|
CONCLUSIONS
ON OUR STUDY OF PRAYER
How much can there be
to know concerning this simple subject of Prayer?
The time we spent in
our study may seem to have been unnecessarily extensive. Not for a moment
did we ourselves imagine, when we began our quest, that two and a half
years would just fly by.
But it was a time
filled with interesting research and a time of growing confidence through
understanding Scripture. It was a blessed exercise that has opened our
minds to a new and different perspective of what really has been revealed
particularly for us.
During discussions at
our initial study session, we realised that many aspects of the subject
have been taken for granted, founded on assumptions, instead of having been
based on the solid ground of revelation. We encountered many areas of
uncertainty and ambiguity, these clearly signaling that a great deal of
guesswork exists in the understanding of this essential subject within
Christian circles.
Re-examining our own
concepts of Prayer, we were led to a detailed study of Scripture on the
fundamental teachings that would provide much-needed background on which to
build our understanding. To this project the members of the study group
showed single-minded dedication and consistency, there being very few
breaks in our weekly sessions throughout the whole period of study.
We began with a study
on the part Scripture plays on the validity of doctrine. It is the absolute
authority - anything outside of it would be mere conjecture and
acquiescence to tradition as well as an acceptance of pagan concepts and
perspectives.
We can know God only as
and when He reveals Himself to us. Though this revelation is given in
Scripture, not everyone is blessed with the ability to believe it! Millions
and billions of people through the ages and throughout the world have not
been able to recognise the Scriptures as God's word! Doomed they are to a
groping in the dark for a perception of and a proper perspective on God.
With this fact in mind, we should be in a position to throw off the
shackles of the false concepts of God that arise from sources outside of
Scripture. The importation and adaptation of such ideas that are founded on
human wisdom have done much to distort our perception of God. We tend to
bring God down to our level, to make Him tangible and manageable! When we
can perform certain rites and ceremonies and have God respond to them in a
predictable fashion, we reverse the positions of God and creature!
Though we may
vehemently deny that we attempt this, whether consciously or unconsciously,
this is just what we do when we expect God to adjust and to alter His
design and operations to acquiesce to our prayers. We even have the
effrontery to hold God to His promises - as if God would, otherwise, renege
on them! We do not look on God as God but as a puppet caught in a web of
obligations of His Own making. We see Him as a genie responding to our beck
and call, eagerly waiting to please us if we just use the right formula and
conscientiously perform prescribed rites.
Scripture must be the
foundation of all doctrines that deserve the name 'Christian'. So it should
not be handled ad hoc, it cannot be taken for granted, and it must
not be used carelessly. Through it God gives us directions and
instructions. Careful attention must, therefore, be paid to what is being
revealed. In practice, however, Scripture's own instructions on how to use
it legitimately and correctly, have been almost completely ignored. As a
result the truth itself is denied and contradicted!
(How much time do local
congregations devote to serious study of God's word? It is usual to limit
exposure to the word to a thirty-minute sermon during Sunday service. It is
enough that the minister 'knows' and can be consulted in case somebody
asks. The emphasis has been on attendance at church services, participation
in church 'projects' and social activities, membership in prayer circles
and socialising at fellowship meets. We become involved in secular 'good
works' areas where many non-Christian groups and organisations already
operate, having the manpower and the resources to do so. But, what we have
of the word of God, none of these 'outsiders' have been given the privilege
to have and to share. And, paradoxically, it is this primary and exclusive
responsibility, of sharing spiritual truth with others, that we are
careless about and tend to fight shy of.)
God declares that he is the
Saviour of all mankind, that it is in His design and purpose that
this will be so. We, however, assert that we have the power and the right
to deny Him the truth of this statement, by reason of our 'free will' given
to us by God Himself! We are saying that God actually gives us the
unrestrained ability to have it the way we want - even to preventing
Him from resolving the issues the way He has intended! We elevate
ourselves into little gods who decide what God will actually achieve! And
we quite magnanimously call this creature of our imagination, 'God'! Can
this sort of mind-frame provide the basis for a proper and reverent
approach to God in prayer?
God must be looked on
as GOD if we want to have a correct perspective of creation and of
existence itself! He has been, is, and will be, in absolute control of His
creation - even if what transpires does not seem to bear this out! God says
so, and that should be the deciding factor for those who worship the One,
True God! He has known from the very start how His operation will run its
course and He is actively working things out to His satisfaction and
towards its success. This must be the premise of prayer.
The fact is that
everything that takes place occurs only in accord with God's plan and
intention! Even if His creatures act contrary to His expressed will,
they can only do so because their action is necessary to fulfil His
pre-determined goals. Men cannot help going contrary to the declared
will of God because they are made that way, they have been constituted
sinners through Adam's disobedience. They have never been consulted on this
matter. And, when men are saved and constituted just, because of Christ's
obedience, they are not consulted over this matter either! Being
constituted sinners is outside of their own jurisdiction. Being constituted
just is also outside of their ability to control! From beginning to
end, for each and every one, it is all of God!
God creates ALL! And
the Beginning of the creation of God, the Firstborn of all creation, was
first revealed as the Logos, the Word or Expression of God. IN this One was
all created. To the Logos was delegated the authority and the
privilege of bringing into being the rest of the creation of God and to
direct all to a realisation of What and Who God is! Later on,
this One was made flesh, coming as a human being, and given the name Jesus,
the Christ. He was sent into the world to save sinners, so that all could
have life inherent in them, and so that God may be glorified. Jesus Christ
is the One Mediator of God and of man, being fully qualified to act for both
estranged parties.
With this mission as a
premise, it must follow that He will save sinners. Since all are
constituted sinners, all of mankind must be saved. Since God
is to be glorified in this, Christ's mission must result in
resounding success! There can be no alternatives! Any failure, even
in the case of one individual, must reflect negatively on the omniscience
and omnipotence of God and on the efficacy of the sacrifice of Christ! The
logic from Scripture is quite straightforward - since the price for each
and every individual has been paid by Christ and accepted by God,
God will not refuse to deliver that which has been purchased, nor will He
demand any further payment from anyone for that same already-paid-for
item. God gives us a guarantee on this. Fear and apprehension
that arise out of an uncertainty of salvation are out of place in our prayers
to God.
We are saved by the
faith of Christ in His God, in His obedience to God through the offering of
Himself on behalf of all creation, having brought them into being, also in
obedience to God's directive. Our faith in God and in His Christ is
solely a gift of God that signals that the efficacy of Christ's
obedience has been applied to us! We provide no input to this operation of
salvation! This understanding should remove the element of pride in
perceiving salvation as dependent on our response to God's 'offer'. God
does not offer salvation to anyone - He just gives it to
whomever He intends!
The Good News to all
men is that all of them have been ransomed - Christ being the
corresponding ransom for all - and that this fact will be realised by every
one at the time scheduled by God for each. We are not to instill the fear
of eternal damnation, for there is no such thing, to spur hearers of the
word to repentance and salvation. We do not suggest that people take up an
insurance policy against condemnation with their acceptance of Christ as
their Saviour as the premium. We cannot frighten people into repentance. We
cannot employ spiritual blackmail to convert them. True conversion for each
one can come only from God as His gracious gift! It cannot be sought
for, and it cannot be earned. And, as it is meant for sinners, no one
can ever be disqualified from receiving it. The message we have for
humanity is Good News indeed! Will not this understanding colour our
prayers correctly?
Reverent and correct
handling of the word of God reveals that holy spirit is given when
we believe God's evangel to us, who are of the body of Christ. It seals us,
marking us out as belonging to God. It is God's guarantee to us of
deliverance of that which has been procured. And, whereas in the evangel of
the Circumcision it may be summarily withdrawn from the recipient because
of an unworthy walk, the evangel of the Uncircumcision asserts that it
makes a permanent home in us. According to expedience, a number of
gifts may be associated with the presence of holy spirit. For now,
during this stage of the administration of Grace, however, most of
these gifts have become redundant and have been phased out. Careless
handling of the word has led to many errors in our understanding of
doctrines and their practical applications. The Charismatic Movement sees
the propagation of public and spectacular healing services, and what passes
off as tongues-speaking, and draws the involvement of many Christians
today! Knowing the facts of this matter from Scripture, however, will
prevent us from praying over irrelevant and out-of-phase situations.
Confusion concerning
the blessings and privileges given by God to Israel also arises from such
irresponsible handling of God's revelation for us now! We fail to
take into account God's faithfulness and His integrity as God. The kingdom of God
that is to be set up on the earth will belong to Israel. The people of Israel will
still be God's chosen people. The ecclesia has no rights and, therefore, no
claims to these promises of God. These are exclusively Israel's.
Though Israel
has gone astray, God remains faithful and He will call her back
to Him in due time. Every promise to her will be executed in her
favour, without depreciation. We cast a shadow on the fact of God's
integrity when we continue to make such irresponsible claims about 'God's
promises' in prayer.
The ecclesia has its
own special privileges, the knowledge of which has been hidden in God until
the present administration. Scripture declares, under the evangel of the
Uncircumcision, that the ecclesia is Christ's complement, that part
which makes Him complete. It reveals that 'our realm is inherent in
the heavens, out of which we are awaiting a Saviour also, the Lord, Jesus
Christ, Who will transfigure the body of our humiliation, to conform it to
the body of His glory'. We are destined to rule and control messengers of
God! No other body of believers has ever been told these secrets.
We should be filled
with awe and reverence for a truly Almighty God as we approach Him in
prayer. We should abound in confidence and encouragement because we are the
complement of the Christ, intimately with Him as He heads the heavens and
the earth. We should be eager with excitement and anticipation over what is
in store for us in the promises of God. Always, we should be in an attitude
of thanksgiving because everything is in the grace of God and non-dependent
on our own feeble efforts. These facts, discussed in this prolonged study,
must radically alter the context as well as the shape and pattern of our
prayers. To God, then, must be the glory - for all things and for always!
Amen!
September 2001
Back to:
... List
of Questions on Prayer
....Main
menu of articles
|
