WEBVTT 00:00:03.899 --> 00:00:06.759 I want to reiterate the importance of a telephone 00:00:06.759 --> 00:00:11.880 call this week to your representative. One statement 00:00:11.880 --> 00:00:15.320 that was made this last week is that the Civil 00:00:15.320 --> 00:00:18.280 Rights Restoration Act is the greatest threat 00:00:18.280 --> 00:00:23.280 to religious liberty in this century. I received 00:00:23.280 --> 00:00:25.679 a telephone call long distance last night warning 00:00:25.679 --> 00:00:28.660 us again of what this act contains and the threat 00:00:28.660 --> 00:00:34.060 that it is to a church like ours. We can not 00:00:34.060 --> 00:00:37.880 deny employment, for example, to a person who 00:00:37.880 --> 00:00:40.920 is homosexual because of his sexual preference 00:00:40.920 --> 00:00:44.200 if this act passes, nor can a Christian school 00:00:44.200 --> 00:00:49.329 or any Christian organization. It is a sweeping 00:00:49.329 --> 00:00:51.990 act, and that's only one example. It is a sweeping 00:00:51.990 --> 00:00:54.990 act that takes away the liberty and the rights 00:00:54.990 --> 00:00:58.710 of religious organizations. It's a very innocuous 00:00:58.710 --> 00:01:01.490 name, Civil Rights Restoration Act. Well, everybody's 00:01:01.490 --> 00:01:03.469 in favor of civil rights, but ladies and gentlemen, 00:01:03.590 --> 00:01:06.170 this is an assault upon the liberties of people 00:01:06.170 --> 00:01:09.269 in the United States. I want to urge you to make 00:01:09.269 --> 00:01:11.870 that telephone call tomorrow morning, first thing, 00:01:12.010 --> 00:01:15.140 and keep calling until you get through. to let 00:01:15.140 --> 00:01:17.659 the representative in your area know exactly 00:01:17.659 --> 00:01:22.959 how you feel about it. I want to thank you for 00:01:22.959 --> 00:01:25.500 praying for the ministry this last week in Pennsylvania 00:01:25.500 --> 00:01:29.840 at Calvary Independent Church in Lancaster. I 00:01:29.840 --> 00:01:31.939 enjoyed the conference a great deal. Two of our 00:01:31.939 --> 00:01:35.640 friends were there, Al Larson with UFM International, 00:01:35.900 --> 00:01:39.879 who has spoken here, as well as Dr. Robertson 00:01:39.879 --> 00:01:42.319 McQuilkin, who likewise has spoken in our missions 00:01:42.319 --> 00:01:46.290 conference. We shared the ministry of speaking 00:01:46.290 --> 00:01:48.849 to the missionaries this last week. Here's a 00:01:48.849 --> 00:01:51.549 church that in the fall has a conference for 00:01:51.549 --> 00:01:54.730 their missionaries whom they support. And at 00:01:54.730 --> 00:01:56.829 that time, their missionaries report to the church. 00:01:57.390 --> 00:02:02.829 But in the spring, they invite missionaries from 00:02:02.829 --> 00:02:06.709 a broad spectrum of organizations to come to 00:02:06.709 --> 00:02:10.389 be encouraged and fed. And so throughout the 00:02:10.389 --> 00:02:14.580 day, Missionaries are spoken to. There were 265 00:02:14.580 --> 00:02:17.400 of them there this week. The church prepares 00:02:17.400 --> 00:02:19.879 the noon meal and the evening meal, feeds them 00:02:19.879 --> 00:02:22.860 right there at the church, and then they are 00:02:22.860 --> 00:02:26.000 kept overnight in the homes of members. That 00:02:26.000 --> 00:02:28.900 goes on from Sunday through Sunday. It's a marvelous 00:02:28.900 --> 00:02:31.259 ministry to the missionaries. Then in the evening, 00:02:31.319 --> 00:02:34.860 they have the opportunity to share some slides, 00:02:35.159 --> 00:02:39.969 seven minutes apiece. From 6 .30 to 7 .30, there 00:02:39.969 --> 00:02:42.789 were seven or eight missionaries that would show 00:02:42.789 --> 00:02:46.409 slides telling about their field. Then from 7 00:02:46.409 --> 00:02:51.289 .30 to about 8 .40, some of the leaders of mission 00:02:51.289 --> 00:02:54.210 organizations spoke, bringing all of us up to 00:02:54.210 --> 00:02:56.710 date on what was happening in the part of the 00:02:56.710 --> 00:02:59.590 world where they are ministering. So it was an 00:02:59.590 --> 00:03:03.509 inspirational and informational time. and a great 00:03:03.509 --> 00:03:07.629 week. They've done this for 53 years as a church. 00:03:07.930 --> 00:03:10.009 In fact, they did it two years before they were 00:03:10.009 --> 00:03:13.169 organized into a church. That's how embedded 00:03:13.169 --> 00:03:16.110 missions is in that particular local church. 00:03:16.750 --> 00:03:19.150 And so thank you for praying, and God bless, 00:03:19.330 --> 00:03:22.469 and it was a fine week of ministry together with 00:03:22.469 --> 00:03:25.469 them. Now would you open your Bible, please, 00:03:25.490 --> 00:03:29.919 to Ephesians chapter 6. Verses 17 and 18 will 00:03:29.919 --> 00:03:32.199 be our primary focus, but we will complete the 00:03:32.199 --> 00:03:35.159 book this morning. And so read with me, please, 00:03:35.219 --> 00:03:39.780 as we begin in Ephesians 6, 17. And take the 00:03:39.780 --> 00:03:42.159 helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, 00:03:42.300 --> 00:03:45.300 which is the word of God. With all prayer and 00:03:45.300 --> 00:03:49.439 petition, pray at all times in the Spirit, and 00:03:49.439 --> 00:03:52.780 with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance 00:03:52.780 --> 00:03:56.240 and petition for all the saints. And pray on 00:03:56.240 --> 00:03:59.710 my behalf. that utterance may be given to me 00:03:59.710 --> 00:04:03.330 in the opening of my mouth to make known with 00:04:03.330 --> 00:04:07.330 boldness the mystery of the gospel, for which 00:04:07.330 --> 00:04:11.669 I am an ambassador in chains, that in proclaiming 00:04:11.669 --> 00:04:15.189 it I may speak boldly as I ought to speak, but 00:04:15.189 --> 00:04:17.910 that you also may know about my circumstances, 00:04:17.949 --> 00:04:21.490 how I am doing. Tychicus, the beloved brethren 00:04:21.490 --> 00:04:24.329 and faithful minister in the Lord, will make 00:04:24.329 --> 00:04:27.490 everything known to you. And I have sent him 00:04:27.490 --> 00:04:30.589 to you for this very purpose, so that you may 00:04:30.589 --> 00:04:33.910 know about us, and that he may comfort your hearts. 00:04:34.750 --> 00:04:38.670 Peace be to the brethren in love with faith from 00:04:38.670 --> 00:04:41.990 God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace 00:04:41.990 --> 00:04:44.709 be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ 00:04:44.709 --> 00:04:52.459 with a love incorruptible. As we hear about various 00:04:52.459 --> 00:04:55.579 wars going on in the world, some of them formal 00:04:55.579 --> 00:04:59.699 wars, others, many others, of them informal guerrilla 00:04:59.699 --> 00:05:03.100 kinds of wars, we are reminded of the importance 00:05:03.100 --> 00:05:08.199 of weaponry. In Ephesians chapter 6, we have 00:05:08.199 --> 00:05:11.420 been studying about the armor which God has provided 00:05:11.420 --> 00:05:16.589 for us in Jesus Christ. And we have worked our 00:05:16.589 --> 00:05:18.910 way through this text up to the point that today 00:05:18.910 --> 00:05:23.189 we talk about the sword of the Spirit. We come 00:05:23.189 --> 00:05:26.269 now to an offensive weapon that you and I are 00:05:26.269 --> 00:05:30.870 able to wield, the sword of the Spirit. The word 00:05:30.870 --> 00:05:34.670 here, machaira, sword, does not refer to the 00:05:34.670 --> 00:05:38.449 long sword which was approximately four feet 00:05:38.449 --> 00:05:42.810 in length, but it refers here to a short sword. 00:05:44.220 --> 00:05:48.560 which was 6 inches to 18 inches in length. It 00:05:48.560 --> 00:05:50.660 was the kind of weapon that was used particularly 00:05:50.660 --> 00:05:54.800 in close combat. It was worn by the Roman soldier 00:05:54.800 --> 00:06:00.360 in a scabbard or sheath on his side. The use 00:06:00.360 --> 00:06:04.560 of this sword demanded skill and accuracy for 00:06:04.560 --> 00:06:08.860 it to be effective. The sword of the Spirit is, 00:06:08.980 --> 00:06:14.420 for you and me, an offensive weapon. There are 00:06:14.420 --> 00:06:17.019 two possible renderings of this phrase, the sword 00:06:17.019 --> 00:06:20.600 of the spirit. It may be understood this way, 00:06:20.759 --> 00:06:25.079 the spiritual sword. Rather than a capital S 00:06:25.079 --> 00:06:28.500 on spirit, it could be an adjective saying the 00:06:28.500 --> 00:06:32.399 spiritual sword. This would agree with what Paul 00:06:32.399 --> 00:06:35.759 writes in 2 Corinthians 10 .4 when he reminds 00:06:35.759 --> 00:06:38.959 us that our weapons are not carnal, but spiritual. 00:06:40.910 --> 00:06:44.649 We use weapons in the realm of the Spirit, and 00:06:44.649 --> 00:06:47.029 the sword that he mentions here is an example, 00:06:47.170 --> 00:06:50.470 the spiritual sword. It can also be rendered, 00:06:50.569 --> 00:06:53.009 as it is in most translations of the Bible in 00:06:53.009 --> 00:06:56.470 the English, a sword of the Spirit or a sword 00:06:56.470 --> 00:07:00.850 produced by the Spirit, the Holy Spirit. This 00:07:00.850 --> 00:07:03.769 would, of course, involve the work of inspiration, 00:07:04.129 --> 00:07:07.350 for the word is given to us by the inspiration 00:07:07.350 --> 00:07:12.230 of the Holy Spirit. He superintended and oversaw 00:07:12.230 --> 00:07:16.129 the human writers of Scripture. So that while 00:07:16.129 --> 00:07:19.790 they wrote out of their own personalities, with 00:07:19.790 --> 00:07:23.370 their own vocabulary, and with the concerns on 00:07:23.370 --> 00:07:28.170 their hearts, what they wrote was the very Word 00:07:28.170 --> 00:07:32.709 of God. It was in thought and in word what God 00:07:32.709 --> 00:07:37.329 wished them to express. That is the miracle of 00:07:37.329 --> 00:07:40.759 inspiration. And so it is the sword produced 00:07:40.759 --> 00:07:43.759 by the Spirit in that sense. Now I think that 00:07:43.759 --> 00:07:47.300 we could combine both of these thoughts and probably 00:07:47.300 --> 00:07:50.519 come close to what Paul was saying here. What 00:07:50.519 --> 00:07:53.660 we have as an offensive weapon is a spiritual 00:07:53.660 --> 00:07:58.639 sword produced by the Holy Spirit. And he identifies 00:07:58.639 --> 00:08:04.079 that as the Word of God. Most of us would be 00:08:04.079 --> 00:08:07.410 familiar with the Greek word logos. which is 00:08:07.410 --> 00:08:11.069 frequently used in speaking about the Word of 00:08:11.069 --> 00:08:15.670 God. Jesus Christ is named the Logos by John. 00:08:15.949 --> 00:08:20.189 The Bible is called the Logos. The word Logos 00:08:20.189 --> 00:08:25.149 refers to thought, to communication of that thought. 00:08:25.470 --> 00:08:28.569 And it's a great word, a great expression. But 00:08:28.569 --> 00:08:31.470 that is not the word chosen here to describe 00:08:31.470 --> 00:08:34.330 this Word of God. Here it is a different word, 00:08:34.370 --> 00:08:40.419 not Logos. but the word rhema. This is the proclaimed 00:08:40.419 --> 00:08:44.139 word or the uttered word, the utterance of God. 00:08:45.059 --> 00:08:47.779 And Paul's point seems to be this. It is that 00:08:47.779 --> 00:08:52.379 specific utterance of God which is appropriate 00:08:52.379 --> 00:08:57.840 for the moment or the occasion of attack. In 00:08:57.840 --> 00:09:00.759 other words, when we feel ourselves under attack 00:09:00.759 --> 00:09:04.399 of the enemy. We're not to take out all 66 books 00:09:04.399 --> 00:09:06.340 of the Bible and begin waving this book in the 00:09:06.340 --> 00:09:09.840 air. That is not the sense in which it is a sword. 00:09:11.360 --> 00:09:13.799 But he is saying here that it is the sword of 00:09:13.799 --> 00:09:17.259 the Spirit when you and I take a particular utterance 00:09:17.259 --> 00:09:21.259 of God, when we draw out of this armory, as it 00:09:21.259 --> 00:09:27.419 were, a particular sword to use which God has 00:09:27.419 --> 00:09:30.879 said that relates to that specific time of attack. 00:09:32.620 --> 00:09:35.600 Now, as most of you would be aware, it's exactly 00:09:35.600 --> 00:09:38.580 what Jesus did in the time of his temptation. 00:09:39.620 --> 00:09:43.840 When the enemy attacked him, his response was, 00:09:44.100 --> 00:09:48.379 It is written. And then he would quote from the 00:09:48.379 --> 00:09:53.200 Old Testament a specific direct word dealing 00:09:53.200 --> 00:09:57.460 with that temptation of the devil. And each time, 00:09:57.519 --> 00:10:01.899 the word was able to pierce the enemy. and to 00:10:01.899 --> 00:10:05.440 stop the temptation. What a tremendous example 00:10:05.440 --> 00:10:09.100 our Lord is there to us. When you feel yourself 00:10:09.100 --> 00:10:12.940 coming under attack of lust, or you sense an 00:10:12.940 --> 00:10:17.059 attack of pride against you, or there is covetousness 00:10:17.059 --> 00:10:19.700 welling up in your heart, you're tempted toward 00:10:19.700 --> 00:10:25.759 greed, look in the Logos for a rhema. Look in 00:10:25.759 --> 00:10:29.759 the word for a word, an utterance from God that 00:10:29.759 --> 00:10:33.639 applies to that specific temptation and wield 00:10:33.639 --> 00:10:38.980 it, quote it, verbalize it, bring it to your 00:10:38.980 --> 00:10:42.759 mind, and use it. And that will be effective 00:10:42.759 --> 00:10:46.659 in cutting away the enemy as he seeks to lead 00:10:46.659 --> 00:10:51.940 you into defeat. This is a sword which is given 00:10:51.940 --> 00:10:55.600 to every Christian. It is not for just a few. 00:10:56.500 --> 00:10:58.879 It is not for those who have been to seminary 00:10:58.879 --> 00:11:02.399 only. It is not just for those who have read 00:11:02.399 --> 00:11:04.700 their Bibles all their lives. It's for every 00:11:04.700 --> 00:11:08.919 believer, even the youngest, is able to take 00:11:08.919 --> 00:11:11.100 from the Word. Now, the better we know our Bible, 00:11:11.179 --> 00:11:14.519 the better off we are. The more we study our 00:11:14.519 --> 00:11:17.019 Bible, the more aware we're going to be of what 00:11:17.019 --> 00:11:20.259 God has said regarding a variety of temptations. 00:11:21.309 --> 00:11:23.909 We'll be able to go not just for one sword, but 00:11:23.909 --> 00:11:26.509 maybe for several swords, dealing with the very 00:11:26.509 --> 00:11:30.070 same theme or temptation. And so the more we 00:11:30.070 --> 00:11:31.850 study it, the better we know it, the better off 00:11:31.850 --> 00:11:35.429 we are. But the fact is that any Christian can 00:11:35.429 --> 00:11:40.549 wield this sword. It is not just for a few. God 00:11:40.549 --> 00:11:45.029 wants us to wield it powerfully so that we can 00:11:45.029 --> 00:11:48.210 withstand in the day of evil when evil comes 00:11:48.210 --> 00:11:51.840 against us. God wants us to use it skillfully, 00:11:51.940 --> 00:11:57.679 not carelessly, sloppily, but to wield it skillfully 00:11:57.679 --> 00:12:01.320 in battle and be precise and go for the enemy 00:12:01.320 --> 00:12:05.000 because he's going for you. It is a battle, my 00:12:05.000 --> 00:12:08.600 friend. This is not a tea party. This is not 00:12:08.600 --> 00:12:11.940 a weapons inspection. This is a fight. It is 00:12:11.940 --> 00:12:16.659 a battle and Satan is out to destroy you. He's 00:12:16.659 --> 00:12:19.580 not out to play with you. He is out to absolutely 00:12:19.580 --> 00:12:23.240 destroy your life's effectiveness. So when we 00:12:23.240 --> 00:12:25.279 talk about the weapon to use against him, this 00:12:25.279 --> 00:12:28.740 is serious business. We're talking about an utterance 00:12:28.740 --> 00:12:31.440 from God to meet that temptation. And you will 00:12:31.440 --> 00:12:34.259 wield that in your mind and strike out at the 00:12:34.259 --> 00:12:37.320 enemy. And you will see that the sword will do 00:12:37.320 --> 00:12:41.240 its work. How sad it is when a Christian does 00:12:41.240 --> 00:12:45.389 not know the word of God. How sad it is for a 00:12:45.389 --> 00:12:47.710 believer not to be able to go to the weaponry 00:12:47.710 --> 00:12:49.950 and pull out the particular one that's needed 00:12:49.950 --> 00:12:53.149 at that moment. So, beloved, it's imperative 00:12:53.149 --> 00:12:55.250 that you and I spend time in the Word, that we 00:12:55.250 --> 00:12:57.990 read the Word and study the Word. We meditate 00:12:57.990 --> 00:13:01.870 upon it so that we can become equipped with this 00:13:01.870 --> 00:13:07.669 offensive weaponry against the devil. And then 00:13:07.669 --> 00:13:11.919 we come to this verse 18. It mentions prayer. 00:13:12.139 --> 00:13:14.960 Prayer is not specifically a part of the armor. 00:13:15.080 --> 00:13:18.080 Do you notice that? He does not identify it with 00:13:18.080 --> 00:13:21.840 any particular piece. Now the reason for that 00:13:21.840 --> 00:13:24.159 would seem to be that he is now going to speak 00:13:24.159 --> 00:13:28.639 about the energy for the soldier, the resource 00:13:28.639 --> 00:13:32.659 for the soldier to drop on. It is not just a 00:13:32.659 --> 00:13:37.259 piece of armor, but it is the power for the battle 00:13:37.259 --> 00:13:42.769 itself. Prayer is our communication, shall we 00:13:42.769 --> 00:13:46.950 say, with headquarters. It is our ability of 00:13:46.950 --> 00:13:52.029 knowing and understanding our superior, our master. 00:13:52.990 --> 00:13:56.750 Through prayer, we are able to lift our voice 00:13:56.750 --> 00:14:01.070 to him and communicate with him. And he is able 00:14:01.070 --> 00:14:09.000 to respond to us. The United States, and undoubtedly 00:14:09.000 --> 00:14:13.019 other countries, has developed sophisticated 00:14:13.019 --> 00:14:18.220 units of communication for its soldiers. Some 00:14:18.220 --> 00:14:20.960 of our special forces have communication gear 00:14:20.960 --> 00:14:22.919 that they're able to carry on their persons. 00:14:24.559 --> 00:14:27.639 They can go into the remotest part of the earth, 00:14:27.840 --> 00:14:34.500 into some jungle in Central America, or in some 00:14:34.500 --> 00:14:39.320 part of the Middle East. in the desert. And from 00:14:39.320 --> 00:14:41.639 that one spot on planet Earth, they are able 00:14:41.639 --> 00:14:44.299 to take out from their gear that they have carried 00:14:44.299 --> 00:14:49.740 with them, hand -held units that will send a 00:14:49.740 --> 00:14:53.779 signal to a satellite in space and back directly 00:14:53.779 --> 00:14:59.100 to the Pentagon in Washington. It is now technologically 00:14:59.100 --> 00:15:04.879 possible for a soldier in some distant part of 00:15:04.879 --> 00:15:08.500 the earth to have direct contact with the Pentagon 00:15:08.500 --> 00:15:10.700 in Washington to find out what his orders are 00:15:10.700 --> 00:15:13.740 specifically. And you can understand with some 00:15:13.740 --> 00:15:15.899 of the situations that we are confronting in 00:15:15.899 --> 00:15:18.039 the world today in the battle against communism, 00:15:18.259 --> 00:15:23.919 battle against radicalism, that that kind of 00:15:23.919 --> 00:15:29.059 communication is essential. The way things are, 00:15:29.159 --> 00:15:33.480 there is no opportunity. to make up for a miss. 00:15:35.000 --> 00:15:38.179 We can't afford a mistake, a misunderstanding 00:15:38.179 --> 00:15:42.879 in orders. There's too much at risk in our world 00:15:42.879 --> 00:15:46.419 today. That kind of instant communication is 00:15:46.419 --> 00:15:51.379 valuable, if not essential. Do you understand 00:15:51.379 --> 00:15:53.539 that you and I, who are believers, have had that 00:15:53.539 --> 00:15:58.519 all of our lives as believers? And for 2 ,000 00:15:58.519 --> 00:16:02.490 years, We've enjoyed that direct access to headquarters. 00:16:03.710 --> 00:16:08.129 We don't even need to carry gear on us. All we 00:16:08.129 --> 00:16:11.490 have to do is to pray and immediately our word 00:16:11.490 --> 00:16:16.590 is before God in heaven. We have instant communication. 00:16:16.750 --> 00:16:21.750 What a resource that is for you and for me. We 00:16:21.750 --> 00:16:24.610 are able to bring our needs to the attention 00:16:24.610 --> 00:16:28.750 of our heavenly commander immediately. as soldiers 00:16:28.750 --> 00:16:32.269 of Jesus Christ and able to have his response 00:16:32.269 --> 00:16:38.149 immediately to us. Prayer is the energy, it is 00:16:38.149 --> 00:16:41.830 the resource of the Christian soldier. And God 00:16:41.830 --> 00:16:48.029 works when people pray. I believe that we need 00:16:48.029 --> 00:16:52.110 to do everything we can within the liberties 00:16:52.110 --> 00:16:54.889 granted to us under the Constitution to impact 00:16:54.889 --> 00:16:57.850 the legislation that comes before Congress. That's 00:16:57.850 --> 00:16:59.850 why I urge you to make that phone call this week. 00:16:59.990 --> 00:17:03.330 But let's face it. Ultimately, the battle is 00:17:03.330 --> 00:17:06.410 not in the halls of Congress. That is not where 00:17:06.410 --> 00:17:10.170 the battle is. The battle is in the realm of 00:17:10.170 --> 00:17:14.250 the Spirit. The battle is in the heavenlies. 00:17:15.210 --> 00:17:19.289 It is not against flesh and blood, but it is 00:17:19.289 --> 00:17:23.349 against the wicked spirits of Satan, which are 00:17:23.349 --> 00:17:29.240 seeking to close down this nation. And don't 00:17:29.240 --> 00:17:31.140 think for a moment that God would never allow 00:17:31.140 --> 00:17:35.500 them to do that. That's what the Jews thought 00:17:35.500 --> 00:17:40.240 in the Old Testament, too. They said, well, as 00:17:40.240 --> 00:17:43.000 bad as we are, there are many righteous people 00:17:43.000 --> 00:17:48.299 in our nation. And as bad as we are, we're better 00:17:48.299 --> 00:17:50.700 off than that nation over there that would want 00:17:50.700 --> 00:17:57.900 to dominate us. And God sent word. And in fact, 00:17:57.900 --> 00:18:00.859 he was going to allow that nation of the Chaldeans, 00:18:00.880 --> 00:18:04.579 the Babylonians, to come and attack and destroy 00:18:04.579 --> 00:18:11.700 his people and bring them into judgment. We must 00:18:11.700 --> 00:18:13.619 never get into the game of comparing ourselves 00:18:13.619 --> 00:18:15.920 to other nations. We're better than they are, 00:18:16.039 --> 00:18:18.880 or that we have more Christians here, or more 00:18:18.880 --> 00:18:20.900 money comes out of here for world missions. God 00:18:20.900 --> 00:18:22.640 would never allow anything to happen, and I don't 00:18:22.640 --> 00:18:26.630 believe that. There is a battle right now for 00:18:26.630 --> 00:18:30.470 the soul of this nation. But I repeat, it is 00:18:30.470 --> 00:18:34.089 not being fought ultimately in the halls of Congress. 00:18:34.769 --> 00:18:37.690 Nor is it being fought in the presidential primaries, 00:18:37.809 --> 00:18:42.109 as important as those are in our system. The 00:18:42.109 --> 00:18:44.390 real battle for the United States is being fought 00:18:44.390 --> 00:18:50.049 in the realm of the spirit, folks. You and I 00:18:50.049 --> 00:18:54.619 can have a direct impact. on the direction that 00:18:54.619 --> 00:18:59.079 things go in this nation by getting on our knees 00:18:59.079 --> 00:19:04.599 and being in touch with headquarters. God works 00:19:04.599 --> 00:19:09.119 when his people pray. This was illustrated last 00:19:09.119 --> 00:19:12.819 week in the testimony of Dr. Frank Severn, who 00:19:12.819 --> 00:19:18.599 is the director of SEND International. In 1984, 00:19:18.920 --> 00:19:23.500 Frank related to us this week, Send International 00:19:23.500 --> 00:19:27.160 was considering closing their work on the field 00:19:27.160 --> 00:19:32.920 of Taiwan. There had been no converts or baptisms 00:19:32.920 --> 00:19:39.099 among their missionaries in a number of years. 00:19:39.440 --> 00:19:41.440 And in fact, their whole missionary force in 00:19:41.440 --> 00:19:43.759 Taiwan under Send International now, that's just 00:19:43.759 --> 00:19:46.460 one mission working there, but their missionary 00:19:46.460 --> 00:19:50.640 force had dwindled to three couples. And so as 00:19:50.640 --> 00:19:52.940 a board, they met together and considered just 00:19:52.940 --> 00:19:55.180 closing down the field and moving those three 00:19:55.180 --> 00:19:57.619 couples elsewhere where they were stronger, where 00:19:57.619 --> 00:20:01.119 the mission was stronger. But they decided to 00:20:01.119 --> 00:20:04.160 call a time of prayer before they would do that. 00:20:05.359 --> 00:20:09.059 And so they got word to all of the missionaries 00:20:09.059 --> 00:20:11.619 under Send International throughout the world 00:20:11.619 --> 00:20:15.180 and asked them to focus prayer particularly on 00:20:15.180 --> 00:20:22.000 Taiwan. So there was a whole mission, and undoubtedly 00:20:22.000 --> 00:20:24.599 many supporting churches as well, praying for 00:20:24.599 --> 00:20:27.240 God to give a breakthrough, to give direction 00:20:27.240 --> 00:20:29.660 regarding the ministry of Send International 00:20:29.660 --> 00:20:34.359 in Taiwan. And now, just three and a half years 00:20:34.359 --> 00:20:39.960 later, instead of three couples in Taiwan, there 00:20:39.960 --> 00:20:46.390 are 30 couples in Taiwan. 30 couples. And he 00:20:46.390 --> 00:20:48.509 reported that every prayer letter that he has 00:20:48.509 --> 00:20:50.670 received from all of those couples for the last 00:20:50.670 --> 00:20:52.789 six months, every prayer letter, every month, 00:20:52.930 --> 00:20:57.509 has mentioned converts and baptisms. What's the 00:20:57.509 --> 00:21:01.869 difference? Well, I don't know all the story, 00:21:02.089 --> 00:21:05.609 but I can tell you one thing. The concentrated, 00:21:05.750 --> 00:21:09.809 focused prayer made a big difference on what 00:21:09.809 --> 00:21:12.710 happened in the ministry of that mission in the 00:21:12.710 --> 00:21:20.009 field of Taiwan. God works when his people pray. 00:21:21.069 --> 00:21:24.970 Our need is to be a praying people. The apostle 00:21:24.970 --> 00:21:28.990 says to us here that we are to be alert with 00:21:28.990 --> 00:21:36.529 prayer. Notice that there are several alls, A 00:21:36.529 --> 00:21:42.279 -L -L, alls used in verse 18. That is by design. 00:21:42.319 --> 00:21:45.480 The Apostle Paul used a particular Greek word 00:21:45.480 --> 00:21:48.140 in four different forms, but to get the same 00:21:48.140 --> 00:21:51.680 point across, it seems he wants to tell us the 00:21:51.680 --> 00:21:54.680 what of prayer, the when of prayer, the how of 00:21:54.680 --> 00:21:58.299 prayer, and the who of prayer. In the first place, 00:21:58.380 --> 00:22:01.599 the what of prayer. He says, with all prayer 00:22:01.599 --> 00:22:07.420 and petition. Praying with all prayer and petition. 00:22:11.350 --> 00:22:14.089 Prayer, the noun that is used there, is the most 00:22:14.089 --> 00:22:18.150 common word for prayer. It is a general word. 00:22:18.250 --> 00:22:25.230 It refers to our conversation with God. It is 00:22:25.230 --> 00:22:28.509 a word that is very broad in its meaning, embracing 00:22:28.509 --> 00:22:33.130 many different approaches to the Lord, whether 00:22:33.130 --> 00:22:38.029 it be worship or confession or petition. But 00:22:38.029 --> 00:22:41.990 then he mentions specifically petition. This 00:22:41.990 --> 00:22:46.109 word is supplication, need, a specific request 00:22:46.109 --> 00:22:51.089 for a particular benefit. With all prayer and 00:22:51.089 --> 00:22:53.269 petition. And what is Paul saying? Well, it seems 00:22:53.269 --> 00:22:55.769 to me that Paul is telling us that the water 00:22:55.769 --> 00:22:58.329 of prayer involves our being in touch with headquarters 00:22:58.329 --> 00:23:08.380 at all times in a general way. Prayer. need comes. 00:23:09.259 --> 00:23:13.480 When there is a special, particular, and urgent 00:23:13.480 --> 00:23:15.740 request, immediately we are to send that off 00:23:15.740 --> 00:23:19.400 by way of petition. An urgent word to God, a 00:23:19.400 --> 00:23:22.859 request that comes in this whole general life 00:23:22.859 --> 00:23:27.019 of prayer. And then as to the when, he says, 00:23:27.220 --> 00:23:31.740 with all prayer and petition, pray at all times. 00:23:32.970 --> 00:23:35.910 This coincides with what he says to the Thessalonians, 00:23:35.950 --> 00:23:38.750 chapter 5, verse 17 of 1 Thessalonians. Pray 00:23:38.750 --> 00:23:43.930 without ceasing. On every occasion, with every 00:23:43.930 --> 00:23:48.470 opportunity, pray. He's speaking here about learning 00:23:48.470 --> 00:23:52.970 to relate to God regarding every part of our 00:23:52.970 --> 00:23:56.509 daily experience. Or to say it a different way, 00:23:56.589 --> 00:24:02.839 to develop a God awareness in our lives. When 00:24:02.839 --> 00:24:06.059 are we to pray at all times, he says. Then again 00:24:06.059 --> 00:24:08.400 to the Colossians, he says, continue in prayer. 00:24:09.579 --> 00:24:13.400 Or as the NASV puts it, devote yourselves to 00:24:13.400 --> 00:24:17.380 prayer. The word there means to hold fast to 00:24:17.380 --> 00:24:23.640 it. Boy, that's our need today, folks. That's 00:24:23.640 --> 00:24:27.940 our need today. I've been out of town for a week. 00:24:27.980 --> 00:24:29.680 I don't know how these morning prayer meetings 00:24:29.680 --> 00:24:32.259 have been going. I hope they're being better 00:24:32.259 --> 00:24:35.579 attended each week as we look to that spring 00:24:35.579 --> 00:24:39.200 conference, which is a critical time for us as 00:24:39.200 --> 00:24:43.980 a church. Every morning in the week, Monday through 00:24:43.980 --> 00:24:47.140 Friday, our church is open, room 7, for an hour 00:24:47.140 --> 00:24:49.380 of prayer. For part of the hour, all of the hour, 00:24:49.440 --> 00:24:52.839 630 to 730. On Saturday morning at 9 o 'clock, 00:24:52.880 --> 00:24:56.259 it's open for prayer for an hour. I hope that 00:24:56.259 --> 00:25:02.160 you're taking advantage of that. We can have 00:25:02.160 --> 00:25:05.900 all the armor on, folks. But I want to tell you 00:25:05.900 --> 00:25:08.740 something. If we are not praying, God is not 00:25:08.740 --> 00:25:12.900 going to work. Are there areas of ministry you're 00:25:12.900 --> 00:25:14.920 concerned about? Do you have burdens regarding 00:25:14.920 --> 00:25:16.740 something that ought to be done that's not being 00:25:16.740 --> 00:25:20.960 done? Are you concerned about some particular 00:25:20.960 --> 00:25:29.319 area of your life? God says pray about it. And 00:25:29.319 --> 00:25:36.319 pray at all times. Be devoted to prayer. Don't 00:25:36.319 --> 00:25:38.440 just pray when things are tough, but be devoted 00:25:38.440 --> 00:25:41.099 to prayer at all times, in every occasion and 00:25:41.099 --> 00:25:50.240 circumstance. And then how are we to pray? Well, 00:25:50.259 --> 00:25:52.619 he says we are to pray at all times in the Spirit. 00:25:54.279 --> 00:25:59.869 Capital S. This does not refer to... some charismatic 00:25:59.869 --> 00:26:02.190 experience. That is not what he's talking about. 00:26:02.789 --> 00:26:06.349 He simply says pray in the atmosphere or in the 00:26:06.349 --> 00:26:09.910 sphere of the Spirit. The point is that the Holy 00:26:09.910 --> 00:26:15.430 Spirit ought to be empowering us. The Holy Spirit 00:26:15.430 --> 00:26:19.910 desires to enable us so that then when we don't 00:26:19.910 --> 00:26:23.549 even know how to pray or we pray amiss, we miss 00:26:23.549 --> 00:26:26.789 God's will in one of our petitions. The Spirit 00:26:26.789 --> 00:26:29.289 of God, according to Romans 8 .26, is able to 00:26:29.289 --> 00:26:31.470 intercede directly to the Father according to 00:26:31.470 --> 00:26:34.309 the perfect will of God. Pray in the Spirit. 00:26:34.470 --> 00:26:36.230 That's how we're to pray. And then he says we're 00:26:36.230 --> 00:26:41.650 to pray on the alert, being watchful. We're to 00:26:41.650 --> 00:26:45.569 stay awake. The thought here is to pass even 00:26:45.569 --> 00:26:52.000 a sleepless night, to be vigilant. Prayer is 00:26:52.000 --> 00:26:54.920 not something passive. It is an active discipline 00:26:54.920 --> 00:26:59.640 in our lives. It certainly is in contrast to 00:26:59.640 --> 00:27:04.660 the disciples in Gethsemane, isn't it? Jesus 00:27:04.660 --> 00:27:07.440 said, watch and pray. They slept and didn't pray. 00:27:09.579 --> 00:27:11.900 How are we to pray? We're to pray in the Spirit 00:27:11.900 --> 00:27:14.420 and on the alert, and we're to pray, as he says 00:27:14.420 --> 00:27:20.130 here, with all perseverance and petition. The 00:27:20.130 --> 00:27:23.950 idea is to hold out for something. This word 00:27:23.950 --> 00:27:27.470 perseverance was used in the early days of the 00:27:27.470 --> 00:27:30.690 New Testament times in waiting for a court hearing. 00:27:32.049 --> 00:27:35.150 Or it was used in remaining diligent at one's 00:27:35.150 --> 00:27:40.490 work. Folks, there is no time for apathy. This 00:27:40.490 --> 00:27:44.549 is not the time for indifference. We must not 00:27:44.549 --> 00:27:47.269 be listless at this critical hour in history. 00:27:51.400 --> 00:27:54.259 Because in our generation the whole world may 00:27:54.259 --> 00:27:56.740 change. There may be times come upon this world 00:27:56.740 --> 00:28:03.119 like we have never seen before. In 2 ,000 years 00:28:03.119 --> 00:28:06.880 I'm talking about. The end of the age is upon 00:28:06.880 --> 00:28:11.819 us. The judge is standing at the door. The Lord 00:28:11.819 --> 00:28:17.079 is at hand. It is as it were he is in Gethsemane. 00:28:17.119 --> 00:28:19.859 We must not sleep in this critical hour of all 00:28:19.859 --> 00:28:25.640 hours. But be diligent in prayer. That's how 00:28:25.640 --> 00:28:29.279 we're to pray. And then who or for whom are we 00:28:29.279 --> 00:28:36.599 to pray? For all saints, he says. We are not 00:28:36.599 --> 00:28:39.099 reticent to bring to the Lord our own needs and 00:28:39.099 --> 00:28:43.200 requests. And that's fine. God wants us to bring 00:28:43.200 --> 00:28:47.559 those to him. But notice the next all here. It's 00:28:47.559 --> 00:28:51.740 for all saints. Perhaps Paul is looking back 00:28:51.740 --> 00:28:55.039 at the church there, remembering that there were 00:28:55.039 --> 00:28:57.980 some Jews and many Gentiles, and as he wrote 00:28:57.980 --> 00:29:00.619 in chapter 2, there are now one. Maybe there 00:29:00.619 --> 00:29:04.019 was a tendency to be a little cliquish. He says, 00:29:04.019 --> 00:29:07.119 listen, pray for all saints, whether Jew or Gentile, 00:29:07.119 --> 00:29:11.140 all saints. Likewise, we must not be cliquish. 00:29:12.140 --> 00:29:15.700 Let's not pray just for our church. Let's pray 00:29:15.700 --> 00:29:19.839 for other churches in our city. in our community, 00:29:19.980 --> 00:29:23.200 who love God, who preach the Bible, let's pray 00:29:23.200 --> 00:29:27.019 for them too. There are some wonderful churches 00:29:27.019 --> 00:29:33.519 in the Twin Cities. Let's pray for them. They 00:29:33.519 --> 00:29:36.160 may not be of your denominational preference. 00:29:37.480 --> 00:29:39.579 They may do things a little differently than 00:29:39.579 --> 00:29:45.019 we do. But folks, if they are saints, we're instructed 00:29:45.019 --> 00:29:49.259 to pray for them. And let's not just pray for 00:29:49.259 --> 00:29:53.799 white people. Let's pray for the black Christians 00:29:53.799 --> 00:29:59.759 in Africa. God's Spirit is sweeping across Africa. 00:30:00.079 --> 00:30:02.220 The reports this week, just one after another, 00:30:02.319 --> 00:30:05.200 told what God is doing in Africa. South America, 00:30:05.440 --> 00:30:10.039 tremendous movement of the Spirit of God throughout 00:30:10.039 --> 00:30:14.519 South America. Let's pray for those brothers. 00:30:15.390 --> 00:30:18.970 Our Latin brothers, our African brothers, our 00:30:18.970 --> 00:30:21.049 Oriental brothers. The Spirit of God is moving 00:30:21.049 --> 00:30:25.690 so dynamically in parts of the Far East. Japan 00:30:25.690 --> 00:30:29.750 is just beginning to show signs of breaking open 00:30:29.750 --> 00:30:34.849 to the things of the Lord. It's been so shut 00:30:34.849 --> 00:30:39.049 for generations. Just now beginning, but you 00:30:39.049 --> 00:30:43.980 go across the sea there to Korea, or you... You 00:30:43.980 --> 00:30:47.799 skip on down to the southern part of that Asian 00:30:47.799 --> 00:30:53.680 continent, and you think about India. In India, 00:30:53.700 --> 00:30:59.299 there are 3 ,000 nations in that one country. 00:31:00.240 --> 00:31:02.640 Some of them made up of a few thousand people. 00:31:02.819 --> 00:31:07.200 One of them made up of 100 million. But 3 ,000 00:31:07.200 --> 00:31:10.640 different identifiable nations of people within 00:31:10.640 --> 00:31:18.319 India. And only 100 of them have any gospel witness. 00:31:20.380 --> 00:31:24.940 2 ,900 of them are without a viable gospel witness 00:31:24.940 --> 00:31:31.079 today. Pray for all the saints. These are great 00:31:31.079 --> 00:31:36.380 days as God is working. Pray for the places where 00:31:36.380 --> 00:31:39.099 God is working. Pray for where the church is 00:31:39.099 --> 00:31:43.440 suffering. And it is suffering in places. We 00:31:43.440 --> 00:31:44.960 have mentioned this morning the Philippines, 00:31:45.359 --> 00:31:50.859 Nicaragua, where true believers are suffering 00:31:50.859 --> 00:31:54.160 under the repression of the Sandinistas, and 00:31:54.160 --> 00:32:00.480 El Salvador, Guatemala. Pray for the suffering 00:32:00.480 --> 00:32:04.519 church behind the Iron Curtain. My, there are 00:32:04.519 --> 00:32:07.900 some marvelous things happening in Poland, in 00:32:07.900 --> 00:32:12.200 Hungary, in Yugoslavia. There's a suffering church 00:32:12.200 --> 00:32:15.799 in Romania today. The government is determined 00:32:15.799 --> 00:32:20.920 to destroy the churches of that land. Albania, 00:32:20.920 --> 00:32:26.259 suffering church. Pray for the national movements, 00:32:26.480 --> 00:32:29.819 the international movements, the events that 00:32:29.819 --> 00:32:32.920 take place in the world today. We were urged 00:32:32.920 --> 00:32:38.319 to pray for Komi Bam. That was a... an event 00:32:38.319 --> 00:32:41.519 in South America last year, the likes of which 00:32:41.519 --> 00:32:45.059 have never been seen before, when people who 00:32:45.059 --> 00:32:47.819 especially minister to Latins were brought together 00:32:47.819 --> 00:32:52.539 in a large conference in Brazil. And oh, what 00:32:52.539 --> 00:32:56.619 God did at that place in stirring those evangelists 00:32:56.619 --> 00:32:59.740 and leaders for evangelism and church planting. 00:32:59.839 --> 00:33:03.619 Pray for all saints. Let us be world -minded 00:33:03.619 --> 00:33:07.559 in our praying. Not narrow -minded. For all saints. 00:33:07.640 --> 00:33:11.140 That's how God wants us to pray. And God wants 00:33:11.140 --> 00:33:13.220 us to pray especially for spiritual leaders. 00:33:14.119 --> 00:33:17.440 Paul does not at all prove reticent. He says, 00:33:17.440 --> 00:33:20.900 and pray on my behalf. Pray for me. That I may 00:33:20.900 --> 00:33:23.140 have utterance. That I may be courageous to open 00:33:23.140 --> 00:33:25.680 my mouth and speak boldly the mystery of the 00:33:25.680 --> 00:33:28.880 gospel. Undoubtedly, he was primarily thinking 00:33:28.880 --> 00:33:31.319 of that time when he would stand before the officials 00:33:31.319 --> 00:33:34.319 of Rome. to give his defense. He calls himself 00:33:34.319 --> 00:33:38.920 an ambassador in chains. Pray for him, he said. 00:33:42.160 --> 00:33:45.460 And notice that he sends Tychicus to them to 00:33:45.460 --> 00:33:47.839 bring specific information as to how to pray 00:33:47.839 --> 00:33:50.480 for them. Undoubtedly, Tychicus would return 00:33:50.480 --> 00:33:52.720 and bring specific information about Ephesus 00:33:52.720 --> 00:33:55.819 so that they might pray intelligently, so that 00:33:55.819 --> 00:33:57.579 their prayer might be effective. But we need 00:33:57.579 --> 00:34:02.049 to pray. We need to pray. We do not need to read 00:34:02.049 --> 00:34:06.049 more books about prayer. Not that that's bad, 00:34:06.230 --> 00:34:11.030 but most of us have read enough books. We don't 00:34:11.030 --> 00:34:13.050 really need to hear sermons like this on prayer. 00:34:13.170 --> 00:34:15.809 We've heard enough sermons about prayer. All 00:34:15.809 --> 00:34:23.250 we need to do is practice what we know. James 00:34:23.250 --> 00:34:25.570 tells us that we will receive from God what we 00:34:25.570 --> 00:34:30.039 ask for. And if we do not ask, we will not receive. 00:34:31.139 --> 00:34:34.679 What are we asking God to do? And to bring it 00:34:34.679 --> 00:34:40.019 back to the primary concern of our own church 00:34:40.019 --> 00:34:42.719 for the spring meeting, as we think about Vernon 00:34:42.719 --> 00:34:45.300 Brewer's coming, Steve Ragsdale is going to minister 00:34:45.300 --> 00:34:48.320 to us April 10 to 13. What are we asking God 00:34:48.320 --> 00:34:50.719 to do? What are we asking God to do in terms 00:34:50.719 --> 00:34:53.119 of deepening our own commitment to ministry here 00:34:53.119 --> 00:34:56.460 and abroad? as a result of the Nehemiah campaign 00:34:56.460 --> 00:34:59.539 that gets underway this week. What are we asking 00:34:59.539 --> 00:35:01.820 God to do? Are we spending time in prayer? Does 00:35:01.820 --> 00:35:09.559 it make any difference to us? If it doesn't make 00:35:09.559 --> 00:35:11.820 any difference to us, why then should God move? 00:35:15.440 --> 00:35:20.179 We will get from God what we ask for. Boy, there's 00:35:20.179 --> 00:35:22.260 some encouraging signs across the United States 00:35:22.260 --> 00:35:26.099 when it comes to prayer. There's a great student 00:35:26.099 --> 00:35:28.880 prayer movement that is underway on many college 00:35:28.880 --> 00:35:32.860 campuses. It is growing. It's becoming international. 00:35:35.360 --> 00:35:38.400 And the commitment on the part of thousands and 00:35:38.400 --> 00:35:41.599 thousands of Christian college students on both 00:35:41.599 --> 00:35:44.940 Christian and secular campuses is to pray, to 00:35:44.940 --> 00:35:48.980 pray. Pray for missions, to pray for revival 00:35:48.980 --> 00:35:52.280 in our nation and a spiritual awakening. Pray 00:35:52.280 --> 00:35:57.420 for the own walk with God, but to pray. I want 00:35:57.420 --> 00:35:59.860 to assure you that a church's future is only 00:35:59.860 --> 00:36:06.679 as secure as the prayers of the people are faithful. 00:36:08.300 --> 00:36:10.940 For when people cease praying for a ministry, 00:36:11.139 --> 00:36:16.260 it is finished. It may continue to exist for 00:36:16.260 --> 00:36:20.500 a time, but it's finished. When people then begin 00:36:20.500 --> 00:36:24.340 to pray, God begins to revitalize. God begins 00:36:24.340 --> 00:36:32.460 to do a new work. No prayer, no power. Little 00:36:32.460 --> 00:36:36.760 prayer, little power. Much prayer, much power. 00:36:38.880 --> 00:36:41.300 My heart's burden this morning is that God will 00:36:41.300 --> 00:36:44.519 put upon us a spirit of prayer that we have never 00:36:44.519 --> 00:36:48.019 had yet, actually, in our seven years as a church. 00:36:49.820 --> 00:36:51.880 We call a prayer meeting on a Sunday evening 00:36:51.880 --> 00:36:54.059 like last Sunday night. The crowd is way down. 00:36:55.820 --> 00:36:58.099 Was something special on television? I don't 00:36:58.099 --> 00:37:05.699 know. I don't really care. Maybe people were 00:37:05.699 --> 00:37:08.699 doing other things. But where were you last Sunday 00:37:08.699 --> 00:37:11.159 night when the church was asked to come and pray? 00:37:15.019 --> 00:37:17.460 If we want the blessing of God, then I hope we 00:37:17.460 --> 00:37:22.940 want nothing less than that. We must be a people 00:37:22.940 --> 00:37:25.659 who are soldiers, armed and equipped for battle, 00:37:25.780 --> 00:37:29.360 and who are drawing upon that privilege of communication 00:37:29.360 --> 00:37:32.679 with headquarters and who are filled with energy 00:37:32.679 --> 00:37:36.840 and resource because they are being faithful 00:37:36.840 --> 00:37:40.460 in prayer. Oh, folks, let's be that kind of people. 00:37:41.380 --> 00:37:45.099 Let's commit ourselves afresh this morning to 00:37:45.099 --> 00:37:48.659 our own praying. Would you bow together with 00:37:48.659 --> 00:38:02.940 me, please? In a time of silent response, I wonder 00:38:02.940 --> 00:38:07.940 if you would talk to the Lord, if you're a Christian, 00:38:08.239 --> 00:38:10.860 if you would talk to the Lord about your prayer 00:38:10.860 --> 00:38:24.179 life. What do you need to do to turn up the notch 00:38:24.179 --> 00:38:36.489 on your prayer life? We've learned something 00:38:36.489 --> 00:38:38.550 about the what, the when, the how, and the who 00:38:38.550 --> 00:38:44.889 of prayer. Will you pray? Will you join us in 00:38:44.889 --> 00:38:49.170 prayer for God to do a special work in our church, 00:38:49.329 --> 00:38:57.050 in our hearts? Oh God, I pray that you will in 00:38:57.050 --> 00:39:02.409 fact lay upon us a spirit of prayer and of supplication. 00:39:06.250 --> 00:39:08.670 I pray that you will shake us from complacency 00:39:08.670 --> 00:39:16.050 and apathy regarding prayer. I thank you, Father, 00:39:16.050 --> 00:39:19.590 for those prayer warriors in this congregation 00:39:19.590 --> 00:39:25.010 who uphold me and others and the ministry of 00:39:25.010 --> 00:39:29.110 the church and its future, its outreach in prayer. 00:39:30.670 --> 00:39:33.690 Lord God, there are too few warriors doing that. 00:39:34.800 --> 00:39:38.219 I pray that you will raise up today hundreds 00:39:38.219 --> 00:39:42.239 of others who not only will put on the armor 00:39:42.239 --> 00:39:47.139 of God but will pray and enter into the power 00:39:47.139 --> 00:39:54.360 of the battle itself. My friend, would you be 00:39:54.360 --> 00:39:59.079 one of those? Would you say, by the grace of 00:39:59.079 --> 00:40:03.530 God, As much as I will be given to understand 00:40:03.530 --> 00:40:07.789 what it means, I determined in my heart to become 00:40:07.789 --> 00:40:12.210 a prayer warrior for Jesus Christ, for my church, 00:40:12.469 --> 00:40:18.590 for all saints. My heart's desire this morning, 00:40:18.650 --> 00:40:21.170 indeed my commitment, is to be a prayer warrior. 00:40:23.449 --> 00:40:29.789 Would you lift your hand and put it down? Praise 00:40:29.789 --> 00:40:38.070 God. I know that others of you, undoubtedly scores 00:40:38.070 --> 00:40:41.610 of others, are already prayer warriors. Will 00:40:41.610 --> 00:40:43.449 there be others who want to lift a hand and say, 00:40:43.510 --> 00:40:50.150 yes, I will enter into prayer? I don't know how 00:40:50.150 --> 00:40:52.150 that application may be specifically carried 00:40:52.150 --> 00:40:54.829 out in your life. God bless you for lifting your 00:40:54.829 --> 00:40:59.670 hands. But as God may lead you, be a prayer warrior. 00:41:01.789 --> 00:41:04.659 And now, Lord, thank you for... the commitment 00:41:04.659 --> 00:41:08.059 this morning, which I trust will grow and embrace 00:41:08.059 --> 00:41:11.019 many, many others in our congregation. I pray 00:41:11.019 --> 00:41:15.539 that you will make us a praying church, that 00:41:15.539 --> 00:41:20.139 we may be successful and victorious in the battles 00:41:20.139 --> 00:41:29.360 that we're facing in the end of this age. In 00:41:29.360 --> 00:41:36.829 Jesus' name, amen. I invite you to take your 00:41:36.829 --> 00:41:41.250 worship folder. We're going to close with a stirring 00:41:41.250 --> 00:41:45.710 hymn by the choir, and then we will sing together 00:41:45.710 --> 00:41:51.889 this hymn of commitment, Soldiers of Christ Arise. 00:41:51.889 --> 00:41:55.489 The words are in the worship folder, so I invite 00:41:55.489 --> 00:41:58.110 you to take that. Remain seated, please, as the 00:41:58.110 --> 00:42:01.269 choir comes to sing, and then John will signal 00:42:01.269 --> 00:42:36.960 to us when we should rise. that you may be able 00:42:36.960 --> 00:42:45.199 to stand. Having put on the fresh plate of righteousness 00:42:45.199 --> 00:45:19.380 and having shot your feet with... © BF -WATCH 00:45:19.380 --> 00:45:30.900 TV 2021 his eternal Son. Again the Lord of hosts 00:45:30.900 --> 00:45:39.280 and in his mighty power through him the strength 00:45:39.280 --> 00:45:51.800 of Jesus Christ is given. And strength to strength 00:45:52.059 --> 00:45:56.639 On Stanford prevails.