(April 7, 2011)

Prayer House News

Mighty Men will be meeting tonight followed by RPM.

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Pastor John is asking anyone who might be interested in attending his new Connect Group or just to ask questions about it to email him at; PastorJohn@prayerhouseag.org

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Concerning the book “Holiness, Truth, and the Presence of God” that P. Nick promoted Sunday as a book of focus for the month of April and the Glory of God… The books we ordered are used books. Some of them are in excellent condition with very few markings on them. We ordered used ones to keep the price low and affordable. If you would prefer to have a brand new book you may visit the following the website to order. http://www.amazon.com/Holiness-Truth-Presence-Francis-Frangipane/ On this site, the new books are selling for $9.00 plus shipping.

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Devotional!

Behold, He Prays

Think of this; Saul of Tarsus had been a praying man all his life, he maintained the traditions of his spiritual fathers, which would have included daily prayers, but not until he experienced his conversion and came into son-ship with the father, does God take note that he is praying. God answers Paul joyously. There is a ring of exultation in the words he speaks to Ananias.

It’s very similar to the joyous ring of our Lord in teaching the parable of the Lost Sheep.

Luke 15:3-7 Then Jesus told them this parable: (4) "Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? (5) And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders (6) and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.' (7) I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.

In verse 6 he says, “Rejoice with me.” That’s the same spirit we find the Lord in, in his willingness to answer Saul’s prayer. He says to Ananias, “Look he’s praying.” And it’s not just the fact that he’s praying but rather – praying indicates son-ship. It’s almost as though God is saying, “Look, I have a new son.” Proof that he is a new son is that he prays.

There is joy in the heart of God the Father when His lost children begin to pray. He answers like the God His is. Chadwick says, “The answering hand of God waits for the lifted hand of man, and the heart that answers always transcends the heart that cries.”

Prayer indicates son-ship. That is the focus of the Lord here. It’s not a matter of trying to figure out why God saved Saul. We should be picking up on the joy God is expressing over Saul praying. And even then it’s not just the fact that he is praying – it’s that fact that he has become a son, and as sons and daughters of God – we pray. And when we pray we get revelation. Revelation is what changes our lives.

A Vision and a Messenger

God answers Saul of Tarsus in two parts. First he gave the vision, then he gave the messenger. That is God’s way: first an assurance, and then the confirmation. That is the mystery of spiritual co-operation! Prayer could be defined as spiritual co-operation. The Lord moves in response to the prayer.

When I was about one year old in the Lord, I remember being in a missions service. The missionary Monroe Grams was speaking at our convention. On Sunday night he put out a call for people to come around the altar to pray. As I knelt down to pray God began to deal with me about going into the ministry. I cannot say that I had a vision about going to Bible college but I definitely felt him dealing with me about it. I got up from prayer and walked to the back of the sanctuary where my Mom was just standing there by the back wall. When I walked up to her she said, “When are you going to Bible College?” I said, “How do you know I’m going?” She said, “God showed me while you were praying.”

This is how God works. Don’t think this account with Ananias and Paul was so exceptional. This method is really quite common. God could just as easily have said to my Mom, “Behold, he prays, go tell him he’s going to bible college.” My mom could have responded similar to how Ananias responded. “I don’t really trust him, Lord.” And God would have said, “Go.”

First there is the vision, then there is the messenger. How many times have we heard missionaries share that very type of thing? They will stumble upon some obscure tribe way off in the jungle someplace and be welcomed with great fanfare because long before they got there a vision was given that a man would come with a message of peace and salvation. And then the missionary/messenger shows up. First there is the assurance, the vision, and then there is the confirmation, the messenger.

============================================== Medication: A Merry Heart

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