What does First B Jackson teach about prayer?
Drawn from the messages where it was actually addressed: the words said from the front, the passages taught, and where to hear the whole thing.
At First B Jackson, the teaching on prayer starts with a simple but disorienting claim: prayer is not primarily a mechanism for getting things from God. It is the place where we get God himself, and that is the greater gift. Pastor Brad Yates, preaching from John 14:13, made the case that the power in prayer belongs entirely to the God being prayed to, not to the person praying. The most honest posture a person can bring into prayer is the admission that they cannot do this on their own, and that dependence, rather than being a problem to fix, is exactly what God is after. Brad was candid about his own habit of rushed morning checklists and what he called walkie talkie prayers throughout the day, quick requests on the fly. Those are not wrong, he said, but they are snacks, not a meal.
The phrase "in Jesus' name" got careful attention in that same message. It is not a tagline or a closing ritual. In the ancient world, acting in someone's name meant acting by their authority, in their manner, and for their benefit. So praying in Jesus' name means praying in keeping with who Jesus is in his entirety, what he came to do, what he cares about, what he came to die for. That is a much larger claim than an asterisk at the end of a sentence. On the hard question of prayers that seem to go unanswered, Brad offered a reframe rather than a dodge: God always gives us what we would ask for if we knew everything he knows and could see what he sees.
The women's study session on James 5, taught by Deborah, covered the same ground from a different angle. James never promises that prayer will change the circumstances. What it does promise is that endurance through the waiting is possible, and that the God who hears is not indifferent to the need. Pastor Travis's message from Luke 18 pressed the foundation underneath all of it: the tax collector who went home justified prayed exactly one sentence, and it worked not because of its length or eloquence but because he came with nothing to offer and knew it. The person who walks into prayer already convinced of their own sufficiency walks out unchanged. The person who comes empty is the one God meets.
Taught from John 14:12-14 · James 5 · Luke 18:9-14 · 2 Corinthians 12:9 · Matthew 6
The passage taught · 1 John 1:9
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us the sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
World English Bible
The messages that teach on it
- May 31, 2026 Whatever You Ask in My Name Pastor Brad walks through John 14:13 to show that prayer is not a formula for getting what we want, but the means by which we draw near to God himself.
- May 31, 2026 Whatever You Ask in My Name Brad Yates walks through John 14:11-14 to show that prayer is not a formula for getting what you want, but a relationship with the God who gives himself to us.
- February 21, 2024 Women's Bible Study - February 21st, 2024 - Power of Prayer Deborah walks through James 5, exploring patient endurance, prayer, and God's faithfulness through suffering, drawing on Job, a farmer's hope, and a friend's battle with ALS.
- August 27, 2023 Nothing in My Hand I Bring Jesus tells a parable about two men who pray. Pastor Mark explores what true humility before God looks like and why it is the only path to being justified.
Mentioned along the way
- June 21, 2026 The Full Armor of God and the Comms Check Pastor Ray works through Ephesians 6, showing that the armor of God is a collective calling, not an individual one, and that our fight is never against other people.
- June 14, 2026 Strong in the Lord and the Strength of His Might Ephesians 6 sermon on the armor of God, spiritual warfare, communion, and what it means to stand firm not by your own strength but in the Lord's.
- April 12, 2026 According to the Riches of His Glory Pastor William walks through Paul's prayer in Ephesians 3, showing why our inner being, faith, knowledge of Christ's love, and fullness in God matter more than anything outward.
- April 12, 2026 According to the Riches of His Glory Paul's prayer in Ephesians 3 asks God to strengthen our inner being, grow our faith, deepen our knowledge of Christ's love, and fill us with His fullness.
- January 25, 2026 Rejoice in the Lord Always Pastor Eric walks through Philippians 4:4-14, exploring what it means to choose joy, pray through anxiety, and fix your mind on what is true, noble, and pure.
- March 23, 2025 Sunday, March 23, 2025 - 11am Traditional Service - Guest Speaker Dustin Flueckiger - Psalm 86 Psalm 86 shows us that bringing our needs honestly to God is not weakness but the very thing we were designed for, and how He meets us there.
- October 27, 2024 Everything Jesus Began to Do and to Teach The pastor opens Acts 1 at First Baptist Jackson, exploring how the early church prepared for the Holy Spirit through obedience, fellowship, prayer, and scripture.
- October 27, 2024 You Will Receive Power The pastor opens Acts 1, showing how the early believers prepared for the Holy Spirit through obedience, fellowship, prayer, and studying God's word.
- September 18, 2024 Women's Bible Study - September 18th, 2024 - Let Go and Trust God Deborah walks through the Beatitudes from Matthew 5, showing how Jesus invites us into a life of blessing when we humbly bring our needs, grief, and weakness to Him.
- August 11, 2024 Sunday, August 11th, 2024 - 11am Traditional Service - Guest Speaker Brad Yates - "Suffering Part 2" Brad Yates walks through what the Bible says to do when suffering hits, whether you're helping someone else through it or facing it yourself.
- August 11, 2024 There Is Another in the Fire: Suffering, Part 2 Brad Yates walks through what the Bible says about suffering: how to help others in pain, how to prepare yourself, and where lasting joy actually comes from.
- October 4, 2023 Women's Bible Study - October 4th, 2023 Natalie draws on her half marathon journey to explore what it takes to train, endure, and stand firm in faith for the race God has set before us.
- August 27, 2023 God Be Merciful to Me, the Sinner A Wyoming pastor unpacks Jesus' parable of the Pharisee and tax collector, showing why humility before God matters more than religious confidence or personal merit.
- August 6, 2023 Jesus Is Lord of All Missionary Norris shares how ordinary people in The Middle East, Nigeria, Uganda and India are following Jesus and how forgiveness transforms lives from the inside out.
- March 26, 2023 Blessed Are Those Who Hear and Guard It Luke 11 sermon from First Baptist Jackson on hearing and guarding God's word, the sign of Jonah, and Jesus confronting hypocrisy with six woes to the Pharisees.
- March 19, 2023 Put Off, Put On Pastor Carl preaches from Colossians 3 on putting off anger, pride and immorality, and putting on compassion, humility and love as followers of Christ.
- October 5, 2022 Women's Bible Study - Oct 5th, 2022 Deborah teaches on prayer using the Lord's Prayer as a model, exploring how prayer changes reality, what hinders answered prayer, and why God bends down to listen.
- August 28, 2022 God, Use Me Today Florian, a Romanian pastor preparing to return to missions, shares from Colossians 1 on living as a child of God and asking Him to use you each day.
- June 13, 2022 Have Faith in God Mark 11 shows Jesus teaching his disciples about prayer, faith, and forgiveness while religious leaders demand to know who gave Him authority.
- January 30, 2022 Living Stones, Active Worshipers Steve Baldock shares practical ways to worship actively at church and build a daily quiet time habit that draws you closer to God each morning.
- January 25, 2022 Your Grief Will Turn to Wonderful Joy Jesus promises His disciples peace and joy that no one can take away, even as trials come. A study in John 16:16-33.
- August 9, 2021 No Part of Human Existence Left Untouched Pastor Carl closes out Colossians with a look at prayer, grace-filled conversation with unbelievers, and the friendships God builds among His people.
- March 15, 2020 Grace Be With You All Pastor Ray finishes Hebrews with a call to prayer, a Christ-centered benediction, and the simple closing word that holds the whole letter together: grace.
- March 15, 2020 Grace Be With You All Pastor Ray closes Hebrews with a look at prayer, peace, and grace from the letter's final verses, preached during an unusual Sunday as the church gathered online amid COVID-19.
- March 1, 2020 Do Not Be Carried Away Hebrews 13 sermon on staying rooted in God's grace, resisting false teaching, and going outside the camp to follow Christ wherever He leads.
- October 6, 2019 Romanian Missionary. REMM - Traditional A Romanian missionary shares how prayer, grace, and the fall of communism opened doors for the gospel across Romania and around the world.
- October 6, 2019 Romanian Mission. REMM - Contemporary A Romanian missionary shares how prayer sparked revival through prisoners of war, communist persecution, and orphanages, tracing God's faithfulness across generations.
- March 31, 2019 Kingdom Work - Traditional Missionary Norris Williams shares how God is building disciple-making movements across the Middle East, Nigeria, and beyond through ordinary people willing to pray and obey.
- March 31, 2019 Kingdom Work - Contemporary Missionary Norris Williams shares how ordinary people praying and obeying God are sparking gospel movements across the Middle East, Nigeria, and beyond.
- February 17, 2019 Taste and See That the Lord Is Good Psalm 34:8 calls us to personally taste and see that God is good. Pastor Scott Eichen explores what that means and how prayer, Scripture, and trust in Jesus make it real.
- September 23, 2018 To Sum Up: All of Y'all Be Harmonious A Wyoming pastor walks through 1 Peter 2, 3, calling believers to harmony, sympathy, humility, and blessing others rather than returning evil for evil.
- April 23, 2017 Stuff That Matters Closing Colossians with Paul's final greetings, the pastor explores what steadfast prayer, wise words, and grace toward outsiders and insiders alike look like in everyday life.
- April 23, 2017 Stuff That Matters Paul closes Colossians with a list of real people and a clear message: prayer, open doors, wise words, and caring for both outsiders and insiders all matter to God.
- April 9, 2017 Do You Know Him On Palm Sunday, elder Matt Litzelman explores what it means to truly know God, drawing on Philippians 3:10 and four practical habits: prayer, reading Scripture, community, and solitude.
- April 9, 2017 His Determined Purpose Was to Know Him A sermon on knowing God personally, not just knowing about Him, through prayer, Scripture, time in His presence, and relationships with fellow believers.
- January 27, 2017 Prayer on Fire #1 of 3 (3) Pastor Don Young of College of Prayer International leads First Baptist Jackson through a session on hunger for God, prayer as the church's foundation, and encountering God's manifest presence.
- January 10, 2016 What Comes Into Our Minds When We Think About God A Wyoming pastor walks through worship in Matthew's gospel, showing that true worship is more than music. It includes obedience, petition, forgiveness and how we live.
- November 29, 2015 God Will Finish What He Started The preacher walks through Philippians 1:1-11, showing how Paul responded to imprisonment with grace, peace, thanksgiving, and prayer, and why God cares more about our character than our comfort.
- September 7, 2015 Monday Nights @ First B (10) Pastor Carl closes out 1 John with a look at what it means to trust God, pray for one another, obey His commands, and keep Jesus at the center of your heart.
- February 18, 2015 Filled Up to All the Fullness of God Paul prays for the inner person in Ephesians 3, asking that God's power, love, and fullness would transform believers from the inside out into lives of worship.
- January 21, 2015 The Eyes of Your Heart Becca Block walks through Paul's prayer in Ephesians 1:15-23, exploring what it means to know God, hope in our calling, and live in the power that raised Christ from the dead.
- May 19, 2013 Introducting Acts, Traditions Acts 1 shows four things the early church did to prepare for the Spirit's move: obey Jesus, gather together, pray persistently, and study God's Word.
- May 19, 2013 Introducing Acts, Morning Praise The pastor opens Acts by showing how the early church prepared for the Holy Spirit: through obedience, fellowship, persistent prayer, and recognizing God-appointed leaders.
- December 30, 2012 The Unfathomable Riches of Christ A Fifth Sunday praise service at a Wyoming church, centered on Ephesians 3 and God's intentional love for all people, revealed through Christ and His church.
- September 25, 2011 Speak Lord, Your Servant Is Listening A Wyoming pastor opens a 40-day series on love by teaching a Jackson congregation how to recognize and respond to God's voice, drawing from 1 Samuel 3.