July 25, 2004

Cawson St. Church of Christ

Mural Worthey

Hopewell, Virginia

Introduction

Continuing the format that we have been following on the past several Sunday evenings, I want to present several abuses and errors in relation to prayer. Prayer is both a personal act of worship and the way to maintain one’s own relationship to God, and also a public act of the assembly. We pray together. When someone leads us, we all listen and the prayer becomes our own. Saying Amen means that you agree and include yourself in that petition. (1 Cor. 14:16-18.)

"You have not because you ask not." (James 4:2.) What a simple but powerful explanation! The Bible encourages believers to pray. We are invited and urged to make known our petitions. Jesus taught his followers to ask, seek and knock. (Matt. 7:7-8.)

James is not saying that we can be prosperous and healthy if we just ask God for it. It is not that kind of thing, because he added that we ask amiss when we ask for things to fulfill our lusts or covetousness. The kind of things that James has in mind are wisdom (1:5), strength to endure temptations and trials (1:2, 12-15), for the sick (5:13-16), the forgiveness of sins (5:16), for spiritual maturity and peace.

What if Adam and Eve paused long enough to pray to God for strength to overcome the temptations of Satan? Jesus prayed for strength to endure the cross. What if David prayed when he was tempted by seeing Bathsheba? Judas? Peter? What if Barnabas and Peter had prayed for wisdom to know how to deal with Gentile and Jewish believers? They had not and we have not because we ask not. There is a major problem concerning prayer in that we simply do not ask God for his help. What a child is struggling with some difficulty in his life and the parent is unaware of it? The parents could easily assist him or her in solving the problem. But the child does not ask for help. We are that child; God is our Father.

"He that turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination." (Prov. 28:9.) "For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil." (1 Peter 3:12.) "Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that you may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much." (James 5:16.)

A distinction should be made between two groups of lost people. There are those who are God-fearers and seekers. And there are those who are rebellious to God’s will knowingly. Solomon said that the prayers of those who turn their ears away from hearing God need not expect God to hear their prayers. This should not be taken to mean that Christians who are struggling against sin earnestly should stop praying. We need then to pray even more for God’s help and grace. We should not use Proverbs 28:9 to discourage people from praying.

A preacher who did not believe that baptism is the point of forgiveness of sins asked one who did if he baptized sinners or Christians. He was arguing that we should not baptize sinners, much in the same way that some say that sinners should not pray. The preacher wisely responded that he baptized sinners who were rebelling against Satan. They are sinners who are turning away from sin and trying to get free from it. We should not discourage this kind of sinner from praying. This is the kind of man Cornelius and his household were. He was "a devout man, one that feared God with all his house, gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God always." (Acts 10:2.) Peter told him that "his prayers and alms went up for a memorial before God." (Acts 10:4.)

"And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward." (Matt. 6:5.) Jesus likewise condemned almsgiving and fasting to be seen of men. We could add that any religious act should be humbly done as if in the sight of God only.

We may not pray, fast and give alms as the Pharisees did to be seen of men, but we fail in our prayers too if we pray for wonderful things for others and do not allow God to use us to bless them. James showed the inconsistency in blessing the poor and needy with words, but not giving them the things that they need for their body. (James 2:14-16.) Are we praying to be heard and seen of men, but have no intention on helping the sick and needy?

Author unknown

Another error or problem in relation to praying is to pray without faith. Listen to James again: "But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavers is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. Let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways." (James 1:6-8.) Later in the letter, James wrote: "And the prayer of faith shall save the sick and the Lord shall raise him up." (5:15.)

We are often much like disciples in Jerusalem at Mary’s house praying for Peter’s release from prison. Then when he showed up at the front door of the house, they couldn’t believe that it was Peter. They told Rhoda, "Thou art mad. But she constantly affirmed that it was even so. Then they said, It is his angel." (Acts 12:15.) When we pray, we must believe that God hears us.

Brother Gus Nichols sighed over the thinking of brethren concerning prayer. He said that brethren believe that if they go outside and curse, God hears them. But if they pray, they do not think that God hears them!

Faith is the great foundation upon which our lives are built before God. We are saved by grace through faith. We possess the righteousness which is of God by faith. By faith we do good works to bless the lives of others. We are obedient to God because we believe that he is and that he rewards those who diligently seek him. The great principle of justification is the just shall live by faith. By faith we move mountains into the sea. By faith the walls of Jericho fell, an ark was built, a son was offered, spies were hid, and Joseph gave commandments concerning his bones being carried out of Egypt. It was about 360 years from the death of Joseph (1805 BC) and the Exodus (1445 BC). Joseph believed God’s promise even though it was nearly 400 years in being fulfilled.

Jesus taught us to pray, "Our father which art in heaven; hallowed be thy name." (Matt. 6:9.) "Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." (Eph. 5:20.)

"And in that day you shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever you shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you. Hitherto have you asked nothing in my name: ask, and you shall receive, that your joy may be full." (John 16:23-24.)

Since Christian prayers should be directed to the Father in Jesus’ name, then we should not pray to departed saints, Mary the mother of Jesus, Buddha, or to departed family members in ancestral worship. In humanistic terms, prayer is nothing more than self-awareness and praying to self! It is positive thinking turned into prayers. How different when we pray to the true and living God! We pray to One who hears and cares and loves us.

One of the great hindrances to effective prayers is having bad relationships with others. If we are unforgiving and unloving, then we should not expect forgiveness from God. Jesus said, "And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." (Matt. 6:12, 14-15.)

"Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there remember that thy brother hath ought against thee. Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way. First be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift." (Matt. 5:23-24.)

"And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you." (Eph. 4:32.)

Forgiveness is one of the first things that comes to our minds when we pray. We are so conscious of our weakness and the need to have a good relationship with God. We desire fervently to be forgiven. However, we must remember that our forgiveness from God depends directly upon our readiness to forgive others. God places such importance on our relationship with one another that He puts this as a condition for our own forgiveness.

#7: The Sinner’s Prayer

Many Protestant leaders teach and encourage those who are lost to pray the so-called sinner’s prayer. It goes something like this:

O God, I acknowledge that I have sinned against you. I am sorry for my sins. I am willing to turn from my sins. I openly receive and acknowledge Jesus Christ as my Savior. I confess him as Lord. From this moment on I want to live for Him and serve Him. In Jesus’ name. Amen. (How To Be Born Again, Billy Graham, 168-69.)

There is nothing wrong with the words of this prayer. Every statement is good and biblical. That’s not the problem. The issue is that such a thing as the sinner’s prayer cannot be found in the Bible. No one in biblical days ever encouraged anyone to pray such a prayer in order to become a child of God. That is the problem with the sinner’s prayer.

As we have already said in regard to sinners praying, like Cornelius and others, there is nothing expressly wrong with that. In fact, it is good. But no one should think that by saying such a prayer that after having said it, one is a Christian. We do not even know exactly when the sinner’s prayer came into prevalent use. It seems to be in modern days by Protestants who reject the biblical process of conversion. In Scripture, the lost were told to repent and be baptized in order to be saved and to put on Christ. (Acts 2:38, Gal. 3:27-28.)

The prayers of many religions are rituals. It is repeating of the same words. So can it become for us as well. We need to guard against cold ritualistic repeating of words without meaning.

"What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also. I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also." (1 Cor. 14:15.) Singing and praying should be done from the heart with feeling and emotion, as well as with the understanding.

We must always remember that we are praying unto God. This is done because we are children of God and we have a personal relationship with God. He is our Father in heaven.