From the Pen of Paul. . .

Lord, Teach Us to Pray (1)

Luke 11:1: "And it came to pass, that, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, one of His disciples said unto Him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples."

Have you ever wondered why the disciples made this request? Was it because they had observed the results of the prayer life of Jesus? Whatever the reason, they expressed a desire to be taught how to pray by Jesus. Upon hearing this request, Jesus immediately told them how to pray by giving them a model prayer. The will of God concerning our prayer life is expressed in Luke 18:11: "And He spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint." Implied in this statement is that praying properly and continually will help prevent our failure; it will keep us from "fainting" or losing heart and quitting. Paul was later to instruct, "I exhort, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceful life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour" (I Tim. 2:1-3). From these two passages, it is not hard to determine God's will concerning our praying.

Notice the elements of prayer as enumerated by Paul in the aforementioned Scripture:

1. Supplications: this means "To ask for humbly or by earnest prayer; entreating earnestly and humbly; to beg or pray earnestly; make an earnest request (Eph. 6:18).
2. Intercessions: "entreaty on behalf of others (Rom. 15:30; II Thess. 3:1).
3. Thanksgiving: "giving of thanks" for any number of things (Eph. 5:20; I Thess. 5:18).
4. Praise: as taught by the model prayer, "Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name" (Matt. 6:9).
5. Confession: demonstrated by the Israelites in Nehemiah 9 and taught by John in I John 1:8-2:2.

Other than the obvious that is implied in the elements of prayer, why else should we pray? One reason is because evil is present. "Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil" (Matt. 6:13). Remember Peter's admonition in I Peter 5:8: "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour." We also are instructed to "come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need" (Heb. 5:16). One of the helps promised the Christian is "the way of escape" when we are tempted (I Cor. 10:13); The passage in Hebrews seems to be telling us to ask for help in finding it.

When we consider the place of importance that Jesus placed upon praying in His own life, we certainly ought to be able to see the need for it in ours. Mark informs us, "And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed" (Mark 1:35). And Luke further informs us, "And it came to pass in those days, that He went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God" (Luke 6:12). Jesus prayed either before, during or after all the great events of His life. He prayed all night before selecting His twelve apostles.

What are the secrets of an effective prayer? After all, James encourages us to pray when he tells us, "The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much" (James 5:16b). The word "effectual is defined as "possessing or exercising adequate power to produce a desired effect." The ASV translates this way: "The supplication of a righteous man availeth much in its working." Guy N. Woods wrote of this statement, "The prayer of a man who keeps the commandments, avails much (has great force). Here, too, the verb is in the present tense and means that the prayer of a man who keeps the commandments keeps on having great force. Here is clear and convincing testimony to the effectiveness and efficiency of prayer by good men. Such prayers avail much. How much is much? "Much" is a comparative term; it is, however, more than a little; and it is therefore safe for us to affirm that prayer avails more than a little in its working when engaged in by a man who keeps the commandments of the Lord. Thus, when one denies the efficacy of prayer, the effort is an exhibition of skepticism" (Guy N. Woods, Commentary on James).
—Paul M. Wilmoth

From the Preacher's Viewpoint. . .

House Churches

We have been hearing about house churches for some time. What is meant by this term? The term house church is a misnomer. There is no such thing found in the Bible. There were whole congregations meeting in private homes (Rom. 16:5). Individual Christians may have met at times for Bible study but not as the whole congregation came together for worship on the Lord's day (I Cor. 11:17-20, 33).

Is it unscriptural for Christians to meet in a private home ("house church") situation on Sunday night if the elders endorse such? No. But it may be unwise for them to endorse such. It may not be expedient (I Cor. 10:23) or best. Some questions for us to consider:

1. Is the "house church" arrangement better than the whole church coming together for worship?
2. Some say the "house church" arrangement makes it easier for people to attend. Why so?
3. Some say we get to know each other better in the "house church" order. Why so? We can get to know each other in the assembly of the saints if we wish to and then visit in the home.
4. Are elders over the "house church"? Assembly? Can they see about the church better with this arrangement? It could be that "house churches" could develop into pus pockets within the body of Christ. Elders are to oversee in the best way they can.

What is wrong with God's way of assembling for worship and Bible study (Heb. 10:25)? There are so many new things that have developed within the body of Christ in the past 50 years. It makes the faithful say "What is next?"
—Malcolm L. Hill

"What kind of preaching do you think is needed today?"

God wants all preaching to be done in love (Eph. 4:15). This does not mean that one cannot be plain and to the point in preaching. Some seem to think that to speak forthrightly is to be unloving and unkind. This cannot be true, for the Son of God spoke very plainly, simply, and to the point. Read about His preaching and teaching in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John and you will find this to be true.

God wants preaching to be done in meekness and not with a haughty spirit (II Tim. 2:25). It is very difficult for one to instruct others when he considers himself far above them. All who preach and teach God's Word must remember that they also are men who need the gospel and men that make mistakes. I find in my life many ways to make progress as I serve God and I try very hard to improve. I feel sure others do a better job perhaps than I do but I can say I try. How can any of us feel ourselves to be so great when really we are nothing compared with Jesus Christ our Lord?

God wants doctrinal preaching. He wants us to teach the truth about the Lord's Supper. God wants us to teach the truth about water baptism.All preaching must be Bible preaching. If it is not Bible preaching, it is not worth much. We are to preach the gospel (Mark 16:15). We are to preach the Word (II Tim. 4:1-2). Men need to hear the Gospel of Christ in order to be saved (Rom. 1:16).
—Malcolm L. Hill