Monday, July 26, 2010
Good and Bad Reasons for Leaving a Church
Are you considering leaving your church? I found this article to be a helpful guide. I don't think that it is wrong to transfer to another church. It does become wrong if we do it out of selfish motives. Are there right reasons? Yes, certainly.
Here's the Mark Driscoll's advice to those who are dissatisfied with their churches. Consider his advice before deciding to leave.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
THE LORD’S PRAYER PART 4 : DO NOT PRAY LIKE THE PAGANS
And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. – Matthew 5:7
Previously, Jesus said that we should not pray like the Pharisees who prayed in public in order to demonstrate their piety and gain the admiration of men. Jesus points out another wrong way to pray but this time with the type of prayer that Gentile nations practiced.
Gentile or pagan prayer involved babbling. One translation calls it “using vain repetitions” while another describes it as “heaping up empty phrases”. The intent is that by using elaborate words their prayers will be heard by the gods or goddesses that they worship.
It is still being practiced today. Here is how Ceisiwr Serith describes it in his book titled A Book of Pagan Prayer and I paraphrase his instruction on how to pray here :
Prayer consists primarily of words. You can speak them loudly, softly, silently, or in a sing-song voice accompanied by a rocking motion in order to add rhythm to your words. You can pray the same prayer over and over again and it is okay if you start slurring what you say. It isn’t necessary to pay attention to each word because it will block feelings and spirituality. Pay attention to a word that jumps out of your prayer because it may be an insight planted by the god or goddess into your mind. Now the prayers can become even more alive if a relaxed posture, rhythmic motion, dance, music or gestures are added to the words. All this is done in order to invite the presence of the deities (gods, goddesses, and ancestral spirits) and obtain a favorable response from them.
The pagan approach to prayer has influenced even Christian prayers today. There are religious institutions that advocate repetition of the Lord’s Prayer as penance for sins committed. There is centering or contemplative prayer. It all sounds so spiritual but its form is no different from pagan practices as described by C. Serith.
This kind of praying is clearly wrong. First of all, Jesus did not teach us to pray in this manner and we will see this clearly when we unfold the Lord’s Prayer. Second, God isn’t deaf and doesn’t need us to do anything in order to gain His attention and favor. He already knows our thoughts, attitudes and our emotions (Psalm 139). Lastly, in Matthew 5:8, our relationship to our Father is so close that He already knows what we need even before we ask Him!
Previously, Jesus said that we should not pray like the Pharisees who prayed in public in order to demonstrate their piety and gain the admiration of men. Jesus points out another wrong way to pray but this time with the type of prayer that Gentile nations practiced.
Gentile or pagan prayer involved babbling. One translation calls it “using vain repetitions” while another describes it as “heaping up empty phrases”. The intent is that by using elaborate words their prayers will be heard by the gods or goddesses that they worship.
It is still being practiced today. Here is how Ceisiwr Serith describes it in his book titled A Book of Pagan Prayer and I paraphrase his instruction on how to pray here :
Prayer consists primarily of words. You can speak them loudly, softly, silently, or in a sing-song voice accompanied by a rocking motion in order to add rhythm to your words. You can pray the same prayer over and over again and it is okay if you start slurring what you say. It isn’t necessary to pay attention to each word because it will block feelings and spirituality. Pay attention to a word that jumps out of your prayer because it may be an insight planted by the god or goddess into your mind. Now the prayers can become even more alive if a relaxed posture, rhythmic motion, dance, music or gestures are added to the words. All this is done in order to invite the presence of the deities (gods, goddesses, and ancestral spirits) and obtain a favorable response from them.
The pagan approach to prayer has influenced even Christian prayers today. There are religious institutions that advocate repetition of the Lord’s Prayer as penance for sins committed. There is centering or contemplative prayer. It all sounds so spiritual but its form is no different from pagan practices as described by C. Serith.
This kind of praying is clearly wrong. First of all, Jesus did not teach us to pray in this manner and we will see this clearly when we unfold the Lord’s Prayer. Second, God isn’t deaf and doesn’t need us to do anything in order to gain His attention and favor. He already knows our thoughts, attitudes and our emotions (Psalm 139). Lastly, in Matthew 5:8, our relationship to our Father is so close that He already knows what we need even before we ask Him!
Friday, July 23, 2010
A WOMAN'S ANSWER TO A MAN'S QUESTION
I discovered this poem from the blog of Joshua Harris. It was written by Mary Lathrop (1838-1895). This is written to men (like me!) who love to tell our wives what they should be doing.
[Written in reply to a man's poetic unfolding of what he conceived to be a woman's duty.]
Do you know you have asked for the costliest thing
Ever made by the hand above—
A woman's heart, and a woman's life
And a woman's wonderful love?
Do you know you have asked for this priceless thing
As a child might ask for a toy,
Demanding what others have died to win,
With the reckless dash of a boy?
You have written my lesson of duty out,
Man-like you have questioned me;
Now stand at the bar of my woman's soul
Until I shall question thee.
You require your mutton shall always be hot,
Your socks and your shirt be whole;
I require your heart to be true as God's stars,
And as pure as heaven your soul.
You require a cook for your mutton and beef;
I require a far better thing.
A seamstress you're wanting for socks and shirts;
I look for a man and a king.
A king for the beautiful realm called home,
And a man that the maker, God,
Shall look upon as he did the first
And say, "It is very good."
I am fair and young, but the rose will fade
From my soft, young cheek one day,
Will you love me then 'mid the falling leaves,
As you did 'mid the bloom of May?
Is your heart an ocean so strong and deep,
I may launch my all on its tide?
A loving woman finds heaven or hell
On the day she is made a bride.
I require all things that are grand and true,
All things that a man should be;
If you give all this, I would stake my life
To be all you demand of me.
If you cannot do this — a laundress and cook
You can hire, with little to pay,
But a woman's heart and a woman's life
Are not to be won that way.
A Woman's Answer To A Man's Question
[Written in reply to a man's poetic unfolding of what he conceived to be a woman's duty.]
Do you know you have asked for the costliest thing
Ever made by the hand above—
A woman's heart, and a woman's life
And a woman's wonderful love?
Do you know you have asked for this priceless thing
As a child might ask for a toy,
Demanding what others have died to win,
With the reckless dash of a boy?
You have written my lesson of duty out,
Man-like you have questioned me;
Now stand at the bar of my woman's soul
Until I shall question thee.
You require your mutton shall always be hot,
Your socks and your shirt be whole;
I require your heart to be true as God's stars,
And as pure as heaven your soul.
You require a cook for your mutton and beef;
I require a far better thing.
A seamstress you're wanting for socks and shirts;
I look for a man and a king.
A king for the beautiful realm called home,
And a man that the maker, God,
Shall look upon as he did the first
And say, "It is very good."
I am fair and young, but the rose will fade
From my soft, young cheek one day,
Will you love me then 'mid the falling leaves,
As you did 'mid the bloom of May?
Is your heart an ocean so strong and deep,
I may launch my all on its tide?
A loving woman finds heaven or hell
On the day she is made a bride.
I require all things that are grand and true,
All things that a man should be;
If you give all this, I would stake my life
To be all you demand of me.
If you cannot do this — a laundress and cook
You can hire, with little to pay,
But a woman's heart and a woman's life
Are not to be won that way.
THE LORD’S PRAYER PART 3 : PRAYING IN PRIVATE
But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. - Matthew 6:6 (NIV)
As Christians, we are asked to bear witness to the world of our commitment to Christ and not hide it. We are to be the salt and the light to this world (Matthew 5:13-16). We are to show to the world our unity so that they will believe in Jesus Christ (John 17:23). There are three things though that we are to do in secret: giving to the needy (Matthew 6:1-3), fasting (Matthew 6:16-18), and prayer.
This passage does not prohibit public prayer. Jesus condemned prayer done as a public performance. He called such practice as hypocrisy. This passage also does not say that we should only pray in our rooms. We can pray anywhere and at anytime. The point is to not pray in order to impress the audience with your piety, to get human applause, to gain admiration, and to be rewarded by men.
Let us rather pray in a way that pleases God. Our prayer has an audience of one – God and God alone. When we pray with believers in church or when we pray in public areas remember that it is not to be a display. The promise is that God will reward those who pray with pure motives and a pure heart. God’s blessing is, by an infinitely wide margin, more satisfying and lasting than man’s reward.
As Christians, we are asked to bear witness to the world of our commitment to Christ and not hide it. We are to be the salt and the light to this world (Matthew 5:13-16). We are to show to the world our unity so that they will believe in Jesus Christ (John 17:23). There are three things though that we are to do in secret: giving to the needy (Matthew 6:1-3), fasting (Matthew 6:16-18), and prayer.
This passage does not prohibit public prayer. Jesus condemned prayer done as a public performance. He called such practice as hypocrisy. This passage also does not say that we should only pray in our rooms. We can pray anywhere and at anytime. The point is to not pray in order to impress the audience with your piety, to get human applause, to gain admiration, and to be rewarded by men.
Let us rather pray in a way that pleases God. Our prayer has an audience of one – God and God alone. When we pray with believers in church or when we pray in public areas remember that it is not to be a display. The promise is that God will reward those who pray with pure motives and a pure heart. God’s blessing is, by an infinitely wide margin, more satisfying and lasting than man’s reward.
Monday, July 19, 2010
THE LORD’S PRAYER PART 2 : HOW NOT TO PRAY
“Lord, teach us to pray…,” the disciples asked (Luke 11:1). Being with Jesus all the time, they were witnesses to his prayer life and habit. It became clear to them that there was a link between Jesus’ commitment to prayer and his extra-ordinary ministry. There is no better teacher than Jesus Christ himself. Hence, just like the disciples, let Jesus teach us how to pray.
Moving back to Matthew’s account in chapter 6, it is interesting that Jesus made some prefatory remarks before teaching them how to pray. Jesus begins with a negative comparison.
5"And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.” -Matthew 6:5 (ESV)
There is no doubt that these hypocrites were the Pharisees who were the religious leaders in the Jewish society at the time of Jesus. They were the religious fundamentalists in those days focusing on strict observance of the Jewish laws, ceremonies, and traditions. Jesus denounced them as being hypocrites because they often made a public display of their moral living, good deeds, and piousness while neglecting the heart or motives of the actions. It was a fake form of godliness, phony, and fraudulent.
The disciples were living in this cultural and religious environment. They were familiar with the religious system and probably accepted it without much thought. No surprise then that when they followed Jesus, it turned their worldview upside down. He was completely different! His prayer life was opposite to that of the Pharisees. It was something that they had never seen before. He would pray alone. He would pray all night. By witnessing how Jesus prayed, they realized their own ignorance, misconceptions, and lack of knowledge about prayer.
How about us today? Are we also hypocrites? As a leader, I fall at times into this kind of practice. When asked to publicly pray, I try to show my piety by composing and saying aloud great, religious sounding statements that elicit “Amens” and “Hallelujahs” from those who hear me. I measure the effectiveness of my prayer based on the number and intensity of responses I get! After all I am the leader and must be “leader-ly” when I pray – not like those immature, bumbling prayers from those who are terrified to pray in public. In prayer meetings, we sometimes use loudness and cries as the barometer of prayer effectiveness. The more shouting and crying going on, the better we feel!
I don’t know how much of it is fake and how much of it is sincere repentance and coming from real burdens that drive people into desperation and cry out to God for help like David’s prayers in the Psalms. Take heed of Jesus’ warning in Matthew 6:5. Prayer is not a show where we are the stars.
Moving back to Matthew’s account in chapter 6, it is interesting that Jesus made some prefatory remarks before teaching them how to pray. Jesus begins with a negative comparison.
5"And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.” -Matthew 6:5 (ESV)
There is no doubt that these hypocrites were the Pharisees who were the religious leaders in the Jewish society at the time of Jesus. They were the religious fundamentalists in those days focusing on strict observance of the Jewish laws, ceremonies, and traditions. Jesus denounced them as being hypocrites because they often made a public display of their moral living, good deeds, and piousness while neglecting the heart or motives of the actions. It was a fake form of godliness, phony, and fraudulent.
The disciples were living in this cultural and religious environment. They were familiar with the religious system and probably accepted it without much thought. No surprise then that when they followed Jesus, it turned their worldview upside down. He was completely different! His prayer life was opposite to that of the Pharisees. It was something that they had never seen before. He would pray alone. He would pray all night. By witnessing how Jesus prayed, they realized their own ignorance, misconceptions, and lack of knowledge about prayer.
How about us today? Are we also hypocrites? As a leader, I fall at times into this kind of practice. When asked to publicly pray, I try to show my piety by composing and saying aloud great, religious sounding statements that elicit “Amens” and “Hallelujahs” from those who hear me. I measure the effectiveness of my prayer based on the number and intensity of responses I get! After all I am the leader and must be “leader-ly” when I pray – not like those immature, bumbling prayers from those who are terrified to pray in public. In prayer meetings, we sometimes use loudness and cries as the barometer of prayer effectiveness. The more shouting and crying going on, the better we feel!
I don’t know how much of it is fake and how much of it is sincere repentance and coming from real burdens that drive people into desperation and cry out to God for help like David’s prayers in the Psalms. Take heed of Jesus’ warning in Matthew 6:5. Prayer is not a show where we are the stars.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Getting Into The Blogging Habit
I've stopped blogging for a while because I couldn't think of anything to write about. I didn't want to write about trivial, non-essential stuff. There's too much of that going on already. I wanted this blog to be the medium by which I could put into words my experiences, thoughts, and reflections as a Christian who is living out my faith in a post-modern world. It turned out to be more difficult than I thought.
Lately though I have discovered something worth blogging about - books and our Bible study discussions in our small group! I began habitually reading again when I came across the writings of John Piper. Through his books, I have come to fully embrace Christian orthodoxy. Some may say it is old time religion, but it is still fully relevant today as it was in the past. God does not change and so his revelation through the Bible of sin, redemption, atonement, living a holy life, and the destiny of this world remain the same even though the world is continuing to change rapidly. The Bible says that in the last days there will be false teachers that spread unbiblical ideas and distorted interpretations of God's Word. I have found that returning to orthodoxy helps me recognize what is the truth and what is the lie in the church and the world today which I'll write about in future blogs.
What John Piper's books helped me to do was to go back to basic Christian doctrines and understand them to such depths that I have never before reached. My long unanswered questions on human suffering, evil in this world, sanctification, and even the meaning and purpose of life were satisfyingly answered through his sermons and books which are available online at Desiring God ministries.
So my prayer is that this blog will glorify God (1 Corinthians 10:31) and help lead readers to Jesus Christ.
Lately though I have discovered something worth blogging about - books and our Bible study discussions in our small group! I began habitually reading again when I came across the writings of John Piper. Through his books, I have come to fully embrace Christian orthodoxy. Some may say it is old time religion, but it is still fully relevant today as it was in the past. God does not change and so his revelation through the Bible of sin, redemption, atonement, living a holy life, and the destiny of this world remain the same even though the world is continuing to change rapidly. The Bible says that in the last days there will be false teachers that spread unbiblical ideas and distorted interpretations of God's Word. I have found that returning to orthodoxy helps me recognize what is the truth and what is the lie in the church and the world today which I'll write about in future blogs.
What John Piper's books helped me to do was to go back to basic Christian doctrines and understand them to such depths that I have never before reached. My long unanswered questions on human suffering, evil in this world, sanctification, and even the meaning and purpose of life were satisfyingly answered through his sermons and books which are available online at Desiring God ministries.
So my prayer is that this blog will glorify God (1 Corinthians 10:31) and help lead readers to Jesus Christ.
Saturday, July 17, 2010
The Lord's Prayer (Matthew 6:5-13) PART 1
As far as I can recall, I have never heard a sermon on the Lord’s Prayer. Yes, I’ve heard the prayer recited many times in church but I have never heard it expounded on and taught in-depth in order to teach and equip believers. A disciple asked Jesus, “Lord teach us to pray…” (Luke 11:1), and Jesus gave them this prayer, hence the name “The Lord’s Prayer”. The more accurate title really should be “The Disciple’s Prayer” because it was given to us by Jesus to in order to teach us how to pray correctly.
Prayer is essential to a believer’s spiritual life. Therefore, a believer should learn how to pray and the logical starting point must be the Lord’s Prayer. Unfortunately, that hasn’t been the case. It isn’t surprising then that there is a lot of confusion, wrong application, prayerlessness, and teaching of “prayer styles” that are not Biblical. The Lord’s Prayer has been relegated to mindless recitation or a doxology to be sung at the end of the service. Even worse, it has become to some a prayer to be repeated several times in order to pay penance for sin. Ignorance and lack of knowledge of the great truths found in the Lord’s Prayer has led to wrong theology and wrong application. Conversely, the right theology leads to right application and right thinking.
This is the next topic in our Tuesday Bible Study group. We’ll go through and unfold Matthew 6:5-13 verse by verse. I will blog about what we learned, the points of discussion or debate, and what truth was revealed to us that night. At the end of our study, my hope is that our desire to pray will be stimulated and that we will understand what a great privilege it is to pray to the one true God.
These are the main references that I have used for my preparation :
1. The Prayer of Our Lord by RC Sproul
2. The Lord's Prayer by RT Kendall
Prayer is essential to a believer’s spiritual life. Therefore, a believer should learn how to pray and the logical starting point must be the Lord’s Prayer. Unfortunately, that hasn’t been the case. It isn’t surprising then that there is a lot of confusion, wrong application, prayerlessness, and teaching of “prayer styles” that are not Biblical. The Lord’s Prayer has been relegated to mindless recitation or a doxology to be sung at the end of the service. Even worse, it has become to some a prayer to be repeated several times in order to pay penance for sin. Ignorance and lack of knowledge of the great truths found in the Lord’s Prayer has led to wrong theology and wrong application. Conversely, the right theology leads to right application and right thinking.
This is the next topic in our Tuesday Bible Study group. We’ll go through and unfold Matthew 6:5-13 verse by verse. I will blog about what we learned, the points of discussion or debate, and what truth was revealed to us that night. At the end of our study, my hope is that our desire to pray will be stimulated and that we will understand what a great privilege it is to pray to the one true God.
These are the main references that I have used for my preparation :
1. The Prayer of Our Lord by RC Sproul
2. The Lord's Prayer by RT Kendall
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