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Contents |
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1. Introduction: The ABCs of Prayer |
Introduction: The ABCs of Prayer
Zahakiel: Well, I know those in Africa may not be able to be here right away, so we will begin anyway. Bro. Luke, will you open the study with a prayer?
Qinael: Our
most holy and loving Father,
We thank you
for this opportunity to gather in worship of you. Though we are far apart, we
are blessed to have the ability to gather and speak often with one another.
We thank you
for this sacred time, the monthly cleansing of your Bride.
We ask that
your Spirit continue to lead us into all truth, and open our eyes to any areas
in which we may yet be deficient as we prepare for your very, very soon return.
In the name of
Yahshua we pray, amen.
Zahakiel: Amen.
Jody: Amen.
Daphna: Amen.
Naraiel: Amen.
Zahakiel: This month’s New Moon study is called “Asking For Rain,” and it draws heavily from a topic we have spoken of in at least one previous meeting, and that is, the power of prayer. But I do want to get into one specific thing this time that we don’t speak about very often, although we certainly should, as it’s really the central power for the Gospel and its evangelism.
Those of you who have been in the movement for a while may remember that I used to give a Bible study in a chat room on Friday nights, and it was actually pretty successful… until the site owner found out I was non-Trinitarian, and things didn’t last long after that. But one of the studies I gave that really seemed to strike a chord with the mixed multitudes that attended was called “The ABCs of Prayer,” where each of the letters A, B and C stood for a step in the process of genuine, Biblical prayer. It will benefit us, here, to briefly go over the basics of that study.
So does anyone remember, or can anyone tell me, what the A stands for?
Jody: Ask?
Zahakiel: That’s right.
A stands for “Ask,” and actually, this came as news to my audience in that study (but hopefully not to this one), it is only the FIRST step in Biblical prayer. For a lot of people, “prayer” consists merely of asking Yah for what you want. The Bible does tell us to do this, as we can read from a few verses:
“And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.” (Mat 21:22)
“And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask any thing according to His will, He heareth us; and if we know that He hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him.” (1John 5:14, 15)
“And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” (John 14:13)
So all that is pretty straightforward, but again, many people don’t realize that this is only the first step of genuine, effective, prayer. And if A is “Ask,” who can tell me what the “B” is?
Jody: Believe.
Qinael: Believe?
Naraiel: Believe.
Zahakiel: Yes, all correct :)
B is “Believe.” Actually, this was revealed in the first verse from Matthew that I quoted:
“And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.” (Mat 21:22)
We can strengthen that with a couple other useful references:
“Yahshua answered and said unto them, ‘Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done.’” (Mat 21:21)
“But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.” (James 1:6, 7)
This aspect of prayer, belief, also rules out those prayers that are offered as mere tradition, and “dead forms.” I do not mean, by saying this, that prayers offered at regular times, and on particular occasions, are not valid. The Old and New Covenants involve morning and evening prayer, and prayers before meals and before important events are certainly appropriate. These may be offered to Yahweh with full sincerity, emotion and belief. We need to be watchful, however, about letting our routines develop into mere habits, and Yahshua warned against that eventuality:
“And He said unto them in His doctrine, ‘Beware of the scribes, which love to go in long clothing, and love salutations in the marketplaces, and the chief seats in the synagogues, and the uppermost rooms at feasts; which devour widows’ houses, and for a pretence make long prayers; these shall receive greater damnation.’” (Mark 12:38-40)
In the parallels from the other Gospels it speaks about these prayers being made “for show,” or just in order to impress others. Prayers offered solely for traditional reasons are like that, where they perform an outward service, but are not really about heartfelt communication with the Creator.
Now, what does the C stand for?
Jody: Confess? No, Claim.
Qinael: Claim?
Zahakiel: Right, claim. As a sign of our full belief in the desire and power of our Father to grant our prayers, and also in our belief about the appropriate nature of our requests, we will generally thank Yahweh for not only hearing, but also answering the things we ask of Him.
We may read one of Yahshua’s most powerful prayers to His Father here, and let me know when you have read this passage:
“Yahshua therefore again
groaning in Himself cometh to the grave [of Lazarus]. It was a cave, and a
stone lay upon it. Yahshua said, ‘Take ye away the stone.’ Martha, the sister of him that was dead,
saith unto him, ‘Lord, by this time he stinketh, for he hath been dead four days.’
“Yahshua saith
unto her, ‘Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest
believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?’ Then they took away the stone from the place
where the dead was laid. And Yahshua lifted up His
eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. And I knew that thou hearest
me always, but because of the people which stand by I
said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me. And when He thus had spoken, He cried with a
loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come forth.’
“And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was bound about with a napkin. Yahshua saith unto them, ‘Loose him, and let him go.’” (John 11:38-44)
Jody: Finished.
Qinael: Finished.
Daphna: Finished.
Naraiel: My mother asks how to claim a prayer, with which words or how?
Zahakiel: Oh, the example there from John’s Gospel is one way. We thank Yahweh for giving us what we ask.
Jody: Claiming any promises we’ve used in our prayers also.
Zahakiel: Yes, that is also an important part of it.
My sermon last Sabbath was about truth – complete truth, and the truth “as it is in Yahshua.” As we learn truth and speak it, we begin to speak more and more like Yahweh Himself, of whom it is said that He “calleth those things which be not as though they were.” (Rom 4:17) This means, not that He says things that are not true, but that the things He declares become true, even if they were not there before, just as He created all things “out of nothing.”
Jody: Amen!
Zahakiel: This is also true of us, to a lesser extent; when we pray and speak under the inspiration of the Spirit, the things that we speak come to pass, not because of any power within us, but because the Father and Son arrange for our desires to be met according to the love that they reveal to us and through us. We therefore “claim” those things we ask for, and the promises to which we cling, and thank Yahweh for them, even as we are in prayer about them.
Are there any other questions so far?
Qinael: No.
Daphna: No.
Seeing the Need
Zahakiel: Now, one thing often overlooked is that we must be aware of the appropriateness of our petitions in order for this gift of prayer to work as intended. Some things, of course, are obviously inappropriate, such as asking for something foolish or dangerous. But other things may be harder to determine, such as something that you think you need, but don’t really, or something that you believe will benefit you, but in the long run will be of detrimental value.
One of the ways that we can be fairly certain that what we are asking for is appropriate is to consider the petition in light of the Gospel work. While Yahshua set an example for us in every aspect of His life, we don’t find all that many direct “instructions” that He gave that apply completely to every believer. But one, the main one, that does apply in that way is the instruction to preach the Gospel. This is something that requires no particular talent, or, more accurately, it is a task that all the talents that Yahweh inspires can facilitate. Does everyone understand what I mean by that?
Guerline: Yes.
Peterson: Yes.
Jody: So, no matter how many or how few talents we possess they can be used for the Gospel work?
Zahakiel: Right.
There are certain talents that can make you better at certain kinds of evangelism, like public speaking, or writing Bible studies. But every talent Yah gives us has a place, and a beneficial use, in the spreading of the Gospel message.
So then, when we pray, one way we can evaluate the things we are asking for is to ask the supplementary question, “Will this thing assist in the teaching and promotion of the Good News?” It may be useful either directly or indirectly. If, according to good and Biblical principles, it will benefit, then what we are asking for is merely a resource to accomplish the work to which we have been set, and Yah is pleased to grant it. This is what we mean when we say we are to pray “according to His will.” This also includes even the increase or improvement of our own personal skills and talents, for James uses “wisdom” as an example. This is something in which none of us can afford to be lacking, so we are encouraged to ask for this. In general, Paul writes, “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Yahshua.” (Phil 4:19)
The point here is that we must see the need for our requests from the right perspective, and then we will a) have confidence that we are asking for the right thing, and b) experience true gratitude when we receive the things we ask for. Both of these things are important in a relationship even with other human beings; there needs to be clear communication, and appreciation for one another, or the relationship breaks down.
Are there any questions about this part?
Jody: No.
Qinael: No.
Daphna: No.
Guerline: No.
The Latter Rain
Zahakiel: Now, one of the things that I believe that we as a people need to be actively asking for is one of those things that is actually of central importance to our success both individually and as a movement… and yet, it’s not something we talk about as often as we should, and I believe it is something we are in danger of taking for granted.
I spoke last month about the differences between the physical world and the spiritual one, because the rules are a bit different in some things. In the physical world, if you stand in the rain, you’ll absolutely get wet. In the spiritual world, things don’t always work that way. When we speak about the “rain” of the Holy Spirit, we have taught that this has been falling upon us as the Latter Rain with power from the going forth of the Fourth Angel’s Message.
We can read the characteristics of this angel here,
by way of verification: “And after these things I saw
another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened
with his glory. And he cried mightily
with a strong voice, saying, ‘Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is
become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage
of every unclean and hateful bird. For
all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the
kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of
the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.’
“And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, ‘Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.’” (Rev 18:1-4)
This light that enlightens the earth, the whole world, can be nothing but the Holy Spirit. It is not that the Spirit is absent during the revelation of the Three Angels’ Message from Revelation 14; but we find that something happens to prevent the work of these Spirit-bearing angels in the gathering of the 144,000 from being completely successful. We show that this is the corruption of the messengers; that they go from divine flying creatures to unclean birds trapped in a cage of apostasy and worldliness. And so, the Fourth Angel appears with a message that repeats the essential elements of the three, and this is actually something that is worth taking a little time to explain.
If we go over Revelation 14 and read the three messages, we find that the fourth angel in Revelation 18 most closely mirrors the utterance of the second. However, this repeated message really does capture the essence of all three of them. The first angel speaks of judgment, and it is clear that something has been “judged” in the fourth angel’s message, or else there would be no need to call Yah’s children out of it before the reception of the plagues. Similarly, the third angel speaks about the reason for those judgments and plagues, that being that there is an image of the beast that has created a “mark” without which no one may buy and sell. This, as we understand the fulfillment of these words, is the very thing of which the fallen organization in Rev 18 is guilty. The second angel’s message, of course, is almost identical, so it all fits perfectly.
Does everyone see this? And if you have any questions, let me know.
Jody: Yes.
Qinael: <nods.>
Guerline: Yes.
Daphna: No question.
Happy Rock: Ok
Naraiel: No question.
Zahakiel: We know whole earth is enlightened by this message, and I want to share a quotation here from Ellen White’s writings that is relevant to this study. “We are living in the time of the Holy Spirit’s power. It is seeking to diffuse itself through the agency of humanity, thus increasing its influence in the world.” [The Southern Watchman, November 3, 1903]
This shows that the influence of the Holy Spirit, just like the “light” from the Revelation 18 angel, is to be a global event for the last days.
By the way, a bit of a side-note, but this is one of the many places where Ellen White subtly reveals her position on the doctrine of the Trinity.
Jody: Its… not His.
Zahakiel: Right. It is often easy to read too much into wording, but in a case like this it’s pretty clear. Mrs. White, just like the Greek of the New Testament, considers the Holy Spirit an “it.” Can you imagine an inspired writer calling God the Father an “it?” Can you imagine applying the impersonal pronoun “it” to the Son of Yahweh? Clearly, obviously, there is a difference in the way the Father and Son are seen as compared to the Holy Spirit. And this was in 1903… fairly late in her prophetic career, and I cannot recall a single time or single event in which a Trinitarian writer has used such a reference to what they believe is a co-equal, co-eternal member of the Godhead.
Now when we pray for something, as I was saying earlier, we “need to see the need,” and in this particular case that means this: we need to be convinced, absolutely, that without the active presence of the Holy Spirit and its guidance, our work as a people, and as individual evangelists will be of no effect.
Jody: So true…
Zahakiel: Here is another relevant statement:
“Morning by morning, as the heralds of the gospel kneel before the Lord and renew their vows of consecration to Him, He will grant them the presence of His Spirit, with its reviving, sanctifying power. As they go forth to the day’s duties, they have the assurance that the unseen agency of the Holy Spirit enables them to be “laborers together with God.” [The Acts of the Apostles
, p. 56]Another: “The outpouring of the
Spirit in the days of the apostles was the “former rain,” and glorious was the
result. But the latter rain will be more abundant. What is the promise to those
living in these days?—’Turn you to the stronghold, ye prisoners of hope; even
today do I declare that I will render double unto thee.’ ‘Ask ye of the Lord
rain in the time of the latter rain; so the Lord shall make bright clouds, and
give them showers of rain, to every one grass in the
field.’” [Testimonies For The Church,
Vol. 8, p. 21]
Jody: Amen.
Zahakiel: The rules of the spiritual world are not the same as the rules of the physical world. It is entirely possible to stand in the falling rain and yet remain perfectly dry. Just because this is the “time of the Latter Rain,” it does not mean that we are to expect one speck of benefit from it… unless we ask. We need to see the need and then, just as with any other prayer, we need to ask for it, believe we will receive it, and then thank Yahweh for giving it to us. This prayer, for the Latter Rain, and for it to be effective in us, is THE most important prayer we can ask in regard to the Gospel Message which, if you remember, is the standard for propriety when evaluating what it is we are asking for.
In order for us to properly convey the message that is to go around the world, the message that will “lighten the earth,” we must speak, act, think, and so on, under the inspiration of the full power of the Spirit of Yah. My prayer for all of us, therefore, is that in our daily prayers we remember to ask for the ability to benefit fully from the Latter Rain that falls around us even now. The consequences of remaining “dry” in this generation are truly terrible to consider. One final quote, then, as we conclude:
“Do not rest satisfied that in the ordinary course of the season, rain will fall. Ask for it.... We must seek His favors with the whole heart if the showers of grace are to come to us. […] The Holy Spirit will come to all who are begging for the bread of life to give to their neighbors.” [The Faith I Live By, 334]
Are there any questions before we close the study?
Qinael: No.
Jody: No.
Peterson: No.
Guerline: No.
Daphna: No.
Zahakiel: All right, then I’ll ask Bro. Peter to offer the closing prayer.
Happy Rock: Loving Father,
We thank you for the message you have given
us through your servant today. We praise you for the truth for our time. May we, through the power of heaven, apply it
to our walk with you.
Give us the words that we need when we pray
to you. Enlighten our minds as we go forward today. Bless those who could not attend and may we
as your children be faithful through the power of
heaven we pray, Amen.
Guerline: Amen.
Peterson: Amen.
Jody: Amen.
Daphna: Amen.
Zahakiel: Amen.
Qinael: Amen.
Naraiel: Amen.
