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This is Part Five in a series on The Sin of Prayerlessness. The excerpts come from the first chapter of the book The Prayer Life, by Andrew Murray. Click here for an introduction and links to the other posts in the series.

A Witness from America:

In 1898, there were two members of the Presbytery in New York who attended the Northfield Conference for the deepening of the spiritual life. They returned to their work with the fire of a new enthusiasm. They endeavoured to bring about a revival in the entire Presbytery. In a meeting which they held, the chairman was guided to ask the brethren a question concerning their prayer life: “Brethren,” said he, “let us today make confession before God and each other. It will do us good. Will everyone who spends half an hour every day with God in connection with his work hold up a hand?” One hand was held up. He made a further request: “All who thus spend fifteen minutes hold up a hand.” Not half of the hands were held up. Then he said: “Prayer, the working power of the Church of Christ, and half of the workers make hardly any use of it! All who spend five minutes hold up hands.” All hands went up. But one man came later with the confession that he was not quite sure if he spent five minutes in prayer every day. “It is,” said he, “a terrible revelation of how little time I spend with God.”

Thoughts: In an interview on his 90th birthday, Billy Graham said that he wished he had spent more time with his family, more time studying and more time in prayer. Do you wish you spent more time in prayer? What positive steps can you take this week towards that goal?

Next post in series:  The Cause of Prayerlessness

Do you have a habit of procrastinating? Here is the best advice on procrastination I have read.

“No unwelcome tasks become any the less unwelcome by putting them off till tomorrow. It is only when they are behind us and done, that we begin to find that there is a sweetness to be tasted afterwards, and that the remembrance of unwelcome duties unhesitatingly done is welcome and pleasant. Accomplished, they are full of blessing, and there is a smile on their faces as they leave us. Undone, they stand threatening and disturbing our tranquility, and hindering our communion with God. If there be lying before you any bit of work from which you shrink, go straight up to it, and do it at once. The only way to get rid of it is to do it.”

-Alexander MacLaren (1826–1910), Scottish preacher

HT: C.J. Mahaney

This is Part Four in a series on The Sin of Prayerlessness. The excerpts come from the first chapter of the book The Prayer Life, by Andrew Murray. Click here for an introduction and links to the other posts in the series.

Prayerlessness and the Gospel:

What is it, then, that makes prayerlessness such a great sin?

Consider–
    1. What a reproach it is to God.
    2. It is the cause of a deficient spiritual life.
    3. The dreadful loss which the church suffers as a result of
        prayerlessness of the minister.
    4. The impossibility of preaching the gospel to all men–as
        we are commanded by Christ to do–so long as this sin
        is not overcome and cast out.

Many feel that the great need of missions is the obtaining of men and women who will give themselves to the Lord to strive in prayer for the salvation of souls. It has also been said that God is eager and able to deliver and bless the world he has redeemed, if his people were but willing, if they were but ready, to cry to him day and night But how can congregations be brought to that unless there comes first an entire change in ministers and that they begin to see that the indispensable thing is not preaching, not pastoral visitation, not church work, but fellowship with God in prayer till they are clothed with power from on high?

Oh, that all thought and work and expectation concerning the kingdom might drive us to the acknowledgement of the sin of prayerlessness! God help us to root it out! God deliver us from it through the blood and power of Christ Jesus! God teach every minister of the Word to see what a glorious place he may occupy if he first of all is delivered from this root of evils; so that with courage and joy, in faith and perseverance, he can go on with his God!

The sin of prayerlessness! The Lord lay the burden of it so heavy on our hearts that we may not rest till it is taken far from us through the name and power of Jesus. He will make this possible for us.

Thoughts: The gospel cannot go forth in power without prayer. Do you pray for missions on a regular basis? How about for your church’s missionaries? Here are two great resources to help you join in the worldwide effort of praying for missions. Remember, your prayers make a difference!

• Joshua Project
• Operation World

Next post in series:  A Witness from America

Yesterday was our annual Thanksgiving Testimony Sunday. Adults, teens and children returned thanks to God for all the good things he is doing and has done in their lives this past year. This is always one of my favorite Sundays. It is such an encouragement to hear people publicly share their testimonies of praise to our great God. Thank you to everyone who shared in our service yesterday!

“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)

Note: The Prayer Series continues tomorrow and will conclude on Friday.

Brad Wright reviews Willow Creek’s Follow Me: What’s Next for You? (Reveal II) by Greg Hawkins and Cally Parkinson. What’s the difference between Reveal and Follow Me?

Reveal uncovers and explains a spiritual continuum that identifies four segments of the spiritual journey … Follow Me focuses on movement—the vital things that catalyze growth and move people from one segment to the next on the spiritual continuum.

Here are the links to Brad’s 13-part review:

Part 1:  A Review of Willow Creek’s Follow Me: What’s Next for You?
Part 2:  Summary of Findings
Part 3:  Strengths of the Study
Part 4:  Why Collect Data
Part 5:  What’s New?
Part 6:  Answering longitudinal questions with cross-sectional data
Part 7:  Which comes first? Spiritual growth or behaviors and attitudes?
Part 8:  Is the spiritual continuum a useful concept?
Part 9:  Do church services matter? Apparently yes.
Part 10:  The gap between importance and satisfaction
Part 11  Is academic research of value to the church?
Part 12:  Do breakthrough findings exist?
Part 13:  Conclusion

Related posts:
    • A Sociologist Reviews UnChristian
    • Willow Creek Shifts Model Based on Reveal
    • A Sociologist Reviews Willow Creek’s Reveal Study

UNUSUAL OBJECTS EDITION.

World’s largest piñata.

The world’s largest piñata was recently constructed in Philadelphia. It was 94 feet long, 24 feet wide, 60 feet high, and was stuffed with 8,000 pounds of candy. They used a wrecking ball to crack it open.

Floating guitar.

Water music anyone? Singer-songwriter Josh Pyke’s unusual vessel was designed by Australian guitar manufacturer Maton. The SS Maton is a giant-sized replica of Josh’s actual guitar.

Portable bench.

This portable bench was designed by Dutch artist Rogier Martens. You can find instructions for making your own here. This idea seems a little more practical than either the piñata or the guitar.

This is Part Three in a series on The Sin of Prayerlessness. The excerpts come from the first chapter of the book The Prayer Life, by Andrew Murray. Click here for an introduction and links to the other posts in the series.

Prayerlessness and the Minister:

What is it, then, that makes prayerlessness such a great sin?

Consider–
    1. What a reproach it is to God.
    2. It is the cause of a deficient spiritual life.
    3. The dreadful loss which the church suffers as a result of
        prayerlessness of the minister.

It is the business of a minister to train believers up to a life of prayer; but how can a leader do this if he himself understands little the art of conversing with God and of receiving from the Holy Spirit, every day, out of heaven, abundant grace for himself and for his work? A minister cannot lead a congregation higher than he is himself. He cannot with enthusiasm point out a way, or explain a work, in which he is not himself walking or living.

How many thousands of Christians there are who know next to nothing of the blessedness of prayer fellowship with God! How many there are who know something of it and long for a further increase of this knowledge, but in the preaching of the Word they are not persistently urged to keep on till they obtain the blessing! The reason is simply and only that the minister understands so little about the secret of powerful prayer and does not give prayer the place in his service which, in the nature of the case and in the will of God, is indispensably necessary. Oh, what a difference we should notice in our congregations if ministers could be brought to see in its right light the sin of prayerlessness and were delivered from it!

Ouch! As a pastor, this one hits close to home. “A minister cannot lead a congregation higher than he is himself.” How does a pastor’s prayer life impact his congregation? How can you encourage your pastor in his prayer life?

Next post in series:  Prayerlessness and the Gospel

Yes, it’s a trick question. Archaeologists found coffins there containing the remains of most likely Herod’s wife and the wife of Archelaus, Herod’s son, but no Herod as of yet.

The bright red and elegant coffin of Herod, which was displayed last year, is now completely restored, along with a large tomb. Prof. Netzer ascertains that the red coffin is the burial coffin of Herod …

One big question remains: Where is Herod’s body? “We have only found a very small number of human bones at the site and have not been able to come to any conclusions,” Netzer said. “We have not yet finished digging and have only uncovered a small area.” But he does not believe the king’s remains will ever be recovered.

Todd Bolen summarizes the latest discoveries at Herod’s tomb over at BiblePlaces.com.

Related posts:
    • King Herod’s Tomb Found?
    • Is the Bible Relevant to Archaeology?

Who will be TIME Magazine’s Person of the Year 2008? Some of the top contenders include Barack Obama, Tina Fey (?), Michael Phelps, Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton. TIME will let you cast a vote, but the editors will announce their own selection on December 19. Judging from the TIME cover photos of the past year, I predict … (Click here for TIME covers from the past year.) Feel free to share your own prediction in the comments.

Update: No big surprise here, but TIME has indeed selected President-Elect Barack Obama as Person of the Year 2008.

This is Part Two in a series on The Sin of Prayerlessness. The excerpts come from the first chapter of the book The Prayer Life, by Andrew Murray. Click here for an introduction and links to the other posts in the series.

Prayerlessness and the Spiritual Life:

What is it, then, that makes prayerlessness such a great sin?

Consider–
    1. What a reproach it is to God.
    2. It is the cause of a deficient spiritual life.

It is a proof that, for the most part, our life is still under the power of “the flesh.” Prayer is the pulse of life; by it the doctor can tell what is the condition of the heart. The sin of prayerlessness is a proof for the ordinary Christian or minister that the life of God in the soul is in deadly sickness and weakness.

Much is said and many complaints are made about the feebleness of the Church to fulfill her calling, to exercise an influence over her members, to deliver them from the power of the world, and to bring them to a life of holy consecration to God. Much is also spoken about her indifference to the millions of heathen whom Christ entrusted to her that she might make known to them his love and salvation. What is the reason that many thousands of Christian workers in the world have not a greater influence? Nothing save this — the prayerlessness of their service. In the midst of all their zeal in the study and in the work of the Church, of all their faithfulness in preaching and conversation with the people, they lack that ceaseless prayer which has attached to it the sure promise of the Spirit and the power from on high. It is nothing but the sin of prayerlessness which is the cause of the lack of a powerful spiritual life!

Thoughts: Is it possible to have a vibrant spiritual life without prayer? Do you believe the church (overall) is weakened in its mission today due to a lack of prayer?

Next post in series:  Prayerlessness and the Minister

• 10 Things You’d Love to Say at Work But Can’t. From Michael Hyatt.
• LIFE Photo Archive. Search millions of photographs from the LIFE photo archive, stretching from the 1750s to today.
• Mini-Nuclear Power Plants. Nuclear power plants smaller than a garden shed and able to power 20,000 homes will be on sale within five years, say scientists at Los Alamos, the US government laboratory which developed the first atomic bomb.
• Missionary Taxi Club. Christian taxi drivers in South Korea use Christian radio in hopes of leading passengers to Christ. There are 450 members in the Missionary Taxi Club who have been meeting monthly for 25 years to worship and discuss opportunities to share the Good News with their passengers.

This is Part One in a series on The Sin of Prayerlessness. The excerpts come from the first chapter of the book The Prayer Life, by Andrew Murray. Click here for an introduction and links to the other posts in the series.

Prayerlessness and God:

What is it, then, that makes prayerlessness such a great sin? At first it is looked upon merely as a weakness. There is so much talk about lack of time and all sorts of distractions that the deep guilt of the situation is not recognised. Let it be our honest desire that, for the future, the sin of prayerlessness may be to us truly sinful.

Consider–

   1. What a reproach it is to God.

There is the holy and most glorious God who invites us to come to him, to hold converse with him, to ask from him such things as we need, and to experience what a blessing there is in fellowship with him. He has created us in his own image, and has redeemed us by his own Son, so that in converse with him we might find our highest glory and salvation.

What use do we make of this heavenly privilege? How many there are who take only five minutes for prayer! They say that they have no time and that the heart desire for prayer is lacking; they do not know how to spend half an hour with God! It is not that they absolutely do not pray; they pray every day — but they have no joy in prayer, as a token of communion with God which shows that God is every thing to them.

If a friend comes to visit them, they have time, they make time, even at the cost of sacrifice, for the sake of enjoying converse with him. Yes, they have time for everything that really interests them, but no time to practise fellowship with God and delight themselves in him! They find time for a creature who can be of service to them; but day after day, month after month passes, and there is no time to spend one hour with God.

Do not our hearts begin to acknowledge what a dishonor, what a despite of God this is, that I dare to say I cannot find time for fellowship with him? If this sin begins to appear plain to us, shall we not with deep shame cry out: ‘Woe is me, for I am undone, O God; be merciful to me, and forgive this awful sin of prayerlessness.’

Thoughts: Have you tended to look at prayerlessness as weakness rather than sin? Have you ever considered prayerlessness as a reproach to God?

Next post in series:  Prayerlessness and the Spiritual Life