Cultural Imperatives
Today I received an email (forwarded) that contained some pictorial representations of the Passion story. At the end was this message:
All you have to do is:
1. Simply pray for the person who sent this message to you:
Lord, you know the life of _________. I ask You to bless
him/her in all things and make him/her prosperous.
Take care of his/her family, his/her health, his/her work and
all his/her future plans. Lead him/her not into temptation,
but deliver him/her from evil. In Jesus’ name, amen.
2. Then, send this message to 10 people.
3. Ten people will pray for you and you will make that many people pray to
God for other people.
4. Take a moment to appreciate the power of God in your life, for doing
what pleases Him.
If you are not ashamed to do this, please, follow Jesus’ instructions. He said
(Matthew 10:32 & 33): “Everyone therefore who acknowledges me before
others, I also will acknowledge before my Father in heaven; but whosoever
denies me before others, I also will deny before my Father in heaven”.
So, what do you think? The intention is good, but the request is saturated with cultural, not biblical, understanding. Normally I wouldn’t bother to point these out. After all, who am I to judge the heart motives of another? I am a duplicitous sinner, attached to my own predilection of self-agendas. I don’t always display honorable or holy motives. I make a lot of mistakes. But I think it might be useful to unearth some of the influences of our culture here. Maybe we will get a clearer picture of the biblical imperative. So, let’s set aside the obvious laudable intention of the one who sent the message. Let’s look at the implications of the content.
First, is this all you have to do? Well, if I want nothing more than to pray for the person who sent the message, then maybe all I have to do is follow this little formula. But the biblical imperative doesn’t stop at sending pleas and good thoughts up to heaven. Love is a verb. It is action that matters. If I really want to pray for God’s blessing in the life of another, but I don’t actually do anything to help bring that about, then I have misunderstood the Bible. Where I am able, I am called to action. How can another person be blessed if I am not willing to lift my finger to help? Yes, my prayers are good, and necessary, but prayer without action is like faith without works. Dead! So, saying a prayer isn’t all I have to do, is it? If I’m going to pray for someone, I commit myself to them. Prayer is the cement that glues me to the life of another. I take responsibility when I pray. I don’t just throw a few words toward the ceiling. I accept accountability for making a difference where and when I can make a difference. As soon as the words, “Lord, you know the life of _______” leave my lips, I become a partner in the blessing I ask from God. Words are never enough, not in the Hebrew worldview.
Second, did you notice that this prayer asks for all the culturally acceptable good things in life? “Lord, give them prosperity, health, care, work and (oh, yes) save them from temptation.” In other words, spare them from actually living. Treat them like silver-spoon children. Forget about the call to suffer like Jesus. Don’t pay attention to the opportunity to demonstrate trust in the middle of temptation. Ignore the reminders that we are salt and light in a corrupt and darkened world. And please, Lord, no crosses. Just give us sunny days, fulfilling work, plenty of everything, good health and protection. Then we will have a compelling testimony of Your character. After all, You are the real Santa Claus. Don’t ask us to follow in the footsteps of Your Son. Help us forget that the believer is called to suffering on behalf of another (peacemakers and all that). Most of all Lord, let our spiritual journey be about us! Actually, now that I think about it, let it be about me! I don’t really want to grow up. I don’t really want to carry someone else’s burdens. I don’t really want to love my enemies and do them good. No, what I really want is my best life now! And just to make sure that all of this will happen, I’m adding the spiritual magic formula, “In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
But, of course, “Jesus” isn’t his name. The phrase isn’t magic. And the Hebrew word amen attached to this request is an oxymoron. How can I vouch for the truth of what I have just proclaimed (that’s what amen means) when what I have asked flies in the face of everything biblical? When will we discover that praying is the process of molding our hearts so that we are ready and willing to embrace what God provides. It is not the request to give us what we want.
Third, will this noble effort really “make” ten people pray for you? Yes, it might spur ten people to repeat the errors in this request, but does that make it prayer? What would it be like if I asked ten people to pray that God would mold me into a man of contentment? What if ten people prayed that God would fulfill His purposes in my life no matter what the cost – and that I would accept the cost without question? What if ten people prayed for my unrestrained obedience rather than my desire to avoid all hardships?
Finally, take a moment to appreciate what God is doing in your life. Yes, do! But notice that what God is doing requires that He take you on this path. He doesn’t make mistakes. Where you are right now is exactly where you need to be in order for Him to do what He wants to do with you. Can you thank Him for your present circumstances with the same enthusiasm that would lead you to ask for His blessings? Oh, and by the way, if you really want to do what pleases Him, then why are you worried about your prosperity, health, family, work and temptations? Do you trust Him? Doesn’t He know what you really need? Isn’t His purpose to conform you to the image of His Son? And who decides how that is supposed to be done? You?
The final word here is obedience. Do you want to be a delight to the Father? Then do what He says. You don’t even have to pray for Him to tell you what that is. He has already told you. Go read the Torah. After your life is in conformity with His instructions, then see if you still need to pray, “Lord, bless me with prosperity, health, family, work and no temptations.”
When you say “Trust Him” , isn’t the same as saying Trust in Him”? If not what is the difference?
Thank you and God bless.
To trust someone is entirely personal and relational. I trust the person’s character, believing the actions will result from the character. Of course, we often say, “I trust him.” But what happens when we say, “I trust in him.” have we not shifted the focus from the character of the person to the deeds of the person? Maybe not? It’s sort of a minor point. The major point is that we trust God for who He is, not what He does. If our trust depends on what He does, we will use our myopic vision to determine if trust is warranted.
How many times have I been tempted to Reply to these types of emails with a very similar thought. Not only does it seem like an unscriptural request, it often makes me wonder exactly to whom are we addressing our wish list?
You have answered truthfully, Skip. Amen, amen!
I am constantly amazed when I receive these messages, not so much from unbelievers, but from the “believers”. These are indicators of the depth of relationship with our Savior and His Word. We should expect this from those who do not possess and/or profess Christ as Redeemer. They DO NOT KNOW any better. BUT, what do we believe and WHY?? This takes the Westminster Confession to a whole nother level!! What is the chief goal of man/woman/boy/girl? Ask for the Lexus and you shall receive? Ask for the mansion here and you won’t have to wait til you get it in heaven? “Strut whatever God gives you.” “I want everyone to see what God has done for me!” Is this what glorifying God is all about? Capital I and Me, Me, Me. OR is the emphasis on the enjoying Him forever in terms of the what He is able to do for you? This mindset/worldview…whatever you chose to call it, is empty. Don’t dive in here folks, at best your nose will get broken!
Having fallen for this poison for many years, I am so thankful for deliverance. This is bondage and a scourge bent on veiling the true gospel of the mighty meekness of the Gentle Shepherd. The One who humbled Himself unto death. The One who, despising the shame, looked forward to the JOY set before Him, of dying for us, paying the penalty we all deserved, freely giving of Himself so we could live for His purpose-to be a blessing to others, therein glorifying our Father!
Even if we knew nothing of a Hebrew worldview, there is enough scripture to blast this away if we didn’t “cherry pick” the “promises” and leave the parts that don’t fit our agenda. Several years ago I emailed Skip after receiving a message similar to this one, complete with all the “name it and claim it” and “fake it ’til you make it” twists in it. My mind was bursting with at least 99 good scriptural reasons why this is bunk. I asked him how he would respond to the “name it and claim it” crowd. He replied, “I just ask them how that’s working out for them.” So perfectly simple… I still chuckle every time I think of it.
Thank you! Skip, you said so well. Suz
THis is really timely and providential. I am facilitating a class on prayer and incorporating (sprinkling) the Hebraic framework for prayer in much of the study and discussion. Really exciting stuff, to be sure. Week #1 we defined prayer as talking to God – something God instructs us to do for His glory and for our benefit. We described prayer as being a method, if not the method, for reminding us that relating to God is about relationship and that any relationship with God will be on God’s terms which means beginning with and living out His salvation for us through Christ. This gospel relationship begins with by grace through faith (Eph 2:8-9) and continues by grace through faith (Col 2:6). Week #2 we discussed the participants to prayer, i.e. All of God and all of Me (mind, emotions, spirit, body etc.). All of God includes a deepening understanding of the Trinity, i.e. God the Father (“Our Father”), God the Son (“In Jesus Name”) and God the Spirit (Who empowers us and makes us capable of crying “Abba”) and that relating to God will require that we get to know God (God revealed fully but not exhaustively through His Word) and that we will then begin to understand and see ourselves as God sees us. Here, the danger is to appreciate that we can “image” God in ways that are not in conformity with His revelation of His character (Scriptures) and so distort our relationship with Him which will be reflected in our prayers (a perfect example of this is Skip’s example offered today above – this is nothing more than Idolatry and making an image of God on our terms, not His). Week #3 we discussed Scriptural descriptions of God, i.e. God described as transcendent and imminent in the OT and then adding approx 275 times in the NT with the personal descriptor as “Father” – something that even the Jewish patriarchs of our faith (Abraham, Moses, etc.) never used to address God in their prayers or conversations. We also discussed many different variations of prayer and how prayer is for us as believers, dynamic, while God is unchanging in character while active in His world – at any point in time you can dip the litmus paper into the Christian’s life to see the depth (maturity-strength) or superficiality (immaturity-weakness) of his/her walk with God simply by listening to his/her prayers and by observing his/her devotion to the study of the Word (both necessary jointly as relationship indicators). Week #4 (this coming week) we are going to examine the posture of prayer which necessitates an encounter with God in which we are forced to acknowledge the “riches of God” as measured with and against our spiritual “poverty.”….We won’t actually get to petitioning God and how God thru Christ grants us access (only believers are given this assurance), then accepts and then answers our prayers (yes, no, later) according to His will and purposes for us, i.e. to conform us to the image of His Son until week #6….Thanks, Skip, for the richness of your studies on prayer.
Have you listened to the download on prayer from my web site? Go to skipmoen.com/products
Thank you, Jesus, for this message written through Skip to Your followers. An arrow right to the heart of the matter!
I think i laughed out loud a couple times when reading this. Thanks for hitting the point and making me laugh at the same time.
Anytime. And as a “Gathering” guy, you should be particularly sensitive to this raging heresy among believers. More to come.
Skip, I love and appreciate the way you write. With truth and brutaly honesty and humility, you speak the truth of God’s word. I have spoken this same message of the Hebrew word Ahava (love) being an ACTION verb, and was accused of being a “Judiaser”. Guilty of trying to put Christians “back under the law that Jesus freed them from”.
Sadly, they don’t get it. They have always been held responsible to follow God’s instructions to His children, His Torah. They forget the “Strong Delusion” that God Himself will send upon those who will NOT receive His word. It is written:
2Th 2:11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
2Th 2:12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
What CAUSE would prompt God to do such a thing? Verse 10 contains the answer. It is written:
2Th 2:10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
John’s Gospel shows us what the real truth in a world full of lies and unbelievers is.
Joh 17:17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
Are we really “saved” if we reject the truth of God’s word, this SAME word that was made flesh and became the sin offering for God’s people?
Yes, how tragic that there are so many who have a heart for God but have been led astray by false teaching. How slowly the process of coming back to the text rather than the translation-interpretation. But how wonderful to find Him and His ways. Pray for us, brother. We are all seekers on a long and treacherous journey.
Hbr 4:12 For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
Hi Ron,
It is apparent the “church” is in a state of upheaval and chaos. When something has been established on shifting sand, it is unstable. Messiah established (and IS CONTINUING, Praise HIM!) His people upon the rock of a solid confession of John 14:6. Yet we discount that fact and flip His Hebraic concepts to fit our culture because that’s the way we like it! It’s easier, less labor intensive, more comfortable and, after all we are “FREE” to live however our conscience will allow us. WE get to decide what is the best way to live. When matters of the Spirit are denied for pleasing the flesh, discord results. Lack of unity overwhelmingly spreads and we take “where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty” (2Cor. 3:17) to another level when we, in charismatic circles to suggest that this applies to shouting, dancing, hollering in “church” services. I use the charismatic frame because this applies to a growing population of assemblies participating in more vocal and physical expressions of “worship”. I like to sing, dance and shout to the Lord with glorious praise, but this “liberty” of the Scriptures transcends the confines of a specified period of time of assembly. We have relegated our lives to blocks and minor increments of times and spaces. We outsource ourselves (disconnecting ourselves from the True Vine) to take care of the majority of our lives, ie. jobs/careers, leisure, relationships (especially with “sinners” or those outside our 4 and nor more). Or even worse, it appears this applies to “following your heart” in everyday matters- (a new heart which God gave you at conversion?) and if you “feel” one way or another it is OK to act upon whatever you “feel” without regard for the entire constitution of God’s Kingdom and Purpose. Now, we all fail God in this way at some point, but THANK HIM for providing us with the High Priest able to cleanse us from all unrighteousness, and to sanctify us through HIS WORD! Only those who seek God with all their heart, soul, strength and mind will enter the liberty that God has for them.
The excuse and fleshly attitude of calling someone a “Judaiser”, is one of the doctrines being ingrained and improperly taught today. Evidence of this improper sowing of the seed of the WORD appears in the apathetic and “un”doers of the Word. It seems somewhat ironic that this teaching against circumcism as an outward sign of conversion has led to the lack of spiritual circumcism of the heart. Why is it the “church” cannot look deeper into the message of the outward evidences of salvation as declared by the Word of God? What inhibits our transformation from coming into alignment with what God has declared as righteousness, versus what MAN declares to be the interpretation of evidence?
Psa 19:8 The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes.
Psa 119:45 I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out your precepts.
Psa 119:69 Though the arrogant have smeared me with lies, I keep your precepts with all my heart.
Psa 119:128 and because I consider all your precepts right, I hate every wrong path.
Mat 5:11 “Blessed are you when {people} insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.
GROW, BROTHER,GROW!!!
Lots to digest here, Mary. I concur that the current culture of “follow your heart” is a throw-back to the temptation story of Genesis. I also agree that we have adopted the Greek chronos plan of life, ignoring God’s kairos interruptions. We box worship for public consumption, not for adoration. Just think about the program and timing of the service and you will find a devotion to chronos. Finally, the irony of arguing against circumcision and at the same time declaring a list of “evidences” of salvation not found in Scripture only underscores the disparity between Christianity and Biblical faith. It’s not so far off to say that Christianity as we know it was invented in 200AD.
“It’s not so far off to say that Christianity as we know it was invented in 200AD.”
Brother Skip …. and you say that I am usually a bit to bold regarding this subject! 🙂
The timing however is spot on …. commencing officially with the council @ Ephesus in 190 CE one would be hard pressed to argue that something very, very different started to take shape.
Moving beyond that which is obvious to a casual observer we come to the greater question … what Gospel is being spread by this invention and is it a Gospel that results in believers serving the purpose of ELOHIM?
The prayer chain you referenced Skip sounds like a request to approve of the dealings of the the Church of Laodicea:
Revelations: 3:14 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of Elohim; 3:15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. 3:16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. 3:17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: 3:18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. 3:19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
There is no doubt at all …. the final church age is clearly present …. all we have to do is read “The Book”! 🙁
Speaking of coming back to the text, I have been reading Jesus Words Only by Douglas J. DelTondo. He claims that James is putting Paul on “trial” for his teaching on salvation as being by “faith” alone. He also suggests that Paul may be one of the “apostles” that Jesus speaks of in Revelation 2:2. This book is very intersting, but I do not know what to think at this point. One thing is certain, I know that the truth and love of God resides within Torah. Any help?
Jimmy