"Much prayer, much power."

I have been considering this quote from Slavic Gospel Association founder Peter Deyneka: "Where there is much prayer, there is much power. Where there is little prayer, there is little power. Where there is no prayer, there is no power." It has brought me much conviction about not praying enough for this ministry, and other evangelistic outreaches, that they would bear fruit in the conversion of souls. Now I know that God is not obligated to bless a ministry in this way, just because we pray, as if that were some magical formula. However, I wonder if God is not waiting for us to step out in faith and pray bold prayers for the regeneration of many people. There is an enormous foundation of men and women of faith throughout history who were prayer warriors, who had enough faith in their mighty God to pray bold prayers, and God, by His grace alone, saw fit to answer in ways which even they could not imagine. Our God does not change, He is still the same as He was when He orchestrated those history and eternity-shaping events through the prayers of His people. I assume much, and I pray that few of you needed to hear this, that you have been pouring out your heart for the people whom we have the opportunity to give the gospel, whose eyes are blinded to the glory of our Savior, and do not worship Him who is infinitely worthy of their worship. But I know that I am probably not alone, because I know that my heart is not the only one which can become spiritually lazy, and fail to pray without ceasing. I exhort anyone who reads this to take a minute after you finish it to consider the evangelistic ministries that you know of or are involved with, and lift up the unbelievers with whom they will have the opportunity to share the glorious gospel of Christ, and pray that God would see fit to cause many people to be converted. I will join you.

Because of the Cross,

Alex

Thoughts

I'm not usually the one to express myself publicly, but since this blog is kind of a journal, I thought I'd write a post on an experience I had last night. I have practically decided to go to seminary with the aim of teaching at a seminary, but at the back of my mind there has been a thought about going into pastoral ministry. However, one of the things I have been convicted of in recent years has been my kind of indifference to the suffering and pain of others, and that is not a good omen for someone potentially going into pastoral ministry where you deal with that every day. However, God has blessed me in letting me have conversations downtown with some hurting people, and has really been working in my heart to be able to love them and mourn for them, while not compromising the gospel, which is the most comforting message. This was really hit home yesterday when I met this guy whose plight really broke my heart. I still don't know whether God is calling me to pastoral ministry, or at least full-time pastoral ministry, but in my mind He has already removed one roadblock. Soli Deo Gloria!

Because of the cross,

Alex

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Psalm 119:1-8

Just in case anybody was still watching, I thought I'd update this thing with what I'm going through in the Word. I just finished Acts and am now going through Psalm 119 one section at a time. VV. 1-8 were this morning, and I noticed two things in particular about the Word of God: 1) The blameless man is the one who walks in the law of the Lord, v. 1; 2) The one who seeks the Lord with whole heart must be in His Word, v. 2. The Christian must be daily immersed in the Word of God if he wants to be holy.

Fear of Man

This is something I posted on another blog I write for last year.

Fear of man is one of the most insidious tools the devil uses to deter us from sharing the gospel. It is a sin because it detracts from God by not trusting Him where we are commanded to trust Him. Jesus destroys this in Matthew 10, where He talks about all the fierce opposition that His followers would receive, from insults to actual physical harm, then tells them not to fear them, and instead to fear God, who can do far more. If God be for us, who can be successful against us? No one! (Just a note: this post is in no particular order, I am merely sharing some thoughts on a subject close to my heart. Please bear with me) Back to Matthew 10, Jesus suffered, why should we not share in those sufferings? Don't misunderstand me, I am not saying we can add anything to Christ's once-for-all, perfect sacrifice, but "Is a slave greater than his master?" No, for "if they called the head of the house Beelzebub, how much more will they malign the members of His house." Peter and John rejoiced in Acts to be counted worthy to suffer for Christ's sake, as did Paul. To fight fear of man, we need to cultivate a steadfast faith in the unshakeable promises of God. To do that, we need to pray for God's help, become acquainted with God's character, especially His faithfulness and unchangeableness, and meditate on His promises. When we recognize that these promises come from God who cannot lie, and realize our future hope to which even death pales in comparison, we will be more equipped to share the gospel with whomever God puts in our path. Christ is worthy of all we have and much more, and though it is hard, He is worth it. Don't think this is all the Bible says about this subject, I haven't even covered 1/8th of it, so I encourage anyone, especially if they struggle with this, to study it and learn how to fight it in God's strength.

Boasting only in the cross,

Alex

Resolutions

These are posted for accountability purposes, so that this commitment is public.

Resolutions for the Week of July 12, 2009

1. To open each day as soon as I awake on my face at the foot of the cross proclaiming my utter dependence on the saving grace provided therein and continual sanctifying grace, 2 Corinthians 12:9.

2. To strive with the text of Scripture that I am reading in my devotion, praying to be led to worship afresh and to joyfully obey, 2 Timothy 2:15.

3. To work to kill each desire in me to be discontented, reminding myself that Christ is to be my all-satisfying passion, Hebrews 13:5-6.

4. To work at each duty with vigor as if I were working for God Himself, Colossians 3:23.

5. To not waste a moment of time in between anything, but to improve it by meditation and/or prayer, Psalm 1:2; 1 Thessalonians 5:18.

6. To be open and honest about my weaknesses, so that I do not boast in myself but rather proclaim my own utter dependency on divine grace, 2 Corinthians 12:9.

Great quote from John Stam

Here is a great quote from 1930's martyr John Stam: "If the foreign field and the godless civilization about us both call for the faithful planting of divine dynamite that will break stony hearts and save souls, the church of Christ surely has a claim on our service."

Because of the cross, Alex

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Hilarious! (At least I think so)