When God shows us the condition of the church, He wants us to respond the way Nehemiah did: with a broken heart. Do we see the broken walls of sin and compromise in the church? Are there areas of our lives individually that we need to surrender to God: broken relationships, marriage, gossip, dissension, bitterness, or sexual immorality? Nehemiah’s response to the news of the broken wall is an example of how we should respond if we are to be used by God.

When God shows us the condition of the church, He wants us to respond the way Nehemiah did: with a broken heart. Do we see the broken walls of sin and compromise in the church? Are there areas of our lives individually that we need to surrender to God: broken relationships, marriage, gossip, dissension, bitterness, or sexual immorality? Nehemiah’s response to the news of the broken wall is an example of how we should respond if we are to be used by God.

When God shows us the condition of the church, He wants us to respond the way Nehemiah did: with a broken heart. Do we see the broken walls of sin and compromise in the church? Are there areas of our lives individually that we need to surrender to God: broken relationships, marriage, gossip, dissension, bitterness, or sexual immorality? Nehemiah’s response to the news of the broken wall is an example of how we should respond if we are to be used by God.

Paul prays for the Colossian believers to be filled with the knowledge of God so they can live lives worthy of the gospel. This knowledge centers on the powerful redemptive work of God through his Son, Jesus Christ.

Paul prays for the Colossian believers to be filled with the knowledge of God so they can live lives worthy of the gospel. This knowledge centers on the powerful redemptive work of God through his Son, Jesus Christ.

Scripture tells us that Jesus is praying for us. And the amazing thing is that John 17 lets us eavesdrop on one of his prayers. In this passage, we get to hear Jesus praying for his followers, including us. We get to hear a very short list of some of his priorities in prayer. In fact, he makes four requests for us. He prays for our enduring faithfulness, engaged holiness, extraordinary oneness, and eternal closeness. If these themes show up in Christ’s prayer, we would do well to remember them in our own prayers. May these requests find their way into our prayer lives and spill over into our actions. By God’s grace, may we become part of the answer to Christ’s requests.

Scripture tells us that Jesus is praying for us. And the amazing thing is that John 17 lets us eavesdrop on one of his prayers. In this passage, we get to hear Jesus praying for his followers, including us. We get to hear a very short list of some of his priorities in prayer. In fact, he makes four requests for us. He prays for our enduring faithfulness, engaged holiness, extraordinary oneness, and eternal closeness. If these themes show up in Christ’s prayer, we would do well to remember them in our own prayers. May these requests find their way into our prayer lives and spill over into our actions. By God’s grace, may we become part of the answer to Christ’s requests.

After being told by the Jewish leadership to not speak in Jesus’ name, Peter and John returned to their people and reported the threat. The response of the believers was prayer. Before the people brought any petition to the Lord, they acknowledged God’s sovereignty, first by using the title “Sovereign Lord” (23) which was used of a slave owner and a ruler of unchallengeable power and authority. The Sanhedrin might issue warnings, threats, and try to silence the church, but their authority was subject to a higher authority--God’s decrees.

After being told by the Jewish leadership to not speak in Jesus’ name, Peter and John returned to their people and reported the threat. The response of the believers was prayer. Before the people brought any petition to the Lord, they acknowledged God’s sovereignty, first by using the title “Sovereign Lord” (23) which was used of a slave owner and a ruler of unchallengeable power and authority. The Sanhedrin might issue warnings, threats, and try to silence the church, but their authority was subject to a higher authority--God’s decrees.

Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, “Sit here, while I go over there and pray.”

Matthew 26:36