From the Heart of the Pastor

         Charles Spurgeon is still considered one of the greatest preachers in all Baptist history.  He was a pastor in England during a time of increasing biblical illiteracy and doctrinal laxity.  In fact, Spurgeon’s day in England is very much like our day in America.  Spurgeon was greatly concerned about the situation. He wrote a series of questions and answers about the Christian faith based on the Bible and the great confessions of faith from the years before.  The first question is crucial to understanding the focus of the “Lord’s Prayer.”  It says, “What is the chief end of man?”  The answer,   “Man's chief end is to glorify God, (1Co 10:31) and to enjoy him for ever (Ps 73:25,26).”  In other words, our primary purpose is to glorify the God who has created us and redeemed us.  That is the same focus of Matthew 6: 10.  After we acknowledge God’s greatness and worthiness to be worshipped, we pray, “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” 
          When we sincerely pray that God’s will be done and that his kingdom will come, we are telling God that his glory is more important to us than our own lives.  His kingdom and will are supreme over my needs and my desires.  As we will see in the following verses, my personal petitions are secondary to his glory. The acronym ACTS is a healthy pattern for prayer that follows the model Christ provides.
A – Adoration:  In adoration we should take time in our prayer just to worship God for who he is and what he has done.  Tell God all about his greatness.  This is what we were created to do.  We were created to reflect and magnify the greatness of God. 
C – Confession:  After we have told God of his infinite greatness, then we must admit our sinfulness.  We must confess our sins, our failings, our complete need of the forgiveness given us through the cross work of Jesus. 
T – Thanksgiving:  We then thank God for his constant love, protection, and blessings. 
S – Supplication: Finally we bring our needs before the Lord.
          Unfortunately, we too often skip right to Supplication.  There is nothing wrong with asking God for his blessing or his healing, in fact Scripture commands bringing requests before him.  The key lies in recognizing the glory of God.  He is not a vending machine.  He is Lord.  The wonderful lesson of the “Lord’s Prayer” is repeated in Matthew 6: 33, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”    

In Christ,
Blain Craig

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