Unhindered Prayer - 1 Timothy 2:1-10 - Gospel Church

All right guys and all of our campus is one of the most exciting things we ever get to do is commission people to go to the nations. We all help me welcome Madison here ha ha that if that were so, have you heading out side for that reason, you come only through her student ministry tells a little about your journey of discipleship and mercy.

Yes, my discipleship journey started mercy students. It was through a student leader who wasn't just like their serving as she was there serving but she went beyond that to just get to know me and wanted to do life with me so I did life with her. She modeled went walking with Jesus look like and showed me what being a disciple maker was well we praise God for the government story. Obviously you're going to the nations.

Are you going to the Hodgen will prove we arty have a family there.

What auto what God did actually call me what was once a been like for him to lay the nations on your heart. You want to do. Yeah. So it is by the Lord's grace and his faithfulness that he has called me to the missions field but it's through people.

It was through Mercy Hill students that there were people who called me up and just told me to be active in my faith to make my faith, my own and through that challenge.

I was able to plug into serving. I was able to dive into community and I was able to dig into God's word and I remember flipping open my Bible one morning and openings.

Isaiah 42 room is just Isaiah talking to God. Isaiah opposite way. God talking to you like like you will be a fire in a light and a torch. The nations that was just like the initial burden and then through community they just like reaffirms that calling on my life will will were works of the send you love you give him another area don't know exactly, but I love you give everybody a little bit of Morgan and Caleb are already there, and so there you have some idea what what it was ministry to look like you know once you get there. Yeah so ministry for me is primarily can it be youth focused, so that's elementary school age kids all the way at their high school and we have the opportunity to be working with the people group in the high jungle of Peru going into the schools and being able to share the gospel with them in the schools being able to participate in soccer ministries and really just intentionally sharing the gospel and connecting with kids and students to be able to pray and hope that connect them in the churches today can be the next generation of disciple makers. Well we we have got here your food product is ministry here were so pumped for the building.

Another how can we pray for you specifically him and I know it's a big transition so the three main ways ugly praying for me. Praying for me to transition well to be experiencing a lot of change, new culture, new country. A lot of news so praying that transition would go well be praying for the team that I'm joining it's new for them because they're getting a new team member and me transitioning into being on their team and also just be praying for the people praying for their the Lord to be working on their hearts and be pray big prayers that the Lord would just open the eyes of the youth so they could be the next generation of disciple makers so they can continue making disciples and sharing the good news of Jesus for generations to come will were to be praying for you were to be sent behind you highlight so much as all of our campuses both go ahead and pray for Madison. Now she gets ready to head out this weekend. Father, we come before you, Lord, and we just pray. God produced these things and she's also warlord for prettier put your hand on the transition going pretty to make Madison effective. She goes were pray that you will continue to be her treasure, and although we thank you so much for her family who is poor and so much to her daughter disciple her to this point, we pray, we thank you so much for the other people to been able to come along and play a role in the story so got were grateful to you is for your frame is for your renown is for your glory God and we are just thankful to send her all the pretty him on this entire process of traveling and landing and we can't wait to hear the good reports of things that you do through Madison on the field in Christ, and we pray. Amen thank you so much for you guys. I will that is not a bolt onto the sermon that was our sermon introduction. It was the greatest one ever. Okay I also know Sears will give a copy of Scripture turned to James chapter 2 because what we do today as we talk about praying for the nations. And that's what James chapter 2 is all about and James shot him talking to James first Timothy and first sorry first Timothy chapter 2 in first Timothy chapter 2. What we end up seeing is this idea that healthy churches are going to be churches who are found praying for the nations. Just like we had an opportunity to do here for Madison and just how we like we have an opportunity we get a week out many times in our community groups. We have an opportunity to pray that God will send workers to the field that his gospel will go forth to all of the nations and all the peoples of Europe, all types of prayer for all types of people milled that's all that were getting into today. So first of the chapter to not James.

Okay, first of the chapter 2 here's the big idea. Healthy churches pray for the gospel's advancement rights. Healthy churches pray are found praying for the gospel's advancement if the proof is going to be in the pudding. If the divine enter. If there's something about the craters will be evident in the church is to be that we are found praying for the gospel to go forth in all the earth and is one of things that we get a privilege to do we do it today because I want to push this deep into the heart of our church. If you have been around mercy Hill for any length of time you know this about us right. Success is measured here by sending capacity not just to the capacity right. It is about getting to the nations because there are thousands some over 7000 people groups that are have yet to hear the gospel or unreached and that we cannot do nothing. A lot of that reality the number one priority is that we would be praying for them right, not just to not listen.

I can what I can be one that jumps to strategy I want to get on the whiteboard faster than I will pray many times I did call back from that. Our church money to be called back from that.

We need to dive into prayer for the unreached people groups and for the nations, and that's what this pushes us to know first Timothy two is not known for that. It's not. It's known for a bunch of other little stuff in it, controversial but we have got to keep the main thing the main thing and see it your to see her erotic heart, verse one, verse one.

Here we go. First of all them.

I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people for Kings and for all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet live godly and dignified in every way. Now this listen, this is the heart of it right. This is good and is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and succumbed to the knowledge of the truth. But there is one God and there is one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time. The point is, in this passage.

Prayer for all people pleases God because he desires that all people would be saved. That's what it's about. This passage is about prayer in particular about praying for the nations. I know that it's about prayer. We might all of a sudden start thinking it's about praying you know for little Johnny's baseball career or for the anthology toenail ingrown or what you whatever you know and it's like I mean I'm not saying that God is not into the small things in our lives. He absolutely is. But that is not what is in focus here what is in focus. In this passage is that we would pray that the gospel would go forth all the way to the ends of the earth that is pleasing to God who desires all people to be saved and we are called to pray in line with his desires and he didn't have to do it this way God could send out any cutaway he wants to.

He's got he could do anything he wants to write but the way you set it up in the clear testimony of the Bible is that God has set up this whole system to interact with us that when he has a desire to be fulfilled in the world. He sends a prayer warrior to ask.

He send somebody some people have said there is nothing God does in the world but answer prayer.

What they mean what you mean by that is that God sent someone to be interacting and interceding on behalf of the world our prayers on lot unleash the power of God.

Our prayers unleash his power when he wants to do something he sends a prayer warrior to stand in the gap you think about this description tells thing about different examples. Joshua chapter 10 the sun standstill. Why because Joshua asked okay you see first Kings chapter 18 the fireballs from heaven. Why because Elijah asked when you see in acts chapter 10 Cornelius get saved what you see you see Peter that is already on the rooftops, praying, he's probably not praying for Cornelius. He doesn't know Cornelius buddies praying probably in line with the mission of God boom Cornelius is safe when you think about Paul and Barnabas Saul and Barnabas being sent out to go reach the Gentiles. What is it in response to in acts chapter 13 the church of God is on its face worshiping fasting. Pray boom guidance of sending his brothers to go out in the gospel goes forth into the nations. The idea is that we pray in line with God's desires use it like this, his desires should be our prayers and weaned and we learn his desires, not by just kind of sitting and hoping to hear you know and and and and wondering if that was God or that was something I ate the night before.

You know make. I can speak and when he speaks it's clear I'm not messing he doesn't.

What I am saying is we were looking for his desires. We don't have to go look for them as if they're lost there there plain as day right in the Scripture we know the word we see his desires and we pray that's why many Christians just pray the Scriptures in a day that actually use the words of the Psalms and use the words of Scripture to pray over and over and over as plain as day because desires of the gospel go forth into all the earth and so he is called his church to pray for and that's what it said in verse one. Look first of all them.

I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people. Here's a real picky way to say this, all types of prayers for all types of people, but I do want to make sure this is why counted overview first that what's coming in this passage is God is pleased because the prayers are about the desire of God's heart, which is to see the gospel go forth, he desires to see all people saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. These are all types of prayers for all types of people, but they are focused on the gospel going forth into all the earth, so this is what I mean about all types of prayers all types of people.

You do understand it's a different stronghold that were praying about the Islam in Indonesia is a different stronghold in the materialism of England.

It's a different prayer understand the animism of the high jungle of Peru were resending Madison is different than the agnosticism in America, but their strongholds nonetheless. It's all types of prayer for all types of people, but it is focused on us see the gospel go forth. This is the idea were praying for the world. You either.

There's a can. I have seen this at its heart you think will how we pray for every single person the world I don't that's really the point of it is that you pray by name. For every field.

6 billion people and I don't think that's I think what is getting out of the if I was a boy, was now I think it's in hate every Christian needs to be a globally focused Christian or not.

There is no such thing as a local only Christian athletes over this menacing some of those coming out a conference is a people that I've been around in the church leadership world right now. That's like man you own your city and it's about your region and your folk at all and I'm all about evangelism.

Our city will make so many disciples here, but there is no such thing as a local only focused Christian Christianity, by definition, is this idea of God holds the world in his hand and he has asked that his name go forth into all the earth and we have the opportunity to help get it there with thousands of people thousands of people groups have never heard the gospel so he says in verse one and chapter 2, first of all, then I urge that prayers be made for all types of people you know, one of things I think it comes out of this that we gotta make sure we understand is that praying for the nations is of first importance. Okay I he doesn't use this word, a word that comes to my mind is priority. There's a book leadership book on essentialism that your self-help leadership stuff if you're into that, but of the book talks about the author. The book talks about how we have such a hard time in his life, coming up with the no prioritizing his life and so he he gives a couple of examples of that resource to dive into this idea of prioritization. Here's what he found out the word priority shows up in the English language in the 1400s. Okay Melissa this just like us, just like our modern culture okay for 500 years. The word priority was only ever singular. You know why because it means first, it means whatever is personnel leave it up to us in the last hundred years of modern society to start saying nonsensical things like I'm listing my priorities. That makes no sense when we say well that's a priority of our company or whatever another makes no sense That you can highlight a priority. You can have a list of priorities, like the actual definition of the word is what is first well for Paul hear what he saying is what comes the mission of God. What is the priority. What is first is praying that the gospel go forth into all the earth and understand why you don't have the opportunity we have some missionaries come back in the field of years ago. Actually, they think they just end up moving in our area.

They were here very long a plug in our church for a while in that move in on two different state there. It was awesome though to get a chance to talk about some of things that they had seen they had been a very, very difficult, close type of environment when it comes to the gospel going forth, but this is what Brad told us when he was here. He said man, one of the things we learn is that the areas where we could focus prayer from the West from the states and from our partners in the areas that we got focused prayer, we never didn't see the gospel end up penetrating it was the places that we didn't have prayer standing in the got people standing up and print when we didn't have that we didn't see movement but when we had that we never didn't seem to you know we always saw movement, and I think about that nothing will. Paul probably has it right. The priority is prayer. Look what he says here were kings, and for all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. Wait a minute, he's just what's to talk about it were praying for people now were talking about kings. One of things you gotta understand. In first Timothy chapter 2 is this, there are a few different places where we might be tempted to get off of the pray for the nations bus and think this is about something else. Don't because it's not what this is about is praying for the nations. It's it's about praying in line with God's desires as he has declared my desires that all people would be safe. So when we read this for kings, and for over all for all who are in high positions. We gotta make sure this is not disconnected from what's already been talked about here in chapter 1 it was all about this fight for the gospel guard the gospel celebrate the gospel now were turning towards its advance. Healthy churches thinking about that.

The first thing is that we would pray but he says here pray for kings and those that are high positions. I see this verse thrown around a lot. I know you guys have any father's election.

People were talking about these verses and maybe some of you guys have wondered like what is this me when okay print and we we applied as the politicians what what what am I supposed to pray God, pray to their healthy do I pray to their successful like men do what one might suppose a price on the guzzling upper everyday for the removal okay are I don't have a baby or praying in your plan for their business. They enter whatever I don't know okay your your plan you what what we supposedly were supposed to pray that they would lead in a godly way so that they create an environment underneath them where the gospel can flourish. That's the prayer we we should be praying in line with hate. We should be praying God allow our leaders to make good decisions so that there is freedom to talk about the gospel so that there is justice so that there is not your equal laws so there is an opportunity that we have, to practice our faith and see the gospel go forth into all the earth.

That's what the prayer is supposed to be not just for their health or whatever it is that they would lead in a way that creates an environment for the gospel to advance and that's what were trying to see today that's kind of the big idea of the message. Even here today that a healthy church will pray for the gospel's advance in our world.

And so we need to be praying for diagnosing about Willie. I was thinking about at an arm. Judson went out on Judson got to Rangoon and Burma in a couple hundred years ago when he was when he got there. Actually Felix carried the son of William Carey, the famous missionary was actually in the place where he landed okay and and right right when they sort of overlap is interesting, thing and history.

But what ends up happening is Felix carried decides to take a job with the Burmese government highly oppressive regime. Okay I mean highly hostile. If you know the story to the gospel and the gospel's advance and William Kent and I at an arm Judson.

He had this interesting thing that he said to Felix carried where he actually said hey I think you should take that position. He said this, you may be able to be more for this place in the government service that you can in missionary service.

Know what they mean by that time we did mean he did not me were talking about me and your social justice and dig wells and that's definitely not what he was getting out was from that position. You may have an opportunity to help create an environment where missionary work can flourish and the gospel can go forward and one more thing I would say about that hey we have a church that is filled with leaders we have a church that hasn't meant a bunch of leadership culture in this church.

I praise God for that. But I would say this this idea of praying for those that are in the highest positions because of the environment that they can create some of us need to let go of our fear and and and go ahead and step into what God is putting out there for us and take that next step up so that you can be one who shakes an environment, and maybe that's in politics and and maybe it's an education or maybe it's in the free market and maybe there's a couple of runs up on the ladder that you feel like you're just a little bit like all-time town treasurer. I don't really know. I don't know if I want to say I don't have all of the pressure to step it one of God's call you into that so that you can create an environment where the gospel flourishes underneath you were praying for those that are in positions of authority. Now here's what he said this is good and is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and succumb to the knowledge of the truth, for there is one God and there is one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time will we pray for the gospel to advance we pray for the environment of the gospel to flourish because it is God's heart because this is what he desires. And as his children, we just we fall in line with what he desires and his desires become our desires and we begin to realize as his children, that white-hot worship is not something that exists everywhere.

That's the fuel of missions, the fuel of seeing a send is because we understand there are places where the sunrise and sets and no one there knows who to get the credit to, and God is worthy of praise in a thousand languages and submit this if this starts to get into our heart and stir our emotions. Why because it's God's heart. God desires all people to be saved through his son Jesus Christ. This is what he desires. Now I know some of you are organists are going on this road.

Wait a minute. How can God have a desire doesn't get fulfilled, or does this mean in universalism and it is to be fulfilled, and people start want to go down this Rabbit Trl., God's sovereignty and Calvinism and Arminianism in all this all the stuff he hears he hears and I would tell you how just because I hold on one second okay and I was a Deuteronomy 2929 tells us the secret things belong to the Lord. There are things that were not going to quite have the answers like we like in this life and you know why looming them. A good example of why okay argument maybe give you a little bit illustration here.

I was trying to explain to my kids what a mutual fund is the other day. Can you imagine that I'm 38 okay 38 and there's a big gap between 38 and eight right pretty to get and I'll try to explain it to Mike again, this is I know there's there's speaking to back to me on like I don't know if I understand anymore. Okay I'm like I'm trying to try to explain to them and it's just like men that the 38 to 8 is a huge gap if that's a gap there. What is the gap between us and God. It's a chasm is a carnivorous I mean it is in music. It is a cavern right and I just I just think about how this gaping, whole between us and him. This cavernous, space, and is like now. We cannot, we absolutely cannot think that we would know what is in the mind of God.

Think about this. I am with you guys seen the stuff coming out of the James Webb telescope and discussing these these pictures that are are coming across.

I mean, you think about something like this is coming out from all the billions and trillions of light-years and all that, stuff I use think about this incitement, God holds the world in his hands, and I can't even remember my Netflix code or whatever, you don't talk about ominous sermon, just a carnivorous even though I may cut Right you soon. I mean it's like that was planned know where you think you think about you like get the job. The gap between us. So here's what I want to call you to do. I want to call you think about this passage for a minute from the heart.

Maybe maybe maybe dissing think about from the heart that God desires all people to be saved. The point here is this God's heart for the world is that they would know him and we have the opportunity to move the needle through our prayer lives are we taking that opportunity mentally moving God's hand in prayer we move the hand that moves the world.

There is one mediator between God and man is the man Christ Jesus you think about us in John 14, six were Jesus tells us very plainly. I am the way the truth and life in acts chapter 4 he says there is in the Bible says there is no name under heaven by which men can be saved other than Christ Jesus, we have that truth.

We have the laborers being raised up.

We can pray that God would call them and send them we can pray for the soil to be prepared in places that are very dark that God would send dreams and visions and prepare the hearts of those that would meet laborers that we are sending we could pray for all of that or we taking the opportunity to pray for all I think about our own salvation Jesus Christ came to this earth, and he made it made mediated our relationship with God meant Jesus Christ came to this earth and he took what we deserve and gave us what you know what he deserve. He went to the cross gives us life is resurrection he has given us life eternal and we have this truth. Are we praying that it would go out to the ends of the earth you not there's one mediator that you editors like Brazil you don't call me father but that you don't call me. Pray Stephen right why I'm not mediating something and that way we working in the pre-sensitive or sorry about that.

And that way I'm not mediating something between you and God. Jesus has already done that. He gave himself what to say, a ransom for all ransom. What is that mean it means redemption. It means deliverance.

It means release. This is what he has done for you. If you're a believer you put your faith on faith in him. When you've experienced that redemption and deliverance and relief and release you've experienced this in your life but if you're not a believer yet you have the opportunity to come to him. This is the beauty of the gospel being preached right here right now you can come and were praying to God would send laborers all the way to the nations and create other brothers and sisters in Christ, a ransom for all thought about this today in a couple weeks ago we baptized like 15 people on the weekend of mercy was incredible.

We can think 11 of them were kids how to think about this. I thought you also seen a lot of baptisms in the last year or so are teams that are in India. May they see a lot of baptisms and then I gotta think about.

I thought meant what in the world. The baptismal waters when the world is a 10-year-old middle-class American kid having common with a grown adult indigenous Indian farmer. They were both ransomed. That's what they have in common, and we pray that God would move here, but we pray that he would send us there and awaken people that are there. This is his desire. Now here's another listen. This next part okay. Sex bars were whirling to go through verse 10 today with this next part is all about hindrances to that. Because here's the deal. Many of us are not and I and even myself I been awake in the sweet ways that we need to do a better as a family. In this regard, but if were not praying that the gospel go forth to the nations, then why is it an Paul gives us a couple of different answers here in terms of hindrances that here we go for this, I was appointed a preacher and apostle told the truth, I'm not lying, a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.

I desire than that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling.

Likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, but with what is proper for women who profess godliness with good works. This is a controversial at all. Okay, I know actually compared to the sermon in two weeks when we get an eldership in commentary does know that it really is and can be all that controversial, but you know it is God for this is getting into the part of first of the chapter to their body thinks of. They haven't done all the work that we've done the last 30 minutes, though, to realize it's all about praying for the nation and so we jump directly to these things and we get some things probably miss aligned and all that and I went out how I was hit head on. Listen, if you're newer the mercy of your one of our campuses in your brand-new. If you're here today is your brand-new to mercy Hill. I want you to hear something very clearly okay when we come up to passages like this in the Bible that we don't dodge we don't merely mouth around.

We don't dance and here's why we don't feel like we need to. The reason we don't like we need to is because there is something very refreshing about a book that don't change. Isn't that true in a world right now that I mean in an Instagram fantasyland fake news on every angle, every side that were looking at how refreshing is it to have a book that don't change not only to apologize for you to dance around what I what I what I need to realize is, is this if we come up against something that is controversial. I mean how crazy is this even using the categories I what he what is getting into his hey guys generally demand my struggle over here and generally the women. My struggle over here we come to place, and culture were even using those categories is no controversial ourselves. We come to that place and where were there. I got one question for you is the Bible out-of-date or is our culture out of line and what what we got to ask and see is like wait a minute, your brand-new night and I don't what will lean in and let's see, because if it really is true, which I think just about everybody their nondisabled probably understands just about everybody would understand that really is to truth that generally speaking, then my struggle away and when the my struggle away right if that's true, then it would be to our detriment, not to think about bringing things up there in the Scripture about which might be what right and that's what you say here only said in verse eight was this man pray instead of argue iso God fellows and target the right pray instead of argue this does not mean that women can struggle with quarreling and arguing that is not what it means. It just means that men do struggle with this. Okay Jenison you see how that works is not saying they don't, but it is saying that you do. Okay, so what we do is just take that for a minute and realize that was the whole connecting thread or member don't get off the bus and praying for the nations because this whole passages about that right so it's not it's not going to something different. This is saying that posturing over your brothers will steal your passion for the nations if we decide that coming to church and to getting in the assembly and going to group is not if we decide it's not about loving God is loving each other.

It's all about learning God's desire so that we know how to pray. It's not about seeing the gospel go forth to the nations. When we decide that it's actually about being right, and arguing and trying to usurp authority over one another by the fact that I'm smarter than you and I know something that you don't know when we posture up and we get this competitive thing and we begin to argue our passion for the nations will be stolen and and that's what this is getting at guys and listen man fights okay this is what they think that they're drawn to it. Who watches UFC who watches boxing 60% of the lawyers in his countrymen, they won't argue there's a there's a bit there's a bit of a hard thing here. You can be pulled in this way, my questions is arguable that way like I like when you come into the assembly and you see a brother minutes or things that are going on there.

We are like not to be right and reconciled to.

I would rather be right. The only one. Everyone has Scripture from Ephesians Ephesians 521, squarely or submitting Ephesians 521 says this submit to each other out of reverence for Christ. That's way before we get in the marriage stuff okay this is just general comp generally for the church like man be a submissive type of culture and my question is this. Are we usurping one another in argument or are we submitting to one another in love. Because if we are constantly in this competitive mode of first arm first onto because some rights because I'm right about this theology theological position are right about this right. Unison was getting at. And here's what it says that men like to read it, but it wouldn't say they raise holy hands in worship. They raise holy hands in prayer. Here's what's so ironic.

Some men will raise holy hands in argument and not raise holy hands in prayer is like where's our passion is our passion in being competitive with one another. Arguing with one another or is our passion in worship Psalm 34 one Patterson like this on 34 five says this those who look to him talk about those who look to him a believer that they see radiance in their in their spirit and Psalm 34 five says those faces are never covered with shame and here's what I wonder when we come into the assembly guys mentally talk to you. We come into the assembly. We have an opportunity to pray we have an opportunity to worship the Scriptures telling us to raise holy hands to have an outward expression of what God is doing in my heart. One. Patterson like this. I'm not questioning if you love Jesus.

I'm not questioning if you're excited about Jesus. Somebody just need to tell your face okay because it's, it's, you know, you know, to me because it's, like, man, it can just be that we get more passionate about.

We got a cell is not in anger. Man doesn't lead to the righteousness of God is it's not it's not. So that's one pitfall.

The liquid says in verse nine likewise also the men, women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, but with what is proper for women who profess godliness with good works.

You got understand the first word in verse nine is likewise now you let me ask you what is likewise about a bunch of guys passionate arguing over theology to see whose first and posturing right what is likewise about that with women who might dress in an unconfined self controlled and modest manner. What's what is likewise about. It's not a new idea. He's not getting off of the prayer for the nations. But what he's saying is women just like the guys my struggle in this area you my struggle in this area, but the heart of it might be the same. A competition the heart of it might be. I'm going to be first I'm going to usurp something over you.

Instead of submit to you my other sisters in Christ. Now let me let me try to like tone down the temperature for just a second. What is okay because little hot here okay because the reality is I don't know, and I've studied is backwards and forwards and honestly believe that what Paul was facing in the Ephesian church. What Timothy was facing a postcard and effusion church in the first century is a little hard to go apples apples right now the reason I say this when you go back and you look at what braided hair and pearls and all that kind of stuff was what were talking about here is not you know I braided my little girl's hair.

We try to worship nice to church or whatever made their great traditions in the Christian faith that I think they're not doing something wrong by dressing up to go to church respectable is actually said where respectable apparel. I don't know I think it's getting at something a little deeper than Avenue. Go back and study some of the artwork and some of the statues of this time and when you're talking about a braided hair and pearls and costly attire you're talking about having three or four servants work on you for five hours before you go to church. It's like no this isn't like a lot worse in the race like no you you got ready to go to the prom or be a bridesmaid or be on the red carpet enemies, and now you got like this whole section of people who have the means to have somebody work on them to to do costly attire, brains, and all that kind of stuff crazy in order to come in and create a great division between them and everybody else who doesn't have the means to be able to do that. I think that's probably what actually was going on but you're the heart of that resurfaces here the heart of that resurfaces 2000 years later were what we might do is use what we wear, use our clothing. Use our wealth. Use our beauty in the same way the posture and to try to get over someone else and I would just say like a said to the brothers ladies posturing over your sisters will steal your passion for the nations if it work if we come to the assembly to create it to be first. Then we we will not come for the right reasons and we would end up having to listen on. Is there a line. I will say this.

Okay. Is there a line in which somebody probably is actually diving in and they have crossed the line in first Timothy chapter 2 and it's it's not. It is common apples apples things absolutely and have I seen that as a pastor over the last 15 years I've seen it at times. Okay, but I think generally speaking to the better question for us today. If were like wait a minute, should I braided or should I wear this or so with maybe a better question is not what to wear, but why are we wearing like what what is the heart behind it and I don't what I want to stick with is the theology part of this really get back in to talk about missions dramatize some real quick just a quick side note on this.

Okay, we got a blog coming out on Monday that I want and if you're interested in this dogear. If you're a woman in our church. If you do this, try to understand some of this if you got young kids at your raisin. I would really encourage you we have three women two of them are wise elders. One younger single lady, highly respectable women in our church highly involved, and they came managers had a very frank very straightforward 25 conversation would be 25 minute conversation with me and we taped it and I want you to watch it.

Okay it's gonna come out tomorrow as to come out on Monday so you guys and you guys check that out if you want to hear more about this. I think we need to do that because I can't imagine the pressures that an Instagram infused world puts on our women and girls, I'm just just imagine me my minimus price all document or social dilemma or whatever you I think about that unlike man I don't know that Roos anything we don't shouldn't already kind of already know that men that were were playing for a culture of likes and dislikes, and this is hard grown up under this stuff and this is the culture that we live in, and we need godly wisdom from godly women to speak into this world and how that on the block.

I think of this I saw this mole I should be this one of our local high schools. The that the dress code they've adopted for this year. Okay I went.

When she went when she read it to me I was like that's wrong that somebody made that up and it's going around the Christian circles and they're all get whipped up about it.

That's not I can be actually right. So I went down the handbook on Dover County's website and went and and and just read through it 2022, 20, 23, that the dress code for the handbook for all the high school kids. It is this I don't hear anything.

I'm crazy, but this is what it says right.

It says you can wear nothing that is see-through and nothing that shows underwear or private parts of the end. That's it.

You know nothing with offensive language on as well.

Right now I look at it and I was I'm not man. I don't know I'm not alone. The school system but when I look at that, unlike man yeah that sounds like you're trying to create a lot of freedom, but it feels to me like you Creighton mountains of pressure on a bunch of kids that are trying to grow. This is the world that our young ladies are growing up in and so church I would just say that we got a set that I think the point of this is the nations but managing to be smart.

There was a come out this week.

I hope you guys will see art last thing I want to say this is the conclusion okay application for this weekend.

Pray for the nations without hindrance right. Pray for the nations if you're like man I have fallen in and I'm I'm worried and I'm falling in minimum arguing and still my praise and my prayer for the nations I'm posturing up, I'm worried about what I'm gonna wear and it's stealing my my prayer for the nations will usually go back to the gospel. You gotta realize minute God has given you in Jesus what you were looking for the approval of others, you are looking for something and then thinking that you're smart or them thinking that your beautiful you are or them thinking that your rights or them thinking that you're wealthy you're looking for that and other people and not realizing that in the gospel.

What you have is the approval of the creator of the universe man.

He has called you son or daughter, he is that how you come to me that I could love you more than I do could be more proud of you and I am in. My son is. I'll just call us to fall into the arms of Jesus today and allow those things those hindrances to go away. One of our elders wives fishing rope in a Christian home she struggles with materialism struggled what she was aware struggle about how she was a look getting safe. Still battle that becomes a pastor's wife still battles that and this is a crazy example of what God can do in your life. Okay I mean, to the point of even as a pastor's wife had wood hours on the weekend, wondering at what I do wear how house I can look what are people going to think, is it too much. Is it not enough in all these things I can imagine the women can go through with this stuff right in. You know she did wasn't think about it started serving kids guess what they do when you go to kids, they make you wear the same T-shirt, everything we and it was like God broke something over her freedom flooded in her life and it was like you know what Dallas is like I was saying, hey, this is how I see you anyway. Adorn your self with works adorn yourself with the goodness of God in the goodness of works of godly good godly works and that's how I see you anyway you my precious child wrapped in the in the robes of Jesus Christ your perfect can see when the other what you don't need to posture up for everybody else, and what a beautiful example you have fallen the arms of Jesus today and you can do that right if you're a believer and you want three quick things when you three quick things minute. Think about this in terms of an application of this is like okay now get away from the hindrances of prayer and did not turn in prayer for the nations. This is a praying, allowing God's desires of the world come to know him right. The gospel is only good news we get there in time.

Okay were to start, motivate, work, memo, be motivated to pray to give you three things to do number one. Download the Joshua project out okay so what is that will downloaded. Okay, this is one of those things that I was convicted this very week. Our summer rhythms got off you know as many people to come the summer. Kids are back in school at sex and the sweetness of babe, it's been a while since we pulled up in unreached people group are Joshua project out with the kids right so we get back into that rhythm will call you to get back in there and secondly prayed seriously injure groups.

I guy gotta make sure the culture goes up we do Rieger Rieger Rieger were called the whole church need to be in a group you just, we can you're missing half of what we do a huge part of that is we got about a thousand to 1200 adult prayer meeting happening every single week all over the tribe is called your community group. I've had people asked me like that one. We get together, pray like we are talking about we get together for like every week. Thousands okay like a Lisa thousand 1200 people adults across the Triad, not to mention our kids and students in all of that like that so let's refocus just about every week they'll be something from the church that comes out of your God and your leader has that a lot of times there about our missionaries or somebody being commissioned and all that was take that seriously prays that the last thing I would say is hate attend a vision night that is coming up every single campus has a vision night in the month of September were those vision nights are about those vision nights are about print heaven down God, let us make some disciples in the tribe that spills over into disciple making movement all the way to the ends of the earth. Make sure you're there (father we come before you this weekend, Lord. And we are just I'm convicted got.

I don't know about Elsa's heart is, but more we say we believe the creator God that you deserve all the fame and all the glory due our prayer lives reflect our desire to see your fame in all the earth, for you. Find a praying church here.

Gotta make a stop put us on our knees allows a call out to you in Christ name we pray, amen, amen.

Hate all of our camps is on the bite you guys are going to stand over to do one last song here together this weekend. David, as we do that, I'll make sure you guys understand when we go into a last song like this. We have the opportunity to respond okay and we can respond in one of three ways we bring we saying and we pray okay number one is bring guys got is been first to us. He has given us his son we get.

We bring him our first and our best is our tithes and offerings. You can do this in the ways you see on the screen and the second is that we saying operator will respond with joy. The third thing is that even during the song, why not. Let's begin to pray that God would continue the movement here all the way to the ends of the earth