Evangelism in the 21st Century: Whatever Happened to Hell?

Posted on April 17, 2014 by Wayne Davies

Like many people, I am a prodigal son. Jesus even told a parable about me (and millions of others) in Luke 15:11-31. You probably know the story (and now me) quite well.

Do you ever wonder how long it took the prodigal son to finally come to his senses (Luke 15:17)? We are not told the exact length of time, but there are two verses in this passage that indicate it probably took several years.

First, note that the Bible says that this young man “set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living” (Luke 15:13). Back in those days, it probably took a considerable amount of time, perhaps several weeks or even months, to reach “a distant country.” And he was there long enough to spend his entire inheritance.

Second, when the prodigal son returns, his older brother is quite jealous of the attention given to his brother, and so complains to the father, “Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed you” (Luke 15:28). So it appears that the prodigal was gone for quite some time.

Yes, sometimes it takes a long time for us prodigals to come to our senses. For me, it took over 20 years. I heard the gospel as a teenager, make a profession of faith in high school and tried to live the Christian life for about 10 years. Then I decided that Christianity wasn’t for me and “set off for a distant country”, which for me was a spiritual no-man’s land, a place where I completely ignored God for the next two decades.

But God is faithful and oh so patient. After 20 years of godless living, I was irresistibly drawn back to Jesus. And for that I am eternally grateful.

When I returned to Christ, I was quite surprised at what had happened to the evangelical church. In 20 years, much change had occurred. And so I’ve spent the past 10 years trying to understand those changes, and I find myself asking these two questions:

What happened to the music? What happened to hell?

Yes, the music in the evangelical church has changed dramatically in the past 20 years, hasn’t it? And it has not been without controversy. Perhaps your local church has been through a “music war”.

But I’m not really that concerned about the way the music has changed. I’m much more concerned about the disappearance of God’s wrath from the teaching and preaching ministry of 21st century evangelicalism.

And so I’m asking you today, “Whatever happened to hell?”

Does your church still believe in it? If your church holds to the inspiration, infallibility and authority of Scripture, it is true that a reference to the wrath of God is still to be found in your church’s doctrinal statement?

Why, then, do we talk so little about hell these days? It seems to me that we have quietly and subtly removed any reference to Judgment Day from our gospel presentation. The end result is a truncated and incomplete gospel that presents an imbalanced picture of the character and glory of King Jesus. Like the psalmist, are we not responsible for telling people that “It is God who judges: He brings one down, he exalts another. In the hand of the Lord is a cup full of foaming wine mixed with spices; he pours it out, and all the wicked of the earth drink it down to its very dregs” (Psalm 75:7-8).

So I challenge you to listen carefully to the way the gospel is preached among evangelicals today. Compare today’s gospel to the gospel as it was preached by Jesus and the apostles, and see for yourself whether there is any truth to this observation.

 

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Evangelism: Whatever Happened to Sin?

Posted on April 17, 2014 by Wayne Davies

Here’s a quote from Charles Spurgeon’s book, “The Soul Winner”.

“The withholding of the doctrine of the total depravity of man has wrought serious mischief to many who have listened to a certain kind of preaching. These people do not get a true healing because they do not know the disease under which they are suffering; they are never truly clothed because nothing is done toward stripping them.”

In other words, if we don’t confront people with the seriousness of their sin, we are not doing Biblical evangelism and there is no way the lost can be saved.

Let’ say you are sick, but don’t know it. In fact, you are clueless. The only symptom is a subtle rash on the back of your neck that you haven’t yet noticed. Your best friend is a doctor. The two of you go out to dinner and when you walk in front of him to enter the restaurant, he sees the rash and knows you might have the illness that accompanies it. When you sit down to order, he suddenly says “I know you might not believe me, but I think you are really sick.”

You are baffled. You don’t believe him. He tells you to go to the emergency room right away, but you laugh and think he’s joking. Eventually you give him a chance to explain the rash and the illness that goes with it. And so now you are getting concerned. Before the food arrives, you’ve come to your senses and decide to take action to get help. Without eating your meal, you head for the hospital with a sense of urgency. You’ll do whatever the doctor says – take any medicine, undergo any further tests. Whatever is necessary, you will do.

Why is that? Because you now understand the seriousness of your condition.

When we explain the gospel to the unsaved, isn’t it tempting to get right to the “good news” of the death and resurrection of Jesus, the promise of eternal life, the blessings of heaven and the streets of gold and the absence of pain, suffering and tears?

But if the person doesn’t realize his need for a Savior, he won’t take action. If a person doesn’t realize he is lost, he’ll never see the need to be found. If he doesn’t understand his disease, he won’t appreciate and pursue the cure.

Telling someone that Jesus died for his sins, without first explaining the nature and severity of his sins, is the same as your doctor friend telling you to take the medicine before he diagnosed your illness.

There’s a reason that Romans 3 comes before Romans 4 (and Romans 5 and Romans 6). Follow the pattern laid down by the Apostle Paul and explain the problem before presenting the solution. Diagnose the disease before prescribing the cure. Tell the sinner about hell before promising him heaven. Don’t take any shortcuts. Do Biblical evangelism.

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Evangelism and the Death of Jesus

Posted on April 14, 2014 by Wayne Davies

The apostle Paul reveals much about himself and his ministry in his letters. Repeatedly he reminds the believers what makes him tick. If you ever want to get inside Paul’s head and heart, just start reading one of his 13 epistles and you’ll soon gain insight into both the man and his mission.

For example, let’s consider this statement: “For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2). In other words, Paul was obsessed with the proclamation of the gospel, which we know from 1 Corinthians 15:3 was “of first importance” to him. Preaching the gospel was his Number One Priority and his all-consuming passion. He lived to preach and he preached to live.

But for Paul, guarding the content of the gospel was just as important as preaching the gospel. And so the writings of Paul are filled with descriptions of the gospel itself. If you are looking for an answer to the question, “What is the gospel?”, look no further than Paul’s epistles.

And please let me remind you that all Christians had better be constantly answering the question, “What is the gospel?” Why is that so important? Because if you do not preach the Biblical gospel as presented in the New Testament, you fall under the curse of God, according to Galatians 1:8 – “But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned.” Whoa. What a warning!

So I want to answer, at least in part, that all-important question, “What is the gospel?” Paul tells us that it must include “Jesus Christ and him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2). If you are not telling people about the death of Jesus Christ, you are not preaching the gospel; you are not doing evangelism.

But let’s go a little further in this discussion, because Paul also says that the gospel must include an explanation of not only the fact of Christ’s death, but also the meaning of His death. “For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3). Focus now on those three critical words in the middle of that verse: for our sins.

Yes, Christ died. We must proclaim that truth from the rooftops. But we must also explain the reason He died – the purpose of His death. He died for our sins.

Do you do that when you evangelize? When you explain the gospel, do you explain in great detail what the Bible says about sin: its nature, its pervasiveness, and its devastating consequences (the well-deserved justice, punishment and wrath of God). Yes, a Biblical gospel presentation must include a discussion of what theologians call the total depravity of man.

If you don’t tell people why Christ died, you aren’t explaining the Gospel. The good news of Christ’s death must include the bad news of our sin and its ultimate and inevitable eternal consequences.

I challenge you today to evaluate “your” gospel in light of Paul’s Biblical gospel. Does it pass the test regarding the death of Christ and its meaning for guilty sinners?

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Evangelism Is Teaching

Posted on April 14, 2014 by Wayne Davies

What does it take to be an effective soul winner? Let’s go to the Master of souls to find out.

Immediately before He ascended into heaven, Jesus gave the disciples what is known as The Great Commission: “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20).

There is one main command in this passage: make disciples. And what is a disciple? A disciple is a student, a learner, a follower. So the goal of evangelism is to present the gospel in such a way that the unsaved become disciples, or students, of the Lord Jesus Christ.

A person can only become a student if he/she is taught. This is foundational to our understanding of Biblical evangelism. If we are not teaching, we are not evangelizing. In the King James Version, the verb “make disciples” was translated as “teach”. Charles Spurgeon said that one of the first activities of soul winning is “instructing a man that he may know the truth of God. Teaching begins the work (of soul winning), and crowns it, too.”

Jesus sets the standard for us in this regard, does He not? He was repeatedly called “Rabbi” or “Teacher.” Matthew summarizes His ministry as one of teaching, preaching and healing; note that teaching is listed first (Matthew 4:23). The so-called “Sermon on the Mount” is introduced not as a sermon but as a time of teaching (Matthew 5:2). And when the sermon was over, the crowds were amazed at the teaching of Jesus, “because He taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law (Matthew 7:28-29).

Who is Jesus? He is both God and Man, both the Son of God and the Son of Man. He is the Bread of Life, the Light of the World, the Resurrection and the Life. He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. He is our Savior, Lord, King and Judge.

But let’s not forget that He is also the greatest Teacher to ever walk on this planet.

So as we contemplate the incredible privilege of evangelism, we must first focus on the mandate of teaching. The apostles understood that their primary responsibility was one of communicating the truths of the gospel. After 3,000 people were saved on the day of Pentecost, the new believers “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching” (Acts 2:42). This was the pattern for months and years to come: “Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ” (Acts 5:42).

May God help us to do the same.

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What Is Evangelism in the 21st Century?

Posted on April 14, 2014 by Wayne Davies

Do you know anyone who still uses the term “soul winning”? Perhaps it has fallen out of favor among 21st century evangelicals. And if so, I believe that to be a modern tragedy, for it is a Biblical expression that accurately describes the most important task of anyone who names the name of Christ.

The most often quoted verse to support this phrase is Proverbs 11:30, “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise.”

But what exactly does it mean? Charles Spurgeon answers that question in his classic work, “The Soul Winner”. Let’s take a look at his definition of the phrase and see if we can learn anything from one of the great preachers of the 19th century and apply it to the 21st century.

Spurgeon describes soul winning (i.e. evangelism) as consisting of three main activities: instruction, emotion and regeneration.  Let’s take a closer look at each one.

Instruction
Soul-winning is all about teaching the truths of the gospel to the unsaved. Jesus told the apostles to “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them…and teaching them” (Matthew 28:19-20). In other words, if we are not teaching, we are not evangelizing.

This emphasis on teaching raises the obvious question: Teaching what? Jesus gives us the answer to that question in Luke 24:47, the parallel passage to Matthew 28:19-20. He told the apostles they were to preach “repentance and forgiveness of sins”. Paul also answers the question when he told the Corinthians that “we preach Christ crucified” (1 Corinthians 1:23) and that he was sent by Christ “to preach the gospel” (1 Corinthians 1:17), which he outlines as the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus (1 Corinthians 15:3-8).

Biblical evangelism is first and foremost the clear articulation of Biblical truth regarding 1) the sinful and lost condition of every human being; 2) the deserved wrath of God upon humanity because of our sin and His righteousness; 3) the death of Christ as the only possible way for God to both save us from the penalty of sin and satisfy the justice of God; and 4) the necessity of repentance and faith as the required human response to appropriate the God’s offer of forgiveness through Christ.

Emotion
We cannot merely rattle off sound doctrine with little or no concern for our fellow man. We must not only teach, we must teach in such a way that people are emotionally moved by the manner in which we present the gospel message. Evangelism is not the rote recitation of a doctrinal statement. Like Jesus, when we engage someone in a discussion about spiritual things, we do so because of our compassion for him/her (Matthew 9:36).

If we truly believe what we are saying, people we see that and even feel that in our non-verbal communication. And the end result will be that they, too, are deeply affected by not only our words, but our person. Evangelism isn’t just proclaiming truth, it is also the giving of our very lives to people.

And if a person responds in genuine faith and repentance, his/her emotions will also be affected. “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation” (2 Corinthians 7:10), so if a person has little or no remorse over his sin and its consequences, it is likely that any profession of faith is bogus.

Regeneration
The work of evangelism, while done through weak human vessels, is solely and ultimately the work of God. The new birth can only come about when the Holy Spirit convicts the sinner of his sinful condition, brings that person from a state of spiritual death to one of life, and enables the repentant one to turn from darkness to light. Salvation is the work of God from start to finish. May we never lose sight of the miraculous nature of soul winning, for there is only One who can capture a soul, and that is King Jesus.

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7 Reasons Why God Will Not Answer Your Prayers – Part 1

Posted on April 12, 2014 by Wayne Davies

On the night He was betrayed, Jesus made an incredible promise to the Apostles: “I will do whatever you ask…..You may ask me for anything…and I will do it.”  (John 14:13-14 NIV).

What a statement!  But if you know your Bible, you noticed that the above quote is incomplete.  I intentionally left out some of the words to make a point: The often-repeated claim that “God answers prayer” is not a blank check.  It is not without requirements that must be met by the one making the request.  In other words, God promises to answer prayer only if we are faithful in meeting the conditions of answered prayer.

And so we begin a series of posts that focus on the question: What must I do in order for God to answer my prayers?

Let’s go back to John 14:13-14 and read it again….in its entirety: “I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father.  You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.”  (John 14:13-14 NIV)

This passage contains two conditions of answered prayer.  Did you notice them?

First, we must ask “in my name”, i.e. in the name of Jesus.  And second, the prayer must have the glory of God as its ultimate objective – this is indicated in the second half of verse 13: “so that the Son may bring glory to the Father.”

Both of these conditions are critical.  And because they are part of one of Bible’s most foundational and pervasive themes (the glory of God), we will come back to them in future posts.

Today I want to draw your attention to what I believe to be the most overlooked condition of answered prayer.  It’s found in Psalm 66:16-20 (NIV) –

16 Come and listen, all you who fear God; let me tell you what he has done for me. 17 I cried out to him with my mouth; his praise was on my tongue. 18 If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened; 19 but God has surely listened and heard my voice in prayer. 20 Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me!

The psalmist is bursting with joy because God has listened to him, heard his voice and accepted his prayer – all indications of the inexhaustible love of God.  Truly this is a man who is enthralled with a God who answers prayer!

But did you notice verse 18: “If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.”  Right in the middle of this outpouring of praise, the psalmist reminds us that sin will prevent God from even listening to our prayers.  What a sobering statement.

Take a moment now and reflect on the word “cherish” — to hold something dear that is precious to you.  Many synonyms come to mind: to treasure, to value, to adore, even to love.

So the psalmist is reminding us that if we are cherishing sin, God is under no obligation to answers our prayers, or to even listen to them.

God wants us to bring our requests before Him (Philippians 4:6).  He delights in our depending upon Him in any and every situation, and wants us to call upon Him “in the day of trouble”, resulting in our deliverance and His glorification (Psalm 50:15).

But we must first examine ourselves in the light of His Word and if we find sin in our heart, the first order of business is confession and repentance rather than petition.  Only then are we entitled to claim the promise of answered prayer.  Notice the relationship between the self-examination of a righteous life and the expectation of answered prayer in Psalm 17:

“Hear, O LORD, my righteous plea; listen to my cry.  Give ear to my prayer – it does not rise from deceitful lips. May my vindication come from you; may your eyes see what is right (v. 1-2)

“Though you probe my heart and examine me at night, though you test me, you will find nothing; I have resolved that my mouth will not sin.”  (v. 3)

“As for the deeds of men – by the words of your lips I have kept myself from the ways of the violent.  My steps have held to your paths; my feet have not slipped.”  (v.4-5)

Only after a thorough self-examination in verses 1-5 does David say with confidence: “I call on you, O God, for you will answer me; give ear to me and hear my prayer.”  (v.6)

May this be the pattern of our prayers: Self-examination, confession and repentance must precede petition.

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7 Reasons Why God Will Not Answer Your Prayers — Part 2

Posted on April 12, 2014 by Wayne Davies

We continue our study of the conditions of answered prayer by focusing on the often-misunderstood phrase “in my name”.  During the last supper, Jesus told the Apostles: “I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father.  You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.”  (John 14:13-14 NIV)

Before we explore what this phrase means, let’s discuss what is does not mean, and you’ll see why I say this phrase is misunderstood by many Christians.

I don’t think Jesus is saying we must actually speak the words “in Jesus name” when we pray.  As John MacArthur points out, this “does not mean to tack such an expression at the end of prayer as a mere formula.”

There is ample biblical evidence to support this statement.  First, consider the fact that when Jesus taught his disciples to pray in Matthew 6:9-13 and Luke 11:2-4, He did not include the words “in Jesus’ name” in these model prayers.

Second, actual prayers of New Testament Christians as recorded in the New Testament do not include the words “in Jesus’ name”.  Two examples: the prayer of the Jerusalem church in Acts 4:24-30 does not use the phrase; and when Stephen prayed to Jesus while being stoned to death, the phrase “in Jesus’ name” isn’t used (Acts 7:59-60).

So what does it mean to pray “in Jesus’ name”?  The answer is found in the last part of John 14:13 – “I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father.”   To pray in the name of Jesus means to pray in such a way that God is glorified by the prayer – with respect to the manner in which the prayer is offered as well as what is being requested.   Jesus is saying that God promises to answer our prayers only if how we pray and what we are praying for result in the glory of God being displayed.

In other words, we could paraphrase John 14:14 like this: You may ask me for anything that glorifies Me, and I will do it.

This interpretation makes sense when you consider the meaning of the phrase “the name of God” throughout Scripture.  In the book of Psalms there are numerous references to “the name of God” which are synonyms for “the glory of God.”  Consider these examples:

Psalm 8:1  (NIV) O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens.

Psalm 148:13  (NASB) Let them praise the name of the Lord, For His name alone is exalted; His glory is above earth and heaven.

Not only is “the name” of God synonymous with the glory of God, the psalmists also use the expression interchangeably with the person of God Himself.  We are to: love the name (Psalm 5:11), praise the name (Psalm 7:17), know the name (Psalm 9:10), and trust the name (Psalm 20:7).

So, when we are commanded to pray “in Jesus’ name”, there’s much more at stake than reciting the words.

God is telling us to put our prayers to The Glory Test.  Do your prayers pass the test?

Before asking God for something, ask yourself this question:  “If God answers this prayer, will He be glorified?”

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7 Reasons Why God Will Not Answer Your Prayers — Part 3

Posted on April 12, 2014 by Wayne Davies

Welcome back to our series of articles on the conditions of answered prayer (or the reasons why God does not answer prayer). Here’s a quick review of what we’ve discussed so far.

Condition #1: God will not answer our prayers if we have “cherished sin in my heart” (Psalm 66:18).

Condition #2: God will not answer our prayers if we do not pray in the name of Jesus, which means that the objective of our prayers is something other than the glory of God. “I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father” (John 14:13).

Now let’s consider a third condition.

Condition #3: God will not answer our prayers if we are not living a life of obedience. Or to state it positively: God promises to answers our prayers only if our lives are characterized by obedience to the Word of God.

1 John 3:21-22 is a key passage for this teaching:

“Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and (we) receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him.”

First, notice that the phrase “if our hearts do not condemn us” is a reference to Reason #1 mentioned above. If we have sin in our lives, our hearts willcondemn us. So this verse actually combines two potential roadblocks to answered prayer in the same sentence.

Second, John says that the absence of sin results in “confidence before God” as well as answered prayer. Having “confidence before God” is a wonderful promise that should fill our hearts with joy!

Third, John summarizes his point by saying that a non-condemning heart, confidence before God, and answered prayer are all the result of obedience: “because we obey his commands and do what pleases him.”

It should come as no surprise that John places such a high priority on obedience. One of the themes of 1 John is “tests of genuine salvation”. Throughout the letter John tells us how to know whether or not we are truly saved. If you ever struggle with the issue of assurance of salvation, 1 John is one of the best places in the Bible to find our whether your profession of faith is true or false.

For example, 1 John 2:3 provides crystal clear teaching on assurance. How do I know whether I’m truly a Christian? Here’s the answer:

“We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands.”

Straightforward. Direct. Simple. No nonsense. That’s John’s writing style throughout the Gospel of John and his three epistles. And he certainly comes through loud and clear in this verse, doesn’t he?

If I live a life of obedience to God’s Word, I can know that I know Jesus. Now that’s assurance! 1 John 2:4 repeats this idea. “The man who says, ‘I know him,’ but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him.”

Here’s a paraphrase of verse four:

So you say “I’m a Christian. I’m saved. I’m born again. I know Christ as my Savior and Lord.” Great! But anybody can say anything. If you are really a believer, you will prove it by your behavior, by a life of obedience to the commands of Christ. And no matter what you say you are, if you are not living a life of habitual obedience to God’s Word, then your profession is false. In fact, your profession is a lie. Your words don’t prove anything. Only your actions enable you to pass the test of genuine conversion and saving faith.

God only promises to answer the prayers of His people, and His people are those whose lives are characterized by obedience. It’s as simple as that.

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7 Reasons Why God Will Not Answer Your Prayers – Part 4

Posted on April 12, 2014 by Wayne Davies

We’ve been studying the conditions of prayer, because God’s promise to answer our prayers is not a blank check.  We must meet specific conditions for our prayers to be heard and answered.

Condition #1: We must not cherish sin in our heart (Psalm 66:18)

Condition #2: We must pray in the name of (for the glory of) Jesus, (John 14:13)

Condition #3: We must maintain a lifestyle of habitual obedience (1 John 3:21-22)

Let’s take a look at James 1:6-8 for Condition #4, which can be summarized in one word: Faith.  God promises to answer our prayers when they are offered in faith.

6 But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.  (NIV)

The New American Standard translation of verse six states this condition quite well: “he must ask in faith without any doubting”.  And if we don’t ask in faith, if we ask with any doubt, “that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord.”

What a strong warning.  It’s so straightforward, it barely needs explanation. If I don’t believe that God is capable of answering my prayer, then I should not be surprised when He doesn’t answer my prayer.

Why is it so important to ask “in faith without any doubting”?  Think about it for a moment – if I go to God in prayer without really believing He can do what I am asking Him to do, regardless of my words, what am I really saying to God?  In effect, I’m saying, “God, I’m making this request, but it’s really a sham. I’m saying these words, but I don’t really mean it. Truth be told, I’m not at all sure you can come through for me.”

John MacArthur has this to say about the prayer of doubt:

“A request that does not take God at His Word, that doubts either His ability or His trustworthiness, is presumptuous and worthless and is an affront….His request is not really a request at all, because he foolishly and disdainfully does not believe it will be honored by God”  (The MacArthur New Testament Commentary on James, p. 37-38).

In other words, if I pray in doubt, I am questioning the power and faithfulness of God.

Of all the conditions of prayer, perhaps this is the one with which we struggle the most. Don’t we all experience times of weak faith?  I sure do.  So how do we know that we’ve prayed with enough faith?  That’s a tough question to answer.

When we find ourselves lacking faith, we would do well to read Mark 9:14-29.  The apostles were unable to drive out an evil spirit from a boy, and his father pleaded with Jesus to take action: “But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us” (v. 22).

Jesus responded, perhaps sarcastically, “If you can?  Everything is possible for him who believes” (v. 23)

The father then exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief” (v. 24).

May that be our plea, too. When we struggle with doubt, let’s admit our lack of faith and cry out to God to increase our faith by praying, “Lord, I have faith, but I need more faith, so please help me overcome my unbelief.”

 

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7 Reasons Why God Will Not Answer Your Prayers – Part 5

Posted on April 12, 2014 by Wayne Davies

As we consider the fifth reason why God will not answer your prayers, let’s take a close look at this statement by Jesus in John 15:7 –

“If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.”  (NIV)

There are actually two conditions for answered prayer in this verse – we must remain in Christ and His words must remain in us.  We’ll discuss the latter in this month’s article, and come back to the former next month.

Jesus made many amazing statements, and many of His statements are difficult to understand.  F.F. Bruce wrote a book entitled, “The Hard Sayings of Jesus”, which contains 70 chapters, each devoted to one particular “hard saying” of Jesus – hard in the sense of hard to understand.

You don’t have to think too long to remember some of these “hard” sayings. For example, in Matthew 5:22 we read, “everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘You good-for-nothing,’ shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell” (NASB).

Or how about this one: “Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life” (John 5:53-54 NIV).  This statement was so “hard” that “On hearing it, many of his disciples said, ‘This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it’. (John 6:60 NIV).  Soon thereafter, “many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him” (John 6:66 NIV).

I don’t think Jesus’ statement in John 15:7 is hard to understand.  “If my words remain in you” – isn’t the meaning of this self-evident?  A true believer is characterized by a love for the Word of God, and will regularly spend time feasting on it.

We must spend quality time in the Word, and there are at least six ways to do that: hear the Word (through sermons, Bible studies, radio/TV), read the Word, study the Word, memorize the Word, meditate on the Word, and apply the Word.

When we practice and develop these six methods of Word-time, we will get a firm grasp on our Bible, and the words of Jesus will remain in us every day.  Hold your hand in front of your face and let your thumb, fingers and palm represent each of the Word-time disciplines: hear, read, study, memorize, meditate, apply.

Time for self-examination:  How are you doing in this area? Is some type of Word-time a part of your daily life?  If not, why not? How is the quality of your Word-time lately?  Do you hunger and thirst for God, and does God satisfy that appetite when you hear, read, study, memorize, meditate and apply the Bible?

If you find yourself lacking in either the quantity or quality of your Word-time, you will eventually see the consequences – your spiritual health will deteriorate and your zeal for God and His kingdom will diminish.  And according to John 15:7, God will not answer your prayers.

Here’s a simple exercise to jumpstart your Word-time:  Over the next 22 days, read Psalm 119 – one of the most glorious passages in Scripture devoted to the incredible life-changing power of the Word.  This psalm is divided into twenty-two eight-verse sections.  Read verses 1-8 on Day 1, verses 9-16 on Day 2, etc.  If you stick with this, you’ll fill your mind with a multitude of reasons to read the Bible — so don’t be surprised if your enthusiasm for God and His Word begins to multiply…..Enjoy!

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