{"id":12458,"date":"2016-10-01T15:15:31","date_gmt":"2016-10-01T19:15:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/?p=12458"},"modified":"2016-12-27T12:57:20","modified_gmt":"2016-12-27T16:57:20","slug":"becoming-agents-of-holiness-pt-1-91816","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/?p=12458","title":{"rendered":"Becoming Agents of Holiness- Pt 1 (9\/18\/16)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Pastor Jim is beginning a sermon series on Prayer, entitled “Becoming Objects of Holiness.”\u00a0 In this first week, he reminded us that prayer changes us; it doesn’t change God.\u00a0 In order to grow into holiness and to be an “agent” that God can use to His glory, we must develop an active and growing prayer life.
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And it’s important that we pray together as a family of believers in “Corporate Prayer.” Yeah- I can go into my “prayer closet” and pray all by myself; and that is important. But the Bible consistently models the power of prayer when we also take time to join together and offer our prayers in concert.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

The following recording is from the 11:00 service.\u00a0 Click on the play button, then scroll down to follow along…<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Our scripture reading was from Acts 6:1-7 and Ephesians 3:14-19. \u00a0\u00a0 Open the below drop down box to follow along.\u00a0 The New King James Version is shown below…<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

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Scripture Reading<\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t
Acts 6:1-7<\/span><\/h5>\n

6 Now in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplying, there arose a complaint against the Hebrews by the Hellenists, because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution.<\/p>\n

2 Then the twelve summoned the multitude of the disciples and said, “It is not desirable that we should leave the word of God and serve tables.<\/p>\n

3 Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business;<\/p>\n

4 but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”<\/p>\n

5 And the saying pleased the whole multitude. And they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch,<\/p>\n

6 whom they set before the apostles; and when they had prayed, they laid hands on them.<\/p>\n

7 Then the word of God spread, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith.<\/p>\n

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Ephesians 3:14-19<\/span><\/h5>\n

14 For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,<\/p>\n

15 from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,<\/p>\n

16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man,<\/p>\n

17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love,<\/p>\n

18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height \u2014<\/p>\n

19 to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n

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Prayer is a Holy Act…<\/span><\/h3>\n

To become Agents of holiness, we must have a full and active prayer life.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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In Leviticus 20:26 (and repeated frequently in other parts of the Bible), God commanded us:<\/p>\n

You are to be holy to me because I, the Lord, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be my own.<\/span> <\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

We are called to live holy lives (to be different from the crowd)… to reflect Christ.\u00a0 We are called to be “God-Reliant”, instead of being “Self-Reliant.”\u00a0 Prayer is integral to that, because prayer changes us.\u00a0 Prayer isn’t intended to change God, it’s real purpose is to mold us into God’s will and “way of thinking” and to depend on Him.\u00a0 This happens both when we pray individually and when we pray corporately.<\/p>\n

The Ten Commandments and also Prayer are given so we can grow into long and fruitful lives.\u00a0 But we cannot grow as disciples of Jesus Christ unless we are growing in our prayer life.\u00a0 We can’t grow in our relationship to God unless we’re talking to Him.\u00a0 Prayer is an opportunity to dialogue with God… and for Him to dialogue with us.<\/p>\n

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Do we give a shallow, routing prayer at the beginning of our meetings, and then end with a prayer asking God to bless what we just determined?\u00a0 What would happen if we really and earnestly poured out our hearts to God before the meeting to find out what God wants us to do? <\/span><\/p>\n

Would you trust the words of your surgeon, or the words of a committee???<\/span><\/div><\/div>\n

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Here are some quotes about prayer to get us started this morning…<\/p>\n

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