Are We a
Praying Church?
When Jesus Got Angry
There are multiple
occasions in the Bible when Jesus expressed righteous anger. One
such powerful moment is found in Matthew 21:12–13. Jesus entered the
temple, overturned the tables of the money changers, and rebuked
those who turned God’s house into a den of thieves. The temple was
meant to be a house of prayer for all nations, but they had
perverted its purpose. That should give us pause. While we no longer
worship in a physical temple, Paul tells us in Ephesians 2:21 that
the church—the people—is now the temple of God. So we must ask
ourselves: have we become a den of thieves, or are we truly a house
of prayer?
The Early Church Was Known
for Prayer
From the very
beginning, the church was defined by prayer. Acts 2:42 tells us the
early disciples “continued steadfastly” in prayer, devoting
themselves to it with earnestness and focus. The leaders of the
church, including the apostles and elders, prayed constantly. When
Paul met with the Ephesian elders in Acts 20:36, they all knelt and
prayed together. The same is true for preachers and
missionaries—Paul, in 2 Thessalonians 1:11, said, “We also pray
always for you.” Prayer wasn’t occasional or optional—it was a way
of life.
What Should We Be Praying
For?
As a
congregation, we must pray daily for the church. We must pray that
we remain faithful to God’s Word and not stray from sound doctrine,
no matter what religious fads may arise. We must pray that we are
mission-minded, that we care about the souls of our friends,
neighbors, and family members who have not obeyed the gospel. And we
must pray not just in general terms, but specifically and fervently.
Praying for Church Growth
One key area we
must focus on is praying for the growth of the Lord’s church. In
Matthew 9:35–38, Jesus demonstrated compassion for the lost and
instructed His disciples to pray for laborers to go into the
harvest. This is where it begins: with prayer. But after praying,
Jesus sent those laborers—His disciples—out into the world. We must
do the same. If we pray for growth, we must also work for growth.
Everyone has different abilities, but all can pray, act, speak, and
seek open doors.
Open Doors and Bold Speech
Paul asked the
Colossians in Colossians 4:2–4 to pray earnestly for “a door for the
word.” We must do the same. We cannot expect opportunities for
evangelism to appear if we are not praying for them. Furthermore,
Paul prayed that he might “make it manifest” and speak clearly. We
must walk in wisdom and speak with grace (Colossians 4:5–6), ready
to answer those God places before us.
Examples of Open Doors
Revelation 3:7–8
tells us that the Lord opened a door for the church at Philadelphia.
Though they were small, they were faithful. God set an open door
before them. In Acts 14:27, Paul and Barnabas rejoiced that “God had
opened the door of faith to the Gentiles.” In 1 Corinthians 16:9,
Paul said, “A great and effective door has opened to me, and there
are many adversaries.” In every case, doors of opportunity began
with prayer and were followed by action.
The Power of Prayer
James 5:16 says,
“The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.”
Prayer changes things. God works behind the scenes—His providence is
real. But He expects us to pray. If we do not pray for growth, for
workers, for opportunities, and for open hearts, then we should not
expect much to happen. But if we become a house of prayer, then God
can and will work mightily through us.
Sermon
Outline: Are We a Praying Church?
I.
Jesus’ Righteous Anger
(Matthew 21:12–13)
-
The temple
was meant to be a house of prayer.
-
It became a
den of thieves.
-
Application:
Is the church today what God wants it to be?
II.
The Early Church’s Example
(Acts 2:42)
-
Steadfast in
prayer.
-
Leaders,
elders, preachers, and missionaries all prayed.
-
Application:
Do we pray with dedication?
III.
What Should We Pray For?
-
Faithfulness
to God’s Word.
-
Mission-mindedness and personal outreach.
-
The
salvation of our friends, family, and community.
IV.
Pray for Growth (Matthew
9:35–38)
-
Jesus showed
compassion and called for prayer.
-
He then sent
out laborers.
-
Application:
Pray and then act.
V.
Pray for Open Doors
(Colossians 4:2–6)
VI.
God Opens Doors (Rev.
3:7–8; Acts 14:27; 1 Cor. 16:9)
VII.
The Power of Prayer (James
5:16)
Call to
Action
Are we a praying
church, or have we become spiritually distracted? God has always
called His people to pray—to seek Him, to depend on Him, and to act
in faith. If we are not praying for the lost, if we are not praying
for the growth of the church, if we are not praying for open doors,
then we are not fully engaging in the work God has given us.
God has opened
doors in the past, and He can do so again. But it starts with
fervent prayer. Let us return to being a house of prayer. Let us
commit ourselves to praying for our congregation, for the lost, and
for opportunities to share the gospel.
If you’ve not
experienced the new birth through repentance and baptism, today is
the day. Or if you need the prayers of the church, or wish to
confess sin and seek healing, come forward. Let us pray together—as
a true house of prayer.
YouTube
Transcript:
You know, on more than one
occasion, we have recorded in the Bible that Jesus got angry. Our
Lord got angry about different things. One of those accounts is
found in Matthew chapter 21, which will serve as an introduction to
our lesson, and I hope it's a challenging lesson in a number of
ways.
Matthew chapter 21, beginning in verse 12: "Then
Jesus went to the temple of God and drove out all those who bought
and sold in the temple and overturned the tables of the money
changers and the seats of those who sold doves. And He said to them,
'It is written, "My house shall be called a house of prayer," but
you have made it a den of thieves.'"
What prompted this anger on our Lord's part? The
temple, which had been prophesied many years ago, was to be called a
house of prayer. It was supposed to be a house of prayer for all
nations. And yet, what did they turn it into? He said they had
turned it into a den of thieves. Thieves at that time often hid out
in caves, and that's where they would make their plans for stealing.
Jesus says, "That's what you've turned the house of God into."
While we today don't have a physical temple in the
sense of a building that is the house of God, the Bible says in
Ephesians chapter 2 that we are the temple of God. Ephesians 2:21
says you and I, the church, the body of Christ, are the temple of
God.
So the question this morning is: have we turned
ourselves into a den of thieves rather than a house of prayer? Are
we a praying church? These are things we need to be reminded of,
especially in these times. We have much to be praying about. Are we
a praying church?
From the very beginning of the church's existence,
it was known as a praying church. The church came into existence in
Acts chapter 2. Notice what that church did at the very beginning.
Acts 2:42: "They continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and
fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers."
They continued steadfastly. The original word has
the idea that they dedicated themselves to praying. They were
earnest in prayer. What does it mean to be dedicated to something?
It means you're committed to it. You're focused on it. So these
people at the very beginning were focused and earnest on being a
praying church. They wanted to be known as a praying church.
We find the leaders of the church prayed. Remember
when Paul met with the elders from Ephesus? Acts chapter 20, verse
36: "And when he had said these things, he knelt down and prayed
with them all." Him and all the elders got down and prayed. It was a
sad time for them, and so what did they do? They all got together,
they knelt down, and they prayed.
The Bible says preachers and missionaries prayed.
In 2 Thessalonians 1:11, Paul writes, "Therefore we also pray always
for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling and
fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith
with power."
Are we a praying church if we don’t daily pray for
this congregation? That’s something we need to be praying for. And
specifically, what should we be praying for? Certainly, number one:
that we will be faithful. That we won’t drift off to the left or the
right, start believing and teaching and practicing things not found
in the Bible. We need to pray that we’ll be committed to following
God’s Word—and God’s Word only—and not chase after religious fads.
We also need to pray for this congregation to be
mission-minded. We should be concerned about our neighbors, friends,
and family who have not obeyed the gospel, and we need to act on
that concern. We need to be doing something—talking to them,
reaching out to them—hoping they will come to know Christ.
The church of the first century was constantly in
prayer. They were committed and dedicated to it, and they saw great
results. This morning I want to focus on one particular aspect of
prayer, something I’ve mentioned several times already this year and
will continue to mention—and that is praying for the church to grow.
We are making efforts for that to happen, and we
must make plans, purpose in our hearts, and be committed and earnest
in praying for this congregation. Because if we don’t pray for it, I
can guarantee it won’t happen.
Matthew chapter 9, beginning in verse 35: "Then
Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their
synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every
sickness and every disease among the people."
He was out among the people. He didn’t seclude
Himself. He went to cities and villages, taught in synagogues,
preached, and helped where He could. When He saw the multitudes, He
was moved with compassion. He felt for them. And that compassion
moved Him to act.
When we see people who don’t know Christ, we
should have compassion—because regardless of how good or moral they
are, they are lost. Jesus saw the people were weary and scattered,
like sheep having no shepherd. People outside the body of Christ
today are in the same condition.
So Jesus said to His disciples in verse 37: "The
harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray
the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest."
Prayer came first. Then He sent the disciples out
in chapter 10. We must do the same. Pray for those who are lost and
then go to them. We really can’t expect people to respond to the
gospel if we’re not even praying for them.
In John chapter 4, beginning in verse 35, Jesus
says, "Lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are
already white for harvest." He who reaps gathers fruit for eternal
life. Some sow, others reap, but both rejoice.
We may find people who have heard the truth
before, attended services, or studied. When we go to them, we may be
the ones who reap from what others have sown.
Colossians 4:2: "Continue earnestly in prayer,
being vigilant in it with thanksgiving; meanwhile praying also for
us, that God would open to us a door for the word."
We must pray for doors of opportunity. We
shouldn’t expect opportunities if we’re not asking God to open them.
Colossians 1:28 says our goal is to present every
man perfect in Christ Jesus. That’s why we pray—for people to obey
the gospel and be faithful to Christ.
Paul continues in Colossians 4:4–6: "That I may
make it manifest as I ought to speak. Walk in wisdom toward those
who are outside, redeeming the time. Let your speech always be with
grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer
each one."
Walking in wisdom isn’t just about example—it’s
also about knowing when and how to speak. Prayer is the beginning of
that. Prayer is the foundation.
In Revelation 3:7–8, Jesus told the church in
Philadelphia, “See, I have set before you an open door, and no one
can shut it.” Though they had little strength, they were faithful.
And Jesus gave them an open door. In Acts 14:27, Paul and Barnabas
reported that God had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles.
In 1 Corinthians 16:9, Paul said, “A great and
effective door has opened to me.” And in 2 Thessalonians 3:1, Paul
asked for prayers that the word of the Lord might “run swiftly and
be glorified.”
Our prayers can change things. James 5:16 says,
“The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.”
Let’s pray for workers. Let’s pray for doors of opportunity. Let’s
pray for the word to spread with unhindered progress. And let us act
on those prayers.
If you haven’t experienced the new birth through
repentance and baptism, today is the time. Or if you need the
prayers of the church or need to confess sins, we invite you to come
forward as we stand and sing.
|
The
church of Christ
