What Makes a Good Prayer Meeting?

If you have never been to a bad prayer meeting, you need to get out more.  There is a reason why prayer meetings are going extinct.

But if you have never been to a good prayer meeting, you have missed something beautiful.  Your loss is more tragic than going through life never seeing a rainbow.

An easy way to evaluate a prayer meeting is to ask yourself afterwards, "Would my time have been better spent praying in private, than in this meeting?"  If you answer yes, the meeting was bad.  (Or you have no taste for the joys of Christianity and are probably not a Christian.) 

Generally, prayer meetings are bad because they fall into one or more of the following ditches:

1. Coldness (apathy, lethargy, passionlessness, dryness)
2. Weirdness (there are a lot of goofy spiritual ideas out there)
3. Talking to men instead of God (preaching, gossiping, visiting, but not actually praying!)
4. Organ recital (focusing on a litany of physical ailments and needs rather than gospel advancement)
5. Loquaciousness (when one person hogs the floor)

The participants in our local Saeed prayer gathering

I was reminded of this when today's local prayer vigil for Saeed Abedini turned out to be the best prayer meeting I have been to in several years, avoiding all the ditches I just described.  I gave only three instructions:

1. Try to keep your prayers below 2 minutes.  You can always pray again after someone else has had a turn.
2. Try to base your prayers on Scripture.
3. Don't talk about the prayer needs, just pray for them.

But simply giving good instructions does not create a good prayer meeting.  What does?  Why was today's prayer time so good?

I'm still pondering that question myself.  But I may have one small piece of the answer.  It seems more than coincidental to me that the best prayer meeting I have ever been in was also one dedicated to praying for the persecuted church.  And, when I speak of praying about persecution, I don't mean simply "God, make it stop and get me out of it!"

So many of the Psalms lend themselves directly to praying for the persecuted.  Paul's personal prayer requests often relate to persecution.  And, two of the most powerful prayer meetings in Acts (chapter 4 and chapter 12) were in response to persecution.

This reminds me of John Piper's words: "The number one reason why prayer malfunctions in the hands of a believers is that they try to turn a wartime walkie-talkie into a domestic intercom."

Tell me your thoughts.  What can we do to see good prayer meetings more often?

How Do You Find God's Will?

We make choices every day.  Some of them are small: when should I eat? Others are big: should I move to another city?

Christians are slaves of Jesus.  We are not free to do everything.  When a Christian makes a choice, he does not ask “What do I want?”  He asks, “What does Jesus want?”  A Christian wants to obey Jesus always, in big choices and small choices.

But how do we know what Jesus wants?  The Bible tells us clearly about some things.  We know that Jesus wants us to honor our parents, to share our possessions with needy Christians, and to avoid sexual immorality.  We know this because the Bible tells us.

But we have many decisions that the Bible does not directly talk about.  Should you marry this person or that person?  Should you plant rice or beans?  Should you wear red clothes or white clothes today?

Christians want to please Jesus in every decision.  But if the Bible does not tell us, how do we know what to do?

Some Christians say, “If the Bible does not tell me, I will just follow my heart.”  By that they mean, “I will choose the path that makes me feel happy, or peaceful, or confident.”  But sometimes God wants us to do things that are frightening or uncomfortable.  We cannot rely on our emotions to lead us.

Other Christians say, “I will wait for a sign from God.”  They want God to give them a dream, a vision, a prophecy, a visit from an angel, a “fleece” like Gideon’s, or some circumstances that point them toward the right decision.  But even the devil can do miracles and send dreams.  Islam was started because a man listened to an angel.  So although God may use a sign to lead us, we cannot rely on signs.

Other Christians say, “We find the right path by thinking carefully.  God gave us minds, and we must use them to make wise choices.”  But the Bible says, “Do not lean on your own understanding” (Prov. 3:5).  Many times in the Bible God told people to do things that seem crazy to our minds.

So if we cannot trust our feelings, our minds, or even supernatural signs to show us the right path, how can we find it?

Let’s look at Psalm 25.  David is in danger from enemies (v. 2).  He needs to know what to do.  So he prays.

4 Show me your ways, Lord,
    teach me your paths.
5 Guide me in your truth and teach me,
    for you are God my Savior,
    and my hope is in you all day long.

Notice:

1. David seeks guidance from outside.  He needs more than his own feelings or intelligence for direction.
2. David seeks guidance from God, not from other people.  The Bible says it is good to get advice from mature Christians (Prov. 11:14, 15:22, 20:18, 24:6, etc).  But here we see that we can fully trust only God Himself.  David is dependent on God.  If God doesn’t lead him, David is doomed.  He has no other way to get direction.  
3. Before David asks God to lead him (in verse 5), he asks God to teach him about God’s ways.  Before he says, “Show me the paths I should go in” he says, “Show me the paths that You go in”.  He wants to learn about the decisions that God makes, not just the decisions that he should make.  This is SO important.  David wants a relationship with God, he wants to know God, not just information from God.
   
   In the US, many people use GPS to navigate when they are driving their cars.  Their phones speak to them and tell them, “Turn right, go 50 meters, stop, move to the left” etc.  God is not a GPS for your life.  God is your Father.  Your Father does not want you to be a puppet or a robot.  He wants to reproduce His character in you.
   
   David wants to learn about God’s paths, to see the decisions God has made, so that David will have a heart like God’s heart.  Then David will make the right choices.  He will choose good things because he loves the same things God loves.  He will not need an angel or a dream to show him the way.  He will know the right choice because he knows God.  

Now look at verse 7:

Do not remember the sins of my youth
or my acts of rebellion;
in keeping with Your faithful love, remember me
because of Your goodness, Lord.

And verse 11:

Because of Your name, Lord,
forgive my sin, for it is great.

David is confessing his sin to God.  David asks God to forgive him for past times when David did not follow God.  We cannot refuse to follow God in some of our decisions, and seek His directions for other decisions.  We must repent of past sins before God will give us any guidance for the future.  

God does not guide everyone.  David tells us the kind of people whom God will lead.  Verse 8:

The Lord is good and upright;
therefore He shows sinners the way.

Isn’t this good news?  God is so good.  Even though we are sinners, He will teach us.  If God only helped perfect people, we would be lost forever!

Verse 9:

He leads the humble in what is right
and teaches them His way.

To be led by God, we must be humble.  God resists the proud but gives grace, including direction, to the humble.  Proud people think they already know the answer.

12 Who is the man who fears the Lord?
He will instruct him in the way he should choose.

This is my favorite verse in this Psalm.  It is a wonderful promise.  If you fear the Lord, He will show you what to do.  And that’s not all He’ll do for you:

13 His soul will abide in prosperity,
And his descendants will inherit the land.
14 The secret counsel of the Lord is for those who fear Him,
And He reveals His covenant to them.

Let me summarize what we have learned.  (The following is adapted from Led by the Spirit by Jim Elliff.)

1. Repent for any sins you have not already confessed to God.  Trust in Jesus as the One who died so that you could be forgiven, and become God’s child.  (1 John 1:6-9)
2. Pray for wisdom.  Do not doubt that God will show you the right thing to do.  (James 1:5)
3. Seek to know God more than His answers.
4. Examine your heart.  Is your main desire to do what God wants?  Or do you have a secret bias?  Seek to be willing to do whatever God wants.  Many people miss God’s direction because there are some things they do not want to do.
5. Carefully examine the Bible to see if it gives any guidance.  Try to find out not only what God permits and does not permit, but also what God likes, what is dear to His heart.
6. Write down your options.  Then list the benefits and dangers of each option.  Then examine the Bible to see if it says anything about these issues.  The Bible contains a lot more guidance than we expect.  
7. When helpful, ask for advice from mature, godly, wise people.
8. Act in faith to do whatever appears to be the wisest possible choice.  God can stop you if He wants.  

Free Christian Shirt!

My evangelistic shirts are finally printed and available as both polos and tees. You can purchase them online at www.evangelwear.com. Would you like to get one for free? This video will tell you how!
 

52 Lessons from My Father

My father's life has had a major impact on mine.  And that's a good thing.  Recently for his birthday I wrote down, in no particular order, fifty two life lessons that dad has tried to teach me.  If you've hung around dad very long, you've probably picked up some of these.  Some are simple, some are profound.  But that's what fatherhood is, showing the less mature how to apply God's wisdom in all areas of life, from the mundane to the awesome.

These are not a complete compendium of everything you need to know for life.  (There's a Book for that.)  You may not even agree with all of these.  But maybe this will cause you to reflect on the legacy of your own life.  Maybe it will inspire you to write down some lessons your father taught you, and then share them with a new generation?

1. Don’t be the cheapest seller.
2. Don’t go in debt.
3. Never buy a new car.
4. Men need to read Proverbs.
5. Open rebuke is better than vague politeness.
6. Have as many kids as God gives you.
7. Get up early to spend time with God.
8. Do physical work.
9. Learn to repair your own stuff.
10. College is optional.
11. Teach your kids at home, and don’t make your wife do it all.
12. Go with your wife to her doctor appointments.
13. Surprise your wife with flowers.
14. Call friends to see how they’re doing.
15. Help widows.
16. Spank kids with a flexible stick while they’re young.  It saves a lot of trouble later.
17. Never be ashamed of Jesus.  Evangelize at work.
18. Jesus, wife, kids, ministry, work.  (In that order.)
19. Don’t listen to rock music.
20. Listen to your wife’s advice.
21. Be liberal in giving money.  You can’t outgive God.
22. Forgive quickly.  Bitterness will rot your bones.
23. Efficiency is more important than frugality.
24. Throw things away.
25. God loves new beginnings.
26. Persistence is better than brilliance.
27. Don’t cause division at church.
28. Remember people’s successes and forget their sins.
29. TV is a waste of life.
30. Don’t eat junk food.  Better to spend money on healthy food than on doctors.
31. Learn everything you can.
32. Doing something imperfect is generally better than doing nothing at all.
33. Pray with confidence.
34. Don’t fear visiting people in the hospital.
35. Seek the success of others more than your own.
36. Lead family devotions.
37. Praise your kids when they do something right.
38. Flee sexual temptation.
39. Memorize Romans 6.
40. Shake hands like a man.
41. Help in the kitchen.
42. Stay off motorcycles and ATVs!
43. Read the Bible every day.
44. When you’ve done something wrong, say “Will you forgive me?” and not just “I’m sorry.”
45. Divorce is always wrong.
46. Floss your teeth.
47. Look people in the eye.
48. Show your teeth when you smile.
49. Leave the top shirt button unbuttoned, unless you’re wearing a tie.
50. Don’t be afraid to do something that others think weird, if it is necessary.
51. Put off current gratification for future benefit.
52. And of course… Little is much when God is in it.  Labor not for wealth or fame!

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Ray Comfort's movie Audacity is now available for free viewing on YouTube.  Learn how to share the gospel with homosexuals!  Watch it, and share it with your friends!

The Calvinist Armenian and the Man from Madagascar

Two men from The Master's Academy International stayed with us and shared in our church last Sunday. One of them, Faly Ravohangy, just arrived in the US with his family from Madagascar early this year; the other, Bryan, is a descendant of Armenians who fled the Turkish genocide.  (But he is not an Arminian Armenian.) 

From left to right: Faly, Bryan, Jim (our pastor, praying for them)

The mission of TMAI is to establish training centers for pastors around the world.  The English speaking world has an abundance of resources for pastors who want to learn how to teach the Bible better: books, videos, schools, seminars, and conferences.  Many third world pastors barely have a Bible in their own language.  This makes it very easy for false teachings to capture individual Christians, churches, or even whole nations.  Moreover, most third world pastors cannot afford to come to the US, learn English, and study in a good seminary.  So TMAI is taking the training to them.  So far they have 17 training centers in various locations around the world.  Bryan spent 5 years in TMAI's center in Samara, Russia; Faly aims to start a training center in his native Madagascar when he graduates from seminary himself. 

One thing that initially worried me about TMAI's approach is that their training is intellectually rigorous, which limits the number of students who can successfully complete their training.  There are far too few pastors in the world already, so wouldn't it be better to give a simpler education to a larger number of men?  But after meeting and hearing Faly and Bryan, I understand now that it is not an "either/or" choice.  We need to do both.  All men need to be filled up to their educational capacity with knowledge of how to teach the Bible well.  Some can go further than others.  But without training some at very high levels, if everyone is receiving only a Sunday School education, the church will remain immature and vulnerable to theological wolves and winds of false doctrine. 

Thus, TMAI is strategically aiming to capture the intellectual mountaintops of theology in the countries they serve.  Where the headwaters are pure, the river of Bible teaching will bring life as it flows down to the masses in the valley below. 

I encourage you to watch the video below and consider inviting TMAI representatives to share in your church.

 
The Most Strategic Way of Doing Missions from TMAI on Vimeo.

The ADA Protects Addicts?

On Monday I received this email from the White House.  To use a narcotic idiom, it blew my mind.  See if it does yours.  (More of my thoughts at the end.)

This year we celebrate the 25th anniversary of the passage of an historic piece of legislation, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). For the millions of Americans living with a disability, the ADA provides protection from discrimination and guarantees equal opportunities in order to promote accommodations that can help people live full, productive lives. As someone in long-term recovery from a substance use disorder, I strongly share this ideal.
Just as people with physical disabilities benefit under the ADA, people in recovery from substance use disorders are also protected by this landmark legislation .  Our communities have a lot in common - we both face some of the same discrimination, stigma, and historical restriction of opportunities. Our shared experience brings us together.
With approximately 56.7 million Americans living with a disability and an estimated 21.6 million Americans living with a substance use disorder, we are a significant portion of the US population. 12 Despite our numbers, we still face stigma and discrimination in healthcare, education, housing, and employment. The Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) is working to dismantle the stigma experienced by individuals with substance use disorders, just as the National Council on Disability (NCD) and many others are working to abolish discrimination and stigma surrounding all disabilities.  If we combine our numbers, our voices, and our collective experience, we have the opportunity to make our voices heard in all walks of life.As we celebrate the ADA, let us commit to join forces to address the common challenges faced by our communities. Together, we can work on increasing access to treatment for all people and create a higher standard of care and accommodations through cultural competency training. We can make a significant impact in destigmatizing disability, encouraging compassion and tolerance, and advocating for equality for all persons.
We can carry out that work today, as we celebrate the ADA. But we can also continue that work as we celebrate National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month. Each September, ONDCP joins with the millions of people in recovery to observe Recovery Month, and I want to ask you to join the celebration.  This year the theme is "Join the Voices for Recovery: Visible, Vocal, Valuable!" 

Together, we can join voices to reduce stigma and spread our shared message of effective treatment and successful recovery for anybody with a substance use disorder or disability.
For more resources and to learn more, please visit these links:

- http://www.recoverymonth.gov/
- http://www.dol.gov/dol/topic/disability/
- https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/disability-employment/
-  http://www.facesandvoicesofrecovery.org/
- http://www.facingaddiction.org/
- http://www.transformingyouthrecovery.org/
- http://youngpeopleinrecovery.org/
-  https://www.ncd.gov

1  2010 Census data, http://www.census.gov/prod/2012pubs/p70-131.pdf

2  2013 National Drug Use and Health Survey, http://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/NSDUH-SR200-RecoveryMonth-2014/NSDUH-SR200-RecoveryMonth-2014.htm

That's the end of the letter.  This is a slick way to get votes: when a particular sin becomes popular enough to constitute a voting block, get it declared a disability so that the government can offer its victims protection.  If we get enough rapists, will they be declared disabled too, and need government protection from the "stigma" that is associated with committing rape?  
 
The big losers in this will be the addicts themselves.  The government's fig leaves of consolation, assuring the addicts that they are not really bad people, just people with a terrible disability, will not ease their consciences or cure their addictions.  Oh, that Christians would reach out to these addicts with the news of a Covering that can truly take away the stigma of addiction!