What about the cross?

I wrote the following for the Killeen Daily Herald with the theme of total surrender in mind. And then I read over Christmas an aggravating book by a man reportedly to be heir of C.S. Lewis's legacy (undoubtedly coined by his publisher but not undenied by the author). But his book (which will remain nameless since I don't endorse his rationale) while arrogant and wrong-directional, did put me in mind of the question for the title of this blog entry.
What about the cross?

     Christianity without the cross is unconscionable, but is not undoable. Many who profess the faith have become quite capable of practicing a cross-less Christianity.

     The cross is a stark reminder that we follow a crucified Savior who of course literally died to purchase our salvation. And yet, Christianity often seems oblivious to the repeated calls by Christ Himself for us to take up the cross and follow Him.

     No, we are not blind to the imagery of the cross. The cross dons our steeples and decorates our sanctuaries. On a wall at my home and as well as in my church are no less than a dozen ornamental “crosses,” elaborate in style and fanciful in design.

     And yet the ornate crosses bear little resemblance to the old rugged cross which Jesus bore to Calvary. Wooden. Heavy. Rough and garnered only by splinters and blood from the One who carried it.

    Mockery of the cross. Hebrews 12:2 says that Jesus “endured the cross, despising the shame.” Paul wrote about “the offense of the cross” (Gal. 5:11) and how “the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing” (1 Cor. 1:18). And yet this year we had churches debating whether they should be open for worship simply because Christmas fell on a Sunday. But that is not the scandal (the Greek word for “offense” is “skandolon”). The scandal is that if anything causes shame, offense or sacrifice, Christians will often forsake it. Marital vows? Purity? Promises? Faithfulness? Too many compromised pastors and parishioners alike have forgotten that Christ calls us to the cross.

     Mandate of the cross. Six out of the 16 times that the word “cross” in used in the gospels, it is not used for Christ, but rather for Christians. “Whoever does not bear his cross and come after me cannot be My disciple,” Jesus said in Luke 14:27 and elsewhere. A crucified life is not an optional for the follower of Christ. The cross is not an accessory. The famed Rugged Cross hymn proclaimed the cross was despised by the world but increasingly, it is despised by believers who refuse any sacrifice which calls for more than an hour a week (if that much) or more than spare change which jangles in our pockets.

     Martyrdom of the cross. Ten of the remaining usages of the word “cross” were for literal execution. “When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.” So wrote Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a theologian who voluntarily returned to Germany to stand with the resistance to Hitler, and was executed only days before the end of World War II. If Christ called us to the cross and the cross calls us to die, can we do otherwise than live a sacrificial life?

     What about the cross? We may cherish it and cling to it in our singing, but only until we bear its shame and reproach in our living can we expect to exchange it someday for a crown.

Tim McKeown is associate pastor at First Baptist Church of Killeen and blogger at timothymckeown.blogspot.com.

(This article appeared in the December 31, 2016 edition of the Killeen Daily Herald)

14. The arch enemy of single mindedness

      I’m sure my life is not that much different than everyone else’s. All this week, I’ve had a lot of distractions away from the office and at home. My wedding anniversary, my son’s birthday, my family is coming down, Hannah came back from England, we are celebrating Christmas early, different things breaking down at the house, plus my time in the office.

     Most translations don’t have the word single-mindedness in the Bible, but there are two uses of the word “double-mindedness” in the book of James, which is more of the opposite of being single-minded in its use this week in BELIEVE.

     Since our reading doesn’t include the passages from James, I thought I would write on those today. James 1:8 and James 4:8 both speak of the consequences of doublemindedness.

     James 1:8 says, “he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.” James 4:8 says, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”

     Unfortunately, doublemindedness does not stay in the mind. It leads to beyond our thoughts.

     Our preoccupations. I think it is interesting that “worry” is translated into Spanish as “preocupación”.  Martin Luther said, “I have so many things to do that I shall spend the first three hours in prayer.” I think for men it is easier to be single-minded, but just not always on the things of the Lord. For Luther, he was single-minded on God and especially to prayer. For other men, it’s easy to be distracted from serving the Lord. You know, the age-old example of a man not stopping for bathrooms until he gets to the Grand Canyon, even if he’s driving from New York. 

     On the other hand, it’s biologically and psychologically easier for women to multi-task, and as a result to get distracted from being focused on God. The synapses between the two halves of the brain are demonstratively proven to be more interrelated for most females than most males. Yet both genders have their distractions.

     Our passions. James 4:8 challenges us to purify our hearts. Our passions will often follow our thoughts and our desires will often lead us astray. Do you ponder things that you know are going to lead you to being dissatisfied emotionally? Some people will say, “It doesn’t matter what I think about, I’m not going to do anything about it.” Unfortunately, that is not the case. Yes there are a few times when out of a moment of unanticipated passion someone acts on a sin. But most of the time our actions are premeditated.

     Our paths. James 1:8 says that we will be “unstable in all his ways.” One of the consequences of being doubleminded is instability in many areas of our lives. If you go upwards just a couple of verses in James 1, he speaks about praying in faith, and not wavering, which leads us back to Martin Luther’s quote. Do you have so much to do today or between now and December 25^th? If so, you must spend time and center your thoughts and prayers and mind on Christ. Then all the rest of the things that preoccupy your passions and paths “shall be added unto you” (Matt. 6:23).

    

Believe Chapter 14. Keep Christ in...Christianity

     Killeen schools made the news this week because a teacher was told to take Christ out of the Charlie Brown Christmas. I loved how much Christ was in our Christmas programs at church this week and also at the Mother’s Day Out program last night. I am impressed with how our doors down the preschool halls are decorated with Christ. But even the church must be diligent to keep our focus on Christ.

     Last week, I had not read far enough ahead to notice that BELIEVE was going to go back to the first parts of Deuteronomy 6 to include the command that it is the parents who are charged to teach their children about the Lord. But it doesn’t hurt to again say to parents as well as principals and public officials that Christians cannot deny, ignore or omit Christ. Parents, read the Christmas story to your kids this holiday, and not the Clement Clarke Moore one. No, the one from Luke 2:1-20 and Matthew 2:1-12. And while you are at it, read it from the good ole King James…there is only one thee and one thou in the whole passage!

     That doesn’t mean we can’t seat our kids on Santa Claus’ lap (although my sweet little 13 month old grandson didn’t seem to care for the experience) or sing about Rudolf or Hippopotamusses or even laugh about reindeer running over grandma (although even before she was a grandma, my wife cared even less for that song than my grandson cared for Santa!).

     “Seek ye first” was a sing-a-long song we would sing based on Matthew 6:33 as teenagers. “In all your ways, acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths,” says Prov. 3:6. The first day of the week is the Lord’s. The first-fruits belong to Him. The first 10 percent goes to God. The first part of my day is my time before the Lord. Before our meals, we should pray. Before we sleep, we should thank Him for our day. More than keeping Christ in Christmas, we must strive to keep Christ in Christianity.

    Linus had it right. “That’s what’s Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown,” he said. 

Day 14: Single-Mindedness

     As we approach the mid-point of our study on BELIEVE at FBC Killeen and also the mid-point of the second act of the Think, Act and Be Like Jesus theme, I cannot think of a single lesson in all of BELIEVE that would be more appropriate for the weekend before Christmas than “Single-Mindedness.” Just look at the key question:

KEY QUESTION:
How do I keep my focus on Jesus amid distractions?

     No, the readings from BELIEVE this week may not be from the Christmas story, but it is a hard thing to focus on Christ at Christmas, despite the frequent reminders of Him being the “Purpose for the Period” (just go with it, you know how to use a thesaurus too).

     But it is not just the trappings of (dare I use another cliché?) the hustle and bustle of the shopping, the terrible traffic that exists everywhere even in places nowhere near a mall, the intense pressure of buying things we can’t afford with money we don’t have to impress people who won’t remember what they got and from whom they got them in less than a month. It’s also the darkening of the skies earlier and earlier, the colder temperatures that chase people to spend more time indoors, all these things combined with less than perfect memories from the ghosts of Christmases past which lead to the least wonderful time of the yearn (with all due apologies to Andy Williams).

     As we look to the Belief of being Single-Minded, we must remember the first of the ten commandments (You shall have no other gods before me) and the greatest commandment as taught by Jesus (Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength) both focus our worship and our love towards God.  

     What King Herod missed, the lowly shepherds found. What all but the inn keeper in Bethlehem rejected, the wise men traveled from afar to not only receive but also brought treasures to give. Keep the Christ in Christmas this year (yes, I just had to throw in another cliché, didn't I). Don’t let anything, especially Christmas, eclipse your focus on Christ. 

The following devotional comes from Zondervan's BELIEVE, chapter 14 which focuses our attention on the belief of being Single-Minded.

     In the first of the Ten Commandments, God commanded the Israelites to serve him exclusively because he was worthy of their trust, as he had proved by delivering them from Egypt. Later, just before Moses died and the Israelites entered the promised land, God inspired Moses to remind the people of their single-minded calling.

     God’s people needed to submit fully to his authority and believe he could provide all they needed. It’s this kind of trust that Jesus calls us to demonstrate as his disciples.

     Unfortunately, Jesus’ disciple Peter had a bit more trouble retaining his single-minded focus when he was met with distraction. Peter’s experience is a good reminder of how we are to think about Jesus, and keep our eyes on him, even when our thoughts get sidetracked or we feel frightened. (See Matthew 14:22-36).

KEY VERSE
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. (Matthew 6:33)

KEY IDEA
I focus on God and his priorities for my life.

KEY APPLICATION: What difference does this make in the way I live?

We set goals informed by God’s agenda and will. We don’t ask God to bless our plan but to bless my alignment to his plan. We trust God to meet our needs and desires.

YOUR TURN

Paul tells us “whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus” (Colossians 3:17). What does that admonishment mean to you? 

13. Bible Study Assimilates the Vitality of the Word of God

    Psalm 119 teaches us to value God’s Word, even though it was written when really all that the psalmist and the people had was Genesis through Job, if that much. What’s more, the Bible was nowhere nearly available like it is today; it was in limited supply in scrolls and only at the places of worship, if even there. No wonder they had to hide and treasure it in their hearts!

     Because the Bible is so available today, there is no excuse for us not to study it and then assimilate it into our lives.

     For the past few days, I’ve quoted one of my favorite preachers and perhaps one of the greatest proclaimers of God’s word in the late 20^th Century, Adrian Rogers. In his Legacy Bible (page 672), he lists five key ways that we can assimilate the vitality of the Word of God to make our Bibles come alive. Using Psalm 119 as his text, read the following and if you are familiar with Rogers’ great preaching voice, imagine him saying out loud his “recipe” for assimilating the God’s Word:

Now, you don’t just read the cookbook, you eat the meal. If you don’t assimilate it, no matter how much you appreciate it, it does you no good…I always read the Bible with a pen or a pencil in my hand. If you don’t do that, it tells me you’re not expecting to receive anything. And you sure aren’t planning to remember anything. You simply get a pad to write on when you open the Bible and you pray, ponder it, and you get ready for God to speak to you.

    In other words, Pastor Rogers was saying that Bible Study, if done properly, is the entire purpose of Bible reading. If you truly believe you were to hear from the Lord, you will not only hear but do the following:

1. Pray (“Praise be to you, Lord; teach me your decrees,” Psalm 119:12) Jesus said in John 14 (BELIEVE, page 220) that “the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, (that is with the same power and authority that was held by Jesus, who in turn came in the Father’s name. See John 5:43 and 10:25) will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.”
2. Ponder (“I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways,” Psalm 119:15, see also verse 23, 27, 48, 78, 97, 99 and 148). Meditation does not mean to empty your mind with meaningless chants or mantras. It is the opposite, you saturate your mind with the truths of God’s word. It is beyond memorizing in your mind; meditation is implanting God’s word in your heart!
3. Preserve (“I delight in your decrees; I will not forget your word,” Psalm 119:16, see also verse 11, 83, 93, 109, 141, and 176). Memorization is a part of meditation, but is the mechanical foundation that leads into implanting God’s word on our hearts.
4. Practice (“Be good to your servant while I live, that I may obey your word,” Psalm 119:17, see also 1-4, and verse 9). It is not enough to read God’s Word, we must heed God’s Word; that is, put it into practical application.
5. Proclaim (“With my lips I recount all the laws that come from your mouth,” Psalm 119:13, see also verse 46, 172). Some say that they proclaim the gospel with their lifestyles, but in my experience, few are that good that they can live so perfectly before others that people beat down their doors begging them to tell them about God’s Word. Proclamation must be accompanied by numbers one through four above, but those four can never replace the clear presentation and proclamation of the Gospel!

13. Apply the Virtues in Bible Study

Even a smorgasbord of food will not supply your nourishment
if only eaten once a week.

     In Psalm 119 (see BELIEVE pages 216-218), we see in almost every one of the 176 verses something that we can gain from studying the Word of God. But it is not enough to read the virtues of God’s word, or even to hear them taught, as we see in the two foundations of rock and sand, found in the Sermon on the Mount. No, we must not only hear but also do what the word of God says.

     Adrian Rogers illustrates how we need to apply the virtues of the Word of God: Imagine a person who says, “Oh, pastor, I’m just so physically weak, I can hardly get out of bed. I’m so worn out.” After the pastor asks a few questions, he finds out that the man only eats one day a week, but only when it’s good weather and only when he feels like going to the restaurant. He doesn’t eat again until the next Sunday afternoon. No wonder he is physically weak.

     In the same way, some only eat spiritual food on Sundays. They not only don’t read or study the Word of God the rest of the week, they also do not apply the virtues found within the Word of God throughout the week. As a result, they have no spiritual vitality.

     What are some virtues that we need? First we need to be anchored in the walk found and prescribed in the Word of God. Look at Ps. 119:10, “Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments,” (KJV). I mentioned earlier the two builders on foundations of sand and rock. The house built on the hearing and doing of the words of Christ is the house that will stand against the storms of life. Anchor your path on the firm rock of Christ’s teachings by studying His word. Proverbs 2 speaks about another pair, but these, like Robert Frost’s two roads found in the yellow wood, will make all the difference between a path to destruction or a path to deliverance.

    Secondly, we need to be built up in our faith through Bible Study and practical application. The Bible says Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God (Rom. 10:17). Studying the Scriptures will not only anchor you with a firm foundation, it will also build up your faith. Are you wavering in your faith? Study the Word of God. Are you weak in your beliefs? Seek out Godly counsel with others who have travelled the road a little further along than you have. Are you weary in well doing as it says in Galatians 6:9? It is probably because you are reaping what you have sowed and if you are not building up your faith in God’s Word, your faith will not grow strong.

     Thirdly, we need to cleanse ourselves by the washing of the water of the Word. King James reads Psalm 119:9 this way, “How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word.” Paul said that the water of the word of God washes, cleanses and sanctifies us (Eph. 5: 26). In John 15:3, Jesus said, “You are clean through the word which I have spoken to you.” God’s word reminds us we are cleansed at salvation, it refreshes us in the present and will reward us in the future when we are ultimately cleansed from our sins at the resurrection.

    So how can we apply the virtues of the Word of God? It’s as simple as ABC. Let the word of God Anchor our walk with His firm foundation, Build our Faith, and Cleanse our past, present, and future.  

13. Appreciate the Value of the Treasured, Timeless Truths of God's Word

     I just watched one of my favorite movies from 1990s, called Blast from the Past. It is a story about a guy who was raised in isolation in a fallout shelter, only to come out 35 years later to a very different world. He has with him baseball cards and stocks from companies that he has no idea how valuable they are. I guess the reason I like it is also because the values like honesty, trusting and innocence, which the main character clings to, are no longer valued in the society into which he emerges.

     Bible Study is a value that is often unappreciated by the world and unfortunately many Christians. Adrian Rogers in a sermon about Psalm 119, the longest psalm and longest chapter in the Bible, quoted a wise old saying, “These hath God married and no man shall part: dust on the Bible and drought in the heart.”

     We must appreciate the value of the Word of God. One of the first long sections of the Bible I memorized while in college was the first 16 verses of Psalm 119 (see BELIEVE pg. 216). We have a treasured Word of God in the Bible and we need to study it to appreciate its value.

     We can appreciate the value of the word of God by first seeing that the teachings are to be treasured, as seen in verse 11. “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against You.” That doesn’t mean we should be ashamed of the word and hide it, but rather like a treasure or a prized possession, we need to take care that we appreciate its value. The HCSB and NASB versions of the Bible actually translate “hidden” as “treasured” and later on in verse 14, the psalmist says he rejoices in God’s testimonies, “as much as in great riches”. If you and I treasure the Word of God, then we will keep it safe in our hearts.

     Secondly, we need to appreciate the value of the Word of God because its truths are timeless. “Your statutes are my heritage forever…my heart is set on keeping your decrees to the very end” (Ps. 119: 111-112, BELIEVE, pg. 218). Like the movie Blast from the Past, in a single lifetime, we have seen the morals and standards of our world deteriorate to the state where they are now. In fact, in a single presidential term, we saw the Biblical value of marriage as being only between a man and a woman go from unacceptance, acceptance, then mandated to be legal in all 50 states. God’s word will forever be the same: “Forever, O Lord, Your word is settled in heaven” (Psalm 119:89, KJV).

     Thirdly and most importantly, the ultimate value of the Word of God is that it is truthful (see Ps. 119:30, 43, 142, 151, 160). Values can be old but not true. As we are seeing today, some values can be treasured and not true. But God’s Word is right, good, and true. We should study the Bible and apply its valuable, eternal truths to our lives.

     It's more valuable than even Mickey Mantle's rookie baseball card.

13. Bible Study and Daily Direction

The passage in Nehemiah 8-9 is probably the closest we see in Scripture to our modern-day worship services on Sunday morning. It starts early in the morning and goes to about mid-day. The leaders read and explained the Scriptures. The people listened, understood and responded. If they didn’t understand, someone else was there who explained it to them. 

Neh. 8:6 even says that the people responded with saying “amen,” raising their hands and bowing their heads. Some wept; others rejoiced. They confessed their sins; they prayed. They brought casseroles.

Okay, maybe not casseroles, but they did eat and drink and shared their meals which is pretty close to a pot-luck meal (Neh. 8:12). Most of all, they studied the word of God and responded accordingly. 

Like the society was in Nehemiah’s day, our society has drifted far from God’s word and obeying the lessons clearly proclaimed in the Bible. If there is anything that is shown from the Bible and in our personal lives, it is that we do not grow in a straight upward line, but rather like waves of the sea or as a pendulum which swings back and forth. One of the best ways we can keep from swinging back and forth or from being as unstable as the shifting waves of the sea is by studying the Bible daily.

In Nehemiah’s day and even until relatively recently, people did not have the Bible to study in their own homes. Think about how many ways we can read, hear, study, memorize and meditate on God’s Word. Even within our own generation our options have grown: we can now have the Bible on our phones, listen to it over the internet, buy copies or even portions of it, with commentaries and devotionals (like this one). But there is only one thing that no app, no commentary, no amount of studying or reading can make us do: apply and obey what God’s Word says. 

Do something today. Find something in the Bible and purpose in your heart to do it.

13. Bible Study Begins At Home

     Attention parents: Bible Study does not begin at church. It begins in the home.

     As we study about "Bible Study" this week, the BELIEVE passage begins in Deuteronomy 6:13-25, but it would be good to get out your “real” Bible and begin in Deut. 6:1.

     Of all the weeks that we have studied BELIEVE, I hope this week that families will get together and study the Bible at home. Read the following excerpts from Deuteronomy 6

“Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” Deut. 6:7

“In the future, when your son asks you (the parents), ‘What is the meaning of (the Bible)?’” Deut. 6:21

The answer is that the PARENTS should teach their children not only what the Bible says, but also how God has delivered us personally in our own lives (See Deut. 6:22-25).

     Ephesians 6:4 instructs that parents should bring their children up “in the training and instruction of the Lord.” One of the most compelling reasons that FBC Killeen is doing BELIEVE is to get the families to come together and study the Bible together. On page 211, Deut. 31:13 says clearly:

“Their children, who do not know this law, must hear it and learn to fear the Lord  Your God…”

     As it says in BELIEVE, page 210, “Parents were charged with the responsibility to share with their children God’s principles and commandments.” Not only is our memory verse, Heb. 4:12, a good passage to teach our families, Joshua 1 explains that meditating on and obeying the Bible (book of the law) will lead our families to have courage, success and godly prosperity and keep us from fear and discouragement.

     I love how the Bible says the worship service (see BELIEVE, PAGE 213-214) in Nehemiah ends. It says “And on that day they offered great sacrifices, rejoicing because God had given them great joy. The women and children also rejoiced.”

     It wasn’t the women leading and the men being passive or not even coming. The passage doesn't say that Sunday School or church was just for children. No, corporate worship at the community level is led by the fathers, with women and children “also” rejoicing.

     Psalm 119 talks about young people keeping their way pure by studying the Bible (Psalm 119:9, page 216 in BELIEVE). The VBS pledge of making the Word of God a lamp for the feet and a light to the path is found in this week’s reading.

     If you want a successful, prosperous, fearless, courageous, encouraged family, choose what Joshua chose:

“But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD” (Josh 24:15)

Chapter 13, Bible Study: Is God's Word alive and active in you?

The following was originally published on Aug. 25 in preparation for BELIEVE

      I keep thinking about Randy's illustration of the 12th man in our congregation and making our church relevant. I love studying the Bible but as the following devotional asks, does our Bible studying make a difference in our lives? If it does, our behavior and our being should be becoming more and more like Christ.

     And if we are becoming more like Christ, we will not be merely cheering in the stands, waiting for the coach to put us on the field.

     I told our LifeGroup teachers in preparing for Believe that the goal of a good teacher is not to merely teach information, but to teach to transform individuals. Read today’s devotional and ask yourself “Am I studying the Bible for information or transformation?”

     When Jesus finished His Teaching on the Mount (Matthew 5-7), He concluded with two foundations: a foolish man built his house upon the sand and a wise man built his house upon the rock.” The same winds, rain and floods came upon both, but one fell while the other stood firm.

     Jesus said that the difference between the two foundations was the same as a person, a fool, who hears His words and does not do them and another person, a wise man, who hears the words of Christ and actually puts those teachings into practice.

    This week, ask yourself if you are building on sand, or on rock.

The following devotional is from Zondervan to help us prepare for Chapter 13, Bible Study, which will be taught and preached at FBC Killeen on December 11, 2016.

KEY QUESTION:

How do I study God’s Word?

     The Bible is unlike any other narrative. It is God’s story chock-full of amazing depth and application for our lives. Jesus reminds us that the condition of our heart is important when we hear or read God’s Word. If we are open and receptive to God’s words, they will take root in our lives and transform us.

     But how does our heart open up to God in order to be receptive to his words? Jesus told his disciples that after he returned to heaven, the Holy Spirit would come to reside in them and to remind them of everything he had said. This same Spirit lives in all believers today.

     The desired outcome of studying God’s truth is transformation. It guides us along a path of maturity in Christ. We get into the Bible and the Bible turns around and gets into us and changes us for the good. (See Hebrews 5:11-6:3).

KEY VERSE

 For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12)

KEY IDEA

 I study the Bible to know God and his truth and to find direction for my daily life.

KEY APPLICATION:

What difference does this make in the way I live?

We regularly read and study God’s Word. We come to see that studying God’s Word in community with other believers is of great value. We align our lives to the Bible because we believe it is from God.

Consider this: What if for one week you exchanged your mobile phone for your Bible? Anywhere you normally take your phone, you take your Bible instead. Anytime you normally look at your phone, you look at God’s Word instead. The time you spend calling, texting, and browsing online with your phone is traded for time reading Scripture. If you normally place your phone next to you at a business meeting or by your plate at dinnertime, you now put your Bible there. What difference would this exchange make in your life in just one week? Whose life would be impacted? This line of questions is not intended to trigger guilt, but rather to inspire us to increase our engagement with the one instrument that can truly change not only our lives but the lives of those around us.

YOUR TURN

The psalmist expresses a profound love for the Scriptures. (See Psalm 19:7-11.) What emotions does the Word of God evoke in you? 

12. Praying beyond merely "Our Father..."

We should observe how Jesus prayed.

1)   Privately–Luke 11:1, Matt. 6:5-8, 14:23; Mark 1:35; Luke 9:18 “As He was praying” / “Go into your closet”

Jesus prayed like, as they say, “no one was watching.” A century ago, these were called “secret devotions”. Now we say “Quiet Times” or devotionals with the Lord alone, preferably early in the morning.

2)   Personally–Luke 11:2-4, Mark 14:36   “Our Father” (only 59 words in the Lord’s prayer) / “Abba, Father”

There is an intimacy that Jesus prayed with God and that He encouraged us to pray intimately as well.

3)   Persistently–Luke 11:5-8, 18:1-8; Matt. 7:7-11; 15:21-28; 26:41-44   “because of his persistence”

Our Lord instructed us to pray with diligence and persistence.

4)   Purposefully–Matt. 6:7-8; Mark 11:34   “vain repetitions” / “whatever things you ask when you pray,”

In our persistence, it is also with purpose. Repetitions is not what Jesus spoke against but mindless, purposeless rote prayers.

5)   Powerfully–Luke 11:9-10; Matt. 21:21-22, John 5:4-7; 14:13-14, 16:23   “Ask, and it will be given”

We should not think that there are some things too big to pray for. Ask for God-sized answers.

6)   Positively–Luke 11:11-13, 7:1, 8:48; Matt. 8:5-13   “How much more will your Father give to those who ask”

We pray believing that we have already received. “Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.” Mark 11:24

7)   Penitently–Matt. 6:17-18, 17:21 “When you fast”

We should pray humbly, penitently and with contrition, as shown in fasting. Notice Jesus did not say, “If” but rather “When”.

8)   Purely–Matt. 6:5, 21:13; 23:14; Luke 6:28 “Do not be like the hypocrites”

We discussed this last week with the eight woes Jesus listed in Matthew 23. God wants us to worship and to pray with sincere hearts.

9)   Publicly–John 11:41-42; 6:11 “Jesus…said, ‘Father… because of the people who are standing by, I said this.’”

There are times for private prayer and times for public prayer. Public prayers are actually encouraging for others and shown not only by Jesus but also numerous times in the Old Testament.

10) Passionately–Luke 10:21; Heb. 5:7 “Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit” / “with vehement cries and tears”

Jesus prayed with weeping, laughter and with loud cries. Prayer time with Jesus was surely moving and emotional.

11) Periodically–Mark 1:32-35; 6:46; Luke 6:12-16; Matt. 26:36-46

Jesus prayed before and after major periods of His life, such as before His selection of the 12 disciples, in times of great sorrow, such as the loss of John the Baptist, and of course most famously before His crucifixion in Gethsemane).

12) As a Pattern for us to follow–Luke 11:1-2 shows that because of the pattern in which Jesus prayed, His disciples asked Him, “Lord, teach us to pray.” I can imagine that this request was made by John or Andrew, both of whom were disciples of the Baptizer. The Lord’s prayer, found also in Matthew 6:9-13, is truly a model prayer and His pattern of prayer is one which we should follow.

12. Prayer: Do this before you pray

      So much has been written on about prayer that it is almost pointless for me to write (or you to read) another 500 words today about prayer. Would it not be far better for you to simply stop reading and me to stop writing and for us to go and pray?

      If so, then why are you reading this and why am I writing?

      Namely this: I hope that at the end of the week you will have been inspired to talk and listen to the God of the universe more than you did last week.

      And I believe there is something we should all do before we pray.

      Our memory verse for this week says that if you are not morally pure, then don’t expect God to answer your prayers. It is a waste of time. Commit yourself this week to keep yourself clean and pure. And if you are not, then pray, but do not pray for anything else except your moral and spiritual purity before God.

      Read and memorize Psalm 66:18.

¹⁸ If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened; ¹⁹ but God has surely listened and has heard my prayer. ²⁰ Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me!

      The word “cherished” is translated “regard” or “harbored” or “been aware” or “seen”. Can you “see” your sin? Are you “cherishing” it or holding it closely? And the verse says not only in your actions but in your heart.

      I have been a Christian since before astronauts walked on the moon! I am married to a strong believer and I work in a Christian environment. I pray daily and read the Bible daily. And yet, I struggle daily with sin and I confess there are times in my life that I have held it closely.

      My sin is different than your sin but it is no bigger nor smaller than yours. We as Christians need to be ashamed of our sin regardless of whether it is “socially acceptable.” If you cherish sin and are not giving your regards to God, there is a scandal in your life. If not in public, certainly there is a scandal in your personal devotion before God. Confess and forsake whatever God convicts you of. Then claim 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

      One more verse before we pray. Prov. 28:13 says this, “He who covers his sins will not prosper, But whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.” We must stop concealing and confess our sins. We also must go from forgiveness to the forsaking of our sins.

      Are you finished with “cherishing” your sin in your heart and actions? I am! Have you confessed and forsaken it before God in prayer? I have! Then now, we are ready for prayer. 

Chapter 12, Prayer: Making Prayer Personal

     It’s hard to believe it’s only been a little over a year since War Room came out (the picture above is when we rented out a movie theater on Aug. 30, 2015) and then the DVD was released on Dec. 22, 2015. So much has happened in the past year. Since then, we’ve taught “The Battle Plan of Prayer Bible Study” several times with nearly one hundred who have gone through the course. I have sensed a growth in our church in regards to prayer: our Wednesday night prayer attendance is up, as is our men’s prayer time on Thursday. There is a sense of spiritual strength in our church and I believe it is because of prayer.

     But we can always grow in our prayers, not as a duty, not to get what we want, not to even seek God’s blessings...We need to pray because prayer is a personal communication with our God who loves us. This Sunday we will study Prayer and in the Spring, I plan to have five different Discipleship  tracks for us to study what I believe are the five essentials to Christian ministry. Those five areas are:

Prayer & Worship

OutReach & Evangelism

InReach  & Fellowship

Need-meeting & Missions

Teaching & Discipleship

     Please pray for these five key essentials in our church. This is week 12 in our BELIEVE series. Prayer is a vital action in our foundation of beliefs. If you wrote down your prayer requests when this blog was first published on Aug. 25, 2016, review your prayer list and see how God has answered your prayers.

The following devotional is from Zondervan.

KEY QUESTION: How do I grow by communicating with God?

 Our God is a personal God who desires a real relationship with us. He is not a distant, cosmic being, but a good father who longs to interact with his children. Prayer is a conversation between God and his people. We serve a God who is not threatened by our questions and doubts. We don’t have to put on a false persona to please him. He permits us to be honest about our fears, our feelings of isolation and our disappointments. When we rehearse our story before him, we see his good involvement in our lives.

Because we are God’s most prized creation, he wants to know the desires of our hearts. Scripture encourages us to, without hesitation, lay our requests before him. For example, see Gen. 18:20-31 for a conversation between Abraham and God that displays the freedom we have to talk honestly with him.

KEY VERSE

 If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened; but God has surely listened and has heard my prayer. Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me! (Psalm 66:18–20)

KEY IDEA

 I pray to God to know him, to find direction for my life and to lay my requests before him.

KEY APPLICATION: What difference does this make in the way I live?

We pray to align our lives with God’s will and story. We pray to lay our burdens before God to find peace. We pray to avoid making any major decision without seeking God. We pray for others.

Let me share a story with you. Our son David was born without a left hand. Prayer was a key spiritual practice to not only help me process this difficult event in our lives but also to move the reality of my identity, and my son’s identity, in Christ from my head to my heart.

During this time, I began by praying psalms of lament to the Lord: Why, Lord, did you let this happen to me? I serve you as a pastor of a church — not perfectly, but wholeheartedly. Why could you not pass this burden on to someone who doesn’t even believe in you? Have I done something wrong to deserve this?

I never sensed God was angry with me for speaking to him with such honesty. Actually, I felt as though he were whispering to me, Go ahead, I can handle this. I love you. Keep talking honestly to me, and we will get to the bottom of this. I will show you something I have wanted you to see for a long time.

In many extended moments of silence, when I didn’t know what else to say or how to pray, God began speaking back to me — not in an audible voice, but directly to my spirit. “Randy, my son, I have nothing in my being that seeks to harm you. The darkness and pain of the world are caused by sin, not by me. I have come to redeem the pain caused by sin. Randy, my son, I will use this situation to show you — and your son — who I really am. If you capture this, it will be more valuable than having three hands. Randy, my son, I have given your son everything he needs to be and do everything I am calling him to be and do. Randy, my son, it is time to shift your sense of worth from your performance to your position. You are my son. You do not have to perform to be a somebody; you already are a somebody in my eyes.

“Randy, my son, you need to teach this to your son. He will learn this from how you live, not by your words alone. You have four years before he realizes he is missing a hand. This gives you four years to learn to place your identity in your position as my son. Randy, my son, if you get this truth embedded into your heart, you will be free — free from the exhausting life of trying to gain and sustain status in the world. This is a great gift to give to all your children.”

Prayer is a conversation with God. We lay our honest requests before God, our need for daily bread. Yet, we clarify, as Jesus did, that we want God’s will to be done over our will, trusting his way to be good and right. As we rest in the presence of God, he will speak and show us his will in his perfect timing.

YOUR TURN

What do you learn about prayer from David’s psalms? (You’ll find some ideas in Psalm 77:1-20.) 

11. Worshiping God includes many ways to praise

     Transitioning between worship (this week in BELIEVE) to prayer (next week) leads us to the final study this week on worship. When we study praise and thanksgiving, which are both a part of worship and a part of prayer, we should recall what we have studied this week about worship:

Worthy of our worship

Obeisance to God

Reason and rationale of worship

Sincerity of my spirit worship

Honesty and truth in worship

Intimacy in our worship

Praise and Thanksgiving

    When I was first in ministry our senior pastor would lead our prayer time by asking, “Does anyone have any praise or thanksgiving tonight?” and made very little distinction between the two. Later on, when I took the youth to a conference, the speaker made a huge distinction between praise and thanksgiving. “Praise is for who God is. Thanksgiving is for what He has done.”

    One of our youth’s parents became very upset about the conference leader’s teacher. “That’s not the way our pastor teaches,” she later complained to me. I thought at the time that she was needlessly upset, but in reality, praise and thanksgiving are very significant in worship.

     Timothy Keller in his book Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God explained that the two are very related and in some cases hard to separate, referring to Psalm 135 which related to praising the Lord and Psalm 136 which related to thanking the Lord, but both for interchangeable reasons. “Ultimately, however, thanksgiving is a subcategory of praise…Thanksgiving for a blessing automatically draws our mind toward the attributes and loving purposes of the God who has done the blessing. Praise for God’s love and goodness transforms effortlessly into thanksgiving…”

     Praising God for who He is and thanking God for what He has done is an essential part of worship, for all of the reasons we have stated this week: He is worthy, we must bow before Him, it is reasonable, we must be sincere and honest and we must open our hearts intimately to Him. As we said worship and praise is not for God’s benefit, it is for our own. It displays our gratitude, our great need and His greatness.

     If you do not want to praise and glorify God, it doesn’t hurt God, nor does it diminish His greatness. But it does speak volumes about you. Look at the ways the psalmist in Psalm 150 sought to praise God. The Christian singer Carman had a wonderful song about seven ways to praise, explaining seven different words used in Hebrew to praise God in different ways.

Twice in our reading from Exodus 15 the word praise is used, yet both being from a different words and different from Psalm 150. Psalm 100:4 uses thanks and praise four times in one single verse, again using totally different words each time from any of the other verses mentioned!

     How about you. Can you praise and thank God in worship? In your everyday life? In everything you do?