This series of posts is in defense of the prayer service. In the first post, I offered some important introductory remarks, and laid out the… Read More »In Defense of the Prayer Meeting (Part 2): Its Essential Purpose
Kevin T. Bauder [This essay was originally published on May 11, 2012.] Jesus wanted to teach His disciples how to pray, but He also wanted… Read More »Don’t Pray Like This, Either
It appears today that “authenticity” has become the most important virtue. In one sense this is good. Hypocrisy is a vice condemned by Scripture (Mathew… Read More »But we never talk like that in real life!
The Scriptures teach us to pray for the things that God has promised. We often pray for things that we are unsure of. We often pray… Read More »Praying for what God has promised
In Mark 6:4, Jesus is rejected by His listeners in Nazareth and quotes the well-known proverb: “A prophet is not without honor, except in his… Read More »When Belief in Christ Breaks the Home Apart
With her permission, this is a prayer my wife typed out for me one day. It’s a good prayer for any Christian to pray for… Read More »A Prayer by a Pastor’s Wife for Her Husband
The Christian faith is Trinitarian. We worship the one God in three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. One of the ways we rightly respond to the… Read More »Christian Worship is Trinitarian
How should we pray for unbelievers? 1 Timothy 2:1–2 helps answer this question. Let’s get the context first and then look at the content of… Read More »How to Pray for Unbelievers – Instruction from 1 Timothy 2:1-2
Paul asked for prayer multiple times in multiple letters. Here are two passages that act as examples to instruct us how to pray for ourselves… Read More »How to Pray for Yourself and Others to Give the Gospel
In Ezekiel 36:33-38, the Word of God gives us a glimpse at the mystery of prayer: [33] “Thus says the Lord GOD: On the day… Read More »Prayer to a Sovereign God
The role of pastor has been recast during the past generation. Some churches envision their pastors as corporate CEOs. Others view their pastors as impresarios.… Read More »Pastoral Leadership Through Prayer
This is a series to further explain the articles of “A Conservative Christian Declaration.” . We affirm that the worship of God is regulated through his… Read More »Article 7: On Scripture Regulated Worship
In the second book of The Marrow of Theology, William Ames’s (1576-1633) classic Post-Reformation work, Ames deals with a number of matters related to practical theology. The ninth… Read More »William Ames on the connection between prayer, singing, and outward expressions
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 I have been arguing that Paul’s method of ministry deliberately avoided… Read More »Relevance is Irrelevant (Part 13)
“Where many were gathered together praying” (Acts 12:12) These words are part of the story wherein Peter is imprisoned and then miraculously delivered. It is… Read More »The Early Church’s Prayer Meeting
We have begun a series looking at characteristics of the founders of the first church that we should emulate in our churches today. The first… Read More »The founders of the first church were united in fervent prayer
One of the best ways we can prepare to hear from God is through prayer. The Bible teaches that we need God’s grace for us… Read More »A call to pray before studying or hearing the Word (with a resource)
Regular readers of this blog know that I am a fervent defender of the Regulative Principle of Worship. However, today I’d like to set that debate… Read More »Four Commitments of the Infant Church
Prayer is a necessary practice of a sound church. The role of secret and corporate prayer in the life of a Christian congregation is sometimes… Read More »Prayer in Gospel Ministry
| | | We have looking at different reasons why the regular meeting for worship with one’s church is better than private meetings of worship, including times… Read More »Is corporate worship better than private worship? (Part 5)