Praying the Scriptures

How’s your prayer time been lately?

That’s a rather blunt question, right? How often is it that we even consider this question, let alone ask it of someone else? Asking this question tends to put people in a position of defense. Prayer is essential to the Christian life and when we aren’t praying to God we might quickly realize that something isn’t right about that. Furthermore, when someone is bold enough to ask us how our prayer life is going do we feel that we can give a positive answer honestly?

This past Sunday we looked into the prayer of Paul in Ephesians 3:14-21 that was concerned with the spiritual growth of the church in Ephesus. His prayer seemed like a staircase of progression from having the Holy Spirit to being consumed with the Holy Spirit. I can imagine however that most of our prayers probably don’t sound like Paul’s though. I doubt that many of us have the same eloquence and if we do then I would imagine that not every prayer would look quite like that and perhaps it shouldn’t.

The truth is that most Christians struggle with prayer. We know that we should pray but we struggle with actually doing it for a number of reasons. Some of us struggle with not knowing what to say and others struggle with saying the same prayer over and over again. Most of us struggle not because we aren’t saved but because having a one way conversation for more than a minute or two leaves us not knowing what to say. What do you say to someone who already knows everything anyways?

Well, the answer that I’ve always heard is that we must simply rely on the Holy Spirit. That’s the short answer, right? I’m sure we’ve heard it before and probably been led to Romans 8:26,27 where Paul speaks of the Spirit’s intercession for us when we don’t know what to pray.

“26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. 27 And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
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— Romans 8:26–27 (ESV)

Surely this cannot mean that it’s okay not to pray because the Holy Spirit knows it all and is interceding on our behalf nor can it mean that the Holy Spirit will tell us word for word what we should say in prayer. No, it seems to be that when we are struggling and don’t know what to say we can be comforted by knowing that where we fail to pray as we should, the Holy Spirit will nonetheless intercede for us. This is comforting but it doesn’t excuse not praying in the everyday.

We must continue in prayer over all that we face and if we want to pray with the Holy Spirit, then why not let the Holy Spirit guide us in our prayer with the use of the scriptures?

This past week I read through a wonderful book that addressed some of these concerns. “Praying the Bible” by Donald Whitney encourages us to use scripture to prompt our prayers and keep us focused on God during the time that we commit to praying. Specifically he calls upon us to use the psalms, as they were intended as praise and worship to God. His suggestion is simple; read a verse and pray about whatever that brings to your mind. When you’re done praying over the first verse you read the second verse and pray about whatever that brings to your mind. This process is simple. All you have to do is read God’s word and pray and yet you will find that for someone who doesn’t know what to pray you will always have something to pray. For someone whose mind starts to wonder in your prayers you will find that this brings back your focus on the Lord. For someone who prays simply for themselves and rarely praises God with thanksgiving, you will find yourself praising God for what He has done.

If you’re struggling with your prayer life I would highly recommend this book, “Praying the Bible,” to help you refocus on what matters. This book does not suggest that one has to pray this way all the time but this method will help us refocus our prayers, bringing us to pray for things we might normally forget, and help us align our prayers with the will of God. Praying this way isn’t something we have to do but it’s a good practice to help us pray consistently and according to the bible. What better way to make sure your prayers are biblical than by literally lining them up with scripture?

I am planning to order a few copies of this book to have at the church this week but even if you’re not planning to read the book why not give praying like this a try? Open up to the psalms, read a verse, pray, read the next verse, pray, and continue on until you finish that psalm or just keep going.

Now, if there is anything that you need prayer for this week please let me know and I will be praying along with you.

- Pastor Kyle Horton

Do not lose heart

This past week we looked at Ephesians 3:1-13 where Paul shared with the Church in Ephesus about the tribulation he had endured for their sake and the sake of the gospel. Amazingly, Paul didn’t view his tribulation and trial in a negative light, nor did he resent his calling in light of that tribulation. Paul saw his calling as the grace of God.

Ephesians 3:1–13 (NKJV) “For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles—2 if indeed you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for you, 3 how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already, 4 by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ), 5 which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets: 6 that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel, 7 of which I became a minister according to the gift of the grace of God given to me by the effective working of His power. Purpose of the Mystery 8 To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, 9 and to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ; 10 to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places, 11 according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord, 12 in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him. 13 Therefore I ask that you do not lose heart at my tribulations for you, which is your glory.”

With this, Paul told the church in Ephesus to not lose heart in light of his trials. Why? Because he wasn’t losing heart over them either. He surely did not enjoy all of his affliction but he saw the value in what God called him to and was having him go through for the sake of the gospel. It is easy to be discouraged by trials that we face and that we see others face but it’s important that we focus less on those and more on Christ in the midst of it all.

Following this instruction we dive into Paul’s prayer which we will be looking at this Sunday. Paul’s prayer does not address the affliction that they might face for the gospel. His focus instead is in on their spiritual welfare.

When we see the value of what we are going through for the sake of the gospel it becomes less about our trials and more about the work of the Lord. In the time that we are in it is easy to set our minds on the physical struggles and be consumed by them. Whether we are dealing with financial struggles, physical illness, or perhaps just tired of quarantine we must bring these things before the Lord in prayer but not these alone.

Pray for your brothers and sisters in Christ in light of everything going on around us but don’t let yourselves be consumed and discouraged by it all. We serve a God who is sovereign and in control and despite the sickness, the quarantine, the various decisions of our government, or whatever else could be going on in your life right now it will not separate you from the love of God and it shouldn’t discourage you from serving the Lord in control. Even so, pray that in the midst of this your fellow servants in Christ will not lose heart with all that they are enduring. Pray that their faith remains strong and firm, knowing that God’s plan accounts for this all.

In Genesis 50:20 we find great encouragement for a time like this. Joseph, the son of Jacob (Israel), was sold as a slave to foreigners who took him away to Egypt. Joseph was then imprisoned as he was falsely accused of laying with another man’s wife and through the Lord using him to interpret dreams would then be placed as second in command in Egypt. This position given to him would then allow him to save his family from the coming famine and bring them to Egypt. Here in Genesis 50:20 we read:

Genesis 50:20 (ESV) 20 As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.

What’s important here is that what his brothers intended with evil and sinful God meant and intended for good. God did not merely use what they had chosen to do, He intended and meant it for good. This means that God planned it this way and not merely made use of a bad situation. Even when things get rough, we are experiencing His grace.

God isn’t going to just use what we face for good later, He has a plan for it already and all we face fits in that plan. We need not lose heart because whatever we face and whatever we endure, He is in control. We can take joy in the fact that God is not surprised by our affliction and we are not in the midst of His plan B; this was His plan from the beginning.

So praise God for His sovereignty in the midst of this all and pray that your brothers and sisters in Christ would rest upon His grace rather than stressing over fear of the virus or governmental control.

Soli Deo Gloria

- Pastor Kyle Horton

More than just decor…

“As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

Scripture is a beautiful thing to adorn the walls of your home. At the church and at our house we have bible verses framed or painted on wood that serve as both decoration and a reminder of God’s word. This seems to be a rather popular thing nowadays but the danger with this is of course that a single verse alone is easily taken out of context. These decorations however are a wonderful way in which we can be encouraged by God’s word and be reminded of His instruction. One of the ones that I see most often is from Joshua 24:15.

“15 And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.””

— Joshua 24:15 (ESV)

It isn’t often that the whole verse is quoted but rather just the ending “As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” It is a rather bold declaration that the house in which you put this is serving the Lord and will serve the Lord. It’s wonderful, but how often do we evaluate whether or not we are serving the Lord in our households to the extent that we are called to do so? We should desire to be a people that truly serves the Lord and in the context of our homes we must consider our families devotion to the Lord.

In the context of Joshua 24, Joshua is establishing a covenant with God’s people in light of all that God has done for them. He gives them instruction here to pick and choose who it is that they are going to serve, whether it be God or some false gods. When they tell Joshua that they want to serve God because He has been their God, he then tells them that they can’t do it. They won’t be able to. God is holy. They are going to fail. Yet they hold firm to their desire to serve God along with Joshua and his house. Joshua then makes a covenant with them, records it in the law, places a large stone of remembrance and they agree to put away all false foreign gods from among them.

Throughout the continued history of Israel however the people cannot keep this covenant. They continually turn to other gods and dive headfirst into sin. The people who make the claim that they will serve God continually might have done so for a time but their children and grandchildren do not continue in this covenant. This is a struggle that I believe we still face today and there are many factors that play into this. How is it that we can encourage our kids to serve God faithfully?

Firstly, it is important that we pray for our kids. If we understand salvation to be a gift from the Lord then we cannot save our kids by merely teaching them and instructing them. Teaching them and instructing them however I believe is the other half of the battle. As much as that will not save them alone, the Lord desires us to take part in teaching and preparing others in service of Him. So, teach your kids the truth of scripture. That’s simple enough, right? We can send them to church for that, right?

One of the things that a parent quickly learns as their kids start to grow is that they take note of everything that you do. They catch on and they begin to mimic the things you do. This can often times seem like a bad thing because we tend to notice it when they mimic our flaws but the reality is that they are learning and looking to us for guidance. When they see their parents devote hours a day to a TV or stare at their phone, they begin to think that is what is supposed to be done. When they see their parents and grandparents skip church for this or that they might begin to think that church itself isn’t all that important. In this time in which we cannot attend church because we aren’t having services it is extremely important that they understand why that is. Let them not think that we don’t attend out of fear or lack of love but because we love one another greatly and, in this time, it is a struggle for us not to attend church. It is just as important though that in this time and always though that they see that we are more than Sunday morning Christians. This is true not just of children but of spouses and friends and neighbors. It’s not shocking that people will determine based upon your actions whether or not you actually believe what you proclaim on Sunday morning.

I grew up going to church every Sunday morning and as a kid I never quite understood why other than that is what we were going to do. Nonetheless, as my parents attended church then so would I. When I would go over to my grandmother’s house though I remember clearly on multiple occasions busting into her house to find her sitting at the kitchen table reading through her bible, her church prayer list, or some devotional booklet. These memories stand out to me because what it showed me was that her faith in God was genuine and that she desired not just to fulfill a Sunday morning mandate but to grow in her faith and learn more about Christ.

Witnessing my grandmother’s devotion to study became a huge encouragement for me in growing in the faith. She made it clear that for her, her faith went beyond Sunday morning. I believe that this, along with witnessing the care, concern, and passion of a local minister led me to actually listen intently to the preaching of the word which God would use to give me faith in Him.

 I wonder how many children nowadays witness the faith of their parents and grandparents during the week. Is it evident in their daily lives that God deserves our worship and praise or is it just a Sunday morning thing? If it’s just a Sunday morning thing then how are these families replicating that when we cannot gather on Sundays right now?

I think what is clear is that children need to see the devotion of their parents to the word of God and their parents need to make this devotion known to their kids. This means that we don’t always hide away during our devotional time but also that we don’t willingly give it up when things seem to distract us or get in the way. Furthermore, we should not only seek to find time for personal devotions but family devotions. Family devotions should not take place of our personal quiet time with the Lord but should be something we use to stress the importance of gathering as a family over God’s word. The format of such a thing isn’t outlined in scripture and honestly might look different for each family but I want to encourage you to consider firstly doing family devotions and secondly, incorporating these things in that time.

1.       Scripture reading. A family devotion without scripture reading might not actually qualify for family devotion time at all. So, pick up your bible and begin reading. Starting in either Genesis or John is not a bad idea as you desire to grow in the knowledge of the truth but if you’ve got a devotional book that points you to scripture itself that might help too. For families with kids I know that some people prefer to use bible story books such as the Jesus Storybook Bible and honestly that one in particular does a wonderful job at pointing to Christ and the need for Him throughout the whole of God’s word. An actual translation however would be best. If you have a NKJV, an ESV, or an NIV these are all version that are rather easy to understand and where the words are beyond your child’s level it gives you an opportunity to explain the text in further detail and sometimes study for yourself.

2.       Songs and Praise. Depending on the age of your kids or whether or not you have kids these songs could range from “Jesus loves me” to the same hymns you sing at church. If you can’t remember the words to those hymns, that’s okay, give me a call and I’ll hook you up with a hymnal that has probably been sitting in the backroom of the church for years.

3.       Prayer. Who doesn’t have something to pray for? Praise God as you recognize what He has given you each day and bring your cares and concerns before Him. You’d be amazed by the number of things that kids want to pray for and the more they learn to depend on the Lord they more they will want to bring before Him. Even if they don’t want to pray, this is an opportunity to show them how to pray and trust in God for all things around us. If all you do is pray before dinner then all you’re showing those around you is that you don’t want to get food poisoning. Trust God with everything. Pray continually and let others see that you need the Lord.

4.       Catechize. Catechisms are beautiful ways by which we can teach and memorize important doctrines. Recently in Sunday School we worked our way through “The New City Catechism” and of course there are many others out there. The New City Catechism has all their questions and answers free online and in an app for your phone making it easy to access and it even has a kid’s version, which for some reason they’ve added songs to.

If you’re not already doing family devotions, setting apart time to do all of these things might prove difficult but the reward will be great. I would recommend that you prepare your family for this by explaining what it is that you would like to do, why you would like to do it, and then ease into it without giving up when life seems too busy or when your children want to jump around instead of sit and cooperate.

Each and every believer would gladly proclaim “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” But how many of us are actually devoting the time to ensure that we are serving God and that we want to see our children serving God. That requires a lot of effort on our part.

I encourage you today to devote yourself to the study of God’s word, praying for one another, and worshipping God in all that you do. May those around you see this devotion and your desire for God to be glorified.

Soli Deo Gloria,

Pastor Kyle Horton

If you’re interested in a book that might dive into this just a little bit further, I would recommend “Family Worship” by Donald Whitney that can be found here for purchase or contact me and you can borrow one of the copies that we have at the church.

Do not forsake the assembling of believers

Hebrews 10:23–25 (ESV)

“23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 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.”

In the book of Hebrews, we are given instruction to not forsake or neglect the assembling of believers. We are encouraged to not act like others but to meet together. I’m sure we all know somebody who claims to be a Christian and yet never willingly sets foot in the church, at least not on a regular basis. The instruction from the author of Hebrews here is that we should stir one another up to love and good works while meeting together. This does not seem to be an optional thing.

There are many benefits to the church gathering together on Sunday mornings and throughout the week and it’s important that we don’t lose sight of them. We are dealing with such a time now that we physically cannot meet in the church building due to sickness, government regulations, and general concern for our church family. With this comes a great struggle that I have witnessed so many churches face today.

The first struggle for me personally and with many others is how to be obedient to this instruction in scripture in light of everything going on around us. We, as a church, were hesitant to cancel Sunday morning services because of this but the more I thought and prayed about it the clearer it became that we would have to halt the assembling of believers physically for the love and concern of one another. Many within our congregation are at great risk from COVID-19 even if there are yet to be any cases in our area.

The struggle didn’t end with choosing to cancel services though because all around our country, even though we couldn’t gather physically, churches still wanted to hold a service. So, thousands of Pastors and ministry leaders set out to do their best at livestreaming and recording messages and for most of us we had no idea what we were doing. Personally, I recorded my sermon from my office and the first recording cut out halfway through. I had to splice together 3 messages in order to have a full sermon video and it was not nearly as cohesive as I had hoped. After I was done editing, I had to find a way to post my sermon online and had to wait over 7 hours for my sermon to upload because our internet connection in this small town is not exactly ideal. Doing this ahead of time allowed me to sit at home with Deborah and the kids on Sunday morning and watch another church livestream their service which indeed was a blessing. But on Sunday I witnessed one church after another struggle with this new format. Some churches livestream simply didn’t work, another Pastor had recorded his message and had forgotten about how bad the internet connection in the area was so his message was unable to be posted in the morning, and the sermon I was able to listen to was most definitely one in which God was glorified it was more than clear that livestream is not ideal. To add to it all, my kids didn’t quite understand this new form of church and without the environmental change of going to church they weren’t exactly cooperative.

This past Sunday certainly had its benefits though. My mother-in-law had shared with me about how they had watched not just one message but at least 3 and my sister-in-law said she watched so many services on Sunday that my message would have to wait for another day. Praise the Lord that being stuck at home for many meant that they not only heard one man share the gospel but many. Furthermore, these messages were shared on Facebook and those who wouldn’t normally go out to church were given the opportunity to hear the gospel in their homes, and many of them took advantage of this.

Yet still this is not how it is meant to be. We most certainly need to be doing all that we can to encourage one another in this time, listening to sermons, sharing worship music, and diving into God’s word with our families. But the author of Hebrews’ instruction is for us to not neglect the church meeting physically and the many flaws that we faced this past week are in many ways a blessing. It is not enough to sit at home and listen to sermons. It is not enough to study God’s word alone. We are called to gather together and this time away from the church should only increase our desire to be together with the church again.

While we cannot meet together do what you can to encourage one another. Share sermons and messages that you find biblical and encouraging, pray for your church family in the midst of this, and reach out to one another. It takes only a few minutes to call someone and check in on them, see if you can help them in any way, and pray for/with them. These times are most certainly strange and difficult but let it only fuel you desire to be with and around those who love the God who loves you.

- Pastor Kyle Horton