The Pillars of the Church – PRAYERS
Introduction and Prayer
Open your Bibles! Come on, we love the Bible. Let’s open them up this morning to Acts chapter 2. We are talking about the pillars of the church—things that build the church and what the first church thought was important in making disciples. We want to follow that model and make disciples in line with it.
Before we jump into the Word, let’s pray.
Lord, I just thank You and praise You for the anointing of the Holy Spirit. Thank You, Lord Jesus, for teaching us. I yield to the unction that Blake was talking about—wherever You want to go, whatever You want to do, Lord, that’s what we want to do. We want to be obedient to You, so all formalities go out the window. Lord, we just want to follow You, we want to dance with You.
Holy Spirit, I pray that Your presence would touch our hearts. Let it be more than just a sermon, a talk, or a message—Lord, I pray that there be a revelation that comes into our spirit. Let there be signs following. Confirm the Word with signs following today for the glory of Jesus Christ. We love You, Lord, and we praise You. In Your name, I pray. Amen. Amen.
Acts Chapter 2: The Foundation of the Church
Acts chapter 2—we’ve been on this for several weeks now, and we’re about to finish up. In the next six months, we’ll be done with Acts chapter 2. I have a habit of doing that—when I get onto something, I just gnaw it to pieces. But there’s a purpose behind this. I believe it’s for our church.
Verse 40 says, “And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, ‘Be saved from this perverse generation.'” Then those who gladly received his word were baptized, and that day about 3,000 souls were added to them.
Three thousand souls—praise the Lord! Do it again! Yeah, do it again, Lord. Let 3,000 souls be added to The Roads Church in the name of Jesus. Can you believe with me for 3,000 souls? Not everybody can believe for that one, and that’s all right. We have a small mentality. If we’re spread out over multiple locations, 3,000 souls is not that hard to think about.
Don’t just think about North City, Carlinville, Mount Carmel, Marion, or Effingham—what if God wants to reach a region and add 3,000 souls in a short period of time? Can we release our faith for that? Some people have a problem with big churches. But those who love to see people come to know Jesus and be saved—they are the ones who love to see souls come into the Kingdom.
Jesus said, “I did not come for the ninety-nine; I came for the one. I’m going to leave the ninety-nine to go after the one.” We have to have a heart for souls. As I was walking in the building in Carlinville, I thought, “There’s a whole community of souls that need to be reached for Jesus.” Thank You, Lord, for this church You’ve planted in Carlinville, North City, Mount Carmel, Marion, and Effingham—not for the glory of man, not for the glory of a name, but because Jesus loves souls.
The Four Pillars: Teaching, Fellowship, Breaking of Bread, and Prayer
Verse 42: “And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine, fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.”
We’ve been praying and asking the Lord how He wants to build His church. My mindset has continued to evolve and change. As I gain more clarity on what the Lord wants me to do and how He wants me to do it, I see the value of making disciples—not just drawing crowds. How deep are those crowds? Not in numbers, but in spirit. Are they disciples, or are they just church attenders?
Matthew 28:19 says, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.” The words “make disciples” in Greek are matheteuo, a verb meaning to instruct or teach in the ways of a specific leader. That leader is not me—it’s Jesus. We are to make followers of Him.
Prayer: The First Church’s Commitment
Today, we are still talking about prayers. The first church was committed to praying continually. So the question this week is: How do we make mathētĕuō—disciples of Jesus—who love to pray?
We need to increase the prayer life of believers. Maybe they didn’t pray much before, but now they pray a little. We want to see growth in that. This is our goal: to teach them the value of prayer and the knowledge to pray.
The Lord gave me something simple: The ABCs of Prayer. Originally, I planned to cover all three today, but as I studied, I realized there was no way I could do that. So today, I’m just going to give you the A.
A stands for Always for All Things.
Turn to Ephesians 5.
A = Always for All Things
Ephesians 5:15 says, “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time because the days are evil.”
This is why we need to pray. The days are evil! We need to redeem the time—take advantage of it, buy it back, invest in it. Utilize the time we have; don’t waste it. The algorithm of your social media feed cannot guide your life. You watch a few videos, and suddenly, your reality is shaped by them. But the Word of God should guide your life, not memes and viral clips.
Verse 20 says, “Giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Always means always—at all times, for every occasion.
Always answers two questions:
- When do we pray? – Always (this speaks of priority).
- When do we stop praying? – Never.
For all things answers two more questions:
- What do we pray about? – Everything.
- What do we not pray about? – Nothing.
Philippians 4:6 says, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.”
How do we overcome anxiety? We pray about everything. The more I pray, the less anxious I am. The less I pray, the more I worry.
Conclusion: A Call to Prayer
We should always pray! What does A stand for in the ABCs of prayer? Always for all things.
When should we pray? Always. When should we stop praying? Never. What should we pray about? Everything. What should we not pray about? Nothing.
Jesus said, “My house shall be called a house of prayer.” Let’s make prayer a priority. When you wake up, let the first word out of your mouth be Jesus.
Scriptures references:
- Acts 2:40 – “And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, ‘Be saved from this perverse generation.'”
- Acts 2:42 – “And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine, fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.”
- Matthew 28:19 – “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.”
- Ephesians 5:15-16 – “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time because the days are evil.”
- Ephesians 5:20 – “Giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
- 1 Thessalonians 5:16-17 – “Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing.”
- Luke 18:1 – “Men ought always to pray and not lose heart.”
- Philippians 4:6-7 – “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
- Matthew 6:31-33 – “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”
- Matthew 21:13 – “My house shall be called a house of prayer.”