Commit to Prayer and Worship
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16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not despise prophecies, 21 but test everything; hold fast what is good. 22 Abstain from every form of evil.
23 Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.
Christ Methodist Core Values
A Mission Statement describes our ultimate objective, which is to glorify God and make disciples of all peoples.
A Vision Statement describes our long-term aspirations as we fulfill the mission of glorifying God and making disciples of all peoples. It also provides a clear picture of what effectiveness will look like in the future.
Conversely, Core Values represent the fundamental beliefs and principles that guide our behavior, culture, and decision-making. Additionally, they define how we interact with each other, our city, and the world.
Our Mission and Vision Statements are about our future—where we want to go.
Core Values are about the present—what we stand for and how we operate in our lives together.
The fourth Core Value we’ll examine is: To Commit to Prayer and Worship
What is God’s Will For My Life?
At some point, everyone asked, “What is God’s will for my life?”
When we read from Genesis to Revelation, we see that multiple themes in Scripture answer that question. However, one thing about 1 Thessalonians that makes it unique is it plainly declares what God’s will for us is:
“This is the will of God, your sanctification…” 1 Thessalonians 4:3a-b
That verse expresses that God’s will is your conformity to being made into the image of Christ. To express that through a Wesleyan lens means God’s will is that you grow in scriptural holiness. However, in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, we see that expounded upon through God’s distinct, delineated will for our life.
“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Before you go any further, let that sink in. Plainly written, Scripture declares God’s will for your life.
Let’s validate that we have a challenge because there’s a difference between where we are as a North American church and where God wants us to be. George Barna’s research on the North American church found: “The average congregant in North America spends more time watching TV in one day than in all spiritual pursuits combined for the entire week.”
One generation ago, the major religion in South Korea was Buddhism. Now, one generation later, the major religion is Christianity. Why is that, and why is it significant to our topic?
There are many factors that we could drill into regarding how that happened. However, we’ll focus on one major factor: When missionaries began reaching people in South Korea, they began locking onto prayer, particularly scripturally informed prayer. These patterns became incorporated into their daily lives. They even created designated places for prayer where critical masses of people would gather every morning to intercede for their nation. God honored those prayers, and the nation came to know Christ as the Gospel went out.
Additionally, while praying in Asia among the persecuted church, there’s a noticeable difference to their prayers. They pray with a fervency and earnestness that’s different than the North American church. It stems from a heart, adoration, and holy fixation on the beauty and glory of God. From those prayers would come Scripture like Luke 10:2:
JESUS: “The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore, pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” (NKJV)
That verse instructs us how to pray to advance God’s agenda to flow through our lives. When we read that verse in the ESV, it shares: “Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”
The Greek word for “pray” in this passage is deomai. It’s not the usual word for prayer, as when Jesus teaches his disciples how to pray with the Lord’s Prayer. Deomai means to implore, to beseech, to pray earnestly and with a white hot fire of intensity. This is indicative of the South Korean prayers and the persecuted church of Asia. They pray with desperation, fueling intimacy with God and flowing from worship.
Daniel Henderson, an author who’s written much on prayer, shared: “Intimacy precedes impact.” Andrew Murray once shared, “The person who mobilizes the Christian church to prayer will make the greatest contribution to world evangelization in history.”
But the more we reflect on what’s happening in South Korea, the persecuted church in Asia, and the Book of Acts, our takeaway should be that the persecuted church has a revelation that the prosperous church, which is primarily found in the West, needs:
There is an interrelatedness of worship and prayer.
Much like water is H20, meaning there are two parts hydrogen and one part oxygen to create water. The interrelatedness is by design, and it’s life-giving. While gathering for worship is good, the patterns we’re referring to are personal worship that centers around a private life with God. This isn’t a call to isolationist worship, but worship as a lifestyle.
“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Note the three themes and let them become personal for you.
Rejoice
Pray
Give Thanks
That’s God’s will for you! The Apostle Paul declares that these three things are interrelated and the effects are linked. One feeds off the other, and this is a biblical theme we see throughout Scripture. Let’s explore these three things.
How To Enact God’s Will For Your Life
Rejoice & Give Thanks
“Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing!” Psalm 100:1-2
The psalmist is describing something very holy! Rejoicing and giving thanks are the vocabulary of worship. On Sundays, when a church body sings worship songs together, the worship team leads us in something holy. It’s not a flippant activity of “let’s just sing some songs,” but we’re choosing joy.
So, when is the right time to worship God? When you feel like it? When you don’t feel like it? The right time is all the time! Worship is a choice, and that’s what is important. Worship isn’t predicated on our mood. God isn’t worthy of worship because I’m feeling good or because I’m having a bad day. God’s worth transcends our mood, which is why Scripture admonishes us to choose joy in the Lord and for us to come before Him, offering a sacrifice of praise and joy.
“Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise! Give thanks to Him; bless His name!” Psalm 100:4
Believers are instructed to ask God to teach us to number our days (Psalm 90:12) so that we have a heart of wisdom and perspective to give thanks in our circumstances, even when they’re challenging. 1 Thessalonians 5 shares that God’s will is that worship is expressed to God in an atmosphere of rejoicing before the Lord.
These two dimensions are the vocabulary of the heart and mind of offering worship to God. However, these aren’t the only times in Scripture we see the interrelatedness of these themes.
“And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb (Jesus), each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.” Revelation 5:8
What’s happening in heaven is that God is being worshiped and magnified. A.W. Tozer said, “If you don’t like worship, then you won’t like heaven.”
One of the Greek words for worship is the Greek word “proskuneo” (προσκυνέω), and it means to go face down. One day, you and I will go face down because we are in the presence of absolute holiness. It is beyond description and purity and the kind of glory that goes beyond what we can imagine.
Prayer
What does the Apostle Paul mean by “pray without ceasing”? Let’s be honest and admit that sounds a bit over the top. We all have responsibilities to steward, so, let’s address how you “pray without ceasing.”
To start, let’s define that Paul isn’t saying we need to pray every moment of every day because we can’t steward our lives that way. However, he is emphasizing several things, and one of the primary things is that your life and ministry will not be empowered apart from prayer.
As you read that, you may push back a little. You may say, “Pastor, you have ministry. I don’t have ministry.” The Bible teaches that the priesthood of all believers has a ministry (1 Peter 2:9-10). This is God’s will for your life; in every sphere, your stewardship is a stewardship of influence for God’s glory. Our church’s mission statement isn’t for when you step onto campus but for being the church throughout the week.
Your influence will be greatly empowered through prayer and have a greater thrust of the Holy Spirit when you’re a prayerful person. Let’s remember that Jesus did not pray all the time, but He was a person of great prayer. Jesus repeatedly went away to pray, but He conducted ministry among people when He returned. Jesus broke away to be in prayer so that He could effectively influence others.
The Apostle Paul definitely understood the power of prayer. Paul, the greatest missionary that ever lived, stated that the prayers of the saints helped: “…You help us by your prayers” 2 Corinthians 1:11a (NIV). Paul affirmed that his life differed because the church prayed for him.
Paul’s encouragement is: Don’t give up; Don’t give up on prayer. You are praying without ceasing as long as you don’t give up on prayer. Keep at it, and when it doesn’t seem like it’s working anymore, or when you’re not in the mood, don’t give up on prayer.
JESUS: “Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be open to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.” Matthew 7:7-8
How To Avoid Quenching The Spirit
God is at work, which is why Paul goes on to say, “Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil.” 1 Thessalonians 5:19-22
Let’s address how we quench the spirit. This happens when a person rejects insights from God’s Word, and it’s typically done because it’s contrary to your pattern. Yet it’s important to remember that God is trying to expand you because He’s developing you. He’s moving us out of what may be a comfort zone, which is an illusion to begin with.
“Quenching the Spirit is a sin marked by complacency, indifference, and being satisfied with the status quo.” Myron Augsburger
In the New Testament, Jesus gave a message to the church of Laodicea. They thought they had it all together, but Jesus shared that they had forsaken their first love. He said, in reality, you think you’re rich, settled, and spiritually healthy, but you have an illusion. Jesus shared that they were wretched, poor, pitiful, blind, and naked, but He also shared that it’s not too late.
“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.” Revelation 3:20
This is an image of restored intimacy, fellowship, and peace with Jesus. It depicts lukewarm people returning to the flame of their first love in Jesus.
“Lukewarm Christians are evidence of the sin of ‘choking out’ the voice of the Spirit. No church fellowship can grow spiritually where the Spirit of God is not honored as its very life. When the lives of Christians are lukewarm and carnal, rather than dedicated and holy, it is evident that the Spirit is being quenched. Such a church is in need of a deep moving of the Spirit of God in a Biblical revival.” Myron Augsburger
We can become so accustomed to the church organization that it shields us from he gift of the inspiration that God offers through His Word and Holy Spirit. If we’re not cautious, we can go on Christian autopilot and miss our first love of Jesus. We must be careful to avoid quenching the spirit and avoid becoming satisfied with the status quo. We’re to pray without ceasing because God is worthy of our worship. We owe our existence to Him.
Why is God Worthy of Our Prayer, Worship, & Gratitude?
Why should we commit to prayer and worship? Because God is worthy and we are needy. The pastor David Platt said, “God does not reveal the intimate things of His heart to those who come and go.” God is looking for those who will flame up in the first love of God.
In 1 Thessalonians 5:23, the Apostle Paul shared, “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” That’s what it looks like when God declares a blessing. That verse is words of assurance, not only about your present circumstances but also your future. God is for you amidst it all.
“He who calls you is faithful; He will surely do it.” 1 Thessalonians 5:24
God has more invested in you than you do yourself. He will be faithful to meet you when you commit to Him. The pastor, Henry Blackaby, said, “When you don’t believe God can do anything significant in and through your life, you have said more about what you believe about God than what you’ve said about yourself.”
You are not your own idea; You were created by God. While you may have come through the birth canal just like everyone else, you were conceived first in God’s heart. It was Jesus at the cross who took your sins and delivered you from your birth in darkness and sin. Let your thankfulness for what God has done in Jesus Christ for you be your awakening.
