PRAYINGPASSIONATELY

PASTOR KENT MUNSEY

SUNDAYMSG RECAP

Praying Passionately by Pastor Kent Munsey

6:00 p.m. service

SERMON POINTS

INTRODUCTION

PEOPLE WHO PRAY PASSIONATELY PRAY...

1. ALL THE TIME

2. FOR OTHERS

3. UNTIL THEY SEE GOD’S POWER

CONCLUSION

Main Scripture:

Matthew 21:13 “It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it ‘a den of robbers.’”

Introduction: Pastor Kent explains that the church is more than just a building; we as people are the church. As the church we don’t exist to serve events or buildings. The events and buildings exist to serve us, but it is easy to forget that. We often set out to be a big church, but the ultimate goal is to be a healthy church, and healthy churches grow. Pastor Kent goes on to explain that he was getting so caught up inthe work of God that he started to neglect the God of the work. Therefore, as a church we are pausing to ensure that our mission is still aligned with God’s mission.

In our main scripture, we see that Jesus wants our community to be called a place of prayer, but it is said that less than 10% of Christians enjoy praying . Pastor Kent goes on to explain how God asked, “What is City Church going to be known as in this city?” Above all else, we desire that City Church to be known as a people and a place of prayer. Prayer has many definitions:

an act of asking or requesting formally a wish for a hope or desire a supplication, the action of speaking or begging for something humbly a salutation, a gesture or utterance made as a greeting a formal vow

Main Question: If Jesus wants us to be known as a house of prayer, then why is it so hard to pray? Could it be that we lack the passion to pray? Passion is the one common factor we see throughout the scripture when it comes to prayer, as we examine the following three stories. Story 1: Passionate prayers, pray all the time: In scripture we see that Joshua prays the sun will stand still, and it actually does. There is one common mistake that is made when examining that passage. We tend to look at that event like it was his whole prayer life, but it wasn’t. Joshua was passionate for prayer, and prayed all the time. Praying for the sun to stand still was probably on the end of Joshua’s prayer list. People who are passionate pray all the time If we have a lifestyle and passion for prayer, things will work out. Prayer isn't meant to be an event. It is not meant to be our last resort, but instead it should be our first option. Story 2: Passionate prayers, pray for others: Abraham is known as the father of the faith. His prayers were selfless prayers that went beyond himself and into others. In the story of Sodom and Gomorrah we see that

Abraham prayed for Lot, and the Lord spared Lot. Lot was not spared because of his own prayers, but because of the prayers of Abraham. If we are not careful, we can make prayer all about us. Pastor Kent explains that we are all in church because someone lifted us up in prayer. How many people are not in church because we arent passionately praying for them? Story 3: Passionate prayers, pray until they see the power of God: In the Old Testament, there was a concubine named Rizpah. She was married to King Saul and they had two sons together. Saul made allies into enemies, and when David took over the throne, he tried to make peace by giving the enemies what they wanted; which was the sons of Saul. The enemies tortured them publicly. Rizpah, the mother of the two sons, went to where they were and prayed for God to honor them and return their dignity. She prayed for 6 months and wouldn’t move. Even though her sons were dead, she still prayed. The king heard, and honored them by burying them as sons of the king (which was a big deal because Rizpah was a concubine). Through this story we see that if we don't pray, we are not going to see the power of God. How many prayers have we walked away from? What have we dismissed as a possibility? What would happen if we prayed like that? We learn that there is so much power in prayer. Conclusion: City Church is to not only be known as a house of prayer, but as a people who passionately pray. People who pray passionately pray all the time, for others, and until they see the power of God. Additional Scriptures:

Joshua 10:12

Genesis 18:20­33

2 Samuel 21:8­14