Build It: Part 3
Build It || Part 3, Day 5
Matthew 16:13-19 NKJV
When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” So they said, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
Luke 19:13 KJV
And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come.
Jesus gave us the prayer strategy to build and to occupy.
In Matthew 6, He told us to pray and fast then told us how to do it.
In Matthew 7, He told us that the strategy to receiving, finding and opening is to ask and keep asking, to seek and keep seeking and to knock and keep knocking.
In Matthew 15, He taught us that petitioning in faith would overcome any obstacle of pedigree.
In Matthew 18, He told us about the power of the corporate prayer and agreement.
In Matthew 20, He taught us to keep crying out to Him, no matter what kind of doubt the crowd is trying to lay in front of us.
In Matthew 21, He told us that big things move when we eliminate doubt and pray in faith.
In Mark 1, Jesus received the strategy to evangelize whole cities after spending time in prayer.
In Mark 5, He shows us that death nor doubters can stand in the way of petitioning Him in faith.
In Mark 6, He shows us that success in ministry must start and finish with prayer.
In Mark 9, He tells us that some demons only leave when we are praying and fasting.
In Mark 11, He tells us that His house will be a house of prayer.
In Mark 14, He tells us that the way to avoid entering into temptation is to pray.
In Luke 5, Jesus showed us that His effective ministry was marked by prayer.
In Luke 6, He chose the apostles only after spending all night in prayer.
In Luke 7, He taught us about the authority we have in the prayer of faith.
In Luke 10, He asks us to pray for more workers to bring in the harvest of souls.
In Luke 17, He shows us thanksgiving in prayer unlocks greater dimensions of healing and wholeness.
In Luke 18, He teaches us about the importance of persistent prayer.
In Luke 18, He tells us that praying with humility gets more answers than praying pretty.
In Luke 20, He tells us that God hates showy prayers.
In Luke 21, He tells us that a prayer life provides the strength and ability needed to overcome the schemes of the devil.
In Luke 22, He shows us that we can avert the plans of the enemy over someone’s life by praying for them.
In John 4, He shows us that we can pray something here, and affect what’s happening over there.
In John 11, He shows us that it doesn’t take many words of prayer to overcome even death.
In John 16, He tells us that we will have what we ask for, when we ask the Father for it, in His name.
In John 17, He prays for all of us, and His prayer is still being answered.
The apostles built and occupied through corporate prayer meetings.
In Acts 1, the church obeys Jesus and calls a 10 day prayer meeting. In Acts 2, He responds by sending the Holy Spirit to baptize them all.
In Acts 2, the church comes together every day for prayer meeting, and the church explodes in growth and power.
In Acts 3, a man is healed as the apostles are on their way to prayer meeting.
In Acts 4, the church calls a prayer meeting in response to the threats of the same people who killed Jesus. They pray for more boldness.
In Acts 12, the church calls an all-night prayer meeting and Simon Peter is miraculously delivered from the prison and his death.
In Acts 13, Paul and Barnabas are selected by the Holy Spirit to preach the gospel to the Gentiles, during a corporate prayer meeting.
In Acts 14, they appointed elders for every church, after a time of corporate fasting and prayer.
In Acts 16, Paul and Silas hold a midnight prayer and praise meeting in the prison and the Lord delivers everyone who is locked up.
In Acts 20 and 21, Paul calls a corporate prayer meeting just before he leaves his churches for the last time.
In Acts 27, in the face of certain death, Paul calls a prayer meeting on the storm-tossed ship and gives them the strategy for survival.
We can do more after we have prayed, but we cannot do more until we have prayed!
We don’t have prayer meetings here because we need more to do. We have them because we have so much to do.
Martin Luther was asked by a friend what his plans were for the following day. He replied, "Work, work from early until late. In fact, I have so much to do that I shall spend the first three hours in prayer"
As King Solomon finished praying, the nation that had gathered together for prayer witnessed the glory of God filling the house of God.
In the middle of the night, God appears to Solomon and responds to his prayer.
II Chronicles 7:12-15 NKJV
Then the Lord appeared to Solomon by night, and said to him: “I have heard your prayer, and have chosen this place for Myself as a house of sacrifice. When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people, if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to prayer made in this place.”
“Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to prayer made in this place.”
There are more than 100,000 words in your Bible about prayer. There are some of them that the church needs to get in our spirits today…
Jeremiah 33:3 NKJV
“Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.”
Let’s pray…