November 02, 2025

Passionate Prayer

38 minutes

Acts 1:14

Colossians 4:2 Romans 15:13

Prayer that is personal, persistent, and on purpose.

“Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart.” – Colossians 4:2

“I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him (Jesus). Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.” – Romans 15:13 NLT

“constantly” Ephesians 1:15 is related to “fervently” of Luke 22:43 Acts 12:5

It should be no surprise to us that the Jesus-followers who gathered, “were constantly devoting themselves to prayer.” – Acts 1:14 “All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer.” – Acts 2:42

fervently Acts 12:5

Why is New Testament prayer passionate? Because it is personal, persistent, and on purpose. We can all participate in God’s Kingdom by learning to pray fervently.

1. Personal

“It’s one thing to just pray. It’s another thing to know the God you’re praying to”. “How we begin our prayers says a lot about us. We can either begin with a problem or with a Person”. – Jackie Hill Perry

Prayer is “relationship time”. “Prayer is conversation with God. However, conversations can remain mere exchanges of information that do not lead to true personal encounter and relationship. We do not want just to know about God, but to know God, to seek his face and presence.” – Timothy Keller Prayer

A. God makes it personal. “The LORD hears his people when they call to him for help. He rescues them from all their troubles. The LORD is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.” – Psalm 34:17-18

B. Jesus’ Good News & Saving Relationship as context: “Ever since I first heard of your strong faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for God’s people everywhere, I have not stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly,” – Ephesians 1:15-16 NLT

“Have I truly seen the One who sees me?” – Hagar in Genesis 16:13

Communion – prayer as a means to experience God’s love and to know oneness with him Psalms 27, 63, 84, 131, 146-150

And yet, if prayer only starts from our thoughts and emotions, then it will be limited by them. We will only ever enjoy part of the relationship with God that He designed. “If God is not the starting point, then our own perceived emotional needs become the drivers and sole focus of our prayer. We cannot grow in a relationship with a person unless we learn who they are.” – Timothy Keller Prayer

2. Persistent

In Luke 11:1-4, Jesus teaches His followers how to pray. This is followed by a rowhome story of meeting a visitor’s need that Jesus uses to teach them persistence in prayer.

“Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.” – Matthew 7:7-8

“Don’t you think God will surely give justice to his chosen people who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will grant justice to them quickly!” – Luke 18:7-8 “keep praying” persistent widow – Jesus

“Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.” – Ephesians 6:18

“Pray about everything.” – Philippians 4:6-9 Benefits: If _, then _, so that _.

“Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

“Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for three and a half years! Then, when he prayed again, the sky sent down rain and the earth began to yield its crops.” – James 5:17-18

The evidence of their following Jesus: “Luke gives considerable attention the role of prayer in the early church: first, he refers to the prayers of individuals such as Stephen (Acts 7:59), Saul (Acts 9:11), Peter (Acts 10:9; 11:15), Cornelius (Acts 10:30-31) and to Paul and Silas (Acts 16:25); second, he records time of corporate prayer among the believers when they selected Matthias (Acts 1:24), prayed for Peter’s release from prison (Acts 12:5; 12), commissioned Paul and Barnabas (Acts 13:3), appointed elders to certain churches (Acts 14:23), and when Paul said farewell to the Ephesians elders (Acts 20:36) and the church in Tyre (Acts 21:5).” – Arthur G. Patzia The Emergence of the Church

“Prayer which is felt as a mighty force is the…product of much time spent with God.” – E. M. Bounds Power Through Prayer Relationship Time: Quantity Time – Quality Time

3. Purpose – in alignment with God’s purpose

“We are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him.” – 1 John 5:14

“if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted!” – Jesus in John 15:7

“Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us today the food we need, and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us. And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one.” – Jesus in Matthew 6:9-13

James 4:2-3, 6-8 “Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it. And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure.” “And he gives grace generously. As the Scriptures say, ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’ (Prov. 3:34 Greek) So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come close to God, and God will come close to you.” – James 4:2-3, 6-8 NLT

“Pray always, always. Not sometimes, but pray always. If Jesus is our example, then we have a mighty lesson in prayer because he prayed in bright days and dark nights.” – Gardner C. Taylor

Jesus’ example: “Then an angel from heaven appeared and strengthened him. He prayed more fervently, and he was in such agony of spirit that his sweat fell to the ground like great drops of blood. At last he stood up again and returned to the disciples, only to find them asleep, exhausted from grief.” – Luke 22:43-45 NLT Mark 14:32-42

“Abba Father, everything is possible for you. Please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” – Mark 14:36

Fervently – intense, with perseverance, continuously, earnest, resolute,

“Jesus, I hear you say things that are beyond my comprehension. I can do nothing but accept them with simple childlike faith, as your gift to me. Forgive me for not believing your promise. Teach me to pray in a way that glorifies you.” – Andrew Murray With Christ in the School of Prayer

Jesus’ Good News / New Covenant / Movement today – Matthew 6:9-13 Kingdom

In John 16, Jesus is teaching and preparing His followers for a time when He would not be present with them physically. A time when they would be living based on His teaching, values, and purpose. In John 17, Jesus prays to Father God at a time and place where his followers could hear it. Jesus teaches them through His prayer. Jesus speaks to the values and purpose of Father God for the days to come, including His death, burial, resurrection, and ascension. Jesus intercedes for all who would follow Him. Jesus asks Father God to keep His followers in the right-standing relationship that has been brought about by salvation. Jesus teaches His followers that this unity is a priority to pray for and to pursue. Jesus prayed for you! “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I am in you, that they also may be in us, so that they world may believe that you have sent me.” – John 17:20-21 ESV

God is personal. God values unity. Jesus asks Father God to be involved. With God all things are possible.

Problem: partisan talk today cannot agree on basic facts, vocabulary, anything

Demonizing others, casting aspersions, jumping to conclusions, wrong conclusions

What did the followers of Jesus understand this to mean? One – single, unique, unanimous, unitary, only one,

“

God is one” shema – Deuteronomy 6:4 Jesus quotes as most important commandment, “Listen Israel, The Lord our God is the One and only Lord.” – Mark 12:29 ESV

“We can approach God with confidence, honestly confessing our need and heart condition. At the same time, we can learn to speak faith and align our heart, emotions, and confession with the Word of God. We can learn to pray the prayer of faith.” – Wendell Smith

“Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power (as it is working) and produces wonderful results.” – James 5:16

“I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf and give thanks for them.” – 1 Timothy 2:1

What do we learn? Why is New Testament prayer passionate? Because it is personal, persistent, and on purpose. We can all participate in God’s Kingdom by learning to pray fervently. Pray according to God’s Kingdom / Jesus Movement Purpose. Pray for the lost.

Questions to ask ourselves: Is prayer a priority to me?

What should we do? Plan it. Pursue it. Weekly Prayer Calendar ideas

Closing Prayer:

“O God, we acknowledge that too often we have not had confidence in Thy power to bring light out of darkness, good out of evil; by faith we believe through Thy chosen one Jesus the Carpenter, People’s Leader, Chosen One, Prisoner, Defendant, Condemned Man and Confident Man, that good will indeed overcome evil, love overcome hate, and life overcome death.” – M. Moran Weston 1972 Good Friday Declarations of Awareness

“Loving Savior and Ever Present Friend, we thank you this morning for the opportunity to pray for ourselves and for others. We know that no prayer goes unanswered. We trust you Lord, and we love you. We know that you will be steadfast – Oh thank you Jesus.” – Nancy Lynne Westfield I Must Tell Jesus

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By City Harbor Church