The comments below apply to Chapter 16 of Batsell Barrett Baxter's book, The Family of God, and they are supplemented with material from James M. Tolle's book, Prayer. Chapter 16 of The Family of God is about prayer as a part of Christian worship.
Tolle identifies a practice of the early church in the New Testament that he calls social prayer. The setting might or might not be a worship assembly, but anywhere Christians are together. We can see it in Acts 2:42. It is public or group prayer that helped define the relationship among the Christians.
Tolle says that social prayer can help with resolving conflicts among brethren, can help the group in emergencies or special occasions, and can become a characteristic of the group just as togetherness in prayer marked the early church. The early Christians each presented the interests of all the brethren, Tolle says, and they considered all of those interests their own.
If the church today uses social prayer as a way of approaching things, Tolle says it would increase the "fighting power" of the church, give us strength to meet every emergency, and lead to growth in love and fellowship.
Prayer in worship is something that Tolle finds to be an integral part of the spiritual welfare and development of Christians and a necessary ingredient for harmony and unity in the church. Leading public prayer is important work, a weighty responsibility.
Tolle suggests that prayer leaders speak audibly and clearly; offer prayers to God, not as sermons, even though they are to be heard by everyone; avoid vain repetition, which means to be careful about anything that is repeated over and over or inserted to fill time; avoid trite words and expressions, which tend to attract atention to themselves rather than to the actual request; and be sincere and natural. We should think about what we are doing and use our words rather than "aping" someone else. We are directing hearts and minds, not proving how much we know, not proving how capable we are in expressing ourselves, not being less than our best self. We try to offer prayers of good understanding.
In our lesson from Baxter, we looked at some things the disciples learned from Christ about prayer. He said not to pray like the hyprocrites, to be seen praying by lots of people. He said not to use vain repetition, because such mindlesss practices were abundant in pagan religion both then and before then. He modeled a prayer for both physical and spiritual needs. His prayer was simple. It was direct, specific, and vivid. It was addressed to God, and it included a good measure of praise to God.
There are several lessons about prayer contained in James 5:13-18. When James writes, "let him pray," he suggests the importance of individual prayer. But, he also says, "let them pray," showing that united or group prayer has significance. He mentions the prayer of faith, which denotes believing prayer that is prayed in faith. He depicts the Christians praying for one another, which upholds the concept of intercessory prayer. He mentions effective, fervent prayer, showing that a Christian should pursue his or her requests to God with some effort. He discusses Elijah praying for no rain, then for rain, which points to specific prayer. Finally, he demonstrates that Elijah prayed more than once about this Old Testament event, thus highlighting the need for repeated or habitual prayer.
If we can combine these and other lessons on prayer and work them all into our worship assembly, we will have a mighty force working for us as a congregation. The public prayer life of the congregation is fed and supported by the individual prayer lives of the members. That should cause us to ask the challenging question, "How are my prayers contributing to the life of my congregation?"
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Worship - The Prayer of Faith
The following notes apply to Chapter 16 of Batsell Barrett Baxter's book, The Family of God. This chapter covers prayer as a part of Christian worship.
If we took an empty blackboard and started a list of things we want to be sure to do in worship, speaking to our Creator to express our thoughts and feelings seems like an indispensable element. The New Testament is filled with examples of Christians praying in the worship assembly and at other times. Therefore, we know there is something important about it.
Baxter mentions that in worship, Christians are inspired and encouraged to do the things the Lord wants done. If we think about the things Jesus asked His followers to do, prayer is certainly on the list. Baxter adds that prayer is essential to Christian living, even though some Christians do not make use of prayer as God intended. He says that maybe some people have not been taught to pray. We want to worship God fully, and we search for a basis for prayer in our lives. It makes us think about how we are taught at home and how valuable it is to see the example of our parents and know that they believe in prayer.
Several examples in our lesson show that Jesus believed in prayer. Right up to His time on the cross, he prayed often and with purpose. Jesus' followers believed in prayer. Mary believed in prayer. The early church members believed in prayer and got the church started in a prayerful manner. Then they continued steadfastly in the apostles' teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread and prayers (Acts 2:42).
Baxter calls attention to the fact that mature adult men who were followers of Jesus, after a full life of religious teaching in the Old Testament law, would ask Jesus to teach them how to pray. Jesus then told them what not to do (Matthew 6:5-8) and some things they could do (6:9-13, the model prayer). From that example, Baxter notes in particular that Jesus' prayer was rather short but still covered both physical and spiritual needs. It was simple and direct, specific and vivid, not vague and indefinite. It was addressed to God, and its simplicity gave it beauty and power.
Several characteristics of prayer for Christians become evident. Prayers should be addressed to God through Christ. They should contain both praise to God and thanksgiving. They should include confession of sins and requests for forgiveness. Also, they should include requests to God for things we need, be they spiritual or physical.
Prayers should be prayed in faith. They should be prayed by someone who is obedient to God. They should be prayed with the understanding that God's will is the most important thing.
A passage in James 5 is filled with information about effective prayer. From it we can see that individual prayer is important, as well as united prayer. Believing prayer is needed. Prayer that intercedes for others is important. Prayer that is intense or fervent, specific, and repeated in more than one session are effective.
Finally, Baxter deals with questions about whether prayers are answered. If someone studied Christ, the apostles, and the Lord's church in the Bible, they would come away with rock solid assurance that prayers are answered. Baxter uses a really good phrase to describe the effect of prayer, saying that God has promised that when faithful Christians pray, things will happen that otherwise would not have happened. This helps us to see how, in God's infinite wisdom, He doesn't always send a "yes" answer, but He answers every prayer.
If we took an empty blackboard and started a list of things we want to be sure to do in worship, speaking to our Creator to express our thoughts and feelings seems like an indispensable element. The New Testament is filled with examples of Christians praying in the worship assembly and at other times. Therefore, we know there is something important about it.
Baxter mentions that in worship, Christians are inspired and encouraged to do the things the Lord wants done. If we think about the things Jesus asked His followers to do, prayer is certainly on the list. Baxter adds that prayer is essential to Christian living, even though some Christians do not make use of prayer as God intended. He says that maybe some people have not been taught to pray. We want to worship God fully, and we search for a basis for prayer in our lives. It makes us think about how we are taught at home and how valuable it is to see the example of our parents and know that they believe in prayer.
Several examples in our lesson show that Jesus believed in prayer. Right up to His time on the cross, he prayed often and with purpose. Jesus' followers believed in prayer. Mary believed in prayer. The early church members believed in prayer and got the church started in a prayerful manner. Then they continued steadfastly in the apostles' teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread and prayers (Acts 2:42).
Baxter calls attention to the fact that mature adult men who were followers of Jesus, after a full life of religious teaching in the Old Testament law, would ask Jesus to teach them how to pray. Jesus then told them what not to do (Matthew 6:5-8) and some things they could do (6:9-13, the model prayer). From that example, Baxter notes in particular that Jesus' prayer was rather short but still covered both physical and spiritual needs. It was simple and direct, specific and vivid, not vague and indefinite. It was addressed to God, and its simplicity gave it beauty and power.
Several characteristics of prayer for Christians become evident. Prayers should be addressed to God through Christ. They should contain both praise to God and thanksgiving. They should include confession of sins and requests for forgiveness. Also, they should include requests to God for things we need, be they spiritual or physical.
Prayers should be prayed in faith. They should be prayed by someone who is obedient to God. They should be prayed with the understanding that God's will is the most important thing.
A passage in James 5 is filled with information about effective prayer. From it we can see that individual prayer is important, as well as united prayer. Believing prayer is needed. Prayer that intercedes for others is important. Prayer that is intense or fervent, specific, and repeated in more than one session are effective.
Finally, Baxter deals with questions about whether prayers are answered. If someone studied Christ, the apostles, and the Lord's church in the Bible, they would come away with rock solid assurance that prayers are answered. Baxter uses a really good phrase to describe the effect of prayer, saying that God has promised that when faithful Christians pray, things will happen that otherwise would not have happened. This helps us to see how, in God's infinite wisdom, He doesn't always send a "yes" answer, but He answers every prayer.
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Worship - Listening to God
The following comments apply to Chapter 15 of Batsell Barrett Baxter's book, The Family of God. This is the first of five chapters devoted to the individual "acts of worship" or things we do in Christian worship.
Among the numerous things that Jesus is known for, one of the more enigmatic occurs when he is telling a parable and tacks on the statement, "He who has ears, let him hear." Matthew 11:15 and 13:9 are two examples. In these teaching situations, one can imagine the questions in the minds of Jesus' followers: Who is this message intended for? Some people say that Jesus is trying to be as all-inclusive as possible by creating a category of those with ears.
Most scholars agree that the Lord's intent is to show that spiritually minded people will understand the spiritual message in His sayings--especially the parables--while those with worldly minds, who figuratively speaking can be said to have no ears with which to hear the spiritual truths, would not understand the message but would see only the surface story in a parable, because they are not tuned into the moral value.
Local newspapers sometimes ask the poll question, "If you could have dinner with anyone in the world, who would it be?" I've seen several responses indicating that people would really give up a lot to spend time with Jesus. What a shame it would be for those who were fortunate enough to be in the presence of Jesus, if they turned out to be the ones who "didn't have ears," and could not understand His teaching due to shallowness or worldliness.
Baxter says the same thing happened when Robert Fulton tried to describe his idea for the steamboat to Napoleon. He got only two minutes to make his pitch, and Napoleon was not intererested. Napoleon might have had significant victories if only he had listened and understood what Fulton was trying to tell him.
So it is with this first element of Christian worship. God's message is taught and heard as part of our worship. Everyone has a part in it, even though only one person is doing the speaking. Having ears for spiritual things, we listen and absorb something that God wants us to know, and that in turn provides us with a blessing that extends through the week and beyond.
Baxter points out that this teaching is different from the other elements of worship. Singing, praying, participating in the Lord's Supper, and giving of our means are all from us to God. The message is from God to us. So, if we count the worship acts on the fingers of one hand, we might want to make the thumb represent preaching, because it is a good bit different than the four fingers.
This one element takes up a large portion of the worship time. For that reason, among others, we need to know and remember that each of us has an active role in that act of worship where the message is presented.
Some day you might be explaining to someone how to be saved, and you would tell the person that it all starts with hearing the message of Christ. We should be thankful that hearing the message doesn't stop after it is first accomplished. It goes on and on, and there is much more to be heard as we become a member of the church and begin each week in worship.
I remember as a child getting pretty excited about collecting trading cards. We had cards with baseball and football players, cards with elephant jokes, and even cards with Civil War scenes. As we mature, we try to put more meaningful things in our lives. Some people try to remember as much as they can from each sermon. Let's all hope that we can get as excited about hearing biblical messages as we used to get when we bought a pack of trading cards. Certain ones of those cards have gone up in value quite a bit as time has progressed, but none can compare with the ultimate value of the gospel.
Baxter says there are two things needed for preaching and two main purposes for it. The two things needed are man and the message. The two purposes are to bring people to the Lord and to help people who are in Christ to live by faith.
For the Bible to be in written form helps make it permanent. It is a time-tested method of bringing the message to people that a spokesman teach in the worship assembly. That goes all the way back to the time before Christ, but it seems that with the coming of new technologies, this method has been challenged as the primary means of teaching. Radio, movies, television, the Internet, wireless communication, and social media on the Web all beg for our attention, and they deserve consideration as teaching tools. Yet, when a preacher stands in a pulpit and teaches God's word, he spans the entire history of creation with the method he uses. There is a lot to be said for maintaining and upholding that skill, because in the final analysis, faith in Christ is passed from person to person, just like a spoken message.
The message is equally important. A preacher must know what he is presenting to his hearers. Paul said in 2 Corinthians 4 that we have this treasure (God's message) in earthen vessels (that's us). Elsewhere, in Romans 1, he announced rather pointedly that he was not ashamed of the gospel and its power. When it is regarded in that way, the message will be worthwhile and will produce its desired effect.
The preacher has a responsibility and so do the hearers. We should remember from the last chapter that the sermon is not done until the hearers go out and demonstrate that they know how to "walk in the light" and are willing to do it.
Among the numerous things that Jesus is known for, one of the more enigmatic occurs when he is telling a parable and tacks on the statement, "He who has ears, let him hear." Matthew 11:15 and 13:9 are two examples. In these teaching situations, one can imagine the questions in the minds of Jesus' followers: Who is this message intended for? Some people say that Jesus is trying to be as all-inclusive as possible by creating a category of those with ears.
Most scholars agree that the Lord's intent is to show that spiritually minded people will understand the spiritual message in His sayings--especially the parables--while those with worldly minds, who figuratively speaking can be said to have no ears with which to hear the spiritual truths, would not understand the message but would see only the surface story in a parable, because they are not tuned into the moral value.
Local newspapers sometimes ask the poll question, "If you could have dinner with anyone in the world, who would it be?" I've seen several responses indicating that people would really give up a lot to spend time with Jesus. What a shame it would be for those who were fortunate enough to be in the presence of Jesus, if they turned out to be the ones who "didn't have ears," and could not understand His teaching due to shallowness or worldliness.
Baxter says the same thing happened when Robert Fulton tried to describe his idea for the steamboat to Napoleon. He got only two minutes to make his pitch, and Napoleon was not intererested. Napoleon might have had significant victories if only he had listened and understood what Fulton was trying to tell him.
So it is with this first element of Christian worship. God's message is taught and heard as part of our worship. Everyone has a part in it, even though only one person is doing the speaking. Having ears for spiritual things, we listen and absorb something that God wants us to know, and that in turn provides us with a blessing that extends through the week and beyond.
Baxter points out that this teaching is different from the other elements of worship. Singing, praying, participating in the Lord's Supper, and giving of our means are all from us to God. The message is from God to us. So, if we count the worship acts on the fingers of one hand, we might want to make the thumb represent preaching, because it is a good bit different than the four fingers.
This one element takes up a large portion of the worship time. For that reason, among others, we need to know and remember that each of us has an active role in that act of worship where the message is presented.
Some day you might be explaining to someone how to be saved, and you would tell the person that it all starts with hearing the message of Christ. We should be thankful that hearing the message doesn't stop after it is first accomplished. It goes on and on, and there is much more to be heard as we become a member of the church and begin each week in worship.
I remember as a child getting pretty excited about collecting trading cards. We had cards with baseball and football players, cards with elephant jokes, and even cards with Civil War scenes. As we mature, we try to put more meaningful things in our lives. Some people try to remember as much as they can from each sermon. Let's all hope that we can get as excited about hearing biblical messages as we used to get when we bought a pack of trading cards. Certain ones of those cards have gone up in value quite a bit as time has progressed, but none can compare with the ultimate value of the gospel.
Baxter says there are two things needed for preaching and two main purposes for it. The two things needed are man and the message. The two purposes are to bring people to the Lord and to help people who are in Christ to live by faith.
For the Bible to be in written form helps make it permanent. It is a time-tested method of bringing the message to people that a spokesman teach in the worship assembly. That goes all the way back to the time before Christ, but it seems that with the coming of new technologies, this method has been challenged as the primary means of teaching. Radio, movies, television, the Internet, wireless communication, and social media on the Web all beg for our attention, and they deserve consideration as teaching tools. Yet, when a preacher stands in a pulpit and teaches God's word, he spans the entire history of creation with the method he uses. There is a lot to be said for maintaining and upholding that skill, because in the final analysis, faith in Christ is passed from person to person, just like a spoken message.
The message is equally important. A preacher must know what he is presenting to his hearers. Paul said in 2 Corinthians 4 that we have this treasure (God's message) in earthen vessels (that's us). Elsewhere, in Romans 1, he announced rather pointedly that he was not ashamed of the gospel and its power. When it is regarded in that way, the message will be worthwhile and will produce its desired effect.
The preacher has a responsibility and so do the hearers. We should remember from the last chapter that the sermon is not done until the hearers go out and demonstrate that they know how to "walk in the light" and are willing to do it.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Worship
The following comments apply to chapter 14 of Batsell Barrett Baxter's book, The Family of God, a chapter on worship.
Christians get their detailed directions for worship from the pages of the New Testament. Looking for the methods of worship Christians should use reveals five elements. Listening to some teaching, participating in prayer, singing, taking part in the Lord's Supper, and giving of our means are the things we do over and over each week, because of what God shows us in the New Testament.
Sometimes we might get bored with the same routine or begin to question why we do this or that. I just had a conversation about that with someone this week. It has been a long time since Jesus made the great sacrifice for the sins of many. We must ask ourselves whether Christian worship, as exemplified by the early church, is intact today and can remain that way as long as the earth continues. That's the real question, and any thought about whether we are totally happy with worship or not can usually be traced to a temporary and insignificant longing on our part.
The way to avoid dissatisfaction with worship is to think not about ourselves and what we might long for, but about our Creator and what He wants from us. If we look at it that way, the same five elements come alive and become a big part of our very purpose here on earth. As we think about four and twenty elders bowing down to the Lord as depicted in Revelation and constantly praising His name, we can say that what God has given us to do in Christian worship, we are doing.
The Old Testament informs our approach to a greater extent than we might realize. Isaiah 6 shows us first the magnificent greatness of God, then the utter sinfulness of man, then how man is able to be cleansed and made holy by God, and then how our cleansing gives us a purpose in serving God. What we do in worship today in the Christian age all relates back to the principles found there.
Worship glorifies God and meets needs of ours such as the desire to identify with something greater than himself, the need to express gratitude and love, the need for something to soothe and calm our spirit, and the need for safety and security.
The book has a great list of definitions for worship, but we can sum up by saying that in worship we return to God what He wants from us, and in doing so, we define and understand who we are and whose we are. Every Christian should be thinking about how he or she can keep worship intact for future generations, according to what God reveals in the Bible. Maybe there are some details in which we have choices, but on the whole, once we are convinced that the survival of Christian worship is important, we as members of the Lord's church will work together to recognize it, uphold it, unify it, and give ourselves fully to it throughout our lives.
Christians get their detailed directions for worship from the pages of the New Testament. Looking for the methods of worship Christians should use reveals five elements. Listening to some teaching, participating in prayer, singing, taking part in the Lord's Supper, and giving of our means are the things we do over and over each week, because of what God shows us in the New Testament.
Sometimes we might get bored with the same routine or begin to question why we do this or that. I just had a conversation about that with someone this week. It has been a long time since Jesus made the great sacrifice for the sins of many. We must ask ourselves whether Christian worship, as exemplified by the early church, is intact today and can remain that way as long as the earth continues. That's the real question, and any thought about whether we are totally happy with worship or not can usually be traced to a temporary and insignificant longing on our part.
The way to avoid dissatisfaction with worship is to think not about ourselves and what we might long for, but about our Creator and what He wants from us. If we look at it that way, the same five elements come alive and become a big part of our very purpose here on earth. As we think about four and twenty elders bowing down to the Lord as depicted in Revelation and constantly praising His name, we can say that what God has given us to do in Christian worship, we are doing.
The Old Testament informs our approach to a greater extent than we might realize. Isaiah 6 shows us first the magnificent greatness of God, then the utter sinfulness of man, then how man is able to be cleansed and made holy by God, and then how our cleansing gives us a purpose in serving God. What we do in worship today in the Christian age all relates back to the principles found there.
Worship glorifies God and meets needs of ours such as the desire to identify with something greater than himself, the need to express gratitude and love, the need for something to soothe and calm our spirit, and the need for safety and security.
The book has a great list of definitions for worship, but we can sum up by saying that in worship we return to God what He wants from us, and in doing so, we define and understand who we are and whose we are. Every Christian should be thinking about how he or she can keep worship intact for future generations, according to what God reveals in the Bible. Maybe there are some details in which we have choices, but on the whole, once we are convinced that the survival of Christian worship is important, we as members of the Lord's church will work together to recognize it, uphold it, unify it, and give ourselves fully to it throughout our lives.
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