Changing Church Culture

Over the past 2,000 years the world has certainly been changed by the presence of the Church.  From the Day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit descended and Peter stood up with the eleven Apostles, preached the first sermon and three thousand in Israel believed, the Church has been on the move and literally has gone into all of the world.

Over the same time the Church has also changed.  While the teachings of Jesus remain the cornerstone, the culture has changed.   While many of us hope that our local church looks something like the early church, a reading of the Book of Acts in chapter 4 beginning with verse 32 tells us what the early church culture was like:

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. A sense of awe came over everyone, and the apostles performed many wonders and signs 

All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they shared with anyone who was in need. 

With one accord they continued to meet daily in the temple courts and to break bread from house to house, sharing their meals with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. 

Some of the words in these five verses should give us pause: teaching, fellowship, break-bread, prayer, selling possessions, meeting daily, house-to-house, sincerity-of-heart, Lord-added-daily-those-being saved.

I embrace the local church.  Like Pastor Rick Warren of Saddleback Church, I believe that the local church is hope of the world.   Together, we cooperate with the work of the Holy Spirit to bring people to the cross, to share the gospel of reconciliation and to wait for the coming restoration when the Lord returns for His Bride. 

We are more successful in this mission when we return to that early church culture of a devotion to teaching, fellowship, the breaking of bread and prayer.   When we do, truly a sense of awe will come over everyone.

National Day of Prayer

The Bible calls us the Body of Christ and calls us to prayer every day.   Here in the United States, the government calls us to prayer just one day a year, The National Day of Prayer. 

There are three ways everyone in the Body of Christ can get involved this year.  This has been an opportunity for us in the United States since 1952. However the Bible has always encouraged both national as well as individual repentance.

“If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14)

“The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9) 

Prayer not only brings us closer to God it brings us closer to each other.  The Body of Christ has the unique responsibility to call on God to forgive us of our sins and restore us to the Nation that was founded on His name.

#1 GO TO YOUR LOCAL CHURCH AND PRAY!

Jesus said, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers.”   (Mark 11:17) Think what it would be like if our churches across our cities, counties, states and the nation each became known as a house of prayer!    Talk with your pastor, make sure that there is some opportunity for your congregation to gather and pray on Thursday, May 4th.  Go with your family and friends!  Post the name of your church and any activity here!

#2 PRAY IN JESUS NAME       #PRAYINJESUSNAME

Jesus said,  “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” (Matthew 18:20)   All too often, Christians are intimidated to pray in public in Jesus name. This is unfortunate as we have assurance of God’s presence and his provision when we pray in the name of Jesus.  On May 4th, use the hashtag #PrayInJesusName along with any @NationalPrayer social media tags you may be using on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Pinterest.  Let people know you are praying for the country, for our leaders, our nation and for persecuted Christians worldwide.

#3 WEAR THE CROSS

Our First Amendment gives us religious liberty including the ability to exercise our faith in public, at work and in our schools. Wear a cross on a chain, your shirt, your label or on your hat!   Wearing a Cross or Crucifix has been determined a “reasonable accommodation” for employers and other institutions.   If we don’t exercise our religious liberties, we will eventually lose them.

The National Day of Prayer was established to communicate clearly with every American the need for personal repentance and prayer.

IT’S TIME WE DEMONSTRATE THE UNITY OF THE BODY OF CHRIST BY COMING TOGETHER AND PRAYING ON AMERICA’S NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER.

Join us in helping spread the word!   Tell your church, tell your friends.  Sign up here! 

Asking for Directions

It seems like there is the long-standing cliche that men just won’t ask for directions.   Perhaps it was true long ago but now we have GPS devices in our cars.  Of course, the GPS isn’t giving me directions, it’s just confirming when I'll get there!

There is a greater opportunity however for every man and every woman to continually ask for direction, and that is to ask of the Lord.   It’s said that life is a journey and in this journey we need to be getting good direction daily.   It’s recorded in Matthew 7:7-8 that Jesus said, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened”

Everyone experiences times when they are trying to make a decision and in these times we all need wisdom.   I find that every day there are opportunities for me to ask of the Lord to make sure that I'm making the best decisions and taking the wisest and not just the shortest path.

Asking for direction is often a humbling experience.   Perhaps that is why it's said that men don't ask for directions.  Asking God doesn't mean however that we are lost or incompetent or necessarily less sure of our own capabilities.  It does mean that God is much more able and also willing to provide help in our time of need. 

Humility by the way is something that is actually good to learn and a necessary if we are going to be position to learn and grow.   Being humble puts us in a better position to hear from the Lord.  Psalm 25:9 says, “He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way.”  The book of James, the half-brother of the Lord writes, “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble." (James 4:6)

When you feel anxious or are confused, seek direction from the Lord.  We do this through prayer.   If you don’t get the wisdom or direction you are looking for at the time, keep praying. I have found that in every situation I’ve prayed about, God ultimately provides direction either directly through His Word, a feeling deep inside that I've learned to recognize is from the Lord,  or a sudden thought that brings clarity.  

Look to God as the one that ultimately provides direction in your life.  He is the one that knows the beginning from the end, He is the creator and the sustainer of the Universe.  You can trust him with your life. 

Running On Empty

It’s been a while since I’ve run out of gas in my car.  Back when I first started driving, the possibility of running out of gas seemed to be a much more likely occurrence.  Today, with the reminders from the electronics in front of the driver, the distance to empty that is ever present on the dashboard and my wife’s verbal reminders, I rarely drive my car on empty.

When it comes to my spiritual life however, it seems like just the opposite.  When I first became a believer, it seemed like my spiritual life was constantly being recharged.  Prayer, Bible study, fellowship with other Christians, and two church services on Sunday and one at midweek were constantly keeping my ‘tank’ full.   I have to admit that now, almost forty years later, it’s easier to find that I’m running too close to empty.  

While the reasons may be many, prayer is one of the ways we keep our relationship with our heavenly Father and our spiritual life full. The famous 19th century Baptist preacher from England, Charles Spurgeon said, “I know of no better thermometer to your spiritual temperature than this, the measure of the intensity of your prayer.”

Prayer is likely the most significant key to our spiritual life.  We can easily find ourselves going through the motions, being somewhat moral in our outward behavior and Christian in conduct while being deficient and lacking in prayer.

The remedy however for an impaired spiritual life is as close as a silent prayer.   I have found that the simple, heartfelt prayers are the ones that can quickly restore my relationship with God my Father.  My habit has been to be thankful for any of the many blessings that God has provided and to enter into a time of thanksgiving and praise before I remember the petitions that can quickly come to mind.

Prayer is our primary means of communication with God.  Prayer is also worship as we humble ourselves to our God and Father.  In prayer, we acknowledge that God is present, that he is able to hear our prayer and uniquely know our hearts intention.  As he is Almighty God, He alone is the necessary requirement for a full spiritual life.

God desires to fill us with His presence.  That concept of being ‘filled’ or what Paul describes as the ‘fullness of God’ is found in Ephesians 3:14-19

For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love,  may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height; to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. 

We don’t need to ever be empty again.

So that the world may know

       

Since the very beginning, we have tried to divide what Jesus said should be one. In his Gospel, John recorded Jesus’ prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane. Here is how Jesus prayed for us just hours before His arrest and His going to the cross:

My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one—I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. (John 17:20–23)

Jesus prayed that we would be one or, in other words, united. Unity, or being one, is actually a big topic in the New Testament. Jesus prayed for it three times; the apostle Paul spoke about it often.

For years I have met people who still considered themselves spiritual, still believed in something, but were either no longer attending a worship service or Catholic mass or were not involved with other people on the basis of their faith.

The largest group of Christians in the United States is Roman Catholic. According to the Pew Research Center, approximately 31 percent of Americans, or one in three, were raised as Roman Catholic. However, Pew Research also found that one third of all people raised Roman Catholic no longer consider themselves Catholic,i meaning that approximately 10 percent of all Americans are former Catholics, many of them still wandering without finding another church home or returning to the Catholic Church.

This is unfortunate and a failure of the institution part of the church. All too often we have embraced our denominations, our cultures, and our traditions and mistakenly thought these were the basis of our faith.   Church culture, traditions and church leaders including the Apostles are imperfect and a poor substitute for true faith.

         The apostle Peter, of course, is an easy target if we are looking for an apostle who seemed imperfect. People who are quick to judge Peter are often far from perfect themselves. Peter was a great leader, but he was rash, quick to judge, and too confident in his flesh. Peter denied Christ three times; however, Christ restored him.

          A few years later, the apostle Paul met the apostle Peter in Antioch and had to call him a hypocrite:

When Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. For before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group. The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray. (Gal. 2:11–13)

          Paul was not trying to cause a division in the church. Note that Paul didn’t talk about Cephas (Peter) behind his back but “opposed him to his face.” Paul directed his discipline not only at Peter but also to those who continued to think of the world as consisting of two contrasting groups: Jews or Gentiles. This Jewish thinking was similar to the Greek thinking of “Greek or Barbarian” or even today’s “Catholic or Protestant.”

          It's time we get beyond our divisions and embrace the true wonder of our faith.

From an excerpt from the book, "Roaming Catholics: ending the wandering to embrace the wonder" available on Amazon and your local Christian Bookstore


       

Alone with God

 "Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed." (Mark 1:35)

The Bible is an amazing book.   I’ve learned over the years to keep reading it daily as every time I read I find that it gives great instruction, information and inspiration.   Often, it takes years to develop an appreciation for some of these teachings.   

One of the things I’ve tried to learn from the Bible is the way that Jesus spent time alone with His Father.    All of the Gospel accounts mention the fact and the frequency and the manner by which Jesus would pray.  Jesus is often noted as being in prayer and spending time with His Father, in the wilderness as well as on mountains.   One of the interesting and often mentioned instances is that Jesus often prayed alone.   Actually, the way this is described is that he prayed in ‘solitary’ places, meaning that no one was with Him, no one but God alone.

Jesus was often critical of the established duties and the laws that the Jewish leaders had created. These customs, rules and regulations had good intentions but often were a heavy burden on the people resulting in separation, alienation and a sense of unworthiness.   Jesus was also critical of the way some of these Jewish leaders prayed, who He said, "for a pretense, prayed long prayers" (Matthew 23:14) 

Jesus emphasized a relationship with the heavenly Father.  He said that God cared for all of creation.   He told his followers not to worry because the Father knew what they were in need of (Matthew 6 & 7).    This was not a new teaching for in the book of the Prophet Isaiah, God had said, “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name” you are mine” (Isaiah 44:1)

All too often, we don't really take to heart this teaching of Jesus.  So frequently, our prayers are based primarily on worry and concern.   We find ourselves praying only because we have exhausted all other possibilities and are left with no one else to turn to but God.

This is not how Jesus modeled prayer.  He rose early in the morning to go to a solitary place to spend time with his Father.  Jesus taught his disciples to prayer the "Lord's Prayer" which is a prayer of adoration and a submission to God's will.   He taught that prayer is more about humility and praise than requests for favor.   Prayer was described by St. Augustine as a “devout movement of the soul towards God”.   I’ve always liked that quote as prayer is often thought, as communication and it should move us toward the person we communicate with and the Creator of the universe.

Prayer is the opportunity to align ourselves with God.  Our focus in prayer should be more about hearing than receiving.  We know that God always hears us and in prayer we have the opportunity, if we spend enough time and are able to quiet ourselves enough,  to also hear from God.

Praying and Fasting For Spiritual Discernment

Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.  Psalm 27:14

Here are three important things to remember in fasting:

1) Fasting always involves food!   The Hebrew root  for fast means “to cover the mouth.” The Greek root word for fast means “to abstain from food.
 2) Fasting always  involves prayer! Fasting without prayer is nothing more than a diet.  Our focus during the fast is spiritual nourishment, we can’t neglect out prayers and petitions during the fast.
 3) Fasting always  involves waiting! Fasting puts our spirit, soul and body into a position where we wait to hear, to receive direction and ultimately find.

Why pray and fast?

The prophet Daniel is one of the many examples of Prayer and Fasting for spiritual discernment.  In Daniel 1 we see Daniel requesting permission to not eat from the King’s table  however this is really not a fast as Daniel is simply avoiding the food that were prohibited by God.

Daniel 9 is a great example of fasting and prayer.  

In the first year of Darius son of Xerxes[a] (a Mede by descent), who was made ruler over the Babylonian[b] kingdom— 2 in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the Scriptures, according to the word of the LORD given to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years. 3 So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes.

Note that Daniel pleads with the Lord, he is not only fasting but humbling himself as well through the use of sackcloth and ashes.   How he prays while he is fasting is also a great example of how to pray while fasting:

“Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments, 5 we have sinned and done wrong. We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away from your commands and laws.6 We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes and our ancestors, and to all the people of the land. (Daniel 9:5-6)

Daniel understands that it is not God but the people that have caused their misery.  They are in captivity and will be for seventy years because they were wicked and rebelled; they turned away from the commandments of the Lord

We should fast and pray the same!

Everyone in the Body of Christ throughout this nation could repeat Daniel’s prayer and fast.  We have fallen so short of what God planned for this country.   The Pew Forum reports that presently less than half o the people in this country that was founded on the principles of God even attend church anymore.

Note how Daniel’s prayer is answered:

20 While I was speaking and praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel and making my request to the Lord my God for his holy hill— 21 while I was still in prayer, Gabriel, the man I had seen in the earlier vision, came to me in swift flight about the time of the evening sacrifice. 22 He instructed me and said to me, “Daniel, I have now come to give you insight and understanding. 23 As soon as you began to pray, a word went out, which I have come to tell you, for you are highly esteemed. Therefore, consider the word and understand the vision. (Daniel 9:20-23)

In this instance Daniel received an immediate answer from the Lord.  In the very next chapter however he is told that the answer from the Lord was delayed for 21 days:

12 Then he continued, “Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. 13 But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia. 14 Now I have come to explain to you what will happen to your people in the future, for the vision concerns a time yet to come.” (Daniel 10:12-14)

I’m sure that Daniel was happy that he had decided to fast and pray for the full 21 days.    Daniel understood the principles of fasting and prayer.  It involved ‘shutting the mouth’,  eliminating certain foods from his diet. It was a period of intense prayer; Daniel cried out and confessed his sins and the sins of the people. Fasting involved waiting; Daniel was patient. If the people were to be in captivity for 70 years, he could pray and fast for 21 days to seek God’s release and redemption. 

Primary Prayer

I have a good friend that was ‘exploring’ Christianity. She previously had been involved in Eastern mysticism, had explored reincarnation but was now embracing Jesus and was interested in this faith we call Christianity.  When she told me she was gong to a weekend Christian retreat I was excited for her.  

However, when she returned the people at the retreat had messed with her mind, as she no longer knew how to pray. They were so emphatic in what she could do, what she couldn’t do, how she was to pray in faith, how she was to pray in Jesus name, how she was to pray and not doubt….that it took months for the rest of us to get her back to the child-like faith that she had demonstrated before the retreat.  While these were all good individual teachings, God is bigger than these limitations. 

I mention this because it is with some caution that I offer the suggestion that we should be praying ‘Primary’ prayers.  By primary prayers, I’m not referring to elementary or childish prayers but instead a primary prayer is a prayer that aligns the petitioner with the will of God the Father

Why is this important?

It’s critical that we pray according to the will of the Father. While this is sometimes difficult to discern it is taught in the Bible: “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.” (1 John 5:5)

How then can we pray according to the Father's will?  How do we do this?

1) Entrust yourself to God’s loving authority

Jesus believed this and taught this: "For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me." (John 6:38, NIV)   Knowing that God is sovereign in our lives and that He knows what is best for us, provides us with the opportunity to pray in a manner that it is ‘not my will but yours’ Lord.

2) Focus on God’s Priorities

Jesus said we were not to worry, not to be anxious about life “but seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matt 6:33).  So much of our prayers are based on worry and fear,  but we are not to be anxious. Therefore our prayer life needs to be focused on God’s promises for us, His plan for our lives and the lives of those that we care for and pray for as well.

3) Follow the pattern of Jesus

With all that in mind, how can we avoid the frustration that commonly accompanies our prayers? I believe the answer lies in understanding the way Jesus taught his disciples to pray:

Our Father who art in heaven, 

Hallowed be thy name. 

Thy kingdom come, 

Thy will be done, 

On earth as it is in heaven. 

Give us this day our daily bread. 

And forgive us our debts, 

As we also have forgiven our debtors. 

And lead us not into temptation, 

But deliver us from evil.

The Lord’s Prayer is a ‘Primary Prayer.’   It identifies that it is God that provides, it is He who gives purpose in our lives.   In our primary prayers, it is we that need to change; we should not be trying to change God.  We pray in a manner that aligns us, and reminds us, with what we know is God’s will for our lives.

Perhaps an example is needed.  A primary prayer is about God's plan and provision, a secondary prayer is about an immediate outcome we want from God.  We are often asked to pray for people that are in need of a job. Rather than praying that John, or Jane, or Rebecca gets the job at ABC company, thank God for his provision (our daily bread); pray that your friends will have clarity of thought, that they will be guided into the position that is right for them. Pray that they will be able to provide for their family, that their children will be blessed by the provision and even the abundance that is provided by God.  Call to mind the scripture that says, “ I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread" (Psalm 37:25).

In Romans 12:2, Paul says, “Be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”  A primary prayer for ourselves and friends would be the same; that we would be transformed by the renewing of our minds...that we would know the perfect will of God.