Sunday 23 September 2012

Your prayer partner


Suppose you were asked to play tennis doubles with some friends and a world champion tennis player offered to be your partner.

I’m sure you’d be excited.  You would be filled with confidence.  You would know that you and your partner had an excellent chance of winning.

Shouldn’t we be filled with excitement to know that Jesus is our prayer partner?

Wesley L. Duewel, a missionary and author, makes that point in different words in his book Touch the World through Prayer.

He notes that Jesus is interceding on our behalf – praying for us – in heaven.  The apostle Paul says so explicitly in Romans 8:34:

“Christ Jesus who died . . . is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.”

But that is not all.  God considers us “fellow workers” (2 Corinthians 6:1).  We are to work with God to bring about his purposes in the world – and prayer is one of the most important ways to do this.

Jesus says in Matthew 18:18 that “whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven”.  He goes on to say that “where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them”.

He is clearly telling us that when we are in tune with Jesus, our prayers are powerful.

We are working in tandem with Jesus to change the world.


Tuesday 18 September 2012

Prayer is where the action is


Author Paul Billheimer makes the provocative statement: “Prayer is where the action is.”

Other Christians might say evangelism or Bible study or good works are most important.

But in his book Destined For The Throne, Billheimer says: “Unless a church is satisfied to merely operate an ecclesiastical treadmill, prayer will become her main occupation.”

That’s strong stuff.  It’s not what we’re used to hearing in the Western Christian church.

Does this mean praying should be the only thing Christians do?

No, but it should be the first thing.  We have many examples in the Bible of prayer’s importance.

There is Jesus’ example. Often, the gospel writers mention that Jesus spent time in prayer before preaching to thousands and performing miracles.  He prayed to the Father before the resurrection of Lazarus.  He prayed before the pivotal event in history, his crucifixion.

Cornelius, a Roman centurion, was praying when he received a vision about sending his servants to fetch Peter.  It was while praying that Peter received a vision about reaching out to non-Jews with the gospel.  This paved the way to a ground-breaking event in Christian history – the conversion of Cornelius and outreach to non-Jews.

The apostle James says in James 4:2: “You do not have because you do not ask.”  That’s as direct a reason to pray as you will find anywhere.

Prayer came before great revivals in the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia, Africa, and South America.  Hundreds of thousands came to faith in Christ during those times.

I seem to find time for many things – and not nearly enough for prayer.

So Billheimer’s statement is a challenge for me – and for all believers.

Tuesday 11 September 2012

Jesus' Promise


More and more, I have been thinking of Jesus’ words in John 15: “Remain in me and I will remain in you.”

These words contain a promise and a warning.  As long as my mind and heart are wrapped up in Christ, I can enjoy his active presence in my life. I can count on God working through me producing fruit – loving God and loving others.

But if I decide like the prodigal son in Jesus’ parable to go my own way and do my own thing, I can hardly expect to see God’s fingerprints on my life. It’s like me expecting to win an Olympic competition without training.

It’s strange that we Christians – myself included – think we can ignore Jesus most of the time and yet expect him to dance to our tune.

Increasingly, I realize the truth – and the joy – contained in Jesus’ words that I quoted above.  God just wants me to spend time with him.  And he promises that I will learn more of him.

Think about this for a moment: Jesus tells me I am his friend.  If I treat him as a casual acquaintance, I will not get to know him well and to enjoy him.  If I take his words at face value, I have a chance to get to know the God of the universe like the most intimate of friends.

So how do I do this?  How do I remain in Christ?

The apostle Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18:

“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

In other words, I am to be in constant conversation with Jesus.  I must walk through my day knowing that Jesus is walking with me.

I am to share my thoughts, my needs, my concerns with him.  I am to rejoice that I belong to him.  I am to thank him for the great spiritual riches he has bestowed on me – and the many other good things he has given me.

This prayer- and praise-filled life will change me and the little world around me.



Monday 3 September 2012

TRAINING FOR ETERNITY



Paul Billheimer has an interesting view of prayer: It’s really on-the-job training to rule the universe with God.

In his book Destined for the Throne, Billheimer says God is preparing Christians to be the “bride of Christ” (Revelation 19:7) when Christ returns.  Our life on earth is our preparation time.

Jesus’ many references to prayer show how important it is that we work with God to bring about his purposes on earth, Billheimer says.

But Billheimer goes further. 

We are, in fact, united with Christ (Romans 6:5) and are already seated with him in a spiritual sense in heaven (Ephesians 2:6).  We are “destined for the throne” as Billheimer says. We have been given authority to enforce in the world around us Christ’s victory on the cross (Matthew 16:19). Prayer is the means for doing this.

In 1John 3:8, the apostle John writes: “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.”  Billheimer says it is our work, too.

“This world is a laboratory in which those destined for the throne are learning, by actual practice in the prayer closet, how to overcome Satan and his hierarchy,” the author says.

“God designed the program of prayer as an apprenticeship for eternal sovereignty with Christ.”

Billheimer’s book has become a modern classic, endorsed by such people as Billy Graham.

His book offers yet another powerful reason to pray.