Okay. HB. you have this session. And then we have two breakout sessions that follow. H.B. is the pastor of the Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church of Jacksonville. But prior to that, you pastored what was your father's church in Culver City area of Los Angeles and started there as a 17-year-old So you hit the ground running. You had a baptism of fire. And he clearly has had the benefit of that fire. Last night's message, H.B., was just really magnificent. So we're grateful that you're here and lead us in this next subject, if you would, please. Grace and peace be multiplied again to each of you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ our Lord. Let us pray. Heavenly Father, what an unspeakable privilege it is for us to draw near to the throne of grace and address you as our Heavenly Father. through the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ, our great high priest, whose blood and righteousness opens for us a new and living way to you. We praise you that at the throne of grace, we may find mercy and obtain grace to help us in the time of need. We ask now that you would open our understanding, that we may comprehend the scriptures. And we pray that you would focus our minds, strengthen our bodies, and ready our hearts, not just for this session, but for all that you have in store for us today. May your name be glorified in all we pray, in Jesus' name, amen. As the early church rapidly grew, A dispute arose over the care of needy widows. Management-minded leaders would have viewed the budding conflict as an organizational problem. The apostles recognized that there was much more at stake. Racial tensions threatened the spiritual unity of the early church. The apostles addressed the dispute as spiritual warfare. In the same way, they had responded to persecution in chapter 4 and corruption in chapter 5 of Acts. And so the apostles called the entire congregation together They instructed the saints to select seven respected, wise, and spirit-filled men whom they would appoint to oversee the daily distribution of food. During this congregational meeting, the apostles clarified their role. Acts 6-2, they said, it is not right that we should give up the preaching of the word of God to serve tables. No, the apostles were not celebrity preachers above serving tables, and they were not indifferent toward the physical needs of the poor widows. But the apostles had a specific and strategic role to play in the church, and they determined to play where the coach put them. Act 6.4 says, but we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word. They did not devote themselves to ministerial busywork, church administration, ministry programs, institutional gatekeeping, ecclesiastical prominence, social issues, or platform building. They devoted themselves to prayer and the ministry of the word. Some churches would be outraged today by that decision, but Acts 6, 5, 6 says, and what they said pleased the whole gathering. And they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicholas, a proselyte from Antioch. And these they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands on them. Their spiritual priorities did not run people off to find a church that would, quote unquote, meet their needs. Acts 6, 7 says, and the word of God continued to increase. And the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem. And a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith. My friend, Daniel Henderson, likes to say that Acts 6-4 plus Acts 6-3 equals Acts 6 verse 7. In other words, six four leaders that develop six three disciples could be the beginning of a six seven awakening. Many pastors and churches that are obviously and stubbornly devoted to the Word of God are not as devoted to prayer. But Acts 6.4 calls for both and, not either or devotion. It was prayer and scripture. Faithful and fruitful ministry is characterized by believing prayer, and biblical preaching. Even though there are inevitably private dynamics to Acts 6 and 4, the verse primarily addresses public ministry. I'm grateful that very soon, Dr. Johnson's This book will be republished on the public ministry of the pastor. It focuses on music, preaching, and prayer. Colossians 3.16 says, let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Of many things we can conclude from Colossians 3.16, the bottom line is this, that music and worship is an extension of the ministry of the word. We must be diligent not to sing error or teach error. And of course, preaching. is the primary, central, and definitive function of the church. Second Timothy chapter four, verses one and two says, I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is the judge, the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom, preach the word. Be ready in season and out of season, reprove, rebuke, and exhort with complete patience and teaching. But prayer is also essential to the public ministry of the pastor and the church. My historical hero is Charles Haddon Spurgeon, the boy preacher, who became the prince of preachers. More of his sermons have been published than maybe any other preacher in church history. Recently, There have been publications of quote unquote lost sermons of Spurgeon that they have just discovered. And the church remembers Spurgeon today for his pulpit and pen. That's my introduction to Spurgeon. But reading more into the life and ministry of Spurgeon, it was remarkable to note that those who had the privilege of attending worship at the Metropolitan Tabernacle in London would often leave more moved by the pastoral prayer than his dynamic sermons. Spurgeon nurtured a praying church, and it started with a praying pulpit. As Jesus cleansed the temple, he declared in Matthew 21 verse 13, it is written, my house shall be called a house of prayer, but you make it a den of robbers. The priority of prayer does not end at the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem. The church should be a house of prayer. First Timothy chapter two, verses one and two says, first of all, then I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and for all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. And a person should not have to attend a small group, a prayer meeting, or a special event to see a church's devotion to prayer. It should be evident on the Lord's day when the church gathers for worship. It is good, right, and wise for churches to have dedicated prayer meetings. Whatever happened to prayer meetings? But even if there is no formal prayer meeting, the church should pray when it meets. Matthew chapter six, verses five and six, Jesus says, and when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites, for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners that they may be seen by others. Truly I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your father who is in secret, and your father who sees in secret will reward you. The main idea of those verses is obvious and remarkable and transformational. Jesus simply says the secret to prayer is secret prayer. But these instructions do not forbid public prayer. It warns us to be on guard against pride and vanity and hypocrisy that would turn prayer to God into a performance for men. I was, as some of you may know, I was called to pastor my first church at the age of 17. I feel like I always have to qualify that. I'm not recommending that. That's just my testimony. And I'm often asked, how does a 17-year-old pastor a church? And at this point, I've answered that question so Much, I'm formulating a book in my head to answer that question. But one big answer to that question is that I was blessed to be called to serve a praying church. There are saints still in that church these many years later who said to me, I don't think this is a good idea, but you will not fail on my watch. We are covering you in prayer. I grew up in a praying church and most of the prayers in the church I grew up in were extemporaneous. They were indeed sincere and fervent and powerful. But because those prayers were unplanned and unprepared, they often fell into that Matthew 6 of vain reputation. When we were in children, when children in church, there were some of the pastors and some of the deacons, when they got up to pray, we could pray along with them. Because we heard the same prayer so many times, we almost unconsciously set them to memory. Not advocating for the other extreme prayers that are dry and lifeless and rehearsed. But the prayers of the saints in our corporate gatherings should not be thoughtless and frivolous and irreverent. Ecclesiastes 5 verses 1 through 3 says, guard your steps when you go to the house of God. To draw near to listen is better than to offer the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know what they are doing. Be not rash with your mouth. Do not let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth. Therefore, let your words be few. That passage, it's about making vows, but we should think about that in relation to the public and corporate prayers of the church and when we gather for worship. Our prayers should be simple, sincere, spiritual, scriptural, and solemn. This requires some level of preparation for prayer. We should prepare ourselves to speak for God in worship, and we should prepare ourselves to speak to God in worship. Well-prepared prayers honor the Lord and help the saints. I'm convinced that how the pulpit preaches from week to week models for the church how to read the Bible. Likewise, our prayers should model how to address the Father in prayer. Terry Johnson writes, public prayer while addressed to God is for public edification and instruction. It is another kind of pulpit speech closely related to preaching. As a result, then our prayer language should be simple and direct. And our prayer language should be God-centered. I remember Many years ago, hearing Tim Chambers Jr., a pastor in Los Angeles, preach a sermon from my favorite psalm, Psalm 23, that I will never forget. He simply called it two types of God talk. And he simply walked through that famous psalm, showing how in that psalm, David talked about God and talked to God. That outline fits many of the Psalms. It should shape the music we sing in worship, but it also should shape our language in prayer. Our prayer language should be God-centered. And it should use corporate language. Public prayer is not simply private prayer relocated. Public prayer is corporate prayer. And even those who lead in prayer should be praying for the saints, on the behalf of the saints, and with the saints. And we acknowledge that reality by plural language in our prayers. Is this not the way Jesus taught us to pray in the model prayer? Not my father, but our father. Not my daily bread, but our daily bread, our debts. My prayer life has been richly helped by the study of the Psalms and the prayer reports of Paul in his New Testament letters. In those New Testament prayer reports, Paul doesn't just tell the saints that he is praying for them, but what he is praying for them. And as you study the prayer reports of Paul in his New Testament letters, you'll know he does not focus on physical, material, or financial concerns. He prays with spiritual priorities. He was convinced that whatever was wrong in the life of the believer or in the life of the church, the heart of the matter was the matter of the heart. And so his prayers focused on heart level issues. You can go to some churches and all of the public prayers, all of the corporate prayers focus on the sick, the shut-in, and the grieving. Of course, we should pray about everything and for everyone in the congregation. We should pray for the saints by name and by need, but we are not using our prayers strategically if we are only praying for the sick and the grieving. For the last several weeks, this thought has weighed heavily on me. That we are quick to pray for those who are obviously weak, but we are slow to pray for those who are apparently strong. What should we pray in our public prayers? Like many of you, My prayer life was helped by the little axe model of prayer. It is to this day how I structure my prayers privately and publicly. A prayer of adoration. Psalm 29 verses one and two says, ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the glory, do his name. Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness. We should begin our prayers in grateful praise to God for who he is and for what he has done for us in Christ. And these Philippians 4, 6 states the privilege of prayer in everything by prayer and supplication. Let your requests be made known to God. I love that. We can pray about everything. There is nothing too small for God to care about. There's nothing too big for God to handle. We should not rush into God's presence with a laundry list of personal requests. How do you feel about people in your life that you only hear from when they need something? Psalm 100 verses four and five says, enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise. Give thanks to him, bless his name for the Lord is good. His steadfast love endures forever and his faithfulness to all generations. Likewise, a prayer of confession. Our prayers should be honest with God about our sins. Psalms 51 and 32 are good models of prayers of repentance. We should confess our sins and our sinfulness to God. The confession of sin should be corporate, specific, scriptural, penitent, and redemptive. And by redemptive, I mean that the confession of sin should be accompanied by the assurance of pardon through the finished work of Christ. First John 1 and 9 says, if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. A prayer of thanksgiving. We should give thanks to God for his goodness, mercy, and kindness. Again, Philippians 4, 6 says, do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, that your requests be made known to God. 1 Thessalonians 5, 16 through 18 says, rejoice always, pray, without ceasing in everything give thanks for this is the will of God concerning you in Christ Jesus. Colossians chapter 4 verse 2 says continue steadfastly in prayer being watchful in it with thanksgiving. And we're not just to pray and then give thanks to God when he has answered our prayers. We are to thank God as we pray. We're to thank God before he answers. We're to thank God as we wait for him to move. Then prayers of supplication. Why pray? When I am asked that by young or new members of my church, I have two simple answers. There are two simple reasons why we pray. Number one, we pray because the word of God commands it. It is an act of obedience, and obedience is its own reward. But there is a second reason why we pray. Hold on to your seats. It works. I wrote a book entitled, It Happens After Prayer. And by that, I mean there is a lot you can do to help the situation after you pray, but there is nothing you can do to help the situation until you pray. When we work, we work. When we pray, God works. Matthew 7, verse 7, ask and it will be given to you. Seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you. In our supplications and intercessions, there are five areas that we should pray for. First, the government. This, again, is the instruction of 1 Timothy 2, verses 1 and 2. First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and for all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. Are you not blown away by that? Paul says prayer influences thrones. Most of us will never be invited into the oval office to advise the president, but you can go to the throne of grace and pray for those who are in authority over us with confidence Proverbs 21 says, the king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord. He turns it wherever he wills. In too many churches, this is an overlooked way to address social, cultural, and political issues. How grateful I am that I do not serve a church that expects me to make some formal statement about whatever is in the news during the week. But they do expect us to present these matters to God in prayer. And by praying for these things publicly and corporately, It models that we should pray about these things and how to pray about them. But not only the gospel, the government, but secondly, the gospel. The Romans chapter 10 verses 13 through 15 says for, Romans 10, 13 is a grand promise for everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. And then Romans 10, 14, and 15 presents a series of dilemmas that prevent lost people from calling on the Lord for salvation. You cannot call on one you do not believe in. You cannot believe in one who you have never heard of. And how shall they hear without someone preaching to them? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? So we should pray for open doors. Colossians 4, 2, Paul instructs the church to be watchful in prayer. And then in that third verse of chapter 4, he says, at the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word. We should be praying for local churches around us and pray for missionaries. We should pray Matthew 9, 38, pray to the Lord of the harvest to send forth laborers into his harvest. We should pray for the government, pray for the gospel, pray for the lost. Romans 10, 1 says, brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. We should pray for the salvation of the lost. 1 Timothy 2, 3, and 4, after the instructions to pray, Paul comments, this is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. And as we pray for the lost, we should also be praying for those who walk in a false assurance of salvation, asking God to pull down the strongholds of pride, procrastination, and presumption. Fourth, we pray for the church. We should regularly pray for the church, and not just for the programs and activities and problems of the church. We should pray for the life and health and growth of the church. We should be praying for fidelity of doctrine, holiness of lifestyle, and unity of fellowship. John 17, 17, sanctify them by the truth. Your word is the truth. And so we should pray for the regular ministry of the word. And again, here is where Paul's prayer reports are beneficial. In Ephesians chapter one, verses 15 through 23. Ephesians chapter three, verses 14 through 21. Philippians chapter one, verses nine through 11. Colossians chapter one, verses nine through 12. They model how to pray for the sanctification of the saints. And then of course, fifthly, finally pray for the afflicted. Paul writes, blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. So indeed, we should pray for the healing of the sick. Pray for comfort for the grieving, for provision for the needy, wisdom for the confused, peace for the anxious, joy for the brokenhearted, and strength for the weak. We should pray with confidence that God is able. to do far more abundantly than all that we could ask or think by the power that is at work in us. So to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus now and forever. Let's pray. Lord, teach us to pray. Lord, teach us to always pray and not lose heart. Lord, teach us to trust you with all of our heart and not lean on our own understanding. to acknowledge you in all of our ways, that you may make straight our paths. In Jesus' name, amen.