Fluency

I have the privilege of teaching a class (about once a year) at LBC on Spiritual Formation. Each year when I begin preparing for the class I try to read 4-5 new books. So, with the class about 4 months away here’s is the list of books I am reading.

Over the next week weeks I will be post insights from these books and which onces I would recommend and why.

Shelfari: Book reviews on your book blog

How should the church relate to culture (see previous posts 1, 2)? How should we teach our children to engage society (see previous posts 1, 2)?

G. K. Chesterton is often quoted as say,
“We do not want, as the newspapers say, a church that will move with the world. We want a church that will move the world.”

Can the church move the world? What would it take? How could we, how should we seek to move the world? Which direction do we want to move it?

Can we do this from within the walls of a church building? Can we do it without engaging, living in and among the culture, within our communities?

But the G. K. Chesterton quotes is longer,
“We do not want, as the newspapers say, a Church that will move with the world. We want a Church that will move the world . . . It is by that test that history will really judge, of any Church, whether it is the real Church or no.”

Two more quotes, these from Chesterton’s autobiography

“The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and left untried.”
“Take away the supernatural, and what remains is the unnatural.”

When combining these thoughts, I’m struck that the way the church begins to move the world is not by removing the obstacles of the truth–the stumbling blocks of the gospel or of Jesus Christ. The supernatural must remain or we are simply suggesting something that is unnatural. And if we want to make it “easy” we remove the reality that the road is narrow.  That is not the message of the real church.

But where “we,” the church are the obstacles, we must change or we will never move the world–toward Him.

Christianity is so entangled with the world that millions never guess how radically they have missed the New Testament pattern. Compromise is everywhere. The world is whitewashed just enough to pass inspection by blind men posing as believers. A.W. Tozer

The devil has seldom done a cleverer thing than hinting to the church that part of their mission is to provide entertainment for the people, with a view to winning them . . . providing amusement for the people is nowhere spoken of in the Scriptures as a function of the church . . . the need is for Biblical doctrine, so understood and felt that it sets men aflame. Charles H. Spurgeon

(For more great quotes, see http://reformationnation.wordpress.com/category/quotes)

I had the privilege Sunday night to hear Pastor Eric Crichton share on praying scripture.

Pastor Crichton was the second pastor of Calvary Church and continues to serve and attend Calvary.

Example

Not only was what he shared wonderful (more below) but what really struck and impacted me was his example. He was so excited about prayer and praying God’s Word, that I couldn’t help but get motivated.

In his mid-80s he was thrilled to share what God has taught him and some of his habit (discipline) in prayer.

Praise the Lord for godly examples.

Instruction

Using the ACTS acrostic (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving and Supplication) Pastor Crichton shared a number of passages that he has used in praying Scripture. One part of this that I think is a wonderful reminder is of passages to pray before praying Scripture.

Psalm 119:18 open my eyes, that I may behold
wondrous things out of your law.

1 Samuel 3:10 And the Lord came and stood, calling as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant hears.”

Proverbs 30:8 Remove far from me falsehood and lying;
give me neither poverty nor riches;
feed me with the food that is needful for me,

Psalm 25:5 Lead me in your truth and teach me,
for you are the God of my salvation;
for you I wait all the day long. (ESV)

Recommendations

Books Pastor Crichton recommended for personal devotions and enhancing praying Scripture.

G. Campbell Morgan, Searchlights from the Word (expository thought from every chapter in the Bible)
F. B. Meyer, Our Daily Homily (devotional thought from every chapter in the Bible, read online)
Arthur Bennet, editor, The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions (read online)
A. W. Tozer, The Knowledge of the Holy

I plan on going back and rereading The Knowledge of the Holy.

I’ve been involved in teaching and organizing a series entitles, Praying Scripture or Using Scripture in personal prayer.

Praying Scripture is the use of Scripture, God’s Word to stimulate praying either through making the very words of Scripture ours, or by agreeing wholeheartedly with the thoughts.

This can be divided into two parts:
Praying Scripture–using the very words
Praying Scripturally–praying the truth in our own words

One caution in praying Scripture is the need to understand the context. We should not claim promises that were not intended for us.

The key benefit of praying Scripture involves basic meditation, the thinking of God’s Words after Him. Allowing God’s Word to tune our hearts to better hear His heart.

One place to start is looking at praying in Scripture.

For example Daniel 9 where Daniel’s primary focus is to praying “for the sake of your name” see also Romans 1:5. His primary concern was not the answer to the request, but the answer to his request in keeping with what would bring greatest honor to the name of God.

You can also learn much from Paul’s prayers for his congregations, see for example:
Ephesians 1:15-23
Colossians 1:9-14
Philippians 1:9-11
1 Thessalonians 1:2-10
2 Thessalonians 1:11-12

Notice the “so that’s” in Paul’s prayers.  He was purposeful in praying for others. He is careful to explain the purpose of the content, the requests he makes in prayer.  He teaches us the priority of praying for things what will not only bring God glory but change and grow others.

These praying can serve as models of prayer for us.