Title Answered Prayer / Matthew 7:7-12
Content Prayer changes all things.
God helps in the morning. “God dwells in the city, and it will not be moved; God will help it at dawn” (Psalm 46:5). When God is in your heart, home, and altar, there is absolutely no turmoil. A believer who has the Lord in his heart and acknowledges the sovereignty of God, is weak and falls, but gets up again (Proverbs 24:16). God wants to meet you at dawn. Abraham also left for Moriah at dawn (Genesis 22:3). Jacob, the man of prayer, was also transformed into Israel at dawn (Genesis 32:26). God disturbed the Egyptian army at dawn (Exodus 14:24). Therefore, I bless you to become servants who wake up the dawn through this opportunity.
Mill grain 3351 Let's start the prayer movement. Let's move on to the second step as we pass the 2nd anniversary of our establishment. Let's pray for the Sunday 3rd service, the 30 district head, 500 chapter attendance, and the 1,000 mill family. Milal's primary goal is to fulfill its mission as a fully self-reliant and open church. Let us pray that there will be no shortage of spiritual, human and material resources to carry out this work. So let's make it an open church so that those who have stayed under the authority of Satan can come and hear the gospel at any time. Let all the saints unite and pray for this work. Prayer is not calculation or theory, meditation or monologue. Normally, it is a conversation, but in a crisis situation, it is a cry.
First: If you cry out and ask, He will surely answer you.
Verse to read: “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened” (7-8).
Christianity is today's religion. The gospel is the power to live and work now. The Lord does not ask about the past. “...Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more” (John 8:11). Start afresh today Let's make a decision now.
Second: You give, but you give as good things.
Reading ☞ “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone, or if he asks for a fish, will he give you a snake? Will you not give me something good?” (9-11)
Even evil parents give good things. We are all under the sin of Adam's blood. The blood of sin flows through us. So everything turns out to be evil. Still, it is the heart of parents to give only good things to their children. ① Stones are not given in lieu of bread. On the shores of Palestine, there were many small, round limestone-like stones that looked like rice cakes. The child is hungry and asks for bread, but even if he has nothing, he does not give him a useless stone. ② Snakes are not given in place of fish. My son wants fish, so he wants fish, but he doesn't give him a poisonous snake. Parents never give anything harmful to their children to eat. ③ Do not give scorpions instead of eggs (Luke 11:12). Scorpions look just like eggs when they are resting and crouching. However, it is a scary little animal with a stinging poison on its tail. Parents do not give such things, even if they make mistakes. Because you are the first to touch it. This is especially true for Korean parents.
Heavenly Father gives you something better. “If you, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him” (Matthew 7:11). Matthew called it “a good thing,” but Luke called it “the Holy Spirit” (Luke 21:22). There is nothing better than the Holy Spirit for the saved saints. So when the resurrected Lord first met his disciples, he said, “...Receive the Holy Spirit” (Luke 21:22). Even just before he ascended into heaven, he said, “…wait for what the Father has promised” (Acts 1:4). “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). The man of the Holy Spirit conquers the world.
Let's receive the filling of the Holy Spirit. When you receive the Holy Spirit, your mouth is opened. History can only happen when you open your mouth. When the Holy Spirit came on the Day of Pentecost, God first opened his mouth. You must open your mouth first to be able to cry out in prayer. Only people of the Holy Spirit can pray out loud. Next, you must open your mouth to praise. When you are filled with the Holy Spirit, you will sing praises from your heart. Lastly, you can do evangelism only when your mouth is open. Since the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Jesus, we can testify of Jesus with boldness. On the day of Pentecost, the apostles who received the Holy Spirit risked their lives to preach the gospel.
Third: When you mature spiritually, you will lead a life of service.
Reading ☞ “Therefore, whatever you would like others to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets” (12).
What are the statutes of the law and of the prophets? “Jesus said, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment, and the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. These two commandments are the whole Law and the Prophets. ” (Matthew 22:37-40). The greatest principles of the law are love of God and love of neighbor. The love of God is shown in the love of neighbor. The standard of loving your neighbor is yourself. So, you can serve others as much as you have compassion. So the Lord Himself went to the place of death (Philippians 2:8).
The Lord came as a servant. The law and the teachings of the prophets refer to the Old Testament. The core of the revelation taught in the Old Testament is the event of the coming Messiah. How did the Messiah revealed in the Old Testament come in the New Testament? “For the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). He fed the hungry, clothed the naked, healed the sick, and finally died a substitutionary death on the cross of Calvary. The Lord lived his whole life as a servant. He was a servant who served before being treated.
Only the mature serve. Occasionally, when I go to a local service, I see a lot of children fighting with toys. The younger they are, the more they try not to lose what they have to others. The younger you are, the more you hold it in your hand, the more you take it to your mouth. This is human nature. Those who are not only physically young but also mentally and spiritually young do not know to serve. The word service is a proper term only for mature conceit. When you go out to the field in the autumn, the season of fruiting, fully mature rice grains are bowing their heads in the leaves. What is the most beautiful appearance on this earth? A life that knows how to serve others. The more mature a person is, the more thorough the spirit of service is. The bigger the person, the more people they serve. The Lord served all mankind.
Dear saints,
Prayer changes things. When we pray, history happens. The Lord taught us to pray. Not only that, but he also set an example with his life. I made prayer my life. Following my custom, I went to the Mount of Olives and prayed (Luke 22:39). I woke up at dawn and prayed (Mark 1:35). He also prayed earnestly (Luke 22:44). Prayer should be like labor, and work should be done with a prayerful heart. Let us all be servants of the dawn. God helps in the morning. Hallelujah! Amen.