Category: Prayer

Pointing people to Jesus, not a church

April 28, 2025

Over the years people have asked me what church I attend or what church do I point people to? Generally I do not say, especially online. But if someone asks to come along I will tell them.

My reason for this is that churches in different countries are not the same. If I say I belong to a particular denomination online, it may be very different in Australia to the USA, Asia, Africa or Europe.

My heart is to always point people to Jesus. Jesus is the way we find salvation. Jesus died on the cross for our sin. First and foremost we have to come to Him. Then I encourage people to read the Bible and learn to pray and find a local church.

I came to Jesus through some friends I worked with. They talked about Jesus and the Bible, prayed for me and gave me a tract to find salvation. Then they asked me to their church. I attended for about a year, but as it was a 30 minute drive, I found one closer to my home.

I have found in a smallish country town where I live this works best in my context. People will talk about God, the Bible, prayer and ask questions, but are reluctant to attend church at first. Walking in to a church in a small country town is a big statement. Everybody has a way of finding out.

So I do not really point people to a particular church, I point them to Jesus. I want people to be saved, discipled and to follow Him. Then I point them to the main church denominations in Australia. I encourage them to find a local one.

This is why I include an alphabetical list of denominations on my links page. I want people to find a church where Jesus is held up as Lord and Saviour, the Bible is preached, prayer happens and they can grow in their faith.

Another reason I do not recommend a particular church is one person might like a relaxed house church style and another might like a high church or liturgical style of worship. We are not all the same, we have different tastes, we have to find our own place in the church.

So this is why I do not talk about my church or push a particular denomination. My heart is to point people to Jesus, not a church.

Fasting and praying the Lord’s Prayer

April 27, 2025

I was reading the early church fathers recently and I saw two interesting things.

  1. They told followers of Jesus to fast twice a week.
  2. They told followers to pray the Lord’s Prayer three times a day.

I fast occasionally when I feel I have something on my heart to bring before the Lord. But I do not fast twice per week.

I do pray the Lord’s Prayer several times per day. It has become my practice over the last six months. Especially since I have been using prayer beads.

I do wonder how my life would change if I followed the prescription of the early church fathers and fasted and prayed as they suggested? How would your life change?

Prayer and Fasting

Do not have your fasts with the hypocrites. For they fast on Mondays and Thursdays; but you should fast on Wednesdays and Fridays. Neither are you to pray as the hypocrites, but as the Lord commanded in his gospel, “Pray in this way: Our Father who is in heaven, may your name be holy, may your kingdom come, may your will be done as in heaven, so also upon earth; give to us today our daily bread, and forgive us our debt as also we forgive our debtors, and do not lead us into temptation but deliver us from the evil one, because yours is the power and the glory forever.” Pray this way three times a day.

Brannan, R. (tran.) (2012) The Apostolic Fathers in English. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.

Daily servant prayer for prayer beads

March 26, 2025

Here is another prayer I put together for my prayer beads. I thought I thought I would share it.

My heart in this one is to be a living sacrifice to God and then doing the things like prayer, Bible reading and serving that help us to live it out.

Praying using Scripture helps us both to pray and meditate on God’s Word. Two things that definitely help us to be living sacrifices.

Cross

In the name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit, Amen

Invitatory bead

Romans 12:1 NLT

[1] And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice-the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.

Cruciform 1

Matthew 16:24 NLT

[24] Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me.

Weeks beads 1

Lord, help me to take up my cross daily and follow You (x7)

Cruciform 2

Psalm 1:1-3 NLT

[1] Oh, the joys of those who…  [2] …delight in the law of the LORD, meditating on it day and night. [3] They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do.

Weeks beads 2

Lord, help me to read and meditate on Your Word every day (x7)

Cruciform 3

Philippians 4:6 NLT

[6] Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.

Weeks beads 3

Lord, help me to spend time with You in prayer each day (x7)

Cruciform 4 

1 Peter 4:10 NLT

[10] God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.

Weeks beads 4

Lord, help me to serve You each day by using my gifts to serve others (x7)

End Cruciform

Matthew 6:9-13 KJV

[9] Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. [10] Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. [11] Give us this day our daily bread. [12] And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. [13] And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

End Invitatory

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
a world without end. Amen.

End Cross

In the name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit, Amen