Online Revival With Pastor Carpenter

the Apostle Peter admonishes us to cast all of our cares all of our anxieties upon him for he careth for our soul the psalmist said it this way the psalmist said the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous and his ears are upon their cry I'm so thankful this evening to be bringing you this online series of Prayer and to know by faith and by hope that we're able to bring our cares and cast them upon him and we have great hope in the Lord Jesus Christ we welcome you to this Tuesday evening and I certainly hope that this finds you living in the blessings of Almighty God and to those that may be in the grip of this sickness that this is finding you and telling you that God has got this there's a lot of things that have been happening the last several days and I guess one of the popular sayings I miss the church I saw this on my Twitter feed today and it simply said I missed the church I missed the smiling faces I missed the foyer coming alive with laughter I missed the children bringing their offerings to the front I miss their hugs I missed the sounds of prayer I miss seeing the tear-soaked carpet I miss it all but yet through it all God is still good amen I'm so thankful so thankful for that last night we did our first part which was upon the principle of prayer and we spoke to you about the prayer being founded upon our prayers being founded upon a relationship that we don't just pray in times of trouble we don't just pray to obtain things but we pray to establish a relationship with Jesus Christ now tonight we are going to cover we're going to cover the practice of prayer we're going to get more into the nuts and bolts of prayer what prayer looks like and the first thing I want to say this evening is as we begin to develop a prayer life and even after we have developed a daily prayer life we need to learn to expect and prepare for resistance it's normal natural because of our flesh and because of our foe prayer will not come easy prayer will not come easy because of our flesh and because of our enemy our foe there will be there will be resistance it will be as in aviation a headwind there will always be that wind of resistance that is against us it will come as I've said from either our flesh or it will come from our enemy we know that in Acts chapter 16 in verse number 16 that as Paul and Silas the Bible said and it came to pass as we went to prayer as we went to pray as we were going to prayer a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination Metta so as Paul and Silas were going to prayer they were met with the opposition of this demon-possessed damsel and then in Matthew chapter 26 and verse number 41 in the Garden of Gethsemane as Jesus took the disciples there he came to them not once not twice but three times saying watch and pray that you enter not into temptation the spirit indeed is willing but the flesh is weak we know that they were they were falling asleep during this time of prayer that was a fleshly hindrance that they were having they were they were maybe fatigued from the long day but anyway it was their flesh that gave way and they fell asleep so we see established here as we are entering into developing a prayer life and maintaining a prayer life that we expect this resistance from our foe and from our flesh now in Matthew chapter 6 and verse number five Jesus gave some instructions on prayer when he said and when thou prayest thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets that they may be seen of men verily I say unto you they have their reward so the first thing that he wanted to address was the motive the motive for prayer what would be the motive for prayer the the answer when we begin to say our motive we must understand that upon our motive for prayer hinges whether or not we'll God will bless our prayer to the church their length of your prayer and the length of your prayer is not what we need to be focused on it's the content of the prayer not the lip not the length of the prayer but the content of the prayer he said you you don't need to have vain repetitions saying the same thing over again and thinking that you're going to be heard because you spent a certain amount of time of time in prayer I am assured I've shared this on a few occasions but very young in my pastor it I I went to work on developing a daily time a daily time and a certain amount of Prayer and at that time I had a small alarm clock the kind that you you wind up and you can you can set the time and and so I would set that time I'd go to the church there on McKinley Street and I would set that that alarm clock I would I would I would put it to the time of 30 minutes and wind it up put it on the pulpit and I'd get down and I'd pray and I would I'd talk to the Lord and then when the alarm clock well you know the alarm would go off I'd get up from prayer and I would be finished and and one day I remember I remember at the end of my prayer that the Lord spoke in such gentle way in my life and he simply impressed upon me of this he said you don't talk to your wife this way you don't talk to your wife this way and I got a little amused at what the Lord spoke to my heart because could you imagine our wives if we went in and took an alarm clock and set it and set it on the table and and said let's go ahead and start talking and when this thing goes off we're done with our conversation of course I would later find that that we are to pray we are to pray without ceasing so we don't need to get our mind on vain repetitions just say the same thing over again as if to serve time you know I'm gonna go to the churches serve an hour and the main words of the prayer over and over again is oh god oh god oh god help me oh god bless me oh god no our prayers our prayers need to be structured our prayers need to have a progression we need to we need to move through our prayer now I'm not saying that the Holy Ghost cannot cannot spray through us with tongues and and the Holy Ghost can't print this but when we go to prayer it needs to have it needs to have structure needs to have a form of structure as we study the prayers in the book of Acts as we study the prayers in the book of Acts we find that after the healing of the lame man at the gate called beautiful that the Peter and John was taken before the council and they were threatened they were threatened not to preach in that name of Jesus and the scripture said after and in Acts chapter 4 verse number 23 it says after and after being let go they had been threatened and now they are let go and they went verse 23 they went to their own company and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said unto them and when they heard that they lifted up their voice to God with one Accord in other words they broke out in prayer they broke out in prayer and said Lord thou art God which hath made heaven and earth and the sea and all that in them is so their prayer started out off exalting God exalting the supremacy of God exalting God similar to our Father who art in heaven then it went to verse 26 and says who by the mouth of thy servant David hath seen why did the heathen rage and the people imagine vain things so now they they they go in their prayers got structured they begin to exalt God it's not the council that just threatened them that has full authority it's not the Council that threatened them that had power they go to God in prayer and they acknowledge God as the one having all authority as the creator of all and now they make their prayer relevant to them when they use the word and they they they remembered how David said how the heathen have raged and the people imagine a vain thing the kings of the earth stood up and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord and against his Christ for other truth against thy Holy Child Jesus whom thou hast anointed both Herod and Pontius Pilate with the Gentiles and the people of Israel were gathered together for to do whatsoever thy hand in that council determined before to be done now the end their prayer they talked about what the people were doing what the heathen were doing but then they talked about the will of God what they what these rulers had been permitted by God to do verse 29 Acts chapter 4 and now Lord behold they're threatening x' and grant into thy servants that with all boldness that we may speak thy word by stretching forth on hand to heal and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of the Holy Child Jesus so look at the structure of this prayer look at the structure of this prayer the structure is the supremacy of God the structure is exalting the almighty all-powerful creator God and then the structure is coming to Scripture and making scripture relevant to what they were going what they were going through but then they turned this they turned this and they begin to ask God to give them power they begin to ask God to give them the anointing to give them miracle working power that by the name of the Holy Child Jesus so it's got structure and then verse 31 and when they had prayed the place was shaken where they were assembled together and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost and they spake the Word of God with boldness so see their prayer their prayer had structure there was a there was a structure to that to that prayer it wasn't just a time of saying the same thing over and over again they were moving from point A to point B they were moving through with this structure of Prayer and then when they had finished praying they were all filled with the Holy Ghost a refilling of the Holy Ghost and the place was shaken were they were where they were gathered Jesus continued as we go back to mark or excuse me Matthew chapter 6 and verse number 8 he talked about in verse 7 again the vain vain repetitions of saying the same thing over and over again that that can borderline on begging some make you think if they ask God for something long enough that God will eventually be moved and God will eventually give them what they're what they're begging for but in verse number 8 he says be not ye therefore like unto them for your father here we go back to last night for your father for your the relationship that you have for your father knoweth what things you have need of before ye ask him he already knows what you need before you ask some some may ponder at that verse and say well if he already knows what I need why does it he just give it to me well one of the reasons that he may not just give it to us is that we may just believe what's being given to us is happen chance or it's just part of life or maybe people could say I'm just lucky I guess things just go my way no he wants to give us good things that he wants us to know that they came through prayer they came through having that relationship that that relationship with with our Father then Jesus gives us the structure the structure of Prayer he said after this manner therefore pray ye our Father which art in heaven hallowed be thy name thy kingdom come thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever amen now I know that there's a lot of beautiful books that have been written tracts presenting a structure of Prayer there are several things I've heard one of the I think most popular is praying praying through the tabernacle and and that's a that's a wonderful way of prayer is to pray through the tabernacle some time ago as I was studying on the structure of prayer prayer through the tabernacle begins at the gate of the tabernacle and works its way past the altar past the into the holy and then into the Holy of Holies and and I understand how that works but several years ago I was looking at the structure of prayer and here when the disciples requested of the Lord Lord teach us to pray teach us to pray and he begin to give them instructions he said when you pray when you pray say our Father who art in heaven and so I began to visualize when the child of God goes to prayer the child of God goes to prayer based on the relationship that where we begin where we begin our prayer is immediately in the Holy of Holies our Father who art in heaven hallowed be thy name so as I structure my prayer I begin immediately in the throne room by the Ark of the Covenant where the presence of God the mercy seat he is our Father he is in that place of mercy he is in that place inside of the ark was the pot of manna inside of the ark was Aaron's rod that budded that spoke of authority it spoke of having authority him that ark was the the law that Moses brought down was on the inside of that art there was the mercy seat there was the cherubims that represent a ministering angels there so as I go into the throne room as I structure my prayer and I begin to pray and I begin to call upon the name of our Father I begin to call upon the name of Jesus Christ I begin to begin to exalt him I begin to praise his name Hollywood be thy name what he is like he is our healer he is our salvation he is our deliverer he is our provider I begin to praise God for the pot of manna that's what that's what he's done in the past how he has provided for us throughout our wilderness I began to praise him for his authority I began to praise him for the laws that God has given I I began to thank him that that we have around us an invisible army of ministering spirits the angels of God and I begin to rejoice in that and I go from our Father who art in heaven hallowed be thy name thy kingdom come and thy will be done on the earth as it is in heaven and as I'm praying this prayer I'm coming now from the Holy of Holies through the rent veil in my mind I see the veil that was rent because he says he says that that thy will be done when you pray thy will be done on the earth as it is in heaven and we know that that that veil represented the flesh of Jesus Christ that the body that was given and and that night before Calvary he prayed that prayer not my will but thy will be done so I began to pray the will of God for my life I began to pray the will of God over the church I pastor I began to pray the will of God over my family I begin to pray the will of God over the organization that I'm privileged to lead the assemblies of the Lord Jesus Christ I begin to pray the will of God over over the kingdom of God and over the people of God I begin to pray the will of God and then as I've stepped through that rent veil in my mind I've stepped through that rent veil I'm now in the Holy Place which on my left is the table of shewbread on my right is the candlestick of course I have just passed the the incense altar where my prayer my intercession my intercessions is for the will of God it's a deep will of God I want the will of God to come into my life I want the will of God to come into the life of my family and say it's a deep spirited driven prayer then I pray God give me this day my daily bread give me this day my daily bread the Word of God that I need we are begotten by the word of God the table of shewbread represents the Word of God we live by the Word of God only the world can be changed it's only by the word of God Jim the world be changed it's only by the Word of God that people can hear acts 2:38 thus the salvation message the born-again message of John 3:5 and so I begin to understand that that we are taking the Word of God give me this day my daily bread I'm going to live by it but not only am I going to live by the daily bread I'm going to share the daily bread the daily bread is special because though that table of shewbread was illuminated it had revelation from the candlestick because we have a great revelation of who God is we have a great revelation of the plan of salvation we have a great revelation that God has given us through his word and give us this day our daily bread and then he said and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those that have trespassed against us and I believe here is where we need to pray for unity because one of the greatest sins a matter of fact God said in his word that's one of the things that he would hate he would hate those that would sow discord among the Brethren if there's ever been a prayer that we need to pray is as we have the Word of God that's changing our lives and our family's lives in our churches and our world we need as the body of Christ as the Apostolic Church of Jesus Christ we need to be one we need to work together for the furtherance of the kingdom of God no one no one fighting with each other where we're all going to the same heaven we're all preaching this same beautiful truth so God forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those that have Trust passed against us God that prayer for unity for unity in the church that prayer for unity for unity and our families that prayer for unity in our organizations that prayer of coming together spreading the gospel helping one another to reach the loss give us this day our daily bread forgive us our trespasses as we forgive others that have trust passed against us lead us not lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil now as I begin to get to that part in my prayer of lead us not into temptation I now visualize myself if being beside the Labour and being at the altar at the labor that was made the outside of the labor that held the water the outside of the labor was made from the mirrors that the women had give to the workers and so as you walked up to the Labour you could see your reflection you could you could see your reflection lead us not into temptation lead us not into temptation many times if we would just really allow God's Word to examine us and we would allow God's Word to show us exactly who we are show us not not my brother not my sister but it's me O Lord standing in the need of prayer and so as I'm praying that lead us not into temptation I'm examining I'm examining myself I mean it's not into temptation but deliver us from evil and as I prayed that structured prayer and I get to that point about deliver us from evil I'm right beside the altar the altar is where the sacrifice was given it's where the flesh was put to death and if I can continually cheap chin of carpenter if I can keep his flesh upon that altar if I can continually be crucified with Christ nevertheless I live if I can continually keep my flesh upon that altar and I could continually die out to my carnal way of thinking in my carnal way of living he said deliver us lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil and in the last part of that prayer is dying he's the glory and the power of I Kingdom is the glory and the power my kingdom and I visualize then that I'm standing looking out at the world and that's where the praying man and the praying church after it has had the practice of prayer we need to look out upon the fields that are white already to harvest vine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever amen I believe tonight as we pray a structured prayer our motive is to have a relationship with our Father and we pray a structured prayer that we will go in to our workplaces we will go into our communities and we will have a tremendous effect for the kingdom of God upon our communities because we are praying people tomorrow night I'm going to be completing this series tomorrow night we'll be on the power of prayer god bless you may the lord bless you may the Lord keep you and may the Lord cause his face to always shine upon you we certainly hope that the Word of God that you have heard tonight challenges you it is my desire that if you are a believer that this word has drawn you closer to the Lord Jesus Christ if by chance tonight you have been watching and your heart has been touched by God's Word but you have not yet committed your life to God you've not yet been baptized in the wonderful name of Jesus Christ not yet receive the gift of the Holy Ghost we want you to know that although there is a band about the attendance at the house of God that our church is open for you to come and pray for you to come and be baptized to receive the Spirit of God please contact the church office and make arrangements to come and meet one of the pastoral team and their pray and be baptized god bless you until tomorrow night may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be upon you