Thoughts from Jerry Leachman’s Message February 26, 2016

Worthy of Praise and Prayer

As men of God, we need to be engaged, not just involved. When we’re engaged, we can see things from God’s eternal perspective. Prayer engages our lives and aligns our heart with God’s heart. Prayer changes our perspective so that we can see God working in our life to will and to do of his good pleasure.

Jerry Leachman, Pete’s close friend was chaplain for the Washington Redskins for over 13 years. He’s also in charge of an influential prayer breakfast in Washington, DC. Recently Jerry was asked to speak at every school in the Ivy League about his perspective on faith, character and values. According to Proverbs 18:16, A man’s gift maketh room for him, and bringeth him before great men. Jerry’s prayer life is an example of the Apostle Paul’s exhortation in 1 Timothy 3:1-3: I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men, For kings, and for all that are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour.

Jerry observes that on the day of Pentecost, the miracle of Acts Chapter 2, was not that the apostles spoke in unknown languages, but that those in the audience received the Pentecostal “gift of hearing.” For even though the apostles were “uneducated and ignorant men” who did not know other languages, each person heard from the apostles in his own language the wonderful works of God. This should be our prayer: “God grant us the Pentecostal gift of hearing… that we may hear and understand the message of Jesus Christ and that we may know him and the power of the resurrection.”

Revelation 5 describes the scroll that was sealed with seven seals. An angel crying with a loud voice said, “Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?” No one could open the scroll. According to Roman law, only the heir could open the will, the scroll of the title to God’s creation. According to verse 5, see the Lion of the tribe of Judah who is able to open the scroll of the seven seals. And behold, I saw a lamb (as in Isaiah 53), encircled with the seven spirits of God. The twenty four elders fell down before the lamb. They held golden bowls of incense of the prayers of the saints. They sang a new song, “you purchased men for God, making them servants and priests for God to serve men upon the earth.” Then I heard the voice of many angels, ten thousands of ten thousands encircling the throne declaring “worthy is the lamb to receive power and glory.” And every creature was saying, “Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.” Then the elders fell on the ground and worshiped him.

God said that we were bought with a price. Upon the new birth, we changed teams. We became a new creation. According to 1 Corinthians Chapter 6, by his own power God raised Jesus from the dead and he will also raise us up who have been born of his spirit. He who unites himself with the Lord is one with him in the spirit. Therefore flee from sexual immorality. Since we are joined together in the body of Christ, we should not join ourselves with the “harlots” and harlotry of this world. All sins other than fornication and adultery are committed outside of a man’s body. Know ye not that ye are the temple of the holy spirit? Ye were bought with a price; therefore honor God with your bodies.

What’s the difference between a Christian and a disciple? A disciple is disciplined to follow in his master’s footsteps and to act according to his master’s commands. The world’s political class reflects the popular culture of the times… they do not influence the culture. Nehemiah said that worldly leadership is a reflection of the culture. Are we as men of God salt and light, or do we reflect the values of the world? God judges all cultures by their sexual sins. See the book by Richard Simmons III “Love at First Sight.” According to Simmons, sexual “hook ups” are the expected norm for young men and women in our culture. They learn to treat each other as objects to gratify their own selfish pleasures. The hook up culture says that you can’t allow your emotions to enter into a hook up or you’ll pay a heavy emotional price. The biblical standard is that “the act of marriage” is the consummation of the intimate union and ultimate expression of love between a man and a woman in holy matrimony. So shall the two be made one flesh. This concept is contrary to the popular culture’s notion that sexual hook ups should have no sense of emotion, intimacy, or beauty.

Pornography has had a major impact on the culture and has indoctrinated many young women into the belief that hook-ups are the norm for sexual intimacy. Young men exposed to pornography get to the point that they become impotent and cannot become aroused by a real woman. In our culture, there is no sexual behavior that is considered immoral. According to Dennis Prager, if the Christians go down, our culture goes down. Sexually active teenage girls are three times more likely to be depressed and three times more likely to commit suicide than those who are not sexually active.

Repentance is turning from the world and unto God. When we confess our sins, they no more have power over us. For if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Our righteousness is not in our own flesh, but only in Christ. For he who knew no sin became the perfect sin sacrifice on our behalf that we made the righteousness of God in him. According to James 5, the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

The only solution to the problem is prayer. Jesus prioritized prayer among almost everything else. The disciples’ request to their Lord was, “teach us to pray.” Jesus said my house should be a house of prayer. He didn’t say my house should be called a house of fellowship, service, praise, or discipleship. He prioritized his house as a house of prayer. Elijah, a man of passions like ours prayed. When he prayed according to God’s revelation, the rains stopped for three years.

The miracle of Dunkirk is a story of God’s intervention because of prayer. The Nazi’s could have annihilated the British troops at Dunkirk. Churchill called all England to pray. The miracle was that Hitler called his troops to stand down for three days. If Hitler had attacked, this would have turned the balance of power in World War II in favor of the Nazis. However, God’s intervention because of prayer gave the allied forces time to evacuate their troops.

The Lord exhorts us to be men of prayer. He has called us to intervene in prayer for those to whom we minister. As long as we can pray, we can have a supernatural impact in the spiritual battle. As Paul said, pray for us, that the word of God may have free course and be glorified in us as it is in you. Prayer is giving your heart to God. Talk to God. Lead with prayer. Make it one of the most important things in your life. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God which passeth all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus our Lord.

May God richly bless you.
Your brother in Christ,
Michael