Church and Prayer

October 19 – Salvation Through the Church and Prayer– Mark 1:17-18 and Matthew 6:5-14

¹⁷ “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” ¹⁸ At once they left their nets and followed him.”

The disciples dropped everything to follow Jesus. Following a rabbi was a huge deal in that time. Basically, elementary school was about memorizing the Torah (the first five books of the Bible), and middle school was about memorizing the rest of the Old Testament. Following middle

school, the best of the best went on to follow a rabbi. The rest went on to learn the family business.

When Jesus called the disciples, they were not the best of the best; they were learning the fishing business. Jesus called them to follow him. He believed they could live his life! He believed they could take on his yoke. They dropped everything to live the life of their rabbi. They were signing on with Jesus to reach people.

The mission has not changed. We are signing up with Jesus to reach people, too. The message the church has to offer the world is about God, who has come to offer life to the human spirit.

What does it means that the church is a “sending” community? We are not in this community for

ourselves; we are here for others. In the church, disciples receive nurture and training to live with others and invite them into a way of life that will satisfy their deepest longings. “The kingdom of God isn’t there for the sake of the church. The church is there for the sake of the kingdom. So, all the church’s own concerns and interests must be subordinated to Jesus’ concern for God’s kingdom” (Jurgen Moltmann, Jesus Christ for Today’s World, p. 147).

We are missionaries to our culture. How are we living as missionaries? Do we know the language of our culture? How are we building trusting, authentic relationships with people

outside the church? How are we relating the gospel to the needs of people in our culture?

Read Matthew 6:5–14.

“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. ⁶ But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. ⁷ And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. ⁸ Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

⁹ “This, then, is how you should pray:

“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
¹⁰ your kingdom come,
your will be done,
    on earth as it is in heaven.
¹¹ Give us today our daily bread.
¹² And forgive us our debts,
    as we also have forgiven our debtors.
¹³ And lead us not into temptation,
    but deliver us from the evil one.”

¹⁴ For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.”

Read Matthew 6:5–14. What if our Christian rhythm is the living out of this prayer? The will of God in heaven is realized on earth through the work of the church. We cannot live by the values of the earthly realm and expect to realize heaven on earth. As we explore what it means to be

missionaries in our community, reflect on these questions:

1) What are the values of this earthly realm?

2) In what ways has the church bought into these earthly values?

3) What are the values of God in heaven?

4) In what ways are we tempted into sin?

5)  What is the evil we see in the world?

6) How are we forgiving others and experiencing forgiveness?

7) How is the mission of LMPC advancing the will of God on earth as it is in heaven?