Sunday, November 13, 2016

The Unlikely Apostle Pt.1 : Pray Without Ceasing

Something has been stirring in me for a while. A restlessness. A dissatisfaction with the status quo. A feeling like I’m in a rut. A feeling like my church is in a rut.

A couple weeks ago it came out that several other people have been having a similar experience. So, I began to seek God’s direction and desire for me and the people. I believe He answered, and it was not what I expected.

I believe God has called us to pray, just to pray, during our Sunday and Wednesday services for the next month. No music. No Bible study. Just prayer.

That may seem crazy to some folks. I understand. I have spent many years planning order of services. I know how desperately people want a bulletin that tells them what’s coming next. I am fully aware of how uncomfortable it gets when there’s the slightest break in the action.

We have become experts at orchestrating and executing worship services that pacify the crowds yet don’t require God’s presence.

Frankly, I’m tired of it. I’m tired of the show. I’m tired of the games. I’m tired of holding a form of godliness twice a week, yet not experiencing God’s power. I’m tired of lukewarm American Christianity. It’s corroding my soul.

I want Jesus. No, I need Jesus. I need Jesus exceedingly and abundantly more than I realize. We do too.

We say a little prayer before meals. We say a little prayer before business meetings. We say a little prayer before offerings. We memorize Scripture verses about prayer. We devote entire sermons to the subject of prayer. We have bible studies devoted to prayer. We post inspiring quotes on social media about prayer. Yet, we are far too pragmatic to actually be people of prayer.

And that is exactly what we are called to be: People of prayer who pray without ceasing.


Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. – 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

I’ve heard grown men that were leaders in churches joke about this verse, shrugging it off since God can’t possibly be calling us to drive down the freeway with our eyes closed. I think we tend to make light of things that terrify us. We fear what we don’t understand, and making a mockery of such things has a way of taking a bit of the edge off.

How our hearts deceive us.

Paul flat out says that God’s will for our lives is for us to pray without ceasing. Yet, we sit around at Bible studies joking about the verse so we can convince ourselves that it's okay to not do God’s will. I wonder what the chances are that Jesus was just kidding when He said, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter (Matthew 7:21).” Perhaps we need to take God's will seriously.

So, what does it mean to pray without ceasing?

I plead with you, by the grace with which you are clothed, to press forward in thy progress, and to exhort everyone so that they may be saved. … Give yourself to prayer without ceasing. Plead for additional understanding to what you already have. Be watchful, possessing a sleepless spirit. Speak to every man separately, as God enables you. Bear the infirmities of all, as being a perfect athlete [in the Christian life]: where the labor is great, but the reward is even greater. – Ignatius 105CE, Volume 1, p. 152 [CD-ROM]

According to Ignatius, praying without ceasing first means maintaining a desire to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus. Second, we must keep an ambassadorial mindset. Third, we should be imploring our Father for steady infillings of heavenly wisdom. Fourth, we need to remain vigilant, seeking God’s direction in all things for all people so that we can make the most of every opportunity. And finally, to pray without ceasing, Ignatius calls us to never forget the reward of living for the kingdom of heaven.

It takes prayer to become a person of prayer. And that is what I want to be. That is what I want for each person of my church. That is what I want for you.

Are you in a spiritual rut? Do you feel restless in your faith? Then join me in this quest to pray without ceasing, and let’s experience Jesus together. 

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