Rob Bowman In Discussions with former Mormon Shawn McCraney

Dear Friends of CRandE and Rob Bowman:  Please be in prayer today for Rob and Shawn McCraney. Rob has shared the following update earlier today. The livestream of the program starts at 8pm MST tonight.

From Rob Bowman on his facebook page: 'Tonight (2/25/14), I will be a guest on the TV program "Heart of the Matter," hosted by Shawn McCraney. Shawn is a former Mormon who became a born-again Christian and now leads an informal church in Salt Lake City. Shawn recently did a couple of programs disparaging the doctrine of the Trinity, in response to which I flew out to Salt Lake City yesterday to meet with him. We talked for four hours yesterday and are planning a similar meeting tomorrow. Tonight I am expecting to answer some questions about the doctrine of the Trinity on his live streaming broadcast: http://hotm.tv/. The situation with Shawn is complicated and difficult for a number of reasons. I would appreciate the prayers of my Christian friends for the program tonight and also my personal conversations with Shawn.'

The Short List: Three Ideas On How You Can Encourage Your Pastor

1. Pray today for your pastor.

The number one priority for you to encourage your pastor is to pray for him. Period. This isn't the gratuitous #5 to assuage everyone's guilty conscience for not praying anymore. It isn't the polite unspoken duty that isn't necessary to mention because everyone knows they need to do this. Pray for your pastor. Today. Tomorrow. And the next day. Stop talking about Christian duties and actually pray. Stop saying "I really need to make time for that". Pray. If it means that you stop reading this right now and spend the next few minutes praying for your pastor and never reading the other two ideas, that is "mission accomplished" for me. This is #1 for a reason. It's that important.

2. Talk to your pastor like he's a human being.

He's not a theology robot, even if he happens to be a theology geek. The guy is a human being. Do you talk to other people throughout your day? Good. Then I can assume you understand how to talk to people. Talk to your pastor. You don't need to impress him with a new theological discovery or inform him of an anticipated spiritual event. Talk to him like you would talk to your brother about everyday things.

3. If you don't have a "your pastor", get one.

Brothers and sisters, if you're not in regular attendance at a local church, change that this week. Find a church you can join together with and worship God as part of the assembled congregation. If you are a regular attender but not a member of your church, talk to your pastor about joining the church. It's really that simple, and "your pastor" will be greatly encouraged by your attendance and membership.

Prayer: Who Should We Pray To?

"God is the One to whom we pray. Not angels. Not some group of 'saints' up in heaven. Not the departed dead. But God alone. There is not a single verse either in the Old Testament or the New Testament where prayers are made to angels, to saints, or the departed dead. Such ideas are human inventions. Prayer is to be made only to God."  - Rhodes, Ron. Prayer to the Living God

Some Thoughts On Prayerlessness

Benefits of Not Praying

• None.

Dangers of Not Praying

• Growth in Pride & Self-sufficiency
• A growing distance between yourself and God
• Growing hard in your attitude toward others
• Growing deaf to instruction found in the Bible
• A growing inability to speak the gospel with conviction
• Growing disobedience to God with less and less concern over it

(These kinds of growth we can all do without.)

From Tim Challies and Nancy DeMoss:  More Thoughts On Prayerlessness

Praying... With All Prayer

In the following video, I get to share the second of a two-part sermon from Ephesians 6:10-20. This sermon covers the final three verses in that passage. Prayer is critical for the battle of the Christian life. We are to be occupied in prayer at all times. How is that practical when we have other important necessities to attend to, such as work, caring for the family, and driving?

Some Thoughts On Prayer

Prayer is not:

Commanding God around.

A magic incantation that brings God under your control.

Using the power of words to create the reality you want to possess.

Prayer is:

Calling out to God.

Acknowledging God's power and your own powerlessness.

An act of faith that God hears your prayer.

A cry for help in the battle of the Christian life.

An act of submission before the Sovereign Lord of the universe.

Praying at all times, with all prayer, alert with all perseverance, for all the saints.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.  -Ephesians 6:10-20, ESV, emphasis added.

Of Fire Pits and Prayer

I must confess...  I love a good campfire. Whether at the campground or in the fire pit in the back yard, I put down roots right next to the fire and hang out there until it's all done. The smell, the sounds, the dancing flames, the soothing wonder of it all. Our fires have been one of the best places for family conversation and also for family silence together.

Before we start the fire, we make sure we have an ample supply of fuel for the fire. A lot of it, please and thank you. I build a leaning tower of wood and light it up. No wood. No fire. It's as simple as that. Without the preparation of gathering and chopping the wood, there is nothing to light.

I see many Christians standing around holding a full tank of prayer lighter fluid and a big match, with the gleam of good intentions in their eyes. And nothing comes of it. There's no fuel for the prayer fire. There has been no preparation fitting for prayer (no time in the Bible, no vision of our extreme need and God's extreme generosity, no worship vocabulary beyond the standard sunday school answers, no attempt to see the war that already exists in the life of the Christian and for the souls of the lost). Instead, there has been a lot of fun, fun, fun. Entertainment by the forest full. Distractions by the thousands.

When this sad situation is pointed out, many Christians panic and immediately set the match to the lighter fluid, and have the hottest one or two minutes of prayer that you can imagine. These impromptu prayer immolation pyres are not necessary, dear friends.  If you are one that struggles with prayer, here's an article from author Don Whitney that recommends remedial, accomplishable, and wise steps to be taken.  To give you a preview of his main point, here's a small excerpt.

"The Psalms are the best place in Scripture from which to pray Scripture.  This is because of the original purpose and usage of the Psalms.  The Psalms were songs inspired by God for the purpose of being reflected in song back to God.  Moreover, there’s a Psalm for every sigh of the heart.  The entire range of human emotion is recorded in the 150 Psalms."

You can read the entire article here.

The Rightness of Trouble

Sometimes the brokenness of this fallen world pours into your life like a flood that washes away every familiar landmark, drowns every self-sufficient anchor point under the roiling waters, and leaves you gasping for air as it washes over your head and pulls you ever downward. When the curse of sin crashes  and crushes you, prayer is not a problem. The Lord is our refuge, calling us home through the clamoring of the Spirit's warnings. Our heart sees the Son of Man lifted up and we cry out to Him for help in our trouble, in our disaster, in our darkness, in our pain. Trouble is the servant of God, a teacher for the saints, helping us remember how far we've fallen, how high our Triune God is, and how willing God is to help us in our trouble.

Two Prayers to Jesus: Jehovah's Witnesses Take Note

At the end of I Corinthians, Paul is closing his letter with final encouragements, writing by his own hand. His heartfelt desire for the return of Christ springs forth in a brief prayer to Christ:

... O our Lord, come! (1 Corinthians 16:22, New World Translation)

In the NWT Reference Bible, there is a cross-reference at this point to Revelation 22:20, which reads as follows:

"He that bears witness of these things says, ‘Yes; I am coming quickly.’" "Amen! Come, Lord Jesus." (Revelation 22:20, New World Translation)

Jesus is coming! These precious prayers spring instantly from the saints, offered without hesitation in full faith in the one they call on. Both Paul and the author of Revelation pray to Jesus, asking him to come. They pray to Jesus. This is spontaneous prayer to Jesus, reflected in the Jehovah's Witness translation of the Bible. These biblical passages contradict what the Watchtower teaches JWs worldwide. The organization tells them it is unacceptable to pray to Jesus because he is not God. And yet... their own Bible tells them otherwise. Paul and John prayed to Jesus.



Who is the Watchtower to restrict what these apostles demonstrate by their own prayers to the Coming One? Is this how the "biblical religion" of the Watchtower works? The words and rules of men overrule the Word of God? It is deadly dangerous to trust the words of men over the Word of God. You are in danger if you eat their so-called 'food in due season'. The so-called spiritual feast of the Watchtower religion is, in reality, corruption and death, killing the soul with rules that directly contradict the Word of God.



Jehovah's Witnesses, time and time again you go house to house and try to convince people that the Watchtower religion is the only true and biblical faith. How can a religion be called 'true and biblical' when it restricts people from following clear teachings of the Bible? The Watchtower places its own words as more important than the inspired text of Scripture. The Scriptures teach, proclaim, and demonstrate the faithful practices of the apostles and early church.



You are safe in following these fine examples of faith found in the Bible. Call on Jesus today! He can hear your prayer and will be faithful to answer it.



Come, Lord Jesus.

A Prayer On Redemption

Grant, Almighty God, that as we now carry about us this mortal body, yea, and nourish through sin a thousand deaths within us; O grant that we may ever by faith direct our eyes toward heaven, and to that incomprehensible power, which is to be manifested at the last day by Jesus Christ our Lord, so that in the midst of death we may hope that thou wilt be our Redeemer, and enjoy that redemption which he completed when he rose from the dead, and not doubt that the fruit which he then brought forth by his Spirit will come also to us when Christ himself shall come to judge the world; and may we thus walk in the fear of thy name, that we may be really gathered among his members, to be made partakers of that glory which by his death he has procured for us. Amen

--John Calvin

A Walk Through Philippians - #5

And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. (Philippians 1:9-11, ESV)

Paul loves the Philippians. He knows it. They know it. And we know it. We looked at that in the prior post of this series. Right on the heels of his profession of Christlike love for the Philippians - God as witness of Paul's heart - Paul explains the subject of his prayer for the Philippians. He prays for the Philippians frequently and with joy, but what does he pray for them? He approaches God out of the sincere desire of his heart for the benefit of his dear friends and the glory of his God. Paul wants the Philippians to grow and grow and grow and grow in their already abundant and overflowing love. It's something he requests of God on behalf of the Philippians, ultimately for the glory and praise of God.



Paul is looking to the Lord to show his might in the lives of the Philippians. It's not like they are starting at ground level and need to learn to love. They were no slouches in the love department, already displaying overflowing love repeatedly since their conversion to Christ. Here comes Paul, piling grace upon grace in his prayers for them. To paraphrase the missionary apostle, he is asking God to help them overflow deeper and deeper, again and again. Not simply to love. Not simply to reach a pinnacle of love and remain there. No, overflowing more and more. What a tremendous blessing he is seeking for the Philippians.



[Time for a praise break] If this is the case on this earthly plane, what does eternity with God hold in store for us who know Christ? Dare we hope for an eternity of abounding more and more in love, more in 10,000 years... more in 10,000,000 years... more in a trillion years! There is so much more to heaven than our puny, sin-soaked minds can even begin to grasp. Praise be to God who has shown us love in humility, in sin-bearing, in mercy and forgiveness.



In our current "it's all about me me me" culture, our first inclination on hearing what Paul was praying for is to turn it on its head and pray this blessing for ourselves and our own church. But that's not what's happening here. Paul is praying for others... one of the churches he helped establish and which has helped him in ministry and in trouble repeatedly.



Brother and Sister, this type of prayer can rightfully take its place in your worship vocabulary, following Paul's example in praying this blessing for others. How often we struggle with prayer, not knowing what to pray for on behalf of our missionaries and churches once we exhaust the short list of immediate concerns they give us. Here is biblical fuel for your prayer fire.