r867 The Prayer Factor: When My Heart Cried

God has an encouraging word for you and me today.

To the Bible based preaching of Dr. Don Wilton. And today's message on prayer. The. The sermon today is called A Prayer Factor When My Heart cried as we open ourselves to God in a fresh new way, we see prayer as what God wants it to be honest communication not pretty tied up in a bow prayers, but the opportunity to get real with God know that we'd love to pray with you and for you right where you are right now. Our phone number is eight six six eight nine nine word. Jot it down. Store in your cell. Eight six six eight nine nine nine six seven three will always connect with one of us. Happy to talk or listen or pray. Just know that we're here for you. We'd also love to connect online at TCW online. Oh, R.G., that's TCW online. Dotto r.g. And now today's message with Dr. Don Wilton.

God has begun to get a hold of my heart. And God has begun to impress upon me that when it comes to mediocrity and maintenance, that I am the problem. I don. Me. Your pastor. I have become settled into in my own spiritual walk with the Lord, a life that is a demonstration. Of mediocrity and maintenance. I am taking God for granted. I am not living. A laugh food with the spirit of God being the kind of leader that I need to be for you. My people and I apologize to you today.

I wanted to be radical in my life for Jesus Christ. I want to be a threat. And I don't use that word in a negative sense. Not in terms of a big finger or a position. I want to be a threat to the deacons of this church. I want to be a threat to the Sunday school teachers, to the ministry team.

To the people of this community.

I wanted to be a freak for Jesus Christ.

And I believe that off to years and years and years. People like you and me grow weary and well doing. And I'm here to tell you that I'm tired.

I'm worn out. But I'm ready. I'm worn out because of my own mediocrity. I'm worn out because of my refusal to do what God is telling me to do.

I'm worn out because I'm too willing to settle for maintenance, doing the same thing in the same way.

So God's been speaking to me. God's been getting a hold of me. I want to experience God. I've taken a look at my calendar. I've canceled more things than you can possibly conceive.

I've rearranged things. I'm reorganizing.

I'm standing on my head. I'm turning down. And I'm looking at it. And I'm saying, oh, God, would you do something in my heart? Because I want to spend more time with my family. I want to spend more time with my people. I want to be with you. I'm your pastor. I want to love you and be loved by you and to shake your hand and sit at your bedside.

That's what God has called me to do.

I want to stand up and preach the word of God and be unashamed about the gospel of Jesus Christ.

I want to be the kind of pastor and father who is a threat everywhere I go because people know that I've been in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ.

So God began to speak to my heart and I I'm going to draw your attention today to a passage here that is just I'm not through with this passage. I'm not exactly sure what I'm going to say. I shared it in the last two services. I don't have a note in front of me. This is not a sermon. I'm not preaching a message. I'm just talking to me.

You might want to listen. X chapter form beginning a verse twenty three on their release. I believe that God is releasing me. And I believe that, God, when we expand seminars as we have a fresh encounter with him, that God is going to release us from the books that we read. I believe that there is a great release coming upon this congregation. God is giving me a fresh vision.

He's going to release our marriages and our finances. He's going to release our children, our sickness and our health on their release.

Peter and John went back to their own people and they reported all the chief priests and elders and said to them, when the people heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God.

When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God, sovereign lord, they said you made the heaven in the earth and the sea and everything in them.

You spoke by your Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father, David. Why do the nation's rage and the people's plot in vain?

The kings of the Earth take the stand and the rulers gathered together against the Lord, against his anointed one. And then they look back at the main thing, which is the main thing.

It's amazing with all this going on, they just go right back to the crucifixion of Jesus. They can't help themselves. When people pray, they go back to where they need to be.

Look, if indeed Herod and punishes pilot met together with the Gentiles and the people in Israel, in the city to conspire against your servant, your holy one, the Lord Jesus Christ, whom you anointed and appointed, they did what your power and will decided beforehand should have happened.

Now, Lord, consider their threats and please, Lord Jesus, would you enable us, your servants, to speak your word with great boldness?

Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name. Of your holy servant, the Lord Jesus. Off to they prayed. Did you notice that often they prayed the place where they were meeting was literally shaken.

And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly. Look what happened.

All the believers, the whole congregation were of one heart and one mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own. But they shared everything they had with great power. The apostles continued. As a result, to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ and much grace was upon them all. There were no needy persons among them as a result, for from time to time, even those who owned lands or houses sold them and brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles feet. And it was distributed to any one as he had need the prefect.

What is this all about? What is God saying to me? Well, you can't contemplate the prefect a number one without considering the leadership factor.

This began with two people, Peter and John. I'm no longer concerned about how many. Want to get on board, how many want to give? How many want to serve? How many one? It is no longer a relevant question to me. But I am going to tell you.

That to see the public unmitigated, unapologetic, pouring of the spirit of God upon a people.

The leaders have got to get their hearts right with God. And that's me. I am your pastor and I'm asking God to deal with me like I have never been dealt with before. The ministry team and I are praying together. My wife is praying with me.

I'm asking God to release me so that I can be a Peter and a Jordan, that I can come to you with the respect from God himself.

There's the leadership factor, you think of the leaders in this church, the deacons. Sunday school teaches our Sunday school teachers have grown tired.

Worn out.

Teaching faithfully Sunday by Sunday, by Sunday. Nobody there. Some people, the crowds there.

Over and over and over and over and over and over and over again.

Our choir singing. Ministering the orchestra. Our discipleship leaders.

I'm going to tell you something. We can organize. We want to. But if our leaders are not willing to lead, it seemed fine.

Tim Vine.

It's a waste of time and begins in the heart of those who stand up and lead.

Who are you?

What's the necessity of me having to be in every meeting in this church if we've got leaders? You have a spiritual leader friend, you rest your case because they leading spiritually. They not leading with their hands.

They leading with their hearts that are in tune with the Lord Jesus Christ. And I rest my case.

I rest my case. There's not only the leadership factor, there's the people factor. It's amazing to me that Peter and John went back to the people and it was the people who gathered and prayed and did all of this. And that is amazing.

Isn't it amazing?

I apologize to you because I'm holding you back. I'm not leading you. Like I ought to lead you. I'm not meeting with the Lord. I'm so busy.

I'm going back there will be two or three days or whatever a week, you won't see me. I'm not available.

Reason I'm not available is because I'm meeting with the Lord.

And if you want to know where I am, go and ask one of our leaders. They'll tell you.

And I rest my case. We've got so busy.

Folks, are we doing is throwing money and programs at everything, and we think that's what we supposed to do. Let's just have another program, another trip, another outing. Let's make it bigger. Let's get more of this and more of that. That is not what God has called us to do. We do what we do because we have encountered the presence of the Lord, not in order to encounter the presence of the Lord.

We do these things because we can't help it. Every person who joins this church is a new member, gets a new member of Packet. And we'll continue to do so. You know what's in that new member packet? Number one, there's an offering envelope because you we want you to know that club Jews are Jew, that the most important thing is that you pay up in this club.

Second thing you'll get in your new member packet from us is you'll get a directory of all the membership because we want you to know what the manman that's a very good thing. But you want me to tell you why? Fewer and fewer people want to get their pictures taken for the church directory.

Because I'm not leading you properly. We see that as a picture. Your pictures got nothing to do with it.

The reason we have a directory is so that we can minister to one another because people heard and go through crises and we want to know one another and love one another and be there for one another.

We want to be able to identify with one another. Having a church directory has nothing to do with the price of eggs.

I'll tell you what else you get in your new member packet. You'll get a list of all the offices in the church. The deacons and all offices have everything because we want you to know who the most important people are in the church.

Well, I've got news for you. You'll still continue to get these things. But folks, this church is not about paying your dues. It's not about positions. It's not about whether or not you serve or how much time you gave away. You all watch. This church is a back encountering our heavenly father. That's it. And this came from the people.

Forgive the interruption. We'll be back with more with Dr. Don. The entire message is on the way, as a matter of fact. You're going to have some messages from Dr. Don every single day. And I strongly recommend. Take a moment. Go to our Web site. T e Dabhol you online dot o R.G.. And sign up for the daily encouraging word. E-mail will come in your e-mail box about six o'clock every morning with insight from God's word. Insight from Dr. Don. An application to take God's word and see it encourage us powerfully. That's online at TCW online.

Oh, R.G., I pray you'll sign up for the daily encouraging word e-mail today. Now back to today's message, the prayer factor. When My Heart Cried with Dr. Don Wiltern.

Number three, there's is the God factor. And by the way, they raised their voices together. Isn't that amazing? There's too much silence in our church. I don't think this is talking about loud or quiet or noise per say. This is about a group of people who are pouring out their hearts before the road. I want to pull my heart out to the Lord and I want to raise my voice to God. Then there's the God factor. Sovereign Lord, did you note where they prayed began? Not Lord. I want this. Do that. How about this? Let me pray for your mama's ingrown toenails.

Sovereign Lord Father. All we want to know is you. We want to speak to you.

All these other things are important. But I want to encounter God, don't you? I want to hear from the Lord. I don't want another list. I want the list because I have encountered the Lord. Encountering God enables me to put the list in its rightful perspective, not the other way around. We go to the list first and then we consider God. We're praying far too much about one another and far too little about God.

Then there is the rage factor. Why do the nation's rage in verse twenty five. The rage. All right. G.E.. I look around me, I see wars in the Middle East. Deeply concerned about I ran. The state of our nation, the wars that are going on in politics across the country.

The rising up of humanism and universalism, religious persecution is beginning to rear its head. Even in America, the statements that are being made in the constitutions that are being written in this congregation is all across America.

There's a war raging. There are more and more of our families that are breaking up more and more of our sons and daughters who are leaving home and having nothing to do with the God that they've been taught about. Fewer and fewer people want to come to church. More and more churches are becoming battle scenes. People are getting upset. Gas prices are rising. There's a war raging when it comes to the prayer factor. There's the rage factor. We've got to tell God about what's going on in our lives because God knows and God has the solution.

God has the solution. Then there's the request factor first. Twenty nine. Now, Lord, consider. Did you know, by the way, that the Bible says that we can ask of God anything in his name and he will do it. I have failed you so badly over these last couple of years because I have become so busy and so tied up and so, so enmeshed in everything that's important. But it's not the important thing that there are fewer and fewer times.

Let me tell you why. God will not why. God is not blessing me. Why God is not filling me with these Holy Spirit. Why I'm not leading you the way I ought to lead you.

Because I'm not asking him to help me do that. Please forgive me. Every Sunday night I go to bed and all I look at is my calendar, which meeting I've got to go to next.

Well, I'll squeeze you in here and I'll squeeze you in there. And all the while.

God is getting more and more squeezed out of even my own life. And the reason why God is not speaking to me as the leader and as the pastor is because I'm not asking him.

There's the request factor. Let me ask you this. What is it that you need to ask God about your marriage, your children, your family, your grandchildren, your work, your finances? Is this somebody sick in you? Is someone struggling? Someone hurt? Someone in pain? Someone in need. Bible says ask him this. That request factor. You better be willing to pay the price. God will not be mocked. I've been mocking God in your presence.

I'm so good at standing up in front of this congregation and praying. Wonderful theological prayers.

But God is telling me, Don Wooten, you need to get on your face and you need to see the face of God.

You need to see the face of God. There's the healing factor in verse 30, the healing factor.

They ask God to stretch out his hand to heal and do miraculous signs.

And he did it. What's the matter with me?

I want you to pray with me.

I'm asking God that as I lead you as your pastor for the next 20, 30, 50 years, whatever it is that when I walk in and we're not touched, somebody on the shoulder that in the name of Jesus Christ, that a healing would take place because I've been in the presence of my savior.

It's the healing factor. There's the shaking factor. Bible says the whole place was shaken.

I don't believe, folks, it's referring to chandeliers and lampposts and locks and window panes. What I do believe, my friend, is that when the power of God comes down on a person's life, that there is a complete vibration that takes place from the inside out.

There is a shaking of the place. We are sitting too much in this congregation.

I walk down these hallways and I see people like you and like me just walking past people. Not even stopping to shake hands and greet people and say welcome.

We no longer get up out of our seats and say, hi, how are you? We're not willing to drive across the road and tell somebody about Jesus Christ. But we're willing to drive to Clemson and Carolina and spend all day watching a ball game.

There's the Holy Spirit factor that with filled with the Holy Spirit. There's the boldness factor. I've become so soft. I'm so accommodating. I've become so afraid that somebody might leave my church.

I've become so insipid that somebody might not send in twenty five dollars to support the ministry. I've become so careful not to say anything that might offend somebody or disagree with a longstanding member on what the word of God and say is less to offend them. I become so afraid that a long standing member might pick up his bags and walk out because things no longer suit him any more.

And the Bible says that these people got up and they spoke the word of God with God's diction and with great boldness.

There was the unity factor. You've just seen it. I don't think that we really understand the gift of unity that God has given to us. I don't know that we really understand. I have taken our unity for granted. And I want to say this to you. Unity doesn't mean to say that somebody thinks something ought to be done in a different way or doesn't quite think this way or theologically exactly this way, or that someone doesn't think that the t shirts need to be green instead of yellow and the sun. It's okay. My beloved friend, too. To think differently.

And I have a difference of opinion and.

And to share that and help because we help each other. Not one of us who's got a corner on the market. Only God does. I don't have a more special corner on God's ear than you do. We are the body of Christ. We need each other. But when we walk out together, we walk in unity. And my heart breaks.

Because I know of too many churches where that is not happening all across the upstate in South Carolina and all around the country.

There are churches that are hurting.

Because of disunity, disgruntled church members, strong and powerful men and women who get up in business meetings and say unkind things and point their fingers at one another in people meeting for worship, where people come and they will sit on that side of the congregation so they don't have to talk to the person on that side of the congregation and churches calling meetings to kick the pastors out and to dictate this. And I'm not going to have that. Who's this and what's that? But beloved friends, that that is not the case in this body. God has blessed us with unity. This is the most incredible thing that I've ever been a part of. But I want to ask you to forgive me, because it's not about having or being unified. It's what you do with that unity.

And what these people did with the unity that God gave them is they came together and they sought God's face together and God spoke to them together.

And that unity produced the most incredible fruit that you and I could imagine because it was a spiritual unity.

It meant that they laid aside all of their presuppositions and their personal preferences and even their convictions because they were unified together in the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. They made a determination that nothing else mattered, not the color of the carpet. All the beatings, all the memorials or monuments or any program accepting Jesus Christ and him crucified.

That's the living church. And I ask you to pray for me because I am in a relentless pursuit to know my savior like never before so that I can lead you and be the pastor that you've called me to be, to be the shepherd of the flock, to be sold out for Jesus Christ right here in this place. I'm looking forward to days of untold laughter.

And fun and joy and fellowship and service ministry. Lord Jesus, let it begin in me. Let it begin in me. Jesus. You've been listening to Dr. Don Wilton. He'll be back in just a mom with a closing thought. But that sense of beginning that need to start afresh.

And a new here on this Monday edition of The Encouraging Word. I pray that you've been stirred, as I have, by the teaching of Dr. Time. But right now, not a teaching session, but just a heart to heart from Dr. Don. Coming up next.

Are you ready to give you a hawk in life to the Lord Jesus Christ? Why don't you pray this? Pray with me right now. Dear God, I know that I'm a sinner and I know that Jesus died for me on the cross. Today, I repent of my son. And by faith, I receive you into my heart. In Jesus night, my friend, I welcome you today into the family of God. This is exciting news. Could you just give your life to Jesus? Welcome to the family of God. Maybe you rededicated your life. Either way, we have wonderful resources. Dr. Don wants you to have. Call us at eight six six eight, nine nine. Word. And let us know. That's eight six six eight nine nine nine six seventy. Or tell us what God to do in your life to help Dr. Die.

You can e-mail him at dawn at TCW online Dotto R.G. d o n at TCW online dawg. He would love to hear from you. We covenant to pray with you and for you and put great resources in your hands. You'll find those resources on our Web site at TCW online dot. Oh. That's TCW online. Oh, R.G., great resources like this.

What is God calling you to do your life? Are you living the life that we find? Nothing. Do you have peace? Have you given your life to Jesus? Jesus will change you. It's not too late to be on mission for God. With your gift of support to the encouraging word. This month you will receive Dr. Wilton's messages entitled Touching Jesus Messages and Pray with this in mind. Seven critical means the impossible prayer and touching Jesus.

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