I have been asked numerous times about a seeming contradiction in the Bible. Paul, who wrote much of the New Testament, wrote that we are to “pray about everything” (Philippians 4:6), “pray continually”, (1 Thessalonians 5:17), and “be in constant prayer” (Romans 12:12).  Paul seems to have believed that something in us could live in a state of continual prayer and that we should keep talking repeatedly to God.

Here’s where the seeming contradiction comes in the Bible to some people.  In Matthew 6:7-8 Jesus says, “When you pray, don’t babble on and on as people of other religions do. They think their prayers are answered only by repeating their words again and again. Don’t be like them, because your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him!” Jesus almost appears to be telling the reader NOT to pray continually.

The verses do not contradict each other.  We must consider these verses in the context of the entirety of Scripture. Throughout the Bible we realize that God is always more concerned about the heart of a matter than He is actions we take (1 Samuel 16:7), so it helps if we examine this subject with that understanding.

When Jesus said not to babble in prayer, because God already knows our needs, He was speaking to people who tried to impress others with their flowery words.  That is not what Paul is suggesting to us in his writings.

Paul’s encouragement for continual prayer, in action at least, is obviously not even possible. Some people have a hard time walking and chewing gum at the same time.  Expecting people to pray while they do anything else is a challenge. Paul is not referring to an action as much as he is an attitude. He’s encouraging our heart to be in a continual spirit of prayer; a constant journey of seeking our Father’s will and communing with our Heavenly Daddy.

This is made possible with the help of God’s Spirit, who “intercedes for us”. If our heart is firmly set on Christ, we can be “continually praying”.   If we go to the marketplace, Christ goes with us in prayer. If we are driving a car, Christ is with us in prayer. If we read a book to our children, if Christ is in our heart, we can be in an attitude of prayer, because God’s Spirit intercedes for our spirit.

Put your heart and mind firmly on Christ today and you will continue to live in a spirit of prayer.

Do you have any specific prayer requests? Leave them here.  I’m finding my readers really do pray for others.

Do you ever struggle with questions about prayer, such as why, how, when, how much to pray, etc.? If so, you are not alone. In this message I addressed some of the main questions we have about prayer. Watch the message and see the questions below that I addressed and references I referred to in the message.  (It may be helpful to listen to last week’s message first.  You can do that HERE. )

Questions posed and References Used:

What is prayer?
Psalm 39:12
Psalm 5:2
Psalm 130:2
Luke 16:15

Why do we pray?
Matthew 6:5-15

What do I need to pray about?
Ephesians 1:16
1 Samuel 12:23
Matthew 6:5-15
Matthew 5:44
Matthew 9:38
Psalm 122:6
James 4:2

How do you remember details to pray for people and what if you forget? Will God make up the difference?
Romans 8:26

How much do I need to pray?
1 Thessalonians 5:17
Romans 12:12

How do I pray?
Romans 8:12-17

Can Satan hear my prayers and use them against me?
Romans 8:9-11
1 Corinthians 3:16-17
1 John 4:4

How do you develop patience while you wait for God to answer?
Galatians 5:22-23

Does prayer make a difference?
James 5:16
Psalm 37:4
Mark 9:14-29
(You’ll have to listen to the message for some of these references to make sense.)

Then I closed with this question:
What in your life is never going to be solved until you commit some time to prayer?

You might also want to read THIS POST.

When He had said this Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.” John 11:43-44 NIV

This event triggered the Pharisees to crucify Jesus. Lazarus had been dead four days. Jewish tradition prompted the family to bury soon after death, but the Jews also believed the spirit hovered over the dead body for up to three days. This time too had passed. Lazarus was a fully dead man! It was a real miracle to bring him back to life, and this was too much for the Pharisees.  What the Pharisees underestimated was that this power would continue to be exhibited in the life of Christians for thousands of years to come. If you are a child of God, you have been brought from death unto life.

Jesus had raised Lazarus from the grave. We should love the story because it shows the power of the Savior. We can know that if He can raise the dead to life, we can trust Him to help us make our house payment or whatever struggles our life may hold.  We need to remember that today. Since Jesus has power over death, is there anything in your life that He can’t handle?

Jesus came to give us life! Jesus told Lazarus to take off His grave clothes, to quit “living” like he was dead. Shouldn’t we do the same thing? Have you received Christ as your Savior? Is your name recorded in Heaven as a child of God? Have the angels sung “Glory” over your salvation? Have you personally, without reservation, believed that Jesus died for your sins, and that the only way you will enter Heaven is through the grace of His shed blood on the cross?

Well, TAKE OFF YOUR GRAVE CLOTHES! Quit “living” among the dead. Look alive! Jesus saved you by grace, through faith, not unto death, but unto life! Shouldn’t that make a noticeable difference in your life today? SO LIVE! Don’t let this world steal your joy. Don’t let Satan rob you of your peace. Stop worrying over tomorrow.  Start living!

Take off your grave clothes and LIVE!

What’s one huge request of God that you’ve been praying He will do? (Do you trust that He can?)

Happy Easter!

“It happened, late one afternoon…” 2 Samuel 11:2

…and the rest is history…

It was just a normal afternoon, until David crossed the line…

He was laying on the couch…

He was minding his own business…

He was innocent at the time…

Then the beauty caught his glance…

Still innocent…

But the glance became a passion…

What started as an innocent glance…became an obsession….

David used his power and the situation as an opportunity to gratify his desires…

It was all downhill from there…

Next came adultery…and lies…and murder…and death…and family strife…and…

What can we learn from David’s failure?

You can’t stop yourself from being tempted, but you can stop yourself from allowing temptation to control your life….

Before the glance becomes your downfall….

Guard your heart and mind…

Be careful little eyes what you see….

Have you been allowing little temptations to take control of your heart and life?

I love real life examples of people willing to do whatever God calls them to do, regardless of the sacrifice or cost. I am happy to share one such story with you.

Jason and Kerby Harpst are a young couple that attend Grace Community Church. Cheryl and I had the privilege of being at their beach wedding that I was honored to officiate. They are dear friends. They’re small group leaders. They’re key volunteers in Grace Acres. In June of this year they will begin a new life of full-time missionary service in Costa Rica. Jason and Kerby are two of the most responsible and capable volunteers we have at Grace. They are professional, kind, loving people. It’s bittersweet watching people that you’ve grown to love move, but we are so encouraged and challenged by their step of faith. We will be partnering as a church with their work in Costa Rica in the months and years to come.

Here’s an interview our small groups pastor Ben Reed did with Jason and Kerby recently to help you learn their heart and next steps:

1. Where are you going in Costa Rica?
We are going to the small town of Villas de Ayarco, which is in the mountains about 45 minutes southeast of the capital city of San Jose.

2. What will you be doing while you’re there?
We will initially work with short term teams that come to Costa Rica as the Volunteer Team Coordinators for the Abraham Project. We will also work with the children that live in any of the three orphan homes that are part of the Abraham Project. Our vision is to set up a sports outreach program for the children and teens of the local community, where the average family lives at the “extreme poverty” level.

3. Why Costa Rica?
Costa Rica is a place we have both visited before and we saw a great need for our help. The Abraham Project, in particular, is in need of help to expand on their vision and to reach more of the hurting people of Costa Rica through the love of Christ. With such a high cost of living, so many of the people cannot afford food for their children everyday and the local communities are filled with drugs, prostitution and gang activities. It is too easy for young children to get involved in these activities that are all too common for them. If they have an alternative choice to devote their time, such as a sports program that is based in the love and need for Christ in their lives, then they have a bright future…spiritually and socially.

4. Do you see this as a temporary thing, or something more permanent?
This is a permanent move. As we surrender to God’s calling, we feel this is a permanent move. Not a permanent move to Costa Rica in a sense, but a life devoted to what ever God has planned for us. Where ever He leads us in the future, we will follow in effort to reach more people around the world for Christ and expand His Kingdom.

5. What did you do prior to committing to going to Costa Rica?
I have my Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Mechanical Engineering and I have worked for both the Trane Company and General Motors Corporation. My wife, Kerby, is finishing her degree in Special Education this spring.

6. Why not continue doing that?
To be honest, it would be easy to continue my work as an engineer and having Kerby work as a school teacher. We could live comfortable lives and have a great place to raise a family in the United States but that would be our plans not God’s plans. God has specifically asked us to give that up, and go share our love and hope we have in Him.

7. Have you been to Costa Rica before?
I have been to Costa Rica seven times. Six times for short term mission trips and once in January for a “pre-moving” trip and to meet with the pastor and others we will work along side with at the Abraham Project. Kerby has been to Costa Rica twice before.

8. How do you feel uniquely gifted for what God’s calling you to do in Costa Rica?
As an engineer I am very organized which will help in the Team Coordinator aspect of our work in Costa Rica. Additionally, Kerby will be teaching English in the daycare center at the orphanage. With her specialty in Special Education, it will benefit her greatly when working with these children with physical and social disabilities. We have much to learn about being missionaries, but our focus is on serving our all powerful and wonderful God and sharing with others what He has done in our lives.

9. What are some challenges you’ve already faced in preparing to become a full-time vocational missionary in Costa Rica?
One of the biggest challenges is seeking financial support. We are not affiliated with any international missions agency so we need to raise 100% of our financial support. Costa Rica has a high cost of living; where a simple $8 Wal-Mart coffee maker here in the United States costs over $30 in Costa Rica. Our support will come strictly from friends, family members, fellow church members, or anyone else that shares our hearts for Costa Rica.

10. What is your biggest need right now? Is there a way we can help?
We need monthly supporters. We leave for Costa Rica at the beginning of June and what we really need right now are individuals that can commit to supporting us each month. Nothing is too small or too big. If you would like to support us, you can send a tax deductible check to “Grace Community Church” with a note of “Costa Rica” or “Jason and Kerby” to the following address.

Grace Community Church
PO Box 3980
Clarksville, TN 37043

You can follow us on our blog at www.todalagentecr.blogspot.com and you can always email us with questions or for more information at todalagentecr@gmail.com.

Have you seen this type of faith demonstrated in others? Whose faith is encouraging you these days?

Last Sunday at Grace Community Church, I spoke about the real meaning of worship.  Here’s the message in case you’ve missed it.

 
I have to be honest.  I am not an expert on the celebration of Lent. It wasn’t talked about a lot in the church I grew up in and it’s not been a huge tradition in any of the churches where I’ve served. When I was growing up the only friends I knew of that celebrated lent were my Catholic friends.  I understand the concepts and principles involved and I realize it is gaining in popularity in today’s church culture, but it’s simply not been something I’ve practiced a great deal.

Lent is a practice of celebration 40 days prior to Easter that allows believers to prepare their hearts to celebrate Christ’s resurrection. Basically, the person practicing lent gives up something they would regularly do during the season of lent. I’ve heard of people abstaining from caffeine, sweets, television, or smoking, among other things.   Today being what is called Ash Wednesday, the start of the lent season, I have received enough questions about it that I felt it was worthy of my addressing the issue.

My understanding of Scriptures is that the Old Testament practices and traditions are no longer required, but, at the same time, disciplining ourselves is always a good thing, if done with the right motive and purpose.  For that reason, I would encourage the practice of lent by giving something up of value during this period to spend more time focusing on the true value of Christ. I see great opportunities in this to build family traditions, celebrate Christ together, and personally build a person’s character in Christ.

Since I believe we are no longer bound by rules, but are now bound by grace, if a person wants to practice lent, I think they should write their own rules for their practice of lent based on what they want to accomplish and how disciplined they need to be. The key, however, is more about taking on than it is giving up. The end goal is to take on more of Christ as one gives up something of value.  This is actually a good discipline to have throughout the year.

In my opinion, if a person is concentrating more on the discipline and his or her ability to keep a rule then he or she is still living under the law system.  If, however, one is concentrating on the focus of Christ then he or she is truly living by grace.  That should always be encouraged.  However we celebrate or don’t celebrate Lent, let’s all take time preparing our hearts for Easter and reminding ourselves of the sacrifice Christ gave on our behalf.  That has to be good for all believers.

Lent experts, I’d love to hear your thoughts… Educate me (and my readers).  What am I missing?  How do you celebrate Lent?

We have a great experiment this week at Grace Community Church. I’m one that chooses to look for the positive in every negative situation, so I really want to see what I can grasp from this opportunity.

Because our church meets in a school, today I had to write our first email to the church announcing that services are cancelled Sunday due to inclement weather. Here is the email:

Grace family,

Due to impending weather, Grace Community Church will not have services this Sunday, January 31, 2010. As this is written there is no snow falling, but the weather forecast is currently very threatening for our area, so the school system, in a precautionary measure, has cancelled all school activities for the weekend, which obviously impacts us. We are sorry for this inconvenience, but thankful for the advance notice and understanding of the need to protect the well-being of large numbers of people.

Please take this opportunity to enjoy some family time, rest, and spend some time reading the Bible and praying on Sunday. A few notes for those of interest:
*If you had planned to invite a friend, have them come with you next week. We will launch our new series for adults and children next week.
*If you normally give to the church or other causes we support, you may make those donations online (http://www.gcomchurch.com/give), mail them to Grace Community Church, PO Box 3136, Clarksville, TN 37043, or save them for next Sunday.
*If you have prayer needs or other items to communicate to the staff, please send them to office@gcomchurch.com
*Please pay special attention to the Grace website (http://www.gcomchurch.com) and the Grace Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/gcomchurch) for announcements you would have received Sunday. You might also want to make sure you have joined the Grace Facebook group, where we often send emails.)

Thank you for your faithfulness. Be safe and we look forward to seeing you next week.

Grace staff

Now here is the experiment. Will it make a difference? Will it matter to anyone that Grace Community Church will not meet this Sunday? Sure, it’s just one week, but what if it were every week? Would that matter to our community? Are we making enough of a difference that it would matter if we were no longer here?

What do you think? Has Grace made a difference in your life or in the lives of others you know? Please share a word, sentence, paragraph or story with us here on the blog where others may enjoy them. (If you don’t attend Grace Community Church, but want to give a shout out to the difference your church is making, feel free to share.)  Your comments will help me stay positive, because I’m really going to miss my friends at Grace this week, but will also be a blessing for others to read your stories.

This past Sunday’s message was about failure. Although we had this message in the series planned for months and we spend considerable time in prayer about what to speak about each week, I never imagined how sensitive this topic would be. I have been inundated with stories this week of how failure has impacted people’s lives. (And to think I thought it was just my story…)

If you are dealing with failure, I hope you will consider watching this message.

As a teaser, here are five principles I have learned about failure:

Not everyone is talking about you….even when it feels that way…

The best days of your life may be after the failure…not before…
if you allow God to shape the rest of your story…

Would you allow your story to help others? What’s one thing you have learned from failure? (Please share it as a comment on the blog, even if you are reading this on Facebook, to allow others to read your thoughts.)

We are in a series called Identity Theft at Grace Community Church. There are some things in life that have stolen from us the people we thought we would be. Last Sunday I spoke about how the direction of our life, or lack thereof, can be the culprit in stealing our identity. Have you lost your way? Watch this message to help you get back on the right path.

For more thoughts on having a life plan, click HERE.