5@5

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened” (Matthew 7:7-8).

Let’s 5@5. What does this mean? Let me explain. Many Americans, whether Christian or not, believe in prayer. A Pew Research Center survey conducted in 2014 found that 45% of Americans say they rely heavily on prayer when making major life decisions. The same survey found that 63% of Christians say, “Praying regularly is an essential part of their Christian identity.” From a theological standpoint, prayer is not  actually an essential part of being a Christian. The word “Christian” literally means, “belonging to the party of Christ” or a “follower of Christ,” so our Christian identity comes from Christ. As followers of Christ however, we are called to imitate him (Ephesians 5:1). Throughout the gospels, not only did Jesus pray, but he also taught his disciples to pray. In Matthew 7:7-8, Jesus teaches us to ask, seek, and knock. The “you” in this text is actually plural, meaning, “you all.” In other words, Jesus is teaching us that we all need to pray as a church. Individual prayer is not enough. How should we pray? We should pray as a community for our community. The Well Church, would you commit to pray for your church 5 minutes a day, every day, at 5 pm? Let us pray that the Holy Spirit would move mightily at The Well. Let us pray that we will encounter God every time we gather as a community. Let us pray that God will use us in expanding his Kingdom. And lastly, let us pray for our future home - that God will provide a new place of worship. Let’s 5@5.