How to Pray 101

0 (0s): Well, good morning, everyone. Welcome to Harvest. My name is Sherrilyn. If we haven't met yet, delighted to worship together with you all this morning, you may notice if you're in the house, we have an extra cameraman floating. We're just capturing some video. That can be part of a welcome video for folks to go to our website and are kind of looking for a picture of what it's like to worship here. So yeah, he'll be floating around, but do you just worship and you don't even have to mind him. We're just going to dive in this morning. Would you stand with me? And we'll pray. We'll dive in today. Solar. We're just so grateful just for the freedom. 0 (41s): We have to come into your house and worship. God, thank you so much for everyone who is here on campus and tuned in from home or wherever they're watching. We are one body we gathered together as sons and daughters to worship you this morning. As surely as the sun rises, God, you are faithful every morning. Great is your faithfulness towards us. So we worship you today. When we sit our hearts, our attention, our affection on Jesus this morning, we asked you to be in our midst that you would change us and she would make us more like you draws near to your heart today in Jesus name. 0 (1m 25s): Amen. 0 (1m 26s): we're not orphans anymore. 0 (12m 17s): Bod, with the prize rescue, you might know this old little chorus. Geez, geez. let's try that again. 0 (12m 59s): for your great lift for us. 0 (13m 45s): Amazing grace. 0 (13m 49s): missing that first together, still beautiful voice. 0 (17m 29s): Now we see clearly you see the receipt on Marcy's graceful. Give us the eyes to see what you're doing in and around us. I was to see what the father is doing and we can come alongside and joining you and bringing your kingdom on the earth. Just open our hearts to receive all that you have for us this morning. We welcome to your presence in Jesus name. 0 (18m 11s): Amen. It's good to see your faces. Why don't you say hello to someone around you and I'll have some announcements coming in just a few moments. 1 (18m 22s): Well, of course, those who are sitting here in the sanctuary and in the loft and behind the patio and those who tuned in online, it's amazing how, you know, we can reach out to the entire planet with live stream. And so, anyway, we want to welcome you. Hey, if it's your first time to Harvest Church or maybe you're new here, I would encourage you to go by the info center, which is just up the driveway right here and talk to the people there. They've got to give for you. I'm not going to tell you what it is, but it looks like a coffee cup, but she can put other things in it besides coffee that's up to you. Yeah. So go up to the info center. And while you're there, if you wouldn't mind filling out a communication card, we love to be able to communicate with everybody that that is, you know, Harvest is your Church home. 1 (19m 9s): And then if you, if you don't want to actually fill out a actual card, you can go online to our website. That is yeah. AIG Harvest app. And you can, you can fill it out that way as well. So the, the holidays are upon us. We've got Thanksgiving coming up real soon. We got Christmas right around the corner. So we are kind of in that, that zone of working to help out people in our community that are in need. So I've got a couple of opportunities for you. So the first one of course is Thanksgiving, which is coming up like a week and a half or something like that. So we've been putting the word out. I know many of you have contributed to our food pantry cause we're putting together a Thanksgiving baskets for families in need. 1 (19m 53s): If you remember to bring your stuff today, see today's the deadline. So if you're hearing this for the first time, you got to get up and get to the store and get back here quickly. If you forgot about it, or this is your first time hearing about it, you want to be a part of it. Go ahead and bring any items. If you, if you obviously can't get them here today, you can bring, bring them by the Church office tomorrow. And I will be there. Some of us others will be there and we can go ahead and, and have 'em collected that way. So if you want to come by the Church office, we're here between nine and four. That would be great as well. Okay. What else? Oh, back to that, if you did bring some items, drop them off at the info center, which is again, right up the driveway. 1 (20m 35s): So one of the other things we're participating in, in our community, it's called blessings to local foster adoptive families. And so we're partnering with other local churches to provide local foster and adoptive families with a meal and with gift cards for Thanksgiving. So you can check out our weekly email updates to get more information about how you can purchase a bait in that. But we love to be a blessing to foster adoptive families in our community. And then the last thing I want to make mention of, and this is sort of more looking towards Christmas is we are participating in operation Christmas child. It's a ministry under the umbrella of Samaritan's purse. Maybe you've heard about it. It's it's been going on for many years. 1 (21m 16s): So what they do is they put necessities and toys in a shoe box and then they're shipped all over the world. So with COVID the way they're doing it now is a little different than, than normal in the past. So what you would do is you would go to their website, operation Christmas child, and you can actually select the items on their website that you would like included in the box. And they've got a team of people in different places across the country. They put those boxes together on your behalf and ship them out to various people in need kids predominantly in need. And it's it's if you've ever seen the videos, in fact on their website, probably have some videos of these kids receiving these shoe boxes. You know, it's, it's, it's really stunning the impact we can have. 1 (21m 58s): And of course they include in those boxes, a presentation of the gospel of Jesus Christ. So that's all I have for you today, Steve. Let's welcome. Steve, come on up here. 2 (22m 11s): Morning. Welcome. I'm approaching from a different side of the room today. Tricking you welcome where Colossians chapter four today, galoshes chapter four verses two through 18. How about a quick joke? I was ready for a quick joke. It's a good one. This time. Trust me. So this, these two lifelong friends, Archie and Jack, they had been arguing their whole life about the color of Jesus. Archie was convinced that Jesus is black and Jack is convinced that Jesus is white. So they're arguing about this their whole life. It just so happens. They die on the same day and they get up to the pearly Gates and they go on inside and they asked st. 2 (22m 55s): Peter, Peter, tell us, we've been arguing about this for our whole life. Is Jesus black or is Jesus white? And about that time, Jesus walked up and said, Buenos D'usse Jesus, isn't black or white he's act he's middle Eastern. He's a, he's like his swarthy dark skinned man. So if you look at Rolando Rojas, that's probably what Jesus looked like. There we go. Now it's going to be hard to Pray without thinking about Rolando. But anyway, we are talking about prayer today. It's going to be a good day. How to pray one Oh one we're in Colossians chapter four, verse two. 2 (23m 40s): How to Pray one Oh one. Let's go ahead and stand up and pray as we get ready to talk about praying and we'll have Church today. Lord, thank you for the opportunity to gather, to have church, to be in your presence. Lord God, we pray that you would speak to us God, that our hearts will be open and that we, we would be responsive and receptive and happy to receive your truth. The revelation that you reveal to us Lord. So thank you for the opportunity to gather. So Lord, on the patio, in the loft, in the sanctuary, on the worldwide web, we just pray God that your word would go out with power and with clarity. 2 (24m 20s): Thank you for this time, Lord in Jesus name. Amen. Amen. Just as you get seated, we've got people in Greenland, our missionaries, Daniel, and Solvay, they're actually watching online in Greenland. So we just want to say hello to them. We've got a big audience in India as well, for some reason, big audience in India. And we've got literally thousands of people who tune in every week and watch what we're doing to participate from around the globe. And so it's kind of fun to it kind of makes the world a little bit smaller. Doesn't it? That we can have an impact all over the globe by just what we're doing here on the central coast of California. It's really, really good. 3 (24m 58s): How to pray one Oh one. 2 (24m 60s): The definition that the very definition of one Oh one means basic. It means introduction. It's kind of the beginner's guide. And so we're going to be talking about prayer today. Prayer is where you start, but also prayer is what get things gets, things done spiritually. So we never get to mature spiritually to S so we stopped praying. We pray when we get saved. When we come to faith in Christ, we pray before we know Christ that we'd come to know Christ. We, we pray all the days of our lives. If we want to continue to grow and mature in our faith. So don't ever get away from the basics. I was playing golf yesterday, actually played golf three times this week. 2 (25m 41s): I never play golf three times in the same week, but it just like everything happened. I kept getting invited to go play golf. So I was at home yesterday and I had nothing to do all day, which was a delightful problem to have. And my son called me up and said, Hey, I want to go play nine holes of black Lake. Do you want to go? And I'm like, sure, let's go play golf. So we played and we got on one particular hole. 3 (25m 59s): I am hacking it. I'm absolutely hacking it on the third hole. And 2 (26m 5s): I walked away. I started to get mad, but then I walked away and I said, you know why? I love this game. I told my son, you know why I love this game because you can't just get up there and fake it. You have to eat, you got to be present. You got to pay attention to the bank. You got to keep your head down. Like every time I bought your shot, what did I do? I lifted my head. Right, right. I'm trying to see where the ball went before. I actually had a chance to hit the ball. So I hit the ground and the ball goes two feet. And I'm hitting three before I even know. So there's something about the basics, keeping our 3 (26m 36s): Eye on the ball. That is it 2 (26m 38s): Never, ever changes. Like I could play golf for another 20 years. And what do still have to do? I still have to keep my head down. If I want to hit the ball. If I lift my head, I'm going to say, I'm going to chunk the ball all every time. Every single time, prayer is spiritually seeking. Speaking about the most important thing that we can do as followers of the Lord. Jesus Christ. Prayer is the most basic thing, but it's also the most important thing. It is super, super important. Prayer keeps our eyes on Jesus. Chapter four, verse two, Paul said devote yourselves to prayer. 2 (27m 19s): Colossians four, two devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind, and a thankful hearts to devote means to persist in like never give up, continue to pray, to pray, devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart. Pray one Oh one number one. Pray with an alert mind. When I think about that, I thought, what does it mean to pray with an alert mind? Well, in my coach training, when I was training to be a coach, a life coach, they would talk about being present with people as you coach them, duh, right? The most basic thing in the world. 2 (27m 59s): Like you have to listen, you have to be paying attention to what somebody is telling you in order to effectively coach them. Well, that's true in any relationship. And it's obvious when somebody is to begin to drift in the relationship or in the conversation, right? So we're having a staff meeting this earlier this week and, and we're all talking about details of ministry and that sort of thing. And one of the staff members piped up with the question and we all kind of looked at him like, have you not been a part of this conversation? And then you realized, Oh man, I've been, I've been. So I've been drifting in my thoughts. And I miss part of the conversation. And that's kind of what happens if we're not present in a conversation where we start thinking about other things and we miss the important things that are being communicated in a message. 2 (28m 42s): And everybody knows when, when you are in a conversation with someone you begin to drift, you begin to look around, you begin to your mind and, and things get lost in the conversation. The same can happen and does happen in our prayer time with the Lord. We begin to drift. And so what I do, cause I know that I'm prone to drifting. I, I can drift with the best of them. And so when I know that I've got to go on a walk, I've got, I got to do something that will keep my mind focused on the Lord. So I'll just go out into our neighborhood. Or if I'm at the office here, I'll just walk around the village and just pray. I'm saying, Lord, I need to focus. So I just, I don't know why walking helps me to focus. 2 (29m 23s): Maybe that would be distracting to you, but for me, it helps me to focus. So whatever you need to do to not drift, but to be present in this conversation that you're having with the Lord to stay alert, then doing the world and the flesh and the devil is doing everything they can to get us distracted, to interrupt our alert mind. So do what you need to do to stay alert. God has got great things to communicate to us. And when we're alert, we can pay attention to those things. We can pay attention to that. Still small voice. I think sometimes we're so distracted. We're not giving God. 2 (30m 3s): We're just kind of going through our shopping lists with the Lord, right? Laura, I need this and I need this. And Lord, would you do this? And would you do that? And those things are bad, but he also wants to talk, right? It's a two way street. It's a conversation where we're saying, Lord, I need this in my life. Or I want this for someone else or Lord, I'm praying for the health of another person. And maybe just maybe the Lord will in that still small voice, download 4 (30m 27s): Comfort to us. Truth to us, 2 (30m 30s): Answers to us. If we'll just stop long enough to give him an opportunity and just listen and be present with what the Lord is saying, maybe you're up against a very difficult situation. And you're just kind of rambling at the Lord. Lord, I am so tired of this. This has been so difficult. I just need to get through this and you don't give the Lord a chance to speak. And so he isn't have the opportunity to bring 4 (30m 54s): Comfort to your soul 2 (30m 57s): Because it doesn't matter if a storm is raging. If the Lord has given you comfort, 4 (31m 1s): The storm can rage. There's comfort. Sometimes God will stop the storm. 2 (31m 5s): Most of the time, he's just going to give you a comfort in the midst of the storm, he is going to reassure you. He is going to, I love the song. Jesus loves me. 4 (31m 14s): I, that 2 (31m 16s): Is the basics, 4 (31m 18s): Right? And yet when 2 (31m 20s): We sing it, it's like, it's like food to our soul, like water to our spirits. I mean, it just refreshing 4 (31m 28s): Cash is us in such a powerful way, right? 2 (31m 31s): This same opportunity is with us. When we pray, Lord, I'm really struggling here. Lord, 4 (31m 37s): Would you do something? And then just wait. Instead of 2 (31m 40s): You're going to the next item on the list, just wait and see what the Lord will do. And then maybe take it to the next level and just journal Lord. This is what I think. 4 (31m 50s): I feel like you're doing. This is what I feel like you're saying. This is the sense I get when I'm praying about this situation. Thank you, Lord. Thank you for clarity. 2 (32m 4s): And all of a sudden we're getting answers or we're at least getting comfort to we're at least getting peace in the midst of whatever it is that we're going through. As we Pray with an alert mine, 4 (32m 19s): It's, it's difficult to focus when we're praying. It really is. And we were praying to somebody who's invisible. 2 (32m 26s): He's not like, like I can have a conversation 4 (32m 29s): With a person and it's easier, but God is invisible to us. And so we have to count on our other senses and pay attention to what the Lord will say to us, speak to us. 2 (32m 40s): And we have to be disciplined to do that and intentional about doing that. 4 (32m 46s): Stay alert, stay alert to how you're feeling as you Pray. If you're, if you're, if you're 2 (32m 53s): Feeling anxious, asked the Lord about that, say, God is I pray about this every time I do. I'm anxious. Lord, am I, am I lacking faith? Or am I lacking confidence in you? If I am Lord, I don't want to, I didn't want to pray from a place of anxiety. I want to pray from a place of faith and then God will give you the grace to do that. All something will happen in your spirit. God will meet that need. And all of a sudden you'll have a different perspective and you'll be able to pray from a different place. And instead of being anxious 4 (33m 23s): Or fearful, man, 2 (33m 26s): All of a sudden Lord nothing's changed in the circumstance, but I just have a different person 4 (33m 30s): Perspective. I can pray with faith, 2 (33m 34s): Faith that God is at work. Even though I don't necessarily see what he's doing. Faith, believing that even if he's not doing anything that I can see or perceive, now there's something coming because God loves me. God's caring about, he cares about my needs, right? He's never left me nor forsake me. So I can believe that if I've got a need, he is going to take care of it. Sometimes we pray for the same thing. For years before we see an answer, we pray for a loved one for years before we see an answer, we pray for a friend or a neighbor for years before we see an answer, we pray for somebody who's sick for months before we see an answer, God is doing something. 2 (34m 18s): So pay attention to what the Lord is doing. As you pray, pay attention to how you're feeling and what's going on. And then to address those things, maybe you're angry in your prayer, just maybe you're angry at the Lord. And that's kind of surfacing just feeling some anger because maybe the Lord hasn't done what you thought he should do. And so maybe in that anger, you just address it. Cause God knows. And you say, Lord, I I'm feeling angry about this. Like I expected something 4 (34m 47s): Else. Like why didn't why Lord, 2 (34m 52s): Just to say, Lord, I'm angry, but I don't want to be angry. I'm I'm angry, but I didn't want to live my life like this. And so you can say, Lord, forgive my anger. I confess my anger. I'm deciding to not be angry. Right? There's got to be, you got to come full circle with it. You gotta, you gotta acknowledge it and then get out of it. Like you got to acknowledge what's going on. And then just by faith, say, I'm not going to be angry anymore, or I'm not going to be unforgiving anymore, or I'm not going to be faithless anymore. And you declare that over your prayer time, over your circumstance and situation Pray with an alert mind and just watch what God will do as he kind of unpacks things and peels back layers of emotions and, and just all kinds of stuff in your life. 2 (35m 40s): Number one, Pray with an alert mind and then number two, pray with a thankful heart, all of this from birth to, 5 (35m 49s): I think it's important that, that I say to that because we're looking at 2 (35m 54s): One verse so far and God's already given us so much to consider and to ponder some, so many things, devote yourselves to prayer with an alert, mind, a thankful heart, just simple little verse B. There's so much richness there. It's true. When we pray as well in our simple 5 (36m 10s): Little quiet 2 (36m 13s): Prayer time with the Lord, there's just so much richness, so much for us to gather and to, to benefit from. And it's true with the word too. Sometimes we're just rushing through the scripture and it's better some days just to focus in on one verse 5 (36m 30s): And ask the Lord, God, what are you speaking to me 2 (36m 33s): In this one verse? I'll be honest. When I read through this text, I thought, man, I'm going to have a hard time writing a sermon out of this text because I was just kind of quickly going through it. I'm looking for something high points. And, and, and then I started talking with Jolene about the texts and she's like, man, I'm really excited about Colossians chapter four this week. I'm like, you are why. 5 (36m 53s): And so we just began to talk about it. And then 2 (36m 56s): I came back to it with a fresh perspective. I'm Molly, I'm a she's right. There's so much here. And so she wrote my sermon this week. Isn't that great. She's never written my sermons ever. So thanks. I know they, some weeks they come out so good. You think who somebody else must have wrote? It must be Jolene writing his sermon. 5 (37m 15s): We knew it all along 2 (37m 19s): First, Thessalonians five 16 in the ESV says region 5 (37m 23s): Joyce always rejoice. Always 2 (37m 30s): First Thessalonians five 17 in the ESV says Pray without 5 (37m 34s): Ceasing . 2 (37m 37s): These are easy verses to memorize by the way, five 16, rejoice always. That's the verse. Rejoice always verse 17, pray without ceasing first Thessalonians five 18. Give thanks in all circumstances for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you pray with a thankful heart. This is actually the will of God for you. You ever wonder what the will of God for you is this is part of the will of God for you give thanks in all circumstances for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus 5 (38m 10s): For you. If 2 (38m 12s): You're having our time with gratitude reasons to be thankful while you pray, 5 (38m 17s): Make a list. 2 (38m 19s): I met in met with an older couple this week. Haven't seen him for a few months. They used to come to the church, but they'd been home, home bound and sick in bed for well, the, the, the, the woman has, and the husband's declining as well with, with issues of his own. And so I sat with them and just in, in the bedroom there, we sat on the bed and just chatted. And I just asked how they were doing. And instead of complaining that they're stuck in bed, stuck at home, can't drive, can't get out like they used to. They said, and this is what they said. We're just thankful that we're alive. 2 (39m 1s): We're thankful that God has given us breath, right? Listen, no matter what you're going through in life, I would encourage you to make a list of all of the things that you're thankful for. I think we tend to lean toward the negative and think about all the things that we wish were different in our lives. 5 (39m 21s): If you're having a hard time, start with that. If you're having a hard time 2 (39m 27s): Being thankful, start with being thankful for your breath. I 5 (39m 31s): God, I thank you that I have breath. 2 (39m 35s): Thank you Lord that I have family. If you've got family thankful Lord for family, thank you for the roof over my head. If you've got a roof over your head, say thank you, Lord, thank you for that. Yeah. Thank you for my health. Even if you're sick, you can still thankful Lord for the health that you do have for employment. I talked with a guy on the golf course. This must have been a Friday cause I play three times this week. So, 5 (40m 4s): Okay. 2 (40m 5s): I had a great time this week playing golf. I didn't even play very well, but I had so much fun. 5 (40m 10s): Anyway, this guy had been, he's been lately 2 (40m 13s): Since about March and he's. So he's been unemployed since March and he's been struggling to try to find a job. So be thankful for your employment. If you've got a job and pray for others who don't have jobs To be thankful for your mind, if you can think and process. And remember just did a Memorial service for my friend, Dave Fletcher, who he just at the end of his life for the last four years, he just, he wasn't able with through dementia, just wasn't able to remember things. Wasn't able to remember people or recall events. He just, his mind just began to go over the last four years of his life. 2 (40m 53s): So if you, if your mind is sharp or even if it's not as sharp as it used to be, it's you still got to be thankful for that. Say thank you, Lord. If you have the ability to walk thankful, Lord, if you have the ability to see, thank the Lord, talked to the guy last week, he's here. And he's like I said, are you completely blind? And he said, well, there's this one spot in my eye. 5 (41m 18s): So if I look this way, I can see you. He's thankful for that. 2 (41m 24s): He's mostly blind, but he can see just a little bit. We can, we can find all kinds of things to be thankful for. 5 (41m 35s): So if you can tell, 2 (41m 36s): Talk, and play and work and eat and travel and smile. Yeah, 5 (41m 39s): They'll be thankful. Be thankful. 2 (41m 43s): The Psalmist wrote in Psalm one 11, verse one, praise the Lord. I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart. This almost understood. And this is not someone who never experienced trouble in his life, but at someone, someone who decided with my whole heart, I'm going to be thankful. I'm going to give thanks to the Lord. Psalm one 11 two in the ESB says great, are the works of the Lord. This is why he was thankful because great are the works of the Lord. I encourage you to go back and read Psalm all of one Psalm one 11 after Church street, all of Psalm one 11, especially if you're having a hard time with gratitude, you'll be filled with gratitude. After that, be thankful for God, for his faithful newness, for your salvation, for God's love, 5 (42m 32s): Thankful that you don't 2 (42m 33s): Get what you deserve. Jolene and I were talking about this, the mercy of God, 5 (42m 38s): Thankful that 2 (42m 38s): We don't get what we deserve thankful for his mercy and for his grace don't ever get away from the basics. Pray with an alert, mind, pray with a thankful heart. 5 (42m 49s): Why are, why are we to pray? God, God tells us to. 2 (42m 59s): It's a really good plan. It really it's a really, really good plan as how many times I, I just, I realize I I'm dry spiritually. If I just go Pray, there's the refreshing that comes. If I'm nervous about something and I pray about it, the nerves lift, Whatever the case may be. If I just go pray about it, all of a sudden I've got clarity. Maybe I don't have all the answers that I need, but I, I have clarity and usually confidence. It's budget time for the church. And so we're, CA hashing over numbers every year we get to budget time and I'm always nervous about budget time. 2 (43m 41s): But I told Julie, I said, no matter what the Lord has always been faithful. We've been here for going on 18 years. This is like our 18th budget, I guess. And every year we've watched the Lord be faithful in the budgeting process and in the provision that is needed for our budget. It's just been, it's profound and supernatural. And so when we're nervous about the budget, we just pray. When we're nervous about anything in life, we just pray. And then we watched the Lord just bring confidence or clarity or a change. He might say, well, do this or do that. And redirects, redirects our path. 5 (44m 20s): Okay. 2 (44m 21s): One person said prayer is as essential to our spiritual health as breathing is to our physical body. 5 (44m 29s): So if we stop breathing, we dying 2 (44m 32s): Physically, right? If we stop praying, we start dying spiritually. There's a direct correlation, a direct correlation. Pray prayer. Prayer is not optional. 5 (44m 51s): Okay? 2 (44m 51s): Prayer is essential to spiritual health and growth. Back to first Thessalonians five 17 in the new living translation. It says never stop praying, never stop praying. Another easy verse to memorize, never stop praying don't ever get away from the basics. Pray with an alert mind, pray with a thankful heart and number three, pray for other people. Pray for other people. Colossians four, three, Paul writes pray for us to, I love Paul's humility. And the fact that he recognized a couple of things, he recognized the power of prayer. 2 (45m 34s): Remember he's in chains, he's imprisoned right now, maybe going through some hard stuff in his life. So he says, pray, pray 5 (45m 46s): For us. Pray 2 (45m 48s): For us to that. God will give us many opportunities to speak about his mysterious plan concerning 5 (45m 52s): Christ he's 2 (45m 54s): In chains. And he wants more opportunity to speak about this mysterious plan. Mysterious plan about Christ is that he's the God of the Jews and the Gentiles. He's the guy, 5 (46m 3s): The whole wide world. And Paul's looking for 2 (46m 9s): Opportunity to Pray for opportunity while we're here. Pray for opportunity that we'll have the ability to speak the truth to preach the gospel. That's why I'm here in chains. He said, pray that I will proclaim the message. Verse four, as clearly as I should. 5 (46m 30s): Okay. 2 (46m 30s): Pray that I will proclaim the message as clearly as I should 5 (46m 35s): Pray for others. Pray for others, 2 (46m 40s): Especially in these toxic times that we're in Pray for those you disagree with and pray for those who disagree with you, man, it will soften your hearts. It will tend to raise you a little bit. It's hard to be mad at somebody that you're praying for. When I say Pray, I mean, pray for not Pray against brave for Pray for pray, for 5 (47m 5s): Pray for 2 (47m 7s): Especially those, with whom you disagree. And it's hard to be mad or at odds with people when we're praying for them, we just find a tenderness. 5 (47m 16s): Yes. And to love 2 (47m 19s): And the supernatural it's something that God does. I ran into a guy this week, who I used to have to be at odds with. And 5 (47m 30s): I was 2 (47m 30s): So grateful that the Lord had done a work in our relationship that both of us just, we saw each other and we, we hugged and we laughed and we talked like nothing ever happened. It was like the supernatural moment. I, I I'm I'm there. It was surreal in the moment. Cause I'm like, you know, not too long ago, we were kind of at odds with each other. We didn't really care for each other, but God did something. He did something in him and he did something in me. He did something in the relationship and we were able to hug on each other and talk like nothing had ever happened. Why? Because love keeps no record of wrong. I think I've read that somewhere. Love keeps no record of wrongs. 2 (48m 14s): So there was this, this refreshing move of God. As we talked, I walked away. I was like, Holy cow, that was a wonderful conversation. That's what heaven's going to be like. That's what heaven's going to be like. Just grace covered grace filled wonderful relationship and connection Beyond prayer. Paul gives instruction for daily living in verse five and following he said, this live wisely among those who are not believers and make the most of every opportunity live wisely. 2 (48m 54s): Make the most of every opportunity. 5 (48m 56s): Pray pray for pray for those in your life who are not yet believers. Pray for them. 2 (49m 8s): You might pray for them for a decade or two or five, but pray for them and watch what the Lord will do. And then love on them. Love on them. Be gracious to them. Live wisely among those who are not believers and make the most of every opportunity. Verse six, let your conversations be gracious and attractive. That that verse means seasoned with salt. 5 (49m 34s): Well, that's your 2 (49m 36s): Appreciation be gracious and attractive seasoned with salt so that you will have the right response for everyone seasoned with salt. We had some stew last night and we're eating the stew and it's it's okay. Julian says this needs some salt, man. Yeah. That's okay. We keep beating this dude. Like yeah, you're right. I need some salt. So he puts some salt on there, like, Oh, all of a sudden, this is pretty good stew. Right? Just need a little salt, little salt goes a long way. 5 (50m 7s): Okay. 2 (50m 7s): Your conversations to be seasoned with salt. I often pray. Lord, let my words be seasoned with salt lit, especially when going into a difficult conversation, because I can say the wrong thing, like stepping off this curb. I mean, it just doesn't take any effort at all. I can say the wrong thing. And so, but I pray and I make it my attention to speak words that are seasoned with salt, something, God just does something there. And when maybe when I want to react, I don't react. Or when I want to overreact, I don't. And then sometimes my words just plainly are not seasoned with salt. And God's grace is sufficient, but make it your intention. 2 (50m 49s): If we make it our intention, that our words, our conversation to seasoned with salt so that we have the right response for everyone. Lord, what is, how do I respond in this situation? We live in a toxic environment. How do we respond in these situations that are so difficult when people maybe disagree with us about, well, you name it, religious perspectives, beliefs, political perspectives. There's, there's a lot to disagree about. Or what is my response with this person right now? Maybe you have a healthy conversation about religion or politics. 2 (51m 31s): Maybe you don't, you just love the person. Maybe they are on a completely different track than you are, but you just love them. 5 (51m 40s): Because 2 (51m 41s): Cause being right is not the biggest deal. It's not, I mean, that's not the goal. I like to be bright. I don't have to be right when I have conversations. I, the most important thing that God has called us to do is to love people. So why don't we, why don't we have to fight? Why don't we just love on each other and let God worry about 5 (52m 4s): Our society is polarized. 2 (52m 8s): God has an assignment for us and I'll get specific. God has an assignment for you in this polarized society that we live a live wisely, live wisely among those who are not believers. That's your assignment as believers. This is your assignment to live wisely. It's going to be different for every scenario and every situation that you're in. But if it's your, if it's your heart and mind to live wisely, you just say, Lord, I, I don't know how, what would you show me a be make the most of every opportunity. 2 (52m 54s): God is going to bring people to your path. Lord make what's the best way to make the most out of this opportunity. I don't know what to do. Lord, if you ever been, I don't know what to say. I don't know how to have a connection, a conversation with this person, make those be prayerful. This is why prayer is so crucial to who we are as followers of the Lord, Jesus Christ. You can be having a conversation to be praying at the same time. I'm often up here praying as I'm preaching because I'm in desperate need of the grace of the Lord, Jesus Christ to do what I do. So I'm praying. 5 (53m 28s): And then I'm preaching talking. And then 2 (53m 32s): I'm praying. I asking the Lord for his help to, to get this word clearly out, making the most of every opportunity. See, let your conversations be gracious and attractive against seasoned with salt so that you will have the right response for everyone. A, B and C a B, and C. All of these seemingly impossible things are possible. When our lives are filled with prayer and love, 5 (54m 2s): The more we Pray 2 (54m 3s): For people, the more we'll have the capacity to love them. Last week, we looked at 14 ways. Husbands can love their wives. That's a great list. 14 ways how'd you guys do this week. 5 (54m 22s): We'll talk later. 2 (54m 25s): This list is actually a great list to keep an eye on. When loving people in general, Prayer makes this 14, this list of 14 things doable, possible. 5 (54m 45s): How can 2 (54m 45s): And we live wisely making the most of every opportunity and have the right response for everyone. W we have to remember to pray for people and love people. Love is patient. We were running late this morning and I was in the car waiting. And Jolene was just running late and get in the car and later to go, I'm like you ready to go? She's like, Oh, I need to get something. I said, well, we're in no hurry just to get what you need. She said, thanks for being patient with me. And I said, well, love is patient, 5 (55m 17s): Right? 2 (55m 17s): Some days I really nail it. Other days I totally missed the Mark. I, my arrow goes Well. That was basically, but I knew I was going to be talking about it today. So I knew that I had to be on my best 5 (55m 33s): Love is patient love is kind. 2 (55m 38s): Love is not jealous. It's not boastful. 5 (55m 45s): Love is not proud, is not rude. 2 (55m 51s): Love does not demand its own way. Love is not irritable. Love keeps no record of being wronged does not rejoice about injustice, but rejoices. When the truth, when the truth wins out, love never gives up. Love, never loses. Faith. Love is always hopeful. Love endures through every tall order, impossible in the natural impossible. Just if we're relying on our own natural strength, our own sinful man, but very possible. 2 (56m 35s): All of these things are very possible when we're prayerful and filled with the love of God, then we can love people. The way that God's asked us to love people, Because it's not boastful or proud or rude, it's just tender. And it can be direct at times, but it's not boastful or proud or rude keeps no record of being wronged. All of those things are key to healthy relationships between friends and neighbors, coworkers, spouses, siblings, you name it. 2 (57m 21s): So we wrap up here, let's look at Paul's final instruction and greetings verse seven, Paul mentions 10 people by name 10 people by name who were with him. People partnering with him, people who prayed for him and those Paul prayed for and people that he did life with. Paul did life with people. As far as we know, he's a single man during his ministry, but he was surrounded by people tickets for seven, writing to the church. , we'll give you a full report about how I'm getting along. He's a beloved brother and faithful helper who serves with me in the Lord's work. 2 (58m 5s): I have sent him to you for this purpose to let you know how we are doing and to encourage you. Paul's Paul's in chains and he's writing a letter to encourage the church. It's because it's all about life is all about perspective. It can be in chains and be thrashed, or we can be in chains and be filled with the Holy 5 (58m 25s): Spirit and not thrashed at all. 2 (58m 27s): Just so thankful. Got my breast still. I can still write letters. I can still pray. I can still do all of these things. That was Paul's perspective. It must have been there. Otherwise he wouldn't have the capacity to want to encourage others, but he did. He didn't care about the chains. He was there because he was preaching. The gospel counted worthy to suffer for the, for the King. 5 (58m 53s): It was wonderful. 2 (58m 57s): It's balls and change is he and he's encouraging them. And again, I believe this response is a result of purpleness and great love. Paul prayed for the church. He prayed for the church. He loved the church. He loved the people. Verse nine. I am sending also, I'm also sending a, Onesimus a faithful and beloved brother, one of your own people. He and will tell you everything that's happening here. So he's, he just wanted to do, to give a report. This is what's going on during the week, this last week, Daniel, and Solvay a video chatted in and got a chance. They got a chance to talk with their, their board Daniel. And Solvay kinda, they minister in Greenland. They're living in Greenland, taking the gospel to the top of the world. 2 (59m 40s): And they're yet connected to us. And they're watching on Sunday morning, the, the preaching and the service, and then they're encouraging people in their village to do the same thing. So we've got people on this Greenlandic village who are watching what we're doing here on Sunday morning. So we, we love you guys. We bless you. We love Daniel. And Solvay they called in to just give an update on what's going on. The people that they're praying for and their people that they're ministering to and the people that they're serving in their community. Why? Because we're called to do life in community. Even if we're in a Greenlandic village on the top of the world, there's connection there there's prayer exchanged. I'll often get messages from Daniel and Salva. 2 (1h 0m 21s): Hey, we're praying for you and I'll respond. I'm praying for you. God's doing good stuff all over the world. Aaron Stark is firsthand who was in prison with me. So Paul is not alone. Send you his greetings. And so does Mark Barnabas cousin, as you were instructed before, make Mark welcome. If he comes your way to Mark surface, March, the guy that Paul and Barnabas were traveling with on their missions acts chapter 13, John Mark, he went home, he went back to Jerusalem. He's like, I'm not going to continue on in the mission. And Paul was pretty tweaked by that. He's like Mark, can't travel with us any longer. And that's when Paul and Barnabas split up and went their separate way. 2 (1h 1m 5s): Something happened. Maybe like my friendship with a guy that I ran into there, there was a healing there. Why? Because, because of prayerfulness and love being extended and exchanged, remember the story. I mean, there was a, it's a big deal. It's often cited in acts. I think it's chapter 15 where they say, Hey, we're done. We're not traveling together. We're not ministering together. But here in this scenario, 4 (1h 1m 38s): Paul saying, Hey, take, take care of my brother, Mark. 2 (1h 1m 42s): We endure hardship better when we are in it with others. So we don't have time for petty disagreements. 4 (1h 1m 49s): We are brothers and sisters in the Lord. We are 2 (1h 1m 53s): Connected. We are friends. We need each other. And when we extend grace and love to one another, when we pray for one, another, man, things can happen and we can go sideways. But man, God God's, grace is sufficient. We can come back together. 4 (1h 2m 10s): We endure 2 (1h 2m 10s): Hardship better when we are in it with others. Let's talk about friendship for a minute. If you need a friend to do do these four things. If you need a friend, some of us are just lacking friendship where like, I don't have any friends in my life. Do you do four things? I started out with two. I added two more. So we have four forgive people. If you need a friend, just start forgiving, be friendly. Number two, number three, love people. Number four, pray for a friend. Paul had many friends as is evidence in this final instruction. Verse 11, Jesus. The one they call justice also sends his greetings. 2 (1h 2m 52s): These are the only Jewish believers among my coworkers. They are working with me here for the kingdom of God and what a comfort they have been. a member of your own fellowship, probably the guy who planted this church in Colossae and in Colossi at the first a member of your own fellowship and a servant of Christ. Jesus send you his greetings. He always prays earnestly for you. I love it. When people tell me that, Hey, I'm praying for your church. I'm praying earnestly for your church, asking God to make you strong and perfect, fully confident that you are following the will of God. God responds to prayer. Prayer will make you strong and perfect, fully confident that you are doing the will of God. 2 (1h 3m 33s): The word perfect means to complete and mature. This is God's desire that we'd be complete and mature, confident that we're doing the will of God, that we know the will of God. As we pray for people are we're making them strong. As we pray for people, we're making them strong in Jesus name, perfect, fully confident that they are doing the will of God. Verse 13. I can assure you that he prays hard for you and also for the believers in Laodicea and higher opera. Hieropolis Luke, the beloved doctor sends his greetings. And so does Demas. Please give my greetings to our brothers and sisters at Laodicea and to Nympha and the church that meets in her house. 2 (1h 4m 17s): After you've read this letter, pass it on to the church at Laodicea so they can read it too. And you should read the letter I wrote to them. That's why we teach through these letters because they're meant to be read and understood and say to R-CHOP is to be sure to carry out the ministry. The Lord gave you a little bit of challenge there. Say to R-CHOP is to be sure to carry out the ministry of the Lord gave you. As I read that, I thought that's for somebody here 4 (1h 4m 39s): Today, 2 (1h 4m 42s): Maybe the Lord's given you a ministry to carry out. Okay? 4 (1h 4m 45s): And you've been unresponsive, unwilling, maybe even disobedient. I'll just say this. 2 (1h 4m 59s): Be sure to carry out the ministry. 4 (1h 5m 2s): The Lord gave you. 2 (1h 5m 6s): Here's my greeting in my own handwriting. Paul, remember my chains. May God's grace 4 (1h 5m 11s): Be with you 2 (1h 5m 14s): Don't ever get away from the basics. Pray with an alert mind with a thankful heart and pray for other people. And remember your assignments live wisely among those who are not believers, make the most of every opportunity and let your conversations be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone with that. Let's go ahead and Pray let's invite the worship team forward and we're going to continue with Church Lord. Thank you for Church. Thank you for the opportunity to gather, to sing, to pray, to hear a message, to open our hearts and to avail ourselves to you. Lord, we just need you to continue to speak to us as we worship, God, help us to worship in spirit, being present with you. 2 (1h 5m 58s): And in truth, being honest with you, with you and honest with you, help us to be with you and honest with you, Lord, thank you Jesus. For that. God, we love you. And we, we know that you're going to continue to minister. As we open up our hearts and saying, and give ourselves as we make an offer a sacrificial offering of our singing to you, or thank you. Thank you for taking care of Harvest Church we love you Lord in Jesus name. Amen. Let's sing 0 (1h 6m 33s): To, to do it. here is where I lay it down is where lay it down. 0 (1h 7m 28s): Every burden, every crown. This is my silver and this is my . This is my servant. I'll make room. 0 (1h 7m 50s): crown. 0 (1h 8m 30s): This is my son. This is my son. He is where every lie and every doubt, this is my son. 0 (1h 8m 50s): I'm going to say shake up to the ground of our tradition. 0 (1h 9m 44s): Break down the laws of our religion. Here we go. 0 (1h 9m 46s): you want your will to be done in our lives. 0 (1h 11m 20s): Would you lead us? Would you guide us? 0 (1h 11m 47s): you are close. 0 (1h 13m 2s): I've known you as a all my life who have been, who have been. 0 (1h 15m 2s): So would you stir our hearts? 0 (1h 16m 12s): Help us to hear you speak as we need to guide us. Pray pray for others. Speak with hearts seasoned with salt. Thank you for being in our midst here today. We love you and we look forward to worshiping, speak to you in there again next week in Jesus name. Amen. Amen. Thank you so much for being with us both online and here on campus. We can't wait to see you next Sunday. Have a wonderful day. If anyone would like prayer, feel free to come forward. We would love to pray with you. There'll be some staff or others available to meet with you. Thanks so much.