#41: Why We Pray and How It Changes Us

This week on Beyond the Pulpit we explore why prayer is a relationship to pursue, not a button to push, and how that vision deepens trust in the Father who sees in secret. We also unpack prayer as power in temptation, the Lord’s Prayer as a template, and how praying Scripture reshapes desire into obedience.

• the aim of prayer as relationship with the Father
• private prayer versus performative prayer
• Matthew 6 and the Lord’s Prayer as a template
• God’s sovereignty as confidence in asking
• Gethsemane and the gap between intent and obedience
• “spirit willing, flesh weak” and resisting temptation
• praying Scripture and the Psalms to shape language and desire
• honoring God by praying his promises
• upcoming training on praying the Bible and meditation

Go to our website or the Church Center app and sign up for Equip, October 24–25, with Dr. Donald Whitney. Price is $20 for adults and $10 for middle and high school students. Space is filling up pretty quickly—join us October 24th to 25th

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:03

Welcome to Beyond the Pulpit, exploring the life and ministry of Walnut Creek Church downtown. Walnut Creek Church exists to glorify God by making authentic disciples of Jesus Christ who love and worship him in all they do. Well, all right, welcome to Beyond the Pulpit. My name is Derek Wadley, and I'm joined here by Lou Cookie. Hey, what's up, everyone? And Dan Rude.

SPEAKER_01 0:24

Good morning, everybody.

SPEAKER_00 0:25

And uh last week at church, we talked through the last uh of our four points of our miniseries on the book of Acts, specifically five verses. Uh Acts 2, 42 to 47. Uh, we talked about the importance of prayer in the life of a church. And Luke, you had a lot to share on that. Um, and a lot of ways it's in a lot more. Yeah, and it's a lot of ways topical messages are more challenging thanks. They're themes, Derek.

SPEAKER_01 0:52

They're not topics, they're themes. Themed texts.

SPEAKER_00 0:55

That's you know, that's that's why you guys are the professionals and you just sit here and chime in every once in a while. The themes. That's right. So the themes uh are a little bit more challenging, but there's a lot to say about prayer. Tons. You spent a good good amount of time, but there's probably some more you you had in the hopper.

SPEAKER_02 1:14

Yeah, you know, my wife asked me this week, she said, uh, do you like talking on messages, you know, like themes, or do you like talking teaching on a text? And I said, Um, probably a text, because there's actual limits. Yes. When you're in a theme, you're like, wait a minute. So what do I what do I limit that to? Especially theme like prayer.

SPEAKER_00 1:32

It's like how many books 66 books of the Bible.

Why Pray: Relationship Over Performance

Matthew 6: Praying To The Father

SPEAKER_02 1:38

So one one topic. So most of the message was pretty um practical about how do we become more devoted to prayer. Um I do think a piece of that, which I wanted to get into more, I just didn't have time, um, especially with baptisms this weekend, was the question of why should we pray. And um I think there are a lot of good, obviously, reasons for prayer, not just like how we should go about prayer. And and uh honestly, like if we don't have good reasons um kind of uh um motivating us to pray, it's like our our uh excitement for prayer, our desire for prayer is probably going to wane. And so the practice of prayer is important, but so is also the the rationale or the the motivation for prayer. So we want to look at just this question why should we pray? Why should we pray? And um reason number one is this uh there's many ways to frame it, I think, but it's to deepen our relationship with God. It really is to deepen our relationship with God. I don't know who said this um exactly. Uh Pastor John Crane from the South Side gave me this quote, and I don't know that he knows who said it for sure, but uh the quote is this prayer is not a button to push, but a relationship to pursue. And I think that encapsulates uh prayer in a very um uh very helpful way. It's like oftentimes we think of prayer as like this thing, we we're gonna go push the vending machine button, now it pops whatever we want, but really it's about a relationship. And uh, I think a helpful text or text a helpful that's helpful to emphasize that is fun in Matthew 6. Dan, do you want to give us that?

SPEAKER_01 3:10

Yeah, Matthew 6, verse 5 says, whenever you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites, because they love they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by people. Truly I tell you, they they have their reward. But when you pray, go into your private room, shut your door, and pray to your father who is in secret, and your father who sees in secret will reward you. When you pray, don't babble like the Gentiles, since they imagine they'll be heard for their many words. Don't be like them, because your father knows these things, knows the things you need before you ask him. So good. Yeah, it's a great it's a great text on prayer, very uh famous. And I I think Jesus here uh he's contrasting the prayer of his followers with the hypocrites, uh, namely the uh Pharisees. He just calls them hypocrites. And he says what's driving what's driving their prayer life is the desire to be seen by other people. That's why they pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners. He says they do this to be seen by others. And he says when you do that, you don't you don't have a reward. That the their reward is getting the pat on the back. Wow. That was a great prayer. Same man, you nailed that. He nailed that public prayer on the on the street corner. And he says, Don't do that. And he's not saying that you shouldn't pray in public. He's just saying don't don't be motivated by um the desire to be seen by other people. Which that makes perfect sense. If you're praying to God, but you're actually praying to be seen by people, kind of defeats the purpose of prayer.

SPEAKER_00 4:48

Sometimes it turns into uh the preach in prayer. The preach in prayer. It's like you're you're praying, but you're actually just preaching to the people like around you. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 4:56

That's right. That's right.

SPEAKER_00 4:57

How can you figure out how can I say the most like you know, it's like Lord, I just pray that you would help Luke understand your humility and that he could be an example of that humility.

SPEAKER_01 5:10

Exactly. Um so don't do that. He says, Don't do that. Um verse six. But when you pray, go into your private room, shut your door, and pray to your father who is in secret. And I love that description of God um that he is our father and he is in secret. So where do you where do you meet God the Father in secret?

Private Prayer, Real Motives

SPEAKER_02 5:33

In secret. And even the you know, there's the idea like multiple times here, Jesus is saying, I think three times, he says, Father, you know, verse six, pray to your father is in secret, and your father who sees in secret will reward you. Verse eight, don't be like them because you know, because your father knows the things you need. And um I think uh thinking about God as a father really does help draw out the relational aspect of uh with God. You know, that like you think about a father, children, uh, there is a reality where like we are God's children, and how does a father have part of his relationship with his children is through conversation, like it's through time with them. And uh it's what a cool thing to think about that God is our father who's in heaven and who's invited us into uh relationship with himself, fellowship with himself, and he's he's he wants us to actually come to him and talk with him or to pray to him. And uh uh he's like that's like what God's desire is for us, and um to go meet him in in prayer. Yeah, and it's fat to me, it's like you it's hard to like you're like that's crazy to think about. It's pretty remarkable.

SPEAKER_00 6:41

Yeah. And it's like a lot of times it it seems like sometimes people's prayer life is informed by their relationship with others and like whether or not they've felt hurt or anything like that. But I just when I feel discouraged in in my prayer life, I think a lot about Psalm 116 when it says like the I I love the Lord because he inclines his ear to me. He's like he's leaning in to that. And so it's like the idea that the God of everything uh would lean in to us to hear us, it's like it says in Matthew 5 or 6, 8, it says, uh, you know, your father knows the things you need before you ask. But it's like with our kids, it's like we can uh we can usually pick up where they're at, but we try and draw it out of them. But like besides, you know, I've I've found when I draw it out, rather than uh being like, this is what's bothering you, and you just need to like own it and this is what you need to do about it. Yep, like there's a better relational win there. And so that's how we drive it into that's you know, with our heavenly father, we can he as he we draw those things out, it builds that intimacy, certainly.

The Lord’s Prayer As Template

SPEAKER_01 7:50

And uh, you know, what you see in the gospel is that um John 8, Jesus talks about how our default position is that we're children of the devil, which is that's that's a tough that's a tough challenge. I don't know if I like that or sheep better. But he says, you know, you're like your father, the devil. Whoa. Ephesians 2 also says that you're dead in your sins. You're dead in your side. You are darkness. You are darkness. You were once darkness, but now you're light in the Lord. And um part of becoming a Christian, like a big part of it, is that we've been transferred from the the kingdom of darkness and into the kingdom of light. Yeah, the marvelous light. And uh we go from being uh children of the devil to uh children of God. John 1, to those who received him, to those who believed in his name. He gave them the right to be called children of God. Um and he says, not not born from from flesh, it's not like uh or the act of man, but born of God. And to be born of God is to become a child of God. And now God loves loves lost people, no doubt. He loves non-Christians, but uh there is a unique love that God, the Father has for his children. And uh and so our birthright as Christians is that uh we we have the Spirit of God and we have a new father, and the Spirit has been given to us largely to nurture our relationship uh with God. Uh Romans eight says, for you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear. Instead, you received the spirit of adoption by whom we cry, Abba Father. And so this the Spirit of God works in us to nurture the relationship that we have with God the Father. And that that's gonna look a lot like prayer. You know? And even Jesus in verse eight, Matthew, Matthew 6, 8, he says, Don't be like them because your father knows the things that you need before you ask him. And when I read that, I think, if he already knows what I need, then why doesn't why do I need to ask?

SPEAKER_00 9:52

Right.

SPEAKER_01 9:53

And I think the answer, like that some people think that verse is it like shouldn't move us away from prayer, but Jesus is actually giving us motives, reasons, promises. And he says, listen, he already knows what you need. He knows what you need. So why do I need to pray? Well, I think that shows us that prayer is not primarily about just getting stuff from God. Yeah, it's about it's about walking with God, growing in our relationship with him. And um, yeah, so it's a it is it it should be one of the deep motivations and in the heart of a Christian. That's what that you know the Spirit of God is is going to be leading us to to uh towards more and more prayer, not away from it. That's right.

SPEAKER_02 10:36

Yeah, and I think it is a uh the word that a word that comes to my mind is like what a privilege that we do have um to actually have the ear of God who sits in heaven over all things. And um and so God, like even just the idea that God is our father, it's like he he deeply cares about our life. There's he has an a vested interest in our life, and he wants what's best for us. And um and so part of what he's calling us to when we you know when we're told to pray is oh, come, come be in relationship with me. That's right. And prayer really is like it, it uh it's an opportunity for us to not only like uh practice, you know, faith, but to actually build our faith. Like to really build. And I think faith is trust in something, our faith or trust in God, which speaks back to just the relational aspect of God deepening our trust and dependence uh on the Lord. And um, and so when you when you pray in public, you can be praying for all kinds of reasons. When you pray in private, it seems like you gotta have some really deep, like true motivations. You really gotta believe, okay, God is my father who hears what I am praying, and he wants me to seek him. And uh and Lord willing, I can what that's what I want. I want to know God more. And uh one of the ways that happens is through through praying. And so we should we should pray to deep our relationship with the Lord. Second, unless you guys got anything else you want to say in that.

SPEAKER_01 12:05

You know, in Dan's look on his face. Matthew six, I'm a preacher. I'm a preacher. I shouldn't.

SPEAKER_00 12:14

You mean me, Dan. No, I don't have anything to say.

God’s Sovereignty And Our Confidence

SPEAKER_01 12:17

Matthew six, nine. Therefore, so here's the application. You should pray pray like this Our Father in heaven, your name be honored as holy, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread, and forgive us our debtors as we also have forgiven our debtors, and do not bring us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. And um that that's obvious obviously uh uh one of the um examples in the gospels of the Lord, of the Lord's prayer. And he says, when you pray, you should pray like this. And um the first thing he says is it's our Father. And um you know, there's a lot of medit a lot of meditation has gone into the Lord's prayer. A lot of thinking has gone into the Lord's Prayer, and just how brilliant brilliant it is. I mean, we could spend all day uh and unpacking that. Yeah, just breaking it down. But um, I I used to think that praying the Lord's Lord's Prayer was kind of lame. And uh the reason why is that because you're anti-Catholic. Well, I played okay, in seventh grade, I put I played on the the Colts and the football team. Indianapolis not the Indianapolis Colts, but I played I played on uh the Des Moines Colts and it was uh tackle football league, and we played we played Dowling and we played a few other schools in town. And um yeah, and there are a lot of dowling kids on my team, and before every game, we all uh chanted the Lord's Prayer. But I part of part of my thinking was that the coach would scream F-words at practice all day long, and he was just screaming F words, he was hitting people, slapping people's helmets hard, yelling at them, just swearing up a storm. Yeah, he had like this giant thing of t tobacco uh in his mouth. And then he's like, All right, everybody, let's get down on our knees and just pray the Lord's Prayer. And I just I thought, what are we doing here? I'm just gonna just is this what Jesus says? And so that was that was like the it kind of turned me off to the Lord's Prayer. And um, and I I think when Jesus says we should pray like this, I don't think he had my coach in mind uh praying like that. I don't think that's the example. So but over the years, I I've grown to love the Lord's Prayer and just actually just pray that prayer.

SPEAKER_02 14:45

We even pray the prayer and the noticing he says pray like this. So plenty of people have made the point that Jesus is saying this is the way you must pray. Like you have to pray these exact words necessarily. It's a template. But it's like a template. And it really is. Like it's so good to think about our Father in heaven who who is God? Well, he's my father. And where is he? He is in heaven. Now, in heaven shouldn't translate our father. Well, right. But he it shouldn't translate to us that God is in heaven, therefore he's distant and far off. Right. But the picture is that God is in heaven sitting over all things. Therefore, we go to a God who is sovereign and in control, who has power over everything. And uh so we don't go to him and and uh think God can't do anything. No, we go to him with a confidence and a boldness and asking God. And uh knowing that God is like um uh all things are under his control, and he's working all things to the get uh together for the good of those who actually love him, as Paul says in Romans. And so there's more built into that that I think, okay, he's our father, which obviously is speaking about the communal aspect of the church and us, and fathers care deeply for their children, and God is not he's not weak, not weak, he's not impotent. No. Uh he is he is powerful and he reigns sovereignly above all things.

SPEAKER_01 16:04

Anyway, we could go on on that for so yeah, so that's just one application of how we can grow in prayer. And and the Lord's prayer here in Matthew 6 is in contrast to verse 7. Yeah. When you pray, don't babble like the Gentiles. Imagine, since they imagine they'll be heard for their many words. So don't do that. Okay, what do you pray then? Yeah, right. You pray like this. And it's a pretty short prayer. It's pretty short, very concise. Yeah. And so that's just one example of how to pray and how to deepen our relationship with God. Yep. Uh, you ready?

Prayer As Power Against Temptation

SPEAKER_02 16:38

Uh I'm I'm free now to move on. Okay. Okay, good deal. Um, second uh reason to pray would be, I think, found in um Mark 14, be one passage. But it's the idea of uh power. It's the power for the Christian life. And more specifically, I think we think of um helps bridge the gap between having good intentions or you know, wanting to do what's right and actually doing uh what's right before God. And Mark 14, particularly uh the prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, um, you know, Jesus here is uh just about to go to the cross to be arrested, and uh he takes Peter, James, and John with him. So these three men, uh kind of the inner circle of his twelve disciples who had some different experiences, closer uh situations that Jesus kind of um gave them compared to some of the other disciples. And he takes them with them and he says he began to be deeply distressed and troubled. And he says to them, I'm deeply grieved to the point of death, remain here and stay awake. So Jesus is is uh deeply grieved, and in his grief, uh there's a good lesson for us here, too, is Jesus goes and he prays. He prays to his father. And he says to the disciples, Remain here and stay awake. Now what happens to these men?

SPEAKER_00 17:55

They immediately follow.

SPEAKER_02 17:57

Sorry, immediately So Jesus goes on and he uh cries out to his father, all things are possible for you, take this cup away from me, nevertheless, what I not what I will, but what you will. And then he came and he found them sleeping. He says to Peter, Simon, are you sleeping? Couldn't you stay awake one hour? You think about it like if you're Peter James John and Jesus is in agony here, and he asks you to do something, you would do it.

SPEAKER_00 18:32

Yeah, and he comes back like sweating blood. Yeah, and that's what it tells us. And it's like looking at him, like, hey, wake up. Stay awake and pray. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 18:44

And I gotta think to myself, okay, you think Peter, James, John, they're like, Jesus says, stay awake and pray, and they're just like, nah. I'm guessing that's not their that was not their response. No. I I would imagine they're they have a uh their intent is to stay awake. Their intention is to like uh not to fall asleep. And so Jesus comes back, they're sleeping, verse 38, and he says, Stay awake and pray so that you will not enter into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. And I'm like, man, that's a powerful statement. What is it? It's like what is what is Jesus getting at here? And I think part of what he's getting at is how do we overcome temptation? So we have the flesh, the flesh is prone. Uh we are going to be tempted by ourselves by other things. And how do we overcome the temptation in our life?

SPEAKER_00 19:45

And uh temptation and distraction, like in in prayer? Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 19:51

And it seems like uh Jesus is saying, at least part the way we overcome temptation is by praying. By praying. And uh, how do you find the strength to um not look at pornography when you're being tempted? Um what do you do? It's like, well, you pray. And that's not I'm not saying that's the only thing you should do. Right.

SPEAKER_00 20:15

But it's again, remember it's not a button to press. It's not a button to press. And therefore, because I prayed. Yeah. Uh I'm good. I'm off the hook or I'm good.

Gethsemane: Spirit Willing, Flesh Weak

SPEAKER_02 20:27

Or how do you find the strength to forgive somebody who's hurt you? Um you know, how how do you I mean there's the the how and anything, how do you do what's right before God um and not do the opposite? How do you like resist temptation? And uh Jesus is resisting temptation, right?

SPEAKER_01 20:47

Uh I think. Yeah, there's a there's a contrast here between Peter and Jesus. Like they're they're they're they're side by side. That's right. And um Peter, what sets up the garden in Mark's gospel is that Jesus predicts Peter's denial. Yeah. Yeah. And he says, uh Yeah, right before. Verse 27, then Jesus said to them, All of you will fall away, because it is written, I will strike the shepherd and the sheep will be scattered. But after I've risen, he's calling a shot here. I'm gonna rise from the dead, and I will go ahead of you to Galilee, verse 29. Here comes bold, bold Peter, sweet Pete. He's professing his loyalty to Jesus. Peter told him, even if everyone falls, what a statement. Even if everyone falls away, he's looking at his disciple, the other disciples. You see these 11 guys. Even if they all fall away, I will not. Wow. Truly I tell you, Jesus told him today, this very night before the rooster crows twice, you'll deny me three times. But he kept insisting, if I have to die with you, I will never deny you. And they all said the same thing. And so Peter is leading the charge. Um and he's about ready. Their confession of faith in Christ is going to be tested, and Jesus' confession uh is gonna be it's gonna be tested before the Sanhedrin, and so there's this contrast, and then they go into the garden, like you said, and part part of Peter's mistake is that he he this is my mistake. It's all our yeah, it's what it's our mistake, is that I think if you could zoom in, like somehow get an x-ray of Peter's heart, I think he really genuinely, like really, really, genuinely wanted to do the right thing. Yeah, I I think he meant what he said. He meant what he said. And and he he looked inside of himself like I really want to do the right thing. I want I want to stand with Christ. So when he says, I will die with you, I think he meant it. And you see that when he pulls out the sword and cuts off poor Malchus's ear, and I mean he meant it. He's like, All right, I guess we're dying, or we're gonna live, or we're going to war, or whatever, you know. Later in the garden. But Peter didn't understand what type of temptation was going to face him. Yeah. He didn't understand it. And and he relied on his good intentions. And Jesus, uh the the Son of God, who is God in the flesh, um, he didn't just rely on his good intentions. He went and he he labored in prayer that he might overcome uh temptation. And that's the example for us.

From Intentions To Obedience

SPEAKER_02 23:35

What an example. Yeah, and I think with it Jesus didn't just go and like the the picture here isn't that he just kind of said uh this short little prayer. I'm not saying that you can't, but um that he actually, as you said, labored in prayer. Like there's a there's a deep grief and sorrow and he's troubled. And like he goes back and he prays and he comes back to his disciples and he goes back and he prays and he comes back to his disciples and he goes back. And I think that is a there is a picture there for us too. In temptation, it's like you don't just pray necessarily one time, like you're gonna have to keep keep seeking God in prayer. And uh because oftentimes temptation you know, I I think of this in terms of like uh particularly like sexual sin, I think is a very common relatable um thing here. Your intent is I'm not gonna do that. But then there's moments in your your uh your day, I can think um you you or in your life if you struggle with something like you pornography or masturbation or whatnot, and you're like, okay, I don't want to do that. But then there's a point in your day where that temptation becomes it grows, and what do you do? And it overwhelms you overwhelms you. It's like you feel it deeply. Um I remember that being the case like many, many years ago. Uh and I'm like when I was 19, like really wrestling with that stuff in my life, and I'm like, man, what do you do? And like what I had to do was know God's word, but then pray over and over and over. Like you gotta wrestle, wrestle in prayer. And um, and so uh you know, and I if I just said that I don't want to do this, like I had every intention of saying, you know, before I got there, I'm not gonna, I'm not gonna give in to that sin. And yet what you f I find myself I find myself doing, you know, this is again many years ago, but is giving into that. And you're like, wait a minute. Like, so I just my intent of saying I'm not gonna do it isn't enough for me not to do it. I actually need to uh rely on the Lord and in one of the ways we rely on God and we find power and strength to obey God is by actually seeking him in prayer, depending on him. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 25:41

And something that you talked about this weekend was like praying the scriptures, and you were saying, especially the Psalms, uh there are there are prayers all over the scriptures, all over, all over the New Testament, and it's good to put some of those like in the chamber as well. So, like that's praying the Bible um is it feeds a couple of like different just disciplines of memorizing and meditating. And so it's like having some of those in the chamber are really helpful. So it's really, I mean, it just even as you're reading the scriptures, it's good to like so I um like highlight in different colors, and every time I come across a prayer, I like I highlight that um in like purple pea prayer because I'm a simple person. But not pink dirt, pink because pink was reserved for a different uh for for the promises. Nice. So I'm a child and I walk around with crayons. That's good. But yeah, so are there are there like prayers in the New Testament that maybe um you guys think about that try to keep in the chamber that that's a good question? Um or even just yeah, that are helpful.

SPEAKER_02 26:59

Yeah. I mean, one for me, which you already touched on, it like that I've legitimately used over and over as the Lord's Prayer. And I've gone back to that. You know, I I growing up Catholic, I recited it all the time, but I didn't think much about it. It was more just reciting it. Um but as I've uh uh been following Christ and walking with the Lord and understanding, oh, more about the Lord's Prayer, like that has been a tremendous um comfort and help in just understanding how to pray uh for me. So that's been one I've gone to. And then the big one, this is just categorically, is the psalms in general. And I I certain psalms I guess I probably like more than others, but I mean a lot of times just opening up any of the psalms, you know, you quickly find something that's relatable to what's going on in life.

Praying Scripture: Psalms And Patterns

SPEAKER_01 27:44

Amen. Yeah. Yeah, and I think one of the benefits of praying the psalms or praying through the scriptures is that um I I don't think I would have anticipated this 20 years ago, but uh sometimes my kids, when they're talking to me and they're appealing to me, they want something, they want to go somewhere, they want me to do something. They want money, they want money, cash money, and they will quote me. They will appeal. They will appeal using what I say to them. And it's it's kind of funny because I know what they're doing, but it it works a little bit. I did say that. You're right. I did say that. Okay, okay, okay. And I'm not still no. But I also know. But no. I guess I guess uh I just say that because I think there's something about praying the very word of God that I think honors God. It's like we're praying his word back to him. And I'm not saying because I feel a little bit moved when my children quote me, therefore God feels like that.

SPEAKER_00 29:03

There's like a little bit of like an ego stroke versus like God doesn't need that.

SPEAKER_01 29:07

Yes, yes, yes. So so clearly there are differences, but I do think there's something about that principle that is true. That there's something that it it actually honors God, and it says, uh I'm praying on the basis of what you say. Like you're saying, so it's an act of faith. And so I think just in principle, praying God's word, the word of God, the very words of God back to God, and allowing those to shape our thinking about God and our prayers. I just think you know, prayer is about a relationship to to to develop and grow in, no doubt. And it's about bridging the gap between good intentions and reality, how we actually live. And I think there is something about prayer that just honors him. Totally. It just honors God. God is honored, yeah, you know, when we come to him. Instead of turning to cigarettes, turning to pornography, you know, turning to um turning to whatever. Yeah. Our friends first, food. I mean the list. Yeah, yeah. We just we just turn to him and we cry out to him. I think it just honors him. Amen. Amen.

SPEAKER_00 30:16

We've got a good opportunity here as a church to really grow in this area as well. Um, and praying the Bible and meditating on the scriptures. Uh our equip conference is coming up at the end of October, October 24th and 25th. Uh, Dr. Donald Whitney from Midwestern Theological Baptist, Baptist Theological. You guys went there.

SPEAKER_02 30:36

You know what the name of the school was the Western Baptist Theological Seminary.

Honoring God By Praying His Word

SPEAKER_00 30:40

Great. That is where he's coming from. The greatest seminary of all time. The greatest seminary of all time, located in Kansas City, Missouri. Um and so uh he's coming up, he wrote the book, Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life. He wrote uh an additional book called Praying the Bible. We have that at the Welcome Center. Yep. Uh you're not gonna find it anywhere cheaper than than there. So swing by. Grab a copy if you want that. But he's gonna be here on Friday night of the conference. He's gonna be spending a lot of time with us teaching us about how, why to pray the Bible, the benefits of it, um, why it's helpful to the Christian life. And then Saturday morning, uh, we're gonna talk about the extension of that, which is meditating on the scriptures. And that's gonna feed memorizing as well. And so uh that's a huge opportunity for us to come up here. It's a huge honor to have Dr. Whitney come up. Uh the the price is$20 for adults and ten dollars for middle school and high school students.

SPEAKER_01 31:38

Yeah, we're not making any money on it.

SPEAKER_00 31:39

Not making just maybe covering some costs. Yeah, maybe, maybe, hopefully. Emphasize the maybe. So, but it's it's a it's a huge opportunity. So uh go to go to our website, go to the church center app um and sign up for that. Uh space is filling up uh pretty quickly. We're about a month out from it, and um, yeah, we've got quite a few people signed up already. So if you want to go get signed up uh and join us October 24th to 25th.