A More Vibrant Prayer Life

Prayer is an incredibly powerful privilege that allows us to communicate with God, the Almighty Creator of our vast universe. It is a privilege that we should wholeheartedly embrace and take full advantage of as believers in Christ. Through prayer, we have the amazing opportunity to pour out our hearts, express our deepest desires, seek divine guidance, find solace and comfort, and tangibly experience the presence of God in every aspect of our lives.

However, I too often catch myself offering prayers that are more self-centered or focused mostly on temporary matters. I tend to spend more time asking for things that are important in the present moment rather than seeking the things that hold eternal significance. I believe many of us fall into this pattern, where our prayers revolve around our immediate needs and desires rather than eternal ones.

"For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God." (Eph. 3:14-19)

In this enlightening passage, the apostle Paul, known for his godly wisdom, beautifully writes about the unifying and reconciling work of Jesus Christ. It is through His boundless grace and love that Jews and Gentiles are brought together as one unified body, known as the Church, a testament to the remarkable power of His redemptive work. This noteworthy unity not only serves as a testament to God’s limitless grace but also as a reminder that our relationship with Him has the potential to bring us blessings that exceed our human understanding. Let take a few moments and immerse ourselves in the richness of this transformative relationship and continue to explore the profound power of prayer in our lives. 

Paul’s prayer for the Ephesian believers contains three key requests. Each request builds upon the previous one, creating a magnificent progression towards the ultimate goal. The fulfillment of Paul’s third request is closely tied to the fulfillment of his second request, and the fulfillment of his second request is dependent on the fulfillment of his first request. Therefore, the most profound and significant aspect that Paul desires for these believers, as stated in his first prayer request, is to be “strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man.”

By referring to the “inner man,” Paul is alluding to the part of our being that is spiritually awakened and intimately connected to God. It represents our regenerated nature, which we receive as a glorious gift when we place our faith in Christ, thus experiencing the miracle of salvation. This inner man delights in God’s commandments and undergoes continuous renewal day by day. The strengthening that Paul fervently desires for the Ephesians is a direct result of the indwelling work of the Holy Spirit within us, and it is in complete harmony with the immeasurable richness of God’s glory.

When believers are fortified and empowered by the indwelling presence of God’s Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ Himself is resident in their hearts. This signifies the idea that Christ should be “at home” in our hearts, having unrestricted access to every area of our lives to scrutinize our motives, thoughts, and actions. It is a profound call for each of us to surrender ourselves entirely to Christ and allow Him to effect a radical transformation within us, starting from the very core of our being.

Paul’s second request is for believers to grasp the immeasurable love that God has lavished upon us—an incomprehensible love that surpasses all human understanding. Paul skillfully employs directional words to vividly illustrate God’s vast and boundless love. While each direction individually emphasizes a specific facet of God’s love, Paul’s intention is to skillfully weave these words into one resounding statement, showcasing the all-encompassing nature of God’s love.

God’s love is wide enough to embrace every human being, long enough to span from eternity to eternity, deep enough to reach the unfathomable depths of hell, and high enough to elevate us into the very presence of God. The ultimate demonstration of this extraordinary love is beautifully manifested in the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ on the cross, where He willingly laid down His life to atone for our sins. Despite Paul’s repeated references to the Ephesian believers as being “in Christ,” he acknowledges that their comprehension of the depth of God’s love for them may be incomplete. Consequently, Paul ardently desires for them to fully grasp and comprehend the magnitude of the love that the Creator of the universe has lavished upon them.

Before concluding his majestic prayer with a resounding doxology of praise to God, Paul presents one final request. He fervently prays that these believers may be filled with the “fullness of God.” While only Jesus Himself is capable of being filled with the complete fullness of God, Paul’s prayer is an impassioned plea for these believers to walk in an increasingly spiritual maturity and experience a deeper intimacy with God. It is a profound call for us to relentlessly pursue a heightened understanding and encounter of God’s tangible presence in every facet of our lives.

As we deeply reflect on these three remarkable requests made by Paul, we come to the realization that he is asking for exceedingly incredible things on behalf of the Ephesian believers. But can God truly fulfill these requests? In a manner that is difficult for our finite minds to fully comprehend, Paul confidently and emphatically declares, “YES!”

Ephesians 1:20 can be paraphrased and resoundingly proclaimed as follows:

• “Now to Him who is immeasurably capable.”
• “Now to Him who is immeasurably capable of doing.”
• “Now to Him who is immeasurably capable of doing exceedingly.”
• “Now to Him who is immeasurably capable of doing exceedingly abundant.”
• “Now to Him who is immeasurably capable of doing exceedingly abundant beyond measure.”
• “Now to Him who is immeasurably capable of doing exceedingly abundant beyond measure, far surpassing anything we could ever ask or even imagine.”
• “Now to Him who is immeasurably capable of doing exceedingly abundant beyond measure, far surpassing anything we could ever ask or even imagine, and surpassing the boundaries of human imagination.”

These awe-inspiring words powerfully convey the boundless power and limitless ability of God. There are absolutely no restrictions or limitations on what God can accomplish. He is immeasurably capable of bringing to fruition far more than we could ever begin to ask or even conceive within the confines of our finite minds.

Then, Paul concludes his prayer and resounding doxology by reminding us that praise and adoration are to be offered through Christ to God by the unified body of believers known as the Church.

It is vital to acknowledge two crucial aspects of this passage in relation to the Church.

First, recognizing and comprehending God’s love are magnified and deepened through our profound connection with other believers. Paul emphasizes that through our vibrant and authentic relationships with fellow believers in the Church, we gain a deeper understanding of the immensity of God’s love. By actively participating in the Church and bearing witness to the transformative impact of God’s love on other believers’ lives, we gradually recognize the vast magnitude of God’s love for us.

Second, praise, honor, and adoration to God are to be offered collectively and harmoniously as a unified body of believers rather than solely by individual members of the Church. While individual praise and worship are undoubtedly significant, Paul’s fervent request is for both Jews and Gentiles, who have been graciously adopted as God’s children and united in Christ, to join their voices together in corporate praise. By gathering as a vibrant community of believers, we deepen our understanding and experience of God’s boundless love and amplify our collective voices as we resoundingly offer our praises and worship to Him.

Therefore, let us wholeheartedly embrace the extraordinary privilege of prayer, diligently seeking to align our hearts with God’s perfect will and continually grow in understanding the immeasurable love that He lavishes upon us. May we consistently strive to be strengthened by the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, grasp the limitless vastness of God’s love, and passionately pursue spiritual maturity. And as we do so, let us wholeheartedly and harmoniously offer our praises and worship to God, deeply acknowledging and gratefully embracing the immense blessings and love that He has so graciously bestowed upon us.

Imagine the possibilities that await us as we pray, seeking God’s will and guidance for our lives. Don't waste another minute, open your heart to God and let Him hear you pray!

Missing Link "Found"

'Missing Link' Fossil Was Not Human Ancestor as Claimed, Anthropologists Say

Science Daily (Mar. 3, 2010) — A fossil that was celebrated last year as a possible "missing link" between humans and early primates is actually a forebearer of modern-day lemurs and lorises, according to two papers by scientists at The University of Texas at Austin, Duke University and the University of Chicago.

In an article now available online in the Journal of Human Evolution, four scientists present evidence that the 47-million-year-old Darwinius masillae is not a haplorhine primate like humans, apes and monkeys, as the 2009 research claimed.

They also note that the article on Darwinius published last year in the journal PLoS ONE ignores two decades of published research showing that similar fossils are actually strepsirrhines, the primate group that includes lemurs and lorises.

"Many lines of evidence indicate that Darwinius has nothing at all to do with human evolution," says Chris Kirk, associate professor of anthropology at The University of Texas at Austin. "Every year, scientists describe new fossils that contribute to our understanding of primate evolution. What's amazing about Darwinius is, despite the fact that it's nearly complete, it tells us very little that we didn't already know from fossils of closely related species."

His co-authors are anthropologists Blythe Williams and Richard Kay of Duke and evolutionary biologist Callum Ross of the University of Chicago. Williams, Kay and Kirk also collaborated on a related article about to be published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that reviews the early fossil record and anatomical features of anthropoids -- the primate group that includes monkeys, apes, and humans.

Last spring's much-publicized article on Darwinius was released in conjunction with a book, a History Channel documentary, and an exhibit in the American Museum of Natural History. At a news conference attended by New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the authors unveiled the nearly complete fossil of a nine-month-old female primate that had been found at the site of Messel in Germany.
But other anthropologists were immediately skeptical of the conclusions and began writing the responses that are being published this month.

"Just because it's a complete and well-preserved fossil doesn't mean it's going to overthrow all our ideas," says Williams, the lead author. "There's this enormous body of literature that has built up over the years. The Darwinius research completely ignored that body of literature."

That literature centers on the evolution of primates, which include haplorhines (apes, monkeys, humans, tarsiers) and strepsirrhines (lemurs, lorises). The two groups split from each other nearly 70 million years ago.

The fossil group to which Darwinius belongs -- the adapiforms -- have been known since the early 1800s and includes dozens of primate species represented by thousands of fossils recovered in North America, Europe, Asia and Africa. Some adapiforms, like North American Notharctus, are known from nearly complete skeletons like that of Darwinius. Most analyses of primate evolution over the past two decades have concluded that adapiforms are strepsirrhines, and not direct ancestors of modern humans.
The most recent such analysis, published last year in the journal Nature, concluded that Darwinius is an early strepsirrhine and a close relative of the 39-million-year- old primate Mahgarita stevensi from West Texas.

Nevertheless, the scientists who last year formally described Darwinius concluded that it was an early haplorhine, and even suggested that Darwinius and other adapiform fossils "could represent a stem group from which later anthropoid primates evolved."

For example, they note that Darwinius has a short snout and a deep jaw -- two features that are found in monkeys, apes, and humans.

However, Kirk, Williams and their colleagues point out that short snouts and deep jaws are known to have evolved multiple times among primates, including several times within the lemur/loris lineage. They further argue that Darwinius lacks most of the key anatomical features that could demonstrate a close evolutionary relationship with living haplorhines (apes, monkeys, humans, and tarsiers).

For instance, haplorhines have a middle ear with two chambers and a plate of bone that shields the eyes from the chewing muscles.

"There is no evidence that Darwinius shared these features with living haplorhines," says Kirk. "And if you can't even make that case, you can forget about Darwinius being a close relative of humans or other anthropoids."

University of Texas at Austin. "'Missing Link' Fossil Was Not Human Ancestor as Claimed, Anthropologists Say." ScienceDaily 3 March 2010. 27 March 2010 <http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100302131719.htm>.

How To Become A Legalist

Legalism is such a pervasive evil in some churches that I felt this needed to be said. It comes from Dr. Chuck Swindoll and his final advice about handling legalists is right on the money. Consider his thoughts and ask God to let LMBC be a place of God's wonderful grace.

What constitutes a legalistic mindset:
1. Making rules outside the Bible.
2. Pushing yourself to try and keep your rules.
3. Castigating yourself when you don't keep your rules.
4. Becoming proud when you do keep your rules.
5. Appointing yourself as judge over other people.
6. Getting angry with people who break your rules or have different rules.
7. "Beating" the losers.

In an interview with Howard Hendricks, Chuck Swindoll defined the legalism problem as:

...when we get into areas that are not set forth in Scripture, either in precept or even in principle. These may be such things as length of hair, tattoos and other body piercings, skirts or pants for women, makeup or no makeup. Those are not scriptural issues. Sometimes these issues are cultural, and you do have to address them when you are in that particular culture. But I think legalism begins when you do or refrain from doing what I want you to do or not do because it's on my list and it's something that I am uncomfortable with.

Then, Dr. Swindoll gives his blunt advice:

The problem with legalists is that not enough people have confronted them and told them to get lost. Those are strong words, but I don't mess with legalism anymore. I'm 72 years old; what have I got to lose? Seriously, I used to kowtow to legalists, but they're dangerous. They are grace-killers. They'll drive off every new Christian you bring to church. They are enemies of the faith. Other than that, I don't have any opinion!

So, if I am trying to force my personal list of no-no's on you and make you feel guilty if you don't join me, then I'm out of line and I need to be told that.

The Making of An Atheist

Christian Philosopher Explores Causes of Atheism

James S. Spiegel has an uncomfortable thesis to propose. He contends: Religious skepticism is, at bottom, a moral problem.

Thu, Mar. 18, 2010 Posted: 04:27 PM EDT

James S. Spiegel has an uncomfortable thesis to propose.

He contends: Religious skepticism is, at bottom, a moral problem.

A professor of philosophy and religion at Taylor University in Upland, Ind., Spiegel has written a 130-page book, The Making of an Atheist, in response to the New Atheists. But unlike the numerous responses that have emerged from Christian apologists, Spiegel's book focuses on the moral-psychological roots of atheism.

While atheists insist that their foundational reason for rejecting God is the problem of evil or the scientific irrelevance of the supernatural, the Christian philosopher says the argument is "only a ruse" or "a conceptual smoke screen to mask the real issue – personal rebellion."

He admits that it could appear unseemly or offensive to suggest that a person's lack of belief in God is a form of rebellion. But he said in a recent interview with the Evangelical Philosophical Society that he was compelled to write the book because he is convinced that "it is a clear biblical truth."

His goal in writing the book is neither to provoke people nor show that theism is more rational than atheism. Rather, his aim is to direct people to "the real explanation of atheism."

"The rejection of God is a matter of will, not of intellect," he asserts.

"Atheism is not the result of objective assessment of evidence, but of stubborn disobedience; it does not arise from the careful application of reason but from willful rebellion. Atheism is the suppression of truth by wickedness, the cognitive consequence of immorality.

"In short, it is sin that is the mother of unbelief."

God has made His existence plain from creation – from the unimaginable vastness of the universe to the complex micro-universe of individual cells, Spiegel notes. Human consciousness, moral truths, miraculous occurrences and fulfilled biblical prophecies are also evidence of the reality of God.

But atheists reject that, or as Spiegel put it, "miss the divine import of any one of these aspects of God's creation" and to do so is "to flout reason itself."

This suggests that other factors give rise to the denial of God, he notes. In other words, something other than the quest for truth drives the atheist.

Drawing from Scripture, Spiegel says the atheist's problem is rebellion against the plain truth of God, as clearly revealed in nature. The rebellion is prompted by immorality, and immoral behavior or sin corrupts cognition.

The author explained to EPS, "There is a phenomenon that I call 'paradigm-induced blindness,' where a person's false worldview prevents them from seeing truths which would otherwise be obvious. Additionally, a person's sinful indulgences have a way of deadening their natural awareness of God or, as John Calvin calls it, the sensus divinitatis. And the more this innate sense of the divine is squelched, the more resistant a person will be to evidence for God."

Spiegel, who converted to Christianity in 1980, has witnessed the pattern among several of his friends. Their path from Christianity to atheism involved: moral slippage (such as infidelity, resentment or unforgiveness); followed by withdrawal from contact with fellow believers; followed by growing doubts about their faith, accompanied by continued indulgence in the respective sin; and culminating in a conscious rejection of God.

Examining the psychology of atheism, Spiegel cites Paul C. Vitz who revealed a link between atheism and fatherlessness.

"Human beings were made in God's image, and the father-child relationship mirrors that of humans as God's 'offspring,'" Spiegel states. "We unconsciously (and often consciously, depending on one's worldview) conceive of God after the pattern of our earthly father.

"However, when one's earthly father is defective, whether because of death, abandonment, or abuse, this necessarily impacts one's thinking about God."

Some of the atheists whose fathers died include David Hume and Friedrich Nietzsche. Those with abusive or weak fathers include Thomas Hobbes, Voltaire and Sigmund Freud. Among the New Atheists, Daniel Dennett's father died when Dennett was five years old and Christopher Hitchens' father appears to have been very distant. Hitchens had confessed that he doesn't remember "a thing about him."

As for Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris, there is very little information available regarding their relationships with their fathers.

"It appears that the psychological fallout from a defective father must be combined with rebellion – a persistent immoral response of some sort, such as resentment, hatred, vanity, unforgiveness, or abject pride. And when that rebellion is deep or protracted enough, atheism results," Spiegel explains.

In essence, "atheists ultimately choose not to believe in God," the author maintains, and "this choice does not occur in a psychological vacuum."

"It is made in response to deep challenges to faith, such as defective fathers and perhaps other emotional or psychological trials," he states. "Nor is the choice made in a moral vacuum. Sin and its consequences also impact the will in significant ways.

"These moral-psychological dynamics make it possible to deny the reality of the divine without any (or much) sense of incoherence in one's worldview."

The Making of an Atheist: How Immorality Leads to Unbelief was released in February.

Lillian Kwon
Christian Post Reporter

http://www.christianpost.com/article/20100318/christian-philosopher-explores-causes-of-atheism/page2.html