Our Prayer Pillar

MonJan252010 PostedMonday, January 25, 2010 @ 12 PMByEric PostelukTaggedPrayer The 4 Pillars

At Harvest Bible Chapel we have Four Pillars that guide all of our ministry.

Proclaiming the authority of God’s Word without apology - 2 Timothy 4:2
Lifting high the name of Jesus through worship - John 4:24
Believing firmly in the power of prayer - Colossians 4:2
Sharing the good news of Jesus with boldness - Ephesians 6:19-20

I’d like to take a moment to talk about our Pillar on prayer. Why do we have prayer listed as an essential Pillar that upholds our church? Let me give you some reasons:

It’s commanded in Scripture
It’s modeled in Scripture
It reminds us how much we need God
It reminds others how much they need God
It’s a major way that God works out His plans on earth
It increases our awareness of God
It increases our love for God
It increases our love for others
It increases our faith for good things to come
The youngest to the oldest can participate
Those young in their faith can be used mightily!
The uneducated can be used disproportionately to their education
It unites families, friends, churches, and communities

…It glorifies God by showing our weakness and His power

Prayer uniquely shows our weakness and God’s power. It’s possible to know the Bible from cover to cover and yet to be minimally aware of our need for God. Sad but true… For sinful people like us, knowledge can puff us up big time! We can forget that we’re not even in control of our next heartbeat or breath… Prayer tends to remind us – again, and again, and again (I need the reminders all day!) of how much we need God. Don’t get me wrong – keep reading your Bible, keep learning, keep memorizing, keep mediating – for sure!

But… don’t do that without growing more and more as a person of prayer. When you think of the Bible, think of prayer. When you think of prayer, think of the Bible. These two blessings from God are meant to go together!

Prayer is one of the 4 Pillars of Harvest Bible Chapel Joliet. “Lord, may we be a church that prays and prays and prays! For Your glory and our joy – in Jesus name, amen!”

Prayer is a privilege. The more you pray, the more you pray…

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1 comments

On 2/19/02012 8:38 AM, Janet R. Gonzales said... One answer to prayer came to me through a friend. One day my girlfriend text me and said, "It says the Lord will never give us more than we can handle, I wonder some times." So I prayed about that because I feel like I have had a really big heap on me lately. The next day I had lunch with another girlfriend and I mentioned the text to her and she just cracked up. Wow was she laughing. When she got a grip she said, "Yeah but the rest of that says, "With His Help!". She said of course on your own it could kill you. So really God will never give us more than we can handle with his help. I was so gratefull that I have talked to God about everything ever since I became a Christian. I always ask for help.
Before I was a Christian the only time I would pray is when I was beating down slag from the boiler and I just didn't have the strength to bust it down. I'm not kidding everytime I would pray I would only have to hit it once maybe twice and it would fall. Sometimes when I opened my eyes it was already gone. Slag gets the size and as hard as trees when it pouring out the bottom of the boiler and freezes up. I was a whopping 130 pounds when I had that job. I passed on the power of prayer to my co-workers when they would ask how I was able to handle that job. I'm not kidding that job made grown men cry!
Another time at work I was beating on the downcomers with a sledge hammer up on top of a 20' high tank. I could not get the ash to come out of the pipes. So of course when I got exhausted I prayed. As soon as I finished Terry popped his head up from the top of the ladder and asked me if I needed some help. Wow I was thinking God is fast. It is through prayer and the answers that I began to believe in the power of our Awesome God!
It is with Gods strength that I am able to enjoy this life. Amen