The greatest obstacle to prayer

One of the greatest blessings of knowing God as our heavenly Father is that we can speak to him. He is a God who intimately cares for all our needs. He knows what we need even before we ask (Matt 6:8). He wants us to constantly reach out to him in prayer, bringing to him the needs and concerns that are on our hearts. Repeatedly God urges us to pray: ‘Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you’ (1Pet 5:7), ‘Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge’ (Ps 62:8), ‘Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you’ (Matt 7:7).

Why then do we find it so difficult to pray? Why do we rarely find ourselves on our knees, asking, seeking and knocking at God’s door? Why is it that when we do knock, we are often like the boy who knocks and then quickly runs away before the door is opened? Many of us find so little satisfaction and joy in prayer. (Let me be honest and say that I too find it difficult and hard to pray!)

Many of us would blame our prayerlessness on a busy and frantic lifestyle. We already find it hard to fit in all that needs to be done. Our bodies and minds are racing from one thing to another. And even when we stop to pray, it is done quickly and efficiently. Busyness is certainly a major hindrance to prayer. But there is a bigger problem than this.

The greatest obstacle is not so much a busy lifestyle, but an inbuilt desire to be in control. We would rather be self-sufficient than dependent. We would rather be self-determining, than let God decide the outcome. We would rather hide our sin and be strong, that be vulnerable and admit our failures and weaknesses. Our busyness in many ways reflects our desire to be self-sufficient and in control. The result is that we often fail to stop, to pray and to find our rest in God.

What then must we do to renew and transform our prayer lives? Firstly, we need to admit to God our desire to be self-sufficient. We need to admit that haven’t trusted him. Rather than let God be God, our natural and sinful desire is to be in control. We need to humble ourselves and recognise the root cause of the problem. Secondly, we need to acknowledge our utter dependence on him. For every spiritual, physical and material need – we depend on our loving heavenly Father. He is in control and we need him. Thirdly, remember that he loves you and always has your best interests at heart. ‘God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us’ (Rom 5:8). What God wants most of all is not our short-lived pleasures, but our eternal and everlasting joy in him. He wants us to grow in our love and devotion to him, that we might be more and more like his son Jesus (Rom 8:28-29).

Ultimately it is not time management that will transform our prayers, but humility and brokenness. For this is the kind of prayer that brings us to our knees and which is most pleasing to God. After he was exposed to his own sinfulness and shame, David recognised this wonderful aspect of God’s character when he wrote, ‘The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise’ (Ps 51:17).

What attitude should I have to the church?

People come to church for different reasons. We come to hear good teaching, to seek friendship, or to serve with our God-given gifts. We may be looking for strong leadership, good pastoral care or a mission-minded church. Unfortunately, church doesn’t always live up our expectations. We may be disappointed with the leadership or with the teaching. We may feel we won’t be missed if we didn’t turn up.

There are a whole range of reasons why we may be disappointed with church. There isn’t time to deal with all the issues here. What’s important is having the right expectations. And we need to understand the attitude God wants us to have towards his church.

After Peter’s confession of Jesus as the messiah Jesus says, ‘I will build my church’ (Mt 16:18). The ‘church’ Jesus refers to is not a building; rather it’s the community of all true believers for all time. They are those who belong to Jesus and for whom he died (Eph 1:22). The church is therefore not primarily my church or GracePoint church or Burwood church. It is first and foremost Jesus’ church.

As I belong to Jesus, I belong to his church. When Jesus brings me to God the Father he also brings me into a new community. ‘You are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household.’ (Eph 2:19). Adopted as God’s children, we now belong to his family (Rom 8:16). The church is therefore not a voluntary association, just as my membership in my natural family is not voluntary. I attend a family birthday because I belong to that family. I go to church, because I belong to this new spiritual family of God.

As a member of His church, I am called to love this community just as Jesus loves it. We are so precious to him that God bought the church ‘with his own blood’ (Acts 20:28). ‘Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy’ (Eph 5:25-26). The church has been set apart to be his bride (Rev 21:2), to be his holy temple (Eph 2:21). The church is a community of forgiven sinners whom Jesus loves. As he loves it, so must we love the church (Ps 16:3).

As members of the church, God has given each of us gifts to serve this family (Rom 12:4-8). God’s purpose is to build up the body of Christ to full maturity in Him. The church is built up not only through the pastors and teachers, but as every member uses their gifts to serve the body. ‘For in him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love as each part does it’s work’ (Eph 4:16).  Every member serves by attending, giving, encouraging others, welcoming newcomers, and praying for our ministry (Heb 10:24-25). Romans 12:4-8 lists other ways you can serve.

Lastly, God calls us to seek the unity of the body. ‘Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace’ (Eph 4:2-6). Coming from different backgrounds, it’s sometimes hard to get along with members of my spiritual family. The same can be true of our natural family relationships. But God’s will is that we work hard. That we make every effort to be united through being ‘completely humble’, gentle, patient, bearing with one another in love.’

Don’t judge church by your experience. Learn to view it from God’s perspective. Remember God’s call for you to love, serve and live out the unity we already have in Christ. It’s not always easy, but it’s everyone’s responsibility.

God’s Master Strategy

When Jesus walked through the towns and villages healing and preaching the kingdom of God he saw the crowds and was concerned for them. He saw that “they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd” (Matthew 9:36). He felt a great burden for them because they were lost. They needed teaching, leading and guiding. And there were masses of them.

But rather than despairing or working more frantically, Jesus taught his disciples to pray. He didn’t tell them that the problems of the world rested on their shoulders. Rather he taught them to turn to God and to ask him to send more workers. “Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” (Matt 9:38).

This is an important perspective for those who feel the burden of ministry. Those of us who are busy caring for people, leading small groups, or serving in different ministries, often feel the burden of ministry and the pressure of time. You feel a burden for the people who need encouragement, who need discipling, who need a friend or a phone call. You wish you had more hours in the day or that you didn’t need as much sleep so you could get more things done.

Those of us who feel this pressure need to learn from the way Jesus responded to the great need of his own day.

The first thing we can learn is this: on our own we cannot solve the problems of our world. Each person can only do so much in a day. Working harder or longer will not necessarily achieve more. If we rely too much on ourselves, we will ultimately become a bottleneck in ministry and burn ourselves out.

Rather we should look to the Lord of the harvest. God alone has the power to reach the millions who remain lost and helpless without Jesus. Ministry does not depend on how much time or effort we devote to ministry. It all depends on the blessing of God within the time that he gives us. Rather than work harder, devote more time to prayer.

And what should we pray for? This is the second great lesson to learn. Jesus teaches us to pray for God to send more workers into his harvest field. The answer is found not in working harder or longer, it is in finding more workers. God’s strategy for reaching the world is ultimately to multiply the number of workers who will do the work of teaching and discipling. This is what we should be praying for.

A vital implication of this prayer is this: we should not devote all our time to meeting immediate needs or serving needy people. We should also give time to healthy people who are growing and who ready to be trained for ministry. Instead of spending all our time trying to multiply disciples, we should spend time trying to multiply disciple-makers. This will involve short term sacrifices, but it is a longer term strategy to which Jesus himself was committed as he spent time with the twelve. Be committed to raising more workers.

Learn from Jesus by taking the pressure off ourselves. Turn to the Lord of the harvest and ask him to send more workers. Focus your energy and prayer on raising up more workers so that more people can be reached for Jesus. This is how the nations will be reached (Matthew 28:18-20).

How should a Christian vote?

In 1Timothy 2:1-2, Paul urges, ‘that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— ²for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.’ We should be praying for those in authority. Being prayerful means that we should be interested in the political life of our nation.This is a broader application of what it means for us to not only love God with heart, soul, mind and strength, but also to love our neighbour as ourselves.

The Bibles says that, whether democratically elected or not, it is God who ultimately establishes governments (Rom 13:1-7). They have a delegated and temporal authority whose purpose is to serve the common good by administering justice and good order. For the sake of others, we should be concerned that governments carry out their responsibilities faithfully.

A Prime Minister who is a professing Christian is no guarantee of good government. Romans 13 reminds us that even secular leaders are God’s servants. What we should be focusing on is the integrity of our leaders and on the policies they adopt.

How then should Christians vote?

1) Vote for the sake of others (Phil 2:3-4). This is contrary to our current political climate where politicians seek to appeal to particular interest groups, whether it be the family, the unions, business, the aged, or students. I must set aside my private interests and seek to serve the wider community.

2) Vote for the moral health of our community. Although our goal is not to impose the Christian lifestyle on the community, we believe that life as God designed it is a recipe for the general health of our society. This will include promoting values of justice, harmony, sexual responsibility, honesty, family and mercy.

3) Vote for the poor and weak in society. For Christians, “the bottom line is not the bottom line”. Proverbs 14:31 says,  “He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God.” The requirement of God’s people to care for the poor and the needy is quite overwhelming in the Scriptures.

4) Vote for the freedom to preach the gospel. Christians believe in a tolerant society where there is freedom of religion. We want others to be able to hear the gospel and turn to God (1Tim 2:3-7). We would be concerned if these freedoms are curtailed in one way or another.

Voting for the sake of others means that we will prayerfully take time to read und be informed of values and policies of the respective parties. This includes being informed of the policies of those who will potentially hold the balance of power, such as the Greens.

(Some of this material is based on a great article by John Dickson, published in the Sydney Morning Herald. For more biblical and practical insights on ‘Christians, Democracy and Politics‘, listen to Phillip Jensen on the Chat Room. Phillip in particular explains how the Australian political system works and how we can be involved.)

Enough Time

One thing that marks life in the 21st century, at least in the city of Sydney, is a lack of time. We have more time-saving tools, faster transport and instant communication. Yet we seem busier than ever and more rushed for time. We go from place to place trying fit more into our already busy diaries.

The classic answer to this problem is that we need to manage our priorities better. And certainly this is a vital part of the solution. We need to be proactive about spending the time where it matters most. The Bible is clear that what matters most in life is our relationships – our relationship with God and with others (Matthew 22:34-40). Managing our priorities is a must.

But there is another vital perspective we need to grasp if we want to live life better. It is live life with the Bible’s view of time. In 2 Peter 3:8, it says that to God ‘a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years is like a day’. God is not limited like we are and he is not in a hurry when it comes to time. God’s purpose always prevails across the generations.
And God rules not only across time, God is also rules within time. In Psalm 127 we read:

1 Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain.
Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain.
2 In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat—
for he grants sleep to those he loves.

Human success does not ultimately depend on how hard we work or how much time we have. At the end of the day it depends entirely on God’s blessing. God can grant success in a short amount of time or over a long period of time. It is his blessing that counts in whatever we are trying to achieve.

The great news is that God generously gives us enough time to do all that is necessary as well as to enjoy the fruit of that work on our day off. This is the basis of God’s command to Israel to not only rest every seventh day (Ex 20:8-11), but also every seventh year! (Lev 25:1-7, 20-22). God promised that he would provide such a bumper crop in the sixth year that they would be covered for a full three years. It was not time or effort that counted, but the promise of God’s blessing as they obeyed his command to keep the Sabbath. We can work all we like, but it is he who grants success to those who loves.

It is within this perspective of God’s sovereignty that we need to learn to be less frantic when it comes to time. God is not only sovereign over time, he generously gives us enough time for all that we need to do and to also enjoy his good gifts. He calls us to slow down enough to take stock of who is in control and what is most important. And God promises that when we set our priorities right, he will never leave us lacking anything (Mtt 6:33).

How do Old Testament laws apply to us today?

One issue that Christians are confused about today is the place of Old Testament law in the life of the Christian. It seems quite obvious that the Jewish sacrificial system is no longer applicable. And many of the other laws regarding Jewish festivals, restrictions on unclean food, as well as circumcision no longer apply (Col 2:16). So how are we to understand the relevance and purpose of Old Testament laws today?

This is a complex question and will require careful thought and study. But a useful way to understand which Old Testament laws apply to us today is to consider the Reformed ‘three-fold division of the law’. Traditional Reformed theology has distinguished the law into three parts, moral, ceremonial, and civil. (While there are some problems with this division, I will highlight the benefits of this approach).

The ‘moral law’ are those laws which are universal and permanent in nature reflecting God’s unchanging moral character. This moral law is summarised in the Ten Commandments and is applicable to all people and at all times. For example even before the Ten Commandments were given, God had already told Noah he would hold people accountable for the life of their fellow human being (Gen 9:6). This is reflected in the commandment, ‘You shall not murder’. This command is again reapplied by Jesus and Paul in the New Testament (Matt 19:18, Rom 13:9). The ‘moral law’ contained in the Old Testament are always applicable.

The ‘ceremonial law’ are those laws which are symbolic in nature. These include the food laws, the temple sacrifices, circumcision and the festivals. These laws symbolically pointed to the holiness demanded of God’s people and reminded them they belonged to him. The book of Hebrews tells us that these ‘ceremonial laws’ ended with the coming of Christ (Heb 10:1). Jesus perfectly fulfilled what these laws symbolised. Jesus is the perfect sacrifice, he is our high priest, and by his Spirit we have received a circumcision of the heart (Col 2:11, Deut 30:6). The ceremonial laws are applicable to us today only in the way they continually point to the holiness and righteousness fulfilled in Christ (Col 2:17).

The ‘civil’ (or judicial law) are those Old Testament laws that governed Israel as a nation state. These laws included Israel’s stewardship of the land, property laws, family laws, and the punishment for idolatry. While the moral principles contained in these laws continue to be relevant, the detailed application of these laws is no longer applicable. The reason Israel’s ‘civil law’ no longer applies to us directly is that we no longer live under a nation state under God. The gospel has now been preached to all nations. Jews and Gentiles have now been brought together as ‘one new man’ in Christ (Eph 2:11-12).

In summary, the three-fold division of the law helps us see which aspects of the law continue to apply to us. The Traditional Reformed approach says that it is only the ‘moral law’ that continues to apply to us. However, I would add that we should study and learn from the underlying ethical requirements contained in all three elements of the law – moral, ceremonial and civil. We need to study how all three aspects of the law point to Christ, are fulfilled in him and are taught by him. In particular we should learn how Jesus teaches us a new obedience that comes not from the ‘written code’, but from the heart (Matt 5:17-48, Heb 8:10). All this must always be grounded in the perfect righteousness he has already achieved for us at the cross (1Pet 3:18, 2Tim 1:9).

The Reason For Easter

If Jesus was such a good man why was he crucified by the Roman authorities 2000 years ago? Death by crucifixion was reserved for the lowest of criminals – murderers, insurrectionists, slaves.

On the surface the motivation appeared political. The Jewish religious leaders were threatened by Jesus’ rising popularity. His popularity threatened to undermine their power base. When Jesus was brought before Pilate, these were the charges laid against him: “We found this man misleading our nation and forbidding us to give tribute to Caesar, and saying that he himself is Christ, a king” (Luke 23:2). Jesus was further accused of undermining Jewish law and of seeking to destroy the temple.

Yet Jesus was the most law-abiding, God-fearing man who lived. He taught his disciples to respect and honour both the Jewish and the Roman authorities (Matthew 22:15-22; 23:2-3). After close scrutiny Pilate himself, declared Jesus to be innocent of all the charges (Luke 23:14).

So why was Jesus put to death? The New Testament witness clearly tells us that Jesus was not the helpless victim of a harsh political agenda. Jesus was handed over to death by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge (Acts 2:23). ‘It was the Lord’s will to crush him’ (Isaiah 53:10). Jesus himself predicted that he would suffer, die and on the third day rise again ( Luke 9:22, 44; 11:29–30; 13:32–34; 17:25; 18:31–33). Jesus said it was his mission to come ‘to give his life as a ransom for many’. Jesus handed himself over to death to bring salvation to many. Why is this necessary?

The Bible says that all of us without exception have rejected God’s rightful rule over us (Romans 3:10). The penalty for rebellion is death and judgment (Hebrews 9:27). The just and holy God never allows guilt to go unpunished. Every crime must face its just penalty. Yet in his love, God sent his Son Jesus to take that justice on himself. In his crucifixion, Jesus willingly took our death penalty in our place. Jesus died, the innocent for the guilty to win our pardon. ‘Christ died for sins, once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God’ (1Peter 3:18). The result is that all who trust and follow Jesus receive the benefits of his death, a complete and unconditional pardon.

At the trial of Jesus, we should imagine ourselves as part of a great prisoner exchange. Jesus the perfect Son of God was crucified. Barabbas, an insurrectionist and a murderer, was set free (Luke 23:18-19). You and I are ‘Barabbas’. We are the guilty ones, but because of him, we have been set free.

This then is the reason why we celebrate Easter. Because Jesus was crucified, that he might give his life as a ransom for many, to bring you and I to God.

What is the church?

What comes to mind when you think of ‘church’? Do you think of the building? Do you think of the denomination? Do you think of the 1½ hour slot on a Sunday when we meet to sing and hear God’s word together?

The Biblical idea of church is much more than a building, or a time or place in which we meet. The church is rather the new community I belong to because of Jesus (Eph 2:19-20). I not only belong to Jesus as an isolated individual, but I belong to the community God has saved me into. Being united to Christ unites us to all the other members of Christ’s body. Through the gospel we have become ‘members together of one body and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus’ (Eph 3:6). You don’t choose whether or not to be part of the church; God has already saved you to be in his new spiritual family. Irrespective of how you feel, if you are in Christ you belong to his community.

The church is also a community that meets regularly. God created us as physical and relational beings. The fullest expression of human relationship happens when we are meeting face to face. Likewise the fullest expression of our community in Christ happens, not in cyberspace, but when we are meeting regularly together. This is why we are not only committed to this community, but we are committed to meeting together (Heb 10:25).

This is consistent with the goal of church, which is to grow together in Christ. Paul states this purpose clearly in Ephesians 4:12-13, ‘that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ’. The church as a community matures as we grow up in the knowledge of Jesus. It also grows as each member of the church works to build itself up in love (Eph 4:16). We meet to speak the truth in love to each other, to encourage each other,  teach and admonish each other, and to keep each other accountable (Eph 4:15, Heb 10:24-25, Col 3:15-16). This ‘building up’ of each other is mutual. It happens in the context of relationships, and in the context of the community that meets regularly. Our commitment to church, therefore, does not depend on what I get out of it, my usefulness in being there, or even whether or not I’ll be missed. The purpose of church is always the mutual building up of the body of Christ, for the ultimate glory of Jesus.

At GracePoint this community is expressed both in our Sunday meeting as well as in small groups which meet during the week. We are united around Jesus. We are committed to meeting regularly. And our goal as we meet is to be growing until we reach full maturity in Christ as a church community, so that Jesus might be praised (Eph 4:16, 20).

Building Gospel Communities

Discovering my identity and purpose in life is an essential part of being human. For many people ‘who I am’ is determined by the choices I make – the clothes I wear, the music I listen to, the technology I carry, the career path I take, the friends I hang out with. It’s my choices and achievements in life that determine who I am.

Christian identity is radically different. Who I am in Christ is defined not by my choice but by God’s choice. God ‘chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as sons’ (Eph 1:3). Out of his grace, God chose us to be holy and to be his sons and daughters. You are a child of God, a part of God’s holy people, indwelt with the Holy Spirit, destined for heaven.

But not only has God chosen us to be his own, he has also saved us into a new community. ‘Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household’ (Eph 2:18). No matter what race or age, or career or social status, if you are a Christian, you are fellow citizens with God’s people, members of God’s new community. This is not a voluntary association; if I belong to Christ, then I belong to my brothers and sisters in Christ (Rom 12:5). I must now see myself not as an isolated individual, but an integral member of this new spiritual family.

Once I understand my new identity as a Christian, I then have a clearer picture of my God-given purpose. For it is to be committed to growing as a member of this new community. My choices in life are to be made not for myself only, but in light of the community that God has brought me into. God has given each of us different gifts to serve the body of Christ (Rom 12:4-8). It is God’s purpose that this body ‘grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does it’s work (Eph 4:16)’. Living out God’s purpose as Christians is therefore a community project not a solo adventure.

In practice this is what it means: you need to be committed to meeting regularly, encouraging your fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, growing together in God’s word, and living together for Jesus’ greater mission to the world (Heb 10:24-25, Matt 28:18-20).

The best context for living out God’s vision of the local church is to be committed to our weekly Community Groups. Our goal within these groups is not only to study the Bible, but to help each other apply God’s word together. As Gospel Communities, our goal is not to care for ourselves only, but to see ourselves as mission teams, on mission together for Jesus

What will heaven be like?

“I would rather rule in hell, than serve in heaven”. This is one response I once received many years ago, when I was sharing the gospel with a family friend. It reflected a crude understanding of what heaven would be like. For this friend, heaven would be like an endless church service, sitting on a white cloud, surrounded by people with whom you would not normally mix. The reality is most people have only a vague idea of what heaven will be like.

So what is the future for those who are followers of Jesus?

The Bible says that God will one day restore his perfect rule over the universe through his son Jesus (Eph 1:10). Every form of evil, corruption and tyranny will be destroyed. Sickness and death will be no more. There will be no more disappointment or frustration or pain. Everything that stands against God’s purposes will be completely removed.

Instead, people will enjoy the fruit of their labour. ‘They will build houses and dwell in them; they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit’ (Isa 65:21). They will enjoy a world of perfect peace, righteousness and justice. We will enjoy perfect relationships and real community. What will guarantee this future is that God will live with his people and we will be with him forever.

We do not have space to fully present all the biblical images of heaven. But for the Christian, heaven will be the ‘home’ towards which we look forward. It will be our ‘promised land’, the place of rest. It will be a wedding feast. It will be the security, companionship and riches of a great and perfect city.

The book of Revelation is full of imagery, speaking of things beyond our own experience. And the most striking imagery is given in Revelation 21:1-22:2, where our future hope is described as the city of God, the new Jerusalem. God will be at the centre of that city’s life and joy.

“No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. 4 They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5 There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.” (Rev 22:3-5)

What the Bible presents is only a glimmer of what that future glory will be like (1Cor 13:12, Rom 8:18). But God’s word calls us to constantly set our hope on that day when Jesus returns (1Pet 2:13, Col 3:4). And we’re called to think often about this future hope, like homesick travellers looking forward to the day when we’ll finally be at home with the Lord (2Cor 5:7).

Why don’t you take time out this week to meditate on some of the Biblical pictures of heaven in the following passages: Isaiah 65:17-25, Revelation 7:14-17; 21:1-22:5?