How to Know When to Shut Up

How to Know When to Shut Up.  Great words of advice from Lawrence Wilson.

Why go to church? Part One

When someone asks me for reasons to attend church worship I understand how they probably feel.  I’ve quit church a million times primarily because of people.  They’ve snapped at me or my family members.  They’ve lied about me or someone else in the church.  They’ve accused others of all kinds of sins.  They’ve gossiped and slandered me and others trying to get their way.  They’ve run off with another person’s spouse and acted as though they were right to do it.  They’ve started shouting matches and fist fights in the church building.  They’ve split congregations and started their own churches.  Sometimes the pastor or sometimes a lay person has chased people away in order to control the church’s decisions.

I’ve quit church a million times but I keep coming back.  You may wonder, “Why?”  Give me few minutes for the next six days and I’ll tell you what I’ve discovered.  There are a few things you cannot experience outside of God’s church.

Today I want you to talk to you about ENERGIZING PRAYER.

To be honest there are a lot of times when my prayer life is more duty, ritual, habit and responsibility than anything else.  I often pray because I know I need to talk with God.  Needless to say, my prayers in those times are not energizing, exciting or enjoyable.

We all struggle with our prayer lives.  We come to God telling him what needs to be done, when it needs to be done, how it needs to be done and who needs to do it.  A wise man asked,

What is the use of praying if at the very moment of prayer, we have so little confidence in God that we are busy planning our own kind of answer to our prayer? [Thomas Merton, Catholic writer and mystic (1915-1968)]

I have met very few Christians who would claim they pray enough.  We all feel a need to pray more.  We all struggle to find the time to pray like we feel we should and we wonder why we feel powerless.

If it’s possible to experience prayer that energizes us, how can we find it?

The book of Acts is saturated with prayer.  The first chapter ends in a prayer meeting that launched the birthday of the church – Pentecost – when the Holy Spirit came. 

The last chapter opens with Paul praying for a man’s healing.  Nearly every other chapter mentions prayer of one kind or another.  Sometimes it was a matter of ritual and habit and sometimes it was an emergency call for help.  But from the very beginning God designed the church for energizing prayer.

Some of God’s greatest promises to answer prayer are addressed to the church not to individuals.

“Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven.  For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.” (Matthew 18:19-20)

Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done.  If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” (Matthew 21:21-22)

This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.  And if we know that he hears us — whatever we ask — we know that we have what we asked of him. (1 John 5:14-15)

Energizing prayer can only be experienced in community.  If you want energizing prayer experiences, then…

1. Refuse to settle for powerless, dull and downright boring prayer times when we gather.  Pray until you connect with the Lord.
2. Stop expecting little to nothing to happen when we pray.  Be disappointed and ask tough questions to find out why God is not answering our prayers.
3. Pray with each other knowing that God longs to refresh, renew and revive us; to answer our prayers in powerful, surprising and attention-grabbing ways.

How can a good, all powerful God allow pain and suffering?

Some very sincere people assert that since evil and suffering exist in our world, there cannot be a powerful, loving God.  Their reasoning goes something like this.

• If God wants to stop evil and suffering but cannot then He is weak and useless.
• If God can stop evil and suffering but does not then He is wicked and cruel.
• If God can stop evil and suffering and wants to stop it, then why does it continue to grow?
• A good powerful God cannot exist because of all the evil and suffering we see in the world.

Citation: based on statement by Epicurus, philosopher quoted by Lee Strobel, The Case for Faith

Books have been written on this problem and my thoughts this morning will not satisfy everyone.  In fact, they don’t completely satisfy me!  I still have questions without good answers.  So here are my thoughts on evil and suffering so far.

First, the majority of evil and suffering in this world can be directly credited to human beings.  Let’s start with this honest assessment of our situation.  As the cartoon character, Pogo said, “We have met the enemy and they are us.”  In large matters and in small decisions, we use our “free will” to choose what we think is right and best.  Forget God and everyone else.

Second, sometimes pain and suffering are beneficial for us.  Pain tells us something is not what it ought to be.  It demands our attention.  For example:

• Hand on a hot stove
• Thorn in your foot

Third, pain and suffering always hurt even when they’re good for us.  We don’t like pain and tend to avoid it at all costs.

Fourth, if we can understand the benefits our painful experiences, then we should expect God to understand them far better than we do.  God would know what experiences could help us become better persons – even if they hurt.

Fifth, I believe Jesus’ resurrection proves that God is always working to take our pain and suffering to make our greatest good and joy.

Sixth, I believe Jesus is the best answer to the question of what God wants to do and will do about our pain.  He had compassion on people, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. (Matthew 9:36)  Jesus had compassion on a large crowd that followed him and he healed their sick. (Matthew 14:14)  He had compassion on hungry people and fed them. (Matthew 15:32)  He had compassion on two blind men and touched their eyes.  Immediately they received their sight and followed him. (Matthew 20:34)  Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched a leper.  Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cured. (Mark 1:41-42)  Jesus stood by the grave of his good friend and wept.  (John 11:35)  As Jesus died on the cross, he cried out with words many of us might use, “My God!  My God!  Why have you abandoned me?” (Mark 15:34)

Seventh, God never leaves us or abandons us.  Our pain may be so intense that we don’t recognize His presence with us.  Just as surely as God was with Jesus on the cross, he will always be with you and me.

The answer to this problem of evil and pain is not a slick philosophical argument.  The answer is a person.  His name is Jesus.  God stepped into our pain filled world to share our suffering and to cure it.  Jesus has experienced our pain.  He has suffered with us.  He will see us through to the end.

How can I forgive someone from the heart? Am I really supposed to forget?

Jesus certainly taught his followers to forgive.

When they asked him to teach them to pray, his model prayer included this request.

“Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” This was the only part of the prayer he explained, “For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” (Matthew 6:12, 14-15)

He repeated the necessity of forgiving others when he told Peter to forgive his brother 490 times. (Matthew 18:21-22) He followed that statement with the parable of the unforgiving servant. That servant lost his master’s forgiveness because he would not forgive another. Jesus concluded this teaching with this warning.

“This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart.” (Matthew 18:35)

The apostle Paul also taught that Christians should forgive.

“Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” (Colossians 3:13)

Forgiveness is not…

1. Forgiveness is not saying what happened to you was a little thing. We are patient and “bear with each other” for the little irritations and idiosyncrasies we all have. Forgiveness is reserved for “grievances” or offenses. If someone has hurt you deeply by word or deed, then he or she needs your forgiveness.
   
2. Forgiveness is not forgetting what happened to you. If you can truly forget what happen, then it must not be very painful. The best you can hope to do is to come to the place where you can say, “I distinctly remember forgiving him for that.”
   
3. Forgiveness is not a matter of suppressing your hurt feelings. Many people avoid negative feelings as often as possible. They bury their pain, grief, anger and desire for revenge. However, those corrosive emotions eat away at their physical, emotional and spiritual health. Sooner or later, those emotions will erupt like a volcano.
   
4. Forgiveness is not declaring that the one who hurt you was right in what he or she did. This is a common misconception about forgiving others. The fact that you need to forgive a person for hurting you indicates they were wrong. Forgiveness does not gloss over the evil of the offense.
   

Forgiveness is …

1. Forgiveness is recognizing the evil of what happened to you. Sin is sin. Evil is evil. Hurtful words and actions damage and destroy. If you are forgiving someone, you are following God’s example and calling evil deeds what they are. What happened was wrong and should never have happened, but it did.
   
2. Forgiveness is acknowledging your desire to get even. Your deep seated sense of justice declares the offender must pay for your pain. Every human being feels that way. Forgiveness calls us to be honest about it.
   
3. Forgiveness is turning the person who hurt you over to God, allowing the Lord to deal with him or her. The apostle Paul put it this way. “Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord.” (Romans 12:19) This takes prayer – deliberate, concentrated prayer. True forgiveness takes time. It is very hard to let go of our desire to repay those who hurt us. It may take a lifetime to accomplish but it’s worth the effort.
   
4. Forgiveness sets us free from our pasts. It releases all the negative, corrosive emotions and allows healing to begin. You will be the one to benefit most when you forgive those who hurt you.
   

 

QUESTION OF THE DAY:

 

How are you doing in following this command from Jesus?

 

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God’s Story – a Poem of Sorts

We can enjoy God's presence

“In the beginning, God created”

No preface about God’s pedigree

No remark as to His family tree

No statement to prove His existence

Just a simple insistence

And a faithful persistence

“In the beginning, God created”

The heavens declare God’s glorious nobility

The skies proclaim his artistic ability

Day after day, they preach

Night after night, they teach

They speak without a sound or a word

There is no language where their voice is not heard

In the beginning, God created

Ever since, His eternal ability

His divine personality

Have been clearly made known

We cannot dodge the truth the cosmos has shown

In the beginning, God created the universe for us.

But our first parents distrusted and disobeyed

They / we believed a snake not our Creator

They / we first blamed that slippery traitor

“The devil made me do it”

They / we then turned on each other

“It’s her blunder; it is his who is unfit”

They / we even turned the accusation on God

“The woman YOU gave me”

They / we all distrusted and disobeyed

They / we were banished from the presence of God

Like fish out of water, we struggle to survive

Without Him, we cannot thrive

Without Him, we’re barely alive

Although we knew God

We refused to worship him as God

Our thinking became futile, foolish, foggy and downright odd

Sin exploded and the world was flooded

Within a few short generations

Our planet was riddled with sin’s penetrations

Our hearts became as hard as marble

Our thoughts were consistently, totally awful

We broke God’s heart

Everywhere He saw violence and vice becoming our art

The LORD said, “I will wipe out this evil race

I will wash them off earth’s face”

But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD

Distrust and disobedience continued to spread like a cancer

It’s a bad thing to give into temptation

But we do it everyday

It’s worse to give up the fight to our opposition

But we do that anyway

The worst though is being given over to indiscretion

But that’s happened to us along the way

Distrust and disobedience continued to spread like a cancer.

God allowed us to our sexual desires to surrender

God allowed us to burn with lusts for our own gender

God gave us over to an evil mind

God gave us over to be sinfully inclined

Nothing much has changed since Adam and Eve ate us out of house and home.

Still banished from the presence of God

He is our spiritual atmosphere

Like fish out of water, we struggle to survive

Without Him, we cannot thrive

Without Him, we are barely alive

Abraham trusted and obeyed

Packed up his wife and his possessions

Pointed his caravan north following God’s impressions

Parented Isaac when he and Sarah were very old

Abraham’s trust made him a friend of God

But we’re still separated from God

God sent Moses

He floated in a water bed

After a murder, he fled

Moses met the Lord, then the Exodus led

The Ten Commandments for God’s people he read

Even with those rules to live by

Even with all our attempts to be good thereby

We fail to make up for our offense

We are still separated from God’s loving presence

Prophets warned and gave us hope

“Sin always desecrates and annihilates us

God plans to consecrate and recreate us”

But we’re still separated from God

Jesus came for us

Came of a virgin born

Crowned with thorns

He was by nails torn

From the tomb He is the First born

Jesus came for us

Our weaknesses he carried to the Cross

Our sorrows became His loss

He was wounded, crushed for our rebellious dealing

He was beaten our peace treaty sealing

He was whipped and we have healing

Jesus came for us

Correction and renewal begins for all creation

Now we’re welcomed into God’s presence

No longer like fish out of water, we can survive

With Him, we can thrive

With Him, we are effortlessly alive

Everything will be renewed

One day creation will be set free from sin’s destruction

This sin saturated cosmos will face demolition

A new heaven and a new earth will replace our cosmic devastation

Then, the home of God will be with his people

He will live with us, and we will be his people

God himself will be with us.

He will remove all of our unhappiness

There will be no more death or crying or soreness

Forever, we will be in God’s presence

With Him, we can thrive

With Him, we are effortlessly alive

There is a story that stretches from the beginning to the end of time. It is God’s story. Where do you fit in?

God invites you to receive Jesus and become a new creation

He invites you to enjoy his presence

Will you accept his invitation?

The Lord is long-suffering

For you to turn around, He is calling

“Follow Jesus into your Creator’s presence”

Will you accept his invitation?

Bible references for this post: Genesis 1:1; Psalm 19:1-4; Romans 1:20; Genesis 3; Romans 1:21; Genesis 6:5-6; Genesis 6:12; Genesis 6:7-8; Romans 1:22-28; Isaiah 53: 4-6; Revelation 21:1-4; 2 Peter 3:9

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• Reversal by Timothy C. Tennent
•  The 51 Word Bible

How can I spend time alone with God daily?

“I know I need to spend time reading the Bible and praying every day. I keep trying but between my work and family obligations I’m finding it hard to do. How can I spend time with God daily?”

Many of us struggle to find the time to read the Bible and pray daily. Often we start with unrealistic goals or expectations. We try to fit another hour into our hectic schedules and simply cannot find an open block that size. However, let me suggest a way to spend seven to ten minutes alone with God each day. Once you develop this habit, your time with God will naturally expand because you will enjoy it so much.

Start with a simple prayer for God’s guidance as you read the Bible.
For Example: “Dear God, Help me to understand your truth as I read the Bible today.” This will take from 30 seconds to one minute.)

Take time to read enough of the Bible to develop a complete thought. Read a whole chapter or a whole story instead of a verse or two, here and there. Some stories in the Bible last for several chapters; some are only a few verses long. Read enough to discover a thought or principle you can think about during the rest of your day. This will take from four to six minutes.

Round off your time alone with God with prayer – really talk to God. As you begin, this will take two to three minutes. Let it expand naturally as you develop your practice. You can use this simple acronym: ACTS.

Adoration    For Example: God, I praise you for your love.

Confession    For Example: Forgive me for not loving like you do. Help me to grow in my ability to show love to others.

Thanksgiving    For Example: Thank you for the love of my family, friends and church. Thank you for loving me enough to send Jesus to die on the cross for me. Thank you for helping me become like him.

Supplication    For Example: God, help me today at work. I want my work habits to reflect well on you. Help our church to grow. Reach ___________ with your love and forgiveness.

What does repent mean? How can I do it?

The Bible uses the word “repent” often. In the perhaps the oldest book in the Bible, Job says to God, “My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you.  Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.” (Job 42:5-6) The prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel called the people of Israel to repent. When John the Baptist arrived, he preached, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” (Matthew 3:1-2) Jesus launched his ministry with the same message. (Mark 1:14-15) And, when Jesus sent his twelve disciples out, they “preached that people should repent.” (Mark 6:12) So, what does repent mean and how can I do it?

 

Which way now?

When a person repents, he or she makes an 180^o turn in thinking.  It’s like a soldier marching in one direction who turns around in response to the command to about-face.  When we repent, we choose to line our minds up with a new idea.

In the Bible, repenting is a complete change of mind — a rethinking of what we believe about God, self and sin.  In Genesis 3, the serpent convinced Adam and Eve that God had lied to them, that they could become like God on their terms and that disobeying God’s command would benefit them. 

To repent or rethink our view of God means that we become convinced of his honesty and integrity.  It means we exchange the idea that he cannot be trusted with the idea that God can be trusted completely. 

Repenting is a change of mind regarding the consequences of disobeying God.  The Bible calls this disobedience sin and says the result is death. (Romans 6:23)  Sin destroys families, as well as, our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health.

To repent is to change what we believe about ourselves.  It takes us from being self-satisfied to dissatisfied with any attitude or action in our lives that is not like Jesus.  When we repent, we move from thinking, “I’m not so bad” to “I really need help.”

When we really repent, it changes the way we act.  Our thoughts shape our behavior.  That’s why John the Baptist said, “Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.” (Luke 3:8)

Prayerful and careful Bible study is the primary way to open our minds to repent.  As we read and study the Bible we discover new truths to replace our old ways of thinking.  Ask God’s Spirit to reveal the truth to you as you study.  Expect him to help you change your behavior as well.

Can you make yourself believe?

Can you make yourself believe?.

What is faith?

The Bible tells us that “without faith it is impossible to please God” (Hebrews 11:6). It also declares, “The righteous will live by faith” (Romans 1:17). That makes me think that faith is very important — even vital. But what is faith?

Can you see the cross?

 As Christians, the focus of our faith, of course, is Jesus. What does it mean to have faith in him? Perhaps a story from the life of Jesus will help us know. In John 11, we can discover the various facets of faith. Mary, Martha and Lazarus were Jesus’ good friends. Lazarus became deathly ill and died while news was sent to Jesus. When he arrived four days after Lazarus’ death, Mary and Martha met with Jesus and expressed the sides of their faith.

Faith involves trust – a feeling of confidence in Jesus’ character and power. When her brother died, Martha trusted Jesus and God’s willingness to work through him. She said to him, “God will give you whatever you ask.” (John 11:22) Faith involves trusting Jesus’ connection to God. It is being confident that God will respond positively to Jesus’ requests on our behalf – either for the forgiveness of our sins or whatever else we need.

Faith also involves belief – a mental assent to the truth of Jesus’ identity.
Martha stated her faith by saying, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God.” (John 11:27) Faith involves believing the correct things about Jesus. We find these stated in the Bible and in the creeds of the church. Faith is knowing the truth about Jesus and believing that truth enough to make it the foundation of your life.

Faith involves loyalty – acts of obedience to Jesus’ commands. Jesus asked Mary and Martha to take him to Lazarus’ tomb. When they arrived, Jesus asked them to remove the stone that covered the entrance. He assured Martha that everything would be fine. He calmed her doubts and encouraged her obedience. “So they took away the stone.” (John 11:41) Faith involves doing the things Jesus taught. If we do not attempt to do what he commands, how can we claim to have faith in him?

Faith is more than believing the right things about Jesus. True faith includes trust in his character and loyal obedience to his commands. How do we develop this kind of faith? Like the ripples spreading out from the center of impact, the following acts of faith (or means of grace) will eventually fill your life with faith in Jesus that is solid and strong.

• Prayer
  
• Bible study
  
• Worship
  
• Baptism
  
• Communion
  

(If you’d like to hear a sermon related to this question, go to Faith Is More.)

What can I do to overcome discouragement when I pray?

Have you ever asked God to help a loved one only to feel as though your prayers just fell to the floor? 

Perhaps you know the despair of the psalmist who cried, “How long, LORD?  Will you forget me forever?  How long will you hide your face from me?” (Psalm 13:1)  Have you prayed for someone to receive Jesus as Lord and Savior only to watch as he or she wanders farther away?

Discouragement can nearly overwhelm us in these situations.  It’s hard to keep on praying when nothing seems to be happening (Luke 18:1-8).  So what can we do to develop persistent faith as we pray?

We can learn a great deal from the Canaanite woman who persisted in prayer for her demon possessed daughter.  At first, Jesus ignored her.  She kept following and crying until the disciples asked Jesus to send her away.  Then, Jesus told her he only came to minister to the children of Israel.  She replied that she only wanted a few crumbs from their blessed table.  “Then Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, you have great faith!  Your request is granted.’  And her daughter was healed at that moment.” (Matthew 15:21-28)

1. 

   Keep Your Focus on Jesus

   Keep your attention focused on Jesus.  Bow at Jesus’ feet in worship.  Read Bible passages that reveal his power and glory. (John 1:1-14; Ephesians 1:3-23; Colossians 1:9-23; Hebrews 1:1-4)  Remember that God is eager to answer your prayers on behalf of others.  If there seems to be a delay it is not because he is reluctant or unable answer.  Keep praying to the one who will meet the need.

2. Love the person you are praying for unconditionally.  Sometimes the people we pray for become unlovable.  Their behavior becomes more and more obnoxious or confrontational.  They may cut all ties with you.  Don’t allow the situation getting worse to discourage you.  Keep on loving them trusting the Holy Spirit to follow them in hot pursuit as The Hound of Heaven.  God is not finished.  Keep on praying for the one God gave you to love.
3. Pray until something happens.  Pray until God answers your prayer.  Pray with persistent faith and watch what God will do
   

   QUESTION OF THE DAY:

   How do you deal with discouragement when you pray?

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