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When the church prays, God makes ordinary people brave. Kingdom prayer does not stay indoors. In Acts 4 the church has just been threatened and ordered to stop speaking about Jesus. Notice what they do not pray for. They do not ask for safety or relief. They ask for boldness. And God shakes the room, fills them with the Spirit, and sends them back out speaking the word. This is the outward turn of the series and it builds off of where we finished last week. God’s will is for his people to take the good news of the king and his kingdom to the world around them. Praying the kingdom come becomes asking God for the courage to carry the gospel into a world that may push back. This week speak honestly about the real fears people have of our own moment, the cultural pressure, the cost of being openly Christian at work and in the neighbourhood. This week ties directly into the culture of evangelism and invitation that we long to see God increase in our church. It also teaches us that boldness does not require a certain type of personality. When the God’s people pray and the Holy Spirit fills us we have all that we need to face our fears and fulfill our mission.

We do not build the kingdom. We pray it down. Once our seeking has been reordered around the kingdom, Jesus teaches us how to ask for it. The Lord’s Prayer is the pattern, and the petition at its center is the one that carries this week. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. This reframes prayer for people who think of it as getting God to bless their own agenda. Kingdom prayer is surrender before it is request. It is asking God to have his way before it is asking God for our way. We make it concrete by naming what your kingdom come would actually mean across Forward. In struggling marriages and fractured families. In the way we order and prioritize our time and our money. In our workplaces, schools, and cities. What would it look like for God’s Kingdom to come, his will to be done? What would it look like for us to cry out to God for this, not only individually, but as his church?

Create in Me a Clean Heart (Steve Hicks) | Summer In The Psalms

When the World is Falling Apart (Derik Fuller) | Summer In The Psalms

Let Everything Praise (Steve Hicks) | Summer In The Psalms

Faith That Argues (Kirk Giles) | Summer In The Psalms

Grateful Worship (Andrew Nunn) | Summer In The Psalms

Where Are You God? (Steve Hicks) | Summer in the Psalms

In Revelation 4–5, John is given a glimpse into the throne room of heaven where all creation gathers around the throne in endless worship of God and the Lamb. These chapters pull back the curtain on ultimate reality and remind us that worship is not fundamentally about us, our preferences, or our emotions. Worship begins with seeing God rightly. In this section of scripture we are given three reasons why God is worthy of our worship: He’s worthy because He is Creator. (Revelation 4:11) God alone is the source of all life, existence, beauty, and breath. Everything exists by His will and for His glory. Worship begins when we recognize that we are created beings living in God’s world, dependent on Him for everything. He’s worthy because He is Redeemer (Revelation 5:9–10) Jesus, the slain Lamb, is worthy because through His death He has purchased a people for God from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation. The cross is not merely an act of love; it is the ultimate declaration of Christ’s worthiness. He’s worthy because He reigns forever (Revelation 5:13) The throne of God is not temporary, fragile, or threatened. God reigns now and forever. Every ruler, kingdom, power, and authority will ultimately bow before Him. True worship flows from recognizing who is truly on the throne. The aim of this week is to move people beyond casual, routine, or consumeristic worship into awe-filled worship rooted in the greatness and glory of God Himself.

John tells Jesus that the disciples attempted to stop someone from casting out demons because he was not part of their group. Jesus corrects their narrow thinking, reminding them that the Kingdom of God extends beyond their immediate community. Rather than guarding their position or protecting their influence, the disciples are called to recognize and celebrate the work of God wherever it appears. Jesus shapes His followers to see His Kingdom as larger than their own preferences or boundaries.

As the disciples argue about which of them is the greatest, Jesus responds by placing a child beside Him. In the ancient world, children possessed little social status or influence. By pointing to a child, Jesus overturns the disciples’ assumptions about leadership and importance. In the Kingdom of God, greatness is measured not by power or recognition but by humility and service. Jesus shapes His followers by reshaping their understanding of what truly matters.

While the crowds marvel at His power, Jesus once again predicts His coming suffering and death. The disciples hear the words but fail to grasp their meaning. The idea of a suffering Messiah clashes with everything they expect about God’s plan. Yet this difficult truth lies at the center of Jesus’ mission. Sometimes the truths that shape us most deeply are the ones we initially resist or misunderstand.

Descending from the mountain, Jesus encounters a desperate father whose son is tormented by a powerful demon. The disciples had attempted to cast it out but were unable. Jesus rebukes both the spirit and the unbelief surrounding Him before restoring the boy. The scene reveals both the authority of Christ and the limitations of His followers. Jesus often shapes His disciples not through their successes but through moments that expose their weakness and deepen their reliance on Him.

On a mountain, Jesus is transfigured before Peter, James, and John. His appearance changes as His divine glory is revealed, and Moses and Elijah appear alongside Him speaking about His coming departure in Jerusalem. The voice of the Father declares Jesus to be His chosen Son and commands the disciples to listen to Him. This extraordinary moment reveals that Jesus stands at the center of God’s redemptive plan. The disciples catch a glimpse of the glory that lies beyond the cross, a vision that will sustain them in the days ahead.

Immediately after Peter’s confession, Jesus reveals a startling truth: the Messiah must suffer, be rejected, and be killed before being raised again. This revelation overturns the disciples’ expectations of a triumphant political deliverer. Jesus then extends the challenge to all who would follow Him, calling them to deny themselves, take up their cross daily, and follow Him. In doing so, Jesus begins shaping His followers to understand that the path to life runs through sacrifice, surrender, and faith.