BACK TO THE BASICS PT8 - Prayer (Cont.)

"In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. for Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.” (Matthew 6:9 to 13 NKJV)

This is the passage of Scripture normally referred to as The Lord’s Prayer. It is a prayer recited weekly in some churches as a part of their liturgy. When I was in elementary school in the Tulsa Public Schools, in the late 60’s, we started each day with the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag and this prayer. However, it has been a point of contention whether this prayer was ever actually intended to be prayed verbatim. Albert Barnes in his notes on the New Testament says, “This prayer is given as a model. It is designed to express the manner in which we are to pray, evidently not the precise words or petitions which we are to use. The substance of the prayer is recorded by Lu 11:2-4. It, however, varies from the form given in Matthew, showing that he intended not to prescribe this as a form of prayer to be used always, but to express the substance of our petitions.”. Most scholars hold a combined view, both looking to this as an actual prayer, and as a model to be followed. Adam Clarke in his commentary tells us, “Forms of prayer were frequent among the Jews; and every public teacher gave one to his disciples. Some forms were drawn out to a considerable length, and from these abridgments were made: to the latter sort the following prayer properly belongs, and consequently, besides its own very important use, it is a plan for a more extended devotion. What satisfaction must it be to learn from God himself, with what words, and in what manner, he would have us pray to him, so as not to pray in vain!”. John Wesley said this, “-He who best knew what we ought to pray for, and how we ought to pray, what matter of desire, what manner of address would most please himself, would best become us, has here dictated to us a most perfect and universal form of prayer, comprehending all our real wants, expressing all our lawful desires; a complete directory and full exercise of all our devotions.”.

I want to share with you how I use this prayer – as a model for my own daily devotions.

OUR FATHER, WHO ART IN HEAVEN, HALLOWED BE YOUR NAME - Begin with praise and worship. Usually I will read from a variety of Old Testament and New Testament passages. Then I draw from my readings reasons to praise God. These don’t have to be positive in nature. He deserves praise for being our Father, and as a father He often has to discipline his wayward children. He loves us, He provides for our needs, He protects us, but we still go astray. Discipline is intended to train us more than punish us. His discipline may hurt, but we are the better for it. Some suggest having a hymnbook at hand so we can sing our praises as well as speak them.

YOUR KINGDOM COME. YOUR WILL BE DONE, ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN - Submit is a word many people do not like. It means turning our will over to another party. However, who better to submit to than our heavenly Father whom we have just praised. Often our praise and worship will readily lend to our submission. If nothing else one of God’s attributes that makes us submit to him is His sovereignty. He is our Lord as well as our loving Father.

GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY BREAD - When we pray our prayer often become nothing more than a list of wants and desires. Yes, we need to come to Him with our own petitions and requests, but we also need to intercede, stand in the gap, for the needs of others. If we are involved in a congregation, a list of needed intercessions is probably readily available.

FORGIVE US OUR DEBTS, AS WE FORGIVE OUR DEBTORS. DO NOT LEAD US INTO TEMPTATION, BUT DELIVER US FROM THE EVIL ONE - Debt here of course refers to sin. I John 1:8 to 10 says, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.” (NKJV). Confession needs to be a part of our regular prayer life. I find it interesting that in the Old Testament Law there were provisions made for sins done in ignorance, sins done which were not recognized as sins. I John says denying that we have sinned is self delusion, and worse calls God’s honesty into question. We need to confess our specific sins, and the fact that we sin in general.

FOR YOURS IS THE KINGDOM, AND THE POWER, AND THE GLORY FOREVER. - I finish as I started, with a time of praise

Dr. Oberg

BACK TO BASICS PT 7 - Prayer

“And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. But when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words. Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. In this manner, therefore, pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. Do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. “ (Matthew 6:5 to 13 NKJV).

AND WHEN YOU PRAY - God desires a direct and intimate relationship with His children. Genesis 3 demonstrates this as God was coming to spend time with His creation, Adam and Eve particularly. They of course had fallen for Satan’s temptations and had fallen into sin, which lead to the severing of this face to face relationship. The Psalms are filled with references to God hearing and ministering to the needs of His people. Jesus here seems to be assuming that Christians will want to communicate with His Father. He then lays out some simple instructions concerning this communication.

DO NOT BE HYPOCRITES - The word translated Hypocrites is really a transliteration of the Greek word hupokrites defined basically as an actor on a stage. That is the type of behavior Jesus is describing in this entire section of the Sermon on the Mount. To pray like a hypocrite was to pray not to the Lord, but instead to whatever humans were in ear-shot. The Pharisees were known to pray literally long, wordy prayers in their synagogues and in the marketplaces to simply demonstrate for those humans around them just how pious they could be. Jesus’ answer to this was to instruct us to go into a private place, away from the temptation and distraction of other people, and pray solely to the Father. The room or closet specifically refers to that place where the people stored their most valuable possessions. Isn’t that the way we should treat our relationship with God, as a highly valued commodity.

DO NOT BE LIKE THE HEATHENS - A Heathen was the same as a Gentile, or non-Jew. Many were noted for their repetitious prayers involving the same phrase over and over and over. There are two Biblical examples of this occurrence. In the Old Testament Elijah went up on Mt. Carmel to challenge the priests of Baal. The priests of Baal repeated for hours on end, “Oh, Baal hear us. Oh, Baal hears us…” while Elijah taunted and teased them. They added beating themselves until they were bloody trying to impress their deity. In the New Testament book of Acts the followers of Artimus or Diana of the Ephesians tried a similar practice by repeating, “Great is Diana of the Ephesians” over and over to no avail. Our prayers do not need to be lengthy or the least bit fancy to be heard or answered by our heavenly Father. What He simply desires is for us to talk with Him. Even though in His omniscience He knows our every need, He still wants us to take the time to communicate with Him. Next time we will look at the Lord’s prayer, the model Jesus left us to follow.

Dr. Oberg

BACK TO THE BASICS PT 6 - Devoted to Breaking Bread (Cont.)

Are there limitations on who can serve communion? - Some denominations and brotherhoods try to restrict who is allowed to administer the communion service. I encountered this as a Pastor of a United Church of Christ congregation. The congregation had called me to serve as their minister even though my education and ordination was through another group. However, a denominational committee had to supposedly give their approval for me to serve the sacrament of communion. The committee reluctantly agreed to me being the pastor. However, I was instructed NOT to serve communion. The congregational leadership decided that they were the ones who called me, and their desires trumped those of the denomination. From a Biblical point of view I see no restriction on who can serve or oversee communion. In fact communion was a part of corporate worship, but is more a personal act between a person and God. There are instructions concerning preparing to receive communion.
How does one prepare to partake of communion? - I Corinthians 11:28 and 29 read, “But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup. For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord's body.” (NKJV). Albert Barnes in his notes on the New testament write, “Let him search and see if he have the proper qualifications--if he has knowledge to discern the Lord's body, if he has true repentance for his sins, true faith in the Lord Jesus, and a sincere desire to live the life of a Christian, and to be like the Son of God, and be saved by the merits of his blood. Let him examine himself, and see whether he have the right feelings of a communicant, and can approach the table in a proper manner. In regard to this we may observe,”. John Wesley adds, “Whether he know the nature and the design of the institution, and whether it be his own desire and purpose thoroughly to comply therewith.”.
Are there grounds for not serving communion to a person? - I encountered this question while serving communion to the shut-ins of a congregation in Arkansas. One particular woman was over 100 years of age, but also suffered from dementia. When offered the bread and the cup she thought we were giving her another pill and some medicinal concoction. She did not recognize it as having anything to do with the Lord’s body or blood. At the other end of the age spectrum, I have watched as children would partake thinking it was “snack time”. They had no idea what the loaf and cup truly commemorated. Parents, or other adults, can use this as a teachable moment to introduce the child to Christ and His sacrifice.
If you can think of any other questions concerning communion feel free to put them in the comment section or e mail them to me.
Dr. Oberg

BACK TO THE BASICS PT. 5 - The Breaking of Bread

Acts 2:42 says, “And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers” (NKJV). A phrase in this verse that has led to some confusion is “the breaking of bread”. Barnes Notes on the New Testament says concerning this, “The Syriac renders this "the Eucharist," or the Lord's Supper. It cannot, however, be determined whether this refers to their partaking of their ordinary food together, or to feasts of charity, or to the Lord's Supper.”. Jamison, Fawsett, and Brown concur with this saying, “…not certainly in the Lord's Supper alone, but rather in frugal repasts taken together, with which the Lord's Supper was probably conjoined until abuses and persecution led to the discontinuance of the common meal.”. However Matthew Henry’s Commentary says, “They continued in the breaking of bread, in celebrating that memorial of their Master's death, as those that were not ashamed to own their relation to, and their dependence upon, Christ and him crucified. They could not forget the death of Christ, yet they kept up this memorial of it, and made it their constant practice, because it was an institution of Christ, to be transmitted to the succeeding ages of the church.” What the early church apparently did was to meet for a common meal, and during the meal pause to celebrate The Lord’s Supper. The partaking of communion raises several questions for us to address.

Does anything happen during Communion? Transubstantiation is the belief held by Catholicism that says the bread and wine actually change into the flesh and blood of Christ. Consubstantiation is the idea that the Spirit of Christ overtakes the bread and cup, but they remain in their original state. This is the view of the Lutheran Church. I do not believe either of these has any backing from the word of God. The clearest picture found in Scripture is that of the Lord’s Supper being a memorial feast. Jesus Himself says, “And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me. Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.” (Luke 22:19 and 20 NKJV). The bread and the cup are to remind us of the sacrifice of Christ on Calvary, the price paid for our salvation.

Can a congregation restrict who partakes of Communion? Some churches hold what is called a closed communion. To participate one has to be a member on the rolls of the particular body of believers. Outsiders are not allowed to take communion, and in some cases even asked to leave the service. The problem I have with this is simple – ITS NOT OUR TABLE. God is the one who has set the table, and He is the one who provided His Son as the sacrifice being commemorated. The church only provides the bread and the cup, the participants actually do the communing. There are instructions given concerning the proper attitude we are to have as participants. This will be covered in later blog articles.

Dr. Oberg

BACK TO THE BASICS PT4 - HOW FAR DOES FELLOWSHIP GO?

As previously discussed Acts 2:42 says the earliest Christians were devoted to fellowship. One element of this fellowship was seen in Acts 2 and Acts 4 as mutual material support, as well as an element of emotional and spiritual support. That leaves us with the question should this support be extended beyond the Church. Matthew 25 uses the phrase “these brethren of mine” to describe supporting the poor, the sick, the stranger, and the convict. In one sense it is a commendation of those who do reach out to these, and the other is a condemnation of those who do not.

Many current congregations offer a variety of benevolence ministries. Unfortunately food pantries and soup kitchens are becoming more and more commonplace. Some make the argument that these need to be limited to church members, non- Christians need not apply. Others say that such ministries should be open to anyone who may be in need, whether church members or not. Those who argue that these are for church members only rely on the word brethren being limited to just that, fellow church members. Easton’s Bible Dictionary defines brother as used in Matthew 25:40 as, “a disciple or follower”. However, Vine’s Greek Dictionary defines the same word as simply, “mankind”.

Perhaps the best way to answer this is to look at how Jesus dealt with those outside those who could be called His brethren, non-Jews. Four examples come to mind. The Roman Centurion who came asking for a healing, not for himself but for one of his servants. Jesus commended the Roman’s show of faith. The Canaanite woman came asking for Jesus to relieve her daughter of the demon that tormented her. Again Jesus complied with her request, and commended her faith. Twice Jesus fed literally thousands with just a few loaves of bread and a few small fish. The nationality of these people is unknown.

I believe both ideas are valid. Christians should be able to turn to their “brothers” in the church when they find themselves in need. If a non-Christian approaches with a need the church can meet that need with the Gospel Message accompanying whatever material goods may be given. Consider it this way. With the sharing of the Gospel you have planted or watered, eventually God will get the increase.

Dr. Oberg

BACK TO THE BASICS PT 3. - DEVOTED TO FELLOWSHIP

DEVOTED TO FELLOWSHIP

Say the word "fellowship" in the context of the church and the thoughts of most people turn immediately to one thing - FOOD! Most of the churches I have attended or served have had regularly scheduled times of what they call fellowship. It may be a fellowship dinner, an agape feast, a carry-in dinner, a snack after an evening service, etc. True fellowship goes a lot further.

Reading Acts 2:44ff we see, “Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need. So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.” (NKJV). Acts 4:32 to 35 adds, “And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all. Nor was there anyone among them who lacked; for all who were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold, and laid them at the apostles' feet; and they distributed to each as anyone had need.” (NKJV). Fellowship is seen a physical or financial support. To be "in need" meant a person had no resources and no family members to turn to for assistance. This comes into play most evidently in Acts Chapter 6. The situation involved the support of the widows of the church. One ethnic group believed that another ethnic group was being favored in the distribution of the available resources. The result was the selection of the first Deacons, the first leaders outside the Apostles, to oversee the care of all the widows. Paul gives instructions for a collection to be taken in Corinth, as he had apparently done with the Galatian church, to be given to the church in Jerusalem where there was a need.

Hebrews 10:19 to 25 say, “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.” (NKJV). These verses show fellowship to be corporate worship, but more importantly, corporate encouragement.

Paul uses the illustration of the body in several passages discussing the Spiritual Gifts. Fellowship includes using those God given gifts for the betterment of the Body of Christ, the Church. Especially check out I Corinthians 12:12 and 13, and Romans 12:3 to 6. What if a member will not actively participate in the life of the church? Consider these examples. Joni Tada was injured in a diving accident as a teenager. It left here paralyzed leaving here unable to walk, severely limited in the use of her arms. However, it left her with a beautiful singing voice and an ability to paint wonderful pictures using a brush in her teeth. Her body had to compensate for those parts unable to operate. Retired senator Robert Dole was injured in his military service in WW ll. He skillfully compensated for the injuries to one arm to the point that some never realized he was injured at all. The point I am making is their bodies had to compensate for the parts that wouldn't work. The body of Christ has to compensate for us when we refuse to participate in the fellowship. In other words, if you do not participate you leave the body of Christ paralyzed, blind, deaf, mute etc.

HOW IS YOUR FELLOWSHIP!!!

Dr. O.

BACK TO THE BASICS PT.2 - BIBLICAL MEDITATION

"Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night." (Psalm 1:1 and 2 NKJV)

When many people envision meditation the picture that comes to mind is that of a person seated in the Lotus yoga position (cross legged) repeating the same sound or phrase (Their Mantra) over and over. I used to practice what I called meditation. I would sit comfortably and concentrate on some spot on the horizon, and try and empty my mind of any thoughts whatsoever. As God's people we are encouraged to meditate. In the above verses the word meditate is a translation of the Hebrew word "hagah" which means to ponder, imagine, or study. It also means meditate out loud or mourn by muttering, speaking, talking, or uttering. What we are given to concentrate on is the written revelation of God found in the Scriptures.

In the New King James version (NKJV) Psalm 119 has a subtitle that says, "Meditation on the excellence of the Word of God". The 176 verses that make up the Psalm 119 the Word of God is referred to by a variety of terms. It refers to the Law, or the Torah, the first five books of the Bible authored by Moses. The Testimonies which are the ordinances or standards of conduct expected by God. The Way is the pattern of life laid out in the Law. Precepts are the injunctions, requirements, and commands. Statutes are the enacted laws. Commands are distinct authoritative orders. Bindings refers to binding judicial decisions. The word Word is the general term for God's revelation. All these carry the idea of how authoritative the Bible should be in our lives.

Psalm 119 also tells us that acceptance of and adherence to the Word comes with great benefits. These include peace (Vs 166), power to resist (vs 165), joy (vs 16), understanding (vs 99), strength (vs 26), freedom (vs 65), hope (vs 114), comfort (vs 50), no shame (vs 6), reverence (vs 20), a thankful heart (vs 60), a worshipful heart (vs 164), a clean life (vs 9), and generally personal revival (vs 25). I can personally testify to the truth of these benefits, and the opposite as well, when I have had times when God's Word was not what I concentrated upon.

Some may ask "How do you meditate?". Any number of excellent books have been written on how to study, the basic idea behind meditating. My suggestion is to get one at your local Bible bookstore or at the library, and then follow the instructions given.

Dr. Jerry Oberg