Are We a Praying Church?

A Great Gift

We have been given a great gift. We have been given the Truth of the Living God. We have been given His Holy Spirit. His Holy Spirit leads us and guides us into all truth. (Joh 16:13) We worship God in spirit and in truth. (Joh 4:24) We have been given that privilege. And it is a privilege indeed. It has been given to us to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven but to them it is not given... (Mat 13:11-17)

We have been given these great truths and we cherish them, we honor them, we hold them dear. Many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which we see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which we hear, and have not heard them. That privilege has been extended to us alone at this time.

We can utilize this gift daily to grow in grace and knowledge of our Lord and our God. We can study and we can pray. We can study to gain knowledge, wisdom, and understanding. We can pray to draw closer to God, to fellowship with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. (1Joh 1:3)

We can do these things.

Through the sacrificial blood of the Lamb, our Lord Jesus Christ, we have been given direct access to the throne of the Creator and Sovereign Ruler of the Universe. Not because of anything we did to deserve it, but our God out of his love for us, has granted us the privilege to come before his throne of grace and to make our prayers and supplications known.

And how do we respond to such a privilege? Do we hold it dear, treasuring it like a priceless jewel, a pearl of great price? Or do we have other more pressing matters?

Do we take advantage of this great privilege or do we take it for granted?  

Drifting Apart

Remember having a dear friend who’s moved away? Remember how we pledged to keep in touch?

You know how it is. We’ve all had a close friend that we’ve enjoyed special times with. We’ve laughed. We’ve done silly things together, many that no one else knows or would understand. We’ve shared difficult times together. We comforted one other. We helped each other to cope with life.

Then, when circumstances require that we part ways and move a distance away, we vow to call and to write and to continue this heartfelt relationship. We vow to keep a close hold on the emotions we feel for this dear friend of ours that knows us like no other.

But over time, we get busy with our lives. We call a little less frequently. We write only occasionally. Eventually, we find ourselves only reaching out on their birthday or some other special occasion, an anniversary, a child’s graduation, a death in the family.

We long to recover the bond we once shared, but it’s not the same. Like the physical distance of our residences, there’s now a distance between us emotionally. When we do talk, we still connect, sort of, but it’s not quite the same. There’s a bit of a formality that has set in. We can’t just say what’s on our mind like we used to and trust that they’ll understand. We’re a little more guarded, a little less sure they’ll take it the right way. We’re not as secure in our friendship as we once were.

Eventually, over the years our relationship atrophies. It becomes a mechanized response to a reminder on the calendar. It’s now no longer a joyful reconnection with a dear friend picking up right where we left off. Instead it’s now become an obligation. One that if missed, carries more significance by its neglect than by its performance. Sending a card carries less importance, less meaning than not sending one.

Like a husband and wife who always close out their phone conversation by saying, “Bye. See you later. Love you”. Not saying, “love you” carries more weight than if you do say it. Saying it has become so automatic, that saying it is no longer the term of endearment it once was. You just say it.

Oh, but if “love you” is not said, your mind races to wondering all the things that might be wrong, all the things that maybe you neglected to do that made them angry or hurt and disappointed them in some way.

Has our relationship with our heavenly Father become like that? Have we accepted his great and precious gift and taken it for granted? Have we drifted from that dear close relationship we once had with him? Has our communication with him become less frequent? Or more mechanical? More repetitive? More of an obligation than a joy we look forward to?

Do we pray like we should? Do we pray as often as we should? Do we pour out our hearts before our loving Father or do we repeat many of the same words, varying little with the exception of the inclusion of whatever the latest item is that we’ve added to our grocery list of “gimmes”?

Do we barely communicate at all? Or when we do, do we do so out of obligation because we know we should? We tell him, “love you” but how we go about it carries far more weight, and far less meaning and is way less sincere.

If you rarely contact your earthly father, only every so often and primarily only when you want something, what’s his response likely to be? He might have a few questions. He might sound a little distant. He might wonder why you waited until now to ask for help. He might wonder why you didn’t involve him at the outset of this venture of yours when he could have advised you differently.

And why haven’t you called lately?

Would we expect any different from our heavenly Father? If we only pray, when we’re in crisis, is it reasonable to expect God to just wave his hand and fix our problem like that? He’s not a genie in a magic lamp that we rub whenever we have a wish but ignore the rest of the time. He’s our heavenly Father and he loves us and wants what’s best for us. But sometimes, just like with our children, it’s better to let us wallow in our despair a bit to teach us a lesson, to teach us not to do that again, to teach us to come to him sooner, to involve him in our affairs from the beginning.

And to call more often!

Photo by Olivia Snow on Unsplash

How often should we pray? And how long should we pray?

I can’t give you a definitive answer. Daniel prayed three times a day. But everyone is different. Each day is different. Circumstances are different.

I can tell you this though. Pray as often as you need to. If you don’t feel an inner sense of peace and calm, and reassurance, you need to pray more.

Php 4:4-7 KJV

(4)  Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.

(5)  Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.

(6)  Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

(7)  And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

If the peace of God which passeth all understanding doesn’t wash over you and calm your spirit, you’re not done praying.

If you still feel anxious when you’re done praying, you’re not done praying!

Something New

You know, when we first come into the Truth, we’re so excited! Our eyes have been opened. We begin to see the world in a whole new way. Suddenly, it’s revealed that many of the things we had learned over the years and thought to be true weren’t true at all. With each and every revelation we became more and more excited and on fire to learn and know more. God opened our minds to the Truth and removed the blinders that had kept it hidden for so many years. It was all new and it was exhilarating!

It reminds me of when we first fall in love. We’re so excited! Being with this person is emotionally overwhelming. It’s intoxicating! We can’t stand to be apart from them. We may eventually decide we can’t live without them and we get married.

The first couple of years the excitement continues as we go about making our lives together. Finding a place to live that would be ours. Setting it up and decorating it just the way we want. And beginning and ending every day together. It’s all so amazing!

However, over time, that “white-hot” emotion is difficult to maintain. Life sets in and our daily routines and obligations consume our attentions. We still love each other but that all-consuming fire burns low and becomes a steady relationship of support and respect. Our love matures. It deepens.

If something threatens our loved one, instantly those deep-seated emotions boil to the surface. Let some man threaten my wife and I will not hesitate to take him out. We may no longer wear our hearts on our sleeves for each other but those deeply rooted feelings rise to the surface in a crisis.

But, neglect that once precious relationship and you can become vulnerable to a lustful desire for a new relationship. You long for that ‘white-hot’ intensity that you once had. Because you’ve allowed distance to grow between you, you might just consider seeing someone else. Some people never work to mature in their relationship with their spouse and you see them go from one relationship to the next seeking to that ‘white-hot’ feeling of infatuation. They’re not really in love with the person. They’re in love with love itself. They’re in love with the thrill of it.

Coming into God’s Truth and forming a relationship with him can be quite similar. Our “white-hot” fervor can start to fade a bit over time. It’s hard to maintain such an emotionally charged state over an extended period of time. Once we’ve unlearned the false beliefs we once held and replaced them with the basics of the real truth, the excitement settles down and the intensity wanes. We fit our lives around obedience to God and forsake our old ways. We settle into practicing our new way of life, God’s Way of life.

We may long for the excitement we once felt when we first came into the Truth, our first love. If we don’t work to mature in our relationship with God, we may be open to “new truths” when they’re presented. We may even seek out “new truths” as the old Truth has become stale, the same ol’, same ol’. Saying, “There’s never anything new.” Nothing new to peak my interest, nothing exciting anymore.

Paul warns us against apostasy in Hebrews chapter 5. If we’re not careful, we can become dull of hearing. We can forsake our responsibility to take an active role in our spiritual growth and instead become spectators, “congregationalists”, with an expectation of being entertained rather than diligent in our studies, equipped to take a deeper dive into God’s word.

Heb 5:11-14 NASB

(11)  Concerning him [that is, Melchisidec] we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing.

(12)  For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food.

(13)  For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant.

(14)  But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.

“Because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.”

I’ve worked with salesmen over the years who claim to have 25 years of experience. Yet when you observe their approach and skill level, they really only have 2 years of experience but have been applying it for 25 years. In other words, their skills and business acumen has not matured with study, practice, and experience. They’re still a junior salesman.

What this passage is telling us is that we may have been in God’s Church for 25 years but some of us are still junior Christians.

 

We have an obligation to make our calling and election sure, to take an active role in becoming skilled in the Word of God, rightfully dividing the Word of Truth.

Paul tells Timothy what can happen if we aren’t as diligent as we ought to be in our studies and prayers.

2Ti 2:14-18 KJV

(14)  Of these things put them in remembrance, charging them before the Lord that they strive not about words to no profit, but to the subverting of the hearers.

(15)  Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

(16)  But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.

(17)  And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus;

(18)  Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; [or Christ is not God] and overthrow the faith of some.

I know of some people in the Church whose “bible study” consists primarily, and maybe consists only, of listening to recorded sermons, either online or on CD. There’s nothing wrong with listening to sermons online, especially if you’re searching out information on a certain topic. But if our bible study consists solely of listening to sermons, then we haven’t learned on our own how to rightly divide the word of truth. Each of us must learn to seek out the truth in our Bibles and make it our own, holding fast that which is good. If we don’t learn to prove all things on our own, in our own Bibles, we can become susceptible to following other men.

We could open ourselves up to what I call the “rock star” mentality. You’ll hear them say, “Oh, I really like listening to this pastor, or that elder, they’re really good.” I’ve even heard them choose their Feast site by who’s supposed to be on the speaking schedule, if they can find out ahead of time.

Again, there’s nothing wrong with listening to sermons online or even with having favorite speakers. I also have certain ones that always seem to resonate with me. However, we must become skillful in the word of righteousness preparing ourselves for the meat of the Word.

2Ti 4:1-4 KJV

(1)  I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;

(2)  Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.

(3)  For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;

(4)  And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

Tell me something new! I’m tired of hearing the same ol’, same ol’! Have you listened to this guy yet? He’s saying something new and exciting!

1Co 1:10-17 KJV

(10)  Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, [unity] and that there be no divisions among you; [unity] but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. [unity]

(11)  For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you.

(12)  Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ.

(13)  Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?

(14)  I thank God that I baptized none of you, but Crispus and Gaius;

(15)  Lest any should say that I had baptized in mine own name.

(16)  And I baptized also the household of Stephanas: besides, I know not whether I baptized any other.

(17)  For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, [cleverness of speech] lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.

“Lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.”

Denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.

We don’t follow a man. We know better than that! We learn from him and we can follow his teaching, but only so far as he follows the teachings of Christ. (1Co 11:1 KJV)

God places us in the body of Christ where it pleases him. (1Cor 12:18)

Who are we to override his decision? Who are we to second guess God and follow after some man preaching a different gospel? Another Jesus? (2Cor 11:4)

We MUST contend for the faith. We must take an active role to be certain of the doctrines we’ve been given, founded on the Rock, Jesus Christ.

Jud 1:3-4 KJV

(3)  Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.

(4)  For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.

Denying the very nature of God and Christ.

Why does this happen?

Why have some allowed themselves over the years to be drawn away from the faith once delivered to the saints? Why would any of us allow ourselves to be drawn away from the faith once delivered? And more importantly, how do we overcome this lust for new knowledge, this new gnosis?

Have you ever been reading your Bible and you come across a scripture that you’ve probably read a hundred times but suddenly this time, it just strikes you like you’ve never heard it before? Suddenly, it makes sense. It takes on new meaning. There’s clarity like never before. What’s changed? The scripture has always been there. You’ve heard it and read it a hundred times. What’s different this time? What’s changed?

YOU!  You’ve changed!

You’re not the same person you were the last time you read this scripture. You’ve grown in grace and knowledge since then. You’re in closer fellowship with God and Christ than you once were. God has revealed it to you through his Holy Spirit, and given you the wisdom and understanding you didn’t have before.

Tired of the same ol’, same ol’? Want something new? Don’t look around you expecting someone else to serve it up! Study your Bible and pray! And you’ll read that same ol’ scripture one day, only this time God will grant you the wisdom to understand it. There you go! It’s new to you!

There is one weapon in our arsenal, that if we employ it faithfully, diligently, regularly, and fervently, we will not fall under the spell of profane and vain babblings. 

Prayer

I contend that it is downright impossible for a person who has an intimately close fellowship with God through prayer to be drawn away by nonsense. Think about it. If we have a truly close relationship with God, we will be in constant contact with him and discussing these matters with him. He will set us straight and we will know how to listen and trust him.

But if we only attempt frank conversations with him when these things come up, it’s like trying to have a deep intimate conversation with that old friend you’ve drifted apart from. It’s awkward. It’s stiff, formal, and distant and trust is uncertain.

We must be in constant, heartfelt, and intimate contact with God on a regular daily basis to be able to have deep, meaningful discussions with him when the big things come up.

Paul told Timothy to fan into flames the gift of God’s Holy Spirit that was given to him at the laying on of hands. Stir it up! (2Ti 1:6)

Timothy had lost some of his zeal to the point of tears. (2Ti 1:4) God’s Spirit was still within but he had allowed it to burn out, reaching a mere smolder. Like a campfire in the morning that has burned out but still has some embers in it. It can be refueled, adding more twigs and sticks, stirred up, and fanned into flames.

To fan the gift we’ve been given into flames, we use the same methodology. We need to stir up our love for the things of God. We need to be convicted all over again and get motivated to be disciplined and diligent that we’re going to do what it takes to make our calling and election sure. We need to determine that we want a closer fellowship with God and Jesus Christ and that we’re going to do our part to do whatever it takes to make it happen; that we’re going to work on our salvation with fear and trembling. The AMP version says, “with reverence and awe”.

Secondly, we need to add fuel to the fire. We need to be able to speak the words of life. We need to know God’s Word and speak it as we go about applying it in our daily life. And we need to speak it when we pray.

We fan it into flames with the breath of prayer.

When we pray, we remind God of his promises. We let God know that we know what he has told us. We’ve heard his instructions and we want to apply them in our lives. And we ask for God to lay out the path before us, direct our steps, and guide us into all righteousness according to His will.

We must pray every day, not out of obligation, but out of necessity, that you may love the LORD your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cleave unto him: for He is your life. (Deut 30:20)

Effectual Fervent Prayer

James tells us the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. If we’ve allowed our prayer life to become stale, our prayers may become perfunctory, repetitive, lackluster, and ineffectual.

Jas 5:16 KJV  Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

Let’s examine what he says in this passage. There are 4 elements in his statement-

1. Prayer
2. Righteous man
3. Effectual
4. Fervent

Number 1 – First of all is prayer. There must be prayer, if prayer is to be heard. Prayer must be heard to be answered. If there is no prayer, there’s no hearing and there’s no answer. There’s nothing to avail. So, we must pray.

Number 2 – He says the prayer of a righteous man avails much. Now, we all tend to not think of ourselves as righteous. We are cautioned to not think too highly of ourselves, and to be careful not to slip into a self-righteous state, and rightfully so. We definitely want to be cautious in our view of ourselves.

Let’s look at this another way. Paul and Peter both speak of having a pure conscience before God or a good conscience before God. (Act 23:1, 24:16; 1Tim 1:5, 19; 2Tim 1:3; 1Pe 3:21)

So, when James speaks of a “righteous” man, he means one who has a pure conscience before God. We can all have a good conscience before God if we acknowledge our sins, confess before God, and repent from our wicked ways. So, if our prayer is to be heard, we should seek God’s face with a pure conscience, made white as snow, in the blood of the Lamb, our Savior Jesus Christ. (Heb 9:11-14; 10:22)

If we are a praying people and a praying church, we will not be open to fables, endless genealogies, and false doctrines. We cannot have an ongoing, close fellowship with God and Christ and still be tossed to and fro, with every wind of doctrine by the sleight of cunning men. (Eph 4:14)

Pray! We must be a praying people, a praying church!

Number 3 – Our prayer is to be effectual. Well, how do we know if it’s effective or not until we see if it’s answered or not? That’s not what it means.

The Amplified Version, says “earnest, heartfelt, continued” prayer. Our prayers need to be heartfelt, true and sincere, and continued until we’ve completely addressed the matter, covering it completely, pouring out our soul before the LORD as Hannah did when pleading for a son. (1Sam 1:15; Psa 62:8)

I contend that it is impossible to pray to God earnestly and heartfelt pouring out our soul before Him every day, and not have a good conscience before him. It is this lack of a good conscience before God that allows us to swerve aside to vain jangling. (1Tim 1:4-6; 19)

Number 4 – Our prayer is to be fervent.

We are to boldly come before the throne of grace.

Heb 4:16 KJV Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

This does not mean bold in the sense of brashness or irreverence. It means boldly, without trepidation but with a good conscience, resting in the confidence that Jesus is our High Priest and is advocating on our behalf. (1John 2:1) It means with energy and conviction.

If we practice earnest, heartfelt, continued prayer, fervently, pouring out our soul before the LORD, with a pure conscience, we can rest in Christ, in the peace of God which passes all understanding. If we do this on a regular, continual basis, we will not succumb to the heretical janglings of false doctrine.

Conclusion

On a national level, our nation has drifted far from our Christian roots and the apostasy is great. As a result, we are experiencing all manner of decay and immorality as God withdraws his hand, his hedge of protection and providence. However, He’s given us a formula to recover if we’ll only follow it.

If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. (2Ch 7:14 KJV)

This takes active participation. Drifting away takes no effort whatsoever. Drifting away results from a lack of actively applying Christian instruction.

We must actively seek his face. Seek His face. We’re not going to happen upon his face. We’re not going to stumble upon his face one day as we walk in the woods. We must actively, intentionally, seek his face, lest He turn away his face from us.

As a nation, we collectively have a relationship with God. The more members of that nation that are actively seeking God’s face, seeking his will, seeking a relationship with him, the better the overall the relationship as a nation. The healthier the nation, spiritually speaking.

That’s true of a nation.

The same is true of a church.

The more members of a church, the body of Christ, who actively seek his face, the healthier the body. If one of our brothers or sisters in Christ is suffering, whether it be physically or spiritually, we all suffer. If a member of the body suffers, it’s difficult for them to maintain focus and it distracts us all from our collective focus as a church.

Members of the body of Christ need each other to bolster them, to lift them up when they’re hurting. In other words, we must pray for each other and care for each other physically, and spiritually. And we will draw closer as a result.

And if we are to have a healthy body, each member of that body must have a healthy relationship with the Creator of that body, a good conscience toward God. Each and every one of us needs to have a healthy relationship with God and Christ. And that means a strong robust prayer life.

We must be a praying church if we’re to be a healthy church.

If you think the messages are stale and you’re looking for something new, and different, study your Bible, and pray to the LORD our God fervently, and often. And you’ll become a new creature. Old things are passed away, behold, all things are become new including the messages. (2Co 5:17) The messages will take on a new and deeper meaning because you have a new and deeper understanding.

Draw nigh to God and he will draw nigh to you. Purify your heart, purify your conscience, humble yourself in the sight of the Lord and he shall lift you up. (Jas 4:8-10)

And pray. Pray like your life depended on it.

Pray and the peace of God which passes all understanding will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

And may we be known as a praying Church!

Photo by Samuel Martins on Unsplash

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