PRAYER - A MYSTERY

Prayer is a mystery; and after we have considered a few questions on the subject I believe we will appreciate even more the mysterious character that surrounds prayer—for these are questions quite difficult to answer. Yet this observation is not meant to suggest that the mystery of prayer is incomprehensible or that the various problems concerning prayer are inexplicable. It is merely indicative of the fact that few people really know very much about them. In view of this, few are truly able to accomplish much for God in prayer. The power of prayer lies not in how much we pray but in how much our prayers are in accordance with the principle of prayer. Only prayers of this kind are of true value. 

The foremost question to be asked is, Why pray? What is the use of praying? Is not God omniscient as well as omnipotent? Why must He wait till we pray before He commences to work? Since He knows, why must we tell Him everything (Phil. 4.6)? Being almighty, why does God not work directly? Why should He need our prayers? Why is it that only those who ask are given, only those who seek find, and only those who knock enter in (Matt. 7.7)? Why does God say: “Ye have not, because ye ask not” (James 4.2) 

Upon asking the above questions we must then continue to inquire as follows: Is prayer contrary to the will of God? What is the relationship between prayer and righteousness? 

We know God never does anything against His own will. If opening doors is God’s will, why should He wait until we knock before He opens? Why does He not simply open for us according to His own will without requiring us to knock? Being omniscient, God knows we need to have doors opened; why, then, must He wait for our knocking before He opens? If the door is to be opened and if opening doors is in accordance with God’s will, and if furthermore He also knows that we need it to be opened, why does He wait for us to knock? Why does He not just open the door? What advantage does our knocking give to God? 

Yet we must further ask these questions: Since God’s will is to open the door and since opening the door is in accord with righteousness, will God nevertheless open the door if we do not knock? Or would He rather have His will and righteousness delayed without accomplishment in order to wait for our prayers? Will He really allow His will of opening doors to be restrained by our not knocking? 

If so, will not the will of God be limited by us? Is God really almighty? If He is almighty, why can He not open the door all by himself—why instead must He wait till we knock? Is God really able to accomplish His own will? But if He truly is able, then why is His opening of doors (God’s will) governed by our knocking (man’s prayer)? 

By asking all these questions we come to realize that prayer is a great mystery. For here we see a principle of God’s working, which is, that God’s people must pray before God himself will rise up and work: His will is only to be realized through the prayers of those who belong to Him: the prayers of the believers are to accomplish His will: God will not fulfill His will alone—He will perform only after His people show their sympathy in prayers. (Continue reading...)

SILENCE VERSUS "THE SILENCE"

There is a vast difference between biblical contemplation and the Roman Catholic contemplative prayer that is sweeping through evangelicalism. It is the difference between “silence” and “the silence.”

In biblical contemplation, silence refers simply to a quiet place in which the soul can effectively seek the Lord. In Scripture it is called seeking the Lord (Psalm 105:3; Isaiah 55:6), waiting on the Lord (Psalm 69:6), meditating on the Lord (Psalm 104:34), meditating on God’s Word (Psalm 1:2).

In these times, when most of us use computers and smart phones and our waking hours are filled to the brim with distracting busyness, it is important to have daily periods of silence for spiritual devotion. During these times we don’t sit with an empty mind and DO NOTHING; rather we open the Bible and read and meditate on its teaching, and we pray IN WORDS to God the Father through Jesus Christ by the wisdom and direction of the Holy Spirit.

Evangelicals Turning to Roman Catholic Contemplative Spirituality

On the other hand, “THE silence” of contemplative prayer refers to pursuing God beyond the Bible, beyond thinking. It refers to putting aside thoughts through mechanisms such as mantras.

It has been popularized by contemplative gurus such as Richard Foster and Dallas Willard and is promoted by many evangelical leaders today, including Rick Warren, Bill Hybels, Chuck Swindoll, David Jeremiah, Beth Moore, Mark Driscoll, Max Lucado, Ed Young, Sr., Gary Thomas, Philip Yancy, Lee Strobel, and Charles Stanley.

Harry Plantinga, director of Christian Classics Ethereal Library, describes contemplative prayer as follows: “As I was growing up, my church experience seemed somewhat heady to me - concerned more about correct belief than about actually loving God. Whether or not that was a correct perception, I wanted more. I wanted not just to know about God, I wanted to know God ... Christian mysticism addresses that longing of the heart. ...Webster defines mysticism as ‘the doctrine that it is possible to achieve communion with God through contemplation and love WITHOUT THE MEDIUM OF HUMAN REASON.’ That definition captures what I have in mind by the term” (CCEL Times, April 1, 2008).

In his pursuit of contemplative mysticism, Plantinga promotes Roman Catholic mystic writings such as The Cloud of Unknowing. This book, which came out of the darkness of Roman Catholic monasticism, encourages the use of a mantra to drive away conscious thoughts with the objective of entering into an experiential communion with God in “the nothingness.” The Cloud of Unknowing says:

“...dismiss every clever or subtle thought no matter how holy or valuable.  Cover it over with a thick cloud of forgetting because in this life only love can touch God as he is in himself, never knowledge” (chapter 8, pp. 59, 60).

“Focus your attention on a simple word such as sin or God...and WITHOUT THE INTERVENTION OF ANALYTICAL THOUGHT allow yourself to experience directly the reality it signifies” (chapter 36, p. 94).

“For in this darkness we experience an intuitive understanding of everything material and spiritual without giving special attention to anything in particular” (chapter 68).

Richard Foster, one of the most prominent gurus of contemplative mysticism, says repetitious prayers such as breath prayers “BIND THE MIND” (Prayer: Finding the Heart’s True Home, p. 124).

This is not biblical meditation; it is a dangerous recipe for demonic delusion. We must seek God through faith, and faith comes only by God’s Word.

Hebrews 11:6  But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Romans 10:17  So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

If we try to know and “experience” God beyond the pages of Scripture, beyond the teaching of the Bible, we are walking in disobedience and unbelief and are setting ourselves up for spiritual deception from the hands of the one who appears as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14).

The late Roman Catholic-Buddhist Thomas Merton, one of the most influential contemplative writers, described his own delusion in these frightful words: “In the end the contemplative suffers the anguish of realizing that he no longer knows what God is” (Merton, The New Seeds of Contemplation).

Contemplative practices, such as the Jesus Prayer, visualizing prayer, breath prayer, and centering prayer are exceedingly dangerous. Many who practice these things end up believing in a pagan concept of God such as pantheism (God is everything) and panentheism (God is in everything). Through these practices people typically become increasingly ecumenical and interfaith in thinking.

One does not have to choose between knowing about God and knowing God personally. GOD IS KNOWN IN CHRIST THROUGH HIS WORD. The study of the Bible is not an end in itself and should never be a mere dry intellectual exercise; it is the means whereby we know God and this is something we grow in year by year as long as we don’t lose our first love.

“But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night” (Psalm 1:2).

“Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust” (2 Peter 1:4).

BIBLICAL FASTING

Biblical fasting is abstinence from food and perhaps other legitimate pleasures in order to concentrate on a definite spiritual problem or need. It is done in conjunction with confession of sin and prayer.

Warnings about Fasting

1. Biblical fasting is not for show (Matthew 6:16-18). God hates hypocritical religion, which is man’s attempt to appear holy before other men without possessing true holiness before God. In this passage, Christ rebukes the kind of fasting that is done for the sake of appearing spiritual before men. He is not making light of the practice of fasting itself when done properly. In fact, He takes for granted that His followers will fast. He did not say “IF thou fastest”, but rather, “WHEN thou fastest”. And He made a wonderful and definite promise that those who practice biblical fasting will be rewarded openly by God the Father.

2. Biblical fasting is not an empty religious ritual (Luke 18:12). This is the statement of a Pharisee who was practicing religion in an attempt to justify himself before God. He observed a regular period of fasting. Nowhere, though, does the Bible require such a practice. Fasting is not a ritual observed once a week, or once a month, or prior to the Lord’s Supper, etc. Fasting, rather, is something that is practiced when a special need arises and when the Holy Spirit leads.

3. Biblical fasting is not for physical health. Though various sorts of fastings may or may not promote better health, this is never the purpose given in the Bible for fasting. Many popular Christian books emphasize the importance of fasting for physical benefit, but this is not biblical fasting. We cannot say that fasting is or is not good for the health, and we cannot say it either is wrong or right to fast for health. We are saying, simply, that the Bible does not speak of fasting in light of health.

4. Biblical fasting is not an empty ascetic practice (Colossians 2:20-23). Some false teachers in Paul’s day were practicing fasting because they believed it made them holy. They taught that salvation and sanctification were attained by following a list of rules (“touch not, taste not, handle not”). The Roman Catholic monastic system adopted this error. The monastics locked themselves away from society and beat themselves and starved themselves and refused to bathe or to change their clothes and many such things with the goal of “climbing the ladder” to heaven and drawing nigh to God. But this is a false gospel. Salvation is a free gift of God’s grace, and sanctification and spiritual victory is not through asceticism but through obedience to the simple New Testament faith by the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit. Fasting is an important part of the Christian life and ministry, but we must be careful that we do not think that spirituality comes through punishing the body and observing various rituals and dietary laws. True spirituality is being in a right relationship with and fellowship with Jesus Christ.

5. Fasting does not necessarily guarantee that one’s prayers will be answered. In 2 Samuel 12 we have the record of how David fasted and prayed for God to preserve the life of the child which had been conceived through his adulterous relationship with Bathsheba. God did not honor David’s fast in that particular case. This reminds us that fasting, while an important practice in spiritual warfare, is not a guarantee that we will get what we are desiring from God. Earnest prayer with fasting does often result in the answer one is seeking, but it is no guarantee. God is always sovereign in answering prayer, and we must always submit to His will.

6. Fasting is not a matter of law but of liberty. It is a personal matter. Fasting is important and useful in Christian life and service, but it is not something that can be commanded and it is not something by which we are to judge the spiritual condition of others.

The Importance of Fasting

The importance of fasting is seen in the number of positive references in the Old and New Testaments. There are over 30 positive examples, commands, and instructions in Scripture about fasting.

• Judges 20:26 - Israel fasted for victory in war.

• 1 Sam. 1:6-7 - Hannah fasted for a son

• 1 Sam. 7:6 - Israel fasted in repentance

• 1 Sam. 31:13 - Men of Jabeshgilead fasted in mourning for Saul

• 2 Sam. 1:12 - David and his men fasted in mourning for Saul, Jonathan, and the fallen of Israel

• 2 Sam. 12 - David fasted for mercy upon his child

• 1 Kings 21:27 - Ahab fasted for mercy

• 2 Chron. 20:3 - Jehoshaphat and Israel fasted for help and protection

• Ezra 8:21-23 - Ezra and the Jews fasted for help and protection

• Nehemiah 1:4 - Nehemiah fasted in mourning and for help

• Nehemiah 9:1-2 - Israel fasting in mourning and repentance

• Esther 4:16 - Esther and friends fasted for victory

• Esther 9:3 - Fasting is mentioned as having had a role in the victory

• Psalm 35:13-14 - Fasting in prayer and mourning

• Psalm 69: 10-11 - Fasting in prayer and mourning

• Isaiah 58:6-8 - The fast which pleases God

• Jeremiah 36:9 - Israel fasted for mercy

• Joel 1:14; 2:12, 15 - God commanded fasting and repentance

• Jonah 3:5 - The Ninevites fasted in repentance for mercy

• Daniel 9:3 - Daniel fasted for wisdom

• Matthew 4:2 - Jesus fasted when tempted in the wilderness

• Matthew 6:17-18 - Jesus promised that the Father would bless fasting

• Matthew 9:14-15 - Jesus said his disciples would fast

• Matthew 17:21 - Fasting is necessary for overcoming some demonic strongholds

• Mark 9:29 - Fasting is necessary for overcoming demonic powers

• Luke 2:37 - Fasting was part of Anna’s service to God

• Acts 13:2 - Fasting was part of the ministry of the workers at Antioch

• Acts 13:3 - Ordination was accompanied by fasting Acts 14:23- Ordination was accompanied by fasting

• 1 Corinthians 7:5 - Fasting and prayer is the only proper reason for abstinence from the marital relationship

• 2 Corinthians 6:5 - Fasting was one way Paul approved himself as a minister of Jesus Christ

• 2 Corinthians 11:27 - Paul fasted often

These examples and instructions regarding fasting cannot be taken lightly. We are told that the examples of Scripture are as important as are its commands - 1 Corinthians 10:11; Romans 15:4. The Lord Jesus Christ is our Pattern (1 Peter 1:21), and His fasting during the temptation in the wilderness is our example, just as His prayers during the temptations in the garden are our examples. Also we are told that the Apostle Paul is to be imitated (Philippians 3:17; 4:9), and Paul put before us the example of frequent fasting (2 Cor. 11:27).

The Chief Purpose of Fasting

The Lord Jesus said that fasting is an essential part of spiritual warfare, and those who war against satanic strongholds know this to be a fact (Matthew 17:18-21)! There are indeed demonic strongholds that can be conquered by NOTHING but prayer AND fasting.

What Are Some Other Occasions When We Should Fast?

In addition to fasting to overcome demonic strongholds, following are some other occasions that call for fasting.

1. Fast when sorely tempted (Matthew 4:2).

2. Fast when wisdom is earnestly desired (Daniel 9:3).

3. Fast when God’s help and protection are needed (Ezra 8:21-23; 2 Chronicles 20:3; Jeremiah 36:9).

4. Fast when victory is desired in seemingly impossible situations (Esther 4:10-17; 9:31; Neh. 1:4).

5. Fast during times of special repentance, confession, and revival (Joel 1:14; 2:12; 2:15; Neh. 9:1-2).

6. Fast when new ministries are launched and when men go forth to proclaim God’s Word and battle spiritual enemies (Acts 13:2-3; 14:23).

7. Fast when involved in spiritual ministry (2 Corinthians 6:5; 11:27)

An Encouraging Promise about Fasting (Matthew 6:17-18)

The Lord Jesus Christ made a definite promise about fasting. When one fasts in the proper manner for the proper reason - “the Father which seeth in secret SHALL reward thee openly”. This is one of the most wonderful promises in the Bible and cannot be dismissed lightly. God would not make such a promise if He did not consider fasting important. Christ never discouraged proper fasting. He condemned and corrected false practices, but never did He discourage Scriptural fasting. In fact, He took for granted that His followers would fast.

Why Does God Require Fasting?

We can’t answer this question fully, perhaps, but we do know that fasting demonstrates the earnestness and desire of the heart (Hebrews 11:6).

God sees the hearts of men, but the Bible says He requires open evidence of the heart’s desire - Joel 2:12. “Therefore also now, saith the Lord, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning”.

This is seen in Abraham’s offering of Isaac. God knew that Abraham would obey and give up the beloved son, but He required Abraham to go through with the act up to the very point of driving the knife into Isaac’s heart. Only then did God say, “For now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me” (Gen. 22:12).

Fasting can be seen as one way of evidencing the earnestness and sincerity of our hearts toward God in matters of prayer. We can say that such things as fasting are not necessary since God knows our hearts, but examples such as the one about Abraham and his son show that God does require evidence of our faith and earnestness.

How Long Is a Biblical Fast?

The Bible sets no specific time length for fasting. Daniel fasted 21 days. Esther and Mordecai fasted 3 days and nights. The Lord Jesus fasted 40 days in the wilderness. But frequently the Bible simply does not say how long people fasted. We are not told, for example, how long Ezra fasted before making the journey to Jerusalem (Ezra 8:21-23).

Fasting is a matter of individual freedom under the direction of the Holy Spirit. It can be one meal or many meals, according to the need of the hour and the direction of God. Romans 14 speaks of this sort of thing and says, “Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind” (Rom. 14:5).

What Is a Biblical Fast?

A biblical fast has the following basic elements:

1. Abstinence from food and normal physical pleasures (Matthew 4:1-2; 1 Corinthians 7:5).

2. Prayer (Matthew 17:21). Biblical fasting is always associated with an increased attention to prayer and communion with God. Fasting divorced from prayer is not biblical fasting.

3. Confession of sins (Daniel 9:3-6; see entire chapter). Biblical examples of fasting are often connected with periods of special repentance and confession of sins.

4. Separation from the evil things of the world and drawing nigh to God (James 4:4-10). The context of this passage is resisting the devil. It is talking about spiritual warfare, which is the main purpose of fasting. To defeat the devil, the believer must cleanse himself of evil and draw nigh to God.

There are no rigid guidelines for fasting in the Bible. In Daniel’s fast of 21 days, we are told that he ate “no pleasant bread, nor flesh, nor wine” (Dan. 10:3). Apparently, Daniel did eat something, but he abstained from pleasant foods. God has not given specific instructions about fasting because it is to be a private matter between an individual and the Lord. A nursing mother, for example, would be unwise to go entirely without food for any significant length of time, because not only is she dependent upon that food, but her infant is also. People with health problems such as diabetes must be very careful about fasting. God has promised, “I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye” (Psa. 32:8). This promise applies to fasting. God will guide us as to when to fast, and how long, and from what should we abstain.

MODERN ENGLISH TRANSLATIONS ATTACK THE DOCTRINE OF FASTING

The new versions make a strange attack against the New Testament teaching of fasting. Though some references to fasting remain, several significant references are removed.

Matthew 17:21-KJV “Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting”. This entire verse is omitted or questioned in brackets in the New American Standard  Version [NASV], Revised Standard Version [RSV], New International Version [NIV], New English Bible, Jerusalem Bible, and Phillips translation. The Today’s English Version [TEV] puts the verse in brackets.

Mark 9:29-KJV reads “And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting”. The Bible Society Greek text and the new versions based on this text omit the words “and fasting”. This is true in the NIV, NASV, RSV, Living Bible, Phillips, New English Bible, and Jerusalem Bible.

These two verses about fasting are not the only references to this doctrine in Scripture, but they are the only references which specifically, directly teach the importance of fasting as an aspect of spiritual warfare. Those who have fought spiritual battles against the powers of darkness know the precious truth of what Jesus is saying in these passages. Prayer is a powerful spiritual resource, but there ARE demonic strongholds that cannot be broken by prayer alone without fasting. It is a fact, and it is a part of the Bible!

To remove these references from the Bible is folly and evil. It is equal to removing part of the essential armament from a soldier’s equipment before sending him into battle.

The textual evidence in support of the references on fasting is overwhelming. It is largely a matter of the vast majority of textual witnesses on one hand (which support the fasting readings) against the flimsy, questionable testimony of the two manuscripts preferred by Westcott and Hort-Vaticanus and Sinaiticus.

We will require much stronger witness than this before allowing someone to remove these blessed Scriptures from our Bible. In fact, you will not take them from our Bible, thank you! We consider these references so important spiritually, that the removal of these two passages alone demonstrate to us the error of following the Westcott-Hort textual principles which allow the Sinaitic and Vaticanus manuscripts to overthrow the testimony of multitudes of other witnesses.

There are four other passages dealing with the doctrine of fasting which are removed in the new versions:

Acts 10:30 - Here we read in the King James Version and most of the old Protestant translations in various languages that Cornelius was fasting and praying. The new versions, following the lead of the Westcott-Hort Greek text, removes the word fasting. This is true for the RSV, NASV, NIV, Living Bible, TEV, New English Bible, Jerusalem Bible, the New Berkeley Version, and Phillips.

1 Corinthians 7:5 - The KJV reads, “Defraud ye not one the other, except it be with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency”. Again turning against the majority of textual witnesses, the new versions remove fasting from this important passage. This is true for all of the versions we have been checking as mentioned above.

2 Corinthians 6:5 - The KJV reading, “fasting”, has been changed in the new versions to “hunger”. Obviously, hunger and fasting are two different things. In 2 Cor. 11:27, where the Apostle Paul gives a similar listing of some aspects of his ministry, he mentions both hunger AND fasting. We see from this that the Holy Spirit is not using these terms synonymously. This, therefore, is another attack upon the biblical doctrine of the spiritual benefit of fasting.

2 Corinthians 11:27 - The KJV reading, “fastings often”, is replaced in the new versions with “often without food”. The comment on 2 Cor. 6:5 above applies here as well. Being hungry and going without food does not have to be connected with the spiritual life and warfare. Going without food is not necessarily fasting. To change this reading without overwhelming proof that the King James translators were wrong - proof which modern translators do not have - is dangerous at best. The KJV reading says, “in hunger and thirst, in fastings often”. A clear distinction is made between the hunger Paul often endured because of lack of food, and his frequent times of spiritual fasting. If in these two passages the Holy Spirit is referring to the apostle’s spiritual battles, to spiritual fasting, which is most probable since such a distinction is made, the modern translators have done a great evil in removing this teaching through their versions.

When the reading of these six verses is taken together, a definite pattern of attack appears in the new Greek texts and versions upon the doctrine of fasting as a spiritual weapon. And this is even more serious in light of the fact that we are warned in Scripture that spiritual warfare will grow in intensity as the time of Christ’s return draws near. “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. ... But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived” (2 Tim. 3:1,13). Don’t be deceived, dear Christian friend, into accepting a Bible version that removes these important spiritual weapons from your life.

The fact is that there ARE demonic strongholds that cannot be broken down without biblical fasting. While the churches are feasting, the devil runs rampant.

Pay attention to this experience from an American missionary in Nepal:

“We have experienced the truth of this. There were many times that we have been at the point of total despair in our ministry in the idolatrous country of Nepal. I recall such an experience at the beginning of our work there. It seemed that an impenetrable dark wall stood before us. We were proclaiming the Gospel and some Hindus had shown interest; many were coming to meetings, and some had made professions of faith. But not one idolater had repented of his sin and idolatry and been born again.

“Troubles were also bearing in upon us from many directions that held the potential of ending our ministry in that difficult land. The national ecumenical fellowship slandered us and called for a total boycott of our ministry. Our work was illegal and we were in constant danger of being evicted by the Nepali government. It appeared that our desire to establish a Nepali church that would glorify Jesus Christ would never be fulfilled.

“We determined to have a time of prayer with fasting. It was the first time, really, that I had practiced this with such serious intent, and I must admit that I didn’t find it easy. Soon thereafter a Nepali fellow came to our house and was saved in our living room soon after we met him. Then he led a friend to Christ, and the friend led his sister to Christ. All of these showed real evidence of repentance. They made a complete break with idolatry and began to serve the Lord Jesus Christ in spite of many persecutions. Soon others were saved, and the Lord brought a faithful evangelist to join hands with us as a much needed co-laborer in the ministry. Today that fellowship has grown in the midst of much hardship and poverty and has become a lively New Testament church. It has its own leadership, pays its own bills, and has zealous evangelistic, missionary vision. All of the first converts are still serving the Lord today, most in leadership positions.

“Prayer with fasting is a normal part of the ministry of that church. Would the victory have been won without the fasting? Not according to the testimony of the Son of God. He said, ‘This kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting’.

“The wall we faced in that heathen land was a supernatural wall. The Scriptures lift the curtain that hides the supernatural realm from our eyes and identifies our foe. ‘For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places’ (Eph. 6:12).

“Many other illustrations could be given, but this is enough. We have seen what the Word of God says. We have seen the example of godly people of all ages. We have seen the example of the Son of God. We must face these things and realize that spiritual fasting is very important in the Christian life and ministry and is a practice urgently needed in our day.

“We have felt the power of the enemy. We have heard his fearful roar. And we believe the warning of the Lord Jesus Christ and the many examples of the infallible Scriptures. Spiritual fasting is essential.

“Praise God for the sure promise of the Bible: ‘But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; that thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: AND THY FATHER, WHICH SEETH IN SECRET, SHALL REWARD THEE OPENLY’” (Mat. 6:17-18).

SILENT PRAYER

The Bible may not specifically mention praying silently, but that does not mean it is any less valid than praying out loud. God can hear our thoughts just as easily as He can hear our words (Psalm 139:23; Jeremiah 12:3). The Lord Jesus knew the evil thoughts of the Pharisees (Matthew 12:24-26; Luke 11:7). Nothing we do, say, or think is hidden from God, who does not need to hear our words to know our thoughts. He has access to all prayers directed to Him, whether or not they are spoken.

The Bible does mention praying in private (Matthew 6:6). What would be the difference between praying out loud or silently if you are by yourself? There are some circumstances where only silent prayer is appropriate, e.g., praying for something between you and God only, praying for someone who is present, etc. There is not anything wrong with praying silently, as long as we are not doing it because we are embarrassed to be seen praying.

Perhaps the best verse to indicate the validity of unspoken prayers is 1 Thessalonians 5:17: “Pray without ceasing”. To pray unceasingly obviously cannot mean we are praying out loud all of the time. Rather, it means we are to be in a constant state of God-consciousness, where we take every thought captive to Him (2 Corinthians 10:5) and bring every situation, plan, fear, or concern before His throne. Part of unceasing prayer will be prayers that are spoken, whispered, shouted, sung, and silent as we direct our thoughts of praise, petition, supplication, and thanksgiving to God.

TESTIMONIES OF CHRIST'S SINLESSNESS

Two thousand years ago a man walked this earth who was like no other man who was ever born. His birthplace was a stable in the tiny town of Bethlehem in Israel. He lived on this earth for about 33 years and was crucified by the Roman government as a criminal. He life was under the microscope of human observation. He did not live in secret. His ministry was public, and his every word and deed was examined by those who lived at that time. And the record of His life has been examined by the world ever since. No man has been as intensely examined as Jesus of Nazareth.

Before His death, Jesus issued an amazing challenge that has never been answered, a challenge that only an insane or a sinless man could offer. He said, “Which of you convinceth me of sin” (John 8:46). The word “convince” means to bring an accusation that can be proven, a charge that can stand.

Though He was accused of wrongdoing by those who hated him and crucified him, the accusations were blatant and obvious lies. The Roman governor himself said that Jesus was innocent of all charges. He wasn’t crucified because of any sin He had committed. He was crucified because of the jealously of false Jewish teachers and the idolatry of the Roman Empire with its Caesar worship. But far more than that, He was crucified because He came to “seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke19:10). He came as the Son of God to make atonement for man’s sins so that men might be reconciled to God. 

The fact of Jesus’ sinlessness proves that He was the Son of God. Every man since Adam has been a sinner by nature, by thought, and by deed. Children don’t have to be taught how to sin. We don’t need schools to educate children in how to lie and cheat and dishonor their parents and disobey authority.

We believe that the Bible is the Word of God for many reasons, and one of those is that what it says rings true to what can be observed in our life. The Bible says, for example, that “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). We can observe that in our own life. We can see it everywhere in the world today and everywhere in human history.

Everywhere except in our Lord Jesus.

Following are some of the testimonies to our Lord Jesus’ sinlessness:

The testimony of Pilate

Pilate saith unto him, What is truth? And when he had said this, he went out again unto the Jews, and saith unto them, I find in him no fault at all (John 18:38). See also John 19:4, 6.

When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, butthat rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it (Mt. 27:24).

The testimony of Pilate’s wife

When he was set down on the judgment seat, his wife sent unto him, saying, Have thou nothing to do with that just man: for I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of him. (Mt 27:19)

The testimony of the thief on the cross

But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss (Luk 23:40-41).

The testimony of the centurion

Now when the centurion saw what was done, he glorified God, saying, Certainly this was a righteous man (Luk 23:47).

And when the centurion, which stood over against him, saw that he so cried out, and gave up the ghost, he said, Truly this man was the Son of God (Mr. 15:39).

The testimony of the apostle Paul

For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him (2Co. 5:21).

The testimony of the apostle Peter

Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: (1P. 2:22)

The testimony of the apostle John

And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin (1 John 3:5).

The testimony of God the Father

While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him (Mt. 17:5).

WHAT WAS NOT IN THE TABERNACLE

It is instructive to think about what wasn’t in the tabernacle.

There was no chair.

This reminds us that the work of the Levitical priests was never finished. Those sacrifices could not bring salvation; they only pointed to the salvation that would come by Christ. Salvation wasn’t complete until Jesus cried from the cross, “It is finished” just before He surrendered His spirit in death (John 19:30).

Hebrews 10:11-12 And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: 12 But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God.

The fact that there was no chair in the tabernacle also reminds us that the believer priest should always be busy in the service of the Lord.

1 Corinthians 15:58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

Life is too short to be lazy or to retire from the Lord’s business. Slumber produces both physical and spiritual poverty.

Proverbs 24:33-34 Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: 34 So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth; and thy want as an armed man.

1 Thessalonians 5:6-8 Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. 7 For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. 8 But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.

The fact that there was no chair in the tabernacle also reminds us that the believer needs to be always ready for the Lord’s return.

The priests had to be ready at a moment’s notice to pack up the tabernacle and to take their journey at the trumpet sound.

The imminent return of Christ is a major teaching of the New Testament. True Christianity is to turn to Christ from idols (repentance and faith) to serve Christ in this present world, ever watching for His return.

1 Thessalonians 1:9-10 For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God; 10 And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.

There was no floor.

The floor of the tabernacle was the dirt of the bare ground.

Numbers 5:17 And the priest shall take holy water in an earthen vessel; and of the dust that is in the floor of the tabernacle the priest shall take, and put it into the water:

The priests in the holy place were surrounded by symbols of the resurrection glory of Christ, but their feet were still in this world.

This is a picture of the Christian life. The believer is seated in heavenly places with Christ (Eph. 2:6), but he is still in this fallen world. The believer has put off the old man and put on the new man positionally (Col. 3:9-10), but the old man is still present and must be put off in practice each day (Eph. 4:22-24). The believer has been delivered from Satan’s power and translated into Christ’s kingdom (Col. 1:13), but he still lives in the world over which Satan is the prince (Eph. 2:2) and he must still put on the whole armor of God to stand against the devil (Eph. 6:11). The believer has eternal redemption, but he presently lives in a fallen world and groans to be delivered from corruption (Rom. 8:22-23). The believer is not in the flesh but in the Spirit (Rom. 8:9), but the flesh is still present and if we do not walk in the Spirit we fulfill the lusts of the flesh (Gal. 5:16-17). For the believer, the body is dead and the Spirit is life (Rom. 8:10), but the body is also still alive and is called “the body of this death” (Rom. 7:14). The believer has eternal rest (Heb. 4:10), but he is also in the most severe spiritual warfare (Eph. 6:10-18).

“The heavens have been opened over our head. We worship and hold converse with God in the highest glory. And yet our members are here upon this earth; and we walk in the midst of a groaning creation, in a world defaced by sin; marred by the presence and power of death; still lying under the curse, and traversed as to its whole length and breadth, by the serpent’s path... No wonder the Lord’s people have such strange and mingled experiences. In one sense, they are already raised with Christ: in another, they yet expect the resurrection... Such are the experiences of the people of God, during the present dispensation, whilst the tabernacle of glory is connected with the wilderness path” (Henry Soltau, The Tabernacle the Priesthood and the Offerings).

The fact that there was no floor in the tabernacle exposes the error of monasticism. God has not instructed His people to hide from the world or isolate themselves from the world. It is tempting to buy a farm somewhere and to avoid most contact with the world, but this is exactly the opposite of what Christ has commanded (Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 16:15).

We are to follow Jesus’ example. He mingled with the sinners of this world in order to save them. He was called a friend of sinners, but He didn’t sin with sinners. Paul taught that we are not to go out of the world by breaking off all association with sinners.

1 Corinthians 5:9-10 I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators: 10 Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world.

In contrast to the tabernacle, Solomon’s Temple had a floor of gold (1 Ki. 6:30). This points to the eternal reign of Christ. Then His people will dwell in immortal bodies, with no indwelling sin and no possibility of contamination. There will be glory within and glory without! The very streets of the New Jerusalem are paved with gold (Rev. 21:21).

There was no window.

There was no natural light in the tabernacle. Once the priest entered the holy place to worship and to perform his service to the Lord, the curtain of the door fell back into place and he was dependent on the lampstand for light.

Likewise in the service of Christ the believer is dependent on the Holy Spirit and God’s Word and is not allowed to mingle therein the philosophy of this world. We are to delight in the law of the Lord and reject the counsel of the ungodly (Psa. 1:1-2). We are to beware of the philosophy and tradition of men (Col. 2:8).

Theological liberals and the evangelicals who are influenced by them, for example, commit a great error when they try to interpret Genesis 1-3 by the principles of Darwinian evolution, Genesis 6-8 by ancient Babylonian fables, the Mosaic worship system by ancient paganism, and the New Testament by Gnosticism.

Just as the priest was dependent on the oil in the lamps to produce light, the believer is dependent on the Holy Spirit for enlightenment. Only by the Spirit can we rightly interpret the Bible. We must cast ourselves upon Him for help. He has promised to help and has promised to lead us into truth if we have obedient hearts and continue in God’s Word.

John 7:17 If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.

John 8:31-32 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; 32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

Knowing that we are dependent on the Holy Spirit, we must lean not to our own understanding (Prov. 3:5-6). Rather, we must seek wisdom as men seek after silver and cry out for wisdom, which refers to a single-minded passion for truth. Then we will find wisdom.

Proverbs 2:1-9 My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; 2 So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding; 3 Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; 4 If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; 5 Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God. 6 For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding. 7 He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly. 8 He keepeth the paths of judgment, and preserveth the way of his saints. 9 Then shalt thou understand righteousness, and judgment, and equity; yea, every good path.

There was no party band, no comedians, no leeks and melons.

The worship of the Lord as presented in Scripture is noted by simplicity and solemnity and holiness and complete separation from the world. There is nothing to please unregenerate man, nothing that appeals to the flesh, nothing patterned after the world.

How different this is from contemporary worship with its party atmosphere and its many elements borrowed directly from the filthy world of secular rock to make it “seeker friendly”.

The mixed multitude in contemporary churches, which are composed of true saints, “nominal” unregenerate Christians, and out-and-out unbelievers, despise God’s simple manna and long for the melons, leeks, and onions of Egypt after the fashion of the mixed multitude that followed ancient Israel out of Egypt (Nu. 11:5).

Many “fundamentalist” Bible-believing churches are only a step behind the out-and-out contemporary ones, having corrupted the Lord’s house with their gimmicks and promotions and joking and undue exaltation of big-name preachers and body-swaying soft rock which they have borrowed from the one-world church.

In the 1950s, a devoted Bible teacher issued the following warning about what was happening in his day, at the dawn of the neo-evangelical contemporary movement:

“Remember also that the bread on the table with the frankincense was the only thing placed upon the table as the food of the priests. There were no sauces and spices and pickles and olives and fancy salads or pie à la mode; just bread. We have drifted far, far away from this simple formula today. Instead of believers coming together to fellowship around the Lord Jesus Christ, the Bread of Life, without all the extraneous paraphernalia, and just to feed on His Word, we have too often turned our services into a carnival... And then we wonder at the worldliness and the shallowness of Christians today. We have added pickles, olives, radishes, and highly seasoned extras, and have relegated the Word of Life to a side dish, which few will touch” (The Tabernacle, 1955).

INTERCESSORY PRAYER

Intercessory prayer is the act of praying on behalf of others. The role of mediator in prayer was prevalent in the Old Testament, in the cases of Abraham, Moses, David, Samuel, Hezekiah, Elijah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel. Christ is pictured in the New Testament as the ultimate intercessor, and because of this, all Christian prayer becomes intercession since it is offered to God through and by Christ. Christ Jesus closed the gap between us and God when He died on the cross. Because of Jesus’ mediation, we can now intercede in prayer on behalf of other Christians or for the lost, asking God to grant their requests according to His will. “For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5). “Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us” (Romans 8:34).

A wonderful model of intercessory prayer is found in Daniel 9. It has all the elements of true intercessory prayer. It is in response to the Word (v. 2); characterized by fervency (v. 3) and self-denial (v. 4); identified unselfishly with God’s people (v. 5); strengthened by confession (v. 5-15); dependent on God’s character (vv. 4, 7, 9, 15); and has as its goal God’s glory (vv. 16-19). Like Daniel, Christians are to come to God on behalf of others in a heartbroken and repentant attitude, recognizing their own unworthiness and with a sense of self-denial. Daniel does not say, “I have a right to demand this out of You, God, because I am one of your special, chosen intercessors”. He says, “I'm a sinner,” and, in effect, “I do not have a right to demand anything”. True intercessory prayer seeks not only to know God’s will and see it fulfilled, but to see it fulfilled whether or not it benefits us and regardless of what it costs us. True intercessory prayer seeks God’s glory, not our own.

The following is only a partial list of those for whom we are to offer intercessory prayers:

• all in authority (1 Timothy 2:2),
• ministers (Philippians 1:19),
• Jerusalem (Psalm 122:6),
• friends (Job 42:8),
• fellow countrymen (Romans 10:1),
• the sick (James 5:14),
• enemies (Jeremiah 29:7),
• those who persecute us (Matthew 5:44),
• those who forsake us (2 Timothy 4:16),
• and all men (1 Timothy 2:1).

There is an erroneous idea in contemporary Christianity that those who offer up intercessory prayers are a special class of “super-Christians,” called by God to a specific ministry of intercession. The Bible is clear that all Christians are called to be intercessors. All Christians have the Holy Spirit in their hearts and, just as He intercedes for us in accordance with God’s will (Romans 8:26-27), we are to intercede for one another. This is not a privilege limited to an exclusive Christian elite; this is the command to all. In fact, not to intercede for others is sin. “As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by failing to pray for you” (1 Samuel 12:23).

Certainly Peter and Paul, when asking others to intercede for them, did not limit their request to those with a special calling to intercession. “So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him” (Acts 12:5). Notice it was the whole church that prayed for him, not just those with a gift of intercession. In Ephesians 6:16-18, Paul exhorts the Ephesian believers—all of them—on the fundamentals of the Christian life, which includes intercession “on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.” Clearly, intercessory prayer is part of the Christian life for all believers.

Further, Paul sought prayer on his behalf from all the Roman believers in Romans 15:30. He also urged the Colossians to intercede for him in Colossians 4:2-3. Nowhere in any biblical request for intercession is there any indication that only a certain group of people could intercede. On the contrary, those who seek others to intercede for them can use all the help they can get! The idea that intercession is the privilege and calling of only some Christians is without biblical basis. Worse, it is a destructive idea that often leads to pride and a sense of superiority.

God calls all Christians to be intercessors. It is God’s desire that every believer be active in intercessory prayer. What a wonderful and exalted privilege we have in being able to come boldly before the throne of Almighty God with our prayers and requests!