Christ and Culture: The Call to be Salt and Light in a Decaying and Darkening World

by Jed CoppengerBible, Christian living, Church, Culture, Evangelism, Ministry, Missions, Practical Ministry, PrayerPosted on No Comments

Alasdair MacIntyre, in his book, After Virtue, argues that Western culture is in a situation very similar to the cultural moment when the Roman Empire fell. Rather than being governed by reason, faith, or some combination of the two, our culture is governed by emotivism. Emotivism is the concept that moral choices are simply expressions of choosing what “feels right,” not because there is an objective right and wrong. Because of this, our culture is unraveling.

In a culture like ours, where realities as simple and obvious as identifying a person’s gender with their biological sex is rejected and seen as hateful, not just by the periphery of society, but the major institutions, it is difficult to avoid agreeing with MacIntyre’s point. If our culture can’t agree on the fact that boys should compete against boys, and girls should compete against girls, that only women can have babies, and that people and businesses should be able to make decisions and policies accordingly, how can we improve many of the much more complex areas of our culture? It’s a dark time.

That’s why I believe it’s important for all Christians to think more thoroughly and carefully about what it means to be a Christian in this culture. In the midst of the cultural chaos, Jesus provides a pathway forward. He’s brought the church through more difficult times, enabling them to be both faithful and fruitful. I believe he is doing the same today. But it won’t be easy. To help, I think Christians need to return to Matthew’s Gospel and reorient their lives accordingly.

Matthew’s Gospel as a Playbook for Cultural Engagement

When Jesus stood on the side of that Galilean hill delivering what we now call, the Sermon on the Mount, the people of God were not in a position of cultural power. They weren’t in a position of strength economically, politically, or any other meaningful cultural measure. They didn’t hold positions in the elite institutions of the times, as James Davidson Hunter and others have argued are important for cultural change. They weren’t winning the battle of ideas culturally, as Francis Shaeffer and so many others have tried to help so many world changers do. In fact, the first followers of Jesus were unmistakably vulnerable politically, economically, medically, professionally, and relationally as they carried out their lives under the harsh rule of Rome.

And yet, it was to those powerless people, that Jesus set out a vision, one that focused on creating a people that are salt and light in a decaying and darkening world, that has undeniably changed the world. In order to be salt and light, his followers had to be prayerful (Matt 6:9-13), principled (Matt 5-7), and practical (Matt 8-9). They were to be prayerful because prayer, more than anything else, shows whether we really believe that we need God’s help to advance God’s mission in our day-to-day lives They were to be principled because just as creation unraveled with the rejection of God’s powerful word (Gen 3:1-6), it will be restored by God’s powerful word. And, finally, Jesus’ followers are to be practical, they are to make a difference practically in the lives of those around them, because Jesus loves to use “good works” like feeding the hungry, caring for the poor, and more, to adorn the gospel and all its world changing realities (Titus 2:10). Christians don’t need cultural power to bring about cultural change because Christians follow a king whose kingdom, and all its power, is not of this world—that created this world (Jn 18:37).

But it’s important, as we seek to follow Jesus’ plan for being salt and light in a decaying and darkening world, being a prayerful, principled, and practical, that we don’t miss out on the rest of Jesus’ plan revealed in Matthew’s gospel. In a culture marked by “expressive individualism,” it’s easy to skip the following parts of Matthew’s gospel, which show that Jesus is advancing his mission through a people, a church, that he is building (Matt 16:18). Why is this so important to see? Because Jesus’ mission advances most impactfully when his followers commit to one another to carry out his mission in local churches. These local churches aren’t supposed to be just another group of people who share the same preferences. They are a people who share the same faith in the crucified and risen Lord. They believe that Jesus’ body and blood, and his indwelling Holy Spirit, is enough to change their relationship with God and others.

Matthew’s Gospel doesn’t end numerically better than it starts. When Jesus meets his disciples on a hill in Galilee there are less present than when he delivered his Sermon on the Mount. But a decline in numbers doesn’t always mean a decline in influence. The major difference, obviously, was that Jesus was now the crucified and risen Savior—one whose hands were marked by eternally healed scars. His promised presence provides the key to advancing his disciple-making, and, consequently, world changing, purposes (Matt 28:18-20).

Matthew’s Gospel, which some scholars argue is the most read book in all of the Bible, provides a playbook for cultural change—one that doesn’t depend on cultural credibility, but the power and presence of the risen Lord.

Following the Mission of Christ throughout the History of the Church

A surface level reading of the book of Acts and the rest of the New Testament reveals unmistakably, that the followers of Jesus were prayerful, principled, and practical, as they sought to be salt and light in a decaying and darkening world. Local churches were started and the results were stunning. No one, no matter how well positioned culturally, in those cultures had the intellectual and spiritual resources to get people, as divided as they were culturally, to love and serve one another sacrificially like brothers and sisters, to do unmistakable good to all types of people. Little by little, life by life, the gospel began to change the world. The light was pushing back the darkness.

Christians enjoyed with gratitude all of the good things in their lives and culture given by God (Jms 1:17). Because the Fall hasn’t erased all of the goodness of God’s creation, there is much to be enjoyed. They also rejected many of the ideas and lifestyle choices that were evidence of the Fall and the ongoing powerful presence of sin in our broken world. And, finally, they sought to enhance or improve their lives, the lives around them, and beyond, fighting to bring all things in submission to the Lordship of Christ (Eph. 6:10-20).

This same trajectory was followed beyond biblical times through every phase of church history, starting with the Patristic period (30-590), then the early Medieval period (590-1054), the late Medieval period (1054-1517), the Reformation (1517-1689), and the Modern Period (1689-Present).

During the first part of the Patristic period, Christians combatted heresies, launched what would eventually become hospitals, cared for forsaken children, and more. During this period, Augustine, wrote the City of God, where he provided a devastating critique of pagan culture and one of the greatest writings in the history of the church.

During the early Medieval period, as Christians lived in a world where Rome had been conquered by the barbicans, they faced new cultural challenges with the beginning of Islam in 622, the rise of the Holy Roman Empire, and countless other challenges. Benedict’s “strategic withdrawal” from much of the surrounding culture, provided resources that Christians greatly needed in the centuries to come, as Rod Dreher has helpfully observed in The Benedict Option.

Christians launched educational institutions that have continued until today during the late Medieval period. The most prominent example, of course, is Oxford, which was started in 1096. Christians also dealt with major abuses in the church, advanced Bible translations at the cost of their lives, and the Crusades.

Christians entered the 1500’s as a major cultural force, for good and for ill. They had come a long way from that small hill in Galilee. Much good and much harm had been done in Jesus’ name. There was a need for major change. Starting with Martin Luther, the Reformation, created all kinds of amazing glimpses of “light in the darkness.” The five solas revolutionized how Christians approached being “salt and light” in a decaying and darkening world. The importance of “vocation” was elevated for all Christians. Abraham Kuyper helped followers in all seven spheres of culture see how to bring them under the Lordship of Jesus.

Finally, in the Modern period, with the rise of the Enlightenment challenge, Christians experienced religious toleration, advanced world missions, started major educational institutions (like Harvard was in the 1600’s to train ministers), and more. The first and second Great Awakening took place. George Mueller revolutionized orphan care in England. William Wilberforce fought the slave trade. Book publishers were started. Jesus advanced his cause through his church. Of course, Christians continued to make major, sinful errors. The role of many Christians in the slave trade remains, most likely, the greatest hypocritical sin of this period.

While this embarrassingly succinct overview of church history is admittedly simplistic, I include it to help provide historical perspective that shows every Christian at every time, has had challenges and opportunities to be salt and light—to be prayerful, principled, and practical. The Spirit of Christ has powerfully advanced the Father’s purposes through Christ’s blood-bought, imperfect church.  

The Church as Salt and Light in a Decaying and Darkening World

Over the last 75 years or so, as Christian thinkers have tried to help Christians understand how best to be salt and light in a decaying and darkening world, the most substantial efforts have started by wrestling with how best to define “culture.” H. Richard Niebuhr’s, Christ and Culture, arguably the most influential work on its subject since it was written, does. Francis Schaeffer, Charles Colson, Nancy Pearcy, Andy Crouch, James Davidson Hunter, just to name a few thinkers, all spend time reflecting on the best way to define “culture.”

Hunter, in To Change the World, argues that most definitions can be categorized either as idealists or materialists. Idealists define culture primarily in intellection, worldview terms. These thinkers do a fantastic job showing what Richard Weaver voiced, in 1948, “ideas have consequences.” We change culture, in this view, primarily, when we change how people think about the world.

Materialists, like Andy Crouch, aren’t materialists in the sense that they don’t believe in God and the supernatural. Rather, they identify culture primarily with what is made of the creation. Hence, the title of Crouch’s book is Culture Making. We change culture, according to this approach, when we create new cultural goods, whether that is a sweater, a song, or whatever.

Hunter highlights what he believes are strengths and weaknesses that are found in each approach. As expected, Hunter provides what he believes is a better way, one that focuses more on the importance of institutions and networks. Perhaps he could best be described as an institutionalist. How do we change the world? By being faithfully present in the institutions and networks around us.

For our purposes, following Abraham Kuyper’s lead, I think it’s most helpful to think about culture as what’s found in the seven spheres of culture: religion, family, education, government, media, arts and entertainment, business, and online. In all of these spheres, I think it’s helpful, although somewhat arbitrary, to recognize that there are different levels of participation in each sphere: thinkers, doers, and consumers.

With this idea of culture, the question, then, becomes, how do we relate to what exists in these various spheres, with these various levels? While Niebuhr’s 5-fold typology is incredibly influential, I think that T.M. Moore, in his Culture Matters, provides a helpful way to think about how Christians engage with their culture: cultural indifference, cultural aversion, cultural trivialization, cultural accommodation, cultural separation, culture triumphalism. As each category is thought about, he notes, “No one adheres to any of these six models as the exclusive or even self-conscious approach to culture matters.” In short, culture is so complex, that there are times when we need to employ each of these approaches as we try to be salt and light in a decaying and darkening world.

I think that the task before us is the same as the task before those first followers listening to the crucified and risen Lord Jesus deliver his Great Commission. We should be prayerful, principled, and practical as we seek to advance the cause of Christ in partnership with other believers in local churches.

As Christians think about the messages, institutions, people, and all the rest, around us in all seven spheres, at every level in those spheres of culture, we should enjoy the good gifts of God in our culture with gratitude, resist the evidences of the Fall in our culture around us and inside of us, and improve every aspect of the culture for the glory of Christ. Let’s not run from the battle, let’s engage with it. But let’s fight, not as the world fights, but as our Lord fights, with truth and grace—prayerful, principled, and practically.

Some of the issues before us are obvious and some are not. That’s why it’s important to remember, as the New Testament church had to be reminded of, that we see through a glass dimly (1 Cor 13:12; Rom 14). Let’s remember that it’s not just important that we are right, we must be loving (1 Cor 13:1-7). If the Apostle Paul and Barnabas didn’t agree on the best way to move the cause of Christ forward, we’ll have our struggles to get along too.

Christians are a part of their culture, even as they are called to represent Christ in their culture, enjoying the good, rejecting the bad, and bringing all things in alignment with Christ (Eph 1:10). When we do this prayerfully, principled, and practical, we can be salt and light in a decaying and darkening world.

How to Pray for Help with Your Heart Idols

by Jed Coppenger21 Days to Childlike Prayer, Bible, Christian living, Practical Ministry, PrayerPosted on No Comments

The Apostle Paul says that we have “exchanged” what we should hallow, or worship, in our hearts with things we shouldn’t. He says, “because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen” (Rom. 1:25).

Notice that Paul doesn’t say that we “quit” or “stopped” worshiping (worshiping is simply another way of describing “hallowing”). He says that we “exchanged.” Your heart is designed by God to hallow the true God. But, because of sin, we “hallow” other things.

I saw the inescapable hallowing function of the human heart most clearly in my kids when they were going through the “Night-Night” stage. The “Night-Night” is what they called a specific blanket that they loved most. It’s the blanket that helped them to transform from terrified to tranquil, from unstable to stable, from loud to quiet and content.

We called it the “secret weapon.” When we dropped the kids off in the Children’s Ministry on Sunday mornings. We told the workers, “if they won’t stop crying, break this blanket out, and they’ll be fine in a minute or so.” The “Night-Night” was undefeated.

And there’s the thing about the “Night-Night.” There was nothing special about the blanket. We didn’t put anything on the blanket, like special oils or fragrances or anything illegal, to get them to like those blankets. All of the kids were given multiple blankets and all of the kids would choose just one of those blankets that would “work.”

It wasn’t about the blanket, it was about their hearts. Their hearts ascribed a certain value on those blankets that wasn’t true about those blankets. It was the kiddy version of what Paul was talking about.

As we get older, we leave our blankets behind, but our hearts are still making the same silly exchange—hallowing the creation over the Creator. We base our inner sense of well-being on people’s opinions, how much money we have in the bank, how “in control” we feel, and the like.

Do you know what your “Night-Night’s” are?

The Bible calls these “Night-Night’s” idols. And everyone struggles with them. Tim Keller, in his book Counterfeit Gods, describes these idols as “anything more important to you than God. Anything that absorbs your heart and imagination more than God.”

What might these be? Not usually bad things. They are typically good things.

Some people’s hearts and, therefore, days, are controlled by the idol of approval. If they are affirmed like they want, then they feel good about life, where it’s headed, and the journey they’re on. If they’re not affirmed, then they feel frustrated, angry, scared, embarrassed, worthless, or some other life-taking emotion.

The Bible affirms the goodness of approval in others eyes in passages like Proverbs 22:1, “A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, and favor is better than silver or gold.” But sinful hearts have to be careful that this good thing, a “good name,” doesn’t get turned into a God thing that we have to have, that we base our heart’s contentment on. Jesus’ name was slandered by almost everyone, but his satisfaction was taken away by no one. If people’s opinions controlled his purpose, and not his heavenly Father’s opinion, he never would have did what was necessary on the cross to bring salvation to the world.

Do you tend to make an idol out of people’s opinions?

Other people don’t worry about what people think that much. Instead, their hearts and, therefore, their days, are controlled by the idol of productivity. If they are performing like they want to be performing, then they feel good about life, where it’s headed, and the journey they’re on. If they feel unproductive, behind, or anything like this, they feel frustrated, angry, scared, embarrassed, worthless, or some other life-taking emotion.

God is “pro-productivity.” He works, designed humanity to work, created the standards for productivity, and provided tons of instruction on how to work in the Bible. Jesus did the greatest work ever imaginable by purchasing salvation for sinners. But God didn’t create any work, or work process, that he wants you to replace him with. In fact, he commanded us to “rest” from our work so that we’d be reminded that it’s his work that makes the kingdom advance.

Do you tend to make an idol out of working?

But there are other people who don’t care if they are productive or if people have a high view of them, they struggle, instead, with the idol of comfort. If they are resting like they want to be resting, then they feel good about life, where it’s headed, and the journey they’re on. They’re more patient and loving towards people when they are in this place. But if they feel uncomfortable, overbooked, or anything like this, they feel frustrated, angry, scared, embarrassed, worthless, or some other life-taking emotion.

God is “pro-comfort.” He knows that rest is a good thing, which is why he commanded that we “rest” each week. But he wants us to know that our “rest” has limits. He wants us to be productive (Col. 3:23).

Do you tend to make an idol out of rest?

Another major way that people take good things in our lives and replace God with them is with possessions. People that struggle with the idol of stuff, feel good about life, where it’s headed, and the journey they’re on, if they have a certain level of “stuff.” There bank account needs to be at a certain level. Their car, apartment, house, or whatever, needs to look a certain way. If they aren’t at their “level” of stuff, then they feel frustrated, angry, scared, embarrassed, worthless, or some other life-taking emotion.

God loves “stuff.” After all, he created it! But he doesn’t want us to value “stuff” more than we value him.

Do you tend to make an idol out of stuff?

Everybody struggles at the heart level with some or all of these realities.

When you pray for God’s name to be hallowed, his kingdom to come, and his will to be done, you are praying for help in these areas of struggle in our hearts.

Do you ask God to help you overcome your heart idols?

For people who are prone to worship and hallow the god of people’s opinions, ask God to make your heart hallow his name so much that when others’ opinions change, your joy and hope and expectancy doesn’t; or if everyone is happy with you, that you don’t start caring about their opinions more than his.

For people who make an idol out of work, ask God to make your heart hallow his name so much that when you don’t feel productive, your joy and hope and expectancy doesn’t disappear, and your since of well-being isn’t gone; or if you feel super productive or refreshed that you don’t replace him by finding more joy in accomplishment than in him.

For people who make an idol out of comfort, ask God to make your heart hallow his name so much that when you feel overbooked or maxed out, your joy and hope and expectancy doesn’t disappear, and your since of well-being isn’t gone; or if you feel super refreshed that you don’t replace him by finding more joy in your circumstantial comfort than in him.

For people who make an idol out of possessions, ask God to make your heart hallow God’s name so much that when you have less than you want, your joy and hope and expectancy doesn’t disappear; or if you have more than you want, you’re your heart doesn’t replace God with the stuff he is providing you.

When you pray for God’s name to be hallowed, you are praying that our hearts would be free. You’re praying that you would be like Jonathan Edwards was when he was fired and it was said of him, “his happiness was out of reach from his enemies.” In that moment, his heart hallowed the right God.

This post includes content from my book, 21 Days to Childlike Prayer: Changing Your World One Specific Prayer at a Time.

Are You Fragile, Resilient, or Antifragile?

by Jed CoppengerUncategorizedPosted on No Comments

Nassim Nicholas Taleb, author of Antifragile, argues that there are three kinds of things: fragile, resilient, and antifragile. A failure to rightly understand which category you should put something or someone, can result in unnecessary harm.

Fragile things easily break and cannot heal themselves. China teacups are a great example of fragility. Because of their fragile nature, fragile things need to be handled very gently and carefully.

Resilient or sturdy things can endure shocks. They don’t break, but they don’t improve through tough times. Plastic cups are a great example of this. You can give plastic cups to kids, not glass cups.

Antifragile things not only don’t break through difficult times, they actually improve. The stressors and challenges are a necessary part of growing. Because of this, antifragile things don’t have to be afraid of challenges, they can face them.

Many people, Taleb argues, only think about the first two categories for things. But the third category is important to keep in mind if you want to understand humanity, especially kids. Far from being “candle light” that needs protection from the wind, kids are more like a fire that is energized by the wind. In order to improve, we and they need pressures, challenges, and all the rest.

In a culture of growing “safetyism” and “fragility,” Taleb’s insight is important to keep in mind. With God’s help, we and our kids, not only can face the impossible, but we can grow through them, becoming more like Christ (Rom 8:28-29). Taleb’s book, although not a Christian book, is a fascinating look at realities that many Bible believing Christians are missing today. Let’s turn away from the “safetyism” that surrounds us and our kids, and face our challenges with faith, not fear, because we know that our God is “with us” (Ps. 23; Matt 28:18-20).

3 Short Specific Answers to Prayer

by Jed Coppenger21 Days to Childlike Prayer, Bible, Christian living, Church, PrayerPosted on No Comments

It’s been a few months since 21 Days to Childlike Prayer was released. Since that time, I have had people reach out to me and share their stories of specific answers to prayer. God has used each story to grow my childlike faith and childlike trust. I love hearing stories of specific answers to prayer.

But I’ve also had a number of people reach out to me to get some help learning how to pray with specificity. “What kinds of things can I ask for?” The answer, in short, is that you can ask for anything. Any decent dad wants to hear and help their kids with all of their lives, not just “religious” areas. Our heavenly Father does as well. If a problem or plan is weighing on you, cast that burden on the Lord, “he cares for you” (1 Pet 5:7). If it’s not what’s best for you, then he won’t give you what you ask for.

To help encourage specificity in your prayer life, I want to share a few stories I’ve heard from various readers. As you’ll see, these specific prayers aren’t always for “big” things.

A daughter asks her mom to pray for “tights” to arrive before they had to leave for a trip

She’d been looking for the Amazon delivery truck all day long. The tights she ordered had to arrive before the end of the day or she’d have to head out on the trip without them. As it got closer and closer to time to leave, the daughter asked, “Mom, will you pray that the tights get here before we have to leave?” Just as they stopped to pray, in the middle of the prayer, they heard the Amazon truck pull up. Sure enough, the tights arrived just in time. The daughter was so excited!

A couple asks God to change their employers mind, allowing them to work from home in another city

His boss wasn’t happy with the commute he was making to the office. In a post-covid world, the guy felt like working from home was okay. The boss was okay with it, sort of. There was a low level tension. They loved the job and didn’t want to move. In the middle of a 21 Days of Childlike Prayer initiative at his church, the guy started praying for the boss and the organization to change their minds and genuinely support his desire to work from home, before the 21 Days of Childlike Prayer was over. Sure enough, in the middle of the 21 Days of Childlike Prayer, God answered their prayer. He could continue to work from home. They were thrilled!

A woman prays for clarity on whether to continue a home business or not by the end of the day

She loved cooking for people and the extra income she brought in from cooking certainly was nice. But it seemed like it was becoming too much. The stress was impacting her health. So, as she was making her way through the 21 Days of Childlike Prayer, she asked God to show her by the end of the next day whether she should continue or not. She wasn’t sure how he would do that, but she thought it would be incredibly helpful. Much to her surprise, the next day, a sweet lady who loved her cooking, reached out to her and told her how much she loved her cooking. She also told her that what she was doing might be illegal. She said that she probably needed to get certain licenses in order to do what she’s doing. This advice was exactly the kind of clarity that she was looking for. She shut down the business. And she did it with joy because of the specific answer to prayer.

These three, brief stories of specific answers to prayer are meant to encourage you to get specific with your prayers. What would you like to see God do? By when? Specificity leads to visibility. When you get specific, you give the invisible God an opportunity to become visible in your life in a way that he wouldn’t without that specific prayer. None of these stories come from people who would consider themselves “all-star” Christians. Just ordinary Christians, with ordinary problems and plans, that have blood-bought access to an extraordinary God.

4 Easy Steps Every Christian Should Take to Prioritize a Private Prayer Time

by Jed Coppenger21 Days to Childlike Prayer, Bible, Church, PrayerPosted on No Comments

Children need one-on-one time with their parents. Whether it is snuggling on the couch, watching a movie, going to grab some ice cream, or something else, children grow best when they have personal, away from everyone else, time with their parents.

The same is true for God’s children. Our relationship will grow the most with our heavenly Father when we prioritize a daily, personal time with him. Jesus emphasized this practice in Matt 6:9-13 and modeled it throughout his life and ministry.

Thankfully, our heavenly Father is never too busy to meet with us. There will never be a time when God’s children don’t have their heavenly Father’s undivided, totally engaged, attention. We never have to say, “Dad, will you stop checking your phone.” We’ll never hear, “Maybe later, son.” Our heavenly Father is so amazing that all of him, not some of him, is always available to all of his children.

The question is, will we make time for him?

Many people, for whatever reason, have never prioritized a daily prayer time with God. Thankfully, anybody can do it, with God’s help. I’ve found that the following 4 steps help people follow Jesus’ teaching and example of making prayer a daily, meaningful reality in their life.

Identify your spot – Find a place where the chances of being uninterrupted are as high as they possibly can. Right now, I go to my study and my wife goes to the living room couch.  Figure out a spot that works for you. Identify your spot and you increase the changes that you’ll pray every day.

Identify your time – Identify the right time for you. For some people, the morning is the best time, others the evening, still others sometime during the day. The key is to find a time that works for you. Not sure where to start? I encourage people to do what I do, and make time to start the day in prayer because I don’t want to start the day without God’s presence and promises in view.

Plan your time – A little planning will make a big impact. To plan your time just identify what part of the Bible you want to read and pray, grab something to write with and on, and anything else you might want to have during that time—coffee!!!

Prepare for resistance – The Enemy hates for God’s children to spend time with their heavenly Father. He hates for God to reward his children with his satisfying presence and specific answers to prayer. That’s why no matter when you choose all of these things, get ready for “random” interruptions. I call it the “resistance.” A kid will come in. Text messages will appear. Something good or bad will happen. It’s always something. Prepare for resistance. Did you hope to have 45 minutes, but now you only have 5 minutes? That’s okay! 5 minutes is better than 0 minutes! Did you miss a morning? That’s okay! Find time during the day to encounter God personally. Did you miss a day or a week? Don’t let the enemy discourage you enough to make you quit. Your heavenly Father has enough blood-bought grace to get you started fresh today.  

The Bible is filled with examples of people who prioritized private time with their heavenly Father before they were used powerfully publicly. What might God want to do in your life and ministry if you focused more on being with him in private prayer than working for him in public life and ministry?

This post includes content from my book, 21 Days to Childlike Prayer: Changing Your World One Specific Prayer at a Time.

What You Should Remember When You Don’t Remember to Pray or Don’t Know the Words to Pray

by Jed Coppenger21 Days to Childlike Prayer, Bible, Christian living, Church, PrayerPosted on No Comments

Good parents don’t wait until their kids ask for help to do good things for them, especially if they are going through a hard time. Whether it is a kid who didn’t make the team, had a friend leave them, or some other heartbreaking event that every kid goes through, parents want to help their kids get through those times. They want to make things better. Some parents get a gift, others take the family out for ice cream, but all good parents work to help their kids regardless if their kids ask for it.

The same is true of our heavenly Father. He is always “working all things for our good” (Rom 8:28), whether we ask him to in specific ways each day or not. No one can separate us from his love, regardless of whether we prayed that or not (Rom 8:39).

These truths are important to keep in mind as we start to pray our problems, plans, and bible passages. Because I’ve found that there have been times where I have started to believe the lie that “if I don’t ask for it, it won’t happen.” I know that sounds silly, but I’ve had it happen to me over and over again.

Somehow, somewhere along the way, occasionally my burden relieving prayer life turns into a burden producing prayer life. I begin to think that I have to give voice to the prayer, whether verbally or in my head, or God won’t do above and beyond all I can imagine or think. I’ve found myself wondering if God might punish me for not praying enough or for finding the right words at the right time. Without realizing it, every once in a while, my childlike prayer life turns into performance theatre—something Jesus said he’s not interested in.

In those moments, I have to remind myself that the Bible teaches that God’s work doesn’t depend on our words. That God doesn’t need great prayers to do great things. In those moments, when I get off track, I have to remember who I’m praying to matters way more than how well I’m praying—especially in the difficult times.

One of the first places I saw this in Scripture was in Psalm 5. At the very beginning of this Psalm, King David says, “Give ear to my words, O Lord; consider my groaning. 2 Give attention to the sound of my cry, my King and my God, for to you do I pray” (Ps 5:1).

Notice what David asks the Lord to consider. He says consider his “groaning” or “sighing.” David goes on to ask God to give attention to the “sound of my cry.” What does David want God to consider and give attention to? Not his perfectly formed prayers. No, he wants him to consider his wordless tears, deep breaths, the sounds that he makes in his difficult times.

David is not in a good situation. He isn’t happy about his life. Yet, he has a childlike impulse that leads him both to come to God for help and to interpret his wordless ways.

Then, David goes on to say, he’ll “watch.” He is expectant. He is hopeful. He believes God will do something with his situations even when he doesn’t know what to ask for.

Are you weighed down by something today?

You can “pray your problem” by simply “sighing” and “groaning” in God’s presence.

Remember, Jesus told his disciples that prayer doesn’t exist to inform God, it exists to engage us with the presence of God. As we’ve seen, Jesus says, “7 “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him” (Matt 6:7-8).

Jesus let’s them know that their heavenly Father is already working on what is best for his children. Prayer isn’t about informing an uninformed God, it’s about engaging our unengaged hearts.Prayer is about changing our perspective so that we see the world like God does.

Some have used these words by Jesus as a reason not to pray. They think, “If God already knows, what’s the point?” But think about it. Jesus, the God-man, is the greatest teacher ever. He knows what he’s doing. He didn’t tell us this right before he taught us how to pray to destroy our motivation. Jesus wants this to convict and comfort us. He’s letting us know that this is a real relationship God’s using prayer to invite us into.

And God doesn’t just show us this reality here. It’s all over the Bible. The Psalms are filled with people “crying out” to God in prayer. We’re not told what exactly people are praying in many difficult situations. For instance, Hannah was childless and desperately wanted a child. Her prayer time was so filled with tears and emotions that a priest accused her of being drunk (1 Sam 1:12-14). The Apostle Paul talked to the Roman Christians about times when “we do not know what to pray” (Rom 8:26).

When you live life prayerfully in a broken world you will come across times where you can’t find the words. Charles Spurgeon was a pastor who knew great success and great difficulty. He walked with many people through the “valley of the shadow of death,” as a man of prayer. But he knew there were times when people couldn’t find the words. But after studying God’s word he wanted people to know that “groanings which cannot be uttered are often prayers which cannot be refused.”

So when you can’t find the words, remember, God is already working on what’s best for you.

This post includes content from my book, 21 Days to Childlike Prayer: Changing Your World One Specific Prayer at a Time.

The Secret to a Deeper Encounter with Christ: How Praying Your Problems Turns Problems Into Platforms

by Jed Coppenger21 Days to Childlike Prayer, Bible, Practical Ministry, Prayer, Redemption City ChurchPosted on No Comments

Jesus wants to help people pray their problems. Every request in the Lord’s Prayer starts with some kind of problem. We say, “Hallowed be your name” because his name isn’t being hallowed as it should—which is a problem from heaven’s perspective. We request, “Your kingdom come, your will be done,” because his kingdom does not seem to be here, and his will isn’t really being done. That’s a problem. Then there’s a provision problem that leads to us ask “Give us this day our daily bread.” A then a guilt problem that causes us to plead, “Forgive us our debts.” And because we have a problem with evil, we ask God to “Deliver us from evil.”

This isn’t, of course, the only place where problems are prayed. When Israel was enslaved in Egypt, they prayed their problem. They “cried out to God.” Similarly, you “cry out” when you have a big problem. When Hannah was burdened by her childlessness, she prayed her problem with tears (1 Sam. 1). When Nehemiah heard that the walls in Jerusalem were broken, he cried out to God in prayer (Neh. 1). When Peter was one day away from being executed by Rome, the church prayed him out of prison (Acts 13).

The book of Psalms is filled with examples of people praying their problems. In Psalm 69, the writer pleads, “Save me God, the water was risen to my neck.” The writer of Psalm 5 is so overwhelmed by his problems he can’t find the words, so he says, “Consider my sighing and I’ll watch expectantly.” Psalm 51 is based on a guilt problem where the author is looking for grace. In Psalm 22, the writer feels forsaken. In Psalm 55, the writer feels betrayed by a friend. The Bible shows people praying their problems over and over.

Thankfully, Jesus says, “Come to me all you who are weary and heavy laden…” (Matt 11:28). What makes you “weary” and “heavy laden”? Problems.

Do you pray your problems?

Most people don’t. Most people initially either try to run away from their problems or run to their problems—flight or fight. Those that run away from difficulty, usually try to escape to some other, safer world. Whether that “other world” is online, at the gym, with comfort food, or in a bottle, it never solves problems and sometimes creates new ones.

Those who run to the problem in their own strength typically just overwork, get angry, burn out or burn things down. Sure, they can handle more problems than most, but everybody eventually runs into more problems than they can handle on their own.

Jesus doesn’t want you to run away from or to the problems. He wants you to run to the Father with your problems. When you learn to pray your problems, you learn the secret to praying “without ceasing” (1 Thess. 5:17). Your prayers are unceasing because your problems are unceasing. Whether your prayers seem little or big, God wants his children to bring every one of them to him. Because with each specific problem prayed, they give the invisible God an opportunity to become visible in their lives. So, turn your problems into prayers.

What problems do you need to pray?

Here’s an awesome truth. When you pray your problems, you turn your problems into platforms. What’s that mean? It means that when you ask God to do something in regards to a specific problem (like asking him to solve a financial, health, relational, or professional problem) you turn that problem into a platform where you can see something of God that you couldn’t without that problem.

That’s what the Apostle Paul is trying to explain to the Corinthian Christians in 2 Corinthians 12. After saying that he asked God to remove a problem, one that he called a “thorn in his flesh,” God told him, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor 12:9). Paul points God to his problem and God points Paul to an experience of his grace and power. Where is God’s power, something everyone wants to experience? It’s experienced most in our weakness, in our problems. Problems are platforms.

This truth is the reason why the Apostle Paul goes on to let the Corinthian Christians know that he actually looks forward to the next problem because he knows that when God is brought into our problems through prayer, problems turn into platforms that enable us to see and experience God in a way that we wouldn’t without those problems. He says, “For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Cor 12:10). He is “content” or “delights” in what? Weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. I’m not sure what your list of “things I like to avoid” is, but my guess is that things like these are on it.

Why does Paul feel so differently about his problems? Because he sees something we don’t see. He understands that problems can become platforms when we pray our problems. And when this happens, it changes how you view your difficulties. You see that God uses your problems to prepare you for his power and presence.

Paul, of course, didn’t look forward to every aspect of those problems. He wasn’t crazy, although he certainly sounded a bit like it in this passage. Earlier in this letter to the Corinthian Christians he let them know that he’d been tortured for Christ and that there were times where he and his companions were “so utterly burdened beyond [their] strength that [they] despaired of life itself. 9 Indeed, [they] felt that [they] had received the sentence of death. But that was to make [them] rely not on [themselves] but on God who raises the dead” (2 Cor 1:8-9). Did you see it? There were parts of the problem that he hated. Those parts made him “despair of life itself.” But, he says, in that awful experience, God was extending grace that enabled him to grow—learning how to rely even more heavily on the God who “raises the dead.”

Paul prayed his problems and it turned his problems into platforms. Do you do the same?

This post includes content from my book, 21 Days to Childlike Prayer: Changing Your World One Specific Prayer at a Time.

The Secret to Burden-Relieving Prayer: Childlike Trust

by Jed Coppenger21 Days to Childlike Prayer, Bible, Christian living, Church, PrayerPosted on No Comments

Ouch! I’m telling!” Judah, my youngest son, complained.

As expected, immediately, I heard him making his way to me in the kitchen, where I was going through the mail. With tears just about to run down his cheeks, Judah told me all about the great injustice he endured.

Having just returned home from work, I was a bit tired. So, I said to him, “I’ll take care of it.” With that, his countenance changed, and he joyfully walked right back where he’d come from. I overheard him self-righteously say to his sibling, “Dad said, ‘He’ll take care of it.’”

He didn’t, of course, know “how” or even “when” I would take care of it. Frankly, he didn’t know “if” I would take care of it at all. He simply knew “who” would take care of it. Because he knew who would take care of his problem, he walked out of that conversation without the burden he brought into it.

That burden-relieving, peace-producing, change-you-right-where-you-are-from-the-inside-out kind of interaction only happens when there is an unshakable trust in the one to whom you just presented your problem. That’s childlike trust.

Our interactions with God are supposed to happen that way. That’s what it looks like to “cast your burden on the Lord” (1 Pet. 5:7; Ps. 55:22). In prayer, our childlike faith leads us to the Father with our burden, and our childlike trust enables us to leave the conversation without it. Childlike trust is wrapped up in the “your will be done” part of the Lord’s Prayer. Our prayers are requests for what we think are best. Childlike trust says, “I trust you to do what is best with my request.”

Remember, Jesus says we are talking with the God of the heavens who created all things, sustains all things, works his mysterious, sovereign will for the good of those who love him, raises up kingdoms, flattens kingdoms, raised the dead, defeated death, healed the sick, gave sight to the blind, enabled men to survive Babylon’s flames, shut the mouths of Daniel’s lions, just to name a few things. Not a bad resume! He knows all things, loves perfectly, and is incredibly gracious. While we can know him truly, we’ll never know him completely. He is an amazing God!

Sometimes we forget the One to whom we are talking. Often times, somewhere in our conversation with the great and gracious God, we start to feel like we know what’s best for us, regardless of the situation. That’s why it is so important to remember who God is. If God is great enough to answer your prayers and those of everyone else praying to him, he is great enough to have a better way that you don’t understand.

Childlike trust rests on the power, love, and wisdom of God. Because he is all-powerful, I don’t have to worry about something stopping him from doing what is best for me. Because he loves his children with an unending love, I can be assured that he will always do what’s best for me. Because he’s all-wise, I know he always takes the best way. Childlike trust rests in his revealed character, not in the knowledge of his secret plans. 

That’s why it is so important to think about the words that we often use to end our prayers—“in Jesus’ name.” We don’t say this because we have to. Jesus didn’t end his prayer in Matthew 6 in that way. He said at the beginning of his now famous prayer, to pray “like” this (Matt 6:9). His teaching wasn’t primarily concerned with the order of the wording, but with the elements of the prayer. Yet we do this because, in other passages, he talks to his disciples about asking “in his name” (Jn. 14).

It is important that we pray “in Jesus’ name.” We should not treat his name like a secret password. Instead, we should be reminded of the powerful, gospel truth that we can come to God “in Jesus’ name” because of Jesus’ death in our place on the cross. Because of the cross, we should never question his love. Because of the empty tomb, we should never question his power. And because of the whole plan, we should never question his wisdom. No one thought that anything good could come from Jesus’ death on the day of his death. Little did anyone know that Jesus would make the seemingly worst day into the best day with the best news ever.

Do you trust God like a child? Do you trust him enough to be thankful for his “no’s” to your requests because you know that every “no” is a “yes” to something better?

When you do, you’ve learned the secret to experiencing a deep inner peace in the midst of incredibly difficult circumstances. That inner peace doesn’t just change your daily life; it has a powerful impact on the world around you—an impact we all desperately need.

This post includes content from my book, 21 Days to Childlike Prayer: Changing Your World One Specific Prayer at a Time.

Specific Answers to Prayer: A 3rd Grader Prays His Bully Problems and Pancake Dreams

by Jed Coppenger21 Days to Childlike Prayer, Bible, Christian living, Church, Ministry, Practical Ministry, PrayerPosted on No Comments

Nobody likes hearing stories of kids getting bullied, much less a 3rd grader whose dad is out of the country for work. But that’s what was happening. Life can be tough in 3rd grade.

The boys mom saw someone share online that they were enjoying my book, 21 Days to Childlike Prayer. So she decided to get her and her 3rd grader a copy.

After the first week of readings, the 3rd grader got a specific answer to prayer that thrilled him.

The boy came home from school happier than usual. His mom wondered what was going on. It turns out that he prayed that day that he wouldn’t be bullied at school in a way that he was expecting to be. And God answered his specific prayer with a “yes”! he was so happy.

Hilariously, he also prayed that God would provide pancakes at lunch that day. As he told his mom the story of the day, he told her that the pancakes, unfortunately, weren’t served. But the boy said, “I guess it wasn’t what was best for me.” If you’ve read week 1, you know that he is communicating the heart of childlike trust.

When I heard this story, I was so moved. I hated that this boy is getting bullied, that he is facing it without his earthly Father. But I loved how his mom was leading him spiritually. I was thrilled that as a 3rd grader, he was already praying his problems, praying with specificity, and praying with childlike trust (specific “no’s” require childlike trust).  

The 3rd grader believes his heavenly Father loves him enough and is powerful enough to help him with his bully problem and his pancake dreams. God is glorified by that. What does your prayer life say about your belief in God’s love and power?  

A Brief Summary of “The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas are Setting Up A Generation for Failure”

by Jed CoppengerBook Review, Book Summary, Church, CulturePosted on No Comments

Teen anxiety, depression, and suicide rates have risen significantly in the last few years. Universities are no longer places where the free exchange of ideas can take place. Online anyone can be shamed or cancelled for saying something well-intentioned, as long as someone interprets it uncharitably. More problems could be noted. Many people sense that things are worse than they usually are, and they seem to be getting worse.

How did this happen? Greg Lukianoff, a First Amendment lawyer, and Jonathan Haidt, social psychologist, provide some insightful answers in their book, The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas are Setting Up A Generation for Failure. Neither of these authors are Christians, but there is a great deal of truth in their book. In what follows, I want give a brief overview of their book.

In Part 1, the authors explain what the “new culture of safety” that has marked college campuses since 2013 is, summing it up with 3 Great Untruths. “Untruths” are problematic beliefs that need to be rejected. The first untruth is, “the untruth of fragility: what doesn’t kill makes you weaker.” The second is, “the untruth of emotional reasoning: always trust your feelings.” The third is, “the untruth of us versus them: life is a battle between good and evil people.” All of these “untruths” qualify are problematic, according to the authors, because they “contradict ancient wisdom,” “modern psychological research on well-being,” and “it harms the individuals and communicates who embrace it.”

In Part 2, the authors spend two chapters looking at these “untruths” in action. In the first chapter, the authors look at the “shout downs,” intimidation, and violence that mark many college campuses, how “speech as violence,” and how all of these realities are harming the mental health of students. Secondly, they look at the sociology of witch hunts and how it is leading to chaotic situations on more and more campuses.

In Part 3, the authors unpack six realities that they believe explain the significant changes happening on many university campuses. The first is the “rising polarization and cross-party animosity of U.S. politics.” The second is “the rising levels of teen and anxiety and depression.” Much of this, the authors argue, is due to the impact of “screen time,” which is especially hard for young girls. Third, parenting practices have changed, with parents becoming more fearful and overprotective, even as their kids have become safer. Fourth, the loss of “free play” and “unsupervised risk-taking,” has contributed to these “untruths,” since kids need both of these things to become self-governing adults. Fifth, the growth of campus bureaucracy and expansion of its protective mission has had problematic consequences, since colleges and universities are now multiversities that are more like businesses that believe the “customer is always right.” Sixth, the increasing passion for and redefinition of justice, where “equal outcomes” are sought, which multiplies injustices in the name of removing injustices, have harmed the next generation.

In the final part, part 4, the authors make recommendations for families, universities, and the society. In short, the authors encourage the next generation, and those influencing the next generation, to “seek out challenges (rather than eliminating or avoiding everything that ‘feels unsafe’),” “free yourself from cognitive distortions (rather than always trusting your initial feelings),” and “take a generous view of other people and their arguments (rather than assuming the worst about people within a simplistic us-versus-them morality).”

Lukianoff and Haidt’s, The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas are Setting Up A Generation for Failure, is filled with fascinating, insightful, and provocative arguments. No one I know thinks things are headed in a great direction. There are a lot of views as to why this is the case and how to fix it. I think this book is a must read for anyone trying to make things better.