From the Prayers of the Apostles

Tip! Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

Much has been written on what is usually called "the Lord's Prayer" (which I prefer to term "the Family Prayer") and much on the high priestly prayer of Christ in John 17, but very little about the prayers of the apostles. Personally I know of no book devoted to the apostolic prayers, and except for a booklet on the two prayers of Ephesians 1 and 3 have been scarcely any separate exposition of them.

It is not easy to explain this oversight. One would think that the apostolic prayers are so filled with important doctrine and practical value for believers that they should have attracted the attention of those who write on devotional subjects. While many of us very much deprecate the efforts of those who would have us believe that the prayers of the Old Testament are obsolete and inappropriate for the saints of this Gospel age, it seems to me that even Dispensational teachers should recognize and appreciate.

The peculiar suitability to Christians is the prayers recorded in the Epistles and the Book of Revelation. With the exception of the prayers of our Redeemer, only in the Apostolic prayers are praises and petitions specifically addressed to "the Father." Of all the prayers of Scripture, only these are offered in the name of the Mediator. Furthermore, in these prayers alone we will find the full breathings of the Spirit of adoption.

Tip! -Approach God in prayer and ask Him to show you His will for you. - Live how the Holy Bible teaches you to live and your body will be healed if you believe.

How blessed it is to hear some elderly saint, who has long walked with God and enjoyed intimate communion with Him, pouring out his heart before the Lord in adoration and supplication. But how much more blessed would we have esteemed ourselves had we had the privilege of listening to the God-ward praises and appeals of those who had walked with Christ during the days of His teaching among men!

If one of the apostles were still here on earth, what a high privilege we would deem it to hear him engage in prayer! Such a high one, I think, that most of us would be quite willing to go to considerable inconvenience and to travel a long distance in order to be so favored. And if our desire were granted, how closely would we listen to his words, how diligently would we seek to treasure them up in our memories.

Tip! It opens the door for salvations. (Act 2:42) "And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers".

Well, no such inconvenience, no such journey, is required. It has pleased the Holy Spirit to record a number of the apostolic prayers for our instruction and satisfaction. Do we support our appreciation of such a benefit? Have we ever made a list of them and meditated on their significance? I don't think so!

We will start a series on the prayers of the apostles. I hope you will follow along and join in with your own comments and share with all of us what the Holy Spirit has shown you from the prayers of the apostles.

Think on this Prayer for a Moment

Tip! Seeking God's will for our life - This type of prayer requires us to really open up our spirit and seek to hear what God is saying to us. We need to come humbly before him, asking him to use us as a tool for his work - and praying for guidance and wisdom as we seek to follow where his is leading us.

Hebrews 13:20-21 "Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen."

Think on this prayer for a moment. Read it over a few times, maybe even read it out loud and see all there is to see and hear all there is to hear in these two short verses. What more could we ask for? Are you thankful for all that our Father has done for us through His Son, Jesus Christ?

This prayer contains a remarkable summary of the entire epistle of Hebrews - an epistle to which every truly born again Christian of the Gospel should devote special attention to. Nothing else is needed so much today as detailed studies on the letters to the Romans and to the Hebrews.

The Book of Hebrews supplies everything that is best suited to ward off the legalism and antinomianism (the belief that Christians are not bound by established moral laws, the Ten Commandments) that are now so prevalent in the Church today.

The Book of Romans shows the serious errors and the religious devotion and adherence to rituals in the modern religions as well as exposes the distinctive pretentiousness of their priests and ministers. It also provides the Divine antidote to this poisonous spirit of ritualism that is now making such fatal inroads into so many sections of a decadent Protestant Church. This problem that occupies the central portion in this vitally important and most blessed letter, is the priesthood of Christ, it represents the substance of what was revealed both in Melchizedek and Aaron.

In Hebrews it shows that His Son (Jesus Christ) made the one perfect sacrifice that has forever displaced the Levitical institutions and made an end of the whole Judaic system. That this "once and for ALL" was the all-sufficient sacrifice of our Lord Jesus and made a complete atonement for the sins of His people that fully satisfying every legal claim that God's Law had on us. Jesus' sacrifice then rendered any and every effort of our own sinful ways to pacify Him as needless and ineffective as dirty rags.

Tip! If we, God's people expect to carry out the works of Christ that will glorify our Father, then we must believe in Him for the very work's sake, and pray fervently in His Name.

Hebrews 10:14 says "For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified." That is to say, Christ has infallibly, irrevocably set apart to the service of God those who have believed, and only by the excellence of His finished work on the cross.

God the Father however did not stop at the cross, because the resurrection shouts His acceptance of His (Jesus Christ) work.

What is a Prayer-less Christian?

Tip! If we, God's people expect to carry out the works of Christ that will glorify our Father, then we must believe in Him for the very work's sake, and pray fervently in His Name.

Surely there is nothing as absolutely astonishing as a practically prayer-less Christian? These are eventful and threatening days. In fact, there are many evidences that these are "the last days" in which God promised to pour out His Spirit - the Spirit of prayer - upon all flesh (Joel 2:28). Yet the vast majority of professing Christians scarcely know what "supplication" means; and very many of our churches not only have no prayer-meeting, and sometimes without embarrassment condemn such meetings, and even ridicule them.

There are a few Churches that still recognizing the importance of worship and prayer. Some expect her clergy to read prayers in Church every morning and evening. But when this is done, is it not often to an empty church? And are not the prayers frequently raced through at a pace which precludes real worship? "Common prayer," too, often must necessarily be rather vague and indefinite.

And what of those churches where the old-fashioned weekly prayer-meeting is retained? Would not "weakly" be the more appropriate word? C. H. Spurgeon had the joy of being able to say that he conducted a prayer-meeting every Monday night "which scarcely ever numbers less than from a thousand to twelve hundred attendants."

My brothers and sisters, have we ceased to believe in prayer? If you still hold your weekly gathering for prayer, is it not a fact that the very great majority of your church members never come near it? Yes, and never even think of coming near it. Why is this? Whose fault is it? "It's only a prayer-meeting" - how often we have heard that said! How many of those reading these words really enjoy a prayer-meeting? Is it a joy or just a duty?

Tip! 'Asking of God/ and /receiving' from the Lord - direct request to God, immediate connection with God - that is true prayer.

Please forgive me for asking so many questions and for pointing out what appears to be a perilous weakness and a lamentable shortcoming in our churches. I am not out to criticize - far less to condemn. Anybody can do that. My desire is to stir up Christians "to take hold of" God, as never before. I wish to encourage you, to enlighten and to uplift you.

We are never as high as when we are down on our knees before Christ.