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Lord’s prayer

Sermons

The Power of Praying the Names of God

by Roger Barrier
written by Roger Barrier

We can pray to God using His many names: God, mighty and majestic, God our Helper, God our Righteousness, God our Sanctifier, God our Peace and Indwelling Presence, God our Provider, God our Banner, God our Shepherd..

Listening to Christ pray must have been marvelous experience. The disciples saw and heard Him often on long nights alone—and stole glances at Him.

He did not often pray alone. The disciples observed how the Pharisees prayed with arms stretched upward, heads held high, and loud. But they saw power in the prayers of Jesus that they didn’t see in the prayers of the Pharisees.

One day, they asked Him, “Lord, teach us to pray.” In Luke 11, Christ responded with what we often call, “The Lord’s Prayer.”

Here is a prayer which can be repeated in 15 seconds; yet it is possible to pray through it for hours. And there are millions of people who can say that prayer, but very few ever learn to pray it like Jesus did. The power comes not in the saying, but in the praying of that prayer.

The Lord’s Prayer is just one of many models that we may use as guidelines when we pray.

Another good guideline is the acrostic ACTS which stands for “Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication,” But, far and away my favorite model is praying through the names of God.

Jesus begins by saying, “Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be thy name” (Matthew 6:9-13).

You are fortunate if you have a father who loves you and makes certain that your needs are met. One early morning before going to school, I opened the door to the den to see my father on his knees in prayer. I have no difficulty praying, “Our father in heaven, hallowed be thy name.”

But what if your dad wasn’t all that good?

I recall counseling with a brokenhearted man who said to me, “I watched my father beat my mom until she couldn’t get up off the floor.”

Can you imagine that he just might have trouble seeing God as his father?

The loveliest name for “father” in the Greek language is “Abba.” Today, we might say, “Daddy.”

NAMES ARE SIGNIFICANT

We named our first daughter, “Jessica,” which means, “God sees us.”

Then, we named our second child, “Brianna,” which means “Gift from God.” She was a gift after Jessica died. “Bronwyn” is the name of our third daughter. It’s a Welsh name which means “pure heart.”

I need to mention this before I go any further: “You must not take the name of the Lord your God in vain (Exodus 20:7). “Do not take the name of God in vain” does not mean “don’t curse.” Taking the Lord’s name in vain means that we empty God of His power.

Now, the most significant name of God is “YHWH,” or “I am.” This name has to do with past, present, and future. It refers to God’s eternal existence. YHWH is most often transliterated into English as JEHOVAH.

THE MANY NAMES FOR GOD

One day my four-year-old daughter asked me about God’s name. I explained that God had many names including Father, Lord, and Jehovah. After listening to my long explanation, she asked, “Can I just call him Steve?” Ah, I love hearing what’s on a child’s mind!

The word “EL” is the most used name of God and refers to God’s mighty power. His names that begin with “El” are His creative names. The “Elohim” names are used as a pretext to enunciate various aspects of God’s power and character. The “El” are also His powerful names.

Then, there are the “Jehovah” names of God. These are the personal, intimate names.

I like to pray through the Jehovah names of God.

JEHOVAH-TSIDKENU = JEHOVAH OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS

Righteousness has two aspects.

First, we are made righteous by receiving Christ as our Lord and Savior. The book of Revelation tells us that in heaven God gives us a white robe and declares that because of the work of Christ on the cross, we are declared righteous and fit for heaven.

I thank Jehovah-Tsidkenu for the benefit of forgiveness of sin and qualification for eternal life in Heaven when I die.

Second, I pray that I will live righteously today in everything that I that I say and do:

Lord, I want to be right in every decision that I make today. I don’t want to be wrong anywhere.

JEHOVAH-M’KADDESH = JEHOVAH OUR SANCTIFIER

Jehovah-M’Kaddesh is the name of the God who purifies us and makes us holy. I pray,

Oh Lord, please mature me to be a spiritual father or mother at any price. Make me holy and pure. I’m willing to pay the cost of discipleship. May I experience victory as I surrender to you as my Lord and Savior.

JEHOVAH-SHALOM = JEHOVAH OUR PEACE

Jesus, Jehovah-Shalom, calmed the storm. Pray for whatever he needs to do to calm your life.

Lord, I need your peace today.

JEHOVAH-SHAMMAH = JEHOVAH OUR INDWELLING PRESENCE

We all temples of God. He lives within us as the Holy Spirit. He is our partner for everyday living. We thank God for the Holy Spirit and for the life He pours into us. Pray:

Help us to keep our hearts and lives clean and pure from sin.

JEHOVAH-ROPHE = JEHOVAH OUR HEALER

Rophe means to “restore” or “cure” or heal in the physical, moral, and spiritual sense.

I pray every day to Jehovah-Rophe to heal and cleanse my body and my family.

JEHOVAH JIREH = OUR PROVIDER

God supplies all of our needs. He promised He would, and we can depend fully on Him. So, I pray for everything on my calendar for the day. I pray, God, please care for and provide for my finances … health … relationships.

This is the God who can put into our lives everything that he desires for us.

JEHOVAH-NISSI = JEHOVAH OUR BANNER

Today, we have many ways to communicate in battle. In ancient times, signal flags were used to place troops in proper position. In God’s battle, our Banner represents a sign of deliverance and salvation. Christ is the banner of our redemption and warfare.

It’s a victory flag! I pray, God, please provide the victory in the spiritual battles I face every day.

JEHOVAH-ROHI = JEHOVAH IS MY SHEPHERD

Psalm 23 teaches that we all need a shepherd. I pray, The Lord is my shepherd; You are all I want.

THE NAME OF GOD MATTERS

One day, every knee will bow in submission and praise at the name of Jesus:

“Therefore God… gave Him a name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow… and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:9-11)

Let’s do a brief meditation. Imagine yourself bowing before the resurrected Jesus, who is seated upon His throne. Join in with countless others. Bow low. Lift your eyes. Pray,

Worthy are You to receive glory and power, wisdom and strength and glory!

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Book of the universe - opened magic book with planets and galaxies. Elements of this image furnished by NASA
Sermon Starters

Thy Kingdom Come

by Skip Heitzig
written by Skip Heitzig

Thy Kingdom Come – Matthew 6:10 – Skip Heitzig

Welcome to Calvary Church with Skip Heitzig. We’re so glad you joined us today. As people of God, we are part of a spiritual kingdom even as we live in the world. Jesus will ultimately establish his kingdom on earth. But until then, we are called to be his ambassadors here and now. In this series, Pastor Skip explores what it means to occupy till he comes.

Good morning.

I tell you what, you’re a pretty lively group, listening to your worship, so loud, so vibrant. Are you the most fun of all the church services, would you say?

[APPLAUSE AND CHEERING]

Do you think you’re a little biased when you say that?

Yes.

Maybe a little bit? OK. So you bring a Bible with you?

Yes.

So make your way over to Matthew, chapter 6, Sermon on the Mount, familiar territory. We’re going to be looking at a very famous prayer. You know it well. It’s called the Our Father. It’s a prayer you grew up praying. Some of it by heart. Probably most of you know it by heart.

This prayer, Matthew, chapter 6, the Our Father, is put in more cards, posted on more plaques than any other prayer in the world. In fact, I would even say, unbelievers know this prayer, and many of them could record it from memory. They know it by heart.

Let me give you a few thumbnail facts about this prayer before we look at one particular verse. Number one, there are only 66 words in the prayer. So it’s a very short prayer, but you discover it goes to the heart of life. It is praying for the important stuff, the stuff that matters.

Number two, it’s not a prayer to be recited as much as it’s a prayer to be modeled. Think of it as a skeleton by which all of our prayers are formed. You’ll notice in verse 9, Jesus said, “in this manner, therefore, pray.” In other words, though you can recite it– many do, and they find great value in that– pray like this. Let this be your model that you base communication with God on.

Number three, you don’t find the word “me” in this prayer. There’s no “I.” There’s no “me.” There’s no “my.” You find pronouns like “you.” Yours is the kingdom, yours is the power.

And you find the word “our.” It’s a community prayer. Think of it as it’s a kingdom prayer, a kingdom city prayer. It’s not about you as much as about us.

Number four, this prayer is misnamed. We call this the Lord’s Prayer, even though Jesus never called it that. And it’s addressed to his disciples, and Jesus told them to pray like this. So this would be more aptly called the disciples’ prayer rather than the Lord’s Prayer. There’s not a record that he personally prayed this, but that he taught his disciples to pray like this.

A fifth interesting fact to me is this prayer was recited in movie theaters in England up until 2015. If you went to an English theater, a cinema, the Anglican church ran a video ad that simply recited the Lord’s Prayer until 2015. 2015, it was banned as being offensive, just praying the Lord’s Prayer. Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be your name. That’s offensive, so no more.

And then finally, the last little fact I want to bring out about this prayer is this prayer was regularly recited in the classrooms of this country, the United States of America, until 1962. In 1962, some of you will recall a gal by the name of Madalyn Murray O’Hair brought a lawsuit, and the prayer was banned, stating that it violated the First Amendment.

Let’s look at it and see just how offensive it is. “In this manner, therefore, pray– our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.”

Now, today, we’re going to look at one verse, one tiny, little snippet of this prayer, and that is in verse 10, “Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” And I want to answer the question, what does it mean to be a kingdom city? What do we mean by that phrase, that title?

Now, you’ll notice in verse 10 there are actually two petitions. The first is a prayer for the kingdom and in particular, for the kingdom to come. The second is a prayer for the King himself to exercise his rule, his authority. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Now, what I’d like to do, in looking at this single verse, is to develop these thoughts by noticing three elements of God’s kingdom. In this series, you have heard the little tagline that we speak about. We say, this place, these people, my privilege. And you’re going to hear that a lot, this place, these people, my privilege.

Let’s say that together. This place, these people, my privilege. What we mean by that is this. God has called us to this place. And living in this place, God has called us to love these people. And God has called us to see it as a privilege, am honor, to serve him by serving these people.

And why? For one simple reason. He’s the King. It’s his kingdom. And it is our commission.

[APPLAUSE]

Thank, all five of you, for–

[LAUGHTER]

–liking that.

Hallelujah.

Now, what I want to do is look at three basic elements of this, the character of this kingdom, the coming of this kingdom, and the commission of this kingdom. First of all, the character of this kingdom, and I’m zeroing in particular on one word, and that is the word itself, the word “kingdom,” verse 10, Your kingdom come.

What kind of a kingdom are we talking about? When we talk about the kingdom of God, the kingdom of heaven, what kind of kingdom are we talking about? Because I venture to say, most of us, when you hear the word “kingdom,” your mind is filled with memories of your youth, from movies you’ve seen, from cartoons you were a part of. When you hear kingdom, you think of knights and swords and banners and castles and moats and pomp and ceremony, maybe even a princess and a frog, depending on your memory of your childhood.

But you probably think of a kingdom as taking vast swaths of property by a powerful monarch, who would wage war to subjugate the people and bring them under his rule. In fact, if you were to look it up in Webster’s Dictionary, it defines it as “a politically organized community or major territorial unit having a monarchical form of government headed by a king or a queen.” That’s the definition.

In other words, it’s a territory and a people over which a king reigns with total authority. That’s the dictionary definition. What’s the biblical definition?

In the Bible, when you look at the kingdom, in particular God’s kingdom, it speaks of it in two ways, outwardly, inwardly. In one sense, it’s outward and physical. In another sense, it’s inward and spiritual.

So you know that the Jews expected a kingdom, a literal, physical kingdom. The disciples were among them. When Jesus showed up, by listening to what he was saying, they were thinking, I want this king, as he calls himself, to establish a kingdom, a literal rule dominated by God ruling through his Messiah.

And the reason they thought this is because they were raised to believe this, all the Old Testament prophecies that predict a literal kingdom that would one day come on the earth, something we already looked at in a previous series, but also, because did you know that Jesus, one of his favorite subjects was the kingdom? He spoke on it so much. In fact, if you were to add them all up, 53 different times in the four Gospels, Jesus mentions a kingdom.

So I just want you to look at some of this. Go back to chapter 5, chapter 5 of Matthew. This is the beginning of this sermon that the Lord’s Prayer is found in, the Sermon on the Mount. And let’s look at just a few verses. Verse 3 of chapter 5, “blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Verse 10, “blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Verse 19, “whoever, therefore, breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches men so shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever does and teaches them, he will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say to you, unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and the Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.”

Then we get into chapter 6, the Lord’s Prayer, your kingdom come, yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory. And then finally, in chapter 6, verse 33– or 31, he says, seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. So just in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus keeps mentioning a kingdom, a kingdom, a kingdom.

To add to that, he gives stories. In Matthew, chapter 13. what do we call the stories of Jesus? Anybody know? Parables. And those parables in Matthew 13 are called kingdom parables. Why? Because Jesus said, I want to show you his words, the mysteries of the kingdom.

And so he said, “the kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed seed in a field. And again, the kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed. Again he said, the kingdom of heaven is like leaven which a woman hid in a batch of dough.” He also said, “the kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field.” He also said, “the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls.” And finally, “the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet.”

So throughout Jesus’ teaching ministry, it’s all about the kingdom, the kingdom, the kingdom. Then in Matthew 24, when the disciples want to know when this is coming, Jesus tells them about the eschatological kingdom, that is coming at the end of days, that he will set up literally, physically on the earth. So they’re waiting for that to happen.

Then Jesus went to the cross, died on that cross, rose from the dead three days later. And when he rose from the dead, guess what he started talking to his disciples about? The kingdom. Acts, chapter 1, “he was seen by them for 40 days, and he was speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.”

This is why the disciples said to Jesus during that period of time, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel? You keep talking about the kingdom. Would you set that up, please? They wanted that physical, literal kingdom to be established.

And it will be one day, but not yet. Remember Jesus had stood before Pilate. Pilate had heard that he claimed to be a king. People said he was a king. He said, are you a king?

Remember what Jesus said? He said, my kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would rise up and fight. But my kingdom is not of this world.

However, one day his kingdom will be of this world. When he comes and sets it up, Revelation, chapter 11, the angel declares, the kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ. And he will reign forever.

So the disciples expected a kingdom, but it didn’t happen yet. So to sum it up, the kingdom is both internal and external. It has a personal, individual aspect. It has a global, worldwide aspect. It is an invisible spiritual kingdom, as well as one day, a visible, actual, literal kingdom.

But right now it’s just the first part. Right now the kingdom is internal, personal, individual, spiritual, invisible. Or to put it another way, wherever God rules over the human heart, there the kingdom of God is established. If God is ruling over your heart, then the King and the kingdom is established with you personally, individually.

That’s why Jesus could say the kingdom of God is at hand, or the kingdom of God is near. He also said, the kingdom of God is within you. Boy, everybody messes that verse up. Like, well, everybody has the kingdom of God because the kingdom of God is within you.

Here’s a better translation. The kingdom of God is in your midst. You know why he could say that? Because he was there. The King has shown up, y’all. I’m the King. And because the King is here, the kingdom of God is in your midst. So that’s the character of this kingdom.

Let’s look at a second aspect, and that is the coming of this kingdom. Because that’s the prayer. “Your kingdom come.” That’s what we are to pray, Your kingdom come. To pray Your kingdom come is to, essentially, pray for God’s enthronement, his authority, his rule, personally, societally, and eventually.

Let me give you those three fleshed out a little bit. When we pray, Thy kingdom come, I mean that in my life personally. When I say your kingdom come, I first and foremost mean rule over me, Lord. Be in charge of my life. Have your way in my life.

But second, because there are others that live around me, I’m praying for that in the lives of other people collectively, corporately. And through evangelism, by telling them about Jesus, and through my good works that validate my evangelism, the kingdom of God will spread.

But when I pray, Thy kingdom come, I also mean in the future eventually. When I pray, Thy kingdom come, essentially, I’m saying come quickly Lord Jesus and take over this earth and establish your future millennial kingdom on the earth, which he will do one day.

So one day, someday, his kingdom literally will come. When it does, it will not be passive. It will not be silent. It will not be in the shadows. It will not be individual, as it is now. One day, God will impose his kingdom rule on the world from the real kingdom city, the city of Jerusalem, for 1,000 years.

Now, many people, and I would venture to say most of us in this room included, have made Jesus Christ the King of their lives. You’ve asked him to come in. You’ve surrendered your authority to him. You want his rule in your life.

But there has never been a universal reign of the kingdom of God on the earth yet. We are still waiting for that. I want to drill down on this.

When that kingdom comes, we won’t do it. He will do it. It’s something that he himself will do alone. The kingdom comes when the King comes. Without a king, you have no kingdom. And so we can talk about the kingdom of God internally and spiritually and individually, but the real show starts when Jesus the King shows up. Without the King, there’s really no kingdom.

Now, why do I press this? Because I don’t want you to get the idea by the title that we’ve used, Kingdom City, that we are somehow bringing in God’s kingdom. We are not. He’ll do that alone.

Do you remember in our previous series on the End Is Near? question mark. It was a pretty lengthy series. So back in February, I gave a message. I can’t expect you to remember that far back. But I bet you’re going to remember the content, at least.

So there was a message in February in that series where I told you the difference between premillennialism, amillennialism, and postmillennialism. Raise your hand if you remember that we did that sermon, at least. OK, so good. So I mentioned that premillennialism– that’s what I am. I’m a premillennialist. I believe the world’s going to get worse and worse and worse until Jesus comes back.

Then there’s the amillennialist, doesn’t believe in a Millennium at all. It’s all spiritualized. It’s all allegorical, whatever. It’s just whatever. Push it away.

But then there is the postmillennialist. And the postmillennialist believes this. Listen. We are going to bring in the kingdom, and we’re going to deliver that kingdom to Jesus and that he won’t come back till after we do that.

You say, well, how do we do that? Well, we’re going to evangelize the world and Christianize the world. And things are going to get better and better and better, and more people are going to get saved. And the whole world is going to be Christianized. We’re going to bring in the kingdom, and we’re going to deliver that to Jesus Christ.

All I can say about that theology is that is wildly optimistic, in fact, out of touch optimistic. Because I’ve never seen where the world gets better and better and better. Usually, that theology flourishes in the West, in America, during times of peace. When there’s no war, when things are going good, the economy is going good, we think, hey, I think we’re pulling this off.

But the idea is the church will bring in the kingdom. Now, this shows up in different shades. It is sometimes called reconstruction theology, sometimes called kingdom theology. Sometimes, it’s known as liberation theology. It shows up in the signs and wonders movement. It shows up in the spiritual warfare movement, where we bind the demons, we take authority, we take them captive, and we bring in the kingdom.

That is not what we mean by kingdom city. God does not need our help to bring his kingdom. He’s going to do it all by himself quite apart from his church. Because he is sovereign. He is the King of kings. He is the Lord of Lords. And in his own time. He will bring in his own kingdom.

As Psalm 115 declares, “our God is in heaven. He does whatever he pleases,” one of my favorite verses. God’s in heaven. He does whatever he wants. It’s like the little boy who said that God is greater than Superman, Batman, and the Power Rangers put together.

That’s an understatement. Of course he is. He’s King of kings. He’s Lord of Lords. So that’s the character of the kingdom. That’s the coming of the kingdom.

The third thing I want to talk about is the commission of the kingdom. Because we have a second request in verse 10, not only “Your kingdom come, but your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Now, the very fact that Jesus told us to pray this indicates that God’s will is not always being done on the earth.

Would you agree with that? Would you agree that God’s will is not always being done on the earth? I would. Well, I just said it. Of course, I’m going to agree with myself, right?

So let me explain. The Bible says, God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. Right? That’s his will. Question, is everybody saved?

No.

Has everybody come to repentance?

No.

Are there people who perish? Yes. Are there people who die and go to hell? Yes. That’s not what God wants. He is not willing. He does not will that. And yet. That. Happens all the time.

So we are taught to pray, Your will be done because God’s will is not always perfectly being done on the earth. So God is sovereign, yes. He rules over all, yes. He will bring his kingdom, yes.

But that doesn’t mean we just sit on our hands. It does not mean that we are fatalistic and say, well, what will be. God is sovereign, and he’s going to bring his kingdom. So I’m going to just sit back and let that happen. No.

This prayer implies a responsibility, a commission. And what is that commission? What is that responsibility? To represent the kingdom of God.

OK, let’s look at the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus lived on this earth how long? 33 years. You guys know your stuff. OK, let me ask you a second question. Do you know how long his ministry was? Three years. Three, 3 and 1/2 years was the extent of his ministry.

During that time, here’s Jesus living in a fallen, broken world. Question, what did he do? What did he do during that time? Some of you might say, well, he preached the gospel. Good. You got part of the answer correct.

But that’s not all that he did. We happen to have two verses in the Gospel of Matthew that are summary verses of his entire ministry. The first is Matthew 5:23. The second is Matthew 9:35. They’re almost identical with a little bit of nuance change.

“Jesus went about all Galilee teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people.” There’s three activities Jesus did. He engaged in evangelism, preaching the gospel of the kingdom. He engaged in discipleship, teaching in their synagogues. And number three, he alleviated human suffering to validate the message he was preaching. He was healing all kinds of sickness, all kinds of disease among the people.

So he preached the gospel. He trained disciples. And he got his hands dirty to make things better. Now, Christians throughout history have noticed this. They’ve noticed what I just said. And in noticing that this sums up Jesus’ life, they believed they had a mandate to do something about the culture in which they lived, that Christians are not called to apathy, but to activity; that Christians are not called to indifference, but involvement.

And you may or may not know that the great revivals of the past produced a number of things in terms of fruit. You could study the great revivals of history, and you’ll find that there was strong gospel preaching. There was mass conversion. There was a renewed love for the scriptures, the Bible.

There was prolific song writing, that would express what God was doing. And the society in which those people were saved in got better. It got better. Did you know that most social reforms in the West are related directly to the preaching of the gospel?

So many examples of this– as Christianity began to spread west, in the 4th century AD, the very first hospital we have in history came about by Christians. And the reason they developed the hospital idea or hospital system is because they believed Jesus gave us a mandate to care for the sick. Why? Because Jesus preached the gospel, trained disciples, and healed people. So they thought, we follow Christ. We have a mandate to care for the sick.

Then there was John Wesley, in England, in the 1700s. He was a gospel preacher. I mean, he got on a horse and would ride from village to village and just in the open air, proclaimed the gospel and brought great revival to that country. But he not only preached the gospel of salvation, but he preached against slavery, he preached for prison reform, and for education. He got involved politically, et cetera.

He inspired by his preaching a young man by the name of William Wilberforce, who was indeed a politician in the Parliament of England. And Wilberforce led an anti-slavery movement to abolish the slave trade, which he was successful at doing eventually in 1834. Three days before his death, John Wesley wrote a little letter to William Wilberforce, assuring him that God raised him up for this season, for such a time as this, and urged him not to be weary in well doing.

Now, that whole mentality spilled over across the Atlantic Ocean into the United States of America, so that the Christians began preaching, especially the Quakers. They preached that slavery is the greatest sin against God. And by that preaching in the pulpit and teaching the scriptures, there developed a movement known as the American Anti-slavery Society, direct result of those churches.

That culminated in Abraham Lincoln crafting and signing the Emancipation Proclamation. A little later, in the 1800s, a guy by the name of Charles Finney, I don’t know if you’ve ever read anything by him or about him. But I suggest you do. It’s incredible reading. I have been inspired by him for years.

Charles Finney was an interesting cat. He was a lawyer turned evangelist. So he was a very critical thinker. He became an evangelist. He shared the gospel everywhere he went. It is estimated that between 100,000 to 500,000 people got saved under his ministry alone. It spread throughout the entire Eastern seaboard.

But Charles Finney also said, “the church’s neglect of social reform grieved the Holy Spirit and hindered revival.” So one of Finney’s converts was a guy by the name of Theodore Weld. He became Finney’s assistant for a period of years, eventually left serving Finney, and devoted the rest of his life to the struggle to end slavery in America.

Here’s what I want you to see. Whether it’s Wesley or Finney, they’re both preachers of the gospel. People are in mass coming to Christ. But the gospel they preach inspired others to get involved. Why? Because the gospel transforms people. And then those people are sent out to transform the lives of other people with that gospel and by their works that validate the gospel that they preach.

So a saved soul sanctifies society. How’s that for a tongue twister? A saved soul sanctifies society. Hey, can you imagine if every single human being on earth were saved? Hard to imagine. But imagine just for a moment every person in the world saved. That’ll happen one day. It’s called the Millennium. So it’s not going to happen anytime soon unless Jesus comes back.

But imagine if everybody were saved. Would we have a different world? So let’s work at getting more saved. Let’s work at getting more saved and showing them why they should get saved because they see the transformation in the lives that God’s people make. That’s a kingdom city. We are salt and light. We are a city set upon a hill that cannot be hid.

Now, I mentioned Finney, and I mentioned Wesley. Let me add a few names to that. There was a German Lutheran minister named Theodore Fliedner, who built homes for ex-prisoners, like halfway houses, when they got out of jail, to get them back on their feet. He decided he should build hospitals, asylums for the mentally ill. And one of his most famous students was a gal by the name of Florence Nightingale, who became the mother of modern nursing.

Then in the 1800s, because of the unhealthy conditions in London, due to the Industrial Revolution, the YMCA developed, Young Men’s Christian Association, and the YWCA, Young Woman’s Christian Association, to bring people in who had been oppressed and abused and win them to Christ and love them for Christ’s sake. Then there were missionaries, William Carey, who went to India, David Livingstone, who went to Africa, to share the gospel and help to heal the nation’s wounds that they were living in.

Why did they do that? Why should we do that? Because social concern is the twin sister of evangelism. Social concern is the twin sister of evangelism.

We sort of have a false dichotomy in the evangelical world. We decry. We speak out against people that just do the social gospel because it has been abused. There are churches who do not preach the gospel. But let’s just be kind to everybody and help people and have this campaign– it’s the social gospel.

And so the false dichotomy is, well, you either preach the true gospel, or you just practice the social gospel. I have an idea. Let’s do both. Let’s actually preach the gospel and because it’s the true gospel, get involved socially to better people. Faith without works is dead, the Bible says. The fruit of the gospel is change.

Now, in Psalm 146, it’s a beautiful psalm. I was finding it this week and reading through it. And so it’s basically a psalm where the psalmist encourages people to put their trust in God. But then he describes the God that they are to put their trust in.

And it says this, in Psalm 146, verse 7, “God executes justice for the oppressed. He gives food to the hungry. He gives freedom to the prisoners. He opens the eyes of the blind. He raises those who are bowed down. The Lord loves the righteous. He watches over the strangers.” Then it goes on to say in verse 10, “the Lord shall reign forever, your God, O Zion, to all generations.”

So there’s a kingdom coming. Until then, God is all about helping the oppressed, the hungry, the bowed down, the prisoners, the strangers. So that’s what we are to do in the meantime as we’re waiting for that coming kingdom. See, if I’ve tasted the kingdom personally, and the kingdom is coming literally eventually, what am I to do in the world practically? This.

John Stott is a book I was reading this week. John Stott asks the question, which Jesus do we believe in, and which Jesus do we preach? That’s a question I want to just close with. Which Jesus do we believe in, and which Jesus do we preach?

You say, why should anybody ask that question? Because Paul the apostle said, there are people in the Church of Galatia who are preaching a different Jesus. So which Jesus do we believe in, and which Jesus do we preach? Do we believe and proclaim the Jesus who only preached the gospel of the kingdom? Do we believe in and proclaim the Jesus who only taught people the truth?

Or do we believe in the Jesus who preached the gospel, taught people the truth, and brought kingdom values to the culture in which he lived? And that’s why we say, our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

You see, I cannot say, our, if my religious experience has no place for others. I cannot say, Father, if I don’t demonstrate that relationship in my life. I cannot say, who art in heaven, if all my interests are on earthly things. I cannot say, Your kingdom come, if I’m unwilling to give up my sovereignty. And I cannot say, Your will be done, if I’m not willing to let the Lord have his will done in my life.

Your kingdom come. Your will be done. We must not become like the country preacher in England. They’re called vicars over there. A country vicar was approached by a homeless lady who needed help for her condition. The preacher had all sorts of excuses for her. He said that he was busy. And he was.

He said, he didn’t quite know what to do with her and her condition. And he didn’t. And so what he just said to her is, I’ll pray for you and left. She wrote a letter. “I was hungry, and you formed a humanities group to discuss my hunger. I was imprisoned, and you crept quietly off to your chapel and prayed for my release. I was naked, and in your mind you debated the morality of my appearance.

I was sick, and you knelt and thanked God for your health. I was homeless, and you preached to me of the spiritual shelter of the love of God. I was lonely, and you left me alone to pray for me. You seem so holy, so close to God, but I am still very hungry and lonely and cold.”

So what are we to do? We are to preach. We are to teach. And we are to help heal the wounds of those around us. When we do that, we are validating what we are teaching and what we are preaching.

Now, I would be remiss unless I said something else as we close, the fact that you already do that. I am speaking to a group of people– I’m, essentially, preaching to the choir because you are one of the most generous organizations, group of believers, I have ever met. When there are needs that we bring up locally, internationally, with Operation Christmas Child, with feeding people here and kids in town, you step up to the plate over and over and over again. So I applaud you for that. And we must never get to a place where we don’t do that. Because we preach a gospel that is transformative, we need to live transformed lives that demonstrate that.

Father, thank You for this commission that you have given us to see your will exercised in our life personally, to spread the gospel to other people, so that your will is done in their lives socially, while we wait for the literal kingdom of God to be set up on earth eventually.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

All of that is at play here. We place ourselves before you as your people, living sacrifices, and pray that we would not neglect one for the other. It would not all be about preaching, but not teaching or helping. It would not all be about teaching, but not preaching or helping. It would not all be about helping, but neglect preaching and teaching.

We would do all in balance for your glory. Because there is the joy zone for us to operate in. The joy of the Lord is our strength when we give ourselves to you in these things. Help us. Encourage your people. So many of them do so much of this already. Thank you. Encourage them to go on. In Jesus’ name, we pray. And God’s people said, amen.

Amen.

Again, God’s people said–

Amen.

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Bible Studies

Knowing God Through Prayer

by Tom Terry
written by Tom Terry

KNOWING GOD THROUGH PRAYER

There is one practice in the Christian life that many Christians struggle with: prayer. Think about it this way: many Christians want to pray to God but feel frustrated speaking to a person they cannot see with their eyes, hear with their ears, or touch with their hands. Why then should we pray?

Prayer is essential to the Christian life because it is our direct communication with God. As we practice prayer we will discover three unshakable truths:

  • God sees us from our innermost hearts
  • He hears and gives attention to our heartfelt requests, and
  • He touches our lives through his Holy SpiritWhen we engage in prayer we do more than speak to God. We are in the process of learning to see, hear, and touch him in unique and satisfying ways.How does the Christian pray? Are there rules to prayer? How long must I pray? Are there certain things I must always pray for? How can I know when God is speaking to me instead of just me speaking to him? Prayer is the means whereby even the prophets of old spoke to God and learned how to hear his voice.

    This study will serve as a beginner’s guideline to prayer and how to experience God’s love through the regular practice of prayer. We will also look at what prayer is not so that we don’t confuse it with practices from false religions.

WHAT PRAYER IS AND WHAT IT IS NOT Read: Matthew 6:5-13; Luke 22:40-42

Prayer is nothing more than having a conversation with God.

(Matthew 6:9-13)

How do you communicate to your family or friends? You simply talk with them. You share your life with them. Prayer, in one sense, is no different. Prayer is simply having a conversation with God about the things that are on your heart. What is on your heart? Talk to Jesus about that right now.

Prayer is a means whereby God transforms us so that our will and his will come together.
(Luke 22:40-42)

Even Jesus prayed for his Father’s will instead of his own. Prayer is not a way to get things from God. Prayer is more than asking God for things. When we spend time in prayer and think about his Word our desires begin to transform over time to be more like his.

What do you want from your life? Make a short list of the five things in life you desire the most. Now make a list of the five things you think God wants from your life. Compare them. How can these things be brought together?

Prayer is not a talisman, charm, formula, chanting, or an exercise in magic or divination. Prayer is spiritual conversation. (Matthew 6:7)

Because prayer is an expression within religion, many people see prayer in one of these ways. But as we’ve seen, genuine prayer that God responds to is a conversation with God. He is a person. We are persons. People communicate. Treating prayer like one of these things takes away from the simplicity of talking with God.

Do you treat prayer like on of these things? Begin turning from that by having a short conversation with God right now.

PRAYER PRACTICES
Read: Matthew 6:9-13; Ephesians 6:18; I Thessalonians 5:17-18

Have a conversation with God about your life and interests.

(Matthew 6:9-13)

Matthew 6:9-13 is the perfect guide to use for prayer. Notice that it combines God’s interests with our interests. As you consider this passage you will see how it reflects your needs.

As you read each verse, take a moment to pray to God about it. For instance, when reading verse 11, apply this to all of the things in life that you need and talk to God about. Do this for each verse.

Have a conversation with God about his life and interests.

(Matthew 6:9-13)

Look at the prayer again and notice where God’s interests are mentioned in verses 9 and 10. Pray through these verses. Read verse 9 then pray through different things you can thank God for. Our relationship with God deepens as we engage in this practice.

What kinds of things can you thank God for as represented is verse 9 and 10? Make a list and pray a prayer of thanks to God for them.

Engage in prayer regularly to get to know God better.

(Ephesians 6:18; I Thessalonians 5:17-18)

The Bible encourages us to pray and think thoughts toward God continually. This does not mean at every waking moment we are praying. Rather, it means to turn to God throughout our day and bring our concerns, thanks, and praises to him. As we do this we will begin to sense and understand the things that please God.

Some people make an appointment with God for prayer. Some pray in the mornings, some in the evenings, and some a various times throughout the day. What time can you give God in regular payer?

POWER THROUGH PRAYER
Read: Romans 8:14-16; Ephesians 1:15-18; Philippians 4:6-7

Our lives will change when we bring our concerns to God.

(Romans 8:14-16)

As we become accustomed to talking with God and become sensitive to his leading, we will experience a change in our innermost desires. Instead of being concerned for only ourselves we will become more concerned with the things of God.

How has God begun to change your desires through prayer? As you spend more time in prayer, how have your prayers changed?

We will become more interested in God’s will the more we seek God in prayer.
(Ephesians 1:15-18)

Prayer is one of the ways in which we get to know God’s will. As we learn more about his character and his promises, and acknowledge them in prayer, our hearts will turn more and more toward God with a great desire to know him intimately.

What parts of God’s will or his character interest you the most? Talk to God about those things. What do you seem to be learning?

Those who regularly and continually seek God in prayer will be more in touch with God and will experience a vibrant relationship with him.
(Philippians 4:6-7)

Imagine you had a friend with whom you rarely talked. You would not know that person very well, would you? But if you met with that person regularly your relationship would deepen. So it is the same when we pray to Jesus and let his Word speak to us.

Do you want a close relationship with God? Spend time with him in prayer.

 

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Devotionals

What Does Jesus Pray for Us?

by Lysa TerKeurst
written by Lysa TerKeurst

“I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” John 17:23 (NIV)

d8.25-22

In John 17, we find the last words Jesus shared at His final meal with His disciples.

Even though I treasure reading about the last moments of Jesus’ life with His friends, at the same time, my heart aches. He knew all that was about to happen to Him. Within hours of this last time together, He knew:

One of His disciples would betray Him …
The others would not stand with Him …
He would soon endure extreme brutality all alone …

And yet, somehow, He was focused enough to stay very present in this moment instead of living in dread of the horrific moments to come.

It astounds me how present and giving Jesus was during the Last Supper. Jesus and the disciples ate together. They drank together. They talked. He washed their feet. He watched Judas walk out the door.

Then He prayed. For Himself. For the disciples.

And then for you and for me.

The fact that Jesus thought of and prayed for us in these final hours also astounds me.

I need to read what He prayed. But even more importantly, I need to live what He prayed.

“… that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” (John 17:23)

Unity. Love.

Of all the many things He could have prayed for us, it was unity and love.

This feels a bit complicated in our world that seems so very divided on issues where so many have loud opinions, express strong objections and feel very justified getting offended by almost anything.

I get it.

There’s a lot of wrong in this world that should be addressed. There are a lot of injustices that should be defended. And there’s a lot of evil that should be stopped.

But when I take time to reflect on Jesus’ words at the Last Supper, I wonder if there’s a more unified way we are supposed to be doing this. We have an enemy, but it’s not each other. In light of Jesus’ last prayer for His disciples (and, I believe, for us as well) before the cross, I wonder if we all need to remember that, while we can be divided in our opinions, we can be a little more united in our compassion for one another.

After all, so much of what shapes the opinions and objections we express comes from some deep pain we’ve been through or walked through with someone we love. Hurt shapes us for better or worse.

Jesus knew this. And He knew humans have such a propensity to turn hurting into hating. Maybe that’s why He prayed for unity. Maybe it’s not the kind of unity where we all agree about everything, but rather, in the middle of disagreements, we can remember we are all carriers of pain and sorrow. Even if we don’t see eye to eye, surely we can remember we are so very alike in what makes us cry.

Even if we are completely divided on some opinions and ideas, we can remember we’re so very united in our tears and in our love for Jesus. And in that shared commonality, we show the world that with Jesus, unity and peace are possible.

You see, where there is that kind of unity between us, the world looks a lot more beautiful around us. And the world will know by our unity and by our love that Jesus was sent by God to redeem the world.

The main thing is Jesus. And I guess everything else will be sorted out with crystal clarity in heaven.

Today, may we each choose to embrace a God-honoring unity and love in our lives. We honor Him most when we live His prayer.

Father God, You long for me to receive the love of Jesus and to live it out. For me to walk in unity and in love. Help me tear down the barriers of judgment and hatred. Help me hold to Your Truth and walk in Your grace while sincerely loving others. Help me use my healing as a way to connect with others, human to human, no matter where I may be on my journey. May my heart be softened and my life be changed by Your call to unity and love. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

www.proverbs31ministries.org

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Articles

How Tim Keller Seeks to Pray without Ceasing

by Tim Keller
written by Tim Keller

Like many other believers, I’ve always sought to have a time of devotion and prayer each morning. And like most other believers, I have found it a struggle to be consistent.

Imagine my surprise when I came across a place in John Calvin’s Institutes where he argues that, when it comes to daily prayer, once is not enough.

Calvin points to the exhortation to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thess. 5:17) and says that, of course, every Christian should aspire to pray to God constantly through the day. But, he adds: “Since our weakness is such that it has to be supported by many aids, and our sluggishness such that it needs to be goaded, it is fitting each one of us should set apart certain hours for this exercise.”

Calvin taught that we should designate set times, though brief, during which “all the devotion of the heart should be completely engaged.” He proposed five times:

  • when we wake in the morning
  • before we begin work
  • at midday meal
  • after the meal (or after the day’s work)
  • when we are getting ready for bed at night

He immediately adds, “This must not be any superstitious observance of hours—as “paying our debt to God” and forcing him to hear us (3.20.50).

Compose Daily Prayers

Though I knew about this exhortation years ago, only recently did I learn that Calvin actually prepared five prayers for these various times of day—and included them in his 1542/45 Geneva Catechism. They were meant to be examples for individuals and families to use. This encouraged me to use his prayers as a foundation for composing my own.

I would encourage others to do the same thing I did with Calvin: take these as examples and use them to compose your own. Having something written, which I can read and use as a basis for prayer to God—and taking only one minute for each—has been extremely helpful for remembering the presence of God and the truths I learned that morning in Bible reading. It “frames” the entire day with God and the gospel.

Below are the prayers I use. Again, use them simply as the basis for crafting your own.

Upon Rising: For Love

Father, thank you for the grace that has preserved my life to this moment. Now give me enough love for this day—a sense of love from you (so I’m not scared or driven), a welling up of love for you (so I’m not proud or selfish), and a resulting love for others (so I am not cold or distracted). Let your Spirit illumine my mind and enlarge my heart for that. And because it means nothing to begin well if one does not persevere, I ask that you would continue and increase your grace in me until you have led me into full communion with your Son Jesus Christ our Lord, that I may see his beautiful and great glory. And as I laid down in sleep and rose this morning only by your grace, keep me in a joyful, lively remembrance that whatever happens, I will someday know my final rising—the resurrection—because Jesus Christ laid down in death for me, and rose for my justification. In Jesus’s name.

Before Workday: For Perseverance

Lord, all day may you give me an awareness of your presence, fruitfulness yet patience with your appointments, wisdom and compassion in my dealings, and Fatherly protection against dangers and adversities. Let me accept whatever degree of success or difficulty in my work you give me this day, and especially make me compassionate and ready to be interrupted in order to do good to others. In Jesus’s name.

Midday: For Presence and Recollection

O Lord God, thank you for sustaining my physical life through food and shelter; for giving me new life through the gospel; for the assurance that my bad things will turn out for good, and that my good things cannot be taken from me; and for the certainty of the best and perfect life, which is yet to come. Now give me a joyful sense of your presence, and freedom from my characteristic sins of perfectionistic works-righteousness, fear of criticism, and self-comfort. Don’t allow my affections to be tangled in inordinate desires for the things of this world, but let me set my heart on things above, where Christ, my life, is seated at your right hand. In Jesus’s name. (Recollect morning Bible insights.)

End of Workday: For People I’ve Met or Dealt with Today

Lord, send down your blessings, temporal and spiritual, on my family, friends, and neighbors. Bless those who have done us good today, and pardon all those who have done or wished us ill, and give them repentance and better minds. Be merciful to those who are in any trouble or suffering, and minister to them according to their needs. Do this for the sake of the One who went about doing good, the Man of Sorrows, your Son and our Savior, Jesus Christ. In his name.

Upon Sleep: For Rest

O Lord, defend us from all dangers and also from the fear of them tonight. Grant us grace, not only to rest our bodies, but to have spiritual repose, in soul and conscience, in your grace and love, so we might be comforted and eased in all ways. And since no day passes that I do not sin in so many ways, please bury all my offenses in your mercy, that I might not lose your presence. Forgive me for Jesus’s sake. Finally, grant us grace always to live in such a state that we may never be afraid to die; so that, living and dying, we may be yours, through the merits and satisfaction of your Son Christ Jesus, in whose name we offer up these our imperfect prayers. Amen.

Re-printed from www.thegospelcoalition.org.

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Ask Roger

Teach Me to Pray!

by Roger Barrier
written by Roger Barrier

 

Dear Roger,

 

I’m a new Christian, and I got invited to a Bible study. Everyone in the circle prayed a nice prayer, but when it came to my turn, I didn’t know what to say. Please help me.

 

Sincerely, José

 

Dear José,

 

IT’S TIME TO GET SERIOUS ABOUT PRAYER.

 

Covid-19 is running wild as it kills hundreds of thousands and stymies a worldwide economy. Riots and racial tension make news every day. Hurricanes have been smashing week by week into Texas, Louisiana, and Florida. Fires have devastated the western states. Some white supremacy groups have set a goal to bring down the United States government. Oregon has decriminalized the possession of cocaine.

 

Personally, I pray for the protection of our republic. There’s little doubt that the Constitution, which has served us well for over 300 years, is under attack. I’m concerned that our nation is divided to the point of destruction.

 

Many Christians are praying for the health and success of our entire world. However, in some ways, what happens to our world is dependent upon the actions of Christians as described in 2 Chronicles 7:13-14;

 

When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

 

Most Christians never get serious about prayer until a problem arises in their lives.

 

How many Christians pray consistently? Unfortunately, my experience is that most Christians pray very little. If we were to receive $10 a minute for the time we spent in prayer each week, most of us would be unable to buy groceries.

 

JESUS FOCUSED ON PRAYER AT ALL TIMES.

 

  1. Early in the morning:

 

“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” (Mark 1:35)

 

  1. All night:

 

“Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spend the night praying to God.” (Luke 6:12)

 

  1. Before choosing the Twelve Disciples:

 

“Jesus spent the night praying. … When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated as apostles.” (Mark 3:14)

 

  1. When life was unusually busy:

 

“Yet the news about him spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” (Luke 5:15-16)

 

  1. When He was healing and casting out demons:

 

“The people brought to Jesus all who had various kinds of sicknesses, and he laid his hands on each one and healed them. Moreover, demons came out of many people.” (Luke 5:40-41)

 

  1. During His agony in the Garden of Gethsemane:

 

“Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, ‘Sit here while I go over there and pray.’” (Matthew 26:36)

 

  1. On the Cross:

 

“From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land. About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice,  . . . My God my God why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46)

 

LORD, TEACH US TO PRAY.

 

What is prayer?

 

It’s simpler than you think. Prayer is simply talking with God.

 

The only prayers that the disciples knew were those of the Scribes, Sadducees, and Pharisees. Their prayers were filled with pride and endless repetition. These men knew very little, or perhaps nothing at all, of the heart and character of God.

 

On the other hand, the disciples heard often the prayers of Jesus. They were so fresh, passionate, and relevant. So, one day they said, “Lord, teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1). So, He did: “Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed be your name” … and continued praying what we call “The Lord’s Prayer.”

 

The astounding thing here is that no one had ever called God, “Father.” Jesus’ prayers were compassionate, gentle, purposeful, and full of humility! He was talking with His father in heaven.

 

Most Christians learned how to pray from listening to others. As a child, I always hoped that the pastor would not call on Mr. Long to pray the closing prayer at church. He seemed to pray on and on forever. I thought that’s why his name was Mr. Long. But now I know better.

 

I really learned to pray watching and listening to the prayers of my mother and father. Sometimes, when I got up really early, I would peek around the corner of the bedroom door to see my father on his knees in prayer.

 

During high school, my prayer life really improved. The leader of our group recommended that we put a chair in front of us and imagine that Jesus is sitting there. Then, just talk to him, as we would chat with each other. I still do that.

 

These five simple truths have always helped me to pray:

 

  1. Prayer is like talking to your best friend.

 

  1. Prayer is “family talk.”

 

  1. God is not someone we fear. He’s our father.

 

  1. Have a nice chat!

 

  1. Prayer really isn’t that hard.

 

It was raining the first time that Tom Terry ever went to church. Riding his motorcycle by our church one Sunday night, he was intrigued as he passed by a parking lot full of cars. He wondered what could be so interesting. So, he turned around and came to church.

 

We were having an evangelistic service, and 25 or 30 people responded to the Gospel, coming down front to meet with our counselors. I was still surrounded when it was time for the service to end. I pointed to Tom and said, “Why don’t you lead us in a closing prayer.” I thought that Tom was one of our counselors.

 

I have forgotten what he prayed, but I recall it was very, very short, something like, “God help us all.” I like to think that he prayed the same prayer as the Philippian jailer during the earthquake, “Lord save me!” But I doubt it.

 

Tom and I still laugh about that moment. He and his wife Diane ultimately joined Campus Crusade for Christ. Tom now oversees the Jesus Film ministry, which has reached millions all over the world with the life-transforming Gospel.

 

Prayer plays a powerful part in bringing God’s invisible power to bear on a visible world.

 

FOUR PRAYER MODELS YOU CAN USE RIGHT NOW.

 

First, “ACTS” is an acrostic that covers most everything that we need to pray.

 

“A” stands for adoration (praise)

“C” stands for confession

“T” stands for Thanksgiving

“S” stands for supplication (requests)

 

Second, pray the Scriptures.

 

For example, pray Philippians 4:4-7:

 

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I’ll say it again: rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

 

Then, take a moment to enjoy the peace of God.

 

Or, pray Philippians 3:10-11:

 

“I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so somehow to attain to the resurrection from the dead.”

 

Ask God to set your heart and mind on becoming a spiritual mother or father at any price.

 

Third, pray in the mind.

 

Praying in the mind is where most Christians spend their time praying. Often, this includes making a prayer list of requests that we’re asking God to care for or grant. A prayer journal helps to keep track of what we’re praying for, which prayers are answered, and how.

 

Praying in the mind often involves worship, songs of praise, hymns and spiritual songs which teach theology, give glory to God, and draw us closer to the heart of Christ.

 

It’s easy to allow the mind to wander. We must turn our attention back to God whenever we lose focus.

 

Praying in the mind refers to our constant thinking about things that need prayer and dealing with them accordingly.

 

Praying in the mind also means that we cultivate the art of quieting our thoughts so that we can hear God speak;

 

“Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Go near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, who do not know that they do wrong. Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in his heaven and you are on the earth, so that you were to be few. As a dream comes when there are many cares, so the speaks of a fool when there are many words.” (Ecclesiastes 5:1-3)

 

Isaiah spoke for God in Isaiah 30:15, “In quietness is your strength.”

Fourth, pray in the Spirit.

 

Paul wrote:

 

“I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind. I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my mind.” (1 Corinthians 14:15)

 

Praying in the Spirit often occurs after we have prayed in our minds, gotten quiet ,and listened for God to speak deep within our human spirit—the inner shrine where God dwells.

 

The Holy Spirit often brings to mind people and events that need our prayers that we had no way of even knowing about in the first place.

 

We often feel the intercession of the Holy Spirit when we can’t put our feelings into words.

 

Praying in the spirit occurs when we are communicating Holy Spirit to human spirit. Paul wrote:

 

“In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weaknesses. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans with words cannot express and he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will.” (Romans 8:26-27)

 

Jesus shared the same truth:

 

“Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the father seeks. God is spirit and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.” (John 4:23-24)

 

Theologian St. Augustine declared, “I lost much time in the beginning of my Christian life by trying to find God outwardly rather than by looking within.” And pastor Lloyd Jones wrote, “Our ultimate position as Christians is tested by the character of our prayer life.” I agree wholeheartedly!

 

Well José, I hope you find my answer helpful. May you be fervent and powerful as you come to the Lord in prayer.

 

Love, Roger

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Devotionals

The Purpose of Prayer

by Tony Evans
written by Tony Evans

In the Lord’s Prayer, we learn that God is our Father and His kingdom is our priority. He alone is the source of our provision, and as we forgive others, His grace provides for our forgiveness. We also learn that God is our protector. Through the trials and temptations of life He will direct and guide our path. But in the concluding words of this prayer Jesus teaches us one final truth, God is glorious and worthy of our praise!

 

In Matthew 6:13, the Lord’s Prayer concludes with a doxology or declaration of great praise to God with the words “For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.” The last words of our prayer are sometimes the most important and Jesus last words reminds us that we serve a God who is on the throne! No matter what situation we face, our prayers should always lead us to lift up our voice to God with incomparable gratitude and great praise.

 

Throughout scripture we see the people of God offering doxologies or great praise to God. In 1 Chronicles 29:11, David blessed God acknowledging His greatness, power and glory. After discussing God’s glorious plan of redemption, Paul finished with this doxology in Romans 11:36, “For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.” Jude expressed his praise to God, as he concluded with a powerful doxology in verses 24-25, “Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.” With each of these passages we see the same truth, when you are overwhelmed by the glory and greatness of God, you become too excited to keep it to yourself and are moved to praise Him with your whole being!

 

Every doxology glorifies God. In the Lord’s Prayer Jesus is acknowledging four important truths about God’s kingdom, power, glory and eternality.

 

  1. First, the kingdom of God refers to His authority and sovereignty. God’s kingdom rules over all on the earth and in the heavens (Romans 13:1). Everything that happens is because God either directly causes it or allows it to take place.

 

  1. Second, the power of God is unlimited, self-generating and potent (Psalm 147:5). Sometimes we experience a power outage because of some disruption in the energy flow from the source. But there are never any power outages with God! He is self-sufficient and always operates at maximum strength to accomplish whatever is needed for His kingdom. He is such a powerful king that God can take the resistance of those against Him and transform it for the good of His kingdom (Exodus 11:1).

 

  1. Third, the glory of God is the sum of His being or attributes. God’s glory is displayed through His brilliance, splendor and significance. When the invisible God makes Himself visible in your situation this is a manifestation of His glory.

 

  1. Fourth, God is eternal (Isaiah 57:15). There has never been a time without God, as He has always existed. God has no past and no future. For us there is yesterday, today and tomorrow, but for God there is only right now, the present. This means you can place your trust in Him, because He has seen and knows all things (Psalm 139:1-10).

 

 

Our purpose in life is to bring glory and honor to God in all that we do. But we have to choose to walk in that purpose. So what will you do? Will you focus on your own glory, or will you follow the example of Jesus and offer up a doxology of glorious praise to God, our Father?

  1. How do you think the sovereignty of God should affect the way you respond to the various situations you encounter each day?
  2. Share a time when you experienced God’s power in your life. Did it change the way you trust Him?
  3. Read Psalm 19:1-6. What do you learn about God’s glory from creation? How does this affect the awe and reverence you have for Him?
  4. Describe your understanding of God’s eternality. How do you think this truth helps us have confidence in God?
  5. What can you do this week to glorify God with great praise?
  6. Using the Lord’s Prayer as the model, write your own prayer to God.
  7. Want to go deeper? Take a look at the following passages: Psalm 19:1; 24:1; 62:11; 90:1-2; 135:6; Job 36:26; Isaiah 40:28; John 15:8; 17:4; Romans 4:17; Ephesians 1: 11; 3:20-21; Revelation 1:8

“Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.”

Jude 24-25

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Devotionals

Daily Bread: God’s Provision in Prayer

by Tony Evans
written by Tony Evans

Praying Matthew 6:11 “Give us this day our daily bread” is probably the part of the Lord’s Prayer we like the most. When we pray “Give us this day our daily bread,” we must first look at the source of our daily bread. Who are we actually saying “give us” to? We are submitting this request directly to our Father, because our daily bread is sourced in God. God’s provision for our daily bread goes back to the beginning of creation when He made all manner of vegetation and animals. In the garden, Adam was able to receive sustenance for his physical well-being because it had been provided by God. If there was no creation, there would be no food. If there was no food, there would be no daily bread. The Father is not only the sole source of our provision, but He provides for the entire universe as well

.

The provision God provides is called bread and is symbolic for any need we may have. In Matthew 6:33, we are told, “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” Our first priority must be seeking God’s kingdom in order to ensure that His kingdom is being taken care of. When we take care of God’s kingdom, then the King will provide the daily bread we need. Focusing on the kingdom of God will also shift our perspective from the physical (man-centered) to the spiritual (God-centered).

 

In Matthew 4:3-4, Jesus provided a great example of how to prioritize the spiritual over a physical need. After Jesus fasted in the wilderness for forty days and forty nights, Satan appeared to Him and said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE, BUT ON EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDS OUT OF THE MOUTH OF GOD.” Jesus was demonstrating that spiritual food would sustain us not only in this life but for all eternity, while physical food would only sustain us until our next meal.

 

“Give us this day our daily bread” also expresses selflessness when we include others and their needs in our prayers. Therefore when God does provide sustenance for us, we should respond by expressing love, concern, and compassion through sharing with those in need. Ultimately, it reminds us to remember that when we pray, God is the daily source for all our spiritual and physical provisions.

LET’S GET PERSONAL

  1. When a need for provision arises in your life, either who or what do you go to first? Please explain your response to the circle or group members.
  2. What provision do you find yourself asking God for frequently? Why do you think that provision comes up repeatedly when you pray?
  3. Have you experienced discontentment or ungratefulness regarding the daily bread God has provided? If yes, share the reason you feel discontentment. If no, explain how you remain grateful and content.
  4. Do you share your provision of daily bread given to you with others? If yes, in what ways do you share? If not, what prevents you from sharing with others?
  1. What does Luke 11:5-13tell us about God’s desire to meet our needs?
  2. What steps will you take to change worry into confident prayer when it comes to trusting God’s provision for your life?
  3. Want to go deeper? Take a look at the following passages, Matthew 6:25-33; Psalm 37:25; 104:10-21; Deuteronomy 8:18; John 6:32-35; Philippians 4:19; James 4:3.

“Delight yourself in the LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him and He will do it.”

Psalm 37:4-5

 

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Devotionals

The Priority of Prayer

by Tony Evans
written by Tony Evans

As believers, we are called to submit to God’s comprehensive rule in every area of our lives. This includes submitting to His will over our own. But like navigating traffic on the highway, this is not always easy to do as there can be roadblocks, detours, distractions, and unexpected turns. Just as in driving, we can easily change lanes and go the opposite way than God has directed for us.

 

So how do we make sure we stay in alignment with His will when we are praying? Jesus provides us with amazing insight on prayer pertaining to the will of God. It is all about His will being done and not ours. In order for us to understand what His will is, we must first spend time in His word. In God’s word, He reveals to us four critical aspects as it relates to His divine prerogative: First, His will is comprehensive. Second, His will is compassionate. Third, His will is commanded primarily for us as believers. Fourth, His will is absolute and does not change. Understanding these four aspects helps us to better live out our God-given purpose.

 

Let us not be like Jonah who was swallowed by a great fish because of his prideful disobedience in prioritizing his will over God’s. Let us not be like Satan who became self-centered and caused a third of the angels in Heaven to rebel with him. Not only did Satan influence the angels to sin, but all of humanity as well.

 

We must die to our will much like Jesus died to His will to accomplish the Father’s will. God’s will, while not always pleasant, brings us our greatest pleasure and joy! Jesus submitted to the will of the Father unto death, providing eternal life to those who believe, and ultimately resulting in His name being exalted above all. Not only does our obedience to God the Father benefit us, but our submission also impacts others for His Glory. The ultimate purpose of prayer is pleading for the Father’s will on earth, so that He may be glorified in Heaven.

  1. Is prayer a priority in your life? If no, what has prevented you from making it a priority?
  2. If we were to view your prayer life, how much of it would be about God and His will being done compared to your personal issues and own will being done?
  3. When you look at your prayer life, what needs to change regarding what you pray about?
  4. Why is it so easy for us to focus on our desires versus the Father’s desires when we pray?
  5. What can you do this week to focus on more of the Father’s will in your prayer life?
  6. Want to go deeper? Take a look at the following passages: Deuteronomy 29:29; Psalm 37:4; Proverbs 3:5-6; Ephesians 5:15-20; Philippians 2:1-8; John 3:30; Colossians 1:9-10; Romans 12:1-2; 1 John 5:14-15.

“And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him.”

1 John 5:14-15

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Sermons

Jesus The King

by Tony Evans
written by Tony Evans

God’s rule had now entered history through Jesus the King – being both human and divine; He was to rule over all.  It is critical for believers to understand the rule of Jesus Christ if they want to see His authority exercised in their lives.  One day, all will respond to Christ as King either voluntarily or mandatorily, and there will be universal recognition of the kingship of Jesus Christ.  Today we model that rule as His church and, in doing so, we can receive the benefits of His authority working in our lives.

www.tonyevans.com. www.sermons.love.

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Articles

What Are Our Priorities in Prayer?

by Tom Terry
written by Tom Terry

What do you want out of your Christian experience? If you’re like most people you might answer that you are looking for peace, strength during difficulties, or even some level of personal prosperity. Would these be your answer? If so, you might want to consider God’s list of priorities for us in prayer. When you pray, what are your priorities—your spouse or kids, your job, your finances, for your friends and family?

Lo and behold, none of these are God’s priorities in prayer. Don’t get me wrong. We can and should ask God for these things. But we need to have our prayer priorities straight. Think back to your prayers. Whatever you pray for first, or most often, is your priority in prayer. So let’s compare that to God’s priorities in prayer and see how we fare.

Jesus provided his disciples with a model prayer in Matthew 6:9-13. Let’s take a look:

Our Father who is in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

In this model prayer, Jesus has given us five prayer priorities. What is number one on God’s list?

God’s reputation. Note Jesus says, “Hallowed be your name.” God’s reputation is very important to him. In fact, our reputations are important to us as well. We don’t like getting slandered or accused falsely, do we? In our case we might deserve a little accusation, but not God. As Christians, how we behave is a reflection on God’s character. You may remember the days when people used to say that if children misbehaved it was a bad reflection on their parents. This is true spiritually. Because the Holy Spirit indwells us, because we are made in God’s image—to think what he thinks, to feel what he feels, and to do what he does—our behavior is supposed to be a reflection on who he is. What do you pray for? How important is God’s reputation to you? For Jesus, it is his number one priority in prayer.

Note God’s second priority in prayer: God’s will. What do you want out of your life? What do you want out of your Christian experience? Following on the heels of God’s reputation is God’s will. Some might think it should be the other way around, that if we focus on doing God’s will then we will then protect God’s reputation. But in reality it’s the other way around. A high view of God’s name, his character, will drive us to do God’s will. We will care about God’s will because we value him so much. But if we focus first on doing things, even on obedience, we will lose the motivating reason for doing his will. Our obedience will then become a work of man instead of an outpouring of responsive love that comes from honoring his reputation.

Part of praying for God’s will also involves evangelism. Wrapped around the statement, “Your will be done,” is “Kingdom come,” and “Earth as it is in Heaven.” God want those on earth who do not yet know him to be prayed for, that their eyes may be enlightened, and their hardened hearts softened to receive the Gospel. It is part of God’s will that we pray this way (I Timothy 2:1-4).

After getting things right with God’s reputation and his will, then we focus on the lesser things. They are important, but lesser compared to God’s reputation and will. Jesus says to pray for our daily bread. In other words, pray for your physical needs. But elsewhere in scripture Jesus says that God already “knows that you need these things” (Matthew 5:32). Here it is that we discover that God wants to meet our physical needs. He does not ignore our earthly needs, but wants to give us what we need to sustain our lives. So why does Jesus instruct us to pray for something that he also says God fully intends to give us anyway? You might have guessed it—it’s a matter of God’s will and reputation. He is a God who provides. If he did not provide for his children, what kind of reputation would he have? Why would his will matter to us if he didn’t provide?

Thirdly, Jesus instructs us to pray for forgiveness. God is a forgiving God. Without his forgiveness we would have no hope of eternal life, heaven, or experiencing his love. We would forever be cut off from God. Though it’s fourth in the list God considers forgiveness as foundational to the Christian life. It’s so important that it is the only thing we are instructed to pray for that has a proviso attached, “As we also have forgiven our debtors.”

Finally, deliverance from temptation and Satan are listed last. Satan is a powerful foe. Why would Jesus list him last if we are to understand this prayer as including a list of priorities? Because Satan is already defeated. This doesn’t mean that he can’t pull the wool over our eyes or tempt us greatly. It means that we have everything we need in Christ to defeat him as Christ also defeated him. We do not need to be spiritual victims if we keep alert.

What do you pray for? How high on your list is God’s reputation? Even Jesus’ prayer in John 17 puts God’s reputation first. Jesus uses words like “glorify,” “name,” and “true God” when addressing God’s character. In fact, Jesus’ prayer in John 17 contains all of the elements of the Lord’s prayer (except for forgiveness since Jesus needed none and he had already forgive his disciple’s sins).

If we lift high God’s reputation in our lives and prayer, if we will become jealous for his name (Ezekiel 39:25, Numbers 25:1-13), God will honor our hearts and prayers by granting those other things we seek that are according to his will.

So, what do you want out of your Christian experience? What do you pray for?

guywithabible.com

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Articles

How Jesus Prayed for Himself

by Drew Anderson
written by Drew Anderson

Is it biblical to pray for yourself? Jesus did! His prayer in John 17:1-5 gives us a model for how we should pray for ourselves. Drew Anderson writes:

Jesus starts His prayer with a request for the Father to glorify Him. He then moves to praying for His disciples and their actions within the world. Finally, He prays for the unity of all those who might believe in Him unto the salvation of their souls. This prayer is nestled at the end of His life and conclusion of His public ministry–which only lasted approximately three years. All throughout His public ministry, His message was consistent and clear, “…a kingdom is coming.” Listen to His words as He began His ministry…

“…Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, because the kingdom of heaven is near.”
Matthew 4:17

The problem for those who were hearing this message then, as well as for those of us today is that no one is able to enter into this kingdom because of its high standards of entry. The gate isn’t swung open for anyone to just drop in. No, no, there is a standard of righteousness required for any and all people. In other words, you have to be as righteous as God to enter His kingdom. And that’s where and why Jesus entered our world.

Thus, God, in His wisdom, sent His Son into our world so that through His perfect–righteous–life, He could offer Himself for us who are not righteous, in order to stand as a substitute in our place–paying the penalty for all our sin (incidentally, a penalty is incurred, because the Law or standard has been broken–by everyone. God doesn’t turn His head or wink at anyone breaking His standards). And so, the result of His perfect–righteous–life sacrificed on behalf of (or in the place of) unrighteous people means that His righteousness is now available to any who—by grace through faith—believe that His sacrifice (dying on the cross) was for them in particular–and they accept and believe that this is God’s only provision made for them in order to be a part of His kingdom. No law to keep. No standard to maintain. No sin to avoid. It’s a simple yet God-sparking recognition of who you are in light of who God is, and a turning from depending upon yourself to be righteous (i.e. trying your best to be good), and turning to God’s provision–Jesus.

The standard (or Law of God) of entry into God’s kingdom is not intrinsically bad or an impossible requirement handed down by a hateful god, but was rather given because of transgressions that served as a tutor until Jesus came, as well as pointed (as a copy and shadow) to its ultimate fulfillment in Jesus. And so, Jesus spent His earthly ministry preaching about the coming kingdom, as well as keeping its standard of entry (the Mosaic Law) for us! In the meantime, He trained His disciples for His departure.

And, it was at the end of this training–just before Jesus’ sacrifice for all humanity–that John’s gospel provides insight into a most intimate moment of…The Prayer of Jesus.

Jesus’ Prayer for Himself

“Jesus spoke these things; and lifting up His eyes to heaven, He said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify You, even as You gave Him authority over all flesh, that to all whom You have given Him, He may give eternal life. This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do. Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.”
John 17:1-5

Jesus begins His prayer acknowledging that His life—His purpose—has reached its final point. He thus requests that God glorify Him as a result of the completion of His earthly work in fulfilling the kingdom’s standards (God’s Law) perfectly. This glory request is not strange for Christ to ask of the Father, because He had previously (and eternally) dwelt in the same glory with the Father before the world existed as the second person of the Trinity. Since Jesus emptied Himself of this glory by becoming a servant and sacrifice in order to fulfill the kingdom’s standards (or Law), He is now requesting that it be restored. In other words, Jesus is stating in so many words that all of history has pointed to this moment, and its ultimate fulfillment is now reaching its apex. Mankind’s righteousness has always been short of God’s righteousness, and as history has unfolded this reality has only proven its point. Therefore, Jesus–the God-man–came to deal with it, and to offer His life of righteousness to all who are unrighteous, so that those who are unrighteous could enter into His kingdom without fear of its perfect righteous standard. Therefore, the prayer of Jesus begins with profound importance–God is dealing with mankind’s failure…Jesus is proclaiming this new reality for all of humanity…

Thus, Jesus prays…

My mission is reaching its completion…

Restore my glory…

Amen and Amen.

How Does This Apply To Us Today?

Because Jesus ended perfectly what He began (thus fulfilling His mission on earth), you and I now have hope for life after death, as well as purpose (and mission) in (and for) our life today. Our Lord–King Jesus–is not a defeated god, but One who reigns in all His glory, and who stands in our place–ever mediating on our behalf. That’s our God…that’s our Lord…that’s our King, Jesus! Mission fulfilled. Glory restored. Amen!

Therefore, worship. Worship your King Jesus who forever receives worship! Worship Him, and let the world see you do it!

www.staffandstones.com. Used by permission.

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Articles

9 Keys to Experience Heaven Now

by Don McMinn
written by Don McMinn

What is the most powerful way to worship here on earth? A good pattern for earthly worship is heavenly worship. If we study Revelation’s description of heaven, we can truly give God the glory He deserves.

Christ taught us in the Lords Prayer to pray for “…your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” We should begin our heavenly worship while we are still on earth.

So let’s take a look at heavenly worship! Read Revelation 4 and picture the Throne Room of God.

1.     Preparation for worship is important.

Although John was in a distressful situation, “I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos” (1:9), he was honoring the Lord’s day “On the Lord’s day” (1:10), and was spiritually prepared for worship, “I was in the Spirit.” Most of us, when we’re in an unpleasant environment, find an excuse to neglect spiritual matters. But the aged apostle was ready for church, even though he was going by himself!

2.   God initiates the call to worship.

“I heard behind me a loud voice… before me was a door standing open in heaven” (1:10; 4:1). God always initiates; we simply respond. It was so in our coming to God (1 John 4:19, John 6:44), and it is so in worship. The beautiful call to worship extended in Revelation 3:20 begins with God’s initiative: “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock.” God is the catalyst in worship. 

3.   There is only one object of our worship – God and His Son Jesus.

“And there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it” (Revelation 4:2).

Our God is a jealous God; He has declared, “You shall have no other gods before Me” (Exodus 20:3) and “Do not bow down before their gods or worship them or follow their practices. You must demolish them and break their sacred stones to pieces” (Exodus 23:24). Other religions are not so exclusive but Christianity is; there is only one object of our worship – Jesus Christ.

4.   We’re all going to gather around the throne as one.

Around the throne, the worshipers are not referred to as Methodists, Charismatics, Baptists, or Presbyterians, just blood-bought saints. We will all discard our denominational credentials, prejudices, and predilections when we gather around the throne. Worship is the call of unity among the body of Christ.

5.   Worship involves our bodies, souls, and spirits.

Heavenly worship is physical – they sing, cast crowns, fall down, cry out, play harps; it is soulish – they worship God willfully, emotionally, and mentally; and it is spiritual – they worship Him in spirit.

The psalmist has declared that “we were formed for the praise of His glory.” Our entire being has been fashioned as an instrument of praise. Just as a master violin maker designs an instrument to produce maximum aesthetic results, so God tailor-made our bodies, souls, and spirits to work together in consonance to produce pleasing expressions of praise and worship.

6.   In worship we should concentrate on what pleases Him.

There are some unusual sights and sounds around the throne: four living creatures full of eyes and with heads of an eagle, ox, lion, and man, each with six wings; flashes of lightning, and peals of thunder.

It sounds like a horror movie to us, but obviously God enjoys it. I’m not suggesting that we dress up church members in costumes and have them run around our auditoriums during the worship service; I am saying that worship is for God and we shouldn’t worry so much about what pleases us as we do about what pleases Him.

7.   The closer we get to God, the more we want to worship. 

I believe the book of Revelation shows us a picture of the throne room of heaven. Obviously there’s more to heaven than just the throne room because Jesus said, “In My Father’s house are many rooms” (John 14:2); and there are probably other things to do in heaven besides worship, but the closer everyone gets to the manifest presence of God, the only appropriate thing to do is worship. Likewise, earthly worship will become more intense and real when we make a concerted effort to acknowledge His omnipresence and to seek His manifest presence.

8.   Worship is our natural response to God.

What is the appropriate thing to do when you meet God – ask questions? golf? plan?  No! Worship. Worship is the most natural and appropriate thing to do in His presence.

9. We should worship God because He is God.

We were created to worship Him. But the praise of heaven is prompted by distinct revelations of who God us and what He has done.  

We worship God because He is:

Holy (4:8)

God Almighty (4:8)

Eternal (4:8)

Creator (4:11)

Preserver (4:11)

 

We worship Jesus because:

He has purchased us by His blood (5:9)

He is worthy to receive power, wealth, thanks, wisdom, and strength (5:12)

He sits upon the throne (5:13)

Salvation belongs to Him (7:10)

He has all power (19:1)

His judgments are true and just (19:2)

He has conquered the enemy (19:2)

He reigns (19:6)

He is our groom and has prepared us for marriage (19:7,8).

Excerpt from “A Heart Aflame” by Don McMinn. Used by permission.

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Articles

What If You Knew?

by Mark Marikos
written by Mark Marikos

I am sure we have all been asked, or pondered the question on our own, “What would you do differently, if you knew you only had 6 months to live?”  A truly contented person might respond, “Nothing, I’m already doing what I would do under those circumstances.”  But then there are the rest of us.  How I respond to that question probably reveals the internal conflict that rages inside me between selfishness and selflessness.  Even my most “spiritual” responses would probably be tinged with a little selfishness – doing good things to bulk-up my heavenly savings account, or wanting to be remembered positively.

 

 “What would you do differently if you knew you were going to live forever?”  It’s like the senior who quips, “If I had known I was going to live this long, I would’ve taken better care of myself!”  Living life for the long run might, at first glance, appears to be inconsistent with burning brightly to win the sprint. But, in a thoroughly integrated world-view, the answer to both questions might be the same.

 

The writer of Hebrews says:

 

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.  Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.  (Hebr. 12:1-2)

 

Nowhere in this passage does it state whether the race is a sprint or a marathon.  In fact, I know not if the race before me is a sprint or a marathon.  Never-the-less, I need to run it in the same way, with the same world view.

 

The passage tells me what kind of world-view I need to finish strong.

 

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith…

 

Jesus must be at the center of my world-view.  Only then am I going to run the race successfully.  He is the finish line, and by keeping my focus upon Him, I will stay on course and not be distracted from the task at hand.  Only then will I be able to

 

…throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles…

 

I often forget that there is an adversary that would love to see me fail, and so rob God of the glory He intends to reveal in me.  The enemy will throw enticements into my path to distract my attention, or obstacles to trip me up, or obstructions to discourage me.  If he can get me to dwell on my meager strength, he will convince me that I am not able to finish, nor even worthy to compete. 

 

But if my focus is on Christ, I will continue to move towards Him, no matter the enticements offered.  I will hurdle over obstacles in my path.  If I stumble, I will be able to pick myself up and continue in the right direction.  And if I find my way blocked, I will wait upon Him to reveal the way around, over, under, or through the obstruction, because I will know that I am running in the right direction. 

 

If I am focused on Christ, I will also know that it is by His strength that I run, not my own.  I will not limit myself to what I have accomplished in the past, but I will look forward with confident expectation (hope) for the miracles He will perform in my behalf as I run in obedience to His call.  Have you ever seen an Olympic runner race with his previous medals around his neck.  Often, my past achievements can be my biggest “hindrance.”

 

I can also learn something from the way Jesus ran His race.

 

…who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

 

What stops most from completing a footrace is the discomfort involved in running.  When my sides ache from the build-up of metabolic waste products in my muscles, my legs feel like rubber, and it seems I cannot suck in enough air to keep going, it is easy to give up and drop out of the race.  What many runners have learned, is that they can push beyond that “wall” and get their “second wind.”  The difference comes in having a good reason to push past the pain and discomfort, to

 

…run with perseverance the race marked out for us.

 

Jesus knew to what He had to look forward, so He was able to push past the pain of Galilee, Gethsemane and Golgotha to take hold of the glory that was His.  In the same way, if my eyes are fixed upon Him, I will know enough about my reward that I will be motivated to push past the pain and finish strong.  And, as if that isn’t enough by itself, I also have a cloud of witnesses cheering me on in this race.  Some of those witnesses are identified in the preceding chapter of Hebrews (what the “therefore” is there for!).  They have run the race, and know that I can too.

 

The Apostle Paul tells us that our goal is worth the hard work of sanctification.

 

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.  Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.

 

Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air.  No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.  (1Cor. 9:24-27)

 

He stresses the importance of focus, discipline and single-mindedness. 

 

Every four years we are reminded of the hard work that precedes the stellar performances in the Olympic games.  We hear and read stories of years spent in physical and psychological training – all for a medal.  How much greater is the reward towards which we strive, and how much more permanent.  Even the best Olympic performances are eventually outdone, and that medal may buy me temporary notoriety, but it will not sustain me for the rest of my life, much less for eternity.

 

If my world-view is centered on Christ, is intentional and educates my entire being, I will have the will to do the hard work of sanctification.  I will have confidence in the reward.  And I will be encouraged by the great cloud of witnesses as I run this race.

 

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