THE INTENSIVE CARE UNIT
TEXT: Acts 1:14 - These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.
INTRO.:
A. Prayer is perhaps the only thing a Christian does which can only be done if the person's heart is right w/God. We can give, go to church help others, etc. w/out being right w/the Lord, but we cannot truly pray if our heart is not right. If the church is a spiritual hospital, then prayer is "THE INTENSIVE CARE UNIT"!
ILLUS.: Never go to the emergency room in a hospital if you have an emergency! You will sit or lay for hours waiting. When they finally get around to you one of the first things they will do is check your blood pressure & your pulse. No pulse, no life. Likewise no prayer, no life. Prayer is the heartbeat of the soul. Your true spir. condition is reflected in your prayer life.
B. The book of Acts details the beginning & growth of the early church. It was born & continued in prayer. The men prayed & the women prayed. The leaders prayed & the laymen prayed. They prayed together & they prayed alone. They prayed in trial & they prayed in triumph. They prayed in the daytime & they prayed at night. They prayed in the Upper Room & they prayed in the prison cell. They prayed when fasting & they prayed when feasting. They prayed when sending out missionaries & they prayed when ordaining deacons. The early church PRAYED!
I. HABIT OF PRAYER:
A. They Prayed with One Accord: Acts 1:14
B. They Prayed Steadfastly: Acts 2:42
C. They Prayed About Everything: Acts 12:5
NOTE: ✨The early Christians didn't believe in protests, pickets or petitions to change the laws or change the hearts of Govt. officials or change the circumstances. They believed in prayer.
✨Perhaps if Christians really believed in prayer & were willing to be steadfast in prayer, God would stop the abortion business & put homosexuals back in their closets!
D. They Prayed Everywhere:
1. They prayed in the jail, at the riverbank, in the Temple, at the seashore, in their homes & even on their rooftops.
2. This one thing alone separates the early Christians from the modern Christians: they prayed everywhere, it is hard today to get Christians to pray anywhere.
QUOTE: "There are times when you do nothing but pray, but you should pray all the time." - S.D. Gordon: "There is more to do after you have prayed, but until youdo pray, there is nothing more you can do but pray."
TRANS.: The Habit of Prayer was the hallmark of the early church...praying everywhere, about everything, all the time...they saw the glory of God & the power of God.
II. HUMILITY IN PRAYER:
A. Only the Humble Will Pray:
1. Our posture in prayer may say something about our lack of humility in prayer.
Acts 9:40 But Peter put them all forth, and kneeled down, and prayed; and turning him to the body said, Tabitha, arise. And she opened her eyes: and when she saw Peter, she sat up.
Acts 21:5 And when we had accomplished those days, we departed and went our way; and they all brought us on our way, with wives and children, till we were out of the city: and we kneeled down on the shore, and prayed.
Acts 20:36 And when he had thus spoken, he kneeled down, and prayed with them all.
ILLUS.: Muslims openly kneel in prayer; too few Christians ever kneel in prayer even in private.
2. Prayer is one way we can tell God we have no confidence in our flesh or natural ability, but are trusting in Him.
ILLUS.: The 120 disciples waited & prayed 10 days in prayer till the Holy Spirit came? Why did God make them wait? Why did they spend so much time in prayer? They had all failed the Lord in His hour of greatest need. They had done their best & utterly failed Him. They knew they needed Him.
a. Need is the greatest motivation for prayer.
b. Prayerlessness betrays feelings of self-sufficiency.
NOTE: The first church had no seminars to attend, no workshops to go to, no programs to rely upon. They underwent persecution, threats, imprisonment & they were desperate. They had to have God!
c. Prayer is more than us getting thru to God, it is God getting thru to us!
d. Prayer does not win God to our view, it reveals God's view to us.
B. It Is Only The Humble Who Can Pray:
1. A proud person (like the Pharisee) has no need of God & is therefore prayerless.
2. The humble person (like the Publican) realizes his spiritual condition & need & must come humbly before His Creator & Savior.
3. Cold, non-praying hearts are full of independent pride.
III. HONESTY IN PRAYER:
A. Prayer Demands Honesty:
1. To pray indicates a belief that "God is & that He is a rewarder ot them that diligently seek Him."
2. If you believe that the One to Whom you speak in prayer exists that He is God you know you cannot fool Him.
NOTE: Christians may be hypocritical about everything relating to others, but God sees the believer & knows the true state of His relationship to Himself. You can lie about prayer to others, but you can't lie to God, our Creator & Savior.
QUES.: 😢How much (or how little) do YOU really pray? 5 minutes a day? 10? 20? An hour a week? NEVER?!
😊"Christian Leaders" call America to a "National Day of Prayer" each yr. This is a day wherein all Christians are to spend 5 minutes in prayer! When 5 minutes in a day constitutes a "National Day of Prayer" – Surely America is in need of revival!!!! (What about YOU?!)
CONCL.: Let's pray...
INTRO.:
A. Prayer is perhaps the only thing a Christian does which can only be done if the person's heart is right w/God. We can give, go to church help others, etc. w/out being right w/the Lord, but we cannot truly pray if our heart is not right. If the church is a spiritual hospital, then prayer is "THE INTENSIVE CARE UNIT"!
ILLUS.: Never go to the emergency room in a hospital if you have an emergency! You will sit or lay for hours waiting. When they finally get around to you one of the first things they will do is check your blood pressure & your pulse. No pulse, no life. Likewise no prayer, no life. Prayer is the heartbeat of the soul. Your true spir. condition is reflected in your prayer life.
B. The book of Acts details the beginning & growth of the early church. It was born & continued in prayer. The men prayed & the women prayed. The leaders prayed & the laymen prayed. They prayed together & they prayed alone. They prayed in trial & they prayed in triumph. They prayed in the daytime & they prayed at night. They prayed in the Upper Room & they prayed in the prison cell. They prayed when fasting & they prayed when feasting. They prayed when sending out missionaries & they prayed when ordaining deacons. The early church PRAYED!
I. HABIT OF PRAYER:
A. They Prayed with One Accord: Acts 1:14
B. They Prayed Steadfastly: Acts 2:42
C. They Prayed About Everything: Acts 12:5
NOTE: ✨The early Christians didn't believe in protests, pickets or petitions to change the laws or change the hearts of Govt. officials or change the circumstances. They believed in prayer.
✨Perhaps if Christians really believed in prayer & were willing to be steadfast in prayer, God would stop the abortion business & put homosexuals back in their closets!
D. They Prayed Everywhere:
1. They prayed in the jail, at the riverbank, in the Temple, at the seashore, in their homes & even on their rooftops.
2. This one thing alone separates the early Christians from the modern Christians: they prayed everywhere, it is hard today to get Christians to pray anywhere.
QUOTE: "There are times when you do nothing but pray, but you should pray all the time." - S.D. Gordon: "There is more to do after you have prayed, but until youdo pray, there is nothing more you can do but pray."
TRANS.: The Habit of Prayer was the hallmark of the early church...praying everywhere, about everything, all the time...they saw the glory of God & the power of God.
II. HUMILITY IN PRAYER:
A. Only the Humble Will Pray:
1. Our posture in prayer may say something about our lack of humility in prayer.
Acts 9:40 But Peter put them all forth, and kneeled down, and prayed; and turning him to the body said, Tabitha, arise. And she opened her eyes: and when she saw Peter, she sat up.
Acts 21:5 And when we had accomplished those days, we departed and went our way; and they all brought us on our way, with wives and children, till we were out of the city: and we kneeled down on the shore, and prayed.
Acts 20:36 And when he had thus spoken, he kneeled down, and prayed with them all.
ILLUS.: Muslims openly kneel in prayer; too few Christians ever kneel in prayer even in private.
2. Prayer is one way we can tell God we have no confidence in our flesh or natural ability, but are trusting in Him.
ILLUS.: The 120 disciples waited & prayed 10 days in prayer till the Holy Spirit came? Why did God make them wait? Why did they spend so much time in prayer? They had all failed the Lord in His hour of greatest need. They had done their best & utterly failed Him. They knew they needed Him.
a. Need is the greatest motivation for prayer.
b. Prayerlessness betrays feelings of self-sufficiency.
NOTE: The first church had no seminars to attend, no workshops to go to, no programs to rely upon. They underwent persecution, threats, imprisonment & they were desperate. They had to have God!
c. Prayer is more than us getting thru to God, it is God getting thru to us!
d. Prayer does not win God to our view, it reveals God's view to us.
B. It Is Only The Humble Who Can Pray:
1. A proud person (like the Pharisee) has no need of God & is therefore prayerless.
2. The humble person (like the Publican) realizes his spiritual condition & need & must come humbly before His Creator & Savior.
3. Cold, non-praying hearts are full of independent pride.
III. HONESTY IN PRAYER:
A. Prayer Demands Honesty:
1. To pray indicates a belief that "God is & that He is a rewarder ot them that diligently seek Him."
2. If you believe that the One to Whom you speak in prayer exists that He is God you know you cannot fool Him.
NOTE: Christians may be hypocritical about everything relating to others, but God sees the believer & knows the true state of His relationship to Himself. You can lie about prayer to others, but you can't lie to God, our Creator & Savior.
QUES.: 😢How much (or how little) do YOU really pray? 5 minutes a day? 10? 20? An hour a week? NEVER?!
😊"Christian Leaders" call America to a "National Day of Prayer" each yr. This is a day wherein all Christians are to spend 5 minutes in prayer! When 5 minutes in a day constitutes a "National Day of Prayer" – Surely America is in need of revival!!!! (What about YOU?!)
CONCL.: Let's pray...