Church Prayers

One of my joys at the church I attend is to pray. From 10:30 to 11:00, before the service starts a small group of us pray for our church, our community, specific needs, etc.

I'd like to share many which the Lord leads me to pray, sometimes each and every Sunday. Also, here are some prayers which have come to mind as I write this.

- Enable husbands to love their wifes with an extraordinary love.

I used to pray for the problems with our church thinking I had some sort of a plan and ask the Lord to carry out my plan. But now I just pray, "Lord please take this broken church and fix it!"

- Please anoint and enable the Pastor with your Word and message, and give us hearts to hear.

-Forgive us when our fellowship with each other is short, too brief, and not encouraging.

-Watch over our ways as we seek your righteousness.

-Please give the leaders wisdom and power to humbly serve, wisdom through your Word. Impart wisdom to lead our fellowship.

-Preside over and guide our service today. Enable the ushers to greet cheerfully, and to do their tasks so that it doesn't distract from our worship of you.

-As we sing may our hearts truely bow and worship You.

-Lord give us opportunity to reach out to our community to show them Christ.

-Bless the children's ministry. Please teach our children and give them an impression of You that they can take with them this week, and indeed the rest of their lives.

-Bless the teachers as they teach and may it give them true joy as they serve in this way.

-Give fathers and mothers wisdom to raise their children.

From Psalm 119

As I'm reading through the Bible the schedule has me set on Psalm 119. There are 176 verses in this Psalm so it's broken down into two days on the daily reading schedule. But I'm finding one could study it for two weeks and be blessed by God's Word in just this Psalm.

Two verses jumped out to me. One is verse 19. "I am a stranger on earth; do not hide your commands from me". As a new creation, a follower of Jesus, the worldly world we live in is foreign, like a city to which we've never been. So the Bible is for us a map. Just as a map helps a stranger in a strange city, so does the Bible help the believer in the unbelieving world.

Another one is verse 29. "Keep me from deceitful ways; be gracious to me through your law". The psalmist did not look at God's law as a bunch of rules to follow. Notice it does not say be gracious to me aside from your law, but through your law. He was seeking God's grace through the law. Many Christians think that once they are born again, that the law can be disregarded. This is not true. We as Christians are sanctified by the Spirit of God to embrace His Word and apply it to our lives.

Jesus said in Matthew 5:17-20, "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.

From a book titled "Know the Truth" by Bruce Milne there's this statement: "The Reformers also sought to counter the danger of over-objectivizing Christ's work. Luther, for example, insisted that while 'faith alone justifies, it is never alone' but is always followed by the works of love.

Therefore keep in mind that Jesus is the fulfillment of the law, and it is only by God's grace through Jesus that makes us acceptable to Him. And if we love Jesus we will obey what he commands. (John 14:15). Love is our ultimate, underlying, no denying, motivation! (the last sentence makes reference the title to Wes King's first album)

Am I Going to Heaven?

This morning I was listening to part B of "I Want to Know Christ", a message taken from Philippians 3 on TFL's website. Alistair brings up something interesting. He described it this way:

If you were to ask Saul that if he were to die today would God receive him in heaven, he would say "Yes". And if you asked him why would God would receive him, he would say something like, "I was circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless." (Phil 3:5,6) Saul was convinced he was on his way to heaven. But it was by the wrong reasons.

The Lord showed him differently. Jesus said, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads" (Acts 26:14)

After his conversion Paul realized all of this zeal for doing right was not helpful on his way to heaven at all. Instead, as he says in Philippians 3, "What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith."

Then the wheels of my mind were thinking. Notice how Paul came to the Lord. He was zealous for God but going about it the wrong way. Alistair speculated that Saul that night, after affirming the persecution and stoning and death of Stephen he couldn't get the horrible image out from his mind, and mixed in the background is his own voice saying, "you can check your coats here, leave your coats here, leave your coats here..." (so that those who were throwing stones would be able to move more freely to throw). It stirred in his mind and heart.

I don't believe there is a way to proclaim Christ to someone without making a personal sacrifice or risk being persecuted. We should not be surprised if our testimony would be responded to by anger or hate. We should be utilized in this way to help stir the mind and hearts of people to consider Jesus as the way, the only way of salvation.

Personally, let's ask ourselves, "Am I convinced I'm going to heaven?", if so, "What am I basing my faith on?"

Can we truely make a statement like this? "I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead."

We can desire righteosness. Even if we are not part of the Jewish heritage we could also become "Born Again Pharisees". If there is a change in our lives towards righteousness let it be a response to faith in Christ for our eternal salvation.

Intentions for reading the Bible

What are your intentions for reading the Holy Scriptures?

I must confess lately, because of some controversies that are present, that I've been reading the Book with in mind to support my point of view. I've been reading with 2 Timothy 3:16 in mind but my heart has been on the defensive. Clearly this is not what the Lord has intended and this is brought to my attention from the following segment of a TFL / Spurgeon devotional for today.

Do not be lazy in asking, since He is so generous in giving. Pay careful attention to His Word now and at all times, so that Jesus may speak through it to your heart. Pitch your tent wherever He is so that you can obtain His blessing. When He is present to heal, may He not heal you? Be certain that He is present even now, for He always comes to hearts that need Him.

Again, the Lord is calling me to know Him, not just know of Him. Oh Lord, how my heart needs you.