“Those who will never enter the water but with flags or bladders under them will scarce ever learn to swim; and it cannot be denied but that the constant and unvaried use of set forms of prayer may become a great occasion of quenching the Spirit, and hindering all progress or growth of gifts or graces.“

John Owen, famed puritan author and preacher, seems to think that getting stuck in one style of worship or prayer will go a long way in hindering our growth. I agree. I know that absolute repetition, while good in some things, makes us stale in other things.

I think we would do very well to seek out variety in our prayer and worship.

In circles of people with extremely charismatic language, I often hear people say things things like, “The Lord is telling me…” or “I feel like the Lord is saying…”. Whether I agree with that or not is not so much in discussion right now. But what is actually said is.

Before Jesus’ death, he told his disciples that his death was necessary that the Holy Spirit would come. He explained the Spirit’s function in John 16:14:

“When the Spirit of truth comes…[v14] He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you.”

When the Spirit of God speaks to us, it is about Jesus; of Jesus. It is about God’s Word. The Spirit will not speak to us about things that aren’t taught to us from God’s word. This is why the Puritans understood that the modern gift of prophecy is when a person, usually a teacher, is given insight and understanding of God’s word.

You might not agree with that last paragraph, and that’s alright.

What bothers me is when people use the concept of the Spirit’s speaking to a believer as a means to make a point, or convince hearers of their opinions or personal beliefs.

For example, If you’ve dated within the Church, you’ve probably heard something like, “God is telling me I need to be single.” Or maybe you’ve just heard of people saying that kind of thing. In charismatic worship settings (which I tend to enjoy, by the way), you might’ve heard someone say something like, “The Spirit is telling us we need to lift our hands,” or “The Spirit wants us repent of [fill in the blank].”

I strongly believe this language is an abuse of the doctrine of the Holy Spirit. Well, at least about 90% of the time anyway.

When the Spirit speaks, it is to glorify Jesus—namely in the Word of God. It is more sound to say, “God’s Word says [fill in the blank]—I believe we are guilty of this, and should repent.” If this message is truly from the Spirit, this language will still cut people’s conscience and lead to repentance. And if it doesn’t, either people’s hearts are hard or else the Spirit wasn’t highlighting that issue in specific.

Or, perhaps, “I have been reading the word of God and praying and I feel that I need to be single for some time.”

When the Spirit speaks, it is from God’s word, which is about Jesus, of Jesus. And the language chosen is important. There are at least two major dangers in speaking with this kind of hyper-spiritual language.

1. Human beings are a complicated mess of flesh and emotion and ideas. Unless the the word being spoken can be thoroughly confirmed by God’s written word, it can only truly be spoken with some marginal level of confidence. Anything more than that is probably a confidence conjured from elsewhere inside us. Speaking with such presumption is clearly dangerous. Prophets of the old testament who prophesy falsely were to be put to death. That’s not the case today, but the principal stands. Speaking for God when God may not be speaking is big deal.

2. Human beings are also rational, intellectual creatures. These are gifts given to us by God. And, we have a thorough and complete written Word from God. When language such as “God is saying…” is used, it effectively closes the door to disagreement and rational discussion. It makes it impossible for “iron to sharpen iron”.

It is wisdom that we would use our language carefully when talking about the Spirit’s speaking to us and to our congregation. When the Spirit speaks, he is teaching what he has already said in God’s Word to the church.

We should be so hasty as to assume the Spirit is saying what we might think he’s saying but be confident that if he is speaking, it will be heard even if we don’t use such confident language.

I always find it so bizarre thinking about the ancient practice of idol worship. Not because my own faith doesn’t look a bit crazy to people on the outside. But I think ancient idol worship is really out there.

Check out this reference to it in Isaiah. This language is common. Isaiah 2:8:

Their land is filled with idols;
they bow down to the work of their hands,
to what their own fingers have made.

Imagine starting with a block of wood and a knife. Imagine carving out the likeness of some animal or cultural symbol. Then, imagine setting it up on a mantle and trusting that the thing you just made is going to somehow produce food and money and health and comfort.

It would seem like logic would have to kick in somewhere in there and you’d have to say, “wait a second, I actually made this thing. I knew it before it was my god.”

I think most of us would like to think we’ve risen above this behavior. But I think most of us know it’s not entirely true. Christians and non-Christians alike make idols out of things all the time. We’ve just become better, as a society, at disguising it.

This was just posted over at the Desiring God blog. Page CXVI is a new project aiming to make hymns more accessible; not much unlike Indelible Grace Music. Desiring God share the explanation of their name. It’s pretty cool.

CXVI is definitely a bit more hip, mirroring, in some ways, the recent indie sounds. In short, the renditions they produce are top notch. Great production quality, well thought out and executed with cultural relevance. Unfortunately, the songs they selected here are songs that have fairly recent recordings in the same vein (i.e., Come Thou Fount and The Wonderful Cross). Regardless, raising awareness about hymns stands to enrich the church, so it’s fine.

Plus, methinks they might be hoping to hook new listeners with songs they’re familiar with before releasing lesser-known hymns.

The Page CXVI album is available for free here. And, if you like their vision, you can donate here.

The songs that come on the album are:

- Come Thou Fount
- In Christ Alone
- My Jesus I Love Thee
- When I Survey the Wonderful Cross
- Nothing But the Blood
- Solid Rock
- Joy

All are quality recordings, but one stands out as the single most powerful recording, head and shoulders above the others. It’s the last song, “Joy”. You’ll recognize it and you might not like what you hear at first. It’s the song that goes: “I’ve got the joy joy joy joy down in my heart…". Yeah, you know, the camp-fire song?

What makes it so unique is that it’s produced in a really overtly minor key. She almost sounds sarcastic singing “joy joy joy”. Then, it builds into this:

I’ve got the joy joy joy joy
down in my heart…
and I’m so happy,
so happy, so very happy.
And I’m so happy,
so happy, so very happy.
And I can’t understand
and I can’t pretend
that this will be alright in the end.
So I’ll try my best,
and lift up my chest
to sing about this
joy joy joy joy.

When peace like a river attendeth my way
when sorrows like seas billows roll
whatever my lot,thou hast taught me to say
it is well, it is well with my soul.

I was listening to the album as I was doing other things. And, I’m not going to lie, this one caught be off guard and made me well up. It’s a powerful rendition, probably because it feels deeply relevant to the human condition.

So, it’s free. Go download the album. Be enriched and encouraged. Sing the songs in church and in small groups. And, if you’re able support the project.

1 Corinthians 9:2, says:

“If to others I am not an apostle, at least I am to you, for you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.”

I’ve read this many times. This time, it seemed peculiar. I read it over and over and thought about the context and finally went about reading some of the classic commentaries associated with this verse.

The consensus is interesting, although not altogether surprising.

Paul is basically saying, “The fact that you believe is the proof that I am called to be an apostle”. God would not call Paul and gift Paul to do something that he was not going to honor with good fruits.

This speaks volumes to what it means to be gifted, not gifted, and to serve a sovereign Lord.

1. It means that we’re not watches set in motion to do a job. God sends and gifts each of us in unique ways, not to give us a fighting chance at success, but for success!

2. It means that God is ultimately the finisher of our work. Suppose, for a moment,  that God did not gift Paul as an apostle, but somehow Paul learned the “skills” of apostleship elsewhere. Do you suppose that he would have been effective in his exercise of those skills? I doubt it, because God withheld that gifting for a reason. He wouldn’t be vessel chosen for the task. He would be no more successful in apostleship than a pillow is at splitting wood—although the pillow God the motion down-pat.

3. If we’re called to something and follow that calling faithfully and humbly, we should see some kind of success in it. Of course, because of our pride, we the success is often in a different place than we expect, nonetheless, we ought to see it. If we’re called as an evangelist, we ought to see conversions. If we’re called as a preacher, people ought to be transforming. If we’re called to lead worship, people ought to be worshipping.

Now, on the last people, please don’t get me wrong. There are exceptions to this because people are screwed up and there will most certainly be many times where success is not seen right away—maybe even ever by our own eyes. But regardless, if we are called, God will definitely eventually use that calling.

This should give us comfort, that if God has called us, we will be successful. But, if with prayer and reflection we can detect no fruit at all, perhaps we ought to prayerfully reconsider what we’ve believed to be our calling.

As I read into the end of Leviticus  today, the Israelites prepare to enter into the promised land. It reminded me of this beautiful hymn and prayer for peace as we’re guided gently into the heavenly Canaan. I thought I’d share it.

Guide me, O Thou great Jehovah,
Pilgrim through this barren land.
I am weak, but Thou art mighty;
Hold me with Thy powerful hand.
Bread of heaven,
Feed me now and evermore;
Bread of heaven,
Feed me now and evermore.

Open now the crystal fountain,
Whence the healing stream doth flow;
Let the fire and cloudy pillar
Lead me all my journey through.
Strong Deliverer,
Be Thou still my Strength and Shield.
Strong Deliverer,
Be Thou still my Strength and Shield.

When I tread the verge of Jordan,
Bid my anxious fears subside;
Death of deaths, and hell’s destruction,
Land me safe on Canaan’s side.
Songs of praises, I will ever give to Thee;
Songs of praises, I will ever give to Thee.

Land me safe on Canaan’s side
Bid my anxious fears, bid my anxious fear
Land me safe on Canaan’s side
Bid my anxious fears, bid my anxious fears, goodbye

Indelible Grace Music has an outstanding rendition of this hymn. It’s found on the album Beams of Heaven.

My church, Bay Area Community Church, is hosting 24 hours of consecutive prayer at the worship center in Annapolis, Maryland. The hope is that it will turn into a monthly engagement–maybe more. So far, it’s off to a pretty good start. I’m just outside the prayer room now and having just spent a good chunk of time in there, thought this would be a good time to share some thoughts.

I was in the prayer room for the first half hour of the night, which we spent praying for blessing over the next 24 hours of prayer. Then, I went home and spent some focused time in private prayer. After about an hour I headed back to the church to join back in. I got back just as prayers focusing in on the supremacy of Christ where emerging. I meditated on Psalm 103 for some time, repeating, “Bless the Lord, O my soul.”

After that, I spent some time around a prayer station for marriages. It’s intent, I’m pretty sure, is for members of struggling marriages to seek and offer prayer. I’m not married, so I used the station to attempt to pray for those married couples in my life, or on the outskirts of my life, with a specific eye to the supremacy of Christ. This was challenging, but I made it through.

After that, the prayer focus shifted to disciple making. By this time more people had joined the group and the hour’s 15 minutes of worship time began. I held the sheet meant to help with guided prayer and read it out loud to myself; specifically the scriptural references intended to help inspire those prayers.

I sang and worshipped for the initial 15 minutes. Then, as the music softened to allow for prayer to retake control, I sat exhausted. I simply couldn’t figure out how to pray with a specific eye toward the making of disciples. I spent some time meditating on the Gospel of Grace, to which I owe my own discipleship. Then, I spent some time praying for understanding and discernment in my own life on how to make disciples of those around me.

Then I stopped. Or, should I say, I was stopped. By what I am unsure. But there were simply no more prayers coming. So, I spent some time praying about that, then concluded that perhaps it was just time to leave, which has found me here, writing.

The point is, this type of prayer is notoriously difficult for me. Not prayers for discipleship. Prayers for things I haven’t given good thought to. Prayers for people I know nothing about. Prayers for the intangible or even, in my own mind, unreal. Yet, I serve a God who knows. I host a Spirit who fills in the gaps in my prayers. And, I have been commanded to pray.

I know that for these reasons there are many people who fear corporate prayer settings such as this one. But, I believe it’s challenges like these in prayer that make them indispensable. I plan to reface the challenge.

If you’re in the Annapolis area any time in the next 20 hours, you should come through and spend some time in the prayer room. Pray for the church, the city, the world and be challenged in prayer.