Journey to The Journey

For a Christian, the "main thing" has to be the gospel. It is at the core of everything we believe. Moreover, if our beliefs determine our actions (and they should), then the gospel should form the basis for not just what we believe, but how we live our lives. Here's the problem that we often find among believers; we often speak about being "gospel-centered," but often we struggle to actually define what that means. So, we have a lot of "Christians" who are trying to follow Jesus and build their lives on a foundation of gospel truth, but they have never heard the true gospel. So, what is the gospel?

Did you know that the Apostle Paul never once uses the word "Christian" in any of his writing? In fact, the word only appears in scripture three times. When Paul, and the other New Testament writers refer to those who are followers of Jesus, they are most commonly referred to as those who are "in Christ." We see this type of language often as we study through the scriptures, yet how often do we stop to contemplate what it actually means?

I think the essence of Jesus' teaching here is closely related to the lesson of Cody's Honduras story. When it comes to our sin, things are never what they seem. What often seems harmless, and perhaps even appealing in the moment can have devastating repercussions later on. Once you begin down the slippery slope with sin it can be hard to regain your footing. This is why Jesus tells us to pray that we not be led into temptation. It's a warning that we flee from sin early and often.

Jesus commands us to seek first the grace of Godly grief that leads to genuine repentance and reconciliation. When we come to our Heavenly Father in that posture of brokenness and humility, with a heart that is willing to extend grace to others, then we find ourselves with a heart that is fertile to receive the grace we so desperately need. The two are so intimately and intricately connected.

I think one of the most difficult aspects of prayer is that it feels very impersonal. Can we really commune with the God of the universe...the same God who is creator and sovereign Lord over all things??? Why would God even care about my silly needs when he has wars, and famines, and diseases to worry about? Let's be honest, we've all felt that way. You may even feel that way right now. This is why Jesus' teaching through the Lord's Prayer is so important for us. The first two lines remind us exactly who we are dealing with.

Of all of the many facets of prayer that we find taught in scripture, perhaps the most often misunderstood is that of petition. We are often instructed in scripture to bring our requests before God; sometimes, even incessantly (see the parable of the persistent widow in Luke 18). Likewise, we are called to cast our cares and worries upon Jesus. To say that God has granted us an invitation to ask him for things is an understatement. Clearly he desires to hear from us about our concerns. So, why then does it seem that so many of our requests go ignored and unanswered?

In this week's lesson, we had the opportunity to look at what it means to wait upon the Lord. God often allows us to remain in seasons of waiting in order to teach us something about ourselves, about him, or perhaps a bit of both. However, when we find ourselves in these prolonged periods, we often struggle to remain faithful. Doubt, fear, worry, impatience, and frustration can all begin to creep in if we are not diligent to guard against such responses. Again, this isn't easy.

For the next 5 weeks at The Journey we're going to be dissecting each line of this prayer to get at the root of what prayer is to be. I believe that understanding this prayer can revamp and re-energize your prayer life because it's so rich in meaning. Prayer has a purpose and when you latch onto it you'll be different. Failure to understand prayers role in your faith will deprive you of one of the most necessary components of faith itself.

The great American poet and civil rights activist, Maya Angelou, once said, "I have great respect for the past. If you don't know where you've come from, you don't know where you're going." There is great wisdom in those words. So often in today's culture of short attention spans and instant gratification, our churches seek to cater to the culture rather than being a transformative influence on it. We spend so much time and energy trying to develop new and novel ways to draw people in. Rather than simply teaching the truth of God's word and trusting in its power to work in people's lives, we too often trust in our own ability to do ministry well.

The truth is, despite the sales pitch many churches and pastors are peddling these days, the Bible makes it abundantly clear that we should expect the Christian life to be more of a bumpy ride than a pleasure cruise. Our gracious election into salvation isn't a one way ticket to a life of comfort and luxury, rather it is a call to sacrificial living, humility, serving others; and, often times, trials, suffering, and persecution...all for the sake of the gospel. So, even if we persevere through all of that, Christ get's the glory, not us! With such a gloomy forecast, why even bother taking the ride in the first place?