"When A Church Begins To Pray"

Rev Ricky Ho

Acts 4:31: When they finished praying, the place where they were meeting was shaken. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to proclaim God's message with boldness


*It doesn't mean anything if we sit or stand when our heart is not right with God
*Prayer is the last thing we do when we are in trouble

Mark 11:17: He then taught the people: "It is written in the Scriptures that God said, 'My Temple will be called a house of prayer for the people of all nations.' But you have turned it into a hideout for thieves!"


*We can pray, believe and receive, or pray, doubt and do without
*We can pray and be obedient
*God is faithful and will see us through
*The church will always have problems because we are imperfect
*The lack of unity is one of the main problems in church
*The prayer life in the church is most critical
*A praying church is a powerful church

4 Distinctive Marks of the Prayer Church
1, Mark of a Continuous Desire to Pray 
(v23-24): As soon as Peter and John were set free, they returned to their group and told them what the chief priests and the elders had said. When the believers heard it, they all joined together in prayer to God: "Master and Creator of heaven, earth, and sea, and all that is in them!

*Peter and John were not figuring a way to escape but seek God even after they were release
*It should be an issue on whether we give our tithes or not
*All of us ought to pray

2. The Eyes of Faith and Expectancy are towards God 
(v24): When the believers heard it, they all joined together in prayer to God: "Master and Creator of heaven, earth, and sea, and all that is in them!
*When the church in Jerusalem had a problem, they turned their eyes away from human beings and looked to the Lord
*Prayer is the top priority, not the last

3. The Church will Evangelize 
(v29): And now, Lord, take notice of the threads they have made, and allow us, your servants, to speak your message with all boldness.

*The prayer of the church was not to protect Peter and John but to be bolder in preaching the word
*Persecution makes the church understand the boldness we need
*It is complacency that will destroy the church

4. The Holy Spirit manifests His Presence and Power 
(v31): When they finished praying, the place where they were meeting was shaken. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to proclaim God's message with boldness.

*The problems makes us want to do more for God
*The people who are in tune with God will preach even bolder

Conclusion
*How serious are we in taking all these?
*Are we ready to be a praying church?



**Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path**

Listen!

"Listen to this secret truth: we shall not all die, but when the last trumpet sounds, we shall all be changed in an instant, as quickly as the blinking of an eye. For when the trumpet sounds, the dead will be raised, never to die again, and we shall all be changed. For what is mortal must be changed into what is immortal; what will die must be changed into what cannot die."


-1 Corinthians 15:51-53-

**Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path**

Love!

"We love because God first loved us."


-1 John 4:19-

**Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path**

"Birthed in Prayer"

Rev Ricky Ho

*Smart Christians are being distracted
*We do the non-essential things instead of the essential ones
*The church is to be powered by the Holy Spirit
*The church must constantly be filled with the Holy Spirit
*The birth of the church is the result of prayer

Acts 1:12-14: Then the apostles went back to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives, which is about a kilometre away from the city. They entered the city and went up to the room where they were staying; Peter, John, James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, Simon the Patriot, and Judas son of James. They gathered frequently to pray as a group, together with the women and with Mary the mother of Jesus and with his brothers.


*Jesus appeared to the disciples, he told them to go to Jerusalem, wait and pray not knowing how long
*The working of the church is not base on the issues of rich and poor
*Many of us go without prayer for us and expects us to grow in the Lord
*How can we survive without asking God to refresh us?

1. The disciple prayed obediently
*The obedient prayer has 3 characteristics:
Immediate (v10-11)
*Many people don't turn up for prayer meeting because they don't see the power or the answer

Joyful
Luke 24:52: They worshipped him and went back into Jerusalem, filled with great joy.


Full of expectancy
*They rushed because they expect God will do something

2. They prayed constantly (v14)
*They prayed expectantly for God to do something and open their eyes
*We need to learn holding men in prayer

3. They prayed in Unity
*People threatened the church by using unity
*Unity is not conformity
*Peter and Matthew were very different people
*We're not serving our own agenda, we are serving the Lord
*They had a common quest- to seek the Lord
*Your life cannot be empowered by Christ if you don't start with prayer

Thus, it begins with you and me.

**Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path**

Corinthians says..

"I passed on to you what I received, which is of the greatest importance: that Christ died for our sins, as written in the Scriptures; that he was buried and that he was raised to life three days later, as written in the Scriptures; that he appeared to Peter and then to all twelve apostles. Then he appeared to more than five hundred of his followers at once, most of whom are still alive, although some have died. Then he appeared to James, and afterwards to all the apostles."


-1 Corinthians 15:3-7-

**Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path**

"Worship"

Romans 5:8: But God has shown us how much he loves us- it was while we were still sinners that Christ died for us!

Matthew 19:13-15: Some people brought children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and to pray for them, but the disciples scolded the people. Jesus said, "Let the children come to me and do not stop them, because the Kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." He placed his hands on them and then went away.


Matthew 5:45: so that you may become the sons of your Father in heaven. For he makes his sun to shine on bad and good people alike, and gives rain to those who do good and to those who do evil.


*We must remind ourselves that we are the creation and we ought to worship the creator
*The God we worship can be our King but also our friend. Nevertheless we must give honour and praise to worship Him
*We must worship God with our whole soul, mind and body
*God will treat a non-christian to sing differently then a christian. However, He is not bias and treat everyone the same.
*We sing because it is the most simplest thing to do and we can be united in one body
*We are always worshiping the Lord for worship is not restricted to just singing but praying, eating or writing can be a form of worship to the Lord


**Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path**

Speck vs Log

"Why then, do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, and pay no attention to the log in your own eye? How dare you say to your brother, 'Please, let me take that speck out of your eye,' when you have a log in your own eye? You hypocrite! First take the log out of your own eye, and then you will be able to see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye."


-Matthew 7:3-5-

**Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path**