The Key to Advancing the Kingdom: Prayer

In the prayers of Scripture, I believe we see the specific priorities and heart of God for His people. We see what our priorities should be and that particularly for pastors. When we see what Christ and Paul prayed for – we recognize that this is what I should praying for my people and striving for in preaching/teaching and ministry.

NT prayers also provide us a rich theology of God's attributes and power, Christ's person and work, ourselves (particularly the results of regeneration within the soul of man), and specific priorities for Christian living. It's important to remember that the Paul's prayer is inspired by the Spirit of God and thus, as Paul expresses his heart in prayer, he is actually expressing the very heart and desires of God. Let me give an example.

In Ephesians 3:16-19 Paul prays this prayer for his readers:

that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge--that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God."

From just observing the details of this prayer we can learn a number of things about God, Christ, ourselves, and the Christian life.

About God

• God has glorious riches (or his glory is rich);
• God's power emanates from the inexhaustible storehouse of his glory
• The Spirit of God displays the riches of God's glory in believers
• God desires to strengthen His people with power
• God desires that Christ reside in our hearts through faith
• God desires that all Christians know the full extent of His love expressed in Christ
• God desires us to be filled in full measure with himself;

About Christ

• Christ dwells in the heart of Christians through faith
• The love of Christ is beyond measure
• The love of Christ surpasses our comprehension

About Ourselves/Christian life

• The Christian life is one of power
• We are strengthened with power within our inner being
• We are strengthened with power by the Holy Spirit
• The Spirit strengthens our faith in Christ
• The Christian life is one of faith in Christ
• The Christian life is rooted and established in the love of Christ
• We are to be constantly growing in our grasp of the love of Christ
• Knowing the love of Christ enables us to be filled in full measure with the life of God

As you can see – this is not only a prayer filled with awe-inspiring truths – but it is one that provides great encouragement for the Christian life. What true Christian doesn't want to be strengthened within by the power of the Holy Spirit? What Christian doesn't want Christ to dwell in their heart? What Christian doesn't want to grasp in full measure the love of Christ towards us? What Christian doesn't want God's fullness in their lives? What's more amazing is that this prayer is not outside our grasp of obtaining. We have been instructed by our Lord to "ask, and it shall be given" to "seek, and ye shall find", and encouraged that, "whatever you ask in my name, it shall be done for you." Expressing this teaching, John says in 1 John 5:14-15, "this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him." So, in essence what we learn here is that God is ready and willing to answer the prayer expressed by Paul in Ephesians 3:16-19 and any of our prayers that are in accordance to His sovereign and expressed will, if we only ask!

This is most instructive to us when it comes to prayer because we then understand that our prayers should be of the same essence of the prayers we see in the NT. When I say same essence, I don't mean just repeating the words of the prayer in rote or in religious formality – because just saying a prayer doesn't necessarily mean one is truly praying. We must "ask…according to (God's) will". Also, God has expressed clearly in his word that if we don't ask with the proper motivation – that our prayers won't be heard (James 4:3). So, when I say our prayers should be of the same essence of NT prayers – what I mean is that the heart of our prayer – it's intention – ought to be according to God's will expressed in these NT prayers. In other words, desiring the truth of the prayer for ourselves and then praying that truth for ourselves. In that way we can also pray – as appropriately applied – according to the intention of passages that aren't necessarily prayers.

So, as it relates to advancing the Kingdom we have been taught by Christ to pray "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." If we have not because we ask not, then we can only conclude that if we do not see the fullness of Christ's work and the righteousness, peace, and joy of the Kingdom advancing in our lives, people coming to Christ around us…it may very well be because "we have not because we ask not"?

Here I will not pretend to understand the mystery of God's absolute sovereignty and man's complete responsibility. But, God has ordained prayer within His sovereign purposes to not only be pleasing to Him (Rev 5:8, 8:13-14), but to move Him! Yes, to move God! "The effective prayer of the righteous man can accomplish much." (James 5:16-18) (Question for my hard deterministic friends: where will you find any teaching in Scripture that says that prayer does not move God? Or where will you find in Scripture that the righteous believing prayers of the saints were not heard by God and He acted upon it?)

If we are instructed to pray and the NT prayers involve the advancing of the work of the Kingdom, then we must realize that if we are not praying and not praying according to God's will – then it should be no surprise if we are not seeing a great work of God among us.

Prayer, believing prayer, humble prayer, and prayer according to God's will is the key to advancing the kingdom. The book of Acts teaches this, history affirms and confirms it, our present day needs it. Will you pray, pray in faith, earnestly pray, fast and pray, cry out to God (with tears) and pray, labor in prayer, bathe in prayer, stay at least one hour with Christ in prayer: "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven"?

"The Lord does not play at promising. Jesus did not sport at confirming the word by his blood, and we must not make a jest of prayer by going about it in a listless, unexpecting spirit." – Charles Haddon Spurgeon (taken from 2,200 Quotations From the Writings of Charles H. Spurgeon by Tom Carter)

Celebrating God's Gift of John Calvin (A Calvin500 Tribute)

It has been often said that there are special times in God's administration of His grace in that he blesses history with truly extraordinary men. John Calvin was one of them.

From the early church fathers such as Athanasius and Augustine, throughout the annals of Church history, we can think of many men of God throughout who also fit this description. God raises these kinds of extraordinary men to make monumental contributions for His Kingdom and to provide for the remaining generations magnificant constellations of His grace that shine the path of true faith in Christ, godliness, and faithfulness in ministry. John Calvin was such a one.

There is so much that can be said about Calvin and his life, ministry, and monumentous impact, and much is being said (see the links below). But, I would merely like to share how what I have learned of Calvin and how his life and works have influenced my life and ministry.

Two works have significantly affected my view of him, the first of course is his own Institutes of Christian Religion which is said, "constitutes the most important single work of Reformed theology ever written." (John Calvin The Institutes of Christian Religion, edited by Tony Lane and Hilary Osborne) I have not read through all of the Institutes, however, I do plan to. But, from the significant portions I have read, even though I do not agree with Calvin on everything, I personally regard him as the most thoughtful systematic theologian that I have read (which is an understatement). But, in a greater light I have seen Calvin as a practical theologian - a pastor and a man of God who understood that "the knowledge of the truth is according to godliness." (Titus 1:1) His work, while very theologically dense, is also extremely practical.

Here's another quote from Lane and Osborne that gives insight into the practical nature of Calvin's Institutes...

"to call the Institutes a theological work might be to give the wrong impression. The subtitle of the first edition is revealing: 'Embracing almost the whole sume of piety [or 'godliness'] and whatever is necessary to know the doctrine of salvation: A work most worthy to be read by all persons zealous for piety ['godliness'].' This was above all to be a practical book, to be a book about the Christian life. This concern is apparent through the work. Calvin abhorred and repeatedly attacked all useless speculation. He requires of all doctrine that it be scriptural and that it be useful for Christian living. This is most obviously true of the five chapters on the Christian life, but it is equally true of the other chapters (like that on prayer) and it affects the way in which he discusses more theoretical doctrines like Providence or predestination. The second and longest of his three chapters on Providence is devoted to showing how we may use this doctrine for our benefit."

Another work that has immensely influenced my thinking about Calvin is Steve Lawson's book: The Expository Genius of John Calvin. This work has given me great insight into Calvin the man, the pastor, the preacher. Calvin was a man consumed with the glory of God, committed to careful and thorough biblical preaching, and concerned for men's souls. Most of all he was a man who's heart was devoted to God as the quote in the picture above indicates. Here is an excerpt from chapter 3 of Lawson's work, "Preparing the Preacher" regarding Calvin that has significantly shaped my desires for my life and my ministry:

"Calvin believed not only that the mind should be filled with the truth of the Word, but that the heart must be devoted to godliness. In Calvin's view, there was no such thing as an unsanctified minister. The success of the preacher depended on the depth of his holiness. In public or private, in his study or on the street, the man of God had to be set apart from sin to holiness. Calvin remarked, 'The calling of God brings [the requirement] of holiness with it.' For this reason, he believed that the pastor must keep a close watch over his life and doctrine. The man of God must cultivate a high view of God and tremble at His Word. Calvin wrote, 'No man can rightly handle the doctrine of godliness, unless the fear of God reign...in him.' Calvin was a truly God-fearing man, and this reverential awe of God purified his devotion to God."

I have these words underlined in my book and the paged marked to remind me of the man of God I must be - even if I was seeking to serve God in the ministry.

So, if I can sum up my thoughts of Calvin on this monumental Quincentennial birthday and the influence that the historical writings of his life and ministry has had upon me (despite his flaws) and that is: the man of God must have an unrelentless pursuit of godliness through a right knowledge and reverence for God. This means also that one must rightly handle the word of God. His unwavering commitment to biblical exegesis and exposition have also had a huge affect upon my life and ministry.

Truly we need men of God like Calvin, and constellations in the universe of Church History that will shine brightly to lead the people of God toward the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

In closing I must say that I do not say these words to venerate Calvin above any man in any sense. But, I only wish to acknowledge and praise God for His grace of providing men in history that He uses to have profound effects upon people in subsequent generations of which I am a grateful beneficiary.

It is fitting to end with a quote from another great constellation in the stars of God's people and that is Charles Spurgeon (also from Lawson's work). It was his desire for his generation in the midst of a "decline of dynamic (biblical and godly) preaching" for men of God such as Calvin. This should be our same desire in our similar times:

"We want again Luthers, Calvins, Bunyans, Whitefields, men fit to mark eras, whose names breathe terror in our foeman's ears. We have dire need of such. Whence will they come to us? They are gifts of Jesus Christ to the church, and will come in due time. He has power to give us back again a golden age of preachers, and when the good old truth is once more preached by men whose lips are touch as with a live coal from off the altar, this shall be the instrument in the hand of the Spirit for bringing about a great and thorough revival of religion in the land..."

May God grant this prayer in our times. May God gives more men of God, men in the pulpit, men in the pastorate likened to Calvin for the glory of God, the gospel of Jesus Christ and the building of His Kingdom.

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Calvin at 500 Links:

http://www.calvin500.org/

http://www.calvin500.com/

http://www.calvin500blog.com/

A Modest Calvin Catechism Blog

The Devil's Tennis Ball - A Word on Idleness from Thomas Brooks

I found this precious and sobering word from Thomas Brooks on Grace Gems while studying on prayer for a sermon this Sunday. It is an excerpt from "THE PRIVY KEY OF HEAVEN (A Discourse of Closet Prayer)" (emphasis is taken from Grace Gems excerpt)


"Warn those who are idle." 1 Thessalonians 5:14

Take heed of an idle and slothful spirit. An idle life and a holy heart are far asunder. By doing nothing men learn to do evil things. It is easy slipping out of an idle life into an evil and wicked life; yes, an idle life is of itself evil, for man was made to be aactive, not to be idle. Idleness is a mother-sin, a breeding-sin; it is the devil's cushion—on which he sits; and the devil's anvil—on which he frames very great and very many sins. Look! as toads and serpents breed most in standing waters, so sin thrives most in idle people. Idleness is that which provokes the Lord to forsake men's bodies, and the devil to possess their souls.

No man has less means to preserve his body, and more temptations to infect his soul, than an idle person. Oh shake off sloth! The sluggish Christian will be sleeping, or idling, or trifling; when he should be in his closet a-praying. Sloth is a fatal sickness of the soul; get it cured—or it will be your eternal bane. Of all devils, it is the 'idle' devil which keeps men most out of their closets. There is nothing that gives the devil so much advantage against us as idleness.

Idleness is the time of temptation. An idle person is the devil's tennis-ball, tossed by him at his pleasure.

The fowler bends his bow and spreads his net for birds when they are roosting, not when they are in flight. So Satan shoots his most fiery darts at men, when they are most idle and slothful.

Slothful and idle people commonly lie so long a-bed, and spend so much precious time between the comb and the mirror, and in eating, drinking, sporting, and trifling; that they can find no time for private prayer. Certainly those who would rather go sleeping to hell, than sweating to heaven, will never care much for prayer.And therefore shun sloth and idleness, as you would shun a lion in your way, or poison in your food, or coals in your bosom!

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How many of us in our day are wasting our time and struggling in sin because of idleness? Get off Facebook, stop caurousing the internet with no godly purpose, get off the couch and turn off the tv. Go and pray for the work of God, read the Word of God, worship in the Spirit of God with the people of God, do a work for God. "Get busy living or get busy dying!" (from Shawshank Redemption)

May we truly take heed to this timely word from Brooks. For indeed, "an idle mind is the devil's playground."