“You can do more than pray, after you have prayed,” wrote A. J. Gordon, “but you can never do more than pray until you have prayed.” It is a divinely ordered sequence.
When Jesus called the Twelve, He called them so that they might do three things. The first was simply to “be with him.” Once they were with him, he sent them out to continue the mission. Their tasks were “to preach and to have authority to drive out demons” (Mark 3:14–15). All the work of the kingdom of God begins with simply being with Jesus. If it doesn’t start there, it doesn’t start at all.
From: Patterson, B., & Goetz, D. L. (1999). Vol. 7: Deepening your conversation with God. The pastor’s soul series; Library of leadership development (20–21). Minneapolis, Minn.: Bethany House Publishers.
Naracoorte Presbyterian Church 