Keith Battle - Don't Stop Praying

I want you to tell five people: don’t stop praying, don’t stop praying, don’t stop praying, don’t stop praying. Five people touched, some of those people, don’t stop praying. Reach around, don’t stop praying. Whatever you do, don’t stop praying. The effectual fervent prayer of the righteous avails much. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, let your requests be made known unto God with thanksgiving. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your heart and mind through Christ Jesus. Don’t stop praying. Just in case you didn’t know what it was, prayer got your ancestors through. It was prayer that some of your ancestors prayed for us, some of us, when we didn’t have enough sense to pray for ourselves. Somebody was praying for us to get us out of trouble and to watch over us. Prayer brought us through; it was the conversations we were having with God that helped us. Somebody say it again: don’t stop praying!

In Luke chapter 18, during this time, following Jesus was very difficult. I don’t want you to think of following Jesus in this modern era where it’s cool to be a Christian; it’s kind of cool, kind of dope to be spiritual. To be a follower of Jesus during this time could cost you your life. It certainly would disrupt friendships and relationships if you aligned yourself with Jesus. It could mean the end of relationships because of the disruption he caused in all the regions where he was. It could make people not want to do business with you in the marketplace and not engage in commerce with you because Jesus disrupted the entire culture. The religious leaders at that time didn’t like Jesus; partly because he didn’t just say he was a rabbinical teacher; he didn’t even just say he was a prophet. Jesus came onto the scene and said, «I am God.» Don’t ever forget that! He said, «I am the way, the truth, and the life,» and «Before Abraham was, I am.» I was here before I came here, and my Father and I are one. «I am the vine; you are the branches. Without me, you can do nothing. I am the light of the world; he that follows me shall never walk in darkness.» Jesus made claims about himself that shook up the world, and they killed him for making those claims.

It was difficult to align yourself with a man who would only live to be thirty-three and a half years old. Jesus died at 33 years of age, and really, from the time he was born to an incident when he was twelve years old, there’s really not much known about him until he turned thirty. For three and a half years, imagine following a leader who’s on a three-and-a-half-year leadership track. I mean, really think about that! And by the way, while he’s leading, he keeps warning you: «Let me tell you something. They will arrest me, they will torture me, they will bring up charges against me, they will take me, and brutally beat me beyond recognition.» Isaiah 50 says they are going to yank the hairs out of my face and my beard; they will beat me in a flogging, hang me on the cross, and I will bleed to death. «I will suffocate on the cross for you.» You’d think, «What kind of staff is he going to grow with that kind of vision? This is where we’re headed!»

I tell my man, «I want to follow somebody; there’s stock options! Where’s my desk going to be? How are we going to take over?» «You and I, in three and a half years, they’re going to kill you!» That’s not motivating! I know I have to go through somewhere called Gethsemane and I’m going through a hill called Calvary. I’m going to bleed to death. My blood is going to pay for the remission of sins; without the shedding of blood, there is no remission for sins. So it was very difficult following Jesus, and many of his followers left because it was so arduous. In fact, one time, Jesus looked at his twelve disciples and said, «All of these have forsaken me and have left me. Will you go also? Will you leave me, too?» And Peter stood up and said, «Where are we going? You have the words of eternal life.» Peter was always talking about what he was going to do, like when a few days later, people were saying, «Who is Jesus?» I don’t even know. He’s the loud one in the group; don’t even think they could; that’s the one that came to fight or nothing; they just like, «Yeah, step to me.»

Jesus is saying, «Listen, I am concerned. I want you to know I know it’s difficult to follow me, and I know it’s hard, but I want you to know something. Here’s what you need to know: I’ve given you a tool to sustain you through difficulty, and that tool is prayer.» In fact, he says in chapter 18, verse 1, «Pray so you don’t give up; pray so you won’t faint; pray so that you won’t quit.» I want to read one of the ways that Jesus would encourage this band of followers when it was difficult. He said, like he said in Luke chapter 17, «Listen, I’m going to come back. The Son of Man is coming back again; it’s called the Parousia. And when I come back, I’m going to set things in order, and everything is going to be well. But until I come back, make sure you…»