Matthew 6:5–8

This morning we look at Jesus’ teaching on personal prayer from Matthew 6:5–8. Far from being a performance, prayer is a seemingly ordinary practice that draws us into an honest, dependent, and life changing relationship with God. Jesus teaches us how to pray sincerely, trust God’s guidance, and experience the transforming grace that comes from simply showing up and speaking from the heart.

Matthew 6:5-8

For the atheist prayer is a meaningless religious chore with no positive benefit or purpose. However, for the follower of Christ, prayer is an incredible privilege that has benefits both in this life and the one to come! Prayer is an incredible opportunity because through Jesus we have access to a good God whose ear is always attentive to His children’s petitions and praises.

Matthew 6:5-8

Most of us were never taught how to communicate, whether with a spouse, a parent, or even with God, and have spent our lives learning by trial and error. Before the disciples asked Jesus, “Teach us to pray,” there was no clear instruction on how to speak with God: Should we pray aloud or silently? Eyes open or closed? Kneeling or standing? The questions are endless. Yet prayer was never meant to be a ritual to perfect, but a relationship to deepen. In this message, we’ll explore what God says about prayer, look at practical ways to apply it, and then put it into practice together, discovering that true prayer is not performance but personal dialogue with a God who listens and rewards the sincere heart.

1 Peter 4:8-11

Fellowship is considered an ordinary means of grace because God uses the relationships within the body of Christ to strengthen, encourage, and sanctify believers through the gospel. The Christian life demands community. We need each other. “One another” appears 100 times in the New Testament and approximately 60 of those occurrences are specific commands teaching us how (and how not to) relate to one another. God has ordained for the church to be the kind of community that “one anothers” well!

1 Peter 4:8-11

We live in a world starved for community. As believers we often take for granted the extraordinary grace that God has provided in and through Christian community - our fellowship. Like vital signs that indicate a healthy body, love, hospitality, and selfless service are indicators of a body that manifests and witnesses grace to one another and a watching world. In the end, the goal of Christian Community is to love, embrace, and serve one another all to the glory of God.

1 Peter 4:8-11

We can easily take for granted the power the Christian community around us helps us persevere and flourish along the path of sanctification. As we experience the love of Christ through mutual forgiveness, the inclusion of Christ through intentional hospitality, and the hands of Christ in self-sacrificial service we are transformed. The ordinary means of grace in Christian community will create an immovable and faithful church with a beautiful apologetic to the world.

In our continuing series ‘The Ordinary Path to Extraordinary Grace’ we discover a beautiful purpose of the local church; The Purpose of Discipleship. The church is not a building with a street address but rather the group of people who meet together to worship, learn, love and serve. All the ordinances and practices within the local church are part of the discipleship process. We are discipled so that we can disciple others.

Ephesians 4:11-16

The church is designed to be a body made up of many members who build one another up into maturity and the fullness of Christ. We are also called to imitate others who are following Christ and disciple others in such a way that they also can disciple others.