TEXT: ‘Let us bring the ark of our God back to us, for we have not inquired at it since the days of Saul.” Then all the assembly said that they would do so, for the thing was right in the eyes of all the people’ (1 Chronicles 13:3-4) David’s heart desire was to bring the Ark of the Covenant (the symbol of God’s presence) to Jerusalem. Years earlier the Israelites had lost a battle and the Ark had been taken captive by the Philistines, who soon discovered the God of Israel could look after Himself (see 1 Samuel 4:1 – 7:2). To stop the plagues and safeguard the nation against further calamity, the Philistines sent the Ark back to Beth Shemesh. Tragedy struck the inhabitants when they looked inside the Ark and several died for their lack of reverence. Panic-stricken, the people invited the citizens of Kirjath Jearim to come, take the Ark and look after it. It was from here that David and all Israel came to transport the Ark to Jerusalem. A carnival atmosphere ensued as the Ark was put on a new cart, as the Philistines had done. Arriving at Chidon’s threshing floor, the oxen stumbled and Uzza put out his hand to steady the Ark....
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TEXT: ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me; he has appointed me to preach Good News to the poor; he has sent me to heal the broken-hearted and to announce that captives shall be released and the blind shall see, that the downtrodden shall be freed from their oppressors, and that God is ready to give blessings to all who come to him’ (Luke 4:18-19 TLB) These verses prophesied how Jesus would start His ministry, but it was the same at the end. What do you expect when approaching retirement from a job, church ministry, or nearing the end of your life? You don’t have to be an old person to reach that point, because Jesus was just 33 years old when He died. The elderly and housebound often ask, “What can I do?” The answer is, “Plenty!” Jesus said, ‘I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work’ (John 9:4). The Holy Spirit reminded me how Jesus acted at the end of His life on earth and we can do the same. 1. Pass on what you know Jesus was continually sharing with His disciples about principles of the Kingdom of Heaven. Shortly before He was...
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TEXT: ‘One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”’ (Luke 11:1 NIV) Luke’s gospel records seven occasions when Jesus prayed. Today’s Teaching is studying each one to see why Jesus prayed and what was the result, so we can safely imitate them and enjoy a more successful prayer life! In Parts 1 & 2, we studied how Jesus prayed: to receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit; to guard Himself against the dangers of pride and self-reliance; to be cautious in decision-making and to promote evangelism. In this final part, we consider three more occasions when Jesus prayed. 5. To maintain focus – ‘And as he was praying, his face began to shine, and his clothes became dazzling white and blazed with light’ (Luke 9:29 TLB) The previous time we studied Jesus praying, Peter received the revelation about who Jesus really was, the Christ of God. Now, on the mountain of Transfiguration, he sees something he will never forget. As Jesus prayed, His face began to shine like the sun and His robe became ultra-white and glistening. The divine Jesus radiated glorious light out of His human...
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TEXT: ‘One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”’ (Luke 11:1 NIV) Luke’s gospel records seven occasions when Jesus prayed. Today’s Teaching is studying each one to see why Jesus prayed and what was the result, so we can safely imitate them and enjoy a more successful prayer life! In Part 1, we studied how Jesus prayed and received the baptism in the Holy Spirit, which enabled Him to commence His public ministry. He saw miraculous healings and deliverances, which attracted multitudes. He often withdrew to the wilderness to pray and that helped Him guard against pride and becoming self-reliant. Today’s Teaching considers two more occasions when Jesus prayed. 3. In decision-making – ‘One day soon afterward Jesus went up on a mountain to pray, and he prayed to God all night. At daybreak he called together all of his disciples and chose twelve of them to be apostles’ (Luke 6:12-13 NLT) A. The danger of rushed decisions Jesus prayed all night before He chose the twelve disciples. The Bible says, ‘Don’t appoint people to church leadership positions too hastily’ (1 Timothy 5:22 MSG). A line taken from...
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TEXT: ‘One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”’ (Luke 11:1 NIV) The 100% success rate Jesus demonstrated when He ministered to the sick and demon-possessed, was largely due to His prayer life. When His disciples tried and failed to cast out the demon in the father’s epileptic son (See Mark 9:14-29), Jesus said, ‘This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting’ (v29). He was saying they could do it but needed to pray and fast. The correct reaction to failure is a determination to succeed, not despair that it did not work. As the saying goes, “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try and try again!” Luke’s gospel records seven occasions when Jesus prayed. Today’s Teaching focusses on each one to see why Jesus prayed and what was the result. Every one of them is something we can safely imitate to enjoy a more successful prayer life! 1. To receive the infilling of the Holy Spirit – ‘When all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized; and while He prayed, the heaven was opened. And the Holy...
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