Tag Archives: Prayer

Acts 1:12-26 Pastor Rick’s Study Notes and Small Group Questions

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Pastor Rick’s Translation:

(PRT)

v.12 Then they left the Mount of Olives and returned to Jerusalem which is only a half mile, or what was allowed for a Sabbath’s Day walk. v. 13 And when they arrived at the home, they went up to the upper story where they were staying; not only Peter and John, but also James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James (Alpheus’ son) and Simon (who was a Zealot), and Judas (James’ son). v. 14 All of them were steadfastly devoted to one another, attuned in life and united in prayer. They were there together with the women, including Mary, Jesus’ mother, and his brothers. v. 15 Then, during these days, Peter took the floor in front of the brothers and sisters, whose names numbered together by this time 120. v. 16 Men, and brothers and sisters, it had to happen so that the Scriptures the Holy Spirit said through David would be fulfilled regarding Judas, the one guilty of guiding those who arrested Jesus. v. 17 For he was counted with us, he threw in his lot, and he had a share in this ministry. v. 18 Now, of course, this man, with the payment collected from Judas’ unrighteousness, bought a field;  then having become bloated and distended Judas fell in, ruptured in the middle, and his insides gushed out. v. 19 It became notorious to those who lived in Jerusalem and they called that field Akeldama in their own Aramaic, but translated, it is “the field of blood.” v. 20 The Psalms say: “Let his dwelling be desolate and barren and let no one live there” and “let another take up his position.”  vv. 21-22 Therefore, we must choose a man who has traveled with us all this time that the Lord Jesus came and went out among us, from the baptism of John until he was taken up, and he will be a witness along with us to his Resurrection. v. 23 And they submitted two names: Joseph who was called Barsabbas but nicknamed Justus, and Matthias. vv. 24-25 Then they prayed and said: “You, Lord, know all our hearts. Show us which one out of these two you choose to take the place of serving and being sent out that Judas turned away from and departed to place he deserves. v. 26 And they drew lots between them and the lot landed on Matthias; and he was counted along with the eleven Apostles.

Pastor Rick’s Study Notes:

v.12 Then they left the Mount of Olives and returned to Jerusalem which is only a half mile, or what was allowed for a Sabbath’s Day walk.

This helps fill in the first 11 verses. They met Jesus earlier on the Olive Mt and that’s where they watched him ascend into heaven. It was a short enough walk that they wouldn’t get in trouble with the religious lawyers as they were allowed 1000 double steps on the Sabbath.

v. 13 And when they arrived at the home, they went up to the upper story where they were staying; not only Peter and John, but also James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James (Alpheus’ son) and Simon (who was a Zealot), and Judas (James’ son).

This is the inner circle of called out and sent out ones. Some names may confuse: Bartholomew is the same as Nathaniel in John’s Gospel; Matthew was also called Levi; Jude, James son is also known as Thaddeus. Not uncommon to have multiple names and nicknames (e.g. Simon could never shake the nickname, Zealot, even though he left this life of an assassin behind).

v. 14 All of them were steadfastly devoted to one another, attuned in life and united in prayer. They were there together with the women, including Mary, Jesus’ mother, and his brothers.

How many times can this verse identify the Jesus-followers as in community. The word for attuned in life is a  musical term that means to “rush along in harmony and note.” What a beautiful picture of the Kingdom working here on earth. Note that, by this time, Jesus’ brothers (at least two of them) had come to believe their brother, Jesus, is Messiah. Mary never swayed from this.

“in one accord” or united in prayer is the same word Jesus uses in Matthew 18, when two of you agree. This whole passage points back to verse 1 – “all that Jesus began to do and teach” – the operative word, “began,” means we continue it.

This is what they spend the next 10 days doing in preparation for the “promise of the Father.”

Jesus ascended, ten days of preparation in prayer, worship, the word and relationships, then the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Jesus descends.

Luke 24:57 helps clarify what they did: they prayed, the worship (in the Temple), they made relationships work, and the depended on the Word of God.

v. 15 Then, during these days, Peter took the floor in front of the brothers and sisters, whose names numbered together by this time 120.

Peter stood up in the midst of 120 who were the chosen, the called out. The word “brothers” is used here; but clearly from the earlier verses, the disciples number several women in this “rush along in harmony and note.”

v. 16 Men, and brothers and sisters, it had to happen so that the Scriptures the Holy Spirit said through David would be fulfilled regarding Judas, the one guilty of guiding those who arrested Jesus.

It seems here that Peter is address that inner circle of the Apostles and broadened the address to the brothers and sisters. This is the 10 days between Jesus ascending and the Holy Spirit descending. They are waiting in Jerusalem and they are seeking to act wisely and in unity to prepare for what God has in store.

v. 17 For he was counted with us, he threw in his lot, and he had a share in this ministry.

He was numbered among us. Peter is using the same terminology that he would use to determine Judas’ replacement. Judas cast the dice to join and he won a share in the ministry.

This helps us understand v. 24 when they cast dice.

v. 18 Now, of course, this man, with the payment collected from Judas’ unrighteousness, bought a field;  then having become bloated and distended Judas fell in, ruptured in the middle, and his insides gushed out.

That’s quite the graphic scene Peter explains. When he begins, he takes the liberty of saying ‘now,  you already know this, but for the record…” One question that might come up is how to reconcile the account in Matthew 27 where Judas throws the 30 silver pieces at the priests and they buy a field. Judas then commits suicide by hanging. Nothing gets by them, and the priests would know where the suicide took place and sent a man to purchase the craggy land for others to be buried in. The irony is that, his body would have been the first to go over to cliffs into the field below. Judas, after hanging himself and swinging in the hot sun, would have bloated out and directly fell down into the cliffs of the land. His was not a good end.

v. 19 It became notorious to those who lived in Jerusalem and they called that field Akeldama in their own Aramaic, but translated, it is “the field of blood.”

This “field of blood” reconciles the two stories. Judas hung himself, bloated out; the priests sent a man to buy the cliff, the tree, and the field below. Either he cut Judas down and he fell in and burst, or he fell from his rope on his own. Other convicts and unnamed ones were tossed in after him.

v. 20 The Psalms say: “Let his dwelling be desolate and barren and let no one live there” and “let another take up his position.”

Notice the importance of the same two tools, the same life-giving disciplines we run to: the Word and Prayer. I would add to this a unity and in-tuned-ness which often takes even more work.

vv. 21-22 Therefore, we must choose a man who has traveled with us all this time that the Lord Jesus came and went out among us, from the baptism of John until he was taken up, and he will be a witness along with us to his Resurrection.

This tells us two things: 1) there were others who had been there from the start all the way to the Ascension, 2)  they were taking Jesus’ command seriously, to be witnesses of what had happened.

v. 23 And they submitted two names: Joseph who was called Barsabbas but nicknamed Justus, and Matthias.

These three verses are important according to Wright because they saw their role as continuing the work of the Kingdom that Jesus declared and demonstrated, then passed on to them. They needed someone who had gone through it with them. We are the continuation of the work.

vv. 24-25 Then they prayed and said: “You, Lord, know all our hearts. Show us which one out of these two you choose to take the place of serving and being sent out that Judas turned away from and departed to place he deserves.

It says “after they prayed” but they are clearly still praying. The word is really a name: heart-knower.”  The place of ministry and apostleship that Judas veered from and went to his own place.

v. 26 And they drew lots between them and the lot landed on Matthias; and he was counted along with the eleven Apostles.

This was an accepted way to choose. Not gambling, but a unique way of trusting. Now that we have the Holy Spirit living inside us, we don’t need to toss dice or draw straws.  Matthias is not mentioned again, meaning that he played his part as one of the Twelve that Jesus rose from the dead, but likely a smaller role. Wright reminds us here that there are no “big parts” and no “insignificant parts” in the Kingdom work; we all are a part and Jesus is the orchestrator.

Small Group Study Questions:

Acts 1:12-26

  1. What is your most personal memory of God’s nearness?
  2. Read Acts 1:12-26. What did the followers of Jesus do after seeing Jesus ascend into heaven?
  3. What did his followers do to get ready to receive the Promise of the Father? (What exactly is the Promise of the Father?)
  4. In what ways do you intentionally “get ready” to walk with God and serve Him?
  5. How can we pray for you this week?

Pastor Rick’s Study Notes and Teaching on Fasting

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Pastor Rick’s Study Notes:

(PRT) Matthew 6:16-21, 33-34

v. 16 And again, when you fast don’t act out like the hypocrites, all gloomy with faces twisted up in pain so they look like they haven’t eaten for days. In all honesty, they get what they deserve.

vv. 17-18 But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so you don’t looking like you’re fasting; but fast to seek your Father without attracting attention, and your Father who sees what is done secretly will restore to you what you seek.

vv. 19-20 Don’t surround yourself with the world’s riches, where it can be consumed by moths or rust or where robbers can break in and steal it. Instead, lay up for yourselves riches in heaven where neither moths nor rust can consume it and where robbers don not break in and steal.

v. 21 For the place your treasure will be is where your heart will be, too.

v. 34 So, before everything else, seek the Kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be given to  you.

v. 35 Don’t be troubled by tomorrow’s concerns for tomorrow will be concerned enough for itself; each day will have concerns enough.

  1. Pure and Simple on Purpose. Life can get complicated, right? And there is a tangible release when we simplify and declutter our lives. Following Jesus is a simple and uncluttered process. And our passage today nudges us toward simplicity, making our values what the Kingdom values and how this practice of fasting pleases the Father and changes our hearts. But life can still be complicated, hurried, busy.
  2. For some of us, we follow Jesus in the midst of a complex and busy life. We invite His presence and nearness, his wisdom, his grace, into the busy-ness. And each time in that busy-ness that we take a moment to love someone or listen or give hope sets our lives apart from the world. And our choice to pace our walk to His tempo stands out in the world. The peace He gives in the midst of the storm, the busyness, becomes the light and becomes salt to those around us.
  3. For some of us, we follow Jesus by making our lives less complex and hurried. We look for ways to regain time with Him, time to listen to Him and be still,  and to respond to his voice by serving others, loving others and giving hope.

Salt and Light is what we are because of Who’s we are.

  • And because we belong to Him and seek Him and follow Him, Jesus scatters us as salt and displays us as light. And it comes naturally because He is present in our lives and we belong to Him.

And in our passage, Jesus encourages us to practice this discipline in order to know Him better and to more effectively be salt and light to our world.

  • Try Fasting. Jesus says,

v. 16 And again, when you fast don’t act out like the hypocrites, all gloomy with faces twisted up in pain so they look like they haven’t eaten for days. In all honesty, they get what they deserve.

vv. 17-18 But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so you don’t looking like you’re fasting; but fast to seek your Father without attracting attention, and your Father who sees what is done secretly will restore to you what you seek.

When we fast He restores what we seek, He gives what we need, He opens us up to His gifts and blessings.

What is this practice called fasting? And why is it important for us today?

  • Maybe starting with what it is not might help. Some may go on a hunger strike to seek to bring about political or social change. Others might fast and try to find the divine within. Still others might fast to cleanse their bodies. That’s not what Jesus is talking about.
  • Fasting is focused first on loving and drawing near to Jesus. It’s not mainly to get from God but to give ourselves anew to God. We might ask for God’s provision; but it’s first about God’s will and the values of the Kingdom.
  • And Jesus says twice here – when you fast, when you fast. It’s expected. It’s not commanded here, but he expects that we will. The spiritual value makes it a part of the practice of being Salt and Light in our world.
  • It so valuable, so much a part of the Christian walk that Right before, Jesus talks about “when you pray.” And just before that he teaches on “when you give.” And here he says “when you fast.” So what is fasting all about?
    • Personal fasting – we might fast for a special prayer request, for a friend or family member, or a big choice facing us.
      • Fasting may become a regular part of your devotional life. You fast a day a week for instance. John Wesley asked all who served in the ministry to fast Wednesdays and Fridays.
      • Response to the need to repent. A sin that nags our lives. And we need to live above and past this sin or temptation. And we fast and pray to place this behind us.
      • Urgent need to battle the enemy. We sense that the enemy is attacking our lives, our family. And we fast and pray to attain victory against the tempter or the accuser. Illustration: Jesus at one point cast out an evil spirit, then explained to his disciples how prayer and fasting works to push the darkness out.
      • Need to follow God’s call on your life. He has been speaking about a fresh and renewed call to serve or to go or to lead. And we need to seek the Father’s blessing and wisdom in this pursuit of His calling on our lives.
      • Face an emergency. There is a crisis in our lives that we face and we need to fast and seek God’s provision to avert this danger.
      • Or we may be facing an enormous task or beginning a new journey. And we want to dedicate this to God and ask that it honor Him and bring the values of the Kingdom to your life.

Do you have an enormous task? Are you facing a new journey or challenge? Is God stirring up a fresh task or call for you? Have you faced temptation or battled the enemy this week? Has God revealed the need for repentance and forgiveness?

Try Fasting:  How do we make this happen practically.

  • Don’t start with grand  and long plans. Don’t start with a lot of days. Fast for one day and Fast to listen and to draw near to Jesus. One day (eat dinner one day and then dinner the next.)
  • Keep your day job. Do what you normally do, but pace the day in a way that you can listen to the Spirit, listen to who is in front of you, and see what God might do throughout the day.
  • Take the time for meals to worship, to read Scripture, to pray. Invite God’s presence. Ask him for what you long for. And see who He puts near so you can serve those He puts before you.
  • United fasting – we might join with others in union to fast for a season and for a reason.
    • A need before us for wisdom, for guidance, and for provision.
    • A response to a call to repent and invite God’s healing for our church or for our nation. Illustration: Did you know that General Washington six weeks before the signing of the Declaration called for a day of fasting and prayer for the united colonies.
    • A response to an emergency or tragedy. And ask for God’s healing and provision together. Esther called for a three day fast when the lives of all Jewish people were threatened.
    • An invitation to God to revive His church, pour out His gifts and His Spirit, and to use our nation or church to reach the nations.
  • When we fast and pray, we see life and truth more simply and clearly. And when we fast and pray together, God magnifies that life and truth. We know He is present and answering when we are alone; but when we fast and pray together, that unity acts like a magnifier.   It’s like He causes us to zoom in on what is important and what lasts, and the things that may seem urgent or threatening or calling for our time and money become less important and less a voice in our lives.
  • When we fast, whatever is deep down inside us that we keep hidden or covered by things, busyness, food, addictions, bad relationships, or more. Those things surface and come to light. 1 Corinthians 6 says that we have freedom in all things, but nothing will control or enslave us.

Church, our nation needs us to pray and to fast and to seek God’s healing. Our God is both holy and compassionate.  And we as a church and nation need to pray and fast because repentance is a good thing and mercy is needed.

My application to you in this is simple. I want you to choose a day this week and try fasting. If medically, you have a reason to avoid this, please do. Otherwise,  take a day and choose to fast. I’m on for tomorrow. Because repentance is good – I need it. And our church needs a deeper experience of God’s presence. And our nation needs the intervention of the God of holiness and compassion.

(Sunday, June 26th, this message was chosen especially in light of the US Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade just three days prior. It’s a day to rejoice and a day to pray. Here is my charge for this week:

Sunday, I taught on fasting and prayer and then challenged each of you to join in a day of fasting and prayer for personal needs and for our nation. At the signing of our nation’s Bill of Rights, Washington called for a Day of Prayer for our salvation and, among other things, the will and wisdom “to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness.” (nationaldayofprayer.org).

We have much to be grateful, rejoice in and at the same time, ask for forgiveness for – we celebrate life and the wisdom of our highest court who ended the nationally mandated act of abortion. And we grieve that it took 49 years, and in those years the words, talents, accomplishments, and voices lifted in truth and worship of millions were silenced.

Pray and fast with us, thanking God for the men and women who were bold in truth to overturn a devastating decision a half a century ago. Let’s ask God to revive us, heal our land, protect our nation, and restore His call to us to represent Him well to our world.)

Pastor Rick’s Study Notes: Mark 14:32-42

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Mark 14:32-42

(PRT)

v. 32 When they arrive at the place called Gethsemane, he says to his followers, stay around here while I pray. v. 33 And he takes Peter, James, and John with him and he starts to be distressed greatly and heavy-hearted. v. 34 And Jesus says to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sadness almost to the point of dying; stay here and watch.” v. 35 And going a ways into the garden, he fell to the ground and prayed that, if possible, this hour might pass by him. v. 36 And he cried out: “Abba Father, all things are possible for you. Take away this cup; still, not what I want, but what you desire.” v. 37 Then he returns and discovers them sleeping. And he says to Peter: “Simon, are you asleep? Could you not watch with me a single hour?” v. 38 “Watch and pray so that you may not cave into temptation: the spirit is eager, but the flesh is weak.” v. 39-40 And again, he went away to pray the same things in the same manner; and he returned and found them asleep because their eyes were heavy, and they did not know how they should answer him. v. 41 So he returns a third time and says: “Are you sleeping? It’s enough, so be refreshed, now that the hour has come. Watch this: The Son of Man is now handed over to the power of sinful men. v. 42 “Wake up and let’s go! Look around you! The one who is betraying me is approaching!”

Pastor Rick’s Study Notes:

v. 32 When they arrive at the place called Gethsemane, he says to his followers, stay around here while I pray.

They left the city by one of the gates to enter into the garden. Gethsemane means “oil press.” A very fitting place for Jesus to be pressed with the weight of the sins of the world as he reconciled to the mission and the Father’s will.

This place, the Gospel accounts tells us that Jesus often went here, and Judas knew the way to get in and surround Jesus. The garden likely was a part of a grove of olive trees. Secluded but not too far out of the way.

The picture is often a secluded woody area with a big stone. It was likely a well-kept olive grove with possibly a small house or building on it with paths and careful arrangement.

This account is in all four Gospels and alluded to in Hebrews and other places.

For Mark, those who read and hear this read, are facing their own crisis, their own trials.

Jesus may have suggested to the eight remaining disciples (Judas has already left to initiate his own agenda) to have a seat on the rock wall that serves as the Border to the grove and the garden.

v. 33 And he takes Peter, James, and John with him and he starts to be distressed greatly and heavy-hearted.

So Jesus tells the disciples to stay back and let him and his three move into the grove and garden to pray. Peter, James and John were there not long before to see Jesus transformed on the mountain;. and they saw Jesus raise a little girl from the dead. They knew Jesus more than anyone. And they saw him fall into the dirt of the grove in anguish.

They were to keep watch as in be alert and watchful, not for the betrayer, but for the Tempter.

Jesus was amazed, as in overwhelmed, with sorrow. Mark alone makes this clear with this intensity.

This heavy-heartedness has a root meaning of being far from home and sad because of this combination of alone-ness and distance between. Jesus would have felt home-sickness and the pain of all this as the sin and weight became a brief but necessary wedge.

Jesus had his life directed toward the suffering of the cross; now that he is facing it in such a short time, along with the pain of the abandonment of his best friends, it was nearly unbearable.

Might James and John remember their conversation, as they watch and listen to the pain in Jesus’ voice, about being able to drink from the same cup as Jesus?

v. 34 And Jesus says to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sadness almost to the point of dying; stay here and watch.”

This exceeding sorrow is one brought on by an external demand (such as the rich young ruler faced.) It weighted him down.

How often does Jesus make a request from his disciples for something for himself? This may be one of the only times. Stay and watch; they lie down and sleep.

v. 35 And going a ways into the garden, he fell to the ground and prayed that, if possible, this hour might pass by him.

The word means “a stone’s throw” away. He fell to his knees or prostrate before the father (I know most pictures have Jesus leaning or kneeling at a big rock. But he got down and dirty in the ground in his prayer.

We are to pray, always, and develop a practice of listening and speaking to the Father throughout the day. Sometimes prayer is the only desperate solution: fall to our knees, fall to our face, lay on the ground or the floor in humble trust and petition. Standing or sitting is not enough at this point.

v. 36 And he cried out: “Abba Father, all things are possible for you. Take away this cup; still, not what I want, but what you desire.”

Abba is used as the familiar form of love that a child has. Similar to the familiar Daddy or Papa. But also the name we call the Father when we are most intimate: when we are without words and at the wit’s end, and that unique fellowship the Son sent the Spirit into our hearts to produce with the Father. Galatians 4:4. Abba Father weds two main words for an intimate cry of son to dad. It is an address of total trust and submission to the Father. This familiarity is unheard of in Jewish prayer. Such familiarity and intimacy and knowledgeable trust. It is the child calling to daddy; it is the grown man or woman submitting in reverence and trust to the good father.

The cup is that death he would partake of on the cross. He won the battle here as the Father answered. Luke has angels helping.  In the OT, the cup is indicative of the judgment of God.  Jesus faced the condemnation of sin and guilt that he took on.

This cup reflects back to the supper they just took a few hours earlier. This is the cup of the new covenant. Jesus is ready to face death and ready to do the Father’s will. He is not devaluing “the cup of the new covenant.” He is facing the excruciating pain of judgment. He’s never tasted sin, guilt, abandonment, etc.

v. 37 Then he returns and discovers them sleeping. And he says to Peter: “Simon, are you asleep? Could you not watch with me a single hour?”

He loving concern for His followers led him to break away from prayer to encourage and check on his disciples.

v. 38 “Watch and pray so that you may not cave into temptation: the spirit is eager, but the flesh is weak.”

This admonition to watch and pray is to Simon Peter and the others. Not just to Simon. The word, “willing” could be “eager” to follow Jesus faithfully, but the flesh weakly chooses to cave to the temptation to deny Christ, to be untrue.

 The flesh is that which represents our tendency to selfishness, self-preservation, me-first; the spirit is that breath of life the Father gives all of us and longs for heaven’s values.  But the flesh takes us down the road of me-first.

v. 39-40 And again, he went away to pray the same things in the same manner; and he returned and found them asleep because their eyes were heavy and they did not know how they should answer him.

It’s like their eyes were weighted down, even though they tried to keep them open.

In the wilds, Jesus was tempted three times to abuse his divinity (makes his own bread, toss himself off a building, grasp at rulership); here Jesus returns to prayer three times to win over his humanity’s natural aversion to what he faces.

The disciples were stumped for words, just like on the Mount of Transfiguration.

v. 41 So he returns a third time and says: “Are you sleeping? It’s enough, so be refreshed, now that the hour has come. Watch this: the Son of Man is now handed over to the power of sinful men.

The construction of this passage is often stilted. Why would Jesus say in one breath, keep sleeping and the hour has come. More likely, he called them out of the sleeping to remind them it’s enough refreshing for now because the hour has come.

It’s enough is the phrase that people would often give in receipt of payment for a service or item.

v. 42 “Wake up and let’s go! Look around you! The one who is betraying me is approaching!”

Jesus is given over to the work of the Enemy to steal, kill and destroy. This is the moment of the Enemy’s control. He can’t help himself but to take Jesus and destroy him; even if Satan knew it would be his downfall, he is the destroyer and will do it. But, in his wildest imagination, he doesn’t think the Father will give up his beloved.

Pastor Rick’s Study Notes: Mark 11:15-18

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Pastor Rick’s Translation: Mark 11:15-18 (PRT)

v. 15 When they arrived in Jerusalem  and was going through the Temple, Jesus began to drive out those busy peddling their wares and doing business buying and selling in this sacred place. And he flipped over the tables of the currency exchange rate dealers and benches of the sacrificial dove hucksters.

v. 16 And he would not give space for anyone to carry their goods through the Temple.

v. 17 Then, he taught them and said: “Has it not been written, ‘My house will bear the name House of Prayer for all tribes and nations; but you have turned it into a safe house for robbers and gangsters.”

v. 18 And the chief priests and religious legal experts heard this and they plotted how they might kill him; for they all feared him because they saw the crowd was amazed at Jesus’ teaching.

Study Notes:

v. 15 When they arrived in Jerusalem  and was going through the Temple, Jesus began to drive out those busy peddling their wares and doing business buying and selling in this sacred place. And he flipped over the tables of the currency exchange rate dealers and benches of the sacrificial dove hucksters.

The passage prior is the physical “parable” Jesus presented with the fig tree with plenty of show, but no fruit, and its subsequent removal from the fruit-bearing stage. This fig tree near Bethphage (“the place of the winter fig” is what its name means) showed all potential through its “profession” to have fruit, but with no performance. Jesus proclaims through his actions what the national order of Israel had adopted: many words, but no fruit.

Jesus then faces the display of this very loud and physical activity of “profession” without producing fruit in the Temple. As Jesus walked through the courtyard known as the “outer court” or the “Court of the Nations,” he saw a return to the cacophony of a marketplace that had supplanted the purpose of the court – a place of prayer for all nations.

And in the progression of walking through, he became zealous once more for the place which His Father designated for His purpose usurped by greed and evil. There were people peddling their wares at tables and booths where the holy act of seeking the Father’s will and presence should hold sway.

The money changers were there first to give a way for pilgrims to pay their share, but it  had to be in temple tender. The dove and animal traders maintained a spot where they would sit on a bench with animals and cages awaiting purchasers. Fraud and price gauging were common. Still, this is neither a condemnation of capitalism as some might hold, nor a judgment of churches who ask for a donated price for a coffee mug or t-shirt; it is a condemnation of a religious culture that has supplanted the purpose of God’s people and their worship and prayer with schemes that push God’s purposes to the margin.

On top of all this, the Court of the Nations had become a market short-cut for loads of supplies, goods, and animals. You can see and hear (and smell) the scene! The press, the noise, the odor of animals and the travelers replaced the scent of worship, the sweet sound of prayer, and the weighty presence of God’s glory.


Jesus had enough.

v. 16 And he would not give space for anyone to carry their goods through the Temple.

And he shut down the corridors and pushed them to return to their normal paths of merchandise outside the courtyard.

v. 17 Then, he taught them and said: “Has it not been written, ‘My house will bear the name House of Prayer for all tribes and nations; but you have turned it into a safe house for robbers and gangsters.”

The temple is a place not “of” but “for” prayer for every tribe, language, culture, and geography; that God-fearers might seek the Father.

Instead, it has become a safe house for brigands, usurers, and gangsters in league with the cartel of priests, animal merchandisers, and money brokers.

v. 18 And the chief priests and religious legal experts heard this and they plotted how they might kill him; for they all feared him because they saw the crowd was amazed at Jesus’ teaching.

The result is reinforced that Jesus has to go. This man, this single person, must be sacrificed for the good of the nation of Israel (e.g. the established money-making scheme and the status quo); hence the “prophecy” of the High Priest that “validated” Jesus’ murder.

Because the people hung on Jesus words, the religious ruling class was cautious in proceeding in the plot to kill Jesus. The words mean a continuous action of plotting and conniving and watching in order to accomplish what was in their hearts.

Pastor Rick’s Study Notes – Ephesians 6:18-20

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Pastor Rick’s Study Notes: Ephesians 6:18-20

(PRT)

v. 18 And through every kind of prayer and petition, keep praying in the Spirit in every season and opportune time so that you will stay vigilant and persist in seeking God’s answers for all who are set apart for God everywhere. v. 19 And pray for me that I might be given the right words coupled with a boldness to make understandable what remains hidden about the Good News. v. 20 It’s this very Good News that I’m an ambassador bound by a chain so pray that, through it, I might be bold as I have opportunity to speak.

Study Notes:

v. 18 And through every kind of prayer and petition, keep praying in the Spirit in every season and opportune time so that you will stay vigilant and persist in seeking God’s answers for all who are set apart for God everywhere.

Every kind of prayer, every season, and every opportune “kiaros” moment that comes our way. Temptation. Decision-making. Relationship issue. Enemies and friends.

Philippians reminds us that prayer and petition are the solution to worrying and anxiety.

Three kinds of prayer that get me through. 1) Blurt it out, 2) Settle in, 3) Pass it around.

Pray in the Spirit – 2 Cor.

This plea from an ambassador in a chain calls us to the battle to pray, to stand firm, and to bring peace.  This upside-down kingdom maintains that the battle will continue as we fight for the Good News of the Prince of Peace to win.

This passage is directly connected to v. 15. Keep praying as you keep your feet ready with the truth of the Gospel. We move forward with armor and with dependence on the captain.

Romans 8. In the Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is the empowerer, the revealer, and the giver of words when we don’t know what to pray. Holy Spirit praying is the answer to spiritual lethargy.

Relate this to the parable in Luke 18 where we ought not lose heart but pray. The ungodly judge and the persistent petitioner.

It’s about the mission. That no matter what we are going through Jesus is represented well and the Good News of the Kingdom will be seen and heard.

v. 19 And pray for me that I might be given the right words coupled with a boldness to make understandable what remains hidden about the Good News.

The words “for me” could easily be “over me” – we cover a person’s life in prayer so that their life counts, the words matter, and others see Jesus revealed in their words and actions.

You praying is the significant other side of the success of any endeavor. Pray and do. Pray and speak. Pray and take ground for the kingdom.

Like a gift that is wrapped, that others might open, understand, and receive that Good News that God offers. Rom 1:16 It is the power of God.

The right words aren’t accidental. Let your words be seasoned. Your prayers aren’t accidental. They come from a heart of longing for the Father’s will and a deep desire to see the Good News of the Kingdom win. Neither are our words to our friends and family. As they are underpinned by the prayers you pray and the requests that others pick up to pray.

Mt 10 – Jesus reminds us that the Spirit will give us the words when we are dependent on Him.

v. 20 It’s this very Good News that I’m an ambassador bound by a chain so pray that, through it, I might be bold as I have opportunity to speak.

My circumstances don’t dictate the message. For opportunity, for the right words, and boldness to follow through.

The irony of an ambassador in chains, an envoy bound.

The appeal here is that God, today, will open a new opportunity for which the boldness I received yesterday will  not be sufficient. We need the boldness that today’s demands require. It will be new, an adventure to step into, and a challenge to face in His strength.