Persistence in Prayer

We humans are so impatient. We don't like to wait at traffic lights, drive through windows, restaurants, the DMV, the post office, or any place else! We live in a fast paced society and expect things to move along quickly. It's difficult enough to make time to pray, but when we do we expect God to respond with the same rapid speed which we expect from everything else. God, however, moves at his own pace.

Patience is one of the essential elements in learning to pray effectively. However, Jesus does not expect us to wait passively but passionately! We are to be persistent in prayer believing that God will do his will on earth as it is done in heaven. And as we pray and plead with God to accomplish his will, we are to look for ways he is seeking to work through us. How often does God use our prayers to develop us so that we might become the very answer to our prayers.

Such is the case in the wonderful story of William Willberforce's life. The one weakness of the recent movie portrayal of his life is that it does not spend enough time showing this remarkable man's dependence upon God through prayer. However, knowing that as a historical fact, makes this movie a tremendous portrayal of how God works in answer to persistent prayer.

To Dream Again

The bell curve I used in Sunday's sermon was from Robert Dale's book, To Dream Again: How To Help Your Church Come Alive. I had actually read the book back in the early 90's. When going through the material Dr. Siburt left with us I was reminded again of the "life cycle of a congregation" and decided to work it into Sunday's presentation of our congregational vision.

Robert Dale wrote that there are four ways to revitalize a church. The easiest is policy change. You simply adjust the way you do things. A second strategy is to change personnel. In Churches of Christ this typically means fire the preacher or get some elders to resign! Another approach is to create new program structures. Change policy. Change people. Change programs. Each might have a place in the process but the most basic, fundamental approach must first be to clarify purpose. Dale writes, "the best way to revitalize a church is to define and act on its fundamental purpose. A new dream awakes a congregation."

Some other quotes from To Dream Again:

"A church need to be committed primarily to its dream goals and only secondarily to its program structure. Programs too weak to extend the dream should be allowed to die: new programs refreshed by the dream must be planned."

"Goals and budget are closely intertwined. But goals precede budgets. Goals are set first, then budgets are developed. Otherwise the budget becomes the accidental goal system of the church. Either we fund our dream or we probably just dream of funds."

"The ministry you want to provide or the goal you want to attain determines the structure you use. Formal organization is important because it either helps you reach your ministry goals or creates a barrier which frustrates ministry and dulls the dream."

Wrestling in Prayer

Throughout the reel prayer series I have used clips from roughly three dozen movies. Of these movies there are few that I would highly recommend for all ages. Evan Almighty, however, is a movie that you can watch with your whole family. It is lighthearted and fun, but it also raises some wonderful questions that would be good for a family to discuss together.

I get less excited talking about the patriarch Jacob. I grew up hearing the stories about his red stew and how he pulled the wool (almost literally) over his old man's eyes. However, I was an adult before it hit me how incredibly selfish Jacob was. Jacob lived for himself and didn't give much thought to how his actions affected others. God had big plans for Jacob and his descendants but first he needed to get Jacob's attention and his allegiance.

I can think of several times in my own life where God made it painfully obvious that I was trusting in myself rather than in Him. Mercifully God has never physically afflicted me but I've had my pride bruised, my ego shattered, and my self reliance exposed. I proudly (is that the right word?) walk with a limp today realizing that without God all my labors are truly futile. Perhaps that is what Paul means when he wrote, "When I am weak, then I am strong."

Honest Prayer

Someone asked about the name of the last movie clip I showed today during the sermon. It is called the Apostle. After seeing the movie some told me they felt the preacher, named Sonny, was a fraud. I had a different opinion. To me he was an honest man who had a terrible time dealing with the deeper sin issues in his life. While it is never attractive to see a person give in to sinful temptations, I found the movie to give encouragement to a person who's heart wants to serve God, but continues to fail. My hope is that such a one would not stay stuck in the same cycle of temptation and failure, but find the true freedom that God has made possible through the death and resurrection of Jesus. Walking the path of freedom is often difficult. The most difficult parts of the journey require the most honest of communication with God.


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Bruce Almighty - Chapter 5 - Send Me A Sign
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The Apostle - Shouting At God
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