I Agree #1

I Agree Part 1

By Pastor Gary Wayne

Text: Acts 12:1-5, Matthew 18:19-20

Who are we coming into agreement with?
It is not uncommon for us to search for those who agree with me – then we start a church with “like minded” people we can get along with, because we agree.
That’s what unity is all about, right? Agreeing?

That’s not how it should be.
We are to gather in His name, not ours. Not in the name of “Faith Chapel. Not in the name of “The Pentecostal Church of God.”

What does it mean to come into agreement?
The Greek word for agree = “sumphoneo” – where we get the word symphony.
To sound together, be in a cord, be in harmony.
You take individual people, put them together, and the conductor begins to orchestrate a sound that is harmony.

I purpose the first person we come into agreement with is not each other, but in agreement with Jesus.

First we adjust our hearts with His, then each other.
We all come together with different agenda’s. The reason we attend FC. The reason for Sunday morning service time. For prayer time.
But we NEED to be moved by His agenda.

Too many times we “pray to God” instead of “with God.” What’s the difference?

Sometimes pressure around us moves us to pray, and the prayer that comes from that time has little to do with praying with God.
We bring our prayer list to make sure we don’t forget what we need to tell God to do. Our time is spent talking instead of conversing.
I think prayer should be a mixture of talking, conversing, listening.

When we begin to pray, we need to start out by finding His heart and pray with Him.
Remember from last week’s message, what is God’s priority with us? Intimacy!
We target getting to know God’s heart, and in the process, we get to know one another’s heart as well.

Coming into agreement with God is a prerequisite to coming into agreement with each other. That’s where unity begins.

The value of coming together in agreement can’t be over-stated.
In the book of Acts, praying together changed the world.
Acts 2:42 “And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.”

Something happens when God’s people get together to pray.
God invites us into the secret place to converse with Him so certain events / things will change because of our conversation.

Acts 12:1-5
James was killed and Peter wasn’t.
A major difference mentioned in this happening is that the church went to prayer after Peter was arrested.
Gary’s speculation - What might have happened had they went to prayer when James was arrested?

The prayer of the church wasn’t just saying the “Lord’s Prayer” together.
Together they took time to touch the heart of God.

God wants to co-labor with us.
In the Lord’s prayer, why did Jesus say to pray, “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven?”
Is this prayer even possible? YES!!!
Because that is His heart for where we live.

Can you imagine God saying, “Pray this prayer, but don’t expect anything to happen. This will give you something to do.”

Praying with Him links my heart to His dream.
As I interact with Him, He places things in my heart that become a heart cry.
Heart cry = I think about it often, wake up in the night, meditate on it.

Prayer is an invitation to “join my heart to His” to affect an outcome.
Prayer is not to persuade God, to get Him to finely see what is going on and do something about it.
Prayer is not to give us smoothing to do.

Praying together changes the world. Do you agree?