And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. MATTHEW 6:5
But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. MATTHEW 6:6
And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. MATTHEW 6:7
Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him. MATTHEW 6:8
This, then, is how you should pray: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name, MATTHEW 6:9
Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. MATTHEW 6:10
Give us today our daily bread. MATTHEW 6:11
Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. MATTHEW 6:12
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. MATTHEW 6:13
For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. MATTHEW 6:14
But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. MATTHEW 6:15
Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. MATTHEW 5:17
For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven. MATTHEW 5:20
Be careful not to do your acts of righteousness before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. MATTHEW 6:1
The Pitfall of Attention Seeking in Prayer (6:5)
The evangelical church is slowly but surely giving up on prayer. GARY MILLAR
But giving up on prayer is not only a sign of evangelical weakness. It is also disobedience. ALBERT MOHLER
The Pitfall of Wordiness in Prayer (6:7,8a)
[Video: Meet the Parents]
Our theology is never so clearly displayed before our own eyes and before the world as in our prayers. ALBERT MOHLER
The Pattern of Private Devotion in Prayer (6:6)
Our frequency and content of prayer in private tells us much more about our hearts than our public prayers around the dinner table, in the small groups, or from the platform.
Genuine followers of Jesus pray to an audience of One.
Jesus looked up and said, Father, I thank you that you have heard Me. JOHN 11:41B
I knew that you always hear Me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that You sent Me. JOHN 11:42
The Pleasure of the Father s Reward in Prayer (6:6b, 8b)
The real divide between the prayers of Pharisees and pagans versus those of Jesus followers lies in the kind of God we pray to.
Jesus predicates effective prayer on a relationship of intimacy, not a business partnership model. CRAIG KEENER
Too often we think of prayer as a serious chore, something that must be scheduled around other appointments, shoehorned in among other pressing activities. But we miss the point. PHILIP YANCEY
God is inviting us to take a break, to play truant. God invites us to take a vacation, to stop being God for a while, and let Him be God. SIMON TUGWELL
EPHESIANS 6:10 20 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the Gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the Gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.
Pray for our global workers. Pray for our global workers. 18 FAMILIES SERVING IN 11 COUNTRIES 18 FAMILIES SERVING IN 11 COUNTRIES Alfredo & Rita Abreu Karen Foster SERVING IN LISBON, PORTUGAL SERVING IN YAOUNDÉ, CAMEROON Pray for bold witness among Muslim neighbors. Pray for effective leadership training for the pastors wives. Pray for wisdom in guiding the expansion of the Serve the City ministry. Pray for the multiplication of new believers in the Caminhando church. Akli & Melody Arab SERVING IN SOUTHERN FRANCE Dave & Susie Hobert SERVING IN PARAY-LE-MONIAL, FRANCE Pray for Gospel fruit from the Living Faith group sharing in Paray. Pray for the leadership, ministry plan, and unity of the Montceau church. Pray that Akli will have opportunities to meet North Africans, develop relationships, and share the Gospel with them. Pray that many would receive Christ as Savior. Tom & MaryAnn Barlow John & Shari Jones SERVING IN BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND SERVING IN SAINT-ALBAIN, FRANCE Pray for young disciples who want to study the Bible. Pray for the effective use of the Château as a place for French discipleship and evangelism. Pray for encouragement of ministry leaders so they are effective in sharing the Gospel and discipling others. Pray for fruit in Birmingham and the development of English leaders. Sy & Renessa Belohlavek SERVING IN CENTRAL ASIA Dave & Kathy Manduka SERVING IN BASEL, SWITZERLAND Pray for effective discipling of new believers. Pray for bold proclamation of the Gospel. Pray for their landlord as he deals with the reality of sin as it relates to his recent court case. Pray for influence with a friend who wants to meet, that the Gospel will meet his deepest needs. John & Becky Pappas SERVING IN AALEN, GERMANY Nathan & Jennifer Bryant Pray for the completion of the church planting process and the transfer of leadership to German elders. Pray for spiritual fruit as Muslim refugees hear the Gospel. SERVING IN MISSISSAUGA, CANADA Pray for the development of a church planting process for North America. Pray that Nathan will disciple new church planters who will begin new churches in the US and Canada. Sam & Tracey Schwartz SERVING IN LISBON, PORTUGAL Greg & Sandrine Burgess Pray that God would empower new believers and the team with boldness to share Jesus through the Serve the City ministry. Pray that many would be freed from traditionalism. SERVING IN CROTTET, FRANCE Pray for the development of good biblical resources for church leaders in French-speaking Africa. Pray for multiplication of disciples and new growth at the Macon church. Mark & Joy Sims SERVING IN SAINT-ANDÉOL-LE-CHÂTEAU, FRANCE Jason & Christy Carmean Pray for effective leadership training for African students. Pray for receptive hearts and impact among the 45 women in our quilting group. Pray for spiritual growth from a Bible study. SERVING IN YAOUNDÉ, CAMEROON Pray for leadership training with a new approach to teaching pastors. Pray for the selection process of the second group of students. Kirk & Kay Carver Florent & Lori Varak SERVING IN LYON, FRANCE Pray for wisdom in advising church development that leads to healthy churches. Pray for effective teaching of biblical principles in diverse contexts so new churches grow and reproduce. SERVING IN MOUNDOU, CHAD Pray for new churches to begin among people group who don t have a church. Pray for infrastructure that will empower the Gospel proclamation and not create financial dependency. Jerry & Cindy Walker SERVING IN UKARUMPA, PAPUA NEW GUINEA Rick & Yvonne Farley Pray for good biblical materials to be developed so the Bible translated is understandable and powerful to change lives. Pray for new believers to be discipled as they turn from old ways. SERVING IN THE MIDDLE EAST Pray for open hearts among English students and for Spiritled words in sharing the Gospel. Pray that spiritual blindness would be lifted from people they have shared the Gospel with.
Father knows best. To actively trust Him in prayer is our reward.