Good Shepherd Community Church

The church, those people who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and gather to worship him, are very important to God. This message sets forth the importance of the church to God the Father, to Jesus the Son and to the Holy Spirit. In light of these facts how important is the church to us, to you?

The Nicene Creed's statement regarding the church is taken directly from Scripture: it is the one holy, catholic, and apostolic church. The New Testament epistles show the vital connection between Christ and his church. To be a Christain is to be intimately involved in the life of a local assembly. A New Testament church is a gathering of regenerated people who belong to the Lord Jesus by the ministry of the one Holy Spirit and who are summoned to belong to the one Lord to commune with him and to mutually upbuild one another. It is "holy" because it is separated from the world and separated unto God as his holy people. The church is "catholic", meaning it is trans-historical and trans-cultural - comprising all who are cleansed by Jesus' blood and inhabited by the Holy Spirit. The church is "apostolic," meaning it exists under the teaching authority of the apostles as expressed in the New Testament. The church is composed of those who are baptized "for the forgiveness of sins." Baptism is the initiation rite into the Christian church for those who have come in repentance from sin and faith in Jesus Christ; it is the outward mark of those whom God has called to himself through Christ. These believers function as living members of Christ by participation in local assemblies before God under his Word.

Happy Independence Day/ Happy Birthday to America There is a greater freedom than political independence from a foreign power. It is the spiritual freedom that Jesus accomplished for those who believe on him. He came on the divine mission of the rescue of rebel sinners from the slavery of Satan and sin and its consequence of death and hell. (Genesis 3:13-15) His incarnation- the Word, the eternal Son taking mortal flesh - was necessary to free us from slavery to sin, death and ultimate hell. (Hebrews 2:14) He did this by undergoing, submitting himself to the suffering, death on the cross in our behalf in our place. (Colossians 2:15) For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death! He is the true Liberator who fought and won the battle for all who place their faith, their trust in Him. If the Son sets you free you are free indeed! (John 8:36)

How important is the church to God? To answer the question we will need to understand what is meant by the word "church". There are many misconceptions. However the Bible in both New and Old Testaments define the church. The world and time spanning company of believers take visible forms. How important is the assembly of Christians in particular places and time?

Paul and his two companions wanted to clear up any doctrinal cloudiness that the believers at Thessalonica needed in regards to the events that would occur at Christ's return. Some were evidently confused about the fate of loved ones who had already died in Christ. So in this passage Paul gives four basic reasons that they should take great comfort in Christ's coming: I. The Fundamental Fact of Jesus' Death and Resurrection II. II. The Happy Fate of Those who Had Previously Died in Christ III. III. The Good Fortune of Those who Will Be Alive at Christ's Return IV. IV. The Never-ending Face-to-Face Fellowship of All Believers with Their Lord will take place. For all believers, deceased or living, Christ's return will commence blessed resurrection life with the Savior.

The Holy Spirit is called the lifegiver in the Nicene Creed that was published 1700 years ago. This universal creed of the Christian church is thoroughly biblical. I considering its declaration concerning the Spirit as the giver of life we noted this points to his regenerating work of giving spiritual life to dead sinners followed by his indwelling presence in the lives of believers corporate and individual. We are made the temple of the Lord. Also his presence in our mortal bodies in the reason for our resurrection from the dead with immortal bodies like our Lord Jesus at his return.

Jesus' constant companion was the Holy Spirit. He told his disciples that he would send another person "just like me to be right beside you forever." His own presence would be communicated to them by the Holy Spirit. His Spirit was Christ's greatest gift to all God's people. The Holy Spirit is so necessary to us, we need to be aware of him, and to know him. He is not impersonal energy but a person; he is, in fact, God. He is the "life-giver;" we owe our lives to him.

The Holy Spirit is essential to the existence and reality of the church. Jesus makes this truth clear to his apostles in the Upper Room just hours before his arrest and an execution o the cross. John 14 records Jesus promise to return to the disciples after he goes away. His first return was his post resurrection appearances and after he return to the Father he promises to send the Helper, the Comforter who is the Holy Spirit. John 14:18-24 contains the great truth of the Tri-unity of God and the essential ministry of the Holy Spirit to make the ones believing in Jesus a dwelling place of God. By the Holy Spirit Jesus said "will come to him and make our home with him."

In June of 325 AD the Roman emperor Constantine called 318 bishops of Christian churches scattered throughout the Roman Empire to convene at Nicaea (in present day Turkey). The purpose of their gathering was to discuss a thorny theological controversy regarding the divinity of the Lord Jesus Christ. After two months of careful discussion the bishops wrote the Nicene Creed, a short document of about 35 lines in careful and concise language describing the Biblical doctrine of the Holy Trinity, the One God revealed in three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The majority of the Creed is given over to a delineation of the divinity and glory of the Lord Jesus Christ, him being equal in all the divine attributes with the Father and the Holy Spirit. For 1,700 years this Creed has been the cornerstone of the Church's confession of the being of God, especially as regards the Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus is known to refer to himself under a number metaphors that usually pertain to something in the history of Israel or to its system of laws. Leviticus 23 lists the festivals and among them are the Feast of Firstfruits and the Feast of Weeks, known as Pentecost. Both of these festivals concern the firstfruits of a harvest. The first one relates to the barley harvest but the second one relates to the wheat harvest. Jesus in John 12 says that he is the kernel of wheat that falls into the ground and sprouts as a new plant bearing much fruit. His death by crucifixion, burial, and resurrection on the third day was prefigured by the wheat harvest of the Feast of Completion. It is for this purpose he came into the world.

What is the relationship of the Christian to the kingdom of God? The New Testament has a lot to say about the kingdom. John announces it soon arrive in the Christ. Jesus came preaching the kingdom. He was going around from one city and village to another, preaching and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The twelve were with Him. Luke 8:1 And he asserted to a group of Pharisees in Luke 11:20 if I cast out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. and in Luke 17:20f, Now having been questioned by the Pharisees as to when the kingdom of God was coming, He answered them and said, "The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed, nor will they say, 'Look, here!' or, 'There!' For behold, the kingdom of God is in your midst." He as God's appointed King was there in their midst, among there. Where the king is there is the kingdom. How do people enter the kingdom of God? It is through the new birth, the supernatural birth of the Spirit. John 1:12 and John 3:3,5 1 Peter 1:23 you have been born again not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, that is, through the living and enduring word of God. The Bible teaches that the Christian, the Christians are citizens of the kingdom.

Jesus Christ's ascension back to heaven is just as crucial to God's saving and sanctifying work of his people as is his death and resurrection. In this passage we discover the following truths: I. The Ascension flowed from the Resurrection. II. The Ascension was the exaltation of Jesus Christ to Kingship and Authority. III. The Ascension set the stage for the defeat of the enemies of Christ. IV. The Ascension triggered the pouring out of the Spirit on the Church.

Jesus' life did not end with his death and burial. No, on the third day he arose bodily from the dead. Also he did not simply arise and disappear. He spent 40 more days on earth visiting with his disciples before he ascended back to heaven. Luke gives us this summary in Acts 1:1-3 "The first book I wrote, Theophilus, concerned all that Jesus began both to do and to teach, until the day in which he was received up, after he had given commandment through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. To these he also showed himself alive after he suffered, by many proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking about God's Kingdom. A review of a number of these instances are recorded in the longer ending of Mark 16 plus the more detailed events recorded in Luke 24 and John 20-21. Here is the longer ending of Mark 16 plus the shorter ending for your reference from the Berean Standard Bible. This podcast is an overview of these appearances. They function as proof of the physical resurrection of Jesus in an immortal state. In this body he ascended into heaven on the 40th day after he arose from the dead. Mark 16 shorter ending,9 But they quickly reported all these instructions to Peter's companions. Afterward, Jesus Himself, through them, sent out from east to west the sacred and imperishable proclamation of eternal salvation. Amen.

The kingdom of God has been defined by Anthony Hoekema as "the reign of God, dynamically active in human history through Jesus Christ, with the purpose of redeeming God's people from sin and demonic powers, and ultimately establishing the new heavens and the new earth." The kingdom of God began to be manifested among men when Jesus Christ began his public ministry and proclaimed that it had arrived in his person. His kingdom is now manifested in the lives of his redeemed people, especially as they gather in local churches for worship and instruction. The book of Acts, in fact, begins with Jesus teaching his disciples about the Kingdom of God and it ends with Paul "proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ" Acts 28:31. As we await the full revelation and consummation of Christ's kingdom at his return, we Christians are ambassadors for King Jesus as we proclaim his Gospel, and as we pray, live, and teach by the Holy Spirit.

Peter no doubt received Jesus' forgiveness for his sin of denying knowing him when the risen Christ visited him on resurrection Sunday. But it was later at another meeting on the seashore in Galilee that Jesus restored Peter to his place of pastoral leadership in the early church. We see here the vital role the ministry of pastor (under shepherd) was then and now for the people of God.

We meet Peter on numerous occasions in the gospel narratives. He was the great confessor at Caesarea Philippi for all Twelve of the apostles when he declared, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." But we also encounter him at the last Passover with Jesus when he declared his unwavering loyalty, "Even if they all fall away because of you, I will never fall away. Peter said, "I will lay down my life for you." Jesus replied, "Will you lay down your life for me? Truly I say to you, a rooster will not crow until you deny me three times." Then tragically we read of his warming himself in the courtyard where Jesus was being interrogated. Three times he was ask if he was not a follower of Jesus. But he denied it. Even asserting, "I do not know the man." On tge third denial he even cursed in his denial! What will happen to Peter? Surely his sin has permanently disqualified him as chief of the Apostles. John records for us the gentle beautiful interaction of Jesus with Peter on his third appearance to seven of the apostles. John 21:12-19. Jesus asked Peter the love question.

The Apostle Thomas is often called "Doubting Thomas," but that is only part of his story. We see that at one point he was the "Fearless Thomas" - urging the other disciples to join him in going to Jerusalem and dying with him. At another point he was the "Inquiring Thomas," asking Jesus to show the way to the place he was going. He clung to unbelief during that first week after Christ's resurrection because he had not been at that initial appearance of Christ among the disciples. But then Jesus appeared again when Thomas was with the disciples and he told Thomas to throw aside his unbelief and come forward to touch the wounds he bore from the cross. At that point Thomas saw, believed, and confessed, "My Lord and God!" Jesus' word to the church from then on is, "Blessed are those who have not seen, and yet have believed."

Witnessing is very important in the Christian life. We are commanded by the Lord Jesus to be his witnesses to others. This involves a focus on him as he is revealed in the Scriptures. The content of our witness is Christ Jesus not a plan of salvation or a story of our experience, although we can use what has happened to us as an example of believing. Too often we are focused on a few prooftexts that support steps to salvation. This can lead to faulty conversions that center on the wrong focus. The story of Jesus Christ in fulfillment of prophecy given in the Old Testament leading to an acknowledgement of his identity and the meaning of his death-burial-resurrection and ascension in our behalf must be the substance. Belief is expressed in a change of mind and direction of life (repentance) and faith in Jesus himself expressed in confession that is marked by baptism. This is our calling by the command of Christ our Lord. "You shall be witnesses unto Me." Tell people who I am and what I have done in fulfillment of the promises made to the prophets ."

On that first Resurrection Sunday, Cleopas and his companion's walk to Emmaus that afternoon proved to be monumental, not only for them, but for the Christian church. The stranger who accompanied them turned out to be Jesus, who pointed them to the OT scriptures which spoke of him.At the conclusion of their walk, Jesus showed them he himself had resurrected. Hurrying to Jerusalem with the good news of their encounter, the disciples had their resurrection joy strengthened by the news that the risen Lord had also appeared to Peter. And so for us today it is also the scriptures which prophesied and then testified to Jesus' death and resurrection that is our strength and help when we face sadness and fear. The risen Jesus is alive and always with us by his Spirit!

I believe in the resurrection of the dead because Jesus Christ arose from the dead. He is the first fruits of all the harvest that is to come,that is all those joined to him in faith. 1 Corinthians 15:20-23 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own turn: Christ the firstfruits; then at His coming, those who belong to Him. 1 Cor. 15:35 But someone will ask, "How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come? Our resurrection body will be like Christ Jesus' resurrection body.

After Christ's execution on the cross his disciples were in fear that some similar fate might happen to them. Christ's appearance to them brought the astounding realization that he had risen physically from the dead. He had defeated death so they did not need to fear death. His presence assured them that they need not feel guilty for deserting him. The "peace" he extended to them included his forgiveness. The resurrected Christ breathed on them imparting the person of the Holy Spirit to them. They were not alone! And he gave them a mission and purpose in life - to declare the Gospel to the world. These formerly fearful men had become faithful servants of the living Christ.

I believe in the resurrection of the dead because it happened in history. It happened when Jesus of Nazareth arose from the dead. What difference does the resurrection of Jesus Christ make?

"The glorious resurrection body of Jesus Christ is the first fruit of the glorious resurrection bodies of his people which will occur at his return. Among the characteristics of Christ's body that will also mark the body of resurrected Christians are:1) Continuity with their pre-resurrection bodies2) Actual physical resurrection3) Immortal (never dying but eternally living) bodiesChrist went through death and all of its destruction and came out the conquering victor to God's glory and the great benefit of his people.

It is Friday afternoon. All is quiet now. The crowds have gone. Darkness has lifted. The earth has violently quaked. Jesus' mother and two close friends are waiting to receive his body for burial. Jesus of Nazareth is dead but ...Luke 23:44-56

The time for Jesus to complete the mission of redeeming his people arrived. It was Passover and Jesus gathers with his 12 special disciples. He will soon go through the horror of his sufferings climaxing in his crucifixion. He will actually be the true Lamb making atonement for people. During the course of this ceremonial meal Jesus gave his followers three commandments. Two are recorded in John and Matthew, Mark, Luke and Paul record the other commandment. Three words can help us to remember the 3 commands he gave at this last Passover: wash, love, eat.

When Jesus entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday we see three things happening:1) The plan of God being carried out as the ancient prophecies are being fulfilled that the Messiah would enter Jerusalem as the descendant of David.2) The praises of the people as they hail him King and Deliverer in the words of Psalm 118:26, "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" Their praises were likely based on political hopes for freedom from Rome, rather than a recognition of Jesus is the true Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. 3) Jesus weeping painful tears as he predicts the coming destruction of Jerusalem because they had not recognized their "time of visitation," (v. 44) when God's Messiah would visit them. Jesus had entered the final countdown to the cross that momentous Sunday.

Don't you rejoice when good news comes? When someone is very sick, but they are now well and healthy. Or when a bad situation is reversed.This is Paul's announcement in Colossians and in Ephesians. He tell us first the very bad news of our spiritual situation outside of Christ Jesus - dead, condemned, sold under transgressions, without God. "But God..."This simply phrase is how he introduces the good news, the gospel.God intervened in Jesus Christ to save us, to rescue us from a bad, impossible situation and condition. He acted out of his nature by his electing love in the person of his Son Jesus and the activity of his Spirit, making us alive!

The Victory of Jesus' cross, that is, his death in behalf of his people, is seen in this text as follows: I. The Hour of Crucifixion was the Hour of Glorification.It was through his sacrificial substitutionary death on the cross Jesus gained glory for his obedience to the Father and his love for his people. II. A Seed Must Die to Produce Life. As is true in the natural world, it is even more true that Jesus had to die to purchase the multitude of his people, ransoming them from the slave-market of sin. III. The Seed that Dies Bears Much Fruit. Jesus' death brings much spiritual fruit in the salvation of an innumerable number of people from every place and age. IV. We Must Lose our Life to Gain Eternal Life.Surrender to Jesus' Lordship results in manifold blessing including eternal life.

Jesus' death on the cross of Calvary is the remedy to at least three barriers that separate sinful humanity from the all-holy God. First of all, we are slaves to sin, to Satan, and to the world system of thought and behavior. Jesus' death on the cross is the ransom that paid the release-price so set us free from these enslavements (Matt. 20:28). Secondly, we are legally condemned before the court of God; we are guilty because of Adam's sin and because of our own personal sin. Jesus' death and resurrection removed our guilt and credited to us his righteousness (Rom. 3:21-26).Thirdly, we were enemies of God (Rom. 5:6-11) because of our wicked behavior. By his sovereign initiative, God stepped into our lives and reconciled us to himself because of the work of his Son on the cross. Through the work of the cross the ransom was paid, guilt was replaced by justification, and former enemies were adopted and made friends of God.

No one likes to hear bad news. However, sometimes bad news is necessary and can not be avoided. At other times bad news is helpful if it leads to a good result where the bad news becomes good news. Paul in writing to the Ephesians states the bad news bluntly in chapter 2 verse 1-3. He introduces the good news that had come to the believers with these promising words, but God.

Many people have a mistaken view of the role of the law in salvation. In fact it is common for people to think they will be accepted by God because their out weights their bad. Others believe God saves you by his grace initially but you must began to keep the law in order to be saved in the end. Exactly what role does God's Ten Words (Law) play in the ultimate salvation when Christ Jesus returns.

The cross of Jesus Christ was crucially necessary for lost sinners to be saved from their sin for three basic reasons:I. God is Righteous II. Humans Are UnrighteousIII. Humans Are Guilty of Cosmic TreasonIn contrast to the perfection of God's absolute righteousness and holiness, Romans 1 shows us by contrast the nature of humanity: they are ungodly and unrighteous, they suppress the truth, they refuse to honor God or give him thanks, they are foolish in their thinking, and they exchange the worship of the immortal, eternal Creator for created things. Is there no help for a lost human race? The cross of Jesus Christ is the only solution.

The Apostle's Creed which is based on an earlier baptismal creed is primarily a biblical summary of the person and work of Christ Jesus. The bulk of the creed is a direct biblical summary on Jesus. But the third part of the creed has a list of belief statements. This podcast explores the significance of this list as a summary statement of consequences or results of Jesus redeeming work on the cross and his resurrection and ascension. Each statement is directly connected to the Bible and its truth.

The Disciples' Model prayer teaches us that it is to our heavenly Father that we pray and it is to his glory that we live. This prayer is an echo of David's prayer in 1 Chron. 29:11-12. This last sentence in the prayer, "For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen." is a return to the God-directed focus with which the prayer began, specifically on his glory. All the previous petitions tie in to the promotion of God's will and his kingdom. God, not like us, has all power to fulfill these petitions, which center around God's provision, pardon, and protection. He is our Provider in all these vital aspects of our Christian lives, as subjects in his everlasting kingdom.

When his disciples ask the Master, Jesus to pray he gave them a model prayer. The roots of this prayer is God's prior revelation through the Law, the prophets and the psalms. Listen to the prayer with some of the old Testament verses that are echoed in this brief pattern prayer our Lord taught us to pray.

The Lord Jesus teaches his people to pray, acknowledging God's holiness and kingdom, as well as our need for forgiveness of our sins. In this particular text we see our need to pray for deliverance, for rescue, from Satan and the evil he fosters in the world. Without God's grace we are helpless, but God is strong and he will keep us safe in his care. Jesus defeated Satan on the cross, and we triumph and live in his victory.

A number of Christian churches observe Ash Wednesday. My church does not usually observe the set period known as Lent. But there have been times when I have gone to an Ash Wednesday service. I have found it to be a biblical time of remembrance of our mortality. God often called Israel of old to remember. Remember who I am and who you are before me. Remember what I have done. Remember you will give an account to me. As God told Adam so he speaks to all of us, Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return. Genesis 3:19It is a call to confession of our sin and transgressions so that we can receive God's gracious pardon based on the death of Christ Jesus for sinners who put their trust in him. Join with me in a composite psalm prayer of repentance.

Christians are in great danger because of the evil cosmic forces aligned against them. Temptations, i.e., enticements to sin, come against us from Satan, the world, and our own remaining corruption. Prayer is needed that we would not yield to the temptations to sin, but would resist them and flee from them. Why these trials? To mold our character more into Christ's likeness that God would be glorified. Evil surrounds us on every side - we must call upon God our Father in the name of his Son Jesus, for protection and deliverance!

God has some important words addressed to both the rich, the wealthy, and the poor, those with little. Surprisingly, one of the words applies to both alike! This message begins in Proverbs but concludes with Jesus' own words as he observed people giving their offerings in the temple, Luke 21:1-4. God has number of warnings to the rich but both those with wealth and those in want can be guilty of idolatry expressed as the love of money! The rich should not despise the poor, but rather be generous toward them. The poor should not envy the rich, but should themselves be rich in faith.

When a person prays, "forgive us our sins," he is demonstrating his awareness of the high and holy God as well as his own sin and spiritual poverty. It is the proper prayer of a humble person and it brings one into the cleansing, restoring power of God. Christ, the teacher of this prayer, is also the foundation on which forgiveness is obtained - it is Jesus' death on the cross and his resurrection from the dead that makes forgiveness possible. Having been forgiven by Christ of our great sin debt before him, we need to likewise forgive others who sin against us. How can we not forgive others whose sin against us is not near as great as our own before the holy God?

There is a sect that seeks to say there is a gospel in the first century but they have another gospel for the current generation. They build their view of how they read into and interpret the so called "Three Angels Messages."However, we must remain very vigilant against any other so called gospel,The Apostle Paul says in Galatians 1:6-8, "I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed."The first angel's message is a call to worship the true and living Creator God. It's wording is like Nehemiah 9:5-7, "Stand up and bless Yahweh your God from everlasting to everlasting! Blessed be your glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise! You are Yahweh, even you alone. You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their army, the earth and all things that are on it, the seas and all that is in them, and you preserve them all. The army of heaven worships you. You are Yahweh, the God who chose Abram, brought him out of Ur of the Chaldees, gave him the name of Abraham."The one eternal gospel is the message of Jesus - his person and saving acts in his death, burial and resurrection of Jesus for us sinners. Mark 16: 15 says, "And he said to them, "Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.In Luke 24:44-49 we read, "Then he said to them, "These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, th

From John the Baptist's ministry we see that baptism has always been associated with the forgiveness of sin. Jesus calls his people out of the kingdom of darkness and places them into his kingdom. We must begin with the New Covenant scriptures to correctly understand baptism. It is the sovereign work of the Spirit who brings us to repentance and to Christ himself, who is the object of our faith.Baptism is not so much our testimony of our becoming a Christian as it of what God is doing in us and our submission to the Gospel of Christ's death, burial, and resurrection. It is a response to God's call and working in his people's lives.We come to God, confessing our faith in Christ, call upon his name to save us, and gratefully submit to Christian baptism as we begin our lives of allegiance to King Jesus and loyal soldiers in his army. So, do you believe in Jesus? The New Testament commands his disciples to declare their faith by being immersed and raised from the watery grave to "walk in newness of life in Christ" (Rom. 6:4).

Book beginnings are often very important in understanding what follows in the book. I think this is especially true of the writings, the books, in the Bible. We began a several week reading study of the book of Acts. The opening paragraph of Acts connects to the gospel of Luke. By careful reading of the opening paragraphs we learn the method, the structure and the purpose of Luke's writing his two volume work on the life and ministry of Jesus of Nazareth in order to establish a believer name Theophilus in the certainty of the teaching he had received as a believer. A challenge is for us to read carefully in a few settings all of Luke-Acts. Let the Word impact you and study the Scriptures. This is a way of loving God with your mind.

After Jesus leads his disciples to begin their prayers with the focus on God and his will and his kingdom, he surprisingly instructs them to pray for daily bread, showing his awareness of the practical needs of human life. Three simple but vital truths about prayer are seen here:I. God commands us to ask him for the necessities of life. ("bread")II. God wants us to realize that everything that we have from him is a pure gift. ("give")III. God instructs us to be in continual prayer for his provision. ("daily")

How do you usually pray? Is there a particular position that your body takes? Some believe and it is often announced especially in church meetings to bow your head and close your eyes. What does the Bible say about the positions of our body when we pray? You may be surprised but one of the best positions is to "pray with your eyes open"! Explore with me the various positions of biblical prayer.

This third petition in the Disciples' Model Prayer, "your will be done," is closely related to the second petition, "your kingdom come," yet it is distinct enough to warrant special attention. First of all, we should understand that although the ultimate fulfillment is at Christ's return, the more immediate relevance is a prayer that God's will be done here and now, in the church, in the kingdom subjects who live in a fallen and hostile world. For each of us personally, we are concerned that his kingdom be fulfilled in our lives. There are two primary aspects of God's will:1) His decreed will, his eternal plan, that he carries out on earth (cf. Acts 2:23), and2) His prescriptive will, that is, specific revelation and execution of his will in the lives of his people. Two examples would be Jesus' submission to the Father's will in submitting to the horrors of the cross, and Paul and the believers' submission to God's will in the prophecy that in Jerusalem suffering and imprisonment awaited him. Martin Luther in his catechism question on this petition summarizes this teaching in this idea, "that the good will of God would be done on earth but we want it done among us also."

This second petition in the Disciples' Model Prayer states, "Your kingdom come." A number of characteristics of the kingdom of God as set forth in the Bible are described in this sermon. God's kingdom is a reality wherever king Jesus rules and reigns, especially in the lives of his people. This Kingdom will come completely and fully at Jesus' Second Coming. Until then, the kingdom is expanded on earth as the Gospel goes out to the world and is received by faith and believers grow in him. These are ways we should pray that God's kingdom through Christ will come.

Jesus taught his disciples to pray, Our Father, your kingdom come.Two words are key to understand this petition. Kingdom. What is this kingdom of God? In what way is it to come?Jesus who teaches his disciples this prayer is the king of God's kingdom. Where the King is there is his kingdom. The prayer is not focused on geography but on relationship with God in the person of Jesus. So we are asking God to bring in a greater realization of the kingdom in and through our lives culminating in the personal arrival of the king in power and glory at the end of the age. We want God to actively bring in his reign in the midst of the rival kingdom of Satan ultimately totally destroying that kingdom and filling the earth with the eternal kingdom. The kingdom of God has a present and a not yet aspect.The present reality of the kingdom and its future aspect are present in this petition as demonstrated in the gospel narratives and Acts and Paul's descriptions of the kingdom in his letters. Revelation shows its ultimate fulfillment at the return of Jesus to this earth in power and glory.

One day when Jesus was engaged in prayer to his Heavenly Father one of his disciples asked him to teach them to pray. Luke 11:1-4 record this conversation. On another occasion when Jesus was instructing his disciples on the mountain side he gave them this prayer model, Matthew 6:9-13. This podcast gives an overview of the prayer by noting its two sections. The first section deals with the concerns of God, his honor and kingdom. The second section deals with our needs as his dependent children. God's glory and his will must always be our chief priorities, but our material and spiritual needs are also important to him. Let this prayer be a model and guide to you as you come before the Father in praise and petition.