Two weeks ago we began a new journey for this new year, one that explores some of the contours of the world called "Prayer."

It began by reminding ourselves on what prayer is built – namely a total confidence and trust in Jesus Christ. He is the Way, the Truth and the Life – for everything including prayer.

The Way to heaven and the throne room of God is through Jesus.
The One who can reveal and guide Truth into our prayers is Jesus.
The only One who can breathe Life into our prayers, and who can direct living responses back to us..... is Jesus.

Prayers that presume to gain a hearing from God apart from humble repentance before and dependance upon Jesus are simply that......

Cheeky presumptions tossed heaven’s way.

HOWEVER

It’s definitely not the way to go about building a solid life of prayer.

Last week we considered what happens when we run into one of those fog blankets that life sometimes tosses over us. Everything is a dark mist. We feel confused. Not sure what’s happening or how we’re supposed to respond. Looking up, all we see is darkness. Standing, we feel an oppressive heaviness.

Then what?
What do we do when our personal prayers falter?

Prayers are Spirit-led when they happen with other believers.

that it’s ok.

Today the third step in our journey.
Have you ever found yourself in a conversation where someone told you, or where you told someone else, "I’ve decided to do.......x...y...z. I prayed about it and it feels right."

I’m not talking about the very obvious cases where something they’re feeling good about goes in direct contravention to the Holy Word of God; the final full-stop authority for a Christian’s life — the Bible.
You know, the "I prayed about it and feel real warm and good about leaving my husband to move in with the office manager" kind of thing.

I’m talking about the gray areas, where you can’t find chapter and verse to direct you or clarify the matter.
You hear the person’s words and yet something doesn’t seem right.
You leave concerned and puzzled. After all, they said they’d prayed and still felt good. How can you possibly argue with that?

And guilt feelings arise.
Are you doubting God’s working within their lives?
If you were to say something would you be a stumbling block in the path that the Lord is calling that individual or group to walk?
Would Jesus have to look at you as He did to Peter at one point and say, "Get behind me....!"

Praying about moving to another city, accepting another job, making certain moral decisions, going through with a purchase.
And feeling that God is giving the thumbs up, or pointing in a certain direction.

How do we deal with all that?
What’s the place of discernment in the life of Christian prayer?

Please join me in reading:

One of the very important and upfront items we need to understand is that God grants the Church His Holy Spirit. Chapter 4:8 says, "God gives you His Holy Spirit."
And as other parts of this particular letter make very clear, that granting of the Holy Spirit’s presence into the life of believers and the Church comes in a context of love and communal care.
Which is why Paul challenges his readers to work hard at putting into practice true loving concern for each other, to do so joyfully, and to make sure they work at being actively thankful — always, whatever the circumstances.
In that kind of a setting, empowered by God’s gift of the poured out Holy Spirit believers are urged on towards practising an active, continual prayer life.

What the letter to the Thessalonians also shows clearly, at the beginning of chapter 5, is that in that context of care, kindness, love, thankfulness and ongoing prayer –

• in that context some very well-meaning people are getting off track and are in need of correction. In their particular case they were getting hung up on speculations about the future
• the resurrection, Christ’s second coming, and the end of the world. And the sorts of teachings they were floating around as truth were way off the mark.

"All right. Who’s idea was this, anyway? Stop it. Forget the whole thing. I told you it wouldn’t work. Don’t ever try that here again."

"Oh, that. We tried that here once and..... no, never again."

Now - try to put yourself in a pair of Thessalonian boots. Prophets and teachers are going around claiming the Spirit’s guidance and then being shown up as way off base.
Paul’s letter comes around one Sunday morning and it says.....

"Do not put out the Spirit’s fire; do not treat prophecies with contempt. Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil."

Disuse is not the answer.
Careful discernment, godly testing, is.
It was the direction for the Thessalonian church.
It remains the direction for the Church today – including the part of Christ’s church that gathers here and goes by the name of Calvin Church.

Do not test prophecies with contempt.
Test everything.
Hold on to the good.
Avoid every kind of evil.

The plain fact of the matter is that when it comes to life in our imperfect, sin-stained three-dimension segment of God’s created reality there will be,
at the very best of times,

a mixture of God’s leading stewed in together with human impulses and wishes and stubborn drives;
a blend of the holy and the human;
elements of right coloured with brush strokes of wrong;
the pure and the sinful.

Not with frowning, doubting, scepticism.
But with a holy, prayerful passion that desires the Spirit’s voice and direction to be clearly heard and followed.

Test everything....
Not in some mission to find fault, to criticize, to condemn.
But, as Guy Chevreau in his book Pray With Fire says (p.248), with a heart that interceded and hungers for greater purity, greater fullness of the Spirit, greater Kingdom obedience, so that the great prayer of our Lord will be filled up – "Thy will be done here on earth as it is in heaven."
 

Thy will - in our time, our lives, our homes, our community.
Right here! At Calvin Church, thy will be done!

Lord, help us to untangle our wishes and wants from your Holy passion.
Lord, cleanse us from any tendency towards compromise.
Lord, steer us clear of misdirection.
Lord, purify us from corruption.

Lord, give us wisdom to sense, to see, to know what is your will, your direction, your desire, your pleasure.
Lord, fill us with a humility that is willing to let go of personal agendas.

These are petitions which must be asked and lived within the context of Christian community. While each of us can, and should, pray in this attitude during our private moments, it may never remain there.
Like I said last week, one of the easiest ways we can cripple our Christian life is to try and do it all by ourselves.
"I can do it myself" is the claim of childhood. It is a statement of spiritual immaturity. It is also, dangerously, one that our society strongly encourages.
There is not one shred of evidence in Scripture that supports such an approach towards Christian living.

Together.
That’s how the Lord intended Thessalonian Christians to live.....
.... and Christians in Ottawa-Carleton.

When we do that, we’ll discover that we will begin to see a contrast between judgementalism and discernment (Chevreau, p.254).

Judgementalism is the attitude that whacks, tears down, divides.
Discernment seeks to build up, to encourage, to stimulate.

Judgementalism is fault finding; tries to stop.
Discernment is corrective; seeks to guide to godly action.
How to avoid slipping from discernment into judgementalism?
Consider the setting within which you strive to do the testing - does it fit the framework of 1 Thessalonians 5?

Is it done with joy – the joy of being a child of God?
Is it done with an attitude of prayer - Lord, confirm or correct us - is it?
Is it done thankfully - Thank you Lord, that this person desires your will!

Another litmus test is to examine our pattern of action –
Philippians 2 calls us towards a life of sacrificing service.... to become like Jesus, who was willing to put all his power and riches and prestige on the shelf in order to gain for us forgiveness, salvation, and eternal joy as adopted children in the family of God.

Jesus gave up everything and was willing to lower himself completely for us.
We carry the name Christian. We claim to live a Christian life, to practice Christian prayer.
Christian – follower of Christ.

Am I testing in order to get things my way?
Am I trying to put the lid on this in order to control it?
Am I uneasy because it stretches my personal comfort zone?
Am I unsure about something happening that I just don’t like?

Do I want the best for my brother or sister?
Do I desire the Lord to be glorified?
Am I ready to step aside, to fall back?

Praying...... with discernment

that we may be in step with the Father’s will
following the Spirit’s leading
bringing greater glory to Jesus.
That we may be found people living in heart-to-heart oneness with each other and with our Lord; Spirit to Spirit.