There is a difference in being a people who pray, and a praying people.
Prayer programs have very short shelf life, but a lifestyle of prayer has a long shelf life.
Creating a culture of missional prayer:
Prayer is a tool kit….(inward and outward focus)
Boystown (Mexico): 15 months of praying with no results.
Three generations of knowing nothing but drugs and prostituion
Prayers for, became prayers with
You cannot separate prayer and mission
If you work without prayer, you will burn out
If you pray and tell know one, you fruitless as well.
Enemy works to separate prayer from mission
Prayer people get weird if not connected with mission.
Prayer is one of the things we find most difficult personally and corporately.
Drumming bar….extending building…prayed and petition day before it open it was struck by lighting. Bar owner sued the church…judge: Bar owners believes in prayer and an entire congregation that does not
Acts 4:23-31 (Pentecost, room shakes, stoning Stephen)
Focus: Petition, intercession and spiritual warfare:
God showed signs and wonders as we move forward….this is why signs tend to follow apostolic missional thrust.
As the gospel moves forward…signs follow to confirm the message.
Room shakes
Apostolic courage
Fresh empowering of the Holy Spirit
Effective ministry:
Theology
Have to actually do it…not just thinking about it
Models to translate theology into practices and applications
We believe in prayer….but are struggling with models to Help us.
Models need to be held with incredible disregard
Some believe models are in unholy…but they are helpful tools
Acts 4:24
When they heard of the report….the leaders just spontaneously erupted into prayer (the did not have a counseling session), they did not call an organized prayer meeting.
Why did they respond this way….they just believed it worked
Who has had answered prayer….ask for testimonies
Keep putting logs the fire….keep sharing the testimonies of prayer
Flames will die down if you do not put logs on the fire
If you only have one miracle story in your church, keep telling it until you two
You have to work hard to find your testimonies and answered prayer..(testimony box). - miraculous movements collection box..
Acts 4:
They turned to god because the only had God and they knew it.
No one really has a problem with prayer, they only have a problem with comfort…..example…you discover you are terminally il…
If your church is spiritually hungry, prayer will come easy
If your church is not spiritually hungry…you will struggle to feed them. Most people will not admit it..
If the model doesn’t work…it’s typically not the model but the hunger of the people
Example: pizza hut..all you can eat buffet. Passed food for two days.to get maximum benefit…at first the pizza is the most beautiful smell. However 3 pizzas later …the same smell and pizza becomes the thing that makes you sick.
Psalms:
How do we provoke hunger in people who really are not?
Testimonies
Service points for the people
Holy Spirit to help us
Challenge from friends and accountability (stir one another up)
Model hunger and response
Bring challenge to youth..
Prayer meeting at 7.., no show
Meet 3 am on a mountain in a storm to shout to god….dude, I am there
You must win hearts and minds…
Example: why does it matter?
Sample: Ukraine….facts, photos, a little about the victims, why it matters..now you have peoples hearts and minds.
4 ps of prayer
Always pray for pastors on the ground in situations
Pray for politicians
Pray for the people affected
Pray for peace makers
God allows Blessing and pain and hardship to bring people back to him
The practice of missional prayer:
Scriptural imperative
The cleansing of the temple
Historical imperative
Every move of god in history started in prayer throughout church history
Missional imperative
Acts 13, Moravians, great awakening, john Wesley, gods prayer gives birth
to global mission
Direction comes from prayer…
Prophetic imperative
Acts 4: theology of prayer
Understood sovereignty of god (he is always powerful)…not just friend
The authority of the elect…understand who they are
Partner with god through prayer…causality
God will not just do what he wants….he gives us the power to reach into his will and pull it into reality.
Models of prayer:
Raised voices in unison…..all together, all in unison
Jesus Pray in a loud voice (Jesus did )….not cultural, it’s biblical.
This is how the parts of the world who have seen revival pray
If you are an internal processor…think of what you are going to say
They prayed the scriptures….don’t just read them, pray them.
When you see god say I will do this ..and it’s not happening we should become icing ate and demand gods will come to pass
Prayer is
Horizontal….we come into agreement with one another
Vertical…what are you wanting to do and we cry out for his will
It’s not about getting god to bless your desires, but his desires
How do you want us to pray
Be creative…prayer must be enjoyable or you won’t do it.
Praying for non-believers: when we pray for some, we see some miracles, but not always…would you like to give it a shot? The results are up to god.
When mobilizing the church to pray for healing ask who has the faith for the healing and who has faith for compassion in the situation…divide the room..let some pray for the person, some for the situation.
Natural signs and current affairs
Explicit…angel comes to you and says a message from heaven
Implicit: God I know you are saying something, but I am not exactly sure what
Hurting people….serve them
Disruptions of lives….how can we help them
Go to: www.prayerspacesinschools.com
First prayer….petition (childish prayers)
Discerning gods will in the middle of situations is complicated…example the pastors wife has cancer…do you call the church to prayer, or is it her time to go?
Lord teach us to pray!