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by Denis Beausejour Series: Kingdom Life
Message Outline Series Message 11:
Prayer - Intimacy and Authority
Text: Matthew 6:5-14, Ephesians 3:14-19 Series theme verse: "Change your life. God's kingdom is here....Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly." (Matthew 4:17b, 11:30, The Message)
Kingdom Life series goals: Learn to think, act and be like Jesus - Matthew 5:48 Live His radical love for God and for people - Matthew 22:37-39 Going beyond the elementary teachings about Jesus - Hebrews 6:1 Be like The Rabbi - spread his “yoke”, live his rhythm - Matthew 11:28-30 Moving to maturity, by His confidence & His power - Acts 1:8 Becoming the chosen royal priesthood - 1 Peter 2:9, Ephesians 3:20-21 Ushering in the fullness of the Kingdom - Matthew 6:10
Remember: Jesus believes we can become like him!
Remember: Jesus believes we can become like him!
Today's theme: We will study Jesus’ teaching on prayer and practice praying together. Jesus gave us authority and power continent on our abiding in Him and praying in God’s will. This is a tremendous blessing—to be intimate with God and to be part of His bringing the Kingdom to earth!
| For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. - Ephesians 3:14-19 (NIV) |
Life Shape: Hexagon (Matthew 6)1. His Character, verse 9
2. His Kingdom, vs. 10
3. His Provision, vs. 11
4. His Guidance, vs. 13a
5. His Protection, vs. 13b
Application questions for reflection and sharing in small groups: 1. Which aspect of prayer is most challenging for you? What would be a good way to overcome that? 2. Which of the prayer opportunities offered by MCC were most appealing to you? Why? 3. When is the best time and place for you to pray?
Vision
The Body of Christ—breathing in unity with the Trinity. Our hearts beat in rhythm with the Father’s heart. We become more like the Son. We live in the power of the Spirit. We pray believing God for the impossible. People from all walks of life engage in intimate, multifaceted, accessible, 24/7 prayer experiences, grounded in God’s Word, infused with worship, and modeled on the life of Christ. Men, women, and children are saved and transformed through encounters with God and with one another. His kingdom comes. His will is done. On earth as it is in heaven. Mission
To advance the presence and power of God in our lives and in our world through intimate, passionate, unceasing prayer. Prayer is … Central to the ministry of Jesus. Jesus only did what he saw the Father doing. Through prayer, through relationship with the Father, Jesus knew the Father’s heart. Through prayer, Jesus ushered in the kingdom. Prayer was central to Jesus’ life on earth and is central to his ministry now in heaven. God’s invitation to us to participate in what he’s doing, in his kingdom coming, here and now, in our midst. It is an invitation to step into the authority he has given us. As such, it is our training ground for eternity. Foundational to our growth as followers of Jesus. It is a principle means by which God changes our hearts, the very wellsprings of our lives. It is this inward change, this intimate experience with our God, that results in outward transformation. Not outward, religious facades, but the inward, Spirit-born fruit of lives transformed because they have been with God, have seen and heard him, and been forever changed. An inseparable part of worship, of growth, of evangelism. It is foundational to unity and true fellowship in the Body. The depth of our prayer experience as a community reflects the depth of our communion with Christ. A sign of our true citizenship. We cry out to God from a place of recognizing our own desperate need. Knowing we can do nothing without him. Knowing all is possible in and through him. We present our lives as living sacrifices, an offering of worship and prayer pleasing to our God. We relinquish our investment in this world and invest, instead, in eternity.
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