Our Footsteps: First of All

Saturday, September 6, 2008

First of All

First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. - 1 Timothy 2:1-4

Tomorrow marks our first study in Sunday School on the book of First Timothy. I couldn't help but be struck by the first verse chapter two. The verse really should strike us right between the eyes because of our prayerlessness. The Apostle Paul writing to his 'child in the faith', Timothy starts chapter two by saying 'FIRST OF ALL...'.

What does 'first of all' mean? This is one of those phrases in the Bible that doesn't take much to figure out. It means of first priority - of utmost importance - before you do anything else! PRAY.

The church is crippled and crumbling because we do not pray as we should.
The church is polluted and diseased because we do not pray as we should.
The church is impotent and ineffective because we do not pray as we should.
The church is wandering and aimless because we do not pray as we should.
The church is stale and dead because we do not pray as we should.

Of first priority? Pray. For what/whom do we pray? And what are the results? For all men and for those in authority over us… so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This is evangelistic prayer (2:4)

Dr. John F. MacArthur says, "Fervent evangelistic prayer is not only our spiritual duty, but is also an exercise of spiritual commitment that takes time and energy".

Charles H. Spurgeon says, "The soul-winner must be a master at the art of prayer. You cannot bring souls to God if you do not go to God yourself".

First of all... pray.

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I Believe...

1). I believe that there is one God. I believe God consists of three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
2). I believe that God is holy, righteous, loving, and just.
3). I believe that mankind is separated from God by sin; that sin entered the world through Adam and death through sin.
4). I believe that, because of sin, man is condemned. Because of God’s utter hatred for sin, there is an eternal conscious punishment in hell for all those who do not come to God on His terms, dealing with their sin.
5). I believe that confessing our sins and confessing Jesus Christ as Lord is the only way to properly deal with the sin that has infected everyone. Jesus Christ paid our sin debt on the cross; reconciliation by substitution. There is nothing we can do to add to the finished work of Christ.
6). I believe in the security of the believer, that once he is truly born-again, there is nothing that would cause him to lose his salvation.
7). I believe that upon the death of a true believer in Christ, that he is ushered immediately into the presence of the Lord, where he will live in everlasting joy in Heaven, experiencing eternal fellowship with God.
8). I believe in believer’s baptism by immersion. I don’t believe baptism is necessary for salvation, but it is a beautiful outward profession of an inward possession.
9). I believe in a literal 6-day creation where God created the heavens and the earth and then rested on the seventh day.
10). I believe that the words written in the Bible are truth. I believe that the Bible is inerrant in its parts and in its whole. I believe that the 66 books that make up the canon of scripture make the Bible complete and that God inspired the words written therein. The things that were written down in the Bible are sufficient for every need we have. Not only is God’s Word sufficient, but it is far superior to any other method of handling the problems that man faces, since He has given us all things pertaining to life and godliness.