Thread: Weekend Catechism - Sunday School Lesson

John 20:31 (NKJV), John 2:1-22 (NKJV)

The turning of the water into wine was the first of Jesus’ miracles and it had a profound effect on those that knew him. John 2:11 says that it was because of this miracle that his disciples, "believed on him."

To most it would have been seen as a demonstration of power and a revelation of Christ's Messianic identity, but those disciples would later see a much more profound prophetic meaning to the miracle.

In John's elderly years, I'm sure that he thought often, about the "good old days" with The Master. He probably played and replayed every miracle, every healing and every teaching of Jesus over and over in his mind. Can you imagine the longing in his soul to touch Jesus again; to lay his head on his chest and gaze into his loving eyes? Even in his sleep the memories would haunt him; rolling through his heart night after night. And when those sweet dreams began to evaporate with the light of early dawn his only consolation was the promise of His blessed Saviour, "Lo, I am with you always…"

One day he was reflecting on the miracle at the wedding in Cana. It was the words of the ruler of the feast that impacted him:

"And when the manager tasted the water just now turned into wine, not knowing where it came from though the servants who had drawn the water knew he called the bridegroom and said unto him, Everyone else serves his best wine first and when the people have drunk freely, then he serves that which is not so good; but you have kept back the good wine until now."

Could it be that the miracle of the water turned into "good wine" and saved for last was a type and shadow of a greater miracle and a better wine? John's memory might have flashed to the last supper where he sat next to Jesus and heard mysterious words from sacred lips as Jesus held up another goblet of wine and said, "This is the NEW covenant in MY blood…"

Biblical covenants were blood covenants. The first one, made with Abraham, demanded the blood of sheep, goats, cattle and birds. Now, as the Old Covenant was culminating we see that after the blood of goats and rams had been shed, God had saved the best for last. In Cana water became wine, but in Jesus the Word became flesh.

In the same way that bride and groom in Cana had offered all they had to their guests, so man offered all he had to God and after all man's offerings to God had fallen pathetically short, then God offered HIS best for us.

Jesus had gone to the wedding in Cana as a guest, but it was He that ended up being the host! We may invite Jesus to come into our lives, but we have nothing to offer him. He enters our bankrupt shanty and spreads a table for us. He serves us a banquet. He gives us His best; His own body and blood!

His blood was not only best…it was also LAST! His sacrifice was once for all.

REFERENCE: John 20:31 (NKJV), John 2:1-22 (NKJV)

When a soldier is dying on the battlefield a medic will give him a potent dose of morphine. The drug will not save him, but it will mask the pain and ease the suffering.

In the same way the blood of animals could never save and could not fix the root of the fatal wound; sin. These Old Covenant sacrifices could only mask the symptoms of sin for a short season, but every year new sacrifices had to be offered and new blood had to be shed.

The blood of Jesus was of a totally different quality than any blood ever shed before. The blood of Jesus not only dealt with the symptoms of sin, it went to the very root of the problem. The blood of Jesus was not a superficial remedy for a shallow flesh wound. It penetrated the core of the human condition and went all the way back to Adam; reversing the curse and turning the greatest tragedy in history into the greatest victory.

The ruler of the feast said, "…you’ve kept back the good wine until now." After all other wines had been served and after they had all run out and run short, finally the "good" wine was being served. The best was saved for last. I see this first miracle of Jesus as a prophetic foreshadowing of what Jesus had come to do. The Jews were hoping for a national Messiah that would start a Maccabean-type revolution. Jesus had come to lay down his life and shed his blood.

When Jesus sat at the last supper and held up the cup of Passover wine he said, "This is the NEW Covenant in MY blood…" After all the blood of goats, lambs and birds had been shed and after they had all run out and fallen short, then God Himself came and performed a miracle; the Word became flesh.

His body was broken and His blood was shed once for all. His blood did what no other sacrifice had been able to do. There is enough power in one drop of the blood of Jesus to wash away every sin, to heal every sickness, to break every curse of every human being who has ever lived in all the world and in all of history! God has saved the best for last!

REFERENCE SCRIPTURE
John 20:31 (NKJV), John 2:1-22 (NKJV)

On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding. And when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, "They have no wine."

Jesus said to her, "Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come."

His mother said to the servants, "Whatever He says to you, do it."

Now there were set there six waterpots of stone, according to the manner of purification of the Jews, containing twenty or thirty gallons apiece. Jesus said to them, "Fill the waterpots with water." And they filled them up to the brim. And He said to them, "Draw some out now, and take it to the master of the feast." And they took it. When the master of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom. And he said to him, "Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now!"

This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him.

John 2:1-22 (NKJV)

What an embarrassing debacle! Running out of wine at a Jewish wedding was a shame to irresponsible hosts. Once their disgraceful miscalculation became apparent, the bride and groom could only wait and dread the moment when their thirsty drunken guests would start whining (no pun intended) about their dry goblets and itching tongues.

For all their bungles and blunders, however, the discombobulated newlyweds had unwittingly done something very wise…they had invited Jesus to their wedding. Jesus saved the day! I’m sure the bride and groom would have been thrilled for Jesus to supply any wine…even average wine. After all, it was the end of the wedding and usually the cheaper wine was served when the guests were inebriated and had become indifferent. But Jesus' wine wasn't just "good enough"…it was the best! It was the finest! It was more than enough!!

This is a wonderful parable of grace – no matter what mistakes you have made along the way, if you’ll invite Jesus into your life, he will turn your mess into a miracle and your tragedy into a triumph!

The turning of the water into wine was the first of Jesus' miracles and it had a profound effect on those that knew him. John 2:11 says that it was because of this miracle that his disciples, "believed on him." To most it would have been seen as a demonstration of power and a revelation of Christ's Messianic identity, but those disciples would later see a much more profound prophetic meaning to the miracle after Christ had ascended to Heaven.

...when I first saw "Refreshment" I been tink sey U dey give us chopulate...

Originally Posted by paj

...when I first saw "Refreshment" I been tink sey U dey give us chopulate...

Hahaha!!! Bush man, when you saw "refreshment", I'm sure you think say na tombo liqour wey we dey distribute for hia?

REFERENCE SCRIPTURE
Acts 12:3-10 (AMP), Matthew 16:19 (AMP), 1 Thessalonians 5:17 (AMP)

Once James had been murdered, Herod’s religious Jewish contingent was thrilled with his initiative and applauded him. Suddenly he saw an easy way to gain favor with a party that had always given him such opposition. Acts 12:3 amp says, “When he [Herod] saw that it was pleasing to the Jews, he proceeded further and arrested Peter also….”

This time things would be very different. The tragedy of James’ death had shaken the believers to the core and all potluck dinners were cancelled…it was time to pray. The Scripture is careful to preface the story of Peter’s deliverance with the following statement: “…[Fervent] prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him” (Acts 12:5). This statement is very significant, because the writer of Acts is trying to show us that the miraculous deliverance to follow would be a direct result of those fervent and persistent prayers that were offered up by the believers.

It was the last night of Passover week and Peter was chained between two menacing soldiers. This was to be his last night on earth, for in the morning he would be executed as James had been just a few days earlier. But the Bible says that “suddenly” a light from Heaven illuminated that gloomy prison house as an angel of the Lord appeared in his cell. He smacked Peter on the side and said, “Get up quickly!” An interesting fact is found in Acts 12:7. It tells us that Peter’s chains, “fell off from his hands!” Notice that it does not say that the angel broke the chains off Peter’s hands, but simply that they fell off.

The angel said to Peter, “Put your clothes on and follow me.” They walked past the first set of guards who didn’t notice him. They walked past the second set of guards who also seemed oblivious to his escape. Then they approached the most obstructive barrier of all – a huge iron gate that separated the prison from the street. This gate was designed to protect the outside world from the dangerous criminals it confined. It was an obstacle that seemed totally insurmountable, but Peter was not worried…he thought it was just a dream anyway.

You will notice that verse 10 says that when they reached the gate, it “opened to them of his own accord: and they went out, and passed on through one street….” Only then did the angel vanish, and suddenly Peter realized that it was not a vision. He had actually been delivered!

Can you see the theme that is emerging here? In the story, every obstacle, every barrier, and every obstruction is completely impotent. The chains fell from Peter’s hands, the guards could not see him escaping, and finally the iron door opened and the most amazing part is that all of this seems to have happened almost by itself. Although a mighty angel is sent to escort Peter out of the prison, the angel does not touch the chains, the guards, or the doors…they seem to be impacted by an invisible hand.

We see very clearly from what is emphasized in verse 5 that it is because of the prayers of the saints that all this is happening. “…[Fervent] prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him.” The prayers of the believers were the power that loosed the chains, removed the obstructions,and opened even the most impenetrable doors.

It was Peter to whom Jesus said, “And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Matthew 16:19).

Oh, my friends, if we had any idea of the incredible power that is available to us through prayer, I think we would find it so easy to heed Paul’s prompting to “pray without ceasing” (I Thessalonians 5:17).

REFERENCE SCRIPTURE
Matthew 24:14 (NKJV), Matthew 28:19 (NKJV), Hebrews 10:12-13 (NKJV)

I heard a minister recently talking about the rapture and trying to make the point that every prophecy necessary to the return of Christ has already been fulfilled. One of his points was that the Gospel has already been preached in all the world according to the promise of Jesus in Matt 24:14 (And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.) “Now,” he said, “We’re just waiting for Jesus to come back.”

If you are one of those standing in line waiting for the rapture like a ride at Disney World, consider these statistics on world evangelism that I have collected from a variety of sources. As you read these, keep in mind, that in the United States there is 1 ordained minister for every 200 people. Yet…

For every million unreached Muslims there are less than 3 missionaries.
In Afghanistan there are 17 million people, 48,000 mosques…but not a single church.
In Turkey there are 44 million people, but less then 200 Christians.
In India alone 500 million people have yet to hear the Gospel.
30% of the world’s population (more than 2 billion people) have had virtually no exposure to the Gospel.
The New Testament has been translated into the mother tongue of over 80% of the world’s population. However the remaining approximately 20%, will require over 5,500 new translations.

Jesus said, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations” (Matt 28:19). The word, “Nations” is “Ethne” in the Greek, meaning ethnic people groups. Yet…

There are an estimated 6,700 unreached or nearly unreached people groups.
The countries with the most unreached people groups in descending order; India, China, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh.
98% of all unreached people groups are located in the “10/40 Window."

THE GREAT COMMISSION IS STILL UNFULFILLED! Oswald Smith said, “We talk of the Second Coming; but half the world has never heard of the first.” Regardless if you are “pre-trib,” “post-trib,” mid-trib,” or some other “trib,” we must all confess that there is something desperately wrong with this type of doctrinal philosophy that makes us happy to escape with our own hides while the world burns and billions of people are lost. Where is the heart of Jesus in that? “…that none would perish, but that all would come to repentance.”

Here’s some food for thought; Jesus died more then 2,000 years ago. If it was God’s ultimate goal to rapture us all out of this “old god-forsaken world,” then why are we still here? What are we still waiting for? One person told me, “Jesus is building my mansion in Heaven.” Really? It took Him 6 days to create the entire cosmos, yet He’s been hung up with your “mansion” for 2,000 years? Not likely.

Heb. 10:12, 13 says, “but He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, SAT DOWN AT THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD, waiting from that time onward UNTIL HIS ENEMIES BE MADE A FOOTSTOOL FOR HIS FEET.” Since we are His hands and feet, then He must be waiting for…us. If He is waiting for us, and we are waiting for Him, it would seem we are at an impasse. This is why Jesus told His disciples, “GO” into all the world and preach the Gospel. No more waiting and debating…just Go and PREACH.

REFERENCE SCRIPTURE
Ephesians 5:14 (NIV), Amos 6:1 (AMP), 1 Peter 5:8 (NKJV), 1 Thessalonians 5:6 (NKJV)

I must have prayed for weeks before I preached my first sermon at 14 years of age. I pleaded for God’s help and blessing, knowing that without it I would be a miserable failure. Today I often preach more than twelve times in a single week. I no longer feel nervous, even when preaching to crowds of hundreds of thousands, and therein lies the danger. Although I feel comfortable and confident behind the pulpit, I must continually remind myself my sense of security is just an illusion. I could preach the most articulate sermon with the most extraordinary delivery, but I would still be a miserable failure without the blessing of the Lord.
Complacency is the enemy of victory and the ally of defeat.

I find that the more secure we feel, the more danger we are in, because it is in comfort that we can so easily forget our utter need for God. That’s why, before I get up to preach, I pray the prayer that used to be said in the classrooms of America before prosperity made her apathetic towards the very One who had so blessed her: “Almighty God, I acknowledge my utter dependence upon You and beg for Your blessing.” It is this awareness of our complete dependence upon God that will make us diligent in prayer. If you lack this consciousness in your life, chances are you are sleepwalking through the perilous wilds of complacency.

Wake up o sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” Ephesians 5:14 (NIV)

In Amos 6:1 AMP the prophet declares, “Woe to those who are at ease in Zion, and to those on the mountain of Samaria who are careless and feel secure.” The children of Israel had grown apathetic in their prosperity and comfort. They had lost their sense of urgency and were not concerned about the things of God. But their perceived security was a myth. The mercy of God that held back disaster was stretched to the limit, and in verse 7 NASB God says the party is over! “Therefore, they will now go into exile at the head of the exiles, and the sprawlers’ banqueting will pass away.” Only after disaster had struck and the nation found itself in the chains of captivity did it turn to the Lord again.

God forbid that we should have to be shaken out of our complacency by tragedy or disaster. How much better it would be if we would remain vigilant in prayer, recognizing that even in the good times, “your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (1Peter 5:8).

In 1577 Sir Francis Drake wrote:

Disturb us, Lord,
When we are too pleased with ourselves,
When our dreams have come true,
Because we dreamed too little,
When we arrived safely,
Because we sailed too close to the shore.

Disturb us, Lord,
When with the abundance of things we possess,
We have lost our thirst for the waters of life;
Having fallen in love with life,
We have ceased to dream of eternity,
And in our efforts to build a new earth,
We have allowed our vision
Of the new heaven to dim.

Everybody seems to want “revival,” thinking it is a pleasant and enjoyable experience. But to be revived is to be shaken out of a state of slumber, to be jolted out of apathetic complacency, to be alarmed, awakened, and startled. Too many churches praying for revival have a “Do not disturb” sign hanging on the door. Revival that fits neatly into a comfortable cradle is not revival at all. Instead of praying for revival, perhaps we should pray with Sir Frances Drake, “Disturb us, Lord!” Powerful prayer begins where complacency ends.

Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.” 1 Thessalonians 5:6

REFERENCE SCRIPTURE
Acts 12 (KJV), 1 Kings 18:1 (KJV), James 5:17 (KJV), Ezekiel 22:30,31 (KJV)

In the beginning of Acts 12, before Luke recounts in detail the story of Peter’s release from prison, you will notice he starts by mentioning that Herod had just executed James. It seems that he is setting the two events in juxtaposition to one another, the only difference being prayer. What if the church had prayed for James as they had prayed for Peter? Is it possible that the story could have ended differently?

Does prayer really make a difference? Can we really alter the outcome of situations and circumstances through prayer? Someone once said that prayer doesn’t change things, it only changes the person praying, but this is contrary to Scripture. Prayer DOES change situations because God has made us partners with Him for the fulfillment of His purposes in the Earth and prayer is one fundamental way in which we partner with God.

The prophet Elijah is a great example of this principle. For three years and six months Israel had been plagued by famine until God promised the prophet that He would send rain.

“And it came to pass after many days, that the word of the Lord came to Elijah in the third year saying, ‘Go show thyself to Ahab and I will send rain upon the earth.’” 1 Kings 18:1

But at the end of the same chapter in which the promise was given, we see Elijah praying for the fulfillment of the promise. He cast himself down on the ground and put his face between his knees. Seven times he sent his servant to look for any sign of rain and in the meantime James 5:17 tells us that he “prayed earnestly.” One might wonder why Elijah needed to pray at all if God had already promised that He would send the answer. But Elijah understood that the promise required partnership through prayer. Oh how many promises there are to the Child of God who will only take a hold of them earnestly through faith and prayer. Yes! Prayer does matter. It has the power to change the world.
Standing in the Gap

Ezekiel 22:30, 31 says “And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none. Therefore have I poured out mine indignation upon them; I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath: their own way have I recompensed upon their heads, saith the Lord GOD.”

This passage was written in the days when men fought battles face-to-face, sword-to-sword and hand-to-hand. There are many ancient legends of small bands of men and in some instances, a single man, standing in a narrow passage and holding off an entire army single handedly; as in the famous story of the lone Viking who brought the whole Saxon army to a halt at Stamford Bridge or the legend of the Roman hero Horacius who withstood the Etruscan army and saved Rome. If the walls of a city were breached in battle, a warrior would consider it his greatest moment of glory to stand in that narrow gap, face the enemy and defend the entire city behind him. But God says in Ezekiel 22:30 that when He looked for a man to stand in the breech, he found none. Where were the warriors? Where were the intercessors? When the wall is breeched what could possibly be more important than standing in the gap?

The enemy is constantly working to penetrate the walls of our lives and invade the Church of Jesus Christ. We see the effects of this onslaught every day; a man of God falls into sin, a family is torn apart, a church is split, someone becomes ill, etc. Yet how often the people of God stand on the sideline watching the catastrophe and enthusiastically exploiting their new conversation piece. But God is not pleased. We have not been called to gossip and gawk, but to jump into the gap, to make up the hedge and to defend the breech! Our failure to “make up the hedge and stand in the gap” can have dire consequences. That’s why prayer is such a serious issue. It is a matter of life and death. And one man or woman, strategically positioned in prayer can be used by God to bring about mighty victories for His glory!

Acts 12: 5-18 (NIV)

So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him. The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries stood guard at the entrance. Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. "Quick, get up!" he said, and the chains fell off Peter's wrists. Then the angel said to him, "Put on your clothes and sandals." And Peter did so. "Wrap your cloak around you and follow me," the angel told him. Peter followed him out of the prison, but he had no idea that what the angel was doing was really happening; he thought he was seeing a vision. They passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city. It opened for them by itself, and they went through it. When they had walked the length of one street, suddenly the angel left him.

Then Peter came to himself and said, "Now I know without a doubt that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from Herod's clutches and from everything the Jewish people were hoping would happen." When this had dawned on him, he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark, where many people had gathered and were praying. Peter knocked at the outer entrance, and a servant named Rhoda came to answer the door. When she recognized Peter's voice, she was so overjoyed she ran back without opening it and exclaimed, "Peter is at the door!" "You're out of your mind," they told her. When she kept insisting that it was so, they said, "It must be his angel." But Peter kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished. Peter motioned with his hand for them to be quiet and described how the Lord had brought him out of prison. "Tell James and the other brothers and sisters about this," he said, and then he left for another place. In the morning, there was no small commotion among the soldiers as to what had become of Peter.

Peter’s imprisonment was a crisis that could have ended in catastrophe or victory. To the believers gathered in Mary’s house praying for his release, their primary concerns were most likely immediate. They were frightened that they would lose the great apostle who was also their friend and leader. They were probably empathetic with Peter’s suffering and the brutal execution he was facing. But there was a more enduring matter at stake — the eternal glory of God. The intercessors probably had no idea that through their prayers God would unleash His power in an extraordinary way that would be a testimony to many generations — including ours. How many thousands have been inspired by this amazing story? Yet, it might have been a tragic tale lost to history had it not been for the prayers of those few fervent prayer warriors standing in the gap.

God is primarily concerned with receiving glory from our lives. Perhaps the daunting circumstances you are facing are just a platform from which God desires to demonstrate a mighty miracle to an unbelieving world. The eyes of God are going to and fro throughout the earth looking for someone through whom He can show himself mighty. He wants to receive glory through your sickness. He wants to receive praise through your financial emergency. He wants to receive honor through your family situation. Call upon the Lord. Inquire of Him. Ask Him what He thinks and desires. Don’t deprive Him of the opportunity to be your “very present help in trouble.” Don’t lean on the arm of the flesh…don’t dig your own grave.

REFERENCE SCRIPTURE
Isaiah 57:15 (KJV), Revelation 4:11 (KJV), 1 Corinthians 6:20 (KJV), John 9:2 (NASB), Rev 20:12 (KJV)


We live in a physical world, where temporal material needs can often seem overwhelming and perpetual in our narrow view of reality. But in the grand scheme of eternity our problems are actually very small and insignificant.

Consider this: if you looked out of the window of an airplane at 30,000 feet on a clear day you would see how even the largest, most imposing man-made structures on earth would be hardly visible much less impressive at that altitude. But actually, in terms of the universe, it would still be an incredibly close distance (only about 5.7 miles away).

Looking up at the stars on a clear night, it is mind-blowing to think that the closest one (after the Sun) is 25 trillion miles from earth!

While that sounds like a vast distance, completely impossible for our finite minds to comprehend; it is actually relatively close…slightly more than four light-years away.

Compare that with other stars that are known to be more than 80,000 light-years away and there could be as many as 400 billion of them…just within our galaxy!

If you feel small now, hold on to your hat! There are hundreds of billions of galaxies in the observable universe, which spans tens of billions of light-years!

Just try for a moment to comprehend, how small you are. When you look down at the Earth from 30,000 feet, (not even a “nano-second” compared to the light-years we use to measure the universe) human beings are not even visible…and now we are talking about billions of light-years!

In the context of the universe, the earth itself is less than an infinitesimally microscopic speck of dust and we are the earth’s microbes.

But there’s more, because all the unfathomable vastness that makes up our universe exists in a tiny plane of time and space that we know as the physical world. Isaiah 57:15 says that God inhabits eternity; a realm of infinite scope in which our entire cosmos is only a drop of water in an endless ocean.

My friend, no matter how daunting your problem or need may seem right now, be assured that in reality, it is a small matter of very little true significance. Why should the omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient, eternal God intervene in our affairs of such utter triviality? Because God uses our lives as a platform from which He desires to receive praise and glory. From the day we are born until the day we die, our lives exist for one reason — to glorify God.

Why do our problems matter? Because through them God can be glorified. It is easy to become self-centered in prayer focusing on our own needs and desires, but ultimately, even if we benefit from an answered prayer, it is not about us…it is all about Him! The philosophy of the age is the spirit of humanism, which teaches that the chief end of all being is the happiness of man. We are led to believe that this also applies to our relationship with God; that His chief goal and purpose is to make us happy, healthy, wealthy and comfortable. But Scripture teaches the opposite. Revelation 4:11 says that we were created for God’s pleasure! I Corinthians 6:20 says, “For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”

Take divine healing for example; every person who is supernaturally healed is still going to die one day, so someone might ask, “What is the point?” The real purpose is that God might receive praise as a result. For this reason, our problems do matter and have eternal significance; because God’s glory is a matter of eternal importance.

In John 9:2 NASB the Disciples asked Jesus about a man who was born blind, “…saying, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he should be born blind?’” and in verse 3, “Jesus answered, ‘It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was in order that the works of God might be displayed in him.’”

The disciples wanted to know if this situation was about the blind man or maybe his parents, but Jesus made it clear… it wasn’t about any of them. It was about bringing glory to God!

Scripture tells us about a few books that are in Heaven. One is called “The Book of Life.” Another is called, “The Book of Remembrance.” There are also other books mentioned in Revelation 20:12. I think one of God’s books must be a picture album. In this book there are thousands of small snapshots of moments in human history. I think there is a picture Noah building the Ark. There is a picture of God making His covenant with Abraham. There is a picture of Jacob wrestling with the Angel of the Lord. There is a picture of Moses leading the Children of Israel out of Egypt. There is a picture of Peter walking on the water. Perhaps there is a picture of something that happened in your life as well. All these pictures are snapshots of moments in time when a man or a woman dared to trust God. They are moments when someone obeyed even when they didn’t understand. They are snapshots of moments when someone was faithful even unto death. They are snapshots of when God’s strength was made perfect through human weakness.

A hundred trillion years after this earth has been melted down and everything we know as “reality” has vanished forever; your best and worst moments, your struggles and victories, your pains and pleasures will seem like a faded dream. In that day, the only memorial of our world will be the snapshots in God’s picture album and every one will have the same caption, “Unto the Glory and Praise of God.” These are the things that really matter. Our feelings, emotions, wants, desires and pleasures are ultimately meaningless compared to God’s eternal glory. This is why we pray. This is why we intercede. Not just so that our temporary lives can be enriched, but so that God’s enduring Kingdom may be advanced.

This Bible Study is taken from Chapter IV of Daniel Kolenda's new book "Your Kingdom Come". Daniel Kolenda is an Associate Evangelist, with Reinhard Bonnke, at Christ for All Nations.

In our mass Gospel campaigns where hundreds of thousands attend each meeting, multitudes of sick and needy people gather for prayer. It is physically impossible to lay hands on each person, but we have made an incredible discovery. There are no limitations with God. When we pray over the gigantic crowd, miracles and healings begin to pop up like popcorn, and from the front to the back the power of God flows equally to all.

Often, we have physically cut chains off of the hands and feet of insane people who have been delivered miraculously through the simple power of faith and prayer.

Do you have loved ones who are bound by the power of Satan? Do you want to see salvation come to your children, grandchildren, parents, brothers, and sisters? Do you have a friend who is addicted to drugs, alcohol, or a perverse lifestyle? Have you tried to reach them with no success? You have a secret weapon.

My friend, it’s time to pray. Through prayer the dunamis power of God can apprehend that person right where they are, shatter the chains that bind them, open their prison doors, and bring deliverance, freedom, and healing. You may be separated by thousands of miles, but distance is no difficulty for the omnipresent Holy Spirit.

Isaiah 59:1 NEB says, “The Lord’s arm is not so short that he cannot save….” Although Peter was imprisoned on the other side of town, through prayer in the name of Jesus, the physical chains on his hands were loosed and all barriers were removed.

Matis Nagi was in an asylum a hundred miles away, but through prayer, the chains wrapped around his mind were loosed, deliverance came to his soul, and his life was transformed.

When you pray, you have the power to bring deliverance to the oppressed. You can have a real impact that reaches to the ends of the earth without ever leaving home. What you bind on earth will be bound in heaven…what you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. No door, no chain, no barrier, and no distance is too great for the long arm of the Lord!

Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Matthew 6:10


This Bible Study has been taken from Chapter VI of Daniel Kolenda’s new book “Your Kingdom Come” and is for those who desire to enter into a divine partnership with God and His purposes by joining the prayer revolution.

Charles Finney (1792-1875) is considered by many people to have been one of the greatest revivalists in American history. When Finney preached in a city, the entire region was powerfully impacted by the holy presence of God, which seemed to descend like a cloud. The tangible presence of God would be felt for miles around and multitudes of people would come to Jesus as if being drawn by a mysterious, magnetic force. Churches would be overwhelmed with new converts. Crime rates would plummet, and jails would empty because of the numbers of people who had come to Jesus. The moral nature of cities and regions would be impacted for decades to come because of the supernatural work that was done by the Holy Spirit through this man of God. Interestingly, approximately 80 percent of those people who came to Jesus in Finney’s meetings were still actively serving the Lord twenty-five years after their initial salvation experience16 – an extraordinary statistic.

The amazing revivals that followed the ministry of Charles Finney were much more than just the result of the eloquent preaching of this evangelist. There was an atmosphere that followed Charles Finney that reflected the holiness of God. When people encountered that atmosphere, their testimony was much the same as the prophet Isaiah who, encountering the holiness of God, cried out in despair, “Woe is me! for I am undone…” (Isaiah 6:5). People were stricken by the horrors of their sins and the deep offense that sin caused in the heart of God. A reverential fear of the Lord was experienced by many that caused them to turn to the Lord with true, heartfelt repentance, and they were never the same again.

Much has been written about the amazing ministry of Charles Finney, but very little is known about another man named Daniel Nash who was an associate of Finney. Very few people even knew that he existed. He was very quiet by nature and rarely, if ever, attended any of the revival meetings where Finney preached. Though he had been a pastor early in his life, he had been wounded by some church leaders who had fired him from his church thinking he was too old. He was forty-six at the time. This breaking of Nash’s heart was only a part of the preparation for a much greater work that God had prepared for him to do. Nash’s ministry was a ministry of prayer and intercession. Because of his hurt, he withdrew from public ministry but became a man of mighty prevailing prayer!

God brought Daniel Nash and Charles Finney together to form a team that was to be used by God in a most phenomenal way. Nash would precede Charles Finney’s arrival in a city for revival meetings. He would go to the city and check into a boarding house and begin praying for the meetings that were coming. Sometimes he wouldn’t come out of his room for days at a time as he devoted himself totally to intercession. Sometimes people reported hearing weeping and groaning coming from this man’s room as he prayed for the Holy Spirit’s power to be released and a mighty harvest to be reaped when Charles Finney came to preach.

Daniel Nash would pray for days before he felt that the work had been done in the spirit for the meetings to convene. Other times he would pray for three to four weeks in advance of Finney’s arrival, but he would not quit until he felt in his spirit that the preparation through intercession was complete. Nash prayed until he felt that the spiritual atmosphere had been prepared, and once he felt a release, he would send word to Charles Finney that the town was ready for him to come. Finney would follow, preach the Gospel, and the tidal floods of God’s holy, convicting, and saving glory would overwhelm the town and people would come to Jesus to be saved as a result.

The greatest moves of God in American history occurred during this season of time. Entire regions were changed as a result of Finney’s ministry. Historians point to those meetings as having such a profound impact upon people and societies that the effects could still be seen a century or more later! The powerful preaching of Charles Finney that saw hundreds of thousands of people saved would have never had the impact it did had it not been for the spiritual partnership with the intercessory ministry of Daniel Nash. It is interesting to note that only four months after Daniel Nash’s death, Charles Finney left the itinerate revival ministry to pastor a church. The powerful revivals that characterized his ministry and changed a nation began to wane.

Daniel Nash is buried in a simple grave in an obscure cemetery behind a farmer’s barn in upstate New York. It was lost in history for many decades. On his small, well-worn tombstone are these words: “Daniel Nash – Prayer minister for Charles Finney.” Though he was virtually unknown to the masses, God used Nash in a most profound way to birth the revivals of Charles Finney which touched multitudes. Surely, Daniel Nash enjoys the same fruit of reward as Charles Finney in Heaven today because of the role he played in intercession and prayer! I believe that there are many Daniel Nash’s in the earth today. They are known only to God (and maybe a few family members or friends). They may never write a book. They may never have a television program. They may never have a large public ministry that draws money, popularity, and acclaim of the masses, but their unseen labors in the spirit through intercessory prayer are resulting in the work of God moving forward in the earth. They may be strangers while here, but one day they will be champions in Heaven.

The next great move of God will come as a result of Prayer & Obedience by the body of Christ. Discover how God made us partners with Him for the fulfillment of His purposes in the earth.

....Enjoy it!

Who is Jesus? by Dr.Billy Graham - YouTube