The Secret Life of Successful Christians: Part 2 - Prayer

The Secret Life 

Of Successful Christians

Introduction: 

"Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven." -Matthew 6:1

In chapter 6 of Matthew, Jesus is giving us practical instruction on Christian living. Specifically, He causes us to focus on our motives. Whom, exactly, are we trying to please? It is entirely possible, it seems, to spend a lifetime doing "righteous" things and yet, not be right with God. Jesus tells us to "beware" of the temptation to live for the applause of people. He further tells us, that if that is our motivation, we forfeit any heavenly reward.

Part 2: Praying in Secret

"And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. "And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him." - Matthew 6:5-8 ESV

Prayer is Important

Prayer is our opportunity to individually converse with our heavenly Father. Prayer is our audience with God.  In prayer we honor him. In prayer we worship, ask forgiveness, and make petition. In prayer we seek his guidance for our lives.

Avoiding Hypocrisy

The word Hypocrite comes from the Greek word hypokritēs which literally means "actor". In Jesus' day it did not necessarily have the same negative connotation that we associate with the word "hypocrite" today. Jesus is telling us not behave as an actor on a stage playing to the crowd. We are not to seek the applause, fanfare or even approval of the people around us. We are to pray secretly. The reward we seek must not be the praise of people, but the approval of God.

Prayer is the sincere conversation between the heart of the believer and the Heavenly Father. We do not earn an audience with God in prayer. Jesus earned that audience for us. Prayer is not a ritual. Chants or grandiose oratories do not impress Him. What he seeks is purity of heart.

"I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling;" [1 Timothy 2:8 ESV] 

Things to ponder...

• Do I consider prayer to be a vital part of my daily life?

• How often do I pray?

• What does the Bible mean with the phrase “pray without ceasing," [1 Thessalonians 5:17 ESV]?

• Name some important components of prayer:

• How and when should I approach God in prayer?  

Significant verses regarding prayer...

"For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil."" [1 Peter 3:12 ESV]

"do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God." [Philippians 4:6 ESV] 

"Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving." [Colossians 4:2 ESV] 

"For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer." [1 Timothy 4:4-5 ESV] 

"And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working." [James 5:15-16 ESV]

To view the next lesson, click HERE.

Concerning the imprisonment of Pastor Saeed Abedini

It seems to me that today there is a great deal of hand wringing going on among evangelicals concerning the imprisonment on Pastor Saeed Abedini. 

By all accounts he is a good man on a mission of mercy to help orphans. He has been accused of Christian evangelism and sentenced to eight years in an Iranian prison. He had to have known the risks when he went to Iran. I understand that this is a fearful time for his family and those close to him. I get all of that, and for that reason I write this with a great deal of somberness. 

We as Christians need to take a step back for a little "Kingdom" perspective.

This is not the first time a Christian preacher has been put in prison for the sake of the gospel. In fact Jesus told us these things would happen. As much as we love religious liberty, we should not forget that great revivals can happen in prison.

Do I want Pastor Abedini to be freed? Yes, but my hope is not in a rescue by the U.S. Government. My prayer is that he will bear such a witness to the saving power of Jesus Christ, that prisoners and guards alike will believe on Jesus Christ as their Savior. I want his freedom to come in a way that brings glory to Jesus Christ. 

As I understand it, he is being held in a notorious Iranian prison called "Evin Prison". It seems that in addition to hardened criminals, this prison holds many Iranian intellectuals who are incarcerated for political reasons. 


It is unlikely that any missions organization would be able to penetrate this Iranian prison, but now there is an evangelical pastor of Iranian descent, in this Iranian prison filled with potential national leaders. The Lord Jesus now has a light in a very dark place.

"Our Father in heaven, please grant Pastor Saeed Abedini courage and wisdom and favor and confirm you word in amazing ways!"

Pastor Saeed Abedini

Weird little "Church Words"...Why do we say "Amen"?

Have you ever gotten into the habit of using "church words" so often that they have lost all real world meaning? How about the word "Amen".  Christians routinely end prayer with this word. Without knowing why, we use it like a period at the end of prayer. If you can spare a minute of your time, you will see why the word "amen" is a most remarkable word. 

Please, indulge me for a little word study...

 

1. “Amen” comes from a Hebrew root word pronounced ‘aman. In Hebrew this is a verb which is translated into English the following ways:

"to support,   confirm,   be faithful,   uphold,   nourish;   to be established,   be faithful,   be carried,   make firm;   to stand firm,   to trust,   to be certain,   to believe in"

2. Old Testament examples of the word “aman”…

a. Abraham’s belief in God

 "And he [Abraham] believed {'aman} in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness." Gen 15:6

b. Israel’s belief in God

"And the people believed {'aman}: and when they heard that the LORD had visited the children of Israel, and that he had looked upon their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshiped." Exd 4:31

c. God’s is faithful

  "Know therefore that the LORD thy God , he is God, the faithful{'aman}…" Deu 7:9

d. God’s Promises David an “aman” house

"And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established {'aman} for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever."  2Sa 7:16  

3. Amen in the New Testament

The Hebrew word was transliterated into Greek and carried this meaning:

"firm, faithful, verily, amen"

a) When the word is used at the beginning of a discourse it is translated as "verily, surely, truly, of a truth".
b) When it is used at the end of a discourse it is translated as - "so it is, so be it, may it be fulfilled."

Saying "Amen" is a custom that was carried over from Jewish synagogues into early Christian worship.  The custom was for the congregation to "Amen" after a prayer as an affirmation of agreement with a public prayer. This made the substance of the prayer theirs as well as the individual's who had prayed.

a. In our English New Testament Translations the word “Amen” shows up about 50 times, but the Greek word “amen” is in the New Testament 152 times and translated into English using different words…

b. For instance, here is how some of the more popular translations render the beginning words of  Matthew 5:18…

ESV   "For truly {amen}, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.

KJV    "For verily {amen} I say unto you...        

NKJV  "For assuredly {amen}, I say to you...

NLT     "I tell you the truth {amen}…        

NIV      "I tell you the truth {amen}…

4. We typically end prayer with an “Amen”. Why?

When you say “Amen” you are expressing your trust in God, and affirming his faithfulness.

Jesus taught us to pray after this pattern:

"After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. [I am more concerned about your exaltation than my own.] 

Thy kingdom come. [Even if it brings me discomfort. Ie. Believers in Jerusalem suffering persecution.] 

Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. [Speedily, eliminating any excuse I might have to procrastinate.] 

Give us this day our daily bread. [Please just give me what I need today, I’ll trust you with the long term stuff.] 

And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. [I will demonstrate your grace even as I have received it.] 

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: [I will follow your lead and steer clear of sin.] 

For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever.     Amen.

The purpose of the word “Amen” is not to cue God on when we are done praying. We don’t say “Amen" so that God knows when to open his eyes and look up.  It is a means by which we affirm our trust in Him, and place ourselves in agreement with his will!

Amen!

Have a great day!