Brother Gary Wednesday Evening 1/29/14

Brother Gary Wednesday Evening 1/29/14

Isa 66:8  Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? or shall a nation be born at once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children.

This scripture deals with the thought of travail.  This scripture was fulfilled in the Morning Time church shortly after God set the church into motion.  I believe that the church prevailing was not just a onetime thing.  It could not be for the morning time church and yet not be a reality for us today.  Just as the morning time church had the gifts and the power, the gifts and the power are for us today.

Act 2:41  Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.

There is a preparation of people’s heart before they receive the Word of God.  When they come to the place where they realize, “There is really something wrong in my life,” then they will gladly receive the Word of God.

Act 2:42  And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.

Prayer is a huge subject in the New Testament.  It means asking, requesting, and worshipping God.  They all go together.  When we are beseeching God with requests or worshipping God they all come back in the complete form as adoration and requests.

Act 4:31  And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.

We want to keep it so that we shake and tremble before God.  Felix trembled when he heard Paul speak of righteousness, temperance, and of judgment.  God knows the exact thing that people need to hear. 

We may look at someone and be sure that they need to hear the message on repentance, but they may not know what virtue is.  Virtue is modesty.  God knows the right message for the right place and He knows how to send it. 

“When they had prayed the place was shaken.”  There is a fervency of prayer that God has for us that is designed to increase as we eat of the tree of life and go out further and further in the river.  My job is to challenge myself and everyone here. 

There is a part in the human side of us we see, many have started out on fire for God.  One lady in Anderson told Timberly, “Oh I remember the old paths.”  Yet she didn’t say she was walking in them.  The design of God is that we would progress to a greater fervency in our prayer life, to the thought of travailing for souls.

The book of Matthew was written by Matthew mostly for the religious people of the day.

Mat 6:5  And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

It is hard to find someone that is not praying; we live in a world of pray-ers.  Matthew knew that.  These pray-ers loved to pray in the synagogue and in the corners of the streets.  This scripture is for today, it is relived everyday when you see these people that are worldly and dressed like the world and you see the literal needs.  They pray up a storm and everyone around them knows they are praying.

They pray to be seen of men.  They want people to know that they are praying.  If you say anything to them you will find out that they have a spirit that is released that is like a lion and a bear and other things in Isaish 35.

“When you pray, enter into the closet.”  There is something about earnest prayer, such a heart cry unto God, that you want no distraction from anything else. 

Mat 9:36  But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.

This is our testimony.  We see the religious as well as those that are out on the broadway of sin going as fast as they can go.  When we see them, our heart is moved with compassion.

Mat 9:37  Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few;

Mat 9:38  Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.

The labor of prayer:  God we are to pray that you will send laborers out into the harvest but first I must be a laborer in prayer.  Labor.  Labor. 

Laboring in prayer.  It is as much of my routine to have devotions as it is to brush my teeth.  If I wasn’t able to get up I would still have my devotions.  Yet there is this labor.  Having devotions is not the same as laboring in prayer.

There is no partiality here tonight.  Yes my grandchildren lay close to my heart.  But there is no partiality.  This laboring in prayer for a soul: “Lord, let me help some soul”.  All these requests that came in tonight, the spoken, the unspoken, if you and I don’t pray and labor, then who is going to?

In the parable of the Kingdom of Heaven, the householder went out to hire laborers.  As I read this parable again, I thought, “God help me to grasp more of what you are telling us.”  What stuck out to me here was that Jesus went out early in the morning to hire laborers in his vineyard.  This is talking about the church, not necessarily the world.

He agreed for a penny a day.  The promises are ours if we pray.  Are we willing to labor?  Labor takes being really intense.  When I have something that is really strenuous to do, I want to do it when I am fresh in my mind and can remember where I have laid things. I want to do it so that I can get it done.

Laboring in prayer: 

1Ti 2:1  I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;

What supplications are:  seeking God, laboring and travailing in supplications for souls to be protected from evil spirits that will destroy them. 

We read of these people that are in terrible shape, mentally, spiritually, and emotionally and how they are out to abuse children.  What evil is out there! 

I believe that you parents and grandparents are good parents and grandparents, but being a good parent and grandparent is not enough.  We must supplicate in prayer.  “God protect souls from evil spirits.”

Intercessions means going before God for those that have needs.  As urgent as the prayer requests are, we are not to pray lightly.  “God I want to travail, I want to intercede.”

Seven expressions under the meaning of travail:

To bring forth:  As Sister Sue brought the unnamed girl before us, travailing to bring forth from that to this.  A little help is not enough.  “Things are better.”  Has there been a total change?  Then we need to travail.

To be in pain, to be much sore pained:  Do I know how to travail? 

Tarry:  You mothers that gave birth naturally in this audience, the little that I know about it is that most mothers don’t go in and five minutes later are holding a 7 lb 8 oz baby.  They go because there is pain.

Do I now the steps of travail?  I believe there is a depth for us to find.

Tremble:  There are little babies that come into this world and it is just a matter of minutes and if whatever doesn’t happen however it should, some of them are lost.  When I think of the pain of a soul being lost!  You say, “If I travail, will everyone that I travail for be saved?”  They have the choice but I also have the choice to travail.

Trust:  There is something about when you and I begin to travail; we are showing God that we are trusting for a miracle.  There are souls that my heart longs to see saved.

Wait carefully:  There is something about travailing, when Karen was getting ready to bring Kathy into the world we were camped in Tamarack Crick.  The Doctor said, “You have to be closer than that.” 

May God challenge all of us in the thought of travailing.  We talk of travailing for souls, and that includes our worship services, our visitation, and our communication. 

As we are before God the rest of this week we’ve had our devotions and prayed, you may be able to have devotions and travail then that is fine, I cannot yet.

You say, “God I am here travailing but I am here also waiting for instruction, what can I do to be ready for Sunday morning?  Shall I make a meal, invite someone in, or make a home visit?

I covet your prayer that I will travail and labor in prayer for precious souls.  It is needful that we travail and know how to carry a burden, labor in prayer, and hold on in prayer for souls.