This past Sunday we began a new series on the topic of “union with Christ.” In truth, it seems like every sermon I have preached in the last decade has been a sermon on this truth. It is the best news ever: God is inviting us to make our home with Him in Christ Jesus. But our union with Christ is not merely something we receive from God, but also, the fundamental way we fellowship with God and participate in His mission.
One of the principal ways that we participate in this union with Christ is through prayer. We are able to enter into the presence of God in prayer because of Jesus (Hebrews 10:19-22) and when we pray: We pray to God the Father, in God the Son, by the power of God the Spirit. Our prayer is only possible because we are united to Christ. If we were not in Him, we would not be able to draw near to God in prayer.
Praying “in Jesus’ name,” is not merely what we say to close our prayers, it’s a reflection of the very foundations of how we speak to God at all. As we pray, God shapes and forms our hearts, bringing them into alignment with His purposes in Christ. Purposes to “unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.” (Ephesians 1)
Why do we gather monthly to pray? Couldn’t we just as easily pray at home by ourselves? We gather to pray together because we are united as brothers and sisters in Christ. Our union with Christ is the foundation of our unified life of prayer and worship together. When we gather to worship on Sundays or when we gather to pray monthly (as we will do on Sunday, August 18th at 4PM), we are reminded that in Christ we receive a “new me,” but we also receive a “new we.”
God is inviting us to live at home with Him in Christ. A home that is full without being crowded, a place where we are invited to feast in His fellowship and speak/listen to Him in prayer with one another.May God continue to shape us into a praying people. A people who are so awakened to life in Christ in the midst of our mess and ordinary that it becomes the spiritual muscle memory of our lives to pray, to pray together, and to pray for each other.
I invite you to spend a few moments in prayer. Ask the Lord to give you a fervency for experiencing all that He has for you in Christ.
In Christ,
Kyle Worley
