Pressing on In Prayer - Review of What God is Teaching Us

Our prayer group continues to grow in relationship to each other and in the burden to prayer for each other, our church, our nation, Israel and the world. Each meeting has been blessed, so, I wanted to post a tool to help us remember what the Lord is teaching us. Here are summaries of the last few weeks' meetings.

  

Comrades in God's Army/Bearing One Another's Burdens

On November 3, 2015. Linda taught about being comrades in God's army.

In Peter's epistles the word "brethren" was used to describe those "born of the same womb: having the same feelings, similar emotions, dealing with same problems in life." But in New Testament times, brethren also meant brothers in battle, faithful soldiers united to fight the same fight, handle the same weapons, win the same wars. The word for "brother" also meant "comrade" - one who had achieved a special level of brotherhood known only by those who stay united together in the heat of battle.

God has put us together as a group. As a church. We are comrades. We care about each other. We bear each other's burdens.

And burdened we feel! Lately, there seem to be so many needs in our body!  Because we care, we have a dilemma - we're overwhelmed with so many feelings for each other. At times we feel worn out and grieved over so many sicknesses, attacks and trials. Some of our burdens have an exponential factor - as in grand-parenting - our hearts feel for our grandchild but those feelings are magnified by our concern for our own child as a parent.

As we age, we experience more and more loss.  Add to that, the Spirit of Antichrist is at work in this world. Just by living in this fast-paced, evil world, stimuli come at us with dizzying intensity.  7,000 - 10,000 thoughts and images go through our mind every day.

Jesus won it all on the cross, yet at present, we do not see the perfect, completed evidence of that victory.

 Hebrews 2:7-8 "You have put all things in subjection under his feet. For in subjecting all things to him, He left nothing that is not subject to him. But now, we do not yet see all things subjected to him."

Matt. 24:8 and Luke 21 talk about signs of the last days which began during their time but have increased in intensity in our age. . "But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs."  Like labor pains, we think they can't get worse, but they do.

Romans 8:22-25

"For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now.

And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body.

For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees?

But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it."

So, knowing these things, what is our strategy?

How do we survive as comrades bearing each others' burdens and caring and fighting for each other? 

• As in everything, we pursue our own intimate relationship to God. We draw near to Him.
• We count the cost of being comrades, brethren. In a sense, we must accept the grief, the burden compassion brings. When a soldier enlists, he signs away a certain number of years. Hopefully, he counted the costs before he did. Some grief comes with the territory. Love is costly!
• In spite of the pain, we don't allow our hearts to harden. We keep it open to feel with our comrades.  Rom. 12:15   "Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep."
• We help them bear the crushing burdens described in Gal. 6:2 "Bear one another's burdens." These are burdens too heavy to carry alone.
• When we are anxious and worried about all the suffering we see around us, we cast our cares upon Him. 1 Peter 5:7  "Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you." The word for "care" describes anxieties.
•  Romans 8:26-27 "In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God."

  

Effectual Fervent Prayer

Then, on 11/17/15, Andra taught about effectual, fervent prayer.

"The effectual fervent prayer of the righteous avails much." Ja. 5:16

Salvation comes with the promise of the Holy Spirit. "And behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you, but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high."  Luke 24:49

We are told in Acts 1:8 that we will receive power after the Holy Ghost is come upon us. This is the Greek word "dynamis" meaning miraculous power, a living creative force.  The purpose of this dynamis power is to bring glory to God.  It's not about the miracles!

What does this power do in our lives?

• Helps us throw off the old man
• Does works of faith through us to preach the gospel and heal the sick.

How to we tap into this power?

• By the baptism in the Holy Spirit
• By consuming His word we get to know him - who He is and what He wants to do.
• By asking God for it!

1 Jn 5:14 "and this is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask any thing according to His will, He hears us."

We have authority, but we must have the power to back it up.

Intercessory Prayer

On 12/1/15, Maureen taught on intercessory prayer. She introduced us to the work of Charles Spurgeon and shared about his life and many of his insights into prayer.

Spurgeon's sermon on Intercessory Prayer made many profound points - so profound that I could not get them down in notes. We all left there desiring to read and study Spurgeon's works.

Some of them were:

• One cannot harbor enmity against a brother after he has prayed for him. Job prayed for his friends who had accused him. We can carry the offending ones to the throne of grace.
• We must prayer for tired believers who can't pray themselves. We can take their sins to God in vicarious repentance for them. We can pray to repent for sinners. It won't save them but perhaps they will be brought to repentance. This is the type of prayer that fills in the gap.
• Intercessory prayer never gives up!
• Intercessory prayer presses on after setbacks!

Maureen's teaching captured the passion this man of God had for intercessory prayer. In our time of prayer we put what we learned into practice. We repented for our country.  

We recommitted ourselves to press on, even after setbacks. We moved into an increased passion to respond to God's call on us as a group and individually. I, for one, felt conviction for my lack of passion for prayer compared to that of Spurgeon!