Lead Like Paul (3 of 21)
Series: Ephesians
Zach Terry
Ephesians 1:15-19
We will study our text, and then I will close with some practical application for Fathers.
OPENING ILLUSTRATION:
I grew up in a Church where the men used to gather on Sunday nights at the alter for prayer. All of us boys would take our place beside our fathers and try to pray along with them. It was common in those alter prayers for everyone to pray out loud. That's just the way we did it. Well there was only so much I could think to pray about as a little boy, but we weren't to go back to our seats until the last "amen" had been given.
So often I would kneel there and think about how uncomfortable it is to kneel with one knee on the ground and another in the air. But then I would think, but if you put both knees on the ground you look like a girl.
After my mind had worked through all of the possible postures one might employ in prayer I would listen to the other men pray. Normally Mr. Ray was the last one to finish. I figured he must be the most spiritual of the bunch seeing as how he prayed so long.
I would listen to his prayer. I wanted to know what he said.
There is something about hearing other people pray, especially when they are praying for you.
1 Corinthians 14:16 (NASB95)
Paul was instructing the Church at Corinth not to pray in tongues without an interpreter. What was his reasoning? 16 Otherwise if you bless in the spirit only, how will the one who fills the place of the ungifted say the "Amen" at your giving of thanks, since he does not know what you are saying?
Paul recognized that while prayer is addressed to God, there is an enormous spiritual benefit to hearing what others prayer on your behalf.
TEXT/CONTEXT: I think that is why on a number of occasions Paul records his prayers in the letters he writes. Nowhere does he do so more than in his letter to the Ephesians.
What an opportunity to ease drop on prayer life of this man of God as h ...
Series: Ephesians
Zach Terry
Ephesians 1:15-19
We will study our text, and then I will close with some practical application for Fathers.
OPENING ILLUSTRATION:
I grew up in a Church where the men used to gather on Sunday nights at the alter for prayer. All of us boys would take our place beside our fathers and try to pray along with them. It was common in those alter prayers for everyone to pray out loud. That's just the way we did it. Well there was only so much I could think to pray about as a little boy, but we weren't to go back to our seats until the last "amen" had been given.
So often I would kneel there and think about how uncomfortable it is to kneel with one knee on the ground and another in the air. But then I would think, but if you put both knees on the ground you look like a girl.
After my mind had worked through all of the possible postures one might employ in prayer I would listen to the other men pray. Normally Mr. Ray was the last one to finish. I figured he must be the most spiritual of the bunch seeing as how he prayed so long.
I would listen to his prayer. I wanted to know what he said.
There is something about hearing other people pray, especially when they are praying for you.
1 Corinthians 14:16 (NASB95)
Paul was instructing the Church at Corinth not to pray in tongues without an interpreter. What was his reasoning? 16 Otherwise if you bless in the spirit only, how will the one who fills the place of the ungifted say the "Amen" at your giving of thanks, since he does not know what you are saying?
Paul recognized that while prayer is addressed to God, there is an enormous spiritual benefit to hearing what others prayer on your behalf.
TEXT/CONTEXT: I think that is why on a number of occasions Paul records his prayers in the letters he writes. Nowhere does he do so more than in his letter to the Ephesians.
What an opportunity to ease drop on prayer life of this man of God as h ...
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