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Praying Together & Intercession 
(John 17:6-26—Preacher: Ps Paw Liang)

John 17 shows us not just the contents of Jesus’ prayer but His heart as well. He pray for His disciples, His followers who had a direct interaction with Him: Verse 11b Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name ... so they may be one. Verse 13 they may have the full measure of my joy within them. Verse 15 protect them from the evil one. Verse 17 sanctify them by the truth, your word is truth.
And for all believers, all who will believe in Jesus’ through the disciples’ massage: Verses 20-23 all of them (believers) may be one … complete unity… Verse 24 to have the glory of Christ; verses 25-26 God’s love will remain in all believers.
Jesus interceded for His disciples and all who will come to believe in Him, including us—driven by His love and concern. And He is unceasingly interceding for us even until now (Heb 7:25 Rom8:34). What is intercession? If we truly love people; we desire for them far more than it’s within our power to give them, and this leads us to prayer. Intercessory prayer we are moving from our own needs to the needs and concerns of others. Intercession requires sacrifice or self-giving.
Intercession and Praying in Jesus’ Name
Jesus has made the access for us to come to the Father. 1 Pet 2:9, he called us to be “the kingdom of priests” – to stand in the gap between God and the world (people). The Bible recorded how Nehemiah, Daniel, Moses, Abraham pleading to God on behalf of Israel. God may influence but He will not “force us ”to confirm to His Will .While praying we are standing in between God’s mercy and human autonomy. God is more than willing to pour on us His good will, to forgive and to restore—the problem is people’s heart. The prophets called it “hearts of stone” and unmoved even when the Spirit has been working in us. Intercessory requires persistence, patience and perseverance (Luke 18). Most likely Jesus has been repetitively praying for the disciples. And He is still praying for us until we turn our hearts to God and align ourselves with the will of God.
Praying Together: 
It’s not enough to pray alone. Quoting Isaiah, Jesus said, “My house shall be called the House of Prayer”. He also assures us, “For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” Matthew 18:20. Grace not only strengthen our relationship with God BUT also with one another. The Father will be pleased when His sons and daughters come together in one spirit and desire. Christian cannot reach the full blessing God is ready to bestow through His Spirit until we seek and receive it in fellowship with each other. Pentecost happened when 120 people praying together in total agreement under the same roof (Acts 2), and gave birth to the church.

How serious are we about praying for others? Praying together? Praying for Grace Methodist Church? Praying for every member in the church? And their loved ones? Praying for our city.... for the people who God may send to join us..?
May the Lord grant us a heart to feel the needs and concerns of the people around us! The burden that’s big enough to bring us to our knees and to lift up our hands to pray to God: to stand in between God and the people. To call upon the Spirit to work in them and to draw them closer to the beautiful life God has for the church, the city, and the nations. (PLT)

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