Illegitimate Praying

Posted on February 11, 2023 by russellmckinney

“These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. Their worship is a farce, for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God.” (Matthew 15:8-9, N.L.T.)

The Bible speaks of many different people praying to many different gods. Here are a few examples:

  • The Jews from the Old Testament and the Christians from the New Testament prayed to the “LORD” (Yahweh, Jehovah).
  • The false prophets of Elijah’s day prayed to Baal.
  • The Philistines prayed to Dagon.
  • The Moabites prayed to their false gods.
  • The people of Ur prayed to their false gods.
  • The Egyptians prayed to a pantheon of false gods.
  • The book of Jonah says of Jonah’s fellow sailors “and every man cried out to his god.”

All of this praying to all of these various gods proves how naturally religious humans are. You see, innately, we understand that creation’s mere existence proves that there must be a Creator God (Romans 1:20; Psalm 14:1; Psalm 53:1). Since nothing will continue to be nothing endlessly, a creation, especially one as intricately designed and detailed as ours, can’t just burst forth from nothing. Therefore, the fact that we have a creation at all proves that there must be a Creator God. As the old line goes, you can’t have a clock without a clock builder.

From time immemorial, this commonsense fact has driven people to attempt to worship the Creator God and offer up prayers to Him. But the problem has historically been that man’s nature of sin has corrupted these attempts at worship and prayer. Whereas the human race started out with a knowledge of the one true God and how to worship Him, idolatry ultimately became a staple of the race in the wake of Adam and Eve’s sin (Romans 1:20-23).

And so, in the midst of all the praying that is done to all the gods via all the religions, we are left to figure out who is praying legitimate prayers to the legitimate God. Someone says, “Well, I think that any prayer that is prayed in sincerity to any god must be classified as legitimate.” Certainly that idea sounds very sweet in an “I’m okay, you’re okay” kind of way, but it simply isn’t Biblical. Much to the contrary, the Bible says that sacrifices, and by implication prayers, that are offered to idols are, in actuality, offered to demons (fallen angels, the spirits associated with the idols). You’ll find that teaching in 1 Corinthians 10:19-21, Deuteronomy 32:15-18, and Revelation 9:20. Obviously, then, such prayers are a far cry from being legitimate!

Of course, now that God the Son (Jesus) has left heaven, been born to the virgin Mary, lived 33 sinless years upon the earth, evidenced His divinity by way of His miracles, left us with His teachings, died on the cross as the potential payment for the sins of every individual, resurrected, ascended back to heaven, and is now seated at the right hand of God the Father, there is no question what legitimate praying sounds like. It is praying done to God the Father, by way of the High Priestly intercessory ministry of Jesus, in the name of Jesus. And what all is involved with praying in Jesus’ name? To authentically pray in Jesus’ name, you must believe in Jesus as your personal Savior, pray the type of prayers that He would pray, and submit to God the Father’s will in regards to your prayer requests. The fact is, anything less than that, and you get into the realm of illegitimate praying.

Posted in Christ's Birth, Christ's Death, Christ's Miracles, Creation, Demons, God's Will, Idolatry, Prayer, Prayer Requests, Worship | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Faithful Over a Few Things

Posted on February 8, 2023 by russellmckinney

“His lord said to him, ‘Well done good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’” (Matthew 25:23, N.K.J.V.)

George Matheson was a blind Scottish pastor in the late 1800s. While he was serving as the pastor of a church in Innellan, he preached to a mere handful of worshipers one stormy winter’s Sunday. He left that service discouraged because he felt that his sermon had been especially good and he wished that more people had heard it. But what he didn’t know was that one stranger in the congregation that day would never forget the sermon or the blind preacher who delivered it. Seven years later that man would recommend Matheson to become the pastor of St. Bernard’s Church in Edinburgh, a call that would lead to thirteen years of highly fruitful service for Matheson at that church.

In the parable of the talents, Jesus taught that the one who is faithful over a few things will be made ruler over many things (Matthew 25:14-30). While He gave this parable within the context of a teaching on prophecy and rewards in the afterlife, the basic principle can apply in this life. As proof of that, He gave another parable, one known as “the parable of the faithful steward” (Luke 12:42-48), which isn’t found within the context of a prophetic teaching.

Yes, God is always on the lookout for good stewardship, and He always takes special notice of a George Matheson who will faithfully preach to the best of his ability for a poorly attended Sunday service. That’s why you should never take lightly any opportunity that comes your way to do something in service to Christ. Remember that no job is too small for a servant who is big enough to do it well.

Posted in Attitude, Character, Church, Church Attendance, Doing Good, Faithfulness, God's Omnipresence, God's Omniscience, God's Work, Humility, Influence, Leadership, Ministry, Obedience, Pastors, Preaching, Prosperity, Reward, Service, Stewardship, Trusting In God, Weather, Worship | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Wrongly Judged Anybody Lately?

Posted on February 6, 2023 by russellmckinney

Years ago, a young girl sat at the counter of a diner and asked the waitress, “How much is an ice cream sundae?” “Fifty cents,” answered the waitress, without even glancing at the child. The young girl opened her fist, looked at her coins, and asked, “Then how much is a bowl of plain ice cream?” Annoyed, the waitress snapped, “Thirty-five cents.” The girl carefully counted out thirty-five cents, handed it to the waitress, and said, “I’ll take the plain ice cream.” The waitress took the money without a word and brought the ice cream. But after the little girl had eaten and left, when the waitress went to clean up the area, she was overcome by a wave of shame. There, placed neatly beside the empty bowl, were two nickels and five pennies – her tip.

It’s so easy to make snap judgments of others, isn’t it? We only have to be around someone new for a few minutes, even seconds, before we have them stereotyped and categorized in our minds. We judge on the basis of clothes, hairstyles, language skill, dialect, and the way a person carries himself or herself. We do it every day without even thinking about it. It just comes naturally to us. But what does God say about the issue? You’ll find your answer in the following verses (all from the N.K.J.V.):

Moses speaking to the people of Israel: “Then I commanded your judges at that time, saying, ‘Hear the cases between your brethren, and judge righteously between a man and his brother or the stranger who is with him. You shall not show partiality in judgment; you shall hear the small as well as the great…” (Deuteronomy 1:16-17)

These things also belong to the wise: It is not good to show partiality in judgment. (Proverbs 24:23)

Jesus speaking: “Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.” (John 7:24)

My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality. For if there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings in fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes, and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him, “You sit here in a good place,” and say to the poor man, “You stand there,” or “Sit here at my footstool,” have you not shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? (James 2:1-4)

Let’s all confess our sins in this area and strive to make some real progress at repenting of them. That means that we must stop assessing a person’s entire history and future by way of a fifteen-second conversation or a casual look. In reality, people are more complex than we realize, and they don’t fit so neatly into the limited number of pigeon-holes we use. Showing any kind of partiality is not good, and we must start seeing it for the problem it is in our whole approach to dealing with others.

Posted in Attitude, Character, Doing Good, Dress and Appearance, Favoritism, Personal Holiness | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Forgotten Word

Posted on February 3, 2023 by russellmckinney

Consider the following handful of verses (all from the New King James Version, with emphasis added on my part):

“I listened and heard, but they do not speak aright. No man repented of his wickedness, saying, ‘What have I done?’ Everyone turned to his own course, as the horse rushes into the battle.” (Jeremiah 8:6)

In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” (Matthew 3:1-2)

From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 4:17)

“I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.” (Luke 13:3,5)

“Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place – unless you repent.” (Revelation 2:5)

The word “repent” is a forgotten one in our culture. This holds true even in Christian circles. We hear much about mercy, grace, love, forgiveness, longsuffering, patience, tolerance, and acceptance but not much about repentance. This has turned our preaching and teaching into a vanilla batch of mush and gush wherein everybody is okay and no one needs to make any real changes in conduct.

The Greek word that gets translated as “repent” is metanoeo. Greek scholars tell us this word literally means “a change of mind.” Consequently, we might say that true repentance is a changing of the mind that leads to a changing of the conduct. Getting the conduct right begins with getting the thinking right.

In the matter of sinners, the Bible uses “repent” in two ways. First, it inseparably links repentance with saving faith in Christ. The idea is that genuine faith in Christ MUST be laced with genuine repentance. You don’t repent, place your faith in Jesus, and then get saved. Instead, the faith that saves oozes repentance. A wonderful passage that shows how repentance and saving faith walk hand in hand is Acts 20:20-21, where Paul says to the Ephesian elders:

…I kept back nothing that was helpful, but proclaimed it to you, and taught you publicly and from house to house, testifying to Jews, and also to Greeks, repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. (N.K.J.V.)

Second, the Bible uses “repent” in a general way that calls Christians and non-Christians alike to turn from their sins and go in an opposite direction, a direction of holiness. A good verse here would be Luke 3:8, the first part of which quotes Jesus as saying:

“Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance…” (N.K.J.V.)

And so, in light of all this, I want to close by asking you a very simple question: Have you thoroughly repented of your personal “pet sin”? If you haven’t then consider this God’s way of looking at you right now and saying, “It’s time that you DID!” As someone has pointed out, repentance can never come too soon but it may come too late. Therefore, my advice to you is: Don’t let yours come too late!

Posted in Backsliding, Belief, Faith, Personal Holiness, Preaching, Repentance, Salvation, Sin | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Native American Chief & Jesus

Posted on February 1, 2023 by russellmckinney

A Christian missionary preached to a tribe of Native Americans, telling them that Jesus Christ, who was God in human flesh, had voluntarily died for their sins. The tribe’s elderly Chief was very moved by Christ’s sacrifice and decided to do something for the Lord Jesus. He rose to his feet, walked up to the missionary, laid his tomahawk at the missionary’s feet, and said in broken English, “Chief give his tomahawk to Jesus.” Then he went and sat back down.

The missionary, sensing that the Holy Spirit was working on the Chief, started preaching again. This time he told the tribe that God, in giving us Jesus, had given us His absolute best. The Chief listened carefully, considered the matter, and then walked forward again, this time carrying his blanket. He laid the blanket at the missionary’s feet and said, “Chief give his blanket to Jesus.”

Still, however, that wasn’t the response the missionary was seeking, and so he started preaching again. He told the tribe how Jesus, even though He was rich in heaven, had become poor for us by being born in a manger, living a humble life, and dying by way of a cruel, humiliating cross. This compelled the Chief to leave the meeting, go get his horse, bring the animal to the missionary, and say, “Chief give his horse to Jesus.”

At this point, the Chief thought to himself, “Now I have given everything I have to Jesus, who gave Himself for me.” But the missionary just started up yet another round of preaching. This time he explained that Jesus had arisen from the dead, appeared to many in His post-resurrection body, ascended back to heaven forty days later, and was now seated at the right hand of His heavenly father, calling men and women to Himself. And it was then that the Chief finally understood why the missionary had never seemed satisfied with the fine gifts. The Chief stood up again, walked forward, bowed himself, and said, “Chief give himself to Jesus.”

Ah, friend, there it is! That is the decision that Jesus wants from each of us, and it is a far cry from merely attending church, putting some money in the offering plate, owning a Bible, praying prayers, trying to live a moral life, etc. Certainly, each of those things is proper when understood in its rightful place, but when it comes to salvation, they are all just tomahawks, blankets, and horses. What Jesus truly wants is you (lock, stock, and barrel). And, just to be honest about it, when He has you like that, He’ll have you keep all your tomahawks, blankets, and horses and use them in service to Him.

Posted in Belief, Brokenness, Commitment, Discipleship, Dying To Self, Evangelism, Faith, Man's Freewill, Missions, Preaching, Sacrifice, Salvation, Submission | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Power Shortage

Posted on January 30, 2023 by russellmckinney

“Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.” (Jeremiah 33:3, N.K.J.V.)

The organist was trying to play the call-to-worship song to begin the church service, but no sound was coming from the organ. Everyone in the congregation could tell there was a problem, but no one knew what to do about it. Thinking fast, the pastor went to the pulpit and began praying a very lengthy prayer in order to provide the necessary time for someone to fix the organ.

As the pastor prayed, the church custodian hurriedly made his way to the organ and went to work diagnosing the problem. Looking at the power outlet that was located in the nearby wall, he noticed that the organ’s power chord had come unplugged from the outlet. So, he reached down and plugged the chord back into the outlet.

With the pastor still praying, the custodian then quickly scribbled something onto a little piece of paper and handed it to the frantic organist. The note said: “After the prayer, the power will be on.” Well, you know where I’m going with that, don’t you? Obviously, those words are good advice for us, as Christians, because until we make prayer a regular part of our day, we’ll never have much spiritual power upon our lives.

I used to play a lot of slow-pitch softball. Sometimes, when one of my teammates would miss out on hitting a homerun because the ball got caught just a few feet in front of the fence, we would jokingly say to him, “Pay your power bill.” That was a funny line, but there’s certainly nothing funny about the fact that many Christians are seeing their efforts fall short because they’ve not paid their spiritual power bills. And how does a Christian pay his or her spiritual power bill? There is only one way to do it. That Christian must spend quality time in prayer.

Be honest, Christian, how’s your prayer life these days? If it is lacking, let me encourage you to get alone by yourself somewhere and just start talking to God. Praise Him for everything good that is happening in your life. Thank Him for the numerous blessings He has bestowed upon you through the years. Confess your sins to Him. Dedicate yourself to repenting of those sins. Tell Him about your troubles. Lastly, make your requests to Him, being sure to tell Him that if a request isn’t His will, you don’t actually want it even though you think you do.

God doesn’t want you to come up short in your efforts for Him. Much to the contrary, He wants His inexhaustible power flowing into you, through you, and out from you. But that won’t happen until you plug in your power chord by getting down to the business of doing some personal, prolific praying. Remember, praying isn’t a chore you have to perform; it’s a privilege you get to enjoy.

Posted in Needs, Prayer, Prayer Requests, Problems, Service | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Feeling Kind of Small?

Posted on January 27, 2023 by russellmckinney

You’ve probably heard of Solomon’s temple, that beautiful, majestic house of worship that served as the centerpiece of worship in Israel. That temple was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar’s Babylonians in 587 B.C. To make that destruction even worse, Nebuchadnezzar deported the defeated Jews to Babylon, where they would spend decades in exile from their homeland.

At the end of those years, however, God raised up the Medo-Persian empire to defeat the Babylonians. Medo-Persia was led by a man named Cyrus the Great. One of his first official acts as the new ruler of the Jews was to allow the willing to return to their homeland and reestablish their culture and religious observances. Ultimately, a group of over 40,000 Jews returned to Jerusalem and began building what is now known as “the second temple.”

Since a Jewish leader named Zerubbabel was the man most prominently associated with the building of that temple, the structure is often referred to as “Zerubbabel’s temple.” It was built on the same site as Solomon’s temple and was completed in 516/515 B.C. And would you believe that Zerubbabel’s temple would actually stand longer than Solomon’s temple? Whereas Solomon’s temple stood for approximately 400 years, Zerubbabel’s temple would stand for approximately 500 years.

But that second temple wasn’t nearly as grand and ornate as the first one had been. In Zerubbabel’s day, the incredibly prosperity that Israel had known under King David and King Solomon was long gone, and the riches it would have taken to duplicate Solomon’s temple simply weren’t to be found. Unfortunately, the inferior appearance of Zerubbabel’s temple greatly disappointed all the elderly Jews who remembered the glory of Solomon’s temple. Ezra 3:12-13 sums up their response to the new temple:

But many of the priests and Levites and heads of the fathers’ houses, old men who had seen the first temple, wept with a loud voice when the foundation of this temple was laid before their eyes, so that the people could not discern the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of the people, for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the sound was heard afar off. (N.K.J.V.)

But, of course, the real question that needed to be answered was, “Did God approve of this new temple?” And we find His answer in Zechariah 4:10 as He asks the piercing question:

“For who has despised the day of small things?” (N.K.J.V.)

So, tell me, are you trying to get some new work of the Lord off the ground? Well, hang in there with it. Did you start the work from scratch and thought it would be much more impressive by now? Stick with it anyway. Do you feel a tinge of shame when you compare the work to larger, more established works? Just stop doing that. Don’t be guilty of despising the day of small things. Never forget that if God says what you are doing is good and should continue, that settles it. He sees value in small things, and He is always on the lookout for some Zerubbabels who will start and complete new works for Him. And He really isn’t interested in what the naysayers think about those works.

Posted in Adversity, Attitude, Church, Contentment, Criticism, Disappointment, Doing Good, Encouragement, Faith, Faithfulness, God's Will, God's Work, Impatience, Leadership, Ministry, Obedience, Patience, Perseverance, Service, Trials, Trusting In God, Worship | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Bear Hunting

Posted on January 25, 2023 by russellmckinney

A big man and a little man were talking as they sat on a porch. The little man leaned over, felt the big man’s biceps, and said, “If I was as big as you and had muscles like that, I’d go up into the mountain, find the biggest bear I could find, and tear him from limb to limb.” To that, the big man replied, “Well, there’s plenty of little bears up there, too. Why don’t you go find one of them?”

We tend to hold others to higher standards than we impose upon ourselves, don’t we? Yes, we’re experts at knowing what others ought to do, but we aren’t not nearly so adept at doing what we should do. As someone has said, “We should all change problems because everybody knows how to solve everybody else’s problems.”

While there are numerous Bible passages (Proverbs 27:5; Matthew 18:15-17; 1 Timothy 5:20; etc.) that speak of the necessity of providing rebuke when it is needed, we must show wisdom in regards to who to rebuke, when to rebuke, and how to rebuke. Likewise, while there are numerous passages (Proverbs 11:14; Proverbs 12:15; Proverbs 27:9, etc.) that speak of the value of offering wise counsel when it is needed, we must show wisdom in regards to whom we give counsel, when we give that counsel, and how we go about giving it. What we don’t want to do is come off as pushy know-it-alls whose words never get a hearing because we show no discernment, timing, or tact in how we offer them.

Oh, and there is one more thing you must consider anytime you find yourself about to tell someone else what they should or shouldn’t be doing. If your own life is marked by hypocrisy, your attempts at rebuking and offering counsel aren’t going to resonate much with people who can spot the hypocrisy. Like the little man in my opening illustration, you needn’t expect others to do any bear hunting at your suggestion if you don’t hunt bears yourself.

Posted in Communication, Complaining, Counsel, Discernment, Hypocrisy, Influence, Ministry, Personal Holiness, Seeking Advice, The Tongue, Witnessing | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

God’s Delays Are Not His Denials

Posted on January 23, 2023 by russellmckinney

I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, And in His word I do hope. (Psalm 130:5, N.K.J.V.)

A little boy asked his father to buy him a gold watch. When the father didn’t seem to acknowledge the request, the boy took it as a cold denial and dropped the matter. Ten years later, however, the father called the son to him and said, “Son, here is that gold watch you asked me for.” The son was dumbfounded but managed to get out the words, “But father, I thought you turned down that request all those years ago.” The father replied, “No, I didn’t turn it down. I just knew better than to grant it until you were old enough to properly take care of a gold watch.”

God responds to a prayer request in one of three ways. #1: He says a flat-out, “No” to the request. #2: He says, “Yes” and soon grants the request. #3: He says, “Yes, but you have to wait for My perfect timing.” You see, God’s delays are not the same thing as His denials. Sometimes you just have to be patient until He sees that you are truly ready for your request to be granted.

So, I ask you this simple question: Is there a specific request that you have asked God to grant, one to which He hasn’t said a flat-out “No”? Then keep looking to Him in faith and expect Him to one day, in His wise timing, grant that request. Don’t stop expecting just because it’s been a while since you made the request. God never forgets, and it could just be that your “gold watch” is on its way right now.

Posted in Children, Faith, God's Timing, God's Omniscience, God's Provision, God's Will, Needs, Patience, Perseverance, Prayer, Prayer Requests, Problems, Trusting In God, Waiting | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Is God Judging America?

Posted on January 20, 2023 by russellmckinney

The question is often asked, “Is God judging America?” My answer is an emphatic, “YES.” You say, “I haven’t seen any fire and brimstone raining from the sky.” Well, neither have I, but fire and brimstone are not how God is judging America.

Romans 1:18-32 is one of the most terrifying passages in the Bible. The passage explains what God will eventually do to people who persistently, consistently, and steadfastly refuse to come under His lordship. He will “give them up” (or “give them over”) to uncleanness, immorality, and wickedness so that they can fully indulge in the lusts of their hearts. This “giving up” allows them to dishonor their bodies by letting their debased minds and vile passions run absolutely amuck.

I used to drive a school bus, one that had a governor on its motor. A governor is a device that kicks in when a bus reaches a certain speed. Its purpose is to slow the motor down to keep the bus from going any faster. In the case of the bus I drove, the governor kicked in at 50 m.p.h.

Just as that governor served as a restraint, the Romans passage teaches that God reaches a point with hardened sinners where He takes His governors off their lives and says, “Go as fast as you can and live as dangerously as you want. I’ve tried to help you, but your heart is so set against Me that you won’t heed Me. So have it.”

I once heard a baseball coach say to his players, “Boys, if I yell at you, it’s because I care about you. The day I stop yelling at you, that’s when you need to worry because it means that I’ve given up on you.” The Romans passage explains that God works the same way in the lives of individuals. It’s when He stops yelling that the situation gets scary.

You see, God is right now pouring out His wrath (1:18) upon America by allowing sinful men and women, people who are dead set in their rebellion against Him, to do whatever they want. Do they want to engage in homosexuality and lesbianism (1:26-27)? God has disabled their governors. Do they want to live lives marked by “sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness, envy, murder, strife, deceit, and evil-mindedness” (1:28-29)? God isn’t yelling at them. Do they want to be “whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, and unmerciful” (1:30-31)? God is sitting up in heaven and watching it happen without stopping it.

But how can God’s lack of action be classified as Him pouring out His wrath? It earns that classification because God understands something that hardened, calloused rebels don’t. He understands that the rebel lifestyle, when carried out to its desired extreme, is a fire that ultimately gets so big and so hot that it consumes the rebel himself. Even as the rebel genuinely believes that he is living the high life, in reality he is only destroying himself. In this way, he virtually judges himself and pours out God’s wrath upon himself.

Similarly, it seems clear to me that God is also employing this “hands off” approach in regards to our nation as a whole. He’s letting us have the corrupt, greedy politicians so many Americans favor. He’s letting us have the perverse, immoral national laws so many Americans will take to the streets to get enacted. To sum up, He’s letting a bunch of ungodly, undiscerning, and unbroken sinners have their way. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why our nation stands on the brink of ruination.

Posted in Abortion, Addiction, Adultery, Choices, Coming Judgment, Current Events, Depravity, Desires, Disobedience, Drugs, Gambling, God's Wrath, God's Judgment, Government, Homosexuality, Idolatry, Lesbianism, Lust, Lying, Man's Freewill, Obedience, Politics, Racism, Rebellion, Sex, Sin, Sowing and Reaping, Sports, Submission | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments