Mission Accomplished
Pastor Jamie Self - 6/7/2026
The disciples weren't asking Jesus for a prayer technique when they said "teach us to pray." They were asking for what he had with the Father. In Luke 11, Jesus points them and us to the greatest gift the Father gives to those who ask: the Holy Spirit. This sermon explores what it means to stop living in Luke 11 and start praying like an Acts 2 Christian — someone who is already in the room.
Weekly Reflection
“Jesus made the Father's cosmic goodness accessible on earth. He opened the door.”
Most of us have learned to hedge our prayers by asking small, and bracing ourselves for silence. But this week's sermon asks a direct question: are you living in Luke 11, or are you living in Acts 2? The mission is accomplished. The door is open. The Holy Spirit has been given. The question is whether we're praying like we actually believe any of that is true.
Here's a resource that expands on today's theme — "A Prayer That Brought the Holy Spirit Down" by John Piper at Desiring God. It traces the connection between the disciples' posture of prayer and the Spirit's arrival, and points us toward the kind of bold, dependent asking that marks an Acts 2 believer.
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This Week’s Challenge:
Pause and ask: Am I praying like someone still waiting for the door to open, or like someone who is already in the room? Name one prayer you've been holding back — one thing that only the Holy Spirit could do — and bring it to God this week with open hands.
Scripture:
Luke 11:1-13