Vision 2020 series
Week 6: Dependent on our fervent prayer
Discussion Questions
Vision 2020 is dependent on our drawing close, on our generous support and on our fervent prayer. In
this week’s message, we explored why prayer was so important. Read again Ephesians 6:10-20
The Struggle
1. Why is the work of the gospel and the mission of the church so difficult today?
2. What does Ephesians 6 tell us about the reason behind the factors raised in Q 1?
3. In what sort of activity do the powers of this dark world engage? (refer to sermon notes)
4. It would be dangerous to give these forces either too ____________ attention or __________ !
The Armour
5. Briefly touch on each aspect of the armour and how each piece is appropriate to the warfare in
which we are engaged. (Truth, righteousness, Gospel readiness, faith, salvation, the Word of
God and prayer.)
6. Give the struggle we’ve identified, which aspect of the armour stands out for you? What is the
promise from the passage if we clothe ourselves with these things?
7. Why is prayer so significant for the warfare?
The Prayer
8. Discuss what we are to pray for. Do any of these stand out for you? Will any of these things be
something new you now take up in your prayers?
a. All kinds of prayers
b. ...for all Christians everywhere
c. That preachers will fearlessly make known the gospel
d. That they will declare it fearlessly
e. That there will be an open door for the message (Colossians 4:2-4)
f. That the Lord will send more labourers into the harvest (Matthew 9:35-38)
g. That the Lord will give the growth (1 Corinthians 3:5-9)
9. Mark suggested our prayers often are about what’s urgent to the day; they centre around
ourselves or our little world and that although we have a desire for the gospel to go out, this
doesn’t often inform our prayers. Was he right?
10. How might you respond as a group to the challenge of this passage and sermon – especially if
Vision is dependent on our fervent prayer?
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Date:
Services:
Series:
Title:
Passage:
Aim:
31 August 2014
7.30 and 9.30
Vision 2020
Dependent upon our fervent prayer
Ephesians 6:10-20
To show the spiritual battle in which we are engaged as we endeavour to make disciples
and inspire prayer as one our primary weapons.
Outline:
The struggle
The armour
The prayer
______________________________
1. THE STRUGGLE
Context of doing church or proclaiming the gospel – very difficult in today’s society.
Very definitely – post Christian
Bishop Jonathan
1. Consumer society – people pick and choose churches – no brand loyalty
2. Hedonistic society – not pleasurable – not in it... Gospel speaks of sacrifice not entertainment...
taking up your cross... laying down your life...
3. Cynical – sometimes with good reason – (sexual abuse)
4. Wealthy society – money a rival to salvation – security, happiness, comfortable living... possible
to live perfectly comfortably with no reference to or need for God (until you get sick!)
5. Pragmatic – moral issues – not right or wrong – but – does it work? Is it convenient?
6. 24/7 – any one of a number of options – especially on Sundays
7. Impatient – immediate results, tangible benefits now
8. Audio-visual – short concentration span
9. Corrupt
+ Unique challenges of Noosa – beach culture..., lifestyle,
Makes gospel work hard work – that’s outside church
...within – at large – politics and power plays, resistance to change, entrenchment of views, - people who
are not listening... and theological differences which actually see no need to engage in mission... no
urgency... no priority – because we’re too busy playing church..!
But friends – here’s the reality – these things are serious....
But they’re not all we’re working against!
There’s something far greater... something more significant...
...there’s something at the root cause of all these... an underlying factor...
...in fact all these are simply the outworking – the symptoms of the underlying factor...
Here’s the issue – right here – in Eph 6:12 – our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers,
against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly
realms.
Struggle not in the end against
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Nippers
Sunday sport
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Apathetic parents
Cynical retirees
The weather, the climate, the surf
Not against the new atheists, the scientists, the philosophers, the clever...
Not against other religions
Not against evil THINGS
But the evil ONE!
Against the Devil!
‘the powers of this dark world... spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms...’ //
We don’t know a lot about these spiritual forces... nor do we want to!
...can give these too much attention
...or too little...
But Evil One has forces... at work... – personal, demonic intelligences
The opposition to the gospel is supernatural.
They exploit every opportunity they can – culture, social systems, sport, the realm of the academic to
train-wreck gospel work...
They will do all they can
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Discredit the church – sexual abuse
Break up marriages of Christian pastors
Cause divisions within local churches
Entrench Christians so they won’t change anything
Falsify the promises of sport, career, materialism...
Create religious war
They’ll do all they can
-
To stop you taking God seriously
To keep you from reading his word
To distract you from making wise decisions for your children
To whisper about not being too generous
This is the nature of the struggle
Its serious
Its powerful
Its demonic
It’s relentless
And we’d be mad to dismiss it or discount it...
So that’s the first thing I wanted to look at with you this morning... – the struggle we’re involved in...
But there is the good news... lest we feel overwhelmed this morning by this spiritual battle
Without wanting to minimise Satan’s power, this is not a fair fight. The poor fool has shown up to a
nuclear weapon fight with a water pistol, because he’s not fighting against us. He’s fighting against Jesus
the Son of God!
The evil one stands defeated already...
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At the resurrection Jesus rose victorious over the Evil One who took him to the cross and the grave but
not could not keep him down...
It’s a losing battle the evil one fights...
And one day – Christ’s victorious reign will be declared and seen by the entire universe...
But in the mean time – we have been supplied with an armour – so we can (v11) take our stand against
the devil’s schemes...
How good is that... we CAN take our stand... we can stand – if we’re properly dressed – armoured up!
...v13 – so that when the of evil comes you may be able to stand your ground...
The second point this morning is:
2. THE ARMOUR
1. truth – Satan is the Father of lies; Jesus is the way, the truth and the life... we must know the truth
about Jesus to fight of the lies of the evil one
2. righteousness – living out in your behaviour what has been given you by Jesus... a life that is
right and good and pleasing to God... no compromise.
3. gospel readiness – feet fitted... ready to share the gospel... know the gospel... love the gospel...
share the gospel... defend the gospel...
4. faith – not blind faith – informed faith... not believing what you know isn’t true – but trust in all
the overwhelming evidence...
5. salvation – confident... in what Jesus has done for you
6. the Word of God – the sword of the Spirit – read it, know it, love it, live it!
7. Prayer – let’s spend a little longer here...
because friends, a life of dependence on God in prayer is essential if we are to engage successfully in our
warfare with the powers of darkness.
3. THE PRAYER
And this is the reason that we have said that Vision 2020 is entirely dependent on
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our drawing close
our generous support and
our fervent prayer
if we’re not praying for the Vision
then we either foolishly think we can do it ourselves
or we don’t believe the reality of the spiritual battle!
What sort of things ought we be praying for?
...Eph 6:18 – ‘in the Spirit’ or ‘by the Spirit’ – simply means with the Holy Spirit’s help... inspiring and
firing your prayers... he lives within remember!
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All kinds of prayers and requests
Alert
Praying for all the saints – all believers – one another – here and elsewhere
Preachers – fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel
Again – pray that I might declare it fearlessly (pressure is always on – to water it down, or to
dress it up)
Similar pass Col 4:2ff – open door for our message.... Pray that I might proclaim it clearly...
(great thing to pray for Vision 2020
Matthew 9:35-38 – Jesus – pray the Lord of the harvest to send more workers... that’s precisely
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what we need!
1 Cor 3 – I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. Pray God would make his seed
grow!
If we don’t draw closer – same but smaller in 2020
It we don’t give generously – same but smaller
If we don’t pray – we may not even be here!!
Friends – often our prayers are - urgent. Small. Egocentric.
They need to be bigger, bolder, gospel centred. Kingdom focused.
Not just your little sphere
Lord's Prayer - praying cosmic stuff.... We often leave that to the formula of the Lord's Prayer
Don't lack desire for kingdom to grow, but don't think it informs their prayer
What can you do?
By all means – pray about that matter that’s causing you to be anxious...
...but pray God will have mercy on Noosa...
Pray for Mrs Smith and her specialist appointment
But pray that God will raise up more gospel workers for the harvest here...
Prayer time - Sat Tewantin 7.15
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Too early, wrong side of town? INVENT ANOTHER TIME – START ANOTHER GROUP!!
Sunshine Beach Sat 5pm
Peregian Springs 11am
Or – unofficially, privately...
Struggle
Armour – so we can stand!
Prayer – all sorts, all people... leaders, gospel, workers, growth...
Will we?
Vision 2020 – totally dependent on
Drawing close
On our generous support
And on our fervent prayer!
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