Overcoming a Lack of Purpose : "No He will be called John" John- Luke 1 59-66

Elizabeth was well aware that her son was part of God's plan. He was to declare the way of Jesus. But Elisabeth was also aware that her child was a gift from God. John means God is gracious. She was not going to overlook God's power in her life. "No, He will be called John". We too are called by God, we are set us aside to achieve his purposes. When we commit to God's kingdom we are never have a lack of purpose.

As Christians life is not always fair and just. There are circumstances that can overwhelm us. We simply feel sad. Elizabeth had experienced sadness but when Mary greeted her she became aware that God keeps His promises. Within her womb, the baby leapt for joy. When we understand that the King who rules in our lives always keeps his promises, we too can have an amazing experience of great joy

We live in a world where fear and anxiety is always calling out our name. When the angel appeared to Mary she was overcome with fear. What's this all about. No doubt the more she heard the more she was terrified. But the angel's words to her are important words to you and me today. This is how it is within the Kingdom of God. "Do not be afraid"

Gifts of God's Kingdom - Overcoming the Unbelief

Zechariah and his wife were righteous people in the eyes of God. They lived a life that pleased Him. However, they had remained childless and they were getting old. It seemed like they would always be disappointed. But God had another plan in mind. They were told "Your prayer has been answered" In God's kingdom there is great hope. God is able to help us overcome our disappointment and despair.

We need to grasp the gravity of the situation and not be indifferent to the great need before us. You cannot say you love Jesus and be indifferent to the plight of people. Like God we need a passion for compassion! In response to the need and the shortage of labour, Jesus calls us to an unlikely action. As first priority he doesn't say: start planning and doing missional things, get out as fast as you can and do the job, or organise some great programs. His first instruction is to pray! Ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers.

Jesus is a good King. Jesus is a powerful King. Jesus is an eternal King. There will be a day when every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, but it will be too late for some. We are praying that the Kingdom of God will keep breaking into this broken world to bring healing to the broken and salvation to the lost. It begins with His Church surrendering to His will. Start to pray today, 'Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven' Take some time to surrender and say, not my will but Your will be done.

We are facing a challenging new normal from the global pandemic, rising political tension and many challenges in our nation to our Christian worldview. How the church responds in this season is crucial for the future of the church in this nation. There are many things that we must do to respond at this time but none more important than to pray. God is awakening His church to the power of prayer.

The Lord's prayer is a model given to the disciples when they asked Jesus how to pray. Honouring God should be our first priority when we pray. Before we consider our own needs, Jesus taught his disciples that God's Kingdom needs to be key. One of the biggest challenges we face is to prefer God's will over our own. Christ' spirit of is evidenced in our prayer as we demonstrate love, obedience and trust.

God welcomes our desire to pray. However, what makes our prayer acceptable is also worth our consideration. Are there barriers to praying effectively ? Faith and obedience form an important foundation to effective prayer. We are called to live a holy life as we respect God's authority, living humble lives. There needs to be a consistency to our prayer with regular frequency. Importantly our motives also need to be pure.