This content was originally published by the Longmont Observer and is licensed under a Creative Commons license.
By Matthew Spencer & Lyn Parker
There is connecting power in prayer. How you may ask?
Pastor Matthew Spencer sat down with his father, and Senior Pastor Mark Spencer of Christ Church International, to discuss three interesting aspects of the connecting power of prayer.
1. Prayer Connects Us With The Creator
Pastor Mark said there are three ways that prayer connects us. He said firstly that, “Prayer connects us to the Creator, and prayer connects us to God.” As Christians, we "...pray in the name of Jesus coming to God, coming to our Creator in the name of His Son, the Lord Jesus."
He continued by saying, "God Himself invites us....into a relationship with Himself and so the way we communicate with Him is through prayer....We’re not laboring, we’re not trying to prove this or prove that, He just invites us, into a relationship with Himself. Prayer is important because it connects us to God."
2. Prayer Connects Us With People
Pastor Mark explained that prayer not only connects us to God, but it connects us to our family, our friends, and our church friends. This connection happens in regard to cities and countries as well. As we pray for our city, prayer works in us a heart for the people of Longmont. And as we pray for the nations of the world (whether it be Germany, Poland, etc), we begin to get a heart for those people. And even as we pray for immigrants in our own community, we begin to get a heart for these people.
Prayer also connects families.
As a family prays together, something starts to happen: their hearts begin to be turned toward each other. A husband's heart is turned toward his wife as he hears her pray. Likewise, a wife's heart is turned toward her husband, and both their hearts are turned towards their children. As families pray together, their hearts are turned towards each other.
3. Prayer Connects Us to Miracle Power
Finally, Pastor Mark said that, “...prayer connects us to the miracle working power of Almighty God.”
Referring to a quote by John Wesley, Pastor Mark said that God will do nothing but in answer to prayer. He explained that most people believe that God can do anything, but it is prayer that connects us to God’s power. Connecting to the power of God also requires, on our part, that we have faith (Jesus said by our faith it can be done unto us - Matthew 9:29).
Pastor Mark summarized the discussion by concluding that we connect to the Creator (not just as someone far away) but as a Father who loves us, secondly, we connect to one another through prayer, and finally, we can connect to God’s power through prayer, in order for our daily needs to be met.
The pastors concluded the discussion by praying for Longmont: that there would be a revival of prayer, and that the city of Longmont and Boulder County would be stirred to pray.
Christ Church International
Are you interested in learning more about Pastor Mark Spencer and Christ Church International or planning a visit there this Sunday?
Find out more at: www.christchurchinternational.org
When: Sundays 10:00 a.m. for church service, come early at 9 a.m. for our Discipleship Class, or drop in on the Facebook livestream which begins at 10:30am Mountain Time.
Where: 527 Main Street, Longmont, CO 80501
Christ Church International Contact: 303-772-5996
Connect with Christ Church International or Pastor Mark Spencer on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/christchurchinternational/ or https://www.facebook.com/pastormarkspencer/
About #LongmontPrays
Longmont Prays is a prayer initiative by Longmont area pastors and ministry leaders. In these interviews, we talk about the importance of prayer and why prayer is such a high priority and value for our city. We’re really declaring just that: prayer matters. In the coming weeks, as we release these videos through The Longmont Observer. Our hope is that these interview will draw your heart closer to God, inspire you to pray, and help reveal the need to prayer for our beloved city — Longmont.
If you enjoyed this video, would you consider sharing it with your friends and family?
To find out more, please check out our Facebook page (Click HERE) or go to our YouTube channel (Click HERE). Also, feel free to check out and use the hashtag #LongmontPrays.
#Longmont #LongmontPrays #Prayer #LongmontChurches
