Our Hope: The Lord’s Prayer (Applications Series 3 of 6)

Having seen how the essence of our faith is expressed in the Apostles’ Creed, we now look at how our hope is found in the Lord’s Prayer. In doing this, we continue following the example of Augustine’s succinct summary of biblical Christianity in his Handbook on Faith, Hope, and Love.

In this handbook, Augustine gives an exposition of faith in the Apostles’ Creed, hope in the Lord’s Prayer[1], and love in the Ten Commandments based on the Apostle Paul’s list of virtues: “So now faith, hope, and love abide” (1 Cor 13:13a). He writes, “Thus, from our confession of faith, briefly summarized in the Creed … there is born the good hope of the faithful, accompanied by a holy love.”[2]

What is this good hope that should be born from our confession of faith?

The Nature of Our Hope

It’s not only our personal hope of going to heaven when when die. Paul also refers to this hope as “the hope of Israel” (Acts 28:20), “the hope of the gospel” (Col 1:23), and “the hope of glory” (Col 1:27). He describes it as a glorious hope for all creation and humanity in which “creation itself will be set free” (Rom 8:20-21).

Therefore, this hope refers to the fulfillment of God’s promise to redeem and restore all things lost in humanity and creation because of sin.

Paul also tells us that God promises that this hope will be ours by giving us the gift of his Holy Spirit, who is “the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory” (Eph 1:13-14). Christ’s presence in us, by his Holy Spirit, is just a foretaste of the inheritance that will one day be fully ours when Jesus returns in glory to make all things new. This is what Paul means when he proclaims, “Christ in you, the hope of glory!” (Col 1: 27b).

Likewise the Apostle Peter calls it “the hope that is in you” (1 Pet 3:15b) and a “living hope” that is our “inheritance” being kept and guarded by God for us, to be revealed in the last time:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. (1 Pet 1:3-5)

The Christian hope is the good news that when Jesus returns as King he will fill the earth with God’s glory, by bringing everything on earth in subjection to the Father’s will just as it is in heaven. Paul tells us that when Jesus brings all things into final subjection, including death and Satan, he will deliver up his conquered kingdom to God the Father. Then Jesus will place even himself in subjection to the Father.

Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet … When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him, that God may be all in all. (1 Cor 15:24-25, 28)[3]

Jesus’ final work, as the obedient incarnate Son, is to deliver up to the Father the kingdom he established, including himself as its King. Jesus’ ultimate purpose in delivering up his kingdom and himself as its King to God the Father is so “that God may be all in all” (1 Cor 15:28). In other words, so that God the Father would be honored and glorified in everything.

At the end of his life on earth, Jesus prays to the Father, “I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do.” (John 17:4) Jesus’ work, his mission, was to glorify the Father by causing his kingdom to come and his will to be done on earth as it is in heaven.

The Prayer of Our Hope

When Jesus’ disciples asked him how to pray, he gave them a model for prayer designed to help them align their minds, hearts, and lives with him and his mission. He began by telling them to address God like he did, as their heavenly Father.

Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven” (Matt. 6:9a)

Then he gave them six petitions to pray:

Praying our Godward hope

The first three petitions are Godward-focused, to ask God our Father to:

1) hallow (glorify) his name,

“hallowed be your name.” (Matt. 6:9b)

2) cause his kingdom to come,

“Your kingdom come” (Matt. 6:10a)

3) and cause his will to be done on earth as it is in heaven.

“Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matt. 6:10b)

Praying our manward hope

The other petitions are manward, to ask our Father for:

 1) our daily bread,

“Give us this day our daily bread” (Matt. 6:11)

2) our forgiveness,

“Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” (Matt. 6:12)

3) and our protection.

 “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” (Matt. 6:13)

The Godward and manward petitions should be seen as a whole. In the Godward petitions Augustine teaches that we “ask for eternal goods,” and in the manward petitions we “ask for temporal goods, which are, however, necessary for obtaining the eternal goods.” The reason we ask God for daily bread, forgiveness, and protection is so that through our lives, his name would be honored, his kingdom would come, and his will would be done on earth.

The Comfort of Our Hope

Jesus taught his disciples to pray like this so they would see that God’s purpose for them and for the whole world is all about God being glorified, his kingdom coming, and his will being done on earth as it is in heaven. He wanted his disciples not only to believe these truths with their minds but also to embrace them in their hearts through prayer.

Only then could they know the hope of the gospel, the hope of glory, and the hope of their inheritance – especially as they followed Jesus in the suffering that always accompanies those who pray and then live like this.

But most people don’t use the Lord’s Prayer this way, if they use it at all. Seeing how people in his day abused the Lord’s Prayer, Luther called it “the greatest martyr on earth.”

What a great pity that the prayer of such a master is prattled and chattered so irreverently all over the world! How many pray the Lord’s Prayer several thousand times in the course of a year, and if they were to keep on doing so for a thousand years they would not have tasted nor prayed one iota, one dot, of it! In a word, the Lord’s Prayer is the greatest martyr on earth (as are the name and word of God). Everybody tortures and abuses it; few take comfort and joy in its proper use.[4]

Luther’s harsh words against the abuses of the Lord’s Prayer are rooted in his heartfelt longing for God’s people to know and taste the riches God brings to all who pray it. He writes:

To this day I suckle at the Lord’s Prayer like a child, and as an old man eat and drink from it and never get my fill. It is the very best prayer, even better than the psalter, which is so very dear to me. It is surely evident that a real master composed and taught it.[5]

Our faith, rooted in the biblical truths of the Apostles’ Creed, and our hope, stirred up by the Lord’s Prayer, are great and godly virtues. But the Apostle Paul tells us that love is greater than both. “So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love” (1 Cor 13:13). In the next article we’ll explore the relationship of our faith and our hope to our love. 

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[1] Augustine, Enchiridion on Faith, Hope, and Love, chapter XXX, par. 114.

[2] Ibid.

[3] Some might question here how Jesus, one of the Trinity, could be subordinate to another member of the Trinity, since Jesus, the Son, is eternally equal to the Father and the Spirit. But when he became man in the incarnation, he committed himself to doing only what the Father commanded him to do (John 5:19).

[4] Martin Luther, Luther’s Works, 43:200

[5] Ibid.

Our Faith: The Apostles’ Creed (Applications Series 2 of 6)

Everything in theology is ultimately about the revelation of the person and work of the Triune God in Scripture as Creator, Redeemer, and Restorer. So, instead of studying the doctrine of the Trinity as only one of several topics in theology, all other Christian doctrines should be studied in light of the Trinity.

 The Trinitarian Faith in Scripture

This is because the Bible presents all individual, doctrinal topics as vital parts of the bigger, unfolding biblical story of who God is and what God does as Triune Lord: beginning with the Father’s creation in Genesis 1:1, reaching its apex in the Son’s redemption revealed in the New Testament, and ending with the Spirit’s restoration of all things in Revelation 22:21.

This approach to the study of theology connects us to the ancient, historic method that uses the Trinity as an organizing structure for studying all theology.[1] The Trinitarian method of studying theology is found in all the earliest catholic (universal) creeds, including the Apostles’ Creed (120-250 AD), and the Nicene Creed (381 AD). It’s also found in the writings of the Church Fathers.

Some of the prominent theologians in history who follow this ancient, Trinitarian structure in the study of theology include Augustine (5th century), John of Damascus (8th century), Peter Lombard (12th century), Thomas Aquinas (13th century), Martin Luther (16th century), and John Calvin (16th century).

So in our study of theology, we’ll follow the Trinitarian structure rooted in the Bible and seen in the earliest Christian creeds. We’ll use the basic structure and content of the Apostles’ Creed[2] and the Nicene Creed as our primary guides. Both creeds are essentially the same, with the Nicene Creed being longer and more comprehensive than the Apostles’ Creed.[3] We’ll be integrating both creeds, allowing them to complement each other.

The first section of the creeds presents our historic Christian belief in “God the Father as the Lord of Creation.”

Apostles’ Creed

I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.

Nicene Creed

We believe in one God,
the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all things visible and invisible.

The second section of the creeds presents our historic Christian belief in “God the Son as the Lord of Redemption.”

Apostles’ Creed

I believe in Jesus Christ, God's only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended into hell (to the dead)
On the third day he rose again;
he ascended into heaven,
he is seated at the right hand of the Father,
and he will come to judge the living and the dead.

Nicene Creed

And in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
begotten from the Father before all ages,
God from God,
Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made;
of the same essence as the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven;
he became incarnate by the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary,
and was made human.
He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered and was buried.
The third day he rose again, according to the Scriptures.
He ascended to heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again with glory
to judge the living and the dead.
His kingdom will never end.

The third and final section of the creeds present our historic Christian belief in “God the Spirit as the Lord of Restoration.”

Apostles’ Creed

I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.

Nicene Creed

And we believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Lord, the giver of life.
He proceeds from the Father and the Son,
and with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified.
He spoke through the prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic church.
We affirm one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look forward to the resurrection of the dead,
and to life in the world to come. Amen.

The Trinitarian Faith in History

These universal creeds contain a classic summary of the Trinitarian Christian faith affirmed by most professing Christians throughout history, including those among the Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant traditions.

Just as the Nicene Creed started with the Trinitarian structure and content of the Apostles’ Creed and then went into greater depth, so did many prominent theologians in subsequent history, including Augustine (5th century), Aquinas (13th century), and the Reformers, Martin Luther and John Calvin (16th century).

When Calvin wrote his well-known Institutes of the Christian Religion (1564), considered by many to be one of the most significant and influential Protestant Systematic Theologies, he followed this Trinitarian approach to theology in the Apostles’ Creed as seen in the titles and order of his books:[4]

• Book One. The Knowledge of God the Creator (Father)[5]

• Book Two. The Knowledge of God the Redeemer in Christ

• Book Three. The Way in Which We Receive the Grace of Christ (Holy Spirit)[6]

By the Reformation, the precedent for constructing the study of theology in alignment with the Triune God’s person and work in history was well established. Following this biblical and historical precedent, we’ll study theology in this series with an intentional focus on the person and work of the Triune Lord in redemptive history.

The Trinitarian Faith Integrated

Under the overarching Trinitarian structure in our study of theology, we’ll include an integration of both the biblical structure (creation, fall, redemption, and restoration) and the traditional systematic structure (God, man, Christ, Salvation). And we’ll expand the systematic structure to include all the traditional topics studied in systematic theology (Bibliology, Theology Proper, Anthropology, Hamartiology, Christology, Ecclesiology, Pneumatology, Soteriology, Eschatology).[7]

• Knowing God the Father as Lord in Creation

Bibliology: The study of the Bible

Theology proper: The study of the nature of God

• The Fall of Humanity

Anthropology: The study of humanity

Hamartiology: The study of sin

• Knowing God the Son as Lord in Redemption

Christology: The study of Jesus Christ

Ecclesiology: The study of the church

• Knowing God the Spirit as Lord in Restoration

Pneumatology: The study of the Holy Spirit

Soteriology: The study of salvation

Eschatology: The study of the end times

By using this integrated structure in Applied Theology we’re upholding the primacy of a Triune Lord-centered, gospel-centered theology that also benefits from the valuable insights of the biblical and systematic structures.

Having seen how the essence of our faith is found in the Apostles’ Creed, in the next article we’ll learn how the essence of our hope is found in the Lord’s Prayer.

————-

[1] We’re not using the word “structure” in a technical or philosophical sense, e.g. philosophical structuralism, but as a general term that refers to the arrangement and construction of a helpful approach to the study of theology that emphasizes the centrality of the doctrine of the Trinity.

[2] In the first part of the Apostles’ Creed, the Father’s supreme authority over all things is presented as “God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.” In the second part of the creed, the Son’s sovereign control in his redemption of all things is presented as a description of his person and work. And the final part of the creed, which ends with the coming “resurrection of the body and the life everlasting”, is a description of God the Spirit’s transforming presence in his restoration of all things.”

[3] Commenting on the Apostles’ Creed, Augustine writes, “which is milk for babes when pondered at the carnal level but food for strong men when it is considered and studied spiritually.” Enchiridion on Faith, Hope, and Love, chapter XXX, par. 114.

[4] In Calvin’s fourth and final book in the Institutes he expounds the Apostles’ Creed’s statement “I believe … in the holy catholic (universal) church” as the work of the Holy Spirit.

[5] Since the second century, Christian creeds included affirmation of belief in "God the Father Almighty" in his capacity as "Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth," as stated in the Apostles’ Creed. B. B. Warfield refers to Calvin's habit of referring to the Father as the "creator of the heavens and the earth" as due to "that distinction of properties, already stated, by which there is referred to the Father the principium agendi, so that He Himself is indeed properly said to act (agere), yet through His Word and Wisdom - yet in His Power."  Benjamin Breckinridge Warfield, Calvin's Doctrine of Creation, I. xiii. 24, I. xiii.7; cf. Commentary on Heb. i.2.

[6] See Calvin’s Institutes of the Christian Religion, Book III, Chapter 1. The Things Spoken Concerning Christ Profit Us by the Secret Working of the Spirit. “The Holy Spirit is the bond that unites us to Jesus Christ. He is the cause by which we receive the benefits that the Father bestowed upon Christ.”

[7] We acknowledge that the traditional topics of systematic theology do not neatly fit into the four biblical epochs of creation, fall, redemption, and restoration. Nevertheless, we strive to study systematic theology and biblical theology through and under the biblical perspectives of Trinitarian theology. Reformed systematic theologies traditionally integrate systematic and historical theology. In Applied Theology, we're also integrating the redemptive-historical dimensions of biblical theology under the umbrella of Trinitarian theology.

Faith, Hope, and Love in Theology (Applications Series 1 of 6)

The Applied Theology series follows the ancient Greek and Christian tradition of Augustine’s Enchiridion. The word enchiridion is derived from the Greek word (ἐγχειρίδιον) that conveys the concept of a book that is “fitting in (en) the hand (kheir)” or “ready to hand” as in ready to hand someone.

The concept of the enchiridion was well-known in the ancient and medieval world.[1] In the early 5th century, toward the end of Augustine’s life, when he was probably in his late sixties, he received a special request from a man named Laurentius to write a brief summary of the essence of Christianity.

This is noteworthy because it’s widely agreed that, apart from Jesus and the Apostle Paul, no single person has had a greater influence on Christian thought than Augustine.

By this time in Augustine’s life, he had already written all the major works for which he is best known, including Confessions, The Trinity, and The City of God. These were lengthy biblical expositions of Christian doctrine often written in response to the heresies of his day. But Laurentius wanted Augustine to write a concise, practical summary of Christianity that would give brief biblical and practical answers to the major questions about life.

We don’t have a copy of Laurentius’s written request, but Augustine reveals his request when he replies: “It is your desire, as you wrote, to have from me a book, a sort of enchiridion, as it might be called—something to have ‘at hand’ that deals with your questions.”

The Heart of Biblical Christianity

In response, Augustine writes his Enchiridion, a brief handbook of about 100 pages in which we find his most mature thought on the essence of Christian doctrine and its practical application to real life questions. Knowing that his written response would be published and read widely, he went to great lengths to give clear, concise answers to these ancient questions raised by Laurentius:

• What is to be sought above everything else?

• What is to be avoided more than anything else?

• How are reason and faith related?

• What is the beginning and end of everything we do?

• What is the most comprehensive explanation for everything?

• What are the foundational beliefs of universal Christianity?

Augustine introduces his enchiridion by praising Laurentius for his desire to be wise by learning the answers to these kinds of questions. “I cannot say, my dearest son Laurentius, how much your learning pleases me, and how much I desire that you should be wise.”

Augustine knew that the ultimate answers to all of Laurentius’s questions could only be found by him attaining godly wisdom. So he carefully distinguishes between godly and ungodly wisdom, referring to the Apostle Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 1:20, “Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?”

Then he summarizes the source of all wisdom with the phrase “Human wisdom consists in piety.” Godly wisdom, the wisdom that provides answers to all of life’s most significant questions, can only be found in knowing, honoring, and worshipping God. This is the wisdom spoken of in Scripture, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.” (Prov 9:10)

With this foundation laid, Augustine summarizes all of Laurentius’s questions into one single question: “Perhaps this is exactly what you wish me to explain briefly and to sum up in a few words: how God is to be worshipped.”

The Virtues of Faith, Hope, and Love

Augustine then answers his own question regarding how God is to be worshipped by referring to the three virtues (faith, hope, and love) found in 1 Corinthians 13:13. He writes, “You would have the answers to all these questions if you really understood what a man should believe, what he should hope for, and what he ought to love. For these are the chief things—indeed, the only things—to seek for in religion.”

Therefore, the answers to all of Laurentius’s questions are found in the answers to these three questions:

• What should be believed (faith)?

• What should be hoped for (hope)?

• What should be loved (love)?

At the end of his introductory chapter, Augustine issues his readers a solemn challenge to not only put these truths in their hands, but also in their hearts resulting in great zeal for God. Before Augustine explains faith, hope, and love separately, he describes how they should be seen as interconnected virtues. He argues that faith cannot exist without hope and love, just as hope and love cannot exists without faith. The deeper you plunge into one of these virtues you’ll always find the others. Similarly, in Galatians, Paul links our “hope of righteousness” in Christ to our “faith working through love.” (Gal 5:5-6)

The Value of Creed, Prayer, and Commands

Augustine also emphasizes the primacy of the virtue of love, reflecting the Apostle Paul’s words, “So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” (1 Cor 13:13) Therefore, the ultimate goal of our faith and hope must be our love. Then he explains how all of Laurentius’s questions about life can be fully answered by knowing the essence of faith, hope, and love. The rest of his book is divided into three parts showing how:

• our faith is found in the Apostle’s Creed,

• our hope is found in the Lord’s Prayer,

• our love is found in the Ten Commandments, fulfilled in Jesus Christ.

Therefore, our primary focus in the books that follow in this series is to explain and expound the centrality of these three concepts as the heart of biblical Christianity.

Augustine argues that we must not see the Apostle’s Creed, the Lord’s Prayer, and the Ten Commandments as separate but as interconnected aspects of faith, hope, and love. Therefore, the Apostle’s Creed is not merely something we believe with our minds, but it’s also the hope of our heart’s affections that we express in prayer. Likewise, our love for God and others described in the Ten Commandments must be deeply rooted in our beliefs about Christ found in the Apostle’s Creed and our hope found in the Lord’s prayer.

One of the reasons Augustine presents the Apostle’s Creed, the Lord’s Prayer, and the Ten Commandments as practical expressions of faith, hope, and love is because he knows how easily accessible and practical they can be to everyone, everywhere. He writes, “For you have the Creed and the Lord's Prayer. What can be briefer to hear or to read? What easier to commit to memory?”

Even for those people who cannot read, the Apostle’s Creed, the Lord’s Prayer, and the Ten Commandments can be easily memorized and integrated into weekly worship, strengthening the faith, hope, and love of God’s people.

Augustine’s Enchiridion soon became the basis for the education of clergy in the Middle Ages. In that capacity, history professor Gerald Bray writes, “It (Enchiridion) played a major role in shaping the spiritual outlook of the Western church for over a thousand years.”[2]

As a former Augustinian monk, Martin Luther dedicated his life to cultivating the Christian virtues of faith, hope, and love in his life and the lives of others, especially his beloved children. Toward the end of his life and ministry, he gives us a glimpse into his Augustinian-influenced view of spirituality when he writes:

Although I’m indeed an old doctor, I never move on from the childish doctrine of the Ten Commandments and the Apostles’ Creed and the Lord’s Prayer. I still daily learn and pray them with my little Hans and my little Lena.

—————

[1] For example, the lectures and writings of the first century Stoic philosopher Epictetus (55–135 AD) were compiled by his student, Arrian, into an enchiridion to help people understand and apply his teachings to their lives. And in the Medieval age, the priest and monk Byrhtferth (970-1020) had a deep impact on the intellectual life of Anglo-Saxon England through his Manual (enchiridion) in which he summarizes the essence of his teachings.

[2] Gerald Bray, Augustine on the Christian Life, Crossway 2015, p. 34

Praying with Persistence and Faith (Prayer Series 6 of 6)

After Jesus gives his disciples his pattern for how they should pray in Luke 11, he continues by telling them a story. His main point is to teach them, and us, to continue in persistent and confident prayers, even when we see no answers.

In this story, Jesus describes a man and his family who are asleep in their home at midnight. A friend of the man suddenly begins knocking at his door because he needs bread for his guests. Jesus says the man who was in bed doesn't get up and open the door. Instead this man yells out, “‘Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I cannot get up and give you anything’? (Luke 11:7).

The reason the man says his children were with him in bed is because he and all his family members were probably sleeping together in one large room, as was the custom then. And if the man gets up and lights a lamp, he’ll wake everyone up.

But, Jesus says the man eventually got up because of one reason. His friend continued knocking. The Greek word (ἀναίδειαν anaideian) used to describe what his man did can be translated by several different words. One is persistence. He persisted knocking.

Another word is “I   ” meaning without modesty or shame. This is a shameless boldness. It’s someone continually knocking without any shame, in brazenly immodest way. What is shameless is not what is being asked for. He's just asking for bread. But what is shameless is that he won't stop asking until he receives the answer.

Jesus is teaching us here that this is how we should pray. With persistent, shameless boldness especially when facing no answer.

Jesus continues teaching by saying, “And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” Luke 11:9. These words are in  the present tense, meaning more literally, "Keep on asking, keep on seeking, keep on knocking."

It’s very easy for us to see this teaching of Jesus on prayer more like suggestions of Jesus rather than commands. Prayer is a privilege of the children of God. But we also learn here that persistent prayer is also a command. If we are not persevering and persisting in prayer in the face of no answers, we are being disobedient to God.

This is why a long-term devotion to persistent Kingdom prayer, following the pattern Jesus gave us, must be at the core of every church that wants to be healthy. Only a church committed to persistent kingdom prayer will be a true foretaste and instrument of the Kingdom of God on earth.

After Jesus 1) gives us a pattern to follow in prayer, and then 2) he calls us to be persistent in our prayer, he ends his teaching on prayer with words meant to inspire us to 3) have confidence when we pray. Jesus says:

"And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him! (Luke 11:10-13).”

Notice how Jesus ends his teaching on prayer where he began—pointing us to the Father.   In the pattern he have us, he teaches us that, when we pray, we should pray to God as Our Father. Here he teaches us that when we pray to Our Father, we need to remember that he is a good and loving Father who takes great pleasure in hearing and answering the persistent prayers of his children.

If you ask for something and you don't get it, it probably wouldn't have been a good gift. Matthew 7:11. That's your confidence. You are not alone. You're not without resources. You have a Father who gives good gifts. John Newton reminds us, that when our loving Heavenly Father doesn’t answer our prayers the way we want, it doesn’t mean he does not hear or that he is not answering. Newton writes, “God works all things together for our good: everything is needful that he sends; nothing is needful that he withholds.

If you want to know that you can trust the Father, look at his one and only Son, Jesus, in the Garden of Gethsemane before going to the cross. He asked the Father to allow the cup of God’s wrath not to be poured out on him if there was any other way. Did the Father answer his eternal Son’s prayer?

He didn't answer his prayer by allowing Jesus to avoid the cross. He knew that without the cross, Jesus could not fulfill his mission by ultimately defeat Sin, Satan, and death itself. Without the cross, Jesus could never be raised from the dead with power, ascend to the right hand of God, and pour out the fullness of God’s Spirit on his church to form a people from every tribe, tongue, and nation who will worship and serve him in a new heaven and new earth for eternity.

Romans 8:32 drives home the most important point about the Father we must never forget when we pray:

" He (Father) who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?”

When God does not give you what you ask for, don’t allow yourself to think that the Father is not loving you. I promise you. God’s word promises you, that he does. So keep praying with confidence of his love and never forget that Jesus is the highest proof of his love.

Learning to Pray from Jesus (Prayer Series 5 of 6)

In the Bible, we learn that God takes great pleasure in pouring out his blessings on those who will dare to radically align their life purposes with His.

This raises one of the most important and ancient questions of the ages: “What is God’s purpose for the world today—with which we are to be radically aligning our lives and our prayers?” The Scriptures are very clear regarding God’s purpose for the world.

And Jesus gives us a wonderful glimpse into how our prayers are meant to be in alignment with God’s kingdom purposes in the world when he taught his disciples how to pray. (Mat 6:9,10, Luke 11).

The Lord’s Prayer may be one of the best known, least understood and worst applied patterns for prayer ever given. So, to help us learn how to pray and teach others in our church to pray more in line with God’s will, let’s take a brief survey of this pattern for pray given to us by Jesus.

First, let’s observe the overall pattern of this prayer. Jesus divides the prayer into two sections.

The first part of the prayer contains God-ward petitions, prayers that we pray to God primarily using the word “Your” for God: “Hallowed by YOUR Name, May YOUR Kingdom come, May YOUR will be done.

In the second part of the prayer, we find Man-ward petitions, there is a noticeable shift of the pronouns from “YOUR” referring to God, to “US” and “OUR” referring to us: “Give us this day OUR daily bread, Forgive us OUR sins, Lead US not into temptation, Deliver US from evil.”

It’s also helpful to see that these petitions in the second section were designed to be prayed with others and not merely by ourselves. It can even be difficult to use these petitions as only personal prayers for ourselves because Jesus teaches to pray “Give US our daily bread.” Not “Give ME MY daily bread.”

Of course, this does not mean we should avoid praying the Lord’s prayer in private. But,  even then, we should pray not merely for ourselves but on behalf of others.

Let’s look next at the first God-ward petitions

Jesus begins saying,  “Pray then in this way: Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be your name.”

Our Father

In the Old Testament, God is mostly referred to as Lord and rarely referred to as “Father.” But in the Gospels, the word “Father” is on the lips of Jesus more than 180 times. And every prayer of Jesus addresses God as “Father” except for one prayer.

This is a radical new way for the people of God in Jesus generation to understand and approach God in prayer. Here, Jesus is authorizing his followers to approach God through him just like he approaches God—as his personal, loving Father.

Later Jesus teaches that this new child-like relationship his followers can have with God through him is the only way people can enter God’s Kingdom. Jesus says, “I tell you the truth, unless you become like little children you will in no way enter the Kingdom of God.”

Hallowed by Your Name

Jesus teaches, pray “Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be your name.”  

Here we learn from Jesus that God’s primary purpose in the world today, for which we are to be radically aligning not only our prayers but also our lives, is that His Name would be Hallowed or Glorified. Jesus is echoing the prayer of the Psalmist in Psalm 86:9 who prays, Let…“All the nations you have made will come and worship before you, O Lord; they will bring glory to your name.” 

May Your Kingdom Come

This raises the question, “How are we to glorify the Father’s name?” Jesus answers that question in the next two petitions: “May your Kingdom Come and Your Will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Here we learn that God has chosen to Glorify His Name among all Nations through the Coming of His Kingdom in such a way that it causes His Will to be done on Earth as it is in Heaven.

This Kingdom Mission involves much more than merely seeing “souls saved” and church buildings filled. It also involves seeing the invisible Kingdom of Christ made visible not only in individual human hearts but also in entire families, cities and nations.

And It involves seeing the advance of God’s kingdom into the surrounding culture by not only words of truth but also relentless acts of mercy and justice through which the crookedness in society is made straight.

After these Godward petitions, Jesus shifts his pronouns to the man-ward petitions.

• Jesus teaches us to pray to the Father First about 1) HIS name, 2) HIS kingdom, and HIS will.

• Then we are to pray 1) Give US, forgive US, lead US, and deliver US. 

But even these petitions about US should not be seen as separate from the God-ward petitions. Instead they should be seen as the necessary means of fulfilling the God-ward petitions.

For example, why do we need “Daily bread?” The answer is so that we can remain alive to see God’s name hallowed by the coming of his kingdom by his will being done on earth through us as it is in heaven. And this is also why we need to ask God to forgive us our sins, lead us not into temptation and deliver us from evil.

This is not merely for our sake that we ask for bread, forgiveness, and deliverance from temptation and evil. But for His Sake, for His name and for His Kingdom and for His will.

By teaching his followers to be praying this pattern prayer, Jesus is assuming that his followers will be praying it. He once said, “Why do you call me Lord, Lord and do not do what I say?”

And, Jesus does not mean for us to be merely reciting these words in public worship. He warned us against this by saying “‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.”

Instead, Jesus means for his followers to find joy, purpose and power by daily asking for God’s name to be glorified, for God’s kingdom to come and for God’s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven.

And he means for God’s name, God’s Kingdom, and God’s will to be the reason we ask for Our daily bread, our forgiveness, our not being led into temptation and our being delivered from evil.

The Lord’s Prayer may be quickly memorized but it takes a long time to be learned by our hearts. But this is a very worthy goal.

Prayer in the Book of Acts (Prayer Series 4 of 6)

In his book Renewal as a Way of Life, Richard Lovelace writes, “Facing the formidable and largely unexpected task of evangelizing the whole world for the Messiah, the early church went to prayer, waiting for Jesus to pour out his Spirit to empower them for this task” (Acts 1:13-14).

It’s been said that two important principles emerge from reading Acts 1 and 2: 1) Only the very presence of the risen Lord could equip them to move outward in mission, and 2) This movement could only be maintained through a continual dependence on him, receiving divine direction and encouragement in prayer.

In the Book of Acts, we have Luke's second volume on the person and work of Jesus. Here we find the remarkable work of the ascended Jesus continuing to advance God’s kingdom on earth through the church by prayer. 

In Acts 1, how do the church leaders find the purpose and power to lead this movement that is going to spread around the whole world? The Book of Acts opens with them gathered together, not teaching, not discussing, not strategizing, but praying.

How then is the church birthed and a community formed? In Acts 2 the first thing we read they were devoted to, before the Apostles teaching, is prayer. And we read they continued steadfast in prayers.

In Acts 4, when persecution breaks out, and Peter and John are arrested, how do they respond? They raised their voices to God in prayer.

In Acts 6, when the leaders face a serious ministry crisis in the church regarding the neglect of widows, how do they respond? They appoint deacons so they can devote themselves to two things, and notice the order again: to prayer and the ministry of the word.

In Acts 10, when the inclusion of Gentiles into the predominate Jewish church is about to take place, how does it happen? While Peter, the Jew is praying and while Cornelius, the Gentile is praying in a different place.

When persecution reappears in Acts 12, How do they respond? Acts 12:5, "Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church."

How then does a great harvest come to the church and this regional mission becomes a global movement? In Acts 13 (1-3,47-49) we read about the commissioning of Paul and Barnabas for their missionary journeys, "After fasting and praying, they laid hands on them and sent them."

In Act 14, we read that when Paul and Barnabas appoint elders in each church, they always do that “with prayers and fasting.”

Now that this gospel movement had broken down the walls between Jew and Gentile, how would it move from the Middle East to Europe? In Acts 16 we read it was through prayer.

And when Paul shows up in Europe, in a place called Philippi, where does he start his European movement? Acts 16 tells us it’s with a small group of women in a place where they normally meet for prayer.

Then persecution resurfaces. Paul and Silas are thrown into jail there in Philippi. How do they respond? They sing Psalms, and they pray. What happens? And earthquake comes and their chains fall off and the jailer and his family join the movement.

Toward the end of Paul’s ministry he gathers together the elders from the church he started in Ephesus. He knew it was his last time to be with them. So what does he do before he gives them his final challenge. Acts 20 tells us he knelt down and prayed with them.

At the very end of the last chapter of Acts, how does that last recorded healing take place? In Acts 28 we learn that Paul visits a very sick man and prays for him, and he is healed.

Every significant movement ahead for the kingdom is associated with prayer.

The success of the gospel depends not only on God’s sovereignty, and the faithful preaching of the gospel. But also the faithful prayers of God’s people.  Prayer is the mysterious means that God chooses through which he releases the transforming power of the gospel in your life and ministry.

Throughout the Old and New Testaments and church history, every spiritual awakening was founded on corporate, prevailing, intensive, kingdom-centered prayer.

Christians are used to thinking about prayer as only a means to get their personal needs met. More mature Christians understand prayer as also a means to praise and adore God, to know him, to come into his presence and be changed by him.

But there is another kind of prayer that is not well know. It is what we call Kingdom Prayer. Archie Parrish defines it like this:

“Kingdom-focused prayer is not mere instinct but it is Spirit-enabled; not man-centered but God-centered; not self-serving but Kingdom-serving; not sentimental but Scriptural; not solo but concerted; not timid but bold; not passive resignation but proactive cooperation. Kingdom-focused prayer is the Spirit-enabled reverent cry of God’s adopted sons and daughters, seeking their Father’s glory by persistently asking him for the nations, their promised inheritance.” - Archie Parrish

Jack Miller is known for his teaching about the difference between “maintenance” and “frontline” prayer meetings. Maintenance prayer meetings are short, mechanical, and totally focused on physical, personal needs inside the church. But frontline prayer has three basic traits:

1.    A request for grace to confess sins and humble ourselves;

2.    a compassion and zeal for the flourishing of the church;

3.    and a yearning to know God, to see his face, to see his glory.

(See C. John Miller, Outgrowing the Ingrown Church (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1986), 98–106.)

As a church leader, it usually begins with you. If you want your church to be devoted to prayer, it normally begins with your devotion to prayer—not just maintenance prayer but frontline, kingdom prayer—for the sake of Christ and His Kingdom.