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“God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth,” (John 4:24).
Every element of true worship involves some emotional component. The emotional component is not driven by a direct operation of the Holy Spirit (as in Calvinism) or “getting the Holy Spirit” (as in Charismatic practice). The emotional component of true worship is the result of one’s informed relationship with Deity.
How To Have An Effective Prayer Life
Dr. Silas C. Nair
All of us want to pray. We start to pray. But in a few minutes it is all over. We have nothing more to say. We don’t know how to ask. When we hear of people praying throughout the night we wonder about how and what they do. Is it simply repeating again and again what we have said? May be we have tried that too. But it does not work. It is frustrating. Our prayers are not answered. We don’t feel that we have not made a real effort in prayer.
“Lord, teach us to pray as John also taught his disciples” asked the disciples. He taught them (Lk.11.1-4). Often it is mistakenly said as “The Lord’s Prayer” and some people simply repeat it. It is really the disciple’s prayer. In this lesson on prayer our relationship with God is explained in many ways: He is our Father and we are his children The Father who loves us and knows our needs (6.32). His name is holy (Cf. Isa.57.15) and is so different from us. He is intrinsically holy and we have only his imputed holiness. He is the King and we are His subjects.
Resisting The World 4, Dr. Johnson C. Philip
Daniel continues to be one of the most favourite books in the Old Testament. The story part attracts the young, while the second half attracts serious students of prophecy. No wonder why many people were motivated to imitate the book of Daniel. Some of these imitations have resulted in several apocryphal stories.
Daniel stands to us as a model child of God, and no amount of description can exhaust the spiritual lessons available afresh from his life for each generation of believers. In the last article we noticed that all spiritual battle is ultimately won in the believer’s mind. Daniel won the first part of the battle when he “purposed in his heart” that he would not defile himself, come what may. His three companions stood with him in this decision. The next stage was to implement this decision, and we read:
But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the Prince of the Eunuchs that he might not defile himself (Daniel 1:8).
Dr. Johnson C. Philip
Ask students of any Sunday-school to name their favorite book in the Old Testament, and a large number of them would say “Daniel”. Here is a book that has charmed generations, and the fascination is still not dimmed. Such is the greatness of this book with a mere 12 chapters.
In the last article we noticed the way in which Nebuchadnezzar ordered the training of hostages. Almost 70 noble and royal young people meeting stringent physical and mental criteria were selected. However, the book gives us a glimpse of developments in the lives of only four of them. Perhaps there were many in the group who were more promising than these four, but what resulted in the end was determined not by their inherent abilities, nor by their training, but by what spiritual decisions they made.
Resisting The World, Dr. Johnson C. Philip
The book of Daniel is remarkable in that though it is only 12 chapter long, it has fascinated both young and old alike. This book is a delight not only for the Sunday School student, but also for the most outstanding scholar in the world.
In the last article we noticed that Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon instilled a puppet government in Jerusalem in the summer of BC 605. He did not have time to restructure everything, and consequently he took plenty of hostages with him. Of these, fifty to seventy young men were from royal families. The king ordered that they be trained in a way as to make them totally loyal to the Chaldean empire. The best ones were chosen. A lot of care was given to them so as to bring them up to the king’s expectation. We read,
And the king appointed them a daily provision of the king’s meat, and of the wine which he drank: so nourishing them three years, that at the end thereof they might stand before the king. (Dan 1:5)
Babylon was one of the richest kingdoms of that time. The best of the best food, which the king himself consumed, was to be given to them. This was partly to put them at ease, partly to win them though their “stomachs”, and partly to change their food habits, all contributing to brainwashing. Surprisingly, the same is going on all around us today though most of us do not seem to realize it. The greed for food and the consumption of popular but unhealthy food has been adversely affecting the spiritual life of millions of children and young people in the affluent countries. Now the same thing is being seen in our own country also.
Resisting The World, Dr. Johnson C. Philip
The history found in Genesis chapter 6, where there was a great intermingling of the Sons of God and the daughters of Men repeats itself in every generation, at a social and spiritual level, of course. And the abandon with which God’s children indulge in things profane only increases with each generation.
Consequently, the twenty-first century happens to be the worst so far.
No sensible believer can ever hope to turn the clock back, but everyone can expect to fight the system as far as their personal life is concerned. And for that we have plenty of doctrine, reproof, correction and instruction in righteousness in the Scriptures. What’s more, there are any number of historical records in the Bible about people who fought against the system and kept themselves uncontaminated. A study of some of these stories will be quite enlightening, and we delve in the book of Daniel to do precisely that.
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