New Day Christian Church - Weston, WI

Power of Prayer: What keeps you from praying?

Profitable Prayer

Prayer as praise, prayer as perspective, prayer as pause

Matthew 6:1-13 (ESV) “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. 2 “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
The Lord's Prayer
5 “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
7 “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 9 Pray then like this:
“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.[a]
10 Your kingdom come,
your will be done,[b]
   on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread,[c]
12 and forgive us our debts,
   as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation,
   but deliver us from evil.[d]

Power of Prayer: Fasting

Matthew 6:16a (NLT) “And when you fast…”

A Breakthrough I Want to See God Accomplish Is: _____________________________________

Over the Next 21 Days (January 13-February 2), I am Willing to Fast from:

• One Meal Per Day
• All Food One Day Per Week
• Solid Food (getting nutrition mostly from fruit and vegetable juices)
• Certain Foods: ____________
• Social Media
• Other: _____________

I Will Find Nourishment from God’s Word Regularly at ___:___ Each Day by Reading:

• A Chapter of ____________ in My Bible
• A Bible Reading Plan from YouVersion Bible
• The Bible Passage Recommended in 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting (booklet or online)
• Other: ________________

I Will Have Times of Focused Prayer at (location) _______________ from __:__ to __:__.

I Will Record My Thoughts, Feelings and Answered Prayer Daily:

• In the 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting Booklet
• In My Own Prayer Journal
• Other: ______________

I Will Share My Thoughts, Feelings and Answered Prayer With: ___________________________

Power of Prayer: Part 2

Acts 4:31 (NLT)  After this prayer, the meeting place shook, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. Then they preached the word of God with boldness.

A suggested prayer outline from Acts 4:

God, you are:

In Your Word, I see that you did amazing things like:

Today I am facing:

...and I feel:

I know that you already know more about this situation than I do, and You know what would be best.

I think You would be glorified in this situation if:

I don’t ask for Your help by my own authority, but in the name of Jesus Christ. May Your will be done. Amen.

Further Reading:

• Prayer for God’s Lead (Psalm 139)
• Jesus Teaches His Disciples How to Pray (Matthew 6:9-13)
• The Church Prays for Boldness (Acts 4:24-30)
• Prayer for Spiritual Growth (Ephesians 3:14-21)
• Prayer for Other Believers (Colossians 1:9-14)

Audio clip from Meet the Parents

Power of Prayer

Jude 1:20 (NLT)  But you, dear friends, must build each other up in your most holy faith, pray in the power of the Holy Spirit

Christmas Eve 2018

One of the joys of this season is receiving Christmas cards in the mail. So often our mailboxes are filled with bills and junk mail. A Christmas card shows that someone thought enough about us to send us something good!

What we’re celebrating tonight is the fact that God thought enough about us to send us something that is so much better than any card or gift. He loves us so much that He sent His Son! He sent Jesus from a comfortable home in Heaven to live an uncomfortable life of sacrifice for our sake.

Sometimes we call someone to thank them for the card or the gift they sent. Tonight, we’re joining our voices together to sing our appreciation to God for sending Jesus. I am so glad we can share this time together.

Merry Christmas!  

1 John 4:9-11 (NLT) 9  God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. 10  This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. 11  Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other.  

As the Father sent His Son into the world as an expression of love, so Jesus sends us.

Sent Part 3: Comfortable as the Army

Matthew 16:17-18 (NASB) 17  And Jesus said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Barjona [or son of Jonah], because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. 18  "I also say to you that you are Peter [GR: petros], and upon this rock [GR: petra] I will build My church [GR: ekklesia]; and the gates of Hades [or Hell] will not overpower it.

Sent Part 2: Baby it's Cold Inside

 

Matthew 24:12 (NLT)  Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold.

Jonah 4:10-11 (NLT) 10  Then the LORD said, “You feel sorry about the plant, though you did nothing to put it there. It came quickly and died quickly. 11  But Nineveh has more than 120,000 people living in spiritual darkness, not to mention all the animals. Shouldn’t I feel sorry for such a great city?”

Sent: For God So Loved the World

Jesus Himself is the ultimate Christmas gift, and to receive Him changes everything. Before Jesus, worship was centered around the temple in Jerusalem and led by the priests. After Jesus, Peter calls the gathered believers a “spiritual temple” and a “royal priesthood” (1 Peter 2:5,9). That’s a high calling for us to live up to today.

John 3:16-17 (NLT) 16  “For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. 17  God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.

John 20:21 (NLT)  Again he said, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.”

Living in the Upper Story

Every once in a while it’s important to take a step back and see the bigger picture.

 

Overview of 4.12 Youth Ministry

1 Timothy 4:12 says "Don't let anyone think less of you because you are young.  Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith and your purity." We will hear what God is doing in the lives of our youth students and leaders, and why this verse is an important part of 4.12 Ministry.

Come and see.

Come and follow me.

Come and be with me.

You will remain me.