OWO IGBEDIDE

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Lifting Holy Hands
1TI 2:1 I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone-- 2 for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. 3 This is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all men--the testimony given in its proper time. 7 And for this purpose I was appointed a herald and an apostle--I am telling the truth, I am not lying--and a teacher of the true faith to the Gentiles.
1TI 2:8 I want men everywhere to lift up holy hands in prayer, without anger or disputing.
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What Paul wants young Timothy is that the church needs to be a praying place. Prayer is a strategic element of the life of the church. A church that does not pray is a social group, it is cut off from the one for whom the Church exists. Lifting up holy hands is a sign of praise, in the OT people lifted up their hands. It was a sign of purity and devotion. Much like we teach our children to fold their hands when we pray, or the joining of hands. The position of the hands was symbolic of purity. Psalm 24:3-4 says:
PS 24:3 Who may ascend the hill of the LORD?
Who may stand in his holy place?
PS 24:4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who does not lift up his soul to an idol
or swear by what is false.
The position of the hands is symbolic of the position of the heart. So why is it we do not lift hands in prayer? Some will say because of a certain group of people that do that on a regular basis and since we do not agree with them doctrinally we don’t want to be like them, we don’t do that here. Well, we know certain groups that evangelize going door to door, so do we stop evangelizing? NO! Lifting up holy hands is symbolic of the pure heart and worship during prayer.
The first priority of the church: is that it is a place of prayer. When Jesus confronted the moneychangers, he said; “My house is a house of prayer.” Any place dedicated to the Lord is a place of prayer. This building we call a “church” is a dedicated place. It is dedicated to the Lord, therefore it should be a place of prayer. It is not the only place we can go to pray, but it should be identified as a place of prayer. When Paul writes his first letter to Timothy he lists priorities of the church, and at the top of that list is PRAYER
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