Whats the Point in Praying?

Sometimes I wonder about the power of prayer, and then I read Acts 12.

Herod has just killed James, the brother of John. Noticing how pleased the Jews seem with his actions, he goes ahead and arrests Peter in preparation for killing him too. Because its Passover, Herod thinks it will be better to wait until after the weekend to carry out his plan, and so he locks Peter up for the time being.

What comes next in Acts 12 is almost hyperbolic. Peter is put in prison, he is delivered over to four squads of soldiers to guard him, he sleeps between two of the soldiers, he is bound with chains, and sentries guard the prison door. The amount of precautions Herod takes to prevent Peter’s escape or attack seems like something out of a cartoon. Its just feels so over the top. Nevertheless, you know as the reader that there is no way anyone is getting in to grab Peter and there is no way that Peter is getting out.

The Great Escape

But then it begins. An angel of the Lord shows up and a light shines into the cell. The angel strikes Peter on the side and tells him to get up. Peter gets up from between the two soldiers without waking them and the chains around his hands miraculously fall to the ground. He quietly gets dressed, gets some sandals on, and starts following the angel out of the cell. They sneak past the first guard successfully, and then they sneak past the second. Finally, they arrive at the iron gate leading into the city, and to quote Luke, the gate opens for them “of its own accord” (Acts 12.10). And with that, like a scene out of Shawshank Redemption, Peter is free! He heads to Mary’s house and the story continues on from there.

What an incredible scene! All those barriers to keep Peter securely inside of his cell, and somehow, with the help of an angel, he overcomes all of them. Of course, the ‘somehow’ is not really a ‘somehow.’ God is how. If you made it this far in the book of Acts, you know that God has been doing miracle after miracle in and through this early church. It is not all that surprising that now He springs Peter from prison. And yet, there is something else at work in this scene, that can easily go unnoticed.

The Praying Church

Back it up to verse 5. Luke is telling the reader about all about Peter’s arrest, and he includes this little, but substantial detail, “But earnest prayer for him was made to God by the Church” (Acts 12.5).

Now, why include a detail about prayer in a story about God’s wonder working, prison escaping power? Well, maybe because the two are connected. Maybe because this story is about something more than simply a display of God’s power. Maybe it is a story about the power of a praying church and God powerfully acting in response to those prayers.

I say maybe, but I don’t mean maybe. This is a story about the power of prayer. Peter is imprisoned, chained, guarded, and then the Church prays, and all of the walls between him and the outside world fall down. That is the order of events. Would Peter have been released if the church wasn’t praying? Who knows. All we know is that that were praying and God did something miraculous in response to their prayers. And what else does the church need to know then that?

The Power of Earnest Prayer

The reality put forth by Acts 12 is that when the church prays and prays earnestly, she can be confident that God both hears those prayers and will answer those prayers. Of course sometimes He may answer in ways we were not necessarily wanting, but other times He may answer in ways far beyond what we were expecting.

Remember Church, you are praying to an all-powerful God. So don’t underestimate the power of earnest prayer.

How Do We Rekindle a Passion for the Word?

A couple of nights ago I got this text message from a friend: “How do we rekindle a passion for the Word?”

I was so excited to get this question for two reasons: 1) Because the question reveals the desire. Assuming he was asking for himself (and he was), the question means that my friend is desiring to rekindle a passion for God’s Word, and what could be better news to receive than that? And then 2) Because this is at least one question that I think I have an answer for.

The Trick to Relationships

I have been married long enough to know now that there is only one thing that makes me fall in love with my wife over and over again. If ever I find my affections for her beginning to grow stale, I just return to this one thing and it works like magic. You know what it is? Time! Focused, intentional, uninterrupted time.

As soon as I start giving my wife my undivided attention (and not to my phone), all the reasons that I married her and more begin rushing back, and I find myself falling head over heals once all over again.

Now, I don’t think its just something that works for me and my wife or even just for husbands and wives. I think that time is the answer for rekindling all relationships, parent and child, friend to friend, siblings, spouses, you name it. There might be more to the health of these relationships sometimes, but not less. Time is the irreplaceable component.

And it is no different when it comes to us and God, because that is after all, another relationship. Just read a couple verses that say as much.

John 15:15 "No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you."

Galatians 4:6-7 "And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, 'Abba! Father!' So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God."

Revelation 3:20 "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me."

Its another relationship. By way of faith in the finished work of Christ, the God of the universe has invited us into relationship with Himself. And and the key to that relationship growing and thriving, just like every other relationship, is time. There is no other way to make that relationship grow. There are no short cuts.

What About the Bible?

At this point you may say, “You have not answered the question that your friend asked. He asked you how to rekindle a relationship with God’s Word, not a relationship with God.” That is true, but the two are not disconnected. If spending time with God is about getting to know God, well what is the primary way that we get to know Him? Just listen to Jesus’ words to the Pharisees, “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life” (John 5.39-40). It is the Scriptures lead us to Christ! Add to that the words of Psalm 19, that the Word of God actually revives our souls, puts joy in our hearts, and enlightens our eyes (Ps 19.7-9).

According to the Scriptures, it is the Scriptures, by the power of God’s Spirit, that brings us to engage with God Himself. And if that is the case, then time spent in the Scriptures will excite us for the Scriptures because of how they serve to stir our affections for God! It might not be easy, but it is also not that complicated. To rekindle a love for God we must rekindle a love for His Word, and to rekindle a love for His Word we must spend our time in His Word.

So listen, is your relationship with God struggling? Is your passion for His Word lacking? Build a home in the Scriptures and live there. Be much alone with God through His Word, and then watch your love for God and His Word explode.

Book Review: “Daily Doctrine"

“Daily Doctrine: A One-Year Guide to Systematic Theology”

Published by Crossway, 2024.

Kevin DeYoung does it again! What a brilliant idea for a book, and so masterfully executed.

“Daily Doctrine” is DeYoung's latest book. Put out by Crossway, it is exactly what it sounds like, a daily dose of doctrine. The book is divided nine sections that fall under nine different theological headings, like Preliminary Considerations, Theology Proper, Christology, Soteriology, etc. Under the nine headings the book is then divided into fifty-two weeks, with each week having five daily devotional size entries that work through content related to a particular heading.

The daily entries are devotional in size (i.e. one to two pages) but not so "devotional" in nature. What I mean is that there are not many stories or illustrations, if that is what you are looking for. That being said, the content is extremely engaging and easy to follow. Even if you are not used to theological type language, for the one and half pages that most of the entries are, DeYoung will undoubtedly hold your attention. Or rather, the Scriptures and the theology of the Scriptures will hold your attention, because each entry is so incredibly full of both.

I have often thought that there should be a daily devotional type book that teaches systematic theology; something that takes readers deeper than the average devotional does, but does in a similar format. Well here it is! And it is so perfectly done.

Whether you are a seasoned theologian, or a Christian looking to be a little more challenged and seasoned, this will be a worthwhile book to grab! I cannot recommend “Daily Doctrine” highly enough. And I cannot wait to get more copies to start handing out to friends, family and congregants.

What Does Jesus Know About Self-Denial?

What is self-denial?

We might know that Jesus calls us to it, but what exactly is He is calling us to?

In the Gospel of Mark, as Jesus moves toward the cross, it becomes clear that He both knows what is coming and that He has a choice in the matter. When He eventually arrives in the garden of Gethsemane, His prayer to God is simply this: “Not what I want but what you want” (Mark 14.36). Those don’t sound like the words of someone being coerced; those sound like the words of someone being obedient.

As the passion scene unfolds Jesus’ resolve to the Father’s will remains, even though He has full knowledge of what it entails. When the mob shows up to arrest Him, He welcomes them (14.43-50); When He is accused by the chief priests before Pilate, He stays silent. All of this occurs with Jesus knowing not only the suffering that awaits Him, but also knowing that He is perfectly innocent and undeserving of it all.

Execution by cross was not akin to getting lethal injection. There was no more degrading way to die in the ancient world than by crucifixion. New Testament Professor Helen Bond describes it in detail in her article, “A Fitting End? Self-Denial and a Slave’s Death in Mark’s Life of Jesus.” She writes:

“Stripped naked, the victim was humiliated and shamed as he suffered extreme agony, perhaps for several days, until, overcome by suffocation and exhaustion, he met his merciful end. So offensive was the cross that civilized people preferred not to talk about it, and few Roman writers ever dwelt on any of the details. Cicero described crucifixion as ‘the greatest punishment of slavery,’ while Josephus labelled it ‘the most pitiable of deaths.’”

Becoming a Slave

Several chapters before the passion narrative, in Mark 9, Jesus sits his disciples down and He tells them, “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all” (Mark 9.35). Perplexing words to hear. I have to imagine that the disciples were left wondering in that moment what Jesus meant and what a servant of all really looked like. Thankfully, they would not have to wonder for long.

Remember Cicero’s words, quoted by Bond, “The greatest punishment of slavery.” What happened on the cross was not Jesus simply dying the death of a citizen. He was dying the death of a slave, and that for the sake of others. He was innocent of all charges and unworthy of the death he was being served, and yet in obedience to the Father’s will He embraces all of it.

In other words, Jesus doesn’t just teach the disciples, on the cross He fully embodies for them what He’s been teaching. He becomes His teaching. He teaches the disciples that to follow them they must become a least of all, and then on the cross He becomes the least of all. He teaches them that to be his disciples they must be a slave to all, and than on the cross He becomes a slave to all.

Becoming Like Jesus

If we ever wonder what self denial looks like, here it is. It is to become a servant to all.

If we ever wonder what it is to be a servant to all, here it is. It is to choose obedience to the father, over and above obedience to ourselves.

And if we ever wonder where we look to see the servant-of-all-self-denial, here it is. Not only is Jesus our Savior, who denied Himself for us. He is our model now for what it looks like to deny ourselves for Him.

Where do I go to find rest?

I amaze myself sometimes, at just how irrational I can be.

Life can feel so extremely busy these days, with a family, a congregation, a home, a yard, vehicles, pets and so forth. I find myself regularly seeking out moments of rest; little chances in the day or in the week to catch my breath and to feel some level of emotional and spiritual refreshment. More times than not, I seek this rest in things like movies, news websites and skateboarding. The reason I seek rest in these things is because I have this unspoken belief that rest will come through more “me time;” through forgetting about my responsibilities and tasks and burdens for a few moments and focusing on the things that I enjoy and that I can get lost in; things like movies, news articles, skateboarding, etc. The funny thing is though, very often I come out of those “restful” activities, more fatigued than before, or at least no more rested.

Now at the same time, I continually come to passages in scripture that speak about rest, and they always point in the same direction, and it is not more “me time.”

Psalm 23.2 - He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul.”

Matthew 11:28 – “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

Hebrews 4:10 – “For whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his.”

In these passages and so many more, God is the source of the rest. He is the one producing it and the one inviting us to receive it.

The Irrationality Part

Here is the irrationality of it all. I know that the things I choose to find rest in won’t every give me the kind of rest I am seeking from them. I know it deep it down. I also know that God can and will give me the kind of rest that I need. And yet, still I continue to choose the one at the expense of the other.

Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with enjoying enjoyable and relaxing activities. God gave us all of them, and I am sure thankful that He did! But the fact of the matter is that true rest will never come from those things. It will come from Him. It will come from Him as we come to Him and, and whether for the first time or the five hundredth time, we place our trust in Him. It will come as we, by faith, through prayer, in worship and with Scripture, throw all of our worries, anxieties, doubts, sins, pressures and ambitions before Him. That is where rest lives! In the arms of an all-loving, all-knowing, all-powerful Father.

And it makes sense doesn’t it, that rest would be found in Him alone? In dictionary terms to rest is to cease all movement; to make no effort; to be still. It is to be relieved of all of the weight that we are carrying. Well, God is the only one who can fully support us, the only whose shoulders are able to bear the weight that we carry and so to relieve us of everything we’ve been carrying. He is the only one strong enough to carry us, so that we can cease moving; so that we can feel light, as if we are being carried on wings of eagles. No relationship can do that. No sport can do that. No sit back and relax type of entertainment can do that.

The Plan

To be honest, I plan to continue watching films, reading the news and riding a skateboard, as time allows. But by God’s grace, I will stop expecting those things to be the answer to my stress and fatigue, and will stop doing those things at the expense of time spent with Jesus. At the risk of sounding cliche, I plan to seek and find my rest this week not in more “me time,” but in more “He time.”