The Most Dangerous Prayer.

Is today’s “Sinner’s Prayer” the equivalent of the outward sign of circumcision for the Jews?

Romans 2:17-29 “¹⁷But if you call yourself a Jew and rely on the law and boast in God ¹⁸and know His will and approve what is excellent, because you are instructed from the law; ¹⁹and if you are sure that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, ²⁰an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of children, having in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth— ²¹you then who teach others, do you not teach yourself? While you preach against stealing, do you steal? ²²You who say that one must not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? ²³You who boast in the law dishonor God by breaking the law. ²⁴For, as it is written, “The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.”

²⁵For circumcision indeed is of value if you obey the law, but if you break the law, your circumcision becomes uncircumcision. ²⁶So, if a man who is uncircumcised keeps the precepts of the law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision? ²⁷Then he who is physically uncircumcised but keeps the law will condemn you who have the written code and circumcision but break the law. ²⁸For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. ²⁹But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God.”

While today’s passage is specifically directed to the Jews; it fits well with a lot of things that are present with the modern-day believer. Paul spends a considerable amount of time in these verses talking about circumcision. To the Jew, circumcision was the outward sign of the covenant between God and the Nation of Israel. Jews saw circumcision as a guarantee of God’s favor on them, whether they lived a life that was pleasing to Him or not. It takes very little time in reading through Jewish history, to see the God’s favor was not guaranteed by the outward sign of circumcision. Paul is quick to point out that God’s favor rests not on the Jews were physically circumcised, but on the Jew, who had “circumcision of the heart.” This type of statement should not surprise anyone. God has never been enthralled with what enthralls man. Need proof? Look at God’s conversation with Samuel in 1 Samuel 16. Samuel was at the home of Jesse, looking to anoint the next king of Israel. When Jesse’s oldest son Eliab stood before Samuel, he was certain Eliab was the one. Physically, he fit the prototypical king. Yet God said to Samuel “⁷But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees, man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”

For the Jew, it was the outward sign of circumcision, for today’s church, I wonder if the outward sign isn’t the Sinner’s Prayer? We put so much weight into this prayer as if it were a guarantee of God’s favor, even if the life of the one who prayed the prayer remained unchanged. Could it be too many in the church today or trusting in Jesus as their Savior, but turning their backs on Him as their Lord? If so, how does this mess with what Paul writes in Romans 10:9 & 10? “⁹because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead you will be saved. ¹⁰For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”

What are your thoughts?

Where do you put a light?

John 4:35-38 "35I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. 36Even now the reaper draws his wages, even now he harvests the crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. 37Thus the saying 'One sows and another reaps' is true. 38I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor."

Written in 2001

I've not had the opportunity to watch a lot of kids grow and develop on a daily basis, just the two God has blessed me with. We have a ten-year-old son and a three-year-old daughter and they are as different as night and day. Steven is a lot like me, his attention span is about as long as a Jamaican bobsled team win streak. Brittany, on the other hand, is the most focused three-year-old I know. If something has her attention, it's practically impossible to get her to notice anything else. Barney himself could walk in the room and she wouldn't notice.

Have you ever seen people like that before? People that are that focused can be a great asset, providing they are focused on the right thing. Several years ago, I was listening to a pastor preach and he related the following conversation he had with one of the member of the church. It went something like this;

"Pastor John, I need you to pray for me"

"How can I pray for you?"

"Its about my job. I'm really having some intense struggles there"

"Really, what are you struggling with?"

"Well, you see, I'm the only one who's a Christian there."

"Mary, where do you put a light?"

"You don't understand Pastor, It's really getting me down. It's like I'm all alone!"

"Mary, where do you put a light?"

"Pastor, I'd just like you to pray that I can find another job that has more Christians, or that He would bring more believers to my current job."

"Mary, where do you put a light?"

"What do you mean? I'm just asking you to pray for me!"

"Mary, where do you put a light!"

Finally, a very frustrated Mary replied,

"Well, you put a light where ever it's dark."

"Exactly, could it be that God has specifically put you there to be a light in a place that's very dark?"

Suddenly, the lights when on in Mary's mind and she replied,"I never thought of it that way!"Over the next two years, Mary had the opportunity to see ten of her co-workers pray to receive Christ.

You know, there are times we can be so focused on the minute details of our lives, our own little problems, or even our own big problems, that we miss the incredible harvest God has placed before us. That was the case with Mary. She was so focused on the darkness before her, that she completely forgot that she was a very powerful light, already plugged into the ultimate power-source, Jesus Christ. In a very real sense, the Pastor said, "I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest."

A few months ago we bought our son Steven a new reading light for his bed. It’s really cool. You can bend and contort the neck any direction you want. It all depends on where you want the light to go. In many ways, we are like Steven's reading light. There are a whole host of different directions we can shine our light. We are already plugged into the most incredible power-source available, but God doesn't dictate for us where we shine that light. That choice he leaves up to us. We can either focus our light on ourselves, or we can focus the light on the field ripe before us. Can I ask you a question? Can you see what God has laid out before you today? If your anything like me, it's very easy to focus so much on the day to day details of your life that you miss a field ripe for the harvest. Look around today. Could it be that God has put you in a specific place to be a light for Him and reap an incredible harvest? "I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest."

One light to another,

Jim Canady