An Invitation to Every Believer
God invites every believer to come apart and enjoy spiritual intimacy with Him through various aspects of prayer.
K.P. Yohannan emphasizes that Christ invites every believer to experience spiritual intimacy through prayer, which includes adoration, confession, intercession, and more. This invitation is not limited to a select few but is a grace-filled access to God's presence for all New Testament believers. He shares a powerful testimony of a bedridden woman who prayed for hours, demonstrating the impact of prayer on global revival. Yohannan encourages individuals to incorporate prayer into their daily lives, regardless of their circumstances, and highlights the importance of communal prayer through ongoing prayer meetings. He urges believers to either join or start prayer groups to witness the power of collective prayer.
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Christ is calling every believer to come apart and enjoy spiritual intimacy with Him through various aspects of prayer: adoration, confession, intercession, listening, thanksgiving, petition, praise, singing and waiting on Him. This is not an invitation open only to a few "dare-saints"--but an access into the presence of God offered to all New Testament believers. And it is all of grace through faith. God wants to have this intimacy with us more than we will ever know. I received a call once from a lady in California.
She was bedridden and couldn't move from the neck down. But she had a world map mounted on her wall. As she lay there, she would pray for seven hours a day. This was her work. As she told me about the various countries she had been praying for, it was amazing to me to see that these were the very areas in which we've been experiencing open doors and revival. Prayer works. We as individuals can make prayer a part of our daily lifestyle, if we are willing to break from our culture and live for God.
I know housewives who are able to pray while they do dishes, fold laundry and do other household chores. Others pray and praise as they ride to work. Each of us can rise early or schedule other times to be alone and wait on God. In early 1976, when the Lord began to break my heart over the lostness of the world, one of the first things we did as a family was to call a few of our friends and start a prayer meeting in our home. That Tuesday night meeting still continues without fail after all these years.
We spend the first part of the evening in worship and praise with brief testimonies and thanksgivings. We don't spend the time chatting but hear reports from different countries of the world, individuals, tribes and unreached people groups. Frequently we will pause to break into small groups or pairs to pray over each request. In this way, we have seen hundreds and hundreds of specific answers to prayer. If there is not a missions prayer band in your church or neighborhood, why not start one? If one already exists, why not go and add your faith and warmth to that group.
Sermon Outline
- The Invitation to Spiritual Intimacy
- Prayer is for All Believers
- Prayer Works
- Prayer in Community
- The Power of Prayer
- Specific answers to prayer
- Encouragement to start or join a prayer group
Key Quotes
“Prayer works. We as individuals can make prayer a part of our daily lifestyle, if we are willing to break from our culture and live for God.” — K.P. Yohannan
“If there is not a missions prayer band in your church or neighborhood, why not start one? If one already exists, why not go and add your faith and warmth to that group.” — K.P. Yohannan
Application Points
- Make prayer a part of your daily lifestyle by incorporating it into your daily activities.
- Consider starting or joining a prayer group to experience the power of prayer in community.
- Break from your culture and live for God to experience the effectiveness of prayer.