Prayer and Praying

Hello All,

For the past few weeks, I have been more consumed with the idea of ‘Prayer’ than I've ever been before. The interesting thing that I have to keep telling myself is “Remember to get past this.” I know it seems an odd thing, but I think that’s one of the biggest problems in our churches today – not that we don’t focus on prayer, but that we focus on the things we study as if “studying” is the work. It’s not. The Bible says “Study to show thyself approved” – I think we've grown accustomed to interpreting that it’s the “study” that’s being approved – I think it’s the “SHOWING” that’s being evaluated. You study so that when you show, you show that you've learned doctrinally sound principles that make the difference in “living out” the Christian experience. But if we allow ourselves to think otherwise, Church just becomes the place where we are overly concerned with more and more study. We sit around impressing each other, equating “holiness” with knowing all the stuff we learned studying. Tossing around big words like ‘Dispensationalism’ and ‘Supralapsariansm’, we believe we’re at the forefront of Christianity, and all the while, there’s a world of lost people who could use a meal, or some clothes and somebody to talk to who have an ‘uncanny’ sense of hope about themselves. Don’t get me wrong, I believe wholeheartedly that the time I’ve spent studying prayer (and Doctrine) has been time well spent. I’m really expecting my prayers to make a difference but the difference will be actualized as I'm on my knees actually praying, not as I study.

Here’s The Word;

1 Timothy 4:16 Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.

2 Timothy 4:5 But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.

James 1:25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.

So again, this is not meant to be condemnation, but encouragement. This is not to denounce the study of doctrine, but to a prompting to move into service. Do study to show yourself approved, and be ready with an answer for the hope, and know how to defend The Gospel, but don’t forget what all the studying is for: Remember to get past this; There’s a big difference between studying prayer and praying.

In Him,
Cros