As we gathered to worship Sunday morning at Mill Creek Baptist Church, we recognized our pastor, Brother Mark Hall, as Pastor Appreciation Month begins. We are blessed to have him bring us God's word each Sunday morning. Doug Cory greeted the congregation and special prayers were requested for many and praise was offered for the rain received this past week.
The adult Sunday school lesson taught by Rick Lett was "Joy Through Peace," a study of Philippians 4:1-9 which reminds us that believers find joyous peace through Christ even in the midst of turmoil. Peace is found through prayer to God in all things.
Linda Abercrombie shared the devotional, "Invoke His Name," with scripture reading from Psalm 3:4 and Hebrews 10:21-22. Prayer changes things because it changes us. Prayer is an invitation to invoke His name.
The congregation joined in singing hymns of praise led by Susan Cory and Karen Gardner. Special praise music came from Karen as she sang, "He Touched Me." Tyrel Lett and Rick Lett served as ushers and collected the offertory.
Brother Mark Hall continued in the sermon series on prayer with Sunday's message, "The Particulars of Prayer." The scripture reading was from Matthew 6:9-13, "The Lord's Prayer." Brother Mark talked about how God speaks to us. "He reveals things to us through His word. We get it through His word, not by being smart. We get the revelation by being close to Him, being still, asking and listening to Him. Stay up to date on your praise, too, when you pray."
As Brother Mark talked about what revelation is and where it comes from, he read 1 Corinthians 3:6-16. "There is a difference in the wisdom in the scripture and worldly wisdom. You can't just read or memorize the scripture, you must understand it for wisdom. When you can see the Spirit of God in things, that is when the revelation hits. That revelation is from God. That is when we see things differently." 1 Corinthians 2:10 says, "But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God."
Brother Mark told us that the Lord's Prayer begins and ends with praise. "Too often we pray without praise. We need to remember to ask for God's will to be done in our prayers, not our will. There are three things that we really need to pray for. First, is for provision -- 'our daily bread,' second for pardon-forgiveness, and third for protection -- from our own sinful nature and the devil."
As Brother Mark talked about each one, he told us that when we pray for our daily bread -- our provision -- we need to pray each day for things that we need that day. "God wants to supply our daily needs each day. He sends what we need each day and wants us to ask for those daily needs. He will supply them. Asking shows our dependence on Him. Pray each day for that day's needs."
Second, Brother Mark told us that if we want forgiveness, we need to ask for pardon in our prayers. "If you want forgiveness, you have to give forgiveness. A Christian shouldn't look like a Ford dealer wearing a Chevy hat or a lifeguard wearing a life jacket. If you have a hard time maintaining a relationship with others, you will probably have a hard time maintaining your relationship with God."
As Brother Mark read 1 Corinthians 2:14-15, he told us, "Those are tough verses because people are tough. Some are hard to forgive. We all deal with it. We need forgiveness and to give forgiveness."
Third, Brother Mark talked about praying for protection. "It is not a sin to be tempted. There is no retirement for temptation, but don't justify it or submit to it because temptation can lead to the sin. As a school teacher I had once said (quoting Martin Luther), 'You can't prevent birds from flying over your head, but you don't have to let them build a nest in your hair.' Resist temptation. You can't hang out in it. Pray to keep temptation away from you in this fallen world. It is the only way to survive. Pray for protection from sin and temptation."
In closing, Brother Mark summed up by telling us that when it comes to the particulars of prayer, we need to pray for provision -- our daily bread, for pardon -- to forgive us our debts, and for protection -- to resist temptation and deliver us from evil. He then asked, "How is your prayer life looking today?"
Our hymn of invitation was "Without Him," and Wayne Holly gave the benediction.
We invite you to worship with us Sunday mornings at Mill Creek Baptist Church. Everyone is welcome. Sunday school begins at 10 a.m. and morning worship at 11 a.m. Mill Creek Baptist Church is located 3 1/2 miles east of Noel, just off Highway 90.
Opinions expressed are those of the author.