Pastor Brad DeLong - Pray Church Pray

we're going to turn to his word together this morning to the book of philippians chapter 4 and then a little later to first thessalonians chapter 5. paul is admonishing the church at philippi as he closes out his letter he and his address to them his words they carry tremendous weight for us today especially as we begin our year together as we engage in a time of prayer and fasting that we mention this week and i want to pause here and encourage everyone to fully engage in this time of prayer and fasting that we have this week these are critical times as we seek the lord's direction his will for apc for our families for our individual lives so i ask and urge you to be a part of what god is going to do this week at apc and i'm sure the apostle paul would urge the same as he does in philippians 4 and verse 4 he says rejoice in the lord always again i'll say rejoice let your gentleness be known to all men the lord is at hand and he is so he's hitting some things in succession and he says this in verse six be anxious for nothing church but in everything in everything in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto god and the result is that the peace of god would surpass his understanding will guard your hearts and minds through christ jesus he speaks along the same lines in first thessalonians 5. he closes out that letter or letter as well he's he's given them his final remarks again and he exhorts them in a similar succession he says rejoice always pray without ceasing in everything give thanks for this is the will of god in christ jesus for you so be anxious for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication let your requests be made known unto god pray without ceasing pray continually the niv says never stop praying the nlt says be unceasing and persistent in prayer another little more obscure version says pray constantly another version says pray all the time the paraphrased version says and my favorite version of all says continually pray ye that one's a little different makes less sense than our vernacular verbiage but if you boil them all down you strip away the yeas and the qualifiers and the variations in translation the simple command and admonition it's my title today is just simply this pray church pray church pray it's an exhortation it's an imperative it's a command from scripture and it's the correct response and reaction to whatever you are facing this morning or whatever you will face and it's the course of action we're going to be taking today and this week together i need you to help me do it right now would you lift your hands and voices and pray god is making a way for someone today ah and we need his help oh god you're gonna help us today through this practice of prayer that you've commanded you're gonna help us this morning and i'm believing that lives are gonna be changed habits are going to be formed i'm believing that eternities are going to be altered because your church has decided to pray in jesus name we pray and you may be seated this morning

god's church has always been a praying church his church quite literally began in prayer continued steadfastly in prayer and saturated every decision and critical moment they faced in prayer as evidenced throughout the book of acts in fact i heard it voiced a while ago and i love this observation that one of our upci ministers made they said that what they noticed is that in the book of acts it seemed as though every notable miracle that happened that it was within that book it either happened on the way to prayer or a prayer meeting it happened at a prayer meeting or it happened coming back from a prayer meeting it all points to the fact that prayer was and is critical to the new testament church both in the first century and i would say it's still critical in the 21st century prayer was and is central it was and is vital it was in his fundamental it was and it continues to be essential and again this is showcased by the fact that it's some of the most critical points and junctures in the history of the church prayer was the immediate and the habitual response and reaction of the church in acts 1 jesus has just ascended so they go to prayer in the same chapter they need to add another disciple to the eleven so they went to prayer the niv says that they prayed constantly in acts 2 they experienced pentecost while in a prayer meeting in acts 3 they were interrupted by the lame man on their way to prayer in acts 4 they were beaten by the sanhedrin they were told never to preach in the name of jesus and verse 31 says they went straight to prayer afterwards it says and when they had prayed the place where they were assembled together was shaken these are the things that can happen out of an apostolic prayer meeting when men and women of god get together and decide you know what we're going to pray we're going to be the church and we're going to go to prayer and it says they were all filled with the holy spirit and then and they spoke the word of god with boldness in acts 12 peter's put in prison to be executed but again the response the church goes to prayer he's miraculously released in acts 13 during a time of prayer and fasting paul and barnabas are called to the mission field to plant churches and in acts 16 paul and silas prayed and sang praises in prison and the prison doors were open we often focus on their praise and rightfully so it's a powerful passage on praise but we can't forget their response of prayer and disposition of prayer that when they're in the prison they're in darkness they're in bondage they first went to prayer and they went to prayer as a church and as a body and as believers this church is built on prayer this church was burned in prayer this church is based and founded upon prayer that being the case the natural and inherent response of the church especially in critical moments and times of trial and tribulation in moments of decision and direction our response is and has always been built upon prayer transition and change in leadership in the book of acts church prayer an appointment with the promise of god of pentecost prayer confronted by the sanhedrin prayer a potential death and execution of peter prayer a critical decision and calling for paul prayer a prison sentence and bondage for the apostles prayer it's the prescribed and established response of the church no matter the circumstance decision or event we are people of prayer and we get at that example and that built-in response from the head of the church himself from jesus christ the gospels frequently record jesus as he slips off to prayer he spends all night in prayer he takes time for prayer and critical moments in interactions luke 5 and 16 says he often withdrew into the wilderness for prayer he did this regularly but he also did it in decisive moments and instances before preaching in galilee he prayed before choosing his disciples he prayed he prayed at his own baptism by john the baptist he prayed after john the baptist was beheaded and before the feeding of the five thousand he prayed he prayed in the wilderness while being tempted by satan in one of the most pressing moments of his earthly ministry he withdrew to prayer again he could have done almost anything else in that space of critical and precious time that he spent in the garden of gethsemane but instead he went to pray he could have gone anywhere he could have done anything else he could have spent time with his family he could have spent time with the disciples and teaching them he could have healed bodies and taught the word a little further but he went to prayer instead and then on the cross itself he prayed he interceded and he expended some of his final breaths his last breaths in his body in prayer and intercession for the people around him let me ask you something this morning church are any of you picking up and noticing the theme and the pattern of prayer in scripture it's always been central to the body of christ and even to the head of the body himself we get this prayer thing honest this morning because we're people of prayer and we're led by a god who himself took time to teach us how to pray this is just inherent in who we are it's a built-in and natural habit and natural response to the world and to the conditions around us paul instructs us in colossians four and two continue earnestly in prayer being vigilant in it with thanksgiving in other words devote yourselves to prayer give yourselves to the practice in the pattern of prayer be vigilant in your pursuit of your god your relationship with him and your interactions with him through prayer in the simple terms of our title i present it to you again pray church pray ephesians 6 and 18 the niv and pray in the spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests with this in mind be alert and always keep on praying for all the lords people we are built on prayer we've always been people of prayer and we will continue to be people of prayer it's the natural function reaction practice of his church of which he is the head so our response to the trials the unrest the storms to life in general to the world around us is simply this pray church pray

it was last year sometime and all the political and societal unrest and division i really just bear down and put to test this theme in this direction there are so many different opinions you remember and there still are so many different viewpoints so many different responses that people engage in that people utilize from all manner and walks of life in the middle of all of that on a personal level i was trying to find the correct response i want to find the correct approach i don't have a monopoly on that but i'm thankful i know who does i didn't want just a good response to the world around me i wanted a god response i wanted to know what he thought about the situation i had read all the other responses it seemed i had seen the opposing viewpoints experienced the dissension on social media and elsewhere i had seen firsthand what proverbs 2 and 2 talks about that every way of a man is right in his own eyes but the lord weighs the heart so finally after reviewing what it seemed like every other man and woman thought about it i decided you know what i need to go see what god thinks about this what a novel idea you know we can pray about politics too church we can pray about cultural issues in societal i guarantee you god probably has an opinion on those as well and not just an opinion but what he says is right and it's truth so i went to prayer this is the response of the church or at least it should be in these moments and these times it's who we are and i remember the clarity and the peace that came from that time in the presence of the lord as i process all of that in prayer and tried to respond to the world around me in a moment of intercession paul talks about that intercession first timothy 2 and 2 he says therefore i exhort first of all that supplication prayer intercession giving of thanks be made for all men for kings for all who are in authority for people in positions of government for people who are in authority that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life and all godliness and reverence for this is good and acceptable in the sight of god our savior he desires all men to be saved to come to the knowledge of the truth in other words pray church intercede offer supplications even in the face of the rulers and authorities in the world even the face of darkness and injustice even in the face of disillusionment and division the natural response of the church and the one i'm advocating to you today comes directly from the words of paul himself first of all offer prayer intercession supplication thanksgiving first of all pray let it be your first response and let it be your universal response pray church pray

and i know i know i could be accused this morning of generalizing or maybe oversimplifying the complexity of the things that we're facing but i believe i stand in a room full of people who still believe that prayer is the most important inappropriate response we can give prayer is the most powerful response we could give prayer is the most effective i don't understand at all but i'm going to pray about it and see what god says i don't have it all figured out it looks a little too complex for me but it's never been too big for him so why don't i pray about it and see what god has to say prayer is more than an oversimplification it's the response of the church to pray and not just pray on occasion or here and there but in everything in everything in every thing if it helps you put a pause in there everything by prayer in supplication with thanksgiving don't forget that let your requests be made known to god in everything pray church and pray in everything pray continually and pray in everything paul admonishes us he commands us to pray i was thinking about this earlier this week this scripture i thought you know the person who has taught me more about this scripture recently it might surprise you for some of you it won't she's a fascinating little human my three-year-old daughter taught me more about this scripture than anyone of lay it's refreshing to be around someone who truly believes that god cares about every little nuance of her life while she's praying and he does he does my wife could tell you we we do pray every night before bed and i'll ask meal i said mila you went you want dada to pray you want to pray she says mila pray and when she does we know to buckle down we're going to be there for a while she's a woman of prayer she talks to god about everything she's mentioned every cousin every aunt and uncle every grandparent every name and friend she knows she prays over her owies and her boo-boos she tells god about her birthday party and how it's over it's already passed she talks to him about christmas about everyone else's birthday party she tells god every birthday party that just recently passed just in case he forgot to send a card or a gift or something one of my favorite things she does never misses lord help our field you talk about warming a dad's heart lord help our neighbors sometimes she prays a short prayer and usually goes like this jesus touch our field amen she doesn't miss it typically she goes a little longer she lives out the scripture of philippians four and six she prays about everything and in doing so she teaches me because i'm usually over here i'm hitting the highlights but meela talks about it all i'm i'm trying to waste god's time as if he's ever been confined by time milo's over there telling him everything she shares it all with him this is exactly what he called us to do pray about it all pray about everything you can't humble yourself on the mighty hand of god that he may exalt you in due time casting all your cares upon him for he cares for you first john 5 now this is the confidence we have in him if we ask anything according to his will he hears us and if we know that he hears us whatever we ask we know we have the petitions that we've asked of him john 14 and 13 whatever you ask in my name that i will do that the father may be glorified in the son if you ask anything in my name i will do it because psalm 102 says he shall regard and respond to the prayer of the destitute he will not despise their prayers first peter 3 says because the eyes of the lord are on the righteous his ears are open to their prayers so in everything pray church and everything pray ask anything in his name ask anything according to his will in everything pray

you need a healing pray do you need forgiveness pray do you need salvation pray do you need deliverance pray do you need peace or clarity pray do you need a provision pray we're going to keep going you might as well buckle up you need a new job pray having difficulty on the job pray you need a new home pray you're selling your own home pray facing a storm pray facing a sickness pray face and turmoil pray battle and addiction pray battle in darkness pray face and fear pray face and anxiety pray face and unrest pray you need comfort pray you need help with a problem pray you need a friend pray you need a listening ear pray do you need rest pray do you need anything pray in everything pray when you don't know what else to do you might as well pray when you don't have any other answers pray when you don't have strength pray when you don't have enough wisdom pray when you don't have any other options pray when you don't know what else to do pray but before you do anything else you might as well pray saying of god pray i feel faith in the room if you've got a need why don't you do it right now you don't have to wait if you need god to help you would you stand to your feet and lift your hands and begin to pray he may just interrupt my sermon and make it his own ah someone pray someone act out the reaction in response of the church this is who we are i'll pray a little further if you're desperate pray if you're broken pray if you need help pray oh i wonder if someone you've tried every other option and every other response but you maybe forgot to pray this is your opportunity god's calling us to prayer god's calling us to prayer again oh this is what we do church this is who we are this is our response to mountains and trials and storms we pray in the name of jesus we call in the name of jesus we call in the power of jesus oh we're on pause here we're going to pause this is all right if you want a brother or sister to come by and pray for you would you lift your hand or if you feel so inclined and you're desperate and you want to follow the direction of the holy ghost why don't you just step out of where you are either near the aisle or the altar space and begin to pray ah knowing it's a command notice what god called us to do oh jesus i wonder if some intercessors in the room will begin to pray there's some desperate men and women of god who need prayer ah and they're they're just responding in the way that the church does would you go right now if you're not praying for yourself lay hands on someone and believe speak that name of jesus we sing about a moment ago and we heard about if all you know to do is speak the name you're following the command of scripture we tried everything else we're gonna pray we're gonna pray again jesus oh church you're hearing the desperate prayers of brothers and sisters around you i wonder if you just tune in to those prayers and tune into the presence of god it's here and let at least one of those compel you to go and pray for someone this is how we respond when we see brothers and sisters in need of prayer we move and we follow the holy ghost and we operate as the body and we lay hands on the sick to see them recover and we pray in the name of jesus to see them healed or strengthened jesus if you're waiting on an altar call this is your moment i don't know how much further we're going to get beyond this i just feel like the holy ghost has interrupted us because god has heard the prayers of some people god's seen the desperation of some people oh would you just i implore you to move or to pray or at least stretch your hand towards someone and pray exercise the role of the body be a part of what god's doing in this moment jesus oh hello oh jesus here is thank you jesus oh please thank you yes oh jesus thank you jesus thank you jesus

we're going to pray again in just a moment specifically i want to share something i felt the lord dropped in my spirit this week i know in some times and moments we feel like prayer isn't appropriate that it might feel awkward or ill-timed maybe maybe we're on the job maybe we're uh with unsaved loved ones or people that don't quite understand why we would stop and pray i feel like the lord just is calling us to prayer unceasing prayer praying always praying constantly i was talking to my brother some time ago several years ago in fact he told me he was working on a retaining wall he was building a wall he's built plenty of them before was on a job he said he just hit a wall so to speak he couldn't figure it out it was too complex he was getting frustrated getting overwhelmed but he said i just stopped and i prayed as i recounted that story and remembered i felt like the lord just encouraged me to tell someone you need to stop and you need to pray you've tried any other options all you've exhausted all other options you're overwhelmed and you're frustrated and i just felt the word of the lord to encourage someone stop and pray and if you have to pray again pray again and again until you experience an answer until god helps you or strength be persistent in prayer like that woman with the unjust judge she kept going to him over and over and over again he said i don't regard god or man but because of her persistence i've decided to act and god is a just god a god who loves us so pray and pray again i'll leave you with james chapter 5 and verse 18. i want to read this passage to you it talks about prayer in verse 13 it says is any among you suffering let them pray is anyone cheerful let him sing psalms is any among you sick let him call for the elders of the church and let them pray over him anointing him with oil in the name of the lord we need the prayers of our elders we need the faith of our elders i want you to notice how many times prayer is used in this passage that's at least twice and the prayer of faith will save the sick the lord will raise him up if he's committed any sins he'll be forgiven confess your trespasses to another and pray for one another that you may be healed the effective fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much elijah was a man with a nature like ours yours and mine and he prayed earnestly that it wouldn't rain and it didn't for three years and six months and then he prayed again and the heaven gave rain and the earth produced its fruit and that word those two words that phrase he prayed again resonated in my spirit stop and pray and i know he prayed the first time in the rain stopped i don't know how many times he had to pray for the rain to continue but those words pray again resonated in my spirit i'm going to share one testimony with you and then we're going to have a time of prayer for three specific areas a couple months ago brother bob wright was battling some pain and congestion in his chest and in his body couldn't even eat because of it couldn't eat regularly was losing weight because of it he came to me after a service and i don't tell this story because i was a part of it but i tell because he had already prayed his family had already prayed the church had already prayed many others had but he decided he was going to pray again we had to move with the lord on a sunday morning just like this one and he stepped out of his seat and he came down to his normal spot of prayer he came back to the altar again he went to pray again in that moment i just felt a quick nudge and i looked over at him and went over i didn't know what was going on in his body but the lord did i laid my hand on him and he said this warmth came over him and all of a sudden that pain and that pressure ceased and he was able to eat he was he was days away from going to another heart specialist but god healed his body in this on a sunday morning in a setting like this stop and pray and if you have to pray again and again and again this is who we are and what we do as a church we are men and women and people of prayer this morning i want to ask for three groups of people would you stand with me today i want to pray over three specific areas i want to pray over families you probably already prayed if your family is facing something we're going to pray together as a family if you need prayer for your family would you just step right here in the center of this room if you need healing whether that's an emotional or physical healing and don't hesitate yeah just go ahead and begin to come if you need healing in your body would you step right over here we've probably prayed for some of these needs dozens of times maybe hundreds but we're going to pray again and follow the command of scripture and then lastly if you need provision whatever that provision might be it's a very broad category but you need god's help and provision i want you to come and stand in this area here families those in need of healing and those in need of provision and we're going to pray i recognize we don't have music going right now we don't have our typical but this is who this is the atmosphere that apostolics thrive in an atmosphere of prayer an atmosphere of uplifting voices and atmospheric faith there are some desperate needs in the bunch here i'm going to ask men and women of god we've given some time for people to move they're continuing to follow him if you give them some space but those around that could come and pray and lay hands this is going to be just an extended time of prayer i'm going to put the might down and pray myself would you begin to move right now and pray in the name of jesus uh oh yes oh thank oh oh great so so so

such a wonderful presence of god that's here his glory and power here our response as a church is to pray but when we pray and we respond in that way i believe god responds it may not always look like this what we feel here might look different we may not receive an immediate miracle but if all god's response is it says us feeling his presence and his peace many times that's the exact response that we need i feel that response here today that god's strengthening and helping because we've responded in prayer i want us to pray over our field this prayer is never in vain we're going to pray and we're going to pray again just today i heard a testimony of this prayer and i'll share it with you at some point direct response of prayer over our field i got a message a couple weeks ago on a sunday morning but the nathan arnold was here i might have shared it that day it said the church in our time of prayer the beginning of service we prayed over our field he said that was one of the most powerful prayers he said you could feel the faith and the passion in the room so we pray over this on wednesdays and sundays and and do throughout the week on mondays and tuesdays in our own times we pray it is not in vain god hears that prayer and we're going to continue to pray until we see him work and help in our field

i'd like us to pray right now over our neighbors and over our community over the people outside of these walls would you lift your voice with me now when the god hears his prayer oh we pray we pray lord ah knowing you're gonna make a way for someone lord we may not even know their name yet but you're gonna make a way for them believing we're praying god and we see someone baptized in your name filled with your spirit living an overcoming life we're praying for neighbors i pray for my neighbors we pray with these tear of your apartments lord and all those who are living there we pray for our field and those around us we're believing and praying that you're gonna make a way that you're gonna open doors in the name of jesus in the name of jesus we pray we react and respond as the church and we pray today oh we're believing you hear our prayer we believe and you hear our in the prayer of jesus we pray thankful for god's help