What Happens When We Pray

Welcome to this edition of Power Point with Jack Graham. A little later in the program we'll tell you how you can get a copy of Dr. Graham's evangelism bundle. But first, here's the message, What Happens When We Pray? Take God's Word and turn with me to the fourth chapter of the book of Acts. We're in a series of messages called The Power of Spiritual Engagement. And we're looking at the amazing adventures of faith that we read about that happened so long ago and yet the same spirit who ignited early Christians is in us. And when we pray, God moves. Prayer is a mystery in many senses of the Word. Prayer is certainly a miracle. There are many things we don't understand or could comprehend regarding prayer. But the fact is God has called His church, His people to pray. And great things happen when we pray, both personally, individually, and together corporately as His church. Incredible things happen when we pray. So when you consider the potential, the possibility of what we can be in Christ, it is amazing if we connect in prayer. I read a definition of prayer this week given by Warren Wiersbe.

I like it. It says prayer is the means God has ordained to glorify Himself by sharing His love with His children, meeting their needs, and accomplishing His purposes through their lives and the lives of others. When I read that definition of prayer I thought, well you know what, that's a really good definition of prayer, but I'm going to take my own stab at it. So I said, you know, true prayer is connecting and communing with God, the God of the universe through Jesus Christ and cooperating with Him in prayer and accomplishing His purposes on earth.

Now that's a long definition. Jesus simply said, ask. Ask, seek, and not. And when we move to the closing verses of the 4th chapter of Acts we see that prayer is not a luxury, but prayer is a necessity. And because of a spiritual battle that was being fought, opposition that now is rising up against the church and continues in our own generation, we need to understand that the battle is prayer, the battlefield. The warfare is prayer. And if we are going to engage the enemy and defeat the enemy who is Satan and all the forces of hell, if we are going to win the battles of life, if we are going to reach a generation for Christ, then we need to do exactly what early believers did and that is to connect and commune with the God of the universe in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and thereby cooperate with Him in prayer.

And thereby cooperate with Him in fulfilling His mission on earth. Look in chapter 4 beginning at verse 23, when they were released, now that refers of course to Peter and John who have been on trial for their faith. A man has been healed, lame all of his life, now he's on his feet, leaping, dancing, praising God. He stands before the Sanhedrin along with Peter and John as evidence of the power of the resurrection. And because they were greatly annoyed at this miracle that had taken place and the fact that the resurrection of Christ is now being preached and that people by the scores each day are being saved.

Bible scholars estimate between 20 and 30 conversions a day in the early stages season of the Christian church. And so now they are capturing the city for Christ. And so these folks are upset, they arrest Peter and John and they threaten them and say, do not speak in this name again. They threaten them and they meant business. This is the same crowd that put Christ upon the cross and once blood is on your hand it is not a hard road to kill again. So certainly Peter and John understood the ramifications of their actions if they continued to preach.

So what did they do? When they were released, notice verse 23, they went to their friends. Not only is Peter a necessity, but it is a natural thing to go to the friends of the faith and in the faith, a family of friends. It may be translated in your Bible a company or a gathering. But literally they went to their friends. This is why it is so vitally important that we have a family of friends, the church, so that when we are in trouble, when we are tested, when we are tried, when we're facing life in the faith and in the faith, a family of friends.

It may be translated in your Bible a company or a gathering. But literally they went to their friends. This is why it is so vitally important that we have a family of friends, the church, so that when we are in trouble, when we are tested, when we are tried, when we're facing life's battles, that we are together and triumphant in Him with a family of faith.

So naturally they ran to their friends. They went to the people who had been praying for them and would continue to pray for them. And verse 23 says they reported what the chief priests and the elders had said to them. They said these guys have said we can't preach anymore. That we can't talk about Jesus anymore. They threaten us within an inch of our lives.

So what did they do? They didn't pray for protection, but they prayed for power. They prayed for boldness. They prayed for more courage.

Look at verse 24, and when they heard it they lifted up, and this would be the entire company gathered, these friends, they lifted up their voices together to God and said, Sovereign Lord. And the word Lord there is a word used in the New Testament just a few times. It can be translated in the English despot. And we think of course as a despot as being an evil ruler, but it can mean a ruler that is both either good or bad.

But a despot is one that is in absolute control, absolute rule. Oh sovereign ruler, Lord. Who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them. Who through the mouth of our Father David your servant said by the Holy Spirit, why did the Gentiles rage? This is Psalm 2. They're praying the scriptures now. And the people's plot in vain.

The kings of the out. And the people's plot in vain. The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord and against His anointed. For truly in this city they were gathered together against your Holy Servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius, Pilate, that is the government, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel." Now remember everyone participates in the death of Christ. People want to know who killed Jesus.

The early Christians realized that we all had a part, both Gentiles, representing by the Romans of course and others, and then the Jewish religious system of that day. But ultimately all of us are responsible for the death of Jesus because He took our sin upon the cross. It is important to remember that we all participate in this, but specifically He is reminding, they are reminding everyone in their prayer that both the Roman crowd and the religious crowd participated in this death. Verse 28, to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place. In other words the cross was not an accident, it was not an afterthought. The death of Jesus was not some kind of mistake. The Lamb of God was slain before the foundation of the earth. God loved you before you were even born, before the world was created. And the Creator God is the Redeemer Savior.

And so whatever His hand had planned it took place right on schedule. And God used these agents of hell by His own hand and power. So verse 29 says, And now Lord, look upon their threats.

They just laid it out before the Lord. They said, Now Lord here it is, again not praying for protection, not praying for safety, but Lord look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue, watch this, to continue to speak your word with all what? Boldness. Now if you were with us the last time you remember that boldness means openness and confidence. It's not brashness nor is it arrogance but it is openness about our faith. We are naturally open about our faith.

And we are confident in what we believe and that is the power of Jesus and His resurrection. And so they are praying for more of the same kind of stuff that got them in trouble to begin with. They are praying that God would enable them to continue engaging the enemy for the cause of Christ, for the mission of Jesus.

Verse 30, While you stretch out your hand to heal, signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus. And notice what happens when God's people pray. And when they had prayed the place that they were gathered together was shaken.

They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the Word of God with boldness. Now prayer is a joyful experience indeed, but prayer is also a serious encounter with God. Because prayer is not only worship, prayer is warfare and it's obvious that the early believers were continually and consistently engaged in prayer. In fact over 40 times in the book of Acts we are told of Christians praying together most often.

And there is certainly power in prayer when we pray individually, but there is something unusual and unique and powerful when we come together to pray as God's people. And when we pray, even as the church prayed they were waiting on the Holy Spirit in Acts chapter 1, so they waited and prayed upon God's timing and the promise of the Father. In Acts chapter 2 we are told that these who were converted continued steadfastly in prayer. They prayed continually. In Acts chapter 3 when Peter and John are on their way to the Temple and they discover that man at the gate beautiful, lame, and they heal him in the name of Jesus.

Where were they going? They were going to the hour of prayer. People of prayer. And we find that throughout the book of Acts. Prayer to early believers was not a postscript. It was not a prelude to the service, or a postlude to what they were doing. But prayer was their vital life.

It was their very breath. In fact you might call prayer spiritual aerobics. Because when we pray we are exercising our faith in God. But to the early believers prayer wasn't just something we sort of seasoned the services, you know like a little salt, a little pepper, a little prayer here, a little prayer there. But prayer was a necessity.

You're listening to PowerPoint with Jack Graham. And today's message, What Happens When We Pray? You have a God given calling to take the Gospel to the world. That's why we've put together a special bundle of resources to help you grow in your love of the Gospel and share it with others. This evangelism bundle includes three of Pastor Jack Graham's books, The Hope of Easter, Life Book, and God's Promises for Doubt-Filled Days. This evangelism bundle is our thanks for your gift today.

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Our website again is JackGraham.org. Now let's get back to today's message, What Happens When We Pray? The interesting thing about the prayer life of early Christians they so often prayed in what the Bible describes in one accord. And you could pick up if you wanted just to do a little Bible study in the book of Acts you could just take that little phrase one accord and trace it through. For example in Acts 1-14 they were in one accord in one place waiting on the Spirit to come. In other words they were one in supplication, asking God to supply what He had promised. And then in Acts 2 and verse 1, Acts 2 and verse 1 we are told that they were in one accord in anticipation.

And they were expecting, expectation as they were waiting and realizing the coming into their lives of the Spirit of God. In Acts 2 verse 46 we are told they were together in participation. They were in one accord together serving, sharing with generous hearts. The greatest fellowship on earth is the fellowship of prayer. Fellowship can take place in a hallway, but ultimately we are united together in Christ in prayer. And I've had the opportunity to pray with Christians of various denominations and groups. And you know when you are praying with believers from different churches and different denominations you're not as vitally concerned about their style of worship. You're not vitally concerned at that moment when you are praying with them about the differences, but rather what brings you together and unites you together in Christ.

And it is in that oneness of prayer and participation that we make a difference. In Acts 4 verse 24 as we just read they were together in adoration as they are praising God and worshiping Him as Lord. Notice what they pray. They turned to the worship of God.

When you are facing life's battles, when you are struggling against the enemy, if you are in the throes of temptation, if you are fighting battles or experiencing tests to your faith, you need to do what these men and others did and that is to turn to the worship of God. They said, Lord, You are Lord. You are sovereign in all of this. God, You are on the throne. You are the Creator and the controller of everything. And we are having a little problem here with the part of the world that we are living in.

So, Lord, we know that You've got that under control as well. Certainly more than trite to say that we are to glance at our problems and gaze at our God no matter the circumstances that we face or the situation in battle that we are dealing with. We need to do exactly what these men did and that is to run to the family of friends, pray together, get on our faces before a sovereign and holy God who is in control of everything in our lives and give it to Him. The second thing they did when you see and read this prayer you hear them praying is we are to trust in the Word of God. You're fighting a battle.

You're in a struggle. Worship God. But also realize that it is the Word of God that sustains us and strengthens us even in prayer. When you read this prayer it's obvious they understood the Scriptures.

They had memorized the Scriptures and now they are remembering and releasing the Scriptures. They are praying the Word of God. They are calling upon God in His own Word. And that is a powerful way to pray. But ultimately they are trusting you see in the Word of God. There is a perfect balance in the Scriptures between the Word of God and prayer like two wings of an airplane.

Which is more important? So there is a turning to the worship of God. There is a trusting in the Word of God. And there is a triumphing in the will of God. They triumph in God's will. Look at verse 28 again it says, Lord to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place. In other words they said, Lord you've got all of this.

We're not praying for safety here we're praying for faith and fortitude to continue doing what you've called us to do. They presented themselves as servants. We are your servants literally bondsmen, bond slaves.

We are your slaves and we will serve you at your will. So they submitted their lives to the will of God. They worshiped God.

They trusted His Word. They said, Lord here we are. And so what happened when they prayed? Verse 31 tells us that the place was shaken.

There was a physical manifestation of the presence of God. There was a shaking. And certainly in the shaking of the building there was a shaking of the believers.

And that shaking needs to take place today. That stirring. They realize the manifest presence of God. That's what revival is. It is a realization of the glory and the presence of God. That's what revival is. It is a new awareness, a new aliveness in Christ. It is a renewal of our obedience to Him.

So what happened first? There was a new engagement. If revival is renewal there was a new engagement. They were shaken in the presence of God. They are now engaging with God. But not only that there was a new endowment of spiritual power because now they are filled with the Holy Spirit. This is a subsequent filling. They had been filled, filled again and now again because we are to be filled each day. While there is one baptism of the Spirit there are many fillings. And if you are serving Christ, if you are sharing Christ there is an emptying that takes place. There is a physical phenomenon when you give out the adrenaline rush that is released but there is a spiritual emptying which you need to replenish and renew. And it is interesting to me that when these people prayed they didn't pray for spiritual filling but it happened.

And you know why it happened? Because of their yielding and their surrender to the Lord God. Because that is ultimately what it means to be controlled by the Spirit. We are not talking here about the thrill of the Spirit, we are talking about the filling of the Spirit. Some people are more interested in the feeling of the Spirit than in the filling of the Spirit. But the filling of the Spirit is to be controlled in that we have yielded to Him. And so now there is a new endowment, a new endowment of spiritual power and we need that. Being filled with the Holy Spirit, continuous action continually. But not only that there was a new enjoyment, a new enjoyment of fellowship.

No longer are they isolated independently of one another but they are cooperating together. And when revival comes, when we pray we are together and triumphant and there is an enjoyment of the family of God. In fact look down in the 4th chapter down at verse 32, now the full number of those who believe were of one heart and one soul and no one said that any of the things that belonged to Him was His own and they had everything in common. And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord and great grace was upon them all. Notice the all, the all, they were all together and now they are enjoying this sweet fellowship of the Church and of the company of believers. But not only a new enjoyment there is a new enablement because they went on speaking with courage, with boldness, the message of the Gospel. It's interesting to me if you just as a side note consider the fact in the same passage in which they are praying about predestination in the sovereignty of God, the divine and absolute sovereignty and rule of God, in that same passage they are out sharing their faith boldly and courageously, inviting people to come to Christ. Again this perfect balance when we pray we understand the principle that there is the sovereignty of God in all things including the proclamation of the Gospel. But the sovereignty of God does not in any way limit our human responsibility to share the Gospel. And it is right here as they are going everywhere preaching the Lord Jesus Christ with boldness.

And therefore there is a new enlargement. Lives are being changed. People are being added to the Church. God's people have been transformed from an audience to an army. They are loving one another, serving one another.

They are establishing the Church. You see worshipers are now turned to warriors for the Word of God. They became part of the answer to their own prayer as they left the place of prayer because prayer is not a smokescreen for idleness. Prayer propels us into the world to be a light to the world. And is therefore the success of our witness and the secret of our warfare. That's prayer.

That's what God does when we pray. They were publicly in the Temple and daily from house to house sharing Jesus Christ. You know I've discovered that if I am attended to the work of the Holy Spirit in my life and sensitive to people around us He gives us opportunities more than we can possibly imagine to share our faith. Everywhere we go there are people, some who have raised all their lives in a religious experience whether Baptist or something else who do not know Christ, who have never received the forgiveness of sin and the power of Jesus to change their lives.

You're listening to PowerPoint with Jack Graham and today's message, What Happens When We Pray. 3.2 billion people in our world still have no access to the good news of Jesus. And we must do whatever it takes to reach the lost with the hope of Christ. That's why we're excited to tell you about a matching grant that will double whatever you give today to help reach more people through PowerPoint. Your support will help broadcast the Gospel into some of the most spiritually dark corners of the earth. We'll say thanks for your gift by sending you three of Pastor Graham's books to help you share the Gospel right where you are.

This evangelism bundle includes The Hope of Easter, Life Book and God's Promises for Doubt Filled Days. So call now to have your gift doubled by the match and request your evangelism bundle. Call 1-800- 795-4627. That's 1-800-795-4627. You can also text the word PowerPoint to 59789.

That's PowerPoint to 59789. And don't forget to visit Jack Graham.org where you can shop our e-store, give a gift online, or sign up for Dr. Graham's free daily email devotional. Our website again is jackgraham.org. Pastor, what is your PowerPoint for today? Pastor Graham- Well, Scott, first of all, always remember that when you pray, God moves.

And I really believe that. As you read about the early Christians, as you think about the incidents in your own life when you've prayed, you can see and know that God hears and answers prayer. You know, the aim for all believers is for prayer to become not just a part-time thing, but really a way of life, not just something you do now and again.

The Scripture encourages you and me to engage in constant and passionate prayer. And that means praying about everything. Now, this doesn't mean you have to give up all your daily commitments so you can pray all day.

But apart from praying during your regular times of devotion to the Lord, and when you're meeting with other Christians, other believers in church or in group prayers, or just when you're driving down the road, make sure you keep your eyes open. But you can pray wherever you go. You can turn your heart towards God all day long. You can take breaks and just thank God for His blessings.

Blessing breaks. And in this way, you can always invite God's presence and His power in your life anywhere, anytime, at any moment. As you continually surrender to the Lord in this way, then the Holy Spirit, I promise you, will enable you to trust in the Lord more and more.

You will be able to endure every kind of challenge that comes your way. And you're going to discover a courage that you didn't even know you had, courage you need in moments of uncertainty or doubt, just like the early Christians. When these believers yielded themselves to the Lord in prayer, the place they were praying was shaken. And you know, when you yield yourself to the Lord in prayer, when you give yourself unconditionally to the Lord, you can expect God to move powerfully in your life. And so, God wants you to empower every situation that you face. Prayer is one of the most valuable weapons we have as a follower of Jesus. And through believing prayer, God's presence is released and you and I can grow into the kind of people the Lord has called us to be for Him, faithful followers.

So, let me encourage you today, make prayer a way of life. And that is today's Power Point. Remember, when you give a gift will be doubled by a matching grant, call 1-800-795-4627.

That's 1-800-795-4627. You can also text the word PowerPoint to 59789. And join us next time as Dr. Graham brings a message about how you can have a life full of abundance, impact, and fulfillment. That's next time on Power Point with Jack Graham. Power Point with Jack Graham is sponsored by Power Point Ministries. ...