The Impact of Disciples’ Prayer

Written By Rev Law Hui Seng
23rd, August, 2009
Posted By Teresa Han

Acts 4: 23-31
Main Idea: To show the congregation the power of prayer
Objectives: a: To challenge the congregation to pray like the early disciples. b. To challenge the congregation to spend time in prayers, especially coming to Thursday night and Saturday morning prayer meetings.

Introduction
- I am as excited in preaching to you on prayer as preaching to you in mission and outreach. The reason is very simple, without prayer nothing in the spiritual realm will change. When God’s people pray God choose to work with them and see that God’s will is done. When God’s people prayed, mission is done. A great example is in the response of disciples of Jesus in SCAC to the Ulu Belega mission. There area monthly mission teams which are committed to go there and make a difference for Jesus among the Penans. There are 2 plus 2 missionaries who are lining up for the mission work there.
- Here locally, we have been praying for the Pujut Primary School school students to respond to come to our BB, GB and children Sunday School, I witness with my own eyes, a few children are now coming to our BB and Sunday School.
- Myself as the pastor of this church I have no doubt at all that there is great impact in the prayers we do. My strong conviction about prayer is any prayer that is done according to the word of God in the bible and according to the will of God, God will answer. Why I purposely mention the will of God? This is because a lot of things, details about life are not taught in the bible, so, you need to know God’s will for you. Things like is this the person whom God provides me as a life partner; the college I should go after Form 5 or Form 6? What course to do? to do this business or that business or not? Which job to take up? what job to apply? Etc.
- I am not just doing my job here as a pastor telling you to pray. I am not at all discouraged when you do not come for prayer meetings. I do not take it personally. I am doing much more than I am a pastor. I am preaching to you today if you do not believe in the power and impact of prayer, you lose so much, you miss the divine power; you miss God’s power at work in you.
- The early disciples’ believed in the power and impact of prayer. I know there is a world of difference between the context of the passage today and our context today. Their context was one of persecution of christians and they could be killed any time. Our context has no persecution. We have all the freedom to preach Jesus. And we are all living in very comfort zone. We experience no disaster; no political destability; we may have H1N1 disease but our lives are not threatened yet, etc. So we may not exercise prayer as much. We do not need God as much.
- But it is under this kind of circumstance; this context, we are greatly challenged to believe in the impact and power of prayer.
- I find it very hard to preach a sermon like this when we are living in a very good condition. Because at the end of the day, you may not feel the need for it. However, this is where I am greatly challenged to trust God that despite this circumstance, you will see the impact of prayer; the power of prayer.
- Let us learn from the powerful prayer of the early disicples.
A Powerful prayer of the early disciples (Verse 31)
- At the end of the prayer of the early disciples, the word of God today says in verse 31, “After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God bodly.
- What was the impact of the early disciples’ prayer? At least 3 things we can see. Firstly, the place where they worshipped God, where they prayed, was shaken. Do you expect this to happen in GMC? Secondly, they were filled by the Holy Spirit. Do you expect this to happen to you as you pray? If you do not, then, I question whether you really pray or not. Thirdly, they spoke the word of God bodly. Do you expect it to happen to you after you pray? If you do not, then, I believe you do not put much faith into your prayers. A lot of christians who made investment in business, they strongly believe they are going to make money/ profit. When you pray to preach the gospel, to give testimony, do you believe that God can give you the boldness like the way He gave to the early disciples? Do you believe like christian businessman who will make money for his investment?
- The belief to speak bodly for God is not just a matter of psychology because God comes in to take away the fear of all kinds; it is divine encounter with God.
- Do you believe in the powerful impact of prayers like the early disciples?
- Let us now examine the powerful and impactful prayer of the early disciples. You pray the same nature of prayer after this.

What actually characterised a powerful prayer?
- What characterised this church? You may like to say majority of us are professionals; we emphasize mission; we emphasize on teaching the word of God; we give much, etc. What characterised a powerful prayer?

- Firslty, a powerful prayer is a prayer done by the whole congregation who is united in prayer (verse 24a). For apostles Peter and John, after the release from jail; after being given warning (4:17) not to preach Jesus; after being given further threats (4:21), they went back to see their fellow disciples to report what had happened to them. After hearing all the news, they prayed in loud voice with all unity. In verse 24, it says, “...they raised their voices together in prayer to God. “Sovereign Lord,” they said, “you made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything in them...”
- Can you see the power of praying together as a whole congregation in unity for the same thing? It is just like a laser beam that gather and focus all the heat at one point to cut pieces of iron or steel. When every member of a congregation, as many as possible, in fact, the more the better, you gather enough strength, heat to form into one powerful force of request that point to God. God cannot help but pick up that strongest request to do His will. I pray that you see my point of a powerful prayer.

- Secondly, a powerful prayer is a prayer that honours God (verse 24b). Spiritually, the word honour has everything to do with worship. When you honour God, you worship Him. When you honour someone, he or she must have good qualities or character worth your adoration. Similarly, when you honour God, the person of God, the divine being, definitely must have good qualities or characters that deserve your adoration, your worship, your love. In verse 24b, in the early disciples’ prayer, they address God as the the creator, it says, “you made the heaven and the earth, and everything in them.”
- Remember, the early disciples said the loud prayer in unity under the condition of possible persecution. As they face possibe persecution, imagine with them how they can still appreciate God; worship God; honour God. In the midst of persecution, they could still go beyond themselves and praise God as creator, this is powerful prayer. They did not pray to be spared from persecution. They went beyond themselves to honour God. This prayer is powerful because it achieves the purpose of strong belief and conviction of God in the person of Christ, as creator.
- Brothers and sisters in Christ, if you are really in Christ, when you are teased for faith in Christ; in big troubles; business failures; relationship problems; children disobeyed you; you are depressed and hurt; you are very sick to the point of dying, etc, will you still honour Jesus as the creator of all things? If so, then, your prayer that honours Jesus is very powerful. It shows your strong faith in Christ the circumstance.

- Thirdly, a powerful prayer is a prayer that builds on real experience of the past servants of God (verses 25 and 26). The early disciples quoted the prophesy of David which was empowered by the Holy Spirit and recorded in verses 25 and 26. It was a prophesy about how nations, kings and rulers went against God in the Old Testament days. This part of the prayer is powerful because it helps us to see that the prophesy came true in those and it also came true in the early disciples’ days. It is a recognition of how history repeats itself. A prayer that shows that you see the same old problems is powerful because of its prophetic element. The fact that you are able to see the same problem repeated in the future is very powerful. Then, you can do something about it.
- Fourthly, a powerful prayer is a prayer that speaks the truth (verse 27). When you come before God in the person of Jesus, you have to face Him with all honesty, openness and transparency, you cannot escape from His examination of your deepest motives, hearts and minds. He knows all your lies, excuses, hyprocrisy, ulterior motives, etc. You cannot hide anything from Him. However, if you are able to tell God the truth in your prayer like the early disciples, it is very powerful. The early disciples sincerely told God the truth that Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with Gentiles and the people of Israel to conspire against Jesus, the servant of God on earth.
- Despite your sinfulness; your ugliness, you are able to face God with all the truthful prayers, you have an intimate relationship with God. Under whatever circumstances, nobody can rob you of it. When you own an intimate relationship with God; the presence of God is with you. Then, who can harm you; who can afford to go against you. No enemy is strong enough to pull you down when God is on your side. So, come and always pray truthful to God and keep a intimate relationship with Him.
- Fifthly, a powerful prayer is a prayer that is done according to God’s will (verse 28). It was God’s will that Jesus was crucified, dead, and buried for the purpose of serving as a sacrificial lamb to redeem mankind. The early disciples prayed according to the will of God when they prayed in verse 28, “They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen.” When you pray according to God’s will recorded in the Bible, it will definitely be done. How can God not grant the request of His own will? So, take for instance, if you pray for someone to repent from sin, God will make sure it happens. Let me qualify myself; it will happen in God’s timing. If the person whom you pray for is not repenting, God has a purpose somewhere and you may seek God about it. Personally, when it is praying according to God’s will, I am most excited and dare to pray freely. This is because God must answer a prayer that is according to His will. So, now you know a prayer that is according to God’s will is powerful.

- Sixthly, a powerful prayer is a prayer that depends on God (verse 29). Do you see your prayer this way? When you pray with all sincerity, honesty and with all your heart, mind and soul, you are actually depending on God in whatever you are doing. Praying is depending on God to do it for you. The early disciples prayed to depend on God when they told God the threats of the opposition camp and asked God to empower them to speak God’s word boldly. When you depend on God, He helps you. That is the power of a prayer depending on God. When you depend on money, skill, knowledge, etc, they can help you as far as one of them can. If a problem require more than money to solve, then, money cannot solve. If your problem is pride, you think any amount of money, skill, knowledge can help you to overcome pride? In fact, the more money, skill, knowledge you may become more proud. You need God to come in to humble you, only then you can overcome your own pride. You need to tell God in the person of Jesus that you have pride and ask Him for forgiveness, then, you will solve the problem of pride.


- Seventhly, a powerful prayer is a prayer that trusts God for miracles (verse 30a). You see, in life, there are lots of impossible things which are impossible to achieve. But God in the person of Jesus can do the impossible if He wants His will be done. When you trust God for a miracle, then, there is a possibility that it can happen? Is there a place for miracles in your life? I always pray for miracles for church members who are in crisis in terms of marriage, disobedient children, having bad habits, health problem. Do you pray for miracles? A powerful prayer is a prayer that trusts God for miracle because it may happen. The early disciples prayed in verse 30a, “Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders...” Then, if you do not pray for a miracle, then there is no possibility of it.

- Eightly, a powerful prayer is a prayer done in Jesus’ name (verse 30b). Brothers and sisters, a prayer done with all your sincerity, honesty, and with your whole being in the name of Jesus, the most holy name, the most powerful name, anything can happen. I have preached to you before, when you pray in the name of Jesus Christ, you are appealing to the highest authority on heaven and on earth for an answer. When you say in the name of Jesus; you think of Jesus; you connected yourself with Jesus through your prayers, worship, reading your bible, meditation, etc, you caught the attention of Jesus, and He must attend to you. In the name of Jesus, I ask you which earthly father or mother will not pay attention to his or her child when he or she calls? Do you now see why the early disciples end their prayers with the phrase, in verse 30b, “... through the name of your holy servant Jesus”? Only prayer made in the name of Jesus deserves His attention, that makes it powerful.

Conclusion.
- Only a prayer honoured by Jesus is most powerful. So, now, you know how to pray powerful prayer?

Decide to help the poor

Written By Rev Law Hui Seng

16th August, 2009
Posted By Teresa Han

Acts 4:31-36
Main Idea: Help the poor.
Objective: To challenge the congregation to make a wilful decision to help the poor.

A. Introduction
- Listen to this interesting story entitled “The Guest.”
- A pious father always closed grace for the evening meal with these words: “Come, Lord Jesus, be our guest and bless what thou hast provided.” “Papa,” said the little son, “every evening you ask Jesus to come and be our guest, but He never comes.” “My son,” replied the father, “we can only wait. But we know that he will not despise our invitation.” “Well, then” asked the little fellow, “if we expect him at the table.” And so to save further embarrassing questions, the father permitted the boy to set a place at the table. Just then a knock came at the door. When they opened it a poor helpless waif stood shivering in the cold. The son thought for a moment and finally said, “I guess Jesus could not come today, and so he sent this poor boy in his place.” With little further conversation the little beggar boy was brought in and set at the empty place at the dinner table.
- The little beggar boy is the poor sent by God to the family.
- The scripture has very strong teaching about helping the poor. Matthew 25:35, 40. “For I was hungry and gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.” Then in verse 40, Jesus says, “I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.”

B. Explanation of the text.
- The scripture lesson today is the direct application of the teaching of Jesus on helping the poor by the disciples.
- Let us see how they went about helping the poor. How they get to do it?
- Before the disciples (Peter, John and the early believers) were so willing to help the poor, in verse 31 we are told that they prayed and were filled by the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God. Let us now see the results of prayers and being filled by the Holy Spirit.
- In verse 32, we are informed that believers were one in heart and mind. This is a strong characteristic of the infant church; this is a strong expression of unity; how united they were? The later half of verse 32 says, “No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had.”
- In verse 33, we are told that the apostles had great power to testify the resurrection of Jesus, and much grace was upon them all.
- In verse 34, we are informed that there was no needy persons. Why? From time to time, the disciples who sold lands or houses and brought money from the sales to help the poor, by passing all the money to the apostles.
- Verse 35 says that they gave the money to the apostles and they distribute the money to anyone as he had need.
- Take note this is all as a result of prayers and filling by the Holy Spirit. I believe that as a result of prayers, desire for possession become minimum. The early disciples also tend to renounce their property and practise self-sacrifice and mutual benevolence.
- According to verse 35, you can see the rule to help the poor is based on need, the money was distributed he had need.
- In verses 36 and 37, I can see that Luke felt it was worthy to highlight a personal example to show how people at that time from far away land like Cyprus also gave to the poor. This guy called Joseph, a Levite in the Jewish tradition must have been touched by God in a great manner, he sold a piece of land and brought his money to the apostles. Probably he was one of those Jews who was dispersed after the Babylonian conquest.
- The whole passage this morning is not so explicit about the motive of helping the poor but if you were to study carefully verse 35, it says, “... it was distributed to anyone as he had need.”
- Why it said that? Firstly, if there was no poor people who had need, there would not be a need to sell the land and houses. Secondly, people who contributed must have been filled by the Holy Spirit, touched by God, and sold something they could afford to sell.
- Your heart for the poor; your desire to reach out to the poor must be coming from God or it is a result of reading God’s word to help the poor. It is God’s will to help the poor. So, you do not come before God to ask if it is God’s will to help the poor.
- You must pray to God, “Send me poor people for me to help.”
- Your response will depend on how willing are you to help. You need to see as God sees the need of the poor.

C. Application.
- Are you willing to help the poor? Those of you who choose to be complacent, living in comfort, don’t want to dirty your hands. God says, “Stay where you are...I don’t force you to help the poor.” Unless God wants to use you like the way He used Paul otherwise He will not appear to you like He appeared to Paul to get you to help the poor.
- To those of you who are willing to help the poor; you are willing to pay the price to obey Christ; you are more than willing to do it; you take it as a privilege to do it; you expect God to bring the poor to your doorstep; expect God to give you the information about where are the poor people.
- Let me share with you a great area of need among the poor Penan children at Ulu Belaga. They all cannot afford to go to school, they need people who can do short term mission in the area of education; and of course long term mission in the area of education. Are you willing to dirty your hands to go there and teach for one or two days to get them excited about education and eventually sponsor them to go to school? We need sponsorship for the 4 missionaries who are going in at the end of the year and at the beginning of next year. If you do not go, will your money go. One brother from Mei Ann Methodist Church has sponsored one year of a missionary’s salary. RM1,500 per month.
- There are lots of people in Tudan and Permyjaya who are poor. Some of them are our church members. If you desire to help the poor in anyway you can, you can call up Pastor Chan. She always has somebody in mind whom you can help. I will always encourage you to give in kind and do not give money.
- Thank you for some of us who have faithfully giving to help to buy rice for a few families in Tudan.
- Let me push you to a corner to ask you for a decision to help the poor if you have not been doing it.
- Now, unless you decide to help the poor, otherwise, I cannot publize for GMC to help the poor. Only when majority of us decide to do it, then, God will send the poor coming knocking at our door.
- How to help the poor? These are some areas you can help. Provide a space for someone who is in trouble to stay for a few days. Provide something for poor children to eat. To give some money to poor students to help them to pay annual school expenses. To help the poor to find a simple job or a better job (Do you have job for a welder?) Help widow who have many children to support. Help those who are involved in accidents and lost their ability to work. Help the poor to apply for monthly social welfare grant. Bring them to see doctor and pay the bills.
- Researcher M. Douglas Meeks describe Wesley’s ministry with the poor in the following manner. It was intensely practical. It includes: “feeding, clothing, housing the poor; preparing the unemployed for work and finding them employment; visiting the poor, sick and prisoners; devising new forms of health care education and delivery for the poor; distributing books to the needy; and raising structural questions about an economy that produced poverty. Wesley’s turn to the poor, however, was not simply service of the poor, but more importantly life with the poor. He actually shared the life of poor in significant ways, even to the point of contracting diseases from their beds... To be in Christ meant to take the form of Christ’s own life for and with the poor. To be a disciple of Christ meant to be obedient to Christ’s command to feed His sheep and to serve the least of His sisters and brothers.”
- Wesley was convinced that there is no substitute for personal contact with the poor. Wesley says, “One great reason why the rich in general have so little sympathy for the poor is because they so seldom visit them. Hence it is that, according to the common observation, one part of the world does not know what the other suffers. Many of them do not know, because they do not care to know. They keep out of the way of knowing it , and then plead their voluntary ignorance as an excuse for their hardness of heart.”
- Brothers and sisters, Wesley brought to the poor not only a sense of their own worth but a sense of their power over their own destiny.

D. Conclusion
- Are you inspired to help the poor? Have you decided to help the poor?

Give Thanks In All Circumstances

Written By Rev. Law Hui Seng
9th August, 2009
Posted By Teresa Han

1Thess 5:16-18
Main Idea: Give Thanks In All Circumstances
Objectives: a. To challenge the congregation to give thanks in all circumstances. b. To challenge the congregation to take concrete action to show your gratitude to God for what He has done for you.

A. Introduction What Thanksgiving is all about?
- Too often our gratitude is dependent on the circumstances of life. A beautiful hymn to counteract such thinking was written by Martin Rinkart during 30 years war (1618-1648). Rinkart was a pastor in Saxony, Germany, as these turbulent years unfurled, and for a season he was the only pastor in Eilenburg. His pastoral duties caused him to preside at nearly 4,500 burials in 1637 alone. In the context of this bad circumstance, Rinkart penned the words to “Now Thank We All Our God.” It is a hymn of unconditional gratitude to God. We need to learn from the content of it in this thanksgiving season.
- A grouchy, young man was confronted by his pastor for being so negative during the Thanksgiving season. The young man responded, “Preacher, what do I have to be thankful for? I don’t have even enough money to pay all of my bills!” The wise pastor replied, “In that case, you should be thankful that you aren’t one of your creditors.”
- A little boy was asked by his father to say grace at the table. While the rest of the family members waited, the little guy eyed every dish of food his mother had prepared. After examination, he bowed his head and honestly prayed, “Lord, I don’t like the looks of it, but I thank you for it, and I’ll eat it anyway. Amen.”
- These are good examles of giving thanks in all circumstances.
- How can you give thanks to God when you have a car accident? Sickness and suffering? Broken relationship? Bad day?
- I pray that at the end of my sermon, you will be able to agree with word of God and start to practise “Give thanks in all circumstances” – especially in bad circumstances.

B. The Context of the 2 Verses
- Before verse 18, you have verse 16, Be joyful always, verse 17 says you need to pray continually.
- These 3 verses are among the last few verses of the 1Thessalonians. Why this kind of final instruction? According to the immediate context, from verses 12 to 15 the reason could be due to some interpersonal problems among the Thessalonians.
- Commentator Leon Morris believed the leaders of the Thessalonian church tried to put things right, and their manner of doing so may well have aroused opposition.
- To address the the problem, Paul came in to help the situation by instructing them: verse 12 to respect those who work hard among them
Verse 13 to hold them in the highest regard; live in peace
Verse 14 to warn the lazy, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient
Verse 15 don’t pay back wrong for wrong, try to be kind to each other.

C. Explaining the text.
- Joy. In doing all these things, the readers, the congregation is to approach all these things with a joyful attitude.
- That is why Paul wrote the verse 16, “Be joyful always;”
- For a christian to be joyful always requires him to be born again, a new creation; he does not see things from earthly perspectives.
- He sees things as a child of the heavenly father, he rejoices in the father’s world.
- He does not produce joy by his own efforts; take for instance, he is happy when things go well; not this joy that depend on circumstances.
- It is the joy that comes from being in Christ. How? In very bad circumstance, you have to think more of Jesus than your difficulties; you have to think more of your spiritual richness in Christ than your poverty on earth; you have to think more of your glorious future with Christ than your unhappy past; interpersonal relationship problem/conflict. If so, you can rejoice now.
- Prayer. From this joy, it will spring forth continuous prayer; joy in your life will give rise to a spirit of prayer.
- Christianity is a “faith” that turns your thoughts away from yourself and your small deeds to the great God who has blessed you with the great salvation in Christ.
- It is God, Jesus who saved you, you can’t bring about your salvation.
- After you are saved, you are to depend on God for everything; God surround you with love.
- Continuous prayer is the continuous expression of this dependence.
- Prayer and rejoicing are closely related, for often you find in prayer the means of removing that which is the barrier to joy.
- Give Thanks. Prayer removes obstacles to your joy, it results in Christians giving thanks to God in all circumstances, including the bad circumstance.
- You see, after you are saved by Christ, everything is changed. You have eternal life. Now, God has every right to intervene in your life; He wants to work out his loving purpose for your life.
- This leads to the thought that the same loving purpose is being worked out even in those events which the believer is inclined not to welcome at all.
- When you come to realize that God’s hand is in all things, you learn to give thanks in all things. It includes suffering.
- Suffering is unpleasant, yet in the midst of suffering, you will give thanks, knowing that the heavenly father who loves you so greatly has permitted suffering on you or your loved ones so that his wise and merciful purpose might be worked out.
- Out of this central truth, Paul calls all of you to give thanks to God in all circumstances.
- In chapter 1:6, we are told that in severe suffering, Thessalonians welcomed Paul’s message with joy given by the Holy Spirit.

D. Application.- How do you apply verse 18 “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
- When you do it, your faith will grow deeper. Your faith will not be superficial. That is you will not give thanks to God for good things only. You will also give thanks in bad circumstances. Take for instance, you will not let your emotions affect your relationship with God.
- Your faith will grow stronger. This is because you are able to stand the test. Bad circumstances test the strength of your relationship with God. In bad circumstance, you still trust God, hold on to Him and do not doubt Him, your faith will grow stronger.
- Fanny Crosby, a blind gospel hymn writer in the 19th century, wrote more than 8000 texts. One of her hymns is found in UMH 369 Bessed Assurance. In suffering of blindness, she can count God’s blessings and goodness.
- Romans 8:28 “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called to his purpose.”
- 1Corinthians 10:13, “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.”
- James 1:2-4, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”
- Whatever trials you face in life, as your faith is tested, it will produce the character of perseverance which leads to maturity.
- How do you practically give thanks to God? In terms of good things you get, remember to pray; tell others to witness for Jesus; write about it; give an offering; sing a song of thanksgiving.
- In terms of bad things you get, you also give thanks immediately and acknowledge God’s goodness; pray to give thanks for other things; after everything is over, you give thanks for the bad circumstance because God use it to mould your character.

E. Conclusion.
The best way to give thanks to God in all circumstances is to offer to serve God, tell God, “Here I am, I am available to serve you, as an act of gratitude to your blessings, moulding. I am willing.....”