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How Much Time Should I Spend Praying?

If you love someone, you spend time with them. You do this not because you have to, but because you want to.  Time is a major currency of love.

Those of us who claim to love God should naturally desire to spend more time with Him. We can do this by praying, worshiping, meditating upon his Word, etc.  I don’t believe in excessive formality and can find nothing in the New Testament that stipulates such.

What I do find myself conflicted about is how much time to spend in the Lord’s presence. In my youth I was inadvertently taught by some to measure spiritual growth by how much time I was spending in prayer.  “How can you still be praying for only 1 hour each day?” they would ask, “Why have you not progressed to 2?”   In more recent years I came across a minister who regularly advocated praying in tongues for at least 1 hour each day for better spiritual health.

You have the verses of Scripture that speak against making a pretense of long prayer, but then you also have Jesus himself praying all night on mountain tops.  You have “the Lord’s prayer”, short and succinct in Matthew 6, and then you also have prayers such as John 17 which are longer and see Jesus pouring out his heart to the Father.

My conclusion? It’s not about whether the prayer is long or short, but about the quality of the connection itself. I believe that because we love God, if we love God, we will ultimately gravitate towards spending more time with Him in various ways.  This will happen automatically and not out of a sense of obligation or in a burdensome way. I also believe that if we spend no time with Him at all, then this is a sure signal that something is wrong with our spiritual state and eventually, this disconnect is likely going to become apparent in our daily lives.

May God fill our hearts with more love for Him and cause us to enjoy spending time in His presence!

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Seeking Perfection In A World Full of Sin

I spent many formative years in a “holiness church”, with a strong emphasis on perfection and outward conformity to a prescribed pattern of holiness. Modest clothing, no alcohol, no makeup, no TV, no ‘disco dancing’, no secular music, etc. I remember a dedicated Sunday school teacher, emphatically beating his arm, boasting of how he was Sanctified such that his flesh – all worldly desire – was dead. By inference, he had overcome sin.  Of course I had no real knowledge of his personal life and so could never test the veracity of his claims.

What I do know is that those teachings placed a bigger burden on my psyche than I could bear, and I found myself ultimately slipping into a mild depression – wanting to be perfect but never attaining it. I thank God for eventually helping me to understand the message of Grace.

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.” ‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭2:8-9‬ ‭NIV‬‬

I know that many use the doctrine of grace as an excuse to sin, but Paul clearly addresses this in his letter to the Romans.

“What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?” Romans‬ ‭6:1-2‬ ‭NIV‬‬

I truly believe that if a person has genuinely believed in Christ and thus received the Holy Spirit as a seal of salvation, that person can never be comfortable in sin again. I didn’t say they will never sin; I said they will never be comfortable in sin.

“We know [with confidence] that anyone born of God does not habitually sin; but He (Jesus) who was born of God [carefully] keeps and protects him, and the evil one does not touch him.” ‭‭1 JOHN‬ ‭5:18‬ ‭AMP‬‬

The Holy Spirit who Jesus sent as our companion makes sure of that. He teaches, convicts and guides such that a true believer has no choice but to obey or be utterly miserable in disobedience until the point of confession and repentance. And of course, obedience brings with it the fruit of the Spirit, which include joy and peace.  See Gal 5:13-26.  The good news?

“If we [freely] admit that we have sinned and confess our sins, He is faithful and just [true to His own nature and promises], and will forgive our sins and cleanse us continually from all unrighteousness [our wrongdoing, everything not in conformity with His will and purpose].” ‭‭1 JOHN‬ ‭1:9‬ ‭AMP‬‬

I believe that if a person is comfortable in sin, it’s a likely indicator that they have not genuinely believed in Christ.

“But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” James‬ ‭2:18‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

I have still not attained perfection. However, God by His grace gives more revelation and wisdom as the years go by, such that I hope I am closer now than I used to be. I now believe that the journey towards perfection will continue until we see God face to face. This should never mean that we give up on the goal… to do so would probably betray the fact that our hearts never truly believed. To know Him is to love Him. To love Him is to obey Him.

I have nothing to boast about in myself. Jesus died to save me. By believing in his death and resurrection, I identify with what he’s done and I am dead to this world, but alive to God’s kingdom. My life should now be centered around God, his word, his plan and the life to come. I still live in this world, but as a traveler, a citizen of the world to come. However, because I am still in my imperfect body sometimes I find that I do things I don’t want to do.

I look to the following verses – among others – for encouragement, and would invite you to do the same:

“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.” ‭‭Romans‬ ‭8:1-2‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” Galatians‬ ‭6:14‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews‬ ‭12:1-2‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

“No temptation [regardless of its source] has overtaken or enticed you that is not common to human experience [nor is any temptation unusual or beyond human resistance]; but God is faithful [to His word–He is compassionate and trustworthy], and He will not let you be tempted beyond your ability [to resist], but along with the temptation He [has in the past and is now and] will [always] provide the way out as well, so that you will be able to endure it [without yielding, and will overcome temptation with joy].” ‭‭1 CORINTHIANS‬ ‭10:13‬ ‭AMP‬

“And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. ’” Matthew‬ ‭6:13‬ ‭NIV‬‬

May God keep us hungry for holiness and make us more like Himself every day.

 

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Sabbath Rest – Is This Still Relevant Today?

It’s so hard to find rest in the midst of a world which never sleeps.  In the context of our modern lives is a Sabbath rest still relevant or possible?

I work in a global organization and so live out the fact there is always someone up somewhere in the world, working. If you were so inclined, you could keep working all the time and never ever get rest. Would you be a super productive person that way? Probably not – I believe that your efficiency would reduce over time as your body and mind succumb to fatigue. You’d eventually burn out and not be able to do any work at all for a period of time… perhaps even indefinitely. I’ve seen this happen to others, and it’s not pretty.

God knows we need rest and designed our bodies that way. They signal to us when we are overdoing it, using tools like tiredness, sleepiness and physical pain. If we don’t listen, then we fail to operate in the way that we are designed and must brace ourselves for a malfunction.  It might be physical – resulting in physical illness – or mental, resulting in burnout, depression, or even a nervous breakdown.

God modeled the pattern of rest for us in Genesis 2, where he rested on the 7th day.  He also enshrined rest in the 10 commandments, directing his people to work  for 6 days, but rest on the 7th.  Now, I believe that we who follow Christ are no longer under the law, but under grace.  I do not believe in the statutory observance of a Sabbath day, but I do believe that God knows we need rest, showed us a pattern for rest and expects us to take rest on a regularly scheduled basis.  As Jesus famously said, the Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.  It’s for our own good that we get at least one day of rest a week.

To my brothers and sisters who think that day of rest is on Sunday and yet you fill it up with lots of church work, I respectfully submit that  you’re missing the point.  You need rest, at least one day a week!  You’re designed that way! If you work 6 days a week in a secular industry and then spend most of your Sunday working as well, then when are you going to get the rest?  If you are committed to doing church work on Sunday (and this is in itself a noble and desirable thing), then should you not ensure that you get rest on Saturday or another day, if your work is flexible enough to accommodate this?  If you’re actually a full time minister of the Gospel in such a way that Sunday is one of your main work days, then should you not also ensure that you are getting a day of rest on another day?  To do otherwise is to rob yourself of long term health and effectiveness.

In my industry and in my personal experience, I’ve found Saturday to be the most likely day of rest and am increasingly making efforts to treat it as such – to labor the other 6 days, but not on the 7th.  I’m not there yet, but I’m better than I used to be.

I encourage you to join me in this quest.  Reclaim a day of rest, and allow your body to recharge itself in the way God designed.

Of course there is a deeper rest into which we enter by virtue of believing in Christ, his death and his resurrection for our salvation.  There is also a final rest into which we aspire to enter, in eternity.  If you’re reading these words but have not yet taken those first steps, then consider this:  the one day of rest will help your body, for the years allotted to you on earth, but you are missing out on a deeper spiritual rest that will be relevant for all eternity. (Heb. 4:1-3).

May God give us the wisdom to rest, and the grace to enter into His rest.

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What Church Do You Go To? Does it Matter?

I hate that question with a passion, because I have found it to hide a truckload of Christian prejudice in my time. “What church do you go to?” I remember being asked that question while still a college student by a well-meaning evangelical acquaintance. “I attend a Methodist church…” I began. “Oh, so you’re not ‘born again'” my young acquaintance responded. I was incredulous, insulted, and a little bit angry. I discarded the rest of my cordial answer and latched on to his prejudice instead. “So, I can’t be ‘born again’ because I attend a Methodist church? You think nobody there is saved?”

He began to explain himself, pointing out that some churches do not accept the Holy Spirit. Little did he know that there were and are many people in all denominations of Christianity who enjoy the full revelation of the Godhead – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – and seek to obey his Word as revealed in the Bible. He also didn’t understand that I actually came to faith in an Evangelical setting,  had worshiped for a while in a Pentecostal gathering, and was at that time helping out with the Sunday school in the Methodist Church.  I didn’t interact much with that man after that day; he retreated into his Christian prejudice and I into my cave of righteous indignation.

Denominationalism is not of God

So easily do we forget Paul’s exhortation in his first letter to the Corinthians:

“I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought. My brothers and sisters, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. What I mean is this: One of you says, “I follow Paul”; another, “I follow Apollos”; another, “I follow Cephas ”; still another, “I follow Christ.” Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized in the name of Paul?”
‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭1:10-13‬ ‭NIV‬‬
http://bible.com/111/1co.1.10-13.niv

We Christians sometimes live as if those verses do not exist!  We define ourselves by our separate congregations, assuming ourselves to be the sole custodians of the whole truth and looking down on other expressions of the faith through our holier-than-thou spectacles.  The Pentecostal denounces the Orthodox because the latter is too quiet.  The Othodox denounces the Pentecostal for the opposite reason.  One Christian congregation emphasizes holiness at the expense of the message of grace.  Another shouts grace from the rooftops leaving the holiness message unexplored.  Yet another emphasizes the gifts of the Spirit above all things, while their estranged brothers focus on deep study for the careful understanding and application of the scriptures.  Each congregation looks down on the others, each secretly believing they know best, and each seeking their own glory and expansion.

Non-Denominational Gatherings Do Exist

The fact that a gathering calls itself non-denominational does not make it so.  Is the congregation seeking the growth of the wider body of Christ as opposed to its own numbers?  Is it seeking to do so in collaboration with fellow Christians from other congregations?  Do sermons from the pulpit or stage focus on Christ as the Saviour and role model, or is there undue reference and deference to the human leaders?  If not, I humbly submit that it is still denominational at heart.

I have sat under many church leaders in many congregations and am most grateful for the ministry of those who understand these words of Jesus, and share his heart expressed in this prayer:

““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 ‭NIV‬‬
http://bible.com/111/jhn.17.20-23.niv

  • Martin Luther’s Mistake?

    • Complete unity.  I sometimes wonder if the Protestant split led by Martin Luther was a mistake.  In the midst of all the injustice and the heresy in the established Church of the day, was there another way in which the matter could and should have been dealt with, to bring change and revival within one body?  Was division the right answer? Examine the fruit – division, subdivision and ultimate fragmentation.  Each denomination breaks away because it has uncovered truth being ignored by the parent denomination, and runs strong for a while until they become the orthodoxy and another denomination breaks out again from under them.  Ultimately, we are faced with multiple groups, including many fragments accountable only to themselves, lacking the oversight of any elders of the faith and running unchecked with all manner of private revelations and visions.  Surely this is not how it was meant to be.

    What About Heresy?

    Of course not every congregation truly follows the gospel of Jesus Christ, and false teachers abound.  There are indeed some fundamentals of the faith which cannot and should not be debated.  But all other things – doubtful things, Paul called them – need to be dealt with delicately and with consideration for one another, leaving the judgement to God. In Paul’s time, it was the matter of whether or not to eat meat sacrificed to idols, as well as disagreements over the observance of holy days and the Sabbath.  In my time, it has been over such things as proper Christian attire, secular music, appropriate Christian music and the place of television in a Christian home.

    Here are some helpful verses of Scripture to consider:

    “Keep reminding God’s people of these things. Warn them before God against quarreling about words; it is of no value, and only ruins those who listen. Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.

    Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness.”

    Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.”
    ‭‭2 Timothy‬ ‭2:14-15, 19, 23-26‬ ‭NIV‬‬
    http://bible.com/111/2ti.2.14-15,19,23-26.niv

    “Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that “We all possess knowledge.” But knowledge puffs up while love builds up. Those who think they know something do not yet know as they ought to know. But whoever loves God is known by God.

    But food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do. Be careful, however, that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling block to the weak.

    Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother or sister to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause them to fall.”
    ‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭8:1-3, 8-9, 13‬ ‭NIV‬‬
    http://bible.com/111/1co.8.1-3,8-9,13.niv

    The True Church

    The true Church of Christ isn’t the Methodist or the Anglican or the Evangelical or the Pentecostal… the church – the “body of Christ” – is made up of everyone who confesses with their mouth and believes in their heart that God raised Jesus from the dead.

    “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.”
    ‭‭Romans‬ ‭10:9-10‬ ‭NIV‬‬
    http://bible.com/111/rom.10.9-10.niv

    This true church also recognizes that their faith will be evidenced by what they do.  Nobody can truly have faith and live a life unchanged.

    “What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them?

    But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.

    As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.”
    ‭‭James‬ ‭2:14, 18-19, 26‬ ‭NIV‬‬
    http://bible.com/111/jas.2.14,18-19,26.niv

    Members of the true church are everywhere, in all sorts of Christian gatherings, seeking God quietly or loudly, waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. I believe this with all my heart.  I am not an Evangelical, or an Anglican or anything other than a follower of Jesus Christ… a Christian.

    May he find us faithful when he comes, or calls us home.  May he say “well done…” (See Matthew 25).