The story of Jonah and the big fish (we don't know that it was a whale from the actual words of the Old Testament) has always been tremendously popular reading, especially with children. That's easy to understand because it has all the elements of great drama. Rebellion, storms at sea, swallowed alive inside an enormous fish, survival, risky business in an alien land--it sure works like a modern day comic book adventure. Couple that with the fact that the whole story is packed into four brief chapters and you can see why it has always had universal appeal.
Because it is so action packed it would be easy to overlook the fact that within Jonah is one of the great prayers of the Bible. Tucked into Chapter 2 is a profound prayer that Jonah prayed from inside the fish's belly. This was a prayer of acknowledgement of God's sovereignty, a final surrender to God's plan and a prayer of faith for deliverance. Let's do a quick review on why Jonah was in this predicament in the first place.
Jonah was a prophet living in a time when Israel was severely harassed by the pagan Assyrians, Israel's long standing enemy. God told Jonah to go to the Assyrian's chief city, Nineveh, and preach against their wickedness and call them to repentance. The fact that God would offer the Ninevites an opportunity to repent made Jonah mad. He did not want any mercy doled out to this hated enemy. So he got on a ship going in the absolute opposite direction in order to get out of God's presence and hopefully away from being used in God's plan. But it didn't work.
Jonah in the deep
While at sea, God caused such a severe storm to arise that the ship's crew cast lots to see who was responsible for what they assumed correctly was a divine calamity. The lot fell to Jonah and he admitted that he was the culprit and he told them to throw him overboard so that the sea would become calm again. It probably seems strange that Jonah would suggest such a thing. One way you could look at it is that he didn't want to follow God's plan for him so badly that he would rather die than do it. Now that's rebellion. Or maybe he felt drowning was all he deserved after his direct disobedience. Jonah was a melancholy sort of guy. Whatever the reason; "they picked Jonah up and threw him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging." (Jonah 1:15)
The Bible says; "Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights." (1:17) It is in this predicament that Jonah prayed his great prayer. Notice that God is the one who prepared the fish and in this act he demonstrated his sovereignty - and also his mercy. He did not allow Jonah to be drowned because he still had a plan for his life and he still had a plan for Nineveh.
Here is what the prayer says: "I cried out to the Lord because of my affliction, and He answered me. Out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and You heard my voice. For You cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas, And the floods surrounded me; all Your billows and Your waves passed over me. Then I said, 'I have been cast out of Your sight; Yet I will look again toward Your holy temple.' The waters surrounded me, even to my soul; the deep closed around me; Weeds were wrapped around my head. I went down to the moorings of the mountains; the earth with its bars closed behind me forever; Yet You have brought up my life from the pit, O Lord, my God. When my soul fainted within me, I remembered the Lord; and my prayer went up to You, Into Your holy temple." (Jonah 2:2-7)
Part description about what happened to him and part prayer to God, we sense an emotional tangle as dense as the sea bottom. I think when Jonah was thrown overboard he fully expected to die. He seemed resigned to it and at the same time a hope was rising from within him because he says; "Yet I will look again toward Your holy temple." Something from inside him still trusted even though he also felt that he had been cast outside of God's sight - outside of God's favor.
He must have come awfully close to death because he says that "the earth with its bars closed behind me forever" and then in the next moment he acknowledges that God brought his life back from the pit. His best moment is when he says that when his soul fainted within him, he remembered the Lord. It is the moment of the surrender of his will. He would no longer turn and run the other way; he would no longer fight the plan of God; he would no longer rebel.
Surrender, finally
Jonah is now ready to cooperate with God as he states in verse 9; "But I will sacrifice to You with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay what I have vowed. Salvation is of the Lord." After some 72 hours in the belly of the fish he vowed that he would now do whatever God wanted him to do. That's what God was waiting for. The next verse tells us that "the Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land." When the Lord said a second time to go to Nineveh, Jonah went and preached God's message to the great city.
The book of Jonah is the story of the sovereignty of God. Sovereignty means that God is ultimately in control of, well-everything. History, kings and rulers, the seas and the land, weather, the destiny of great cities, the path of a man. It also is the story of God's compassion. Maybe Jonah didn't want Nineveh to repent but God did. He wanted to show them his mercy in spite of the fact that they were heathens who did not worship him or follow his ways.
Okay, you might say, but what makes Jonah's prayer so great? Jonah's prayer is great because he finally surrendered. The story starts with a hard hearted and rebellious man who ultimately bowed his will before a sovereign God and obeyed. Jesus tells a similar story in Matthew 21:28-32 of the New Testament. A father had two sons and he told each of them to go work in his vineyard. The first son said "I will not". But then he regretted his decision and went out into the field to work. The second son said he would go but then did not. Jesus asks which of the two did the will of his father. The answer, of course, is the first son who initially refused.
God did not reject Jonah because he disobeyed; in fact, he patiently kept pursuing him and protecting him until he had a change of heart. This is good news for you if you have been in rebellion or disobedience. God will give you another chance. Maybe you are in a mess right now because of your own choices; maybe you are reaping what you have sown. Because of that you may have felt that you couldn't expect much help from God or that there was no way back to God's plan for your life. It should comfort you to know that God is still sovereign and he is still in the forgiving and restoration business.
If this is you, surrender is your key. Finally, once and for all, surrender your whole self to God's will and be determined that you will obey from now on no matter what he tells you to do. Then see what happens. You may have your own "Big Fish" story to tell someday. We all need to surrender to God. It is never too late to surrender. If you have one foot in the church and one foot in the world, give in to God, give up the playing around and get both feet in God's house. Now is the time to surrender! Pray the prayer of surrender to God.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
God's School of Prayer, Number 5: The Prayer of Faith: To Receive You Must Believe
To receive from God we must have faith. To receive healing you must beleive God heals. You must have faith in God. It is the foundation of all prayer. Have faith in God. He rewards those who seek Him! "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly, diligently seek Him." -- Hebrews ll:6
As Jesus promised us, when we ask we will receive, as long as we do our part and ask in faith, believing that God will answer. Look at verse 6 here,and note James is using a command again. “But when he asks, he MUST believe and not doubt.” It is a two part command. First, note the parallel of this verse to a statement of Jesus’ in Matthew 21:21-22: Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, `Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and it will be done. 22 If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer."
Sound familiar? The book of James tells us similar truths. James was an excellent student of his brother’s teachings wasn’t he? The first command we find is we must believe or have faith. It doesn’t read we should have faith. The word here is pisteou which means “belief and conviction and assurance in,” and it refers to something more than just believing God will give us what we ask for, but also includes a confident, unwavering, and complete trust in God and submission to His will. Notice the connection here with the unwavering nature of God in His desire to give, and the nwavering trust we should have in Him in order to receive.
The true Christian prays with this kind of faith, not just lip service. Merely invoking God’s name doesn’t cut it, there must be faith. God will answer the prayers of Christians who have faith in Him. . Do you want access to all the great gifts God can give, including joy in the midst of trials? Then believe and have complete faith in God. If you don’t want to do that, then don’t waste your breath.
A big key to the prayer of faith is, “You must not doubt.” Not only do you have to be a believing Christian, but you must also not doubt. The word “doubt” or diakrino literally means “a divided calling or judgment.” Yes, you may be a Christian, but don’t expect to receive from God if you doubt. James wants us to have that absolute confidence and absolute faith in God. We cannot be half-mast Christians. Half way leads to nowhere.
James 5"16 states firmly that “The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” God listens to His people and answers their prayers, if they are offered with the kind of faith James has mentioned. As an example, James gives us Elijah who, under the direction of God, prayed for no rain, and it didn’t rain. Then he prayed for rain, and the rains came. Prayers offered in faith by God’s children can do wonderful things! Without them we are like the dry land of the desert, parched and dry, thirsting for God.
Be diligent in your prayer life. Keep on praying. In your trouble, pray. In your happiness offer praises and prayers of thanks. In your illness, have others pray with you. Whatever your circumstances, be in prayer for those around you, whether they be your brothers and sisters in Christ, or family and friends who need the Lord. Pray.
Paul’s exhortation from 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 serves as a nice summary of James’ exhortations: "Be joyful always; 17 pray continually; 18 give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in things."
Are you a man or woman of prater and faith? Such a man was Edward McKendree Bounds was born in northeastern Missouri on August 15, 1835, served as a confederate chaplain in the civil war and experienced something of the mighty work of God in the ranks of that army. He became a minister and retired at 60 to spend the last nineteen years of his life praying and writing about prayer. He arose at 4 a.m. each day. He completed eight books but only two were published during his lifetime, his most famous, "Power through Prayer" was one of those, published in 1907. Bounds' great insistence is upon the place of man or woman in prayer.
He famously wrote these words, "The trend of the day has a tendency to lose sight of man or sink the man in the plan or organisation. God's plan is to make much of the man, far more of him than of anything else. Men are God's method. The church is looking for better methods; God is looking for better men. 'There was a man sent from God whose name was John'...What the church needs today is not more machinery or better, not new organisations, or more and novel methods, but men whom the Holy Spirit can use - men of prayer, men mighty in prayer. The Holy Spirit does not flow through methods, but through men. He does not come on machinery, but on men. He does not anoint plans, but men - men of prayer"
Those words are as true today as the day E.M. Bounds wrote them over a century ago. We need men and women of prayer, now, more than ever.
As Jesus promised us, when we ask we will receive, as long as we do our part and ask in faith, believing that God will answer. Look at verse 6 here,and note James is using a command again. “But when he asks, he MUST believe and not doubt.” It is a two part command. First, note the parallel of this verse to a statement of Jesus’ in Matthew 21:21-22: Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, `Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and it will be done. 22 If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer."
Sound familiar? The book of James tells us similar truths. James was an excellent student of his brother’s teachings wasn’t he? The first command we find is we must believe or have faith. It doesn’t read we should have faith. The word here is pisteou which means “belief and conviction and assurance in,” and it refers to something more than just believing God will give us what we ask for, but also includes a confident, unwavering, and complete trust in God and submission to His will. Notice the connection here with the unwavering nature of God in His desire to give, and the nwavering trust we should have in Him in order to receive.
The true Christian prays with this kind of faith, not just lip service. Merely invoking God’s name doesn’t cut it, there must be faith. God will answer the prayers of Christians who have faith in Him. . Do you want access to all the great gifts God can give, including joy in the midst of trials? Then believe and have complete faith in God. If you don’t want to do that, then don’t waste your breath.
A big key to the prayer of faith is, “You must not doubt.” Not only do you have to be a believing Christian, but you must also not doubt. The word “doubt” or diakrino literally means “a divided calling or judgment.” Yes, you may be a Christian, but don’t expect to receive from God if you doubt. James wants us to have that absolute confidence and absolute faith in God. We cannot be half-mast Christians. Half way leads to nowhere.
James 5"16 states firmly that “The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” God listens to His people and answers their prayers, if they are offered with the kind of faith James has mentioned. As an example, James gives us Elijah who, under the direction of God, prayed for no rain, and it didn’t rain. Then he prayed for rain, and the rains came. Prayers offered in faith by God’s children can do wonderful things! Without them we are like the dry land of the desert, parched and dry, thirsting for God.
Be diligent in your prayer life. Keep on praying. In your trouble, pray. In your happiness offer praises and prayers of thanks. In your illness, have others pray with you. Whatever your circumstances, be in prayer for those around you, whether they be your brothers and sisters in Christ, or family and friends who need the Lord. Pray.
Paul’s exhortation from 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 serves as a nice summary of James’ exhortations: "Be joyful always; 17 pray continually; 18 give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in things."
Are you a man or woman of prater and faith? Such a man was Edward McKendree Bounds was born in northeastern Missouri on August 15, 1835, served as a confederate chaplain in the civil war and experienced something of the mighty work of God in the ranks of that army. He became a minister and retired at 60 to spend the last nineteen years of his life praying and writing about prayer. He arose at 4 a.m. each day. He completed eight books but only two were published during his lifetime, his most famous, "Power through Prayer" was one of those, published in 1907. Bounds' great insistence is upon the place of man or woman in prayer.
He famously wrote these words, "The trend of the day has a tendency to lose sight of man or sink the man in the plan or organisation. God's plan is to make much of the man, far more of him than of anything else. Men are God's method. The church is looking for better methods; God is looking for better men. 'There was a man sent from God whose name was John'...What the church needs today is not more machinery or better, not new organisations, or more and novel methods, but men whom the Holy Spirit can use - men of prayer, men mighty in prayer. The Holy Spirit does not flow through methods, but through men. He does not come on machinery, but on men. He does not anoint plans, but men - men of prayer"
Those words are as true today as the day E.M. Bounds wrote them over a century ago. We need men and women of prayer, now, more than ever.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
God's School of Prayer, No. 4, Part Two: Blessing the Lord: Prayers of Praise
Bless the Lord, O my soul!” cries the psalmist numerous times in his songs of praise. Psalm 34 and Psalm 103 are great examples of this action. But what does it mean to “bless” the Lord? Scripture tells us that “it is beyond dispute that the inferior is blessed by the superior” (Hebrews 7:7). So we ask, then can we, the infinitely inferior, bless the Lord, the Supremely Superior? Well, it only happens because God, our superior, desires and ordains that we can bless Him with our praises and our actions of worship and praise.
There are two main things that we do when we bless the Lord. The first is synonymous with giving thanks and praise. Some translations actually say, “Give thanks to the Lord,” where others say, “Bless the Lord.” So, blessing the Lord is praising Him and giving thanks to Him—for blessing us! The other thing we do when we bless the Lord is to proclaim Him blessed, to attest to His holy nature.
When we call God blessed, we are saying something about who God is. He is blessed, which is a synonym for “holy.” Blessed is God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! The Byzantine Divine Liturgy always opens with the glorious and magnificent “Blessed is the Kingdom of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, both now and forever and unto ages of ages!” When we speak of God as the recipient of our blessings (praises and thanksgivings), then He is blest. May the Lord be forever blest!
We are to bless the Lord, because too few people do it, and He deserves better that that from us! There is a great old hymn that says:“Blessed are You, O Christ our God... O Lover of Mankind, glory to You!” Blessing the Lord is a vocation, and not merely and occasional prayer formula for times when one is feeling happy. Let’s face it, for most people, the two main forms of prayer are Asking and Complaining. We come to God with a list of petitions, and if we don’t get what we want, we complain and grumble, or else we merely manifest our ongoing discontent with The Way Things Are. But we are to foremost have a relationship with God in prayer, and part of that is to bless the Lord, to praise Him and make Him the center of our attention.
Blessing the Lord can be a real “lift” in my prayer life. The Byzantine When we are glorifying God, he ianhabits the praises of His people (Psalm 22:3). To bless the Lord is ascend to a higher and more noble level of awareness, to gratefully recognize God’s universal providence, to honor his wisdom and his plan for the spiritual growth and salvation of all. It is a resounding “Yes!” to all God is and does. This does not mean that we are oblivious to the evil in the world; we simply acknowledge that God's wisdom, compassion, and timing are better than ours,and He is stronger than any evil, and we bless God in trusting Him. To bless the Lord makes us “transparent” to God’s grace, an opening for his light to come in to the world, while we simply lose ourselves in Him. We are to become windows for his light to come into the world.
We may very well do more good for ourselves and for the world by blessing the Lord than by asking for what we need. “For your Father knows what you need before you ask him… Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well” (Matthew 6:8, 33). That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t ever ask, for Jesus also said, “Ask, and you shall receive,” but I think that our asking ought to be balanced by (at least) equal amounts of blessing.
So, bless the Lord, O my soul, and you, souls, all of you, bless the Lord! Proclaim his blessedness, his holiness and infinite goodness, and make sure that He is forever blest by your gratitude and praise. Gather all your prayers—petition, penitence, praise, worship, and thanksgiving (and even your complaints, if you must!)—and send them to Him in a package labeled: “Blessed are You, O God!” It’ll get there faster than any other.
There are two main things that we do when we bless the Lord. The first is synonymous with giving thanks and praise. Some translations actually say, “Give thanks to the Lord,” where others say, “Bless the Lord.” So, blessing the Lord is praising Him and giving thanks to Him—for blessing us! The other thing we do when we bless the Lord is to proclaim Him blessed, to attest to His holy nature.
When we call God blessed, we are saying something about who God is. He is blessed, which is a synonym for “holy.” Blessed is God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! The Byzantine Divine Liturgy always opens with the glorious and magnificent “Blessed is the Kingdom of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, both now and forever and unto ages of ages!” When we speak of God as the recipient of our blessings (praises and thanksgivings), then He is blest. May the Lord be forever blest!
We are to bless the Lord, because too few people do it, and He deserves better that that from us! There is a great old hymn that says:“Blessed are You, O Christ our God... O Lover of Mankind, glory to You!” Blessing the Lord is a vocation, and not merely and occasional prayer formula for times when one is feeling happy. Let’s face it, for most people, the two main forms of prayer are Asking and Complaining. We come to God with a list of petitions, and if we don’t get what we want, we complain and grumble, or else we merely manifest our ongoing discontent with The Way Things Are. But we are to foremost have a relationship with God in prayer, and part of that is to bless the Lord, to praise Him and make Him the center of our attention.
Blessing the Lord can be a real “lift” in my prayer life. The Byzantine When we are glorifying God, he ianhabits the praises of His people (Psalm 22:3). To bless the Lord is ascend to a higher and more noble level of awareness, to gratefully recognize God’s universal providence, to honor his wisdom and his plan for the spiritual growth and salvation of all. It is a resounding “Yes!” to all God is and does. This does not mean that we are oblivious to the evil in the world; we simply acknowledge that God's wisdom, compassion, and timing are better than ours,and He is stronger than any evil, and we bless God in trusting Him. To bless the Lord makes us “transparent” to God’s grace, an opening for his light to come in to the world, while we simply lose ourselves in Him. We are to become windows for his light to come into the world.
We may very well do more good for ourselves and for the world by blessing the Lord than by asking for what we need. “For your Father knows what you need before you ask him… Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well” (Matthew 6:8, 33). That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t ever ask, for Jesus also said, “Ask, and you shall receive,” but I think that our asking ought to be balanced by (at least) equal amounts of blessing.
So, bless the Lord, O my soul, and you, souls, all of you, bless the Lord! Proclaim his blessedness, his holiness and infinite goodness, and make sure that He is forever blest by your gratitude and praise. Gather all your prayers—petition, penitence, praise, worship, and thanksgiving (and even your complaints, if you must!)—and send them to Him in a package labeled: “Blessed are You, O God!” It’ll get there faster than any other.
God's School of Prayer, Second Semester, No. 4, Part One: The Power of Praise
I will praise Thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart: And I will glorify Thy name forevermore. Psalm 86:12
The four lines of the Doxology have been the most frequently sung words of any known song for more than three hundred years. Even today nearly every English-speaking Protestant congregation still unites at least once each Sunday in this noble ascription of praise. It has been said that the doxology has done more to teach the doctrine of the Trinity than all the theological books ever written. It has often been called "the Protestant Te Deum Laudamus."
Bishop Thomas Ken wrote a number of hymns, and it was always his desire that Christians be allowed to express their praise to God without being limited only to Psalmody and the Bible canticles. He was one of the first English writers to produce hymns that were not merely versifications of the Psalms.
In 1673 Thomas Ken wrote a book entitled A Manual of Prayers for the Use of the Scholars of Winchester College. In one of the editions of this manual, Ken included three of his hymns that he wanted the students to sing each day as part of their devotions. These hymns were called "Morning Hymn," "Evening Hymn," and "Midnight Hymn." Each of these hymns closed with the familiar four lines we now know as the Doxology. The text of his "Morning Hymn" became especially popular. Two of the verses from this hymn are as follows:
"Awake, my soul, and with the sun Thy daily course of duty run, Shake off dull sloth, and early rise, To pay thy morning sacrifice. Direct, control, suggest, this day, All I design, or do, or say; That all my powers, with all their might, In Thy sole glory may unite." It is said that after Bishop Ken had written this hymn, he sang it to his own accompaniment on the lute every morning as part of his private devotions.
The tune for Bishop Ken's text, "Old Hundredth," is said to be the most famous of all Christian hymn tunes. It was composed or adapted by Louis Bourgeois, born in Paris, France, c. 1510. In 1541 Bourgeois moved to Geneva, Switzerland, where he became an ardent follower of John Calvin and the Reformed Reformation Movement. Here he was given the responsibility to provide the tunes for the new metrical psalms which were being prepared at that time. Bourgeois was largely responsible for the Genevan Psalter, a monumental musical publication, completed and published in 1562. The tune was prepared originally for the French version of Psalm 134 and was included in the Anglo-Genevan Psalter of 1551. The first English words to which it was wedded were William Kethe's version of Psalm 100, "All People That on Earth Do Dwell;" accordingly, the tune became known as "The Hundredth."
The four lines of the Doxology have been the most frequently sung words of any known song for more than three hundred years. Even today nearly every English-speaking Protestant congregation still unites at least once each Sunday in this noble ascription of praise. It has been said that the doxology has done more to teach the doctrine of the Trinity than all the theological books ever written. It has often been called "the Protestant Te Deum Laudamus."
Bishop Thomas Ken wrote a number of hymns, and it was always his desire that Christians be allowed to express their praise to God without being limited only to Psalmody and the Bible canticles. He was one of the first English writers to produce hymns that were not merely versifications of the Psalms.
In 1673 Thomas Ken wrote a book entitled A Manual of Prayers for the Use of the Scholars of Winchester College. In one of the editions of this manual, Ken included three of his hymns that he wanted the students to sing each day as part of their devotions. These hymns were called "Morning Hymn," "Evening Hymn," and "Midnight Hymn." Each of these hymns closed with the familiar four lines we now know as the Doxology. The text of his "Morning Hymn" became especially popular. Two of the verses from this hymn are as follows:
"Awake, my soul, and with the sun Thy daily course of duty run, Shake off dull sloth, and early rise, To pay thy morning sacrifice. Direct, control, suggest, this day, All I design, or do, or say; That all my powers, with all their might, In Thy sole glory may unite." It is said that after Bishop Ken had written this hymn, he sang it to his own accompaniment on the lute every morning as part of his private devotions.
The tune for Bishop Ken's text, "Old Hundredth," is said to be the most famous of all Christian hymn tunes. It was composed or adapted by Louis Bourgeois, born in Paris, France, c. 1510. In 1541 Bourgeois moved to Geneva, Switzerland, where he became an ardent follower of John Calvin and the Reformed Reformation Movement. Here he was given the responsibility to provide the tunes for the new metrical psalms which were being prepared at that time. Bourgeois was largely responsible for the Genevan Psalter, a monumental musical publication, completed and published in 1562. The tune was prepared originally for the French version of Psalm 134 and was included in the Anglo-Genevan Psalter of 1551. The first English words to which it was wedded were William Kethe's version of Psalm 100, "All People That on Earth Do Dwell;" accordingly, the tune became known as "The Hundredth."
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow!
Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow; Praise Him, all creatures here below; Praise Him above, ye heavenly host; Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. The Doxology
God is so amazing! He is our God and He has claimed us as His people! Glory be to God! God gives us favor and He orders our steps! Praise be His holy name!
We need to praise the Lord. Praise is a wonderful form of prayer! In the Old Testament, we see that David discovered that God inhabits the praises of His people. In other words, the very presence of God dwells in the midst of His people as they praise Him (Ps. 22:3).In Acts 15:15-18, James explains that what the Lord was doing in the Church of Acts was rebuilding the Tabernacle of David. He says:
"And to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written, After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up: That the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called, saith the Lord, who doeth all these things."
It follows then, that the Church should conform itself to the pattern found in the Tabernacle of David. David was a man conformed to the heart of God. Both his life and his prophetic message found in the Psalms show us that the Lord’s dwelling place or tabernacle is made up of every believer who has entered into a love relationship with Christ. This relationship is based on a life dedicated to Christ, and expressed through prayer and praise and doing good in the world in His name.
The Father is seeking worshipers who will worship Him in Spirit and in Truth (John 4:23). David spent time in God's presence and learned to offer acceptable sacrifices of worship. As New Testament priests, we are called to do the same (1 Pet. 2:5; Heb. 13:15).
The Importance of Praise to the Beleiver
Praise strengthens your faith.
Praise tunes you in to God’s enriching presence.
Praise activates God’s power in your life and in the life of your loved ones.
Praise helps you profit more from your trials.
Praise helps you experience Christ in your life.
Praise helps you demonstrate God’s reality
Praise helps you over come Satan and his strategies.
Praise brings glory and pleasure to God.
God is so amazing! He is our God and He has claimed us as His people! Glory be to God! God gives us favor and He orders our steps! Praise be His holy name!
We need to praise the Lord. Praise is a wonderful form of prayer! In the Old Testament, we see that David discovered that God inhabits the praises of His people. In other words, the very presence of God dwells in the midst of His people as they praise Him (Ps. 22:3).In Acts 15:15-18, James explains that what the Lord was doing in the Church of Acts was rebuilding the Tabernacle of David. He says:
"And to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written, After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up: That the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called, saith the Lord, who doeth all these things."
It follows then, that the Church should conform itself to the pattern found in the Tabernacle of David. David was a man conformed to the heart of God. Both his life and his prophetic message found in the Psalms show us that the Lord’s dwelling place or tabernacle is made up of every believer who has entered into a love relationship with Christ. This relationship is based on a life dedicated to Christ, and expressed through prayer and praise and doing good in the world in His name.
The Father is seeking worshipers who will worship Him in Spirit and in Truth (John 4:23). David spent time in God's presence and learned to offer acceptable sacrifices of worship. As New Testament priests, we are called to do the same (1 Pet. 2:5; Heb. 13:15).
The Importance of Praise to the Beleiver
Praise strengthens your faith.
Praise tunes you in to God’s enriching presence.
Praise activates God’s power in your life and in the life of your loved ones.
Praise helps you profit more from your trials.
Praise helps you experience Christ in your life.
Praise helps you demonstrate God’s reality
Praise helps you over come Satan and his strategies.
Praise brings glory and pleasure to God.
Sunday, February 07, 2010
God's School of Prayer No. 3: Pray for the Lost and Unchurched -- Share the Romans Road to Salvation With Them!
I hope you gain a burden to pray for the lost and for the unchurched. Share with them the Romans Road to Salvation that follows. Jesus Christ is the answer for the world today!
The Romans Road to Salvation
The ROMANS ROAD....is a pathway you can walk. It is a group of Bible verses from the book of Romans in the New Testament. If you walk down this road you will end up understanding how to be saved.
Romans 3:23 "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."
We all have sin in our hearts. We all were born with sin. We were born under the power of sin's control.
- Admit that you are a sinner.
Romans 6:23a "...The wages of sin is death..."
Sin has an ending. It results in death. We all face physical death, which is a result of sin. But a worse death is spiritual death that alienates us from God, and will last for all eternity. The Bible teaches that there is a place called the Lake of Fire where lost people will be in torment forever. It is the place where people who are spiritually dead will remain. - Understand that you deserve death for your sin.
Romans 6:23b "...But the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
Salvation is a free gift from God to you! You can't earn this gift, but you must reach out and receive it.
- Ask God to forgive you and save you.
Romans 5:8, "God demonstrates His own love for us, in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us!"
When Jesus died on the cross He paid sin's penalty. He paid the price for all sin, and when He took all the sins of the world on Himself on the cross, He bought us out of slavery to sin and death! The only condition is that we believe in Him and what He has done for us, understanding that we are now joined with Him, and that He is our life. He did all this because He loved us and gave Himself for us! - Give your life to God... His love poured out in Jesus on the cross is your only hope to have forgiveness and change. His love bought you out of being a slave to sin. His love is what saves you -- not religion, or church membership. God loves you!
Romans 10:13 "Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved!"
- Call out to God in the name of Jesus!
Romans 10:9,10 "...If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead, you shall be saved; for with the heart man believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation."
- If you know that God is knocking on your heart's door, ask Him to come into your heart.
The Romans Road to Salvation
The ROMANS ROAD....is a pathway you can walk. It is a group of Bible verses from the book of Romans in the New Testament. If you walk down this road you will end up understanding how to be saved.
Romans 3:23 "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."
We all have sin in our hearts. We all were born with sin. We were born under the power of sin's control.
- Admit that you are a sinner.
Romans 6:23a "...The wages of sin is death..."
Sin has an ending. It results in death. We all face physical death, which is a result of sin. But a worse death is spiritual death that alienates us from God, and will last for all eternity. The Bible teaches that there is a place called the Lake of Fire where lost people will be in torment forever. It is the place where people who are spiritually dead will remain. - Understand that you deserve death for your sin.
Romans 6:23b "...But the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
Salvation is a free gift from God to you! You can't earn this gift, but you must reach out and receive it.
- Ask God to forgive you and save you.
Romans 5:8, "God demonstrates His own love for us, in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us!"
When Jesus died on the cross He paid sin's penalty. He paid the price for all sin, and when He took all the sins of the world on Himself on the cross, He bought us out of slavery to sin and death! The only condition is that we believe in Him and what He has done for us, understanding that we are now joined with Him, and that He is our life. He did all this because He loved us and gave Himself for us! - Give your life to God... His love poured out in Jesus on the cross is your only hope to have forgiveness and change. His love bought you out of being a slave to sin. His love is what saves you -- not religion, or church membership. God loves you!
Romans 10:13 "Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved!"
- Call out to God in the name of Jesus!
Romans 10:9,10 "...If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead, you shall be saved; for with the heart man believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation."
- If you know that God is knocking on your heart's door, ask Him to come into your heart.
Tuesday, February 02, 2010
God's School of Prayer, Second Semester, No. 2: "The Greatest Prayer Ever Prayed"
John 17 gives us the high priestly prayer of Jesus. Some call it the greatest prayer ever prayed. Jesus prayed this prayer for you and me, for his church. Matthew 6:5-14 may contain Jesus’ model prayer, but this is really surely alsoa prayer that can be called the Lord’s prayer, Jesus’ prayer from the heart for those of us who would believe on account of the testimony of those who had gone on before.
Jesus prays for us. Jesus prays that God will be with us in the world. Jesus has prayed for you -- that all will be well with you. And that God will be with you in the world.
Then Jesus asks that we will have joy! This may be rather hard for us to understand. Jesus uses a kind of reasoning that turns all human reasoning upside down. It is God’s reasoning. Jesus prays that you and I have joy in the midst of all that pulls us in this world in which we live.
Jesus requests that we be sanctified. Sanctification is a word that we use too seldom. In fact, many of us may not even know what it means. Let’s all say it together: sanctification. It means purified or made holy. It is a process of transformation that only happens when we walk with God on a daily basis. It only happens when we consciously turn toward God and accept God’s love. Perhaps we can best understand sanctification from a human perspective in terms of discipline. It is the in the spiritual disciplines that we open ourselves to God. In the process God transforms us.
From God’s perspective sanctification is a setting apart. Our life in God is a life apart from many of the things that tug at us as humans. It is a life set apart for being God’s son and daughter. It is a life set apart for living in God’s kingdom.
Then, in John 17:20-26 Jesus prays for the unity of His followers -- that includes you and me -- and he says his praye is not just for the disciples but those who will believe. Praise God, that is us!
Jesus asks that the Church show the same oneness that exists between Jesus and the Father. This is a difficult one for us to understand. All churches -- congregations and denominations -- seem to be filled with divisions. It is Jesus’ continuing prayer for us that we will be one.
1. Our Unity Testifies To Christ’s Love (Verses 25-26)
•John 13:35, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
•When we get along as a church we show that there is an abundance of love in the body of Christ. If we want to testify to Christ’s love we must love each other. 1 John 4:20 makes it very clear that if we can’t love each other whom we have seen we have no hope of loving God whom we can’t see.
•Some of our hearts are cramped and small – our love is insufficient how do we over come this? Pray, 1 Thessalonians 3:12 Paul prays, “May the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, just as we abound in love for you.”
•Our love is dependent on God filling us with his love. Our love is insufficient, often for the people we like. His love is all-sufficient, even for the people we don’t like.
2. Our Unity Celebrates Eternity (Verse 24)
•We will be united in heaven with all believers – we’d might as well learn how to get along now. Revelation 7:9-10, every nation, tribe tongue, denomination…
•When we recognize our unity and celebrate it we get a glimpse of heaven. Our communion celebration is a prophetic event looking forward to eating of it in the kingdom of God when Christ will join us forever! (Matthew 26:29) I believe we ought to eat together and celebrate together it is practice for heaven.
3. Our Unity Shines God's Glory (Verses 22-23)
•In Albuquerque N.M. there is the Sandia National Laboratory which operates a reflective solar power plant, using over 200,000 mirrors aligned around a tower they reflect the sun onto one area in order to generate electricity.
•The church is like that, when we are all aligned and looking towards God hen we reflect his glory and show the world his incredible power.
•I don’t look in my rear view mirror to admire the craftsmanship of the hinge and reflective glass that makes it up, I look into it to see something that lies outside of my car. We are mirrors pointed to God, people don’t want to see us they want to see Jesus and that is our glory when people look at us and they see Jesus.
•We should point that back to Jesus Christ, just like the Trinity. Corner any member of the Trinity for worship and they reflect you to another member. The Spirit points us towards Jesus, Jesus points us towards the Father and the Father asks, “Have you met my son?”
•When we unite as a church – not just here but globally we most brilliantly reflect the glory of Christ. We also more accurately reflect his glory. When we forget that we’re not the only Christians God appears very anemic, lop-sided. But when we unite with other believers we fully reflect the glory of God.
4. Our Unity Starts With A Prayer -- the Prayer of Jesus that is Still Being Answered (Vs. 20-21)
•Jesus started our unity with a prayer and it is still in the process of being answered today.
•Today I want us to pray for unity, just as Jesus did. Let us follow his example. Let us agree with Jesus and his great prayer for unity. The unity can start right here in our church, in our community. It can start with us. John Bunyan said it best, “You can do more than pray, after you have prayed, but you cannot do more than pray until you have prayed.”
Today, my brothers and sisters Jesus continues to pray for us. Can you hear him? His last earthly prayers are for you and for me. May we truly love one another.May you have true joy! And may you be set apart -- sanctified -- service in God’s kingdom. May the Spirit unite us in His service. Amen and Amen.
Jesus prays for us. Jesus prays that God will be with us in the world. Jesus has prayed for you -- that all will be well with you. And that God will be with you in the world.
Then Jesus asks that we will have joy! This may be rather hard for us to understand. Jesus uses a kind of reasoning that turns all human reasoning upside down. It is God’s reasoning. Jesus prays that you and I have joy in the midst of all that pulls us in this world in which we live.
Jesus requests that we be sanctified. Sanctification is a word that we use too seldom. In fact, many of us may not even know what it means. Let’s all say it together: sanctification. It means purified or made holy. It is a process of transformation that only happens when we walk with God on a daily basis. It only happens when we consciously turn toward God and accept God’s love. Perhaps we can best understand sanctification from a human perspective in terms of discipline. It is the in the spiritual disciplines that we open ourselves to God. In the process God transforms us.
From God’s perspective sanctification is a setting apart. Our life in God is a life apart from many of the things that tug at us as humans. It is a life set apart for being God’s son and daughter. It is a life set apart for living in God’s kingdom.
Then, in John 17:20-26 Jesus prays for the unity of His followers -- that includes you and me -- and he says his praye is not just for the disciples but those who will believe. Praise God, that is us!
Jesus asks that the Church show the same oneness that exists between Jesus and the Father. This is a difficult one for us to understand. All churches -- congregations and denominations -- seem to be filled with divisions. It is Jesus’ continuing prayer for us that we will be one.
1. Our Unity Testifies To Christ’s Love (Verses 25-26)
•John 13:35, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
•When we get along as a church we show that there is an abundance of love in the body of Christ. If we want to testify to Christ’s love we must love each other. 1 John 4:20 makes it very clear that if we can’t love each other whom we have seen we have no hope of loving God whom we can’t see.
•Some of our hearts are cramped and small – our love is insufficient how do we over come this? Pray, 1 Thessalonians 3:12 Paul prays, “May the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, just as we abound in love for you.”
•Our love is dependent on God filling us with his love. Our love is insufficient, often for the people we like. His love is all-sufficient, even for the people we don’t like.
2. Our Unity Celebrates Eternity (Verse 24)
•We will be united in heaven with all believers – we’d might as well learn how to get along now. Revelation 7:9-10, every nation, tribe tongue, denomination…
•When we recognize our unity and celebrate it we get a glimpse of heaven. Our communion celebration is a prophetic event looking forward to eating of it in the kingdom of God when Christ will join us forever! (Matthew 26:29) I believe we ought to eat together and celebrate together it is practice for heaven.
3. Our Unity Shines God's Glory (Verses 22-23)
•In Albuquerque N.M. there is the Sandia National Laboratory which operates a reflective solar power plant, using over 200,000 mirrors aligned around a tower they reflect the sun onto one area in order to generate electricity.
•The church is like that, when we are all aligned and looking towards God hen we reflect his glory and show the world his incredible power.
•I don’t look in my rear view mirror to admire the craftsmanship of the hinge and reflective glass that makes it up, I look into it to see something that lies outside of my car. We are mirrors pointed to God, people don’t want to see us they want to see Jesus and that is our glory when people look at us and they see Jesus.
•We should point that back to Jesus Christ, just like the Trinity. Corner any member of the Trinity for worship and they reflect you to another member. The Spirit points us towards Jesus, Jesus points us towards the Father and the Father asks, “Have you met my son?”
•When we unite as a church – not just here but globally we most brilliantly reflect the glory of Christ. We also more accurately reflect his glory. When we forget that we’re not the only Christians God appears very anemic, lop-sided. But when we unite with other believers we fully reflect the glory of God.
4. Our Unity Starts With A Prayer -- the Prayer of Jesus that is Still Being Answered (Vs. 20-21)
•Jesus started our unity with a prayer and it is still in the process of being answered today.
•Today I want us to pray for unity, just as Jesus did. Let us follow his example. Let us agree with Jesus and his great prayer for unity. The unity can start right here in our church, in our community. It can start with us. John Bunyan said it best, “You can do more than pray, after you have prayed, but you cannot do more than pray until you have prayed.”
Today, my brothers and sisters Jesus continues to pray for us. Can you hear him? His last earthly prayers are for you and for me. May we truly love one another.May you have true joy! And may you be set apart -- sanctified -- service in God’s kingdom. May the Spirit unite us in His service. Amen and Amen.
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