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You are here: Home / Archives for Maturity

Are you a worthy disciple?

August 18, 2014 By R. Brad White Leave a Comment

I was reading Philippians 3:17 today where Paul encourages others to follow his example of pursuing Christ. In the study notes, it asked a wonderful question, “What kind of follower would a new Christian become if he or she imitated you?”

So a thought to consider today is what kind of disciple of Christ are you? What example are you setting for others? Is it an example worth following?

Filed Under: 2 Minutes to Christian Maturity, Being Like Jesus Christ, Christian News and Insights, Question Of The Week Tagged With: discipleship, Maturity

Unintentional Christianity

November 9, 2012 By R. Brad White 6 Comments

 

Today’s Christian and today’s Church has a problem. That problem is unintentional Christianity. By unintentional, I mean accepting the label as “a Christian”, yet not trying to “be” a Christian; not being intentional about your spiritual development and transformation into Christ-likeness.
[Read more…]

Filed Under: Being Like Jesus Christ, Hypocrisy Tagged With: apathy, christianity, Christians, disciple, faith, faith in action, God, hypocrisy, James, Jesus Christ, Luke, Maturity

Private Prayer

February 9, 2012 By R. Brad White 7 Comments

Our Glory or His?

God isn’t a big fan of humans doing things for our own glory. In fact, look at any behavior where the goal is to draw attention away from God and to ourselves. You can bet that God is frowning upon it. Focusing on God’s glory (more Him, and less us) is a sign of Christian maturity.

The Jewish Pharisees were known for praying in public as a show of their self-righteousness. They were seeking their own glory and Jesus Christ saw right through it.

But let us not think we are immune from such actions. Us mere humans are bent upon seeking the approval of other people. We want to look better than we are. We want to appear like we have it all together. We want to come across as more spiritual or holy than we are. God knows our hearts. Nothing is hidden from Him.

Pray in Private

And so, this installment of “2 Minutes to Christian Maturity” is about private prayer. Let’s read from Matthew 6:6, “But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”

So God says we should pray in private. Does this mean public prayers are not heard? Of course they are! God is recommending private prayer so we aren’t tempted to pray with the wrong motivation (self glory).

The most effective prayers are those when we come humbly before our God, lay ourselves bare before Him, repent of our sins, and ask for His grace and forgiveness. When was the last time you prayed like that in public? God knows that praying in private is the best place to have “quality time”.

When I started caring more about what God thinks of me than what other people think of me, it evolved into a genuine act of worship instead of trying to “look Christian”.

Now, I think it’s fine to pray in public when its done with the proper motivation. For me, it took a while before I was able to pray in public (like in a noisy restaurant). I was mostly afraid of what people would think of me. When I started caring more about what God thinks of me than what other people think of me, it evolved into a genuine act of worship instead of trying to “look Christian”.

But when it comes to Christian maturity, God knows best. If given the choice, private prayer, free of distractions, is preferred. Take 2 minutes, and find a secluded spot where you can connect in prayer with our Holy God, the Creator of Heaven and Earth, the Giver of life, the One who knows what we need even before we ask.

Can we ask you to do us a favor?

If you enjoyed this article, would you please share it with your facebook friends? Send a message about this page (https://changingthefaceofchristianity.com/christian-maturity/private-prayer/)  to Christian friends on facebook. Thanks!

Filed Under: 2 Minutes to Christian Maturity Tagged With: Maturity, Prayer

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