7/29 Sermon on Upward Habits, Part 7

Last Sunday at The Family Church here in Gainesville the sermon series Upward Habits continued, with the discussion centered on prayer.  Presenting the message was Gbola Adesogan, an elder at our church and a powerful and persuasive speaker...I was unable to attend due to travel at the time, and the sermon wasn't available on YouTube because of licensing issues.  But I was able to get hold of the sermon notes and, although I would have greatly preferred to hear Gbola's talk directly, they will have to do for this article.  The scripture of focus, which you can read through Bible Gateway by clicking on it, was John 5:2-9...

For his message about praying consistently and tactically, Gbola brought up four foundational points: prayer is urgently necessary as God commands it, there is a strategy to effectively pray, those praying show certain attitudes and postures, and prayer should be intentional.  Since it is, after all, the foundation of Christ's ministry and it helps us experience God, prayer is clearly necessary...Gbola added that it protects us, shapes plans and events, and is the key to all problems and challenges. With strategy, he stressed the importance of recognizing and targeting the true enemy while exalting God and not one's own problems...and also provided the acronym ACTS (adoration, confession, thanksgiving, supplication) to help as a memory device for the elements of prayer.  Attitudes and posture of those praying? Gbola listed many: surrendering sin and grudges, awe for God, focus, attentiveness, connection to God by faith, passion, humility, and in the end giving God...and not oneself...the credit for answered prayer.  As for intentionality, preparing for prayer requires...as our speaker continued...setting aside a time and place, fasting if necessary, and being willing to pray with others...including one's spouse... or in a group setting.  Of course, this very rough summary of Gbola's message reflects his notes and not his actual presentation...I'm sure that I would have included some of his spoken comments had I been able to hear them.  Oh well, the notes were pretty good, and there may be a chance I'll eventually get to watch the sermon if those issues get resolved.  The main thing is that prayer is important and should be approached seriously, intentionally, reverently, and with humility...

The Family Church, located at 2022 SW 122nd Street, holds its Sunday morning services at 9 and 10:30 with the weekly sermon, praise and worship, prayer, discipleship and learning opportunities, and many friendly folks eager to welcome you.  There's a hospitality room where you can get coffee and treats before and between services...I usually make a beeline for it when I first arrive.  Looking forward to this Sunday's service...