Tools for the Christian life: Praise

Welcome back to my blog. We are in a series exploring Biblical concepts in the Christian life. There are many aspects to the Christian life. However, a simple biblically-based 5-step approach to grow our relationship with God is what I call the ‘5 tools to maturity,’ taken from Acts 2:42 and 47, as follows:

·       Prayer

·       Praise

·       Fellowship

·       Receiving biblical teaching

·       Reaching others with biblical truth

These 5 tools describe the activities in the very first church in Jerusalem and provide a model for the actions Christians should perform routinely. Importantly, these five activities are confirmed in later verses in the epistles.

Last week started our discussion of these 5 tools by examining the content and attitude in prayer. Today we will consider several common questions about praise. 

How do we praise?

Definition of ‘praise’ – Merriam-Webster dictionary defines ‘praise’ as:

• To express a favorable judgment or commend
• To glorify (a god or saint) especially by the attribution of perfections

Content of praise – For a Christian what are the elements of biblical praise? The Bible gives some hints:

• Acknowledgement of God’s perfect character (Ephesians 1:6)
• Acknowledgement of God’s righteous actions (Psalm 139:14; Psalm 148)
• Thankfulness (Hebrews 13:15)

Reason for praise – Why do we praise God? The reasons are vital to our Christian life and are listed below:

• The Bible commands us to praise – It is our duty to praise God. However, God does not give us commands without reason, so several potential explanations follow below (Psalm 150; Romans 15:11; Hebrews 13:15).
• God deserves praise – Our Father in Heaven is the almighty God who has provided for our salvation through His precious Son, Jesus Christ, as a free gift through faith that we could have eternal life. This salvation is a sure hope and anchor for our souls. Surely, He deserves glory, thanks, and praise (1 Peter 4:11; Hebrews 6:19).
• It is good for us to praise – God made us! Therefore, He knows what is good for us. It is good for us to praise because:

• God’s ordained order – Praise reminds us of the order of the universe. We are not the most important thing in creation. God’s goals and priorities are higher and better than ours.
• Humility – Realizing that God’s plans are more important than ours might limit our complaining and remind us that we are here to serve our great God.
• Attitude – Praise teaches us thankfulness in realizing God’s gifts to us in creation, in Christ and His benefits in this life as our Father. These should promote an attitude of thankfulness and reduce our expectations (Philippians 4:8).

We do indeed have a great God and Savior who are worthy of all praise, honor and glory! Praise not only in church but also in your everyday life. It will transform your Christian walk.  Join us next time as we discuss fellowship.

William C. Stewart, MD

For questions or to view more of our research…

Email                info@teleiosresearch.com

Website            http://teleiosresearch.com/

Facebook          https://www.facebook.com/TeleiosResearch

Instagram         https://www.instagram.com/TeleiosResearch

Youtube           https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCh6wIbPgxeP0YvypwAn5-9Q

Disclaimer - This blog is provided for your use and enjoyment on an ‘as is’ and ‘as available’ basis. Both the blog and the contents are subject to change at any time without notice. Although I endeavor to ensure that the blog and the content are current and accurate, it may contain errors. I do not represent that the blog or the content is current, accurate or complete, or appropriate for your specific requirements. I do not accept any liability from any person for the blog, the content or any other information (or the use of such information) I provide. I do not have a seminary degree, but I have trained myself in the scriptures to teach and provide this information. For any specific question, I suggest you contact experts in that field and or do your own research into the scriptures.   

Tools for the Christian Life: Prayer 2

Welcome back to my blog. We are in a series exploring biblical concepts in the Christian life. There are many aspects to the Christian life. However, a pivotal aspect is advancing in our relationship with God; a simple biblically-based 5-step approach is what I call the ‘5 tools to maturity,’ taken from Acts 2:42 and 47, as follows:

·       Prayer

·       Praise

·       Fellowship

·       Receiving biblical teaching

·       Reaching others with biblical truth

These 5 tools describe the activities in the very first church in Jerusalem and provide a model for the actions Christians should perform routinely. Importantly, these five activities are confirmed in later verses in the epistles.

Last time started our discussion of these 5 tools by examining the content and attitude in prayer. Today we will consider several common questions about prayer.  

·       As born-again believers, how do we know what to pray?

o   Biblical – Our prayer requests should be consistent with what glorifies Jesus Christ (John 14:13-14; 15:7). The Apostle Paul offers 3 model prayers in the epistles in which he emphasizes what God wishes us and others to attain in our Christian walk, no matter what the situation (Ephesians 1:15-23; Ephesians 3:14-17; Colossians 1:9-15).

For example, if someone asked you to pray for their sick relative, not only could you pray for their health as God cares for all our needs, but pray also according to the model prayers by Paul as these list the issues in which God wishes us to mature no matter what the situation.

o   Paul’s model prayers include the following themes:

·       Confidence of our salvation (hope).

·       Knowledge, understanding and wisdom of God’s word, especially the epistles.

·       Knowledge of God’s power.

·       Knowledge of God’s love.

·       Demonstration of service, all done in power, patience, joy and persistence.

·       What about confession of our sins? 

This is a controversial point. The epistles do not instruct us, as Christians saved by faith, to confess daily our sins to God. We are forgiven as we confessed our sins, once for all time, at salvation (1 Jn 1:6-10)!

In contrast, the common injunction to believers in the epistles simply to obey (i.e., turning from our daily sins to adhere to the Bible, Romans 6:12-20; 2 Thessalonians 3:14; 1 John 3:22). It is the Holy Spirit who helps us obey and defeat our sins (Romans 8:13). Therefore, knowing we are forgiven, our prayers can be more forward-looking, service-oriented and filled with praise and thankfulness.

·       Why pray?

Medical research indicates that active prayer increases wellbeing, and the more frequent the prayer the better the wellbeing. Prayer is good for us and the epistles tell us to do it! Several potential benefits of prayer are:

o   God cares:

§  It provides a release for our emotions to God, perhaps relieving tension and frustration.

§  It engenders a sense that somebody cares and is listening. We also know that the Holy Spirit and Christ Himself pray on our behalf (Hebrews 7:25; Romans 8:26,34).

o   Good reminders:

§  It causes us to recognize and learn scripture as we pray.

§  It allows us time to consider and how we might help, problems (ours or other’s problems.

§  It reminds us to be thankful for others and for His blessings to us.

§  It helps us to praise and remember that we have a great God whose purposes are greater than ours. Thus, it helps keep our own problems in perspective.

o   God answers: In addition, as Christians we have the benefit of God’s promise to answer prayer so there may be a further benefit through His gracious provisions (John 14:13-14; 1 John 5:13).

Prayer is a key tool to maturity as a Christian, invoking God’s help but reminding us of scripture, praise and thankfulness, all which may our assist our wellbeing.

Prayer is one of the great benefits of our Christian life. Thanks be to God for such a provision.

Join us next time as we discuss the vital topic of praise.

William C. Stewart, MD

For questions or to view more of our research…

Email                info@teleiosresearch.com

Website            http://teleiosresearch.com/

Facebook          https://www.facebook.com/TeleiosResearch

Instagram         https://www.instagram.com/TeleiosResearch

Youtube           https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCh6wIbPgxeP0YvypwAn5-9Q

Disclaimer - This blog is provided for your use and enjoyment on an ‘as is’ and ‘as available’ basis. Both the blog and the contents are subject to change at any time without notice. Although I endeavor to ensure that the blog and the content are current and accurate, it may contain errors. I do not represent that the blog or the content is current, accurate or complete, or appropriate for your specific requirements. I do not accept any liability from any person for the blog, the content or any other information (or the use of such information) I provide. I do not have a seminary degree, but I have trained myself in the scriptures to teach and provide this information. For any specific question, I suggest you contact experts in that field and or do your own research into the scriptures.   

Tools to maturity in the Christian life: Prayer

Welcome back to my blog. We are in a series exploring biblical concepts in the Christian life. There are many aspects to the Christian life. However, a simple biblically-based 5-step approach to grow our relationship with God is what I call the ‘5 tools to maturity,’ taken from Acts 2:42 and 47, as

follows:

• Prayer
• Praise
• Fellowship
• Receiving biblical teaching
• Teaching others with biblical truth

These 5 tools describe the activities documented in the very first church in Jerusalem and provide a model for the actions Christians should perform routinely. Importantly, these five activities are confirmed in later verses in the epistles.

Today and over the next several blogs we will discuss each of these tools in turn as they are so fundamental to our walk with God. Let us begin with prayer!

Prayer

We do indeed have a great God to whom we are privileged to pray. How do we pray? Here are the basic biblical concepts:

Attitude – the 7 C’s

• Christlike – We are to pray in such a way that is consistent with the goals of Christ as established in the Bible (John 14:13-14).
• Consistent with the Spirit – Our prayer should be consistent with God’s revealed Word (i.e., scripture, John 14:13-14; 1 John 5:14) which the Holy Spirit uses to provide us power (Ephesians 6:17; Jude 1:20).
• Confident – As a forgiven Christian God views us as sinless which allows us the privilege of direct, unimpeded access to Him so we can pray. We can come before God with courage (Hebrews 4:14-16;  10:20-22)!
• Continual – Our prayers are to be persistent, frequent (Romans 12:12; 1 Thessalonians 5:17) and in all places (1 Timothy 2:8).
• Changeable – Allow prayer itself, and scripture, to correct our attitudes and requests (1 Timothy 4:5).
• Consecrated – Our prayers should be unhindered by sin (1 Peter 3:7).
• Careful – We should be sober and watchful in our prayers (1 Peter 4:7)

Content of prayer – Scripture also describes several general themes in our prayers:

• Thankfulness – We should express gratitude for what God has done in our own and other people’s lives (Philemon 1:4).
• Praise – We should acknowledge God’s holy character and actions.

Note: The first two aspects of our prayers add to our proper attitude mentioned above but are also important content.  

• Our requests – We may petition God with anything that worries or concerns us. We should remember that we are praying to the great God of the universe (Philippians 4:6-7; 1 Peter 4:12).

• Specific requests– They should be consistent with God’s desires and example prayers recorded in scripture (John 14:13-14; Ephesians 1:15-19; Ephesians 3:15-18; Colossians 1:9-14).
• Pray for others– Examples of prayer for other people are frequent in scripture (James 5:16).
• Request prayer from others– Paul often requested prayers from others (Colossians 4:3; Ephesians 6:19), which may have had the following advantages:
  • Help induce God to answer the prayers.
  • Allows others to share in God’s answers to your prayers by asking them to pray for you so they also might be encouraged when you report to them the answered prayer.
  • We do not know exactly how God uses prayer requests from other people. In his epistles, Paul often asks for prayer (Colossians 4:3-4; 1 Thessalonians 5:25) although scripture generally does not mention that believers should ask other people to pray for them. Further, there is no set number scripture provides of people praying for you which God desires to answer Prayer. We do know, however, that God answers prayer according to His will (John 14:13-14; 1 John 5:14).

Therefore, prayer is a key tool to maturity as a Christian, invoking God’s help but yet reminding us of scripture, praise and to be thankful, all which may our assist our wellbeing. Prayer is one of the great benefits of our Christian life. Thanks be to God for such a provision.

Join us next time as we discussed the basis of our prayers and several special common questions about our petitions to God.

William C. Stewart, MD

For questions or to view more of our research…
Email                info@teleiosresearch.com
Website            http://teleiosresearch.com/
Facebook          https://www.facebook.com/TeleiosResearch
Instagram         https://www.instagram.com/TeleiosResearch
Youtube           https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCh6wIbPgxeP0YvypwAn5-9Q 

Disclaimer - This blog is provided for your use and enjoyment on an ‘as is’ and ‘as available’ basis. Both the blog and the contents are subject to change at any time without notice. Although I endeavor to ensure that the blog and the content are current and accurate, it may contain errors. I do not represent that the blog or the content is current, accurate or complete, or appropriate for your specific requirements. I do not accept any liability from any person for the blog, the content or any other information (or the use of such information) I provide. I do not have a seminary degree, but I have trained myself in the scriptures to teach and provide this information. For any specific question, I suggest you contact experts in that field and or do your own research into the scriptures.   

Christian Life Part 5: Christian Life Tools

Welcome back to my blog. We are in a series exploring Biblical concepts in the Christian life. We recently about the three types of sanctifications (being set apart for holiness) which delineate our Christian experiences:

• Salvation - Our legal sanctification by the blood of Christ in faith (Romans 3:21-26)
• The Christian life - We seek to become sanctified in our actions and thoughts as God is holy (1 Peter 1:16)
• Heaven - Christ takes us to our eternal home when our bodies will be sanctified (1 Corinthians 15:50 ff)

Importantly, when one sanctification is complete and we progress to the next, we cannot return to the prior state. This helps us know that we have eternal security and confidence in our relationship with God; please review the last blog about this important lesson.

We then discussed scripturally based goals for Christian living and the tools God provides by which we can accomplish them.

• Be holy as God is holy - We should strive to develop godly characteristics in our life (1 Peter 1:16)
• Live a life of faith – God is pleased by our faith, not guilt and legalism (Romans 14:23; Colossians 2:6)
• Serve God with your entire life – In accomplishing this goal we have great freedom to live by faith within the broad bounds of the New Testament epistles’ commands (Romans 12:1-2)

From there we learned that we have tools to implement the Christian life by God's word through the power of the Holy Spirit.

So, knowing this key information, how do we actually mature ourselves as Christians?

As a reminder, the first step to the Christian life is to accept Christ’s forgiveness for our misdeeds by faith in His death and resurrection (Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 3:23-26; see “Our great salvation summary”).

The next important step is to understand that our salvation is permanent – no matter what – and that we should not feel guilty in daily life (1 Peter 1:4-5; John 10:27-31; see “Our secure salvation summary”)! This is the foundation for the Christian life.

How then do we live the Christian life?

There are many aspects to the Christian life. However, a simple biblically-based 5-step approach to grow our relationship with God is what I call the ‘5 tools to maturity,’ taken from Acts 2:42 and 47, as follows:

• Prayer
• Praise
• Fellowship
• Receiving biblical teaching
• Reaching others with biblical truth

These 5 tools describe the activities in the very first church in Jerusalem and provide a model for the actions Christians should perform routinely. Importantly, these five activities are confirmed in later verses in the epistles.

Why are these 5 tools important? When implemented consistently, and in balance with each other, these activities produce a godly mindset and righteous actions in our daily lives.

These five tools are fundamental; we will spend the time over the next five blogs describing the importance of each in the Christian life and practically how to implement them. Please join us! We hope these blogs will help revolutionize your life and relationship with our God.

William C. Stewart, MD

For questions or to view more of our research…
Email                info@teleiosresearch.com
Website            http://teleiosresearch.com/
Facebook          https://www.facebook.com/TeleiosResearch
Instagram         https://www.instagram.com/TeleiosResearch
Youtube           https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCh6wIbPgxeP0YvypwAn5-9Q

Disclaimer - This blog is provided for your use and enjoyment on an ‘as is’ and ‘as available’ basis. Both the blog and the contents are subject to change at any time without notice. Although I endeavor to ensure that the blog and the content are current and accurate, it may contain errors. I do not represent that the blog or the content is current, accurate or complete, or appropriate for your specific requirements. I do not accept any liability from any person for the blog, the content or any other information (or the use of such information) I provide. I do not have a seminary degree, but I have trained myself in the scriptures to teach and provide this information. For any specific question, I suggest you contact experts in that field and or do your own research into the scriptures.