The Joshua Mission Podcast
Podcast – Weekly, Wednesday, from 29 05 2024 for 5 weeks
Updated 240315
Theme Introduction – Our Prayer Life
An Overview of Christian Discipleship
The 7 Universal Areas of Discipleship
The Vertical – with GOD –
- Word, Spirit, Worship, Prayer
The Horizontal – with our Fellows Human Beings
- Fellowship, Ministry, Witness
Each's Personal Call
Comes from the LORD to Each one of us
To be Sought of Him
Everyone is Called
The Place of Prayer
What is Prayer?
Communication with GOD
- Not Information Sharing But Sharing of Life
- Opening ourselves to Him
- Receiving His Input
The Importance of Prayer
Foundational to Building Relationship with GOD
Foundational to Making HIM the Centre & Rock of our lives
Basis of Finding and Receiving His Guidance & Empowering
Always Pray In the SPIRIT
Ephesians 6:18 – the Holy Spirit leads and empowers all our prayers
The Roles of Prayer
- Prayer as Communication
The Basic Action & Activity - Prayer as Communion
In-Depth Relationship & Rapport - Prayer as Ministry & Warfare
A Means of Spiritual Service
Session 1 – Prayer as Communication
Definition
The Act & Activity of Inter-Personal Sharing with God
Developing & Participating in Conversation
- Listening & Speaking
Building & Participating in Relationship with God
- Builds Up from Conversation
Types of Prayer
Purpose of Knowing Types of Prayer
Widens How we Pray
Improves our Conversation with God
Improves our Relationship with God
The Types
Acronym: ACTS – Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving & Supplication
- Adoration – Worship, Contemplation
- Confession – of Faith, of Sin
- Supplication – Petition, Intercession
Upward Prayers
- Praise
- Thanksgiving
- Adoration
- Confession of Sins
Internalising Prayers
- Contemplation
- Confession of Faith
Downward Prayer
- Petition
Outward Prayer
- Intercession
Extensions of Prayer
Journaling – writing out or recording what is prayed
Songs – Prayer expressed through music and tune
Poems – Prayer expressed with rhythm & rhyme
Art – Prayer expressed through artistic media
Session 2 – Prayer as Communion
Prayer – Communication to Communion
Foundation in a Committed Devotional Life
Prayer as Listening & Sharing
Communing with God
In-Depth Rapport
Finding & Giving Empathy
Finding & Giving Response
In-Depth Communication
Opening up our Life to Him
- Sharing your thoughts – ideas, plans, perspective, values
- Sharing your feelings – fears, anger, sorrow, joy, peace, gratitude
- Sharing your possession – needs, desires, faith in His provision
- Sharing your interest – likes, dislikes, hobbies
- Sharing your desires – goals, ambitions, motives
- Sharing your relationships – talk with Him of family, friends, enemies, colleagues, strangers you meet
- Sharing your circumstances – your life situation, your work situation, your family situation, your personal situation
Seeking His Input
- Presence
- Instruction
- Moulding
- Guidance
- Empowering
Effects
- Learning & Gaining Insights
- Healing – wholeness in Christ
- Growth – towards Christ-likeness
- Transformation – towards Christ-likeness
- Answer to Prayer – Yes, No, Specific Words, Responding to His Answer
In-Depth Relationship
Building the Bond
- Faith
- Obedience
- Love
- Worship
Who is He to you?
- God, Creator, Lord, Master, King? Father, Brother, Friend?
- Shepherd, Farmer, Potter, Builder, Vinedresser?
Who are you to Him?
- Creation, servant, soldier, disciple, farmer, citizen? Child, brother, friend?
- Sheep, farm, pot, building, vine?
Session 3 – Prayer as Ministry & Warfare
Intercession – A Ministry through Prayer
Definition of Intercession – praying for others and for situations beyond our own
Other-oriented rather than self-oriented – lifts up before the Father other people & their situation and situations other than our own
Personal Level – whatever we pray for beyond our own self & our situation
Group Level – whatever we pray for beyond our own group & our group situation
The CALL to Intercede – 1 Tim 2:1-8
All Christians are called to Intercede
We are ALWAYS to Pray in the Spirit – Eph 6:18
Some may be Called Especially to make Prayer, especially Intercession as their Ministry in the LORD.
This is part & parcel of the fact that Every Christian has some types of gifts & some area of ministry as their personal call in the LORD.
The TWO Forms of Intercession – Two Forms of Ministry –
- Prayer as Ministry and
- Prayer as Spiritual Warfare
- The Two Often Work TOGETHER
Prayer as Ministry
Praying as A Channel of the Spirit's Action
Praying God's Will into person's or group's life
Praying God's Will into situations'
Exercising the Gifts of the Spirit through Praying to minister His love and grace Ministering to persons through praying
Exercising FAITH in Ministerial Prayer
Prayer as Spiritual Warfare
ALL Prayers – including Spiritual Warfare Prayers – are addressed to the LORD
Spiritual Warfare Prayer seeks the LORD's Leading and Empowering
- It is NOT asking Him to do what we want
- It is Asking HIM what HE wants of us in the area of doing spiritual warfare by lifting up to Him our specific concerns, plans & situation for His input
Warfare Prayer Different from Commanding in Jesus' Name
Just as Prayer Ministry is Different from Exercising the Gifts of the Spirit so Warfare Prayer is NOT the same as Commanding against spirits in Jesus' Name
Exercising FAITH in Warfare Prayer
Speaking In FAITH when commanding against the devil
Spiritual Warfare is Three-Dimensional
Guidance for What to Pray for –
Spiritual Warfare involves Sin, the World and the Devil
- Sin is the enemy in us
- the World is the fallen social and physical environment of this fallen world
- the Devil includes not only Satan but all demons and demonic presence, activity or action
- the 3 Dimensions are ALWAYS present and ALWAYS inter-penetrating so that one cannot deal with just one or two areas with concern for the other
It is therefore NEVER merely a case of casting out demons or assuming that everything that is wrong is due to demons
It is Right to Pray Against All of these, remembering that all Prayers are prayed in dialogue with GOD not addressed to people or spirits
Territorial Spirits
Evil spirits, according to biblical accounts, may control persons, powers, places and circumstances
BUT this does NOT amount to a case for a hierarchy of demons across the globe at all time in all places NOR for a policy of praying against such as matter of generalised practice
Any such presence or power has to be spiritually discerned by the enabling of the Holy Spirit as He may so reveal or lead us to do so even as we seek His specific revelation and leading and enabling for each situation
Prayer In Evangelism
Prayer in Evangelism involves BOTH Prayer as Ministry and Prayer as Spiritual Warfare
Praying for the Spirit's work of salvation in the lives of those we seek to be saved
Seeking the Spirit's leading
Praying out our desire and intention for the persons or people to be saved
Agreeing with the Spirit
Praying against anything of sin, the world or the devil that will hinder, dilute or deflect against the sharing of the Gospel is fine
BUT whether there is any specific spirit affecting specific person or place or situation has to be spiritually discerned by the Holy Spirit's revelation – not a matter to be assumed or generalised
Sunday Sermon – Our Lord's Prayer
Matthew 6:9-15
Our – We pray as a Member of the Body of Christ
Father – endearing, respectful
in heaven – the divinity of our Father
hallowed be Your Name - worship
Your Kingdom Come – our will, desire, commitment
Your Will be done on earth as it is in heaven – effect we seek of His coming Kingdom
Give us this day our daily bread – trust in His provision at point of need
Forgive us our debts – our NEED for His forgiveness
as we have also forgiven our debtors – Necessary Condition to receive forgiveness
Lead us not into temptation – request for His grace
but deliver us from evil – dependence on His protection
For Yours is the Kingdom, the Power & the Glory forever. Amen.
Closing Prayer of Faith & Declaration