Life Here and There

One of my favorite blogs to read regularly (an online magazine for ministry, really) is the Shepherd’s Fellowship, the online magazine of John MacArthur and the Master’s Seminary faculty. Today, they have chosen to relay to us an old message from J. C. Ryle, a hero of the faith, who asks the question, Do You Pray? Our answer carries a lot of weight according to Ryle…

And I say, furthermore, that of all the evidences of the real work of the Spirit, a habit of hearty private prayer is one of the most satisfactory that can be named. A man may preach from false motives. A man may write books and make fine speeches and seem diligent in good works, and yet be a Judas Iscariot. But a man seldom goes into his closet, and pours out his soul before God in secret, unless he is in earnest. The Lord himself has set his stamp on prayer as the best proof of a true conversion. When he sent Ananias to Saul in Damascus, he gave him no other evidence of his change of heart than this, “Behold, he prayeth” (Acts 9: 11).

Do you wish to find out whether you are a true Christian? Then rest assured that my question is of the very first importance — Do you pray?

You’ve got to read the whole article, then pray…

I recently received a question from a reader that I thought would make a great blog post because it’s such a common question: Should I talk to God like I talk to anybody else? Or should I use prettier words?

The bottom line is that prayer is talking, asking, and conversing with God. He knows your heart and your thoughts. He gave you your personality and He’s aware of your attitudes, so why wear a mask? Why use “special” language with God?

Don’t misunderstand, I do think our holy God deserves reverence in the same way our earthly fathers deserve our respect. I don’t like phrases like “the man upstairs” any more than I like it when people call their Dads “my old man.” Show some basic respect.

Nevertheless, think about this. Maybe if we prayed to God the same way we talked to other people (with some respect, of course), then maybe we’d talk to Him more often?

Thoughts?

photo credit: kalandrakas

We’re beginning a new Wednesday night Bible study series on prayer and it’s based on the book by David Jeremiah, Prayer, the Great Adventure. We’ve been talking a lot about the theme of “Search & Rescue” as the missional focus of our church in a lost culture, and prayer is the power-giving foundation of being missional, so we’re going to use our midweek adult Bible studies to strengthen this area of our church family’s life.

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Prayer is something that most people believe in. If you believe in some kind of higher power(s), you believe in some kind of prayer. If you believe that the triune God of Scripture is exclusively God, as I do, then you believe that biblical prayer is the only true kind of prayer. But that doesn’t seem to settle the issue. What does the Bible say about prayer? It depends on whom you ask.

Within evangelical Christianity in the last couple of centuries, there seem to have developed two different schools of thought. On the one hand are those who assert that prayer is merely asking and making requests. In this view, the answer to prayer is receiving. Then there are those who see prayer as a time of communion and fellowship, so the answer to prayer is experiencing. If taken to extremes, one view becomes legalism and the other existentialism. Somewhere in the middle is found a wonderful truth about prayer.

One well-known Christian (saying the name may taint your understanding and cause unnecessary bias) has been asked what she says to God during prayer. Her answer was “Nothing, I just listen.” To the follow-up question, “What does God say to you?” she answered “Nothing, He just listens.” She spoke of a kind of close communion that is possible only when prayer is understood as access to the Father. I like this interpretation of prayer, at least as a starting point.

Paul also spoke of praying “without ceasing.” To read his epistles is to be reminded of how often he prayed for people. The Bible is certainly replete with examples of intercessors who brought specific requests before God on behalf of others. Abraham is another prime example. He prayed for Pharaoh, he prayed for Abimelech, and he prayed for the inhabitants of the cities of the plain. Some would assert that intercession is the primary meaning of prayer. I like this interpretation too.

Giants of the faith, like Andrew Murray and John R. Rice, understood prayer as making specific requests made known to God. Praise is a separate matter and intercession merely falls under the heading of asking. When there is no receiving, there has been no answer. I have been heavily influenced by this understanding of prayer also, but it has certainly led to frustration in my prayer life in two different ways. First, I begin to doubt when my prayers are not answered as I expected, rather than being flexible in my understanding of God’s will. Second, when there is no receiving, I am tempted to think my praying has been in vain.

To boil it all down, I think we have to go back to one of the fundamental truths of Scripture. God wants you! He doesn’t want what you do, or your talents, or your possessions. He wants you. In prayer, He wants you at His feet, across the dining room table from him. Make your requests, intercede for the nations to come to know Christ, make your supplications known to God in the confidence that he will answer, but remember that the prize is God Himself. In prayer, you reach Him and enjoy Him as He enjoys you.

Christianity may be labeled a world religion, but the Christianity of the Bible is not a set of prescribed rituals, it is a walk, a fellowship, a life spent with Jesus. It is moment-by-moment communion with the Father. It is conversing continually with the chief Mediator for all men – Jesus Christ the Righteous.

When you have your prayer time today, don’t count the minutes, don’t tally the requests, don’t keep track of whether you’ve prayed “right” or not. Rather, enjoy God! Let Him help you on a personal, conversational level to understand for what and for whom you ought to be praying. And let Him teach you from His revealed word how to pray. Learn from Jesus and His apostles. Listen to Paul’s prayers and praises and employ them as your own. And rejoice in the final victory of Christ’s soon coming.

Prayer will someday be a face-to-face conversation between God’s children and the Lord whom they have loved without seeing. But for today, we speak as through the veil of eternal worlds which we cannot know and experience until this corruptible has put on incorruptibility. Enjoy God today. Sit in His presence as His dearly loved child and ask… “Father, what are You like?”

This past Sunday, I began preaching in Genesis with chapter one, verse one. The message started a lengthy commitment to preaching all of the word. I don’t think I’ve ever been as satisfied by a message in all of my ministry. I had studied and prepared for about six weeks for just the first chapter of Genesis. So how was it? Exhilarating!

The choir was tuned up and did an awesome job. Singing Shout to the Lord with them was great. They also sang a favorite of mine, There Are No Orphans of God.  Angie (my wife) and Tamara (the Choir Director) sang Nothing But A Miracle Will Do. These special numbers highly exalted the King, but it was the congregational song How Great Thou Art that moved my heart most deeply. I’d been studying about the magnitude of creation, the vastness of the universe, and the miraculous nature of all that God brought into being. So when we sang “I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder, Thy power throughout the universe displayed” I did something rather unorthodox, especially for me. I stood. I stood in reverence and fear of the awesome God we serve. I was overwhelmed emotionally and spiritually. The Spirit of God moved in my heart in that moment, and I stood, raising my hands high toward the God of heaven, not caring what anyone in the auditorium thought! It was unabashed worship, and it ought to be that way all the time!

I can’t wait until Sunday, to move on to the next passage. The Word of God is so inexhaustible, it seems I’ll never preach the unsearchable wisdom of God in this one short lifetime, but I’ll live and die trying!

Last night, the local association officially voted to name Larry Hendren the new Editor of  The Baptist Banner, which will free up that much more time each month for me to spend doing the things that matter. Please keep praying that I’ll have all of my priorities right, spending adequate time in prayer, in study, with people, and with my family. And may God get the glory as we learn to fear Him, love Him, and stand in awe and reverence of Him!

This past Sunday was perhaps the most awesome day of ministry I’ve ever experienced. Like the old gospel song says, “Heaven came down and glory filled my soul.” It wasn’t great planning, great music, or great preaching that made the day great, it was our great God visiting us in a powerful way in response to a whole lot of concerted, passionate praying.

Last Wednesday, our prayer service, which normally consists of calling out some requests, a short pastoral prayer, and a long Bible study, turned into an extended session of a concert of praise. Multiple people were praying out loud for their lost friends and family and giving praise to God for His working in their lives. At the conclusion of our payer, I almost felt that teaching would be an interruption in what God was really doing, and perhaps it was.

Sunday began with an intense prayer circle, seven men gathered together a half hour before Sunday School. We prayed over our time and it was well worth it. Together we asked great things of God. Sunday School itself was right on target as we learned about “serving God with holiness.”

Then the worship hour came and we sang songs to honor the King with a particular emphasis on the Holy Spirit’s role in our lives. The message was all about the power of the Holy Spirit. I left out two illustrations that I later realized would have been detrimental to the point of the message. I felt an anointing more powerful than ever in my ministry. I had boldness to say things without regard to the approval of people.

The invitation came and God did an awesome work. The altar filled with people praying and weeping for the fullness of the Spirit, praying for lost loved ones and other needs. A young man and a young lady received Christ as Savior. The invitation went through three movements as things kept happening. Joy Ewalt, for whom we have been praying for healing from cancer came and testified that God had completely healed her from brain cancer. Tests show that her head is now clear and she gave all the glory to God and the credit to prayer.

We left later than ever before and people continued to attest to God’s working in their lives in a very powerful way. I left church feeling so small, so undeserving, and so grateful that God would allow me to experience such an event.

Sunday afternoon our Deacons gathered for a time of training and we exchanged testimonies of the godly men who have inspired us in the past. I recalled my grandfather’s strong convictions as a Deacon for over a half century of time and the other stalwart men who influenced me throughout my childhood. In the evening service I preached about “The Sanctity of the Womb” where God has performed some great miracles in the lives of John the Baptist, Jeremiah, Paul, and others.

We had prayer for young girls facing this difficult decision to choose life, for women who have had abortions to find the freeing forgiveness of God, and for America to turn a corner on the abortion issue and repent before God. We also had prayer for some couples currently struggling with infertility and for Loving Choices, a local pregnancy support center. We’re also currently praying for healing in the life of one of our Deacons, Nick Gann.

One thing I am continually remembering is that we cannot dwell on these now past events in the “remember that day…” sense. Instead we must look forward to the awesome things God can do every time we meet. There is no reason why each worship experience cannot grow in intensity so long as our hunger for God, our commitment to holiness, and the passion of our prayer grows as well.

May God continue to visit us in special ways in our individual lives and every time we meet together, and may He continue to raise up Spirit-filled, Bible-drilled, prayer-skilled warriors for Christ’s Kingdom!

“Then Jesus called his disciples unto him, and said, I have compassion on the multitude, because they continue with me now three days, and have nothing to eat: and I will not send them away fasting, lest they faint in the way.” -Matthew 15:32

It is impossible for us to help everyone we want to help. Certainly Jesus felt this same frustration. Though He healed so many, He did not heal everyone in the world and though He fed thousands, He did not feed all the poor in His day. If we attempted to help everyone, we’d quickly bankrupt ourselves. There is a principle at work in the Lord’s life, however, that we would do well to follow. Jesus allowed His compassion to compel Him to take action, and we should do the same.

Our first problem is that we often feel nothing. We look at a world full of hurting people and its easy to become calloused to their pain. There are so many, after all. What could I do? Jesus connected emotionally with the suffering of the people He loved so much. He had compassion for them. He wept for His people, His heart ached over their lostness. We too must be able to look out on the lostness of humanity and feel a groaning in our hearts. Where there is no suffering in our souls for others, there will certainly be a shallow ministry.

Our second problem is that when we feel, we often do nothing. Of course we can’t help everyone, but we can help someone. We can’t fix all the problems of the world, but we can help to fix one. Often we feel that our giving, our praying, our lending a hand will be a mere drop in the bucket compared with the needs of the world around us. But real compassion compels us to take some kind of action. We cannot sit idly by. We may not save the world, but we might lead one soul to the Savior. We may not feed all the poor, but we can put food in the mouth of one hungry child.

Jesus was willing to feel. He refused to harden His heart toward pain. And Jesus was willing to act. He stepped into people’s lives and offered them a divine hand. Today, we have the privilege of offering Jesus Christ to the world. We can give, we can pray, we can tell, and we can lend a helping hand. In our world of suffering, we have the opportunity to be Jesus’ ministers to the hurting. Allow compassion to compel you today to take action, if but for a moment, if for only one soul. Make a difference today for just one someone.

I, like many Christians, pray “in the name of Jesus.” At least I say the words before the almost mandatory finale, “Amen.” But what do those words mean… “in the name of Jesus?” Do we realize the impact of them? And do we realize that more than praying in the name of Jesus, we should live in the name of Jesus? Listen to the words of the Apostle Paul in Colossians 3:17, “And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.”

To live in the name of Jesus means, first of all, to live with His approval or His permission. A few years ago, many Christian teens bought WWJD bracelets to remind them of a monumental question, “What would Jesus do?” As great a question as that is, it’s not quite specific enough. Anyone may ask that question without actually knowing Jesus personally. More specifically we should ask, “Do I have Jesus’ permission to make this decision? Would He grant His approval.

In my role as Pastor, many people come to me for “approval” of various decisions. It may be a teacher asking permission to use a particular curriculum or a youth leader asking for approval to stage a certain event. My nod gives the go-ahead. It says, “I agree that this is a good idea and I endorse your following through with it.” It also says, “I’ll back you up if there’s a concern.” Jesus’ approval is no different. As you live your life today and as you make decisions, big and small, ask yourself, “Am I living with Jesus’ approval right now?

”And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.” –Genesis 32:26

In the story of Jacob’s wrestling with a “man” (possibly an Old Testament appearance of Christ), we learn what it is to hold on to God until we receive the blessing. Don’t you know this mighty angelic being could have crushed the weak, frail Jacob in an instant? Instead they wrestle through the night.

We often wonder why God allows us to wait so long on an answer to prayer, but He has His purposes. He often tests our tenacity and our faith. Real faith hangs on to God. We can never bully God into answering our prayers, but we can certainly seek Him with importunate persistence. This persistent praying gives glory to God by proclaiming our believe that He is able!

What do you need to hang on to God for today? Keep on praying until He answers or until He adjusts what you need to be praying for.

”Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.” –Ephesians 6:18-20

Paul completes his discussion of the armor of God with a final thought about the greatest resource of all, the resource universally applied to the Christian life with all the other pieces of armor… prayer. Look at the words he uses to emphasize this tool, “Praying always with all prayer and supplication… with all perseverance and supplication for all saints…” My how little we pray and how weak our prayers.

Then Paul makes a personal prayer request that reflects the request of my own heart. He requests that the believers pray that he would have the words and the boldness with which to preach the gospel in the power of the Spirit. There are many things that may aid a Pastor in his work such as education, training, and fellowship with others, but no aid is so powerful as the prayers of his people.

This is my request to anyone who will receive it, that you might pray for your Pastor on a daily basis, that God would give him utterance (the ability to speak) and boldness (the power to speak it with passion) as he steps into the pulpit each week. Pray for God’s provision and protection for his family and his ministry. Pray that God would use him as a change agent in the lives of countless souls.