Devote Yourselves to Prayer
REFLECTION QUOTES
“Some of you are praying for me. Don’t pray for my safety, pray for my obedience. If you pray for safety that’s a denial of the cross.”
~Bishop Zac Niringiye, a Ugandan leader who has been arrested and
persecuted for his gospel preaching, speaking to American Christians
“It is clear that he does not pray, who, far from uplifting himself to God, requires that God shall lower Himself to him, and who resorts to prayer not to stir the man in us to will what God wills, but only to persuade God to will what the man in us wills.”
~St. Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274)
“The more helpless you are, the better you are fitted to pray, and the more answers to prayer you will experience.”
~Ole Hallesby (1879-1961), Norwegian Lutheran minister, imprisoned by Nazis
“You can do more than pray after you’ve prayed, but you cannot do more than pray until you have prayed.”
~John Bunyan (1628-1688), author of Pilgrim’s Progress,
imprisoned for his preaching
“Men may spurn our appeals, reject our message, oppose our arguments, despise our persons; but they are helpless against our prayers.”
~J. Sidlow Baxter (1903-1999), Australian-born pastor and theologian
“None can believe how powerful prayer is, and what it is able to effect, but those who have learned it by experience.”
~Martin Luther (1483-1546)
“He who knows how to overcome with God in prayer has heaven and earth at his disposal.”
~C. S. Spurgeon (1834-1892), famed London preacher
“…Our prayers are heard, not because we are in earnest, not because we suffer, but because Jesus suffered.”
~Oswald Chambers (1874-1917), Scottish clergyman
SERMON PASSAGE
Colossians 4:2-6 (NASB)
2 Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving; 3 praying at the same time for us as well, that God will open up to us a door for the word, so that we may speak forth the mystery of Christ, for which I have also been imprisoned; 4 that I may make it clear in the way I ought to speak.
5 Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity. 6 Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person.
Matthew 5:11-16 (NASB)
11 “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
13 “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men.
14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; 15 nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.
Acts 2:41-42 (NASB)
41 So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls. 42 They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.