Improvement: Prayer is the key

Theme: IMPROVEMENT: PRAYER IS THE KEY

WELCOME:  

INTRODUCTION

When is the last time you prayed for your church body? What about for your pastor? Church Leadership? Have you prayed for your Sabbath School teacher? Have you interceded on behalf of issues taking place in your church or decisions that need to be made? 

Prayer was the artery of the early church. Through prayer, life-sustaining power was derived. As a church, we have a great need to discover and experience the powerful privilege of effective prayer. If we want to see the Kingdom of God advance with great power, we need to learn to fight with spiritual weapons. Spiritual growth occurs in many ways - victory over temptation, peace in the presence of difficulties, and encouragement in times of disappointment. 

These all depend on the practice of prayer and bible study. Brethren, our churches are under attack by the enemy like never before. Our leaders and each of our brothers and sisters in Christ need our prayers. We are the Body of Christ, and we must lift one another up before God!   

Opening hymn:     We need the prayers of those we love # 505

Scripture reading:    James 5: 13-16, 19, 20

 Prayer: A prayer to be encouraged and strengthened as a church

Mission story 

Pray on pray – my brother, my sister pray:  

One of Satan's primary weapons is his relentlessness. When resisted by Christ in the wilderness, he departed from Him - "for a season". 

Satan may be resisted, but he will return - using all the attractions of the world (the occult, entertainment, sexual perversion, materialism, peer pressure, etc.) to appeal through our senses visually and aurally to our natural lusts of pride, greed, ambition, curiosity, self-gratification. He is the father of lies (John 8:44) - making things seem to be what they are not, making what is wrong appear right. As Peter said to Ananias in Acts 5:3, "why hath Satan filled thy heart to lie to the Holy Spirit?" We are never exempt from his attacks and never finished with them.

Our main feature today is to observe Satan at work. Let pay keen attention to the message. 

Characters

• Narrator :     
• Satan :                   
• North Africa :         
• North India :           
• North America:       

Narrator: 

The time is now. The peoples of the earth are caught in a battle between the legions of Hell and the God squad, otherwise known as the evangelists, missionaries, and other assorted Christian types. The commander of the legions of Hell, a certain Mr. B. Elzebub, known to his associates as Satan, has gathered his goons together to talk strategy. 

Satan: 

North Africa! Your report! 

North Africa: 

No Problem, your unrighteousness. 

Satan: 

It had better be good. 

North Africa: 

What else? Keeping the gospel out of North Africa has been a piece of cake. 

Satan: 

Elaborate! 

North Africa: 

Sure thing, Red Face! I'm holding off the enemy from my desert tribes. Some of the enemy's workers tried to invade, but they were clueless about desert living. I got them lost in the Sahara and soon their water was gone...need I go on? We had one close call-those Christians started to pray, but they only had enough prayer support behind them to send out one missionary. 

Satan: 

Enough you blockhead! If only that one missionary opens up your land to the gospel, you're a failure. North India, report! 

North India: 

Not long ago it was quite easy for missionaries to enter my territory, but recently, I have pulled off two brilliant maneuvers. First, by working my forces overtime, I have revived the deception of the Hindu religion. Second, I have continued in my brilliance by getting the government to deny Christian missionaries entrance into my country. (Evil laughter) 

Satan: 

Get on with it!! 

North India: 

Well, my borders are closed, and the few missionaries left will soon be retiring. Chief it is going to take a lot of spiritual warfare to break through my forces - much prayer - and I see that as an impossibility. 

Satan: 

Remember this! Nothing is impossible for Him if those Christians are fully His! 

North India: 

(Interrupting) Why all the pressure on us, ol' Red Face? These people don't even have a church in their culture. What about the places where the enemy's gospel is spreading? 

Satan: 

Why am I so protective of your territories? It's true, the people under your jurisdiction have no church that can spread from within. Yet, there are prophecies that concern me. The worst one is this, "and this Gospel of the Kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come." Therefore, our destruction will not come as long as your territories remain closed. (Long pause) North America!! 

North America: 

Ready to report your wickedness! 

Satan: 

The Church in North America - have they learned to pray again? 

North America: 

I have them in the palm of my hand because I have convinced most of the enemy's disciples that prayer is not the most important thing. They think it's a boring venture when compared with the fun activities that don't advance the gospel. I have enticed them to chase after high paying jobs and materialistic gain. Through their many possessions, I have lulled them to sleep into lives of comfort and complacency so that many of them don't even know that are in the middle of a spiritual war! Because I have created a humanistic society that denies the supernatural, these puny Christians give lip service to that awesome means of spiritual destruction - the enemy's weapon of prayer. I let them play at prayer while never allowing them to take their eyes off themselves. So, since I have done such a good job, Mr. B., these peons should have free reign in their regions. 

Satan: '

Yes... yes.,. good... good... Now who else has a good report? 

Narrator: 

And so the legions of Hell rejoiced because they were safe as long as the unreached peoples in their territories were separated from the gospel. But, 30 years later, when Mr B. Elzebub gathered his goon squad together again, the fighting had intensified, and things were not so secure... 

Satan: 

How can this be happening? My leaders said they were in control, and yet, the enemy is gaining! Where is everyone? I want your reports! Who will report first? (Silence) Well!?! Leader of North Africa, come forward! What is your report? 

North Africa: 

Sir, they finally discovered their most powerful weapon. The whole enemy church started praying. They went crazy and began sending thousands of laborers. We were handcuffed and bound. The new missionaries were protected by prayer and angels, and they... 

Satan: 

(Interrupting) SILENCE!! How could you let this happen? Do you know what this means? North India, report! 

North India: 

Well, while my demons were strengthening Hinduism, the Chrstians were busy learning to pray. Their prayers opened the door for a new wave of missionaries. It was not long until my last stronghold, the government, slipped through my fingers and started letting in new missionaries! Because of those praying Christians, it won't be long until all my people are history! 

Satan: 

How could you be so foolish? It is now only a matter of time before the Enemy leader returns. North America! 

North America: 

Bound and gagged 

Satan: 

AGGHH!!!!! They've bound us with their prayers!

Everyone freezes 

Narrator: 

The one concern of the Devil is to keep Christians from praying. He cares nothing for prayerless work, prayerless study or prayerless religion. He laughs at our toil, he mocks our wisdom, but trembles when we pray.

And I heard a loud voice in Heaven saying, "Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of the brethren has been thrown down, who accuses them before our God day and night"

 Revelation 12:10

The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever.

 Revelation 11:15b

Pray oh pray, my brother my sister pray.

Lesson study.

 CONCLUSION

Brethren, you are carrying a concealed weapon. As a child of God, this weapon is with you at all times. And you have a "concealed-carry" permit! More than a permit—you have a command. Our secret weapon is prayer. 

Understand that "Prayer is like an intercontinental ballistic missile. First, you can launch this missile from any spot, at any time, day or night. Second, it travels silently, undetected. Third, it travels swiftly—at the speed of thought. Fourth, it hits the target every time. Fifth, it can be fired with delayed detonation. When the missile lands, it can explode 50 or a hundred years later. Last of all, the devil has no defense against it. There is no anti-prayer missile. 

The devil can't shoot it down. This kind of prayer is unstoppable. The devil can't stop me from praying. And he can't keep my prayers from being heard. Our world desperately needs believers who are "armed and dangerous"—armed with prayer warriors. We are in a war against the forces of evil. 1. Turn to John 17 and read this chapter. 

This is the great high priestly prayer Jesus prayed for you and for me—and for all those who would believe on Him through the words of the apostles. And His prayer is still being answered today. That missile continues to explode in hearts across the world 2,000 years after it was prayed. 2. Turn next to 1st Samuel 12:23:   

Moreover as for me, God forbid that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you: but I will teach you the good and the right way. Luke 10:17-19 If you are a child of God, you have authority in the warfare of prayer. "And the seventy [disciples] returned again with joy saying, "Lord, even the devils [demons] are subject to us through thy name. And He said unto them, "I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. THE WARRIOR MUST BE INFORMED. 

 When you were born again, you were born to win, and you have become a spiritual freedom fighter. You are a commando in God's invasion army. We're in a grim conflict—a war. The church of the Lord Jesus Christ is not a cruise ship or a showboat—it's a battleship. It is a fight to the finish with no holds barred. We cannot be neutral, and we cannot call a truce. A vast reservoir of power, wisdom, and grace becomes available to us through prayer."

Brethren, let us pray oh pray my brother my sister pray……