MARCH 29
RECAP
Week 1: Teach us to pray [Phil]
Week 2: All kinds of prayer [Esther]
Week 3: Joyful house of prayer for the nations [Shona]
Week 4: The Secret Place [Maghan]
This Week:
THE PRAYER OF FAITH
[Including the sinner’s prayer]
God, in HIS word, shares with us HOW to communicate with Him. We all like to be communicated with in certain ways. A language we understand. A tone that respects us. Body language that doesn’t threaten us. A relational context that gives weight to communication, AND determines the appropriate KINDS of communication. God is the SAME! In fact, We are this way because we’re made in the image of God, so it’s much more accurate to say we are like this because we are like HIM.
Many people pray. Many people talk AT God. Most of the time they’re asking for something. It’s not wrong to ask God for something. In fact, the Bible tells us to. But there are important factors we need to have right. Our relationship with God for example.
Let me give you an example.
When I was a young man who had heard from God that I needed to pursue music for Him, I needed money.
I was weighing my options. Maybe go to university? I needed money.
Maybe just knuckle down and practice, still needed money.
I ended up deciding to pursue production. To get started in this, I needed about $5000. I didn’t have $5000. I was saving, but I wanted to get started. I seriously considered university because I knew I could get a fat amount of cash in the form of a student loan to get started. However, I had the privilege of meeting the director of U2’s production. So at the encouragement of my dad, I approached my grandma. She had told us grandkids she had some money available to help us through university if we needed it, and dad suggested I write to her and explain that I wanted to pursue music, That university wasn’t a great option, that I could put that money to much better use learning privately. So I wrote to my grandma.
There we some serious keys to this approach. I needed to consider the words I used, I needed to explain the situation. I needed to respect what she had made the money available for, and how even though I was making a somewhat left-field request, that my intents for the use of the money still applied to the offer she had made. I wrote the letter, she agreed, and I started down that wonderful path that has lead to an extremely fulfilling primary ministry for the last 12 years of my life.
Now, this worked because there are some factors in my relationship with my grandma that apply exactly to our relationship with God.
1. My relationship with my Grandma was not based on my need for money.
2. My relationship with my Grandma would not be altered if she agreed to give me the money or not.
3. I approached my Grandma appropriately. I communicated in a way that honored her generous offer to me as a grandkid of hers.
Can you see how this relates to our relationship with God? So many people base God’s existence on whether He gives them money or not. So many people allow their relationship with God to be altered because HIS ways don’t line up with theirs. So many people, because their relationship with God sucks, approach him in a way that is not honoring, is not appropriate, and is not respectful. Don’t forget that SATAN approached God with requests. God rightfully turned him down. This way of thinking, if you think Daniel Kolenda has anything to say about the matter, is actually DEMONIC.
But our FOCUS is on what to do, not on what not to do. So many don’ts in the world, we at Megamorphic provide the God-given DO’s AMEN!
Keynote Scripture:
James 5:13-18 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.
FAITH
What is faith? If you’re done the foundation’s course you surely know! We’re gonna dig into it today. To pray the prayer of faith, you’ve got to know faith and you’ve got to know prayer.
We’ve had a decent coverage of prayer this month, right? I’m confident we’ve got that deep in our spirit by now. So let’s hit FAITH.
Keys to faith:
FAITH IS
Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
FAITH FACTS;
Romans 4:9; Romans 4:22; Galatians 3:6; James 2:23; Genesis 15:6; Titus 3:8
Abraham was righteous Simply because he believed God, or "had faith" in God. Gen 15:6 - Abraham believed H539 the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness
Aman Hebrew word for Faith. It includes in its meaning. “verified”
Emuwnah another word for faith in Hebrew also means “truth”
Habakkuk 2:4 the just shall live by Faith [emuwnah]
TAKE NOTE!
I want us to notice a distinction here that I believe really sheds light on the issue. People confuse faith with superstition all the time. Throw into that mix what James 2:19 says "You believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe that-and shudder." When it says Abraham believed God. It’s not saying he came to the conclusion God exists. No, that was already part of Abraham’s life. No, it doesn’t say Abraham believed IN God. It says he Believed God. As in, God told him something, and Abraham trusted God.
My marriage with Maghan isn’t great because I know she exists. My marriage is great because she tells me she loves me, and I believe her, and there’s plenty of physical evidence to back that up. Maghan is faithful.
Another similar way to emphasize this dynamic of faith is with the word Faithful. That’s a much less damaged word in our western culture, and it’s simply the English word for faith in action. We all know what faithful means. A faithful spouse never cheats. A faithful witness tells the truth. A faithful believer does what God says.
Full conclusion faith. - Science doesn’t come to absolute conclusions. Science is always, and in many ways appropriately skeptical. Science has theories. Science does have some laws, but those laws are still open to change. Gravity for example. It’s been a law for a LONG time. However, our understanding of gravity has changed significantly since Issac Newtown discovered it.
Our relationship with God is quite different. While we will always be learning about him, and our understanding of Him will continue to develop and grow for all eternity, His EXISTENCE is not a question. It’s Absolute Truth. It IS the constant. THIS is faith. I’m more convinced God exists than I’m convinced Maghan exists. I don’t doubt the latter at all, but God himself is the REASON Maghan exists. This isn’t blind superstition. This is because I have a real relationship with Him. I WALK With Him. Our relationship with God should be that real. I can honestly say I haven’t doubted the existence of God since I was 17. That’s not for lack of trying either! I have been immersed in the underbelly of atheists. I’ve LOST arguments with ex-Christians. However, I still haven’t doubted. I’ve had things fail that I thought were God initiatives that cost me dearly. STILL I never doubt Him. This isn’t to brag, this is to TESTIFY! I want to inspire you as to how close you can KNOW HIM. IF YOU DON’T HAVE THIS, AND YOU WANT THIS, IT CAN BE YOURS! IT’S NO QUICK FIX. YOU NEED TO BECOME A DISCIPLE.
WITHOUT FAITH IT’S IMPOSSIBLE TO PLEASE GOD
Hebrews 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
ASK YOURSELF, ARE YOU EVEN TRYING TO PLEASE GOD?
FAITH COMES BY HEARING THE WORD OF GOD
Romans 10:17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word [rhēma] of Christ.
- Rhema is critically important, Gathering together and HEARING revelation, Both Revelation given to us and Revelation shared by fellow believers
Daniel Kolenda book, Jesus, the Word, Faith and Satan.
Satan tempted Jesus with the Bible. Jesus didn’t need to prove God with works, he believed what God said about him, because it was God that said it about him.
THE NEXT VERSE: GOD IS SPEAKING TO EVERYONE,
ROMANS 10:18 But I say, Have they not heard? Yes verily, their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world.
SAVING FAITH & THE GIFT OF FAITH
These are two different things.
Saving faith:
Putting your trust in God, Believing He exists AND what He has said and done for us is what activates the gift of salvation that God wants to give us.
The Gift of Faith:
1 Corinthians 12:9 tells us that the Gift of faith is something given to believers, not something they already have.
Jude 1:20 tells us praying in the spirit will build up our faith. This faith is something more than salvation. Someone praying in the spirit is already saved.
This shows us that we have access to MORE faith. It is indeed available to us. We’re told to seek the gifts AND we’re also told HOW to seek this particular Gift,
- Hear the Word
- Pray in the Spirit.
FAITH & HEALING
The prayer of faith mentioned in James is in the context of healing.
Esther lactose
Shozza cancer
Liz Chan’s mum
Terrance’s knee
Kelly DeHaven’s Knee
Shozza’s Foot
Some Keys to faith and it’s relation to Healing from Jesus’ ministry:
Jesus told people they were healed by THEIR Faith. Mat 9:22, Mat 9:29, Mat 15:28 ETC ETC.
Jesus told the disciples when they couldn’t perform miracles it was because of their lack of faith Mat 17:20 etc.
Jesus HIMSELF couldn’t do miracles in His hometown because of unbelief. Mark 6.
THE PRAYER OF FAITH IS WHEN WE PRAY WITH THIS KIND OF FAITH
WE CAN MAKE THIS CHURCH AN ENVIRONMENT OF FAITH!
We don’t want to be like the hometown of Jesus right? We can create an atmosphere of faith. We can LEAD people.
THE SINNER'S PRAYER
James 5 also speaks of repentance from SIN when it mentions the prayer of faith. So, let’s hit the sinner’s prayer.
The sinner’s prayer is not actually in the Bible, but I think leading people in it IS following Biblical guidelines.
There are many Biblical salvation scriptures. We have one we recommend focusing on. The one from the day the church was born.
Acts 2:38 "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Repentance from SIN. In Jesus’ name. Forgiveness from Sin. Baptism. The gift of the Holy Spirit.