5.24.24 (continued from yesterday)
Hey, Calvary Fremont –
Prayer is not pleasing to the flesh. Consumers and Disciples think about the Church Prayer Meeting in two different ways.
Bobby might come to pray if it were a more exciting meeting.
Betty would come if the Prayer Meeting was shorter.
Billy would come if they offered donuts.
Consumers attend if there is something to consume and not so inconvenient.
Peter, James, and John never fell asleep when Jesus was doing miracles – yet they did fall asleep when Jesus asked them to stay awake and pray. Why? Prayer didn’t excite or entertain them. Have you ever fallen asleep in prayer? Don’t ask the elders of CC Fremont if I have!! The prayer meeting is the least attended meeting in the church’s schedule because it is hard work – it is not pleasing to the flesh. It is not wrapped in an ethereal glow where the ruffle of angels’ wings are commonly heard. Some people have bad breath, others burp, some afflicted saints can’t help but have gas escape their bodies which makes you wish the leader would quickly say the closing prayer! Some people blab on and on about only God knows what. Some pray so softly that I give up trying to listen and only wait for the “Amen.” Others say “Uh, uh,” so often that I want to strangle them!
I was out of town years ago and visited a church for the midweek service. The speaker said, “Prayer is hard work – like sowing a field.” That hit me like a ton of bricks. Prayer is hard work. What do I get out of sowing a field? How does it please me? How does it bring increase to me? In the short run, it doesn’t. It is a hard and thankless task. Yet I know a harvest is coming.
Prayer is hard work – it is sowing seeds of faith. Isn’t it amazing that you can think about someone for an hour – no problem. But try to spend a minute praying for them and you will meet opposition and distraction. You lose focus and so many other things come rushing into your mind. Prayer is hard work because prayer is resisted. It’s an assault on the strongholds of the enemy and he is fighting back. The devil doesn’t care what you think about – but he sure cares what you pray about! Christian Consumers don’t like to pray. Disciples pray.
I don’t say in announcing the Prayer Meeting, “You’ll be super-blessed, and God will reveal Himself to you in ways you haven’t seen before.” I don’t say that because prayer isn’t about you – it’s about God and what He desires to do. Prayer is about the Kingdom and not just your castle. We don’t organize the Prayer Meeting to please you, because again – it’s not about you. We don’t try to pamper your flesh and keep you pumped & enthused – we try to focus on God and His Kingdom. Are you a Consumer or a Disciple? Is your dominant filter that which will please you or that which will please the Lord?
My task as a pastor isn’t to keep the Consumer Christian happy, excited, and entertained. My task as a pastor is to turn the Consumer into a Disciple – someone who obeys the commands of Jesus. I don’t wrestle with Disciples – but I do have to wrestle with Consumers. I don’t have to wrestle with Disciples because they’ve taken up their cross and are living crucified lives. Christ has conquered them! Consumers live unconquered lives because they find ways around the cross; Discipleship Christianity finds its way through the cross. Consumer Christians derive their values and morality from the wider culture. Disciples derive their values and morality from the Word of God. The Consumer Christian has his ear tuned to the cultural critic. The Disciple’s passion is to please God. Are you a Christian Consumer or a Christian Disciple?
Be blessed and stay healthy and follow Jesus (and go to the Prayer Meeting!) – Pastor Tim
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