When Christianity was in its infancy, it mimicked Jewish tradition. There were set prayers at set times of the day. Their prayer life was very ritualistic. They fumbled through their faith doing their best to please God. They helplessly sought out a rhythm in prayer by reading the sacred text. They had a heart to please their new King. They had a heart to fellowship with the Lord Almighty.
They soon broke out of the ritualistic Jewish tradition and adopted their own rituals formed by the word of God. The Bible is filled with instruction about prayer. Since the religion derived from Jewish tradition, they continued to seek out a formula, so to speak, as to how many times they were to come before the Lord in prayer on a daily basis. However, …show more content…
Yet, what our early fathers seemed to miss is the fact that prayer is personal. The references were given to encourage prayer. A Christian’s prayer life is totally dependent upon the relationship that one has in Christ. This is to say that each person’s prayer life will be different. This is why the men and women of the Bible had different times and schedules when it came to prayer. Therefore, private prayer should be focused more on quality time spent in prayer with our Father. A Christian should pick a time that is more feasible to him.
Corporate or public prayer is also essential in the believer’s life. One must be careful not to pray to God in the way the hypocrites do. The believer’s prayer should be genuine. She should pray to God out of a sincere heart. It becomes dangerous when we quote vain repetitions in order to be seen and heard by men. Public prayer is such a great experience because believers may come together and praise God. Public prayer involves God in the lives of His people as the body of Christ. When they are unified in their praise, it brings about a sense of …show more content…
When Christians come together corporately, they learn what needs and shortcomings that the each other have. This provides a balance for the believer. If a Christian’s life were spent solely in private prayer, he may lean more towards selfish prayer. This certainly wouldn’t be his intent. It’s just that he has never learned how to pray for anyone else apart from himself. Therefore, a healthy balance of private and public prayer is absolutely essential for the believer.
The service of the word is the spoken word. This is an important part of the worship experience. This was also derived from the Jewish structure of worship. The history of the service of the word occurred when Israel wondered, “How could they sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land?” The synagogue provided a safe haven for the people of God to assemble and relish in worship and the spoken word.
The Jews began to put together all of the things that the Lord had done for them. They taught on the writings. They spoke the written words aloud. The Jewish people reflected on the spoken word. It helped them to remember who they were in God. The Jewish people celebrated the actions of God. They relished in the love and grace that God had shown them throughout their history. This gave them hope for the future as they anticipated on what God was still going to perform for them in the
They soon broke out of the ritualistic Jewish tradition and adopted their own rituals formed by the word of God. The Bible is filled with instruction about prayer. Since the religion derived from Jewish tradition, they continued to seek out a formula, so to speak, as to how many times they were to come before the Lord in prayer on a daily basis. However, …show more content…
Yet, what our early fathers seemed to miss is the fact that prayer is personal. The references were given to encourage prayer. A Christian’s prayer life is totally dependent upon the relationship that one has in Christ. This is to say that each person’s prayer life will be different. This is why the men and women of the Bible had different times and schedules when it came to prayer. Therefore, private prayer should be focused more on quality time spent in prayer with our Father. A Christian should pick a time that is more feasible to him.
Corporate or public prayer is also essential in the believer’s life. One must be careful not to pray to God in the way the hypocrites do. The believer’s prayer should be genuine. She should pray to God out of a sincere heart. It becomes dangerous when we quote vain repetitions in order to be seen and heard by men. Public prayer is such a great experience because believers may come together and praise God. Public prayer involves God in the lives of His people as the body of Christ. When they are unified in their praise, it brings about a sense of …show more content…
When Christians come together corporately, they learn what needs and shortcomings that the each other have. This provides a balance for the believer. If a Christian’s life were spent solely in private prayer, he may lean more towards selfish prayer. This certainly wouldn’t be his intent. It’s just that he has never learned how to pray for anyone else apart from himself. Therefore, a healthy balance of private and public prayer is absolutely essential for the believer.
The service of the word is the spoken word. This is an important part of the worship experience. This was also derived from the Jewish structure of worship. The history of the service of the word occurred when Israel wondered, “How could they sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land?” The synagogue provided a safe haven for the people of God to assemble and relish in worship and the spoken word.
The Jews began to put together all of the things that the Lord had done for them. They taught on the writings. They spoke the written words aloud. The Jewish people reflected on the spoken word. It helped them to remember who they were in God. The Jewish people celebrated the actions of God. They relished in the love and grace that God had shown them throughout their history. This gave them hope for the future as they anticipated on what God was still going to perform for them in the