A Praying Church

And we're going to look to his word this morning. We have been studying a little series on the book of Acts, looking at distinctives of the apostolic church, looking at what they did and how they did it and why they did it. And so today we're going to read from Acts chapter 1, first couple of verses there, and then Acts chapter 2, one verse there as a text. I'm going to be reading a lot of scripture throughout this lesson, mostly from the book of Acts, but I want to point out some things here in in this lesson. So from Acts 1 and verse 12, talking about the disciples, it said they returned unto Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives, Mount called Alvette, which is from Jerusalem a Sabbath's day journey. And when they were come in, they went into the upper room where abode both Peter and James and John, Andrew, Philip, and Thomas or Bartholomew, Matthew, James the son of Alfus, Simon the Zelotus, and Judas the brother of James.

These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus and with his brethren. Then from Acts chapter 2 verse 42. And they continued steadfastly in the apostles doctrine and fellowship and in breaking of bread and in prayers. Last lesson we looked at the apostles meth methods post pentecost and we focused on that text from acts 2 verses 42 to 47. From 42 we talked about apostles doctrine that they continued in that. We talked about the breaking of bread and the fellowship, that sense of community.

We talked about how they continued in that. Then we moved on to verse 44. And I kind of passed over that last phrase of verse 42. And that's what we are going to focus on today. They continued in prayers. Continued in prayers.

The book of Acts was a praying church. And so this lesson is going to focus on that that idea. We'll see just see that just as it was important then it's necessary now. Just it was important for them to be in prayer and to seek God. We we must do that today. We'll begin by looking at some examples of prayer through the book of Acts, different types of prayer, different reasons they prayed and then we'll study the power of prayer that was evident in that New Testament church.

So we observe several ways in which prayer guided we will see that it strengthened it empowered the early church and every one of those will find practical value for us. We want to be an apostolic church don't we? We claim to be we want to be an book of acts church. So if we're going to do that we need to do what they did and they prayed. The first prayers we see were prayers for the empowering of the spirit. I find that interesting to be sure.

The the first of these prayers in Acts one, Acts two were really prayers of anticipation. Maybe not specific prayers because no one really knew what quite what to expect. I don't think Luke 24 told us this. Jesus said, "And behold, I'm sending the promise of my father upon you. Try ye in Jerusalem until you be endued with power from on high." And then from Acts 18, Luke continues, "But ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost has come upon you, and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem and all Judea, in Samaria, under the uttermost part of the earth." And so they knew they had a promise. They were going to be endued with power.

They were going to continue and receive power after the Holy Ghost had come upon them. But they really had no concept of what this Holy Ghost was going to be. They they knew it was the power of God that was going to somehow come into their lives. Jesus had talked about in John about this comforter that was going to come. They really didn't grasp all that was going on at that time. But their response was given in our opening text.

Then they returned in Acts 12 1:12. They returned unto Jerusalem and they continued with one accord in prayer and supplication. And it was in that same atmosphere in Acts chapter 2 and verse one when the day of Pentecost was fully come. They were still there in one accord, still there in prayer, no doubt, and supplication in one place. When the sound comes from heaven as the rushing mighty wind, it fills the house where they're sitting. It appeared unto them cloven tongues like as fire and sat upon each of them.

They were all filled with the Holy Ghost and begin to speak with other tongues as the spirit gave them utterance. So they were praying there and they're waiting for something this power to had no idea what was going to happen and this wind comes in and the cloven tongues over their head of fire and sat upon them and the Holy Ghost begins to fill their lives. Suddenly they understood this is what Jesus was talking about. So they were praying without knowing, praying without really understanding. How many times have you prayed in obedience to God's word, having no idea what God's going to do? Probably every time.

What we do have is an idea of what we want to see him do, but we don't know how he's going to handle it, right? Yeah. Pray. We must we must continue in prayer. I wonder what would have happened had the apostles went one day and prayed after Jesus told him, "Let's go to Jerus. Okay, we'll go and pray and something's going to happen." And nothing happened.

I think we ought to try again tomorrow. Well, I don't know. Yeah, let's give it another shot. You know, I think I don't know how many days it was. I think maybe 10. How many days did they continue in that prayer and continue seeking?

Obviously, they did all the way up to the day of Pentecost. But the the point for us is keep praying. Had they given up, they may have never had that experience. If you're seeking the Holy Ghost, keep praying. seeking God for something, you need him to work that only he can do. Keep praying.

And sometimes, no, you you can't really know how God is going to answer. But I think this when it happens, you'll know it when God works. And so, while new believers will always begin by seeking God for an experience they don't understand or that they've heard about, and they're told this could happen or that can happen. And and God does seem to fall on different people in different ways. And you know, some it just hits them like lightning and you know, and others it just a quiet move of the spirit comes over that we don't know and I don't know how he's going to answer in your life and what's going to happen. But the Holy Ghost will pour be poured out and it will happen.

And that's the pattern of the book of Acts. Continue praying and that gift will be poured out. But also for those who have received it, we need to continue praying God pour the spirit out on everyone else. The apostles understood that this experience was to be shared. It was to be taken elsewhere. No doubt.

That's why the Pentecost started in prayer for something they did not know. Yet in Acts chapter 42 verse 42, they continued steadfastly in prayer. Lord, we've experienced it. Now let others experience it. We see this in Acts 8 14 and 15. And the apostles were at Jerusalem had heard that Samaria had received the word of God.

They've been baptized in Jesus' name. They understood Jesus was the Messiah. And so they're all excited about that. They send them sent Peter and John to them who when they were come down prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Ghost. Prayer will always precede the outpouring of the Holy Ghost. You want revival and you want the spirit to be poured out, pray.

If you need it for yourself, pray. If the church, if we want to see that revival, pray for it. If it was a necessity in the early church, it is necess necessity for us today. Pray, Lord, pour out your spirit. Lord, send the fire. Lord, let someone be touched by your power of your Holy Ghost today.

We need to have that prayer on our lips when we come together. Lord, touch somebody today. Holy Ghost just checks me. Why don't we do that this morning? I don't know who's coming in for morning worship time. Let's just pray for an outpouring of the Holy Ghost.

Lord, you know who will be here. You know who knows you, who has experienced your spirit in their lives. I pray God for an outpouring of the Holy Ghost. Someone maybe several someone's whosoever will Lord that you will touch their lives this morning that you will baptize them with the Holy Ghost in Jesus name. Hallelujah. Hallelujah.

Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Lord. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Thank you, Lord. And that's how it's going to happen, church.

They prayed. We need to pray. We need to seek God for those things. The second instance of prayer we see in the book of Acts is given in Acts chapter 4. Preceding that, Acts chapter 3, God had miraculously healed the lame man at the temple. We know the story, Peter and John.

They're going for what purpose? To pray. And so, they're heading to the temple. Uh they're going there to pray. And as they get there, the man is sitting there begging for arms. And Peter looks at him, said, "Silver and gold have I none, but what I have I give unto thee.

Name of Jesus, rise up and walk." Rises, leaping and dancing and praising the Lord. And and of course, all these people see that happening and and they're excited. Did you see what just happened? Well, Peter took that opportunity to to preach. I think that's a lot of times why God does miracles. He opens the door.

people see the power of God working and then and then it's time for the word of God to go forth and so he begins to preach to them. Of course, we know his preaching ends him up in jail that night. Bible King James uses the word they put him in the hold. They locked him up for that night and the next day he faces the rebuke of the rulers and elders and scribes and the high priest and and many of the the those who were related to the high priest. And so they all bring him in before this council and and the result of this meeting, Acts 4:18, and and they the council called them Peter and John, and they commanded them, do not speak at all or teach in the name of Jesus. Just shut it up.

So what was the apostles response? Acts 4 verse 24. And when they heard that, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord. Let's go pray about this. Let's see what God would have to say. And they begin to pray.

And I'm sure as they begin to pray fervently, the spirit coming upon them, they said, "Now Lord, look at their threatenings. Behold that. Grant unto thy servants that we'll learn to keep our mouth shut. No, that with all boldness, we're going to speak your word." And how is that boldness going to be? Here's God. You stretch forth your hand to heal.

You do signs and miracles done by the name of thy holy child Jesus. And and we're going to speak about it. We're going to talk about it. We're going to testify about it. And so they prayed for a boldness. And then they prayed, God, if you will do the miracles, we'll speak boldly.

You know what? God answers prayer. Because in Acts 30:31, it said, "And when they had prayed, the place was shaken. and where they were assembled and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost and they spake the word of God with boldness. Why? Because the church was willing to pray.

Willing to pray. Throughout the book of Acts, prayers were made and God worked. In fact, it it goes on there at the end of that chapter 4. It talks about God was doing the work and it said, "They went boldly preaching the word with signs following after them. They did their part. They prayed and sought God.

They broadly proclaimed what he had. And throughout that, God be to add to the church and he began to work. We see this all throughout the book of Acts. In Acts chapter nine, we read of a disciple by the name of Tabitha or Dorcas. She had become sick to where she to the point where she died and they called Peter. They knew he was in the area and they said, "Go get him.

Let's let's let him know. This is so sad leaving losing this good woman." And so he comes into the room where they had placed her, where she was body was lying and and he looked around and the mourers were in there weeping and crying and he said, "Y'all get out." And the Bible says, "And he kneel down and prayed." And he reaches up Tabitha, arise. And God brings life back to her. Prayer was made and the dead arose. Now that may not happen often, but here's what we learn. Nothing is impossible when prayer is made.

Nothing is impossible. Miracle working power. How are you going to have it? Not just by, well, let's just come together and expect a miracle. Pray. Seek God.

I think that's what Acts emphasizes to it. It didn't just happen because they got filled with the Holy Ghost and they gathered together. They prayed. They sought God. Lord, pour out your spirit. Lord, work miracles.

Lord, do these things. Acts 28, Paul prayed and a man was healed. He came to fast pass the father of Publus. He lay sick of a fever and a blood bloody flux. So probably some kind of infection or something and and he was in a fever. Paul entered in.

He prayed and laid hands on him and he was healed. James later gives us these instructions. Any sick among you, let him call on the elders of the church, let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. The prayer of faith will save the sick. And then he reminds us the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man that veils much. Seek God.

Find time to pray. God, I'm think, aren't you glad to know he's still a prayer answering God? Aren't you know he's still a miracle working God? And from what we see in the book of Acts, they go hand in hand. If we will pray, God will work. If we will seek his face, he'll do great things.

Man, pray. Pray. Next prayer we see, the next prayers we see are a part of a commissioning or an ordaining for ministry. Book of Acts, they sought God. Christian ministry can never be effective without the power of the spirit. You can't have it.

It is a holy spiritual endeavor. to accomplish it any other way, we will not accomp to approach it any other, we will not accomplish what God intends. We got to have the Holy Ghost working in us. And while it's true, we may bring our faculties, our our education, our personalities, our physical body, our our mental and emotional states and all these things, our talents. We bring them all. It still must be empowered by the spirit.

And how was that accomplished? It's through prayer. It's through seeking God. The first instance of this in Acts is for seemingly mundane task. It's kind of a shock. There's an argument over the distribution of food.

Hey, this isn't working right. You know, some of these widows are getting more and and these Grecians are being neglected and this is and there starts to become some bickering and arguing in the church and so it comes before the apostles and they say, "We haven't got time for this. Set some people over it. take care of it and they'll they'll take care of it. And while there seems to be nothing spiritual about it, the apostles approached it from a very different viewpoint. While we might have said, you know what, the best let's let's find somebody who's fair and who's organized.

They'll be able to they're they're real good at organizing things. Let's just put them then let them do it. But the apostles said this, "Wherefore, brethren, look out among you seven men, first off of honest report, but also full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, and will appoint them over this business." The church did just that, brought seven of the men before the pro apostles. Now, notice they didn't say, "Okay, you guys are good. Go. Let's get it done." Instead, they set them before the apostles.

And when they had prayed, they laid their hands upon them. But all they're going to do is distribute food. Why do we have to pray for them? Here's why. The result was not only that the food got distributed fairly, but in Acts 6:7, we read, "The word of God increased. The number of disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly.

And a great company of priests were obedient to the faith all over appointing somebody over food. Yeah. Because they prayed about it. See, even things that we look at, well, this is just this is just menial task. It's just something we have to do to keep, you know, keep the lights on, keep the doors open, the things we have to do. Even those things can have a spiritual impact when they're accompanied by prayer.

by seeking after God. If you're involved in any other area of the church that doesn't seem like a spiritual thing, pray, Lord, as I do this, let your kingdom grow. As I do this thing that seems so non-spiritual, pray, seek God. Acts 13 gives us another example of prayer, but this time it is an area we would consider spiritual. The Antioch church would be the first church to send out missionaries. And the Bible tells us in Acts 13, there were in the church at Antioch prophets and teachers as Barnabas and Simeon that was called Niger and and Lucius ofSirene and Manian.

And they had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch and and Saul. And as they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, "Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work I have called them." And so what did they do? They fasted and they prayed and they laid their hands on them and they sent them away. You say, "Anybody feel like going to the mission field? Go." No. They stopped and they prayed about it and they prayed over them and they sought them.

Anything you do for the kingdom of God, do it in prayer. Pray over it. Seek God after it. This is a spiritual thing we're doing here. And we have to understand that. And and I know it's easy to get we're just going through motions of this.

Here's what we have to do to have church and make sure lights are on, the place is clean, bathrooms are taken care of, that this is done. Yeah, that's all good. Mow the lawn, whatever it is. But this is for God. Pray about it. It's nothing spirits, but pray about it.

You never know how God is going to work. We're just distributing food. That's okay. God's going to pour out revival. And so in Antioch, they prayed Barnabas and Saul. And of course, we know revival begins to happen.

In Acts 14, Paul takes that same thing that had happened with him while you prayed for me and you prayed for Barnabas. And so Paul and Barnabas are ending their journey. And when they had preached the gospel to that city and they had taught many, they returned again to Listry and Iconia and other cities they had gone to confirming the souls of the disciples. So they were teaching and exhorting them continuing the faith and telling them you may face tribulation but that's okay stay faithful and when they had ordained them elders in every church and had prayed with fasting they commended in the Lord on whom they believe they prayed over it whatever you do for God prayer must accompany what we do for the kingdom seek God think the book of Acts shows us that whatever you do pray about Well, I just greet people at the door. That's okay. Pray about it.

You never know when your handshake or your smile or your welcome today is going to touch somebody's heart and God's going to move. Early church prayed for direction and for revelation. They sought God for things. They didn't know which way to turn or where to go sometimes or or God sometimes just talked to them as they were praying to push them into a different direction or to lead the church into something. And when we speak to God, here's what we know. He will speak to us.

He will show you things. He will help you out. He will help you to know what the next steps are. If you don't speak to him, you're probably not going to hear anything. But there were great times when God spoke while believers prayed. And when when God was ready for the gospel to to to get get it out of Jerusalem and get get it just from among the Jews, he spoke to someone that was praying.

He went to a man that was on his knees seeking God. Peter was in Japa. He was praying and and as he was praying, he has this vision. He said in a trance, I saw a vision. Know the story. He sees the unclean meats that come down and the rise Peter eat.

No, I don't do that. And it goes up and it comes down and up and down. after the third time. And God said, "What I have called clean, you don't call it unclean. Things you don't accept right now, you're going to have to learn to accept." And no, sir, he's pondering on what in the world are you talking about? And somebody knocks at the door.

Hey, we've got some Gentiles that want to see you. Well, wait a minute. I don't go to what I call unclean. said, "Let no God spoke to his heart and he realized that he had to forget some of his past prejudices and some of the things that would have stopped him to reach others with the gospel." Prayer will change your attitude toward the lost. It will change your attitude toward other people. It will give you direction on reaching the world.

Acts chapter 16, Paul no doubt is praying and he has a vision for the Macedonians to come over and to give us the gospel. He is directed as he seeks God. There were other times when he was going to go, we want to go into Asia. We're going to go into here and the spirit said, "No, Paul, how did he know?" Because Paul was talking to God and God was talking to Paul. God gives direction. In Acts chapter 22, Paul comes back to Jerusalem and he is there.

He said, "And it came to pass, I was coming again to Jerusalem and I'm praying in the temple." And it says, "I was in a trance." He was in the spirit and he saw him saying unto me, "Make haste. Get out quickly out of Jerusalem. They're not going to listen to you. They're not going to listen to your testimony." So God spoke to him and gave him direction. What do we learn from that? The promise we have from God's word is he will direct us our steps, right?

He's going to show us what to do. And from Acts, we see that often he does that probably most often when we're praying and we're seeking God. If you're confused, if you don't know where what the next step, God, what do you have for my life? What do you want? Pray about it. Seek God about it.

Go to God in prayer. Pray fervently. God will direct. God will lead. He did it in the book of Acts. And I don't think he did it then and said, "Okay, I'm done with that.

No more." No, he's going to guide this church all the way till we get to heaven. And he will guide your life. Pray. Seek God. Of course, we also see that when prayer is made, God can deliver. God can deliver.

In a very real sense, he did that for Peter. Peter in Acts chapter 12, he was kept in prison, but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him. They were in there. They were praying, "Lord, Peter's in prison some way, somehow. Get him out." As we know the story, Peter's there. He's sound asleep between two soldiers.

He's bound to the chain. Church is praying. He's there. And all of a sudden, an angel of the Lord shows up. Chains drop off. said, "Get up.

G yourself. Bind you. Put your shoes on." So he did. "Put your garment about you. Come on. Let's go." And he followed him.

Didn't even realize what was gone. Thought, "Well, I'm just probably dreaming right now." And the next thing you know, he's outside the prison. He's looking around. What am I doing here? The doors open under court. Pass out in the street.

And the angel departed from it. It's quite a dream. It's cold out here. had your coat dirt finally hit him. That's not a dream. I'm not in prison anymore.

God delivered. Why? Because someone was praying. Now, we know the story. He it said when he came to him, when he was come to himself, finally woke up. Finally realized.

I wonder how many times God's working in our half and we just haven't come to ourselves yet. And see God working in it. And you get back and say, "Wow, how'd that work out?" because he's a deliverer. He said, "Now I know of assurityity. The Lord had sent his angel. He had delivered me from all the expectation of the people of the Jews.

They were expecting me to lay there, maybe to die there, be killed, whatever. And regardless of what they expected, God delivered me." And when he considered the thing, when he thought about it, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John, and many were gathered there praying. Pray. I say whatever prison you are in, there is deliverance from you today. And you may not understand how it's going to happen or how I'm ever going to get free from this habit or from this or from that or how I'm going to get out of the situation I'm in. And and I see no way out of it.

See no way to happen. God is a deliverer. And when we pray, things happen. So we see this in the book of Acts. Prayer for salvation. Prayer for direction, prayer for ordination, prayer for miracles, prayer for deliverance.

We see it all through the back book of Acts. Many examples of prayer. I want to look at what the New Testament believers saw as the power of prayer because Acts Acts gives us the history. It tells us, but the epistles help us understand their attitudes toward prayer and it helps us understand why they prayed and and what they prayed. And so Paul saw prayer as a key to reaching the lost. Yes, he was anointed and he was prayed for by the church of Antioch and sent on his way.

But he understood, I need these same prayers. And so through prayer, he petitioned God for help. Lord, give me opportunities to spread the gospel. Open ways up that we can. Yeah. And as a church, we're involved even as people.

We're involved in this spiritual battle for the souls of mankind. And we're to reach out to the lost. We are to each reach out others. And it will happen as we pray. And so he admonishes the Colossians in two 4 and two. He said, "Continue in prayer.

Keep praying church and watch with the same in the same with thanksgiving. And while you're doing it, pray also for us with all praying also for us that God would open unto us a door of utterance." In other words, a place where we can speak his word to speak the mystery of Christ. For I'm in bonds that I may make it manifest as I ought to speak. Here I am in prison, but Lord, you can open doors. Notice he didn't say, "Why don't you pray that God would open the door for prison so I can get out of these bonds?" He just said, "Lord, just give me an opportunity to preach." From what history tells us, he did. Every time they'd bring a group of soldiers in, he'd convert them.

And so they'd get another group and send them in and he would convert them. He would Why? Because he prayed and because he asked others pray that God would open that door. You think you're in a Roman prison. You're you're there and you're looking for a door to preach the gospel. You know, you should be going to Africa.

Go be as a missionary. You should be going to Asia. You should be going somewhere else. He said, "No, this is where God has me. God, open a door. I think what we learn is sometimes the door is right in front of us and we don't ask God to open it.

Lord, use me. Help me to witness somebody. And he's got, okay, I got this person there with you and I got this person there with you. Lord, open a door. And we're thinking something far out. He's saying, it's right here.

Pray. Look for opportunity. Look for doors of enters. Look for an opportunity, in other words, for you to speak the word of truth. Scripture asserts assures us of this. The gates of hell will not prevail against this church.

And intercessory prayer, when we're praying for others, we're seeking God, it will break down those gates. It will break down those things. It will give us opportunity to pray. It will also not only give us the opportunity but it will help us preach. It will help us tell share the gospel. Paul was confident in the power of prayer because in Thessalonians he says this 2 Thessalonians 3:1 finally brethren pray for us that the word of the Lord may have free course and be glorified even as it is with you.

So Lord, not only give me the opportunity, but pray for me that your word will be able to go where it needs to go, will have free course, that it will go where it needs to go. He emphasized that he needed freedom to preach and he needed that word to touch lives and to work in hearts. When we witness, when we testify, when we do whatever we do, when we reach out to others, we have to understand when you talk to people, sometimes they're coming from all different backgrounds and traditions and and and belief systems and and those are difficult to ignore. They come to from family pressures. They come from from places, well, we've always been this church, you know, we've always gone here and now you're wanting to believe something different. And and we look at it sometimes it almost seems like a barrier.

But if you pray, God, let your word touch a life. Let your word fall on good ground. Let that word go where it needs to go. God can guide you and help us witness effectively and to preach his word and to touch your neighbors and to touch your co-workers and to do those things. But how does that happen? It's because we have prayed.

Seek God. It's what they did in the book of Acts. That's what we need to do. We also know that prayer is essential to bring forth a spiritual harvest in our own lives to produce spiritual fruit. Fruit is the product of sewing a seed and letting it nurture and letting it grow until the time of the harvest. The word of God is the seed which is planted in the soil of our hearts.

But we need to water that through prayer and for seeking God and let God's word touch us. Paul wrote to the Philippians in one chapter 1 vers9. In this I pray that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and judgment. Here's what I'm praying for you. That you may approve things that are excellent. That you may be sincere and without offense.

That you are filled with fruits of righteousness which are by Christ Jesus under the glory and praise of God. I'm praying for you. In other words, that this spirit of God works in you and that you grow and that you bring forth fruit. We need to have those prayers, church. I know the new birth happens quickly. It's an instantaneous.

When God fills you with the Holy Ghost, you know it happened. It is right then and God fills you. But it opens up a lifetime of pleasing Jesus Christ. It opens up a lifetime of living for him. And how does that happen? It happens through prayer.

It happens through seeking God. Yes, reading his word, following after it, but following after him and allow prayer to work in us will help us overcome our carnal nature. The things that we read about when we read the word of God. And sometimes we read it and we say, "Well, I don't know if I can ever do that. I don't know if I can can live that way. I don't know if I can do what the word says right here." You can if you will pray, if you will seek God.

And prayer will empower you to conquer those carnal tendencies which are contrary to the mind of Christ. Pray. Seek God. The early church made prayer a priority because they understood how important it was for what they were to do. It was important. It was central in the early church.

Jesus had told them, "You're going to receive power and you're going to be witnesses. You're going to go to Jerusalem and Judea, Samaria. You're going to the other parts of the earth. You're going to take this gospel everywhere. That's a monumental task that he had called them to do. And what we see today is a monumental task that we must do.

But here's what we know. When we pray, that power is appropriated. That's why the book of Acts was a praying church because they knew it was central in their to help do their what they need to do. Prayer was central to Paul's ministry. All he did and and we know the great thing that he the great missionary journeys and all the lives that he touched and everything was said of him in back Acts 9:11. Behold, he prayth.

Saul was a changed man when he saw Jesus on the road to Damascus and when when he went to Ananas and he was prayed for and the scales fell from his eyes. He was a changed man. As he was baptized in Jesus name, as he was filled with the spirit, he changed. But it was because he prayed. He said in Romans 1:9, "I make mention you always in my prayers," letting us know he prayed. He said in Romans 8:26, "The spirit itself will make intercession for us." What?

As we pray, he said in Ephesians 6, I praying always with prayer and supplication in the spirit, praying in all things. Philippians 4:6, in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be known to God. In Acts, Colossians 4:2, continue in prayer. In 1 Thessalonians 5:17, pray without ceasing. I think Paul was a man of prayer. Two aspects of prayer that speak to its prayer.

First off, here's here's what is so unique about prayer. Prayer can go anywhere God is. You can pray here and God can answer on the other side of the world. You're testimonies to people. You know, I I was up against some terrible thing back on this date and and all of a sudden God just lifted it or God worked that thing out and somebody on the other side of the world said, "God, impress me to speak, pray for you." At that time, David said, "Where shall I go from your spirit? Where shall I flee from your presence?

He understood that it is everywhere. God's spirit is everywhere. And if it is, if we pray, God can work everywhere. Here's the comforting part of that. There are situations and places that you say, "God, I don't know how I can ever reach to where they are." You don't have to. He can.

Pray. So prayer because it involves the almighty God is omnipresent. And here's the other thing. Prayer is omnipotent. He said, "Whatever you ask in my name, I will do." God is omnipotent. There is nothing beyond his power.

So if we pray, we don't have to wonder, "Well, God, can you do this?" Yeah, of course I can. God all power. So prayer it's not a small thing but it is the power of God. There are no limits. If we will pray he can work anywhere. He can work everywhere and he can do everything.

Prayer we call the Lord's prayer. Jesus instructed us when you pray thy kingdom come and thy will be done. The purpose of prayer. Prayer aligns us first off with his will. Your will be done. Now sometimes when we're praying, it's just us carnally saying, "Lord, I want this and this and this and Lord, if you'll do that, then if you'll do that and you'll do that." But when you seek him and say, "Lord, your will be done." When we do that, what you desire, yes, he will give us the desires of our heart, but our prayer will align our hearts with his purpose and his will.

When we honestly and truly seek him, it puts us in the position we need to be so that we can fulfill his purpose for us. If we're going to be apostolic, if we're going to be a book of Acts church, if we're going to see what they saw, if we're going to be that they were. We must have that same attitude towards and the same practice of prayer. It's one thing to have an attitude toward it. Yeah, I understand that need, but we got to do it, church. And it is only then we become the church that we're called to be through prayer, through seeking God.

Let's stand. I know all of us can say, "Yeah, I need to pray more." Just ask God to help us, Lord, in your name. You've shown us in your word so plainly in the book of Acts, throughout the epistles, the need for prayer, for seeking you, Lord, for getting on our faces before you and calling out to the almighty God. And we see that when we do that, there are answers to prayer. There are things that you can do that we will never see any other way. And so the question becomes why then don't we pray?

Help us God to find the times and find the reasons and the places Lord to seek your face that we might do your will and that your kingdom would grow and greater lives would be touched. We pray it in Jesus name this morning. Thank you Lord. Thank you Lord. Amen.