#prayerless

bounding along busy streets

no time to pause, none

for a simple prayer, busy

like bee buzzing through this life.

.

by Edward McKendree Bounds

Prayer and church discipline are not new revelations of the Christian dispensation. These two things had a high place in the Jewish church. Instances are too numerous to mention all of them. Ezra is a case in point. When he returned from the captivity, he found a sad and distressing condition of things among the Lord's people who were left in the land. They had not separated themselves from the surrounding heathen people, and had intermarried with them, contrary to divine commands. And those high in the church were involved, the priests and the Levites with others. Ezra was greatly moved at the account given him, and rent his garments and wept and prayed. Evildoers in the church did not meet his approval, nor did he shut his eyes to them nor excuse them, neither did he compromise the situation. When he had finished confessing the sins of the people and his praying, the people assembled themselves before him and joined him in a covenant agreement to put away from them their evil doings, and wept and prayed in company with Ezra.

The result was that the people thoroughly repented of their transgressions, and Israel was reformed. Praying and a good man, who was neither blind nor unconcerned, did the deed.

Of Ezra it is written, "For he mourned because of the transgression of them that had been carried away." So it is with every praying man in the church when he has eyes to see the transgression of evildoers in the church, who has a heart to grieve over them, and who has a spirit in him so concerned about the church that he prays about it.

Blessed is that church who has praying leaders, who can see that which is disorderly in the church, who are grieved about it, and who put forth their hands to correct the evils which harm God's cause as a weight to its progress. One point in the indictment against those "Who are at ease in Zion," referred to by Amos, is that "they are not grieved for the affliction of Joseph." And this same indictment could be brought against church leaders of modern time. They are not grieved because the members are engulfed in a craze for worldly, carnal things, nor when there are those in the church walking openly in disorder, whose lives scandalize religion. Of course such leaders do not pray over the matter, for praying would beget a spirit of solicitude in them for these evildoers, and would drive away the spirit of unconcern which possesses them.

It would be well for prayerless church leaders and careless pastors to read the account of the ink horn man in Ezekiel nine, where God instructed the prophet to send through the city certain men who would destroy those in the city because of the great evils found therein. But certain persons were to be spared. These were they who "sigh and cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst of the city." The man with the ink horn was to mark every one of these sighers and mourners so that they would escape the impending destruction. Please note that the instructions were that the slaying of those who did not mourn and sigh should "Begin at my sanctuary."

New Post has been published on https://www.crownofcompassion.org/2017/07/29/experience-power-risen-christ/

Experience the power of the risen Christ

“But, if amidst our desperate cries to God for the pain in our soul, we press on to experience the power of the risen Christ and fellowship with Him right in the midst of our not-yet season, we find a fullness in Him that no answer to prayer or breakthrough can bring us.”- Susie Larson

As Susie Larson concludes Chapter 3 of Your Powerful Prayers, she observes that happens when we look up from our heartbreak.  At that point, we discern how our heartbreak mirrors bigger scale current world events.  Suddenly, Ms. Larson states, we become a powerful prayer force to be reckoned with.

Yet, Satan hopes we maintain our focus on the smaller story and continue to think of ourselves as orphans.  Satan fears nothing, unless we realize Whose we are.  As long as we access God’s power, we’re downright dangerous in prayer.  Samuel Chadwick summarizes:

“The only concern of the devil is to keep the saints from praying. He fears nothing from prayerless studies, prayerless work, prayerless religion.  He laughs at our toil, he mocks our wisdom, but he trembles when we pray.”

In conclusion, Ms. Larson states that the treasure of knowing God’s heart far surpasses any gift from His hand.  For when God grants our requests, we feel relief only until our next need or heartbreak.  As we get to know Christ better, the gap widens between what earth offers and everything God’s promised.

The apostle Paul expresses this in Philippians 3:10.  Paul writes:

“I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead.  I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead.”

Today’s question: What Christian books, songs, and/or Bible verses strengthen you to press on to experience the power of the risen Christ?  Please share.