Prayer Revival: Acts 1:6-14

Good Evening Pinewood Church!

We want everyone to feel accepted, welcomed, and loved.

Opener:

We have experienced tremendous spiritual warfare since moving to Boulder. There have been high moments where we’ve experienced miracles from God and low moments when we can sense the enemy attacking. This evening we’re going to talk about what I believe is the greatest way to combat spiritual warfare.

Passage: Acts 1:6-14

Pray:

Big Idea: Preparing To Work With God Through Prayer

Today I want us to look at the importance of prayer in our everyday lives. We’re going to briefly examine a passage in Acts that speaks clearly to how the disciples viewed the pursuit of prayer and communication with God.

Appearances: Jesus had appeared to more than 500 people during the 40 days after the resurrection. At this point the disciples were beyond convinced that Jesus had been resurrected and is with them.

Ascension: Acts 1:6-11

Maybe the first thing you think of in the early parts of Acts is verse 3 on the Kingdom of God, or maybe Acts 1:5 and that you will receive “power”, or most people think of the start of the early church. But I want us to look at the later part of the text we read.

The first thing the disciples do after Jesus ascended into heaven is gather together and devote themselves to prayer.

There are many things they could have done… They could have immediately gathered everyone together and started working through a game plan of how they were going to spread the Good News of Jesus. They could have fought and argued over who would be the leader of the movement and who would have the titles. But collectively they were drawn to the one thing that mattered most…. Coming together in “one accord” in corporate prayer.

We see a consistent theme in the book of Acts on the subject of Prayer:

1. The believers prayed for guidance in making decisions - Acts 1:15-26
2. Courage to witness for Christ - Acts 4:23-31
3. Prayer was part of their normal daily ministry - Acts 2:42-47; 3:1;6:4
4. Stephen prayed as he was being stoned - Acts 7:55-60
5. Peter and John prayed for the Samaritans - Acts 8:14-17
6. Saul prayed after his conversion - Acts 9:11
7. Peter prayed before he raised Dorcas from the dead - Acts 9:36-43
8. Cornelius prayed that God would show him how to be saved - Acts 10:1-4
9. Peter was on the rooftop when God told him to be the answer to Cornelius’s prayer - Acts 10:9
10. Believers prayed for Peter when he was in prison and the Lord delivered him from both prison and death - Acts 12:1-11
11. The church at Antioch fasted and prayed before sending out Paul and Barnabas - Acts 13:1-3
12. It was a prayer in Philippi that God opened Lydia’s heart - Acts 16:13
13. Another prayer meeting in Philippi opened the prison doors - Acts 16:25
14. Paul prayed for his friends before leaving them - Acts 20:36; 21:5
15. In the midst of a storm he prayed for God’s blessing - Acts 27:35
16. After the storm he prayed that God would heal a sick man - Acts 28:8

In almost every chapter in Acts you find a reference to prayer. It is very clear that something miraculous happens when God’s people pray.

Prayer is not a last resort, it is our first response.

Key principles on prayer:

1. Prayer is a relationship with a person, not just a religious activity.

   1. “Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.” Jeremiah 29:12
   2. We need to have an unceasing relationship with God through prayer.
   3. In order to be effective for God, we must be in close relationship to God.
   4. This relationship is built and maintained through vulnerable communication.
   5. Illust: How do you build a relationship with your spouse, friends, and family? You communicate with them. You become vulnerable with them.
   6. Imagine if you can a person sitting across from you or beside you. In times of grief or struggles I’ve often imagined me crawling in God's lap as he comforts me. He is a person. He wants to lavish his love and comfort on you.
   7. “The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.” Psalm 145:18

   8. Prayer helps us see ourselves as God sees us. (We are His child, we are loved despite everything we have done, we are adopted.)

   9. Prayer ushers us into the presence of God. This can reveal our sins and urge us to repent. (Isaiah).

   10. “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!” Isaiah 6:5
   11. Illust: Praying with Harold. When you pray short prayers it’s difficult to really examine your life, but when you settle into prayer before a holy God you realize the love, grace, and mercy he has lavished on your life.
   12. “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” Hebrews 4:16

   13. If we are not in correct relationship with God, others will not see Him through us.

   14. If people say “You are so kind.” or “You have such a positive attitude!” our first reaction should be “Anything that is good in me is Jesus!”

   15. “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. - Psalm 139:23-24
   16. A right relationship gives a fruitful witness.
   17. God wants to do something in us, so that He can work something through us. The way he accomplishes both is through personal and corporate prayer.

   18. We must prepare ourselves if we want to experience the power of God. (Nobody is perfect. That is not what I’m going to talk about in our preparation, it’s not a pursuit of perfection that we’re after, it’s a pursuit of holiness before a holy God.)

   19. Entire Consecration. We come to God through Christ, not on our own holiness. But unconfessed sin can hinder prayer, so we consecrate ourselves.

       1. “The LORD is far from the wicked, but he hears the prayer of the righteous.” Proverbs 15:29

       2. “The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.” - James 5:16

          2. Wholehearted Love. We must love the Lord with our whole heart in preparation for effective prayer.

       3. When our lives are in tune with God, we pray with confidence.

       4. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:30-31

          3. Complete Obedience. We must strive for complete obedience. Obedience, love and power are connected.

       5. Through careful obedience and constant communication with God, we can live free from sin’s rule (Romans 6:14)

       6. Living a holy life is our pursuit.

       7. Although we may slip, we can live the life God expects of us.

          4. Full Surrender. We must be fully surrendered to God.

       8. “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” Romans 12:1

       9. We need to pray for revival of God’s people that leads to spiritual awakening.

   20. God will create circumstances for us to serve and witness in response.

   21. Prayer connects us with God’s power and allows us to accomplish things we could not accomplish otherwise.
   22. So much of what God is calling us to in Boulder is impossible! But we serve a God who is an impossibility specialist.
   23. With God nothing is impossible.
   24. “If God is for us, who can be against us?” Romans 8:31
   25. Question: Do you believe God can do more in a second of prayer than you could do in a lifetime in your own efforts?

   26. We need to put names and faces on those that need to experience the freedom found in Jesus.

   27. Illust: My Personal Testimony

   28. We need to pray specifically. God honors these prayers.
   29. Answered intercessory prayer can be a powerful witness to the lost.
   30. Prayer is both our greatest access ministry and our greatest asset in ministry.
   31. Application: As we meet people in our day to day lives, if we are intentional we can discover challenges that they are facing. Pray for them, let them know you are praying for them, and believe that God is going to answer your prayers!

If we want to see revival in Boulder. It starts with prayer. And it starts now.

Action Steps For This Week:

1. Commit to fast this Wednesday from morning till noon. Take that time to pray to God specific things in your life.
2. Commit to praying for the body of Christ. Pray for protection, comfort, healing, and divine appointments. Pray for people by name.
3. Commit to pray for the lost. People that you know that are far from God. Pray specific and pray consistent.

Let’s pray.