Grandfather Mincaye

I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers... ~ Romans 9:3

More than 64 years ago a tremendous tragedy happened in Ecuador. Five young missionaries were reaching out to the Waodani (also called the Auca) people of the Amazon River basin. For a great number of reasons - namely the violent nature of the Waodani people, the invasion of their space by the Shell Oil Company, and a terrible lie told by a man named Mincaye - these five missionaries were murdered on a river bank in 1956.

But the story does not end there, the wives and sisters of these five men continued to reach out to the Waodani people and soon saw the conversion of many of them, including Mincaye, who became like a father for Nate Saint's son, Steve Saint, who has spent his life as an incredible missionary aviation pioneer.

I am not an expert on the Waodani people, but I have heard that they did not have a title for grandfather because Auca men just did not live that long. Mincaye was one of the first to change that; because of the violence brought through the cross of Christ, and the violence at Palm Beach in the Amazon, the love of God to make peace, and the perseverance of God's saints Mincaye found life in the midst of so much death.

Grandfather Mincaye died today and I cannot imagine the reunion between him and Nate Saint and Jim Elliot and Roger Youderian and Pete Fleming and Ed McCully and Elizabeth Elliot and Rachel Saint and many others. What rejoicing they must have had!

So beloved, on this somber and yet glorious day, I want to ask you a few things:

1. Would you be willing to die so someone else could go to Heaven? At least one Man has died for you, maybe many more, will you resolve in your heart today to make someone's eternity more important than your life?

My three oldest and I in
2016 with a real Waodani spear

2. Will you take the gospel to a lost and dying world? The deaths of those five missionaries sparked a missionary movement that cannot be quantified on earth. So many missionaries have directly attributed the events of January 8th, 1956 to how they arrived on the missions field. It was certainly at the forefront of my mind when I traveled farther down the Amazon near Manaus to preach Christ to another unreached people group.

3. Will you pray for missions in the Amazon region and elsewhere? The Waodani people had their first martyrs in 2015 as they sought to evangelize their neighbors, "The Downriver People". The work of world evangelization is far from finished!

We speak of the second coming of Christ, half the world has never heard of the first. ~ Oswald J. Smith.

4. Will you forgive your enemies and pour out love on them that they may be saved? I cannot fathom the courage and love required of women like Elizabeth Elliot and Rachel Saint to take the gospel to the very people that deprived them of their loved ones. But the reward has been great, and the testimony continues.

5. In memory of so many witnesses who have gone before, who expected great things from God and attempted great things for God, will you continue to publish the peace of Christ to the world?

May there be many more like Mincaye in the Kingdom of Heaven, who were liars, murderers, sexually immoral, but who are washed, sanctified, and justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God!

Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. ~ Romans 10:1

Listen Better - Part 2 of 7 - Pray Before the Sermon

Part 1 - Introduction

Unless God opens your heart to receive his Word, then nothing you do will help.

Blunt, but true: It is imperative that we realize that hearing God’s Word is a grace all in itself. Many people are precluded from hearing God’s Word and the ways are myriad; some have no access to or knowledge that the Word even exists, some are under direct legislation outlawing the reading of the Bible, others have ministers who refuse to preach God’s Word in lieu of their own opinions, and yet others sit under the preaching of God’s Word, but their ears are closed and their hearts are hard.

Adrian Rogers lamented,

The Devil would just as soon send you to Hell from the pew—as from the gutter!

Therefore, one of the primary things we must do to be hearers of God’s Word is to humble ourselves to realize our need for salvation, and that if Jesus is the only way, and if we are saved by faith, and if faith comes by hearing, then we must drastically entreat God to open our ears to his Word.

The Psalmist prayed,

“Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.” ~Psalm 119:18

If God doesn’t answer then the most prestigious Bible training in the world will leave you in darkness and despair, so seek him for this grace!

Besides the obvious necessity of praying that God would make us better listeners, it also invests us in the preaching of the Word and prepares the soil of our hearts to hear. Charles Spurgeon wisely identified that the parable of the soils identifies many soils, but only one seed,

Which, do you think needs the most preparation, the sower or the ground? I would have the sower come with clean hands, but I would have the ground well-plowed and harrowed, well-turned over, and the clods broken before the seed comes in. It seems to me that there is more preparation needed by the ground than by the sower, more by the hearer than by the preacher.

And we ought not pray only for ourselves, but for our preacher that he may bring the Word in power from the Holy Spirit, and for our fellow listeners that the Word will accomplish in them exactly what God intends for it to accomplish. This investment in preparing to hear God’s Word adds the blessing that then we will work and hope and expect God to work not just in our own hearts, but in the hearts of those we’ve prayed for.

Won’t you pray for your heart, your pastor, and your church before you next hear God’s Word preached, and ever after until you are in the very presence of your Saviour?

Part 3 - Read the Word

Ending Abortion With the Law of Love

There is a massive movement of evangelists at current to Abolish Human Abortion, not just to outlaw it, but to criminalize it. I agree completely that abortion is murder: those who perform abortions, get abortions, and are accessories to abortion are guilty of murder and should be prosecuted. In fact I wrote a position paper in 2006 anathematizing the USAF's consideration to fund abortions through Tri-Care, and I went so far (to start conversation within the class) as to call for the UCMJ to make abortion a punishable offense under Articles 118, 119, and 133.

But, the legality of abortion is only a symptom of a much greater problem. If abortion were 100% illegal and punishable by death tomorrow, as it should be, the world would only be a little cleaner on the outside, but inside, it would still be filled with every manner of filth and sin. A symptom would be gone, but the root cause, the root corruption would be un-phased.

Consider the abolition of slavery in the United States starting in the early 1800s and culminating in 1863. Now, I am completely against racial slavery (compare: The Doctrine of Slavery), but the abolition movement is not the godsend which it is so often credited with. In fact, I would rather say it has made some things worse, and the abolition of slavery, and the continued farce of the "End-It" movement, do what Peter said of false teachers, "They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption (2 Peter 2:19)."

The abolition of slavery was done by law, it ought to have been perfected with the gospel. I will explain this in a moment. First though, the Bible does not use the word "slave" only for the first century or to be thrown out when our superstitious secularism warrants, "Slaves, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust (1 Peter 2:18)." "Slaves, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord (Colossians 3:22)." "Masters, treat your slaves justly and fairly, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven (Colossians 4:1)." "Were you a slave when called? Do not be concerned about it (1 Corinthians 7:21)." Slavery exists today throughout the world, and nonetheless in America, and will until Christ returns. Slavery was not wrong because it is slavery, but because it was abused, it was racial, it required kidnapping, and many masters were unjust.

Had slavery been perfected by the gospel, then the nation and the world would be in much less bondage than they are today. In a perfect postmillenial world (one that does not exist and will never exist), where the gospel had been preached and believed and obeyed in America, slavery would have ceased to be the stain on the humanitarian history of these United States. Had the gospel been preached, fair treatment of slaves exhorted, and the refusal to partake in purchasing slaves who had been kidnapped or treated like cattle, then the manselling trade and the Middle Passage would have ceased to function. Imagine this, the Hannibal, a slave ship, deemed a pirate ship by an 1808 law prohibiting the importation of slaves, anchors in Mobile Bay with 692 slaves aboard. The average price per slave is $10.50; but Christian slave-owners, seeing the abysmal conditions on board, and finding that not a single slave was willingly indentured, refuse to pay $10.50 else they be in support of this illegal and immoral practice (Similarly, and a complete aside, supporting pornography, even only through your cable-internet bill, enslaves and destroys thousands of young people each year). What would happen next? At the very least the Hannibal would not carry any more slaves to the New World, for there is no profit in it, nor would any other ship. Perhaps the captain of this ship, in order to recoup some cost, would drastically reduce the price of slaves, in which case Christians desiring to show the grace of Christ might buy them to set them free (Compare This Story), or to act as just and fair masters. In either case, the gospel would rectify the slave trade without prohibition and without promising freedom only to deliver greater slavery.

For there are two sets of laws in the world, the worldly prohibiting kind which are rarely obeyed and frequently broken (do not steal, do not drink and drive, do not murder babies), and the heavenly law of love (love your neighbor as yourself). The law of love is so encompassing and perfect that it need not prohibit violence or racism, because if you love someone, you will seek their highest good and ignore superficialities. The law of love demonstrated in slavery would have benefited everyone far more than the Emancipation Proclamation. The law of love is infinitely more capable of ending abortion than any legislation. A mommy who loves God and their baby will not destroy that baby or the image of God being knit together inside of them. A daddy who loves his child will stand up and be a man and honor Christ in protecting life and raising that child in the fear and admonition of the Lord.

An evangelist preaching the gospel indiscriminately to a crowd will (Lord willing) impact the lives of far more people than preaching focused messages at the abortion minded. Instead of fighting the symptom at a murder clinic, gospel preaching ought to start by addressing the root cause, a sinful heart which leads to fornication, disregard for life, and murder. In my ministry towards youth, allow me to boast for a moment, I know that it is more productive to ensure that little girls never need to consider an abortion and to teach them to love and obey Jesus and give them a hope in the Living God, than to try to ward them off at a moment of great despair and hopelessness.

A famous evangelist once compared addiction ministry to a playground near a dangerous cliff. Children regularly fell down the cliff, some were killed and others gravely injured. One response, the addiction ministry response, was to build a hospital at the bottom of the cliff in order to minister to those who had fallen. The other response, the gospel ministry response, was to put a fence and warning signs up to warn of impending danger. Beloved, which works better? The one that ministers to the effect, or the one that ministers to the cause.

The current abortion ministry and abolition movement are treating symptoms of sin, and while they are doing some good, the greatest good is to be done in full time gospel ministry, in treating the wicked heart which brings forth sexual immorality and murder. A girl converted to Christ in middle-school will never consider an abortion. A high-school boy who determines to honor Christ by waiting for his future wife will never pressure someone into taking RU-486 or be an accomplice to the murder of a baby. An abortion doctor who has no patients will have to resort to finding a second job.

It is a commendable thing to be against abortion, and to call it what it is: cold blooded murder. But beloved, just as the abolition of slavery did not abolish slavery, neither will the outlawing of abortion end abortion. The law has a way of awakening our nature to break that law, but Christ is the cure for the rebellion and fallenness of humanity, he alone has the ability to replace a wicked heart with a sanctified heart.

And finally, and probably most harshly, the abolition of slavery has done innumerable damage to the nation, not just to one people-group, but all who are enslaved without knowing their captivity to the devil. Christ came to set the captives free. A person who does not recognize their enslavement does not seek an Emancipator. The outlawing of abortion without a strong gospel presence will condemn many more people than are currently condemned. As harsh as it is to say, a child murdered is guaranteed instant Heaven by their faith in God (Matthew 18:3) and the faithfulness of God (Matthew 18:14). A child who grows up in a pagan culture is condemned by the sins of their fathers. Adrian Rogers once made the excellent point that fixing atrocities without the preaching of the gospel is only, "making the world a nicer place to go to Hell from."

Preaching the gospel faithfully to all men will result in fewer abortions and make famous the name of the One who is able to save to the uttermost all of those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. So beloved, I implore you to focus on the cause of abortion, and not the symptom of abortion, that you minister to lost sinners in your church, in their schools and universities, in the park, at the mall, at festivals. Wherever people may be found, preempt the need for abortion ministry by proclaiming Christ and him crucified.

A Prayer for Students: Part II

Last year I wrote A Prayer for Students as they transitioned between major events in their lives. This year I have grappled with reposting that prayer, or writing another. As I read through that prayer, I realized that the circumstances this year are considerably different, and so a different prayer would be fruitful.

One of my favorite verses came to mind, 1 Thessalonians 1:2-3, “We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.” As I prayed for dozens upon dozens of students by name, a continual theme of the rest of 1 Thessalonians came to mind, and I’ve structured this prayer closely to that Epistle, since Paul, Silas, and Timothy were praying and instructing people they were absent from. My prayer is for people who are scattered throughout several churches, throughout the country, and even throughout the world, some I'll see again, some not until Heaven, so I felt that this was a perfect endeavor.

Invocation

Lord of Hosts, God of Ages, I give thanks to you for the exceeding joy of knowing your Son Jesus Christ and his glorious church of saints. I thank you that you have chosen a remnant out of every people and shown us who those people are by equipping them in faith, love, and hope in the work and person of your Son, it’s in his name that I approach your throne of grace to receive help for my fellow saints as they walk through this world.

Conviction in the Word

Strengthen these students in your Bible, let it not just be letters on a page to them, but bring it in power with full conviction of your Holy Spirit. Let them see it for what it is, not the words of men, but the very Word of God, which is at work in all believers. If any of these students have not yet been called into your kingdom, have not repented and placed their faith in the Resurrected Christ, then I ask you to call them into your kingdom and glory.

Boldness

Father, give them boldness and wisdom to take the Word into every corner of their worlds. Give them the words to speak, the people to speak them to, and the boldness to speak them. May they stand as priests, prophets, and ambassadors of the Living Christ, walking worthy of this call and making disciples of all nations, beginning with their own neighbors.

Character

Be growing these students to be worthy of imitation of all who see them, let them be examples in love and faithfulness. May they never come with words of flattery, or a pretext for greed, or seeking their own glory, but let them be affectionately desirous that everyone who knows them will glorify Christ on their behalf, first through conversion and then through life.

May you be motivating them towards good words and works, that they would be a burden to none. Especially towards the church may they prove to be holy, righteous, and blameless in all of their conduct.

May they prove to be the hope, joy, and crown of boasting for myself and all who have ministered to and among them, that at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ we may all be presented mature. May they have the joy of being able to say the same of their own disciples.

Faithful Shepherds

Father, appoint faithful ministers over these students, ministers that will with confidence be able to say, “Be imitators of me as I am of Christ,” let them stand firm on the Word and carry it outside of the camp. If they are content to sit within the walls of the church then Father chase them out. Let them supply what is lacking in these students’ faith.

Send your Comforter to calm my anxiety that the tempter will tempt these students and my labor will have been in vain. You promise that when your Spirit begins a good work in someone, he will see it to conclusion, and I pray that you will be doing just that for these students through your Spirit.

Perseverance

Send these students through the purifying fire, knowing that your Son has walked that path and promises to be with us until the end of the age. May they not be surprised when persecution comes, but let them welcome it as partaking with Christ in his suffering. Let them see the benefits of these afflictions, may they not be moved by them. May these persecutions open opportunities for them to abound in love for one another and for all, and establish their hearts blameless in holiness, eagerly awaiting the coming of Christ.

Purity

Father, what joy it is to know that your will for us is our sanctification. I pray that you would be progressing these students to be more and more like Christ every day. Father, keep them from sin, deliver them from temptation, especially concerning sexual immorality. They see daily the passions of lust which the world walks in, so I pray that they would learn from a young age how to control their bodies in holiness and honor.

Concerning these young men, that you would show them how to make a covenant with their eyes, that they would not look upon anything which they ought not, that they would be concerned with honor and wholesomeness in all of their interactions, and that they would exercise self control which will keep them, their future wives, and your Son from being ashamed.

Concerning these young ladies, Father, you have outdone yourself in giving them the gift of beauty. I ask for mine and their sake that you would blind the eyes of every boy in their schools towards them. Let these young ladies’ adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in your sight is very precious.

Hope

Father, set these students’ affections firmly on Heaven, let them know that whether they are alive or dead in the flesh, they have nothing to fear, for you have destined them for salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. Fully clothe them in the faith, love, and hope that this produces, so that they will live as children of the light.

May they go into every situation knowing that you are a God who works all things for good to those who love you and are called according to your purpose. May this confidence motivate them to preach to every person they encounter, and edify them in the truth of your Sovereignty. May they forever know that free-will is a myth and that while we were slaves to sin, you called us into the freedom of your Son so that we are not destined for wrath.

The Good Fight

Let everything these students do be done in love, let them love their churches, and especially those who minister the truth over them. Let them see that these are not just their pastors, but their parents as well; let them honor them in everything they do. May their lives on this earth both be long and abounding in the fruit of the Spirit.

Let their love be one that strives for holiness, correcting those who are in sin. Grant them patience and an overabundance of charity. How true it is that bad company ruins good morals, so Father I ask you to surround these students with only those who are able to stir them up for good works through accountability and striving for holiness, or those who are open to listen, who are impressionable, and whom your Spirit will call to yourself through the good word and works of these students. Let these students never be content with lazy or impenitent acquaintances, but give them the boldness to confront sin in every manifestation.

Let them rejoice in the work you are doing in and around them. May they be frequent in prayer, giving thanks in all circumstances, knowing that Christ has prepared this path beforehand for them to walk. May they never quench the Spirit by hating godly preaching, but let them recognize bad preaching and reject it, holding only to that which aligns with your Word. Train their powers of discernment through constant practice to distinguish good from evil. In everything they do, may they be holding to the good, but hating and avoiding every form of evil.

Benediction

God of peace, sanctify these students completely, may their whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of their Lord Jesus Christ. You are faithful, Father, I know you will surely do it.

You have loved us and given us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, now comfort our hearts and establish them in every good work and word. Establish us and guard us against the evil one, direct our hearts to your love and to the steadfastness of Christ.

I ask all of these things in the name of our righteous and resurrected Redeemer, Jesus Christ, for his is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is his. He is exalted as head above all. Both riches and honor come from him, and he rules over all. In his hand is power and might, and in his hand it is to make great and to give strength to all. And now we thank you, our God, and praise your glorious name. Amen.

Laboring in Vain

One of my favorite verses is from the 127th Psalm,

Unless the LORD builds the house,
__those who build it labor in vain. – Psalm 127:1

Part of this verse, often left out, says that God gives to his beloved sleep. Today I felt terrible, I’m not sure why, I thought it was sleep deprivation. I promised one of my students that I would go evangelizing with her at 3pm, I’m not sure why I made the promise, because since I’m working night-shift, 3pm is the equivalent of my 3am. I couldn’t break this promise, so I drug myself out of bed, felt terrible, but went anyways, I expected to merely be prayer support for my young evangelist friend, but found a sufficiency in the Holy Spirit once I reached the park and had great conversations both with me doing the talking and also simply watching my friend preach the gospel with boldness and authority.

It was extremely tempting to cancel this missions trip, especially when it became apparent that woefully few evangelists were coming. But I trust (often not as much as I should) that God is faithful; he has been faithful in the past, I expect he will be faithful to the end (Jeremiah 31:3). So, I went evangelizing expecting the Holy Spirit to do something amazing.

During our brief two hours at the park, we talked to at least twenty people, most were at least willing to listen, and some were greatly impacted by the gospel. My most favorite event happened when God answered a prayer I’ve had for a while. In the past year I have witnessed to a young woman, (N), four times, and other evangelists have also witnessed to her. This young woman has a façade of pure happiness, but you don’t have to work with middle/high schoolers long to be able to discern what is a true happiness and what is merely a performance. I’ve long felt that this girl’s veneer is hiding a deeper pain. My prayer was that I would get to talk to her in a smaller group than I normally talk to her, which is usually at least six people; today she was at the park with a boy. I approached her and asked how she was and then asked if she’d been reading her Bible and thinking about the things of God. She told me she has been praying a lot, and disclosed that her life is hard. We had a good conversation about prayer (1 Peter 5:7), and I was able to encourage her, and invite her to church, as well as suggesting two other good churches in the area. It was a wonderful opportunity to encourage this young lady and hopefully continue the work which will lead to her regeneration (Colossians 1:24,28-29).

I left this conversation praising God that he had organized that meeting even when I wanted to be home sleeping. The Holy Spirit wasn’t finished yet, almost immediately four teenagers walked by and I recognized one of them as a girl I’ve witnessed to in the past. We quickly struck up a conversation, and I realized why the girl seemed so familiar, it is because the last time I talked to her, she ran off right after the bad news and didn’t want to hear the good news. As far as she knew, and probably told her friends, that someone in the park was telling people they were all going to Hell. Fortunately this time she was interested in hearing the whole message.

These students were impacted by the gospel, and had some excellent questions. They promised me they would go home and read their Bibles.

So how does all of this relate to the verse I began with? That unless the Lord builds the house, the laborers labor in vain? It is because of several other verses, the one I really want to get to is the last one, but I want to build a firm foundation;

…I will build my church… - Jesus, Matthew 16:18

For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s field, God’s building. According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

– 1 Corinthians 3:9-11

So with yourselves, since you are eager for manifestations of the Spirit, strive to excel in building up the church.

– 1 Corinthians 14:12

And my favorite verse, and the one that drove this whole blogpost and missions trip,

Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. – 1 Corinthians 15:58

God has been working since the beginning, indeed he is working still. He is in the process of making all things new, starting with the souls of men. Beloved, this is a ministry which we are privileged to partake in. If we do not rise up, then relief and deliverance will arise from somewhere else, for Christ will not lose a single of his saints, but you are robbing yourself of a blessing.

I have been on missions trips both far and near, the farthest to Hawaii, the nearest to cultists who showed up on my doorstep. I have preached to huge crowds, and I have witnessed to individuals; I have delivered the saving message of Jesus Christ to rapt audiences, and I have failed to gather a crowd; I have seen men cry for their sins, and I have heard them curse Heaven; I have preached with eloquence, and I have tripped over my words; I have been puffed up, and I have been humbled to my knees; I have had delight, and I have felt misery; I have been happy to witness, and I have felt it was a burden.

I have never had a routine witness encounter, I have never felt tedium in preaching the same message thousands of times, I have never felt my time could have been better spent.

Wednesday afternoon I went out with my feet dragging, but I came home with leaps of joy (Psalm 126:5-6); these are the words of eternal life which are being sown, they will not return void. The labor we do in Christ is not in vain, because the Lord is building the church. Are you participating in this endeavor? Are you building on the foundation of Jesus Christ? Are you partaking in the blessings of your Resurrected Saviour? Are you eager for manifestations of the Holy Spirit?

Beloved, strive to build up the church, strive to exalt your Saviour, knowing that in the Lord, your labor is not in vain.

And finally let me pray for you, as Paul prayed for his friend in Colossae,

I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective for the full knowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ.

– Philemon 6

A Prayer for Students

One of my favorite verses in the Bible is 1 Corinthians 14:16-17, speaking about prayer, “[if you pray] with your spirit, how can anyone in the position of an outsider say "Amen" to your thanksgiving when he does not know what you are saying? For you may be giving thanks well enough, but the other person is not being built up.” This verse says a lot of things about a lot of subjects, but for my purposes recently I’ve realized that sometimes, “I’m praying for you…” is lacking in its ability to edify.

This has become especially true in the past weeks as many of my young friends will be making major transitions from Junior High into High School and High School into college, and me just saying, “I’m praying for you…” to them is probably not as didactic as it could and should be towards preparing them for this major leap.

So, in this blog post I would like to put to paper the outline of my prayer for these students, so that they might know that their lives and ministries have come specifically before the throne of grace this week. Those tagged in this note on facebook have been prayed for specifically by name, as well as several others who are not leaving 8th or 12th grade. If I have left you off of this note please shoot me a message and I will both pray for you and tag you in the note.

As I find myself praying I find that prayers for young men and ladies are somewhat different and somewhat the same, so please keep that in mind.

Introduction

Lord God Almighty, maker of Heaven and Earth, what a privilege it is to come before your throne in the name of Jesus Christ, bearing burdens, worries, and hopes to find help in mine and others’ times of need. Father, I bring these students to you that you may sanctify, prepare, and edify them for the major changes they are undergoing in their lives, that you would firmly set their affections on Heaven and that they would not be worried for what tomorrow will bring, but will be concerned with eternity and the glory of your name. Father, I humbly petition you for many specifics,

Peers

How true it is that bad company ruins good morals (1 Corinthians 15:33), so Father I ask you to surround these students with only two types of people:

First, those who are able to stir them up for good works through accountability and striving for holiness.

Second, those who are open to listen, who are impressionable, and whom your Spirit will call to yourself through the good word and works of these students. Let these students never be content with lazy or impenitent acquaintances, but give them the boldness to confront sin in every manifestation.

Purity

Concerning these young ladies, Father, you have outdone yourself in giving them the gift of beauty. I ask for mine and their sake that you would blind the eyes of every boy in their schools towards them. Let these young ladies’ adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in your sight is very precious (1 Peter 3:4-5).

Concerning these young men, that you would show them how to make a covenant with their eyes, that they would not look upon anything which they ought not, that they would be concerned with honor and wholesomeness in all of their interactions, and that they would exercise self control which will keep them, their future wives, and your Son from being ashamed.

For everyone, Father, that you would frequently remind us that your will for our life is our sanctification, starting in sexual purity (1 Thessalonians 4:3).

Virtue

Just as your Son has accomplished all things well, we rejoice that we have been called to glory and excellence (2 Peter 1:3). May these students always know what is right, stand up for what is right, and stand against evil. When everyone else does wrong, equip them to do right. May they strive for perfection in everything they do, not working for men, but ultimately working for you (Colossians 3:17), so that the world would see their actions and glorify you through them (1 Peter 2:12).

Charity

Let them do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility let them consider others better than themselves. Cause each of these students to not look only to their own interests, but also to the interests of others. Just as you loved us first while we were your enemies, let us love others also without provocation. May their love be genuine, abhorring evil and holding fast to good (Romans 12:9), leaving all vengeance to you and never repaying evil for evil, instead overcoming evil with good.

Proclamation

May these students take every opportunity to give the world the reason for the hope that is within them, that is Christ in them, the hope of glory. Give them the boldness to speak, the words to speak, and the people to speak them to. May they never deny you before men, but let them always be ready to preach your gospel. May they never forsake the offense of the cross or the name of Jesus Christ, the only name given under Heaven by which we must be saved, but that they would proclaim this message confidently and truthfully.

Conclusion

Father, we could feel so abandoned in this apostate and wicked world, but we have such great and lasting promises from you that your Spirit is our helper and will be with us forever (John 14:16), and that your Son is with us to the end of the age (Matthew 28:20). Who knows, perhaps you’ve sent these students into the world at just such a time as this to demonstrate your power, sufficiency, and radiance as they are clothed in your armor in this evil day, having done all, to stand against darkness.

I ask all these things in the name of our righteous and resurrected Redeemer, Jesus Christ, for his is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is his. He is exalted as head above all. Both riches and honor come from him, and he rules over all. In his hand is power and might, and in his hand it is to make great and to give strength to all. And now we thank you, our God, and praise your glorious name. Amen.

The Privilege of Prayer

We have a problem.

We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him. – John 9:31

We want to talk to God, commune with him, find favor in his eyes, for in him is life and peace, apart from him is death and eternal pain. It is important to know God, because Jesus tells us, this is eternal life. The requirements for knowing him are strict.

The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous and his ears toward their cry. The face of the LORD is against those who do evil, to cut off the memory of them from the earth. – Psalm 34:15-16

If we’re not righteous, then we have no audience with God, indeed, he considers our prayers to be sin. (Proverbs 28:9) It was to this effect that George Washington wrote,

I have called on Thee for pardon and forgiveness of my sins, but so coldly and carelessly that my prayers are become my sin, and they stand in need of pardon. I have sinned against heaven and before Thee in thought, word, and deed.

Jeremiah records that God does not listen to the prayers of the ungodly, but that he has wrapped himself in a cloud so that prayers cannot pass through. (Lamentations 3:43-45) There is something to that old adage, “My prayers seem to be bouncing off the ceiling.” When God doesn’t respond to prayers, is it because he is unable to respond or that he missed the request? Of course not, and Isaiah finishes the thought,

Behold, the LORD’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear; but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear. – Isaiah 59:1-2

We have a problem. Our sin has made a separation between us and God, he has promised to neither respond to, nor even hear, our prayers. If we pray to God as sinners, he doesn’t hear us.

In our dilemma, God knew that we would all go astray, that we would be unable to approach his Throne of Grace, so he made provision for us to be righteous. He sent his perfect sinless Son to be made sin for us so that we can become the righteousness of God in him. (2 Corinthians 5:21) The reception for this, some think is through the sinner’s prayer, but we’ve discovered that God is not listening to our prayers, so for a sinner to pray for salvation is foolishness beyond foolishness. If we will repent towards God and believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins, then defeated death, and lives today, then we will be reconciled to God through his death, and made alive through his life.

But we’re not out of the woods yet. If you sin while in front of the Throne of God, you will die instantly. Check out Exodus 28:31-35, if Aaron sinned and hence died while in the presence of God, the priests outside of the Holy of Holies would know because his bells would stop jingling. Some have thought that a rope would be tied to his ankle to get him out, but beloved, if your high priest died in the presence of God because of sin, you’d have bigger problems than getting his body out.

I’m guessing that none of my readers have ever died while praying; yet being in the presence of God, who describes himself as a Consuming Fire, should be a tremendously dangerous place to be. I was praying once in a group out of doors when a cat attacked me. I screamed, then laughed, in the middle of the prayer. Even worse yet, Ergun Caner tells the story of hearing a prayer, “Father, we worship and adore you; Jesus, we thank you for dying for our sins; Holy Spirit, we ask you to work in our midst; and Satan, stay out of our meeting.” Several in attendance looked up, all thinking the same thing, “That dude just prayed to the devil.” Yet we don’t die when we sin in our prayers…why not?

Because the prayers we pray and the prayers that are delivered to God are radically different from one another. Our permanent Great High Priest, Jesus Christ, is there to make intercession for us.

The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office, but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. – Hebrews 7:23-25

He purchased us on Calvary’s cross, he defeated death and lives forever, making intercession for his saints. His prayers and ministry keep us alive despite our sin. At the same time, the Holy Spirit is fixing our prayers enroute.

Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. – Romans 8:26-27

So we ourselves are made righteous in the death and resurrection of the Son of God, our prayers are infused with his righteousness as they are presented at the Throne of Grace, and the Holy Spirit rewords them to ask God the Father for what it was that we really meant to pray, that is, if we knew what we needed.

We had a problem, but God has provided the solution. This is a privilege purchased at so great a cost on Calvary’s cross, so then what should we do?

Pray unceasingly. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18) How should we pray? There are five kinds of prayer, and I suggest praying all of them regularly, even unceasingly. They are:

Petitioning – Asking God to do something for you
Intercession – Asking God to do something for someone else
Supplication – Asking God to do something through someone else
Thanksgiving – Acknowledging God for what he is doing and has done
Imprecation – Asking God to put an end to evil through violence

And should we shoot these prayers up meekly, assuming that our High Priest who, being God himself, is not able to sympathize with us? By no means! We are able to approach boldly to the Throne of Grace to receive mercy and find grace to help in our time of need, for our High Priest was tempted in every way we’ve been tempted, yet without sin. (Hebrews 4:14-16)

Likewise, we should pray with expectation. If our prayers are in line with the will of God, and we know that the Holy Spirit has aligned them, then we will receive an answer. Be assured that the answer is one that will grow us in holiness, driving us towards purity, making us able to discern the will of God in our lives, what is good, acceptable, and perfect; all of which lead to our sanctification. (cf. Hebrews 12:14, Romans 12:2, 1 John 3:3, 1 Thessalonians 4:3, Acts 4:31, 1 Peter 1:16)

We had a problem; we have a solution. So let us pray.

We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him. – John 9:31

Pray This Prayer...and Really Mean It...

This morning, in order to prove a point, I prayed that God would give me a billion dollars, a beautiful wife with which to demonstrate the Ephesians 5 marriage, a Ford GT, the “Low Coolant” light in my truck to go off (it isn’t low on coolant), and just to tempt God a little farther, I prayed that work would call and tell me not to come in for a week or so.

I really, genuinely, absolutely, sincerely meant this prayer. And nothing happened...I didn’t even get struck by lightning, not so much as an inconvenient static discharge.

A few months ago I was preaching in the open-air and a young man came up and declared, “God is not real, I asked him to strike me dead and he didn’t.” I don’t propose to know the genuineness of this young man’s prayer for suicide-by-invocation, but giving him the benefit of the doubt, I suppose he was probably pretty sincere. My response to him was that he “ought not presume on the patience and forbearance of God as slackness to act, but that the kindness of God was meant to lead him to repentance.” I concluded by telling him that God does not like him and will not answer, nor even hear, his prayers.

Now, for the church application,

“If you sincerely meant that prayer, congratulations! Welcome to the family of God!”

writes one author practicing a form of simony. God does not accept bribes, moreso if he were hungry or needed anything, he would not tell you.

Josiah is one of the more famous kings of Israel, having discovered a long-lost copy of Moses’ sermons (Deuteronomy) in the rubble of a once-great temple. Manasseh, his grandfather, was possibly the all time chiefest of sinners causing untold damage to the nation and souls of Israel, but he was saved and started a reform throughout the land, but his son, and Josiah’s father, Amon once again wrecked everything. Josiah inherited a godless and pagan land, but upon reading the Revelation through Moses, attempted to reform the people. He went so far as making a covenant with God (2 Kings 23:3), and Israel and Judah were cleansed of much unrighteousness, but still the Lord did not turn from the burning of his great wrath, by which his anger was kindled against Judah, because of all the provocations with which Manasseh had provoked him. (2 Kings 23:26)

Why wasn't God's wrath turned? Did Josiah not genuinely, sincerely, and actively mean his prayer? Of course he did, but men are not able to make covenants with God.

To the wicked God says:
"What right have you to recite my statutes
or take my covenant on your lips?
For you hate discipline,
and you cast my words behind you.
If you see a thief, you are pleased with him,
and you keep company with adulterers.

"You give your mouth free rein for evil,
and your tongue frames deceit.
You sit and speak against your brother;
you slander your own mother’s son.
These things you have done, and I have been silent;
you thought that I was one like yourself.
But now I rebuke you and lay the charge before you.

"Mark this, then, you who forget God,
lest I tear you apart, and there be none to deliver!
The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me;
to one who orders his way rightly
I will show the salvation of God!" – Psalm 50:16-23

This salvation was purchased on Calvary by the Lord of Glory who canceled the record of our debt when God nailed him to the cross. There is one mediator between God and men, that is the man Jesus Christ; to all who receive him, who believe in his name, he gives the right to become children of God, who are born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

Call out to Jesus Christ to save you, ask him to be your advocate to broker the peace-treaty between you and God, ask him to intercede on your behalf that your sins have already been to the cross and that by faith in the Son of God you may be saved.

But beloved, I don’t care how much you mean it genuinely, sincerely, really in your heart...if the Son of God does not mediate for you, then you are dead in your sins. Unless he applies the covenant to your sake, the wrath of God continues to abide on you.

To conclude, take a look at an exceedingly beautiful Psalm, number 34, especially verse 6:

This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him
and saved him out of all his troubles.

Notice the action, the poor man cried…the Lord heard…and who did the saving? The Lord, not the man, not the cry, but the faith in God results in the imputation of the righteousness of Christ to the sinner. Your prayer doesn’t save you, your faith doesn’t save you, your sincerity doesn’t save you, quit trying to bribe God, and trust in the grace of God by which you are saved; his works, not yours.

The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous
and his ears toward their cry.
The face of the LORD is against those who do evil,
to cut off the memory of them from the earth.
When the righteous cry for help, the LORD hears
and delivers them out of all their troubles.
The LORD is near to the brokenhearted
and saves the crushed in spirit. – Psalm 34:15-18