Prayer Night

This Friday at youth group instead of Bible studies on a specific passage and discussions off that, we had corporate prayer.
Praise God He has given us this gift of prayer and the ability to reach him no matter what our circumstances!!

For those who were away, on the night we explored John 17, where Jesus prays to God the Father.  Context - his discipline were nearby and this occurred before Jesus was arrested, to be then later crucified.

Four key points you could draw out were in verses:

3. Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.

11. I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one.

17. Sanctify (set-part, process of making holy) them by the truth; your word is truth. (and we can follow Christ example of being set apart v.19)

 22. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one

Notice the order and how it applies! First we must KNOW God, before we can love him. How do you love someone without having first taking the time out to know them personally? This kind of love isn't "i love cake, I love Ryan Gosling, I love holidays" *cough*, but it's the love that is rooted in action - you love, therefore you are committed to that person, and out from that flows your desire to demonstrated it through action - trust and obedience.

As a result of following Christ it's becomes obvious that our world views differ greatly from the world's egocentricity in regards to relationships, money, status, career ... pretty much all aspects of life. Although we are living in this earthly world, it seems so strange to us through God's lens, for we are indeed not of the world, but the Kingdom of God. Called to be very different for a reason and it's not surprising persecution will follow. Though we aren't alone in our Christian walk, so far from perfect, God sanctifies us, a continual gradual process as we cling to him and what is good, so that in the end, we give him glory as the united body of Christ!!

No matter what denomination, what cultural background, what period in history, let that not stop us from doing God's will, of loving him and loving others. What a gigantic task!

Victor's thought on prayer on the youth group blog =]
http://scghyg.wordpress.com/2012/04/24/why-pray-to-a-sovereign-god/