Message 6, Friday, December 26 at 7:00 pm (OPEN MEETING)
Message 7, Saturday, December 27 at 9:30 am
Message 8, Saturday, December 27 at 11:00 am
Message 9, Lord’s day, December 28 at 10:30 am (OPEN MEETING)
Message 10, Lord’s day, December 28 at 6:00 pm
Message 11, Monday, December 29 at 7:00 pm
Message 12, Tuesday, December 30 at 7:00 pm
We will start the Holy Word for Morning Revival from the Memorial Day conference on “The Preparation of the Bride”. Copies are available in the bookroom.
We will read the Life-study of Ephesians messages 61 and 62 this week.
The website (https://500lifestudies.org/) provides great resources for how to get into the Life-study messages; the Life-Study mobile app is available for download
We will continue with week 36 in Volume 6 from the Holy Word for Morning Revival from the July training on “Experiencing, Enjoying, and Expressing Christ (3)”. Copies are available in the bookroom.
Please refer to the prayer meeting schedule below:
We will read the Life-study of Ephesians messages 59 and 60 this week.
The website (https://500lifestudies.org/) provides great resources for how to get into the Life-study messages; the Life-Study mobile app is available for download
The Life-Study of the Bible radio broadcast is every Lord’s day at 8:30 pm, KGNW 820 AM
Please refer to the table below for the cleaning schedule.
CLEANING SCHEDULE
TIME PERIOD
CLEANING GROUP (Zip Codes/Cities)
December 14
98074, 98075, 98027, 98028, 98029
December 21
Medina, Clyde Hill, Kirkland, Kenmore, Bothell, Woodinville, Marysville, Carnation, Mercer Island, Seattle, Newcastle, Renton, Federal Way
December 28
98004
January 4
98005
USHERING SERVICE SCHEDULE
LORD’S TABLE SERVICE SCHEDULE
Date
Team
Date
Team
December 14
D
December 14
3
December 21
A
December 21
4
December 28
B
December 28
1
January 4
C
January 4
2
Schedule
December Training (Live): December 22-27
Video Training: December 22-30
Prayer Meeting Reading (Prayer Ministry of the Church)
Matt. 6:7 And in praying do not babble empty words as the Gentiles do; for they suppose that in their multiplicity of words they will be heard.
Matt. 6:8 Therefore do not be like them, for your Father knows the things that you have need of before you ask Him.
Matt. 6:9 You then pray in this way: Our Father who is in the heavens, Your name be sanctified;
Matt. 6:10 Your kingdom come; Your will be done, as in heaven, so also on earth.
Matt. 6:11 Give us today our daily bread.
Matt. 6:12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
Matt. 6:13 And do not bring us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
The Lord said, “You then pray in this way.” He did not say to pray with these words. If He had, all we would have to do is repeat these words every time we prayed. No, this is not what the Lord meant. The Lord meant that we should pray in this way. In other words, the Lord was teaching us how to pray; He was not teaching us to imitate His words, but to pray in His way.
Since the beginning of the world, God has been listening to man’s prayers. Generation after generation and age after age, men have been praying to God. But it is hard to find some whose prayers are to the point. Many people pay attention to their needs; they do not pay attention to God’s needs. This is why the Lord opened His mouth and told us to “pray in this way.” To “pray in this way” is something very significant, great, and profound. Brothers and sisters, if we want to learn to pray at all, we have to learn to “pray in this way.” This was the first time since God came down to earth to become a man that He told us how to pray and how to pray in a concise way.
The Lord told us that we have to pray to “our Father who is in the heavens.” “Father” is a title, a new name by which man addresses God. Prior to this, man called God “the Almighty,” “the Most High,” “the living God,” or “Jehovah.” No one dared to call God the “Father.” This was the first time the word “Father” was used. This shows us clearly that this prayer is for saved ones, those who have eternal life already. When a man is saved, he can call God the Father. Only those who are begotten of God are the children of God, and only they can call God the Father. This prayer is directed toward “our Father who is in the heavens.” How sweet this is and what a great comfort it is. Originally, only our Lord Jesus could call God the Father. But in these verses, He instructed us to call God our Father. This is a great revelation. If God had not loved us and given us His only begotten Son, how could we call God our Father? Thank God that His Son has died and risen for us so that we can become God’s children and receive a new position. From now on we can pray to our Father who is in the heavens. How intimate, free, and uplifting this is. May the Spirit of the Lord teach us more and more to know that God is our Father and to believe that the Father is loving and patient. Not only does He want to hear our prayer; He also wants us to share the joy of prayer.
This prayer can be divided into three sections. The first section has to do with the things of God. It is a prayer with three desires concerning God (Matt. 6:9-10). This is the foundation. The second section has to do with us; it is our request for God’s protection (vv. 11-13a). The third section is our declaration; it is our praise to God (v. 13b).
The parents of the middle school boys will meet after the LD meeting on December 7th.
We will continue with week 36 in Volume 6 from the Holy Word for Morning Revival from the July training on “Experiencing, Enjoying, and Expressing Christ (3)”. Copies are available in the bookroom.
Please refer to the prayer meeting schedule below:
We will read the Life-study of Ephesians messages 57 and 58 this week.
The website (https://500lifestudies.org/) provides great resources for how to get into the Life-study messages; the Life-Study mobile app is available for download
The Life-Study of the Bible radio broadcast is every Lord’s day at 8:30 pm, KGNW 820 AM
Please refer to the table below for the cleaning schedule.
CLEANING SCHEDULE
TIME PERIOD
CLEANING GROUP (Zip Codes/Cities)
December 7
98052
December 14
98074, 98075, 98027, 98028, 98029
December 21
Medina, Clyde Hill, Kirkland, Kenmore, Bothell, Woodinville, Marysville, Carnation, Mercer Island, Seattle, Newcastle, Renton, Federal Way
USHERING SERVICE SCHEDULE
LORD’S TABLE SERVICE SCHEDULE
Date
Team
Date
Team
December 7
C
December 7
2
December 14
D
December 14
3
December 21
A
December 21
4
Schedule
Thanksgiving Conference, November 27-30
Prayer Meeting Reading (Prayer Ministry of the Church)
Matt. 6:7 And in praying do not babble empty words as the Gentiles do; for they suppose that in their multiplicity of words they will be heard.
Matt. 6:8 Therefore do not be like them, for your Father knows the things that you have need of before you ask Him.
Luke 11:1-4 And while He was in a certain place praying, when He ceased, a certain one of His disciples said to Him, Lord, teach us to pray, even as John also taught his disciples. And He said to them, When you pray, say, Father, Your name be sanctified; Your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone indebted to us. And do not bring us into temptation.
Brothers and sisters, your prayers should not be sound only, which do not have meaning. The prayers of many people in the prayer meeting are meaningless. If you do not say Amen when they pray, they condemn you for not being one with them. But if you say Amen to their prayer, they will repeat the same words over and over again. They do not pray to fulfill some goals but to generate some commotion. Their prayers are not for the purpose of releasing the burden but for finishing up their speech. Many prayers are offered as a result of man’s influence, and many words are uttered which are beyond one’s desires. These prayers are like the sound of a stream tumbling against the rocks; they are also like the sound of wheels rolling over pebbles. This kind of prayer has sound only, and it is meaningless. We should not be like those who pray this way.
“Therefore do not be like them, for your Father knows the things that you have need of before you ask Him.” This shows us that whether or not our prayers will be answered depends on our attitude before God; it also depends on our need. Whether or not prayers are answered depends not on the multiplicity of our words. If we pray for what we do not need, we will not be heard even if we have more words. If our asking is not out of necessity, it is greed and vain asking. God is happy to give us what we need. But He does not want to satisfy the desires that our self craves. Some have said that since God knows what we need, we do not have to ask anymore. This is a foolish word. The purpose of our prayer is not to inform God of something but to show Him our trust, our faith, our dependence, and our wish. Therefore, it is right that we pray. But when we pray, our desire should exceed our words, and our faith should exceed our words.
Now let us consider the prayer that the Lord taught. This prayer is commonly called the Lord’s Prayer, but this is wrong. This prayer is not the Lord’s own prayer; it is a prayer that the Lord was teaching us. Luke 11 points this out clearly (vv. 1-4). We should learn carefully from this prayer.
The Lord said, “You then pray in this way.” He did not say to pray with these words. If He had, all we would have to do is repeat these words every time we prayed. No, this is not what the Lord meant. The Lord meant that we should pray in this way. In other words, the Lord was teaching us how to pray; He was not teaching us to imitate His words, but to pray in His way.
The parents of the middle school boys will meet after the LD meeting on December 7th.
We will continue with week 34 in Volume 6 from the Holy Word for Morning Revival from the July training on “Experiencing, Enjoying, and Expressing Christ (3)”. Copies are available in the bookroom.
Please refer to the prayer meeting schedule below:
We will read the Life-study of Ephesians messages 55 and 56 this week.
The website (https://500lifestudies.org/) provides great resources for how to get into the Life-study messages; the Life-Study mobile app is available for download
The Life-Study of the Bible radio broadcast is every Lord’s day at 8:30 pm, KGNW 820 AM
Please refer to the table below for the cleaning schedule.
CLEANING SCHEDULE
TIME PERIOD
CLEANING GROUP (Zip Codes/Cities)
November 30
98008
December 7
98052
December 14
98074, 98075, 98027, 98028, 98029
December 21
Medina, Clyde Hill, Kirkland, Kenmore, Bothell, Woodinville, Marysville, Carnation, Mercer Island, Seattle, Newcastle, Renton, Federal Way
USHERING SERVICE SCHEDULE
LORD’S TABLE SERVICE SCHEDULE
Date
Team
Date
Team
November 30
B
November 30
1
December 7
C
December 7
2
December 14
D
December 14
3
December 21
A
December 21
4
Schedule
Thanksgiving Conference, November 27-30
Prayer Meeting Reading (Prayer Ministry of the Church)
Matt. 18:20 For where there are two or three gathered into My name, there am I in their midst.
And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites, because they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners, so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, They have their reward in full. But you, when you pray, enter into your private room, and shut your door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will repay you. And in praying do not babble empty words as the Gentiles do; for they suppose that in their multiplicity of words they will be heard. Therefore do not be like them, for your Father knows the things that you have need of before you ask Him. (Matt. 6:5-8).
Ordinarily, when we speak of prayer, we are concerned about answers to prayer. The Lord Jesus’ emphasis in these verses is not on answers to prayer but on the reward of prayer. Based on what do we say this? It is based on the word “reward” in verse 5, which is the same word as the “reward” of almsgiving in verse 2 and the “reward” of fasting in verse 16 . If the reward of prayer refers to answers to prayer, what do the rewards of almsgiving and fasting refer to? According to its context, “reward” refers to the reward one receives in the kingdom. This shows us that having our prayers answered is secondary; the main thing is receiving reward for our prayer. If our prayers are according to God’s will, they will not only be answered, but they will also be remembered and rewarded in the future before the judgment seat. Hence, the prayer mentioned in these verses brings not only an answer today but righteousness as well. In other words, our prayer is our righteousness.
However, the righteousness of prayer does not come from careless prayers, half-hearted prayers, routine prayers, or prayers that issue from impure motives. On the one hand, the Lord teaches us not to pray the way that two kinds of people pray. On the other hand, He shows us a pattern for prayer. First, let us consider the two kinds of prayers which we should not follow.
“And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites, because they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners, so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, They have their reward in full.” Prayer is for the purpose of fellowshipping with God and expressing His glory. But hypocrites utilize prayers that are for the glorification of God to glorify themselves. Consequently, they like to pray in the synagogues and on the street corners. They do this in order to be seen by others, because synagogues and street corners are public places, places that men pass by all the time. They do not pray in order to be heard by God but to be heard by men. They want to show themselves off. This kind of prayer is very superficial; it cannot be considered as a prayer to God, and it cannot be considered as fellowship with God. These men cannot expect to receive anything from God, because the motive behind this kind of prayer is to receive glory from men, and because there is no supply reserved before God. They have already received their reward; they have received men’s praise. Therefore, in the future kingdom, there will be nothing to remember.
The Lord taught us not only to shut ourselves up in secret when we pray; He also taught us not to “babble empty words as the Gentiles do; for they suppose that in their multiplicity of words they will be heard.” The expression “multiplicity of words” in Greek is used to describe the monotonous and repetitious sound that a stammering person makes. Some people repeat the same words monotonously in their prayers. This kind of prayer has sound only; it has no meaning whatsoever. When you stand beside such a person and listen to his prayer, it is as if you are standing by a stream listening to the repetitious and monotonous sound of water tumbling against the rocks. It is like standing on a pebbled street and listening to the repetitious and monotonous sound of wheels rolling across pebbles. They repeat the same words over and over again. They suppose that their prayers will be heard through much repetition. But this kind of prayer is useless; it is not at all effective, and we should not pray in that kind of way.
Brothers and sisters, your prayers should not be sound only, which do not have meaning. The prayers of many people in the prayer meeting are meaningless. If you do not say Amen when they pray, they condemn you for not being one with them. But if you say Amen to their prayer, they will repeat the same words over and over again. They do not pray to fulfill some goals but to generate some commotion. Their prayers are not for the purpose of releasing the burden but for finishing up their speech. Many prayers are offered as a result of man’s influence, and many words are uttered which are This kind of prayer has sound only, and it is meaningless. We should not be like those who pray this way.
The Thanksgiving Conference can be viewed at: https://www.lsmwebcast.com/Conference.cfm The conference is being held in Indianapolis, Indiana, which is 3 hours ahead of us. If you want to watch the conference live, you would follow this schedule: Message 1 (Thursday) at 4:30 pm (Pacific)Message 2 (Friday) at 7:00 am (Pacific)Message 3 (Friday) at 4:30 pm (Pacific)Message 4 (Saturday) at 7:00 am (Pacific)Message 5 (Saturday) at 4:30 pm (Pacific)Message 6 (LD) at 7:00 am (Pacific) Living Stream will make the messages available for viewing about 3 hours after the conclusion of the message. If you want to streamthe conference messages, this is a suggested schedule you could follow: Message 1 (Thursday) at 7:30 pm (Pacific)Message 2 (Friday) at 10:00 am (Pacific)Message 3 (Friday) at 7:30 pm (Pacific)Message 4 (Saturday) at 10:00 am (Pacific)Message 5 (Saturday) at 7:30 pm (Pacific)Message 6 (LD) at 10:00 am (Pacific)
The parents of the middle school boys will meet after the LD meeting on December 7th.
We will continue with week 33 in Volume 6 from the Holy Word for Morning Revival from the July training on “Experiencing, Enjoying, and Expressing Christ (3)”. Copies are available in the bookroom.
Please refer to the prayer meeting schedule below:
We will read the Life-study of Ephesians messages 53 and 54 this week.
The website (https://500lifestudies.org/) provides great resources for how to get into the Life-study messages; the Life-Study mobile app is available for download
The Life-Study of the Bible radio broadcast is every Lord’s day at 8:30 pm, KGNW 820 AM
Please refer to the table below for the cleaning schedule.
CLEANING SCHEDULE
TIME PERIOD
CLEANING GROUP (Zip Codes/Cities)
November 23
98007
November 30
98008
December 7
98052
December 14
98074, 98075, 98027, 98028, 98029
USHERING SERVICE SCHEDULE
LORD’S TABLE SERVICE SCHEDULE
Date
Team
Date
Team
November 23
A
November 23
4
November 30
B
November 30
1
December 7
C
December 7
2
December 14
D
December 14
3
Schedule
Thanksgiving Conference, November 27-30
Prayer Meeting Reading (Prayer Ministry of the Church)
Matt. 18:20 For where there are two or three gathered into My name, there am I in their midst.
3. Being Gathered Together
In verse 20 the Lord says, “For where there are two or three gathered into My name, there am I in their midst.” This is the third principle, the deepest principle. Verse 18 is a principle, verse 19 is another principle, and verse 20 is a third principle. The principle in verse 20 is broader than the principle in verse 19 . Verse 19 says, “If two of you are in harmony on earth concerning any matter, any matter that they ask will be done for them from My Father who is in the heavens.” Why? “For where there are two or three gathered into My name, there am I in their midst.” Why is there such a great power on earth? Why is prayer in harmony so powerful? Why is prayer in harmony of two or three persons so powerful? It is powerful because whenever we are gathered together into the Lord’s name, the Lord is there! This is the reason for our harmony. Verse 18 describes the relationship between the earth and heaven. Verse 19 mentions the prayer in harmony on earth, and verse 20 tells us how we can have this harmony.
We are gathered together. We do not choose to meet together; we are gathered together. There is a difference between meeting together and being gathered together. Being gathered together is being gathered by the Lord. We do not come by ourselves; the Lord has gathered us. Many people come to the meeting for the sake of observing or spectating; this will surely not result in anything. But for others, the Lord is speaking within them, telling them that if they do not come that day, they will miss something. Those whom the Lord has gathered this way are gathered together into the Lord’s name; they come for the sake of the Lord’s name. Whenever these brothers and sisters come together, they can say, “I am here for the Lord’s name and for glorifying the Son. I am not here for myself.” When all the brothers and sisters are gathered together for the Lord’s name’s sake, there will be oneness and harmony. Thank the Lord. If you come to a meeting for your own sake, there will not be harmony. If you want something, not because you want it but because the Lord wants it, and if you reject something, not because you reject it, but because the Lord rejects it, there will be harmony. God’s children are gathered by the Lord into His name. The Lord says, “There am I in their midst.” The Lord is leading them in their midst. Since the Lord is leading and enlightening them, and since the Lord is speaking and giving revelation, whatever is bound on the earth is bound in heaven and whatever is loosed on the earth is loosed in heaven. This is because the Lord is doing the binding and the loosing together with the church.
Therefore, we have to learn to deny ourselves before the Lord. Every time He gathers us together in a meeting, we have to learn to seek His glory. Our hearts have to be turned toward His name and desire that His name be exalted above every name and that every idol be cast down. If we do this, He will lead us. Brothers and sisters, this is not a feeling. This is not a theory. This is a fact. If the church is normal, at the end of every meeting, the church will know whether the Lord has been in its midst. When the Lord is in the midst of the church, the church will be rich and strong. During these times, the church can bind and loose. If the Lord is not in its midst, nothing can be done. Only the church can be so strong; individuals can never do this.
May God grant us deeper understanding and deeper lessons in prayer. It is not enough to just have personal prayers and prayers for spiritual edification. There must be prayers that are for the ministry and the work. May the Lord sustain us with power so that every time we gather together, we can work in our prayer and fulfill the ministry of the church with our prayer. In this way, the Lord can accomplish what He wants to accomplish.
We will continue with week 32 in Volume 6 from the Holy Word for Morning Revival from the July training on “Experiencing, Enjoying, and Expressing Christ (3)”. Copies are available in the bookroom.
Please refer to the prayer meeting schedule below:
We will read the Life-study of Ephesians messages 51 and 52 this week.
The website (https://500lifestudies.org/) provides great resources for how to get into the Life-study messages; the Life-Study mobile app is available for download
The Life-Study of the Bible radio broadcast is every Lord’s day at 8:30 pm, KGNW 820 AM
Please refer to the table below for the cleaning schedule.
CLEANING SCHEDULE
TIME PERIOD
CLEANING GROUP (Zip Codes/Cities)
November 16
Puget Sound Conference
November 23
98007
November 30
98008
December 7
98052
USHERING SERVICE SCHEDULE
LORD’S TABLE SERVICE SCHEDULE
Date
Team
Date
Team
November 16
PS Conference
November 16
PS Conference
November 23
A
November 23
4
November 30
B
November 30
1
December 7
C
December 7
2
Schedule
Puget Sound Conference, November 14-16
Thanksgiving Conference, November 27-30
Prayer Meeting Reading (Prayer Ministry of the Church)
Matt. 18:19 Again, truly I say to you that if two of you are in harmony on earth concerning any matter for which they ask, it will be done for them from My Father who is in the heavens.
2. The Harmony in the Holy Spirit
God’s power cannot exceed the prayer of the church. The power of God today can at most be as great as the prayer of the church. This does not mean that God’s power is limited in heaven. In heaven, God’s power is unlimited. But on earth, God’s power is manifested to the degree that the church prays. The amount that the church prays will be the measure of the amount that God’s power is manifested. Consequently, the church has to learn to pray big prayers and make big requests. The prayer of the church is often very small; it prays only for ordinary problems. This is not enough. The church needs to have big prayers and make big requests. Since the church is coming to such a rich God, there must not be small prayers and small requests. Since the church is coming to such a rich God, there must be great things happening. If the capacity of the church before God is small, it will restrict the power of God from being manifested. We know that the question of the overcomers is not quite resolved, and Satan is not yet thrown into the abyss. God must gain a vessel for His testimony before He can accomplish what He has set out to accomplish. The church must have big prayers to manifest our God. This is the ministry of the church. Brothers and sisters, I do not know whether God can say to us that this church has a ministry of prayer when He passes by our prayer meeting. It is not a question of how often we pray. It is a question of the weight of our prayer. If we see the church’s responsibility of prayer, we will see that our prayers are not big enough; we are limiting God and frustrating His work. The church has forsaken its duty! What a sad situation this is!
The issue at stake is this: Can God gain a church that is faithful to its ministry? This depends on whether we are those destined to be disqualified, or whether we are the real vessels of God who will fulfill God’s goal. Brothers and sisters, we have to cry out loudly that God is watching to see whether the church is faithful to its ministry. The ministry of the church is prayer—not small prayers, but prayers that pioneer the way for God. God is accomplishing His work. But the church first prays and prepares the way before God finds the way. The church must have big prayers, serious prayers, and strong prayers. Prayer cannot be small before God. If prayers are centered around ourselves, our personal difficulties, and our small losses and gains, it will be difficult to open a way for God’s eternal will. Many things should drive us to dig deep. But above all, prayer should drive us to the utmost depth.
For two to be in harmony is not an empty word; it is not a slogan. If we do not know what the Body of Christ is and have not taken this ground, it will be useless even if two hundred people are praying together. If we know the Body of Christ and stand on the proper ground of this Body to deny the flesh, if we do not ask things for ourselves but ask for God’s will to be done on earth, we will see that our prayer is in harmony. When this happens, God in heaven will fulfill our prayer on earth.
Heaven binds as much as earth binds and looses as much as earth looses. The capacity in heaven is controlled by the capacity on earth. We should not be afraid that the capacity on earth is too large, because the capacity in heaven is always larger. The capacity on earth can never match the capacity in heaven. Heaven always wants to bind more than the earth binds, and heaven always wants to loose more than the earth looses. This kind of binding and loosing is not done by individuals; it is done when “two of you are in harmony on earth concerning any matter.” Any matter that they ask will be done for them from the Father who is in the heavens. Brothers and sisters, God’s power will be forever greater than our power.
The parents of the children will have a time of prayer and fellowship on November 2nd; lunch will be provided.
A care package will be sent down to the FTTA trainees on November 2nd for Peter Zheng, Daniel Lee, Jerome Shih, and Daniel Chen. Please sign cards and bring items for the trainees no later than that date.
We will continue with week 30 in Volume 5 from the Holy Word for Morning Revival from the July training on “Experiencing, Enjoying, and Expressing Christ (3)”. Copies are available in the bookroom.
Please refer to the prayer meeting schedule below:
We will read the Life-study of Ephesians messages 45 and 46 this week.
The website (https://500lifestudies.org/) provides great resources for how to get into the Life-study messages; the Life-Study mobile app is available for download
The Life-Study of the Bible radio broadcast is every Lord’s day at 8:30 pm, KGNW 820 AM
Please refer to the table below for the cleaning schedule.
CLEANING SCHEDULE
TIME PERIOD
CLEANING GROUP (Zip Codes/Cities)
November 2
CHANGE: 98004
November 9
98006
November 16
Puget Sound Conference
November 23
98007
USHERING SERVICE SCHEDULE
LORD’S TABLE SERVICE SCHEDULE
Date
Team
Date
Team
November 2
B
November 2
1
November 9
C
November 9
2
November 16
PS Conference
November 16
PS Conference
November 23
A
November 23
4
Schedule
Puget Sound Conference, November 14-16
Thanksgiving Conference, November 27-30
Prayer Meeting Reading (Prayer Ministry of the Church)
Matt. 18:19 Again, truly I say to you that if two of you are in harmony on earth concerning any matter for which they ask, it will be done for them from My Father who is in the heavens.
Brothers and sisters, when we truly stand on the ground of the church and take up the responsibility of such a ministry of prayer before God, we will see God’s will carried out in the church where we are. Otherwise, everything will be in vain. There can be many prayers or few prayers, but the main thing is to have strong prayers. What God does today is measured by the amount of prayer that the church offers. God’s power cannot exceed the prayer of the church. The power of God today can at most be as great as the prayer of the church. This does not mean that God’s power is limited in heaven. In heaven, God’s power is unlimited. But on earth, God’s power is manifested to the degree that the church prays. The amount that the church prays will be the measure of the amount that God’s power is manifested. Consequently, the church has to learn to pray big prayers and make big requests. The prayer of the church is often very small; it prays only for ordinary problems. This is not enough. The church needs to have big prayers and make big requests. Since the church is coming to such a rich God, there must not be small prayers and small requests. Since the church is coming to such a rich God, there must be great things happening. If the capacity of the church before God is small, it will restrict the power of God from being manifested. We know that the question of the overcomers is not quite resolved, and Satan is not yet thrown into the abyss. God must gain a vessel for His testimony before He can accomplish what He has set out to accomplish. The church must have big prayers to manifest our God. This is the ministry of the church. Brothers and sisters, I do not know whether God can say to us that this church has a ministry of prayer when He passes by our prayer meeting. It is not a question of how often we pray. It is a question of the weight of our prayer. If we see the church’s responsibility of prayer, we will see that our prayers are not big enough; we are limiting God and frustrating His work. The church has forsaken its duty! What a sad situation this is!
The issue at stake is this: Can God gain a church that is faithful to its ministry? This depends on whether we are those destined to be disqualified, or whether we are the real vessels of God who will fulfill God’s goal. Brothers and sisters, we have to cry out loudly that God is watching to see whether the church is faithful to its ministry. The ministry of the church is prayer—not small prayers, but prayers that pioneer the way for God. God is accomplishing His work. But the church first prays and prepares the way before God finds the way. The church must have big prayers, serious prayers, and strong prayers. Prayer cannot be small before God. If prayers are centered around ourselves, our personal difficulties, and our small losses and gains, it will be difficult to open a way for God’s eternal will. Many things should drive us to dig deep. But above all, prayer should drive us to the utmost depth.
For two to be in harmony is not an empty word; it is not a slogan. If we do not know what the Body of Christ is and have not taken this ground, it will be useless even if two hundred people are praying together. If we know the Body of Christ and stand on the proper ground of this Body to deny the flesh, if we do not ask things for ourselves but ask for God’s will to be done on earth, we will see that our prayer is in harmony. When this happens, God in heaven will fulfill our prayer on earth.
We will continue with week 29 in Volume 5 from the Holy Word for Morning Revival from the July training on “Experiencing, Enjoying, and Expressing Christ (3)”. Copies are available in the bookroom.
Please refer to the prayer meeting schedule below:
We will read the Life-study of Ephesians messages 45 and 46 this week.
The website (https://500lifestudies.org/) provides great resources for how to get into the Life-study messages; the Life-Study mobile app is available for download
The Life-Study of the Bible radio broadcast is every Lord’s day at 8:30 pm, KGNW 820 AM
Please refer to the table below for the cleaning schedule.
CLEANING SCHEDULE
TIME PERIOD
CLEANING GROUP (Zip Codes/Cities)
October 26
CHANGE: 98005
November 2
CHANGE: 98004
November 9
98006
November 16
Puget Sound Conference
USHERING SERVICE SCHEDULE
LORD’S TABLE SERVICE SCHEDULE
Date
Team
Date
Team
October 26
A
October 26
4
November 2
B
November 2
1
November 9
C
November 9
2
November 16
PS Conference
November 16
PS Conference
Schedule
NW College retreat October 24-26
Puget Sound Conference, November 14-16
Thanksgiving Conference, November 27-30
Prayer Meeting Reading (Prayer Ministry of the Church)
Matt. 18:15-19 Moreover if your brother sins against you, go, reprove him between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. 16 But if he does not hear you, take with you one or two more, that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. 17 And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to hear the church also, let him be to you just like the Gentile and the tax collector. 18 Truly I say to you, Whatever you bind on the earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on the earth shall have been loosed in heaven. 19 Again, truly I say to you that if two of you are in harmony on earth concerning any matter for which they ask, it will be done for them from My Father who is in the heavens.
The ministry of the church is the ministry of the Body of Christ, and the ministry of the Body of Christ is prayer. This prayer is not just for spiritual edification and personal needs but for “heaven.” This prayer, for example, tells others that a person has lost his fellowship with God, that he has not listened to the reproof of one brother or even two or three brothers, and that he does not take the judgment of the church. God has to consider him a Gentile and a tax collector. But He will not do this immediately; He has to wait for the church to do it first. God has to wait for the church to judge this brother as a Gentile and a tax collector in its prayer before He will do the same thing in heaven. If the church takes up this responsibility to pray, it will see that from that day forward his life and spiritual walk will dry up. From that day forward, he will appear to have no part in God. God wants to do this, but He has to wait for the church to pray. God has many things stacked up in heaven. He cannot accomplish any of them because there is no outlet for Him on earth. There are numerous things stacked up in heaven. Yet God cannot resolve them because the church has not exercised its free will to stand on God’s side and fulfill God’s goal. Brothers and sisters, you have to remember that the highest and greatest work of the church is to be the outlet of God’s will. The church becomes the outlet of God’s will through prayer. This prayer is not a fragmentary prayer but a prayer that is in the nature of a ministry, a prayer that is in the nature of a work. God gives man vision and opens man’s eyes to see His will. When this happens, man takes his place to pray.
The Lord also shows us in these verses that individual prayers do not work. There must be at least two persons. If you do not see this point, you will not understand why the Lord says what He says. All the prayers in the Gospel of John are individual prayers. When John 15:16 records, “Whatever you ask the Father in My name, He may give you,” the number of people is not a condition. But in Matthew 18 the number is a condition; there must be at least two persons. The Lord says, “If two of you are in harmony on earth.” There must be at least two because this is a question of fellowship. One person cannot accomplish this. One person cannot be God’s outlet; there must be two. The principle of two is the principle of the church, the principle of the Body of Christ. Although there are only two in this kind of prayer, the “harmony” is indispensable. The two must be in harmony, and they must stand on the ground of the Body. They must know the Body life. There is only one goal with them, which is to tell God, “We want Your will to be done, in heaven and on earth.” When the church prays in this position, whatever it asks will be done for it from the Father who is in the heavens.
We will continue with week 27 in Volume 3 from the Holy Word for Morning Revival from the July training on “Experiencing, Enjoying, and Expressing Christ (3)”. Copies are available in the bookroom.
Please refer to the prayer meeting schedule below:
Bellevue Meeting Hall (all languages)Redmond/Sammamish/Issaquah (English), at Jeff and Sarah MacGillivray, (360) 220-3014, 2313 192nd Ave SE, Sammamish, WA 98075
October 21
Bellevue Meeting Hall (all languages)
October 28
Bellevue Meeting Hall (all languages)Redmond/Sammamish/Issaquah (English), TBD
We will read the Life-study of Ephesians messages 41 and 42 this week.
The website (https://500lifestudies.org/) provides great resources for how to get into the Life-study messages; the Life-Study mobile app is available for download
The Life-Study of the Bible radio broadcast is every Lord’s day at 8:30 pm, KGNW 820 AM
Please refer to the table below for the cleaning schedule.
CLEANING SCHEDULE
TIME PERIOD
CLEANING GROUP (Zip Codes/Cities)
Clean on October 12
98074, 98075, 98027, 98028, 98029
Clean on October 19
Medina, Clyde Hill, Kirkland, Kenmore, Bothell, Woodinville, Marysville, Carnation, Mercer Island, Seattle, Newcastle, Renton, Federal Way
October 26
98004
November 2
98005
USHERING SERVICE SCHEDULE
LORD’S TABLE SERVICE SCHEDULE
Date
Team
Date
Team
October 12
C
October 12
2
October 19
D
October 19
3
October 26
A
October 26
4
November 2
B
November 2
1
Schedule
NW Middle School / High School Retreat, October 17-19
NW College retreat October 24-26
Puget Sound Conference, November 14-16
Thanksgiving Conference, November 27-30
Prayer Meeting Reading (Prayer Ministry of the Church)
Matt. 18:18 Truly I say to you, Whatever you bind on the earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on the earth shall have been loosed in heaven.
Matt. 18:19 Again, truly I say to you that if two of you are in harmony on earth concerning any matter for which they ask, it will be done for them from My Father who is in the heavens.
Now let us consider three great principles in ministerial prayer from Matthew 18:18-20 .
2. The Harmony in the Holy Spirit
We have seen that the church should bind what God wants to bind and loose what God wants to loose. How does the church bind and loose? The Lord tells us in verse 19 , “Again, truly I say to you that if two of you are in harmony on earth concerning any matter, any matter that they ask will be done for them from My Father who is in the heavens” (alternate translation). Verse 18 concerns earth and heaven. Verse 19 also concerns earth and heaven. In verse 18 , when the earth binds, heaven binds, and when the earth looses, heaven looses. Verse 19 says that whatever one asks on earth will be fulfilled by the Father in heaven. The emphasis of the Lord Jesus here is not on asking in harmony, but on being in harmony concerning any matter and then asking concerning such matters. According to the original language, “any matter” belongs to both “in harmony” and “that they ask.” The Lord’s intention is not to tell men to pray for a certain matter in harmony, but to be in harmony concerning any matter. If we are in harmony concerning any matter, then our Father in heaven will accomplish whatever we ask concerning a particular matter. This is the oneness of the Body, the oneness in the Holy Spirit.
A man would feel quite extraordinary if his flesh had not been dealt with because even heaven listens to him. If you are not in the oneness of the Holy Spirit and not praying in the harmony of the Holy Spirit, do you think heaven will listen to you? If you pray this way, heaven will not bind what you bind and loose what you loose. To have heaven loose and bind is not something you can do by yourself. To think that you can do this by yourself is very foolish. The Lord says, “If two of you are in harmony on earth concerning any matter, any matter that they ask will be done for them from My Father who is in the heavens.” This means that if two persons are in harmony concerning any matter, as harmonious as music, then whatever they ask will be done for them from the heavenly Father. This kind of prayer requires the constitution of the Holy Spirit in the praying ones. God has to take you to the point where you deny what you want and want only what God wants, and another brother has to be brought by God to the point where he denies what he wants and wants only what God wants. When both you and the brother are brought to this point and are as harmonious as music, whatever you ask will be done for you from the heavenly Father. Brothers and sisters, do not think that as long as you agree in your opinions that your prayers will be answered. Those who have the same opinions often have friction between them. A sameness in goal does not guarantee that there will be no friction. Perhaps two people are trying to preach the gospel. But while they are preaching, they argue about it. Perhaps two people are trying to help others, but while they are helping others, they have friction between themselves. Sameness in goal does not guarantee that there will be harmony. We have to realize that it is impossible to have harmony in the flesh. When our natural life is dealt with by the Lord, when one is living in the Holy Spirit and the other is also living in the Holy Spirit and both are living in Christ, there is harmony, the same views, and the prayer in one accord.