The Error Of Churchianity

Some Christians "play" church and go through the motions of worship and never go for the right reason--to worship God--they say, "I didn't get much out of worship today!" (maybe they should concentrate on what they put into it). God condemns us for having worship without our heart in it or hypocritical worship, this is just "memorizing the dance of the pious." A real hypocrite (hypocrite means wearing a mask, or acting in a play) is not one who falls short of his ideals, but one who uses religion as a cover-up and knows he is insincere.

The theme of Psalms is Ps. 29:2, "Ascribe the Lord the glory due to His name, worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness." Deut. 17 condemns insincere and dishonest worship or sacrifice. Amaziah (cf. 2 Chron. 25:2) was known for doing the will of the Lord, but not with a true heart.

Someone has said that there are 4 persons that we show: The one God sees; the one you see; the one the world sees; and the one your intimate friends see. Let's be careful not to just have a "public persona" and parade our spirituality or piety. Worship should be a delight and our feelings should be in it (or we are blaspheming God--like doing it as a "duty" not because we want to) as the command "Delight yourself in the Lord..." says. In summary: Psa. 84:1 says, "My soul longs, even faints, for the courts of the Lord" and Psa. 122:1 says, "I was glad when they said unto me, 'Let us go into the house of the Lord.'"

We can worship or be edified in a "crowd," but we need to function in a local body of believers with our spiritual gift. Rick Warren says that there is no "one-size-fits-all" for worship and there are many ways to worship. He says we believe, we belong, we become. We are to be committed to our church as a token of our commitment to Christ--they go hand in hand--and then we will grow and be accountable.

I can't stand the legalistic crowd that goes to church thinking that will make them a Christian, like going into a garage will make you a car, or eating a donut will make you a cop. They are called the "nod-to-God" crowd, that thinks it is fulfilling its obligation by a short visit to the local church, just out of guilt. The true Christian wants to worship God and wants to fellowship with other believers with whom he is a "fellow in the same ship."

I think some megachurches miss the boat in worship, you just don't hear people say, "Amen" to the preacher (where is the worship in the Spirit and in the truth?). But different people are at different stages and God has a purpose for their existence--mega-churches aren't where I'm at, because I want to know my pastor personally, not just from afar.

Some think their religious performance is enough to save them. To some, it's only a formality and not a relationship. John MacArthur says, "We can't enter through our religious emotion or our sanctified feelings...Lip service is no good--there must be obedience...You don't get into the kingdom by sincerity, by religiosity, by reformation, by kindness, by service to the church, not even by simply naming the name of Christ; you get there only by personal trust and faith in [the person and work of] Christ." We can have a form of godliness and be empty. The church at Sardis had a reputation that it was alive, yet it was dead (see Rev. 3:1). We can even have "sanctimonious emotions" and not know Christ. There is a difference between knowing the Word and knowing the Author of the Word.

We can have many experiences in church and everyone has a different one, but I believe we should test our experiences by the Word of God and not the Word of God by our experiences. That's an important concept--we are not to become either rationalists nor empiricists (going by reason or experience only), but belief in the Bible (revelation) and sound teaching.

The more we learn the more we realize where the wiggle room is and what is not worth fighting about. We are to "maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." Sectarianism is a sin according to 1 Cor. 1, and we shouldn't divide into factions if we can help it.  As Augustine said, "In essentials, unity; in nonessentials, liberty; in all things, charity."   Soli Deo Gloria!

The Gift Of Faith

This is an issue that separates theologians and some call it a doctrine that divides. If you believe faith is a work, then you are saved by works. If you believe faith is a gift, then you are saved by the grace of God. Titus 3:5,7 says we are "saved by grace." Faith is not something we conjure up, but it is bestowed on us through the preaching of the Word. "Faith comes by hearing and by hearing of the Word of God" (Rom. 10:17). Regeneration actually precedes faith according to John Piper and John Orr. If we could believe without regeneration, what good is it? The Spirit is like the wind that blows where it wills. "For by grace are you saved by faith, and that (the complete deal) not of yourselves, it is the gift of God..." (Eph. 2:8-9).

We don't psych ourselves up for faith, and we don't catch it like an illness from others, we don't conjure it up--it comes directly from the Holy Spirit who quickens faith within us. He overcomes our hardened heart and reluctance to believe. God has the ability to cause us to do something willingly in His omnipotence. Some, on the other hand, have made faith into a meritorious work, and denies that there is any such "gift." What else could it be, a work? Are we saved by grace or works, then?

Some pertinent verses are as follows for meditation:

"For you have believed through grace..." (Acts 18:27). "...To those who have obtained like precious faith..." (2 Pet. 1:1). "For it has been granted unto you ... to believe in Him..." (Phil. 1:29). "Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ HAS BEEN born of God..." (1 John 5:1 ESV). Nota bene that this is the past tense indicating that regeneration precedes faith. "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him..." (John 6:29). "God ... opened the door of faith to the Gentiles..." (Acts 14:27). "God opened Lydia's heart to pay attention to Paul..." (Acts 16:14). "What do you have that you didn't receive?"
(1 Cor. 4:7).

Faith is our act (God doesn't have faith), but it is God's work. Soli Deo Gloria. God gets all the glory, and we have nothing to boast of. It isn't our virtue nor our wisdom, but God's. God is no man's debtor and isn't obligated to save anyone. It is grace that He saves anyone. God works all things "according to the pleasure of His will." "We are the clay, He is the potter" (See Isaiah 64:8).lSoli Deo Gloria!

What About Repentance?

First, let me define the term. It comes from the Greek metanoia which means to "think after," "after-thought," or to "change one's mind." Actually, it means to do a 180-degree turn or to do an about-face in military parlance. It is repudiating and renouncing sin; not doing it partway. It is not mere emotionalism but involves the mind or intellect, the will, and the emotions. It is the gift of God (cf. Acts 5:31; 11:18) and is a fruit of saving faith, not a condition for salvation; Reformed theologians do not believe we can do anything to prepare ourselves for salvation, because we are depraved people who cannot do anything meritorious. A dead man can do nothing! This U-turn or turnabout is a radical change of heart, mind, and will.

It is not a one-time event but is progressive and one is never through repenting as far as God sees it--it is progressive. It is not mere remorse, self-condemnation, regret, or feeling sorry, for Judas had these--it must be accompanied by saving faith. It is more than eating humble pie--it is coming clean with God. Surrender to the Lordship of Christ is implied and there can be no real repentance without it--there must be submission to the Lord's will and absolute surrender.

John the Baptist heralded Christ's coming with the message, "Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand." This is also the first message Christ proclaimed. Repentance is a recurring motif in the Scriptures. "Unless you repent, you shall likewise perish," Christ warned. Ezek. 18:30 says, "Repent and turn from all your transgressions, so that iniquity will not be your ruin." "And the times of ignorance God winked at, but now commands all men everywhere to repent" (Acts 17:30). "Repent, and be baptized every one of you...for the remission of sins" (Acts 2:38). Many see repentance as the prerequisite of salvation and the starting point. We must see our sin, our need, and then Christ can fill that need.

Faith and repentance are linked in Acts 20:21, which mentions "repentance toward God and faith in Jesus Christ." It is clear that repentance is a mandate. It is in the imperative case and everyone has to do it. Some say that the righteous have no need of repentance, but they are righteous because they have already repented or demonstrated saving faith. Spurious repentance or pseudo-repentance is like a child that just wants to be good enough not to be whipped (being sorry about the consequence not that he offended someone).

The Catholic Bible (Vulgate) translates "repentance" as "doing penance." They view it as a meritorious work and externalize it, and not as the gracious work of God in a person's heart. We do works fit for repentance, but repentance is an attitude that God grants us. "If perchance God may grant them repentance..." (2 Tim. 2:25). Acts 5:31 and 11:18 talk of God "granting repentance." There is no genuine repentance without saving faith, and likewise, no saving faith without genuine repentance according to Billy Graham; for they are complementary and go hand in hand. Repentance is the flip side of the coin of faith.

One must either have believing repentance or penitent faith, so to speak, as John Piper and Wayne Grudem phrase it. True repentance manifests itself in works that are appropriate (bringing forth fruit worthy of repentance), and I don't mean doing so many "Hail Mary's" or "Our Father's." Restitution or reconciliation is often called for, but to be sure we must see our sin as God sees it and that it is an offense against His holiness. (Confession (homologeo) means to "say the same thing as.)

Many preachers today do not preach repentance because it is such a killjoy word, and they want to tickle the ears of the church members. People listen to what their itching ears want to hear, and this is unpopular. Without repentance, there is no salvation, but God grants repentance in His grace. False repentance is attrition or simply regret.

Contrition is when we are truly sorry and don't intend to do it again. Judas was sorry and Esau was sorry, but they found no repentance. Whereas Peter was truly sorry for having denied the Lord and did find repentance and a change of heart, and thus forgiveness and restoration. Peter sincerely believed in the Lord--that is the difference. He believed the Lord could forgive him and never despaired.

In sum, saving faith is the flip side of true repentance--they go hand in hand; often it's not how big your faith but how thorough your repentance. (They are forever juxtaposed in Scripture in Acts 20:21) Soli Deo Gloria!

We Have A Dark Side

Mark Twain is quoted by Charles R. Swindoll as saying that we are all like a moon that has a dark side no one sees. This is true. We all have "feet of clay" and are vulnerable to sin because of our very nature. We cannot clean up our act before we can come to Jesus; we must come as we are, but we cannot stay that way.

We must see how bad we are before we can become good. It's not how bad we are, but how bad off we are. It is like the distance of a deaf man to a symphony or a blind man to the Mona Lisa. We cannot bridge the gap. Jesus sees through the veneer and we cannot fool him.

Humanists think mankind is basically good, but we an inherently bad. You must realize that we are not sinners because we sin, rather we sin because we are sinners. It is our constituted nature to sin. We can deal with sins in the plural, but our problem is sin in the singular--our old sin nature inherited from Adam. This is God's estimation of man, not man's estimation of man.

The totality of our nature is permeated with sin and our image of God is marred and defaced morally. "No one knows how bad he is until he has tried to be good," says C. S. Lewis as in a catch-22. The paradox is that we must see our bankruptcy--the truly bad person thinks he is all right! And Lewis adds, "We must realize how bad we are before we can be good." The way up, by paradox, is down.

We are sinful in toto and in solidarity with Adam completely. Someone has said, "We cannot escape our birthright." We cannot ingratiate ourselves with God, because we "have feet of clay." That means we have hidden vulnerabilities. We are permeated with sin through and through--there is no vestige of righteousness.

R. C. Sproul writes of a man who never lost his faith in the basic goodness of man despite being held captive in Iraq--this is sheer ignorance! Compared to Saddam Hussein the run-of-the-mill sinner looks like a saint; however, he is just as bad off from God's viewpoint and they both must come to Jesus the same way in childlike repentance and faith. Soli Deo Gloria!

Are Works Imperative?

There is a grand distinction between religion and Christianity: works out of a pure motive and not for applause; i.e., to ingratiate oneself or get brownie points with a deity. Christians are not "do-gooders" per se but do good deeds because they want to, not because they have to. The key is not "in order to" but "therefore." Good works logically follow a changed life, through which Christ lives. We are not saved by good works neither without them! We're not saved by good works but unto good works! (cf. Eph. 2:10). In a works religion, you never know how much is enough! Since salvation is a gift only in Christianity, the person is free to do good out of gratitude.

"...Set an example of good works yourself..." (Tit. 2:7).
Americans have fallen prey to the misconception that achieving the "American dream" is the ideal and living the "good life" is a "salvation." God requires perfection so any attempt to earn our way is in vain--we need grace and heaven is that gift which is by faith alone, but only a living faith.

Some misguided souls subscribe to the credo that since salvation is by grace alone works aren't necessary (we say that grace is necessary and sufficient and that faith is a gift according to Rom. 12:3; Acts 18:27; 2 Pet. 1:1: John 6:29; Phil 1:29; Acts 14:27). The Reformed doctrine is that salvation is "by faith alone, but not by a faith that is alone." Works equaling salvation is the essence of religion and mixing works with faith for salvation is legalism. The prevalent view that grace is both necessary and sufficient--there's no place for merit) without any evidence will suffice is erroneous. This is known as Antinomianism or "no-lordship salvation."

Nota bene that if you don't have good works to "work out" or a spiritual workout (cf. Phil. 2:12) your salvation is suspect. The kind of works I am referring to is good deeds--not works of the law. We are not saved by works; but not without them either--but unto works! Works prove, validate, and authenticate, faith to others, God, as well as yourself (cf. Isa. 32:17); but are not the substitute for it. We must put our faith into action--as James would say, "The faith you have is the faith you show."

There is no irreconcilable difference between Paul and James; they saw two vantage points: Paul was dealing with those who couldn't do enough and thought the law was necessary; James was dealing with "do-nothing" libertines. Paul would say, "I'll show you my works." James would counter, "I'll show you my faith." Paul talked about being "rich in faith" (1 Tim. 6:18). James talked about being "rich in deeds" (James 2:5). James says, "But someone will say, 'You have faith, I have deeds,' Show me your faith without deeds and I will show you my faith by what I do" (James 2:18).

Faith doesn't have a dormant or inert stage; it can't be left in mothballs! Faith and works are distinguished, but cannot be separated. Faith without works is dead (James 2:17, 26).

Our works will be judged (for reward) not our faith since faith is a gift (cf. Rom. 12:3)! We are judged according to our works, not our faith (cf. Romans 2:6; Prov. 24:12; Psalm 62:12) "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ" the Bema or tribunal) (1 Cor. 3:15; 2 Cor. 5:10). "[God] 'will reward each according to what he has done'" (Rom. 2:6). Our works have to do with our testimony (Matt. 5:16; Tit. 1:16, 2:14)--"By their works they deny Him." We are to be a people "zealous of good works". We are to be "thoroughly furnished unto all good works" and "are created unto good works" (2 Tim. 3:17; Eph. 2:10).

It is important that we give glory to God (Soli Deo Gloria). "I will not venture to boast of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me" (Rom. 15:18). Jesus said, "Apart from me you can do nothing, " (cf. John 15:5). Isa. 26:12 reads, "All that we have accomplished you have done for us." The reason God blesses us is so that we can bear fruit (cf. 2 Cor. 9:8). No fruit means no faith. We are known by our fruits. We are commanded to do good works (Gal. 6:10; Phil. 2:12). Most of all the importance of it all is summed up: "Bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God" (Col. 1:10) [Note how they are correlated.]

NB: WE ARE NOT SAVED BY WORKS, NOR WITHOUT THEM EITHER. WORKS VALIDATE FAITH AND WITHOUT THEM OUR FAITH IS SUSPECT! Soli Deo Gloria!

Wherefore Art Thou, My God?

"God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us" (Acts 17:27, NIV).
 "Truly you are a God who has been hiding himself..." (Isa. 45:15, NIV).
"Oh, that I knew where I might find him..." (Job 23:3, NIV).

"I am sought of them that asked not for me, I am found of them that sought me not..." (cf. Isaiah 65:1). 

Paul reminded the Athenians that God isn't far from any one of us (cf. Acts 17:27)!  The whole message of Christianity is that we can actually find God!  Job thought he lost God and despaired where he was: "O, that I knew where I might find Him."  God is not hiding, He just wants us to search earnestly and sincerely.  God is no man's debtor and will authenticate Himself to us for seeking Him. Pascal wondered this very point:  What we see is not the manifest presence nor total absence of God, but the presence of a hidden God.

God doesn't want to be so obvious that it takes no faith to see Him, but there is enough light if one chooses to see, and enough darkness to keep the stubborn and rebellious blinded.  There is always enough evidence for the willing, or never enough evidence for the unwilling. No one can claim ignorance due to lack of evidence, for the heavens declare the glory of God; no one has an excuse in God's view. 

The doctrine of the immensity of God and the omnipresence shows that God is wholly present everywhere!  He says, "...' I live in a high and holy place, but also with the one who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite'"(Isa. 57:15, NIV).  When God seems distant or MIA it is not His fault, but ours:  He didn't move; we did!  Recall how God asked Adam as an analogy: "Where are you, Adam?"  This is where walking with Christ matters, to keep in touch with the Almighty on an intimate basis.

It is a fact that God tests us by removing some of the sense of His presence as He did to Hezekiah to see what was really on his heart (2 Chron. 32:31).  Our faith must be tested by fire!  (Cf. 1 Pet. 1:7). The measure of our faith is not our ecstasies or experiences, but our obedience!  Abraham by faith obeyed!  Dietrich Bonhoeffer's famous dictum is pertinent:  "Only he who believes is obedient; only he who is obedient believes."

Christianity, in essence, isn't just about believing in God, but God in us and about the God who is there!  As Francis Schaeffer wrote:  "He is there and He is not silent."  That's why we must maintain our dialog and communication link open to become intimate and near to God as our Father.  We are never alone if God is with us!  We have not lost all if God is in us!  We must examine ourselves to see if Jesus is indeed in us (cf. 2 Cor. 13:5)!

And so God is transcendent, ubiquitous, and immanent:  He is both above and beyond as well as near to every one of us.  It's not about a galactic address but a spiritual realm or domain we cannot see.  The reason is that He is not defined, bound, or confined by space, for He cannot be limited by the time-space continuum that He created.   In a sense, God is extra-dimensional!  However, we can enter His presence in the privilege of prayer!    Soli Deo Gloria! 

What Is Salvation?

Salvation is literally being rescued from a calamitous, dangerous, threatening condition; namely in our case, hell and the wrath of God.  If you ask the man on the street if he's saved, he might inquire:  Saved from what?  The term is loosely used and misused to even mean being "saved by the bell" in boxing matches.  This concept is important because that's the meat and potatoes of Christianity:  salvation from self, sin, Satan's power, and hell.  Our faith is one of salvation and the saviorhood of Jesus must be made manifest front and center as the focus of our faith.  The actual, literal interpretation of the name Jesus means "Jehovah is salvation."  He was named Jesus because He was ordained to save His people from their sins. 

Now we must not neglect such great salvation and realize its implications!   He saved us; He did.  He keeps us; He does.  He's coming for us; He will.  And so it's more than mere forgiveness!  We are set free from the power of Satan and sin over our lives; we don't have permission to live in the flesh, but the power to live in the Spirit.  Our past is indeed forgiven (in fact, all our sins, past, present, and future); our present is given meaning, and the future is secured and given hope. Only in Christianity are we given dignity and meaning in life that has objective as well as subjective foundations.

We must never contextualize, water down, or dumb down the gospel message but realize that the bad news of universal sin and total depravity must also be preached--not just the good news about Jesus rising from the dead.  Jesus came to seek and to save those who are lost and the sinner, not the righteous.  There is a danger of preaching easy-believism or cheap grace that justifies the sin, not the sinner too. Lordship issues must not be glossed over!   We don't add to grace either:  grace is not only necessary, as Catholics will acknowledge, but sufficient!  We are saved wholly by grace and not by our merit--we don't deserve it, cannot earn it, nor can we pay it back, nor can we add to it!

The essence of the gospel is that "salvation is of the LORD," according to Jonah 2:9.  This means that we don't have to cooperate or contribute our human do-goodery or good conduct as a presalvation work or merit.  Nothing we can do can make us fit for salvation!  The only way we can be assured of our salvation is that it wholly depends on God, not on us.  If we had to do anything, we'd fail!  Therefore, it's not Jesus plus (plus going to church, plus doing good deeds, plus charity, plus preaching, or even plus prophesying or doing any miracle).  Jesus alone saves, not faith--it's the object that saves (Jesus alone is the Savior)!

Much confusion arises in understanding this because of the tenses and times of salvation:  we are saved, are being saved, and shall be saved!  As for the timing:  It all began in eternity past, is realized in time, and looks forward to heaven.  The formula of the Reformers was that we are saved by faith alone, but not a faith that is alone (God's grace is the source, Christ the means, and faith the channel). If we have no works to validate our faith, it's suspect.  Therefore, we are not saved by good conduct nor by good works either, but unto them.  As they say, we're not saved by good works, but not without them either! 

In sum, we get saved by recognizing our sin, realizing Christ's death and resurrection on our behalf, and repenting of our sin and finally, receiving Christ as our Lord and Savior.  As a result, we get the power to live in the Spirit and conquer sin, a new purpose in life, pardon of all our sins (known and unknown), and even the peace of God which surpasses understanding.    Soli Deo Gloria!  

Giving Too Much Credit To Providence

"I have lived a long time and the longer I live the more I see that God governs in the affairs of men." (Benjamin Franklin).  

We should attribute everything that happens in the world to Providence; however, this is to say that God is always completely sovereign.  He rules the nations, which are but a drop in the bucket and is in control over every last atom in the cosmos--there are no rebellious, maverick molecules!  God is in control of all things small and great and His sovereignty isn't limited by our freedom!  But technically speaking, Providence refers not only to the guidance of the believer's life but the governing, concurrence, and sustaining of creation, election refers to his sovereign salvation and predestination refers to the way God manipulates his salvation to bring him to faith and repentance.

The unbeliever cannot claim God's blessings is guiding him to victory.  God does indeed step into history and intervene; He's not just a spectator or onlooker either!  He is actively involved and nothing is too small to overlook or too great to overpower Him.  To be sovereign you have to be almighty and omniscient.  It would be pathetic if God were all-wise and had not the power to bring about His purposes, and it would be horrific if He were all-powerful and not wise enough to implement it according to a good end.  But we can be assured that God is good and will accomplish His purposes in the end.  It's just like Aslan the lion, in The Chronicles of Narnia (The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S.Lewis), (a type of Christ) who said, "'Course, [He] isn't safe," said, Mr. Beaver.  "But [H]e's good...."

The danger we face today is some religious zealots are about to claim that our president was elected by a special act of blessing or Providence!  Would they go so far as to say that Clinton was also elected by Providence, even Obama?  As a matter of fact, God does raise men up: to punish as well as to bless!  But no, they want to single out one president and make him the object of special anointing to save our nation as God's man for president, not king.

I do believe God put President Trump in office for a purpose and according to God's wisdom, but that doesn't mean he's a messiah figure or on a special mission from God! In his case, we should concur that the jury is still out and history will judge: we cannot know whether he's on the right side of it or not!  People who make claims like this don't see the big picture and don't realize that a complete reversal could happen next election and that history may judge our president in a different light that we don't see now.

In the final analysis, Providence is God's answer to happenstance and we must realize that everything from the tossing of the die to the king's heart is in God's control and we must deny the possibility of blind fate, dumb luck, and blind fortune!  There are no impersonal forces at play!  Yes, we can say with faith that we will let the chips fall where they may and that God is in control!   Nothing can happen without God's permission and we have peace when the chips are down and through thick and thin!  What we see taking place is that God clearly orchestrates all history and it will be culminated in a conclusion according to His design, plan, and intentions.    NB:  Wycliffe's tenet is a word to the wise:  "All things come to pass by necessity."    Soli Deo Gloria!

Have You Rejected Christ?

"Sin is the refusal of the love of others." (Karl Menninger, M.D.). 

We like to think of ourselves in the best light:  We like to look down on those who are ignorant and going astray and don't see the light.  But we have nothing to brag about that God didn't give us and He is the One who made us different. "Who makes you to differ?"   We once rejected Christ and were in the same boat, without hope, and without God in the world like the rest!  It has been documented that the average Christian has rejected Christ an average of 7.6 times before coming to a saving knowledge and faith in Christ.  God's grace is inexhaustible and gives us a second chance.  And this proves that rejecting Christ is not unforgivable and not the unforgivable sin.  At one time we were in the same boat of rebellion from God.

We are no better than the unbeliever who doesn't know Christ, neither wiser, more loving, nor more intelligent.  It was by grace that we came to know Christ, not our own doing.   We are not saved by feeling (that would be emotionalism), nor by knowledge (that would be Gnosticism or intellectualism), nor by obeying the rules (that would be legalism).  We cannot be saved by mysticism or having a backchannel with God that others don't either!  We all must approach the throne of grace on the same ground and position of unworthiness and humility.

We all tend to condemn the fickle crowd that demanded Christ's crucifixion, but we would've done the same thing had our hopes been shattered like that (from the triumphal entry to the repugnant trial unbecoming the King).  But it can be assumed that many of these souls became penitent upon the hearing of the gospel at Pentecost and were among the 3,000 saved.  Peter committed a heinous sin by denying Christ so vociferously and even to the point of using profanity and sacrificing his personal dignity and heritage, but he was restored to fellowship afterward by an understanding Savior who knew that Peter really loved Him and only his faith had failed.  NB:   What made Peter different from Judas was his love for the Lord and his contrition and willingness to believe he could be forgiven.

The lesson to be learned is that we shouldn't be surprised if we are rejected for preaching the gospel or being a witness to me--they will not accept us either!  This is what carrying the cross is about--what difference being a Christian meant and what we had to endure because of it.  If we realized how many times we rejected Christ we would be all the more patient with others and give them a break.  This is because some sow, some, water, and some reap, but only God gives the growth of the seed planted which is the Word of God. Just bear in mind, that they are not rejecting us, but Christ whom we represent as ambassadors in His cause.

The bottom line is that we are no better than anyone else and shouldn't despise or look down on anyone but only pray that God opens the door of faith leading to a knowledge of the truth and open their eyes!        Soli Deo Gloria!

The Purpose Of Prayer...

In short, the purpose of prayer is prayer!  We don't pray to achieve our will, but God's will; not to incline God to our way of thinking or to get His approbation of our plans, but to seek to align our wills with His and to straighten out our thinking by seeing His side and coming around to His way of thinking.  It has been said that it's better to have a heart for prayer and to be compassionate than to be articulate in doing so without proper feeling.  We don't come to God with our plans, but seek His plan--and He has no Plan B!  God needs no backup plan.  God will achieve His will, with or without our cooperation and input.  A successful prayer doesn't change God, for He cannot change, but changes us!  Your prayer is answered when you feel transformed and make "contact" so to speak!

We are thus transformed by a personal encounter with the Almighty in the throne room of grace.  We have this awesome privilege, yet rarely fully realize the potential, though the Holy Spirit will put our feeble prayers and words into articulate ones fit for God.  Hence, we can be ourselves in prayer and shouldn't try to be what we aren't--we should pray as we feel wont to do and let the Holy Spirit aid in our weakness.  We all have flaws and need to realize our unworthiness in coming to God and how grace makes it all possible.  And so, the successful prayer reaches out to God's will and seeks it to apply to our needs as well as those of others in the neglected ministry of intercession.

We pray to engage in an ongoing fellowship with God the Father in the name of Jesus the Son, in the power of the Holy Spirit, but it isn't necessary to be impeccably correct in our doctrine of prayer to be effectual or heard, but if we seek the truth this is what the Bible teaches--it doesn't really matter what we think, but what is taught; however, some prayer warriors do not have a doctrine on prayer at all, but just pray!  The assumption of fellowship is no unconfessed sin:  "If I had cherished iniquity in my heart the Lord would not have listened," (Psa. 66:18, ESV).

The best way to accomplish this is by keeping short accounts with God and not let the sin list accumulate--confess instantly upon conviction and you'll find the closer you get to God, the more conscious of sin!   Not knowing etiquette or procedure doesn't render the prayer ineffectual; however, at the most, it's ignorant but God does still hear it.  God would have us not unaware!  The whole purpose of praying constantly in the Spirit is to stay in touch with God in fellowship and open dialogue.

We ought to be so comfortable and natural in prayer that this is the first place we go, not the last resort!  As they say, when we can't stand life, we kneel!  Our trials are meant to keep us on our knees!  A noble goal is to stay in fellowship with God the Father continually no matter our activity, which is called the practice of the presence of God (per Brother Lawrence, a seventeenth-century Carmelite monk in a monastery). When we realize the potential of the purpose of prayer we can always know we have a friend in Jesus to talk to and someone to sympathize with our weaknesses.  All because He knows that our spirit is willing but our flesh is weak!

Note that the person who doesn't pray has no advantage over the person who can't pray.  We must never feel out of our league or that our anemic prayers aren't getting through!  We all start somewhere and must grow in prayer like a muscle that needs exercise that atrophies without usage but strong as one communes with the Almighty in more and more intimacy.

We must not feel that we have to get our way all the time or our will done and that it's only a matter of faith.  God is only doing the right thing by rejecting some of our prayers because He is wise and is doing what's best for us.  If we only got our way all the time we would foul up our life! We will all thank God for Providence that knows what's best for us!  We must not lose faith that both the efficacy of prayer and the providence of God are both biblical and God has ordained the means to His will as to be accomplished through prayer.  The Greeks sages used to say that when the gods were angry they answered their prayers!

NB:  There are conditions to prayer, such as being in Christ's name, believing, and done according to God's will: God doesn't give us a blank check or carte blanche!  We can celebrate that God condescends to our level and knows our needs and cares enough to promise to meet them. What needs?   God has promised that He will give us everything we need to accomplish His will, and this is the bottom line.

Finally, prayer isn't complete and finished until we have come to the point of relinquishment or full surrender to His will. The greatest prayer is "Thy will be done!"   Even Jesus had to decide whether He was going to go according to His will or the Father's in the agony of Gethsemane.  We all must come to that point of decision, which is not a one-time venture but an ongoing commitment to live for Christ.  We are constantly renewing our relationship, fellowship, and commitment to Christ.   Soli Deo Gloria!