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Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: You. Hey, thanks so much for listening to this message. My name is Jason and I'm one of the ministers here at the Madison Church of Christ. It's our hope and prayer that the teaching from God's words you hear today will bless your life and draw you closer to him. If you're ever in the Madison, Alabama area, we'd love for you to worship with us on Sundays at 830 or 10:30 a.m. If you have any other questions about the Bible or want to know more about the Madison church, find [email protected] be sure to also check out our Bible study podcast at Madison Church of Christ Bible Studies. Thanks again for stopping by.
[00:00:37] Speaker B: I know all of us can relate to going to God in prayer for different things in our lives. From a personal standpoint, I think it's easy for us to think about a moment where maybe life was really difficult and challenging and we just kind of hit our knees. Maybe we had reached the end of what we thought we could do about those things. And it's od to me that maybe sometimes we haven't gone to God first and shared those things with him. But we can all relate to walking alongside someone who's going through cancer treatments, someone who may have lost a job or maybe lost a loved one. And we can think about how important that is for us to be there for them and pray for them. And we can even think about our own life. Maybe there's a sin in our life that has caused us to struggle and that we have needed to go to God and to ask for his forgiveness and to confess those things to him. We can all relate to those personal challenges and those moments in life where life gets really tough and we fall down before him on our own and based on the things that we're going through in our life. But I think what's most important is for us to recognize that we're in a body of believers who loves us and who is there for us. And I think too often we don't think about the power of the church praying together about different things. Let me share with you an example of this from my childhood. I don't know how old I was, somewhere in my single digits, somewhere between, in my mind, six to eight years old, somewhere in, you know, we prayed at Home and we did a lot of things that Church Families would do. You go Home and YOu pray for your meals and you have prayers at bedtimes and those kinds of things. And we prayed in Church every time. We'd always have someone who did beautiful job like Robin did and sharing just a lot of different things that we're going through as a Family.
But we had a situation where one of our leaders, his name was Lloyd Robinson. And YOu MaY or MaY not make this connection, but if you have not, I'll help you do this. This is Peggy RobInSON, our Peggy RobinsOn's husband, and OUr NOveLla PArSons FAtheR. And he was diagnosed with Cancer. And we knew that there was a battle going on, and it was difficult and tough. He was also one of our song leaders. And I'll never forget his RAspy VoIce and the joy with which he led songs. He was just passionate. You felt the energy from him. You felt his love for what he was doing and the love that he had when EveRybody joined in Together. And he was just a special person. But I remember we came to Church one Sunday night, and the announcement was made. Lloyd Robinson is about to pass away. They have called his Family in. And you could feel the hush go over the whole audience. Everything got really quiet, and you could feel the intensity of the moment.
And we just stopped and prayed.
And I don't know how long the prayer lasted, but I can tell you that there was something different about that prayer.
There was something different where it felt like everyone in the room was moving in the same direction. There was something powerful about the emotion that we felt as we were pleading on Lloyd's Behalf before God for him to spare his life and to keep him with us, that there was more to be done where he was. And I remember all of us crying. I could hear the sniffles. I can still hear it to this day. I can hear the Weeping. I can feel on the pew that I was sitting on, the shaking that was taking place as people were pouring it out before God.
And I know there was one person, one voice saying the prayer, but I could feel everyone in the room. And even though I was young and really not aware of everything that was going on, or not even aware of all the fine details of his life, what I know is that we came together and we prayed. Lloyd Robinson went on to serve several more years as a deacon. He came through that procedure, came through the situation that he was in, ended up serving until his death as a shepherd at that Austinville Church of Christ. I'm not telling you that everything that we pray for, we get the exact result we want. But I am telling you something. We've talked about this, how important it is for us to plug into the power of God. Life and death is in his hands, and so it's to him that we appeal when we pray for things like that. And I just remember how impressionable that was, how impactful it was to my life to see all of God's family moving in one direction with intensity and with fire and with kind of that empathy that we felt for one another and walking alongside each other in that prayer journey, it was absolutely beautiful. And I know some of you have felt that before, as you were going through things, that you shared them with a church family and you felt their prayers. It's an awesome thing. So sometimes we come to God as a church family and we pray for things like that. But then there are times, and I'm excited to share with you a couple of photos that I came across just in my own personal phone camera, things that I had seen. This is a picture of about maybe a year or so ago, year and a half ago, sister had been born back into Christ. She was baptized that night, and it was after Bible class on Sunday night, and there was a large group of people that gathered around to celebrate with her and to pray with her. And there's a few things in this that I'll point out. First of all, I know it's hard to see, but you can always find Joel. There he is, back in the back, seven foot, twelve inches tall. But the other thing that jumped out to me is, as I was looking at this picture, was this person here. I thought, well, that's kind of odd while you're praying to have your sunglasses on or whatever, but that is actually. Thomas Turner bowed deeply in prayer in his glasses on the top of his head. I don't know if that makes y'all laugh.
It did me.
But here's the part that I really want you to clue in on, okay? Because this is church family, and this is influence at its greatest.
I want you to notice a young man, right. Whoops. Right in the middle, right there.
You may recognize the back of that young man's head. I'm not sure, but let me see if I can zero in on his mom, Jessica. And, yep, there's Stephen right there. I know it's kind of hard to capture him.
Here they are a year or so ago, staying late after Bible class to support and encourage a new child of God. And there he is, front row, right there up front, to see what's going on and to see the encouragement and the joy and the love of our church family surrounding each other. There are people holding each other's hands. There are people that are, bless your heart, sweet Mia. And those sincere prayer hands as she's lifting up her prayers to God. I'm just touched by this photo on so many levels when I think about the support that she got.
But now let me fast forward.
Not to there for sure.
There you go. To this photo, that's the same young man who now has an arm of a shepherd around him and a body of people there to support him.
And just for joy, that's Jessica, that's hasty. That's Hagen McNair, and there's Stephen. If I can find it over there, that's the last little tip of his head. I hate to do that. I don't know why I don't clip his face in there at all.
Being a part of a church family that prays together is so inspiring to us and so reminds us of that joy of us moving in the same direction and one with another. And it is such a powerful display to see someone who is standing there praying for someone else to be the recipient of that as well. And that's church, that's life together as a church family. That is the joy of being a part of one another. When I think about the book of acts and you go through here and you read all the different times that the church prayed together, if they had a mission trip, they would pray and they would fast before they sent people out to the mission field, if they had a new ministry to do, like in acts, chapter six. We'll talk a little bit about this in a little bit. But the idea that there's ministries that need to be done. So let's divide up. Let's pray for God to give us wisdom about who these men are that can serve in this capacity and put them out there to serve and to be deacons so we can give ourselves and devote ourselves to prayer and to Bible study. When I think about the number of times that they came across people who were either sick or dead, and they would offer those earnest prayers up together as a church to be with someone. If there were people who were going through persecution and struggles, they would come together as a group and they would pray. And those things would have an impact not only on the situation, but also on their hearts as well. And so I think about the culture of prayer that we see in the book of acts, and it's something that we want to imitate here at Madison, that we want to get ourselves in line with this kind of thinking that says, hey, the prayer of the righteous people of God. They matter and they're impactful and collectively as we find ourselves praying together. Just think about the things that God can accomplish in our lives. I go to acts, chapter one, verses, chapter one through four and you're going to see the infancy of the church. And it's a pretty amazing start if you can think about it. The apostles, after Jesus'death and his resurrection, they were told to go to Jerusalem and wait. As they get there, they're praying. God ultimately sends down this mighty rushing wind. And if you read the text and you look in the original language, it's as if that mighty rushing wind came straight from heaven, straight down upon them. And everyone there filled it. They felt that presence of God and the fire came down and it sat upon top of those are the disciples of Christ. And while that was know, Peter and the apostles began speaking and everyone began to hear in their own language. It was kind of a phenomenon that everyone was able to see this. This was a time where everybody would have been gathering for prayer because Peter mentions that this is only the third hour of the day. This is 09:00 in the morning. People are not drunk. They're actually here because they want to express and experience God. And so they are there. They're offering their prayers and God shows up with the Holy Spirit and the next thing that happens is all of these people are curious about what's going on. So Peter steps up and you know, this has been prophesied about and not just that, but that all of you have seen Jesus. He's been attested to you of signs and wonders and he's done all these great things and you've rejected him, you've turned him away. But not only that, you are guilty of crucifying the son of God, the one promised Messiah. And God has raised him up to make him both lord in Christ. And when they heard these things, it says they were torn apart inside and they wanted to know what they should do. And he said, well, change and turn back to God and be baptized and have your sins washed away and you're going to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. And so immediately it says 3000 people responded to that message. So if you can imagine this massive response where everybody is falling in love with Jesus and recognizing what he's done and the power that comes with that, and it's sort of invigorating. This movement is taken off like no one could have ever imagined.
And so after this happens, what the apostles begin continuing to preach. So in acts chapter three, what you see is Peter and John walking through the temple area and they're preaching and teaching and they come and there's a man who's brought and he's lame and he's a beggar and he's been doing this for 40 years. And they put him down and Peter and John walk up to him and Peter lays his eyes on him.
It seems to be that the guy is looking to see what he's going to give him. And Peter says, well, silver and gold, I don't have any of that. But what I do have, let me give that to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth arise and walk. And the man does. And it's amazing. And everybody who is around and watches this, it says they were astonished. They were in awe. Literally. Their mouths dropped open.
They were blown away at this man that they had seen for so long. Now he's up and he's leaping and he's praising God and he's hugging people. And in fact the Bible describes as Peter continued to preach it says this lame guy kept clinging to him and John like they were so grateful for what had been done. And the whole time Peter and John are not talking about themselves. They're saying, hey, Jesus Christ is the one who raised you from the dead. That's where the power lies. And so you can imagine as the church is growing and as these people are gathering together and there are like upwards of 5000 people now beginning to come together as a church family and they're all inspired by what God has done for them through Jesus. In the middle of all this, the authorities get pretty upset. So what we see here in acts chapter four is as they were speaking to the people the priests and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees came upon them. They were greatly annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. They arrested and put them in custody until the next day for it was already evening. But many of those who had heard the word believed and the number of men came to about 5000. Again, just what was going on was so powerfully visible and everyone who heard wanted to be a part of it.
And on the next day it says their rulers and elders and scribes gathered together in Jerusalem. And it says, with Annas the high priest and Caiaphas and John and Alexander all who were of the high priestly family. Now those names should sound familiar to you because as you go back and you think about Jesus and his scourgings and if you think about his trials and you think about his crucifixion you'll know that these men were on the scene. They were some of the ones who were aware of what was going on and actually approved of the death of Christ.
And when they had set them in the midst, meaning Peter and John, in the midst of these people, they said, well, by what power or what authority do you do this? And Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said, rulers and people and elders, let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead by him, this man is standing before you now. Okay, so I want to say something, because if you're just like a human, like I would be, and you think back to what you have just witnessed and seen, and you look at what took place with Jesus and the torture that he went through and the crucifixion, you know, that these people thought they were done with, you know, in fact, they would even him. Let him. Let him go. If it's not of know, it's not gonna reveal anything. But now Jesus has died, he's been buried, he's been raised, and now his people are continuing to speak and to teach, and because of that, they're a little bit bothered by this, and now they've got to do something about it. So he tells them, you guys, the one that you crucified, the one that was raised from the dead, that's the one who has healed this man. Glory always belongs to Jesus, doesn't it? So they said in acts, chapter four, verse eleven, as they continued on, they said, jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone, and there is salvation and no one else. For there was no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. So now they've gone right back at him and told him that it was Jesus all along, and he is the only one who provides that salvation.
So this is an interesting passage to me. It says, and when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, they perceived that they were uneducated, common men and were astonished.
And they recognized that they had been with Jesus. But seeing the man who was healed standing beside them, they had nothing to say in opposition. It's interesting, isn't it? They want to condemn them, but they can't help but see that something has happened. Amazing. And the proof is there that this guy that they've known for 40 years is now leaping and running around and praising God. But there's a few things in this passage that I think I want to clue in on three particular words. The first one is parhesia. And this word literally means the freedom to speak in confidence. Now, what makes that special is that in this time and age, if you weren't a person of stature, of status, you really weren't worth listening to. If you didn't have education, if you didn't have training, if you didn't sit at the feet of so and so, and you didn't have any kind of royalty in your blood, if you didn't have any kind of special privilege or wealth or those kinds of things, if you didn't look right, you were not necessarily someone that was really allowed to speak. And you certainly didn't take that opportunity to stand up and do these large orations where you would give a big speech or something. So these people, as they look at them, they said these people had boldness. Why is it that they had boldness? Why did they feel the freedom to speak? Why is it that they had such confidence? Well, the next part of this says that if you look at them, and I'll let you take that word idiotes, and you figure out which english word that connects with untrained and ungifted, these were people that were not necessarily the sharpest tool in the shed, right?
You looked at them and you thought, they can't be that smart.
They're definitely not trained. They definitely haven't sat at the feet of so and so. These are not people that would be impressive by any standard. They're just kind of common, average dudes. Why is it that they common, average dudes would feel so compelled to stand up that they would even have that opportunity to be heard in that way?
But here's what they did recognize. And the next word is says they recognized. The word is ebekinosco.
And that word literally means experiential, knowing through a direct relationship.
What I want you to understand is that the gospel was made for the common man.
You don't have to have some kind of special degree. You don't have to have some kind of special intelligence. God speaks to us through his word, and when we are receptive to it, it lands on our hearts and it changes the way we think about things. That's why it says the word of God is living and active and powerful and sharper, any two edged sword. That's why it talks about how the word of God is powerful in us. That's why it says, the preaching of the cross is foolishness to those who are saved, but to those of us, or to those who don't believe, but to those of us who are saved. It is the very power of God.
But there's something very special about people who not only know what God's word says, but they actually model it. And what was beginning to be seen in them is that they not only knew what Jesus was saying, but as they recognized that they had been with Jesus. The terminology there insinuates that they saw Jesus character in those disciples, that Peter and John were speaking in the same way that Jesus did. You remember when people heard him speaking, they said, he speaks differently. He speaks as one who has authority. Well, that's what they're witnessing in these people.
They shouldn't have any reason to stand up. They're not trained. They're just common people. They shouldn't have that kind of boldness within them. Why do they have that confidence to feel like they have the freedom to speak?
It's because they know Jesus and man. Shouldn't that be our aim? Shouldn't it be that our aim is that what people see in us is the fact that we've been with Jesus?
Isn't that important for us to model that behavior every day, that we allow his word to shape the way we treat other people, the way we talk, the way we conduct business, the way we carry ourselves, the attitudes, the love, the grace, the mercy, the truth, all of those things balanced together, that should be our aim.
But they're trying to stop everything. So they say, in order that it may not spread further among the people, let's warn them to speak no more to anyone in his name. And so they called them together. They charged them not to speak or to teach at all in the name of Jesus. And you know, as Peter and John have already been bold already, that there's something to be said, for they've heard, they've been warned. Now, what happens next? It says, peter answered and said, hey, whether it's right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than God, you must judge. But we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard. It reminds me of those words of Jeremiah, where he said, like the word of God was like fire in his bones, and he couldn't help but express those things. And that's what they're saying. But it says that what happened next is that they threatened them and they kept them while. But because of the pressures of the people, they let them go and let them go on their way. And they were all praising God for what had happened. So they looked around the crowd and saw that this crowd is growing, and there was fear on their parts. Now, what would it be like if all of us were so bold and our growth was so great that even when people come and threaten what's happening or have a problem with what's happening, that our boldness just continues to grow? Notice how the goodness of Jesus causes some to praise and some to threaten, and we'll see that even in our lives here together.
Jesus said this in John 16, verse 33. Said these things. I've spoken to you so that in me you may have peace, and in the world you have tribulation, but take courage. I have overcome the world. It's about us recognizing the power of God within us.
So this is what happens.
They come together and they pray. They're released from prison. They've been warned. They've been told, don't you do this. No doubt they have been threatened with their lives. They've already seen Jesus crucified. They know that. They have probably said to them something to the effect of, hey, if you want to have this same ending that Jesus had, you keep doing this. And they warned them. So they went on their way. But the church got together to pray. And I love this. It says when they heard it, they lifted their voices together to God. What do you think that prayer might have sounded like?
If this is you, okay. And let's say Brandon and Andrew are walking through Madison city, and we're preaching and teaching, and they lock us up for a little bit, and you guys hear about that, and then they warn us, don't go back out there and start talking again. And we say, hey, we can't help but say what God's got on our heart. We can't help but share with you the things that we know, which is too strong. And they tell us, hey, don't do it again, or else.
And the church gathers together for prayer. What's your first inclination? I think mine is probably protection. Right? A change of the law, softening the hearts of the other people. There may be several things that I would think about praying, but listen to what it says about their prayer.
And there's more to this, but this last part is like, and now, Lord, look upon their threats, what we've heard people warn us about, and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness.
Isn't that amazing?
They're not asking for protection. They're not looking for some other way out. They're not looking for it to get easier for them. No. They're saying, hey, because of this, because we know that we have an opportunity here. Let's keep preaching boldly. In fact, God, give us greater courage so we can speak more boldly in your name. And this is what took place. They prayed and the place in which they were gathered was shaken and it was filled with the Holy Spirit. And they continued to speak the word of God with boldness. Wow. I love that, that they were not deterred at all. They weren't scared, they weren't put off. They weren't looking to preserve themselves.
They were rather willing to do whatever it took to speak out in God's name. But what happens when the church prays together?
When you look at this situation, and it's really easy, if you just follow these next few verses, you're going to see a lot of things that the church did as a result. What happened to the church as a result of their praying together? Well, the first thing was unity. And that's one of those things that I talked about early on. When we pray together, it feels like we're all kind of moving in the same direction, right? Well, it says this, it says now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul. And let me tell you, unity is so important. Unity in truth is important. And I want to say this whenever things are going well, we talked about this back several sermons ago about how when things are going great, you really have to understand that the devil is nearby because the devil doesn't want us to grow. The devil doesn't want us to be close. He doesn't want us to share all things in common together. He doesn't want us to work in the same direction. So he'll invite little things to make us nitpick at each other and create struggle and create issues and challenges to overcome. And what I'm saying to all of us is let's get moving in that same direction and find that same one heart and one soul together. And I think God will bless us as a result of that. Let's stay focused on the things that matter most and not let small things tear us apart. They believed were one heart and one soul. Prayer together unites our hearts with a strong sense of belonging. You ever been in the hospital and someone came from the church and prayed with you?
Makes you feel like something special has happened because someone spoke to God on your behalf. What an awesome thing to feel. But also as a result of their prayers together, there was a selflessness that took place. Acts 432 said, no one said that any of the things that belonged to them or to him was his own, but they had everything in common.
That's amazing to think that they had such a connection with one another and such a love that they would go this far to bring themselves into this unity together. Praying together enlists my heart to think outward.
We're too busy, I think, oftentimes thinking about what we've got coming up, what we're doing next, what our plans are. And these people threw all that to the wind and said, okay, what can we do as a church together? And what can we do to take care of each other? I'm thankful that our shepherds are watching the money that comes in for our offering and how they use it to spread the word all over the globe. But how they also take care of needs that are found within this body when people are going through tough times, how they step in to provide that assistance and help. That's kind of the same principle here, that what we saw in them, but then also we're given courage when we pray together. It somehow emboldens us. It gives us a stronger resolve. It says with great power, the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon all of them. I think one thing that we need to be reminded of is that each of us, while together as a body, each of us have our own story.
What were you like prior to Jesus in your life?
What kind of difference has Jesus made in your life? How has that shaped your decisions? How has that changed your direction?
What kind of life did you live before you found Jesus?
And I'm going to say something. I don't mean to be ugly, but if before Jesus and after Jesus, you haven't really seen much of a difference in your life, then it may be time to reevaluate.
Because if we recognize our sinfulness, if we recognize our rebellion, if we recognize the lostness of our condition, and then we see what Jesus did for us and dying on the cross for us. And I am the recipient, because of his bloodshed, for my forgiveness.
That should change the way I see him, and I should want to surrender myself to him.
And in this situation, what happened as a result of their prayer? Each of them had their own story.
Each of them shared their testimony of what it meant to have Jesus in their life. And that message is very powerful, and all of us can share that message.
Jesus came down to the earth. He lived as the perfect son of God.
And though he was without sin, they put him to death.
He paid the penalty for the world's sin, everyone.
But specifically, he paid for my sins. And because of that, and because of his resurrection, I have the opportunity to submit to him, have my sins washed away in his blood, and the blessing and the confidence of knowing that I'll be raised with him in eternity.
You all have that testimony if you've given your heart to Jesus. And it's a powerful message that shapes lives differently.
So prayer had empowered them to share their personal connection to the resurrection, and God gave them his favor. And then finally, generosity says there was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them, brought the proceeds of what was sold, and laid it at the apostles'feet, and it was distributed to anyone as they had need. Again, I'm so thankful that your generosity helps. I loved how Jake mentioned several of the ministries here, the ministries that have impacted the world, that have impacted you. Think about that. And when we give our money, it's a way for us to support those works and to support the mission of the church together. Their prayers reminded them that they may be the answer to another person's prayer. Have you ever thought about that? That it may be that someone is without and that you have extra and that your giving allows them to receive what it is they may need?
And then lastly, this was amazing to me, is that they had such convert buy in. And that's important, because when people are converted to Jesus, it's important that they begin to grow in their faith and that they see what it means to fall in love with Jesus and to live for him. And so when you see this story about Barnabas, and we all know him as the son of encouragement, it says he was a Levite, a native of Cyprus. And even he, when he came into this spiritual family, he sold a field that belonged to him and brought that money and laid it at the apostles'feet. They were just very together.
And that's a beautiful thing. And I want to remind us that what prayer did for them so long ago will have the same impact on us today.
Here's some of the things that I think will happen. First of all, when we pray together, fears go away.
We don't have to worry about what this life has to offer because we've got something much better waiting for us. And in their case, because they knew what Jesus was and knew what they had in him as a savior, those fears kind of dissipated.
But also prayer together gave them focus in their mission. And that's an important thing that we all find ourselves moving in that same direction, focused on the things that matter most, teaching the gospel to people, bringing people to Jesus. And it gave them a focus to do that. Their prayer time together created a true spiritual family. And, you know, when we say words like family, a lot of us will have a warm feeling inside.
But for some people, when you say family, it depends on what their upbringing was like or their circumstances as they were growing up. There may have been some kind of abuse or some kind of struggle going on in their family. There may have been bad decisions all the time. And so looking back on family, they may have seen manipulation or those kinds of things, and it may be very difficult. But, man, there is something very special about us having a spiritual family that I can count on for accountability and their love and their forgiveness. Wow, what a beautiful thing we have in a church family. And then they were plugged into the power of God. Just think about how powerful it is when we all plug into that power. I was talking to Ron Thomas a couple of weeks ago, and it was after a sermon. I think I'd mentioned something about praying. Have you ever found yourself praying deeply for a child before and calling out to God to help? Ron was telling me about a situation that happened with he and his family 60 some od years ago. So he told me, if I don't get all the details right, those people aren't around anymore. Maybe just Ron is the only one around for this, but he talked about this family. Okay, there was at Abilene Christian, just outside the campus there. There was a gas station that was owned by one of the elders. And that elder had a son who worked at the gas station, and his son had a grandson or a son. Okay, so it's three generations, the grandfather, the father, and the son. So the father worked at the gas station for his dad. And one day he was pulling out with his car out of that gas station, and his little boy was there with him and had wandered back behind the car, and he accidentally ran over the child.
Sent mass panic among everybody.
And as I understand it, word went out pretty quickly to everyone.
So and so has been run over.
They have taken the little boy to the hospital. We need to flood the hospital. And for those who couldn't get to the hospital, they ran to the church building, and together they all prayed. And as I understand it, there were people pouring into the chapel, in that hospital, and out into the hallways, and there was people everywhere, their arms around each other, their tears. They were pouring those things out before God, and they were begging for God to spare this little boy's life. And they were at the church building, and they were all doing the same thing together. And everybody was, in one voice, lifting up this prayer and this concern. The doctor, the surgeon, comes out and says he's going to live. And everybody praises God, and they're so excited for it. And the doctor says, don't say anything to me.
There's not one thing I did in there that saved that young boy and his life. You think of all those people who were on their knees that were giving their heart to God and they were praying for him, because that's the only reason this boy will make it and will survive.
What happens when all of us unite together in prayer? In fact, that's what I want to encourage us to do as we think about this. First, let's pray with that same togetherness. Let's be on the same page. Let's work as a group of people who want to live for God and to challenge ourselves to be the people that God has asked us to be. And then the next thing is pray for boldness and influence here in Madison, not just among this church family, but think about the people that are outside these walls that need Jesus. I want all of us to join in those prayers together. And, in fact, let's pray for them right now. Father, thank you so much for the day, for everything you've given us, and for the opportunity to come before you in worship. Father, we recognize that there are people all around us who do not know you. And we pray, Father, that you open our hearts and our minds to ways that we can reach these families, that we can share with them our personal testimonies, what Jesus has done for us, that we can point them to your word, to let them know that there's only salvation in one name, and that's in Jesus Christ. And that they can surrender themselves, that they can give themselves and die to themselves and be buried in baptism and be raised up to walk a new life. And I pray, Father, that you will help light a fire inside of all of us to realize that we together, when tapped into your power, can be a huge influence in this community for Jesus. And we pray, Father, that you give us opportunity and a heart to do just that. In Jesus name we pray. Amen. This morning, if you have need, if you're discouraged, if you're struggling, if you don't have faith in Jesus and you want faith and you want to study, you want to learn more, or if you have been on that edge and you're ready to make a decision to follow Jesus, I pray you will come this morning. While together we stand and sing.
