Paul's Prayers for His People

Last night at Soma's MC Leaders Training meeting, we went over the prayers of Paul to see clearly how his prayers were in connection to making disciples. It was a pretty cool night. The one thing that I kept seeing is the depth of God's love that Paul wanted his people to understand, that is unknowable and surpasses understanding, and the fact that we have the God of creation, the power of the God who raised Jesus from the dead living within us. This fullness is amazing when one tries to grasp it. The question that kept coming in my mind was, "why don't I believe that the same God who was all through Acts is the same God who is with me now?" Why don't I expect big things, instead of settling for crappy? Why don't I believe that the harvest is ripe? I think it is because, I don't understand the depths of God's love for us and the power that is present within us. I think I am understanding more and more why Athanasius used terms that sounded crazy when speaking of us and deification. I won't go into it here, but when you read that Paul prays that the Ephesians would be filled with all the fullness of God, you can see why Athanasius used the terms he used.

Anyways...I just wanted to put up the prayers of Paul here so that I could have them for later use, and would encourage you to read through them and pray for the people in your life that you minister to.

15For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, 16I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, 17that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, 18 having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might 20that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.
Ephesians 1:15-21

14For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, 16that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. 20 Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
Ephesians 3:14-21

9And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. 11 May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.
Colossians 1:9-12

8For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. 9And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, 10so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.
Philippians 1:8-11

2 We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, 3remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Thessalonians 1:2-3

1 First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people
1 Timothy 2:1

3 I thank God whom I serve, as did my ancestors, with a clear conscience, as I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day.
2 Timothy 1:3

4 always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. 6And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. 7It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel.
Philippians 1:4-7

Read More......

How Can I Pray for You?

Someone asked me recently how they could be praying for me. My first thought is always, "please pray for me as the apostles would pray for me." Here is a list of those verses that specifically show what the apostles prayed for in regards to their flock and those in the faith. We know that these prayers are what God wills for us. Romans 8 tells us that we don't even know how to pray, so the Spirit prays for us. But, we can be imitators of what the apostles prayed, being they were speaking the very oracles of God. I try and pray these things for others when they are sick, well, poor, rich, saved, unsaved, etc. I don't know what God will do, but I DO know that these things are in the revealed will of God for all peoples.

Now we pray to God that you do no wrong; not that we ourselves may appear approved, but that you may do what is right, even though we may appear unapproved. For we can do nothing against the truth, but only for the truth. For we rejoice when we ourselves are weak but you are strong; this we also pray for, that you be made complete.
2 Corinthians 13:7-9

I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,
Ephesians 1:18

and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel,
Ephesians 6:19

And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment,
Philippians 1:9

For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,
Colossians 1:9

praying at the same time for us as well, that God will open up to us a door for the word, so that we may speak forth the mystery of Christ, for which I have also been imprisoned;
Colossians 4:3

To this end also we pray for you always, that our God will count you worthy of your calling, and fulfill every desire for goodness and the work of faith with power,
2 Thessalonians 1:11

Finally, brethren, pray for us that the word of the Lord will spread rapidly and be glorified, just as it did also with you;
2 Thessalonians 3:1

and I pray that the fellowship of your faith may become effective through the knowledge of every good thing which is in you for Christ’s sake.
Philemon 6

Pray for us, for we are sure that we have a good conscience, desiring to conduct ourselves honorably in all things.
Hebrews 13:18

Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers.
3 John 2

Read More......

3 Reasons I Hate Prayer

This is actually a bit of an overstatement, but still has a lot of truth in it as I take a look at prayer. When looking at Scripture prayer is drenched with its worth, understanding and application. I know the reasons to pray, I even have the best example I could ask for, which is Christ my Saviour, often slipping away by his lonesome to pray. We are told to pray without ceasing, yet I find many reasons to not pray. I figured I would put forth 3 reasons I hate to pray.
1. Where's the Recognition?

There are many things I can do to get some notoriety. I can preach, teach, write, I can serve others and can get many accolades on how great of a Christian I am. People will pat me on the back and tell me how smart I am and how much I live like Jesus lived. I can be the awesome Christian even more when I tell them, "It is only because of Jesus that I do these things." Again, what amazing humility I show with that response. Maybe I even throw in a verse or passage that I have memorized there to make it even more holy and to show that I am "hiding God's word in my heart."

But, with prayer, it isn't like this. Prayer is between God and I. Prayer is a private time that I share with my Creator to speak with him. It is a time where I admit how much of an idiot I am and how great He is. It is a time where I beg him for mercy, thank him for grace and ask him to search out the sin that is within me. But, the problem with all this is that know one sees me doing this and no one says how great of a Christian I am when I say, "amen." One of the reasons I hate prayer is that God is the only one who is praised and I am left out, revealing the lowly creature that I am totally dependant on God and his goodness. Just me and God. Just praise for God. No praise for my greatness. That just sucks.

2. I Don't Believe It Does Anything

Why would I pray and waste time doing it if I can just do it myself. Why would I pray that God would enlighten my heart to his truths if I can just study the passage, the original languages and commentaries and learn that way. It will be much quicker. My hatred of prayer becomes evident when decisions are made and things come up and instead of going to my place of solitude to lift my voice to God, I try to fix it myself. If I thought God could truly move and make his name great through my prayers, my life would look more like an unceasing prayer model. But, my lack of prayer life shows that I really don't believe God will do anything because of my prayer. Even though I don't call myself a hyper Calvinist, when I don't pray, practically I have become one.

I hate prayer because most of the time when people are sick and about to die, they don't live because of my prayer, but they die instead. I practically believe that my will shall be done, not God's. I believe that no one should die, that no one should lose their job, that no one should have struggles and hardships, and practically I have become a health and wealth proclaimer by not praying.

So, the second reason that I hate prayer is because I don't think it ever does anything and I want my selfish will to be done, not God's.

3. The Cross and Resurrection Hasn't Fully Captured My Heart

Because of the cross and resurrection of Christ, all believers become a part of the church of Christ, the bride and we have become married to Him. I hate prayer because I don't actually believe this to be true. If I loved Jesus and what he has done fully, I would desire to speak to God more. I would desire to go and commune and fellowship with my God and thank Him for the wonderful things that he has done for me. I would see that through the Cross, through struggles, the resurrection, God's glory shines through. I would see that everything, including my trusting in him, is in his hands fully.

But, because I have not fully been captured, I hate to pray to him. It is more like an arranged marriage where I hate the spouse. I do it because it is the only option. I do it because I have to. I don't fully trust him so why would I want to succumb to his authority and sovereignty? I don't fully believe that he has all things under the subjection of his feet, even my idolatry, struggles and successes. I don't believe that he is the one who has given me the power to create wealth and I don't believe that he is my treasure, but I believe in myself and my power and I would rather be single than married to him.

The cross and resurrection is not the root of my life, but is merely a belief. If I hate prayer, these things become an after thought and something that is like oxygen, it is always there, but I don't think I truly depend on it for my well being.

I know this post seems over the top and harsh at times, but it is one that I have had to truly ask myself about. I have had to ask myself why prayer is such a struggle in my life and these things have come to mind. I have struggled for many years with prayer and I truly hate that this is true. I want to be so transformed by the goodness of God, prayer is my first answer, not the fall back.

I want to truly not care about recognition, I want to truly believe that God's power is awesome and he hears our prayers and I want to captivated and transformed by the cross and resurrection of Christ. I am afraid that prayer sometime is an indicator of my true belief in these things. But, I also praise God for his patience and love for me even though I struggle. I praise God for the most wonderful verse that he has given my heart:

Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
Romans 8:1

If there was still condemnation for me who is in Christ, I am not sure where my life would be or what hope I would have, because I fail daily, but Christ is the Victor always.

May God be glorified, always.

Read More......

What Should I Pray For?

The title of this post couldn't be more ambiguous. The question comes because I have been praying for my father through this latest bout of craziness. What I have found is that my brother, who is a charismatic, has been praying for my father's arthritis to be completely healed and done away with. It is quite odd...growing up in the Southern Baptist Convention, I am Reformed and my brother is Charismatic...wow.

Anyways. My father has had both of the major kinds of arthritis: rheumatoid (where the body attacks itself and causes major bone loss) and osteoarthritis (this causes major trauma to the joints, causing constant pain). He has had arthritis since he was 15 years old and has had 16 major operations. He is going to be 54 next month, so that is a major surgery ever 2 and a half years. He has lived a very painful life, but if you ask him he is "fine". He never complains but believes that God has allowed this serious condition in his life to point him more to the glories and comfort of Jesus. Honestly, when he dies, it will be one of the best days of my life, because my father, who is the toughest man I know (even though he is 5'7 and a little hunched over), will feel no more pain and see the glories of Christ face to face. This sounds morbid, but if you had to see your dad in immense pain every day of his life, you would hopefully say the same thing. He loves Jesus, so I would see him again. Medically speaking, he is a walking miracle. There is no way he should be able to walk, be able to move his arms or go to work. Yet, every day this is what he does, without complaint. It is thorn in the flesh that God has given him to praise God even more.

I bring all this up to allow you, the reader, to better understand how serious his condition is. He has been told by many charismatics that if he just had enough faith that he would not have this disease. Honestly, if I saw these people, I would probably punch them in the face and ask if their face is hurting, then ask, "Where is your faith now?" I know that is a bad response, but I get sick of people trying to take away hope and faith that my dad has in Christ by pointing to his disease. I honestly want to tell those people to go to hell. But, that isn't godly either, so I don't.

I believe in our God. I believe he is all powerful, I believe that he controls all things in the palm of his hands. I believe that he is the great physician. But, I also know that he works within our natural laws for the most part. There are times of great signs and wonders which are unexplainable, and for that, this question comes.

What should I pray for in regards to my dad? I know that I should pray for God's will to be done for his glory, which is exactly the thrust of my whole prayer life. But, God also tells us to make our requests be known. What I pray for, in regards to my dad is simply the oppression of pain. I don't believe that his arthritis is all the sudden going to be gone. It would be the same if I was praying for a guy who lost his arm. I wouldn't pray that it would grow back, I would pray that he would be able to function without it.

The question comes, "Am I of little faith in regards to the prayers for my dad?" My charismatic brother is praying that my dad's arthritis to be gone and healed. I am not sure if there is a right answer here, but I feel either his prayer is ignorant, or mine is of little faith. Although, as long as he is not putting my dad's sickness in direct linkage to my dad's faith, I do greatly covet my brother's faith in this.

So, I ask for your comments and guidance on this. What are your thoughts on this? What would your prayers be for your parent if this is what they were going through every day of their life?

Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him. Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.

James 5:14-16

Read More......

Phrase Abuse: Part I

I don't know about you but I use some phrases without really thinking about what I am saying. Some of them are shared with society and Christendom and some are just my own terrible usage and abuse of them. I like to point these things out to portray my true self for the use of repentance and also to hopefully open the eyes of our filthy selves to see how brutal we can be at times. Today I will put up some of the terms that I say flippantly and then will turn the tables to point out some that the evangelical community abuses too often.

The first term that I abuse often is the simple, "How you doing?"

Honestly, I really don't care how you are doing. I am just being nice so that there isn't that awkward silence as you walk by someone in the halls. Whether in church or at work as I pass by people I simply smile and ask, "How you doing?" and then I keep walking hoping that they simply say, "good". I should simply say, "hello" so not to give the thought that I care how one is doing as I hurriedly go about my day and the tasks that I have at hand. Because when someone surprises me with an "okay" and are noticeably upset, instead of stopping and speaking with them, I just smile and keep going like I am on speed in need of my next fix.

Instead of changing my phrase, I need to change my attitude and understanding of my role in the scheme of God's plans. I need to be ready to stop what I am doing and speak to the person who is not really okay, but is in need of a gracious ear. The problem is I really don't care for the person, but I need to start. I know this sounds brutal and blunt, but you know you do the same thing but you are just pasting your smile on your face and faking it. :)

As I start my day, I need to simply pray that God would use me how he would want me. I need to expect my day and my running to the bathroom to be interrupted with a real person with real problems. I need to not only do this, but I need to even ask the question, "How you doing?" with sincerity in my voice so that the one that I would usually trample over on the way to Starbucks has the sense that I really want to know how they are doing.

So, the next time you see me and I ask, "how you doing?" shock me and say, "okay" to see if I respond or walk by like a dog getting a stick without a care for you. I pray that I will actually care, but I can't make crazy promises like that yet.

The second phrase that I abuse way too often is, "I'll pray for you"

If you get me to actually stop and talk to you, which is difficult, and you have some things that need to be prayed for, I will definitely tell you, "I'll pray for you". I have to be honest. I probably won't. This just what I say so that I look spiritual. I mean I am supposed to be spiritual. I preach, teach, write, I am a lay leader and the youth director at our church. If I were to actually tell you, "I hope that works out for you" you would probably look at me like you would if you saw a republican helping the poor or a democrat caring about an unborn baby. (sorry, I love potshots) The spiritual thing at this point in the conversation isn't "I'll pray for you" but "Can I pray with you right now?" I speak to many people who tell me many things that need prayer and I can't possibly remember them all. So, I just lie and tell them that I will pray for them and then go about my day that will definitely involve reading about theology and ministry and forgetting about the theology and ministry that is happening right in front of me.

I know this sounds just brutal. But, if you read this blog at all, you know I am honest. This is something that bothers me a lot with myself. I need to be diligent in keeping a prayer journal and regular and sporadic prayer times. I need to act like an Arminian and believe that if I don't pray that God can't do anything. I need to believe that if I don't pray then then the hand of God can't move. I need to be that diligent, but sadly I am not. I actually, in practice, become a fatalist. Which sucks.

So, how do I fix this? I need to really stop at any point and simply ask the person if we can pray right then and there. Yes, my coffee might get cold, but prayer is much more important and if God predestined my coffee to get cold, whom am I to stop it? I also need to keep a pen and paper with me to write down prayer requests as people ask. I then need to continue to pray for them and ask for updates to the prayer requests. How odd would it be if someone asked me to pray and I actually did! Not only that, but I followed up with them to see what God's answer was to our praying together. This would seem that this would only make our relationships stronger, but would also make our understanding of prayer and the sovereignty of God more accurate. We could weep together, take joy together or just wait for God's answer together.

These are my two most abused phrases that I personally use. I know they are brutal and probably make you respond in either laughter or "I can't believe he just admitted that!" Either way, I hope that you will actually pray for me in these areas and not just tell me your on your way to getting your latte.

Let me know also what your most abused phrases are and we can all start praying that we take every thought captive and not just spout off whatever rolls off the tongue.

Read More......

A Prayer for the Lost

Dear Lord.
I thank you for your grace. I thank you for your patience with me. I thank you for how you have given me the gift of your Son, Jesus Christ. My God, I know that you own everything, that you are above everything, that you created everything, that you know everything and that you are in control of everything. I know that you did not need me, but you wanted me. You did not have to save me, but in your will, and for your glory you did so. My Lord, I thank you for my salvation and benefits of having a loving relationship with you, my Abba, my Father, My Master, My Lord. I cannot fathom to be without you.

Dear Lord.
I earnestly pray for John that you would place your grace upon him. I pray that you would open his eyes to see your glory. Open his ears so that he can hear your gospel call. Open his mind, so that he can understand the depths of your Scriptures. Open his heart, so that he can follow you all the days of his life.

My God, I pray that you would earnestly seek him, and lay hold of him, so that the light of the gospel would shine upon him that he would turn to you and away from his wicked ways, from following Satan, to following his Creator and Saviour. I plead that you show mercy and give grace to him that he would be saved from the bondage of sin to the loving arms of your Son, and become a slave to righteousness. I pray that you would give him the same gift of salvation that you have bestowed on this undeserved sinner.

God, I say this all as your child and not your master. I don't pretend to know all things, or understand all things, so I surrender this request at your feet. I know that all your ways are good, just and right and that you are most holy. I know that no purpose of yours can be undone and I trust you in your ways, for you are God and I am, as Job put it, but dust and ashes.

So, as I bring this to my God I ask out of ignorance, but I also ask out of love for John and plead for his soul, but I also beg that your will would be done.

So God, I leave this to you and your will and ask that your name be glorified in it. I ask that you continue to use me to show the Gospel to John. I pray that I would be your vesel and that the seed would be planted and that the Holy Spirit would be able to use the seed that I planted to fulfill your will for John.

Out of the respect of Your Word where you command that we make our requests be made known to you I now ask simply that you would open John's eyes to your Gospel and that he would become a warrior for the cause of Christ for the glory of You.

Through your Son's blood, because of His name, I pray these things to my Father, my Creator, My God.

Amen.

Read More......

10 Steps to Become a Legalist: Step 6

When you pray, how do you pray? Is it long? short? in the morning? in the evening? sitting up? laying down? standing up? To be a good legalist, it isn't about what is correct, but what you deem as correct. Sometimes even if you sound more like a Muslim than a Christian. There are at least two things you need to take a stand on when you look at prayer: When and How.

1. When

When do you pray? In the morning, evening or afternoon? All three? You can really be a good legalist if you do all three, because if someone misses one of these times, you can show them how much closer you are to God and how far they are. Like most things when being a legalist, you really need to find some verses that will make you sound correct to the average Joe, so when he comes to you, you can really make him look stupid. Because that really is the goal of any good legalist, to show how holy you are, and how stupid or immature everyone else is. With legalists and prayer it usually comes in two ways, "I pray three times a day and they are times I have set aside" and the other is, "I don't need to set any time aside, but I pray all day to God." Most will pick one of these and run with it. So do you, if you want to become a forerunner for the contemporary legalist.

If you are a "three times a dayer" then a great verse to pick out is Daniel 6:10

Now when Daniel knew that the document was signed, he entered his house (now in his roof chamber he had windows open toward Jerusalem); and he continued kneeling on his knees three times a day, praying and giving thanks before his God, as he had been doing previously.
Daniel 6:10

Clearly Daniel is Jesus incarnate making a command here to pray three times per day. Nevermind the fact that if you followed other ways of Daniel you would also not be homeschooled but schooled by the local government, as a command. Making all homeschoolers crazy and in sin. But, again, as a legalist, just ignore the first part of Daniel's life and really focus on the prayer part. It's just easier that way, plus, those immature Christian's that don't pray three times a day probably don't even know where the book of Daniel is located and just think he is some dude that fell in lion's cage and didn't get eaten because he was in the ark and was swallowed by a whale. Morons.

On the other side. If you are one to think that you should just pray as you feel led, then you should really just ignore Daniel and say that he was a crazy Old Testament guy and they had to do that because they didn't have the Holy Spirit. Nevermind this never works anywhere else in our lives consistantly...I mean, who is ever "felt led" to pay their bills? Or felt led to send out those corny Christmas cards with your kids and dog in matching sweaters? Oh wait...I just offended most of you...sorry...still funny, especially when the dog is front and center and your children are fighting to get in the picture.

To work out this thought process it would be good to use the following Scripture:

Therefore, let everyone who is godly pray to You in a time when You may be found;
Psalm 32:6a

Skip the fact that this is Old Testament too and your argument for Daniel has weakened. Use this verse to really show that you should just pray when you feel like it. God is always listening. So, pray to him in your car, on a walk, at work, or on the toilet, who cares where or when, just pray when you want, but to schedule a time is too "formal".

2. How

How do you pray? Do you pray really long prayers that sound like King James himself is speaking? or Do you pray really short prayers that sound more like prayers from
a hippie talking to a tie dyed salesman? Whichever one you are stick to it and then really poke fun of the others.

If you are the former, then this might flow from step 3 of our study on how to become a legalist. For some reason, most KJO folks, love to speak in that same way and their prayers are longer than a Billy Graham alter call. So go all the way. Use terms like "thee" and "thou" and put the letters "eth" on the end of everyeth wordeth. So, when you pray, no one can understand you, so how could they ever rebuke you? Plus God only hears those who babble for hours and use all these Old English terms. Sucks to be a non-English speaking "Christian". Remember, the longer the prayer, the more you love Jesus.

If you are into the short, lax prayers of the seeker movement, go for it. People have short attention spans so shorten up these prayers not only in public, but in your life as well. Plus, it will go really well with your "One Minute Bible." You can pray and read your Bible all during your bathroom break during commercials of Desperate Housewives, what a deal. Make sure that you laugh at all those who have long prayers, who use words you don't understand like "sin", "repentance" and "atonement"...who needs those words anyway?

Okay...enough with all this nonsense. Here is where I stand with prayer. We are told many things in the Bible about prayer. My belief on prayer is that we must take things from what we see in the Bible as a whole and apply them in our lives. I think we should definitely have set aside times to pray to make sure "we get it done." Sounds terrible to say (getting it done), but to be disciplined in prayer is a good thing. But, it isn't the only thing either. I always like to take a look to see what Jesus did. What a concept. We find Jesus doing both long prayers and short prayers. Taking specific times to pray and then also just lifting up his eyes at times and praying.

The Lord's Prayer is about a ten second prayer. The high priestly prayer was longer as was Christ's prayer in Garden (at least long enough to make people sleep...reminds me of my grandpa). The point is pray until you don't. Don't just repeat stuff to sound more holy and don't do a short prayer to appease those around you. Be mindful, but know that you are talking to God. We find that Jesus would "often slip away to pray" and that Jesus would also go off in the morning to a secluded place and pray. It seemed as though Christ had some appointed times of prayer but that he also would just start praying. His greatest, and if you were there you probably would have been caught off guard, was his high priestly prayer. It just says that they were talking and then all of the sudden Jesus, "lifted up his eyes to heaven." Jesus did this in the middle of a conversation. Now, this is Jesus so it was cool, but can you imagine doing this at a dinner party? You are talking about football with someone and all the sudden they break out in prayer? The point is that Christ not only appointed times of prayer, but prayed when he felt like praying as well.

So, for us to learn from this, I would say to have a time to pray and also pray throughout the day to the Lord. Pray long or short, I don't care, but pray as God leads you and pray like you would if you were talking to someone you knew instead of talking like some theologian from the 1600's. But, as you pray also know that you are praying to your Creator and so don't just be flippant, but reverant.

May God be praised and may we pray when we don't want to and when we desire to, this is the idea behind the great verse of Paul:

Pray without ceasing
1 Thess 5:17

Read More......

The "Sinner's Prayer"

When one hears someone say "the sinner's prayer" much probably comes to the mind. For me it reminds me of growing up Southern Baptist and at the end of the worship service we would sing a heartfelt song, such as "Just As I Am," someone would walk forward, repeat what the pastor prayed and then they were "saved." What I noticed growing up is that it was almost the prayer that saved and not the actuality of life changing faith. This faith being only the faith that God gives. I have been going through this in Sola Fide, so check out those posts for my thoughts on that subject.

Because of this false belief in prayer saving people, I believe some have gone way over on the other side. Some now say that there is no prayer needed to be saved at all. There is no confession needed, but one is saved once God regenerates, which I completely disagree with. If you would like to read a wonderful book on regeneration check out Peter Van Mastricht's "A Treatise on Regeneration."

The reason I am writing this post is to get your thoughts on the subject. From what I see Romans 10:9-11,13 is pretty clear.

that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. For the Scripture says, "WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED." for WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED."

There is used in this short passage of Scripture three instances using a confession with the mouth. In short, a sinner's prayer. I do believe that this only comes forth in a truthful way when "with the heart a person believes" but nevertheless I do believe in the sinner's prayer. Maybe not like I used to when I was growing up, but there is a process that happens when someone is saved, and one "cog" is the confession with the mouth. We actually see this very clearly in Luke 18:10-14

Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: 'God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.' But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me, the sinner!' I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.

We know that when God regenerates and then effectually calls that man, he will repent. Part of this repentance is confession with the mouth: The Sinner's Prayer.

Read More......

A Preachers Prayer

I have a good friend who is a Pastor in Delaware. Occasionally I am blessed with an article or quote that he sends to certain people as a means of encouragement and exhortation. I feel privileged to have "made the cut" on his distribution list, as I am always edified to see how the mind of a godly man operates. And, the stuff he sends is just great. Below is such an email.

The Preachers Prayer

My Lord, Let not my ministry be approved only by men,

or merely win the esteem and affections of people;

But do the work of grace in their hearts,

call in thy elect,

seal and edify the regenerate ones,

and command eternal blessing on their souls.

Save me from self-opinion and self-seeking;

Water the hearts of those who hear thy Word,

that seed sown in weakness may be raised in power;

Cause me and those that hear me

to behold thee here in the light of special faith,

and hereafter in the blaze of endless glory;

Make my every sermon a means of grace to myself;

and help me to experience the power of thy dying love,

for thy blood is balm,

thy presence bliss,

thy smile heaven,

thy cross the place where truth and mercy meet.

Look upon the doubts and discouragements of my ministry

and keep me from self-importance;

I beg pardon for my many sins, omissions, infirmities,

as a man, as a minister;

Command thy blessing on my weak, unworthy labours,

and on the message of salvation given;

Stay with thy people,

and may thy presence be their portion and mine.

When I preach to others let not my words by merely elegant and masterly,

my reasoning polished and refined,

my performance powerless and tasteless,

by may I exalt thee and humble sinners.

O Lord of power and grace,

all hearts are in thy hands, all events at thy disposal,

set the seal of thy almighty will upon my ministry.

Arthur Bennett - The Valley of Vision

Read More......

Responding to Admonishment

Coming to the end of the refutation of Dr. Goetsch has really got me thinking. I have emailed Dr. Goetsch multiple times and I know, because of site meter, that he has visited the site, but has yet to respond. Honestly, I don’t know how I would respond if I were to receive emails, and the such, about something I wrote. But, it got me thinking, how should we respond to admonition?

I know that when I was younger I could tell you how I would respond: who are they to admonish me? But, this is far from how we should look to those who bring godly correction in our lives. We should thank God that He loves us so much that He would give us fellowship with brothers and sisters in Christ that care enough about our sanctification to come to us, hopefully in love, to admonish us.

I have been corrected and admonished many times and my reactions to those have been all over the board. It wasn’t until recently, after I received a pretty public scorning by another, that I really learned what it means to correctly handle admonishment. I will say that the time that I just mentioned was not proper admonishment but was just a downright “angry correction” and should have been done in a more proper way. But, regardless, it made me sit down and really go through a process of understanding what this gentleman said, regardless of how he said it. So, here are the steps that I think should be taken by us after we are admonished.


First: Listen

Our first inclination as humans is to not listen when people are trying to correct us. Our first inclination is to think of a way of defending ourselves. James 1:19 tells us to be quick to hear and slow to speak and slow to anger. Sometimes when we don’t listen and are quick to speak, we see the natural outflow: anger. This is why James ties this into this verse in James 1:19. When someone approaches you in admonishment, listen fully to what they have to say so that you will know exactly where they believe you have sinned. I know we don’t know the full story of Paul opposing Peter (Galatians 2:14) but it seems as though Paul did all the talking and Peter listened. When we listen and take in the admonishment it will give us time to really think on the issue at hand instead of taking issue with the person bringing the admonishment.

Second, Pray over God’s word

After you have received the admonishment this is where the true work starts. We must take the “accusation” to the Lord in prayer over His word of truth. We must diligently seek God’s truth in understanding whether or not the accusation is truly a godsend. John 16:13 speaks of the Spirit of truth coming to guide us into all truth. I know this seems to be speaking of doctrine and specifically to the apostles, but this can also apply to us understanding our sin. Understanding our sin IS doctrine. Because everything opposite sin, is good, everything good, is from God (James 1:17). As you pray, ask God if the accusation is truly sin. Ask God to reveal to your heart on this matter and thank Him for the brother or sister that was sent to you about this issue. Because whether or not this truly was a sin, God has just shown you another who cares for you and one that you can grow closer to.

Thirdly, Repentance or Explanation

If you have sinned you must ask for God’s forgiveness. Notice that David, after sleeping with Bathsheba and killing Uriah, prays to God for forgiveness.

Be gracious to me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; According to the greatness of Your compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, And cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, And my sin is ever before me. Against You, You only, I have sinned, And done what is
evil in Your sight, So that You are justified when You speak And blameless when You judge.
Psalm 51:1-4

Notice that David says that he has only sinned against God. God is holy and His judgments are perfect and when we sin, we sin against our perfect Creator, who is grieved (Eph 4:30) when His children fall into sin. We must repent and draw close to our God in these times. Not only must we repent to our Almighty but we must go to the person who admonished us. Matthew 18 shows that when that person has come to us about our sin that when they know of our repentance they “drop the matter” at hand. So we must go to them and acknowledge our sin. I would also offer that we must thank this brother or sister for following 1 Thess 5 command and also Matthew 18 on admonishment. By them doing this they are showing their fear before the Lord more than the fear of our reaction, for that they must be commended.

If you come through prayer and meditation and find no fault you need to address this with the admonisher. You must go to them to explain biblically why you feel that your action was not sin. No matter how they came to you, whether biblically or not, you must return the favor biblically and do so with meekness. Thank them and allow them to hear your thoughts on the matter.

Fourthly, pray again

Afterwards, go again in private, or even better with the admonisher, and pray to El Shaddai for unity to be restored. No matter if you have sinned or decided that it was not sin, we must pray for unity. Peter showed the human heart by asking the Christ, “How many times must I forgive my brother?” Almost showing that we as humans will fall impatient with those around us. The devil wants to use this “confrontation” for the glory of his will and the tearing down of the saints. As Satan roams around looking for someone to devour, no doubt he will try and use these times for his cause, we must not allow this. Jesus Christ in the great High Priestly Prayer, prayed for our unity.

The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me.
John 17:22,23

You see the admonishment should bring about God’s glory and the unification of the saints, not the opposite. Admonishment is a good thing, it is a godly attribute of those who are truly saved.

I have always said to those closest to me and to those whom I preach to: Show me where I fault biblically, spiritually or physically and I will change immediately. This is not some haughty request of me believing that I am correct in all aspects, but is a truly humble request to let all know that I am not above admonishment from ANY brother or sister in our Lord Jesus Christ.

I want to end by saying that through this refutation it was not my intent to ever “tear” down Dr. Goetsch or any part of his ministry. My intent was to show a brother his misconceptions of Calvinism. I hope that he will see the errors that he made in his article and pray that he will recant those mistakes. I also pray for our unity in the Spirit on this issue. We must unify, if the unity of the Trinity is not enough of an example let some of the saints like Whitefield and Wesley be our example on this matter. Two men who greatly opposed each other’s doctrine of grace but still ministered together for years and in the end loved each other because of the undying love of Christ.

I hope this refutation has been a help and not a hindrance towards our unity of the body. May we all better understand each other’s views of Scripture and come to the Lord in prayer over these issues.

May we all seek the kingdom and keep our eyes on Christ and His glory alone.

Soli Deo Gloria!

Read More......

A Calvinist Faces Death

I first learned about this story from Irish Calvinist and got this from TIME Magazine. Enjoy!

After roughly 200 years of decline, Calvinism, the faith of the Puritans, has made a modest comeback among younger Evangelical Christians. One of the movement's potent mentors is Albert Mohler, the influential, telegenic head of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, who made waves last June when he critiqued the religious claims of presidential contender Barack Obama in an essay called Secularism With A Smile.

Mohler, a Calvinist, went into the hospital in December for a fairly routine stomach operation and suddenly developed pulmonary embolisms, a frequently fatal form of clotting, in both lungs. After emergency surgery and four days in the Intensive Care unit, he made a complete recovery. David Van Biema asked him whether his crisis could illuminate his brand of faith.

I'm happy to be talking to you!

And I'm happy to be talking to you! And thankful.

A few years ago you claimed that "everyone is a Calvinist in praying before surgery." Can you explain that?



Yeah. Absolutely. In this sort of crisis we all want God to be sovereign, all powerful — to be able to intervene decisively, to rule over every atom and molecule of the universe. My point was that lots of believers are more dependent on a Calvinist-style sovereign God than they realize when they make their theological claims.

Like who, for example?

The God of liberal theology — He's a linguistic symbol, or a vague kind of spirituality. I've heard liberal theologians who have said that in situations like mine God is basically active in helping you find our own inner resources. It was very apparent to me in the ICU that I had no inner resources. My trust was in the unlimited sovereignty of the God of the Bible. I shudder to think of going through that experience believing that there is no one in control.

Can you explain the nature of your prayer at that point?

I prayed to survive — but I think like most Christians, I prayed, "if it be Your will."

This may be rude, but what response would you expect from Calvinist friends in the event that you had died?

I'm human enough to hope they would grieve my loss, but praise God's mercy in allowing me to live as long as I had and to know that God's plan for me — and them — includes what we wouldn't have chosen, but that we know to be perfect and best.

At the most extreme moments, did you experience any unusual recognitions that reflected your theology?

Yes. In the ICU I couldn't make my brain work in the way I was accustomed to. I couldn't get the words and thoughts to work. But [somehow] I remembered Chapter eight, Verse 26, from the Book of Romans, that says that when we can't pray for ourselves the Holy Spirit intercedes for us with "groaning too deep for words."

Are you saying that that idea was meaningful, or that this was an example — that God placed that verse in your mind when you would not have been able to?

Maybe both. I had memorized it, but God provided it.

A keystone of Calvinism is predestination, and what most non-Calvinists may find odd is how you could be so sure that you were predestined for heaven if you didn't pull through. Or were you?

Yes. I do not see predestination as either a blind force. We have the assurance that "God chose us before we chose Him."

But what gives you that assurance? Isn't it possible for people to think that they believed, and be mistaken and not be saved?

It's not some kind of game. I believe it is possible for a person to wrongly believe they are saved, but it's because they don't really believe in Christ or otherwise confused the Gospel.

How do you know you're not one of them?

We are supposed to look for the signs in our lives, of regeneration and authentic faith, but we should not live in continual fear that we are somehow not assured of our salvation, because that too is a form of doubting God.

One misconception people may have about Calvinism is that it holds that Christians act as though they had free will — when God has orchestrated everything. Can you address that?

Calvinists believe that the human will is instrumental in the experience of salvation. We would take issue with the idea of absolute free will, where people are talking about the priority of the human will in salvation. The big question is whether it is possible for the divine and human wills to operate in absolute harmony. I believe it is.

How would a Calvinist have viewed your successful recovery versus a non-Calvinist?

Some non-Calvinists might say, I'm glad he survived, but I'm so sorry this accident happened to him. A Calvinist would say "God had something for him to learn through this that will be important for his formation for eternity."

And you've learned...

A lot of things. I've blogged about it. One of the things I was really struck by was an empathy, recognizing that even as I was in the ICU, I may have been the healthiest person there.

Anything else?

I want people to know this is not the experience of Al the Calvinist, but Al the Christian. I wasn't reciting Calvinist principles to myself in the hospital bed, but I was very much trusting in the sovereign God any Christian can know and trust.

Read More......

Valley of Vision

I took this from the Valley of Vision which is a collection of prayers from the Puritans. If you do not have this book please go and buy it now as it will inspire you and also sharpen you from other brothers from another time. I thought I would share one called:

"Longings After God"

My dear Lord, I can but tell Thee that Thou knowest I long for nothing but Thyself, nothing but holiness, nothing but union with Thy will. Thou hast given me these desires, and thou alone canst give me the thing desired. My soul longs for communion with Thee, for mortification of indwelling corruption, especially spiritual pride. How precious it is to have a tender sense and clear apprehension of the mystery of godliness, of true holiness! What a blessedness to be like Thee as much as it is possible for a creature to be like its creator! Lord, give me more of Thy likeness; enlarge my soul to contain fullness of holiness; engage me to live more for Thee. Help me to be less pleased with my spiritual experiences, and when I feel at ease after sweet communings, teach me it is far too little I know and do. Blessed Lord, let me climb up near to Thee, and love, and long, and plead, and wrestle with Thee, and pant for deliverance from the body of sin, for my heart is wandering and lifeless, and my soul mourns to think it should ever lose sight of its beloved. Wrap my life in divine love, and keep me ever desiring Thee, always humble and resigned to Thy will, more fixed on Thyself, that I may be more fitted for doing and-suffering.

Read More......

My Thanksgiving Prayer

LORD, when I measure my life by the things that are of eternal worth, my heart explodes with gratitude. I thank you LORD for the magnificence of Your power and grace which overflow in our church family transforming us into a people . . .

Who love You with all their being
Who adore their Savior
Who worship You with gladness
Who sing praises to You from pure hearts
Who honor You on the Lord's Day
Who walk in the light of Your Word
Who turn to You for guidance
Who are filled with the Holy Spirit
Who believe You alone are worthy of trust
Who cling to Your promises
Who look into Your Word for strength
Who are humbled by sinfulness
Who are fearful of selfish pride
Who die daily to the world, the flesh and the devil
Who stand with a bold humility on the truth of the Word
Who are discerning of sin and error
Who have an insatiable appetite for sound doctrine
Who persevere under trial
Who see the glimmer of God's grace in the darkest hours
Who uphold one another in prayer
Who exhort one another to holiness
Who give to one another with amazing generosity
Who speak the truth to one another in love
Who cry and laugh with one another
Who share their burdens with one another
Who sacrifice for one another
Who risk together
Who seek to raise up the next generation of godliness
Who are models of faith to the young
Who assist one another in spiritual education of children
Who battle unbelief daily
Who live out the gospel before their neighbors
Who share Christ's redeeming love with others
Who give aid to the widow, orphan and poor
LORD, Your mercies are new every morning. I am humbled by Your goodness which has guarded our church--our family of families--from being a people . . .

Who are self absorbed
Who look to gratify selfish interests before looking to the needs of others
Who fight and bicker over petty differences
Who are demanding and controlling
Who wilt under the pressure of spiritual opposition
Who look to get rather than look to give
Who return evil for evil
Who slander and gossip about others
Who lie by twisting the truth or by exaggeration
Who are more loyal to a man than faithful to God
Who fear pain more than they love righteousness
Who are abundant in criticism and slight in praise
Who sweat to gain an abundance of worldly things
Who have a greater taste for the riches of earth than the riches of heaven
Who see wrong and remain silent
Who cherish the opportunity to hear an evil report
Who rejoice when injury comes to others
Who look with envy when others are praised
Who plot to get even
Who refuse to forgive
Who express forgiveness but hold a grudge
Who are unmoved by the temporal needs of others
Who are cold in heart to judgment of eternal death resting upon the lost
Who are skeptical of spiritual leadership
Who are distrusting of one another
Who evaluate everything by the question, "What do I get out of this?"
Who give only when there is the prospect of recognition
Who grumble and grumble and grumble
Who look at the Scriptures through pragmatic lens
Who obey the Bible when they see advantage but ignore it otherwise
Who look to God to endorse their fleshly interests
Who take their knowledge as a way to be superior to others
Who boast in their holiness
Who are legalistic
Who are uninterested in the history of the saints who lived before them
Who see no value in traditions
Who confuse traditions with commands

LORD, our boast, our brag, our glory, our hope, our strength, and our joy, is You.
AMEN.

Read More......

Praying for Haters of God

This is going to sound like a cold post where I don't love the lost, which is actually completely the opposite. I pray continually that I would see the lost as God does and pray that I would seek and save the lost as Christ did. That I would spread the seed, that I would water, yet keep my mind on God's sovereignty to bring people to salvation and not myself.

So the question is when do I stop to pray for a sinner who refuses to repent and mocks God? Sound a little insane? Sound a little harsh? Look to 1 John 5:16;

If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not {leading} to death, he shall ask and {God} will for him give life to those who commit sin not {leading} to death. There is a sin {leading} to death; I do not say that he should make request for this.

I know that some won’t agree with what I believe is the “sin leading to death,” but I strongly believe it is the sin mentioned by Christ:

"Therefore I say to you, any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven people, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven. Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the {age} to come.”
Matthew 12:31,32

You also have God hardening Pharaoh’s heart in Romans 9; God turning the people over to their wants and desires in Romans 1; Paul handing over Hymenaeus and Alexander to Satan; so are we to continue to do this today? Are we to actually stop praying for some individuals who profane and blaspheme the Spirit which I see as the sin leading to death; or was this something that God gave the apostles insight to?

We know that God gave some special privileges all through the Bible; Daniel and interpreting dreams, Elisha and his amazing miracles, Isaiah and his prophecies, John the Baptist with his zeal and preaching of the coming Messiah, the apostles in their miracles, healings and writing of the word. So, is this something that was just for the apostles to do: To stop praying for those who blaspheme the Spirit and to hand them over to Satan.

For me, it seems very hard for me to stop praying for those in which I don’t know God’s plan:

The secret things belong to the Lord
Deuteronomy 29:29

I do know that I will continue to pray and strive to pray like Paul prayed for people as a whole:

I am telling the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience testifies with me in the Holy Spirit, that I have great sorrow and unceasing grief in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed, {separated} from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh,
Romans 9:1-3

The question is when you see someone to continue to hate God and they love hating God should we pray for them or give them over to Satan? For Paul told Timothy in 2 Timothy 3 to “avoid such men as these.”

May we continue to proclaim the excellencies of Him who bought us with His blood and to not lose heart knowing that our toil is not in vain.

Read More......