I just found this among my clippings while preparing a sermon. Thought someone might enjoy it.
If a man would be a soldier, he’d expect, of course to fight;
And he couldn’t be an author if he didn’t try to write.
So it isn’t common logic, doesn’t have a real true ring,
That a man to be a Christian doesn’t have to do a thing.
If a man would be a hunter, he must go among the trees;
And he couldn’t be a sailor, if he wouldn’t sail the seas.
How strange for any member of a church to think that he
Can stay from worship and a worthy member be!
When you join associations, you must pay up all your dues;
And you pay for all you purchase, from your hat down to your shoes.
There are social clubs for women, and the same for men and boys,
But the members all expect to pay for what each one enjoys.
Then how is it that the members of a church can sit in pews,
And expect some few to run it without others paying dues?
The costs of operations must be met in church the same
As in home or corporation or in work of any name.
Let us honestly consider why this difference we find,
Between our church relations and every other kind.
Our business obligations MUST be met, the laws provide;
But the church is not insistent, so we let the matter slide.
May we undertake our duties, for our Lord
With such measure of devotion as accords with His own Word.
In our human obligations thus are recognized, why then
Surely God should have our service now and evermore.
Amen.
—Rev. Henry Anstadt D. D.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
LORD TEACH US TO PRAY
Third
The Holy Spirit teaches us that to pray as God would have us to pray we must pray in the Spirit. That is what Paul said in Ephesians 6:18, “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit.” Jude said it too, “But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost” (Jude 20). How do we do that? How do we pray in the Spirit?
Acknowledge the fact that the Holy Spirit dwells in us (1 Cor. 3:16)
Don’t grieve the Holy Spirit (Eph. 4:30)
Be filled (or controlled) by the Holy Spirit (Eph. 5:18)
My fifty-four years in ministry have taught me a lot of things, and thankfully I am still learning. One area especially I am continually finding rich nuggets of instructions is prayer. I am no expert on prayer, and I have need of someone teaching me, that is why I call out, “Lord teach me TO pray.”
Third
The Holy Spirit teaches us that to pray as God would have us to pray we must pray in the Spirit. That is what Paul said in Ephesians 6:18, “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit.” Jude said it too, “But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost” (Jude 20). How do we do that? How do we pray in the Spirit?
Acknowledge the fact that the Holy Spirit dwells in us (1 Cor. 3:16)
Don’t grieve the Holy Spirit (Eph. 4:30)
Be filled (or controlled) by the Holy Spirit (Eph. 5:18)
My fifty-four years in ministry have taught me a lot of things, and thankfully I am still learning. One area especially I am continually finding rich nuggets of instructions is prayer. I am no expert on prayer, and I have need of someone teaching me, that is why I call out, “Lord teach me TO pray.”
LORD, TEACH US TO PRAY (con't)
Second:
The Holy Spirit teaches us that we are not to pray with a selfish spirit. The apostle James wrote, “Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts” (James 4:3). If we are totally honest, we have to admit that often we pray selfishly. We pray for things that would make our lives easier. We pray to be removed from unpleasant situation. While David did say, “Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart” (Psalm 37:4), and we may wish to be removed from a troublesome situation. However, we should keep in mind that there may be times when God allows us to be in the situation we are in for a reason. Joseph told his brothers that they had meant selling him into slavery for evil but God meant it for good so that he would one day be able to save many lives including theirs. We should be careful and consider that praying to have our situations changed could be a selfish prayer. Perhaps it would be better to pray for grace sufficient to endure our struggle. When the Holy Spirit is able to teach us to pray unselfishly, our prayer life will be healthier and stronger and effectual.
(Third point coming)
Second:
The Holy Spirit teaches us that we are not to pray with a selfish spirit. The apostle James wrote, “Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts” (James 4:3). If we are totally honest, we have to admit that often we pray selfishly. We pray for things that would make our lives easier. We pray to be removed from unpleasant situation. While David did say, “Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart” (Psalm 37:4), and we may wish to be removed from a troublesome situation. However, we should keep in mind that there may be times when God allows us to be in the situation we are in for a reason. Joseph told his brothers that they had meant selling him into slavery for evil but God meant it for good so that he would one day be able to save many lives including theirs. We should be careful and consider that praying to have our situations changed could be a selfish prayer. Perhaps it would be better to pray for grace sufficient to endure our struggle. When the Holy Spirit is able to teach us to pray unselfishly, our prayer life will be healthier and stronger and effectual.
(Third point coming)
Monday, April 20, 2009
LORD, TEACH US TO PRAY
When it comes to praying, it seems we all have problems with our requests, or at least the kinds of requests to present. We have difficulty in phrasing the requests we do make. Then, we have the problem of the motive for our prayers. Paul condenses the problems into one statement, "We know not what we should pray for as we ought" (Rom. 3:26). However, our lack of knowledge in how to pray should not silence our prayers. Instead, like the disciples we need help. That help comes in the form of the Holy Spirit who not only wants to teach us to pray but also takes our prayers and makes “intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered” (Rom. 8:26). Without this help, we will have a powerless prayer life. There are three things that come to mind that the Holy Spirit teaches us about praying. Here is the first.
1. He teaches us that we should not expect our prayers to be answered if there is unconfessed sin in our lives. The Holy Spirit inspired David to write, “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me” (Psalm 66:17). Does that mean God requires sinless perfection of us? No. If He did none of us would ever have his prayers answered. What God requires of us is confession and repentance. Solomon wrote in Proverbs 28:13, “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.”
The Holy Spirit teaches us that to pray as we should we must confess sin in our lives.
(Second and third lessons taught by the Holy Spirit to follow)
When it comes to praying, it seems we all have problems with our requests, or at least the kinds of requests to present. We have difficulty in phrasing the requests we do make. Then, we have the problem of the motive for our prayers. Paul condenses the problems into one statement, "We know not what we should pray for as we ought" (Rom. 3:26). However, our lack of knowledge in how to pray should not silence our prayers. Instead, like the disciples we need help. That help comes in the form of the Holy Spirit who not only wants to teach us to pray but also takes our prayers and makes “intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered” (Rom. 8:26). Without this help, we will have a powerless prayer life. There are three things that come to mind that the Holy Spirit teaches us about praying. Here is the first.
1. He teaches us that we should not expect our prayers to be answered if there is unconfessed sin in our lives. The Holy Spirit inspired David to write, “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me” (Psalm 66:17). Does that mean God requires sinless perfection of us? No. If He did none of us would ever have his prayers answered. What God requires of us is confession and repentance. Solomon wrote in Proverbs 28:13, “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.”
The Holy Spirit teaches us that to pray as we should we must confess sin in our lives.
(Second and third lessons taught by the Holy Spirit to follow)
PRAYER
Isn’t one of the purposes of a blog to give an individual a forum to express his opinion about a specific subject, vent a pet peeve or just to put something in print? Is it possible for bloggers to face the same problem with their blogs that speakers face when speaking — starting one’s mouth (keyboard) before engaging his brain. To put it another way, starting a diatribe, making a statement or drawing a conclusion before thinking it through. The plain ole truth is that the process of thinking things through takes too long and besides that it takes the fun out of ranting.
This blog is not intended to be a diatribe or even an attempt to start an argument. Like the title of the blog, it is a thought off the top of my head. Just the same, I might need to put on a full set of body armor as I venture into a subject that some might feel is a personal matter. Here goes...
Where does it come from? How do you get it? Is it developed through practice or does it just happen? What in the world am I talking about? That vibrant, theological, steeple in the throat, talking though stained glass, often holier-than-thou voice that resonates from a person who recites, oh I mean leads, in public prayer. Do I have your ire up yet? Settle down, I’m talking to myself, too. Years ago, my music minister like to tease me about my “prayer voice.” He pointed out something about which I was not aware. He said I would begin my prayers in my deep, mellow “radio voice,” and then as I proceeded with my prayer the frequency of my voice would rise until it reached my normal pitch. This makes me wonder whether unconsciously many think that the WAY they pray affects the effectiveness of their prayers.
Take a journey down the aisle of most Christian bookstores and you will find many books that offer to teach you to pray in a way that guarantees God will answer. Can any of them make good on this claim? In my opinion, the answer is no. Think with me for a moment. The disciples had followed Jesus, heard Him teach and watched Him as He ministered to people. They were even there in His intimate moments when He talked with His Father. On one occasion after listening to Him pray, they came to Him and asked, “Lord, teach us to pray like that” (my words). You can read them for yourself in Luke 11:1. Notice, the disciples’ request was “Lord, teach us TO pray,” not “Lord teach us HOW to pray.” Keeping in mind that our prayers are not for the purpose of impressing others but rather our desire should be to communicate with God. we do not need to learn HOW to pray as much as we need to learn simply TO pray.
The time I have allotted myself to blogging has expired and I must get to the office — lots of work to do this morning. I will continue my thoughts on prayer the next time. What do you think so far?
Isn’t one of the purposes of a blog to give an individual a forum to express his opinion about a specific subject, vent a pet peeve or just to put something in print? Is it possible for bloggers to face the same problem with their blogs that speakers face when speaking — starting one’s mouth (keyboard) before engaging his brain. To put it another way, starting a diatribe, making a statement or drawing a conclusion before thinking it through. The plain ole truth is that the process of thinking things through takes too long and besides that it takes the fun out of ranting.
This blog is not intended to be a diatribe or even an attempt to start an argument. Like the title of the blog, it is a thought off the top of my head. Just the same, I might need to put on a full set of body armor as I venture into a subject that some might feel is a personal matter. Here goes...
Where does it come from? How do you get it? Is it developed through practice or does it just happen? What in the world am I talking about? That vibrant, theological, steeple in the throat, talking though stained glass, often holier-than-thou voice that resonates from a person who recites, oh I mean leads, in public prayer. Do I have your ire up yet? Settle down, I’m talking to myself, too. Years ago, my music minister like to tease me about my “prayer voice.” He pointed out something about which I was not aware. He said I would begin my prayers in my deep, mellow “radio voice,” and then as I proceeded with my prayer the frequency of my voice would rise until it reached my normal pitch. This makes me wonder whether unconsciously many think that the WAY they pray affects the effectiveness of their prayers.
Take a journey down the aisle of most Christian bookstores and you will find many books that offer to teach you to pray in a way that guarantees God will answer. Can any of them make good on this claim? In my opinion, the answer is no. Think with me for a moment. The disciples had followed Jesus, heard Him teach and watched Him as He ministered to people. They were even there in His intimate moments when He talked with His Father. On one occasion after listening to Him pray, they came to Him and asked, “Lord, teach us to pray like that” (my words). You can read them for yourself in Luke 11:1. Notice, the disciples’ request was “Lord, teach us TO pray,” not “Lord teach us HOW to pray.” Keeping in mind that our prayers are not for the purpose of impressing others but rather our desire should be to communicate with God. we do not need to learn HOW to pray as much as we need to learn simply TO pray.
The time I have allotted myself to blogging has expired and I must get to the office — lots of work to do this morning. I will continue my thoughts on prayer the next time. What do you think so far?
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