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Prayer Makes a Difference
Sermon by Martin G. CollinsPrayer holds immense power and is essential to our spiritual growth, salvation, and relationships with God and each other. Jesus Christ provided a profound outline for prayer, demonstrating the correct approach to God and the fundamental elements we should include. He emphasized addressing the Father with reverence, recognizing Him as the supreme Ruler of the universe, and honoring His name, character, and office as Creator with unselfish love, goodness, and generosity. In this outline, Jesus instructed us to pray for the coming of God's Kingdom, expressing our earnest desire for the establishment of His government on earth through His return as King of kings and Lord of lords, ushering in lasting peace. We are to seek God's will, asking for help to understand and live by His inspired Word, which reveals our purpose and how to achieve it. We should also request God's guidance to express His love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, and self-control. Jesus further guided us to confidently ask God to supply our daily physical needs, such as food, clothing, and shelter, while seeking first His Kingdom and keeping His commandments. We must acknowledge God as the ultimate provider, detailing our needs and asking for His guidance to do our part. Additionally, we need spiritual nourishment through daily study of the Bible, praying for understanding of His words of eternal life and the strength to live by them. Recognizing our sins, we are to repent and ask our merciful Father for forgiveness, remembering to pray for the forgiveness of others as well, as Christ taught. We must rid ourselves of bitterness or hatred, asking God to replace such feelings with His Spirit of love so our prayers are not hindered. Jesus also advised us to pray that God would not lead us into severe trials or temptations but deliver us from satan and his forces, seeking spiritual help to recognize and reject sinful thoughts while doing God's will. All requests should be made in Jesus Christ's name, affirming His authority behind them when aligned with His will. We are to begin with praise and adoration of our heavenly Father, reminding ourselves of His greatness, and conclude with "amen," affirming our sincerity. Prayer must be according to God's will, offered in faith with unwavering confidence in Him, and never selfish, always considering the welfare of others. Through this approach, we align with God's purpose, fostering harmony and peace within His Family.
Faith and Prayer
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughThe Lord's Prayer is introduced as a reinforcing illustration of the practical wisdom involved in faith-filled prayer, particularly regarding how believers are to relate to time when making requests of God. After examining how James counsels believers to seek wisdom while enduring trials of uncertain length, attention turns to Matthew 6:9-11, where the disciples ask to be taught to pray. The phrase "Give us this day our daily bread" is singled out as the first personal request within the prayer, and it carries a deliberate lesson: believers are to shut out concern for tomorrow and concentrate on today. Since life is lived in the present rather than in the future, meeting today's challenges is what makes tomorrow valuable at all; neglecting today jeopardizes any benefit tomorrow might bring. The word "bread" is not limited to food but symbolizes every physical need—food, clothing, water, housing, and anything else required for daily life. The structure of the prayer itself reveals a division of responsibility: the opening portion—"Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name; Your kingdom come; Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven"—concerns matters entirely within God's province, things only He can accomplish, such as hallowing His name, establishing His government, and enforcing His will. Once the prayer turns to personal need, Jesus shifts the focus sharply to the present moment. The implication is that the present belongs to us, while the future belongs to God; believers are to trust Him with tomorrow and give their attention to today. This structure also implies that prayer itself is a daily task and duty. Just as each day requires its own bread, each day requires its own prayer; no amount of praying today can substitute for the prayer that tomorrow will require. This principle is traced back to the wilderness experience of Israel, where God supplied manna sufficient for each day only, and any surplus saved over spoiled. Through this pattern, God taught His people to concentrate on the day they were living in rather than hoarding provision for the future. The same principle applies spiritually: God will supply what is needed as each day comes, but He wants attention fixed on the present, even though the greater future is never lost from view entirely. This is reinforced by Matthew 6:34, which instructs against worrying about tomorrow, since each day carries sufficient trouble of its own and today cannot consume tomorrow's provision in advance. Thus, the Lord's Prayer models the same principle drawn from Jacob's twenty-year wait and from the sniper illustration—that faith functions best when believers concentrate on present duty and trust God's wisdom for timing, allowing God to supply each day's needs, including the daily nourishment of prayer itself, which sustains and strengthens ongoing faith.
Vain Repetitions
CGG Weekly by Richard T. RitenbaughMemorizing the Lord's Prayer is a wonderful thing to do. But we must go further and teach our children that the prayer is not one to be mindlessly repeated.
Teach Us To Pray! (Part Two)
Sermon by Martin G. CollinsPrayer should be a major practice in our life and bring us into contact with God's creative purpose, indicating to Him that we will yield to His purpose.
Teach Us To Pray! (Part One)
Sermon by Martin G. CollinsA righteous life needs frequent times of prayer or communication with God. In one sense, Jesus Christ's life was one continuous prayer.
Ask and It Will Be Given
'Ready Answer' by StaffMany people hit a plateau in their spiritual growth and go little further. Have we have overlooked the simple principle of 'ask and it will be given'?
The Pope Edits Jesus
'WorldWatch' by Richard T. RitenbaughThe model prayer includes, 'And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.' Though spoken by Jesus Himself, Pope Francis says He is wrong!
Forgiveness and Reconciliation
CGG Weekly by John W. RitenbaughForgiveness from God is directly tied to our forgiving those who have sinned against us! We must reciprocate God's forgiveness by forgiving others.
Love's Basic Definition
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughLove is not a feeling, but an action—defined as keeping God's commandments, the only means by which we can possibly know Him, leading to eternal life.
How Big Is God?
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughWe must not have a one-dimensional perspective of God. Our puny minds can only grasp a tiny sliver of what God really is.
Defining Grace
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughThe entire life of Christ was a manifestation of God's grace, revealing the nature of God by means of a life lived to give us an example to follow.
Four Views of Christ (Part 4)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughJesus sets a pattern for us by serving without thought of authority, power, position, status, fame, or gain, but as a patient, enduring, faithful servant.