Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them.
Summary: Learning about God is a tricky business. It is easy to fall into the trap of depending on someone else’s description of God rather than listening to God directly.
Dear Readers: The next few days will be hectic for me at home, so we are reposting a few meditations from our series on the Lord’s Prayer. I will still be checking for comments. I hope to see you here!
Several months ago, I felt the Spirit pointing me towards the prayer in Matthew 6: 9-13. It is commonly called “The Lord’s Prayer,” and is one that I learned as a child. Being raised as a Lutheran, we said the prayer every Sunday in church.
As a group prayer, it works rather well. There is a nice rhythm to it, and it is short enough that everyone can remember the words. The only point of contention for most of us is whether we want God to forgive us our “trespasses” or our “debts.” But that is a small difference. When we say it, we do so with the confidence that we are praying the prayer Jesus told us to pray. Yet without understanding the prayer, it becomes little more than the mindless repetition of words that we long ago stopped wondering about.
Instead, we just say it.
Is that what God wants? I don’t think so. Somehow, the empty repetition of a prayer sounds a lot like the description of Israel’s sacrifices to God in the days of Isaiah:
“Stop bringing meaningless offerings!” (Isaiah 1: 13)
Then God, speaking through Isaiah, adds:
“When you spread out your hands in prayer,
I hide my eyes from you;
even when you offer many prayers,
I am not listening.
Your hands are full of blood!” (Isaiah 1: 15)
If I come before God with my hands full of blood, metaphorically speaking, will he be impressed with my mindless repetition of a few words from the New Testament? Somehow, I don’t think so.
So what are we supposed to do?
Matthew 5 begins with Jesus looking out and seeing the crowds. You and I are in the crowd, too! Jesus sees us just as clearly as he saw the people from Galilee, the Decapolis, Judea, and the surrounding areas. As he looks at us, Jesus smiles, perhaps tiredly. He climbs up on the mountainside and sits down. Then he begins to teach. If we listen in, maybe he will explain what prayer is all about.
Application: Listen to Jesus’ words as if he were talking directly to you because he is.
Food for Thought: What are some of the differences between a formally structured church service and a personal relationship with Jesus Christ?
What are some of the differences between a formally structured church service and a personal relationship with Jesus Christ?
One is the way. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Well said, Tim! 🙂
What are some of the differences between a formally structured church service and a personal relationship with Jesus Christ?
Our church services are most often weekly gatherings of believers coming together for fellowship, scripture study, and songs of praise and worship, all of which is organized by others. For many this is the extent of their time devoted to Jesus Christ.
Our personal relationship with Jesus Christ is exactly what it says. It is a way of life, empowered by Him as we daily study, apply and live our lives knowing He is with us in all we do. A life of continual giving of our will over to Him as we study and live according to His will for our lives. It is sometimes pleasant, sometimes sad as we experience all He has determined is best for our lives of ministering to this world around us.
A sacrificial lifestyle:
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God this is your true and proper worship. Romans 12:1
Lived in obedient devotion:
Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. James 1:22
As we witness and evangelize:
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
1 Peter 2:9
Thank you, Ron!
I like the phrase “empowered by [Jesus]!”
I have the privilege of caring for my 98 yo old mom. Each night we pray the Lords Prayer as a prelude to praying more specifically. I cherish saying and hearing my mom speak the Lord’s Prayer as an offering of worship and devotion to the Lord. 🙏
Hi DEPUTYFIREDOG!
Nice to hear from you! Your mom is AMAZING! Thank you for sharing today!
What are some of the differences between a formally structured church service and a personal relationship with Jesus Christ?
First things first, these are by no means opposites nor mutally exclusive.
Okay, defining time…
Formally structured church service:
A service that is planned out with elements meeting a certain criteria of Biblical soundness in order to only include what is good, what is honoring to God, and what is edifiying to the congregation. Now services have different levels of formality, some scripting out each person’s role with strict rigidity, done out of a mixture of honoring the traditions of scripture and fear of taking God too lightly if they do not. More common these days are the less scripted but still formal service, which contains prayers with various purposes, songs of worship different sections with corresonding themes, the sermon, communion, the benediction. In these order remains but there is a fear of both insincere repetition in more structure and loss of respect in the less structured. And the non structred does not fall into this category, those who meet but with no plans, the Spirit is supposed to guide anybody in attendance to say or do whatever.
Personal relationship with Jesus:
This is what will determine if you have received salvation or not. Knowing Jesus and honoring his commands. Accepting him as lord and taking his sacrifice for us with seriousness. Faith without works is dead, so this must be lived out. Appropriate examples of how this should look are Galatians 5:22-23, Ephesians 6, 1 Corinthians 13.
The heart comes first, but then comes action. A formal church service compliments, instructs, and guides those who have a personal relationship with Jesus to treat God with honor and respect, those without order or structure are flippant and disregard that each thing God has given us has a purpose a usefulness.
Angela,
I love your analysis!
What are some of the differences between a formally structured church service and a personal relationship with Jesus Christ?
A personal relationship with Jesus Christ is constant and is the center. Our location does not matter, the condition of our heart does. However, a formally structured church service can become a place of greater awareness of His Spirit. I believe that is true for believers and nonbelievers. We attend the service, pray, worship, praise, and hear the Word, which enriches our awareness of Him. I personally feel the amplification of His presence at service, and I see the fruit of His presence in the piercing of nonbeliever’s hearts.
I believe that there is both a formal structure and an informal flexibility involved with awareness of the Spirit. Too much structure can become legalistic, too much flexibility can become meandering. Too little structure becomes unfocused, and too little flexibility becomes stifling. There must be an appropriate level of formality in every service, otherwise, the worship team would not practice, the minister would not prepare a sermon, the ushers would not know what to do, and children’s service would be just another playground. Christ is the goal. The difference is, the personal relationship is the center, and the “service” is a means to serve.
Hebrews 10:24-25 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
Matthew 18:20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.
Colossians 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
1 Corinthians 14:26 What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up.
Thank you, Chris!
I appreciate your discussion on a “formal structure and an informal flexibility.” That makes a lot of sense.