Watch/Listen
Topic: Prayer
The Insane Importance of Prayer
Is prayer really that important? Does it really play a purpose in the grand scheme of things? If we believe the Scriptures to be true, it seems that prayer is “insanely” important – so much that we are to pray with “shameless audacity.” Some get bogged down with the idea of prayer because they see it as a religious ritual that is too complex and difficult to do in our regular lives. Yet the reality is that prayer is basically talking with God in an ordinary way about our ordinary lives. Read More
Daily Bread, Daily Forgiveness
In the next part of the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus teaches that prayer is about daily dependence on God to meet our needs, even though most people in our self-sufficient world do not think this way. We also discover the crucial role that forgiveness plays in our lives and the surprising freedom it can bring. Read More
I Dream of Genie-Jesus
As Christians we can sometimes lose sight of our true identity in Christ and become distracted by our lives, our interests, and our worries. We can begin to feel that God is a convenient “genie” who can fix what goes wrong in our lives or to bless our plans and ambitions. However, the truth of living in the Kingdom of … Read More
Prayer Games
The prophetess Anna understood the importance of praying with others. She spoke to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem. Today, we often live our lives isolated from otheres and are too busy to align ourselves with other believers. Anna shows us that being involved in a community of believers is an essential part of our walk with God. By looking at what Jesus taught in Matthew 18:19-20, we can learn three practical guidelines for cultivating a deeper fellowship with others in prayer. Read More
Beyond Drive-Thru Christianity
Prayer was a way of life for Anna. She prayed with patience and an expectation that God would come through. We, however, live in a fast-food society that tells us to “have it our way” with little investment and immediate gratification. Prayer is not a fast-food, drive-thru experience. Rather, just like a three course meal, it takes time and patience to develop a meaningful relationship with Jesus. There are three basic courses to a good meal with him. Read More
Prayer is for Real
Prayer was a way of life for Anna. She worshiped and prayed both night and day. As believers we know that prayer is powerful and effective. However, sometimes it is hard to know how to pray. It can become difficult to concentrate and feel that prayer is real. The example of Anna and others throughout scripture teach us three basic principles for an active and meaningful prayer life. Read More
When God Doesn’t Come Through
Anna was a woman who dedicated her life to prayer and fasting. She understood how prayer works in our complex world. As followers of God, we know that prayer is powerful and effective. However, it can sometimes be difficult to have faith that prayer really makes a difference, especially when our prayers are not answered in the ways we expect. It is important to consider how to reconcile our disappointments with the scriptural promises of prayer. Read More
Creating the Laser Beam
Prayer is powerful and effective. It is an important and necessary act of spiritual warfare for the believer. Throughout scripture, we are shown that prayer can change the outcome of situations. Believers are therefore called to pray, not solely out of obedience, but with a sense of urgency and faith. God uses our prayers to bring about his will on … Read More
Pray Until Something Happens
Rev. Brenda’s message today was entitled: Operation Push: Pray Until Something Happens, and was based on John 5:1-19. As stated in verse 19, “the Son can do nothing on his own, but only what he sees the Father doing.” Jesus walked with his spiritual eyes open in order to see what the Father was doing. He knew he had to stop and say what he could see. That is why Jesus was accurate in prayer. He only said what he could see. He only did what he could see God was doing. Read More
Neil Anderson, 8:45 a.m. Service
No study guide is available for this service, which was different from the 11:00 service. Read More
