THE INCREDIBLE POWER OF INTERCESSORY PRAYER

Without question the greatest power we have is the power of prayer. Perhaps the greatest power in powerful prayer is the Super-power of intercessory prayer! James said, ^“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.” (Emphasis mine) Notice that this great promise is given in the context of intercessory prayer! “…pray for EACH OTHER…” When we pray for others we are praying the way Jesus prays! “Therefore He is able to save completely those who come to God through Him, because He always lives to intercede for them” (Hebrews 7:25). JESUS ALWAYS INTERCEDES! THEREFORE, YOU ARE NEVER MORE LIKE JESUS THAN WHEN YOU ARE PRAYING FOR SOMEONE ELSE!

Today you can pray for others and use your incredible power to make a difference in someone’s life! Husbands pray for blessings on your wife and ask God to give you greater love for her. Wives praise God for your husbands and ask the Lord to give you even more respect for him. Parents pray for the protection of your children and the influences around them. Everyone pray for your church so you can see God move in power this weekend. Pray for your pastor that he will be full of the Holy Spirit and teach and preach with love and boldness. Pray for every volunteer at church that they will be deeply satisfied giving their time, talent, and treasure to serve others. Make lists- there is a lot to pray about! ~jkb

SCRIPTURE READINGS:

Express: Romans 7

Advanced: 1 Corinthians 13; Mark 5; Ephesians 3

Challenge: Revelation 21-22; Luke 4-6; 1 Thessalonians 4-5;

2 Thessalonians 1-3

SCRIPTURE MEMORY:

1) Acts 2:42

2) 1 Thessalonians 5:17 

PRINCIPLES OF PRAYER

One of the best books I’ve ever read is the small, helpful modern classic, THE HOUR THAT CHANGES THE WORLD by Dick Eastman. It divides an hour into 12 segments of 5 minutes, each focused on a different aspect of prayer such as praise, intercession , confession, etc. There is no reason why every believer can’t become a mighty man or woman in prayer-especially if we understand the multiple ways of approaching God. If you have never read the book I encourage you to pick up a copy and let it encourage you to become more adept and effective in prayer. The world won’t change by itself unless it gets worse. We can change the world through prayer!

SCRIPTURE READING

Express: Romans 6

Advanced: 1 Corinthians 12; Mark 4; Ephesians Challenge: Revelation 20; Hebrews 12-13; Luke 1-3; 1 Thessalonians 1-3

LAST SUNDAY’S SERMON ON PRAYER:

             WHEN WE PRAY

When I was in college, two friends and I went out to the University baseball field one summer, where we bothered no one and no one would disturb us, and there we prayed for hours each night. Each of us was praying for something significant. Paul was praying to find a church to pastor. In September he became a pastor. Larry, an evangelist, was asking God to bless an upcoming revival where he would be preaching. In September he went to Texas and 130 people came to Christ during the revival. I was a pastor of a small Baptist church in the tobacco fields of Kentucky, and I was praying for people to be saved. In September, at least one person came to Christ at my church every single week! That year, while I was still a young man, I learned the importance of praying for hours at a time to secure the blessings of God. This week, I pray our commitments to prayer will increase.

SCRIPTURE READINGS:

Express: Romans 4-5

Advanced: 1 Corinthians 11; Mark 3; Ephesians 1

Challenge: Revelation 19; Matthew 28; Hebrews 10-11, James 1-5

MY SERMON NOTES FROM SUNDAY 

PRINCIPLES OF PRAYER
Nehemiah 1:1-11

Jim Cymbala: “Persistent calling upon the name of the Lord breaks through every stronghold of the devil, for nothing is impossible with God. For Christians in these troubled times there is simply no other way.”

Oswald Chambers: “Prayer does not equip us for greater works- prayer is the greater work.”

Title/Text

PRAYER EMPOWERS YOU TO ATTEMPT SOMETHING NEW FOR GOD  … (vv. 4-11)

Jack Taylor: “How sickening that we should be content to operate within the confines of our puny power when the power of God is waiting to be released. And the means by which it is released is prayer.”

Wesley Duewell: “There is no limit to what any Christian may accomplish through prayer!”

– adoration (vv.4-5)
– intercession (v.6)
– confession (vv.6-7)
– petition (v.11)

GOD BLESS YOU AS YOU DEVELOP A LIFE OF PRAYER! ~jkb

THE POWER OF PRAYER

We start a new theme this week-one close to my heart and the heart of most Christians- PRAYER! Prayer has played a major role in the Church since the beginning. Acts 2:42 says when the church first started, 2000 years ago in Jerusalem, ^“And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.” (ESV) Notice the definite article with the word “prayers.” The English Standard Version correctly translates the literal greek in this passage. “The prayers” no doubt referred to the regular times of organized prayer at the Temple as well as, perhaps, to the many prayer meetings organized by the Apostles. The early church breathed the atmosphere of continual prayer (v.42). As Armin Gesswein observed, “The early church didn’t attend a prayer meeting, the early church was a prayer meeting.” 

SCRIPTURE READINGS:

Express: Romans 3

Advanced: 1 Corinthians 10; 1 Timothy 6; Mark 2

Challenge: Revelation 18; Matthew 26-27; Hebrews 9;  2 Peter 1-3

SCRIPTURE MEMORY:

1) Acts 2:42

2) 1 Thessalonians 5:17

INSPIRATIONAL QUOTES:

“Prayer begets Revival, which begets more prayer.”~Jim Cymbala

“The prayer offered to God in the morning during your quiet time is the key that unlocks the door of the day. Any athlete knows that it is the start that ensures a good finish.” ~ Adrian Rogers 

 SCRIPTURE READINGS

Express: Romans 2

Advanced: 1 Corinthians 9; 1 Timothy 5; Mark 1

Challenge: Revelation 16-17; Matthew 23-25; Hebrews 7-8; 2 John and 3 John

 SCRIPTURE MEMORY: 

1) 2 Timothy 3:16

2) Romans  10:17                                           

FAITHFULNESS TO THE WORD

Today is Sunday and Pastors will speak and classes meet, across the city, to study the Word. We are more than half way through our Spiritual Growth journey. How are you doing on your Bible reading” No matter how you are doing- even if you have fallen behind-start over-stay with it- stay committed to a daily practice-tomorrow will take care of itself!

Express: Romans 1

Advanced: John 21; 1 Corinthians 8; 1 Timothy 4

Challenge: Revelation 15; Matthew 21-22; Hebrews 3-6

SCRIPTURE MEMORY: 

1) 2 Timothy 3:16

2) John 17:17

 THE WORD OF GOD

I read the Bible everyday and I read about the Bible everyday! It’s a great life actually- I get to do what I love to do so each day when I go to work, it never seems like work. Of course there is a good bit more to ministry than Bible study but without the Word I would be useless. Imagine a family coming to plan a funeral and there was no Bible- what could I say? If a couple was having marriage problems and I could offer no words from God, what authority would my opinions carry for guidance? None. If I speak to an unbeliever who is wondering if there is a God, and I had no Bible, what good would I be? I would be as confused as the one I was trying to help! THE BIBLE IS THE HEART OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE-BECAUSE NOTHING ELSE REVEALS TO US THE MIND AND HEART OF GOD. ~jkb

SCRIPTURE READING

Express: John 21

Advanced: John 20; 1 Corinthians 7; 1 Timothy 3

Challenge: Revelation 14; Matthew 17-20; Hebrews 1-2

INSPIRATIONAL QUOTES

“To open the Bible is to open a window toward Jerusalem, as Daniel did (6:10), no matter where our exile may have taken us.” ~ N T Wright 

“Our Christian conviction is that the Bible has both authority and relevance, and that the secret of both is Jesus Christ.” ~ John R W Stott

    OUR THEME THIS WEEK-BIBLE STUDY 

On the last night of His life on earth Jesus reminded His disciples that the Holy Spirit would come to them and “He will guide you into all truth.” (John 16:13). That’s how we got the New Testament- the Holy Spirit inspired it “For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” (2 Peter 1:21) So, one reason why daily Bible study is so important is due to the fact that it comes from God! Today, as you read the Scripture remember, YOU ARE HEARING FROM GOD!

SCRIPTURE READING:

Express: John 20

Advanced: John 19; 1 Corinthians 5-6

Challenge: Revelation 13; Matthew 14-16; Colossians 1-4; Philemon

SCRIPTURE MEMORY:

1) 2 Timothy 3:16

2) John 17:17

INSPIRATIONAL QUOTES:

“Nothing less than a whole Bible can make a whole Christian.”~A. W. Tozer

“Defend the Bible? I would as soon defend a lion. Let it out of it’s cage and it will defend itself!”~ Charles Spurgeon

WHAT A SERVICE OF WORSHIP AND PRAISE I WAS IN LAST NIGHT! SOME SERVICES LAST WITH YOU FOR A LIFETIME- LAST NIGHT WILL BE ONE OF THOSE FOR ME. I SPOKE AT MT ZION BAPTIST CHURCH FOR THE THIRD NIGHT. DR. JOHN R ADOLPH FROM BEAUMONT ALSO SPOKE AND I HAVE NEVER HEARD PREACHING LIKE IT BEFORE- HE BLEW THE ROOF OFF THE BUILDING! IT WAS INCREDIBLE- THE WORD HAS SUCH MIGHTY POWER!!!

SCRIPTURE READING:

EXPRESS: John 19

ADVANCED: John 19; 1 Corinthians 4; 1Timothy 2

CHALLENGE: Revelation 12; Matthew 12-13; Philippians 1-4

INSPIRATIONAL QUOTES 

“Be walking Bibles.”~ Charles Spurgeon

“Point people to Scripture. Then get out of the way!” ~ Adrian Rogers

WE HAD ANOTHER AWESOME NIGHT AT MT ZION BAPTIST CHURCH LAST NIGHT! THE HOLY SPIRIT WAS MOVING IN A POWERFUL WAY. GOD WAS TALKING TO ME THROUGHOUT THE WORSHIP AND DURING THE OTHER SPEAKER’S (DR. JOHN R. ADOLPH) MESSAGE!

Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty! When the Spirit is moving, anything feels possible! 

SCRIPTURE READING:

Express: John 18

Advanced: John 17; 1 Corinthians 3; 1 Timothy 1

Challenge: Revelation 11; 2 Corinthians 10-13; Matthew 9-11

http://youtu.be/5nhFBnKUeLE