NOTES
for Men of Prayer, 5th October 2009
Luke 11: 1THEN HE was praying in a certain place; and when He stopped, one of His disciples said to Him, Lord, teach us to pray, [just] as John taught his disciples. 2And He said to them, When you pray, say: Our Father Who is in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done [held holy and revered] on earth as it is in heaven.
The first difficulty observed here, for some, is to adequately acknowledge the divine sovereignty of GOD,
4And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us [who has offended us or done us wrong].
The second difficulty is to acknowledge our sinfulness, then to be ready to forgive others who have wronged us.
And bring us not into temptation but rescue us from evil.
The third difficulty is to be willing to avoid all appearance of evil.
5And He said to them, Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and will say to him, Friend, lend me three loaves [of bread],6For a friend of mine who is on a journey has just come, and I have nothing to put before him; 7And he from within will answer, Do not disturb me; the door is now closed, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot get up and supply you [with anything]? 8I tell you, although he will not get up and supply him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his shameless persistence and insistence he will get up and give him as much as he needs. 9So I say to you, Ask and keep on asking and it shall be given you; seek and keep on seeking and you shall find; knock and keep on knocking and the door shall be opened to you. 10For everyone who asks and keeps on asking receives; and he who seeks and keeps on seeking finds; and to him who knocks and keeps on knocking, the door shall be opened.
The fourth difficulty is to be persistent and insistent.
Luke 11:1. The Disciples (disciplined ones) were to receive a challenging lesson about the discipline of persistence and insistence in prayer in the story of ‘the friend at midnight’. The conclusion made by Jesus was that the friend did NOT respond to the plea for help out of friendship but rather “because of his shameless persistence and insistence, he will get up and give him as much as he needs”.
The application made by Jesus was “So I say to you, Ask and keep on asking and it shall be given you; seek and keep on seeking, and you shall find; knock and keep on knocking, and the door shall be opened to you. For everyone who asks and keeps on asking receives …” etc.
(ask, ask, ask, ask, ad infinitum)
The word ‘insist’ from Latin is made up of ‘in’ meaning ‘into’ and ‘sistere’, to stand.
So, stand in there in a shameless way until …This is about the QUALITY of the prayer and the CHARACTER of the pray-er.
The word ‘persist’ from Latin consists of ‘per’ meaning ‘through’ and ‘sistere’ to stand. So stand in there right through the crisis. Don’t give up. See what Jesus said in Luke 18:1, “… do not turn coward – faint, lose heart and give up.”
Persist is to do with TIME.
INSIST : make a stand on something as essential.(The Concise Oxford Dictionary)
PERSIST ; continue obstinately. (The Concise Oxford Dictionary)
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Saturday, September 5, 2009
PRAYING IN THE NAME OF JESUS
Notes for Men of Prayer, Monday night 7th September 2009
IN THE NAME OF JESUS
Coming to God in the name of Jesus is like using a key to enter a special room where we may have audience with the great, majestic God of the vast universe.
John 14:13 “And I will do – I Myself will grant – whatsoever you may ask in My name …”
Comment from Ellicott’s Bible Commentary :-
V12, “Because I go unto my Father. – The words are the reason why the believer shall do the works that Christ does, as well as the reason why he shall do greater works: because He will be at the Father’s right hand, and will do whatsoever they shall ask in His name. And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do. The width and limitation of the promise are both to be noted. Personal petitions are not contemplated here, except as far as they are for the glory of God, and petitions asked in ignorance may be most truly answered when they are not granted. We commonly attach to our prayers ‘Through Jesus Christ our Lord’. This implies an absolute self-sacrifice, and it is a prayer that our prayers may not be answered except insofar as they are in accordance with the divine will.’
John 15:16 “… so that whatever you ask the Father in My name (as presenting all that I AM ) He may give it to you.”
John 16:23 “I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, that My Father will grant you whatever you ask in My name.”
Ellicott’s Bible Commentary. “The thought is that the prayer is offered in Christ’s name and that the answer to every such prayer is in virtue of His name.”
Luke 1:31, “… and the angel (Gabriel) said to her (Mary) you shall call His name Jesus.” Luke 2;21, And at the end of eight days, when the baby was to be circumcised, He was called Jesus.
His name is Jesus but His title is The Christ, like Mrs or Professor or Doctor.
Phil 2:5. Let this same attitude and purpose and [humble] mind be in you which was in Christ Jesus: [Let Him be your example in humility:] 6Who, although being essentially one with God and in the form of God possessing the fullness of the attributes which make God God], did not think this equality with God was a thing to be eagerly grasped or retained, 7But stripped Himself [of all privileges and rightful dignity], so as to assume the guise of a servant (slave), in that He became like men and was born a human being. 8And after He had appeared in human form, He abased and humbled Himself [still further] and carried His obedience to the extreme of death, even the death of the cross! 9Therefore [because He stooped so low] God has highly exalted Him and has freely bestowed on Him the name that is above every name, 10That in (at) the name of Jesus every knee should (must) bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11And every tongue [frankly and openly] confess and acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
John 1:12. But to as many as did receive and welcome Him, He gave the authority (power, privilege, right) to become the children of God, that is, to those who believe in – adhere to, trust in and rely on – His name;
Acts 16 3Paul desired Timothy to go with him [as a missionary]; and he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews that were in those places, all of whom knew that his father was a Greek. 4As they went on their way from town to town, they delivered over [to the assemblies] for their observance the regulations decided upon by the apostles and elders who were at Jerusalem. 5So the churches were strengthened and made firm in the faith, and they increased in number day after day. 12And from there [we came] to Philippi, which is the chief city of the district of Macedonia and a [Roman] colony. We stayed on in this place some days; 13And on the Sabbath day we went outside the [city's] gate to the bank of the river where we supposed there was an [accustomed] place of prayer, and we sat down and addressed the women who had assembled there. 16As we were on our way to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who was possessed by a spirit of divination [claiming to foretell future events and to discover hidden knowledge], and she brought her owners much gain by her fortunetelling. 17She kept following Paul and [the rest of] us, shouting loudly, These men are the servants of the Most High God! They announce to you the way of salvation! 18And she did this for many days. Then Paul, being sorely annoyed and worn out, turned and said to the spirit within her, I charge you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her! And it came out that very moment.
Acts 19. 6And as Paul laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them; and they spoke in [foreign, unknown] tongues (languages) and prophesied. 7There were about twelve of them in all. 8And he went into the synagogue and for three months spoke boldly, persuading and arguing and pleading about the kingdom of God. 9But when some became more and more stubborn (hardened and unbelieving), discrediting and reviling and speaking evil of the Way [of the Lord] before the congregation, he separated himself from them, taking the disciples with him, and went on holding daily discussions in the lecture room of Tyrannus from about ten o'clock till three. 10This continued for two years, so that all the inhabitants of [the province of] Asia, Jews as well as Greeks, heard the Word of the Lord [concerning the attainment through Christ of eternal salvation in the kingdom of God]. 11And God did unusual and extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, 12So that handkerchiefs or towels or aprons which had touched his skin were carried away and put upon the sick, and their diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them.
Exorcists, (to deliver a person from evil spirits), the seven sons of Sceva. Adjure = to bind, charge or command.
13Then some of the travelling Jewish exorcists (men who adjure evil spirits) also undertook to call the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, I solemnly implore and charge you by the Jesus Whom Paul preaches! 14Seven sons of a certain Jewish chief priest named Sceva were doing this. 15But [one] evil spirit retorted, Jesus I know, and Paul I know about, but who are you? 16Then the man in whom the evil spirit dwelt leaped upon them, mastering two of them, and was so violent against them that they dashed out of that house [in fear], stripped naked and wounded.
IN THE NAME OF JESUS
Coming to God in the name of Jesus is like using a key to enter a special room where we may have audience with the great, majestic God of the vast universe.
John 14:13 “And I will do – I Myself will grant – whatsoever you may ask in My name …”
Comment from Ellicott’s Bible Commentary :-
V12, “Because I go unto my Father. – The words are the reason why the believer shall do the works that Christ does, as well as the reason why he shall do greater works: because He will be at the Father’s right hand, and will do whatsoever they shall ask in His name. And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do. The width and limitation of the promise are both to be noted. Personal petitions are not contemplated here, except as far as they are for the glory of God, and petitions asked in ignorance may be most truly answered when they are not granted. We commonly attach to our prayers ‘Through Jesus Christ our Lord’. This implies an absolute self-sacrifice, and it is a prayer that our prayers may not be answered except insofar as they are in accordance with the divine will.’
John 15:16 “… so that whatever you ask the Father in My name (as presenting all that I AM ) He may give it to you.”
John 16:23 “I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, that My Father will grant you whatever you ask in My name.”
Ellicott’s Bible Commentary. “The thought is that the prayer is offered in Christ’s name and that the answer to every such prayer is in virtue of His name.”
Luke 1:31, “… and the angel (Gabriel) said to her (Mary) you shall call His name Jesus.” Luke 2;21, And at the end of eight days, when the baby was to be circumcised, He was called Jesus.
His name is Jesus but His title is The Christ, like Mrs or Professor or Doctor.
Phil 2:5. Let this same attitude and purpose and [humble] mind be in you which was in Christ Jesus: [Let Him be your example in humility:] 6Who, although being essentially one with God and in the form of God possessing the fullness of the attributes which make God God], did not think this equality with God was a thing to be eagerly grasped or retained, 7But stripped Himself [of all privileges and rightful dignity], so as to assume the guise of a servant (slave), in that He became like men and was born a human being. 8And after He had appeared in human form, He abased and humbled Himself [still further] and carried His obedience to the extreme of death, even the death of the cross! 9Therefore [because He stooped so low] God has highly exalted Him and has freely bestowed on Him the name that is above every name, 10That in (at) the name of Jesus every knee should (must) bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11And every tongue [frankly and openly] confess and acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
John 1:12. But to as many as did receive and welcome Him, He gave the authority (power, privilege, right) to become the children of God, that is, to those who believe in – adhere to, trust in and rely on – His name;
Acts 16 3Paul desired Timothy to go with him [as a missionary]; and he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews that were in those places, all of whom knew that his father was a Greek. 4As they went on their way from town to town, they delivered over [to the assemblies] for their observance the regulations decided upon by the apostles and elders who were at Jerusalem. 5So the churches were strengthened and made firm in the faith, and they increased in number day after day. 12And from there [we came] to Philippi, which is the chief city of the district of Macedonia and a [Roman] colony. We stayed on in this place some days; 13And on the Sabbath day we went outside the [city's] gate to the bank of the river where we supposed there was an [accustomed] place of prayer, and we sat down and addressed the women who had assembled there. 16As we were on our way to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who was possessed by a spirit of divination [claiming to foretell future events and to discover hidden knowledge], and she brought her owners much gain by her fortunetelling. 17She kept following Paul and [the rest of] us, shouting loudly, These men are the servants of the Most High God! They announce to you the way of salvation! 18And she did this for many days. Then Paul, being sorely annoyed and worn out, turned and said to the spirit within her, I charge you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her! And it came out that very moment.
Acts 19. 6And as Paul laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them; and they spoke in [foreign, unknown] tongues (languages) and prophesied. 7There were about twelve of them in all. 8And he went into the synagogue and for three months spoke boldly, persuading and arguing and pleading about the kingdom of God. 9But when some became more and more stubborn (hardened and unbelieving), discrediting and reviling and speaking evil of the Way [of the Lord] before the congregation, he separated himself from them, taking the disciples with him, and went on holding daily discussions in the lecture room of Tyrannus from about ten o'clock till three. 10This continued for two years, so that all the inhabitants of [the province of] Asia, Jews as well as Greeks, heard the Word of the Lord [concerning the attainment through Christ of eternal salvation in the kingdom of God]. 11And God did unusual and extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, 12So that handkerchiefs or towels or aprons which had touched his skin were carried away and put upon the sick, and their diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them.
Exorcists, (to deliver a person from evil spirits), the seven sons of Sceva. Adjure = to bind, charge or command.
13Then some of the travelling Jewish exorcists (men who adjure evil spirits) also undertook to call the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, I solemnly implore and charge you by the Jesus Whom Paul preaches! 14Seven sons of a certain Jewish chief priest named Sceva were doing this. 15But [one] evil spirit retorted, Jesus I know, and Paul I know about, but who are you? 16Then the man in whom the evil spirit dwelt leaped upon them, mastering two of them, and was so violent against them that they dashed out of that house [in fear], stripped naked and wounded.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Thursday, July 30, 2009
PRAYING IS SPIRITUAL NOT PHYSICSAL
NOTES for Monday night 3rd August 2009
2. PRAYER IS SPIRITUAL NOT PHYSICAL
John 4:23 “…the true (genuine) worshippers will worship the Father in SPIRIT and in truth (reality); …”
We must be quickened, made alive, born again by the Holy Spirit before we can pray with our spirit. This fact is explained by Jesus to Nicodemus.
John 3. 1NOW THERE was a certain man among the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler (a leader, an authority) among the Jews,
2Who came to Jesus at night and said to Him, Rabbi, we know and are certain that You have come from God [as] a Teacher; for no one can do these signs (these wonderworks, these miracles--and produce the proofs) that You do unless God is with him.
3Jesus answered him, I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, that unless a person is born again (anew, from above), he cannot ever see (know, be acquainted with, and experience) the kingdom of God.
4Nicodemus said to Him, How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter his mother's womb again and be born?
5Jesus answered, I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, unless a man is born of water and even] the Spirit, he cannot [ever] enter the kingdom of God.
6What is born of [from] the flesh is flesh [of the physical is physical]; and what is born of the Spirit is spirit.
7Marvel not [do not be surprised, astonished] at My telling you, You must all be born anew (from above).
8The wind blows (breathes) where it wills; and though you hear its sound, yet you neither know where it comes from nor where it is going. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.
9Nicodemus answered by asking, How can all this be possible?
10Jesus replied, Are you the teacher of Israel, and yet do not know nor understand these things? [Are they strange to you?]
11I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, We speak only of what we know [we know absolutely what we are talking about]; we have actually seen what we are testifying to [we were eyewitnesses of it]. And still you do not receive our testimony [you reject and refuse our evidence--that of Myself and of all those who are born of the Spirit].
12If I have told you of things that happen right here on the earth and yet none of you believes Me, how can you believe (trust Me, adhere to Me, rely on Me) if I tell you of heavenly things?
Rom 8:26 “…but the SPIRIT Himself goes to meet our supplication and pleads in our behalf with unspeakable yearnings too deep for utterance.”
1 Cor 14:14 “For if I pray in an (unknown) tongue, my spirit (by the Holy Spirit within me) prays,
2 Cor 10:3-5. For though we walk (live) in the flesh, we are not carrying on our warfare according to the flesh and using mere human weapons. For the weapons of our warfare are not physical [weapons of flesh and blood], but they are mighty before God for the overthrow and destruction of strongholds, [Inasmuch as we] refute arguments and theories and reasonings and every proud and lofty thing that sets itself up against the [true] knowledge of God; and we lead every thought and purpose away captive into the obedience of Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One),
Jude 1:20 (Amplified Bible)20But you, beloved, build yourselves up [founded] on your most holy faith [make progress, rise like an edifice higher and higher], praying in the Holy Spirit;
2. PRAYER IS SPIRITUAL NOT PHYSICAL
John 4:23 “…the true (genuine) worshippers will worship the Father in SPIRIT and in truth (reality); …”
We must be quickened, made alive, born again by the Holy Spirit before we can pray with our spirit. This fact is explained by Jesus to Nicodemus.
John 3. 1NOW THERE was a certain man among the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler (a leader, an authority) among the Jews,
2Who came to Jesus at night and said to Him, Rabbi, we know and are certain that You have come from God [as] a Teacher; for no one can do these signs (these wonderworks, these miracles--and produce the proofs) that You do unless God is with him.
3Jesus answered him, I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, that unless a person is born again (anew, from above), he cannot ever see (know, be acquainted with, and experience) the kingdom of God.
4Nicodemus said to Him, How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter his mother's womb again and be born?
5Jesus answered, I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, unless a man is born of water and even] the Spirit, he cannot [ever] enter the kingdom of God.
6What is born of [from] the flesh is flesh [of the physical is physical]; and what is born of the Spirit is spirit.
7Marvel not [do not be surprised, astonished] at My telling you, You must all be born anew (from above).
8The wind blows (breathes) where it wills; and though you hear its sound, yet you neither know where it comes from nor where it is going. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.
9Nicodemus answered by asking, How can all this be possible?
10Jesus replied, Are you the teacher of Israel, and yet do not know nor understand these things? [Are they strange to you?]
11I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, We speak only of what we know [we know absolutely what we are talking about]; we have actually seen what we are testifying to [we were eyewitnesses of it]. And still you do not receive our testimony [you reject and refuse our evidence--that of Myself and of all those who are born of the Spirit].
12If I have told you of things that happen right here on the earth and yet none of you believes Me, how can you believe (trust Me, adhere to Me, rely on Me) if I tell you of heavenly things?
Rom 8:26 “…but the SPIRIT Himself goes to meet our supplication and pleads in our behalf with unspeakable yearnings too deep for utterance.”
1 Cor 14:14 “For if I pray in an (unknown) tongue, my spirit (by the Holy Spirit within me) prays,
2 Cor 10:3-5. For though we walk (live) in the flesh, we are not carrying on our warfare according to the flesh and using mere human weapons. For the weapons of our warfare are not physical [weapons of flesh and blood], but they are mighty before God for the overthrow and destruction of strongholds, [Inasmuch as we] refute arguments and theories and reasonings and every proud and lofty thing that sets itself up against the [true] knowledge of God; and we lead every thought and purpose away captive into the obedience of Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One),
Jude 1:20 (Amplified Bible)20But you, beloved, build yourselves up [founded] on your most holy faith [make progress, rise like an edifice higher and higher], praying in the Holy Spirit;
Saturday, July 4, 2009
MEN OF PRAYER
For MEN OF PRAYER – Monday night NOTES.
WHY PRAY?
Who is listening? To WHOM do we pray? What does the Bible say about this?
Consider first those who do NOT listen to our prayers,
(a) idols of wood, stone etc.
(b) pictures, letters, trinkets, charms, etc. from the dead,
(c) dead people – including Saints, and ‘Uncle Charlie who is looking down on us’
(d) Pets, animals, birds, fish,
(e) Angels – we may talk with them but we do not worship them. They are agencies of God sent to minister to us,
(e) Evil Spirits, demons, Satan, any spirits brought up by mediums and witches,
(f) Mystical objects and events,
(g) Anything at all except GOD. Exodus 20: 1 THEN GOD spoke all these words: 2 I am the Lord your God, Who has brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 3 You shall have no other gods before or besides Me. 4 You shall not make yourself any graven image [to worship it] or any likeness of anything that is in the heavens above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; 5 You shall not bow down yourself to them or serve them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate Me, 6 But showing mercy and steadfast love to a thousand generations of those who love Me and keep My commandments.
We pray to GOD the Father.
(a) Instructions from Jesus – Matt 6:6, “… pray to your Father, Who is in secret…”. To His Disciples, “…when you pray, say, our Father, Who is in Heaven…”. Matt 6:9
(b) Paul prayed :- Rom 10:1, “Brethren…for…Israel I long and pray to GOD that they may be saved.” 2 Cor 13:7 “But I pray to GOD that you do nothing wrong.” Acts 16:25, “But about midnight, as Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to GOD…”
(c) Christians of the early Church:- Acts 2:46, “And day after day they regularly assembled in the temple with united purpose, … constantly praising GOD.”
Acts 4: 23 After they were permitted to go, [the apostles]Peter and John) returned to their own [company] and told all that the chief priests and elders had said to them. 24 And when they heard it, lifted their voices together with one united mind to God and said, O Sovereign Lord, You are He Who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything that is in them, … 29 And now, Lord, observe their threats and grant to Your bond servants [full freedom] to declare Your message fearlessly, (boldness), 30 While You stretch out Your hand to cure and to perform signs and wonders through the authority and by the power of the name of Your holy Child and Servant Jesus. 31 And when they had prayed, the place in which they were assembled was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they continued to speak the Word of God with freedom and boldness and courage.
(d) The healed cripple :- Acts 3:9, “And all the people saw him (the healed cripple) walking about and praising GOD".
GOD OUR FATHER
Our mental image of GOD as our father may not be a good one especially if we have had an unpleasant experience with our earthly father, or if we did not have a father in our childhood. The characteristics of our Heavenly Father are on display for the diligent to search out in the Old Testament and in the descriptions given by Jesus about His Father. ‘God our Heavenly Father’ appears nearly 300 times in the New Testament. James 5:11. “... in as much as the Lord is full of pity and compassion and tenderness and mercy.” Ps 103:13,14. As a father loves and pities his children, so the Lord loves and pities those who fear Him [with reverence, worship, and awe]. 14 For He knows our frame, He [earnestly] remembers and imprints [on His heart] that we are dust. Matt 7:11, If you then, evil as you are, know how to give good and advantageous gifts to your children, how much more will your Father Who is in heaven (perfect as He is) give good and advantageous things to those who keep on asking Him.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
PRAYER - THREE UPWARD STEPS
TEACH US TO PRAY
First upward step. 1 Tim 2:1. SUPPLICATION.
Begin all prayer with the attitude of a suppliant. (suppliant: The Concise Oxford Dictionary, a humble petitioner). Servant petitioning a master. Worshipful recognition of the majestic , infinite God, awareness of the vast difference in physicsl magnitude. Psalm 8: "... when I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers ... what is man?" Realising the greatness of God with awe and profound reverential respect. Wholesome fear of the Lord. "HALLOWED be Thy Name". See the first recorded prayer meeting after Pentecost, Acts 4:24, "O Sovereign Lord ..."
Supplication should progress naturally into worship. See the Psalms. All suplication should be with thanksgiving.
Second upward step. 1 Tim 2:8, "... in every place men should pray, ... lifting up holy hands".
Making earnest requests to God. Intimate conversation, fellowship. Be unceasing in prayer - praying perseveringly. Luke 11:8, "... yet because of his shameless persistence and insistence he will get up and give him as much as he needs." With thanksgiving.
Third upward step. Intercession. (L. inter = between, cedere = to go). To plead with God on behalf of those who can't or won't pray for themselves. Two sided coin, plead with others on behalf of God. Intercession is totally selfless. It is solely and entirely for others. Isaiah 53:12 "... He makes intercession for the transgressors - the rebellious." Rom 8:26, "... but the Spirit Himself goes to meet our supplication and pleads in our behalf with unspeakable yearnings and groanings too deep for utterance." (Amplified version). With thanksgiving.
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