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Jesus is Coming

I have been teaching and preaching on the second coming of Jesus for over fifty years. I have noticed that people of all ages in every generation have an interest in this subject. The troubles of the world, such as wars and natural disasters, with death and suffering on a mass scale, often cause people to wonder if Armageddon is right around the corner.

The world has always had such troubles, and people have always been fearful of the future. Jesus told his disciples, “Do not let your hearts be troubled . . . I will come back” (John 14:1,3). This is the basis of Christian hope. Just as the prophecies of Jesus’ first coming were fulfilled with amazing accuracy, so the prophecies of his second coming will be literally fulfilled.

He is coming. His coming could be at any time. According to the Bible, “The coming of the Lord is at hand” (James 5:7-9). Believers are taught “to wait for his Son from heaven” (1 Thessalonians 1:10). We are to be “awaiting eagerly the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 1:7). “We eagerly wait for a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Philippians 3:20-21). This is the Christian’s “blessed hope” (Titus 2:13). So we join with the ancient church in praying, “Maranatha,” which means “O Lord, come” (1 Corinthians 16:22).

This is not escapism. This is the desire for the fulfillment of the eternal life  which Jesus died to purchase for us. It is a desire for the eternal life which God promised to all who believe in Jesus (John 3:16). It is a desire for the eternal life for which we were originally created.

The Christians in Thessalonica were discouraged by the troubles of life. They had experienced “severe suffering” (1 Thessalonians 1:6), “strong opposition” (2:2), trials and persecution (3:4), and grief because of the deaths of loved ones (4:13). Paul wrote to them to remind them of the reason for our hope. Every chapter in 1 Thessalonians mentions the return of Jesus Christ.

When Jesus returns, there will be a resurrection of the dead who have trusted in him (1 Thessalonians 4:14). Paul wrote that he did not want them to be uninformed about this. The New Testament was written to give us knowledge upon which to base our faith. Faith in the resurrection is not unreasonable. Paul bases it on the historical fact of the resurrection of our Lord Jesus.

“We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him” (1 Thessalonians 4:14). The closer I get to the finish line of my earthly life, the more precious these words are to me.

When Jesus returns, there will be a rapture. This word is not found in our English Bibles. It is based upon the Latin translation of the phrase “caught up,” found in verse 17. It is a term used by biblical scholars to denote the catching up of God’s people who are alive at the time of the Lord’s return.

“For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18).

Last year the city in which I live, Valdosta, Georgia, was hit by a devastating hurricane. The unprecedented disaster of Helene caused millions of dollars in property damage here. Many local residents evacuated the city before the storm hit. The rapture of God’s people when Jesus comes will be like a massive evacuation before the terrors of God’s judgment descend upon a world that is at war with him. These judgments are described in the Book of the Revelation.

Bible teacher John Phillips illustrated it this way: “Take a mixture of metals — gold, silver, copper, iron, lead, and zinc. Scatter those metals on the ground, and bury some of them beneath the soil. Then take a powerful magnet and pass it over that site. Immediately one kind of metal will leap skyward to meet the magnet in the air. The magnet will leave behind the gold, the copper, the lead, and the zinc. It will draw to itself just one kind of metal — the iron. Why does the magnet attract only the iron? Because the iron has the same nature as the magnet!

“When Jesus comes at the rapture, he will draw to himself one kind of person, only one, not necessarily the rich or the poor, the religious, the respectable, or the moral, the church member or the theologian, but those who have the same nature as himself. That fact, of course, is what gives all the more point to the Lord’s word to Nicodemus: ‘Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, you must be born again’ (John 3:6-7).”

The all-important question we all must ask ourselves is, “Have I been born again? Am I ready to meet the Lord?” Jesus is coming. Believe on him as your savior and live for him in order to be ready for his return.

Pastor Randy Faulkner

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Perhaps Today

One of the most interesting books I have read this year is the biography of Frank Worsley, the navigator for Sir Ernest Shackleton’s Antarctic expedition in 1915. Entitled Shackleton’s Captain, by John Thomson, the book tells the fascinating story of how their ship, the Endurance, became ice-bound, and was eventually crushed by ice floes.

The crew had no choice but to make their way back to open water by dragging three life boats over the ice and snow, then to cross rough winter seas to Elephant Island. Shackleton took four crew members, including Worsley, with him to sail away on one of the lifeboats to try to get help. The rest of the crew camped on Elephant Island, awaiting his return.

Navigating by the stars, over 800 miles, Worsley guided the 23 foot vessel to South Georgia Island where there was a Norwegian whaling camp. The journey was fraught with danger and took a month. Shackleton was able to secure a small ship to go back to Elephant Island. Desperate to rescue his companions, he found to his dismay that the seas were frozen over and his men were cut off. Three times he tried to reach them, to no avail.

Finally, after five months had elapsed, they discovered a narrow channel through the ice. He guided his ship to the island, and he was delighted to find his men alive and well and prepared for his return.

After the excitement of the reunion subsided, and they were on their way home to England, Sir Ernest inquired how it was that they were ready to get aboard so promptly. They told him that every morning their leader rolled up his sleeping bag saying, “Get your things ready, boys, the boss may come today.”

When Jesus promised, “I will come again,” his character and faithfulness were a guarantee that he will keep his word. His return is much more certain than Shackleton’s return to Elephant Island. Over and over again, the Bible tells us to expect his return. About one out of every 25 verses alludes to the Lord’s second coming.

One of the first prophesies in the Bible is about the second coming. Jude quotes Enoch as saying, “See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones to judge everyone” (Jude 14-15). The last prophecy in the Bible is the promise of Jesus, “Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me. . . . Yes, I am coming soon” (Revelation 22:12, 20).

The confident expectation of Jesus’ second coming is the believer’s “blessed hope.” It should motivate us to look for him, to live for him, and to love him. Because he could come at any time, we should be ready to meet him when he comes.

The Scottish preacher Horatius Bonar would repeat to himself as he prepared to retire for the night, “Perhaps tonight, Lord!” In the morning, as he looked out on the dawn of a new day, he would say, “Perhaps today, Lord!” He ministered as a pastor for over 60 years. He expected the Lord to return at any moment.

So should we.

Pastor Randy Faulkner

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The Serious Problem of Sin

President Calvin Coolidge was known as “silent Cal,” a man of few words. He came home from church one Sunday. His wife had been unable to attend, so she asked what the pastor had spoken about in the service. Coolidge responded, “sin.” “Well, what did he say about it?” “I think he was against it.”

Sin is not a popular subject these days. Some people seem to think that it is not a minister’s job is to make them feel uncomfortable. The pastor is supposed to dispense good feeling all around. “Keep it positive, preacher, there is enough bad news in the world. I don’t come to church to hear bad news!”

Certainly, the Christian gospel is good news. But we cannot understand the good news of God’s salvation without an understanding of the bad news of sin and its eternal consequences. This is why Jesus came into the world and died for sinners: to save us.

But what about the persistence of indwelling sin in the life of the believer? From the time we trust in Christ for salvation, we are engaged in a battle against sin. In the words of D. M. Lloyd-Jones, sin is “a terrible power. It has a fiendish quality, a malignity which is truly terrifying. . . . It is not something light and comparatively trivial.. . . It is so deep-seated and so much a part of us that the entire (person) is affected — the intellect, the desires, and therefore the will. Indeed, it constitutes such a terrible problem that God alone in Christ can deal with it.”

The  apostle John has some of the strongest statements about this to be found in the New Testament. In his first letter he says that sin in a Christian is evidence that he or she is not “abiding,” or living in close fellowship with Christ. He says that sin is such a serious matter that there are some sins which may result in premature death. “There is a sin that leads to death,” John says in 1 John 3:16.

If 1 John 3:16 sounds strange to our ears it may be because we do not take God’s word seriously enough. John’s original readers were probably familiar with the stories of church members Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1-11). The man about whom Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 5:5 suffered “the destruction of the flesh” because of his very  serious sin. Some Christians in the church at Corinth were said to have “fallen asleep” (a euphemism for death) because they had desecrated the Lord’s Supper (1 Corinthians 11:30).

The church of Jesus Christ has a responsibility to help members who have fallen into sin. If brothers or sisters in Christ are struggling with addictions, idols of materialism or greed, uncontrolled anger and violence, spiritual indifference, unconcern for spiritual growth, dishonesty, adultery, or neglect of corporate worship, more mature believers have a responsibility to come alongside and try to restore them to fellowship with Christ (Galatians 6:1-2).

There is something else the church can do. That is to pray. “If anyone sees a brother commit a sin that does not lead to death, he should pray, and God will give him life. I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death” ( 1 John 3:16). It does no good to pray for those whose sin has led to physical death. They are already dead. John adds in that regard, “I am not saying that he should pray about that.”

Praying for brothers and sisters who have stumbled and fallen may help lead them to a new lease on life. In the first chapter of his letter, John promises forgiveness, cleansing and spiritual restoration (1 John 1:8-10).  “All wrongdoing is sin,” John says, “and there is sin that does not lead to death” (1 John 5:17). The prayerful concern of fellow believers may have a life-giving effect in a Christian who has stumbled into sin.

A pastor preached on Micah 7:19, “You will hurl our iniquities into the depths of the sea.” His ten-year-old son said to him afterward, “Daddy, when you were talking about the Lord casting our sins into the sea, you ought to have said that sins were heavy like stones, and would drop out of sight, or the people might think that they would float like corks on the top.” The boy had a point.

Thanks be to God for the promise, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

Pastor Randy Faulkner

 

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Praying for Our Nation

I participate in a church intercessory prayer ministry. Volunteers come to a prayer room for an hour each week to pray for our nation and its leaders, among other things. This is important as our national life right now is characterized by bitterness, anger, and division. The church, by contrast, should be characterized by harmonious prayer.

1Timothy 2:1-8 says this. Imagine a teacher explaining these verses to a Sunday school class. He says, “When you come together to pray,” then he pauses. Yes, you think, what comes next? The teacher then continues,  “Let there be no anger, no disputing, no arguing!”

Why does 1 Timothy 2:8 say this? Because Jesus taught that quarrels and conflicts are hindrances to prayer (Matthew 5:23-24). Rancor and heated arguments may be the stuff of the rough-and-tumble world of politics. But unlike the world, God’s church must seek peaceful relationships and unity in prayer.

! Timothy 2 teaches us that prayer is the pulse of the church. It says that we should pray for our nation and its leaders.

This kind of praying is an urgent priority. “I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone — for kings and all those in authority” (1 Timothy 2:1-2). All kinds of payers are mentioned, for all kinds of people, especially governmental leaders.

Why this reminder? Had Timothy’s church been neglecting prayer for those outside the fellowship? Had they grown insulated and unconcerned for their neighbors who need Christ? Had they failed to pray for their nation and for the well-being of their city? Were their national leaders ever mentioned by name in their public and private prayers?

This kind of praying is comprehensive and specific. “For everyone” means all kinds of people. Then Paul gets even more specific: “for kings and all those in authority.” In New Testament times, there were despotic rulers such as Nero, Caligula, Herod, and Pilate. Christians may have been tempted to rebel against their oppression, or even hate them.

In America, we do not have a king or emperor, but we do have a president, and congressional leaders, and this means we should pray for them whether we like them or not, “without anger or disputing.”

In my prayers for our president, I ask the Lord to open his heart to the gospel. I pray for God to protect him and his family. I pray that he will not act on his worst instincts, but pay attention to wise counsel of godly advisors. I pray that he will “be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry” (James 1:19). For a long time I have been praying that he will “act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God” (Micah 6:8).

This kind of praying yields results that are pleasing to God. Internally, the outcome for the church might be peace and protection from persecution (v. 2). Externally, the result might be that the moral influence of God’s people would help steer the culture in a righteous direction. “Godliness and holiness” (v.2) are as much for Monday morning as they are for Sunday morning.

Another result is that the church’s witness would be effective. God wants people “to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (v.4). The truth is that there is but one God, not many gods (v.5). There is but “one Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (v. 5). 

There is but one gospel message. Jesus “gave himself as a ransom for all men” (v.6). As we pray, it is with a growing concern that the people in the world around us might come to the knowledge that Christ died to pay the ransom for sinful people. If we are faithful to this gospel, we will share it, not with the power of political coercion, but with humble persuasion empowered by the Holy Spirit.

In today’s political climate these verses are incredibly relevant. Anger, hatred, and cruel words have been the currency of too much of the political conversation. ! Timothy 2:8 tells us to put aside bitterness, argumentation and anger, and come together in prayer. Our unity is not in a political party or loyalty to a politician. The church’s unity is in Christ. As one writer put it, “Our rallying cry is not ‘Hail to the Chief’ but ‘Jesus is Lord.'”

On that basis, we pray for wisdom and guidance for our political leaders. We pray for the church’s influence on the culture. We pray for the effective communication of the gospel at home, and around the world. We pray for healing for a divided nation.

Pastor Randy Faulkner

 

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“Standing Down” to Pray

Several years ago the secretary of the navy ordered what he called a two-day stand down for the entire United States Navy. There had been too many accidents at naval installations and ships in a short period of time. He instructed that all officers and enlisted personnel spend two days reviewing all procedures and safety policies. An entire military service stopped what it was doing to look inward and evaluate itself.

It might be a good idea if the churches of America would slow down and do the same thing. Many congregations are busy with activities, most of which are well-intentioned. But what if we stopped what we are doing long enough to think deeply, to repent of worldliness, and to pray for the spiritual wellbeing of God’s church?

The church of which I am a member has been doing this. Our pastors have initiated a weekly time for folks to come together for no other purpose than to pray for the health of the church and its witness in our community.

I have been attending church prayer meetings all of my life. It seems that many, if not most of the prayers that are offered have to do with people’s physical ailments. Prayers for health and healing are appropriate. But when I read the prayers of Paul in the New Testament, I notice that they put the emphasis on spiritual, not physical health.

An example is found in Ephesians chapter 3. There is nothing in Paul’s prayer about material prosperity, nothing about physical healing, nothing about earthly success, or deliverance from difficult circumstances. It is a prayer for the church to experience God’s love, power and fulness. When was the last time you were in a prayer meeting when somebody asked God for these things?

Here is an example of how we could be praying for ourselves, and for fellow believers in our churches.

“For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and upon earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being. So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power through his Spirit in your inner being, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge — that you may be filled  to the measure of all the fulness of God” (Ephesians 3:14-19).

Strength

Here is a prayer that the church may receive and experience God’s power. This is the strength that comes from the Holy Spirit who lives in the hearts of believers. The prayer that Christ may “dwell” in our hearts is a prayer that he may make himself at home. He is not to be treated as a visitor or a guest, but is to be the master of the house! This is where our spiritual strength comes from.

Stability

Pauls’ prayer mixes agricultural and architectural metaphors. “Rooted” means deeply planted into Christ. “Established” means built solidly on the foundation of Christ. The New English Bible translates this “deep roots and firm foundations.” What a prayer for us to pray for one another!

Knowledge

Once we have been planted and built, the result the Lord desires for us is that we may comprehend, or understand by deep experience a knowledge of Christ’s love. His love is wide enough to encompass people of all nations, long enough to last for eternity, deep enough to save the most hardened sinner, and high enough to bring us to God in heaven.

Fulness

This is a prayer that the church may experience  the fulness of God in Christ by the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. Surely after the rapture, when we no longer battle besetting sins and human limitations, we shall see Him face to face and live in the fulness of his presence. But this is a prayer for our lives now. This is a prayer for the church’s sanctification and growth toward maturity.

What a bold, audacious prayer! It is worth “standing down” to pray this way. It is an example to us of how we may pray for spiritual health in our churches and for revival in our nation, not to mention the experience of Christ’s love for ourselves and others in all its dimensions.

Pastor Randy Faulkner.

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Winning Souls By Prayer

William Carey was a humble shoemaker in England in the eighteenth century. After he became a Christian believer he was burdened to pray for the conversion of people in other lands who had not been reached with the message of Jesus Christ. He sought to influence others to pray, to give money, and to go to reach the unreached with the gospel.

When he became a pastor he preached and wrote on these themes. He helped form the first  missionary society in England for the purpose of sending missionaries.

In 1793 he and a colleague, John Thomas, sailed for India as missionaries themselves. Carey mastered the language and set to work translating the Bible into Bengali. For forty-one years he devoted himself to evangelism, medical relief, church planting, education, Bible translation and publication. He influenced the establishment of missions to other parts of Asia. He has become known as “the father of the modern missionary movement.”

It all began with prayer.

The apostle Paul said this is a priority for Christians. “Finally, brothers, pray for us, that the message of the Lord may spread rapidly and be honored, just as it was with you” (2 Thessalonians 3:1). Paul was asking the church to pray for an effective witness to people who do not yet know Jesus Christ. This reminds us to pray for our friends who need Christ. This is a reminder to pray, as Jesus said, for “the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field” (Luke 10:2).

Paul’s appeal is more than a mild suggestion. It has a tone of urgency: “Pray, brothers, pray!” It is in the Greek present tense which means this kind of prayer is to be continuous and habitual.

In asking that the message of the Lord might spread rapidly, Paul was referring to the gospel. This is a prayer that the gospel will run swiftly like a runner carrying the Olympic torch. Psalm 147:15 says, “His word runs swiftly.” What is this but a prayer that the gospel will spread to many people around the world and that the unconverted will be saved?

When he requested prayer that the word might be honored, Paul expressed the desire that the gospel would gain influence. Luke tells us about the conversion of Gentiles in Antioch of Pisidia. He says “they honored the word of the Lord and all who were appointed for eternal life believed” (Acts 13:48).

In the last part of 2 Thessalonians 3:1, Paul reminds the believers of what God had done among them. The gospel had spread rapidly and had been honored. Paul wanted to see the same thing happen in other places as had happened in Thessalonica: “just as it was with you.”

If God has given us new life in Christ, does not this mean that we should pray that others also may be given the same gift of salvation? That is the way William Carey prayed, and look what God did in answer to his prayers!

Pastor Randy Faulkner

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Why Can’t I Get Through to God?

I pulled up at an intersection hoping to turn onto a thoroughfare only to discover that the street looked like a parking lot. Traffic had been diverted through our normally quiet neighborhood from a freeway several miles away. A truck accident was blocking the roadway and rush hour traffic was backed up for miles. My route was blocked.

Did you ever have the feeling that your prayer life was choked by spiritual grid lock? That no matter what you tried, you didn’t feel that you were getting through to God?

Isaiah the prophet put his finger on this condition when he wrote, “Your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear” (Isaiah 59:2). In the New Testament  James understood this problem: “When you ask you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives” (James 4:3).

There are hindrances to prayer that must be cleared away if we want to get through to God. I will mention three of them.

Unbelief

There is an old story of a midwestern town that was suffering from an extended drought. The townspeople decided it was time to gather to pray for rain. When they came together only one small girl had faith enough to bring an umbrella! That’s how it is too often for some Christians. They pray without expecting that God will answer their prayers.

James 1:7 says that unbelief is a major obstacle to prayer. What can we do about our doubts? First, we should keep on praying. We should not let our anxious misgivings keep us from coming to God out of sheer obedience. When our faith is wavering let us pray the prayer of the helpless father in Mark 9:17-24: “Lord I believe; help my unbelief!”

Second, we should remind ourselves of God’s promises. It is said that George Muller kept a careful record of his prayer requests — and of God’s answers. His prayer journal was a reminder to him of God’s faithfulness to his word.

Once I was praying with a Christian man who was unemployed. He was distressed and desperately needed to see God supply the needs of his family. I heard him pour out his heart to his heavenly Father, reciting one after another of God’s promises. My own faith was strengthened as he prayed.

Weariness

It is easy to identify with the disciples of our Lord. The hour was late. They had just eaten a big meal. They were exhausted.

The gospels record how they fell asleep at the very time Jesus needed their companionship in prayer (Matthew 26:36-41). Three times the Lord found them sleeping. His words, “The spirit is willing but the body is weak” show how patient he was with their physical limitations — and with ours.

Prayer is not easy. It is not always enjoyable. It requires dedication and persistence So, we should set aside some good time for prayer when our minds are alert and our bodies are rested. King David made it a point to meet with God in the morning. “In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you” (Psalm 5:3).

The prophet Elijah was physically and emotionally drained. He was so depressed that the only prayer he could manage was for death to take him (1 Kings 19:4-7). Before God began to use him again, he sent an angel to minister to his physical needs. After Elijah had slept for a while and had taken nourishment, God sent him back to an effective ministry. Sometimes the best aid to a spiritual life is a good night’s sleep.

Marital conflict

Some folks make the mistake of trying to develop a relationship with God while ignoring their relationship with their spouses. The apostle Peter says they are connected. Christian wives are to adapt themselves to their husbands’ leadership and husbands are to treat their wives with consideration and respect (1 Peter 3:1-7). This, he says, is so that nothing will hinder their prayers!

The Bible says that husbands are to love their wives as Christ loved the church (Ephesians 5:23). How can we husbands love our wives as Christ loves the church? Christ laid down his life for the church. Most husbands would react instinctively if their wives were in danger, sacrificing themselves if necessary. But in addition to the heroic moments that may come once in a lifetime, there is the daily sacrifice of one’s self-interest in little ways for the benefit of the wife.

How does Christ love the church? Christ intercedes for us (John 17; Hebrews 7:25). A husband who loves his wife will pray for her. Christ is building his church (Matthew 16:19). Christian husbands are to build up their wives instead of cutting them down with criticism (Colossians 3:19).

How does Christ love the church? He listens when we pray to him. A Christlike husband will pay attention when his wife talks to him. If we husbands want the Lord to hear us when we pray, perhaps we had better learn to listen to our wives.

Christ promised never to leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5).  A husband or wife who wants an unrestricted prayer life must promise the same thing.

Here, then, are three of the ways our prayers may be hindered. If we deal with them according to scripture,  our confidence in prayer may be restored and spiritual power renewed.

Pastor Randy Faulkner

 

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Praying Together

The apostle Peter found himself in a hopeless situation. Herod the king had authorized the killing of the apostle James, the brother of John. Now he had Peter put in prison, under the guard of four groups of soldiers. After the Jewish Passover he intended to put him on trial, possibly to face execution.

Was Peter anxious? It would not appear so. In the jail, chained between two soldiers, Peter was asleep! The other soldiers stood guard at the entrance to the prison (Acts 12:6). Acts chapters 4 and 5 tell how Peter had been in prison before for preaching the gospel. He had experienced God’s deliverance. So here he is sleeping peacefully.

Peter’s fellow Christians  gathered out of concern for him. They came to pray. “So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him” (Acts 12:5). Peter’s friends prayed earnestly, with sincere urgency. They prayed to God, to the only one who could do something about this hopeless situation. They prayed specifically, for Peter. They prayed together. There is power in united prayer. Agreement in prayer pleases God.

The rest of the New Testament supports what we read here. We are instructed to pray continuously (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Paul asked the church in Rome to join in his struggle by praying ( Romans 15:30). He said to the Corinthians, “You help us by your prayers” (2 Corinthians 1:11). We are to be devoted to prayer (Colossians 4:3). Paul requested prayer support from the entire church at Thessalonica (2 Thessalonians 3:1).

What happened as a result may only be described as a miracle. Suddenly Peter was awakened by a bright light and an angel. The heavenly messenger ordered Peter to get up, get dressed and to follow him. Peter’s chains fell off and he followed the angel out past the guards. The massive prison gate opened by itself and Peter found himself on the street where the angel left him (Acts 12:7-10).

Peter then went to the house of Mary, the mother of John Mark. This was possibly the home where the disciples had met with the Lord Jesus in the upper room for his last Passover with them. It may have been the place where they gathered for prayer after Christ’s ascension. Acts 12:12 says that there were many people there praying  for Peter.

The location was familiar to Peter. When he arrived and knocked on the door of the outer entrance (it was a large house), a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer the door. She was so excited when she recognized Peter’s voice, that she ran back inside to tell the group that Peter was at the door. She had forgotten to let him in!

If that detail is not embarrassing enough, the reaction of the group is even more distressing. “You are out of your mind,” they told Rhoda. “It must be his angel” (Acts 12:15). This group of valiant prayer warriors didn’t believe it when God answered their prayers. Peter kept knocking until they came and let him in. “They were astonished,” the scripture says (Acts 12:16).

These human touches are all too familiar to us who struggle with weak faith. One of the ways we may strengthen our boldness in prayer is to pray together. One believer’s faith strengthens another’s. We often find the believers in the book of Acts gathering for corporate prayer.

Another lesson from this story is how the news of Peter’s deliverance came through a humble servant girl. She was persistent and insistent. Her faith and enthusiasm shine brightly in contrast to the pessimism of the others.

Also this is a reminder that God is listening when his people pray together. When Peter told his story to the Christians, he “described how the Lord had brought him out of prison” (Acts 12:17). God got all the credit for his intervention and protection. He answered their prayers.

Their faith was weak but it was not non-existent. It is not the amount of our faith that gets answers from heaven, but the focus of our faith. These believers were appealing to the God of heaven, the only one who could do something about this impossible situation.

Pastor Randy Faulkner

 

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Teach Us To Pray

“One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray'” (Luke 11:1).

Jesus had a need to be alone with God the Father for fellowship, to seek guidance, and to obtain power for his ministry. He lived in constant dependence upon his heavenly Father. In this respect he was an example to his disciples and to us.

When the disciple asked him to teach them to pray, Jesus gave them a pattern for prayer, and a story to illustrate prayer. The pattern is what is commonly called the Lord’s prayer. Luke’s version reads, “When you pray, say, ‘Father, hallowed be your name, Your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation'” (Luke 11:2-4).

In this model prayer our Lord taught us to think of God as a Father. Prayer is to be an expression of a relationship, not an empty ritual. The Father is to be worshipped, revered, hallowed. To ask for his kingdom to come is to seek his will and to submit to his authority, now and in the future kingdom.

Jesus teaches us in this prayer to ask for our daily needs to be met.  We are taught to confess our sins to God. “Lead us not into temptation” means that we need the Lord’s guidance to avoid the temptations of the evil one. This is how we should pray!

Then Jesus told a humorous story to illustrate prayer. “Suppose one of you has a friend, and he goes to him at midnight and says, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, because a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have nothing to set before him.’

“Then the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children are with me in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ I tell you, though he will not get up and give him the bread because he is his friend, yet because of the man’s boldness he will get up and give him as much as he needs” (Luke 11:5-8).

This is a story about inadequate resources, inconvenient circumstances, and irritated people. It recognizes that life is messy sometimes, and especially in those times, we need to pray. What is the Lord Jesus teaching us about prayer?

For one thing, he is teaching persistence and boldness in approaching God. John Newton wrote, “Thou art coming to a king. / Large petitions with thee bring. / For his grace and power are such / none can ever ask too much!”

Also, this is a lesson about God. He is not like the reluctant neighbor in the story. He is a loving Father who delights to do what is best for his children. “He will get up and give him as much as he needs.” Phillips Brooks said, “Prayer is not overcoming God’s reluctance. It is laying hold of his highest willingness.”

Our Lord concluded his teaching on prayer with these words: “If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (Luke 11:13).

Pastor Randy Faulkner

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A Prayer We Should Pray

Jesus’ disciples accompanied him as he traveled throughout Galilee teaching, preaching, and healing. They saw large crowds gathering to hear his gracious words. They witnessed his compassion for the people, “because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd” (Matthew 9:35-37).

Then he said something to the disciples that is an important guide for us as we pray. “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field” (Matthew 9:38). 

Billions of people in our world have yet to be reached with the gospel of Christ. At the same time, there is an unprecedented receptivity worldwide to the Lord Jesus Christ. It is now time, as it was in Jesus’ day, for us to pray the way he asked his disciples to pray: for the salvation of the unreached, for new efforts in evangelization, and for the Lord to send workers to tell the good news.

Jesus “saw the crowds” (Matthew 9:36). We see what we choose to see. We look away from what we do not want to see. If we follow the example of Jesus we will see the people who are lost and deceived, victims of injustice, people who are spiritually needy and without hope, who face eternity without salvation and the knowledge of God’s love. Surely we should have compassion on them, as the Savior did.

Jesus said for us to pray about this. Prayer precedes all other ministry activity. Prayer puts us in our place, an attitude of dependency upon God. It connects us with our source of strength. Prayer opens our hearts to God’s will. Prayer sensitizes us to new opportunities and makes us more responsive to the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Why does the “Lord of the harvest” desire workers for his harvest? If he is in control of the outcome (and the processes that lead to the outcome), why does he need human workers? Why doesn’t he use angels to do the job? The answer lies in the incarnation. Just as he came into the world in the person of Jesus Christ, so he sends followers of Christ into the world to represent him to the world.

Jesus said to the disciples, “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you” (John 20:21). In going as Jesus sent them, the disciples became the answer to their own prayers! If we pray for the Lord to send workers into his harvest, we shouldn’t be surprised when he does it. Maybe he is sending you into your world to tell somebody about him.

Pastor Randy Faulkner