Qatari National Day - December 18
1. Qatar is truly a dry and barren land, both physically and spiritually. Pray for streams in the desert, that the Qatari people would eat and drink from Jesus, the living water and bread of life. In addition, pray for the believers in Qatar. It can be a very discouraging place to be spiritually. Pray for the Holy Spirit to bring revival and renewal.
2. Pray 1 Timothy 2:1-4. Pray for the leaders of Qatar, especially the ruler - Sheikh Tamim bin Hamed al Thani, so that many will be saved through the knowledge of the truth of the gospel of grace found only in Jesus Christ. Pray that the local and expat believers would be able to live tranquil and quiet lives in all godliness and dignity for this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior. Pray that whole Qatari families will know the one God, the one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus who gave himself as a ransom for all.
3. In 2022, the spotlight will be on Qatar as they host the World Cup. Pray that even now, doors of opportunity would open for the gospel in a land that has been closed on many fronts for years.
There are those who are convinced that our salvation was predetermined before the foundation of the universe. Incidentally, I believe that. There are scriptures that make it clear. (Eph.1:4 among them) However, to fully understand that, we need to think some things through.
In Matthew 11:20-24 Jesus denounced the cities who did not repent.
It is important to note that Jesus did not say, “When you saw those miracles you could not repent because you were not chosen.” This passage seems to indicate that they would be condemned in the judgment “because they did not repent.”
I recently saw the question on the Facebook, “What is Calvinism.” The answer given was Romans 8: 29,30.
l want to emphasize the word, “foreknew,” in these verses. A strong Calvinist might point out that the word “foreknew,” here refers to a previous relationship, rather than knowing your hair color or your name. However, while this certainly refers to more than the omniscience of God, it cannot mean less. God has always known every decision you will ever make, every thought you have ever thought or ever will think. And He has known everything about your character and destiny from before the foundation of the world. In Matthew 12:37 Jesus told us we would be acquitted or condemned by our words. He has known every word we have spoken or will speak.
Now, let me connect the parable Jesus told of the sower and the seed in Matthew 13. Let's read the first part of the passage First beginning with verse 3.
Before Jesus explains this parable, He tells His disciples why He speaks to the people in parables. And I think it is important for us to look at this explanation before we go on to the explanation of the parable.
“But your eyes are blessed because they do see, and your ears because they do hear! For I assure you: Many prophets and righteous people longed to see the things you see yet didn’t see them; to hear the things you hear yet didn’t hear them."
There are two things that I think are important to see about why Jesus spoke in parables, and why some people receive the word of God and others do not. First, hearing and understanding the word about the kingdom of heaven is a gift. Verse 16 clearly says, “Your eyes are blessed because they do see, and your ears because they do hear.”
But there is some personal responsibility in this truth. In verse 13 Jesus says He spoke to them in parables so they would not understand. But the reason he gives for their not understanding, from the prophecy of Isaiah, is that they won't understand what they have been told. And He seems to be saying, “If I made this clear enough, even these people who reject Me would come to understand and I would cure them.”
Recently, someone approached me on Facebook, asking if it was fair to say my position was that some people will receive Christ because they are righteous. I answered, “No, my position is that the matter is complex.”
There are two points upon which I strongly disagree with this notion. The first is the concept of righteousness here. To say that some of us are righteous because we admit we are not righteous and need a Savior, is strange indeed. The only possible way you could say that, was if righteousness were comparative. Is someone righteous because someone else is worse? The only One we can compare our righteousness to is Jesus. None of us come close to His holy standard.
My second concern, is that this answer is more simplistic than what Jesus gives us. I do not know how many kinds of barriers may stand between a person and the grace of God. I do not know that we have anything to do with some of them. For instance, I was born in a place, and into a family where I would hear the gospel all my life. To be honest, I really didn't understand it in my younger years. And I certainly cannot explain why God put up with my hard-headedness as long as He did. But God put me in the place of hearing His word. I did not choose where I would be born. If you are concerned about the fairness of salvation, how was my privilege fair? I too believe God is absolutely just. And that will be demonstrated in the end. (Eph.3:10) But for now it is complex. What other barriers might there be to someone's being chosen by God? This is far more information than God has given us.
So we finally come to the parable itself. Let me point out a few crucial things that explain why some of us come to Christ, and some of us do not.
Matthew 13:18-23
I will briefly enumerate what I have to say about these verses.
Now, I have written this so people will think these matters through. I think that is important whether you agree with me or not. I am aware this has become a painful issue. And there seem to be 3 faulty positions on this issue. At this point I do not wish to give arguments for why I think these positions are faulty. I would simply like you to think about them.
Some of you will label me as a hide-bound Calvinist, and write me off as a heretic. More of you may think this theology is too complex to understand or worry about. And some of you will call me an Armenian. You at least need to know that is not necessarily accurate. Armenian beliefs are fairly specific. And it often seems to me that people are excluded from the fold by what I would label, extra-calvinisticum. George Whitefield and John Wesley disagreed over these issues. But at the funeral of Wesley, Whitfield recognized the Holiness of his brother in Christ.
I love the poem by Edwin Markham that Charles Swindoll has slightly rearranged in his sermons.
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In Luke chapter 11 Jesus told us what happens when a demonic spirit is driven out, possibly by a crisis and human effort, maybe even a well meant intervention of friends, but the demon is not replaced by the power of God through the indwelling Holy Spirit. The end of that person will be worse than it was to start with.
I wonder if Jesus told this on a number of occasions throughout his ministry. Because in Matthew chapter 12, probably on a different occasion, Jesus used this story as a parable to demonstrate something on a grander scale. Look at these verses and especially at the application from the context that is given in Matthew 12:45, the final verse of the passage.
“When an unclean spirit comes out of a man, it roams through waterless places looking for rest but doesn’t find any. Then it says, ‘I’ll go back to my house that I came from.’ And returning, it finds the house vacant, swept, and put in order. Then off it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and settle down there. As a result, that man’s last condition is worse than the first. That’s how it will also be with this evil generation.”
Matthew 12:43-45
Here Jesus is explaining not simply what happens to a person, but what happens to an entire generation that turns over a new leaf without the power of God. We too are living in a generation in which God's presence, purpose, and power are vacant from our culture.
I have written lately of my concern about the press in our generation toward not wanting to live if life were no longer comfortable or diverting.* I believe this is evidence that the purpose even of many who profess Christ in this generation is ease and pleasure.
I said I wanted to write as long as possible. And when I could no longer write, I could still pray for people whom God brings into my life. I believe this is God's purpose for me. This is good, and I hope it is the plan of God for me. But this misses a more important truth. The fuller purpose of my life is the glory of God.
I begin my morning devotional each day with John 12:27,28 where Jesus was troubled as He looked ahead to the agony and indignity of death on a cross and separation from His Heavenly Father.
"Now is my heart troubled, and what shall I say? 'Father, save me from this hour'? But for this purpose I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name!" Then a voice came from heaven: "I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again."
John 12:27,28
In relation to these verses I have written out the simple prayer, “Father, I pray that Your Name may be glorified through my life.” The things that I mentioned may bring Him glory. But He can still be glorified if I am unconscious, without dignity, feeble minded, or in too much pain to write or even pray beyond crying out to God to release me! At least in the final stanza of His glory everyone will see how He wove even this together for His glory and my good in the entire tapestry of my life.
But I grieve for what is yet to come upon our generation where God's glory and purpose are vacant. The final state of our generation, will be much worse even that it is today.
*(You can see some of what I have written on this concern by scrolling down to Facing Death With Hope, in this blog, The Anchor of The Soul, http://theanchorofthesoul.blogspot.com/ )
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Also see: http://markmirza.com/prayallyear/dec-1-dec-31/december-5/
Also see: http://markmirza.com/prayallyear/dec-1-dec-31/december-4/
