Tag: practicing his presence

Practicing His Presence: Lesson Two

January 11, 2018 by ChristianHolinessDaily

Opening Windows

Scripture Focus: Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Philippians 4:6

My mother was widowed when I was six. We moved into my grandpa’s house and my mom went to work managing the Highway Café in Branson, my grandfather’s restaurant. She worked all the time, including Sunday mornings. My sister, then, took us to church. The church we attended was a little Assembly of God Church that had been constructed on one corner of our farm, quite a change from the Nazarene Church that we had attended before our family moved to Missouri.

Gary, the pastor of that AG church, ran it with an n iron-fist. He presided over the church, controlled the purse, supervised the board, and was proud and haughty in the pulpit. He was full of pride.

The first thing I noticed in reading the intimate words of Frank Laubach was his lack of

pride; he was an incredibly humble man.

A Place for Pride?

Frank Laubach writes, “To be able to look backward and say, “This, this has been the finest year of my life” – that is glorious! But anticipation! To be able to look ahead and say, “The present year can and shall be better!” – that is more glorious! If we said such things about our achievements, we would be consummate egotists. But if we are speaking of God’s kindness, and we speak truly, we are but

grateful. And this is what I do witness. I have done nothing but open windows – God has done all the rest.

How have you opened windows for others?
IS there a proper place for pride?

Why?

But why do I constantly harp upon this inner experience? Because I feel convinced that for me and for you who read there lie ahead undiscovered continents of spiritual living compared with which we are infants in arms

What?

Hour-by-Hour, Minute-by-Minute Fixing of My Mind on God.

So, 1930 is just around the corner, and the students at Union College in Manilla, along with college president Frank Laubach, are talking about resolutions. Laubach decides that one of his resolutions will be to continue with a new discipline that he had begun in the previous year. The discipline is simply this: to try to stay focused or fixed upon God.

“It is a will act. I compel my mind to open straight out toward God. I wait and listen with determined sensitiveness. I fix my attention there, and sometimes it requires a long time early in the morning to attain that mental state. I determine not to get out of bed until that mind set, that concentration upon God, is settled. It also requires

determination to keep it there, for I feel as though the words and thoughts of others near me were constantly exerting a drag backward or sidewise. But for the most part recently I have not lost sight of this purpose for long and have soon come back to it. After a while, perhaps, it will become a habit, and the sense of effort will grow less.

It is “more than surrender,” he writes. “In awhile, perhaps, it will become a habit, and the sense of effort will grow less.”

Note that this is not a type of meditation. This is no eastern philosophy or New Age mysticism. One does not repeat a mantra, nor clear the mind of all thought, nor allow thoughts to come and go This is focusing on our Lord Jesus.

“It’s more than surrender; I had that before. More than listening to God. I tried that before. I cannot find the word…” It is “PRACTICING HIS PRESENCE.”

What are the danger of clearing your mind, or following “wherever your thoughts take you,” as in meditation?
How does one fix his mind on God?
Even before Laubach judged his efforts to be successful, he said that things that the world values no longer make a difference to him, because “they would all be forgotten in athousand years.” What were some of the things he listed? ____________________________
_________________________________________________

Come, Let Us Reason:
1. “I must pursue this voyage of discovery in quest of God’s will. I must because the world needs me to do it.”
1. “I must plunge into mighty experiments in intercessory prayer, to test my hypothesis that God needs my help to do his will for others, and that my prayer releases his power. I must be his channel, for the world needs me.”
1. “I must confront these Moros with a divine love which will speak Christ to them though I never use his name. They must see God in me, and I must see God in them. Not to change the name of their religion, but to take their hand and say, ‘Come, let us look for God.’”
1. What Laubach says above could sound vain to those who have not read his entire work. Do you think he was vain when he twice says, “The world needs me to do it,” or was he simply expressing the burden God had laid on his heart in the best way he knew how?

The most wonderful discovery that has ever come to me is that I do not have to wait until some future time for the glorious hour. I need not sing, “Oh that will be glory for me -” and wait for any grave. This hour can be heaven. Any hour for anybody can be as rich as God! – Frank Laubach

You must awaken hunger there, for until they hunger they cannot be fed.” – Frank Laubach

Did the world indeed need him to plunge in to a closer relationship with Christ?

Who are the Moros in your life? Those who may frighten you, whom you may even dislike… whom you may hate, but whom God has called you to minister?

The Lesson

Why make this journey of discovery of God’s will? Is it because you need such a change in your life? Is it because God draws you closer? Is it because the world needs you to?
1. Step one: you must figure out why God has led you to this journey.
I have never understood why God calls us to pray… yet, He does. I have been awakened in the night with heavy burdens for friends, family, even acquaintances, and been compelled to pray. God is all-powerful, and certainly doesn’t need us to pray. He does, however want us to pray.

“Truly, I tell you, whatsoever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatsoever you: loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” – Matthew 18:18 KJV

God has a plan for you. It may not be as large as teaching half the population of a certain community to read. It may not be founding an international not-for-profit organization, but He has a plan for you.
Why has God led you into this journey? Why worry about your walk with God now?

Why does God want us to pray?

Fill my mind with Thy mind to the last crevice. Catch me up in Thine arms and make this hour as terribly glorious as any human being ever lived, if Thou wilt. – Frank Laubach

What is God’s will for your life?
Is there a difference between God’s will for you and His plan for you?
If so, then what is God’s plan for your life?
24. I’ll ask the question that Laubach asks himself: “Howfully can you surrender (to God) and not be afraid? ________________________________________________________
1. Have you been like Peter? Have you faltered? Do you hesitate to begin this journey because you think it won’t last? ________________________________________________________________________
I shall just live this

hour on until it is full, then step into the next hour. Neither tomorrow

matters, nor yesterday. Every now is an eternity if it is full of God.

What Does the Bible Say?

Does the Bible indicate that such an intimate relationship with Jesus is even possible? Can we spend our every waking moment with Him? Or, do we just waste our time trying? If it is possible, is it only for those who are called to special ministry? Are we vain to even attempt it? Does Christ expect or want such a relationship with us? Let’s see what the Bible says about the practicing the presence of God, if anything:

The Garden of Eden: After man fell, God was walking in the Garden in the cool of the day. Adam recognized the sound of God’s footsteps and hid from Him. This tells us that God regularly spent time in the Garden with man, else Adam would not have recognized His presence. God’s perfect plan was to
1. live with us, in a perfect setting, on earth. That is still his ideal for us.
Isaiah tells us that he dwells in the high places and in the low places to be present with the lowly and contrite. (57:15)
1. Psalm 139:7 tells us that we live in His presence whether or not we like it.
1. Acts 17:28 indicates that we live, move and exist in Him.
1. Jeremiah 29:13 promises us that, if we seek Him with all our heart, we will find Him.
1. God abides in us and His love is perfected in us (1 John 4:12). Is that possible unless we dedicate to Him our every breath?
1. John 15:7-9 begs us to abide in Christ’s love.
1. Jesus promises that He is with us always, even until the end of the earth (Matthew 28:20)
1. Verses that remind us to pray continuously:
1. Romans 12:12
2. 1 Thessalonians 5:17
3. Philippians 4:6
4. Ephesians 6:18
5. Colossians 4:2
6. Luke 18:1-8
  1. So, we are to pray continuously, but what about such intimacy with Christ? Is that expected of us?
    1. Romans 8:10
    2. 2 Corinthians 4:6-7
    3. Galatians 2:20
    4. Ephesians 3:17
    5. Colossians 1:27
  Just as Jesus did only what He saw the father do, may we only do what we see the Son do.
  
  So, my answer to my two questions to date would be
  1. “Can it be done all the time?” Hardly.
  2: “Does the effort help?” Tremendously. Nothing I have ever found proves
  
  such a tonic to mind and body – Frank Laubach

I tried to keep God in mind in the second person.” – Frank Laubach

I must talk about God, or I cannot keep him in my mind. I must give Him away in order to have Him.” – Frank Laubach

Practicing His Presence – A Small Group Bible Study

January 4, 2018 by ChristianHolinessDaily

PRACTICING HIS PRESENCE: a nine-week small group Bible Study based on the Works of Brother Lawrence, Frank C. Laubach, Andrew Murray and other Christian Classics.

WEEK ONE

REJOICE ALWAYS, PRAY WITHOUT
CEASING, GIVE THANKS IN ALL
THINGS; FOR THIS IS WILL OF GOD
Paul urges us to pray continuously – pray without
ceasing – yet 21st century society trains us to
concentrate for 140 characters, or short sound
bites. So how do we learn to pray continuously
and grow closer to God?

Types of Christian Growth

Paul: you are a Paul if you have studied hard and devoted your entire life to Christ without falter.
John Mark: if you jumped eagerly from the starting blocks, ran hard and fast, but have since been told you were lacking. You may have even been asked to take time away to reflect on your life, then you
are a John Mark.
Timothy: if you earnestly follow Christ, but possess doubts or express a certain lack of confidence in your abilities, then you are a Timothy.
Lydia: if you are a soul-winner, church-builder, or quiet unpresumuous leader you are a Lydia.
Peter: if your life has been a teeter trotter, up and down up and down, and often falling to the ground… if you only learn the hard way, then you are a Peter.
Corinthian: If you are Christian in name, but your life is little or no different from those who don’t even claim to be Christian, then you are a Corinthian.
Judas… If you have betrayed Christ, you are a Judas.

And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and
disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone.
Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what
is good for each other and for everyone else.
Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this
is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
Do not quench the Spirit.

-1 Thessalonians 5:14-19

Why We Need to Grow

Most of our readers are mature Christians, or so it seems. You read this blog because you wish to continue to grow in Christ. Some of us, I fear, have reached the point in our walk with Christ where we feel we have “arrived.” We have no more to learn, no growing to do. We await only that moment when we will be transformed in the twinkling of an eye whether through death or rapture. Worse yet, a few of us may believe that, while we may be able to grow more,
there is no point, for there is nothing we can accomplish for God.

Q&A About Growth
1. Do you ever feel that have not grown in your spiritual walk with Christ?

2. Do you ever feel like you have grown as much as possible while on this earth?

3. Have you ever known someone who believes they have “arrived?”

4. Which of these is the biggest obstacle to continued spiritual growth in your walk with Jesus?

A. Lack of time

B. Lack of prayer closet

C. Someone in my life who is an obstacle

D. Lack of motivation

E. I just don’t know how to grow more

F. I don’t need to grow

G. Other:

Brother Lawrence

It is enough for me to pick up a straw from the ground for the love of God.
Crisis and Salvation

A pastor I know is a rare bird. I’ve known him since he was 12. He grew up a Christian and has known since a young man what God would have him do. He has never faltered, never stumbled. Most of us, though, must face a crisis before we are saved. Most must face a second crisis before finding sanctification. We often hit a crisis before major life changes.

A few, like me, must face many crises in our maturing process. We are like Peter, ashamed of our falling away, and, in the end, we are better off for our experiences (although I never wish to repeat many of mine). Brother Lawrence hit a crisis in his life and, in the four hundred years since, generations of people have benefited because of it.

The World to Which Brother Lawrence was Born

Because he was born into an impoverished family, Nicholas Herman (later known as Brother Lawrence) left home younger than he might have. He joined the army where he would be fed and paid, and perhaps earn enough to send money home to his mother. The place was France. The year, about 1625.

1625: John Smyth had only recently begun the movement that would lead to the first Baptists. Virginia had just become a British colony. King James had just passed away.

The Soldier
Not much is known of Brother Lawrence’s service in the army, but given his age and location we can surmise that he served King Louis XIII and likely fought the Huguenots in Southern France. From his writings, we understand that war had a profound affect on his life. He immensely regretted causing harm to others, and that was the crises that eventually drive him to Christ; “it wasn’t, characteristically, a supernatural vision, but a supernatural clarity into a common sight” (Christianity Today. “Brother Lawrence: Practitioner of God’s Presence.
http://www.christianitytoday.com/history/people/innertravelers/brother-lawrence.html. 2017. Accessed 23 May 2017).

Gradually Nicholas came to realize that to please God and to properly deal with his regret, he must close himself off from the world and concentrate on growing close to the One who saved his soul. He joined a Carmelite Community as a lay brother and spent the remainder of his long life as a menial laborer, washing dishes and cobbling shoes.

Frank C. Laubach

Prayer at its highest is a two-way conversation-and for me the most important part is listening to God’s replies.

Filling the Need
Many people were more capable than of revolutionizing the world through the development of the desktop computer, if they had only recognized the need and focused solely on filling that need. Only 4 people did so: Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne. Likewise, Christians cannot see or focus on the needs around them.

Frank Charles Laubach felt called to preach the Gospel and was assigned by his church to be a missionary in the Philippines. From 1915-1930 he allowed God to build His church through him on the island of Mindanao. The mission grew quickly, compelling him to build a Christian college, Union College in Manila. Laubach served as its president. When his term was up in 1930, he was 46 years old and could have left the Philippines and taken a comfortable job as a college president or lecturer in the U.S. He didn’t. God showed him another need.

The Need Seen by Frank Laubach
Laubach could not shake the fact that, despite all the good he had done in the Philippines, his work was not yet complete. Before the end of 1930, he had returned to Mindanao and moved into a Muslim Moros village.

The Teacher
Laubach didn’t try to convert the Muslims with sermons or confrontation. He lived among them, and demonstrated Christ’s love. He soon realized yet another need.

First, Laubach had identified the need of a mission, then, of a college, then he made intimate contact with the Muslim population of 90,000. Now, God revealed the need at the heart of the matter: the Mohammedans could never learn the Gospel because they could not read the Bible. They were illiterate.

At the age of 71, Laubach finally left the Philippines. He had taught half of the 90,000 Muslims in Mindanao how to read (Renovaré. “Living each moment with a sense of God’s Presence: Frank Laubach. 3 Feb 2016. https://renovare.org/articles/livingeach-
moment-with-a-sense-of-gods-presence-frank-laubach Accessed 2 Jun 2017).

Still, he did not retire. In the U.S., there was a significant number of adults who could not read. In 1955, he founded Laubach Literacy which to this day has helped teach 150,000 people a year to read. It now teaches people in 34 nations worldwide.

There is no defeat unless one loses God, and then all is defeat, though it
be housed in castles and buried in fortunes.

What Lessons?

5. One can find, even in this brief introduction into the lives of these two Christian mystics, many lessons to apply to our lives. What lessons can you see already?

6. Have you ever done something, like Brother Lawrence, that you so horribly regretted that your remorse compelled you to alter your entire life?

7. Do you see value and growth from crisis within your own life?

8. The Nazarene Church was birthed in a revival that emphasized a crisis experience in the lives of individual seekers. The embers that caused the fire in which it was forged were the hot coals that remained of a series of national crises stretching back to the Civil War. Are we better off not emphasizing the Crisis Experience?

9. Is one ever too old to stop growing or too old to be of use to God?

10. Can one ever grow so close to God that there is no longer a need to grow closer to Him?

We really seldom do anybody much good excepting as we share the deepest experiences
of our souls… We need to struggle for more richness of soul.” – Frank C. Laubach

General Discussion

What Classic Christian works have you read?

What Christian writers have influenced you most?

Besides Thessalonians, where else does the Bible speak of praying continuously?

How do the words “without ceasing,” “continually,” and “continuously” differ?

What are some of your favorite prayers of the Bible?