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When The Called Out Cry Out

Things Shift When We Pray

The God Who Listens

August 1, 2021 • Jeff Lyle • Matthew 7:7–11

We all know that Christians are to be people of prayer. But do we know why we are to prioritize prayer? Jesus taught so simply on the activity of prayer that it can leave us wondering sometimes why we seem to make it so complex. This first message in the new series focusing on prayer will provide us opportunity to un-complicate this vital aspect of the christian life. Prayer is not the activity of presenting a list of demands to God. Nor should prayer be as flimsy as some hollow wish that we offer up while never knowing how God might respond. The better our understanding of what Scripture teaches us about prayer, the better equipped we are to pray like God invites us to, and to experience breakthroughs which He releases when our prayers link up with his desires.

Breakthrough Prayer

August 8, 2021 • Jeff Lyle • Acts 12:1–17

Cozy Christianity has never been a healthy option for Jesus-followers. We live out our loyalties to Christ in a world that has rejected Him, His teachings and His ways. In a misguided effort to appear loving, the Church has for many years tried to play nice with the culture. This has been tragic because the culture has still not embraced the Spirit of the Church while it is obvious that the Church has become contaminated with the spirit of the culture. Christians should expect resistance, rejection and persecution. When that becomes the overwhelmingly undeniable reality, will we be ready for what comes? We certainly will if we are living as those who have embraced lifestyles of crying out to God. This riveting account from Acts 12 reveals what it looks like for Christians to overcome cultural and spiritual foes. God has plans to release supernatural breakthrough to all who will press in to Him for wisdom, trust and power. He is unlimited in how He can answer our breakthrough prayers.

Strong People With Shaken Faith

September 5, 2021 • Jeff Lyle • 1 Kings 19:1–18

If you have never had your faith rattled for even a short time, then you likely are not attempting to do much for the glory of God in your life. When we consider that God is always stretching our faith to enlarge our trust-muscle, we should not be surprised that we frequently find ourselves in over our heads. Add to this the reality of intense spiritual warfare from the enemy, plus the inherent weaknesses of our flesh, then it is reasonable to conclude that sometimes strong Christians can have their faith shaken. Yet, the Lord will never leave us in the place of shaking. He meets us where we are, asks us some tough questions, and then begins to graciously lead us from our dark cave of doubt and distrust back into the fulness of confidence in Him and His plans for our lives. Shaken faith is to become strengthened faith. If we don’t quit in the cave, this will become our reality.

The Peace Of Praying People

September 12, 2021 • Jeff Lyle • Philippians 4:1–9

Most of the world thinks of peace as the absence of conflict. Beyond that, many of those same people assume that peace is unattainable unless that absence of conflict is their current reality. Wouldn’t it be terrible if that were true? That would mean that there would be zero possibility of peace unless everything in our lives was pleasant, friction-free and easy on our souls. In this message, we will learn that peace is something that is to be prized by us, and especially when it is attained in the midst of real-life struggles. Peace is the spiritual byproduct of a life rooted in prayer and trust in God. Because we live in a world conditioned by sin and brokenness, we will only experience spiritual peace to the degree that prioritize and pursue it. Prayerlessness disqualifies us from living in true peace and spiritual rest. The Apostle Paul teaches us how to create the place for peace and how to aim our prayers and thoughts in a way that breed deep peace within. This message instructs us to fight for peace in our human relationships, our relationship with God and in our own minds.