HOW DISCIPLES PRAY

 


By Rev Michael Benson Ajayi

One day as these men were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Appoint Barnabas and Saul for the special work to which I have called them.” So after more fasting and prayer, the men laid their hands on them and sent them on their way.

" Acts of the Apostles 13:2‭-‬3 NLT

  "Anna, a prophet, was also there in the Temple. She was the daughter of Phanuel from the tribe of Asher, and she was very old. Her husband died when they had been married only seven years. Then she lived as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the Temple but stayed there day and night, worshiping God with fasting and prayer." Luke 2:36‭-‬37 NLT

   Being a disciple of Jesus Christ is different from the average religious devotee. Disciples are completely sold out to Jesus and live to promote the gospel of God's kingdom through teachings , prayer and fastings  . Anna was a widow who devoted her time to fasting and praying for the fulfillment of God's plans on earth. God needs human agents to intervene on our behalf through prayer. 

  Prayer is the invitation we offer divinity to intervene in humanity . It took Moses's prayers to save the Jews from bondage in Egypt . The early disciples realized this and  committed quality time to praying and fasting for divine preservation and the fulfillment of God's plans . Jesus Christ taught his disciples to pray " your will be done on earth " (Matt6:10)

    They  prayed for the opportunity to preach the gospel  (Col.4:3) The disciples also prayed for the perfections of the faith of the brethren  , the Bible says "Night and day we pray earnestly for you, asking God to let us see you again to fill the gaps in your faith."1 Thess 3:10 NLT You need to ask God to give you the right preacher or teacher to build your faith . This is one of the effects of praying in tongues (Jude1;20) . Faith requires brotherly love and unity (Eph4:3) .

   Disciples of Christ pray for love amongst the brethren " I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding."Philippians 1:9 NLT. Love is sustained by knowledge , therefore, disciples pray that the brethren be filled with knowledge, "  So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding." Colossians 1:9 NLT

  The word of God is what heals nations therefore , disciples pray for the rapid spread of God's word across the world " Finally, dear brothers and sisters, we ask you to pray for us. Pray that the Lord’s message will spread rapidly and be honored wherever it goes, just as when it came to you."2 Thes 3:1 NLT God's word spreads through honest living by brethren . Bribery and corruption by Christians hinders the spread of the gospel . Disciples pray for honest living by brethren  " Pray for us, for our conscience is clear and we want to live honorably in everything we do."Hebrews 13:18 NLT. This is leads to a healthy and secure  society. They are to pray for the success of anti corruption agencies in their countries . Corruption results in deep poverty amongst God's people .

  Disciples are also required to pray for the healing of the sick ( James5:16)  and this happens when we set set our affection more on heavenly virtues ." Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. " Colossians 3:2 NLT

 Prayer: Heavenly father forgive me of my sins against you I believe Jesus Christ died and was raised again for my salvation I receive him as lord and saviour and receive the Holy Spirit and boldness to preach the gospel . 
+2348035536911, +2348098536911 email : michaelbensonajayi@gmail.com 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

BREAK EVIL FAMILY PATTERNS

Image
 By Rev.Michael Benson Ajayi  Titus 1:12 -14 "One of themselves,   even a prophet of their own, said, The Cretians   are alway liars, evil beasts, slow bellies.  This  witness is true. Wherefore rebuke them sharply,  that they may be sound in the faith;  Not giving  heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of  men, that turn from the truth."       The church in Crete was in disarray and the apostle assigned Titus to go and put things in order . On investigation it was discovered the church suffered from a vicious cycle of evil family  patterns. They were not enjoying the fruits of the salvation experience . An example of evil family patterns is that of King David who defiled Uriah's wife ,murdered him and his son Absalom murdered his brother Amnon (2Sam13) dethroned him and defiled his concubines openly (2Samuel16). His son Amnon defiled his sister Tamar (2Sam.13) and so on yet David was the anointed of the Lord.     Many christians suffer evil family patterns ( repeated d
Read more

CONSEQUENCES OF LACK OF FAITH

Image
By Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi " Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters. Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God." Hebrews 3:12 NLTBible  ' Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!”John 20:27 NLTBible     Faith is the guarantee of the manifestation an unseen reality . It is the reason behind the hope we have in God and the fulfilment of his promises. It is the substance ( title deed) of things hoped for ,the evidence of things not seen (Hebrew 11:1) .The Bible warns against not having faith in God. Lack of faith is equal to calling God a liar and untrustworthy. This type of reasoning turns us into enemy's of God.    The gospel is so much under attack by the activities of faithless religionists . They plan to replace the holy scripture with humanistic dogma. The danger in this is the relative approach t
Read more

COMMON CAUSES OF DISUNITY.

Image
 By Rev Michael Benson Ajayi "Even some men from your own group will rise up and distort the truth in order to draw a following."Acts 20:30 NLT   "An angry person starts fights; a hot-tempered person commits all kinds of sin." Proverbs 29:22 NLTBible        Disunity is defined as : disagreement and conflict within a group. It is the greatest hindrance to the promotion of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Disunity creates an avenue for Satan to promote sin.       The causes of disunity are not farfetched ,they include : Unhealthy Crave for power or self- promotion. Whenever there is an unhealthy pursuit of influence in a family or group it results in resistance. Self-promotion gives birth to unfair practices and injustices. In Numbers 12: 1-15  Moses' sister Miriam and Aaron rebelled against him desiring to rule by force and in Numbers 16 :1-35 Korah led an insurrection against Moses desiring to be part of leadership. In both cases ,God was not pleased with the rebels
Read more