"The fire must be kept burning on the altar continuously; it must not go out." (NIV) "A fire shall always be burning on the altar; it shall never go out." (NKJV).
Every quarter when I read our text, I think of my spiritual roots, and the wonderful call of the Church to continuous prayer.
The "Unitas Fratrum," literally, "Unity of Brothers," or "United Brethren," later called "Moravians," found in our text the basis for their 24/7/365 prayer watch which began with a Communion Supper on August 13, 1727, and lasted for almost 120 years. They began sending missionaries to various parts of the globe long before William Carey, who is incorrectly referred to as "The father of modern missions," went to India. I do not think the continuous prayer watch and their missionary zeal were unrelated.
In 2005, the United Nations designated January 27 as "International Holocaust Remembrance Day"; Israel endorsed this. The irony is that the United Nations is a major seat of international antisemitism. Days, remembrances, etc., mean little or nothing. They are sort of like "The National Day of Prayer." Really?-- one day a year to call the nation to pray, to remember "prayer" and its place in our culture? Ironically, 10 years after its official designation in 1952, the American Church allowed the United States of America's Supreme Court to outlaw the Prayer of Jesus in the state ("public") schools of America; a year later the Bible was "gone." Holocaust Remembrance, National Day of Prayer--- what do they mean? Antisemitism is on the rise and prayer is on the decline.
Any designation, yearly, monthly, even weekly is not to be found in the teachings of Jesus. In the Old Testament we read of, "three times a year," and other periodic memorials, gatherings, remembrances, the sanctity of the Sabbath, etc. But the principle of "first mention" reveals that man was created to walk with God in "the Garden," no coming to God and leaving Him, no "quiet times," no evening "vespers," just continual, nonstop fellowship. Our text is primordial, fundamental Biblical Theology, fundamental to our life in Jesus Christ, His Church, His Kingdom, "The fire must...not go out."
How this "plays out" I don't know. There are many 24/7/365 prayer watches worldwide. Now while life in Jesus may be "more," there is something in our text which speaks to man's greatest need, the need to, "Abide and Me and My Words abide in you...." Or, "The fire must be kept burning on the altar continuously; it must not go out."
Father, in Jesus' Name, may it ever be. Amen.
Every quarter when I read our text, I think of my spiritual roots, and the wonderful call of the Church to continuous prayer.
The "Unitas Fratrum," literally, "Unity of Brothers," or "United Brethren," later called "Moravians," found in our text the basis for their 24/7/365 prayer watch which began with a Communion Supper on August 13, 1727, and lasted for almost 120 years. They began sending missionaries to various parts of the globe long before William Carey, who is incorrectly referred to as "The father of modern missions," went to India. I do not think the continuous prayer watch and their missionary zeal were unrelated.
In 2005, the United Nations designated January 27 as "International Holocaust Remembrance Day"; Israel endorsed this. The irony is that the United Nations is a major seat of international antisemitism. Days, remembrances, etc., mean little or nothing. They are sort of like "The National Day of Prayer." Really?-- one day a year to call the nation to pray, to remember "prayer" and its place in our culture? Ironically, 10 years after its official designation in 1952, the American Church allowed the United States of America's Supreme Court to outlaw the Prayer of Jesus in the state ("public") schools of America; a year later the Bible was "gone." Holocaust Remembrance, National Day of Prayer--- what do they mean? Antisemitism is on the rise and prayer is on the decline.
Any designation, yearly, monthly, even weekly is not to be found in the teachings of Jesus. In the Old Testament we read of, "three times a year," and other periodic memorials, gatherings, remembrances, the sanctity of the Sabbath, etc. But the principle of "first mention" reveals that man was created to walk with God in "the Garden," no coming to God and leaving Him, no "quiet times," no evening "vespers," just continual, nonstop fellowship. Our text is primordial, fundamental Biblical Theology, fundamental to our life in Jesus Christ, His Church, His Kingdom, "The fire must...not go out."
How this "plays out" I don't know. There are many 24/7/365 prayer watches worldwide. Now while life in Jesus may be "more," there is something in our text which speaks to man's greatest need, the need to, "Abide and Me and My Words abide in you...." Or, "The fire must be kept burning on the altar continuously; it must not go out."
Father, in Jesus' Name, may it ever be. Amen.
When Peter, an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"
"Looking unto Jesus"
Hebrews 12:2
"Looking unto Jesus"
Hebrews 12:2
