Participants:
Series Code: TIJ
Program Code: TIJ005103S
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00:24 It is in moments of crisis when we feel as if we are standing
00:28 on a cliff's edge that we're able to accurately gauge our 00:31 fortitude, our courage and resilience. 00:34 A crisis can test someone's mental and prove them in a way 00:39 that little else can, but there is something else that crises 00:43 seem to expose about human nature. 00:46 When people reach the end of their rope, they instinctively 00:50 grasp for something to hang on to and more often than not, 00:54 that something is God. 00:57 When crisis has stripped us clean of hope, we find ourselves 01:02 turning to prayer in a desperate grab for something solid. 01:09 On a cool spring afternoon two young men made plans to hike 01:13 in the mountains close to the grandparents home. 01:16 The young men were cousins who had grown up believing in God 01:21 yet somehow through the years, their faith in God had waned 01:26 and as they drove to their destination they found 01:29 themselves gently poking fun at God and faith in general. 01:34 They were convinced that faith in God was fast becoming 01:38 obsolete in the modern world they lived in. 01:41 They reached their destination, parked their car in the 01:45 parking lot and headed for the nearby tram. 01:48 As they did this, they realized two things, 01:51 first, they had no mobile phone reception, and 01:56 second, they weren't dressed for a long hike in the mountains. 02:00 When they had set off for their walk they hadn't really planned 02:05 to hike the particular trail that they had now chosen. 02:08 Shrugging off their lack of proper hiking gear, 02:12 the young men decided they would make the quick trip 02:16 up to the summit and back. 02:17 They managed to maneuver their way up the trail noticing 02:21 that their light-weight jackets somehow didn't protect them 02:25 from the cooler temperatures closer to the summit. 02:28 Once they reached the summit, they were captivated by the 02:32 beauty before them and spent some time at the top soaking it 02:36 all in. When they decided to hike back down the trail 02:40 the sun was beginning to edge towards the horizon 02:44 but they were confident that they could still make it down 02:48 the mountain trail in time. 02:50 When they reached a fork in the trail they realized 02:54 that the path that they had taken to the mountain 02:57 was long and meandering. Checking the position of the sun 03:02 they realized they wouldn't be able to make it back to the 03:06 parking lot before sunset. When they checked their phones, 03:11 they realized that they still didn't have cell phone 03:14 reception either which effectively cut off their 03:18 chances of calling for help if they got stranded on the 03:21 mountain. They decided to take the second path which was 03:26 significantly steeper but was also a short-cut and would 03:30 help them get back to the parking lot quicker. 03:33 As the sun began to dip closer to the horizon, the temperature 03:38 plummeted and the wind picked up. 03:40 As the young men picked their way over the steep or rougher 03:44 terrain of the shorter route, they began to struggle 03:47 to keep their balance over some of the rocks and boulders 03:50 in their path. Then without warning, disaster struck. 03:56 One of the young men lost his footing and began to slide down 04:01 the cliff edge on the far side of the path, his cousin 04:05 frantically grabbed for his hand but instead of steadying him, 04:10 he too plummeted over the edge. 04:13 The cliff face was fairly steep and the boys began to slide 04:18 down the incline desperately trying to grab hold of any kind 04:22 of foot-hold or hand-hold in their path. 04:25 Finally, one of them managed to grab hold of a rocky out- 04:30 cropping and the two clung precariously on this narrow 04:34 perch for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, and after a 04:41 considerable amount of effort, they managed to pull themselves 04:44 onto a narrow ledge and assess the situation. 04:47 Below them was a long drop into a river that wound its way 04:53 through the narrow gorge below, above them was a cliff-face 04:57 that would be impossible to scale especially considering 05:01 their lack of proper gear, they were stuck with no way out. 05:06 The sun was sinking fast and no mobile phone reception, 05:10 it was the perfect storm but on dry land. 05:15 At that moment both young men decided that it was a good time 05:21 to pray, they'd exhausted every other avenue and there 05:26 seemed to be no way out. 05:29 Dangling on the side of that mountain, they bowed their 05:32 heads and prayed asking God to bail them out of a potential 05:37 life-threatening situation they were facing 05:40 Their prayers were heard and they were amazingly rescued 05:45 from the mountain and their story, while true is also an 05:50 illustration of what prayer has come to symbolize to many 05:54 in the world, we live in today. 05:56 A last-ditch effort for salvation from an impossible situation 06:01 when every other feasible method has been tried and failed. 06:06 But is prayer just a last resort, a final hurrah we 06:12 blindly grab for on our way to the bottom? 06:16 Or is it much more than that? The Bible has countless examples 06:22 of the potency of prayer, chronicling the true 06:26 life-changing power it offers to those who are willing to 06:30 give it a try. 06:31 For the early church soon after the time of Christ, 06:34 prayer was more than a pleasant formality or last resort 06:39 in the midst of a tempest. Rather, prayer was the heart 06:44 and soul of the burgeoning community of faith that boldly 06:48 branched out into the increasingly hostile Roman 06:52 Empire. Prayer was the engine of the church 06:57 driving every facet of its operation and infusing it with 07:01 an energy that was effervescent. 07:04 So, what was the secret behind the powerful prayer life 07:09 of the church? How did they pray? And why did they pray? 07:15 And when did they pray? And perhaps most importantly, 07:19 what did their prayers accomplish? 07:22 Join us as we take a look at the prayer life of the early church 07:27 and learn some valuable lessons in the process lessons that 07:32 could change your life. 07:46 When Jesus ascended to heaven, he left His disciples with a 07:51 parting commission and a powerful promise. 08:07 Jesus commissioned His disciples to go out into the world as 08:12 witnesses sharing the things that they had seen and heard 08:15 during their time with Him and bringing the good news of 08:19 salvation to anyone willing to listen. And He promised to 08:24 empower them for the task ahead. 08:27 The power of the Holy Spirit was to be like dynamite 08:31 exploding across the world and propelling the fledgling 08:35 movement forward in an endless wave that would change the globe. 08:39 But how did the disciples avail themselves of this power? 08:45 Well, the Bible tells us in Acts one and chapter fourteen, 08:55 You see why the church waited for the outpouring of Gods power 09:00 they prayed, prayer was the heart-beat of this new community. 09:05 They understood that it was prayer that would bring them 09:09 into direct contact with all the blessings and power 09:13 that God had promised to pour upon them. 09:16 Let's take a look at some Key moments in the history of the 09:20 early church as recorded in the book of Acts and let's delve 09:24 deeper into how prayer had a profound impact on each of these 09:29 formative episodes. 09:31 The most important event in the history of the early church 09:35 took place on the day of Pentecost, 50 days after Jesus 09:39 died. Pentecost derives its name from the 50-day interval 09:45 between it and the Passover. 09:47 During the time of Jesus Pentecost was one of three 09:52 main annual feasts celebrate among the Jews which 09:56 required all the men of Israel to congregate in Jerusalem. 10:01 It was also called the Feast of Harvest on account of it 10:05 marking the close of the harvest in Judea. Pentecost was also 10:11 a prime opportunity to share the good news of a crucified 10:15 and risen Messiah. It was a time when Jews from all over the 10:20 empire converged on Jerusalem. Every language and people group 10:25 were represented, but the disciples didn't spend their 10:30 time strategizing about the launch of their new movement 10:33 instead, they spent the intervening 10 days between 10:38 Jesus' Ascension into heaven and Pentecost in prayer. 10:43 And God answered their prayer in the most miraculous way 10:48 He poured out His Holy Spirit on His waiting disciples 10:52 and empowered them to share the good news of Jesus 10:56 with a varied and vibrant throng of people in Jerusalem. 11:00 The first lesson we can glean from the experience of the early 11:05 church is this. 11:19 The Bible gives us a glimpse into the work of the Holy Spirit 11:24 and outlines three main branches of the Holy Spirits work. 11:28 The first area is found in John 16:13, speaking of the 11:35 Holy Spirit's work on our behalf Jesus says, 11:55 It is the Holy Spirit that gives us discernment 12:00 to strip away falsehood and expose the bare bones of truth 12:04 and this is an important gift to have especially in a world of 12:09 altered facts, fake news, and post-truth culture. 12:14 When the power of the Holy Spirit fell upon the disciples 12:18 on the day of Pentecost, He gave them the power to 12:22 understand the truth and to speak boldly. 12:25 The Holy Spirit also opened the minds of the listening 12:29 crowd and helped them to under- stand the truths that were 12:33 being spoken. 12:34 The second branch of the Holy Spirits work is described in 12:38 John 16:8, referring to the Holy Spirit Jesus says, 12:52 The Holy Spirit acts as an inbuilt moral compass 12:57 helping us to differentiate between right and wrong 13:01 and also giving us a sense of the consequences accompanying 13:05 the choices we make. On the day of Pentecost 13:09 it was the Holy Spirit that convicted the listening crowds 13:13 of their sins. Those who responded to this conviction 13:18 gave their life to Jesus and were baptized. 13:21 The Bible tells us that there were 3,000 men who chose this 13:26 path, it was the convicting power of the Holy Spirit 13:30 that helped to launch the early church. 13:33 The third aspect of the Holy Spirit's work is explained in 13:38 John 14:16, 17 where Jesus says 14:04 It is the Holy Spirit who brings comfort in the midst 14:08 of sorrow and suffering, it is the Holy Spirit who brings 14:14 For these reasons and many more, the gift of the Holy Spirit 14:19 was vital to the growth of the early church and it is for 14:24 this special gift that the church first prayed. 14:27 Their example should prompt us to pray for the same gift 14:32 because it is the Holy Spirit that can help us to grow 14:36 in every aspect of our lives offering us wisdom, discernment, 14:41 truth and comfort. 14:43 As we continue to look at the power of prayer in the life 14:49 of the early church another important example is that of 14:54 Peter and Cornelius found in Acts 10, these prayers 14:59 and the actions that they prompted marked a turning point 15:03 in the mission of the church. Prayer is often like that 15:07 it can provide our lives with a complete change of course 15:11 taking us places we would have never even contemplated going. 15:16 And if we're willing to respond like Peter did, God is able to 15:21 use us to bring light to even the darkest places on earth. 15:26 Cornelius was a Roman Centurion living in the town of Caesarea 15:32 and administrative of Jaban Palestine. 15:34 The Jewish perception of Gentiles at that time was fairly 15:39 unfavorable more often than not Gentiles were shunned or 15:44 looked down on but Jews during the Roman period had a special 15:50 hatred for the Roman rulers and unsurprisingly 15:54 the feeling was mutual. 15:55 Jews hated Romans because of their cruel and oppressive rule, 16:01 Romans in turn hated the Jews because of their strange 16:06 religious beliefs and also for their national pride, 16:09 Jews believed themselves to be the chosen of God 16:13 and this rankled Roman pride, especially since the Romans 16:18 saw themselves as the undisputed overlords of the world. 16:23 The story of Peter and Cornelius is the story of how prayer 16:28 and faith are able to break down even the most sturdy 16:32 barriers and create the unlikeliest bonds of friendship 16:37 and brotherhood. 16:38 Cornelius was a man who feared God and devoted himself to 16:43 making a difference in the lives of the people around him. 16:46 He was also a man of prayer, a man who according to Acts 10:30 16:53 was fasting and praying for God's guidance. 16:56 In Acts 10:4, 5, Cornelius is visited by an angel from heaven 17:04 who says to him, 17:19 Immediately Cornelius obeyed the command and sent 17:23 messengers to bring Peter to him. Meanwhile in Joppa 17:28 Peter was having an encounter of his own. 17:31 While engaged in prayer on the roof-top of the house where 17:34 he was staying, Peter was given a vision, in his vision Peter 17:40 was shown an open sheet filled with all kinds of unclean 17:44 animals and he was commanded to rise up and eat them. 17:49 To this command, he responded, 17:58 To which his heavenly messenger replied, 18:04 This sequence was repeated three times until somewhat 18:10 puzzled and bemused Peter brought his time of prayer 18:14 to a close and went down into the house. 18:17 When he got there, he found messengers from Cornelius 18:21 waiting to take him to the home of a man who was not only 18:25 not only a Gentile but also a hated run man, a man whom 18:30 should have considered unclean and not fit for 18:33 association. Immediately Peter understood the significance of 18:39 his vision and he went with the man. When he reached Cornelius' 18:44 time, he found a houseful of people eager to hear the 18:48 Word of God. Peter preached to them and the Holy Spirit 18:52 fell upon all of them and they were converted, 18:56 immediately accepting the truths and good news 18:59 they had heard about Jesus. 19:01 The early church experienced prayer in unique and powerful 19:07 ways, but their experience is within our grasp. 19:12 We too can have a rich, fulfilling and meaningful 19:16 prayer life, one that cannot only draw us to the heart of God 19:20 but can also give us access to all the blessings God desires 19:26 to lavish on us. So, how can we cultivate a powerful 19:32 personal prayer life? 19:34 Well let's look at ten simple steps that can open a channel 19:38 of communication between us and God. 19:42 The first step to effective personal prayer is 19:48 In Isaiah 1:18, God says, 19:56 It is one of the most beautiful invitations in the Bible, 20:00 the God of heaven inviting us to sit down and have an 20:05 intelligent two-way conversation with Him. 20:08 The second step is to, 20:13 It seems simple but sometimes it's not easy to open our hearts 20:18 to God and truly ask Him for the needs that are weighing 20:22 on our heart. Jesus once told a parable, a story about 20:28 asking God for our needs. In Luke 11:5, 6, Jesus says 20:50 With this story in mind, Jesus then goes on to say in verse 9, 20:56 of the same chapter. 21:07 We need to approach God as a friend and ask Him for what 21:12 we need, trusting that He not only hears us, but will supply 21:17 our needs in His time and in His way. 21:21 The third step to effective personal prayer, 21:28 It is not enough to ask but we must also believe that God 21:33 hears us. James 1:6 says, 21:47 James goes on to caution us in verse seven. 21:57 You see, according to the Bible believing that God has heard our 22:02 prayer is an integral part of having our prayers answered. 22:07 The fourth step is 22:11 The word of God not only helps us to understand God's will 22:15 for us, it also give us a glimpse into what God has 22:19 promised to do for us. Claiming God's promises 22:24 strengthens our faith and renews our hope. 22:27 The fifth step is to 22:32 Speaking of the name of Jesus, in Acts 4:12, Peter says, 22:47 The name of Jesus has the power to save us from sin and death 22:52 it has the power to cast out demons and overcome the forces 22:57 of Satan. It is the most powerful name in the universe 23:01 and we have access to this power through prayer. 23:05 The sixth step is 23:11 Jesus says; 23:22 Whenever Jesus prayed, he always went to a quiet place 23:27 alone and spent time talking to His Father. 23:31 This example holds true throughout the Bible. 23:34 Men and women of faith spent time on their knees 23:38 in a quiet place alone with God. 23:41 The seventh step is to 23:45 In Psalms 66:18, the Bible says, 23:55 Sin separates us from God and cherishing sin in our hearts 24:01 and lives creates a Chasm between us and God 24:05 that makes it impossible for Him to hear and answer our prayers. 24:10 The eighth step is 24:15 Proverbs 28:9 says 24:27 God's law is a reflection of His character and in order for our 24:32 prayers to be acceptable to Him, our lives need to be 24:36 in harmony with His law. 24:38 The ninth step is Forgiveness, an important part of 24:43 being in harmony with God 24:44 It's not only seeking God's forgiveness for our sins 24:48 but also learning to forgive those who have sinned against us. 24:52 Jesus says in Matthew chapter 5 verses 23 and 24. 25:16 God desires us to be reconciled to those who have wronged us 25:21 or those we might have wronged so that we can approach God 25:25 unhindered by anger or bitterness. 25:28 Reconciliation is an important part of an open and clear 25:33 channel of communication with God. 25:36 The tenth and final step to Effective Personal Prayer is to 25:44 I John 5:14 says 25:56 Prayer in a powerful channel of communication that is open 26:01 to every human being on planet earth. It's an invitation 26:05 extended to us by the creator of the universe 26:10 an invitation to have open, honest, and unhindered 26:14 fellowship with him. 26:17 Why not set aside some time every day for prayer? 26:21 If you would like to experience this kind of communication with 26:25 God, then I'd like to recommend the free gift we have for all 26:30 our Incredible Journey viewers today. 26:32 It's the booklet How to Pray. This booklet will share ways 26:38 to open up communication with God. This booklet is free 26:43 I guarantee there are no costs or obligations whatsoever. 26:48 So, make the most of this wonderful opportunity 26:51 to receive the free gift we have for you today. 26:55 Phone or text 0436.333.555 in Australia or 020.422.2042 27:05 in New Zealand, or visit our website at TiJ.tv or simply 27:11 scan the QR code on your screen and we'll send you today's 27:15 free offer totally free of charge and with no obligation. 27:18 Write to us at GPO Box 274 Sydney NSW 2001, Australia. 27:25 Or Po Box 76673, Manukau, Auckland 2241 New Zealand 27:32 don't delay, call or text us now. 27:35 Be sure to join us again next week when we will share another 27:41 of Life's Journey's together. Until then, let's pray to God 27:46 who hears and answers our prayers. 27:50 Dear Heavenly Father, We thank you for the privilege 27:54 we have in talking to you in prayer. We are so grateful 27:59 that you love us and we want a close relationship with you. 28:04 We want to spend more time getting to know you more closely 28:08 through prayer and Bible study. Please bless us and draw us 28:13 closer to you. We ask this in Jesus' name. 28:16 Amen! |
Revised 2022-08-16