Luke 18:1-14 KJV
[1] And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint; [2] Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man: [3] And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. [4] And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man; [5] Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me. [6] And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith. [7] And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? [8] I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth? [9] And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: [10] Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. [11] The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. [12] I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. [13] And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. [14] I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. These two parables Jesus taught should give us insight into the importance of prayer in one’s life. Remember, ought, in this lesson means obligation, or we are bound to and it is necessary for us to pray always. Too often, we offer prayers to God without persevering and prayer until they are answered or we find the peace available to us in having communion with the Almighty. To “faint not,” means to not lose heart. The poor widow’s perseverance touched an unjust judge’s heart. She didn’t give up praying. She didn’t lose motivation or faith in her prayer. Jesus Christ is not an unjust judge. How much more can our needs and Faith touch the heart of Jesus when we present them to Him in prayer? The Pharisee prayed with himself. His focus was on his own self righteousness and accomplishment. His eyes were on everyone else around him and his heart far removed from the heart of God. His prayer was all about him in a very selfish and proud way. Rather, the despised tax collector who was broken before God and asking God for mercy in his life and situation was more justified, because he did it from his heart and in cadence or harmony with the heartbeat of God. His eyes wasn’t on everyone else around him, his prayer was spoken from his heart connecting to the One who could actually make a difference. God is looking out for our spiritual welfare by giving us dozens of Biblical instructions to His saints in maintaining a prayer life. 1 Timothy 2:8 KJV [8] I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.
[16] Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Romans 12:12 KJV [12] Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer; 1 Peter 4:7 KJV [7] But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 KJV [17] Pray without ceasing. Ephesians 6:18 KJV. Talks of putting on the whole armor of God. It’s not just a mental disposition. It’s not just hype to get us all fired up to fight the devil. We put on the armor of God through prayer! [18] Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; Colossians 4:2-3 KJV [2] Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving; [3] Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds:
[20] But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,
[36] Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.
[37] Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; [38] Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.
Christians are to persevere in prayer. Sometimes we wonder why God does not answer us as we want and when we want in every matter. We have to learn the value and the blessing of some prayers being unanswered. When we bring some matters to God again and again, it’s not because he does not hear or care, but because He wants to change us. We aren’t alone in that strategy to build our faith and trust in Him, Daniel’s prayer lasted 21 days (Daniel 10:1-21), Elijah prayed back to back seven times for rain (1 Kings 18:41-46), Jesus’ parable of the unjust judge illustrates this point, the Syro-Phoenician woman received healing for her daughter through importunity (persistence), Cornelius found salvation through relentless prayer (Acts 10:1-48), and Peter was miraculously delivered from prison because the church prevailed through an all-night prayer meeting (Acts 12:1-9). Prayer is not only a duty, but a privilege! We have access to Almighty God who loves us and is looking out for us. It is a necessity for all Bible believing Christians, not an option. When we pray, we are not only blessed, but we are fulfilling a duty to God in covenant relationship with Him. Maybe if we understood why it is necessary for us to pray, we would be more inclined to fulfill the responsibility of prayer. The twofold scriptural concept of prayer is understanding that it is both a blessing and a necessity.
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So sorry everyone of our call-in attendants for tonight's live service! We had some technical difficulties that we have worked out and you'll be able to join live NEXT Wednesday at 7pm. God bless!
Thank you everyone for the prayers as well as the calls and texts to check in on us! The video below will inform everyone with the basics of what’s going on with Sis. Hodge and baby Judah as well as a short message/announcement from myself. We pray all our ALC family is healthy and well and holding onto faith and hope during these crazy times! Steps we can take as ALC family during this COVID-19 craziness!!Be the compassionate people you already are! Give lots of grace to those that are taking further precautions than you are, and don’t be judgemental, unkind or negative toward our leaders or fellowship regarding COVID-19. Of course we’re all entitled to our opinions, but we should also consider we don’t know everything there is to know, nor are we in the shoes that some of our national, local or other church leaders are in.
Don’t hoard! Trust God to provide for our futures and buy what we need. The more people that adopt that philosophy, the less empty shelves we’d see. Stay clean (obviously)! Not only because that’s the thing 21st century human beings do, but also to take extra precautions because, hyped up or not, we are in the middle of a public health crisis. PRAY AND TRUST GOD!! Continue to be faithful in prayer, Bible reading, fellowship, fasting and tithing/giving offerings. Celebrating ALC's 26 Year Anniversary: February 20, 1993, a group known endearingly as "The Faithful Eight" gathered together under the anointed unction of the Holy Ghost with a mutual desire to start an Apostolic church in Oildale, CA. Rev. James Hodge felt the draw of the calling of God to lead the efforts and pastor the home mission's work. We are incredibly blessed that four of the original faithful eight (Bishop James Hodge, Nana Gail Hodge, Sis. Debbie Clayton and Sis, Jan Shively) are still with us 26 years later. Every now and then our church comes together for a church-wide deep cleaning. While cleaning and organizing last week, a treasure was discovered in the very back of a top shelf in our sound room... two DVD's containing almost two hours of video footage of our church's very first building project. Along with that, pictures that were scattered in drawers, boxes, closets and file cabinets were compiled into one large bin and I became engrossed in delving into the history of our church. I was only a child (almost two years old), and my family was living in Las Vegas, NV when the church was founded. When we moved back to Bakersfield, my father, Rev. Chris Hodge, discussed with his pastor, Bishop Leon Frost, about going to assist his uncle in the church start-up. Our family began attending and being heavily involved in the Apostolic Lighthouse Church. My mother, Martha Hodge, was the church's first piano player and my father became the youth leader. As a child, I remember much work but more joy in those early days. However, the weight of what was going on was not realized until my recent journey through the photos and videos that were found. To see the willingness of just a handful of people to do whatever it took to build a church was awe-inspiring; to see their faith in God put into action was revelatory to me - no matter how far removed we are from those formative years, it is going to take the same faith, willingness, dedication and work to continue the building of God's Lighthouse in Oildale! We heard testimony after testimony of God's miraculous provision and the heartbeat of those precious elders during our anniversary celebration. It was brought to the forefront of our minds that we certainly are a blessed people with a great heritage. We recognized the impact of not only our personal heritage and testimony, but the impact of our church heritage. The testimony of the church was not initially formed merely 26 years ago, but goes back to a young man receiving a call of God on his life, and before that many Apostolic ancestors who passed this glorious truth down from generation to generation. It spans all the way back to the Day of Pentecost at the birth of Jesus' New Testament church, and reaches even to the promises of Abraham. Yea, it doesn't end there. Our heritage truly begins in the mind of God before the creation of anything. God had a church in Oildale, specifically the people that make up that church, in mind. Certainly the impact of this revelation would be enough to cause us to be humbled and eternally grateful for the blessings and favor of God! One of the testimonies our Bishop shared was one of miraculous proportions. Before they bought their first building (101 Minner Ave), they were renting a building directly across the street. One day they decided to walk across to the vacant building to pray. They got access inside and began to pray. The presence of God could be felt, and on the far east wall, right where the pulpit stands today, a cross appeared. They rejoiced over the confirmation, continued to worship God and prayed that His will be done. Pastor James Hodge took a picture of the event. For years, the picture was thought to have been lost, but in digging through (literally hundreds and hundreds) pictures it was finally found. Below is a condensed version of the video footage of phase one of ALC's first building project, first service and first baptism in the new building. At the very end is the picture taken by our Bishop of God's physical proof of divine favor on our church. I pray it impacts us to remember, rejoice and be thankful for our heritage, and that it impacts us to never sway from what makes us an Apostolic people and a part of an Apostolic church. Pastor Tyler HodgeSenior Pastor of the Apostolic Lighthouse Church of Oildale. Welcome to our new and improved church website! We hope it is easy-to-use, informative and a blessing. Let us know what you think by leaving a comment below! Here are just a few of the updates you might find useful:
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