WEBVTT 00:00:00.479 --> 00:00:06.959 Welcome to Preaching from Bryans and Bible Church, located in the northern suburbs of Johannesburg, South Africa. 00:00:07.280 --> 00:00:13.679 It is our prayer that this teaching would bless you, deepen your love for God's word, and encourage you as you follow Jesus. 00:00:13.839 --> 00:00:19.760 And if you're not a Christian, we pray that this message would encourage you as you explore the Christian faith. 00:00:23.600 --> 00:00:26.239 It's my great privilege to be with you all this morning. 00:00:26.480 --> 00:00:30.559 I said to Buddy earlier he should have arranged a crate for me to stand on. 00:00:30.719 --> 00:00:34.159 So at least we're at the same level, but he wasn't willing to. 00:00:35.280 --> 00:00:36.479 Anyways. 00:00:37.200 --> 00:00:41.759 My wife and I absolutely love to visit the Kruger National Park. 00:00:42.000 --> 00:00:49.840 We enjoy the bush and we love to bry and sit around the fire and chat nonsense and drink hot chocolate. 00:00:50.399 --> 00:01:00.000 About four years ago, we stayed in the park for about a week, going out each day for long drives in search of the ever-elusive predators. 00:01:00.560 --> 00:01:08.799 On the very first day, after a long and mostly unsuccessful search, we did what every good South African does. 00:01:09.040 --> 00:01:10.400 Do you know what that is? 00:01:10.959 --> 00:01:11.439 Bri. 00:01:12.799 --> 00:01:14.879 So when we got home, we set up the bribe. 00:01:15.040 --> 00:01:20.879 Now, one of the worst things you can do when you plan to bribe is to forget the fire lighters. 00:01:21.120 --> 00:01:23.519 And of course, that's exactly what happened. 00:01:23.760 --> 00:01:35.680 With some slight desperation and a great opportunity for me to show off my manly fire-making skills to my wife, I suggested we use the paper plates that we had brought along. 00:01:36.000 --> 00:01:40.079 Now, you may or may not know, but we were about to find out. 00:01:40.319 --> 00:01:45.120 Paper plates have a thin plastic layer just on top of the paper. 00:01:45.280 --> 00:01:46.719 It's not going to go well. 00:01:47.359 --> 00:01:52.239 I expertly lumped the coals around the torn-up bits of paper plates and lit them. 00:01:52.400 --> 00:01:57.599 Hallelujah! The fire was roaring, and we were on our way to a good stake. 00:01:58.079 --> 00:02:03.599 I did notice the thick black smoke rising from the coals. 00:02:03.840 --> 00:02:08.560 But being the eternal optimist that I am, I thought, what's the worst that could happen? 00:02:08.960 --> 00:02:23.599 About 20 minutes later, the meat was cooked, the side was made, the cool drink was ready, we were already deep into the nonsense chat, and we were ready to dive into that thick, juicy steak. 00:02:24.319 --> 00:02:28.400 I won't ever easily forget that first bite. 00:02:28.800 --> 00:02:35.439 At first, the familiar, buttery texture of a beautifully medium bride steak. 00:02:36.000 --> 00:02:39.120 But then came the aftertaste. 00:02:39.439 --> 00:02:43.520 Plastic, carcinogenic, and burnt. 00:02:44.400 --> 00:02:51.039 With sadness, we threw our steaks in the bin, admitted defeat, and went to bed. 00:02:51.520 --> 00:02:57.199 So not only did we not eat that night, but now we had no paper plates for the rest of our trip. 00:02:59.360 --> 00:03:04.240 Somewhere in the early hours of the morning, we heard a massive crash just outside the tent. 00:03:04.479 --> 00:03:12.879 I jumped out of bed and I rushed to the door just in time to spot the honey badger who had thought he had just struck gold. 00:03:13.439 --> 00:03:18.080 We locked eyes and I tried to talk him down from eating the poison meat. 00:03:18.719 --> 00:03:29.360 But just like a toddler who's found a suite on a dirty shopping center floor, he looked me straight in the eye, shoved it in his mouth, and ran. 00:03:32.159 --> 00:03:38.240 Now, as ridiculous as the story may be, there is a valuable lesson to be learned. 00:03:38.639 --> 00:03:41.199 The basics matter. 00:03:42.400 --> 00:03:53.439 That ruined bra reminded me that you can have the meat, the coals, the lighter, the setting, the nonsense chat, and the appetite. 00:03:53.919 --> 00:03:59.360 But if you neglect the basics, the whole thing suffers. 00:04:00.319 --> 00:04:12.080 Just like fire lighters are a basic need to get a fire started, or like textbooks are an important part of studying for your exams, petrol is a basic need to run your car. 00:04:13.039 --> 00:04:18.800 So prayer is a basic need in our relationship with God. 00:04:20.560 --> 00:04:24.240 Reflect on your own life for a moment, church. 00:04:24.560 --> 00:04:35.920 If you are feeling lost or weary or directionless, is it possibly because prayer has become slowly neglected in your life? 00:04:36.560 --> 00:04:50.079 Or if you find yourself living life in your own strength, in self-reliance, could it be because you have not been depending on the Lord in prayer? 00:04:51.279 --> 00:05:00.720 This morning we'll be looking at the big idea that when the elders of the church prioritize prayer, the church flourishes. 00:05:01.920 --> 00:05:09.279 In the first couple verses of Acts, Luke reminds us about a major break in unity in the early church. 00:05:09.600 --> 00:05:19.519 These believers who were one in heart and soul just a few months earlier had been neglecting the Greek-speaking widows at the daily food distribution. 00:05:20.000 --> 00:05:34.399 Now, while you and I may have gotten our hands dirty, fixing what seems to be quite a simple oversight, the elders of the early church take a completely different and frankly surprising approach. 00:05:34.959 --> 00:05:43.759 They summoned the full number of the believers to discuss the matter and then chose men to appoint to the task. 00:05:44.879 --> 00:05:54.160 The elders commissioned seven men of good reputation, full of the spirit and of wisdom, to oversee this really important duty. 00:05:54.560 --> 00:06:04.800 The whole church is pleased about this, and it seems like the very first threat to the unity of the early church has been resolved remarkably well. 00:06:05.839 --> 00:06:13.120 But if we move too quickly through the passage, we miss the beating heart. 00:06:13.759 --> 00:06:21.600 Verse 4 But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word. 00:06:23.040 --> 00:06:33.360 You see, these early church elders viewed their responsibility for prayer and proclamation of the gospel to be vitally important to the church. 00:06:34.000 --> 00:06:48.720 Now, at face value, this may seem a little bit strange or uncaring of them, but the reality is they loved the people so deeply they knew they had to prioritize prayer and preaching the word. 00:06:49.600 --> 00:06:56.879 They were being faithful to the basics of the mission that Jesus Himself had entrusted to them. 00:06:57.839 --> 00:07:12.959 The elders knew that while feeding widows is very important to the physical body of the church, the gospel work of praying and preaching to believers was equally important and could not be compromised. 00:07:14.399 --> 00:07:22.079 Just like these early church elders, the elders at BBC love and deeply care for you. 00:07:23.040 --> 00:07:30.720 We too see a tremendous responsibility to pray and love you above other tasks. 00:07:31.759 --> 00:07:41.680 Now, while the passage does talk to the responsibility for prayer and proclamation, we will spend the rest of our time focused on prayer. 00:07:42.319 --> 00:07:47.360 And here's the first point elders must prioritize prayer. 00:07:48.720 --> 00:07:50.399 The first question is a bit obvious. 00:07:50.560 --> 00:07:50.879 Why? 00:07:51.040 --> 00:07:54.079 Why should elders prioritize prayer? 00:07:54.560 --> 00:07:57.759 The Puritan preacher Jonathan Edwards said it well. 00:07:58.399 --> 00:08:03.839 Prayer is as natural an expression of faith as breathing is of life. 00:08:04.160 --> 00:08:09.680 A prayerless life is like a man who lives without breathing. 00:08:11.199 --> 00:08:19.360 Believers should pray because they realize that they do not have life in and of themselves. 00:08:20.399 --> 00:08:26.399 They must look to God, their father, for life in Jesus Christ. 00:08:27.120 --> 00:08:29.439 The same applies to the church. 00:08:29.759 --> 00:08:34.399 She must look to God for life instead of within itself. 00:08:35.519 --> 00:08:46.159 And so, as shepherds of the flock, the church elders need to pray so that the church will look to God for life in Jesus Christ. 00:08:46.879 --> 00:08:49.919 Remember what Jesus said in John 15. 00:08:50.399 --> 00:08:53.360 I am the vine, you are the branches. 00:08:53.679 --> 00:08:59.679 Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit. 00:09:00.000 --> 00:09:03.679 For apart from me, you can do nothing. 00:09:05.039 --> 00:09:17.039 Jesus uses this picture of a grapevine tree to help us understand that without him, we too would be spiritually dead and produce no fruit. 00:09:18.320 --> 00:09:21.360 So then, think about your own life. 00:09:22.159 --> 00:09:27.279 Where do you turn for life and strength and security? 00:09:28.080 --> 00:09:31.440 Is it yourself or maybe your leaders? 00:09:31.919 --> 00:09:40.399 Is it your talents, your abilities, maybe the money that you have, or the influence and power that you hold? 00:09:41.840 --> 00:09:52.639 The truth, BBC, is that only dependence on Jesus Christ can give you the life that you want and need. 00:09:53.840 --> 00:10:02.720 Praying elders help to model that dependence by consistently pointing the flock back to the true vine. 00:10:04.080 --> 00:10:12.240 Through prayer, we demonstrate our faith in God's supremacy and sovereignty over the church. 00:10:12.879 --> 00:10:22.159 It's how we seek out his will above our own, allowing the Holy Spirit to shape the church's decisions and direction. 00:10:23.360 --> 00:10:30.399 As shepherds of the church, elders have a serious and humbling responsibility to pray. 00:10:30.879 --> 00:10:36.720 A healthy prayer life will have a positive impact on the entire church. 00:10:37.039 --> 00:10:43.039 And failing to pray is failing to point the people to Jesus. 00:10:43.919 --> 00:10:49.919 We all are vulnerable souls who, like sheep, are prone to wonder. 00:10:50.639 --> 00:10:57.039 And when we pray, we demonstrate our deep reliance on the chief shepherd. 00:10:57.679 --> 00:11:01.440 Prayer is like our anchor to the cross. 00:11:02.480 --> 00:11:09.120 And so elders pray to model dependence on Jesus for life. 00:11:10.080 --> 00:11:13.120 But how exactly should elders be praying? 00:11:13.519 --> 00:11:19.919 Well, verse 4 in our passage tells us that the elders devoted themselves to prayer. 00:11:20.240 --> 00:11:33.759 This word devoted comes from the Greek word proscoterio, which has this idea of consistently and diligently persevering towards something without giving up. 00:11:34.720 --> 00:11:41.200 In Johannesburg, we can easily relate to this relentless drive in our own workplaces. 00:11:41.840 --> 00:11:49.120 We spend long hours toiling away, pouring ourselves into our customers and into our clients. 00:11:50.320 --> 00:11:58.000 Think of your own personal sacrifices that you may have made for progression or promotion in the workplace. 00:11:58.240 --> 00:12:09.519 Or as a business owner, the time, the energy, the sacrifice that you have made to build and grow your business bigger and better than your competitors. 00:12:10.480 --> 00:12:19.679 BBC, does the depth of your commitment and sacrifice in the workplace extend to your prayer life also? 00:12:21.360 --> 00:12:27.440 Elders, are we devoting ourselves to prayer in this way for our flock? 00:12:28.559 --> 00:12:32.559 It is with relentless devotion that elders should pray. 00:12:32.879 --> 00:12:45.840 Pray without ceasing, pray with intention, pray with confidence, and pray knowing with faith that God hears our prayers and He will answer. 00:12:48.159 --> 00:12:51.120 So, what then should the elders be praying for? 00:12:51.440 --> 00:12:56.240 The New Testament lists many great examples of what elders should be praying for. 00:12:56.399 --> 00:12:58.159 I'll list out a few. 00:12:58.720 --> 00:13:32.399 Boldness in mission, praise and thanksgiving for the flock of God, peace and unity, spiritual wisdom, understanding, and knowledge, to abide in Christ, love for others, righteousness and purity, spiritual growth of the church, to be strengthened with God's power for those in authority and healing for the sick. 00:13:33.360 --> 00:13:52.559 So, elders must pray for the physical and the spiritual needs of God's people, leading the church to dependence on Him and seeking the will of God for the local body, bringing the flock before the chief shepherd with relentless devotion. 00:13:54.399 --> 00:13:57.120 The second point I want to make is this. 00:13:57.600 --> 00:14:03.279 When the elders of the church prioritize prayer, the church flourishes. 00:14:04.399 --> 00:14:08.320 It is helpful to first understand what flourishing means. 00:14:08.799 --> 00:14:16.240 A plant that gets enough water and sunlight and is well looked after doesn't just survive. 00:14:16.559 --> 00:14:21.120 In fact, it grows and is healthy and produces fruit. 00:14:21.360 --> 00:14:22.960 Really, it thrives. 00:14:23.840 --> 00:14:28.320 So flourishing then is more than simply staying alive. 00:14:28.639 --> 00:14:35.360 It is growing, bearing fruit, and becoming what you were created to be in the Lord. 00:14:36.399 --> 00:14:41.039 This church is life and life in abundance. 00:14:42.480 --> 00:14:52.879 In verses 5 to 7 of our Acts passage, we see the church united around the seven mature men chosen and commissioned by the elders to serve. 00:14:53.840 --> 00:15:00.480 The word of God continued to increase, and the number of disciples multiplied greatly. 00:15:01.039 --> 00:15:08.799 These elders chose to prioritize prayer, and we can see three signs of the church flourishing. 00:15:09.519 --> 00:15:14.080 First, we see that the church's unity is strengthened. 00:15:14.399 --> 00:15:19.440 The appointment of these mature believers to this task served their physical need. 00:15:19.919 --> 00:15:30.080 And the elders' prioritization of prayer and the ministry of the word served their spiritual well-being, which pleased the whole gathering. 00:15:30.399 --> 00:15:35.039 The prayers of the elders lead us to the cross of Christ. 00:15:35.679 --> 00:15:46.879 This is where we are truly unified together as Christians, united under the Father as sons and daughters. 00:15:47.759 --> 00:15:57.679 It is in God that we are unified, and it is through prayer that our hearts, soul, and minds are turned to Him. 00:15:58.000 --> 00:15:59.200 Independence. 00:16:00.240 --> 00:16:05.600 At BBC, our elders pray regularly for us to be united as a church. 00:16:05.840 --> 00:16:14.879 If you just look around, you can see people from all walks of life, all kinds of races, cultures, tribes, and tongues. 00:16:15.120 --> 00:16:21.279 The fact that so many of us call this place home is truly a gift of God. 00:16:22.639 --> 00:16:34.000 Jesus in John 17, verse 21 says that our unity together is a demonstration to the world that He was sent by the Father. 00:16:34.639 --> 00:16:40.799 And so our unity is a clear gospel witness to the nations. 00:16:42.159 --> 00:16:48.240 Second, our spiritual health, the church's spiritual health increases. 00:16:48.639 --> 00:16:53.840 What do you notice when the elders in our passage devote themselves to prayer? 00:16:54.320 --> 00:17:09.440 The vulnerable are cared for, leaders are raised up, the body is served, division is resolved, and ultimately the word of God continue to increase, and many are saved. 00:17:11.200 --> 00:17:19.759 The elders choosing the basics of prayer, over-serving tables served the spiritual health of the church. 00:17:20.319 --> 00:17:28.640 This God-given wisdom of these elders to prioritize prayer over other tasks caused the church to flourish. 00:17:29.680 --> 00:17:36.240 As we saw earlier in John 15, we bear fruit when we abide in Jesus. 00:17:37.039 --> 00:17:42.960 So our spiritual health as a church is reliant on abiding in Him. 00:17:43.359 --> 00:17:51.680 And prayer is one of the foundational ways that we cultivate this dependence on Him. 00:17:52.720 --> 00:18:06.400 I remember a time as a young believer in my honors year of university, I was so overwhelmed with the complexity and the volume of the work that I actually made a call to step back from serving in ministry. 00:18:06.559 --> 00:18:11.680 I stopped, I made a call to stop going to Bible study and even the Sunday services. 00:18:12.160 --> 00:18:21.039 My justification to myself was that it would just be for one year and I would easily come back after I had passed my honors. 00:18:22.000 --> 00:18:26.400 Months had passed and I'd been to maybe two services. 00:18:27.039 --> 00:18:34.960 But I won't ever forget the time when one of the church elders pulled me aside and asked to pray for me. 00:18:36.000 --> 00:18:43.119 He prayed that I would see the value of Christian community on my spiritual growth. 00:18:43.359 --> 00:18:57.519 And he encouraged me in prayer that God knew my struggles, even the struggles that I was having in my studies, and that he would be faithful to me regardless of the outcome of my studies. 00:18:58.400 --> 00:19:03.599 This caring shepherd pointed me gently back to Jesus. 00:19:04.160 --> 00:19:10.400 And this for me was a defining turning point in my own walk with the Lord. 00:19:12.319 --> 00:19:17.599 Did you know that our elders at BBC pray for you before each service? 00:19:18.640 --> 00:19:24.640 We ask God for growth and maturity and for lives to be transformed. 00:19:26.160 --> 00:19:44.319 Just three weeks ago in our elders' meeting, we spent time thanking God for you, glorifying God for your salvation, praying for you to abide in the faith and grow in your knowledge and love of Him. 00:19:44.799 --> 00:19:54.720 We prayed that you may flee sin and pursue Christlieness, and we prayed for continued unity amongst our body. 00:19:55.680 --> 00:20:02.559 The fruit of praying elders is seen in the spiritual health of the people in the church. 00:20:02.880 --> 00:20:17.119 As they serve together, endure trials with faithfulness, grow in Christlieness, deal with their sin actively, and increase in reliance on their chief shepherd. 00:20:17.839 --> 00:20:29.440 Therefore, let us be fervent in prayer, asking God to keep us connected to Jesus so that we would be spiritually healthy. 00:20:30.880 --> 00:20:37.279 Third, when the elders prioritize prayer, the church's gospel witness grows. 00:20:38.000 --> 00:20:45.519 We see this in verse 7 of the passage, where the number of disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem. 00:20:46.079 --> 00:20:54.640 Now, to be clear, it's not that elder prayer in itself is some secret formula to producing numerical growth in a church. 00:20:54.880 --> 00:21:01.440 Neither am I saying that in a small church, the elders are not deeply devoted to prayer. 00:21:02.000 --> 00:21:07.920 God is the only one who sovereignly grows his church. 00:21:08.880 --> 00:21:19.200 What prayer does, however, is center believers around Christ and bring people into deeper relational maturity with God. 00:21:20.160 --> 00:21:27.200 These in turn build and expand the church's witness to the outside world. 00:21:28.240 --> 00:21:38.559 A praying eldership should strive to be like that shepherd in Psalm 23, leading the sheep to green pastures and to still waters. 00:21:39.440 --> 00:21:45.759 Because of this leadership, the sheep are cared for, nurtured, and nourished. 00:21:46.880 --> 00:21:59.680 A unified, healthy flock demonstrates the ability of the gospel to transform enemies into allies, spiritually dead people into spiritually alive. 00:22:00.640 --> 00:22:06.400 People and slaves into sons and daughters of the living God. 00:22:07.519 --> 00:22:19.440 All this is part of the church's powerful gospel witness to the nations, resulting in more people coming to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. 00:22:20.480 --> 00:22:27.200 Church, if the message hasn't been made clear yet, let me state this simply. 00:22:27.599 --> 00:22:36.720 Elders prioritizing prayer leads to a flourishing, healthy, unified, and growing church. 00:22:37.279 --> 00:22:42.000 This is not because the prayers themselves or because of who is praying. 00:22:42.319 --> 00:22:51.599 But the flock flourishes because prayer points us to the chief shepherd, the source of our abundant life. 00:22:52.799 --> 00:23:06.000 Prayer is a foundational and basic need, not just for our survival as a church, but so that we may flourish under Jesus' loving leadership. 00:23:07.519 --> 00:23:15.440 Our chief shepherd Jesus is the ultimate example for us when it comes to dependence on God through prayer. 00:23:16.240 --> 00:23:27.279 He who existed before the world was made saw the importance of humbling himself before his heavenly father in prayer. 00:23:28.000 --> 00:23:31.839 Multiple times in the Gospels, we see Jesus praying. 00:23:32.079 --> 00:23:45.680 After performing miracles, after preaching, thanking God for meals, before important decisions, and even in the midst of deep emotions, like in the Garden of Gethsemane. 00:23:46.640 --> 00:24:14.160 Jesus even prayed while he hung on that cross, humiliated and suffering, struggling for each breath, as he slowly suffocated, he saw it important enough to use a precious breath of air to pray, asking the Father to forgive his executioners. 00:24:15.839 --> 00:24:24.240 Jesus' prayer life reflected his compassion, his mercy, and his love for those around him. 00:24:24.799 --> 00:24:30.400 And it was the lifeblood of his personal walk with the Father. 00:24:30.720 --> 00:24:38.799 Elders should reflect the same heart for their flock, praying for them with deep love, care, and compassion. 00:24:39.279 --> 00:24:48.319 They need to make prayer a constant rhythm in their lives, just as the chief shepherd did, bringing people to the Father. 00:24:49.119 --> 00:24:58.880 When we consider Jesus as our model for prayer, we naturally need to look inwards and consider our own prayer life. 00:24:59.440 --> 00:25:02.880 So, church family, how is your prayer life going at the moment? 00:25:03.680 --> 00:25:12.000 How could you personally make prayer the lifeblood of your walk with the Father, just like Jesus? 00:25:13.119 --> 00:25:20.400 In response to these truths, I ask you to consider four specific actions around prayer. 00:25:21.279 --> 00:25:24.960 Pray for the elders as they pray for you. 00:25:25.920 --> 00:25:30.960 The elders are chief are sheep too, and need the chief shepherd. 00:25:31.519 --> 00:25:37.279 Pray that we will be continually dependent on Jesus for abundant life. 00:25:37.920 --> 00:25:44.319 Pray that we will put aside our sinfulness and put on the righteousness of Jesus Christ. 00:25:44.960 --> 00:25:51.279 Pray for our ongoing sanctification and church, praise God for our salvation. 00:25:52.880 --> 00:25:55.759 Seek out prayer from the elders. 00:25:56.240 --> 00:26:06.880 If in your hearts you are truly convinced this morning that consistent, prayerful elders will cause the church to flourish, then seek out prayer from them. 00:26:07.519 --> 00:26:13.759 After every service, the elders will come down to the front to make themselves available to you. 00:26:14.079 --> 00:26:17.759 Let your shepherds point you to Jesus. 00:26:18.240 --> 00:26:23.680 Come down for prayer as much as possible and lay your heart out to us. 00:26:24.480 --> 00:26:29.519 Let us lead you and love you in this act of service. 00:26:31.039 --> 00:26:34.559 Let prayer transform your life. 00:26:35.440 --> 00:26:44.319 Sometimes we as elders pray with you for spiritual growth, to turn away from sin or to submit to the Lord. 00:26:44.640 --> 00:26:50.720 I would encourage all of us to actively participate in our sanctification. 00:26:51.599 --> 00:26:56.799 As we pray for these things, let us go and actually do these things. 00:26:57.200 --> 00:27:06.319 Let's commit to attending a gospel community regularly, which is our Bible study groups, so that we can grow spiritually. 00:27:07.200 --> 00:27:17.680 Let's bring into the light our sins and find ways to flee from them, allowing others into our life so that they can hold us accountable. 00:27:18.880 --> 00:27:31.680 And let's put aside our pride, allow the Spirit to change us, to transform us into humble images of our glorious Jesus Christ. 00:27:33.039 --> 00:27:37.119 Lastly, continue to serve the body. 00:27:37.680 --> 00:27:47.279 In our passage today, we see the elders delegate these tasks of serving the church so that they can pray and proclaim the word. 00:27:48.079 --> 00:28:00.880 Now, as we recognize that the elders of BBC have the exact same priority, I would encourage you to continue to serve the church as the Spirit has gifted you. 00:28:01.359 --> 00:28:13.680 Faithfully serve in Kids Church or Noah's Ark, the worship team, the welcoming team, by going on mission or making coffee or helping people park. 00:28:14.559 --> 00:28:21.680 If you haven't found a place to serve yet, I would encourage you to deeply consider doing so. 00:28:22.400 --> 00:28:29.119 You see, the acts of service are a massive blessing to your elders. 00:28:29.599 --> 00:28:42.880 Your service frees us up to prioritize being present, pastoring, proclaiming, and praying so that the church can flourish. 00:28:43.680 --> 00:28:46.640 Let's get back to the basics and prayer. 00:28:48.960 --> 00:28:59.039 Our Heavenly Father, we are just so grateful to you this morning for sending your Son Jesus Christ to die on that cross. 00:28:59.680 --> 00:29:02.400 Thank you for the example of his life. 00:29:02.640 --> 00:29:08.559 Thank you that we can look to him to understand how we should be praying. 00:29:10.079 --> 00:29:13.200 God, we thank you for the elders in our church. 00:29:13.440 --> 00:29:27.440 Thank you that they point us to the chief shepherd and that you have given them to us so that they can pray and be present and pastor and proclaim the word of God. 00:29:28.799 --> 00:29:36.720 Ultimately, so that the church can flourish and bring all to dependence on Jesus Christ. 00:29:37.839 --> 00:29:44.640 And lastly, Father, allow prayer to be the lifeblood of our personal walk with you. 00:29:45.920 --> 00:29:49.680 Help us to serve the church so that we can free up our elders. 00:29:49.920 --> 00:29:53.599 Help us to be transformed by the prayer that we have. 00:29:54.720 --> 00:29:58.480 Help us to give of ourselves and to pray for others. 00:29:59.759 --> 00:30:06.240 Lord, we thank you so much that we are able to have this relationship with you through prayer. 00:30:06.960 --> 00:30:08.720 What a blessing it is. 00:30:09.440 --> 00:30:12.319 We pray all of this in your Son's precious name. 00:30:12.640 --> 00:30:13.279 Amen. 00:30:16.480 --> 00:30:19.279 Thanks for listening to this sermon from BBC. 00:30:19.440 --> 00:30:25.519 If you have questions about what you've heard or would like to find out more about the Christian faith, we'd love to hear from you. 00:30:25.680 --> 00:30:29.680 You can visit our website or reach out using the contact details below. 00:30:29.920 --> 00:30:31.200 God bless you.