Power of Prayer

Praying in the Name of the Lord

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

Faithful Praying

1 Timothy 2:1-15

The truth is, most all people in church and many outside the church think they know how to use the wonderful gift of pray!

Prayer in its simplest form is just talking to God, through the Holy Spirit, by the Lord Jesus Christ.

Believe it or not, we can just talk to God without asking Him for a thing!

We are to end our prayers in the name of Jesus Christ because He is not only our Savior but also our Intercessor.

Those who believe they can lose their salvation are saying that the Lord Jesus Christ is a failure, which is impossible!

Heb 7:25 Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.

And for those who are still confused, The Lord Jesus Christ is the God of the Bible and there is no other God!

Knowing this, our own prayer life is the most important tool in our arsenal when it comes to dealing with everyday life in this world or anything else!

Prayer is so important, that the Lord Jesus taught us to pray with the model prayer.

We know that the Lord Jesus Christ prayed constantly and everything He did was an example for us!

The subject of is this lesson is more about public prayer rather than closet prayer, even though both type prayers can be very similar in content at times.

Another thing, in fact a major part of our prayer life, is that God expects us to put aside our own needs, which He already knows, and pray for others, so that can show that we are not just about self.

It should also be clear to us in this quarter, God is teaching us about the organization of the Church, that has Jesus Christ as the foundation.

The Church is formed from all those who are faithful in following the lead of the Lord Jesus Christ which was the message of Chapter 1.

It is only the “faithful” who can truly expect to get the help of God!

There are people praying all around this world, some many times each day, but they are wasting their time if they do not know the Lord Jesus Christ is the only Savior, and the only God, and they are yet sinners in need of this Savior!

This may hurt but it is still the truth!

Psa 66:18 If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:

Chapter 2 Verse 1

*****1Ti 2:1 I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;
1Ti 2:2 For kings, and for all that are in authority; “that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty”.

As we ended last week’s lesson, we know that Paul had delivered Hymenaeus and Alexander to Satan, because they were still his children and had no part in the Church at Ephesus other than cause problems.

Immediately after this Paul begins his instruction for public prayer or some would say corporate prayer.

Supplications, are those prayers imploring the help of God in a time of need.

Intercessory prayers, are when believing people pray for others including those who do not know our Savior.

The giving of thanks, is a prayer directly to our Heavenly Father, to thank Him for the things He has already done and for the things He is about to do, if you pray in a heart of faith!

That phrase “for all men” does not leave any one out!

In fact, “it is our duty” to pray for the Church and the lost, no matter who they are!

It is our duty to pray for the peace of Jerusalem!

It is our duty to pray for our national leaders and our nation!

We cannot refuse to do the things that Jesus Christ did on earth and now in Heaven, if we are to be like Him!

That word “exhort” can mean “to encourage” but it can also mean a “desire” that, as Christians and the Church, that we do not neglect, do not ignore, and do not bypass any living human being when we pray.

It is sin to bypass anyone in our prayers!

When we pray for the helping the hand of God, we are acknowledging that God is the source of all power!

If we do not have faith that God is able fulfill our request, then we are wasting our time praying!

Every person needs prayer and those who are lost cannot reach into the throne room of God, unless they are praying for their own salvation first, which He will hear and answer immediately, if prayed in faith!

There are many people who humble themselves before some false deity many times a day, but if they all knew the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior they would be heard.

Even if just God’s people would get serious about prayer, this world would take notice of the power behind our prayers!

We should certainly pray for those who are in authority, that they would make the right decisions and they would have good councilors.

It would certainly be hard to pray for evil rulers but even they can be saved!

We must consider that when the Holy Spirit gave these words to Paul, it was Nero, a most evil Roman ruler who ruled much of the world at that time and the Christians were to pray for even him.

Why should we pray for rulers? That we may lead a quiet and peaceful life in all godliness and honesty.

We should pray that we would always have the freedom to worship our God, the Lord Jesus Christ

1Pe 2:17 Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king.

We could ask ourselves why would be pray for evil rulers? The answer is that God said so, Jesus Christ died for every human being who has ever lived and because it is good and acceptable in the sight of our God, our Savior.

*****1Ti 2:3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;
1Ti 2:4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

We should pray for our nation and its rulers because we know who sits on the throne in Heaven and it is He that moves this world according to His own will!

We should pray for all people to be saved!

God would have all mankind to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth of the Gospel”.

If they all do not want to be saved, then they would have least had the choice to be saved!

The most wonderful thing we know as Christians is that we have a God who saves because He is a God of “Mercy”!

This most amazing plan of God is that His will for all the world to be saved is the motive behind all His actions in this world!
Therefore, God will never change His actions because it would go against His will.

Anything that God did against His plans for this world would be sin and God simply cannot sin.

God can never go against His written Word!

We may never understand why God does the things He does, but we should understand that He has our best interest in mind at all times!

God not only loves those who come to the knowledge of His saving “Grace”, but we must be aware that our Lord died for His enemies which we all were before we understood the “Mercy” and the “Grace” of our God, The Lord Jesus Christ!

Isa 45:22 Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.
Isa 45:23 I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.

The thing that religions hate the most is not that there is a God, but the fact that our God, is the Lord Jesus Christ!

This truth that is rejected by this world, but it is the only truth that you can reach if you study the Word of God!

*****1Ti 2:5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
1Ti 2:6 Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.

If there were in fact many Gods as the world chooses to believe, then there would be many ways to get to Heaven but in fact this to goes against the Word of the true God!

In Christianity when we speak of God we speak of the Supreme Majesty of this universe, the Creator, the Savior, The Lord Jesus Christ.

When we come to know the Lord Jesus Christ then we will know His plan of salvation!

Jesus Christ is God our Savior who gave Himself, a ransom for all, to physical death therefore we are redeemed by His blood!

Col 1:14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:
Col 1:15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:
Col 1:16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
Col 1:17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

The key then to salvation is not only be washed in the blood of Jesus Christ but also to be wash in the “Word” of God!

1Jn_5:7 For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, “the Word”, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.

Joh 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Joh_1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

And this means we are washed in the blood of Jesus.

Since all these things are true and there is only one God, then there is only one way to reach Him and only one way to be saved!

Joh 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

1Co 8:4 As concerning therefore the eating of those things that are offered in sacrifice unto idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and “that there is none other God but one”.

Since all these things are true and they are, then it is only those who are ordained by the calling of the Lord Jesus Christ that we should listen to in this world and not any other who would all be false!

*****1Ti 2:7 Whereunto I am ordained a preacher, and an apostle, (I speak the truth in Christ, and lie not;) a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and verity.

The Apostle Paul was called specifically to reach out to the Gentiles with this amazing plan of God and there were others who helped him.

Most of the other Apostles were sent to the Jews with this same message of Jesus Christ they were all martyred early except the Apostle John who died of old age, still preaching the “Gospel” on his death bed.

There are no truer words than the Word of God!

Ecc 12:9 And moreover, because the preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yea, he gave good heed, and sought out, and set in order many proverbs.
Ecc 12:10 “The preacher sought to find out acceptable words: and that which was written was upright, even words of truth”.

Eph 3:7 Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power.
Eph 3:8 Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ;
Eph 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:

The truth is as humans who need God just to live in this world, then because of our sin we needed a Mediator if we are to be saved when we approach God and be acceptable to God.

Since not one of us were perfect then we needed someone of perfection to reach out to our Holy God who can only know those who are also holy!

The only way to be acceptable of God is then for us to reach that perfection and be just and righteous. God will reject all imperfect beings!

To solve this problem then a perfect God had to become man in order for those who could believe such a thing could be saved!

It is the Lord Jesus Christ who solved that sin problem for us all!

God takes the faith in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ and credits this faith as righteousness and therefore acceptable to Him!

Heb 9:24 For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:

Heb 9:27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
Heb 9:28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

Jesus Christ gave Himself a ransom for all! Jesus Christ exchanged His life for the life of all mankind!

Jesus arose from that death to the astonishment of the world!

It is this same message that we as Christians are to take into the world.

Not only this but we are to pray that those who hear the “Gospel” of Jesus Christ will believe and be saved!

God instructs all those He calls to carry the message of Christ to the world, but God also instructs us to pray for good results, fruit for their labor!

*****1Ti 2:8 I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.

Praying is just having a conversation with God. The one most important thing in our prayer life is to pray without doubting! We must pray in faith!

We can also say that we do not have to have every word to be perfect because God looks into the heart of the believer.

Sometimes we have a hard time putting into words, what we really want to say.

Thank God for the Holy Spirit who prayed for me!

As believers we can pray everywhere, in any posture. In fact, as Christians we are be like Jesus Christ, so let’s look at the prayer life of Christ.

**Jesus prayed while He was being baptized:

Luk 3:21 Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened,
Luk 3:22 And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.

**Jesus prayed in public:

Joh 11:41 Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me.
Joh 11:42 And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me.

**Jesus prayed in private:

Joh 6:15 When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself alone.

**Jesus Prayed on the mountain:

Mat 14:23 And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone.

**Jesus prayed in the wilderness:

Luk 5:16 And he withdrew himself into the wilderness, and prayed.

**Jesus got up early to pray:

Mar 1:35 And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.

**Jesus prayed all night:

Luk 6:12 And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.

Jesus prayed for children:

Mat 19:13 Then were there brought unto him little children, that he should put his hands on them, and pray: and the disciples rebuked them.
Mat 19:14 But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.

**Jesus prayed for Peter’s faith and He is no respecter of people:

Luk 22:32 But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.

**Jesus prayed for every believer:

Joh 17:9 I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.

Joh 17:20 Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;

**Jesus had a favorite place to pray:

Luk 22:39 And he came out, and went, as he was wont, to the mount of Olives; and his disciples also followed him.
Luk 22:40 And when he was at the place, he said unto them, Pray that ye enter not into temptation.
Luk 22:41 And he was withdrawn from them about a stone’s cast, and kneeled down, and prayed,
Luk 22:42 Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.

**Jesus prayed even while He was on the cross:

Luk 23:33 And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left.
Luk 23:34 Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.

**Jesus is praying for us every day:

Heb 7:25 Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.

If the Lord Jesus Christ is our example, then we can see that our prayer life is the most important thing we must build upon!

We need to be in constant contact with our God!

1Th_5:17 Pray without ceasing.

The Lord is teaching us that we should never stop praying!

The phrase “lifting up holy hands means we must always come before God with a clean heart!

As I have already said, there is no need to pray if we do not think God will hear us and answer our prayer!

Mar 11:24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.

The fact is, God will give us anything that corresponds to His will if we ask in faith!

Were these things written just for men? No but also to the women.

*****1Ti 2:9 “In like manner” also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array;
1Ti 2:10 But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works.

In a like manner the women were to also pray without ceasing!

Another Scripture we must also be clear on is this one:

Gal_3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: “for ye are all one in Christ Jesus”.

Men and Women are equal in the eyes of God!

And we must keep in mind that Paul is writing to Timothy and Timothy is pass these instructions to the church.

Christian women are to dress modestly which means clean, neat, and decent, and that word adorn means to add to this modesty, behavior, and demeanor, that is, the way a woman is to carry herself.

We could simply say for a woman to be dressed in simple elegance.

We also could simply say this same woman was outside the church, no one would interpret her to be in any sinful way by the way she dressed or the way she acted.

All men and the women are to bring honor and glory to the Lord at all times, inside and outside the church!

1Pe 3:1 Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives;
1Pe 3:2 While they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear.
1Pe 3:3 Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel;
1Pe 3:4 But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.
1Pe 3:5 For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection unto their own husbands:

We all agree that true beauty is on the inside and not on the outside!

The truth is, God takes a godly woman and floods her with a beauty that is far beyond any such beauty of just flesh and clothing!

*****1Ti 2:11 Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection.

Just like the men, the women are to be silent during the preaching of the Word of God!

Once she gets home with her husband who is the head of the house and she, subject to him, then they can discuss the message that God gave them on that day.

We already know that God is no respecter of persons, but He is a God of order.

1Co 14:40 Let all things be done decently and in order.

In a greater sense, every woman who is a child of God and a true believer, must learn all she can about Jesus Christ just as the men!

2Ti 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

This Scripture was written for all men, all women, and all children!

Since God is a God of order, then there are some things a woman must not do in the church and we must use the home as the example.

The man is to be the head of the home, “if he is following the Lord”!

*****1Ti 2:12 But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.
1Ti 2:13 For Adam was first formed, then Eve.
1Ti 2:14 And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.

Christ is the head of the home and Christ is the head of the Church.

The Christian man is the head of the wife at home and at church, because God is still a God of order in the Church.

So, a woman is not to teach a man, and this would include the job of the Pastor not being available to the woman.

The woman is to never usurp the authority of the godly man!

Just as in the home, the woman should always be involved with the teaching of the children, but this does not relieve the same responsibility for the man, who is also to help with the teaching and the discipling of the children in the church.

We must always remember, it is God’s love that is, passed down to the man and the woman, who are also to live in the love for each other in every instance!

God simply says that Adam was first formed before Eve and this settles the order of the godly home and the true church!

God then says, remember that it was Eve who was deceived and not the man, and that it did led to the sin of Adam’s disobedience, because of the love he had for his wife, he forsook the commands of the Lord.

This is what God demands.
This is what Paul preached.
This is what Timothy was to teach this church!

We cannot allow the love of another human being to come between us and God, period!

Order is then based on the facts. The man is more subject to forsake God, if the woman becomes the head of man!

Again, we must never forget that God is no respecter of persons, but the woman is to never usurp the authority of the man, who is dedicated himself to the Lord!

The woman is never to be in competition with the man, because she is the counterpart of man and together they are “to be one” just as in the marriage!

1Co 11:3 But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.

The world does what the world does, but we as Christians are told to come out from the world and be subject to the law of God!

This is what we agreed to, when we asked the Lord Jesus Christ to come into our heart!

Women have always played a great part in the close nit family.
Women have always played a great part in the church.
Women will have to play a great part in both as long as we are in this world!

There is one more thing that may be considered. If a man is made to sit before a woman for a long period of time, then the man may take his mind off the message and place His eyes upon that woman and temptation may overcome the man!

God knows us better than we know ourselves!

Mat_5:28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.

Remember our lesson is about faithful prayer and when things are out of the order of God, it will seriously hinder our prayers!

*****1Ti 2:15 Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety.

We should remember the curse of Eve.

Gen 3:16 Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.

I believe we can say that the woman’s primary intention has never been about teaching in the church but primarily about bearing children and teaching them in the home and then teaching in the church if they are called of God to do so, just as the man who is called of God!

We can be sure that the Holy Ghost placed that Holy seed in Mary, but it was Mary who bore that child for those 9 months and then mothered the Lord Jesus Christ until He reached the Jewish age of maturity!

The woman will always have a special place in the family and in the church.

Our own prayer life will guide us in all these things!

Amen

Let’s Pray

We Can Be Certain Of Christ’s Prayer

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

The Certainty Of Christ’s Prayer

Book of Luke 11

Some people just do not understand that prayer is our means of having a conversation with God!

It was by the cross and the veil was rent into that we have direct access to the throne of God!

We waste our breath in prayer if we do not first believe, in faith, that God is who He says He is and can do what we read about in the Word of God.

If we do not believe that God will answer prayer, then why pray at all?

Our prayers must be sincere!

Heb 10:22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.

The disciples of Jesus asked Him to teach them how to pray because prayer was a daily thing for our Lord and it can be said that Jesus truly prayed without ceasing.

It is an absolute fact, the more we pray the closer we will get to God.

Jesus said if we pray in His name, God will answer every prayer that reaches into His throne room.

Joh 15:16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

So let’s let Jesus teach us how to pray.

*****Luk 11:1 And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.

The Lord Jesus Christ spent much time in prayer. Prayer was not unknown to these disciples.

They had witnessed prayers at the Temple and in their own synagogues.

They had heard the long winded prayers of the Scribes and the Pharisees.

They had known the prayers of John the Baptist, who had taught his own disciples how to pray.

There was something about the way that Jesus prayed that got their attention!

**Christ Jesus prayed often and He emphasized that prayer was one of the greatest needs of each believer. Jesus insisted that His prayers were the source of His strength.

**Jesus prayed as a Son to His Father in a close and very personal relationship with Him. Jesus taught that we that believe are to have the same close and personal relationship with our Father who is in Heaven.

To be saved is to be adopted into the family of God.

**John the Baptist had taught his own disciples to pray and all these that followed the Lord Jesus knew that He was the Master teacher and could teach them also, it was a reasonable request.

Even in prayer the Lord Jesus is our example!

*****Luk 11:2 And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.

The Lord Jesus Christ will teach anyone to pray, anyone who is sincere and anyone who wants to begin a successful prayer life.

**Jesus begins with “When we pray”.

We must accept that Jesus is teaching us a “model prayer” and not a prayer that should be repeated over and over again, even though nothing is wrong with praying this prayer as it is written.

As we all have different needs and are going through different trials, so then every prayer will be different.

This model prayer is also meant for use of all the children of God no matter their age group.

This prayer is a guide for all of us who need to have a personal relationship with our Creator and our God!

**Thank God for being “Our Father”

We are to have a close personal relationship with our God!

This relationship is to be a family relationship, the relationship of of a child to his parent.

This is the relationship we have after we have been “Born Again” into the family of God!

Joh 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
Joh 1:13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

We must always thank God for being our Father!

We must always thank God that we are part of His family!

This is our assurance that we will spend eternity with not only all other believers but even our own earthly family if they will also trust in the Lord Jesus.

It is this model prayer that will open our eyes to the right way of looking at things.

Remember just a few lessons back, God was teaching us to have the right attitude.

Thank God we have a Father who cares about each and everyone of us!

Once God is our Father, that can never change!

Joh 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
Joh 10:28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
Joh 10:29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.
Joh 10:30 I and my Father are one.

**Thank God for “In Heaven”

Heaven is a real place!

Heaven is the eternal real world, while this place we live now is only a temporary place.

Heaven is incorruptible and undefiled and it will never fade away!

Heaven is where God our Father resides and we will one day be with Him there in that place called Heaven.

Jesus said:

Joh 14:1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
Joh 14:2 In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.

And God’s truth is:

1Co 2:9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

We truly do not have a clue just how wonderful Heaven is going to be!

**We need to praise God for “His name is Hallowed”.

God’s name is to set apart from all other names.

Our God is holy, and righteous, and pure, and loving, and kind, and merciful, and gracious.

God is to be praised for who He is!

We do not hallow God, if we speak of Him in an irreverent fashion.

We do not hallow God when we take His name in vain.

In fact we do not hallow God unless we worship Him in spirit and in truth!

Joh 4:23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
Joh 4:24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

We do not hallow God unless we honor God in our own households!

If we do not have sense of God’s majesty and God’s holiness we will never hallow God’s name!

AND, We do not hallow the Almighty God if we do not have a devout response of “faith” in Him!

Heb 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

God’s attributes are “His Name”

God has made Himself known to us by His Word but also by His Created Works!

We do not hallow the name of God if we do not trust in His power to direct and overrule all things, good and evil!

Holy is the name of God!

Isa 57:15 For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.

Only after we have praised God in our prayer are we to make request of Him!

**We need to pray for God’s Kingdom to come.

In this sense we are praying for the spreading of the “Gospel” of Jesus Christ throughout this world.

We are praying for God’s spiritual kingdom to come into all our lives and the “Gospel” has been spread throughout this world.

This is a prayer to personally receive the “Gospel”!

This is a prayer to personally promote the spread of the “Gospel”!

This is a prayer to persevere in prayer for the success of the “Gospel”!

God says to pray for Him to come but we must remember, when Christ returns to this earth, He will set upon His throne. He will rule and reign upon this earth for 1000 years.

This is the Kingdom that will ultimately be established in fulfillment of the covenant with the Jews.

Before that happens. His will needs to be done in all our lives just as it will be in Heaven.

There is the Spiritual Kingdom, which is God’s authority over all the souls of believers.

There is the Visible Kingdom, the Church, which is visible to all mankind.

There is the Heavenly Kingdom which comes after the rapture of the Church!

**Thy will be done as in Heaven

It should be very obvious to us all that God’s will is not done on earth as it is in Heaven.

We are all unworthy to receive the “Grace of God”!

God’s will for us all is faith and holiness.

We cannot please God without faith.

We are to live holy because our God is a Holy God.

The Lord’s Prayer indicates the right way of looking at things!

The Lord’s Prayer is a prayer that this world we now live in would be filled with the knowledge of God!

The Lord’s Prayer is a prayer that the “Grace” of God will rule in every heart!

The Lord’s Prayer is a prayer that God, by His Grace, will remove all spiritual blindness and cause us all to know His will for each of us!

It is God’s will that all the world be saved.

2Pe 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

*****Luk 11:3 Give us day by day our daily bread.

We are certainly to pray for the necessities of life and we are to do that on a daily basis.

This is food for within and without. We need to fed spiritually and physically.

The Lord’s Prayer is a prayer to be filled as much spiritually as physically!

We must learn that we are dependant on the Lord for both these things.

The needs of the body while on this earth are great, but the truth is, the needs of the soul are far more important!

God will supply our daily needs.

God will supply those needs that are necessary for us to spread the “Gospel”.

God may even sometime supply some our wants, but our needs will always supersede our wants.

There are some rewards for those who serve the Lord but the greater rewards are in Heaven.

*****Luk 11:4 And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.

We need to spend some time discussing the forgiveness of our sins with our Father!

Our sins are a debt that we owe!

Rom 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Our sins are the very reason God had to send His Son to pay that great debt!

Notice we are to pray specifically for the forgiveness of our own sins.

We have a debt to God that we had no means to repay.

But we are also to pray for the forgiveness of the sins of our family, our neighbors, our community, our state, our nation, and our world!

Sin is the most serious matter and the most tragic matter to ever occur in our world!

We need to pray this daily because we are still in the flesh and without a doubt, we sin daily!

Our old sins are already under the blood and it is unnecessary to continue to ask for the forgiveness of those sins!

God does not remember those sins anymore!

Jer 31:34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.

God does not want us to remember those old sins anymore!

Heb 10:17 And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.
Heb 10:18 Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin.

Jesus said that part was finished when He was on the cross!

Until we meet Jesus, we will still come up short of His glory and Jesus is teaching us to pray for this reason!

As God has forgiven our sins then we are to be forgiving of all others.

This is a condition of our own forgiveness!

Mat 6:14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:
Mat 6:15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Eph 4:32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.

We should realize that every confession of sin is always fulfilled with a pardon!

**Lead us not into temptation.

First, God will never tempt us!

Jas 1:13 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:
Jas 1:14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.

We are to have a sincere belief in the providence of God!

It is when we trust in ourselves when temptation can overcome us!

We must have the faith that God is able to deliver us from all evil.

**”Deliver us from evil”

Satan the Devil is real!

We are to avoid all occasions of evil.

We are to give no place to the devil.

We should understand that “evil” is anything and everything that goes against the Word of God!

The Devil is above all, the evil one and the great opposition to the goodness of God!

Worldly afflictions come and go and are indeed grievous so long as they last and they require our prayers.

Sin is evil in it’s nature and high treason against Heaven!

Sin will enslave us!

Sin is a painful thing. Sin is its own punishment to our bodies and sin will destroy the soul!

Sin is worse than death, though death might kill us, but it could not curse us!

The sin of God’s people are even greater than the sins of the world because we sin against the “Mercy” and the “Grace” of God that He has already shown to us!

We should pray for God’s deliverance from evil because God has more “Grace” than He does “wrath”!

Rom 5:20 Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:
Rom 5:21 That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.

And Jesus says we must be sincere and persistent in our prayers, we may have to make many request to fulfill the will of God.

*****Luk 11:5 And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves;
Luk 11:6 For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him?
Luk 11:7 And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee.
Luk 11:8 I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth.

What the truth of our prayers?

When we get into the throne room of God through our prayer, then we must refuse to leave until we get an answer.

How is this possible?

We must be sincere in our need, fervent in our request, constant, persistent, persevering and enduring when we are in contact with our Lord!

Micky Mouse prayers will not move the hand of God!

We need to ask until we get what we need, or that God says no.

Sometimes the greatest blessing we can get is when God says no to something we think we need!

And, Sometimes we have to be somewhat like a pest to move the hand of God!

Jesus gives us the answer to our problems in prayer.

*****Luk 11:9 And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
Luk 11:10 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

“Ask and it shall be given” We should continue to ask until we receive, but if asking is not enough, Then

“Seek, and ye shall find”, But in seeking and we do not find what we need, Then

“Knock, and it shall be open unto us”

The words “ask, seek, and knock” are verbs which means these are things we must do in a continuous action.

We are to keep on with these things until we know for sure we have God’s answer.

God must know we are sincere!

God knows: Jas 1:8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.

The one thing we must consider is, “That God is always willing to give us the things that will fulfill the will and the purpose He has for us!

No matter the circumstances of our life, God will meet our needs!

No matter what we think sometimes, if our prayer can reach the throne room of God, we will get an answer even when it may be a “no” answer.

Deu 4:29 But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.

**There are other reasons that God does not answer our prayer immediately.

1) Prayer teaches us to have a close personal relationship with the Lord our God!

God loves to hear from us and He may hold back to keep us talking and sharing our needs with Him.

1Co 1:9 God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

2) Prayer teaches to have patience and hope in God and His promises.

1Jn 5:14 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:
1Jn 5:15 And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.

3) Prayer demonstrates how deeply we trust God and how much we depend upon Him.

Joh 15:5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

4) Prayer teaches us to love God as our Father.

*****Luk 11:11 If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent?
Luk 11:12 Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?
Luk 11:13 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?

Prayer teaches us that God is not evil, God is like a loving Father.

Not one man upon this earth is a righteous man.

Rom 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

But most men who are also fathers will give to their children when asked.

If all men are evil and God is “Good”, it is impossible for God not to give as our Heavenly Father.

Mar 10:18 And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God.

The greatest gift that our Father in Heaven gives us is the “Gift” of the Holy Spirit!

We have the presence of God living within our hearts and bodies.

When God dwells within those that have called on Him for salvation, then everything that is good is assured!

God is always with us and never far away and He knows us by our fruit!

Gal 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
Gal 5:23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
Gal 5:24 And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
Gal 5:25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

And we can be sure that God will answer our prayers!

Jer 33:2 Thus saith the LORD the maker thereof, the LORD that formed it, to establish it; the LORD is his name;
Jer 33:3 Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.

Prayer is the greatest tool in the arsenal of the Christian, yet in most cases we all lack in a proper prayer life!

The truth is our Father in Heaven is not a dead beat dad who cares very little for his children, God is a true Father who cares for His children.

1Pe 5:6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:
1Pe 5:7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

Questions?

Let’s Pray!

The Power Of The Praying Church

/ Bobby Mayfield / 21 Comments

The Power Of The Praying Church

Book of Acts Chapter 12

In today’s lesson we will see what happens as Satan loses one battle after another in trying to stop the Church.

The persecution of the Church began immediately after Pentecost. Christ Jesus had been persecuted and He had said all of His followers would be persecuted.

There is no doubt that we can expect persecution from false religion because Satan tries to hide the truth of God from all false religion!

Most all mankind, if not all, are seeking a god in their lives.

Most of mankind has moral values and they realize that plants cannot have moral values and though animals can show signs of affection and a degree of learning they also do not have moral values.

If man is then the highest level of life then most people believe that there must have been a Creator, a God!

The others just reject the truth!

Satan has taken advantage of these thoughts in all of mankind and uses all his power to try to stop the truth of God.

In Jerusalem the persecution of the Church began with the religious leaders who instilled a hatred of Christianity into most all Jews. They had failed and now the Church had expanded outside Samaria and was making it’s way to the uttermost parts of this world.

But now another enemy comes on the scene. Government officials had been used by these religious leaders to aid in this persecution but now an evil ruling government took it own it’s own to try to stop the spread of the Christian Church.

All during this period of persecution it seems that the Apostles had been exempt but that was about to change.

If we believe in “types” then we should be aware that these things are happening before our eyes even in America and in a great part of the world.

We have one truth that we can place our faith in and these are the words of Jesus Our Lord:

Mat 16:18  And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; [and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it].

And God also says:

Isa 54:17  [No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper]; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.

This the truth of the Bible.

The “strength” of the Church and the “Power” of the Church comes through “Prayer” and we can see this again today. We have a God that listens to His people!

Let’s begin:

*****Act 12:1  Now about that time Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church.

This Herod was Herod Agrippa 1. He was the grandson of Herod the Great who was ruler when Jesus was born in Bethlehem and had murdered all the babies up to two years old.

Herod the Great had even murdered Agrippa’s own father Aristobulus. It was this Agrippa’s sister, Herodias who had married within the family to his and her uncle Herod Antipas who had murdered John the Baptist.

And it was the son of this Herod, Agrippa II and his sister Bernice, who also later witnessed the trial of Paul before Festus, before Paul was sent to Rome. He also had another sister named Drusilla who was married to Felix who had kept Paul in prison in Caesarea for so long a time.

Herod Agrippa I would do everything he could to make himself popular with the Jews to help him maintain his influence in Rome.

The Pharisees had a special admiration for this man so he decided to do away with the leaders of the Church.

*****Act 12:2  And he killed James the brother of John with the sword.

James became the second recorded martyr, after Stephen, in the New Testament and the first of the Apostles to die for preaching the Word of God.

This James was the older brother of the Apostle John and we already know he preached vigorously and could stir up a commotion with his boldness.

Mar 3:17  And James the son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James; and he surnamed them Boanerges, which is, The sons of thunder:

James was beheaded which was one of the four capitol punishments of the Jews and considered to be the most shameful and the most disgraceful. This beheading was usually reserved for deceivers and all the Apostles were considered deceivers by the Jews.

Jesus had told this James that he indeed would suffer from the same cup as He!

Mar 10:38  But Jesus said unto them, Ye know not what ye ask: can ye drink of the cup that I drink of? and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?
Mar 10:39  And they said unto him, We can. And Jesus said unto them, Ye shall indeed drink of the cup that I drink of; and with the baptism that I am baptized withal shall ye be baptized:

*****Act 12:3  And because he saw it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter also. (Then were the days of unleavened bread.)
Act 12:4  And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people.

This was all the encouragement that this Herod needed to proceed in murdering all the Apostles! If the murdering of James made them happy then surely by killing Peter would delight them even more. We can see that this King Herod fed off this feeling of power over the people.

God permitted the killing of James and God permitted the arrest of Peter. They placed Peter place under heavy guard but Herod knew he needed to wait until after the festival of unleavened bread was complete before he killed Peter.

The last time Peter had been arrested he had miraculously escaped, so this time 16 soldiers were assigned to watch Peter around the clock with two soldiers being chained to him at all times. There was no way for Peter to escape this time, or so they thought.

Of course this observance of “Easter” was a day that the Christian church observed, as the Jews still observed it as “Passover”.

We could ask ourselves why James had to die and not Peter, but all we can say is that it is still God’s plan and it is He that sits on the throne!

It is the throne of Heaven that is in control and not any throne that is on this Earth, just as we will witness one day soon when the Anti-Christ tries to sit on the throne of Jesus.

*****Act 12:5  Peter therefore was kept in prison: [but prayer was made without ceasing] of the church unto God [for him].
 
We must never under estimate the “power” of the praying church! Notice, it was not time to have just a general prayer in the church. It was time to have a specific prayer for the Apostle Peter, that he would be released and be able to continue in God’s work.

We will see that there is an obvious relationship between the prayer for Peter’s release from prison and the angel’s releasing him.

This prayer was probably not made in a single gathering place because of fear after James was killed but they gathered in homes and in little groups, each group praying earnestly and from the heart and without ceasing.

This prayer was specifically for Peter!

*****Act 12:6  And when Herod would have brought him forth, the same night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains: and the keepers before the door kept the prison.

We can see that there was no way for Peter to escape by any, so called, normal means.

But we can also see that Peter was asleep. We will see that the Apostle Peter was sleeping so soundly that the angel had to awaken him by punching on him and lifting him up.

In spite of his circumstances and knowing he was to executed on the following morning, Peter had the peace of a man who knows that Heaven is his home and he was about to go there. This is the peace of God that we all should have.

The Bible says:

Psa 121:7  The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul.
Psa 121:8  The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.

And God tells each of us these words:

Psa 127:2  It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: [for so he giveth his beloved sleep].

God tells us that it is foolish to worry about our circumstances. We should be resting for the work ahead.

Remember, Peter had also been promised by Jesus, that he would live to be an old man:

Joh 21:18  Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdedst thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: [but when thou shalt be old], thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not.

Now we might not know how old that would be but Peter was not that old at this time!

*****Act 12:7  And, behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison: and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands.

What are some of the things that angels do?

1.) They minister to God the Father.

2.) They ministered to Jesus Christ, God the Son.

3.) They minister to every believer:

a.) They can offer physical protection:

Psa 91:11  For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.

b.) They can help provide a need in times of peril as they did to Elijah:

1Ki 19:5  And as he lay and slept under a juniper tree, behold, then an angel touched him, and said unto him, Arise and eat.
1Ki 19:6  And he looked, and, behold, there was a cake baken on the coals, and a cruse of water at his head. And he did eat and drink, and laid him down again.

c.) They can offer encouragement as they did to Paul:

Act 27:23  For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve,
Act 27:24  Saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee.

d.) They can give us direction as they did to Philip:

Act 8:26  And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert.

And as they had to Cornelius about Peter:

Act 10:3  He saw in a vision evidently about the ninth hour of the day an angel of God coming in to him, and saying unto him, Cornelius.

e.) Angels may one day carry us home to Heaven:

Luk 16:22  And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and [was carried by the angels] into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;

f.) And in this lesson we see they assist in answered prayer!

But Angels will one day also minister to all unbelievers!

Mat 13:41  The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity;
Mat 13:42  [And shall cast them into a furnace of fire]: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

In order for Peter to be saved, from this peril, he had to do what this angel told him to do!

*****Act 12:8  And the angel said unto him, Gird thyself, and bind on thy sandals. [And so he did]. And he saith unto him, Cast thy garment about thee, and follow me.

Even in the middle of a miracle, we are expected to be civil and do the things that we can do. Peter needed to dress himself and put on his own shoes because it was time to get out of jail.

We are to do the things God has given us power to do and God will do the things that we are powerless to do!

And then we are to obey “the one” that God sends!

*****Act 12:9  And he went out, and followed him; and wist not that it was true which was done by the angel; but thought he saw a vision.

Peter felt like he was having a dream and that dream came with a vision.

His chains had just fallen off.

The soldiers were not aware of anything that was happening.

Locked cells and gates were just opening up.

Unbelievable things were happening that could not be explained so Peter felt that they must not be real.

*****Act 12:10  When they were past the first and the second ward, they came unto the iron gate that leadeth unto the city; which opened to them of his own accord: and they went out, and passed on through one street; and forthwith the angel departed from him.

These two wards were places inside the prison where guards were stationed and that iron gate was the entrance, or in Peter’s case, the exit from that prison where he had been kept.

Prisons were not outside the city walls at this time!

These gates just opened on their own. They did not have to open for the angel, so they were opening for Peter’s escape.

This angel did not leave Peter until Peter knew which way he could go to escape and it was at this time that Peter realized he had been saved from death!

*****Act 12:11  And when Peter was come to himself, he said, Now I know of a surety, that the Lord hath sent his angel, and hath delivered me out of the hand of Herod, and from all the expectation of the people of the Jews.

Peter knew he had been delivered from the hand of Herod and from the Jewish leaders.

Peter was no longer confused!

Peter knew that his own people the Jews had expected him to be murdered just as James had been.

BUT, even the government could not stop what God had in store for Peter.

AND,  the “power of prayer” is a force that is also unstoppable. These are lessons that we all seem to have forgotten.

The Bible says:

Psa 41:1  Blessed is he that considereth the poor: the LORD will deliver him in time of trouble.
Psa 41:2  The LORD will preserve him, and keep him alive; and he shall be blessed upon the earth: [and thou wilt not deliver him unto the will of his enemies].

*****Act 12:12  And when he had considered the thing, he came to the house of Mary the mother of John, whose surname was Mark; where many were gathered together praying.

This probably a Mary we have not yet met, and more probably, a sister to Barnabas we have just recently met.

When Peter had gained control of his senses, he realized that his brothers and sisters may be gathered together and most probably in a place familiar with them all.

Peter knew this place and this family very well and had led Mark to the Lord:

1Pe 5:13  The church that is at Babylon, elected together with you, saluteth you; [and so doth Marcus my son].

This was most likely the same upper room where they had been praying on the day of Pentecost.

The same room where they had observed the Lord’s Supper with the Lord.

It is very possible that Mark and even Barnabas had been in that house with them both of these times.

*****Act 12:13  And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a damsel came to hearken, named Rhoda.
Act 12:14  And when she knew Peter’s voice, she opened not the gate for gladness, but ran in, and told how Peter stood before the gate.

It is most probable that while this church, that met in Mary’s house was still praying, the answer to their prayer had appeared at the door!

Rhoda was so overwhelmed that she neglected to open the door, though she recognized the voice of Peter.

Peter had to keep knocking while the church could not believe their prayer had been answered.

*****Act 12:15  And they said unto her, Thou art mad. But she constantly affirmed that it was even so. Then said they, It is his angel.
Act 12:16  But Peter continued knocking: and when they had opened the door, and saw him, they were astonished. 

They had been praying earnestly but they had no faith that their prayer would be answered.

This a great lesson for us all!

There are indeed guardian angels assigned to each believer:

Psa 34:7  The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.

These people knew that Peter was not to be executed until the Passover or after it, so they were not referring to this as Peter’s spirit or the ghost of Peter.

And this could not ave been an angel or he could have walked right on in that house.

The lesson we learn here is that though they believed in fervent prayer, they had their doubts that God would answer such a prayer.

The Bible teaches us:

Mar 9:24  And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, [Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief].

When we doubt that our prayers will be answered then most times they will not!

As a child of God the Father, He has given us the “power” to come directly to His throne at any hour and with any need.

We are wasting our time and His time if we do not believe that Our Father can do the impossible, as this simple illustration we are given in this passage!

Remember Herod had murdered James, the brother of John.

He had intended to do the same to Peter.

The early church was driven to it’s knees and God, not only answered their prayer and released Peter, but God began to turn the tide against this Herod and these Jews.

More than just saving Peter happened that day because of prayer!

The Bible says:

Jas 5:16  Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. [The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much].

In other words there is endless power in the fervent prayer of “faith”!

*****Act 12:17  But he, beckoning unto them with the hand to hold their peace, declared unto them how the Lord
had brought him out of the prison. And he said, Go shew these things unto James, and to the brethren. And he
departed, and went into another place.

The Apostle James was already dead, so this James was the half brother of Jesus, and even at this time this James was taking more responsibility in the church at Jerusalem and this James was also the writer used of the Holy Ghost to write the Book of James!

Peter disappears for a period of time at least until after the time of Herod’s death.

We will see very little of Peter throughout the remaining chapters but we will begin to see a whole lot of the Apostle Paul.

We know that Peter gathered his wife and went on the road preaching the gospel:

1Co 9:5  Have we not power to lead about a sister, a wife, as well as other apostles, and as the brethren of the Lord, [and Cephas]?

In fact Peter is on the short list of some that preached to the church of Corinth after it was established:

1Co 1:12  Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; [and I of Cephas]; and I of Christ.

The Bible does not give us any evidence that the Apostle Peter ever visited Rome, and in fact, if Peter had establish a church in Rome then the Apostle Paul would not have had his yearning to go to Rome:

There is proof of this:

Rom 15:20  Yea, so have I strived to preach the gospel, not where Christ was named, [lest I should build upon another man’s foundation]:

The Bible encourages us to be in earnest prayer for those Christians locked up for preaching the “Gospel” and to have enough faith that God will use these people to grow the church.

Heb 13:3  Remember them that are in bonds, [as bound with them]; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body.

Prayer can change lives and it is vastly important that we realize the power of prayer!

Herod who was the ruling government was shaken up by what happened!

The military was shaken up and blamed and at least 16 soldiers who then lost their lives!

Herod commanded a great search be made, but Peter could not be found!

Herod decided it would be best if he left Judea and he went back to Caesarea but he could not hide from God and in a short time his own life was ended because he did not give God the glory!

Questions?

Let’s Pray!