Kingdom Centered Prayer by Tim Keller: Redeemer MCM



  1. When Redeemer first started and they had their training gathering for the leaders the first thing Tim spoke on was prayer and revival.
    1. When you first start a church you're so scared
    2. If we really want to have a city shaping gospel we'll have to pray.


  2. Revivals/Renewals
    1. In the Old Testament there was a history of revivals or renewals
      1. Some were leader led where the Israel revisited their covenant and calling
      2. There were also grass roots revivals in the book of Judges
      3. All the revivals are so different but the one thing they all have in common is that the people cried out to the LORD not just "said their prayers"
    2. In the New Testament you'd think we didn't need it so much but not so
      1. Just as they needed covenant renewal ceremonies in the OT, they were constituted at Pentecost but there is a constant need for new "fillings"
        1. It's not that you get "filled once" and then as long as you work hard you'll be set.
        2. The distracting thing is that some of these "fillings" are mighty spectacular and our take on this gets us into controversies.
        3. When you see these NT fillings coming down there always prayer connected to the coming of the Spirit. Often there are other things too, but the one constant is prayer.
    3. Church History
      1. Fulton Street Revival: 1857-1858 in NYC. Over a two year period all the churches across NYC grew in members by 50%. In the US during that time about half a million people became Christians. In Northern Ireland one third of the population became converted during that same time.
      2. There have been quite a few around the world: Africa, Korea.
        1. Some are preacher revivals, some are lay led
        2. There is diversity in terms of the doctrinal traditions
        3. There is always one factor that is always there: corporate, prevailing, intensive, kingdom centered prayer.


  3. Prayer focused on God's presence and kingdom
    1. You have to pray for your personal needs. That's assumed, absolutely crucial. This isn't second class prayer, but this isn't the prayer that brings renewal.
    2. What brings renewal is corporate prayer
    3. Maintenance prayer vs. frontline prayer
      1. Maintenance prayer is short, mechanical, focused on needs within the church.
      2. Frontline prayer
        1. Request for grace to confess sins and humble yourself
          1. "You have to be incredibly happy to be sad in the right way"
          2. When the gospel is not just a concept but is so real to you, then you can be certain of it and it becomes a foundation of stone beneath you.
          3. That gives you the freedom to admit what's wrong with you finally
          4. When your identity is based on living up to standards then you can't admit what's wrong with you because your very foundations are being destroyed when someone criticizes you or if you criticize yourself.
          5. When you have a different foundation then you have the freedom to admit what's wrong with you that doesn't destroy you. It hurts but it's sweet because you conscience and your heart is strengthened enough to get out of denial.
          6. This is the first step of becoming a spiritually attractive person and beginning to repent of your sins and that is always the beginning of attracting more of the presence of God.
          7. It can't be "morbid repentance" but rather born out of the assurance of God's love.
          8. You need a lot of his joy to mourn over your sins in the right way, in the way that builds you up.
        2. In prayer express a compassion and zeal for the flourishing of the church. You want to see it flourish, grow, mature, become beautiful, etc.
        3. A yearning to know God and see his face and see his glory. "Show me your glory" says Moses.
          1. I want to sense your presence in our midst. I don't want you to be a concept but a reality to me, my church, my city.
    4. It's bold and specific
      1. Boldness: The OT leaders like Moses argued with God "you've got to do this..."
      2. Specificity: There is a specificity to it as well.
      3. Alexander the Great's general that makes an audacious request. Alexander says that by such an outlandish request his general believes that Alexander is both rich and generous.
      4. John Newton Hymn: "none can ever ask to much"


  4. Why does God want us to repeat ourselves? Why does he want to be reminded? Why is it best for us for God to make us ask for it for a long time? (Part 2)
    1. This prayer has to be prevailing
      1. Not sporadic and brief that shows a lack of dependence, a self-sufficiency
      2. We haven't built an altar and laid it out so that God can send his fire


  5. Revival is not something you can pull off or push a button on, but you also can't sit back passively and say "when God wants to do this he will..."
    1. The idea of what Elijah did in building the altar and laying out the sacrifice
    2. God's fire doesn't come down into the mud
    3. Yet building the altar doesn't bring down the fire
    4. What does building the altar (metaphor) involve?
      1. Vision driven church: Acts 1:6-8 Jesus corrects their faulty vision.
      2. Gospel driven church:
      3. Prayer driven church:
      4. Leader driven church: The leaders examine their lives, ask for grace to get happy enough to get sad, to ask for God's wholeness in your life. You've got to do it first or the people won't do it.