Petition for Gospel Preachers

Review of Prayer's Third Dimension: Petition and Intercession

0:05 Now, the last time we studied together in this class, the general area of concern that we've been occupied with, namely the believer and his private prayer life, was January 26th. And if you remember the first Sunday in February, we had a missionary with us, and then the last two Sundays we've had a digression into the subject of the Christian Sabbath. And I feel that we've dealt with that subject sufficiently for now, that if we were to go on with further discussion, it would simply be expanding on the principles that have already clearly been established. Now, because it's been a number of weeks since we met together, let me just briefly review where we've been,

0:50 and then set out where I would propose to go with you and study today, and I hope then you will see the relevance of all of this to the very present concern of the forthcoming trip to Pakistan, to the Middle East, and then to England. In our previous study, we had addressed ourselves to the principles that ought always to guide our thinking with reference to this third dimension of prayer. We've considered prayer as an activity in which we come with our hands full, adoration, praise, and worship. We've considered prayer, secondly, as it relates to our hands being defiled.

1:30 And this, of course, takes within its orbit such things as confession, humiliation, repentance, and these other kinds of prayer that have to do peculiarly with our sinfulness. And then the third aspect of prayer is our hands empty, seeking gifts from God for ourselves and for others. And as we came to this area, I suggested that we must be aware of the vastness of this aspect of prayer. When treating the other areas of prayer, the biblical material, the memorials are fewer, the examples are fewer.

2:07 But when we come to the subject of intercession, supplication, petition, entreaty, even the New Testament itself is rich in the way it describes the various aspects of this dimension of prayer. We have no fewer than one, two, three, four, five, six, or seven distinct Greek words used to describe the various actings of prayer. And then the promises and the precepts relative to prayer, predominate in this area of the empty hands seeking gifts from God. So we must be conscious that this is a vast subject.

2:43 And then secondly, I exhorted you to be aware of the profound mysteries touching this aspect of prayer. In praise, we are doing what is absolutely rational, perfectly understandable. The creature is acknowledging the Creator to be what He is. In confession, we're also doing something that's perfectly reasonable.

3:04 That the creature who has offended the Creator should seek His pardon. But when we come to intercession and supplication, we're dealing with that which goes beyond the power of the mind to grasp. That finite creatures should obtain things from an infinite God by asking is indeed a mystery. Particularly when we realize that that God from whom we ask things does not need the whimperings of His creatures, has a plan that is perfect, from the beginning, known unto God are all His works from the beginning of time.

3:39 And yet He tells us, Ask and you shall receive. He hath not, because He asks not. So there is profound mystery, or there are profound mysteries related to this subject. And then, in the third place, I exhorted you to be aware of the real problems of this subject.

3:58 Such questions as what I should pray for, how long I should pray for it, where is the line between persistent faith and an impenitent spirit of rebellion against the providences and the dispensations of God. Now in the light then of these three things, the vastness of the subject, the mysteries surrounding this subject, the real problems connected with it, we must not expect an exhaustive treatment, we must not expect simple answers and formulae, we must not ever expect to get beyond the sense of mystery, and then we must not expect fixed rules and regimented patterns. As we grow in grace,

The Lord's Prayer as God's Means to Pray According to His Will

4:43 we will grow in our understanding of the principles of prayer. So much for a very brief review. Then we close our last class with the question, having established that in all kinds of prayer, our primary concern should be prayer according to the will of God, 1 John 5, in which we are told, if we ask anything according to his will, we know that he hears us. I ask the question, what means has God given to assist us to the end that we might pray according to his will?

5:17 Now if any of you can remember way back to three weeks ago, four Sundays ago, have you come up with an answer to that question? What means has God given us, in a very special way, to help us in seeking to have our prayers prayed by the word of God? 1 John 5, 14 and 15, this is the confidence we have that if we ask anything according to his will, we know that he hears us. And if we know that he hears us, we know we have the petitions we desire with him.

5:47 Now, what has God given us to help us to pray according to his will? It's the revelation of his will to us, of good readings. All right, so you're saying that the whole of scripture, what? Here's a young Christian, perhaps with very little background in the knowledge of the word of God, very little teaching.

6:22 Does this mean he cannot pray effectively according to the will of God until he's become quite knowledgeable in the scriptures? That is, aside from the scriptures, the guidelines he's given us from the Holy Spirit to reveal his will in our hearts. All right, but does the Holy Spirit do that apart from the word or always in connection with the word? Okay.

6:46 Okay. All right, can you help us then? Rob's answer is absolutely right, but it's too general. What has God given us more specifically?

6:53 Mr. Clark. Specific instruction of the Lord after this minute of praying. All right, and that's commonly called what?

7:00 Prayer. The Lord's Prayer. All right. You remember that when the disciples ask the question, Lord teach us to pray, in answer to that request, the Lord in Luke chapter 11, let's look at it, Luke chapter 11, gave them this model prayer, and it came to pass, verse 1 of Luke 11, as he was praying in a certain place when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, even as John also taught his disciples.

7:35 Now notice what our Lord said. And he said unto them, when ye pray, just follow the present leadings of your own heart. Now he didn't say it. Nor did he say, when ye pray, just give yourself to the Holy Spirit and pray whatever comes.

7:57 He didn't say that. In fact, the language here is even stronger than the language in the same basic treatment of this subject that is found in the Sermon on the Mount as recorded in Matthew chapter 6. He said unto them, when ye pray, say it. Father, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, give us day by day our daily bread, forgive us our sins, what is our Lord doing?

8:24 He's giving to his disciples a pattern which is to guide them in their praying. He may even go further and say he's giving them a prayer that is to be prayed. There is warrant for praying the so-called Lord's Prayer. Those who are more fastidious say it's the disciples' prayer.

8:42 But this losing business, trying to change terminology that has hundreds of years of church history behind it and Christian terminology and literature suggests that it is just giving is called the Lord's Prayer. And you know what you mean and everyone else knows what you mean and so don't be overly fastidious. It's the thing we're concerned about, not the name. But there is warrant simply to pray it as such, but more than that, according to Matthew chapter 6, this is to be regarded as a basic pattern or framework within which all true prayer is the filling up or the fleshing out, the expanding, the amplification of these structural principles.

9:22 For in Matthew 6 we read, and verse 9, after this manner therefore pray ye. That is according to this pattern, after these principles pray ye. And so you will find in a careful study of the Lord's Prayer as given in Matthew 6 and then a somewhat altered version of it in Luke chapter 11 that everything that is involved in true prayer is found explicitly or implicitly stated in this prayer of our Lord or the prayer that our Lord gave to His people. So let me suggest that if you have never done

10:05 some serious study on the Lord's Prayer, by serious study I mean going through a book like Watson's on the Lord's Prayer or going through the sections in the larger and shorter catechism on the Lord's Prayer or reading some other piece of literature expounding the principles of prayer as found in the Lord's Prayer, let me commend that exercise to you, particularly the questions in the larger and the shorter catechism. Because the old Westminster divines recognized this principle when the question was asked, what is prayer? The answer is prayer is,

10:48 and I've forgotten to give the, I can't remember the exact phrasing, but it has to do asking for things that God has promised. Here we are. What is prayer? Prayer is an offering up of our desires unto God for things agreeable to His will.

11:07 And then that's developed. What rule has God given us for the direction in prayer? Here's Rod's answer. The whole Word of God is of use to direct us in prayer, but the special rule of direction is that form of prayer which Christ taught His disciples commonly called the Lord's Prayer.

11:29 And then there is an exposition of the Lord's Prayer that is absolutely beautiful and tremendously helpful. Let me give you an example of it. What do we pray for in the first petition? In the first petition, which is hallowed be thy name, we pray that God would enable us and others to glorify Him in all that whereby He maketh Himself known and that He would dispose all things to His own glory.

Connecting the Lord's Prayer to Kingdom Advancement and Missions

11:59 And then each of the petitions is dealt with in a very succinct and scriptural way. Well then, how do we get from all of that to a forthcoming trip to Pakistan and the Middle East and to England? Well, you'll notice that the first petition, strictly speaking, because there is a section in which the hallowed be thy name is almost entering into the realm of worship, is, thy kingdom come, thy will be done in earth even as it is in heaven. We are to have as one of the continual concerns of our hearts in intercessory prayer the concerns of the kingdom of Christ.

12:44 Thy kingdom come. And it is absolutely wrong to think that the beginning, middle and end of that petition is simply looking forward to the full manifestation of the kingdom of God in the eternal state. Certainly it has reference to that. It has regard to that.

13:03 But that is not an exhausted treatment of what it means to pray for the kingdom of God to come. Because the scriptures make abundantly clear that the work of the gospel in conquering the hearts of men is the work of the kingdom of God. Why does God regenerate sinners? To get them into this kingdom.

13:23 Everyone quotes from John 3. The rankest dispensationalist I have ever met who blasts any idea that the kingdom ever means anything other than the future kingdom, etc. quotes John 3 in his evangelism. Except a man be born again he cannot enter what?

13:43 The kingdom of God. Jesus, speaking to Nicodemus, makes it evident that regeneration is essential to entrance into the kingdom, but when God regenerates it is that they might enter that kingdom here and now. In Colossians 1 Paul speaks of God having delivered us out of the power of darkness and into the kingdom of his dear Son. And in Acts chapter 20 the apostle Paul speaks of preaching the whole counsel of God, the gospel of the grace of God, repentance and faith, and the kingdom of God.

14:20 And he uses all of those terms, if not interchangeably, in such close relationship to one another that they are all part and parcel of the same thing. And you read through Acts 20 in his exhortation to the elders at Ephesus and you will find that these four concepts are woven together as inseparable parts of the apostolic message. Preaching repentance and faith, the gospel of the grace of God, the whole counsel of God, the kingdom of God. Well then, as we take that concern and relate it to this present situation which I want to do this morning, how do the things fit together?

General Plea for Gospel Preachers: 'Pray for Us' (1 Thessalonians 5:25)

14:59 Well, I'm pleading with you as God's people to pray for the various ministries that are before me in these areas that I've mentioned because it is the will of God that as the people of God we pray for the coming of the kingdom of God, the advancement of the purposes of grace in the hearts of men. And what I thought I would do this morning is to turn to three pivotal passages of the word of God in which the apostle Paul as one involved in the work of the kingdom entreats the prayers of God's people and we'll see the principles that then apply to this present situation. We're going to look first of all

15:44 at a general plea that the apostle makes, and ask one or two questions based on that plea, and then we're going to look at some specific directives that he gives in two other passages of the word of God or three other passages, I'm sorry. My Bible was covering the third one. All right? First of all, the general plea that the apostle gives.

16:05 Turn to 1 Thessalonians, chapter 5, please. 1 Thessalonians, chapter 5. God has not only given us the Lord's prayer in general, but as the Shorter Catechism says, the entire word of God. I mean the Lord's prayer specifically, but the entire word of God generally to guide us in our praying.

16:31 Now we have this simple little entreaty in 1 Thessalonians 5 and verse 25. You remember, those of you that have given a careful study to this letter, that toward the end of the letter it's as though the apostle was running out of parchment on which to write or running out of time or something, and his heart was full with a number of exhortations, and he just scratches them off. There's some relationship in a broad sense, but for the most part, they reflect the spirit of the man who's in a hurry or running out of paper, running out of time or something, and he wants to squeeze in some exhortations before he goes on to other matters. And in the midst then of these exhortations, he says in verse 25,

17:13 Brethren, pray for us. Now, question number one. Who are the others? Who are the us in this passage?

17:23 You don't need to go out of the book to find the answer. Who are the us of the passage? Brethren, pray for us. John?

17:40 Now, how do you know that?

17:50 All right. Now, how do you know they were involved in the first letter? You cheated and jumped to the second one. Now, it's a good chance you may be right.

18:01 Okay. All right. Verse one of chapter one of the first letter. All right.

18:06 We'll stick with the greetings of the first letter to interpret the first letter. All right. Read that for us, John, please. Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy to the church of the Thessalonians, and God, the Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ, grace to you and peace.

18:16 All right. So those who are involved in the sentiments expressed in this letter, Paul, Silvanus, that is Silas, and Timothy, unto the church of the Thessalonians. Now, the others who are involved in the sentiments expressed in this letter, now, the us we've established are, at least, Paul and his two immediate companions. The second question is, what is the peculiar position that they occupy when writing to the church of the Thessalonians?

18:41 Are they just three Christian friends who happen to drop a letter to a group of believers in Thessalonica? What is the peculiar relationship, what is the peculiar or special function that these brethren have as they are in communication with the church of the Thessalonians? Well, the first question is, what is the communication with the Thessalonian church? Oh, don't look for something profound.

19:15 Yes, Bob? All right. They were, under God, the planters of the church. They have peculiar responsibilities in the ministry to the church, and they had this peculiar responsibility and privilege to the church of the Thessalonians because of their peculiar what?

19:41 His peculiar gifts, responsibilities, and responsibilities of the apostle. So, the word apostle is sometimes used in the epistles and in the book of Acts. So, then, it is an apostle or someone involved in the work of the spread of the gospel, the planting of churches, remember the word apostle sometimes must be followed as with a capital A. Sometimes, we should think of it as written with a small A, and then we are thinking of apostles simply as a sent one

20:26 who is planting churches, who is itinerating in the spread of the gospel. Now, in that sense, sometimes you will find Vargas and other men referred to as apostles small A. But the apostle Paul was always apostle of an apostle. He saw Jesus Christ as one born out of due time by a direct revelation from heaven.

20:51 But whether we think of the apostle in capital A or the apostle small A and his companions, it is obvious that when he said brethren pray for us, he was soliciting prayer that would have a peculiar focus in the ministry that these men were engaged in, in the ministry of the gospel. Now that's the point that I want us to see in the exhortation. The us are Paul, Silas, and Timothy. Their particular responsibility is this activity involved in the spread of the gospel, the planting, the upbuilding of the church and the churches.

Why Pray for Gospel Preachers: Fellowship and Efficacy

21:33 Now the third question is why does he ask these people to pray for him? Doesn't he have his own devotion and pray for himself? A little extra bit of paper on his space, on his parchment and figured well I'll fill it in with something that's spiritual. Why does he say pray for us?

21:57 Go look for something profound. Yes, Nicole. What you want them to pray for they have particular responsibility and you want them to pray for those responsibilities therefore that makes them concerned about those things too. But was that his only concern?

22:23 Prayer is a means of identifying people in common concerns. Is that true? Yes or no? All right.

22:32 But is that all? Now that's true. Louise? Read on any one thing shall be done.

22:46 Matthew chapter 18. That's an abbreviated paraphrase. All right. But we know what you're driving at.

22:55 All right. If two of you are gathered together in heaven for where two or three are gathered together in my name there am I in the midst. Matthew chapter 18. All right.

23:09 So what are you saying then? You're saying that prayer is not only a means of involving us in the fellowship of common concern. It is also a means of what? Does prayer change things if we put that in a prayer?

23:33 Yes or no? Yes he does. Yes he does. Now I see here's the mystery of it.

23:40 We are unembarrassed in declaring that we believe the scripture teaches. God does according to his will in the armies of heaven and earth. Our God is in the heavens. He hath done whatsoever he hath pleased.

23:56 And we say those biblical statements with no tongue in cheek. Of course we believe in the sovereignty of God. Well you say if you believe that how in the world? Because the Bible says that when we pray God's will not have been done if we didn't pray.

24:17 You say how do you put those together? I don't. It's not my business to do so. God put them together.

24:26 My business is in loving trustful submission to what is revealed to embrace it. It's not because we're concerned but because God in answer to prayer would do things in the life and ministry of the apostle and his associates which otherwise would not be done if the people of God did not pray. And that of course brings us right smack into the heart of the mystery that I told you you must be aware of when we start. Okay?

24:56 There's the general plea. Brethren pray for us. Now do you see the application? And to know that there is a fellowship of common concern.

25:06 That's why we've taken time to make up a day by day schedule of all the activities and to compose a letter. It gives you a little bit of background so you understand what's going on and why. That I might have the sense as I go that there is a fellowship of concern in these ministries. My son told me they hear me back there when I get too loud.

25:29 So Don if I get round up too much you do all right. Tongue down. Tongue down. Okay.

25:35 And that's a wonderful thing. To know that there are a group of people intelligently and biblically informed and fellowshipping together in the concerns of the gospel. You remember how Paul writes to the Philippians and says we thank God upon every remembrance of you for what specific thing? For your what?

25:54 Fellowship in the gospel. And that word fellowship is joint participation. Paul said I thank God that your heart has beat with my heart in the work of the gospel. But there is something more involved.

26:10 It is not only that we brethren pray for us that we may have the joy of that fellowship in common concerns with reference to the advance of the gospel but we believe that God will do things as you pray that otherwise would not have been done if you did not pray. Yes Bob? Does that change his mind? No.

26:35 Yes and no. If we are talking about God's settled purpose from eternity of course he cannot change his mind for the scripture says he is of one mind and who can turn him. God is not man that he should lie nor the son of man that he should repent. And yet the scripture says God repented him of the evil that he purposed to do.

27:02 Alright see we are in the realm of the mystery and we must be willing to live with that mystery. That is why I said I rather say God changes things when his people pray. I like that. I think it more reflects the concept of the scripture.

27:16 And we may also say that when God's people do not pray certain things do not happen. Because James says you have not because it is the sovereign will of God that you be bereft. No. He says because you what?

27:30 Ask not. And he lays at the feet of prayerlessness the cause of their lack of having faith. Alright? There is the general three and the reason for it.

Specific Prayer Request 1: Open Doors and Clear Proclamation (Colossians 4:2-4)

27:41 Now let's look at the specific directives. When the apostle asked people to pray for him in this fellowship of the gospel with the view that God will hear and answer prayer what does he ask the people to pray for? Now this is where you find a complete difference. Not a complete but almost a complete difference between what Paul wrote for or asked for in his prayer letters and what you find in the average prayer letter of the average missionary or evangelist or preacher.

28:10 Now what did Paul pray for? Well three key passages in the New Testament and I hope you will turn to these many many times in the coming days and that you'll spread your Bible open before the Lord as you pray for me and for the ministries which the Lord has been pleased to open before me. The first one is Colossians chapter four. Colossians chapter four.

28:32 Now will someone read for us in nice clear voice verses two and three. Colossians four verses two and three. I'm watching the same with thanksgiving. The whole praying also for us that God will open unto us a door of utterance to speak the mystery of Christ for which I am also in bonds.

29:01 All right. On to verse four. I'm sorry. We should read verse four too.

29:06 That I may make it manifest, as I love to speak. All right. Continue steadfastly in prayer. There's the general exhortation watching therein with thanksgiving.

29:17 More than this, I want you to pray for something specific. With all praying for us also. Now the us again is the apostle and in this case Timothy his brother who is presently with him as he writes this letter. Praying for us that.

29:33 Now here's what I want you to pray Paul says. God may open unto us a door for the word to speak the mystery of Christ for which I am also in bonds. That I may make it manifest for us that I may make it manifest as I ought to speak. Now what are the two things that he wants the Colossians to pray for him as he is involved in the work of the gospel.

29:57 All right. Yes. Liberty as he preaches. All right.

30:02 Liberty as he preaches. Let's put that down as number two. And what is number one? What?

30:12 Opportunity. Opportunity. And how do you get opportunity? From what do you get opportunity?

30:27 That God may open unto us a door for the word. Okay. That God would open unto us a door for the word. And this past week I traced through that little phrase and it's an interesting one.

30:42 It's a beautiful picture. Where apparently now I'm not sure but I wouldn't be surprised if it has a reference to what we read in Revelation 3 and verse 7 where Jesus Christ is pictured of David, who opens and no man shuts, who shuts and no man opens. In the administration of this mediatorial kingdom, the Lord Jesus is the head over all things to the church, is able to swing open a door that will mean the penetration of the gospel. Here's the hinges and here's the lock.

31:21 And Jesus says, I have the keys and when I shut, no man opens. And when you turn to the book of Acts, you find this. We started to go here but the spirit of Jesus suffered us not. We started to go here but we were not permitted so to do.

31:39 I oft times would come unto you but was hindered. And then this phrase, a door was opened unto us. And so he's asking the believers to pray that God would grant him opportunities for the proclamation of Christ. And then when those opportunities are given, his second request is that he might speak the mystery of Christ as he ought to speak.

32:06 And notice the word he uses here. Not so much the word boldness, we'll see that comes in another contest, but what's the word he uses? That I may make it what? Manifest.

32:21 Now when you make something manifest, what do you do? What do you do? I need to make it manifest. And the word of God would be the word of liberty, would be particularly in making the word of God plain.

32:41 If I have a door that is opened by Christ for the proclamation of the word of Christ, then he says I need desperately to be able to make plain all that is the mystery of Christ. That is the truth that has been veiled for generations but now is revealed. What good is it if I go through an open door and I have the thing that ought to be proclaimed but I'm not able to make plain what that message is. So may I entreat you as you pray for me to ask in terms of these two things that God would

33:25 make clear to you. The first thing I want to say to you is that I am a novice in this matter of visas and everything else since all of my travel has been to England or to Europe where there's no problem if you have an American passport to go. Well, to make a long story short, I learned that no such visa was needed. The minister of the interior was contacted and our contacts were instructed that it was alright for me to come and

34:09 to proceed. And so I go to Pakistan having spoken with the consulate in New York and he said well, you may have trouble, you may not as far as he was concerned. And he said well, I have no direct word from heaven telling me that I shall, but I go in the confidence under the direction of the multitude of counselors that the honorable thing to do is to go to that airport in Karachi and go as far as we can to see if indeed the Lord is opening

34:53 this door. So, to pray that God will open the door is not at all praying for something that is second-handed. This is a vital issue. The Lord willing I leave at 8.30 tonight

35:09 and 21 hours later all going well, the airplane will touch down in the Karachi airport and then comes the moment of truth. I face the door that leads you out of the entrance place and into the lobby where I meet Mr. Gordon and then go on my way to the various conferences. So, seriously, this is a very relevant issue and I plead with you, brethren, pray for me that God will open a door for what?

35:52 A door for the mystery of Christ, for the proclamation of the knowledge of Jesus Christ in that land. And then, as God is pleased to open the door, and the door may not be Pakistan this time, and I have a permit to get into Arabia, into Dubai, a 30-day permit, and it will mean a longer stay with Leon, and then possibly a few days with the missionaries up in Istanbul, and then come over to England a bit

36:37 early, and check out the Skelmersdale work that we've mentioned to you, and perhaps spend some time with the brethren there, so that you can have a little time with them. And then, as God is pleased to open the door, let us plead with God that He would open the doors that He knows ought to be opened at this time. He has the keys of David, and He opens, and He opens the

37:22 doors that He knows that are open. And so, there's a whole matter of what I can assume in communication. Terminology. Certain things will completely turn some people off.

37:40 One needs great wisdom to make the message plain. Evening sessions, I'll be speaking through an interpreter, and if you're in the middle of a phrase, you're here. And then, you've got to wait until he gets to it, and then you're over here. And having done it on two or three occasions, I know something of a tremendous greatness.

38:18 It means in preparation that I've made a request, isn't it, that God will not only open the door to speak, but that I may be able, by His grace, to make it manifest. That is the message of Christ. All right, hurrying on now to Ephesians chapter 6. This is the second specific request.

Specific Prayer Request 2: Boldness in Preaching (Ephesians 6:18-19)

38:52 Brethren, pray for us. Verse 19. All right, will someone read for us, please. Verses 18 and 19.

39:09 Having described the armor of the Christian, now he comes to this conclusion by saying, With all prayer and supplication, praying at all seasons of the Spirit, and watching thereunto in all things, for which I am an ambassador that in it might speak boldly as I ought to speak. All right, having given again the general direction, verse 18, praying with

39:53 all prayer and supplication, watching with perseverance, supplication for all the saints, then he descends to the Holy Spirit. The proper message, you want to agree or disagree, speak the message boldly, notice the word that comes through again and again, that utterance may be given unto me in opening my mouth to make known with boldness the mystery of the

40:37 Gospel for which I am an ambassador in change, that in it I may speak boldly to speak the message of the gospel of peace, verse 15. He knows that gospel, he's convinced it's the only hope of men, but he's pleading with believers that they would plead with God on his behalf that utterance may be given to him. What kind of utterance? He doesn't ask them to speak the message.

41:17 Now, time will not permit the study that I hope we could get into, but I've gone through the concordance and looked up the use of this word bold in its noun or sometimes in its adverbial form in the book of Acts, in the epistles, and then the verb form in the book of Acts, and it's a tremendous study, but turn to Acts chapter 2, chapter 2, Deuteron verse 29, I may

42:02 say unto you, the word translated freely is boldly, I may say unto you freely or boldly of the patriarch David. In other words, I may assert something with unquestionable certainty. He's making the deduction on David's throne now, that this prophecy has to be fulfilled while David is yet in his grave. And he says on the basis of prophecy linked with undeniable historical facts, I assert something without any reservation, I may say unto

42:46 you boldly, I may say unto you freely. Chapter 4, verse 13, now when they beheld that they were unlearned and ignorant men they marveled. What caused amazement? It was their bullies, the degree to which they asserted without reservation and without equivocation.

43:11 Verse 29, when there is opposition what do they pray for? Verse 29, and now Lord look upon their threatenings and grant unto thy servants great influence unto thy servants such sweet and holy tact that they'll no longer fight us. That isn't what they prayed for. Now look upon their threatenings and grant unto thy servants to speak thy word with all what?

43:48 Boldness. And then verse 31 says God answered their prayer, they were filled with the Holy Spirit and spake the word of God into Acts chapter 9. God has been pleased to lay hold of this vicious enemy to the gospel, Saul of Tarsus. Soon after he is saved he goes into the town where he was going to abuse Christians and preachers.

44:25 And we read in Acts 9.27 that Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles now that he's preached boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus. Acts 13 and verse 46. And Paul and Barnabas spake out boldly.

44:46 Acts 14.3 long time therefore they tarried speaking boldly. And you go right through. That's just three of the references.

44:58 There are many of them. This matter of unfettered unequivocal assertion of boldness oft times by an immature particularly a young man is mistaken for a carnal quality that is brashness. You ever hear some people preach the gospel in such a way that you just felt they had their chin out daring you to take a shot at it? Well people are carnal enough that if you go around with your chin out with the personality but with such an absorption

45:43 with the message and the God of the message that there is no neutralizing of that message in terms of human timidity in terms of possible offensiveness of the message there is the full pouring forth of the message as the geocharm of the gospel and I want to preface this with reference to this matter of prayer there's something embarrassing Bob to tell you what I told you this morning they would either cut back on the reality of the

46:27 efficacy of prayer or they equivocate on the reality of the sovereignty of God They would not with boldness assert God to be shot at. For on the one hand, the people that try to live comfortably with those biblical truths by paring down the unfettered sovereignty of God, they're going to frown at you. And those that assert the unfettered sovereignty of God but don't like any thought that God works in answer to the whimperings of his people and prayer is purely to be seen in terms of its subjective influence upon, then they frown at you for deifying prayer and saying you don't believe in a sovereign God, you see. And there are few truths in the word of God that are not offensive to the natural man. That's why we need

47:10 this quality of boldness that we speak the message as the message is given.

47:18 Unfettered pouring forth of the whole counsel of God's truth. Now brethren, may I plead with you, pray for us, pray for me, that God will not only grant the doors of opportunity, the ability to make plain the message of that spiritual quality of boldness.

47:38 It's never easy to run the risk of alienation. You see, in a context like this, there are times even here where I know you people and I know your love and esteem in Christ. There are still times here when I have to fight to say certain things that are in the word of God that I know need to be said because I wonder, well, is that going to go down alright? Is that going to get stuck here?

48:02 But you imagine what it's like when you don't have any of that relationship built up over the years of confidence and love and esteem and respect, all of those things. And you come as the foreigner, you come as the ugly American before you even have a chance to demonstrate you may not be the ugly American. You're simply American by a fact of divine providence, and you're neither proud nor embarrassed of that fact. You're grateful for the privileges you have. You're ashamed

48:30 of the sins that mark your nation. You have a proper biblical view of your national identity. You're not embarrassed over it, nor are you proud concerning it. But you see, people project an image.

48:43 And then when you happen to be the kind of person who talks with his hands and can give the impression of being a bit coming on a bit strong, and you've got to be yourself. You see? Humanly speaking, if I keep talking, I'm going to cancel the plane reservation.

48:57 That's right.

48:59 There's, humanly speaking, the matter of the separation from the flock and the wife and the children and all the rest just thinking of ministering in a situation where I cannot assume what I can assume here. Nothing in me, wants to go into that situation. And all those negative factors can hinder this. So brethren, pray for me that God would give me that boldness, and then we must hurry on very, very quickly to the third category of request in 2 Thessalonians chapter 3.

Specific Prayer Request 3: Word Glorified and Deliverance from Evil Men (2 Thessalonians 3:1-2)

49:30 And in the interest of time, I shall read the verses and expound them briefly. Naturally, if we had more time, I'd like to let you expound them as you've done the others, by asking some questions. 2 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians 3, 1 and 2. Finally, brethren, pray for us.

49:51 And now, John, we have our Paul, Silvanus and Timothy. These are the us from 2 Thessalonians. And what does he pray? Two things.

49:59 He wants them to pray. Positive, that the word of the Lord may run and be glorified, even as it also is with you, or even as also it is with you. And, secondly, that we may be delivered from unreasonable and evil men, for all have not faith. Now he prays positively, that the word may run and be glorified, and that he may be delivered from unreasonable men.

50:33 And this is a beautiful picture, isn't it? Here's the word going forth. The door of opportunity is open. The apostle is able to speak plainly and boldly.

50:44 Now he says, having delivered the message, pray that the message will run. And he says that that message will be glorified. I wonder, I'm not asserting, I wonder if he doesn't have an athletic image. What happens to the man who wins the race? I was able to catch

51:00 about seven minutes of Wide World of Sports yesterday, and I saw Benjipko from Kenya, and the man said, King, that's an unforgivable faux pas. It was from Kenya, and I saw him win the two-mile race after having won the one-mile race just a short time before. And you know what he did after he ran that race? He ran his victor's lap around that arena, waving to the crowd, and everyone stood. What happened

51:30 to the runner who won? He was glorified. I wonder if the apostle doesn't have this as the image. Pray that the word of the Lord may run, and that that word which runs may be glorified. Now if that happens,

51:44 what happens to the servant? You've got to say, the messenger's out of sight, and the message takes the field. And since Jesus Christ is the focal point of that message, Jesus Christ is honored in his stone in the eyes of men. And oh, brethren, if there's a request that I would ask you frequently to plead before God, it would be that the word may run in these coming days, and that that word may be glorified, that the servant may be hidden, that God in Jesus Christ, through the word, may be praised, and, there's always this other element. We do not minister

52:20 in utopia. We minister in a hostile world, in the midst of hostile men. So he says, pray also that we may be delivered from unreasonable and evil men. And you see how that ties in with much of this?

52:37 Unreasonable and evil men who would seek to shut doors. That he who has the key of David would open for his servants. Pray that I may be delivered from unreasonable and evil men in that airport at Karachi. That God will lead me to a reasonable man as I seek to make eminence. That in all

52:57 the contexts, even in the conferences, it's a terrible thing. I've been at pastors' conferences where you get some crotchety diatrophies who loves to have the preeminence. An evil man who wears a turned collar, or if no turned collar, has a red in front of his name. And he can just inject a spirit that puts a damper in a spirit of heaviness on the whole conference. One of these

53:24 vocal, proud men who cannot submit to the word, who comes not to learn, but who comes to carve and to criticize. And I would ask you specifically to pray for that as you think of the Lester Ministers Conference. The honeymoon is over. I've been there some six or seven times.

53:43 The fascination with a strange American who doesn't happen to run a three-ring circus in his ministry is over. And I think the word has begun to cut. And with that comes some negative feedback. Well, if you're a sensitive person, you're not indifferent to that.

Concluding Exhortation and Practical Details

53:58 You feel that. And I need, by God's grace, to be delivered from all of those influences of men that would hamper and hinder the accomplishment of God's purpose. Well, if you found this helpful, does this give you something substantial to pray for? Now, incidentally, once in a while you might pray, Lord, keep me in good health, and the rest of it.

54:18 You see, you find that biblical warrant for that. Now, really, God may choose to discipline me to accomplish these ends by letting me to get weak and sick as a dog so that the exceeding greatness of the power may be not of ourselves, but of God. Now, we can entreat the Lord and say, Lord, if it please you. But that's all. That's all.

54:39 Apostle Noah once prayed. I don't find him anywhere asking that people pray for him that he be kept in good health. He did tell one man, take a little wine to help his health. So he told Timothy, now use a little exercise, and it's profitable for a little.

54:53 But you see, the whole focus is in these areas. May the Lord grant us to have them written upon our hearts. Now we have about two to three minutes. Any questions? Or additions?

55:03 Things that came to you as we were looking at these passages. Yes, Bob? Just when you mentioned that we have a biblical warrant, and these are asked for, but we don't have a biblical guarantee that if we pray, that clarity will be given, and such. Just as hell, if we pray for that, that wouldn't necessarily be given either.

55:21 So in that sense, they're a lie, aren't they? No, there is a difference, Bob, in that because these things are essential for the accomplishment of the purpose of the gospel, good health is not. Right? But if the gospel is to accomplish the sovereign purpose of God, doors must be open, right? And the gospel

55:42 must be made plain. So we do have a basis to believe God for these things that is stronger, say, in the realm of health or our financial needs. Got that? Yeah. Yeah. All right.

55:54 Good. Yes, sir. As the thing indicates, I should be gone two days shy or two and a half days shy of four weeks. I'll be gone 26 days, leaving tonight, God willing, and returning home on Thursday night, March 20th.

56:14 And this has all the days laid out and I think is quite self-explanatory. The only thing we didn't do is in here, in this first conference, the PM sessions, we'll be, just as they are here, open evangelistic meetings, at which time I'll probably be speaking through a translator. But everything else, I think, is quite clear. And we'd ask that you take one per family when you leave this morning.

56:36 Don't let the kids take them because I've made up some 700 and they've been sent out to sister churches and we sent about 30 of them to churches and pastors abroad and about another 80 or 90 to pastors and churches here in the States. And we do believe that the Lord is going to stir up His people to pray. But this letter will explain the details in here. So take one per family and keep it in sort of a conspicuous place. And on the bulletin board

57:00 Wednesday, God willing, you'll see posted where you can write up to what dates. And I would love to have some letters from you. No wife, children, no flock. The best substitute is letters. So

57:11 if you find it in your heart and in your pen to scratch off a few lines, it would be greatly appreciated. All right? Any other questions now before we close? Yes?

57:22 I mean, I should see a telegram where it says Donnie, she got in. Oh, yes. That's already been seen. I had a deacon tell me that. My wife, she was gone off to sleep

57:30 last night, told me that. And now I've been reminded. So if I don't send a cablegram, I'll be in Dutch.

57:36 We'll get back in over here. We'll get back in over here.

57:41 Now I get threatened by an elder.

57:47 All right? Any further questions now? All right, let's look to the Lord in prayer, shall we?