TABLE TALK – WEEK OF FEBRUARY 1, 2015

King Jesus and the Queen City

This morning Pastor Alex followed the Holy Spirit’s leading and spoke to us about the importance of being a “House of Prayer”. Jesus did not teach us how to preach or sing, but He did teach us how to pray. Prayer, at it’s core, is a dialogue. We must take time to stop talking and listen for the Spirit to speak to us. (Jeremiah 29:13, 33:3)

Matthew 21:12-13 shows Jesus’ passion for prayer. This incident occurred right after the Triumphal Entry. There was a lot of cheating going on with the sacrifices. Jesus’ anger stemmed from the fact that people couldn’t pray due to the commotion going on in the Temple.

Pastor Alex exhorted us to see a future where we recognized the moving of the Holy Spirit as we gathered instead of “critiquing” the morning in regards to music and sermon. As he says often, “The Holy Spirit can do more in a breath than we can do in a lifetime of trying and striving.” May we be a church where we recognize the Holy Spirit in our worship instead of fearing Him.

The Gospel and the Holy Spirit are enough to change lives. Take comfort knowing that wherever you are, the Spirit is with you! Wherever you are, you can be a House of Prayer because YOU are the temple of the Holy Spirit when you trust Christ for salvation.

Questions to discuss as a family today

1. Read Revelation 5:1-10. Take a minute to sit silently and reflect on who all might be filling bowls of prayers on your behalf. Then thank God for those people and commit to be a “person of the bowl” yourself!

2. Is prayer a duty, a discipline, or a delight in your life? What do you need to do to move to a place where it is a joy to sit in the lap of the Father?

3. Use the Lord’s prayer (Matthew 6:9-13) to pray this week. Allow the Spirit to lead you as you pray. (See below)

Prayer

Our Father in heaven:

Please reveal your perfect Father love to us. You are the Creator and ruler of all. We praise you for the shed blood of Christ

Hallowed be Your name:

Holy is your name…sanctified, healer, provider, shepherd, shalom. I confess your name as Holy.

Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven:

May the kingdom of God rule over my family, church, city. 1 Cor 4:20 – May your power be manifest in our lives. I pray your kingdom come over our elders, deacons, and pastors. I pray that the gospel would bear fruit and that dead men would live!

Give us this day our daily bread:

Please build my faith as I trust you. Would you please provide for my every need? Pray specifically for each need by name.

And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors:

Confess your sins…by name. 1 John 1:9

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil:

Pray on the armor of God piece by piece (Ephesians 6:10-18). Pray for every satanic scheme to be exposed and thwarted

For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen:

It is yours…ALL of it.