Bethesda Cathedral 22.March.2015 “The Quiet Time” Back To The Basics

FINISHED FILES ARE THE RESULT OF YEARS OF SCIENTIFIC STUDY COMBINED WITH THE EXPERIENCE OF MANY YEARS 1. Read To Yourself Three Times 2. Count The Number Of Times The Letter “F” appears

* Answer: T - I - M - E * POMO (Post-Modernity) = too much information + too quickly + too fragmented * Caution 1: No “Shalom” * Caution 2: If there is no Desire to meet with the Lord, check again – is LOVE still alive? How Do You Spell Love?

How would you rate your relationship with Christ? Look back on the past year and honestly answer these four simple questions... * Are you closer to God today than you were in March of 2014? * Do you know more of God’s Word today than you knew last year? * How many people have entered into a relationship with God because of your personal witness? * Have you gained victory over any habits, attitudes, sins, or problems in your life?

Dilbert

Martin Luther: "A good barber must have his thoughts, mind and eyes concentrated upon the razor and the beard and not forget where he is in his stroke and shave. If he keeps talking or thinking of something else, he is likely to cut a man's mouth or nose – or even his throat. So anything that is to be done well ought to occupy the whole man. … How much more must prayer possess the heart exclusively and completely if it is to be good prayer." How Do You Pray?

* Back to the Basics: This is NOT a Religion or Ritual / this is a Relationship * 2 Cor 5:20.21 “we are ambassadors … be reconciled with God.” * With a Person, not an ideology or philosophy 1. You want to spend time with God – good; but why does God want to spend time with you?

* So what does a daily quiet time look like? (Rick Warren) * First, be quiet before the Lord. * The Bible calls it waiting on God. You start by simply sitting down and shutting up. As you do this, you’ll find yourself revving your engine down and calming yourself. 2. The Practical aspects

* Second, pray briefly. Start off with a short opening prayer. Ask God to open your mind and guide you. Ask him to cleanse your mind.

* Third, Read a portion of Scripture slowly. This is where your conversation with God begins. He starts speaking to you through his Word, and then you speak back to him through prayer. Read the Bible slowly. Don’t try to read too quickly or too much. The more slowly you read Scripture, the more you’re forced to think about what you’re reading.

* Fourth, Meditate on the Word. Spend some time chewing on what God is saying. Chew on the Word like cows chew on cud. Ponder and wrestle with it in your mind. There are lots of great methods for meditating on the Word. Ask:  Is there a command to obey?  Is there a promise to claim?  Is there a sin to avoid?  Is there a lesson to learn?  Is there a new truth to carry with me?

* Fifth, Write down what you discover. When God speaks to you through his Word, care enough about what he is saying to write it down. Writing enables us to remember what God has said to us and record our discoveries.

* Sixth, Pray again. Be quiet. Ask God to show you his Word. Talk to God about what he has said to you. Tell him what you’re thinking about what he is saying. Talk to him about anything else that’s on your mind. There’s not just one way to have a quiet time, but following a plan similar to this can get you started on a rewarding devotional journey.

3. Some Observations

In 1800, Mary Jones set out from Lianfihangel- y-Pennant, across the Welsh countryside, to Bala to buy a Bible from Rev Thomas Charles. Mary had saved for 6 years to afford one, as they were hugely costly and rare items at the time. But when she arrived at his home, she found out that all the Welsh-language Bibles had been sold. Conclusion: We’ve got it too easy

Rev Charles was so moved by her passion and commitment that he arranged lodgings for her while he waited for new Bibles to arrive. Two days later, he was able to provide Mary with a Bible of her own – and also gifted her two more for her family to keep. The memory of this encounter stayed with Thomas Charles, and he went on to establish Bible Society 4 years later.

Finally: Quiet Time?