GARDEN LOCAL CHURCH, Off PENDELA ROAD, GARDEN SITE 3, P.

O BOX 33643 LUSAKA

SERMON PREACHED BY ELDER T.M.MULONDA ON FRIDAY NIGHT OF 1ST DECEMBER 2023 DURING THE
OVERNIGHT PRAYER MEETING AT GARDEN EVANGELICAL CHURCH

TOPIC – PRAYING WITHOUT CEASING

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE – 1THESALONIANS 5:16-17

INTRODUCTION
DEFINITION OF PRAYER
From a Christian point of view, a Prayer is one way in which we communicate with God, when we
pray, we engage into a loving fellowship with God. In pray, we can either thank God for who he
is (praise and adoration). We petition God through prayer (praying for our needs and that of
others). We thank God for what he has done (worship) and many more. Prayers simply has no
one definition as it is the only means in which we engage with our creator. Different people have
different needs and reason to pray, the reason we pray is what determines how we should pray.
The Shorter Catechism defines prayer as, “… an offering up of our desires unto God, for things
agreeable to his will, in the name of Christ, with confession of our sins, and thankful
acknowledgment of his mercies.

WHAT PRAYING WITHOUT CEASING IS NOT; ” Praying without ceasing does not mean
doing this continually without any break. It does not mean non-stop praying, 24 hours a
day and 7 days a week – or else we can’t do anything else like work, study, eat and sleep.

WHAT IS IT; Praying without ceasing means praying frequently and persistently, even in
the midst of our daily activities. And when we understand what prayer is meant for, we
will be able to see why we ought to pray like this.

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 POINTS TO LOOK AT

1. Prayer Grants Us Privileged Access to God. (James 5:14-16 (KJV)

Is any sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the church; and let
them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: and the
prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he
have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.

Why should this access be so desirable to us? Well, it is because it brings us to our great
Creator who is infinite, eternal and unchangeable in His being, wisdom, power, holiness,
justice, goodness, and truth. What an awesome privilege it is to have unlimited access to
the Almighty God Himself. God is also the ultimate source of everything, including joy.
The verse just before our text reads, “Rejoice evermore. In His presence is fullness of joy
(Psalm 16:11). Prayer gives us unlimited access to this joy from God.

Prayer is also the only means by which we can experience the peace that comes from
God. This peace is mentioned at the very beginning of our guiding epistle – “Grace be unto
you, and peace, from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. “In 1 Thessalonians 5:23.
He is called the God of peace. This is a peace that transcends all understanding, a blessed
peace that guards our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:6, 7). It is only
by prayer that we can experience this wonderful peace of God. Prayer grants us
privileged access to God who is our source of joy and peace.

Q. But how often do we make use of this privileged access?

A. By committing ourselves to meeting with the lord every day in prayer. Nowadays
long-distance communication has become so convenient and easy that we often just take
it for granted. With the use of high-speed fibre-optic cables and satellite transmission, we
can have a meaningful conversation with someone on the other side of the world by
phone, email, Skype or SMS.
What a tremendous difference this is from those olden days when it took days or weeks
to communicate with people overseas by airmail or sea mail.
If we appreciate the easy access that modern communication provides, then we ought
to appreciate even more the amazing way of access that Christ has opened for us. Prayer
is infinitely better than any mobile phone subscription plan – it has the fastest speed and
the widest coverage, it never breaks down and we don’t have to pay a ngwee for it.

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 This access to the Almighty is free to us because Christ purchased it at a high cost of
himself. It’s a done deal, Jesus paid it all, and we have free access to the Creator of the
Universe.
 At the moment when the price was fully paid by Christ on that cross, the huge veil
in the temple that separated man from God was torn asunder from top to bottom.
This gives us unlimited access to God’s presence. Since such a great price has been
paid for it, how can we not treasure this access to God? Surely we should make
full use of it as often as we can, through unceasing prayer. Let us therefore enjoy
fully the close walk with God that we can have every day of our life!

My friend, are you weak and heavy laden? Pray;

Are you disadvantaged in any way? Pray.
Are you feeling discouraged? Pray.
Are you passing through trials and temptations? Pray.
Is there anything that is troubling you, your home, your marriage, your family? Pray.
Are you stuck in any form of some situation? JUST PRAY.
Pray now, pray in the morning, pray in the afternoon, pray in the evening, pray at night, pray,
pray again, keep praying…the lord wants you to cast your all your cares upon him for he cares for
you. (1 Peter 5:7)

2. Prayer makes our relationship with God strong. (John 4:24)

God is spirit, those who worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. Having a
good conversation with someone requires that you both participate in the conversation,
you all need to be committed to communication to make the conversation live, this is so
true with our relationship with God.
In order for us to achieve this, we ought to worship God in sprit and in truth.

Q. So what is truthful and spiritual worship?

A. (I) To Worship in Truth; Worshiping God in truth requires that we align our worship
with the reality of who He is and what He has revealed through His Word. This involves
embracing the truths of Scripture, acknowledging Jesus as the fulfillment of God's
redemptive plan, and seeking an authentic relationship with our Creator based on faith
and obedience to Christ's teachings. When we worship in truth, we are grounded in the
unchanging nature of God and His Word, even as we grow and mature in our faith.

(II). To worship God in spirit, we must engage our whole being – our hearts, minds, souls,
and spirits – in our adoration of Him. True worship is not limited to external actions or
rituals but involves a deep, personal connection with God that permeates every aspect of

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 our lives. This intimate relationship is made possible through the indwelling presence of
the Holy Spirit, who unites us with God and guides us in our spiritual journey.

 Transformative Power of True Worship

As we learn to worship in spirit and truth, our lives are transformed by the power of God's
presence. This transformation is not only personal but also communal, as we share in the life-
giving power of the Holy Spirit with other believers. As we grow in our understanding of true
worship, we become agents of reconciliation and healing in a world divided by differences and
misunderstandings. Our worship becomes a powerful testimony to the love and grace of God,
drawing others to experience the life changing presence of Christ.
Psalms 1:1-3 blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand
in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the law of the
LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night, He shall be like a tree Planted by the
streams of water, That brings forth its fruit in due season, Whose leaves shall not wither; And
whatever he does he prospers.
Praying without ceasing brings blessings and connection with God, It makes you like a
tree planted by streams of water; you become fruitful in ministry; whatever ministry you
involve yourself in will be durable because its sustained by God himself, as your leaf
remains green in the midst of dry blasts and seasons of drought you will remain
prosperous in your ministry, in that all the work of faith will have enduring significance
even to eternity. Nothing you do in dependence on God will be done in vain.
Samuel describes the failure to pray without ceasing as sin to the lord. 1 Sam 12:23.

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Creating a Lifestyle of Prayer
Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a
solitary place, where He prayed. Mark 1:35
Prayer is most effective when it isn’t something we do every now and then, but when it’s a
lifestyle we cultivate. To understand how to have a lifestyle of prayer, we can look at the example
Jesus gave during His life on earth. Our Lord prioritized prayer, he prayed every time, and in
everything he did on earth he engaged his Father in heaven. Believers are to get their example
from the lifestyle of prayer from Jesus.