June 20, 2025 • 28 mins
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Speaker 1 (00:04):
Welcome to this edition of PowerPoint with Jack Graham. A
little later in the program, we'll tell you how you
can get a copy of doctor Graham's book Angels. But first,
here's the message. What happens when we pray.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Take God's word and turn with me to the fourth
chapter of the Book of Acts. We're in a series
of messages called the Power of Spiritual Engagement, and we're
looking at the amazing adventures of faith that we read
about that happened so long ago. And yet the same
spirit who ignited early Christians is in us. And when
(00:42):
we pray, God moves. Prayer is a mystery in many
senses of the word. Prayer is certainly a miracle. There
are many things we don't understand or could comprehend regarding prayer.
But the fact is God has called his church, his
people to pray, and things happen when we pray, both personally,
(01:03):
individually and together corporately as His church. Incredible things happen
when we pray. So when you consider the potential, the
possibility of what we can be in Christ, it is
amazing if we connect in prayer. I read a definition
of prayer this week given by Warren weersby.
Speaker 3 (01:24):
I like it.
Speaker 2 (01:25):
It says prayer is the means God has ordained to
glorify himself by sharing his love with his children, meeting
their needs, and accomplishing His purposes through their.
Speaker 3 (01:36):
Lives and the lives of others.
Speaker 2 (01:40):
When I read that definition of prayer, I thought, well,
you know what, that's a really good definition of prayer.
Speaker 3 (01:44):
But I'm going to take my own stab at it.
Speaker 2 (01:46):
So I said, you know, true prayer is connecting and
communing with God, the God of the universe, through Jesus Christ,
and cooperating with him in prayer in accomplishing his purposes
on earth.
Speaker 3 (02:01):
Now that's a long definition.
Speaker 2 (02:04):
Jesus simply said, ask, ask, seek, and not. And when
we move to the closing verses of the fourth chapter
of Acts, we see that prayer is not a luxury,
but prayer is a necessity. And because of a spiritual
battle that was being fought, opposition that now is rising
(02:27):
up against the Church and continues in our own generation,
we need to understand that the battle is prayer, the
battlefield is prayer, the warfare is prayer.
Speaker 3 (02:38):
And if we are.
Speaker 2 (02:39):
Going to engage the enemy and defeat the enemy, who
is Satan, and.
Speaker 3 (02:44):
All the forces of hell.
Speaker 2 (02:46):
If we are going to win the battles of life,
if we are going to reach a generation for Christ,
then we need to do exactly what early believers did,
and that is to connect and commune with the God
of the universe and the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,
and thereby cooperate with him in fulfilling his mission on earth.
(03:08):
Look in chapter four, beginning of verse twenty three, when
they were released. Now that refers, of course to Peter
and John, who have been on trial for their faith.
A man has been healed, lame all of his life.
Now he's on his feet, leaping, dancing, praising God. He
stands before the Sanhedrin along with Peter and John, as
(03:28):
evidence of the power of the resurrection, and because they
were greatly annoyed at this miracle that had taken place,
and the fact that the resurrection of Christ is now
being preached and that people, by the scores each day
are being saved. Bible scholars estimate between twenty and thirty
conversions a day in the early Stages season of the
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Christian Church. And so now they're capturing the city for Christ.
And so these folks are upset they arrest Peter and John,
and they threatened them and say, do not speak in
this name again.
Speaker 3 (04:02):
They threatened them, and they meant business. This is the same.
Speaker 2 (04:05):
Crowd that put Christ upon the cross, and once blood
is on your hand, it is not a hard road
to kill again. So certainly Peter and John understood the
ramifications of their actions if they continued to preach. So
what did they do when they were released? Notice verse
(04:25):
twenty three they went to their friends. Not only is
prayer a necessity, but it is a natural thing to
go to the friends of the faith, and in the
faith a family of friends. It may be translated your Bible,
a company or a gathering, but literally they went to
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their friends. This is why it is so vitally important
that we have a family of friends the church, so
that when we are in trouble, when we are tested,
when we are tried, when we're facing life battles, that
we are together in triumphant in Him, with the family
of faith.
Speaker 3 (05:05):
So naturally they ran to their friends.
Speaker 2 (05:08):
They went to the people who had been praying for
them and would continue to pray for them. And verse
twenty three says they reported what the chief priests and.
Speaker 3 (05:16):
The elders had said to them.
Speaker 2 (05:19):
They said, these guys have said we can't preach anymore,
that we can't talk about Jesus anymore. They threatened us
within an inch of our lives. So what did they do.
They didn't pray for.
Speaker 3 (05:29):
Protection, but they prayed for power. They prayed for boldness,
They prayed for more courage. Look at verse twenty four.
Speaker 2 (05:37):
And when they heard it, they lifted up, and this
would be the entire company.
Speaker 3 (05:43):
Gather these friends.
Speaker 2 (05:44):
They lifted up their voices together to God and said,
Sovereign Lord.
Speaker 3 (05:50):
And the word Lord.
Speaker 2 (05:51):
There is a word used in the New Testament just
a few times. It could be translated in the English despot.
And we think of course as a deathpot, as being
evil ruler, but can mean a ruler that is both
either good or bad.
Speaker 3 (06:03):
But a death spot is.
Speaker 2 (06:04):
One who is in absolute control, absolute rule. O sovereign ruler, Lord,
who made the heaven and the earth and the sea
and everything in them, who, through the mouth of our
Father David, your servants said, by the Holy Spirit, why
of the gentiles rags?
Speaker 3 (06:24):
This is psalm too.
Speaker 2 (06:25):
They're praying the scriptures now, and the people's plot in vain.
The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers
were gathered together against the Lord and against his anointed.
For truly, in this city they were gathered together against
your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and
Pontius Pilot.
Speaker 3 (06:44):
That is, the government, along with the gentiles and the
peoples of Israel.
Speaker 2 (06:52):
Now remember, everyone participates in the death of Christ.
Speaker 3 (06:58):
People want to know who kill Jesus. The early Christians.
Speaker 2 (07:01):
Realized that we all had a part, both Gentiles representing
by the Romans of course and others, and then the
Jewish religious system of that day. But ultimately all of
us are responsible for the death of Jesus because he
took our sin upon the cross.
Speaker 3 (07:19):
But it's important to remember that we all participate in this,
but specifically he is reminding.
Speaker 2 (07:26):
They are reminding everyone in their prayer that both the
Roman crowd and the religious crowd participated in this death
Verse twenty eight. To do whatever your hand and your
plan had predestined to take place. In other words, the
cross was not an accident, and it was not an afterthought.
The death of Jesus was not some kind of mistake.
(07:49):
The Lamb of God was slain before the foundation of
the earth. God loved you before you were even born,
before the world was created. And the creator, God is
the Redeemer, Savior. And so whatever his hand had planned,
it took place right on schedule. And God used these
agents of hell by his own hand and power. So
(08:12):
Verse twenty nine says, and now, Lord, look upon their threats.
Speaker 3 (08:17):
They just laid it out before the Lord.
Speaker 2 (08:20):
They said, Now, Lord, here it is again, not praying
for protection, not praying for safety. But Lord, look upon
their threats and grant to your servants to continue watch this,
to continue to speak.
Speaker 3 (08:37):
Your word with all what boldness.
Speaker 2 (08:42):
Now, if you were with us the last time, you
remember that boldness means openness and confidence. It's not brashness,
nor is it arrogance. But it is openness about our faith.
We are naturally open about our faith, and we are
confident in what we believe, and that is the the
power of Jesus and his resurrection. And so they're praying
(09:04):
for more of the same kind of stuff they got
them in trouble to begin with. They're praying that God
would enable them to continue engaging the enemy for the
cause of Christ, for the mission of Jesus, Verse thirty,
while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs
(09:24):
and wonders are performed through the.
Speaker 3 (09:26):
Name of your holy servant, Jesus.
Speaker 2 (09:28):
And notice what happens when God's people pray. And when
they had prayed, the place that they were gathered together
was shaken. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit
and continued to speak.
Speaker 3 (09:43):
The word of God with boldness.
Speaker 2 (09:48):
Now, prayer is a joyful experience, indeed, but prayer is
also a serious encounter with God, because prayer is not
only worship.
Speaker 3 (09:57):
Prayer is warfare.
Speaker 2 (10:00):
And it is obvious that the early believers were continually
and consistently engaged in prayer.
Speaker 3 (10:08):
In fact, over forty times.
Speaker 2 (10:10):
In the Book of Acts, we're told of Christians pray
together most often, and there's certainly power in prayer when
we pray individually, but there's something unusual and unique and
powerful when we come together to pray as God's people,
and when we.
Speaker 3 (10:30):
Pray even as the church pray.
Speaker 2 (10:32):
They were waiting on the Holy Spirit in Acts chapter one,
so they waited and prayed upon God's timing and the
promise of the Father. In Acts chapter two, we have
told that these who were converted, continued steadfastly in prayer.
Speaker 3 (10:46):
They prayed continually.
Speaker 2 (10:48):
In Acts chapter three, when Peter and John are on
their way to the temple and they discover that man
at the gate, beautiful lame, and they heal him in
the name of Jesus.
Speaker 3 (10:56):
Where were they going? They were going to the hour
of prayer, people of prayer.
Speaker 2 (11:02):
And we find that throughout the Book of Acts, prayer
to early Believers was not a PostScript. It was not
a prelude to the service or a postlude to what
they were doing.
Speaker 3 (11:15):
But prayer was their vital life. It was their very breath.
Speaker 2 (11:20):
In fact, you might call prayer spiritual aerobics, because when
we pray, we are exercising our faith in God. But
to the early Believers, prayer wasn't just something we sort
of seasoned the services, you know, like a little salt
of little pepper, a little prayer here, a little prayer there.
Speaker 3 (11:40):
But prayer was a necessity.
Speaker 1 (11:45):
You were listening to PowerPoint with Jack Graham and the
message what happens when we pray? In his book Angels,
doctor Graham takes you through scripture to explore how angels serve,
protect and point us to the power of our Savior.
We want to send you this powerful book today to
thank you for your generous gift to help PowerPoint end
(12:05):
this current year of ministry on June thirtieth as strong
as possible. This is so important. A two hundred thousand
dollars matching grant has been offered by generous friends, which
means every dollar you give through June thirtieth will be doubled.
Call one eight hundred seven ninety five four six two seven.
That's one eight hundred seven ninety five four six two seven.
(12:29):
You can also text the word angels to five nine
seven eight nine. Don't let stress rob you of peace.
It is possible to break the destructive grip of stress
on your life and enjoy the peace and abundance God
desires for you. That's what doctor Graham helps you do
in his booklet Breaking Free from Stress. We want to
send you a digital download of Breaking Free from Stress
(12:51):
when you sign up for email updates from PowerPoint Today.
Just go to PowerPoint dot org slash stress and sign
up today. Now, let's get act to today's message. What
happens when we pray?
Speaker 2 (13:05):
The interesting thing about the prayer life of early Christians,
they so often prayed in what the Bible describes in
one accord, and you could pick up if you wanted
just to do a little Bible study in the Book
of Acts, you could just take that little phrase one
accord and trace it through. For example, in Acts one fourteen,
they were in one accord in one place, waiting on
(13:25):
the Spirit to come.
Speaker 3 (13:27):
In other words, they were one in.
Speaker 2 (13:29):
Supplication, asking God to supply what he had promised. And
then in Acts chapter two, in verse one, Acts Chapter two,
in verse one, we're told that they were in one
accord in anticipation, and they were expecting expectation as they
were waiting and realizing the coming into their lives of
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the Spirit of God. In Acts chapter two, verse forty six,
we're told they were together in participation. They were in
one accord together serving share it with generous hearts. The
greatest fellowship on earth is the fellowship of prayer. Fellowship
can take place in a whole way, but ultimately we
are united together in Christ in prayer. And I've had
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the opportunity to pray with Christians of various denominations and groups.
And you know, when you're praying with believers from different
churches and different denominations. You're not as vitally concerned about
their style of worship. You're not vitally concerned at that
moment when you're praying with them about the differences, but
rather what brings you together and unites you together in Christ.
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And it is in that oneness of prayer and participation
that we make a difference. In Acts, chapter four, verse
twenty four, as we just read, they were together in
adoration as they are praising God and worshiping him as Lord.
Notice what they pray. They turned to the worship of God.
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When you're facing life's battles, when you're struggling against the enemy,
if you're in the throes of temptation, or if you're
fighting battles, are experiencing tests to your faith, you need
to do what these men and others did, and that
is to turn to the worship of God. They said, Lord,
(15:28):
you are Lord, You are sovereign in all of this. God,
you are on the throne. You are the creator and
the controller of everything. And we're having a little problem
here with the part of the world that we're living in.
So Lord, we know that you've got that under control
as well. Certainly, more than trite to say that we
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are to glance at our problems and gaze at our
God no matter the circumstances that we face, are the
situation in battle that we're dealing with, we need to
do exactly what these men did, and that is to
run to the family of friends, pray together, get on
our faces before a sovereign and holy God who is
in control of everything in our lives, and.
Speaker 3 (16:10):
Give it to him.
Speaker 2 (16:13):
The second thing they did when you see and read
this prayer and you hear them praying, is we are
to trust in the word of God.
Speaker 3 (16:19):
You're fighting a battle, you're in a struggle.
Speaker 2 (16:22):
Worship God, but also realize that it is the word
of God that sustains us and strengthens us even in prayer.
When you read this prayer, it's obvious they understood the scriptures.
They had memorized the scriptures, and now they are remembering
and releasing the scriptures. They're praying the word of God.
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They're calling upon God in his own word, and that
is a powerful way to pray. But ultimately they're trusting.
You see, in the word of God. There is a
perfect balance in the scriptures between the Word of God
and prayer. Like two wings of an airplane, which is
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more important.
Speaker 3 (17:07):
So there is a turning to the worship of God.
Speaker 2 (17:10):
There is a trusting in the word of God, and
there is a triumphing in the will of God. They
triumph in God's will. Look at verse twenty eight again,
it says, Lord, to do whatever your hand and your
plan had.
Speaker 3 (17:22):
Predestined to take place.
Speaker 2 (17:26):
In other words, they said, Lord, you've got all of this,
and we're not praying for safety here.
Speaker 3 (17:32):
We're praying for.
Speaker 2 (17:32):
Faith and fortitude to continue doing what you've called us
to do. They presented themselves as servants. We are your servants, literally, bondsmen,
bond slaves. We are your slaves, and we will serve
you at your will.
Speaker 3 (17:51):
So they submitted their lives to the will of God.
Speaker 2 (17:56):
They worship God, they trusted his word. They said, Lord,
here we are. And so what happened when they prayed?
Verse thirty one tells us that the place was shaken.
There was a physical manifestation of the presence of God.
There was a shaking, and certainly in the shaking of
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the building, there was a shaking of the believers, and
that shaking needs to take place today that sturry. They
realize the manifest presence of God.
Speaker 3 (18:30):
And that's what revival is. It is a realization of
the glory and the presence of God. That's what revival is.
Speaker 2 (18:39):
It is a new awareness, a new aliveness in Christ.
It is a renewal of our obedience to Him. So
what happened first, there was a new engagement. If revival
is renewal, there was a new engagement. They were shaken
in the presence of God, now engaging with God. But
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not only that, there was a new endowment of spiritual
power because now they are filled with the Holy Spirit.
Speaker 3 (19:09):
This is a subsequent feeling. They had been filled.
Speaker 2 (19:13):
Filled again and now again because we are to be
filled each day. While there's one baptism of the spirit,
there are many feelings. And if you're serving Christ, if
you're sharing Christ, there is an emptying that takes place.
There's a physical phenomenon when you give out, the adrenaline
rush that is released, but there is a spiritual empty
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which you need.
Speaker 3 (19:41):
To replenish and renew. And it's interesting to.
Speaker 2 (19:45):
Me that when these people prayed, they didn't pray for
spiritual feeling, but it happened.
Speaker 3 (19:51):
And you know why it happened.
Speaker 2 (19:53):
Because of their yielding and their surrender to the Lord God,
because that is ultimately what it means to be controlled
by the spirit. We're not talking here about the thrill
of the spirit. We're talking about the filling of the spirit.
Some people are more interested in the feeling of the
spirit than in the felling of the spirit. But the
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felling of the spirit is to be controlled in that
we have yielded to Him. And so now there is
a new endowment, a new indoment of spiritual power, and
we need that being filled with the Holy Spirit, continuous action, continually.
Speaker 3 (20:31):
But not only that.
Speaker 2 (20:31):
There was a new enjoyment, a new enjoyment of fellowship.
No longer are they isolated independently of one another, but
they are cooperating together. And when revival comes, when we pray,
we are together and triumphant, and there is an enjoyment
of the family of God. In fact, look down in
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the fourth chapter, down at verse thirty two. Now the
full number of those who believe were of one heart,
in one soul, and no one said that any of
the things that belonged to him was his own.
Speaker 3 (21:02):
And they had everything in common and with great power.
Speaker 2 (21:05):
The apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of
the Lord, and great grace was upon them all. Notice
the all they were all together, and now they are
enjoying this sweet fellowship of the Church and of the
company of believers.
Speaker 3 (21:19):
But not only a new enjoyment.
Speaker 2 (21:20):
There is a new enablement because they went on speaking
with courage, with boldness the message of the Gospel.
Speaker 3 (21:31):
It's interesting to me if you, just as a.
Speaker 2 (21:33):
Side note, consider the fact that the same passage in
which they are praying about predestination in the sovereignty of God,
the divine and absolute sovereignty and rule of God, in
that same passage, they're out sharing their faith boldly and
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courageously inviting people to come to Christ again. This perfect
balance when we pray to stand the principle that there
is the sovereignty of God in all things, including the
proclamation of the Gospel. But the sovereignty of God does
not in any way limit our human responsibility to share
the Gospel. And it is right here as they are
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going everywhere preaching the Lord Jesus Christ with boldness, and
therefore there is a new enlargement. Lives are being changed,
people are being added to the church. God's people have
been transformed from an audience to an army. They are
loving one another, serving one another. They are establishing the church.
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You see, worshippers are now turned to warriors for the
Word of God. They became part of the answer to
their own prayer as they left the place of prayer,
because prayer is not a smoke screen for idleness.
Speaker 3 (22:52):
Prayer propels us.
Speaker 2 (22:54):
Into the world to be a light to the world,
and is therefore the success of our witness.
Speaker 3 (22:59):
And here's a secret of our warfare. That's prayer. That's
what God does when we pray.
Speaker 2 (23:09):
They were publicly in the temple and daily from house
to house sharing Jesus Christ. You know, I've discovered that
if I am attended to the work of the Holy
Spirit in my life and sensitive to people around us,
he gives us opportunities more than we can possibly imagine
to share our faith.
Speaker 3 (23:29):
Every Where.
Speaker 2 (23:31):
There are people, some who have raised all their lives
in a religious experience, whether Baptist or something else, who
do not know Christ, who have never received the forgiveness
of sin and the power of Jesus to change their life.
Speaker 1 (23:47):
You're listening to PowerPoint with Jack Graham and the message
what happens when we pray on June thirtieth, we will
close our books on another year of ministry, and it's
critical we end strong. That's why generous from have stepped
forward with a two hundred thousand dollars matching grant, which
means every dollar you give by June thirtieth will be doubled.
(24:07):
Your gift to help meet this grant in full is
so important. We'll send you doctor Graham's powerful book Angels.
It's our special gift and thank you to you. This
encouraging book reveals what Scripture says about God's messengers and
how their presence reminds us that Heaven is always near.
Request your copy when you call and give today. Call
(24:28):
one eight hundred seven ninety five four six two seven.
That's one eight hundred seven ninety five four six two seven.
You can also text the word angels to five nine
seven eight nine. That's Angels to five nine seven eight nine.
And don't forget to visit Jack Graham dot org where
you can shop our East store, give a gift online,
(24:50):
or sign up for doctor Graham's free daily email devotional.
Our website again is Jack Graham dot org, and also
be sure to sign up for Doctor Graham's podcast Bible
in a Year pastor what is your PowerPoint for today?
Speaker 4 (25:06):
First of all, always remember that when you pray, God moves,
and I really believe that as you read about the
early Christians, as you think about the incidents in your
own life, when you've prayed, you can see and know
that God hears and answers prayer. You know, the aim
for all believers is for prayer to become not just
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a part time thing, but really a way of life,
not just something you do now and again, the Scripture
encourages you and me to engage in constant and passionate prayer,
and that means praying about everything. Now, this doesn't mean
you have to give up all your daily commitments. So
you can pray all day, but apart from praying during
your regular times of devotion to the Lord, and when
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you're meeting with other Christians, other believers in church or
in group prayers, or just when you're driving down the road,
make sure you keep your eyes open. But you can
pray wherever you go. Oh, you can turn your heart
towards God all day long. You can take breaks and
just thank God for His blessings, blessing breaks, and in
(26:09):
this way you can always invite God's presence and his
power in your life anywhere, anytime, at any moment. As
you continually surrender to the Lord in this way, then
the Holy Spirit, I promise you, will enable you to
trust in the Lord more and more. You will be
able to endure every kind of childlenge that comes your way.
(26:29):
And you're going to discover a courage that you didn't
even know you had, courage you need in moments of
uncertainty or doubt. Just like the early Christians, when these
believers yielded themselves to the Lord in prayer, the place
they were praying was shaken. And you know when you
yield yourself to the Lord in prayer, when you give
yourself unconditionally to the Lord, you can expect God to
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move powerfully in your life to empower every situation that
you face. Prayer is one of the most value weapons
we have as a follower of Jesus, and through believing prayer,
God's presence is released and you and I can grow
into the kind of people the Lord has called us
to be for him faithful followers. So let me encourage
(27:13):
you today make prayer a way of life.
Speaker 1 (27:16):
And that is today's power Point. Remember when you give
a gift of ten dollars or more to PowerPoint, we'll
send you doctor Graham's book Angels as our thanks. Call
one eight hundred seven ninety five four six two seven.
That's one eight hundred seven ninety five four six two seven.
You can also text the word Angels to five nine
(27:38):
seven eight nine and join us again next time when
doctor Graham brings a message about how you can live
a life full of abundance, impact, and fulfillment. That's next
time on PowerPoint with Jack Graham. PowerPoint with Jack Graham
is sponsored by PowerPoint Ministry
Welcome to this edition of PowerPoint with Jack Graham. A
little later in the program, we'll tell you how you
can get a copy of doctor Graham's book Angels. But first,
here's the message. What happens when we pray.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Take God's word and turn with me to the fourth
chapter of the Book of Acts. We're in a series
of messages called the Power of Spiritual Engagement, and we're
looking at the amazing adventures of faith that we read
about that happened so long ago. And yet the same
spirit who ignited early Christians is in us. And when
(00:42):
we pray, God moves. Prayer is a mystery in many
senses of the word. Prayer is certainly a miracle. There
are many things we don't understand or could comprehend regarding prayer.
But the fact is God has called his church, his
people to pray, and things happen when we pray, both personally,
(01:03):
individually and together corporately as His church. Incredible things happen
when we pray. So when you consider the potential, the
possibility of what we can be in Christ, it is
amazing if we connect in prayer. I read a definition
of prayer this week given by Warren weersby.
Speaker 3 (01:24):
I like it.
Speaker 2 (01:25):
It says prayer is the means God has ordained to
glorify himself by sharing his love with his children, meeting
their needs, and accomplishing His purposes through their.
Speaker 3 (01:36):
Lives and the lives of others.
Speaker 2 (01:40):
When I read that definition of prayer, I thought, well,
you know what, that's a really good definition of prayer.
Speaker 3 (01:44):
But I'm going to take my own stab at it.
Speaker 2 (01:46):
So I said, you know, true prayer is connecting and
communing with God, the God of the universe, through Jesus Christ,
and cooperating with him in prayer in accomplishing his purposes
on earth.
Speaker 3 (02:01):
Now that's a long definition.
Speaker 2 (02:04):
Jesus simply said, ask, ask, seek, and not. And when
we move to the closing verses of the fourth chapter
of Acts, we see that prayer is not a luxury,
but prayer is a necessity. And because of a spiritual
battle that was being fought, opposition that now is rising
(02:27):
up against the Church and continues in our own generation,
we need to understand that the battle is prayer, the
battlefield is prayer, the warfare is prayer.
Speaker 3 (02:38):
And if we are.
Speaker 2 (02:39):
Going to engage the enemy and defeat the enemy, who
is Satan, and.
Speaker 3 (02:44):
All the forces of hell.
Speaker 2 (02:46):
If we are going to win the battles of life,
if we are going to reach a generation for Christ,
then we need to do exactly what early believers did,
and that is to connect and commune with the God
of the universe and the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,
and thereby cooperate with him in fulfilling his mission on earth.
(03:08):
Look in chapter four, beginning of verse twenty three, when
they were released. Now that refers, of course to Peter
and John, who have been on trial for their faith.
A man has been healed, lame all of his life.
Now he's on his feet, leaping, dancing, praising God. He
stands before the Sanhedrin along with Peter and John, as
(03:28):
evidence of the power of the resurrection, and because they
were greatly annoyed at this miracle that had taken place,
and the fact that the resurrection of Christ is now
being preached and that people, by the scores each day
are being saved. Bible scholars estimate between twenty and thirty
conversions a day in the early Stages season of the
(03:50):
Christian Church. And so now they're capturing the city for Christ.
And so these folks are upset they arrest Peter and John,
and they threatened them and say, do not speak in
this name again.
Speaker 3 (04:02):
They threatened them, and they meant business. This is the same.
Speaker 2 (04:05):
Crowd that put Christ upon the cross, and once blood
is on your hand, it is not a hard road
to kill again. So certainly Peter and John understood the
ramifications of their actions if they continued to preach. So
what did they do when they were released? Notice verse
(04:25):
twenty three they went to their friends. Not only is
prayer a necessity, but it is a natural thing to
go to the friends of the faith, and in the
faith a family of friends. It may be translated your Bible,
a company or a gathering, but literally they went to
(04:46):
their friends. This is why it is so vitally important
that we have a family of friends the church, so
that when we are in trouble, when we are tested,
when we are tried, when we're facing life battles, that
we are together in triumphant in Him, with the family
of faith.
Speaker 3 (05:05):
So naturally they ran to their friends.
Speaker 2 (05:08):
They went to the people who had been praying for
them and would continue to pray for them. And verse
twenty three says they reported what the chief priests and.
Speaker 3 (05:16):
The elders had said to them.
Speaker 2 (05:19):
They said, these guys have said we can't preach anymore,
that we can't talk about Jesus anymore. They threatened us
within an inch of our lives. So what did they do.
They didn't pray for.
Speaker 3 (05:29):
Protection, but they prayed for power. They prayed for boldness,
They prayed for more courage. Look at verse twenty four.
Speaker 2 (05:37):
And when they heard it, they lifted up, and this
would be the entire company.
Speaker 3 (05:43):
Gather these friends.
Speaker 2 (05:44):
They lifted up their voices together to God and said,
Sovereign Lord.
Speaker 3 (05:50):
And the word Lord.
Speaker 2 (05:51):
There is a word used in the New Testament just
a few times. It could be translated in the English despot.
And we think of course as a deathpot, as being
evil ruler, but can mean a ruler that is both
either good or bad.
Speaker 3 (06:03):
But a death spot is.
Speaker 2 (06:04):
One who is in absolute control, absolute rule. O sovereign ruler, Lord,
who made the heaven and the earth and the sea
and everything in them, who, through the mouth of our
Father David, your servants said, by the Holy Spirit, why
of the gentiles rags?
Speaker 3 (06:24):
This is psalm too.
Speaker 2 (06:25):
They're praying the scriptures now, and the people's plot in vain.
The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers
were gathered together against the Lord and against his anointed.
For truly, in this city they were gathered together against
your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and
Pontius Pilot.
Speaker 3 (06:44):
That is, the government, along with the gentiles and the
peoples of Israel.
Speaker 2 (06:52):
Now remember, everyone participates in the death of Christ.
Speaker 3 (06:58):
People want to know who kill Jesus. The early Christians.
Speaker 2 (07:01):
Realized that we all had a part, both Gentiles representing
by the Romans of course and others, and then the
Jewish religious system of that day. But ultimately all of
us are responsible for the death of Jesus because he
took our sin upon the cross.
Speaker 3 (07:19):
But it's important to remember that we all participate in this,
but specifically he is reminding.
Speaker 2 (07:26):
They are reminding everyone in their prayer that both the
Roman crowd and the religious crowd participated in this death
Verse twenty eight. To do whatever your hand and your
plan had predestined to take place. In other words, the
cross was not an accident, and it was not an afterthought.
The death of Jesus was not some kind of mistake.
(07:49):
The Lamb of God was slain before the foundation of
the earth. God loved you before you were even born,
before the world was created. And the creator, God is
the Redeemer, Savior. And so whatever his hand had planned,
it took place right on schedule. And God used these
agents of hell by his own hand and power. So
(08:12):
Verse twenty nine says, and now, Lord, look upon their threats.
Speaker 3 (08:17):
They just laid it out before the Lord.
Speaker 2 (08:20):
They said, Now, Lord, here it is again, not praying
for protection, not praying for safety. But Lord, look upon
their threats and grant to your servants to continue watch this,
to continue to speak.
Speaker 3 (08:37):
Your word with all what boldness.
Speaker 2 (08:42):
Now, if you were with us the last time, you
remember that boldness means openness and confidence. It's not brashness,
nor is it arrogance. But it is openness about our faith.
We are naturally open about our faith, and we are
confident in what we believe, and that is the the
power of Jesus and his resurrection. And so they're praying
(09:04):
for more of the same kind of stuff they got
them in trouble to begin with. They're praying that God
would enable them to continue engaging the enemy for the
cause of Christ, for the mission of Jesus, Verse thirty,
while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs
(09:24):
and wonders are performed through the.
Speaker 3 (09:26):
Name of your holy servant, Jesus.
Speaker 2 (09:28):
And notice what happens when God's people pray. And when
they had prayed, the place that they were gathered together
was shaken. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit
and continued to speak.
Speaker 3 (09:43):
The word of God with boldness.
Speaker 2 (09:48):
Now, prayer is a joyful experience, indeed, but prayer is
also a serious encounter with God, because prayer is not
only worship.
Speaker 3 (09:57):
Prayer is warfare.
Speaker 2 (10:00):
And it is obvious that the early believers were continually
and consistently engaged in prayer.
Speaker 3 (10:08):
In fact, over forty times.
Speaker 2 (10:10):
In the Book of Acts, we're told of Christians pray
together most often, and there's certainly power in prayer when
we pray individually, but there's something unusual and unique and
powerful when we come together to pray as God's people,
and when we.
Speaker 3 (10:30):
Pray even as the church pray.
Speaker 2 (10:32):
They were waiting on the Holy Spirit in Acts chapter one,
so they waited and prayed upon God's timing and the
promise of the Father. In Acts chapter two, we have
told that these who were converted, continued steadfastly in prayer.
Speaker 3 (10:46):
They prayed continually.
Speaker 2 (10:48):
In Acts chapter three, when Peter and John are on
their way to the temple and they discover that man
at the gate, beautiful lame, and they heal him in
the name of Jesus.
Speaker 3 (10:56):
Where were they going? They were going to the hour
of prayer, people of prayer.
Speaker 2 (11:02):
And we find that throughout the Book of Acts, prayer
to early Believers was not a PostScript. It was not
a prelude to the service or a postlude to what
they were doing.
Speaker 3 (11:15):
But prayer was their vital life. It was their very breath.
Speaker 2 (11:20):
In fact, you might call prayer spiritual aerobics, because when
we pray, we are exercising our faith in God. But
to the early Believers, prayer wasn't just something we sort
of seasoned the services, you know, like a little salt
of little pepper, a little prayer here, a little prayer there.
Speaker 3 (11:40):
But prayer was a necessity.
Speaker 1 (11:45):
You were listening to PowerPoint with Jack Graham and the
message what happens when we pray? In his book Angels,
doctor Graham takes you through scripture to explore how angels serve,
protect and point us to the power of our Savior.
We want to send you this powerful book today to
thank you for your generous gift to help PowerPoint end
(12:05):
this current year of ministry on June thirtieth as strong
as possible. This is so important. A two hundred thousand
dollars matching grant has been offered by generous friends, which
means every dollar you give through June thirtieth will be doubled.
Call one eight hundred seven ninety five four six two seven.
That's one eight hundred seven ninety five four six two seven.
(12:29):
You can also text the word angels to five nine
seven eight nine. Don't let stress rob you of peace.
It is possible to break the destructive grip of stress
on your life and enjoy the peace and abundance God
desires for you. That's what doctor Graham helps you do
in his booklet Breaking Free from Stress. We want to
send you a digital download of Breaking Free from Stress
(12:51):
when you sign up for email updates from PowerPoint Today.
Just go to PowerPoint dot org slash stress and sign
up today. Now, let's get act to today's message. What
happens when we pray?
Speaker 2 (13:05):
The interesting thing about the prayer life of early Christians,
they so often prayed in what the Bible describes in
one accord, and you could pick up if you wanted
just to do a little Bible study in the Book
of Acts, you could just take that little phrase one
accord and trace it through. For example, in Acts one fourteen,
they were in one accord in one place, waiting on
(13:25):
the Spirit to come.
Speaker 3 (13:27):
In other words, they were one in.
Speaker 2 (13:29):
Supplication, asking God to supply what he had promised. And
then in Acts chapter two, in verse one, Acts Chapter two,
in verse one, we're told that they were in one
accord in anticipation, and they were expecting expectation as they
were waiting and realizing the coming into their lives of
(13:52):
the Spirit of God. In Acts chapter two, verse forty six,
we're told they were together in participation. They were in
one accord together serving share it with generous hearts. The
greatest fellowship on earth is the fellowship of prayer. Fellowship
can take place in a whole way, but ultimately we
are united together in Christ in prayer. And I've had
(14:16):
the opportunity to pray with Christians of various denominations and groups.
And you know, when you're praying with believers from different
churches and different denominations. You're not as vitally concerned about
their style of worship. You're not vitally concerned at that
moment when you're praying with them about the differences, but
rather what brings you together and unites you together in Christ.
(14:41):
And it is in that oneness of prayer and participation
that we make a difference. In Acts, chapter four, verse
twenty four, as we just read, they were together in
adoration as they are praising God and worshiping him as Lord.
Notice what they pray. They turned to the worship of God.
(15:06):
When you're facing life's battles, when you're struggling against the enemy,
if you're in the throes of temptation, or if you're
fighting battles, are experiencing tests to your faith, you need
to do what these men and others did, and that
is to turn to the worship of God. They said, Lord,
(15:28):
you are Lord, You are sovereign in all of this. God,
you are on the throne. You are the creator and
the controller of everything. And we're having a little problem
here with the part of the world that we're living in.
So Lord, we know that you've got that under control
as well. Certainly, more than trite to say that we
(15:49):
are to glance at our problems and gaze at our
God no matter the circumstances that we face, are the
situation in battle that we're dealing with, we need to
do exactly what these men did, and that is to
run to the family of friends, pray together, get on
our faces before a sovereign and holy God who is
in control of everything in our lives, and.
Speaker 3 (16:10):
Give it to him.
Speaker 2 (16:13):
The second thing they did when you see and read
this prayer and you hear them praying, is we are
to trust in the word of God.
Speaker 3 (16:19):
You're fighting a battle, you're in a struggle.
Speaker 2 (16:22):
Worship God, but also realize that it is the word
of God that sustains us and strengthens us even in prayer.
When you read this prayer, it's obvious they understood the scriptures.
They had memorized the scriptures, and now they are remembering
and releasing the scriptures. They're praying the word of God.
(16:45):
They're calling upon God in his own word, and that
is a powerful way to pray. But ultimately they're trusting.
You see, in the word of God. There is a
perfect balance in the scriptures between the Word of God
and prayer. Like two wings of an airplane, which is
(17:05):
more important.
Speaker 3 (17:07):
So there is a turning to the worship of God.
Speaker 2 (17:10):
There is a trusting in the word of God, and
there is a triumphing in the will of God. They
triumph in God's will. Look at verse twenty eight again,
it says, Lord, to do whatever your hand and your
plan had.
Speaker 3 (17:22):
Predestined to take place.
Speaker 2 (17:26):
In other words, they said, Lord, you've got all of this,
and we're not praying for safety here.
Speaker 3 (17:32):
We're praying for.
Speaker 2 (17:32):
Faith and fortitude to continue doing what you've called us
to do. They presented themselves as servants. We are your servants, literally, bondsmen,
bond slaves. We are your slaves, and we will serve
you at your will.
Speaker 3 (17:51):
So they submitted their lives to the will of God.
Speaker 2 (17:56):
They worship God, they trusted his word. They said, Lord,
here we are. And so what happened when they prayed?
Verse thirty one tells us that the place was shaken.
There was a physical manifestation of the presence of God.
There was a shaking, and certainly in the shaking of
(18:18):
the building, there was a shaking of the believers, and
that shaking needs to take place today that sturry. They
realize the manifest presence of God.
Speaker 3 (18:30):
And that's what revival is. It is a realization of
the glory and the presence of God. That's what revival is.
Speaker 2 (18:39):
It is a new awareness, a new aliveness in Christ.
It is a renewal of our obedience to Him. So
what happened first, there was a new engagement. If revival
is renewal, there was a new engagement. They were shaken
in the presence of God, now engaging with God. But
(19:02):
not only that, there was a new endowment of spiritual
power because now they are filled with the Holy Spirit.
Speaker 3 (19:09):
This is a subsequent feeling. They had been filled.
Speaker 2 (19:13):
Filled again and now again because we are to be
filled each day. While there's one baptism of the spirit,
there are many feelings. And if you're serving Christ, if
you're sharing Christ, there is an emptying that takes place.
There's a physical phenomenon when you give out, the adrenaline
rush that is released, but there is a spiritual empty
(19:40):
which you need.
Speaker 3 (19:41):
To replenish and renew. And it's interesting to.
Speaker 2 (19:45):
Me that when these people prayed, they didn't pray for
spiritual feeling, but it happened.
Speaker 3 (19:51):
And you know why it happened.
Speaker 2 (19:53):
Because of their yielding and their surrender to the Lord God,
because that is ultimately what it means to be controlled
by the spirit. We're not talking here about the thrill
of the spirit. We're talking about the filling of the spirit.
Some people are more interested in the feeling of the
spirit than in the felling of the spirit. But the
(20:15):
felling of the spirit is to be controlled in that
we have yielded to Him. And so now there is
a new endowment, a new indoment of spiritual power, and
we need that being filled with the Holy Spirit, continuous action, continually.
Speaker 3 (20:31):
But not only that.
Speaker 2 (20:31):
There was a new enjoyment, a new enjoyment of fellowship.
No longer are they isolated independently of one another, but
they are cooperating together. And when revival comes, when we pray,
we are together and triumphant, and there is an enjoyment
of the family of God. In fact, look down in
(20:52):
the fourth chapter, down at verse thirty two. Now the
full number of those who believe were of one heart,
in one soul, and no one said that any of
the things that belonged to him was his own.
Speaker 3 (21:02):
And they had everything in common and with great power.
Speaker 2 (21:05):
The apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of
the Lord, and great grace was upon them all. Notice
the all they were all together, and now they are
enjoying this sweet fellowship of the Church and of the
company of believers.
Speaker 3 (21:19):
But not only a new enjoyment.
Speaker 2 (21:20):
There is a new enablement because they went on speaking
with courage, with boldness the message of the Gospel.
Speaker 3 (21:31):
It's interesting to me if you, just as a.
Speaker 2 (21:33):
Side note, consider the fact that the same passage in
which they are praying about predestination in the sovereignty of God,
the divine and absolute sovereignty and rule of God, in
that same passage, they're out sharing their faith boldly and
(21:53):
courageously inviting people to come to Christ again. This perfect
balance when we pray to stand the principle that there
is the sovereignty of God in all things, including the
proclamation of the Gospel. But the sovereignty of God does
not in any way limit our human responsibility to share
the Gospel. And it is right here as they are
(22:17):
going everywhere preaching the Lord Jesus Christ with boldness, and
therefore there is a new enlargement. Lives are being changed,
people are being added to the church. God's people have
been transformed from an audience to an army. They are
loving one another, serving one another. They are establishing the church.
(22:38):
You see, worshippers are now turned to warriors for the
Word of God. They became part of the answer to
their own prayer as they left the place of prayer,
because prayer is not a smoke screen for idleness.
Speaker 3 (22:52):
Prayer propels us.
Speaker 2 (22:54):
Into the world to be a light to the world,
and is therefore the success of our witness.
Speaker 3 (22:59):
And here's a secret of our warfare. That's prayer. That's
what God does when we pray.
Speaker 2 (23:09):
They were publicly in the temple and daily from house
to house sharing Jesus Christ. You know, I've discovered that
if I am attended to the work of the Holy
Spirit in my life and sensitive to people around us,
he gives us opportunities more than we can possibly imagine
to share our faith.
Speaker 3 (23:29):
Every Where.
Speaker 2 (23:31):
There are people, some who have raised all their lives
in a religious experience, whether Baptist or something else, who
do not know Christ, who have never received the forgiveness
of sin and the power of Jesus to change their life.
Speaker 1 (23:47):
You're listening to PowerPoint with Jack Graham and the message
what happens when we pray on June thirtieth, we will
close our books on another year of ministry, and it's
critical we end strong. That's why generous from have stepped
forward with a two hundred thousand dollars matching grant, which
means every dollar you give by June thirtieth will be doubled.
(24:07):
Your gift to help meet this grant in full is
so important. We'll send you doctor Graham's powerful book Angels.
It's our special gift and thank you to you. This
encouraging book reveals what Scripture says about God's messengers and
how their presence reminds us that Heaven is always near.
Request your copy when you call and give today. Call
(24:28):
one eight hundred seven ninety five four six two seven.
That's one eight hundred seven ninety five four six two seven.
You can also text the word angels to five nine
seven eight nine. That's Angels to five nine seven eight nine.
And don't forget to visit Jack Graham dot org where
you can shop our East store, give a gift online,
(24:50):
or sign up for doctor Graham's free daily email devotional.
Our website again is Jack Graham dot org, and also
be sure to sign up for Doctor Graham's podcast Bible
in a Year pastor what is your PowerPoint for today?
Speaker 4 (25:06):
First of all, always remember that when you pray, God moves,
and I really believe that as you read about the
early Christians, as you think about the incidents in your
own life, when you've prayed, you can see and know
that God hears and answers prayer. You know, the aim
for all believers is for prayer to become not just
(25:27):
a part time thing, but really a way of life,
not just something you do now and again, the Scripture
encourages you and me to engage in constant and passionate prayer,
and that means praying about everything. Now, this doesn't mean
you have to give up all your daily commitments. So
you can pray all day, but apart from praying during
your regular times of devotion to the Lord, and when
(25:49):
you're meeting with other Christians, other believers in church or
in group prayers, or just when you're driving down the road,
make sure you keep your eyes open. But you can
pray wherever you go. Oh, you can turn your heart
towards God all day long. You can take breaks and
just thank God for His blessings, blessing breaks, and in
(26:09):
this way you can always invite God's presence and his
power in your life anywhere, anytime, at any moment. As
you continually surrender to the Lord in this way, then
the Holy Spirit, I promise you, will enable you to
trust in the Lord more and more. You will be
able to endure every kind of childlenge that comes your way.
(26:29):
And you're going to discover a courage that you didn't
even know you had, courage you need in moments of
uncertainty or doubt. Just like the early Christians, when these
believers yielded themselves to the Lord in prayer, the place
they were praying was shaken. And you know when you
yield yourself to the Lord in prayer, when you give
yourself unconditionally to the Lord, you can expect God to
(26:52):
move powerfully in your life to empower every situation that
you face. Prayer is one of the most value weapons
we have as a follower of Jesus, and through believing prayer,
God's presence is released and you and I can grow
into the kind of people the Lord has called us
to be for him faithful followers. So let me encourage
(27:13):
you today make prayer a way of life.
Speaker 1 (27:16):
And that is today's power Point. Remember when you give
a gift of ten dollars or more to PowerPoint, we'll
send you doctor Graham's book Angels as our thanks. Call
one eight hundred seven ninety five four six two seven.
That's one eight hundred seven ninety five four six two seven.
You can also text the word Angels to five nine
(27:38):
seven eight nine and join us again next time when
doctor Graham brings a message about how you can live
a life full of abundance, impact, and fulfillment. That's next
time on PowerPoint with Jack Graham. PowerPoint with Jack Graham
is sponsored by PowerPoint Ministry
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