It is in moments of crisis when
we feel as if we are standing
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on a cliff's edge that we're
able to accurately gauge our
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fortitude, our
courage and resilience.
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A crisis can test someone's
mental and prove them in a way
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that little else can, but there
is something else that crises
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seem to expose
about human nature.
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When people reach the end of
their rope, they instinctively
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grasp for something to hang
on to and more often than not,
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that something is God.
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When crisis has stripped us
clean of hope, we find ourselves
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turning to prayer in a desperate
grab for something solid.
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On a cool spring afternoon
two young men made plans to hike
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in the mountains close
to the grandparents home.
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The young men were cousins who
had grown up believing in God
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yet somehow through the years,
their faith in God had waned
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and as they drove to
their destination they found
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themselves gently poking
fun at God and faith in general.
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They were convinced that
faith in God was fast becoming
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obsolete in the
modern world they lived in.
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They reached their destination,
parked their car in the
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parking lot and
headed for the nearby tram.
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As they did this,
they realized two things,
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first, they had no
mobile phone reception, and
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second, they weren't dressed for
a long hike in the mountains.
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When they had set off for their
walk they hadn't really planned
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to hike the particular
trail that they had now chosen.
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Shrugging off their
lack of proper hiking gear,
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the young men decided
they would make the quick trip
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up to the summit and back.
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They managed to maneuver
their way up the trail noticing
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that their light-weight jackets
somehow didn't protect them
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from the cooler temperatures
closer to the summit.
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Once they reached the summit,
they were captivated by the
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beauty before them and spent
some time at the top soaking it
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all in. When they decided
to hike back down the trail
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the sun was beginning
to edge towards the horizon
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but they were confident that
they could still make it down
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the mountain trail in time.
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When they reached a fork
in the trail they realized
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that the path that they
had taken to the mountain
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was long and meandering.
Checking the position of the sun
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they realized they wouldn't
be able to make it back to the
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parking lot before sunset.
When they checked their phones,
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they realized that they
still didn't have cell phone
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reception either which
effectively cut off their
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chances of calling for
help if they got stranded on the
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mountain. They decided to
take the second path which was
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significantly steeper but
was also a short-cut and would
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help them get back to
the parking lot quicker.
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As the sun began to dip closer
to the horizon, the temperature
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plummeted and
the wind picked up.
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As the young men picked their
way over the steep or rougher
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terrain of the shorter
route, they began to struggle
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to keep their balance over
some of the rocks and boulders
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in their path. Then without
warning, disaster struck.
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One of the young men lost his
footing and began to slide down
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the cliff edge on the far
side of the path, his cousin
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frantically grabbed for his hand
but instead of steadying him,
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he too plummeted over the edge.
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The cliff face was fairly steep
and the boys began to slide
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down the incline desperately
trying to grab hold of any kind
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of foot-hold or
hand-hold in their path.
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Finally, one of them managed
to grab hold of a rocky out-
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cropping and the two clung
precariously on this narrow
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perch for what seemed like an
eternity. Finally, and after a
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considerable amount of effort,
they managed to pull themselves
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onto a narrow ledge
and assess the situation.
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Below them was a long drop
into a river that wound its way
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through the narrow gorge below,
above them was a cliff-face
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that would be impossible to
scale especially considering
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their lack of proper gear,
they were stuck with no way out.
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The sun was sinking fast
and no mobile phone reception,
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it was the perfect
storm but on dry land.
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At that moment both young men
decided that it was a good time
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to pray, they'd exhausted
every other avenue and there
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seemed to be no way out.
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Dangling on the side of
that mountain, they bowed their
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heads and prayed asking God
to bail them out of a potential
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life-threatening
situation they were facing
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Their prayers were heard
and they were amazingly rescued
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from the mountain and their
story, while true is also an
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illustration of what prayer
has come to symbolize to many
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in the world, we live in today.
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A last-ditch effort for
salvation from an impossible
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situation when every other
feasible method has been tried
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and failed. But is prayer just
a last resort, a final hurrah we
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blindly grab for on
our way to the bottom?
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Or is it much more than that?
The Bible has countless examples
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of the potency of
prayer, chronicling the true
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life-changing power it offers
to those who are willing to
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give it a try.
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For the early church
soon after the time of Christ,
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prayer was more than a pleasant
formality or last resort
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in the midst of a tempest.
Rather, prayer was the heart
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and soul of the burgeoning
community of faith that boldly
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branched out into the
increasingly hostile Roman
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Empire. Prayer was
the engine of the church
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driving every facet of its
operation and infusing it with
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an energy that was effervescent.
00:07:01.88\00:07:04.29
So, what was the secret
behind the powerful prayer life
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of the church? How did they
pray? And why did they pray?
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And when did they pray?
And perhaps most importantly,
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what did their
prayers accomplish?
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Join us as we take a look at the
prayer life of the early church
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and learn some valuable lessons
in the process lessons that
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could change your life.
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When Jesus ascended to heaven,
he left His disciples with a
00:07:46.59\00:07:51.20
parting commission
and a powerful promise.
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Jesus commissioned His disciples
to go out into the world as
00:08:07.88\00:08:12.22
witnesses sharing the things
that they had seen and heard
00:08:12.25\00:08:15.66
during their time with Him
and bringing the good news of
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salvation to anyone willing
to listen. And He promised to
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empower them for the task ahead.
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The power of the Holy
Spirit was to be like dynamite
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exploding across the world
and propelling the fledgling
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movement forward in an endless
wave that would change the
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globe. But how did the disciples
avail themselves of this power?
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Well, the Bible tells us in
Acts one and chapter fourteen,
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You see why the church waited
for the outpouring of Gods power
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they prayed, prayer was
the heart-beat of this new
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community. They understood that
it was prayer that would bring
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them into direct contact
with all the blessings and power
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that God had
promised to pour upon them.
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Let's take a look at some Key
moments in the history of the
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early church as recorded in
the book of Acts and let's delve
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deeper into how prayer had a
profound impact on each of these
00:09:24.66\00:09:29.63
formative episodes.
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The most important event in
the history of the early church
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took place on the day of
Pentecost, 50 days after Jesus
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died. Pentecost derives its
name from the 50-day interval
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between it and the Passover.
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During the time of Jesus
Pentecost was one of three
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main annual feasts
celebrate among the Jews which
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required all the men of Israel
to congregate in Jerusalem.
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It was also called the Feast
of Harvest on account of it
00:10:01.10\00:10:05.50
marking the close of the harvest
in Judea. Pentecost was also
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a prime opportunity to share
the good news of a crucified
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and risen Messiah. It was a
time when Jews from all over the
00:10:15.21\00:10:20.52
empire converged on Jerusalem.
Every language and people group
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were represented, but the
disciples didn't spend their
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time strategizing about the
launch of their new movement
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instead, they spent the
intervening 10 days between
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Jesus' Ascension into
heaven and Pentecost in prayer.
00:10:38.87\00:10:43.20
And God answered their prayer
in the most miraculous way
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He poured out His Holy
Spirit on His waiting disciples
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and empowered them to
share the good news of Jesus
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with a varied and vibrant
throng of people in Jerusalem.
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The first lesson we can glean
from the experience of the early
00:11:00.42\00:11:05.53
church is this.
00:11:05.56\00:11:06.93
The Bible gives us a glimpse
into the work of the Holy Spirit
00:11:19.97\00:11:24.11
and outlines three main branches
of the Holy Spirits work.
00:11:24.15\00:11:28.62
The first area is found in
John 16:13, speaking of the
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Holy Spirit's work on
our behalf Jesus says,
00:11:35.69\00:11:39.09
It is the Holy Spirit
that gives us discernment
00:11:55.81\00:12:00.32
to strip away falsehood and
expose the bare bones of truth
00:12:00.35\00:12:04.95
and this is an important gift
to have especially in a world of
00:12:04.99\00:12:09.86
altered facts, fake
news, and post-truth culture.
00:12:09.89\00:12:14.36
When the power of the Holy
Spirit fell upon the disciples
00:12:14.40\00:12:18.43
on the day of Pentecost,
He gave them the power to
00:12:18.47\00:12:22.57
understand the
truth and to speak boldly.
00:12:22.60\00:12:25.61
The Holy Spirit also opened
the minds of the listening
00:12:25.64\00:12:29.08
crowd and helped them to under-
stand the truths that were
00:12:29.11\00:12:33.11
being spoken.
00:12:33.15\00:12:34.65
The second branch of the Holy
Spirits work is described in
00:12:34.68\00:12:38.45
John 16:8, referring to
the Holy Spirit Jesus says,
00:12:38.49\00:12:44.69
The Holy Spirit acts as
an inbuilt moral compass
00:12:52.63\00:12:57.01
helping us to differentiate
between right and wrong
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and also giving us a sense
of the consequences accompanying
00:13:01.18\00:13:05.95
the choices we make.
On the day of Pentecost
00:13:05.98\00:13:09.68
it was the Holy Spirit that
convicted the listening crowds
00:13:09.72\00:13:13.79
of their sins. Those who
responded to this conviction
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gave their life to
Jesus and were baptized.
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The Bible tells us that there
were 3,000 men who chose this
00:13:21.40\00:13:26.23
path, it was the convicting
power of the Holy Spirit
00:13:26.27\00:13:30.31
that helped to
launch the early church.
00:13:30.34\00:13:33.51
The third aspect of the Holy
Spirit's work is explained in
00:13:33.54\00:13:38.08
John 14:16, 17 where Jesus says
00:13:38.11\00:13:43.02
It is the Holy Spirit who
brings comfort in the midst
00:14:04.21\00:14:08.68
of sorrow and suffering, it
is the Holy Spirit who brings
00:14:08.84\00:14:14.38
For these reasons and many more,
the gift of the Holy Spirit
00:14:14.42\00:14:19.95
was vital to the growth of
the early church and it is for
00:14:19.99\00:14:24.43
this special gift that
the church first prayed.
00:14:24.46\00:14:27.83
Their example should prompt
us to pray for the same gift
00:14:27.86\00:14:32.67
because it is the Holy
Spirit that can help us to grow
00:14:32.70\00:14:36.71
in every aspect of our lives
offering us wisdom, discernment,
00:14:36.74\00:14:41.41
truth and comfort.
00:14:41.44\00:14:43.95
As we continue to look at
the power of prayer in the life
00:14:43.98\00:14:49.65
of the early church another
important example is that of
00:14:49.68\00:14:54.06
Peter and Cornelius
found in Acts 10, these prayers
00:14:54.09\00:14:59.36
and the actions that they
prompted marked a turning point
00:14:59.39\00:15:02.96
in the mission of the church.
Prayer is often like that
00:15:03.00\00:15:07.94
it can provide our lives
with a complete change of course
00:15:07.97\00:15:11.77
taking us places we would have
never even contemplated going.
00:15:11.81\00:15:16.31
And if we're willing to respond
like Peter did, God is able to
00:15:16.34\00:15:21.78
use us to bring light to even
the darkest places on earth.
00:15:21.82\00:15:26.55
Cornelius was a Roman Centurion
living in the town of Caesarea
00:15:26.59\00:15:32.03
and administrative
of Jaban Palestine.
00:15:32.06\00:15:34.63
The Jewish perception of
Gentiles at that time was fairly
00:15:34.66\00:15:39.43
unfavorable more often than
not Gentiles were shunned or
00:15:39.47\00:15:44.64
looked down on but Jews during
the Roman period had a special
00:15:44.67\00:15:50.58
hatred for the Roman
rulers and unsurprisingly
00:15:50.61\00:15:54.12
the feeling was mutual.
00:15:54.15\00:15:55.78
Jews hated Romans because of
their cruel and oppressive rule,
00:15:55.82\00:16:00.99
Romans in turn hated the
Jews because of their strange
00:16:01.02\00:16:06.09
religious beliefs and
also for their national pride,
00:16:06.13\00:16:09.50
Jews believed themselves
to be the chosen of God
00:16:09.53\00:16:13.84
and this rankled Roman pride,
especially since the Romans
00:16:13.87\00:16:18.94
saw themselves as the undisputed
overlords of the world.
00:16:18.97\00:16:23.31
The story of Peter and Cornelius
is the story of how prayer
00:16:23.35\00:16:28.52
and faith are able to
break down even the most sturdy
00:16:28.55\00:16:32.82
barriers and create the
unlikeliest bonds of friendship
00:16:32.85\00:16:37.03
and brotherhood.
00:16:37.06\00:16:38.63
Cornelius was a man who feared
God and devoted himself to
00:16:38.66\00:16:43.16
making a difference in the
lives of the people around him.
00:16:43.20\00:16:46.80
He was also a man of prayer, a
man who according to Acts 10:30
00:16:46.84\00:16:53.07
was fasting and
praying for God's guidance.
00:16:53.11\00:16:56.75
In Acts 10:4, 5, Cornelius is
visited by an angel from heaven
00:16:56.78\00:17:04.12
who says to him,
00:17:04.15\00:17:05.85
Immediately Cornelius
obeyed the command and sent
00:17:19.23\00:17:23.54
messengers to bring Peter
to him. Meanwhile in Joppa
00:17:23.57\00:17:28.28
Peter was having an
encounter of his own.
00:17:28.31\00:17:31.25
While engaged in prayer on
the roof-top of the house where
00:17:31.28\00:17:34.85
he was staying, Peter was given
a vision, in his vision Peter
00:17:34.88\00:17:40.92
was shown an open sheet
filled with all kinds of unclean
00:17:40.96\00:17:44.46
animals and he was commanded
to rise up and eat them.
00:17:44.49\00:17:48.96
To this command, he responded,
00:17:49.00\00:17:51.57
To which his
heavenly messenger replied,
00:17:58.14\00:18:00.54
This sequence was repeated
three times until somewhat
00:18:04.58\00:18:10.32
puzzled and bemused Peter
brought his time of prayer
00:18:10.35\00:18:14.69
to a close and went
down into the house.
00:18:14.72\00:18:17.39
When he got there, he
found messengers from Cornelius
00:18:17.43\00:18:21.76
waiting to take him to the
home of a man who was not only
00:18:21.80\00:18:25.83
not only a Gentile but
also a hated run man, a man whom
00:18:25.87\00:18:30.71
should have considered
unclean and not fit for
00:18:30.74\00:18:33.71
association. Immediately Peter
understood the significance of
00:18:33.74\00:18:39.68
his vision and he went with the
man. When he reached Cornelius'
00:18:39.71\00:18:44.52
time, he found a houseful
of people eager to hear the
00:18:44.55\00:18:48.42
Word of God. Peter preached
to them and the Holy Spirit
00:18:48.46\00:18:52.63
fell upon all of them
and they were converted,
00:18:52.66\00:18:56.60
immediately accepting
the truths and good news
00:18:56.63\00:18:59.80
they had heard about Jesus.
00:18:59.83\00:19:01.90
The early church experienced
prayer in unique and powerful
00:19:01.94\00:19:07.28
ways, but their
experience is within our grasp.
00:19:07.31\00:19:12.11
We too can have a rich,
fulfilling and meaningful
00:19:12.15\00:19:16.18
prayer life, one that cannot
only draw us to the heart of God
00:19:16.22\00:19:20.76
but can also give us access
to all the blessings God desires
00:19:20.79\00:19:26.49
to lavish on us. So, how
can we cultivate a powerful
00:19:26.53\00:19:32.30
personal prayer life?
00:19:32.33\00:19:34.04
Well let's look at ten simple
steps that can open a channel
00:19:34.07\00:19:38.61
of communication
between us and God.
00:19:38.64\00:19:42.21
The first step to
effective personal prayer is
00:19:42.24\00:19:46.72
In Isaiah 1:18, God says,
00:19:48.85\00:19:52.62
It is one of the most beautiful
invitations in the Bible,
00:19:56.56\00:20:00.43
the God of heaven inviting
us to sit down and have an
00:20:00.46\00:20:05.40
intelligent two-way
conversation with Him.
00:20:05.43\00:20:08.54
The second step is to,
00:20:08.57\00:20:10.71
It seems simple but sometimes
it's not easy to open our hearts
00:20:13.11\00:20:18.81
to God and truly ask Him
for the needs that are weighing
00:20:18.85\00:20:22.55
on our heart. Jesus once
told a parable, a story about
00:20:22.58\00:20:28.72
asking God for our needs.
In Luke 11:5, 6, Jesus says
00:20:28.76\00:20:34.93
With this story in mind, Jesus
then goes on to say in verse 9,
00:20:50.55\00:20:56.35
of the same chapter.
00:20:56.38\00:20:58.15
We need to approach God as
a friend and ask Him for what
00:21:07.83\00:21:12.87
we need, trusting that He not
only hears us, but will supply
00:21:12.90\00:21:17.67
our needs in His
time and in His way.
00:21:17.71\00:21:21.18
The third step to
effective personal prayer,
00:21:21.21\00:21:25.28
It is not enough to ask but
we must also believe that God
00:21:28.45\00:21:33.96
hears us. James 1:6 says,
00:21:33.99\00:21:37.66
James goes on to
caution us in verse seven.
00:21:47.70\00:21:51.47
You see, according to the Bible
believing that God has heard our
00:21:57.58\00:22:02.48
prayer is an integral part
of having our prayers answered.
00:22:02.52\00:22:07.29
The fourth step is
00:22:07.32\00:22:09.32
The word of God not only helps
us to understand God's will
00:22:11.53\00:22:15.50
for us, it also give us
a glimpse into what God has
00:22:15.53\00:22:19.57
promised to do for us.
Claiming God's promises
00:22:19.60\00:22:24.24
strengthens our
faith and renews our hope.
00:22:24.27\00:22:27.84
The fifth step is to
00:22:27.88\00:22:30.11
Speaking of the name of
Jesus, in Acts 4:12, Peter says,
00:22:32.51\00:22:37.59
The name of Jesus has the power
to save us from sin and death
00:22:47.30\00:22:52.03
it has the power to cast out
demons and overcome the forces
00:22:52.07\00:22:57.41
of Satan. It is the most
powerful name in the universe
00:22:57.44\00:23:01.38
and we have access to
this power through prayer.
00:23:01.41\00:23:05.78
The sixth step is
00:23:05.81\00:23:07.48
Jesus says;
00:23:11.25\00:23:12.82
Whenever Jesus prayed, he
always went to a quiet place
00:23:22.83\00:23:27.44
alone and spent time
talking to His Father.
00:23:27.47\00:23:30.97
This example holds
true throughout the Bible.
00:23:31.01\00:23:34.78
Men and women of faith
spent time on their knees
00:23:34.81\00:23:38.55
in a quiet place alone with God.
00:23:38.61\00:23:41.58
The seventh step is to
00:23:41.62\00:23:43.79
In Psalms 66:18, the Bible says,
00:23:45.89\00:23:49.76
Sin separates us from God
and cherishing sin in our hearts
00:23:55.63\00:24:01.90
and lives creates a
Chasm between us and God
00:24:01.94\00:24:05.61
that makes it impossible for Him
to hear and answer our prayers.
00:24:05.64\00:24:10.78
The eighth step is
00:24:10.81\00:24:15.12
Proverbs 28:9 says
00:24:15.15\00:24:18.32
God's law is a reflection of His
character and in order for our
00:24:27.16\00:24:32.37
prayers to be acceptable
to Him, our lives need to be
00:24:32.40\00:24:36.54
in harmony with His law.
00:24:36.57\00:24:38.54
The ninth step is Forgiveness,
an important part of
00:24:38.57\00:24:43.08
being in harmony with God
00:24:43.11\00:24:44.95
It's not only seeking
God's forgiveness for our sins
00:24:44.98\00:24:48.42
but also learning to forgive
those who have sinned against
00:24:48.45\00:24:52.89
us. Jesus says in Matthew
chapter 5 verses 23 and 24.
00:24:52.92\00:24:57.86
God desires us to be reconciled
to those who have wronged us
00:25:16.34\00:25:21.12
or those we might have wronged
so that we can approach God
00:25:21.15\00:25:25.09
unhindered by
anger or bitterness.
00:25:25.12\00:25:28.46
Reconciliation is an important
part of an open and clear
00:25:28.49\00:25:33.63
channel of
communication with God.
00:25:33.66\00:25:36.83
The tenth and final step to
Effective Personal Prayer is to
00:25:36.87\00:25:41.34
I John 5:14 says
00:25:44.14\00:25:56.79
Prayer in a powerful channel
of communication that is open
00:25:56.82\00:26:01.82
to every human being on
planet earth. It's an invitation
00:26:01.86\00:26:05.93
extended to us by the
creator of the universe
00:26:05.96\00:26:10.40
an invitation to have
open, honest, and unhindered
00:26:10.43\00:26:14.27
fellowship with him.
00:26:14.30\00:26:17.11
Why not set aside some
time every day for prayer?
00:26:17.14\00:26:21.58
If you would like to experience
this kind of communication with
00:26:21.61\00:26:25.78
God, then I'd like to recommend
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our Incredible
Journey viewers today.
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It's the booklet How to Pray.
This booklet will share ways
00:26:32.99\00:26:38.83
to open up communication
with God. This booklet is free
00:26:38.86\00:26:43.57
I guarantee there are no
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So, make the most of
this wonderful opportunity
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to receive the free
gift we have for you today.
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Phone or text 0436.333.555
in Australia or 020.422.2042
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in New Zealand, or visit
our website at TiJ.tv or simply
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scan the QR code on your screen
and we'll send you today's
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free offer totally free of
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Write to us at GPO Box 274
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Or Po Box 76673, Manukau,
Auckland 2241 New Zealand
00:27:25.97\00:27:32.88
don't delay,
call or text us now.
00:27:32.91\00:27:35.68
Be sure to join us again next
week when we will share another
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of Life's Journey's together.
Until then, let's pray to God
00:27:41.76\00:27:46.80
who hears and
answers our prayers.
00:27:46.83\00:27:50.17
Dear Heavenly Father, We
thank you for the privilege
00:27:50.20\00:27:54.70
we have in talking to you
in prayer. We are so grateful
00:27:54.74\00:27:59.67
that you love us and we want
a close relationship with you.
00:27:59.71\00:28:04.25
We want to spend more time
getting to know you more closely
00:28:04.28\00:28:08.28
through prayer and Bible study.
Please bless us and draw us
00:28:08.32\00:28:13.32
closer to you. We
ask this in Jesus' name.
00:28:13.36\00:28:16.96
Amen!
00:28:16.99\00:28:19.29