Recovery Ministries aims to see people of all nationalities recovering from loss, in accordance with the promises they have in Jesus Christ
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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 an old play says, “Marry in haste, repent at leisure” (W. Congreve’s 1693 play, The Old Batchelour). In today’s world when everything is fast, it pays sometimes to take things slowly, ‘Plan carefully and you will have plenty; if you act too quickly, you will never have enough’ (Proverbs 21:5 GNT). B. It’s difficult choosing a few when there’s many...
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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 Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, “You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased”’ (Luke 3:21-22). John the Baptist was reluctant to baptise Jesus, but Jesus insisted. While Jesus was praying, the Holy Spirit came upon Him in the form of a dove. Immediately after that...
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TEXT: ‘I decided to write it all out for you, most honourable Theophilus, so you can know beyond the shadow of a doubt the reliability of what you were taught’ (Luke 1:4 MSG) Theophilus had been taught the gospel and believed it. Yet doubts had arisen making him ask, “Was I told the truth?” To settle these doubts, Luke was inspired by the Holy Spirit to write two letters to Theophilus, that he might know the certainty of the things he had been taught. The Book of Acts starts with, ‘Dear Theophilus, in the first volume of this book I wrote on everything that Jesus began to do and teach until the day he said good-bye to the apostles’ (Acts 1:1 MSG). The first letter was about how Jesus evangelised and taught. The second showed how His disciples continued evangelising through the power of the Holy Spirit. By silencing Theophilus’ doubts, God has done the same for countless millions, right down to the present day. Today’s Teaching focusses on what hinders and helps faith. 1. The carnal mind is prone to doubt and fear It’s programmed to work on understanding and reason. Christianity works by faith. The carnal mind fights faith and can never be brought under control. Scripture confirms this, ‘The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so’ (Romans 8:7 NIV). Satan works on the carnal mind, challenging what God has said. He encourages us to use our natural senses to determine what is the truth. Satan’s opening remark to Eve was, ‘Did God...
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