Bible Lessons

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Elijah Prayers!

Dry mountain desert.“Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.”   James 5:17-18.

How often do you pray the hard prayers? You know, the ones that are directed by God but will lead to hardship or difficulty for you. Elijah was able to pray for the rain to stop and then to restart 3 1/2 years later because he was praying in obedience to God. This period of drought and famine was hard on Elijah, as well as the rest of the nation. Yes, God provided for the needs of Elijah but it was not an easy time for him, or for anyone in the nation.

Elijah was just like us in his nature and human-ness. His prayers were not answered because of a supernatural ability that he had. He was not empowered with a miraculous gift of controlling the weather. No, what he had is something that is available to all of us. He had a close and personal relationship with the living God. He could pray big prayers and receive big answers because he knew God well enough to know what God wanted. He was so familiar with God’s character that he could pray relying on God to be faithful to who He is.

How often do we settle for small prayers because we don’t know God well enough to have confidence in asking for big things? Or have we settled for small prayers because we have prayed big prayers in the past only to receive small, or no, answers because we were praying according to our will and desires rather than God’s?

I pray that you pursue God with such passion and energy that you are able to more fully grasp the nature, character, and will of God so that you can pray Elijah prayers knowing that God will answer beyond what you can think or imagine. When we pray calling on the character and nature of God, while we remove all selfish motives and hindrances, God will answer in faithfulness and truth according to our desires for His will to be done. But be ready. While God’s answers are often big, they are not often easy. Nor are they without challenges and difficulty for us that our faith may increase and abound.

Since Elijah was a man just like us, may we be people just like Elijah!

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Prayer: In Secret or Visible?

  “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.  But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”  Matthew 6:5-6 

“Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before.  Then these men went as a group and found Daniel praying and asking God for help.”  Daniel 6:10-11

These two passages give words to two different responses that I get when I lead, promote, and teach about Prayer Walks, Prayer Gatherings, and other prayer events.  They also point out the problem of pulling a verse or two about a specific subject out of the Bible and using them to prove a point without looking at all the Bible says about the topic in question.

I’ve had people object to the whole idea of doing prayer events and they often use the teaching of Jesus in Matthew regarding praying in secret rather than “to be seen by men”.  Unfortunately, they not only miss the point of what Impact is doing in promoting prayer-based ministry, they also miss the point Jesus is making.  In the sermon on the mount, Jesus is addressing motive and motivation in prayer. 

The comparison is between “hypocrites”, who’s only purpose is to be noticed, and “you”, who prays out of a motivation to know and be known by God.  Daniel is a good example of this.  He prays and is noticed.  The key is in determining why he prayed.  The passage above tells us that he did this “just as he had done before.”  Daniel wasn’t praying “to be seen by men”, men happened to see him because he was praying as usual.  The trap was set because Daniel’s prayer life was consistent and obvious to all.  His devotion and pursuit of God was consistent and unstoppable.  A law banning prayer to God did not stop him from praying, nor send him into hiding.  He wasn’t showing off, he was actively practicing his faith in God.

I pray.  I pray at home.  I pray in private.  I pray in public.  My desire is to live a lifestyle of prayer.  Sometimes that is seen, sometimes not.  The problem that Jesus talked about is if I begin looking for people to notice my praying and I hope to impress them by it.  The problem isn’t being noticed, it is wanting to be noticed.  Last night I was eating dinner at Red Robin in Seattle, Washington and prayed before the meal.  Our waiter noticed and commented on how he didn’t see that much any more.  It became an opportunity that may have been missed had I not prayed with our group.

So, is prayer to be done in secret or visibly?  Paul writes to the Thessalonians and tells them to “pray continually.”  This would be always!  The question isn’t, “do I pray when I am in secret or do I pray when I am in public?”  Rather, we need to ask, “why am I praying?”  Prayer that has God as our only audience is always appropriate.

May you and I be people of prayer – not to be noticed by others, but to know and be known by God.

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A Broken Toe

Wow!  What a week of camp!  . . . OK, so I left a day early because of a trip to Seattle today, but it was a great week of camp.

It is so much fun to teach, especially 5th & 6th graders, the concepts of pursuing God with all the energy and enthusiasm they can give.  They have a bunch of it that they use on a variety of things, so helping to focus that on pursuing God has results that are often visible.

I have always loved using the camp-wide capture the flag game as an object lesson to teach the level of pursuit we need to have for God.  This year, I outdid myself!  I put so much effort and energy into the game so that I could talk to the students about it the next morning, that I broke my big toe and took a roll through the gravel drive.  That took the object lesson to a whole new level.  In the game, I had finally resisted “capture” to the point of shedding blood.  In life, though, I had to agree with Paul that I “had not yet resisted sin to the point of shedding blood.” 

Not only do we need an ultimate, sacrificial effort to pursue God with all our “heart, mind, soul, and strength”, we need to put equal effort into resisting temptations to sin.  Fortunately, in both endeavors we have the help and power of the Holy Spirit to partner and guide us in the truth of God’s Word.

Even with the broken toe, which happened on Monday night, I had a great week of camp.  The “pursuing God” was emphasized on Tuesday and taught throughout the week.  I also had opportunity to teach about being “models” of Jesus, about being disciple-makers, and about praying at all times, in all ways, for all people.  I was happy to be there and be a part of such an incredible camp.

May you and I be found pursuing God with reckless abandonment and resisting sin, even to the point of shedding blood.

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Growing Up!

How often have you wished that a child or person you know would “just grow up!”  We have a tendency to get frustrated when someone acts immature for their age.  Perhaps words or actions have made us think another person ought to be further along in maturity than what they were.

God wants us to grow up also.  Not only individually, but also as a body of believers.  Ephesians 4:15-16 states, “Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into Him who is the Head, that is, Christ.  From Him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.”  Paul states that it is by truth that we grow into our head, Jesus.  Truth spoken in love brings us to maturity in Christ.  As we individually grow into the head of Christ, He brings the entire body together.  The body of Christ will continue to grow as we keep putting into practice the things found in scripture.  As we focus on things such as found in this passage of scripture from Ephesians 4:11-16, God honors His promises and plans.  The action of a church body growing requires all to be involved.

So, what is your part?  The Bible teaches that the whole body grows as each part does its work.  Everyone God adds to His church has important work to do.  If the work God wants you to do isn’t being done, the entire body suffers.  Even the tasks that seem hidden or less glamorous are needed and important.  I remember when my daughter’s liver and kidneys shut down.  Even though they were  small unseen parts, the impact on the entire body was very obvious and very bad.  Likewise, your part in a local body of believers is not insignificant.  Doing your part makes a big difference to the growth of the body.

May all of us grow together and be built up in the love and truth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus.

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A Priceless Drive

“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”  James 1:22

Road ConstructionI spent much of today driving from South Bend, Indiana to Cameron, Missouri – just north of Kansas City.  What a trip!  I left South Bend at 1:00 PM and arrived in Cameron at 11:00 PM my time, 10:00 PM local time.  With an hour out for a WalMart, meal, and fuel stop, it was still a long drive.  Let’s see if I can sumarize it well:

  • Driving – 500+ miles

  • Time – 10 hours

  • Fuel – $58

  • Meal, snacks, and Dr Pepper – $10

  • Listening to audio recordings of the entire books of Matthew, Mark, and Luke – Priceless!

The time seemed to pass quickly as I listened to these gospels.  So much so, that I can hardly wait for the drive home to continue this priceless listening.  Even the occasional construction zone – with speed limits reduced to 55 mph instead of 70 mph – were not an annoyance as it gave a little more time to soak in the Word.  I love God’s Word!  I love to read it, proclaim it, and listen to it.  Even more, I love to live it!  That is the most necessary part, and the most difficult part. 

James tells us that to merely listen to the Word, but not do what it says, is a fairly useless activity.  However, if we hear the Word and put it into practice, we will be blessed in what we do.  Just in case we are not sure what putting the Word into practice might look like, James gives us some straightforward examples in verses 26 and 27.  Controlling ourselves, particularly our tongue, is an outward display of a part of the fruit of God’s Spirit – self-control.  Practicing what we hear from God also involves loving our neighbor as ourself – caring for widows and orphans in their distress.  Not making excuses for why they might be in need, but caring for them with the love of Jesus.  Finally, James wants us to know that living the Word of God requires us to keep ourselves from being polluted by the world.  We must take captive every thought and hold it obedient to the will, love, and righteousness of God.  See, I said this was the hard part. 

Fortunately, as we expose ourselves to the Word of God through reading and listening, we have God’s Spirit within us to empower us to live it.  It is our choice.  Do we allow God’s Spirit to use His Word to convict us of sin, righteousness, and judgement?  As we do, do we adjust our actions, even our very thoughts, to align with God’s view of what is right, good, and proper? 

It was a great day for listening and I pray it was an even better day for preparing me to live the words I heard.

May God draw you to hearing His Word and empower you to live it.

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Allegiance

“These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.  They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.”  Matthew 15:8-9

(This is a reprint of an article I originally wrote in July of 2002.  It still seems quite applicable to today.  – Tom)

A lot of attention has been given recently to the wording of the pledge of allegiance to the U.S. flag.  The two little words, “under God”, have caused an uproar across our nation.  As news of this ruling became known, I couldn’t help but think of the scene just a few short months ago.  You remember it, right?  The scene of our nation’s congressmen standing on the steps of the capitol building singing “God Bless America” following the attacks of September 11, 2001.  Once again, political leaders of all party affiliations have spoken out.  This time with nearly one voice objecting to a judge’s ruling that threatens to remove the phrase “under God” from the pledge.

Both times, I had a similar reaction.  What hypocrisy!  As we watch the direction the nation continues to take, it appears to me that God is thought of very little as decisions are made.  Yet, when disaster strikes, we want God’s blessing.  Or when the public cries out against a change in tradition, we become uneasy.

In the verses above, Jesus addressed a question regarding his disciples not keeping the traditions of the elders.  He quotes from Isaiah and accuses the religious leaders of being hypocrites.  Their talk is designed to appear to honor God, but their actions and motives are far from God.  As Christians, are we more concerned about the tradition of a pledge using the words “under God”, or about living a life that honors God?  Is our allegiance to a flag and country more important than our allegiance to God?  I guess it bothers me when so many cry out against a change in the wording of the pledge when so few cry out against the injustice and evil that continues to grow in our nation.

I pray that our honor of God would be from our hearts and not just from our lips.

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What Are You Planting?

Liberty Park Gardens

“I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow.”   1 Corinthians 3:6

Gardening can be an enjoyable hobby.  In faith, you plant a seed in the ground with the expectation that it will produce the plant that it is supposed to.  After the seed does what it is designed by God to do, produce a plant, we often spend much time in cultivating the soil around our plants and making sure they have the proper amounts of water and nutrients.  We do this because we have a goal of seeing the plant  mature and produce the flower we desire to bring beauty to our garden.  Or perhaps we are waiting for that fresh tomato off the vine, or the fresh picked sweet corn or other vegetable that just isn’t the same from the store.  We don’t mind the work because we are able to anticipate the results we enjoy so much.

The question I want to ask is, “In God’s kingdom, what are you planting?”  Are you involved in sowing the seed of the gospel?  Do you plant the seeds of the good news of Jesus in the lives of those around you?  Do you do this in faith, expecting the seed to produce that which it was designed for?  How about once the seed germinates and sprouts into growth?  Do you care for the soul that has been reborn through the seed which was planted?  You see, a person’s immersion into Jesus Christ is a sprouting of the seed that has been planted.  This new growth must be taken care of.  I always tell people that I work with that when they are baptized, it is only the beginning of their life in Christ.  The best, and hardest, is yet to come.  They need to grow!

I would encourage you to spend time planting the gospel in the lives of others.  Also, spend time nurturing the faith of those who are young in Christ that they would mature and produce fruit.

As we do our part, may we always remember it is God who brings the increase.

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Power to Save the World

“I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes:  first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.”  Romans 1:16

This year was the thirtieth anniversary of the original Star Wars movie and true Star War fans were out in force this year celebrating.  As this series has made its way to DVD, audiences continue to eagerly view each installment of this drama.  Many go to enjoy the technical aspects of the film.  Yet, I believe that many more are fascinated by the ongoing battle of good versus evil.  People are intrigued with this “force” that is so powerful it can change the way people think and act.  People cheer when the “force” is able to guide individuals to accomplish great things for the good of entire nations and civilizations – even entire galaxies! 🙂

How quickly we forget that we have access to something much more powerful and lasting than any “force” a movie writer could ever come up with.  As Christians, we have available to us a power that can save all of mankind from the ultimate evil.  This power is not as mystical as the “force” and not as flashy as a light sabre.  This power is the gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ. 

Paul tells us something remarkable about this gospel.  He is not ashamed of it.  Paul understood clearly that he had nothing to be ashamed of.  By taking hold of the gospel of Jesus Christ, he had a power that exeeded anything he had known before.  It was something to be proud of.  There was no shame in sharing this glorious gospel with others.  It was because he recognized the gospel was the only power  that could save mankind from thier sin that he would boldly proclaim this gospel at every opportunity that he had.

Have you tapped into this power?  If so, do you live like you know the power to save the world?  May your life share the gospel of Jesus to a world that desperately needs salvation. 

May we not be ashamed.