It All Begins With Prayer
Sermon
Sermons on the Second Readings
Series II, Cycle C
Imagine you only have a short time to prepare your successor in ministry. In that time you can only share a few of your insights. What would you tell him or her? There is a story told about a group of seminary students that went to visit an old historic church they had heard a lot about. When they entered the huge building, they were met by a gray-bearded gentleman they thought was the janitor. He offered to lead them on a tour through the facilities and answer any questions they had.
They walked through the sanctuary, stood in the pulpit, and looked down from the balcony. When they had seen just about everything and asked every conceivable question they could come up with, the old gentleman asked a strange question, "Would you like to see what fires up this church?" They weren't really interested in touring the basement and seeing the boiler, but just to humor their host, they followed. They went down a narrow stairway to an area beneath the pulpit. As the gentleman opened the door, he said, "Behind this door is the secret of this great church. Everything that happens upstairs starts down here. This is where the fire in the pulpit begins."
The old man, actually C. H. Spurgeon, the great preacher himself, opened the door to reveal several dozen people on their knees in fervent prayer. Spurgeon would always insist that the secret of any church, big or small, was the prayers of the people. It was Spurgeon who said, "I would rather teach one man to pray than ten men to preach."
The Apostle Paul would agree wholeheartedly. In his letter to his young associate, Timothy, Paul points to prayer as being essential to his future ministry and lays out some instructions on the matter. Think about this: In Acts 6, the church is still in its infancy stages and we read that the apostles chose seven deacons to tend to the ministerial duties so they could focus on "prayer" and preaching. That is how important it is to the overall ministry.
We spend a lot of time, energy, and money on programs at church. We want to attract newcomers. We want to excite the membership. We hope to deepen discipleship. We are always on the lookout for new and innovative approaches to the gospel that will catch the attention of our people. As a result, we often overlook the powerful gift we have that is our prayer ministries.
This is true for young pastors just starting off, but we all need to be reminded sometimes. I read about one young pastor who had this impressed upon him by the preacher at his installation service. The preacher told a story about taking a drive in the country one night and running out of gas. He looked ahead and saw a church. The lights were on and he remembered it was Wednesday. Thank goodness for the prayer meeting. He stopped in and received the help he needed. The preacher then pointed out that there are an awful lot of people running low on fuel who need to be filled up by the Holy Spirit. When we are a praying people, the world can see that the lights are on in our houses of worship and they will come to us for help. He commented on how sad it would have been if there was no prayer meeting that night. He would have been lost.
Paul would agree wholeheartedly. That is why he says here, "First of all," before giving any other encouragement or instruction. He wants Timothy to realize that prayer should be at the foundational level of his ministry. He can build upward from there.
I have heard a lot of people protest when it comes to prayer. They say, "When are we going to stop praying about it and actually do something?" Sadly enough, there are some churches that use prayer as an excuse for inaction. There are far more churches, powerful and life-changing congregations, that understand that any action they take needs to begin with prayer in order to be successful.
Paul begins his tutorial to Timothy with the call to pray for everyone. He doesn't mean to pray generically. He calls on Timothy to pray for individuals. He says to pray for government officials, for teachers, for friends, and for the people who run the markets. He wants Timothy to be praying for everyone he runs into during his day. This goes right along with Paul's encouragement to pray without ceasing.
Paul sees every encounter as an opportunity to invite God into the situation. What a wonderful way to live. The truth is that everyone we know is either struggling to remain faithful to Christ or hasn't been introduced to him yet. Everyone we know is facing trials, and tests, looking for a route to happiness and meaning in life.
It is so easy to judge other people. We look at someone and make all kinds of suppositions about their background and what they believe. Instead of making these judgments, Paul would encourage us to turn that around and focus on praying a blessing for that person.
Several years ago, I heard Aidsand Wright-Riggins, the Executive Director Of National Ministries for the American Baptists, speak about growing up in the projects in Los Angeles. The end result of his testimony was that he declared he was standing before us that day because his grandmother had prayed for him. Many of his friends died along the way. They had been caught up in gangs and the like. Somehow, through no real choice of his own, he was steered away from that. He was telling us that the prayers of this righteous woman saved his life. So you do not know whose life you may be saving when you begin praying for the people you meet.
Paul makes specific mention to pray for kings and those in authority. In his day, the emperor was accusing Christians of acts of sedition and ordering them killed. Nonetheless, Paul told Timothy to pray for them. It makes a lot of sense, doesn't it? Jesus told us to pray for our enemies and to do good to them. Many of us would just as soon forget about government officials with whom we disagree. With the rising tide of anti-Christian legislation, many of us would be more comfortable praying against them. But Paul sees the government as agents of order in society. They have a role to play. In an orderly society, they can provide for peace and prosperity. Paul tells Timothy it is always in our best interest to be praying for these leaders, that they might have wisdom and vision.
Paul continues on and suggests that the peace that comes as a response to our prayer will afford us the opportunity to spread the gospel so everyone can be saved. We can be free to live lives that will reflect God's glory.
I know a man who quietly lived out his faith in his office at work. He had a calendar on his desk that had the "Bible verse of the day." On several occasions, people would stop by to look at the verse and question him about it. Even those who didn't practice any religion got caught up in it. One day, he accidentally spilled his coffee on the calendar and had to throw it away. He said he couldn't believe the disappointment that his coworkers expressed. He never realized what an impact he was making by simply sharing his faith in this quiet way. That weekend he went out and found another one to replace it.
Do you know what an intercessor is? It is a person who stands in the gap between the world and God. Paul says that is our role. We are to be praying for the deliverance and salvation of the people all around us. We have no idea how our prayers impact our workplaces, our city, our state, our country, or our world.
A friend of mine belonged to a prayer group that received permission to meet in city hall to pray for the city. They prayed for the mayor, the city council, the police and fire departments, the school board, teachers, and social workers. Not many of those people knew they were being prayed for but my friend said he saw things begin to happen in the city. He claims prayer made all the difference. Be assured that God uses them and opens doors for us to share our witness.
One other group Paul mentions that we should pray for, is the proclaimers of the gospel. Timothy might not think of himself in prayer, but Paul reminds him that he will need prayer if he is to do the work that needs to be done if all people are to come to knowledge of the truth. God desires that all hearts should turn to him. The preachers and teachers need to be prayed for so they will have the words to share. That brings us right back to the idea of praying for everyone. Here we are called to pray for those who are doing the work of the kingdom and sharing the news of Jesus' redeeming work in particular. We need to pray for the anointing of the Holy Spirit so they will be effective in all their efforts.
When we are done praying for the preachers, it is time to pray for the hearers. The gospel message tells us that people are lost. Paul writes in verse 4 that God desires "... everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth." So our job is to pray that their ears might be open and their hearts receptive to the preaching of the word. There is one thing more powerful than prayer when it comes to changing hearts. I like the story Bill Hybils tells of a baptism service he presided over at Willow Creek Community Church several years ago. He had preached the sermon and it was time for the service of believer's baptism. Several people had been prepared beforehand and were coming down front now to enter the waters. When he came to one middle-aged woman, he noticed a man standing with her. He smiled at the man and as he approached them the man asked Bill, "Is there anything to prevent me from being baptized with my wife tonight?" He was the woman's husband and he revealed that he had made a decision for Christ that night and wanted to make his profession in baptism. Bill invited him into the water and baptized him along with his wife. They were greeting the congregation after the service, and a woman came up to Bill in tears. She told him that the man he baptized was her brother. For years, she had been praying for his salvation and he had always put her off. But that night, her prayers had been answered and she thanked him.
We may think our prayers are going unanswered, but God honors our prayers. We need to keep praying for those who do not know the Lord. At the right time, God will open their eyes to the truth.
I want to conclude by giving you this to think about. Jesus declared, "You are the light of the world. And a city set on a hill cannot be hidden." So, don't hide your light. Let it shine. We can't sit around and wait for something to happen. We can't look to the president or some good-will organization or some religious organization to save the world. That is our job. We were called to transform the world through the power of the gospel. It is an overwhelming task. We need to pray for boldness. Paul had this task. He says, "For this purpose I was appointed a herald and an apostle -- I am telling the truth -- and a teacher of the true faith to the Gentiles." That was who Paul was called to be. And so it is with us, as well. Unleash the power of prayer in your life and watch what God can do with it. Amen.
They walked through the sanctuary, stood in the pulpit, and looked down from the balcony. When they had seen just about everything and asked every conceivable question they could come up with, the old gentleman asked a strange question, "Would you like to see what fires up this church?" They weren't really interested in touring the basement and seeing the boiler, but just to humor their host, they followed. They went down a narrow stairway to an area beneath the pulpit. As the gentleman opened the door, he said, "Behind this door is the secret of this great church. Everything that happens upstairs starts down here. This is where the fire in the pulpit begins."
The old man, actually C. H. Spurgeon, the great preacher himself, opened the door to reveal several dozen people on their knees in fervent prayer. Spurgeon would always insist that the secret of any church, big or small, was the prayers of the people. It was Spurgeon who said, "I would rather teach one man to pray than ten men to preach."
The Apostle Paul would agree wholeheartedly. In his letter to his young associate, Timothy, Paul points to prayer as being essential to his future ministry and lays out some instructions on the matter. Think about this: In Acts 6, the church is still in its infancy stages and we read that the apostles chose seven deacons to tend to the ministerial duties so they could focus on "prayer" and preaching. That is how important it is to the overall ministry.
We spend a lot of time, energy, and money on programs at church. We want to attract newcomers. We want to excite the membership. We hope to deepen discipleship. We are always on the lookout for new and innovative approaches to the gospel that will catch the attention of our people. As a result, we often overlook the powerful gift we have that is our prayer ministries.
This is true for young pastors just starting off, but we all need to be reminded sometimes. I read about one young pastor who had this impressed upon him by the preacher at his installation service. The preacher told a story about taking a drive in the country one night and running out of gas. He looked ahead and saw a church. The lights were on and he remembered it was Wednesday. Thank goodness for the prayer meeting. He stopped in and received the help he needed. The preacher then pointed out that there are an awful lot of people running low on fuel who need to be filled up by the Holy Spirit. When we are a praying people, the world can see that the lights are on in our houses of worship and they will come to us for help. He commented on how sad it would have been if there was no prayer meeting that night. He would have been lost.
Paul would agree wholeheartedly. That is why he says here, "First of all," before giving any other encouragement or instruction. He wants Timothy to realize that prayer should be at the foundational level of his ministry. He can build upward from there.
I have heard a lot of people protest when it comes to prayer. They say, "When are we going to stop praying about it and actually do something?" Sadly enough, there are some churches that use prayer as an excuse for inaction. There are far more churches, powerful and life-changing congregations, that understand that any action they take needs to begin with prayer in order to be successful.
Paul begins his tutorial to Timothy with the call to pray for everyone. He doesn't mean to pray generically. He calls on Timothy to pray for individuals. He says to pray for government officials, for teachers, for friends, and for the people who run the markets. He wants Timothy to be praying for everyone he runs into during his day. This goes right along with Paul's encouragement to pray without ceasing.
Paul sees every encounter as an opportunity to invite God into the situation. What a wonderful way to live. The truth is that everyone we know is either struggling to remain faithful to Christ or hasn't been introduced to him yet. Everyone we know is facing trials, and tests, looking for a route to happiness and meaning in life.
It is so easy to judge other people. We look at someone and make all kinds of suppositions about their background and what they believe. Instead of making these judgments, Paul would encourage us to turn that around and focus on praying a blessing for that person.
Several years ago, I heard Aidsand Wright-Riggins, the Executive Director Of National Ministries for the American Baptists, speak about growing up in the projects in Los Angeles. The end result of his testimony was that he declared he was standing before us that day because his grandmother had prayed for him. Many of his friends died along the way. They had been caught up in gangs and the like. Somehow, through no real choice of his own, he was steered away from that. He was telling us that the prayers of this righteous woman saved his life. So you do not know whose life you may be saving when you begin praying for the people you meet.
Paul makes specific mention to pray for kings and those in authority. In his day, the emperor was accusing Christians of acts of sedition and ordering them killed. Nonetheless, Paul told Timothy to pray for them. It makes a lot of sense, doesn't it? Jesus told us to pray for our enemies and to do good to them. Many of us would just as soon forget about government officials with whom we disagree. With the rising tide of anti-Christian legislation, many of us would be more comfortable praying against them. But Paul sees the government as agents of order in society. They have a role to play. In an orderly society, they can provide for peace and prosperity. Paul tells Timothy it is always in our best interest to be praying for these leaders, that they might have wisdom and vision.
Paul continues on and suggests that the peace that comes as a response to our prayer will afford us the opportunity to spread the gospel so everyone can be saved. We can be free to live lives that will reflect God's glory.
I know a man who quietly lived out his faith in his office at work. He had a calendar on his desk that had the "Bible verse of the day." On several occasions, people would stop by to look at the verse and question him about it. Even those who didn't practice any religion got caught up in it. One day, he accidentally spilled his coffee on the calendar and had to throw it away. He said he couldn't believe the disappointment that his coworkers expressed. He never realized what an impact he was making by simply sharing his faith in this quiet way. That weekend he went out and found another one to replace it.
Do you know what an intercessor is? It is a person who stands in the gap between the world and God. Paul says that is our role. We are to be praying for the deliverance and salvation of the people all around us. We have no idea how our prayers impact our workplaces, our city, our state, our country, or our world.
A friend of mine belonged to a prayer group that received permission to meet in city hall to pray for the city. They prayed for the mayor, the city council, the police and fire departments, the school board, teachers, and social workers. Not many of those people knew they were being prayed for but my friend said he saw things begin to happen in the city. He claims prayer made all the difference. Be assured that God uses them and opens doors for us to share our witness.
One other group Paul mentions that we should pray for, is the proclaimers of the gospel. Timothy might not think of himself in prayer, but Paul reminds him that he will need prayer if he is to do the work that needs to be done if all people are to come to knowledge of the truth. God desires that all hearts should turn to him. The preachers and teachers need to be prayed for so they will have the words to share. That brings us right back to the idea of praying for everyone. Here we are called to pray for those who are doing the work of the kingdom and sharing the news of Jesus' redeeming work in particular. We need to pray for the anointing of the Holy Spirit so they will be effective in all their efforts.
When we are done praying for the preachers, it is time to pray for the hearers. The gospel message tells us that people are lost. Paul writes in verse 4 that God desires "... everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth." So our job is to pray that their ears might be open and their hearts receptive to the preaching of the word. There is one thing more powerful than prayer when it comes to changing hearts. I like the story Bill Hybils tells of a baptism service he presided over at Willow Creek Community Church several years ago. He had preached the sermon and it was time for the service of believer's baptism. Several people had been prepared beforehand and were coming down front now to enter the waters. When he came to one middle-aged woman, he noticed a man standing with her. He smiled at the man and as he approached them the man asked Bill, "Is there anything to prevent me from being baptized with my wife tonight?" He was the woman's husband and he revealed that he had made a decision for Christ that night and wanted to make his profession in baptism. Bill invited him into the water and baptized him along with his wife. They were greeting the congregation after the service, and a woman came up to Bill in tears. She told him that the man he baptized was her brother. For years, she had been praying for his salvation and he had always put her off. But that night, her prayers had been answered and she thanked him.
We may think our prayers are going unanswered, but God honors our prayers. We need to keep praying for those who do not know the Lord. At the right time, God will open their eyes to the truth.
I want to conclude by giving you this to think about. Jesus declared, "You are the light of the world. And a city set on a hill cannot be hidden." So, don't hide your light. Let it shine. We can't sit around and wait for something to happen. We can't look to the president or some good-will organization or some religious organization to save the world. That is our job. We were called to transform the world through the power of the gospel. It is an overwhelming task. We need to pray for boldness. Paul had this task. He says, "For this purpose I was appointed a herald and an apostle -- I am telling the truth -- and a teacher of the true faith to the Gentiles." That was who Paul was called to be. And so it is with us, as well. Unleash the power of prayer in your life and watch what God can do with it. Amen.
