Skip to main content
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)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Elok Rupa vs Elok Hati

oleh: Pdt. Dr. The Paw Liang  Seandainya Musa tidak cantik….. Tuhan mendengar seruan dan tangisan bangsa Israel di Mesir. Tuhan berbelas kasihan dan memutuskan untuk menghentikan penderitaan mereka. IA merencanakan dan mempersiapkan rencananya, Musa dipakai untuk melepaskan bangsaNya. Apakah Musa dipilih dari sekian banyak bayi laki-laki yang lahir atau kah memang sudah direncanakan oleh Tuhan sebelum Musa lahir bahwa pemimpin ini akan lahir dari suku Lewi, dari keluarga Amran dan Yokhebed. Ketika Musa lahir, Alkitab mencatat, “Ketika dilihatnya, bahwa anak itu cantik, disembunyikannya tiga bulan lamanya. (Kel 2:2). Harun, abang Musa lahir sebelum Firaun mengeluarkan dekrit untuk membunuh bayi-bayi laki-laki Ibrani. Harun tiga tahun lebih tua dari Musa, adakah bayi lain yang lahir di antara mereka berdua? Tidak ada kepastian dalam hal ini. Namun sepertinya ada penekanan, “ketika dilihatnya, bahwa anak itu cantik …” tidak tega orang tuanya membunuhnya, maka disembunyikanlah bayi i...
3 comments
Read more
“BECOMING A DISCIPLE-MAKING CHURCH” Matt 28: 18 – 20 & 1 John 2: 6—Preacher: Ps Paw Liang In my visit to Shechem in 2015, our tour guide told us that the whole population of Samaria only 700 people. Since they did not marry people from other ethnic groups, they have produced unhealthy offspring. Thankfully the High Priest has amended their law and allowed them to marry men or women from other ethnic groups. Likewise, the church might have unknowingly focus too much on the internal affairs (become incestuous) and forgot Jesus’s commission: Go, and make disciples of all nations. The early church were growing well. Acts 2 shows us they were keen in learning the word of God, worshipping and praying together, enjoying the favour of each other. Their lives attract people to Christ, “praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”  Jesus calls us to become His disciples and to make disciples. Discip...
Post a Comment
Read more
Cuma itu yang bisa saya lakukan, hanya kehadiran saja Saya jadi teringat: Musa meminta kepada Tuhan, " if your presence (kehadiran) does not go with us, do not send us from here " ( jika Engkau sendiri tidak membimbing kami, janganlah menyuruh kami pergi dari tempat ini" (Kel 33:15) Kesibukan hidup menjadikan " kehadiran" menjadi sesuatu yg sulit kita berikan kepada orang lain, keluarga ( suami, istri, anak-anak, cucu2, atau orang tua) dan bahkan kepada Allah. Ironis, sama seperti Musa kita merindukan kehadiran Allah (hadiratNya) - kehadiran Roh Nya. Namun, apakah kita juga hadir di hadapanNya?  Ketika kita beribadah, baik sendiri maupun bersama-sama di gereja, apakah kita hadir di hadiratNya? secara jiwa, raga, hati, dan akal  budi? (Mar 12:30). Di hadapan orang-orang yang kita kasih? Ketika secara fisik kita hadir pun, perlu kita cek apakah Jiwa dan hati kita juga hadir di sana? Fenomena sekarang, ketika fisik sudah ...
1 comment
Read more