Whatever Things You Ask When You Pray, Evans Olang

Mark 11:24, “Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.” 

To tackle this vs., I open with this question, did Jesus give believers a blank check to ask for anything? It sounds straight forward “…whatever things you ask when you pray…”. This needs to be looked at in the light of who we are in Christ. We should be driven to have the mind of Christ, be imitators of Christ, be conformed to the image of Christ.

Amen – To Say or Not to Say, Part 6of6, Pastor Phil Sessa

Hebrews 10:24-25, “24 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.” (, NKJV)

This final part in our series on “amen” to say or not to say will focus on prayer and the word more directly, although it was certainly touched on in previous parts. Can you imagine if you just poured your heart out to someone, and there was no response? How would you know if your wife liked or disliked something you shared? If you were sharing something precious to you with another person, such as the birth of your new child in the world, can you imagine if they were indifferent to what you just shared, how discouraging that would be?

Amen – To Say or Not to Say, Part 5of6, Pastor Phil Sessa

2Corinthians 1:20–22),“20 For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory. 2 And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, 22 and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee. Christ Is God’s “Amen!” (English standard version)

The IVP Bible background commentary shares that from Troas in Asia (1:8), one could sail to Macedonia, and come overland down to Corinth, as Paul had done before (Acts 16:11–12) and planned to do again (1Corinthians 16:5), and finally did later (Acts 20:1–3). 1:17. Paul had been unable to fulfill his stated intention. As he says in 1:23, his decision not to stop at Corinth was to “spare” them; instead he sent Titus ahead with a harsh letter (1:23–2:11; 7:7–12). When Titus did not return to the appointed meeting place in Troas, Paul feared for him (given the dangers of traveling in antiquity) and went on into Macedonia (2:12–13). There Paul met up with Titus again, who gave him good news about them (7:5–16).[1] Digressions were standard in ancient writing, and Paul here digresses (1:18–22) to assure them that he indeed had a good reason for not coming; he was a representative of the God who always kept his word, and he proclaimed a faithful gospel. “Amen” functioned as a positive affirmation at the end of a prayer, and Christ became the amen and yes to all the biblical promises of a truly faithful God[2]

Amen – To Say or Not to Say, Part 4of6, Pastor Phil Sessa

1Corinthians 14:13-16 “Therefore, one who speaks in a tongue should pray for the power to interpret. 14 For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays but my mind is unfruitful. 15 What am I to do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will pray with my mind also; I will sing praise with my spirit, but I will sing with my mind also. 16 Otherwise, if you give thanks with your spirit, how can anyone in the position of an outsider say “Amen” to your thanksgiving when he does not know what you are saying (– please read the whole context starting at verse 1)?

“Amen” Affirms Others in the Body

Amen – To Say or Not to Say, Part 3of6, Pastor Phil Sessa

1Corinthians 14:13-16, “Therefore, one who speaks in a tongue should pray for the power to interpret. 14 For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays but my mind is unfruitful. 15 What am I to do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will pray with my mind also; I will sing praise with my spirit, but I will sing with my mind also. 16 Otherwise, if you give thanks with your spirit, how can anyone in the position of an outsider say “Amen” to your thanksgiving when he does not know what you are saying (– please read the whole context starting at verse 1)?”

A great bulk of today’s continued message will come from the writing of one of our favorites, John Piper. His message on “amen”, really inspired, and I gleaned much from it, as I both read and listened to the message, I would encourage you to do the same.

Amen – To Say or Not to Say, Part 2of6, Pastor Phil Sessa

Psalm 72:18–20, “18 Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel, Who only does wondrous things! 19And blessed be His glorious name forever! And let the whole earth be filled with His glory. Amen and Amen. 20The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended”

This Psalm of Solomon, son of David brings this powerful psalm concerning the Glory and Universality of the Messiah’s Reign. At the end of this psalm what was his focus?

Pouring Your Heart To The Lord, Evans Olang

1Samuel 1:8-18, “But Hannah answered and said, “No, my lord, I am a woman of sorrowful spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor intoxicating drink, but have poured my soul before the Lord”

People do struggle to pray. You may have struggled numerous times to pray and still got nowhere. And if you prayed, your prayers felt so dry, not effective, and did not even enjoy it. I remember years back when I had the same kind of struggle and God had to teach me to pray effectively changing my whole perspective on prayers and how to approach the throne of grace. Yes I still struggle to pray, the will to is there, the strength and the effectiveness sometimes fail.

This Is The Will Of God…, Evans Olang

1Thessalonians 5:16-18, “16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you”

These three verses are short, however they are weighty. If I was to write a paper on these three, I may end up with a book.

In looking at the few verses in 1Thessalonians 5, I realize that many times we look at vs.18 in reference to the will of God. That it’s God’s will that we give Him thanks in everything. Note that the bible does not say to give Him thanks “FOR”. It’s while we are “IN” it that we give thanks.

While Men Slept, Part 3of3: The How To Pray, Evans Olang

Matthew 13:24-25, “24 Another parable He put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; 25 but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way.”

In the last message, I mentioned that there are three spheres that affect our prayer lives 1. THE REASON TO PRAY, 2. THE POWER TO PRAY, 3.THE HOW TO PRAY. We shared on the first two, we finish with the last but not least The How To Pray.