The first NT Pentecost brought prayer power to a new high level unlike anything a group of believers had ever seen before. God's church started off with a big spiritual bang. They had power on the first Pentecost and celebrated the victory of Jesus over the grave. Unity, love and spiritual power abounded.
Acts 4:32-33 NKJV 32 Now those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common. 33 And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of multitude of he Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all.
The first Pentecost was time of astounding prayer power as well as awesome spiritual power poured out on many. It was an expression of power that met with God's stamp of approval and I do mean stamp. God put a spiritual earthshaking stamp of approval on this group prayer power.
Acts 4:29-31 NKJV 29 "Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word, 30 "by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus." 31 And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.
God's church was able to shock Jerusalem with dynamic power. That power was unleashed with the faith based powerful prayers of the believers. Power prayers go with the first Pentecost. It will be beneficial to us to examine this prayer initiative. God sent the message to all of those attending and praying in the home that he had heard and was answering that prayer with a focused earthquake. Wow! Pentecost as a Holy Day is all about freedom. Fiftieth year is the Jubilee when all debts are released. All mankind is freed from the debt of sin because of Jesus Christ. Pentecost bring us the spiritual power to support that freedom from our guilt.
HUMILITY IS THE KEY TO GAINING GOD'S FAVOR IN PRAYER
God just naturally resist the proud and arrogant. He responds to our humble approach. When we appreciate that one may not know all perspectives but humbly implore God's intervention we are more likely to harness a powerful answer.
2 Kings 22:18-20 NKJV 18 "But as for the king of Judah,… 'Thus says the LORD God of Israel: "Concerning the words which you have heard- 19 "because your heart was tender, and you humbled yourself before the LORD when you heard what I spoke against this place and against its inhabitants, that they would become a desolation and a curse, and you tore your clothes and wept before Me, I also have heard you," says the LORD. 20 "Surely, therefore, I will gather you to your fathers, and you shall be gathered to your grave in peace; and your eyes shall not see all the calamity.
King Josiah prayer postponed the captivity by many years and beyond his lifetime because of his tender heart-ed humble repentant prayer.
Ps 5:5 WEB5 The arrogant shall not stand in your sight. You hate all workers of iniquity.
PLAN, PRAY, TRUST AND OBEY
Believers should think about what we wish to request of God. We need to plan our prayers, but this does not mean that we cannot be led by our emotions. David did both in his musical poetic prayers. We can be spontaneous and speak to God about our needs. We then should pray to God with heart regarding our needs. Then believers need to trust God and obey. Trust that in the end God will know what is best and deliver us. Nehemiah decided that he must ask the Emperor for help and a release to go and rescue Jerusalem. He planned his prayer and prayed before his request to the king.
Nehemiah 1:10-11 WEB 10 Now these are your servants and your people, whom you have redeemed by your great power, and by your strong hand. 11 Lord, I beg you, let now your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants, who delight to fear your name; and please prosper your servant this day, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man. Now I was cup bearer to the king.
His prayer was answered overwhelmingly. Israel's enemies were required to cooperate with the rebuilding of Jerusalem but also to use the regional treasury to fund it. Governor Nehemiah enforced God's Laws including the Sabbath law and laws about protecting the poor from exploitation. Also Esther called for all Jews in the capital to fast and obviously to pray for three days before she approach the Emperor. Mordecai and Esther developed a plan to save their people. God answered their prayer and Mordecai became prime minister and Jews were saved and flourished. Plan pray trust and obey worked for Esther. We believe in God's power and know that even when circumstances seem to indicate otherwise. We must trust in God and His power.
1 Kings 3:5-10 NKJV 5 At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, "Ask! What shall I give you?" 6 And Solomon said: "You have shown great mercy to Your servant David my father, because he walked before You in truth, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with You;… 7 "Now, O LORD my God, You have made Your servant king instead of my father David, but I am a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in.
Solomon humbly trusted that God would give him the wisdom he needed to succeed- God did. Solomon went on to elaborate further in his prayer request.
8 "And Your servant is in the midst of Your people whom You have chosen, a great people, too numerous to be numbered or counted. 9 "Therefore give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?" 10 The speech pleased the Lord,.
He became the wisest man in the world. Believers should not follow the pattern of disobey, demand and despair like those that put obedience as something they can wiggle out of doing and then demand God answer them exactly as they want and then fall into despair when they do not receive the answer. Worldly people may even then use the lack of their complete desire or demand being met to no longer believe in a real active God. We must remember that God resent the somewhat haughty attitude of obey only what we wish then use demanding prayers followed with likely despair. The demand was not met.
REMAIN STRONG, UNSHAKEABLE AND BOLDLY HUMBLE
This is a recipe for unleashing Pentecost type prayer power for all us. Trusting God and knowing that even though we do not know necessarily the when or how, God is there for us. Just like David felt:
Psalms 62:1-2 NKJV 1 To the Chief Musician. To Jeduthun. A Psalm of David. Truly my soul silently waits for God; From Him comes my salvation. 2 He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be greatly moved.
David felt like he was set for life because God was his trustworthy rock. Another Pentecost miraculous prayer answer baffled the Pharisees and scribes.
Acts 5:17-24 NKJV 17 Then the high priest rose up, and all those who were with him (which is the sect of the Sadducees), and they were filled with indignation, 18 and laid their hands on the apostles and put them in the common prison. 19 But at night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought them out, and said, 20 "Go, stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this life… 23 saying, "Indeed we found the prison shut securely, and the guards standing outside before the doors; but when we opened them, we found no one inside!" 24 Now when the high priest, the captain of the temple, and the chief priests heard these things, they wondered what the outcome would be.
This miracle also came about because of the combined Pentecost prayer of the people. It behooves us to learn to be more effective in our prayers for others. Like the brethren during the first church period which was powered by the first Pentecost.
Acts 12:11-15 NKJV 11 And when Peter had come to himself, he said, "Now I know for certain that the Lord has sent His angel, and has delivered me from the hand of Herod and from all the expectation of the Jewish people." 12 So, when he had considered this, he came to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose surname was Mark, where many were gathered together praying. 13 And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a girl named Rhoda came to answer. 14 When she recognized Peter's voice, because of her gladness she did not open the gate, but ran in and announced that Peter stood before the gate. 15 But they said to her, "You are beside yourself!" Yet she kept insisting that it was so. So they said, "It is his angel."
Thank God for the opportunity to take our request all the way up to the Father.
