Beyond Head Knowledge And Traditions

Hello everyone.  Praise the Lord!

BEYOND HEAD KNOWLEDGE AND TRADITIONS.

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“Prayer is ‘the breathing of a soul inflamed for God, and inflamed for humanity.’” E.M. Bounds.

True prayer must be from the heart. It is not just the words or phrases a person repeats as a mere routine or formality. It involves coming before God, as our Father, with our hearts our entire beings in an attitude of humble submission. God requires our whole heart! In His dealings with the children of Israel, He spoke through the prophet Jeremiah, “And ye shall seek Me, and find Me, when ye shall search for Me with all your heart” (Jer. 29:13).

Jesus exposed the hypocrisy and religious tradition of those who prayed in the synagogues and street corners to be seen of men. He called the Pharisees hypocrites. He said: …Rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you, saying “This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far away from Me. But in vain do they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the precepts of men” (Matthew 15:7-9 NASB).

We must be careful not to become bound by religion or the traditions taught by men. There are many Christians sitting in our churches who pray on a regular basis. The words coming out of their mouths are what they have learned, but the words are empty and hollow because they are coming from their heads and not from their hearts.

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To go beyond ordinary prayer, we cannot be content with head knowledge or religious tradition. The cry of our hearts must be, “Lord Jesus, break through the dead, dry tradition and formalism and teach us how to pray as You prayed!” The Pharisees were committed to and preoccupied with strict adherence to the Law and the oral tradition, with its rules for interpreting the Law, purification rites, and man-made laws handed down by their fathers.

 With minute attention to detail they observed all the sacred times laid down by God. They gave tithes of all they possessed and fasted twice a week on Mondays and Thursdays. They were doing all the right things, but they were so bound by tradition that they did not really know God and could not receive the truths Christ spoke to them.

Their understanding of God was primarily as the Law-giver and their preoccupation with fulfilling His commands exactly became an end in itself. When they went to the Temple to pray, their prayers were formal and legalistic. And they went there to be seen and heard of men, not to meet with God.

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Public prayers were offered daily in the synagogue. These prayers included the Shema, which consisted of three passages from the Old Testament: Deuteronomy 6:4-9; Deuteronomy

11:13-21; and Numbers 15:37-41. The Shema was repeated both morning and evening with benedictions. In addition, the Tephillah, or Eighteen Benedictions, was repeated three times a day. Much of this was incorporated into the Hebrew Prayer Book that is still used in Jewish synagogues today.

In sharp contrast to the hypocrisy of the Pharisees, Jesus broke through the rigid, formal tradition of man’s religious forms, rituals, and concepts of prayer and established it upon a relationship with the Father! He taught the people the importance of shutting themselves away in a secret place to pray. 

Jesus said:

"And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 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" (Matthew 6:5-6 NIV).

- Dr. Morris Cerullo ( How To Pray )

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William James Roop

Hospice Care and Dying

The Trucking Tango

Brother Roop teaches the Bible

Child Evangelism

Hello everyone.  Praise the Lord!

Here is a story about child evangelism from an unknown source.

Text:  Matthew 18:1-14.

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 Howard Hendricks tells of a mentor who changed his life in his book Iron sharpens Iron. Howard was from a broken family, and said, "I could have lived, died and gone to hell without anyone bothering to care." However, a man named Walt from a tiny church in his neighborhood cared about reaching nine and ten year old boys for Jesus.

 One Saturday while he was playing marbles on the sidewalks of Philadelphia Walt came by and asked him if he wanted to go to Sunday School. The very thought of school made him decline, but Walt then asked if he would like to play marbles. Howard was the best marble player on his block, and was sure he could beat Walt easy. Walt won every single game, and after that Howard wanted to follow him everywhere.

 Over the next several years Walt would take the boys hiking, even though he had a bad heart. His teaching and love for thirteen boys, nine of whom came from broken homes, made a difference in their lives. Eleven of those boys went on to pursue careers as vocational Christian workers, even though Walt had only gone though the sixth grade. It only goes to show that a man doesn’t need a Ph.D for God to use him as a mentor.

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William James Roop

Hospice Care and Dying

The Trucking Tango

Author Page

Brother Roop teaches the Bible

A Help Meet

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Charles Spurgeon Unprepared for Sunday!

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One Saturday evening in 1856, Charles Spurgeon was to preach on Psalm 110:3, but he could not come up with anything for the next morning. He and his wife, Susannah, were both concerned. “I was as much distressed as he was, but I could not help him in such an emergency… but the Lord had a great favour in store for me, and used me to deliver His servant out of his serious embarrassment,” she said. “He sat up very late, and was utterly worn out and dispirited, for all his efforts to get at the heart of the text were unavailing. I advised him to retire to rest, and soothed him by suggesting that, if he would try to sleep then, he would probably in the morning feel quite refreshed, and able to study to better purpose.”

Charles went to bed hoping he would have something after he got up early. “If I go to sleep now, wifey, will you wake me very early, so that I may have plenty of time to prepare?” Charles asked. In his sleep Susannah heard him talking in his sleep. “A wonderful thing happened. During the first dawning hours of the Sabbath, I heard him talking in his sleep, and roused myself to listen attentively.  Soon, I realised that he was going over the subject of the verse which had been so obscure to him, and was giving a clear and distinct exposition of its meaning, with much force and freshness.” 

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She scribbled down his words. Spurgeon overslept the next day and was upset that he had overslept, knowing he wasn't ready for the service. Susannah handed him the notes. He was elated. “That is the true explanation of the whole verse!” Spurgeon exclaimed. “And you say I preached it in my sleep?” he was amazed, “It is wonderful,” he repeated over and over. That very morning Spurgeon preached from Susannah's notes.

William James Roop

Hospice Care and Dying

The Trucking Tango

Brother Roop teaches the Bible

Faithful Also In Much

Hello everyone.  Praise the Lord!

Here is an article by an unknown author that I wanted to share.

Text:  Psalm 23:4; 1 Corinthians 10:13.

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 The sign in the window read: "Boy Wanted". Young John Simmons, though he was lazy, saw his opportunity and applied. He was quickly hired by elderly Mr. Peters. The pace was leisurely so he enjoyed the job.

 Toward the middle of the afternoon however, he was sent up to the attic -- a dingy place full of cobwebs and infested with mice. "You will find a long, deep box there," explained Mr. Peters. "Please sort out the contents and see what should be saved." John was disappointed. It was a large container, and there seemed to be nothing in it but old junk. After a few minutes he went back to the ground floor.

 Asked by the proprietor if he had completed his work, he replied, "No, sir, it was dark and cold up there and I didn’t think it was worth doing." At closing time he was paid and told not to return. The next morning the old sign "Boy Wanted" appeared in its usual place.

 Crawford Hill was the next to be employed. When he was asked to tidy up the same box, however, he spent hours separating the usable nails and screws from the things to be discarded. Suddenly he raced down the stairs all excited. "At the very bottom I found this!" he exclaimed, holding up a 20-dollar bill. 

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At last the store owner had discovered a conscientious boy to whom he could entrust his business when he retired. Years later Mr. Peters said, "This young man, who is now my successor, found his fortune in a junk box!" Then, correcting himself, he added, "No, he actually found it in his mother’s Bible because he heeded the verse she made him memorize: ’He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much!’"

William James Roop

Hospice Care and Dying

The Trucking Tango

Author Page

Brother Roop teaches the Bible

Plug In His Power

Hello everyone.  Praise the Lord!

Here is a great article about using God's power in your ministry.

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ITS GOD'S DESIRE FOR YOU TO PLUG IN TO HIS POWER!

Friend, it's the Lord's desire for you to plug in to His unlimited, unending power through praying in the Spirit with the understanding! Or perhaps you've already released your prayer language, but you haven't been fully using this great gift God has given you, and you don't see His power operating in your life.

 I'll tell you, what you have available to you through the power of God's Spirit is like having a rare treasure in a locked room. But it's one thing to possess that treasure in a locked room, and it's another thing to FLING OPEN THE DOOR AND BRING THAT TREASURE FORTH!

This Christian life is designed to be a thrilling experience of power, with the Holy Spirit flowing through us as believers to perform the mighty works of Jesus. But yet in so many cases we Christians are filled with timidity, and this is a terrible, tragic thing. Terror strikes our hearts when we have the opportunity to witness for our Savior and we are intimidated when we try to believe for the healing of our bodies!

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But with Holy Ghost power surging through our beings, a great fearlessness takes possession of us! We feel like we could lick a den of hungry lions! And, like those early Christians, we can proclaim the Word of God with boldness and not be intimidated in giving our testimony for the Lord. We will stop worrying about being eloquent. Besides, people are not looking for some kind of high-sounding orator. They're looking for someone who has something real in his or her heart!

THAT'S WHAT THIS WORLD IS DYING FOR, SOMEBODY WHO REALLY KNOWS JESUS!

I'll tell you, the power of God's Spirit will put within you a brand-new enthusiasm as a child of the Most High God! It will set your soul on fire until you can't stand still! It will flood your heart with the joy bells of Heaven and fill you with His glory until your cup overflows! Then you'll just have to tell somebody about Jesus! And the Lord will send you into your world ON FIRE to win lost souls to His Son Jesus

Christ!

Unleashing the power of praying in the Spirit. 

By Oral Roberts.

William James Roop

Hospice Care and Dying

The Trucking Tango

Brother Roop teaches the Bible

Divorce?

 Hello everyone.  Praise the Lord!

Here is an article by an unknown author.

Do you remember the story of Aron Ralston from last year? Aron Ralston loves the outdoors, hiking and trekking in the mountains. Last May he was hiking alone when a boulder fell and pinned him by the arm. For five days he waited for rescue. Then, facing dehydration and death, he took an incredible decision. He took a pocketknife and slowly amputated his own arm, freeing him and allowing him to hike out to safety.

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What would it take to come to a decision like that? How desperate would you have to be to cut off a member of your own body? Would you turn to that solution quickly, or would you first explore every other possibility? Only when faced with death would a man do such a thing. So should be divorce. It is a desperate act, a self-mutilation. It is the amputation of a part of our selves. We should resort to it only in extreme circumstances.

When you take a course in wilderness survival, they rarely teach you how to cut off your own arm. Why? Because it is assumed that you won’t ever reach that state of desperation. What if our teaching on divorce was similar? What if we could go back to a time when divorce was a rarity among us and not the norm?

Scriptures: Genesis 2:24-25, Matthew 19:5-6

William James Roop

Hospice Care and Dying

The Trucking Tango

Author Page

Brother Roop teaches the Bible

Holy Ghost Meetings

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“Azusa Street Holy Ghost Meetings” by Frank Bartleman.

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Brother Seymour generally sat behind two empty shoe boxes, one on top of the other. He usually kept his head inside the top one during the meeting, in prayer. There was no pride there. The services ran almost continuously.

Seeking souls could be found under the power almost any hour, night and day. The place was never closed nor empty. The people came to meet God. He was always there. Hence a continuous meeting. The meeting did not depend on the human leader. God’s presence became more and more wonderful.

In that old building, with its low rafters and bare floors, God took strong men and women to pieces, and put them together again, for His glory. It was a tremendous overhauling process: Pride and self-assertion, self importance and self-esteem, could not survive there. The religious ego preached its own funeral sermon quickly.

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No subjects or sermons were announced ahead of time, and no special speakers for such an hour. No one knew what might be coming, what God would do. All was spontaneous, ordered of the Spirit. We wanted to hear from God, through whoever He might speak. We had no “respect of persons.” The rich and educated were the same as the poor and ignorant, and found a much harder death to die. We only recognized God: All were equal. No flesh might glory in His presence.

He could not use the self-opinionated. Those were Holy Ghost meetings, led of the Lord. It had to start in poor surroundings, to keep out the selfish, human element. All came down in humility together, at His feet.

They all looked alike, and had all things in common in that sense at least.

_

Frank Bartleman in “How Pentecost Came to Los Angeles (1925)

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William James Roop

Hospice Care and Dying

The Trucking Tango

Brother Roop teaches the Bible