Luke 11:11-13, Matthew 7:9-11: In Concert with God

 Presented to The Salvation Army Alberni Valley Ministries, 10 September 2022, by Major Michael Ramsay

 

We dropped Sarah-Grace off in Victoria on Friday. She is starting her third-year classes at UVic this year. She got the keys to the new apartment she is renting - for the school year anyway. It is nice. It’s big and near UVic. She seems to have a nice roommate as well: Arora. She is a fellow Salvationist who goes to the Citadel and plays in the band. It was a real blessing to be able to find a place and a roommate like that: a miracle and blessing, for sure.

We had a good week away this week. We were at what used to be called ‘business camp’ or ‘Officer Camp’, I believe; now it is called ‘Leadership Camp’: It was good.

It was great to see many of our fellow Officers and other leaders in the division. It was good to connect with old friends and it was strange to see just how many new faces are in the division/province. The Salvation Army is usually really good at providing opportunities for leaders to connect, network, learn, and worship together – probably better than most organizations. However, due in large part to Covid-19, we have not been able to get together for a long time. This explains why there seemed to be so many new faces and I think a lot of the Officers have missed that contact with one another. The Salvation Army really is a family. Metaphorically speaking, yes, but also literally; I mean it actually is a family – so many people are related.

Rena and Tim have 1 Officer son and 1 Officer-type son (they explained all the designations at camp. I am not sure I understand them all; what title/rank are your sons? Jeremy (Amanda) is a Lieutenant and Neil (Jen) is a…?) Also there was other family to this corps at Gibson’s, we saw Holly at camp. Holly is part of the camp staff and she is the Greunhauges granddaughter. She helped lead worship among other things. I did go up to her and introduce myself. So many people are related in our organization and many of those who aren’t are still very family-like.

Our scripture today speaks to family. Specifically, 11: 11:13 says this: “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” [Matthew says “good gifts”]

This passage specifically speaks about a father’s relationship to his children and how much he loves them. These words obviously strike a chord with me. I was able to see all three of my children this week. It was a real blessing. There are not many weeks when that happens anymore. On Monday Heather and I travelled over to the camp together and were able to spend time playing cards on the way and at the camp we were able to paddle board and even just hang out a bit, which was great. Sarah-Grace and Susan came later that day. On the last day of camp Sarah-Grace and I got up at 5am or so and spend the next almost 24 hours together. We went to a concert.

For back in Christmas 2019, Grandma had bought Rebecca, Sarah-Grace and I tickets to a big concert in Seattle: it wasn’t until now, 32 months later that we actually got to go to the concert! More than 2 and half years later the concert finally happened! It kept getting postponed because of Covid-19. We were wondering if the concert was ever going to happen – and not just because of Covid-19. The bands we went to see were not young people. Many of them started performing in the 1970s or at the early 1980s. I am sure (other than the opening bands) all of them are way more than eligible for pensions or seniors discounts anyway and many of them have health problems. We weren’t sure if they would all be alive or healthy enough to perform.

We also weren’t sure what we would be doing after a 32 month, a 2-and-a-half-year gap. I could have been posted anywhere across this country in that time and not be able to go. Either of my daughters could be working or going to university anywhere in the world or anything else could have happened in our lives and we may not be able to go. The concert was in a foreign country so any number of things could have happened with that tool.

We did get to go and it was a good concert. It was a lot of bands I knew as a teenager or a young man. The performers were mostly amazingly fit and did a really good job. One musician, Brett Michaels, even played an harmonica, a mouth organ solo; he was almost as good as Reinhart – not quite but almost! The concert was very good – and very long. The concert itself was 7 hours! This made for an exceedingly long day. Like we said before, Sarah-Grace and I were up about 5am, we picked up Rebecca around 8am, drove across the border and into Seattle in plenty of time for a 4:30pm concert and then drove back home after 11:30pm, after fighting with all the concert traffic and slow going at the border, we finally got back to Rebecca’s house around 3:30am. It was a full day. It was a good day. It was one I was looking forward to spending with my daughters for a long time – 32 months!

God loves us all, just as I, or any other father/parent here loves their own children, and He wants to spend time with all of us just as we like spending time with our children. This passage in Luke is speaking about prayer (Matthew presents this quote as part of a collection of other sayings in Chapter 7). This Chapter in Luke opens with the Lord’s Prayer. Prayer is one key way in which we are able to spend time with God. We can come to God when we are distraught and tell him our problems, concerns, worries, like we would a confidant. We can tell Him what we need and what we think we need and He will hear us. He loves us even more than we parents love our children. He will never give us bad gifts when we ask for good gifts – and I would go even further, I would say He would never give us bad gifts when we ask for bad gifts and even more: he would never give us less than what is best for us, even if we unknowingly are asking for such. God loves us so much that He wants us to come to Him about all of this stuff. Parents: think about how you feel if your child (adult or otherwise) has a difficulty that you are able to help them with but they never come to you. Your heart breaks for them; you can help. Think of how much comfort you want to offer your children when they are going through difficult times – God wants to offer you this comfort as well. This passage in Luke specifically mentions that God will send us the Holy Spirit: God, the Holy Spirit is the Comforter!

This is what this passage is saying. God knows how much His disciples (whom Jesus is specifically addressing here) love their children and God knows how much you and I, who are parents, love our children; God says to us, that even as much as we –  wicked, evil, less than perfect parents, anyway  - love our children and will give them good gifts as we are able, so God loves us so much more that He will give us good gifts, yes, as Matthew records, but even more. As Luke records, God will give us His Holy Spirit, the comforter Himself. God loves us more than even we love our family, biological and otherwise. He wants us to spend time with Him in prayer and otherwise.

It was a real blessing to spend time with our extended Salvation Army family at Leadership camp this week and learn what we needed to learn. I think there was a lot of teaching after I left. Before I left there were some great Salvation Army family moments. Sure, there was some complaining; sure, there was some hesitations about restructuring and other things; there were certainly some seeking confirmation that the Army and/or our leadership and/or their colleagues still love them (we do!); there were a few questions; and sure there were not always the complete answers but I think we all left not only having learned something but having experienced the comfort of God through our colleagues, our friends, and our leaders. I think this comfort was something that many officers really needed and I praise the Lord for it.

I was also very thankful that I was able to chat about my book, Salvogesis Guidebook to Romans Road (www.facebook.com/romansroad) this weekend. I was quite humbled to be asked to present. It is quite an honour for me to be able to address my colleagues like this. During my talk we had an opportunity to share how God had spoken to us, how the Holy Spirit had moved in our lives, and more – all related directly to sharing the Gospel and Salvation God encouraged me (and us) greatly through this! After I had an opportunity to present, Officers and others came up to me sharing experiences of when they saw others come to know the Lord and experience His Salvation and this is exciting and this relates very much to our pericope today.

Salvation is this: Salvation is spending time with God in prayer and otherwise. Salvation is like us as a child paddle-boarding or playing cribbage with God; Salvation is like us as an adult getting a ride to our new home as He helps us get everything set up, and comforts us in our anticipation of what is to come; Salvation is like us going to a concert and cheering, laughing, and playing with our Father in Heaven. Salvation is being in a relationship with God as a son or daughter is with a loving parent. Salvation is being able to come to God and know that He will give you all you need, that He will love you and that He will comfort you and Salvation is knowing that He will be with us all throughout everything here and now and the extra bonus beautiful thing about this Salvation is that it does not end when our time here on earth ends, it will continue on for eternity.

 

Let us pray. 

 

 

Referenced Materials:

[1] Craddock, Fred B. Luke (Interpretation: Louisville, Kentucky, USA: John Knox Press, 1990)

[2] Culpepper, R. Alan. Luke (NIB 8: Nashville, Tenn.: Abingdon, 1995)

[3] Hendricksen, William. Exposition of the Gospel According to Luke (NTC: Baker Academic: Grand Rapids Michigan, 2007)

[4] Isaak, Paul John. Africa Bible Commentary, (Nairobi, Kenya: Word Alive Publishers, 2010). Luke 11:1-13 Prayer and God's reign: 11:5-13 The Habit of Asking, Seeking, and Knocking

[5] Leifeld, Walter L. The Expositor's Bible Commentary, Pradis CD-ROM:Luke/Exposition of Luke/V. Teaching and Travels Toward Jerusalem (9:51-19:44)/B. Teachings (10:25-11:13)/3. Teaching on prayer (11:1-13), Book Version: 4.0.2

[6] Lenski. R.C.H. The Interpretation of St. Luke’s Gospel (Augsburg, 1963).

[7] Ramsay, Michael. Salvogesis Guidebook to Romans Road (The Salvation Army: Vancouver Island, 2022)

 

 

 

 

Devotion 2.52/104: 1 Samuel 3:10: Listening

Presented to River Street Cafe, 16 June 2017

Read 1 Samuel 3:2-10:

One night Eli, whose eyes were becoming so weak that he could barely see, was lying down in his usual place. 3 The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the house of the Lord, where the ark of God was. 4 Then the Lord called Samuel.

Samuel answered, “Here I am.” 5 And he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”

But Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.” So he went and lay down.

6 Again the Lord called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”

“My son,” Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.”

7 Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord: The word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him.

8 A third time the Lord called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”

Then Eli realized that the Lord was calling the boy. 9 So Eli told Samuel, “Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

10 The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!”

Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”

Samuel, it doesn't seem, was used to listening to God. He didn't recognize His voice when God was calling him. Eventually someone else had to tell him it was the Lord speaking to him and what to say.

Samuel was asleep, Samuel was young, Samuel was away from his parents' home. There was lots going on in his life being raised by a foster-type family with two older foster-type brothers who were not all that great.

It was in this context that the Lord called to Samuel, like He may call to each and anyone of us. But, because of all this or for some completely different reason, Samuel did not recognize the Lord.

My question for us today is what are some of the things in our life that get in the way of us hearing from the Lord?

My encouragement for us today is this: even in the midst of everything, the Lord did not give up calling Samuel. He will not give up calling us; so as there is something that He is trying to talk to us about, next time you hear His prompting let us say, 'yes Lord your servant is listening'

www.sheepspeak.com

Judges 7:1-7 (Genesis 13:8-18): At the 614 Spring

Presented to Corps 614 Regent Park of The Salvation Army, 28 August 2016 by Captain Michael Ramsay

To view a version presented to Warehouse Mission, click here: http://sheepspeaks.blogspot.ca/2016/08/judges-71-7-genesis-138-18-at-warehouse.html 

Today we read in Genesis about the LORD reducing the size of Abraham’s entourage for harmony and we read in Judges about the LORD reducing Gideon’s numbers for mission.

The passage in Judges comes near the end of a very difficult time. Some people – at least the tribe of Manasseh, probably the tribes of Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali as well - and maybe even more or all of the Israelites have been under the control of the Midianites for 7 years.[1] And this was not the first time that they had been in dire straights, under the control of another and having everything that they had seen built, torn down bit by bit so that more and more of their people are fleeing and in hiding (cf. Judges 3-5). It is in this context that the people of Israel cry out to the LORD and, Judges 6:7-10:

When the Israelites cried out to the Lord because of Midian, he sent them a prophet, who said, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I brought you up out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. I rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians. And I delivered you from the hand of all your oppressors; I drove them out before you and gave you their land. I said to you, ‘I am the Lord your God; do not worship the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you live.’ But you have not listened to me.”

Nonetheless the Lord has compassion on them and sends His angel to Gideon and gives Gideon the responsibility to lead Israel through this difficult time (Judges 6:11-27).[2] We don’t have time to get into the whole story of Gideon today but Gideon was probably not what one would consider to be cut from the best material for being a leader.[3] He and/or his dad and people working for them worshipped other gods right on his property, Gideon hid behind his parent’s apron strings when things got difficult, and by his own admission, his clan was the weakest in Manasseh and he was the least in His clan. However, knowing this, the LORD says to him, “Go in this might of yours and deliver Israel from the hand of Midian; I hereby commission you…I will be with you and you shall strike down the Midianites” (Judges 6:11-19).

This is the setting for our Judges pericope today: Chapter 7:1-7. Israel was suffering; all they had built was being torn down; their leaders had gone into hiding and they were feeling oppressed and attacked as all they had was being trampled and disappearing. Does this sound familiar at all?

Our building here will be torn down. And more than that: there was much built up around here over the first part of the last 15 years or so. 614 was famous. 614s popped up around the world: England, Australia. Almost as far away from this place as you can get and still be in Canada; Susan, the older girls, and I were called to assist those founding 614 in Vancouver very shortly after the formation of this 614 here in Regent Park.

Very quickly this 614 here grew. People flocked to the community. Outsiders were called away from their communities into this one. People came from not only all over Toronto but from Edmonton and all over Canada and from Australia and all over the world to be part of this people God was raising up in Regent Park.

But then things seemingly came to a halt. I am not going to tear open old wounds here by recounting everything. Those who have been here a long time know stories of sin and of marriage break-ups, of struggles with  authority, of finances, of accusations, of turmoil and of real hurt and real struggle. If I were to recount the symptoms and results of oppression and decline that has left us without many of the old leaders, without any of the old financial resources, and without the even former favour from the hierarchy, I am afraid we may leave here grieving all the more what was lost, what is in the past.

In the account of Abraham that we read in Genesis, you will notice that they are without a home and are in the process of finding out where they are going and they do not yet even know when or for how long they will be in transition. It is in this context that God removes from Abraham his family members who were in the midst of conflict. That sounds a little like us here today too.

Back to Gideon in the book of Judges: the tribe of Manasseh in Israel was grieving when the LORD moves to save them. God takes Gideon, a leader of no previous reputation; He takes a broken people and He uses them to deliver the community of Israel. Judges 7:1-3:

Early in the morning, Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon) and all his men camped at the spring of Harod. The camp of Midian was north of them in the valley near the hill of Moreh. The Lord said to Gideon, “You have too many men. I cannot deliver Midian into their hands, or Israel would boast against me, ‘My own strength has saved me.’ Now announce to the army, ‘Anyone who trembles with fear may turn back and leave Mount Gilead.’” So twenty-two thousand men left, while ten thousand remained.

Israel gathers to fight now but God says “no, not yet;[4] there are too many of you. When the battle has been won you will boast against me, ‘my own strength has saved me.” So God sends home 22 000 men out of an army of 32 000 men. There are those who don’t want to stay so God says, ‘let them go’ and two thirds of his army for salvation go home. They will no longer fight under that banner.

We have wonderful banners here that many people, heroes of the faith, champions of our traditions, and legends of our community have fought under, who are no longer fighting here. Maybe as many as two-thirds who were here before, God has let go.

Continuing in our Judges text, 7:4, “But the Lord said to Gideon, ‘There are still too many men. Take them down to the water, and I will thin them out for you there. If I say, ‘This one shall go with you,’ he shall go; but if I say, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ he shall not go.” And then, Verse 7 and 8a “The Lord said to Gideon, ‘With the three hundred men that lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hands. Let all the others go home.’ So Gideon sent the rest of the Israelites home.”

When things are at there absolute worst, when victories are but a distant memory and even those memories are beginning to fade, when life is at its most difficult and more than 2/3^rds of the leaders in battle have left, God culls the leadership even further. Of the 1/3^rd who are left, God lets 2/3^rds of the remnant return home before the battle. God leaves only 1/3^rd of 1/3^rd of the remnant to experience the victory with Him on this day when He reasserts His control and His blessing over the whole area, over the whole community. And why does the Bible say that He does it this way? Chapter 6 says that honestly the people got into this problem in the first place by thinking a little too highly of themselves and Chapter 7 says that even when they are broken, if the Lord uses too many leaders to deliver them, than they might boast against Him, ‘Our own strength has saved us’ (cf. Zec 4:6).

Today we are small. We have lost many from our numbers over the years like Gideon lost very quickly from his. And like Gideon was the least of the last, maybe some of us are too. But here is the truth of the story, God delivered Gideon, God delivered Israel, God delivered Abram; and God can deliver us and God will deliver us. Like Gideon’s army today, we are gathered at that spring.[5] And the battle belongs to the Lord (cf. 1 Sam 17:14, Zec 4:6)[6]

Today we read in Genesis about the LORD reducing the size of Abraham’s entourage for harmony and we read in Judges about the LORD reducing Gideon’s numbers for mission. I believe he has done the same for us.

This building here is coming down at some point soon and then we will be like Abram, waiting for our home. Some of what happens here now will not happen there and then. Some of the people who have been here have already gone away, like Lot’s people and like Gideon’s men, but God will deliver us.

The first thing that God does in the Gideon story is to bring the people back to worshipping Him in the ways they did before. God tears down the other altars.

614 was founded on prayer and on SMALL groups. Even this week in devotions John shared about going door-to-door to pray with people. Patricia in a devotion this week spoke about the importance of Scripture (TSA doc 1). Prayer and small groups is in our DNA that God has replicated all over the world. That is the way we worshiped the Lord from the beginning and that I believe is what God is calling us back to today more than ever. If everyone here prays on a regular basis with others and if each of us holds each other accountable in small groups, I believe that God will use our numbers just like he used Gideon’s small numbers to do a mighty thing. Today, you and I are standing at that spring. We have already been pared down and we have the choice before us: do we look down like the men who buried their heads in the water and so were sent home or do we look up and taste and see what the Lord is doing? Because as we look to the LORD I really do believe that He will use our numbers just like he used Gideon’s small numbers to do a mighty thing!

Here is what I ask of us today at the spring waters of 614. I have these pieces of paper. On these pieces of paper, for those of us who are willing to serve, are real opportunities for ministry. Every one of us who is willing, I ask that we mark the paper committing to be in a weekly group of prayer and accountability and to mark the sheets as follows. I pledge to:

_____ Have that group at my house

_____ Provide snacks for that group

_____ Lead the weekly group

_____ Be the leader’s helper

_____ Other: _______________________

And then mark the times and days that you are available. And then pray. Pray from today and never stop praying. Pray without ceasing. Pray asking the Lord, what He wants you to do and pray asking who you can invite to be a part of your group.Today let us commit to pray and today God will do a mighty thing in our midst. Fill out your papers now and as Susan plays, you are invited to come to the water and leave your sheets here at the altar.

Let us pray.

www.sheepspeak.com

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[1]Herbert Wolf, The Expositor's Bible Commentary, Pradis CD-ROM:Judges/Exposition of Judges/II. The Rule of the Judges (2:6-16:31)/F. The Victory of Gideon Over the Midianites (6:1-8:32)/1. Israel's land devastated by the Midianites (6:1-6), Book Version: 4.0.2

[2] K Lawson Younger Jr, ‘Judges’ in NIVAC Bundle 2: Historical Books, Judges and Ruth - The NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids, Mi, Zondervan: 2002):'it makes it clear that the appeal [to YHWH] is not a devise by which  Israel can automatically secure its future. The relationship between YHWH and  Israel is not a mechanical process in which Israel can manipulatively call on  YHWH and He instaneously responds.(46 min left in chapt).

[3] cf. David M. Howard Jr. ESV Study Bible. (Crossway Bibles: Wheaton, Illinois: 2007). Cited from On-line Version: Judg. 7:1–8:3 Gideon’s First Battle.

[4] M. O’Connor, “Judges,” in The New Jerome Biblical Commentary, ed. Raymond  E. Brown, Joseph A. Fitzmyer and Roland E. Murphy (Upper Saddle River:  Prentice-Hall, 1990), 139:  “Gideon has  tested Yahweh, and now Yahweh proposes tests for Gideon’s men.[3]”

[5] K Lawson Younger Jr, ‘Judges’ in NIVAC Bundle 2: Historical Books, Judges and Ruth - The NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids, Mi, Zondervan: 2002): 'harad' is Hebrew for trembling, thus where this takes place is the spring of trembling (16 min left)

[6] Cf, Captain Michael Ramsay, 1 Samuel 17:46-47: The Battle belongs to the Lord. Originally presented to Nipawin and Tisdale Corps on July 6, 2008, on-line:

http://sheepspeaks.blogspot.ca/2008/07/1-samuel-1746-47-battle-belongs-to-lord.html

Matthew 6:5-15: Forgive and Bear with it

Presented to Swift Current corps of The Salvation Army 

By Capt Michael Ramsay, 18 January 2015

Ray’s Brother Cliff shared this story with us at Ray’s funeral and memorial services this week about Ray’s very generous donation to the Calgary Zoo:

Ray was working up north somewhere. They were clearing a forest and they noticed a bear cub in one of the trees. Ray thought that it would be a good idea to capture the bear cub and bring it home to Ravenscrag, Saskatchewan. So Ray and a group of others fell the tree and collected the bear cub up in a big tarp. Ray then emptied his duffle bag put this bear cub in there for the trip home. They flew into Calgary without incident where Ray then went to board the bus home with his luggage. It is at some point here – I am not sure whether Ray and his new friend actually made it onto the bus or not but they were definitely in the depot and maybe on the bus when the bear decides it is done with the duffle bag and he escapes to see the world. You can imagine the commotion as this bear cub gets out and people are running everywhere – some to get away and some to get the bear - and in the middle of this all is Ray standing there with his now empty duffle bag. They eventually capture the bear cub and bring him to the zoo and if he is alive and well than he is probably still at the Calgary Zoo to this day. This was Ray’s generous, if somewhat unintentional, donation to the Calgary Zoo. Some of the stories I have heard over the last week have given me a whole new way to think of our good friend Ray and his life experiences.

Jesus was certainly all about encouraging people to look at our world in a whole new way and the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7 is definitely about seeing the whole world in a new way. The thesis statement of Jesus’ the Sermon on the Mount, I believe, is Matthew 5:17-18:“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfil them. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished” (TSA doc 1).[1] Everything else in the Sermon on the Mount seems to expound upon this. You will notice in the lead up to the pericope that we are looking at today, Jesus’ teaching on prayer; he speaks about anger, retaliation, and murder. He speaks about marriage, oaths, adultery, and divorce and he speaks about a new way to consider how we interact with all of these in the context of scripture.[2]

We know that God hates divorce. The Law says you shouldn’t commit adultery. Jesus says that as we are citizens of His country, of His kingdom, we don’t need to obey laws prohibiting adultery and divorce because we won’t let things go so far as to even consider adultery or divorce (Matthew 5:21-32). Jesus says that not only will we keep our marriage vows until death do we part but He says a Christian, a citizen of His Kingdom, a follower of Jesus won’t even need to make marriage or any other vows because everything we say we will do, we will do. Jesus says as we serve him every promise we make we will keep. You know the old expression that a person’s word is their bond. In ancient Israel you were not to be released from any vow you made before God for any reason and over the years people tried to erode that value by making laws about what oaths and vows you needed to keep under what circumstances and what ones you didn’t. Jesus is saying here that if you do everything that you say you are going to do.[3] This is what you will do as you grow into a solid citizen of His kingdom, Jesus says then many vices – such as breaking our vows, adultery, divorce and remarriage - aren’t even on the table.

Murder too: the Law says not to murder but Jesus says that is the wrong place to draw the line (Matthew 5:21-26, 38-48). We should allow God to stop our feelings of hatred and revenge before they even get to the point we are tempted to murder or even retaliate against someone. If we never hate anyone, if we never hold a grudge against someone then we don’t need a law to forbid murder; it will never get to that if we always act in love and forgiveness. Does this make sense?

This– and an introduction to almsgiving – is the groundwork that Jesus lays in his Sermon on the Mount before He teaches us about prayer. Jesus shows us that forgiveness is central to His Kingdom and it is central to prayer. This context is very important for us to remember as we read the Lord’s Prayer. Jesus continues, as he leads us in his prototype of how to pray, by encouraging us that it doesn’t matter if we say long and eloquent prayers like the self-important people. We don’t need to be the people who can pray fancy prayers in front of a bunch of people.[4] In fact, Jesus says that it is beneficial not to do such things if indeed our goal is to have our prayers answered. Jesus then gives us this example of how to pray. He says,

Our Father which art in Heaven – This is acknowledging God, our Father who lives in Heaven. Hallowed be thy Name – Hallowed means holy; God is holy. Thy Kingdom Come – God’s Kingdom of Heaven is coming here.[5] Thy Will be done on earth as it is in Heaven – As God’s Kingdom of Heaven comes here, God’s will (as we read in this whole Sermon on the Mount, chapters 5-7) will be done here.

Give us this Day our daily bread – As this is happening, please continue to feed us daily and - Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us - Again the theme of forgiveness appears in Jesus’ sermon and it is near the culmination of how he teaches us to pray. Jesus says that as we forgive others God will also forgive us. And then Jesus says, Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. There are many temptations, of course. Susan spoke to us last week about the devil’s attempts to tempt Jesus is the dessert (Chapter 4). I would think that in the context of this prayer – however- in the context of this Sermon on the Mount, the primary temptation implied here is the temptation to not forgive. Because look at the next verse: this is Jesus’ whole conclusion to His teaching on prayer in this homily. He says, Verse 14, “for if you forgive others their trespasses, if you forgive others their sins, if you forgive people who do evil things to you,” Jesus says, “if you forgive them, your Father in Heaven will forgive you; but…” Verse 15, “But if you do not forgive them, neither will your Father forgive you.”

This is central to God’s Kingdom. This is probably the primary way we can identify whether we are a part of God’s Kingdom. And if we think about it, it really makes sense. God doesn’t promise here that He will save us from difficult times. God will save us in difficult times.

Look at Joseph in the Old Testament (Genesis 37-50). I think he is a great example. The Bible says that Joseph loved God and Joseph prospered.  Joseph spent the first part of his life as the son of a rich herdsman; Joseph spent a key part of his later life as the right hand man of Pharaoh and governor of all of Egypt BUT that is NOT when the Bible says Joseph prospered. The Bible says that Joseph prospered when he was in slavery and when he was in the dungeon, when he was in prison. This is when Joseph prospered in his relationship with God.[6] The Bible doesn’t say that Joseph prospered when he had money and power. Joseph prospered in his adversity.

King David also: David, when he was rich and powerful he was committing adultery, murder and sowing the seeds of his sons’ future rebellions (2 Samuel). David prospered when he was an innocent young shepherd and when he was a fugitive from the king and the key to David’s prosperity in his relationship with the LORD was forgiveness (1 Samuel).[7] King Saul tried many times to kill David and his friends. David repeatedly refused to take revenge. David refused to harm Saul. Even when he could have killed him as he had Saul in his reach, he instead just cut a piece of Saul’s cloak and held it up for the King to see it as a symbol of peace and forgiveness (1 Samuel 24; cf. 1 Samuel 26).

I think too that we know in our own lives that we are most prosperous when we are forgiving and I think, as we consider our own lives we will notice that indeed we are forgiven more readily when indeed we forgive.

I know that there have been times when I have gotten angry. Even not that long ago I know that there were the actions of one or two people that the enemy tempted my mind to dwell upon; I was harbouring un-forgiveness and it almost put me over the edge. In that time of un-forgiveness, I even woke up in the middle of the night enraged. It was eating me up. Un-forgiveness is a self-inflicted wound and it is only when we stop inflicting that wound upon ourselves that we can truly experience the joys of our salvation in the midst of everything that is in our world today. I promise you that as we do forgive others we will notice God’s forgiveness in our lives just like David did when he was on the run, and just like Joseph did even when he was in prison and in slavery. As we forgive others, in the midst of our enemies, when we most need God’s strength we will notice that indeed He is there providing us the grace and forgiveness we need to get through even the shadow of the valley of death (Psalm 23).

I have one more story for us today from Ray’s brother. Cliff told me of these two neighbours down in his neck of the woods that were feuding. I think it was something to do with driving a bus: the routes they would take, when the children would get on, what would happen on the bus – something like that. It got so bad that I think they even had to maybe change the bus route so that the one neighbour no longer went by the other neighbour’s land.

One day, the daughter of one of these neighbours fell into a bog; no one could see her. She was under for quite a while. They only way she was found was that one of the searchers actually stepped on her. Of course, everyone called for everyone to come and help. The other neighbour appeared. His spouse was a nurse and he told her to do CPR, do something, save this little girls life! The spouse said, “she’s dead; she’s not breathing; there’s no pulse; its too late; she’s dead.” The daughter - she said of their neighbour with whom her husband had been feuding and not forgiving - was dead. Her husband refused to accept that. He implored, cajoled, ordered, begged, commanded, directed, pleaded, insisted that his wife continue to do CPR on the girl while he drives his neighbour’s little girl to the hospital however many miles away it was. She did and you know what? The little girl came back to life. She lived. Do you think that these neighbours ever fought about busses or anything else like that ever again? Do you think that they ever let un-forgiveness rob them of the freedom to love their neighbours again?

This is what the Sermon on the Mount is saying. This is what the Lord’s Prayer in the Sermon on the Mount is saying. If we truly want to live in the freedom that comes from serving Christ as part of the Kingdom of Heaven, the only way to do that is to forgive and God promises that indeed as we forgive others, God will forgive us and then whatever else befalls us in our life it will be alright. It will be okay. Let us pray as our Lord has taught us to pray:

Our Father which art in Heaven, hallowed by Thy Name.

Thy Kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven

Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us

Lead us not into temptation and deliver us from evil for Thine is the Kingdom the Power, and the Glory forever and ever. Amen

www.sheepspeak.com

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[1] Cf. Douglas R.A. Hare, Matthew (Interpretation: Louisville, Kentucky: John Knox Press, 1993), 46-50.

[2] Cf. R. T. France, Matthew: An Introduction and Commentary. Downers Grove, IL : InterVarsity Press, 1985 (Tyndale New Testament Commentaries 1), S. 122

[3] Cf. M. Eugene Boring, Matthew, (NIB 8: Nashville, Tennessee: Abingdon Press, 1995), 193.

[4] Cf. R. T. France, Matthew: An Introduction and Commentary. Downers Grove, IL : InterVarsity Press, 1985 (Tyndale New Testament Commentaries 1), S. 137

[5] NT Wright, ‘Matthew for Everyone Part 1Chapters 1-15’ (NT for Everyone: Louisville Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press, 2004), 59.

[6] Captain Michael Ramsay, Genesis 39:2a: The Lord was with Joseph and he prospered. Presented to Swift Current Corps, July 10, 2011. Available

on-line: http://sheepspeaks.blogspot.ca/2011/07/genesis-392a-lord-was-with-joseph-and.html

[7] Captain Michael Ramsay, 1 Samuel 17:46 – 47: The Battle belongs to the Lord Presented to Swift Current Corps on May 2, 2010 and Nipawin and Tisdale on July 6, 2008. Available on-line: http://sheepspeaks.blogspot.ca/2008/07/1-samuel-1746-47-battle-belongs-to-lord.html

Mathew 7: A Short Walk Through Some Difficult Teachings

Presented to Swift Current Corps of The Salvation Army, 24 Aug. 2013

By Captain Michael Ramsay

Today's sermon is going to be a little bit different than most of ours mostly because I haven't had a lot of time this week to find myriad stories to illustrate my points. I have been able to read quite a few different articles on this pericope so today we will take a little bit of a walk through Chapter 7. First I do have a story and a comic. The story is from Al Meyers:

With the new distracted driving laws in place across this country the RCMP are used to pulling over teenagers on their cell phones, making phone calls or even texting but what this one police officer saw was quite different. He saw an older lady knitting as she was driving down the highway. He put on his lights behind her but she didn't see him. She just kept driving so he pulled up behind her and yelled, “pull over”

“No”, She replied, “Sweater.”

This comic is one that was shared for us at Officer/family retreat this past week: There is this Baptist pastor about to baptize one of his parishioners. He goes to the tank. He holds his parishioner's hands. He says a prayer and then he looks at his friend and tells him that now when you are baptized all of you and everything that goes under the water belongs to God. This picture is the last frame of that comic.

We shouldn't necessarily judge the new convert for his actions in our story today - or should we? Let us look at our text today, Matthew 7:1-2: “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.  For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you” (See Romans 2:1).

First thing here: What does it mean when it says do not judge? Does it mean that we are not supposed to discern right from wrong? Does it mean that we aren't supposed to make judgements at all? Does it mean that we are supposed to just go with the flow? No. The Apostle Paul is quite clear in calling us to judge the actions of other believers. 1 Corinthians 5, especially Verse 12, Paul tells us explicitly to do so.

And Jesus is recorded as saying a few times that it is necessary to apply sound judgement (cf. Matthew 7:15-20).[1] Matthew records Jesus’ call for excommunication if a person is judged to be non-repentant: Matthew 18:15-17.[2] Matthew records right in this book that we are looking at together over the next few weeks, Jesus' own words on making good judgements and look here at the next few verses. Verses 3-5:

“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

Jesus here refers to the right judgement that there is a speck in your brother's eye. He is not saying that you should ignore that. Jesus is simply saying that you should not be judgemental when you bring your discernment to your neighbour's attention (cf. Genesis 41:33-39; Deuteronomy 32:28-29; 2 Samuel 14:17, 1 Kings 3:9-12; 2 Chronicles 2:12; Psalm 119:125; Proverbs 1:5, 10:13, 14:33, 15:14; Daniel 2:21; 2 Corinthians 2:14; 1 Corinthians 11:29-31; Philippians 1:10).

For example, this weekend we had a divisional conversation about the LGBT community brought about because of some of its more militant members' attacks on TSA recently. There was a good conversation about our local experiences with these sort of sexual ethics. The Salvation Army has had quite a few very good interactions with people in and around this lifestyle. One point that came to my mind about this quite simply would be if someone in our group here started condemning someone for a LGBT lifestyle who themselves is involved in adultery or serial marriages or fornication or pornography, that person would be a hypocrite; if someone who is 'living in sin' as they say were to try to pluck a spec from an adulterer’s eye, that would be hypocritical (cf. John 8:1-11; cf. also Matthew 5:28-32, 19:9; Mark 10:11; Luke 16:18). Now that is not to say that if I see that you are having sex outside of marriage that I shouldn't discern that as wrong and try to encourage you to a holy lifestyle. As a matter of fact, Matthew records Jesus as saying in Matthew 18:15-17 that that is exactly what I am supposed to do and likewise that is exactly what you are supposed to do for me should the need arise. Does this make sense? We are supposed to judge right from wrong but we aren't supposed to be judgemental in dealing with people who are struggling with and suffering the effects of sin.[3]

Next in Matthew's record of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, we have Verse 6: “Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.” This is basically saying that if people do not accept the gospel message when you first present it, don't pester them with it, don't nag them with it, don't harass them with it - they won't appreciate what you are trying to do for them and therefore they may turn on you. Rather if someone is argumentative about the Scriptures and Salvation, just walk away, pray for them in silence and you or someone else may have another opportunity to speak with them about a better way to spend this life and the next. Matthew 10:16: Jesus says, “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.”

This brings us to Matthew 7:7-8: “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” Does this mean that God will give you everything that you ask for? What if you ask for something evil? What if you ask for a lot money when Jesus has just said in this same speech (Matthew 6:24) that you cannot serve both God and money? Will God give you everything you ask for if you are simply persistent enough?[4] No. It says that God is a loving father and it says, Verses 9-12:

 “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.

A loving father would not give his children snakes and rocks when they really need fish and eggs. God gives His children good gifts. And it is these good gifts that we should come to our Father in Heaven about for He knows what we need even before we ask for it and so we need not worry about these things, simply bring them to our Lord, our Father who loves us.

Now let us look at verses 13-29 as one unit. We could break it up further but that would take quite a lot of time and I do have a bus to catch today so… Verse 13ff:

13 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

15 “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

21“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

28 When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, 29 because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.

The keys to unlocking this section that we just read, I believe lie in Verses 21-27. Verse 21, Jesus tells us quite plainly: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” This is serious. Not everyone who goes to church goes to Heaven. Not everyone who calls Jesus ‘Lord’ will go to Heaven. In all likelihood not everyone in a church in Swift Current this morning will go to Heaven after her final morning on earth.

Not only that but – Verses 22,23 – even some people who prophesy in the Lord’s Name will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven; even some of those who successfully perform miracles in the Lord’s Name will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven; even some of those who actually do drive demons out of people will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven. This is serious stuff. Not only will not everyone who goes to church go to Heaven but not even everyone who does all of these things we’ve mentioned will go to Heaven. Not everyone who calls Jesus ‘Lord’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven (Cf. 2 Timothy 2:19 and Acts 2:21).

Then who of us will? If not some people who do miracles, cast out demons, prophesy and call Jesus their Lord, who will get into heaven? Well, the gate to Heaven is small and road to Heaven is narrow. So, who of us gets there? Those who – Matthew 7:15-20 – bear good fruit. Those who – Matthew 7:24-37 – put into practice everything that Jesus has said in His Sermon on the Mount. The good fruit that one will bear when one is a follower of Jesus, according to Matthew’s record of the Sermon of the Mount are love for one’s enemies, giving to the needy, forgiving others, not doing things for money or for the praise of other people, refraining from condemning others and persistently asking, knocking and seeking the will of God. As noted in 2 Timothy 2:19, Paul tells us “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness.”

But wait a minute, you might say. I read my Bible and I read my Bible as a child. I did my memory work for Sunday school. I know that the Bible says, Acts 2:21, that everyone who calls on the Name of the Lord will be saved. So, how can that be? How cannot everyone who calls Jesus ‘Lord’ be saved and how can everyone who does call on the Name of the Lord be saved. That seems contradictory.

What is this list all about? I know that God says that there is nothing that we have to do obtain everlasting life but we must be born again, John 3; there is nothing that we can do to obtain everlasting life. Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” John 3:16 records that “God so loved the world that He sent His Only Begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life”

So how does the Grace of God as reflected in Acts 2:21,“Everyone who calls on the Name of the Lord will be Saved” fit with Matthew 7:21 “… “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven”?

It is quite simple actually. There is quite a difference between calling Jesus ‘Lord’ and actually calling upon Jesus as Lord.[5] If you are in the holding cells in town here and you call someone your lawyer, that doesn’t mean that he actually is your lawyer. If you were to say that Jack Hoffard or Amy Anderson were your lawyer, it doesn’t mean that they are and it doesn’t mean that they will represent you in court and release you from your situation. If however, you call on them; if you call their offices and they agree to represent you then they will be your lawyer and only then will they save you from the charges you are facing.

It is the same with us. If we just call Jesus our Lord He will not save us from the charges of sin we are facing but if we call Him, if we call on Him, He promises that indeed He will save us from our sins and when we are saved from our sins than all of those other behaviours will naturally follow because that is what it does look like to be free of sin.[6] So today, if there are any of us today who are not yet free of the prison cells of our own sins; today if there are any of us who are not experiencing that perfect freedom in Christ; today if there are any of us who have not called upon the Name of the Lord, come talk to someone after church, say a prayer, or come now to the Mercy Seat at the front here and receive a free gift of Salvation.

Let us pray.

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[1] Cf. Douglas R.A. Hare, ‘Matthew’, (Interpretation: Louisville, Kentucky: John Knox Press, 1993), 77.

[2] But Cf. Dale C. Allison Jr, ‘A review of The Sermon on the Mount: A Commentary on the Sermon on the Mount including the Sermon on the Plain (Matthew 5:3-7:27 and Luke 6:20-49)’ in JBL pp37-38.

[3] Cf. M. Eugene Boring, ‘Matthew’, (NIB 8: Nashville, Tennessee: Abingdon Press, 1995), 212.

[4] Cf. Captain Michael Ramsay, ‘The Ethics of Jesus in Luke’s Gospel as reflected in parables spoken en route to Jerusalem’, Presented to William and Catherine Booth College (Fall 2006). Available on-line: http://www.sheepspeak.com./NT_Michael_Ramsay.htm#Ethics of Jesus in Luke’s Gospel

[5] cf. R. T. France, Matthew: An Introduction and Commentary. Downers Grove, IL : InterVarsity Press, 1985 (Tyndale New Testament Commentaries 1), S. 153

[6] Cf. Ellen T. Charry, 'The Grace of God and the Law of Christ,’ Interpretation 57 (2003): 35.

2 Timothy 1:3: Let Us Pray

Presented to Swift Current Corps of The Salvation Army, 09 Oct. 2011

By Captain Michael Ramsay

2 Timothy 1:3: “I thank God, whom I serve, as my forefathers did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers.” I have a story here that Harvey put in my in-box about thanking God… or talking to Him anyway.

A golfer, now in his golden years, had a lifelong ambition to play one hole at the famous Pebble Beach in California, the same way the pros do it: The pros drive the ball out over the water straight onto the green that is on a spit of land that juts out off the coast. It was something he had tried hundreds of times without success. His ball always fell short, into the ocean. Because of this he never used a new ball on this particular hole. He always chose an old one with a cut or a nick in it.

      This one time when he came to Pebble Beach to try again and he arrived at that particular hole, he teed up an old, cut up ball and said a silent prayer. As he was about to strike the ball a loud voice from the heavens says, “Wait! Replace that old ball with a brand new ball.”

      The old golfer did but he still had some misgivings. He still lacked faith a little bit that he would ever see his ball again despite the fact that the Lord seemed to be implying that he was going to finally achieve his life-long ambition of avoiding this water trap, just like the pros. Hesitantly, the old golfer stepped up to the tee one more time, this time with a brand new ball and as he did, he heard the voice again from above: “Wait. Step back. Take a practice swing.” He did.

      The voice boomed again, “Take another practice swing.” He did. Then, after a moment of silence, the Lord finally said, “put the old ball back on the tee.”

2 Timothy 1:3: “I thank God, whom I serve, as my forefathers did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers.” Here the golfer can thank God that He spared him his new golf ball.

We are going to be looking at the book of 2 Timothy in our lead up to the Advent Season this year. Assuming Pauline authorship,[1] Paul probably wrote this letters while he was in prison in Rome under Emperor Nero in the mid-60s CE. Now, this imprisonment was different than other imprisonments that Paul had suffered. Previously Paul was under house arrest – an electronic monitoring type of situation, albeit before electronics of course - where Paul had a fair bit of leniency in his imprisonment. Now, however, he is in a dungeon. Tradition has it that this is Paul’s final imprisonment as well. He will only leave the dungeon for the grave. Paul will die via capital punishment here in Rome and he is now in prison awaiting that conclusion.[2] The conditions in the dungeon were probably not as bad as those for the people today trapped in Guantanamo Bay – I doubt that the Romans were actively torturing him like today’s paramount superpower is doing down in Cuba - but Paul’s experience may not be entirely dissimilar and probably even worse than prisons in this country. It certainly is not the house arrest that Paul had experienced earlier.[3] This is a new style of imprisonment for Paul and this is what life is like for Paul as he is writing this letter to his friends and church family.

In his letter, one can see that Paul is obviously lonely. He misses his church family (2 Timothy 1:4). (Does anyone remember where this church is located that is receiving the letter? Ephesus.) He is remembering in this letter his church family in Ephesus,[4] especially Timothy and Timothy’s mother, Eunice; and Timothy’s grandmother, Lois (2 Timothy 1:5). Paul wants to see them again. He misses them. And we here in this congregation today understand a little bit of what it means to be missing people, who are serving God elsewhere, don’t we? Dusty and Laurie and their children have gone off to Training College in Winnipeg to serve God, the Kingdom, and the Army; leaving behind family, church family, jobs, and friends. Jessica and Alyssia have gone off to the big city. Jessica is going to University, and she, as well as friends and church family, is leaving behind her younger sisters with whom she is very close. Julie Arnold has gone out from us preparing for her own missionary journey to Indonesia. (Hopefully she isn’t offered her martyr’s crown like Paul was! I have confidence she wouldn’t decline it.) As a congregation, between Dusty and Laurie, Jessica and Alyssia, and Julie, many of us also have that same longing today that 2000 years ago this church in Ephesus, Timothy, his mother, and his grandmother would have for Paul as Paul is away from them serving the Lord. Paul, as he expresses his loneliness in this letter, is in all likelihood having feelings not entirely dissimilar to the feelings experienced by those who have left us to proclaim the Gospel (cf. Romans 1:11; 1 Thessalonians 3:6 and Philippians 1:8). We are separated from those we love and with whom we have together served the Lord.

The youth here have recently just written letters of encouragement to those who have gone out from us. Julie sends us regular updates as she prepares to share the Good News in Indonesia. Paul, the apostle, is reaching out in this letter to his friends and church family and look: what is one of the first things that he tells them? He says, “I thank God, whom I serve, as my forefathers did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers” (2 Timothy 1:3).

Paul says that he thanks God day and night as he constantly remembers them. The Authorized Version reads, “without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day.” Without ceasing (Greek: adialeipton) Paul remembers his Christian brothers and sisters in his prayers (cf. Romans 1:9-10; Philippians 1:3; Colossians 1:31; Thessalonians 1:2; 3:6). While this sentiment is prevalent in the New Testament, The Greek word used here, adialeiptos (unceasingly), is a powerful word and is found elsewhere in Paul’s writings only in Romans 9:2 (cf. Romans 1:9-10; Philippians 1:3; Colossians 1:31; Thessalonians 1:2; 3:6).[5] Paul in this letter is saying that whenever – day or night - the Lord brings Timothy, Eunice and Lois to his mind, Paul prays for them.[6]

Paul knows the power of prayer. Paul in another letter to this same church in Ephesus states about prayer that after we have put on the full amour of God that we are to – Ephesians 6:18-  “…pray in the spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.”

Prayer is a powerful thing and even when Paul is imprisoned, he still has access to this power of prayer and he is not afraid to use it. 2 Timothy 1:7: “for God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love, and of self-discipline.” 2 Timothy 1:3: “I thank God, whom I serve, as my forefathers did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers.”

This is important for us to remember. We need to constantly remember our Christian brothers and sisters in prayer. We have, of course, those like Dusty and Laurie and Julie Arnold whom the Lord has called away to serve him elsewhere. We should continue to uphold them in prayer. We should also pray for all the saints, as Ephesians 6:18 records.

We all know what the Bible means when we read the word ‘saint’ in the New Testament, right? In the New Testament a saint is NOT a dead person through whom God does miracles. ‘Saint’, when we read the term in the New Testament just means, ‘Christian’.[7] The word literally means ‘holy’ or ‘holy one’ and as the word ‘Christian’ is only used a handful of times, ‘saint’ was what Christians were commonly called in the first century (cf. TSA doc. 10).[8] When we read the word ‘saint’ in the New Testament, in our mind we should probably hear the word, ‘Christian’. We should pray for all the Christians and we should, like Paul, pray for people without ceasing day and night, whenever the Lord brings them to our thoughts (cf. for ex. Acts 9, Romans 15, 1 Corinthians 16, Philippians 4:21-22, Colossians 1).

When Susan and I were urban missionaries in Canada’s poorest postal code, on Vancouver’s downtown eastside (DTES), with The Salvation Army’s 614 Corps, they began a War Room there. The War Room was our prayer room. We had a room in a slum hotel that looked out on that infamous corner of Main and Hastings Street in the DTES of Vancouver. There were people praying in that room overlooking that intersection, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for more than a year anyway. We would each sign up for 3-hour shifts of prayer in the War Room. I often took the 5am – 8am shift. At first a 3-hour prayer shift seemed like a long time but by the end of each shift one inevitably wondered how the time passed so quickly. It was a wonderful time and place to commune with God. Some would take one prayer shift in the War Room a week, others one shift a day, others sometimes more. Twenty-four hours a day, morning and evening, day and night, someone would be praying in that War Room in that slum hotel on Vancouver’s DTES and wow what a blessing that was. 2 Timothy 1:3: “I thank God, whom I serve, as my forefathers did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers.”

Like we said before, prayer is a powerful tool and even when Paul is imprisoned, he still has access to this power of prayer and he is not afraid to use it. 2 Timothy 1:7: “for God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love, and of self-discipline.” The Apostle Paul when he was in a dungeon awaiting execution, with a clear conscience, day and night would remember the saints in prayer. Paul, while he was in the dungeon, he was praying for the saints, the Christians, the other believers. Paul, while he was in jail awaiting execution, was praying for all those on the outside that the Lord was bringing to his mind.

This is important. We need to uphold each other in prayer. There are many things that need prayer. It is good to pray that in our own lives, that we follow the will of God and it is also important to pray for others. We mentioned those who have gone out from us here into the mission field, God will use our prayers to use them to do His will. Another member of the congregation here shared her testimony this week. As we pray for her, God will use our prayers to use her to do His will. We have members of our corps who have been sick and or on leave; as we pray for them, God will use our prayers to use them to do His will. Prayer is a powerful tool and the church that prays together stays together. Prayer is a powerful tool and we should not be afraid to use it. Richard and any others who can gather every week in the meeting room before church pray for the saints and the community. Ray comes into my office all the time to say prayers, as he also visits other people here and around town praying with them and for them. Prayer is a powerful tool and we should not be afraid to use it.

We have all heard of, if we have not experienced ourselves, the power of prayer for salvation in people’s lives. How many people have we led in a prayer of confession of faith after family has been praying for them for years? We know the story of St. Augustine, of course; this was his story. His mother, St. Monica, prayed for him for many years before he came to the Lord and then the Lord used him to influence the church even unto this very day. Prayer is a powerful tool and we are to use it to uphold our Christian brothers and sisters day and night as the Lord brings them to our minds. This is important. We need to pray for each other.

Susan shared with us earlier, that General Linda Bond, the international leader of The Salvation Army has called us all to pray as an Army. She has asked us to pray Thursday mornings for half an hour from 5am – 8am. Susan, recognizing that mornings are not necessarily the best time for each of us, has created a 24-hr prayer sign up sheet for Thursdays. The shifts are only ½ hour long, not the 3-hour shifts we had in Vancouver but you can string together more than one shift if you would like to pray longer. It is our goal that everyone here in our congregation, would sign up for at least one 30-minute shift every Thursday. You are welcome to pray here when the building is open or you are welcome to pray in your home or you are welcome to pray wherever the Lord leads you to pray. I have left the sheets on the altar. I encourage us each to sign up for at least one ½ hour shift for each Thursday from now until Christmas. Let us here, as a church family, like Paul, let us, 2 Timothy 1:3, thank God, whom we serve, as our forefathers did, with a clear conscience, as night and day we constantly remember each other in our prayers.

Let us pray.

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[1] But cf. James D.G. Dunn, The 1st and 2nd Letter to Timothy and the Letter to Titus, (NIB XI: Nashville, Tenn.: Abingdon Press, 2000), 776-781 on authorship and date.

[2] R.C.H Lenski, Interpretation of 1 Timothy, (Interpretation of Colossians, Thessalonians, Timothy, Titus, Philemon: Minneapolis, Minn.: Augsburg Publishing House, 1964),474.

[3] Walter W. Wessel and George W. Knight III, Introduction to 2 Timothy in NIV Study Bible (ed. Kenneth Barker; Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002),1882

[4] James D.G. Dunn, The 1st and 2nd Letter to Timothy and the Letter to Titus, (NIB XI: Nashville, Tenn.: Abingdon Press, 2000), 781.

[5] Donald, Guthrie: Pastoral Epistles: An Introduction and Commentary. Downers Grove, IL : InterVarsity Press, 1990 (Tyndale New Testament Commentaries 14), S. 140

[6] W.E. Vine. ‘That without Ceasing’. In Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Word. (Nashville, Tennessee: Royal Publishers Inc., 1939),; cf. Expositors

[7] Cf. The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, ‘40: Hagios’ (Nashville, Tenn.: Thomas Nelson Publishing, 1995), p.1.

[8] John D.W. Watts. 'Holy.' In Holman Bible Dictionary, general editor Trent C. Butler. Nashville, Tennesee: Holman Bible Publishers, 1991), 660. Cf. G.B. Stevens in Hastings’ Bible Dictionary. Cited W.E. Vine. 'Holiness, Holy, Holily.' In Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Word. (Nashville, Tennessee: Royal Publishers Inc., 1939), 557.Cf. Paul Minear, Interpretation 37 no 1 Ja 1983, p. 22: In his death and resurrection, Jesus' holiness or sanctification became the measure and standard of all holiness, whether of places, times, things, or persons. (Key passages which reflect this are John 10:36; 17:17-19; I Cor. 1:2; 6:11; Heb. 2:11; 10:10; 12:14-24; 13:12-14.)"