How powerful do you believe prayer is? I have a feeling that we often underestimate the power and significance of prayer.  The Bible certainly doesn’t.  We are given many examples of just how powerful prayer is.  James gives us a reminder of this truth in chapter 5.  Let’s look at it together today. 

 Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. 17 Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. 18 Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.

Prayer isn’t like rubbing a magic lamp and asking to have a wish granted.  Often prayer works to put our desires in line with God’s desires.  There are clearly times when God answers big prayers beyond our wildest dreams.  Jesus even repeatedly makes it a point to go away and pray.  He teaches His disciples how to pray.   Thanks to the work of Jesus on the cross we are told to boldly go before the throne of God in prayer and cry out to Him.  I find that the more I pray and the bolder I pray the more I become certain that however God answers I will be ok because God is with me.  Today pray boldly and watch and see what God does in your life.

In His Grip,
Pastor Dave

I remember as a youth hearing a Pastor say that the root of all of our sin is selfishness.  He said it comes from putting our own desires in the place that God alone deserves in our lives.  James takes a similar approach in chapter 4.  Let’s take a look at it together today.

What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? 2 You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. 3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. 4 You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. 5 Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us? 6 But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says :“God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.”  7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

Have you ever been in one of those situations where you were really working to get a last few thoughts into a conversation you were having with someone?  Your closing remarks are your last chance to convince someone of something, to get a last few thoughts in, to make a point.  The author of Hebrews offers a lot in the last chapter of the book.  The entirety of the book is about how Jesus is better than everything else but chapter 13 is the chance to throw a few other things in.  I encourage you to read the entire chapter but here are a few verses to look at together today.

Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. 9 Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings. It is good for our hearts to be strengthened by grace, not by eating ceremonial foods, which is of no benefit to those who do so. 10 We have an altar from which those who minister at the tabernacle have no right to eat.11 The high priest carries the blood of animals into the Most Holy Place as a sin offering, but the bodies are burned outside the camp. 12 And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through his own blood. 13 Let us, then, go to him outside the camp, bearing the disgrace he bore. 14 For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come. 15 Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name. 16 And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased. 17 Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority, because they keep watch over you as those who must give an account. Do this so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no benefit to you.18 Pray for us. We are sure that we have a clear conscience and desire to live honorably in every way. 19 I particularly urge you to pray so that I may be restored to you soon.

There are exhortations to follow leaders, praise Jesus with their lips, do good to others, share with others, pray, and hold on to the teachings of Jesus amongst other things.  It got me thinking about the times I have an opportunity for “closing remarks”.  What are the things of faith that I am eager to share with others.  Is it Jesus’ love?  Is it grace?  Is it encouragements for how to live?  These days I find myself speaking with others a lot about how life just works better with Jesus.  Without Him so much of life feels meaningless but Jesus gives us purpose.  He sends us on a mission and He shows and tells us how to live.  My prayer is that for all of us our “closing remarks” would be somehow pointing others to Jesus.  Nothing else in life is quite so important.

In His Grip,
Pastor Dave

Hebrews 11 is often referred to as the Hall of Faith.  It includes many of the heroes of our faith found throughout the Old Testament.  I encourage you to take a few moments and read the whole chapter but I have included a good section of it here.  Let’s take a look at it together today.

17 By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had embraced the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, 18 even though God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” 19 Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead, and so in a manner of speaking he did receive Isaac back from death. 20 By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future. 21 By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons, and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff. 22 By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions concerning the burial of his bones. 23 By faith Moses’ parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict. 24 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. 25 He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. 26 He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. 27 By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible. 28 By faith he kept the Passover and the application of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel. 29 By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned. 30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the army had marched around them for seven days. 31 By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient. 32 And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets, 33 who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. 35 Women received back their dead, raised to life again. There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection. 36 Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. 37 They were put to death by stoning; they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— 38 the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground. 39 These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, 40 since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.

We could speak again and again of many of the remarkable acts of faith performed by this group and others.  For our purposes today I want to focus on the last two verses.  While certainly God used these people to do amazing things throughout the Bible none of them had the benefit that we have today.  None of them experienced the Messiah.  None of them heard of His conquering of sin by His death and resurrection.  None of them had the benefits of His teaching.  They had faith in a promise that was yet to be fulfilled but we have faith in a God who has already done the work of redemption and reconciliation in our lives.  If God can use that group to do such amazing things imagine what He can do through us if we simply have faith and are willing to be used by Him. 

People go to church for a variety of reasons.  Many go to worship God and be encouraged by Scripture.  Some go to see friends and experience community.  Some go to have an opportunity to serve.  Others go out of a sense of tradition or a habit.  Did you know the Bible tells us to go for another purpose?  One of our goals and commands is to go to church regularly so we can spur one another on in love and good works.  Let’s look together at what the author of Hebrews says about this in Hebrews 10. 

Therefore, brothers and sisters, any go since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

It’s interesting the word used here spur in its original Greek literally means to provoke.  We are told to provoke one another into love and good works.  That requires being together.  I love how online church has made worship so accessible.  I dislike how it can make it harder to do things like spur one another on or encouraging each other or even experiencing the community that we were created for.  Next Sunday make it a point to head to church if you are able and provoke someone into love it’s what we are told to do. 

In His Grip,
Pastor Dave