins so while they were praying not to be distracted by this I went to to close the window and shut it down and as I was about to close the window my heart sank because as I was about to close the window I saw the dark clouds I hear the thunder III are the strong wind and there was lightning and in the monsoon season in Malaysia when you have dark clouds and thunder and lightning and strong winds guess what will happen at under storm is coming and behind me were group of young people about ten of them pray Lord stop the rain stop the rain stop the rain I stood then I say Lord how should I pray what should I do because what the young people were practicing was bang bang bang Lord we are persistent bang bang bang stop the rain I didn't know that at that time it was good to persevere in prayer like that but I stood before the Lord I saw what was before me and say Lord teach me to pray and took a long story short I remember Jesus calming the storm and so I came and I said with all the faith I can must say my heart peace be still I opened my eyes good night I started drizzling now here's the thing about monsoon season in Malaysia when you have lightning thunder dark clouds strong winds and it started to drizzle finish is gone it will pour at under storm so I went there like lord I have nothing I don't know what else to do hell I don't know I did everything I can I pray by faith I quote the Scriptures nothing works and then the Holy Spirit spoke to me very clearly son give things it's like give thanks for what the rain will come the evangelism effort we squirrels like but but you know how the Lord say something very short by eating close to your heart an entire message just two words if thanks faith built in my heart I suddenly saw what I didn't solve if I didn't see before because when we pray Lord hold a rain hold the rain our eyes were on the the Klauss the drizzle the thunderstorm and I realized my eyes was never on God it was just bang bang bang stopped the rain bang bang bang changed the circumstance suddenly my eyes was on God and I saw God in control and fave lit up my heart joy overwhelming I went to the young people I say to the young people stop praying let's give thanks let's give thanks that even if it rains the will and the power and the glory of God was shining right through even in the darkest nights because you've got to understand this principle in our darkest days God does his deepest work and he was as dark as he could get in the sky with the storm clouds and so we started celebrating we started giving thanks Peter Maidan the director of OM he testified that nice I walked into the prayer room I saw these young people giving thanks it was just like Pentecost and we recording worship will call him praise and thanks because the straw mom cannot defeat the purposes of God and the kingdom of God it is an indestructible kingdom and so as we stood a praying and giving thanks to the Lord suddenly in the focus of God I realize an amazing thing I realized that the Sun shone true I couldn't believe my eyes so while they were praying I went back to the same window where there were dark clouds strong winds and drizzle and everything else thunder and lightning I opened up the window with the sun shining through the shadows I couldn't believe my eyes the Sun came out because God answers prayer he is faithful now please understand God is not waiting for us to overcome his reluctance God is waiting for us to cooperate with his highest willingness don't focus your eyes on your circumstance you will be terrified you will be afraid you will be like Peter looking at this the sways and the wind no no no look at Jesus and give thanks because when you give thanks to God and here's the practical thing I want to give to you because when you give thanks to God there's power when you go to a very difficult times and all of us will go to difficult times in life this is how you focus on God you you remember three things number one God is in control number two God cares and number three he will bring his purposes to pass whatever thunderstorm there is in your life God is in control God cares God will bring his purposes to pass it could be your business it could be your relationships it could be your family your marriage your children it could be difficult circumstance and and troubles don't focus on your circumstance focus on God and give things that he is in control that he cares and he will bring his redemptive purposes to pass because this is the God who when we come with nothing shamelessly boldly Lord I have nothing you help me he will rise to help you so Jesus gave to them now the approved pattern the Lord's Prayer and then he gave to them an astounding parable which is a parable of contrasts to tell them the character of God God is not like that he is like this he is the willing father now to make sure that the disciples really understand the greatest lesson he has ever taught about prayer he now gives them an abiding principle tree things in this text first was the pattern he gave them the second was the parable he gave them now just in case they missed the lesson he gave them the lesson repeated again in the form of a principle look at verse 9 this is the principle he gave and I tell you ask it shall be given to you seek and you will find not a will be open to you this is the principle ask boldly without shame God will answer it will be given verse 11 here's the reason for for everyone who asks receives and the one who seeks finds and the one who knocks it will be open I call this the theology of the Willing God not The Reluctant God your theology will define and determine your prayer if you have strong theological anchors theological roots you have a high view of God you will have a strong foundation for faith if you have a low view of God if your eyes is on the circumstance more on God then your prayer will be exceeding léa week this is the theology god is so willing to give us it will be given to you now it may not be given to you on the same day you ask it may not be given to you in the same way you asked but God the loving father will give you in such a way and such a time it will be the greatest blessing for you why he's our Father he doesn't shortchange us he doesn't play games with us he's our Father in other words we earthly father we sometimes when our children are things of us we tell them we're children doesn't know how to wait they don't have the patience the way it is Lord I want it now and even if I pray for patience it goes something like that God give me patience I give it to me now we don't know how to wait and so God will give in his time in his way for his purposes and his glory and in this principle this is how Jesus continued to make sure they catch the idea and this is the abiding principle he gave was 11 what father among you if his son asks for a fish where instead give of a fish if he must serpent verse 12 if he asked for an egg will give him a scorpion is a rhetorical question the answer is of course not no father would do that we're starting if you then who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children how much more will the Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask of him now there are two things I want to highlight here about this last statement but before I highlight for you these two things indulge me because I one of my pastoral concern is that the congregation when you study the Bible you can see the entire context you can see the big so if you don't mind let me reiterate for you the big picture in Luke chapter 11 it was a special day it started as an ordinary day but what made it special was Jesus the Son of God was in a corner in a quiet place praying the disciples were there watching and they were thinking what prayer formula was he using if we only know what formula he used if we use the same formula we will be mighty warriors of Prayer you you go ask him no no no he's praying you asked him wait wait with you he finished pray so they waited and they waited and they waited so in Luke chapter 11 verse 1 he says Jesus was in a certain place praying and after he finished while they were waiting after he finished they went to him and say excuse me Lord and probably Peter was the one who is the spokesman we have a request teachers to pray as John taught his disciples how did John teach his disciples pray formula in other words love whatever you're using just write it down give it to us whatever power you have we want to learn it what did Jesus do he did not write them and say you silly apostles in training he say you want a free formula I'll teach you one and he gave them what is called the Lord's praying it's a beautiful piece of of a prayer pattern it's not my purpose to expound on it this morning but it's worthy to examine it and the end he was saying something even more important than the Lord's Prayer he gave them why because he was about to give them the greatest lesson Jesus ever thought about prayer he stroud AddThis lesson now in the form of a parable a story so he gave them the Lord's Prayer in verse 2 to verse 4 in verse 5 to verse 8 he told them this parable bang bang bang this guy with our food he came to the neighbor neighbor was reluctant but finally because of the bang bang bang he gave them everything then Jesus summarized it they expected him to say because of the persistence of this guy he say that he said because he came shamelessly even though he is his friend he will not get up but because he came shamelessly he gave and the parable Jesus toe was a parable of contrasts the idea behind that is God is not like that God is not like that he is willing to answer prayer willing to give to you and so to make sure that the disciples understood the greatest lesson he ever thought of a prayer this is the lesson that your the the power of your prayer is contingent to your view of God that's the greatest lesson if you have a wrong view of God you need a formula but if you have the right view of God is the father who is willing to give that you can come boldly that's another idea of an idea not just shamelessly but with the shamelessly you can come boldly to ask of him because you know your father is willing to give it to you so to make sure they understood his parable now from verse 9 to verse 13 he gave them the abiding principle from the pattern he gave them the parable from the parable he now gave them the principle and the principle is asked he shall be given to you seek you shall find not he shall be open to you because the theology God is so willing to answer pray now he can close there it will be a fantastic lesson he didn't stop there to make sure they understood what he is saying in the greatest lesson he's teaching them about prayer he asked them a question which of you as fathers if your son asks you for a fish you will give a serpent is a rhetorical question the answer is of course not if your son asks for an egg will you give him a scorpion the answer is of course not then comes the summation it's like how do I describe it when you have a music piece a masterpiece this is the crescendo when you have a diamond ring this is the diamond so he comes down to the crescendo of it all after he asked this rhetorical question and the answer is of course not again in contrast if earthly father's like that so surely your heavenly father is far greater now Jesus said something that astounded circumvented expectation when I studied this it astounded me because it circumvented my expectation why because I expected Jesus to say this listen carefully now look at Luke chapter 11 after he asked if your son asks for an egg where he give you a scorpion answer of course not look at verse 13 if then you who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children I will expect him to say how much more will God give good gifts to his children it is expected it's obvious it will be a nice finale and a nice conclusion if you being evil know how to give good gifts to your children you would not give a scorpion your not give a serpent how much more would your heavenly Father give good gifts to his children end of case fantastic story but he circumvented our expectations listen to what Jesus said he said if you know how to give good gifts to your children how much more will God give the holy spirit it's like what why why did the holy spirit send suddenly entered here it's like I'm scratching my head I don't understand out of the blue the Holy Spirit to those who ask him I what am I missing something no listen Jesus was answering their question as well as the questioner do you remember what was the question the requests yeah their question in their mind is what prayer formula are you using the request is teachers to pray as John taught his disciples give us a formula you know what Jesus is saying right here in verse 13 you don't need a formula you need a relationship with God and in that relationship with God you need to be guided by the Holy Spirit the greatness lesson Jesus ever thought about pray listen now prayer is not about a prayer formula it's not about how intelligent your words are how long your prayer is how repetitious it is how great and dynamic is how intense your voice is how loud it is because listen to this principle the greatest lesson is ever thought about prayer listen now listen prayer is not about you prayer is all about God friends not about you it's not about how clever you are how spiritual you are how godly how pious how great your words are prayer is not about you prayer is all about God and the one who can reveal God to you the one will guide you into his artists role the one who will lead you is the Holy Spirit it's a relationship with God and when you live the spirit filled life when you're guided because the spirit points us to two things it points us to the Holy Scriptures it points us to Jesus in other words the Holy Spirit points us to the Word of God the written word the Scriptures and the Living Word Jesus Christ and where we have the scriptures and our eyes are on Jesus suddenly it empowers our prayer because our prayer is not empowered by a prayer formula it's empowered by our relationship with God and our view of him and we need the Holy Spirit to the Holy Scriptures to guide us does that make sense so here's my question to make sure you understand what is the greatest lesson Jesus ever thought about prayer it is not the Lord's Prayer important as it is but that's a prayer formula the greatest lesson he ever thought about prayer is listen prayer it's not about you praise all about God and when you have a high view of God your prayer is powerful your eyes are fixed on God and the only way your eyes can be fixed on God is when you get back to the Word of God that's where in discipleship you cannot be divorced from the word we live in a generation that doesn't know the Word of God get back to the study of God's Word the memorizing of God's Word get back to getting into the Word of God why because this by the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit the teaching of the Holy Spirit to point us to the word to point us to Jesus our faith grows and when our faith grows we see something that is stunningly clear that our God is the god of the how much more that's God it's not the puny circumstances we are in how much more he is willing to answer prayers he's our Heavenly Father he would not with whole whatever is good for us how much more I want closely what happened in saran burn that day when the Lord withheld that rain and a group of young people saw the miracle of God our faith rose I was in my mid-20s in in those days and my job now is to take this young people out for evangelism the next day so we went out in a car going out for evangelism in surin ban Malaysia and now the young people full of faith when they saw the Sun clouds gathering again now they had the faith they pray Lord we thank you they are no longer going like no please stop the rain we are dying out here we are terrible if the rain comes it will very bad stop the rain they would not bring like there they go I thought we praise you we thank you you are supreme you're in control you're wonderful God in other words the eyes are now on God and and they were praying in faith and I was rejoicing as we were in the van going up evangelism we were crossing an open field as we came out of the van to go to the various house to distribute literature and to share the gospel as the Lord opens up the opportunity as we are crossing that feel the loss talked to me and very clearly he said son stand in this ground to pray and I understood the picture that was given in the Old Testament where there was a battle going only the Amalekites and Moses stood and he prayed I wasn't thinking of myself as Moses I was simply obeying what the Lord said the Lord says stand in this field to pray I understood that prayer is warfare prayer is not preparing for the work prayer is the work and so as I stood there I send a young people you go out to to evangelize and to share the literature as I turn distribute the literature I was stand here to pray and as I stood to pray to the first thing in prayers to worship God to declare he's in control he cares he will bring his redemptive purposes to pass as I was praying I was I was um so enraptured by God as I closed my eyes in prayer time flew by by the time I knew it they have already gone out distributing literature and now one by one they are coming back the first person who came back tapped me on the shoulder excitedly and say em and look up look up I look up I had a shock of my life because when I look up I saw a line in the heavens I couldn't believe it I've never seen it before I've not seen it since where I stood there was a line in the heaven before me were all the white clouds clear as day I turned behind where all the dark clouds and standing in the place of prayer was the dividing line between light and darkness this is what prayer is prayer is standing in the dividing line between light and darkness prayer is pushing back the forces of darkness and advancing the kingdom of light so when you pray understand you are engaging in the most important work in the life of the church that is a tremendous privilege don't think of prayers or I'm a churchgoer I'm a church leader I'm a disciple so I must come for the prayer meeting and this is one of the checklist no it's a privilege because you must understand Jesus died to make prayer possible Jesus died to restore us to God and because we are restored and redeemed prayer is possible prayer is in the name of Jesus prayer is redeemed by Jesus prayer is bought back by his life prayer advances the kingdom prayer accomplishes the work because prayer is the dividing line between darkness and light what you buy with me and pray Oh eternal God and Hamley father teach us to pray help us to pray with a sense of faith and joy that our focus our eyes upon you O God that you are the god of the how much more that you answer prayers as you hear our prayers that you even exceed our prayers for this we give you things and we ask of you this day of fresh teaches to pray and I pray that by your grace you make this congregation this local church a mighty Church that is mighty in pray to to us in this we thank you in Jesus name Amen

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Length: 51min 51sec (3111 seconds)

Published: Sun Jan 31 2016