August 2015

August 28, 2015  by

It’s Time To Pray!

Acts 12:1-19, 24
1. We need to pray!

Peter had been put into prison (v. 5). And when you get into the specifics, the situation was even bleaker. Not only was Peter in prison, but he was in the high security zone. Four squads of soldiers were detailed to guard him (v. 4). When he was sleeping, he was placed between two soldiers bound with two chains (v. 6); does that remind you of a Houdini stunt? Further, guards were placed squarely in front of the door. Additionally, there were two sets of guards and an iron gate separating Peter from freedom (v. 10).

What could the church do about this situation? Peter was part of the church, not a military group. The church had no human means to get Peter out of prison. No Special Forces unit or helicopters to stage a rescue attempt. No means whatsoever at their disposal. They were absolutely helpless. This is why they needed to pray.

Similarly, sometimes we are in situations where we have no recourse. No human help. And we too need to pray.

At Redeemer Ann Arbor, we want to see a church planted in Ann Arbor, but we face a very tall mountain. We too need to pray.

2. The church did pray.

But prayer for him was being made very fervently by the church to God (v. 5). But prayer! Prayer was necessary, and prayer was offered. In the impossible situations in life, things begin to change when we pray.

Note the prepositions.

  •  “for him” – The focus of prayer was crystal clear. The church knew exactly what they were praying for. Peter was in prison. Their prayer was pointed, not vague. There was no “bless the missionaries” or general requests aimed upward in shotgun fashion. And so, when we are in a position of acute need, we know exactly what we are praying for.
  • “by the church” – Who else was going to pray for Peter? They were the only ones in a position to pray. No one else knew the situation; no one else cared. If the church didn’t pray for Peter, who was going to? Likewise, we must pray when we feel our needs. Who else will take our needs to God if we do not?
  • “to God” – Who could help in this situation? Only God. What was their recourse? Where could they go? Where could they look? And we, at Redeemer Ann Arbor, will take our desires and our needs to God. And you, whatever is confronting you, can take your situation to God.

3. Bewilderment.

More faith would have had a clearer understanding of the situation. More faith would not have been so bewildered. More faith would have recognized the deliverance that God was working for Peter as the angel walked him out of prison. But often we don’t have more faith, or even the faith that anyone might have expected that we would have. But God still delivers. God still answers prayer, though our faith is so small and so weak. The answer to our prayers does not depend on the strength of our faith. It depends on God, not on our weak faith.

  • Peter was bewildered. “He did not know…what…was real” (v. 9). “Now I know for sure that the Lord has sent forth his angel and rescued me” (v. 11). Wasn’t Peter expecting the church to pray and God to answer? After all, Peter had recently preached at Pentecost and had seen radical results from his preaching. Peter had seen signs and wonders, the healing of the lame man at the temple gate (3:7), remarkable interventions by God (4:13, 18 and 5:1-11), and more. Why wouldn’t he expect God to intervene? But Peter was completely surprised at God’s deliverance.
  • Rhoda was bewildered. Though she knew it was Peter knocking, she did not open the gate for him (12:14). Now for Rhoda, it was not really because of unbelief, but because she was so happy, she just lost her bearings (“because of her joy,” v. 14). She announced to the praying church that it was Peter standing at the gate, which means she had a better grasp on reality than Peter did. Plus she “kept insisting” that it was Peter, despite the fact that the praying church wasn’t believing enough to accept the obvious fact that God had answered their prayers and Peter was standing at the door.
  • The Church was bewildered. They said to Rhoda that she was out of her mind (12:15). Their faith wasn’t strong enough even to acknowledge the possibility that God had answered their prayers, and they were the ones praying!

What the takeaways?

  • We must pray. There is no one else to do it.
  • We must pray. There’s nothing else we can do. God wants to reduce us to prayer. It’s not about our plans, our programs, our personalities, our giftedness, or our networks. God wants to teach us to pray, desperately, urgently, fervently. We will never pray like this when we can solve our own problems.
  • Our faith isn’t enough. Our faith is too weak. God must do it. The answers to our prayers will not come because we prayed. Only God can do it. But God does intervene when we pray. We must pray.
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August 18, 2015  by

Following Jesus in Mission

John 4:1-42

Our story starts with Jesus.

As Redeemer Ann Arbor begins to set direction and come into being, what is our mission? What is our purpose? What are we trying to do? We can do no better than to follow Jesus.

What does it mean to live and love people? What does it look like to serve the Father? What does it take to reach our community with the gospel? Look! Jesus shows us.
1. Jesus Shows Us.

Jesus makes himself available to people. John 4:6 Tired from his hiking in the hot Middle Eastern sun, Jesus sits down, not in seclusion to rest, but in public. He sits by Jacob’s well, the water source for the local area, where you can expect to see all the local residents to come for water regularly. Jesus deliberately makes himself available to people, knowing full well how demanding serving other people can be. Though he is “wearied from his journey,” he does not let his own feelings of exhaustion serve as an excuse to avoid seeing or serving other people.

Jesus initiates the conversation. John 4:7 A woman from Samaria comes to the well to get water, and Jesus engages her in conversation. Most Jews would avoid social contact with the despised mixed-breed race of Samaritans, but Jesus is not inhibited by the popular bigotry; he cares about people. Most Middle Eastern men would not speak to a woman, but Jesus cares about the individual. He does not remain aloof and superior, but he gets involved with people and starts the conversation.

Jesus makes himself vulnerable. John 4:7 Jesus asks her for a drink. He doesn’t start the conversation by telling her what he knows she needs to know, but rather he asks her a question. In so doing, he unhesitatingly displays his weakness (thirsty and no way to get a drink), and he automatically puts himself into her debt. Some of us hesitate to ask anyone for much of anything because of how it will reflect on us. Not Jesus.

Jesus steers the conversation to spiritual issues. John 4:9ff. The woman starts talking about race relations, but Jesus talks about the identity of the Messiah (4:10 – who it is who says to you) and our deepest thirst as humans (4:10 – living water/eternal life – 4:14). The woman is interested in labor-saving practices (4:15), but Jesus zeroes in on personal sin issues (4:16-8). The woman asks theological questions and poses conundrums about conflicted worship issues (4:20), but Jesus focuses on who the Father is (4:21-2 – the Father, you worship what you do not know) and a rapidly approaching time of spiritual realization (4:23). And she starts to get it. This is Jesus, the Christ, who tells me all things (4:25, 29, 39)! She tells others, and they believe too, not just because of what she said, but really because of what He said (4:39, 41-2).

2. Jesus Tells Us.

When the disciples come back from buying food in the city (John 4:8, 31-3), Jesus tells them this mission of reaching people with the gospel is something you can really sink your teeth into (4:32, 34). The Father sent Jesus to do this very work, and we are similarly sent (John 17:18).

Jesus communicates the urgency of the mission. John 4:35 Our tendency is to think we have plenty of time before harvest, but Jesus injects a serious dose of urgency. Now is the time to reach people regarding their eternal destinies and the salvation of their souls. The opportunity is here and now. We must not procrastinate or be casual when it comes to eternal and spiritual matters. We must act for Jesus and for people now.

Jesus communicates our cooperation in the gospel. John 4:36-8 One sows and another reaps. We work with others – other witnesses, other churches, other brothers and sisters in Christ – in the mission of Christ. We do not control the outcomes, only God does that. But we do our part. Sometimes we plant seeds, but we see not results; we only observe barren earth, for all the results are underground. Sometimes we reap fruit, and we did nothing to make it happen. It is always God who makes the difference, who causes the gospel seeds to grow and bear fruit, who saves sinners (1 Cor. 3:5-7).

This is our aim as we seek, by the help of God, to begin Redeemer Ann Arbor. Please pray for us that we would follow Jesus in His mission on earth.

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