Making time for prayer
Our lives are in competition to our prayers. So often we fill our lives with many busy things to do, attempting to gain our own salvation. The hardest thing about prayer is not what we say or the saying of it, but setting time aside for it. This hardest work is the only part of prayer that someone cannot do for you. No one can make the time to pray except you. We need to focus our lives around our prayer, to make it a part of who we are.
How often?
So if we are going to make a prayer a part of our lives, we should ask when we should do it. Does the Bible have anything to say to this? Some say we should be praying always, at every moment. Ideally, this is great— but realistically, it is not practical. We could have a sense of God’s presence all day long, but this is not prayer. Some pray through everything, but most do not have the discipline for this. And the Bible does not require this.
What the Bible does mention is to pray at every regular time of prayer. In Jewish society, in the first century, there were regular times of prayer that everyone participated in—once in the morning (about 9am) and once in the afternoon (about 3pm). There was also an optional noon prayer time. Almost everyone thanked God for their food at meals, and a few prayed in the evening time, either at sunset or bedtime.
Unfortunately, today, our society has no daily prayer times. This means that we must create our own. How often should we pray? Biblically, we should pray a minimum of twice a day—once in the morning and once in the afternoon or evening. If you are just starting, however, if you can establish just one time of regular prayer a day, that would be sufficient. Later, add another, and, if you desire, another. And, before you eat, just thank God for the food.
How long?
Some say that we should be praying as long as possible. Some boast about their ability to pray for hours, and many churches encourage people to spend as long as possible in prayer—hours a day if possible. However, Jesus encouraged us to do just the opposite: “When you are praying, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard because of their many words.” (Matthew 6:7). Jesus encourages us to keep our prayers brief and to the point. The issue in prayer is not how long it is, but the fact that you are asking God. God isn’t impressed with long speeches. But he does want us to ask. Thus, we should pray as often as we can, but not with great length.
Repetition in prayer
A similar issue is whether we should repeat ourselves in prayer. Jesus told us not do: “Do not use vain repetition in prayer.” And yet Jesus told us to pray the Lord’s prayer every time we pray. What does this mean? It means that God does not want us repeating the same phrase over and over again—he heard us the first time and doesn’t need a repeat performance a second later. However, if a prayer has not been answered yet, then later in the day, or the next day, we can repeat the same prayer. We can speak praise to God once or twice a day, but not speak a phrase over and over again.
Aloud or silent?
Some people pray in silence, while other speak out loud. It depends on what works best for you. Some are able to focus better if they speak out loud. If we are praying with others, we should speak aloud. But others are more comfortable praying in silence. God can read our thoughts, so it doesn’t really matter.
Alone or with others?
Some take Jesus’ words about “praying in a closet” as a command that we should always pray alone. What Jesus was really saying is that we should never pray in order to impress other people, but focus on God. If we have a problem with this, then we should pray silently. However, the Lord’s prayer was taught for us to pray with others, not by ourselves. If we can, our morning and/or evening prayers should be done with others. But we should also have time to pray by ourselves, even as Jesus did.
The pattern of prayer
For our basic prayer life, there is a regular pattern of prayer that was used by Jesus. We begin our prayer with praise or thanksgiving, so we have caught God’s attention (Psalm 100:4). We can use a psalm for this, if we want, or a song we sing in church. If we need to, then we confess our sins (Psalm 32). Then we commit ourselves to the Lord. The phrase used by Jews (and Jesus) in the first century is called the Shema, and is found in Deuteronomy 6:4-5. Then we make our requests to the Lord, beginning with the Lord’s prayer (Matthew 6:9-13). We can make however many requests we like before the Lord at this time.
Beyond this basic pattern of prayer, we can participate in other kinds of prayer. Some have the gift of tongues, and can use that gift in their personal prayer lives. Others have the gift of hearing God’s voice, and can take time—even a long time—to hear what God is saying to them. Others will spend time singing songs to God. Some will play music to God. All this is good, and we should use our abilities to pray as often as we can. But we should not exchange it for the basic pattern of prayer—praise, commitment and request. That is the foundation for our prayer life.
Lives of prayer
Our lives are to be about prayer. Prayer should not just be the punctuation for our prayer, but the outline of who we are. One of my favorite songs is “Make my life a prayer to you.” That has become the focus of my life. I find that my time of prayer becomes who I am before God and before others. In prayer, I am asking God to remake me and my world in accordance to His will. Because of my request, God acts in power in my life and in others’ lives. Thus, many lives has been changed and re-formed simply because of prayer. Prayer can be the most powerful force in our lives. If we pray, we can be different. If we become prayerful people, the world can be different.
Let us have lives filled with prayer:
As often and as briefly as we can.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Ask and It Will Be Given
The Center of Prayer
To make a request of God is the heart of prayer. We can praise God and commit ourselves to him all day long, but if we never make a request of God, then we have not really prayed. The English word “prayer” means to make a request of an authority. To pray is to seek God for help.
To make requests of God isn’t just something that is a nice idea. We are commanded by God to turn to him in times of need:
• In everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. Philippians 4:6
• Cast all your anxiety upon God because he cares for you. I Peter 5:7
• Let everyone who is godly pray to You in a time when You may be found. Psalm 32:6
• With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints. Ephesians 6:18
Why does God desire our prayers?
It might seem odd that God is not only asking, but commanding us to pray. But prayer is the center of who we are as believers in God. If we believe in God, what do we believe him for? To believe that God exists is nothing by itself, unless you also believe that He will reward those who seek Him (Hebrews 11:6). We pray as a demonstration of our faith that God not only lives, but that he acts in our world today. The more we pray for God to do something, the more we demonstrate our dependence on Him to act on our behalf—and this dependence is our faith (Luke 11:1-8).
But making requests of God is not just a demonstration of our commitment to God. It is the heart of God’s glory. God is the king of the world and he owns all things (Psalm 24:1). He is the center of all justice and all provision. It is only right for us to go to Him to ask of what He has. And if we pray and he responds, then His glory is made known to everyone who sees that prayer fulfilled. God is not known in the world through doctrinal statements—He is seen and experienced through answered prayer.
God will not act unless we ask (James 4:2). Thus, if we do not ask God for help, we are stealing from both ourselves and God. If we do not ask, we do not receive the provision of God, and God does not gain the opportunity to demonstrate His power.
Who do we pray for?
Some think that we should only pray for ourselves. Others think we should pray for others, not ourselves. God desires for us to pray for everyone and everything.
Praying for God
The Lord’s prayer makes it clear that we should spend some time praying for God. Jesus certainly spent quite a bit of time on prayer for God—“Father, glorify your name.” “Not my will but yours.” To pray for God is to ask that God would act on his own behalf on the earth. Every time we pray the Lord’s prayer, we spend half the time praying for God (see below).
Praying for ourselves
It is not selfish to pray for ourselves, rather it is an act of faith. When we pray for ourselves, we recognize that we need God in our lives. Jesus told us to pray for justice in our lives, for the Holy Spirit to fill us, for our basic needs, and for forgiveness (Luke 18:7-8; 11:3-4, 13).
Praying for others
If God is hearing our prayers, then we must be praying for others as well. This is called “intercession”. Many prayers are not effective unless we pray with another who also believes (Matthew 18:19). And to pray for others is a great act of mercy, the center of all Christian ministry. We should pray for others to be healed, to be forgiven of their sin and to be delivered from oppression (Matthew 10:8; John 20:23).
Praying for God’s people
All the requests in the Lord’s prayer is not for ourselves alone, but for the whole church. We must remember not only to pray for unbelievers, but especially for God’s people, especially the congregation we are a part of. Especially we need to pray for God’s glory to be shown in the church and for the purity and reliance on God in the church.
Praying for our enemies
Not only are we to pray for those whom we are friendly to, but we are to pray for our enemies—those who do evil against us. Jesus commands us to do this—but it is not just for our enemies’ sake, but our own. If we pray for our enemies, we are acting like God who blesses his enemies. And if we pray for our enemies, then we are praying for our own hearts to be softened toward our enemies so we can love them as God does. (Luke 6:28, 35)
Examples of requests
Our Father in heaven, may your name be sanctified
May your kingdom come
May your will be done on earth as it is in heaven
Give us this day our daily bread
Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors
Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil (Matthew 6:9-13)
The LORD bless you, and keep you;
The LORD make His face shine on you, And be gracious to you;
The LORD lift up His countenance on you, And give you peace. (Numbers 6:24-26)
O Lord, you have brought all your faithful people into a single, universal family, stretching across heaven and earth. Bind us together with a spiritual love which is stronger than any human love, that in serving one another we may neither count the cost nor seek reward, but only think of the common good. (Mozarabic Sacramentary)
Give food to the hungry, O Lord
And give hunger for You to those who have food. (Anonymous)
Whatever you make me desire for my enemies, give it to them and give the same back to me. You who are the whole truth, correct their errors. You who are the incarnate word, give life to their souls. Tender Lord Jesus, let me not be a stumbling block to them nor a rock of offense. I beg your mercy on my fellow slaves. Let them be reconciled with you and through you be reconciled to me. (Anselm of Canterbury)
Let’s Do It!
Now let’s put this theory into practice. Get a piece of paper and write down a list of people you could pray for and what they need from the Lord. Then make a list of what you need from the Lord. Then pray it to the Lord!
Ask of God, or steal from God and ourselves.
To make a request of God is the heart of prayer. We can praise God and commit ourselves to him all day long, but if we never make a request of God, then we have not really prayed. The English word “prayer” means to make a request of an authority. To pray is to seek God for help.
To make requests of God isn’t just something that is a nice idea. We are commanded by God to turn to him in times of need:
• In everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. Philippians 4:6
• Cast all your anxiety upon God because he cares for you. I Peter 5:7
• Let everyone who is godly pray to You in a time when You may be found. Psalm 32:6
• With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints. Ephesians 6:18
Why does God desire our prayers?
It might seem odd that God is not only asking, but commanding us to pray. But prayer is the center of who we are as believers in God. If we believe in God, what do we believe him for? To believe that God exists is nothing by itself, unless you also believe that He will reward those who seek Him (Hebrews 11:6). We pray as a demonstration of our faith that God not only lives, but that he acts in our world today. The more we pray for God to do something, the more we demonstrate our dependence on Him to act on our behalf—and this dependence is our faith (Luke 11:1-8).
But making requests of God is not just a demonstration of our commitment to God. It is the heart of God’s glory. God is the king of the world and he owns all things (Psalm 24:1). He is the center of all justice and all provision. It is only right for us to go to Him to ask of what He has. And if we pray and he responds, then His glory is made known to everyone who sees that prayer fulfilled. God is not known in the world through doctrinal statements—He is seen and experienced through answered prayer.
God will not act unless we ask (James 4:2). Thus, if we do not ask God for help, we are stealing from both ourselves and God. If we do not ask, we do not receive the provision of God, and God does not gain the opportunity to demonstrate His power.
Who do we pray for?
Some think that we should only pray for ourselves. Others think we should pray for others, not ourselves. God desires for us to pray for everyone and everything.
Praying for God
The Lord’s prayer makes it clear that we should spend some time praying for God. Jesus certainly spent quite a bit of time on prayer for God—“Father, glorify your name.” “Not my will but yours.” To pray for God is to ask that God would act on his own behalf on the earth. Every time we pray the Lord’s prayer, we spend half the time praying for God (see below).
Praying for ourselves
It is not selfish to pray for ourselves, rather it is an act of faith. When we pray for ourselves, we recognize that we need God in our lives. Jesus told us to pray for justice in our lives, for the Holy Spirit to fill us, for our basic needs, and for forgiveness (Luke 18:7-8; 11:3-4, 13).
Praying for others
If God is hearing our prayers, then we must be praying for others as well. This is called “intercession”. Many prayers are not effective unless we pray with another who also believes (Matthew 18:19). And to pray for others is a great act of mercy, the center of all Christian ministry. We should pray for others to be healed, to be forgiven of their sin and to be delivered from oppression (Matthew 10:8; John 20:23).
Praying for God’s people
All the requests in the Lord’s prayer is not for ourselves alone, but for the whole church. We must remember not only to pray for unbelievers, but especially for God’s people, especially the congregation we are a part of. Especially we need to pray for God’s glory to be shown in the church and for the purity and reliance on God in the church.
Praying for our enemies
Not only are we to pray for those whom we are friendly to, but we are to pray for our enemies—those who do evil against us. Jesus commands us to do this—but it is not just for our enemies’ sake, but our own. If we pray for our enemies, we are acting like God who blesses his enemies. And if we pray for our enemies, then we are praying for our own hearts to be softened toward our enemies so we can love them as God does. (Luke 6:28, 35)
Examples of requests
Our Father in heaven, may your name be sanctified
May your kingdom come
May your will be done on earth as it is in heaven
Give us this day our daily bread
Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors
Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil (Matthew 6:9-13)
The LORD bless you, and keep you;
The LORD make His face shine on you, And be gracious to you;
The LORD lift up His countenance on you, And give you peace. (Numbers 6:24-26)
O Lord, you have brought all your faithful people into a single, universal family, stretching across heaven and earth. Bind us together with a spiritual love which is stronger than any human love, that in serving one another we may neither count the cost nor seek reward, but only think of the common good. (Mozarabic Sacramentary)
Give food to the hungry, O Lord
And give hunger for You to those who have food. (Anonymous)
Whatever you make me desire for my enemies, give it to them and give the same back to me. You who are the whole truth, correct their errors. You who are the incarnate word, give life to their souls. Tender Lord Jesus, let me not be a stumbling block to them nor a rock of offense. I beg your mercy on my fellow slaves. Let them be reconciled with you and through you be reconciled to me. (Anselm of Canterbury)
Let’s Do It!
Now let’s put this theory into practice. Get a piece of paper and write down a list of people you could pray for and what they need from the Lord. Then make a list of what you need from the Lord. Then pray it to the Lord!
Ask of God, or steal from God and ourselves.
Being Committed
The Power of Commitment
In our society, we are scared of commitment. Many people are afraid to marry, and those that do are often looking for a way out of it. We change jobs as frequently as our underwear. If we make a promise, we want to find a loophole, just in case we want to get out of it. We have great friends, but we will just as often give them up and look for another one. We sign contracts without thinking about it and renege our agreements as quickly as we make them.
What we have lost in forsaking commitment is tremendous. Commitment is not just sticking to what we say. It is being faithful to someone or something. It is always being there when they need you, and always trusting when there is trouble. Commitment is a form of love, a loyalty that never swerves. If we have commitment, then we have the power to make things change among those who are committed. But if we do not have commitment, then no one needs to listen to us. Commitment is a bind to each other, and that commitment can change people’s lives.
Commitment to God
In Scripture, we are commanded to especially commit to God, above all else. We are to fear God and love God with all of our emotions, thinking and strength. We are to worship God and obey Him. (Deuteronomy 6:3, 5, 24) We are to devote all that we have to God for His use (Luke 14:33). We are to listen to God’s word and obey it (Luke 11:28). And we are to confess openly, in public, our faith in God and in Jesus (Matthew 10:32-33).
Why commit to God?
But why should we commit ourselves to God? Isn’t it enough that we believe in Him and say nice things about Him? Not at all. We need to remember that God is a King—the King of the Universe—and before he is on our side, He needs to be sure that we are on his side. To be on God’s side means that we are willingly under his rule. We show this in two ways:
a. We confess our allegiance to Him
In a court of law, we will often swear to the truth, and a country will ask for a statement of allegiance. Such statements are to prove that we are committed to the institution, and that we will never betray it in any way. Even so, God desires for us to make such periodic statements, to verbalize our commitment to Him. It is an ongoing commitment to Him and to his ways.
b. We obey His word
We can talk about how we love our country all day long, but if we constantly disobey the laws of our country, then we show our hypocrisy. However often we verbalize our commitment to God or to Jesus, it is not enough unless we act on it. A verbal agreement with God is good, but it is incomplete without a lifestyle change that shows one commitment to God. Obedience to God’s requirements—especially to love God and to love others around us—are basic to be committed to God.
Confessions
There are a number of confessions in Scripture that we could use ourselves. The main one is the one that Jesus himself used:
“The Lord is our God, the Lord is alone. You shall love the Lord your God with all of your heart, with all of your soul, with all of your mind and with all of your strength.”
This confession was repeated by the Jews of Jesus’ day at least twice every day, and that practice continues to today.
“Jesus is Lord and God has raised him from the dead.” (Romans 10:11)
“There is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things and we exist through Him.” (I Corinthians 8:6)
Also, we could invent one ourselves:
“I do solemnly vow my pledge of commitment and allegiance to Jesus Christ. I confess and acknowledge that Jesus—alone of all men— has the right and authority to rule over the whole earth. I willingly put myself under his rule dedicating myself to him, as the way to God, the speaker of truth and the giver of eternal life. Hereby I commit myself to following Jesus' way, obeying his commands, loving him and remaining faithful to him.”
Let’s Commit!
Okay, let’s put it into practice. First of all, we need to verbally commit ourselves to God and to Jesus. We can repeat one or more of the statement up above. Then we need to allow the Spirit examine ourselves to determine if there is anything in our lives that the Spirit wants us to firm up in our commitment to the Lord. Listen for God to speak, and ask him to examine us (see Psalm 139:23-24). Then we should put God’s word into practice in our lives. Write it down and live it out!
In our society, we are scared of commitment. Many people are afraid to marry, and those that do are often looking for a way out of it. We change jobs as frequently as our underwear. If we make a promise, we want to find a loophole, just in case we want to get out of it. We have great friends, but we will just as often give them up and look for another one. We sign contracts without thinking about it and renege our agreements as quickly as we make them.
What we have lost in forsaking commitment is tremendous. Commitment is not just sticking to what we say. It is being faithful to someone or something. It is always being there when they need you, and always trusting when there is trouble. Commitment is a form of love, a loyalty that never swerves. If we have commitment, then we have the power to make things change among those who are committed. But if we do not have commitment, then no one needs to listen to us. Commitment is a bind to each other, and that commitment can change people’s lives.
Commitment to God
In Scripture, we are commanded to especially commit to God, above all else. We are to fear God and love God with all of our emotions, thinking and strength. We are to worship God and obey Him. (Deuteronomy 6:3, 5, 24) We are to devote all that we have to God for His use (Luke 14:33). We are to listen to God’s word and obey it (Luke 11:28). And we are to confess openly, in public, our faith in God and in Jesus (Matthew 10:32-33).
Why commit to God?
But why should we commit ourselves to God? Isn’t it enough that we believe in Him and say nice things about Him? Not at all. We need to remember that God is a King—the King of the Universe—and before he is on our side, He needs to be sure that we are on his side. To be on God’s side means that we are willingly under his rule. We show this in two ways:
a. We confess our allegiance to Him
In a court of law, we will often swear to the truth, and a country will ask for a statement of allegiance. Such statements are to prove that we are committed to the institution, and that we will never betray it in any way. Even so, God desires for us to make such periodic statements, to verbalize our commitment to Him. It is an ongoing commitment to Him and to his ways.
b. We obey His word
We can talk about how we love our country all day long, but if we constantly disobey the laws of our country, then we show our hypocrisy. However often we verbalize our commitment to God or to Jesus, it is not enough unless we act on it. A verbal agreement with God is good, but it is incomplete without a lifestyle change that shows one commitment to God. Obedience to God’s requirements—especially to love God and to love others around us—are basic to be committed to God.
Confessions
There are a number of confessions in Scripture that we could use ourselves. The main one is the one that Jesus himself used:
“The Lord is our God, the Lord is alone. You shall love the Lord your God with all of your heart, with all of your soul, with all of your mind and with all of your strength.”
This confession was repeated by the Jews of Jesus’ day at least twice every day, and that practice continues to today.
“Jesus is Lord and God has raised him from the dead.” (Romans 10:11)
“There is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things and we exist through Him.” (I Corinthians 8:6)
Also, we could invent one ourselves:
“I do solemnly vow my pledge of commitment and allegiance to Jesus Christ. I confess and acknowledge that Jesus—alone of all men— has the right and authority to rule over the whole earth. I willingly put myself under his rule dedicating myself to him, as the way to God, the speaker of truth and the giver of eternal life. Hereby I commit myself to following Jesus' way, obeying his commands, loving him and remaining faithful to him.”
Let’s Commit!
Okay, let’s put it into practice. First of all, we need to verbally commit ourselves to God and to Jesus. We can repeat one or more of the statement up above. Then we need to allow the Spirit examine ourselves to determine if there is anything in our lives that the Spirit wants us to firm up in our commitment to the Lord. Listen for God to speak, and ask him to examine us (see Psalm 139:23-24). Then we should put God’s word into practice in our lives. Write it down and live it out!
Confession
What is confession?
To “confess” might sound like a chance to say what you believe. Or perhaps it is an admission before a police officer. It could be either. But in the Bible, to confess means that you acknowledge your sin and the responsibility of sin. To confess implies that we regret our sin and yet we are hoping to avoid at least some of the natural consequences of our sin—especially death through judgement.
Command to confess
The Bible makes it clear that confession of our sins is essential for our spiritual health. If we do not confess, there are dire consequences. But if we do confess, there is forgiveness:
When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away through my groaning all day long. I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I did not hide; I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD"; and You forgave the guilt of my sin. Therefore, let everyone who is godly pray to You in a time when You may be found. Psalm 32:3, 5-6
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us. I John 1:9-10
Confess your sins to one another James 5:16
Why confess?
Admitting our sin is difficult to do—perhaps one of the most difficult things to do for some people. So why bother? Well, as we saw above, if we do not confess our sin, then we can actually have physical results—sickness may develop from our guilt or from spiritual attack. But the most important consequence is that if we do not confess our sin then we do not have forgiveness. We must acknowledge our sin in order to be cleansed from the consequence of it. Perhaps sickness is a consequence of sin, or some worldly judgement—but the most serious result of sin is the death that comes to all who rebel against God (Romans 6:23). But if we confess our sin as a step to repentance, then God will not hold our sin against us.
How to Confess
Confession isn’t complicated. It is basically saying “I’m sorry.” But if we do not have all of the attitudes of confession, then we may not have forgiveness.
Admission
We must verbally acknowledge that we have done evil. We do not put a conditional on it, lessening the rebellion against God. We freely and openly admit our sin.
Regret
We cannot be like a child who only says “I’m sorry” to a sibling because our parents make us. We must regret our sin and accept that all the evil consequences of the sin is our fault—even if someone or something “made” us act in a sinful way. We do not blame the cause but simply regret our actions.
Request of forgiveness
The main purpose of our confession is to obtain forgiveness. We want to avoid the consequences of sin, and to be accepted into God’s presence again. Thus, let us ask for the forgiveness we desire.
Plan of repentance
There could be some other act we need to do to accompany our confession. Perhaps we need to reconcile with someone else. Perhaps we need to repay someone. Perhaps we need to plan how we will not do this sin again. Whatever the case, we need to make sure that we have this as a part of our confession—not necessarily in our prayer, but in our plans.
How often?
Simple. As often as we sin. Perhaps this is every hour. Perhaps once a day. Perhaps less often. But we need to do it every time we sin. We could wait until our next prayer time, or we could confess immediately after the Holy Spirit convicts us. But we must not wait, whatever the case, because our relationship with God is damaged until we confess.
To God or to Brothers?
Both, depending on the situation. Certainly, in every case, we should confess to God. Some, in response to some churches’ extreme views about confession, teach that confession should only be to God, and not to fellow followers of Jesus. However, that is neglecting the verses in the New Testament that teach confession and forgiveness among brothers (James 5:16; John 20:23). Especially if we are sick from our sin and need healing, we should go to mature brothers in Christ and confess our sin. Sometimes we need to ask a brother what to do in light of our sin. And sometimes the Lord just encourages us to confess our sin to another. If we do, then we are able to be held accountable. However, if we are led to confess to a brother or sister, then let it not be to an immature believer, especially one who has a tendency to condemn or to gossip. This would cause the confession to be destructive instead of healing.
Accepting forgiveness
As we confess, we must remember that from that moment we are forgiven. We need no longer be ravaged by guilt, no longer be attacked by the condemnation of Satan or others. We are forgiven, we are clean—this is the promise of God. Nothing can take that away from us. The forgiveness of God not only provides the opportunity to forgive ourselves—it demands it.
Examples of confession
We can confess using our own words, or, if we wish, we can use the words of others:
Be gracious to me, O God, according to your loving kindness; 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 51:1-3
Have mercy on us, O Lord; have mercy on us. Let your mercy be upon us, O Lord as we have trusted in you. In your mercy, O Lord, I have trusted; let me not be put to shame forever. (Te Deum)
Dear Lord, forgive me. Cleanse me of my sin. I open myself up to you. Reveal to me my evil ways. Show me, Lord, how to change them. Through your Spirit, enliven your righteousness within me. Teach me living justice; Teach me holy walking; Train me in the ways of your kingdom.
Practicing confession
The most difficult part of confession is not so much asking God for forgiveness, or even admitting our responsibility. Usually it is discovering what we have done that is sin before God. Either we think nothing we do is sin or everything we do is sin. There seems to be few who take the middle road. If we think we have not sinned, we should listen to the Spirit in silence and see if he points our any sin we should confess. If we think we have committed many sins, we should look at Scripture to see if we have sinned in truth (a good place to start is the list of sins in I Corinthians 6:9-10, or you can look at the tract “What are Sins Before God?”). After we know the sin that could reject us from God’s presence, let us confess so we can be forgiven!
To “confess” might sound like a chance to say what you believe. Or perhaps it is an admission before a police officer. It could be either. But in the Bible, to confess means that you acknowledge your sin and the responsibility of sin. To confess implies that we regret our sin and yet we are hoping to avoid at least some of the natural consequences of our sin—especially death through judgement.
Command to confess
The Bible makes it clear that confession of our sins is essential for our spiritual health. If we do not confess, there are dire consequences. But if we do confess, there is forgiveness:
When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away through my groaning all day long. I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I did not hide; I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD"; and You forgave the guilt of my sin. Therefore, let everyone who is godly pray to You in a time when You may be found. Psalm 32:3, 5-6
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us. I John 1:9-10
Confess your sins to one another James 5:16
Why confess?
Admitting our sin is difficult to do—perhaps one of the most difficult things to do for some people. So why bother? Well, as we saw above, if we do not confess our sin, then we can actually have physical results—sickness may develop from our guilt or from spiritual attack. But the most important consequence is that if we do not confess our sin then we do not have forgiveness. We must acknowledge our sin in order to be cleansed from the consequence of it. Perhaps sickness is a consequence of sin, or some worldly judgement—but the most serious result of sin is the death that comes to all who rebel against God (Romans 6:23). But if we confess our sin as a step to repentance, then God will not hold our sin against us.
How to Confess
Confession isn’t complicated. It is basically saying “I’m sorry.” But if we do not have all of the attitudes of confession, then we may not have forgiveness.
Admission
We must verbally acknowledge that we have done evil. We do not put a conditional on it, lessening the rebellion against God. We freely and openly admit our sin.
Regret
We cannot be like a child who only says “I’m sorry” to a sibling because our parents make us. We must regret our sin and accept that all the evil consequences of the sin is our fault—even if someone or something “made” us act in a sinful way. We do not blame the cause but simply regret our actions.
Request of forgiveness
The main purpose of our confession is to obtain forgiveness. We want to avoid the consequences of sin, and to be accepted into God’s presence again. Thus, let us ask for the forgiveness we desire.
Plan of repentance
There could be some other act we need to do to accompany our confession. Perhaps we need to reconcile with someone else. Perhaps we need to repay someone. Perhaps we need to plan how we will not do this sin again. Whatever the case, we need to make sure that we have this as a part of our confession—not necessarily in our prayer, but in our plans.
How often?
Simple. As often as we sin. Perhaps this is every hour. Perhaps once a day. Perhaps less often. But we need to do it every time we sin. We could wait until our next prayer time, or we could confess immediately after the Holy Spirit convicts us. But we must not wait, whatever the case, because our relationship with God is damaged until we confess.
To God or to Brothers?
Both, depending on the situation. Certainly, in every case, we should confess to God. Some, in response to some churches’ extreme views about confession, teach that confession should only be to God, and not to fellow followers of Jesus. However, that is neglecting the verses in the New Testament that teach confession and forgiveness among brothers (James 5:16; John 20:23). Especially if we are sick from our sin and need healing, we should go to mature brothers in Christ and confess our sin. Sometimes we need to ask a brother what to do in light of our sin. And sometimes the Lord just encourages us to confess our sin to another. If we do, then we are able to be held accountable. However, if we are led to confess to a brother or sister, then let it not be to an immature believer, especially one who has a tendency to condemn or to gossip. This would cause the confession to be destructive instead of healing.
Accepting forgiveness
As we confess, we must remember that from that moment we are forgiven. We need no longer be ravaged by guilt, no longer be attacked by the condemnation of Satan or others. We are forgiven, we are clean—this is the promise of God. Nothing can take that away from us. The forgiveness of God not only provides the opportunity to forgive ourselves—it demands it.
Examples of confession
We can confess using our own words, or, if we wish, we can use the words of others:
Be gracious to me, O God, according to your loving kindness; 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 51:1-3
Have mercy on us, O Lord; have mercy on us. Let your mercy be upon us, O Lord as we have trusted in you. In your mercy, O Lord, I have trusted; let me not be put to shame forever. (Te Deum)
Dear Lord, forgive me. Cleanse me of my sin. I open myself up to you. Reveal to me my evil ways. Show me, Lord, how to change them. Through your Spirit, enliven your righteousness within me. Teach me living justice; Teach me holy walking; Train me in the ways of your kingdom.
Practicing confession
The most difficult part of confession is not so much asking God for forgiveness, or even admitting our responsibility. Usually it is discovering what we have done that is sin before God. Either we think nothing we do is sin or everything we do is sin. There seems to be few who take the middle road. If we think we have not sinned, we should listen to the Spirit in silence and see if he points our any sin we should confess. If we think we have committed many sins, we should look at Scripture to see if we have sinned in truth (a good place to start is the list of sins in I Corinthians 6:9-10, or you can look at the tract “What are Sins Before God?”). After we know the sin that could reject us from God’s presence, let us confess so we can be forgiven!
Praise and Thanksgiving
What is Praise?
Praise, as we all know, is speaking well of another. But praise in Scripture is more than this, it is giving important insights on the character of another, and thus, giving honor to that person. To praise someone is to show that they are worthy of praise—thus, they are people who are good or great in some way, and thus deserving of having other people how good they are. Giving praise to someone is kind of like having a newspaper article about how great that person is published. It means that they are important enough and good enough to tell others about.
Thanksgiving is a kind of praise. It is talking about how good one is through what they have done. To praise someone in this way, you could just recount their deeds in the past—like a biography of someone the writer appreciates. Or one could be more direct and simply thank the person for what they’ve done.
To praise is not the same as expressing personal feelings, although it might include that. To say to someone, “I love you,” is nice, but it doesn’t show that they are significant or good in any way. You could just as well be saying, “I love you, even though you are a jerk.” Personal feelings don’t actually communicate another’s worth. To offer praise, one needs to communicate the praise-worthy characteristics of the one being spoken of.
Praise Commanded
We are commanded in Scripture to praise God and to give him thanksgiving many, many times, especially in the Psalms. In the Law, the children of Israel are commanded to praise the Lord (Leviticus 19:24). We are also commanded to praise God in the New Testament (Romans 15:11; Ephesians 1:3-6; Hebrews 13:15; Revelation 19:5). But, by far, the most frequent place in the Bible that commands us to praise God is the Psalms (Psalm 30:4; 33:1; 66:2; 67:3; 149; 150 and many more). Praising God isn’t just a nice thing to do on occasion, it is something God wants us to do all the time.
Why Praise?
Come before Him with joyful singing. Know that the LORD Himself is God—it is He who has made us, and not we ourselves. We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving And His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name. For the LORD is good; His lovingkindness is everlasting And His faithfulness to all generations. Psalm 100:2-5
We need to remember that God is the King of the universe—the greatest King of all kings. We wish to pray to God and to gain his blessings. But in order to approach God, we must open the way with praise and thanksgiving. Praise is like the key to open the door to God’s court, so he will give you an audience. Is this because God is so full of himself that he wants to hear people saying good things about him? No. There are three reasons given as to why we should praise God:
a. We are saying we remember who he is
In praising God we are letting God know that we know who He is. We proclaim that he isn’t like humans, faithless and weak. Rather, in approaching God, we are communicating to God that we will respect him for who he really is, and not assume that we can treat him like we do our friends or others we have no respect for. It says in Hebrews that if we wish to please God, we must believe that he rewards those who seek him. Praising God just communicates what we believe about God, so he knows if he can accept us or not.
b. We are saying we remember what he has done for us
We are completely dependent on God, for he made us and keeps us alive. Without him we are nothing. And he has granted us every blessing. Thanking God recognizes what he has done for us, and acknowledges our dependence on Him. God wants us to recognize that so we will be equally dependent on him later. If we give praise and thanksgiving to God, we are able to do that.
c. We are giving him a good reputation
God is the ruler of all the earth, but not everyone recognizes that. Nor does everyone acknowledge God’s power. If we praise God, especially publicly, we are granting God a good reputation among those who do not believe in Him. God desires to rule over all of the people on earth, and he wants to have them acknowledge Him of their own free will. Perhaps it may not be much, but if we praise God, we are making his reputation good in the little bit we can, amongst those who hear us. Thus, we are helping God in gaining back what is rightfully His.
Examples of Praise
Psalm 103 is an especially good example of praise of God.
Bless the LORD, O my soul, And forget none of His benefits;
Who pardons all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases;
Who redeems your life from the pit, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion;
Who satisfies your years with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle.
The LORD performs righteous deeds And judgments for all who are oppressed.
He made known His ways to Moses, His acts to the sons of Israel.
The LORD is compassionate and gracious, Slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness. (Psalm 103:2-8)
In this we can see description of God (compassionate, loving) and acknowledgement of what God does for us (pardons sin, heals, redeems) and also highlighting some things God has done to demonstrate who he is (performs righteous deeds, made his ways known to Moses).
Here’s another one, written by Francis of Assisi:
You are holy, Lord—You are the only God
And you deeds are wonderful
You are strong, You are great
You are the Most High, You are the Almighty.
You, Holy Father, are King of Heaven and Earth
You are good, Supreme good, Lord God, living and true.
You are love, You are wisdom, You are humility
You are endurance, You are rest, You are peace
Jesus gave public praise, as did Paul (Matthew 11:25; Acts 16:25). The priests of the Old Testament gave praise every morning and night (I Chronicles 23:30).
Do it yourself!
Now it’s your turn! We can praise God in many ways. We can read to him a psalm or praise (like Psalm 103 or Ephesians 1). Or we can create our own praise. The best way to do this is to make a list (Right now—this is an assignment!!) of things that God has done for you. Don’t stop until you could think of 15 to 20 items. Then, list out who it means God is. If God has delivered you from death, then he is a deliverer. If God has given you food, then He is a provider. Then you can use this list to praise God at other times. If your knowledge of God is based on your own experience, no one can take it away from you. And you can acknowledge who He is daily when you are speaking to Him.
Praise, as we all know, is speaking well of another. But praise in Scripture is more than this, it is giving important insights on the character of another, and thus, giving honor to that person. To praise someone is to show that they are worthy of praise—thus, they are people who are good or great in some way, and thus deserving of having other people how good they are. Giving praise to someone is kind of like having a newspaper article about how great that person is published. It means that they are important enough and good enough to tell others about.
Thanksgiving is a kind of praise. It is talking about how good one is through what they have done. To praise someone in this way, you could just recount their deeds in the past—like a biography of someone the writer appreciates. Or one could be more direct and simply thank the person for what they’ve done.
To praise is not the same as expressing personal feelings, although it might include that. To say to someone, “I love you,” is nice, but it doesn’t show that they are significant or good in any way. You could just as well be saying, “I love you, even though you are a jerk.” Personal feelings don’t actually communicate another’s worth. To offer praise, one needs to communicate the praise-worthy characteristics of the one being spoken of.
Praise Commanded
We are commanded in Scripture to praise God and to give him thanksgiving many, many times, especially in the Psalms. In the Law, the children of Israel are commanded to praise the Lord (Leviticus 19:24). We are also commanded to praise God in the New Testament (Romans 15:11; Ephesians 1:3-6; Hebrews 13:15; Revelation 19:5). But, by far, the most frequent place in the Bible that commands us to praise God is the Psalms (Psalm 30:4; 33:1; 66:2; 67:3; 149; 150 and many more). Praising God isn’t just a nice thing to do on occasion, it is something God wants us to do all the time.
Why Praise?
Come before Him with joyful singing. Know that the LORD Himself is God—it is He who has made us, and not we ourselves. We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving And His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name. For the LORD is good; His lovingkindness is everlasting And His faithfulness to all generations. Psalm 100:2-5
We need to remember that God is the King of the universe—the greatest King of all kings. We wish to pray to God and to gain his blessings. But in order to approach God, we must open the way with praise and thanksgiving. Praise is like the key to open the door to God’s court, so he will give you an audience. Is this because God is so full of himself that he wants to hear people saying good things about him? No. There are three reasons given as to why we should praise God:
a. We are saying we remember who he is
In praising God we are letting God know that we know who He is. We proclaim that he isn’t like humans, faithless and weak. Rather, in approaching God, we are communicating to God that we will respect him for who he really is, and not assume that we can treat him like we do our friends or others we have no respect for. It says in Hebrews that if we wish to please God, we must believe that he rewards those who seek him. Praising God just communicates what we believe about God, so he knows if he can accept us or not.
b. We are saying we remember what he has done for us
We are completely dependent on God, for he made us and keeps us alive. Without him we are nothing. And he has granted us every blessing. Thanking God recognizes what he has done for us, and acknowledges our dependence on Him. God wants us to recognize that so we will be equally dependent on him later. If we give praise and thanksgiving to God, we are able to do that.
c. We are giving him a good reputation
God is the ruler of all the earth, but not everyone recognizes that. Nor does everyone acknowledge God’s power. If we praise God, especially publicly, we are granting God a good reputation among those who do not believe in Him. God desires to rule over all of the people on earth, and he wants to have them acknowledge Him of their own free will. Perhaps it may not be much, but if we praise God, we are making his reputation good in the little bit we can, amongst those who hear us. Thus, we are helping God in gaining back what is rightfully His.
Examples of Praise
Psalm 103 is an especially good example of praise of God.
Bless the LORD, O my soul, And forget none of His benefits;
Who pardons all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases;
Who redeems your life from the pit, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion;
Who satisfies your years with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle.
The LORD performs righteous deeds And judgments for all who are oppressed.
He made known His ways to Moses, His acts to the sons of Israel.
The LORD is compassionate and gracious, Slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness. (Psalm 103:2-8)
In this we can see description of God (compassionate, loving) and acknowledgement of what God does for us (pardons sin, heals, redeems) and also highlighting some things God has done to demonstrate who he is (performs righteous deeds, made his ways known to Moses).
Here’s another one, written by Francis of Assisi:
You are holy, Lord—You are the only God
And you deeds are wonderful
You are strong, You are great
You are the Most High, You are the Almighty.
You, Holy Father, are King of Heaven and Earth
You are good, Supreme good, Lord God, living and true.
You are love, You are wisdom, You are humility
You are endurance, You are rest, You are peace
Jesus gave public praise, as did Paul (Matthew 11:25; Acts 16:25). The priests of the Old Testament gave praise every morning and night (I Chronicles 23:30).
Do it yourself!
Now it’s your turn! We can praise God in many ways. We can read to him a psalm or praise (like Psalm 103 or Ephesians 1). Or we can create our own praise. The best way to do this is to make a list (Right now—this is an assignment!!) of things that God has done for you. Don’t stop until you could think of 15 to 20 items. Then, list out who it means God is. If God has delivered you from death, then he is a deliverer. If God has given you food, then He is a provider. Then you can use this list to praise God at other times. If your knowledge of God is based on your own experience, no one can take it away from you. And you can acknowledge who He is daily when you are speaking to Him.
Why Should We Bother To Pray?
Prayer is hard work. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Sometimes it’s boring, sometimes it takes all of our effort just to focus. Sometimes its long, and so often it is just forgettable. To pray is a discipline—just like learning math, or correct spelling or a new language. Almost nothing about prayer is easy.
So why do it? Why should we go to all the effort to learn how to pray? If it is such hard work, some say, then perhaps we shouldn’t bother with it at all. And often, even if we don’t say it, it is our real attitude. Do we really see it as an important aspect of our lives? Our actions clearly communicate what we really believe. After all, how many of us pray every day? Or even once a week?
The reason we pray is because we really need to. Frankly, we’re desperate. Every time that we look to someone else for help, we are praying to them—especially an authority over us. So if we go to the government and apply for food stamps, we are praying. If we call the police and are looking for help, we are praying. And sometimes we need to call for them. Sometimes we really need the help. Or we could be helping someone else to ask for help. This is the same with God. (Luke 18:1-8)
Who are we praying to?
I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple. Isaiah 6:1
God isn’t just a spiritual force that looks down upon us with kindness, dropping gifts to us every once in a while —like a non-physical Santa Claus. We constantly have to remember who God really is—he is The Authority behind all authority, the Power behind all powers, the Government behind all governments. He is the King of the Universe—and no one is beside Him. Everyone who has any kind of authority receives their authority from Him. And anyone who has any kind of power gained their power from Him. (John 19:11; Deuteronomy 10:17)
God is the King of kings, the Lord of lords, the Ruler of all presidents, prime ministers, and CEOs. He has all knowledge, and there is no one who knows anything true that God didn’t already know. Who gave God the right to rule? First of all, He made all things, so He can do what he wants with what he made. Second, God is more powerful than anyone else, so who will tell him that he can’t rule? Thirdly, God is more just and merciful than anyone else, and so he is worthy of ruling. (Isaiah 40:26-30)
What is prayer?
Many people see praying as something that is important within ourselves. The equate prayer with “meditation” or “self-talk”. As if prayer is making things happen through encouraging oneself to make them happen. But prayer isn’t like that. If we go to a bank, stand in the lobby and say, to no one in particular, “Please give me a loan, please give me a loan,” nothing will happen. You will have no more money when you walk out of that bank than when you walked in. The way to get a loan is to make a request to one of the workers at the bank who has authority to give you a loan.
Others see prayer as an opportunity to “chat with God”. As if God is a buddy of yours, just hanging by the phone, waiting for you to chew his ear off. This is forgetting who God really is. God is the King of the Universe. If you were to try to call the President of the United States—a much lesser power than God—and you actually got through, and you said, “Hey, how are things going, I just thought I’d tell you some of my problems…” how would the President respond? He’d say something along the lines of, “That’s nice, but I’ve got some REAL problems to deal with…” and then you’d get an earful of dial tone.
What is prayer, really? It is making a request of the King of the Universe. It is seeing your real need, recognizing that God is the one to solve the problem, and taking it to Him. Prayer is an audience before the greatest King that ever existed.
How can we possibly pray?
Then I said, "Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts." Isaiah 6:5
Now that we understand what prayer really is, the best question is—how do we deserve to pray? We have many marks against us—if we were a great power on earth, then perhaps God would be interested to listen to us, but we are nobodies. If we were really righteous people, then God might want to listen to us, but we aren’t particularly righteous. In fact, we’ve done some evil things, and so why should the King of the Universe even let us into his palace? We aren’t particularly people whom God would listen to.
But He could and would listen to us. The Bible tells us some stuff about God that isn’t common knowledge, so listen to this:
1. God particularly pays attention to the poor
The King of the Universe recognizes that not everyone gets a fair shake. Some people will never get justice in the world because the world doesn’t care about them and won’t listen to them. But God does listen particularly to these people, the non-represented, the disenfranchised, the needy without a voice. God particularly pays attention to these people, and will listen when they cry out to him. So the prayers of the poor are powerful forces in the world, for they make things happen. (Exodus 22:22-24; Psalm 72:12)
2. God particularly listens to his people
Those who are a part of God’s people he calls his children. And so he listens to his people, like a father would listen to his son (and with more attention). How do we know if we are a part of his people? God has chosen a government, and anyone who has committed themselves to live under this government is a part of his people. God’s government is ruled by a King named Jesus. Jesus is the human King of God, and those who have devoted their lives to Jesus are a part of God’s people. So if we want to be heard by God, the best thing to do is to be under Jesus. (Hebrews 4:14-16)
3. God will give us the ability to be righteous
Yes, it is true, we have done evil things. Our speech is often evil, as well as our silence before evil acts. Do we really deserve to go before the Holy King of the Universe and make a request of Him? No, frankly, we don’t. But if we put ourselves under Jesus, then Jesus died to cleanse us from sin. Our evil, unjust acts are forgiven before God. If we repent of our sins before God, then they are forgotten and not held against us. But also, God wants to give us a gift for being a part of His people. This gift is to be holy people, even as Jesus was and is. God grants us his Spirit through Jesus to have His holiness living within us, all the time, so we can be a people that truly deserves to be before God. (Romans 8:14-15)
“Your iniquity is taken away and your sin is forgiven." Isaiah 6:7
Let us ask the question again: why pray? We pray because we need things, and God is willing to listen. We pray because the world is evil and God is powerful enough to change it. We pray because no one else will listen to what God thinks is most important. But most of all, we pray because if we didn’t, we could receive nothing from God. To have gifts from God, to be the people God wants us to be, we must ask. (James 4:2)
Prayer is a powerful tool to meet our needs.
Prayer is possible through Jesus.
So why do it? Why should we go to all the effort to learn how to pray? If it is such hard work, some say, then perhaps we shouldn’t bother with it at all. And often, even if we don’t say it, it is our real attitude. Do we really see it as an important aspect of our lives? Our actions clearly communicate what we really believe. After all, how many of us pray every day? Or even once a week?
The reason we pray is because we really need to. Frankly, we’re desperate. Every time that we look to someone else for help, we are praying to them—especially an authority over us. So if we go to the government and apply for food stamps, we are praying. If we call the police and are looking for help, we are praying. And sometimes we need to call for them. Sometimes we really need the help. Or we could be helping someone else to ask for help. This is the same with God. (Luke 18:1-8)
Who are we praying to?
I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple. Isaiah 6:1
God isn’t just a spiritual force that looks down upon us with kindness, dropping gifts to us every once in a while —like a non-physical Santa Claus. We constantly have to remember who God really is—he is The Authority behind all authority, the Power behind all powers, the Government behind all governments. He is the King of the Universe—and no one is beside Him. Everyone who has any kind of authority receives their authority from Him. And anyone who has any kind of power gained their power from Him. (John 19:11; Deuteronomy 10:17)
God is the King of kings, the Lord of lords, the Ruler of all presidents, prime ministers, and CEOs. He has all knowledge, and there is no one who knows anything true that God didn’t already know. Who gave God the right to rule? First of all, He made all things, so He can do what he wants with what he made. Second, God is more powerful than anyone else, so who will tell him that he can’t rule? Thirdly, God is more just and merciful than anyone else, and so he is worthy of ruling. (Isaiah 40:26-30)
What is prayer?
Many people see praying as something that is important within ourselves. The equate prayer with “meditation” or “self-talk”. As if prayer is making things happen through encouraging oneself to make them happen. But prayer isn’t like that. If we go to a bank, stand in the lobby and say, to no one in particular, “Please give me a loan, please give me a loan,” nothing will happen. You will have no more money when you walk out of that bank than when you walked in. The way to get a loan is to make a request to one of the workers at the bank who has authority to give you a loan.
Others see prayer as an opportunity to “chat with God”. As if God is a buddy of yours, just hanging by the phone, waiting for you to chew his ear off. This is forgetting who God really is. God is the King of the Universe. If you were to try to call the President of the United States—a much lesser power than God—and you actually got through, and you said, “Hey, how are things going, I just thought I’d tell you some of my problems…” how would the President respond? He’d say something along the lines of, “That’s nice, but I’ve got some REAL problems to deal with…” and then you’d get an earful of dial tone.
What is prayer, really? It is making a request of the King of the Universe. It is seeing your real need, recognizing that God is the one to solve the problem, and taking it to Him. Prayer is an audience before the greatest King that ever existed.
How can we possibly pray?
Then I said, "Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts." Isaiah 6:5
Now that we understand what prayer really is, the best question is—how do we deserve to pray? We have many marks against us—if we were a great power on earth, then perhaps God would be interested to listen to us, but we are nobodies. If we were really righteous people, then God might want to listen to us, but we aren’t particularly righteous. In fact, we’ve done some evil things, and so why should the King of the Universe even let us into his palace? We aren’t particularly people whom God would listen to.
But He could and would listen to us. The Bible tells us some stuff about God that isn’t common knowledge, so listen to this:
1. God particularly pays attention to the poor
The King of the Universe recognizes that not everyone gets a fair shake. Some people will never get justice in the world because the world doesn’t care about them and won’t listen to them. But God does listen particularly to these people, the non-represented, the disenfranchised, the needy without a voice. God particularly pays attention to these people, and will listen when they cry out to him. So the prayers of the poor are powerful forces in the world, for they make things happen. (Exodus 22:22-24; Psalm 72:12)
2. God particularly listens to his people
Those who are a part of God’s people he calls his children. And so he listens to his people, like a father would listen to his son (and with more attention). How do we know if we are a part of his people? God has chosen a government, and anyone who has committed themselves to live under this government is a part of his people. God’s government is ruled by a King named Jesus. Jesus is the human King of God, and those who have devoted their lives to Jesus are a part of God’s people. So if we want to be heard by God, the best thing to do is to be under Jesus. (Hebrews 4:14-16)
3. God will give us the ability to be righteous
Yes, it is true, we have done evil things. Our speech is often evil, as well as our silence before evil acts. Do we really deserve to go before the Holy King of the Universe and make a request of Him? No, frankly, we don’t. But if we put ourselves under Jesus, then Jesus died to cleanse us from sin. Our evil, unjust acts are forgiven before God. If we repent of our sins before God, then they are forgotten and not held against us. But also, God wants to give us a gift for being a part of His people. This gift is to be holy people, even as Jesus was and is. God grants us his Spirit through Jesus to have His holiness living within us, all the time, so we can be a people that truly deserves to be before God. (Romans 8:14-15)
“Your iniquity is taken away and your sin is forgiven." Isaiah 6:7
Let us ask the question again: why pray? We pray because we need things, and God is willing to listen. We pray because the world is evil and God is powerful enough to change it. We pray because no one else will listen to what God thinks is most important. But most of all, we pray because if we didn’t, we could receive nothing from God. To have gifts from God, to be the people God wants us to be, we must ask. (James 4:2)
Prayer is a powerful tool to meet our needs.
Prayer is possible through Jesus.
Monday, August 09, 2010
Anawim Hall of Fame
Anawim is a Hebrew word that means "The poor who seek the Lord for deliverance". When we understand that the "poor" in the Bible is not just those who are economically lacking, but also those who are oppressed, or who sacrifice something necessary for God, then we can see that this is a main theme throughout the Bible.
Abel—God liked his worship, but he didn’t accept the worship of his brother Cain. And so, in a childish fit of sibling rivalry, Cain kills Abel.
Abraham—God calls him to do a ridiculous task—to leave his proper inheritance from his father and just start wandering off to receive an unspecified reward. Abraham buys it. Then God promises him a son, although he and his wife were so past childbearing age their genitals resembled raisins. Abraham buys it. Then God asks Abraham to kill his only son, and, somehow, he will keep his previous promises. Abraham—stunningly—buys that too. So God gives him great reward (he’s only got to die and wait 400 years to collect it).
Hagar—Her mistress told her to have sex with her master—so she did. So why does her mistress beat her when she got pregnant? When she ran away, an angel told her to return and live under her mistress’ abuse—so she did. When her mistress had a son of her own, years later, she was told to pack up and leave—so she did. Because of her stubborn obedience, God made her descendants into a populous desert nation.
Lot—Of course he took the best land when it was offered—who wouldn’t? How was he to know that Sodom was slated for destruction by God’s immorality wrecking crew? Now here he is in the middle of the desert, destruction all around him, his wife fit only for a saltshaker, his daughters thinking incest is the best thing since sliced bread…. Well, God made it up to him by allowing him to be the father of two great nations.
Jacob—He so believes in God’s blessings, that he will do anything to get them—lie, steal, cheat, allow his sons to murder rivals—anything. Finally, after his life is made miserable by regret, he relies alone on God.
Joseph—So he boasted a little bit and humiliated his brothers. Is there any reason for him to be thrown, starving, into a pit, sold into slavery, falsely accused of sexual misconduct, and thrown into jail? Apparently God thought he’d been through enough, so he made Joseph Prime Minister of the most powerful country in the world.
Tamar—She married one brother. He died. He left her no kid. She was given to the second brother. He died. No kid. Daddy wasn’t taking chances on the third brother. So she put a veil on, loosened the top buttons on her blouse, donned a garter, and targeted daddy, and he didn’t know who she was. After her pregnancy was obvious, daddy was ready to kill her. Until she proved to him that daddy was the daddy. God makes her the matriarch of the kings of Jerusalem.
The Children of Israel—They were enslaved in Egypt for generations. All of a sudden, they remember God and cry out to him. Ten plagues. Dead men everywhere. Crossing the Red Sea without needing to change into bathing suits. Voila! Instant deliverance. Then he makes them his select nation for all time.
Rahab—Jericho sex-worker, destined for destruction with the rest of her city, who was more scared of Israel’s God than her own. Backed the right horse, and was given asylum. Oh, yeah, and God made her an ancestor of the Messiah.
Gideon—A coward hiding in a hole until an angel proclaims him “mighty warrior!” Three hundred men against thousands, a few lanterns against swords and chariots— God would only pull him out if he faced overwhelming odds against him.
Jephthah—Important father, but his mother was a prostitute. Dang, bad luck—he was kicked out of the family. He became leader of a band of outlaws. But when an army attacked his community, he was the only one who could save them. He would do so only if he gained the respect of the community.
Samson—Devoted to God before he was born, he was made strong by God’s power (no steriods necessary), as long as he didn’t touch wine or cut his hair. Unfortunately, there was no requirement to keep his zipper shut. After playing with the wrong woman once too many, he was weakened, enslaved and tortured. Finally, God allowed him one last shot to destroy his enemies—as long as he died in the process.
Ruth— A family from Israel goes to Moab and the sons marry the wrong wives—Moabites. When all the men die, the mother goes back home, and her one ex-daughter-in-law insists in coming with. She adopts to the new culture and the new God like a fish in water. Her new husband is rich, and they become the ancestors of the kings of Judea.
Hannah—Her co-wife thinks she is just soooo important, just because she’s got lots of kids and Hannah doesn’t. Hannah is so forsaken, she goes to the temple to pray and is rebuked for being drunk. But God hears her prayer anyway, and her son becomes ruler and priest of all Israel.
David I —The important priest names little David king, but no one knows it (frankly, no one would believe it). Yeah, he kills a giant, and slays some thousands of enemies, but the king still isn’t impressed. He tries to kill David and David runs away for a few years. In nowhereland, David leads a rag-tag band of nowheremen, making nowhere plans (except to keep running from the king). Finally, the king dies and David is made king.
David II— David got a vacation, got the hots for some woman, got her pregnant. So he kills the husband. God don’t like that sort of thing, so although David said he was really sorry, God still punished him some. His son took over David’s city, had sex with David’s wives and was eventually killed. But God still allowed him to be the example to the kings of Judea (go figure).
Elijah—Came from nowhere to tell the king some unpleasant news from God—no rain for three years because you’re worshipping the wrong god! He runs away and God feeds him via crow and brook for a while. Then he’s fed by an impoverished widow for another while. When three years are done, he personally has a showdown with the priests of the wrong god, which he wins, but then he has to run for his life. Finally, he tells God he gives up, so God retires him from service via whirlwind and chariot of fire.
Naaman—A foreigner, an enemy general, and a leper goes up to the Israelite king and asks for healing. The king exclaimed, “Whadda I look like? A prophet?” So he’s sent to Elijah. Elijah tells him to go dunk his head—seven times in the Jordan. Naaman begins to stomp back home. A servant girl says, “What’s the harm in trying?” He turns around and dunks and God heals him. He converts to worship God (except on holidays).
Jehosephat—Three armies attack Jerusalem—it doesn’t look good for the king. He goes to God and God’s prophet says, “Don’t worry, God’ll handle it.” Jehosephat is so convinced, he puts his worship group at the head of the disarmed army. Sho’nuf—ain’t nuthin to do but clean up the bodies.
Hezekiah—Same story, different time. Biggest, strongest army in the world at Jerusalem’s doorstep. Hezekiah begs God, God’s prophet says “Don’t worry.” Sho’nuf—the army hightailed it back home and the leader was killed while worshipping his god.
Jeremiah—Another army at Jerusalem’s gate. Only this time God’s prophet—Jeremiah—said “Start packin’—everybody’s gunna move for 70 years.” No one likes to hear bad news, so no one believes him. The king burns his words. Since he’s preaching sedition, he gets thrown into a jail and then a dank well for months. After the city is conquered, Jeremiah is released. The people who are left ask, “What do we do?” Jeremaiah says, “Anything—just don’t go to Egypt.” Of course, they go to Egypt. And they drag the prophet along to write his jeremiad all the way there.
Ezekiel—Called to be God’s prophet, but told right off the bat—“No one will listen to you.” He’s told to do some pretty strange stuff—get pulled by the hair a few thousand miles to act like a ghost in Jerusalem; lay on his side for a year then—get the spatula—flip over for another year; measure out a Temple that doesn’t exist; build a model of Jerusalem, and then attack it; eat food cooked with burning human shit (he wouldn’t do that). All while he was exiled from his home, a priest far away from his temple.
Daniel—He was dragged away from his home, but he made the best of it, being a counselor for the king. Okay, so he was threatened with death unless he interpreted a dream he wasn’t told, telling the king his mind was going to go on vacation for a while; tell another king he was about to lose his reign that night; and babysit some hungry lions, while another king prayed outside. Still, he saw things from God no one else saw—like the resurrection of the dead.
The Three—The king had some low self-esteem one day, so he invited everyone to worship his statue. These three wouldn’t do it, so the king threw them into a fire pit. God didn’t let them get even a hotfoot.
God’s people depend on Him, even when the worst happens.
Abel—God liked his worship, but he didn’t accept the worship of his brother Cain. And so, in a childish fit of sibling rivalry, Cain kills Abel.
Abraham—God calls him to do a ridiculous task—to leave his proper inheritance from his father and just start wandering off to receive an unspecified reward. Abraham buys it. Then God promises him a son, although he and his wife were so past childbearing age their genitals resembled raisins. Abraham buys it. Then God asks Abraham to kill his only son, and, somehow, he will keep his previous promises. Abraham—stunningly—buys that too. So God gives him great reward (he’s only got to die and wait 400 years to collect it).
Hagar—Her mistress told her to have sex with her master—so she did. So why does her mistress beat her when she got pregnant? When she ran away, an angel told her to return and live under her mistress’ abuse—so she did. When her mistress had a son of her own, years later, she was told to pack up and leave—so she did. Because of her stubborn obedience, God made her descendants into a populous desert nation.
Lot—Of course he took the best land when it was offered—who wouldn’t? How was he to know that Sodom was slated for destruction by God’s immorality wrecking crew? Now here he is in the middle of the desert, destruction all around him, his wife fit only for a saltshaker, his daughters thinking incest is the best thing since sliced bread…. Well, God made it up to him by allowing him to be the father of two great nations.
Jacob—He so believes in God’s blessings, that he will do anything to get them—lie, steal, cheat, allow his sons to murder rivals—anything. Finally, after his life is made miserable by regret, he relies alone on God.
Joseph—So he boasted a little bit and humiliated his brothers. Is there any reason for him to be thrown, starving, into a pit, sold into slavery, falsely accused of sexual misconduct, and thrown into jail? Apparently God thought he’d been through enough, so he made Joseph Prime Minister of the most powerful country in the world.
Tamar—She married one brother. He died. He left her no kid. She was given to the second brother. He died. No kid. Daddy wasn’t taking chances on the third brother. So she put a veil on, loosened the top buttons on her blouse, donned a garter, and targeted daddy, and he didn’t know who she was. After her pregnancy was obvious, daddy was ready to kill her. Until she proved to him that daddy was the daddy. God makes her the matriarch of the kings of Jerusalem.
The Children of Israel—They were enslaved in Egypt for generations. All of a sudden, they remember God and cry out to him. Ten plagues. Dead men everywhere. Crossing the Red Sea without needing to change into bathing suits. Voila! Instant deliverance. Then he makes them his select nation for all time.
Rahab—Jericho sex-worker, destined for destruction with the rest of her city, who was more scared of Israel’s God than her own. Backed the right horse, and was given asylum. Oh, yeah, and God made her an ancestor of the Messiah.
Gideon—A coward hiding in a hole until an angel proclaims him “mighty warrior!” Three hundred men against thousands, a few lanterns against swords and chariots— God would only pull him out if he faced overwhelming odds against him.
Jephthah—Important father, but his mother was a prostitute. Dang, bad luck—he was kicked out of the family. He became leader of a band of outlaws. But when an army attacked his community, he was the only one who could save them. He would do so only if he gained the respect of the community.
Samson—Devoted to God before he was born, he was made strong by God’s power (no steriods necessary), as long as he didn’t touch wine or cut his hair. Unfortunately, there was no requirement to keep his zipper shut. After playing with the wrong woman once too many, he was weakened, enslaved and tortured. Finally, God allowed him one last shot to destroy his enemies—as long as he died in the process.
Ruth— A family from Israel goes to Moab and the sons marry the wrong wives—Moabites. When all the men die, the mother goes back home, and her one ex-daughter-in-law insists in coming with. She adopts to the new culture and the new God like a fish in water. Her new husband is rich, and they become the ancestors of the kings of Judea.
Hannah—Her co-wife thinks she is just soooo important, just because she’s got lots of kids and Hannah doesn’t. Hannah is so forsaken, she goes to the temple to pray and is rebuked for being drunk. But God hears her prayer anyway, and her son becomes ruler and priest of all Israel.
David I —The important priest names little David king, but no one knows it (frankly, no one would believe it). Yeah, he kills a giant, and slays some thousands of enemies, but the king still isn’t impressed. He tries to kill David and David runs away for a few years. In nowhereland, David leads a rag-tag band of nowheremen, making nowhere plans (except to keep running from the king). Finally, the king dies and David is made king.
David II— David got a vacation, got the hots for some woman, got her pregnant. So he kills the husband. God don’t like that sort of thing, so although David said he was really sorry, God still punished him some. His son took over David’s city, had sex with David’s wives and was eventually killed. But God still allowed him to be the example to the kings of Judea (go figure).
Elijah—Came from nowhere to tell the king some unpleasant news from God—no rain for three years because you’re worshipping the wrong god! He runs away and God feeds him via crow and brook for a while. Then he’s fed by an impoverished widow for another while. When three years are done, he personally has a showdown with the priests of the wrong god, which he wins, but then he has to run for his life. Finally, he tells God he gives up, so God retires him from service via whirlwind and chariot of fire.
Naaman—A foreigner, an enemy general, and a leper goes up to the Israelite king and asks for healing. The king exclaimed, “Whadda I look like? A prophet?” So he’s sent to Elijah. Elijah tells him to go dunk his head—seven times in the Jordan. Naaman begins to stomp back home. A servant girl says, “What’s the harm in trying?” He turns around and dunks and God heals him. He converts to worship God (except on holidays).
Jehosephat—Three armies attack Jerusalem—it doesn’t look good for the king. He goes to God and God’s prophet says, “Don’t worry, God’ll handle it.” Jehosephat is so convinced, he puts his worship group at the head of the disarmed army. Sho’nuf—ain’t nuthin to do but clean up the bodies.
Hezekiah—Same story, different time. Biggest, strongest army in the world at Jerusalem’s doorstep. Hezekiah begs God, God’s prophet says “Don’t worry.” Sho’nuf—the army hightailed it back home and the leader was killed while worshipping his god.
Jeremiah—Another army at Jerusalem’s gate. Only this time God’s prophet—Jeremiah—said “Start packin’—everybody’s gunna move for 70 years.” No one likes to hear bad news, so no one believes him. The king burns his words. Since he’s preaching sedition, he gets thrown into a jail and then a dank well for months. After the city is conquered, Jeremiah is released. The people who are left ask, “What do we do?” Jeremaiah says, “Anything—just don’t go to Egypt.” Of course, they go to Egypt. And they drag the prophet along to write his jeremiad all the way there.
Ezekiel—Called to be God’s prophet, but told right off the bat—“No one will listen to you.” He’s told to do some pretty strange stuff—get pulled by the hair a few thousand miles to act like a ghost in Jerusalem; lay on his side for a year then—get the spatula—flip over for another year; measure out a Temple that doesn’t exist; build a model of Jerusalem, and then attack it; eat food cooked with burning human shit (he wouldn’t do that). All while he was exiled from his home, a priest far away from his temple.
Daniel—He was dragged away from his home, but he made the best of it, being a counselor for the king. Okay, so he was threatened with death unless he interpreted a dream he wasn’t told, telling the king his mind was going to go on vacation for a while; tell another king he was about to lose his reign that night; and babysit some hungry lions, while another king prayed outside. Still, he saw things from God no one else saw—like the resurrection of the dead.
The Three—The king had some low self-esteem one day, so he invited everyone to worship his statue. These three wouldn’t do it, so the king threw them into a fire pit. God didn’t let them get even a hotfoot.
God’s people depend on Him, even when the worst happens.
A Christmas Feast
Christmas tradition of feasting
For as long as there has been Christmas, there has been Christmas dinner. The Christmas feast is older than any other of the traditions we associate with Christmas—trees, lights, even gifts. Christmas began as an opportunity to gather with your family and community and to take the best food you had and enjoy yourselves. In many communities, Christmas and the celebration of Jesus’ resurrection were days to take a break from the restricted diet they would have the rest of the year. In ancient times, Christmas might be the one opportunity for people to eat meat, as grains, dairy and vegetables were their staples for the rest of the year. It is as difficult to separate Christmas from a feast, as it is to separate Thanksgiving from the meal.
Was there a feast at the original Christmas?
However, the Christmas story has little to do with a feast. In fact, one might say, it had to do with people who were in such difficult circumstances that they were lucky to eat. The first Christmas is about a family with a pregnant woman forced by the government to make a two day walking journey for the sake of bureaucrats in the capital. And when that family reached their extended family, they were forced to sleep in the stable, which is where the baby was born. It has to do with a group of workers that had so little respect that they couldn’t be called blue collar, and their sighting of angels in the sky. It has to do with a group of scholars who traveled thousands of miles to do homage to a great king, just born, only to find that they were a part of a conspiracy to kill infants in a village. These were not people who were feasting. These were people in sad circumstances.
The Feast of All Feasts
And yet Christmas is about a happy time, not a time of sorrow, or danger. How is this?
It is because each of these people in unfortunate circumstances received news that they were in the first stages of getting out of their bad circumstances. Christmas is like celebrating the day you heard you would receive a huge inheritance from someone you didn’t know, even though the inheritance itself you wouldn’t see for months yet. These people had heard that it was time for them to receive a great promise.
• Joseph heard that he would adopt a son who would deliver the whole world from oppression.
• Mary heard that she would be the mother of the man who would bring the poor God’s blessings.
• The shepherds heard that God would soon be ruling on earth in the person of a baby in a manger.
• The wise men heard that a powerful king was born in Judea.
Christmas isn’t about the great time everyone had when Jesus was born. Rather, it is about the promise of God that was beginning to be fulfilled in Jesus.
God promised to forgive sins—that was accomplished in Jesus.
God promised to heal diseases—that was accomplished in Jesus.
God promised to establish a new nation—that was accomplished in Jesus.
God promised to wipe out oppression—that was started in Jesus.
God promised to have a just, merciful ruler—Jesus is the one.
So Christmas isn’t about a bunch of people in sad circumstances—but rather it is about a celebration of the best news anyone can receive. The news was this: God, through this baby, will change the whole world so those in difficult circumstances will have a reason to party!
Can we have feasts in Jesus’ name?
Now there wasn’t much feasting at that first Christmas time. Times were too tough for the people involved. Yes, there was singing, and rejoicing. But not much opportunity for a feast. However, God has always enjoyed a good feast when it was time to celebrate. God had commanded his people, the Israelites, to take one tenth of their income for a whole year and have one big party with it every year—just to celebrate before God!
And Christmas is the celebration of the first stage of the biggest party ever—the kingdom of God. Jesus often referred to his kingdom as one big party in which all his people will be celebrating and having a good time! And Jesus himself set up and was the host of party after party when he was on earth, all to celebrate the coming of God’s kingdom. So what better time than Christmas to have a Jesus feast! It is an opportunity to celebrate the coming kingdom of God and to have a good time, just like we will in God’s kingdom.
Jesus’ way of Feasting
However, if we are going to celebrate and have a party in Jesus’ name, it can’t just be any kind of party. Jesus set up a few rules if we are going to party for Jesus. These aren’t the rules we normally think of—the no-drinking, no-dancing kind of rules. They are odd, rather:
1. Jesus said to invite the needy rather than family and friends
Jesus wanted parties to be an opportunity to be a part of the big Party that was to come. To gain greater benefits in God’s Kingdom, we need to give up what we have to those who need it most. Our family and friends—there’s always another day to invite them to celebrate. But a Jesus party is one in which the needy and hurting are invited. Perhaps it might make the party less fun for you. Perhaps it would cost you more. Perhaps it would be more difficult for you. But in the end you gain more in God’s kingdom for having a Jesus party only for the homeless, disabled and outcast. Because God will give you a bigger party in the end.
2. Jesus set up parties which were opportunities to repent from sin
As we mentioned, Jesus had many parties himself. But whenever he had a party, he gave an opportunity to have people get right with God and repent from their rebellion against God. It was kinda like having a church service in the midst of a party! But that’s the way Jesus did it. People would sometimes just speak out their repentance, or pray in the middle of the feast! Even so, a Jesus party celebrates God’s forgiveness by offering it to others.
3. Jesus established a feast to remember his death
Also, Jesus established a memorial feast that was supposed to remember his death. This seems kind of grim, having a wake all the time, but it’s really not. Jesus established this party, not to remember the terrible details of his murder at the hands of the state, but to remember that it is through his death that God’s kingdom got it’s start. That’s right! Jesus asked us to remember the birthday of God’s kingdom! Christmas is a good time to have this feast. Let’s have a good time and also, let’s focus on Jesus and what he did for us!
Have a Jesus party for Christmas
To Celebrate God’s Party to Come!
For as long as there has been Christmas, there has been Christmas dinner. The Christmas feast is older than any other of the traditions we associate with Christmas—trees, lights, even gifts. Christmas began as an opportunity to gather with your family and community and to take the best food you had and enjoy yourselves. In many communities, Christmas and the celebration of Jesus’ resurrection were days to take a break from the restricted diet they would have the rest of the year. In ancient times, Christmas might be the one opportunity for people to eat meat, as grains, dairy and vegetables were their staples for the rest of the year. It is as difficult to separate Christmas from a feast, as it is to separate Thanksgiving from the meal.
Was there a feast at the original Christmas?
However, the Christmas story has little to do with a feast. In fact, one might say, it had to do with people who were in such difficult circumstances that they were lucky to eat. The first Christmas is about a family with a pregnant woman forced by the government to make a two day walking journey for the sake of bureaucrats in the capital. And when that family reached their extended family, they were forced to sleep in the stable, which is where the baby was born. It has to do with a group of workers that had so little respect that they couldn’t be called blue collar, and their sighting of angels in the sky. It has to do with a group of scholars who traveled thousands of miles to do homage to a great king, just born, only to find that they were a part of a conspiracy to kill infants in a village. These were not people who were feasting. These were people in sad circumstances.
The Feast of All Feasts
And yet Christmas is about a happy time, not a time of sorrow, or danger. How is this?
It is because each of these people in unfortunate circumstances received news that they were in the first stages of getting out of their bad circumstances. Christmas is like celebrating the day you heard you would receive a huge inheritance from someone you didn’t know, even though the inheritance itself you wouldn’t see for months yet. These people had heard that it was time for them to receive a great promise.
• Joseph heard that he would adopt a son who would deliver the whole world from oppression.
• Mary heard that she would be the mother of the man who would bring the poor God’s blessings.
• The shepherds heard that God would soon be ruling on earth in the person of a baby in a manger.
• The wise men heard that a powerful king was born in Judea.
Christmas isn’t about the great time everyone had when Jesus was born. Rather, it is about the promise of God that was beginning to be fulfilled in Jesus.
God promised to forgive sins—that was accomplished in Jesus.
God promised to heal diseases—that was accomplished in Jesus.
God promised to establish a new nation—that was accomplished in Jesus.
God promised to wipe out oppression—that was started in Jesus.
God promised to have a just, merciful ruler—Jesus is the one.
So Christmas isn’t about a bunch of people in sad circumstances—but rather it is about a celebration of the best news anyone can receive. The news was this: God, through this baby, will change the whole world so those in difficult circumstances will have a reason to party!
Can we have feasts in Jesus’ name?
Now there wasn’t much feasting at that first Christmas time. Times were too tough for the people involved. Yes, there was singing, and rejoicing. But not much opportunity for a feast. However, God has always enjoyed a good feast when it was time to celebrate. God had commanded his people, the Israelites, to take one tenth of their income for a whole year and have one big party with it every year—just to celebrate before God!
And Christmas is the celebration of the first stage of the biggest party ever—the kingdom of God. Jesus often referred to his kingdom as one big party in which all his people will be celebrating and having a good time! And Jesus himself set up and was the host of party after party when he was on earth, all to celebrate the coming of God’s kingdom. So what better time than Christmas to have a Jesus feast! It is an opportunity to celebrate the coming kingdom of God and to have a good time, just like we will in God’s kingdom.
Jesus’ way of Feasting
However, if we are going to celebrate and have a party in Jesus’ name, it can’t just be any kind of party. Jesus set up a few rules if we are going to party for Jesus. These aren’t the rules we normally think of—the no-drinking, no-dancing kind of rules. They are odd, rather:
1. Jesus said to invite the needy rather than family and friends
Jesus wanted parties to be an opportunity to be a part of the big Party that was to come. To gain greater benefits in God’s Kingdom, we need to give up what we have to those who need it most. Our family and friends—there’s always another day to invite them to celebrate. But a Jesus party is one in which the needy and hurting are invited. Perhaps it might make the party less fun for you. Perhaps it would cost you more. Perhaps it would be more difficult for you. But in the end you gain more in God’s kingdom for having a Jesus party only for the homeless, disabled and outcast. Because God will give you a bigger party in the end.
2. Jesus set up parties which were opportunities to repent from sin
As we mentioned, Jesus had many parties himself. But whenever he had a party, he gave an opportunity to have people get right with God and repent from their rebellion against God. It was kinda like having a church service in the midst of a party! But that’s the way Jesus did it. People would sometimes just speak out their repentance, or pray in the middle of the feast! Even so, a Jesus party celebrates God’s forgiveness by offering it to others.
3. Jesus established a feast to remember his death
Also, Jesus established a memorial feast that was supposed to remember his death. This seems kind of grim, having a wake all the time, but it’s really not. Jesus established this party, not to remember the terrible details of his murder at the hands of the state, but to remember that it is through his death that God’s kingdom got it’s start. That’s right! Jesus asked us to remember the birthday of God’s kingdom! Christmas is a good time to have this feast. Let’s have a good time and also, let’s focus on Jesus and what he did for us!
Have a Jesus party for Christmas
To Celebrate God’s Party to Come!
Saturday, August 07, 2010
Master and Servant: The Basic Relationship To God
Existence or Relation?
Modern theology focuses on the existence and attributes of God. This makes sense, in some ways, because of many who are questioning the reality of God and of who He really is. It is interesting to note, however, that although the NT authors lived in a time where there were many truths and beliefs and most people questioned their idea of God, the authors didn’t spend any time arguing about His existence, nor did they spend much time focusing on who God is, what He is like as opposed to other gods or other realities. Rather, they focused on one thing: what is God’s relationship to us. They took for granted God’s power, and God’s authority. They just talked about what the relationship between God and his people is like.
For you are a holy people to the LORD your God; the LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for His own possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. The LORD did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any of the peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but because the LORD loved you and kept the oath which He swore to your forefathers, the LORD brought you out by a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Know therefore that the LORD your God, He is God, the faithful God, who keeps His covenant and His lovingkindness to a thousandth generation with those who love Him and keep His commandments; but repays those who hate Him to their faces, to destroy them; He will not delay with him who hates Him, He will repay him to his face. Therefore, you shall keep the commandment and the statutes and the judgments which I am commanding you today, to do them. Then it shall come about, because you listen to these judgments and keep and do them, that the LORD your God will keep with you His covenant and His lovingkindness which He swore to your forefathers. He will love you and bless you and multiply you; He will also bless the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground, your grain and your new wine and your oil, the increase of your herd and the young of your flock, in the land which He swore to your forefathers to give you. You shall be blessed above all peoples; there will be no male or female barren among you or among your cattle. The LORD will remove from you all sickness; and He will not put on you any of the harmful diseases of Egypt which you have known, but He will lay them on all who hate you. Deuteronomy 7:6-15
S and M: Servant and Master
The basic relationship between God and his people is that of the King to his servants. A servant to a king is all throughout the Bible called a “slave”, but it is truly more of a relation with a servant than a slave. A servant chooses his master, and if his master abuses him, he can leave, while a slave has no choice but to remain in servitude. Later on, we will talk about other relationships with God—being a child of God and being a wife of God. But all relationships with God ultimately begin with us being servants of God.
But no matter what relationship we are in—and there are some to choose from—God is always the King. God is the Most High God, the creator of heaven and earth, the King of the Universe, equal to none. This is the basic fact that we must always remember. God is not our “buddy” or our “friend”—He is always Lord, He is always King, and we are always subservient to Him. Even Jesus, God’s Son, never forgot this. Jesus, as a human being, is under the Lordship of God and must always be subservient and respectful to the Most High, even if he can call him Father.
Gotta Serve Somebody
Why would we want a relationship of servitude with God? Why would we choose to be a servant of anyone? The first thing we need to remember is that we are the servant of someone, no matter how “free” we tell ourselves we are. We are not completely free, but we serve a master and live a certain lifestyle. The reason we want to be servants of God is because He is interested in meeting our needs, not just fulfilling His own desire. He made us, and so He knows better than anyone what we need and how to meet those needs. So being a servant of the Creator is an opportunity, not an obligation.
What we need to remember is that we are in relationship with God because He chose us. He made the first move of love toward us. He took pity on us and decided to give us the opportunity for a better life. He looked at us in our terrible state on our own and said, “Live!” (Ezekiel 16:4-6). He loved us and assisted us and chose us, before we did anything back.
Our response to His choice and the opportunity to live is simply gratefulness. We need to give thanks to Him for all that He has done to make our lives better. We need to thank Him for choosing us, for loving us, for sending Jesus to die on the cross for us.
Naughty or Nice?
Again, however a benevolent Master God is, no matter how interested He is in our well-being, He IS a Master. He is Lord. And when we live under His rule, He has laws and a lifestyle for us to live. If we mess up, He is forgiving and will offer us mercy. And if we obey and do what He says He will reward us with everything we need and more. But if we rebel, He will punish us. The punishment will be swift and severe. He doesn’t punish us just to be mean to those who disobey, but to draw people back to relationship with Him. But punish He will. And His punishments are difficult (Hebrews 10:26-33).
How do we respond to this? First of all, with obedience. When there is simple joy in obedience and suffering in disobedience, the choice seems clear. However, we sometimes do disobey. Praise God, He has an opportunity for us when we disobey—we can repent and be back in His good graces. Depending on our disobedience, we might still have to suffer some punishment, but more often than not we are given mercy. (John 3:36)
But what God insists on is that we remember that the stick is always there if we disobey. Thus, we have what the Bible calls “fear” or what might be called a “healthy respect.” It is healthy for us to do what God says and to not hesitate in obedience. Because the consequences are drastic.
Is there Obedience In Jesus?
Some would say that Jesus did away with the “law”, by which they mean any obligation. But this is not true. We all must obey, we all must be holy. It is just that the terms of holiness are determined by Jesus, not by Moses. (Matthew 7:21-27; 12:48-50)
Service to the Servant
Finally, there is a mutual obligation between a Master and His servant. On the surface, it seems as if the obligation is only on the servant’s side. But this is never true. A person who is an employee becomes the servant of the employer, and does so freely. Why? Because the employer offers a service to the servant. So it is with God.
God grants his servants protection, for one thing. And He agrees to meet their needs. And He creates a safe community for His servants to live in. This community and need-meeting isn’t just for a limited time, either, as an employer’s would be. God’s provision lasts for all eternity, as long as our spirits endure, which is forever.
What does God ask in return? He asks for service. That is pretty basic. This isn’t just obedience to His laws, but also just doing what He asks, at any time. He may ask us to help the person who is holding a sign. He may ask us to say a kind word to a child. He may ask us to support a friend who is down. He may ask us to help someone in the church move. He may ask us to visit someone in the hospital. Whatever it is, God is expecting us to fulfill it. Out of gratefulness. Not with grumbling. But with a cheerful heart.
Modern theology focuses on the existence and attributes of God. This makes sense, in some ways, because of many who are questioning the reality of God and of who He really is. It is interesting to note, however, that although the NT authors lived in a time where there were many truths and beliefs and most people questioned their idea of God, the authors didn’t spend any time arguing about His existence, nor did they spend much time focusing on who God is, what He is like as opposed to other gods or other realities. Rather, they focused on one thing: what is God’s relationship to us. They took for granted God’s power, and God’s authority. They just talked about what the relationship between God and his people is like.
For you are a holy people to the LORD your God; the LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for His own possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. The LORD did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any of the peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but because the LORD loved you and kept the oath which He swore to your forefathers, the LORD brought you out by a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Know therefore that the LORD your God, He is God, the faithful God, who keeps His covenant and His lovingkindness to a thousandth generation with those who love Him and keep His commandments; but repays those who hate Him to their faces, to destroy them; He will not delay with him who hates Him, He will repay him to his face. Therefore, you shall keep the commandment and the statutes and the judgments which I am commanding you today, to do them. Then it shall come about, because you listen to these judgments and keep and do them, that the LORD your God will keep with you His covenant and His lovingkindness which He swore to your forefathers. He will love you and bless you and multiply you; He will also bless the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground, your grain and your new wine and your oil, the increase of your herd and the young of your flock, in the land which He swore to your forefathers to give you. You shall be blessed above all peoples; there will be no male or female barren among you or among your cattle. The LORD will remove from you all sickness; and He will not put on you any of the harmful diseases of Egypt which you have known, but He will lay them on all who hate you. Deuteronomy 7:6-15
S and M: Servant and Master
The basic relationship between God and his people is that of the King to his servants. A servant to a king is all throughout the Bible called a “slave”, but it is truly more of a relation with a servant than a slave. A servant chooses his master, and if his master abuses him, he can leave, while a slave has no choice but to remain in servitude. Later on, we will talk about other relationships with God—being a child of God and being a wife of God. But all relationships with God ultimately begin with us being servants of God.
But no matter what relationship we are in—and there are some to choose from—God is always the King. God is the Most High God, the creator of heaven and earth, the King of the Universe, equal to none. This is the basic fact that we must always remember. God is not our “buddy” or our “friend”—He is always Lord, He is always King, and we are always subservient to Him. Even Jesus, God’s Son, never forgot this. Jesus, as a human being, is under the Lordship of God and must always be subservient and respectful to the Most High, even if he can call him Father.
Gotta Serve Somebody
Why would we want a relationship of servitude with God? Why would we choose to be a servant of anyone? The first thing we need to remember is that we are the servant of someone, no matter how “free” we tell ourselves we are. We are not completely free, but we serve a master and live a certain lifestyle. The reason we want to be servants of God is because He is interested in meeting our needs, not just fulfilling His own desire. He made us, and so He knows better than anyone what we need and how to meet those needs. So being a servant of the Creator is an opportunity, not an obligation.
What we need to remember is that we are in relationship with God because He chose us. He made the first move of love toward us. He took pity on us and decided to give us the opportunity for a better life. He looked at us in our terrible state on our own and said, “Live!” (Ezekiel 16:4-6). He loved us and assisted us and chose us, before we did anything back.
Our response to His choice and the opportunity to live is simply gratefulness. We need to give thanks to Him for all that He has done to make our lives better. We need to thank Him for choosing us, for loving us, for sending Jesus to die on the cross for us.
Naughty or Nice?
Again, however a benevolent Master God is, no matter how interested He is in our well-being, He IS a Master. He is Lord. And when we live under His rule, He has laws and a lifestyle for us to live. If we mess up, He is forgiving and will offer us mercy. And if we obey and do what He says He will reward us with everything we need and more. But if we rebel, He will punish us. The punishment will be swift and severe. He doesn’t punish us just to be mean to those who disobey, but to draw people back to relationship with Him. But punish He will. And His punishments are difficult (Hebrews 10:26-33).
How do we respond to this? First of all, with obedience. When there is simple joy in obedience and suffering in disobedience, the choice seems clear. However, we sometimes do disobey. Praise God, He has an opportunity for us when we disobey—we can repent and be back in His good graces. Depending on our disobedience, we might still have to suffer some punishment, but more often than not we are given mercy. (John 3:36)
But what God insists on is that we remember that the stick is always there if we disobey. Thus, we have what the Bible calls “fear” or what might be called a “healthy respect.” It is healthy for us to do what God says and to not hesitate in obedience. Because the consequences are drastic.
Is there Obedience In Jesus?
Some would say that Jesus did away with the “law”, by which they mean any obligation. But this is not true. We all must obey, we all must be holy. It is just that the terms of holiness are determined by Jesus, not by Moses. (Matthew 7:21-27; 12:48-50)
Service to the Servant
Finally, there is a mutual obligation between a Master and His servant. On the surface, it seems as if the obligation is only on the servant’s side. But this is never true. A person who is an employee becomes the servant of the employer, and does so freely. Why? Because the employer offers a service to the servant. So it is with God.
God grants his servants protection, for one thing. And He agrees to meet their needs. And He creates a safe community for His servants to live in. This community and need-meeting isn’t just for a limited time, either, as an employer’s would be. God’s provision lasts for all eternity, as long as our spirits endure, which is forever.
What does God ask in return? He asks for service. That is pretty basic. This isn’t just obedience to His laws, but also just doing what He asks, at any time. He may ask us to help the person who is holding a sign. He may ask us to say a kind word to a child. He may ask us to support a friend who is down. He may ask us to help someone in the church move. He may ask us to visit someone in the hospital. Whatever it is, God is expecting us to fulfill it. Out of gratefulness. Not with grumbling. But with a cheerful heart.
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