Lately I’ve been writing a lot of how to articles. These How to articles are really articles in which  I hope to draw attention to some things that we should not do, but because we neglect certain thing in our lives they result in the many things I write about in Going Against The Grain. In this post I want to share with he reader how we can increase the number of people in the prayer lives each Sunday. I realize how ridiculous this sounds, but read on and you will see why I chose this title.

²Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth. (3 John 1:2 )

Are we really prospering?  It seems that when we do, we leave many of our brothers and sisters in Christ behind.  If the blessing of the Lord makes rich (Proverbs 10:22), that means their is excess and what do we do with excess? Invest, save store it up and boast in our things. Many can not enjoy the fruit of their labor because of poor health and bad decisions in eating.  Reality shows exploit (the networks make billions and the obese simply lose weight) the overweight and obese when the church could educate. The church is becoming the place of the haves and the have nots, the ministry will earn millions and the members of the church members receives blessings (some will , some wont). Those whom bellow “I’m Blessed Of The Lord” when you ask them how are they, equate stuff with blessings. Although, being blessed by God could mean you have been fortunate to enjoy the finer things in life and the fruit of  your labor, that’s fine, but what about your health?

Its apparent that many of our church members across America are in poor health and the prayer lines for a healing grows faster than the membership. We come to church, we practically live in the prayer meetings and after the services the food industry sees an increase in revenue every Sunday evening. We so desperately want those spiritual blessings, we are so eager to have the evangelist lay hands on us and intercede on our behalf for our health and all we had to do was eat right, get some rest.There are many things that we do have control over and that’s what we eat.  Although there are some that re unfortunately in poverty and that eat the processed food, fried foods and unfortunately their heal is at risk also. What about those of us who are not living in poverty, those of use with the excess?

In many of our black churches, we spend much time in praise, teaching, singing, attending meetings and convocations when 1 in 7 black have diabetes (StateOfBlackPeople.com). Diabetes is killing the black community and all we do is stand in the prayer line and trust in God, when we could have simple listened to our doctor, pay more attention to our bodies as the years progressed.  For many of us, we have the chance and opportunity to maintain our Good Health.  I remember when as a young man, the only people that I was use to seeing taking medication was the elderly. Now adults in their thirties are taking some form of medication.  In the church testimony service its common to hear a believer testify to the following:

• I thank God that my cholesterol level is low.
• I thank God that my sugar diabetes is under control.
• I thank God I only have to take 3 medications a day and not 7

Sure, its fine to thank God, but it would have been better if the church spent some time education their members about the health issues affecting the black community. Sure one can argue that people should take personal responsibility for their health. If this was overwhelmingly possible and successful, I believe it would impact the revenues of the drug makers and the medical profession. Less sick people equates to less revenues for doctors, hospitals and drug companies. If the medical profession cared about the health of people they would focus on prevent and not treating symptoms.

We can have seminars on tithing, marriage, purity classes. Bur when the church is in a celebratory mode, we eat our selves into a artery clogging feast of fried foods and sugary drinks to excess and will return to the night service praising God.

Insulin, Viagra, inhalers and refilling our prescriptions and oxygen tanks seem to be common words and phrases in the church. Divorce, separation, abuse and drug dependence are also all too common in the church. Although Israel wondered around in the wilderness, nations feared their God and Gods people.  In 2010, were are looked at as feeble minded (for our trust in God) and easily manipulated by those outside the church. How can we preach a Gospel of deliverance to set people free when we are bound ourselves?  Leaders are praying Gods blessings over people for healing when they are sick themselves, taking blood pressure medication, insulin injections and using inhalers.

Taking care if the one body that God gave us seems to be an after thought for many Christians. We are probable the most medicated group of people only second to those bound to a hospital bed. (that’s not a statistic, just a statement)

Reading, Studying and Research

We read whats entertaining, study for test that we need to pass and will only research the things that will grant discounts and special admissions, but we fail to do those things that will benefit our health.  Our skin is a living breathing organ that will absorb what you rub into it. So, why then put something on your skin that :

• you can not  eat
• you can not pronounce the ingredients (chemical) or additives its made of
• and is toxic or harmful (in large amounts)

Place a drop of water on your skin, some of it will evaporate and the rest is absorbed into your skin, this is why auto workers wear latex gloves when changing your oil or fluids in your car, this is why medical professionals wear gloves when working with patients. Not only will latex gloves prevent your from spreading something to someone else, they will prevent you from contracting something , its a barrier between your skin and the harmful organisms.

You will surely increase the numbers in your prayer line… for a healing if you:

• Continue to ignore the warning signs your body gives you.
• Continue to gourd yourself with fatty foods, sugary drinks.
• Continue to eat processed foods, fast foods, fried foods, food high in fats and sugar.
• Cut back on your water consumption and increase your soda, sweet tea, beer, wine drinking.
• Take no vitamin supplements.

I could go on but, I think you get the point. What good is your prosperity in Christ (and I’m not talking about all your stuff and things) if you can not enjoy a worship service because your in such discomfort because you neglected your body.Lets Start with some Vitamin C.

( I am not a medical professional or a nutritionist, the information that you will find here is readily available on the internet or in your local library or General Nutrition Center  [Hint...hint] )

Vitamin C: An Important Antioxidant

You could pile your plate high with citrus fruits (oranges, tangerines and grapefruit), as well as papayas, strawberries, cantaloupe, and pineapple. And you could eat your fill of vegetables such as tomatoes, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, spinach, cabbage and turnips. But you’d need to eat several servings to get the appropriate amount of vitamin C. And it can be lost from foods during preparation, cooking or storage.

Moreover, many of us already have a vitamin C deficiency, which occurs most often:

• If you smoke
• If you suffer physical or emotional stress
• If you drink alcohol
• If you have allergies
• If you have a fever or viral illness
• If you’re taking antibiotics, cortisone, aspirin or other pain medicines
• If you’re exposed to toxic chemicals (e.g., DDT, petroleum products, carbon monoxide), environmental pollution or heavy metals (e.g., lead, mercury, cadmium)
• If you suffer from recurrent infections
• If you’re a woman who takes the birth-control pill
• If you’re older than age 60

To ensure you’re getting the right amount of C, take a nutritional supplement.

( Busywomensfitness.com/vitamin-C.html)

Going Against The Grain.

Church members seem to speak a language of their very own. I have learned that some whom are members of the C.O.G.I.C can tell another member of the C.O.G.I.C by the way they communicate and the certain words used; that hold true for some who is Baptist, Presbyterian or Methodist.

When you hold a conversation with another person for long enough, you can pretty much tell which denomination they hail from. I know, you thinking “that’s stereo typing” true, that’s what everyone does.

We presume that members of our church know the Lord while their actions speak to the contrary.  If you can not tell the denomination, and I use a few “praise the Lord” or “I’m too blessed to be stressed” phrases” you will soon ask..”Oh, are you a believer?” and then we go on to ask, “what church to you go to” Oh yes, we’ve been indoctrinated into the way to behave in the church, thinking this is what makes us saved.

We have the right “sanctified dance moves” a special way to say…”praise Him…hallelujah bless His Name” and our children, nieces and nephews can imitate the same behavior and we look at this and say…”The Spirit of the Lord is in this place”. We are expert in:

• Getting our praise on, while at church
• Getting our shout on, when the music is bumping.
• Getting our eat on, after the service.

But, when it come to the most important matters such as bible study or Sunday school its not found to be as exciting or interesting as the above mentioned things.

We have become a people who lack the basic foundational doctrines to argue anything in religion. We don’t want to offend, but yet we can not defend what we believe in nor can we state why we believe it. I wont have to wonder if any members of COGIC are reading this, perhaps they are too busy on Twitter, choir rehearsal, bible debate study, prayer or the convocation.

Note: Denial is a defense mechanism postulated by Sigmund Freud, in which a person is faced with a fact that is too uncomfortable to accept and rejects it instead, insisting that it is not true despite what may be overwhelming evidence.

Why is it to our surprise or the immorality that seems to flourish in our pews; Its comical, that no matter what church a person attends, another will most always ask or say, “you should come to my church“. Thus we have church folk, exchanging the pleasantries of attending another church at the invitation of another church member.

Have we become a generation of “Unsaved but Churches?”

Being churched is one who simply knows much about the church they attend, the churched can tell you who the Bishop is, who all the leaders are and even tell you a little dirt about each of them. These churched members know the weekly church schedule and they need no church program, they can tell you the best and worst of the preachers. The churched even have a sanctified way of speaking (modified bible versus and a line from a song). Inviting someone to your church to hear your pastor speak and inviting someone to Thursday night prayer is that same as witnessing (for the churched).

How does one break the cycle of being in the church and yet not saved? I guess it starts with you! Those who are reading this post. You can feel offended or even insulted (which is not my intention). Church members have become so use to having their senses stimulated with things that entertain, that when we hear something that is true, we are easily offended and yet can not defend, we just lash out with phrases like, “You Need Jesus” or “I’m gonna pray for you!”

If your church is in a crisis, you can pray all that your heart desires, after you pray…then what?

Going Against The Grain

Yes, I’m serious! Here are six ways to boost your church attendance by next Sunday!

1. Have a miracle service.
2. Have a healing service.
3. Invite a world famous evangelist.
4. Say there will be a special blessing on the first 10 that  show up on time!
5. Say that God has a special; blessing for the one that brings the most guest.
6. Have a musical contest.

It’s true, many places of worship will resort to the use of hooks and gimmicks to get people in the door. It is unfortunate that many people will fall for it. If the gospel is simply preached and leaders allow God to add to the church daily, such as should be saved, churches would not have to resort to hooks and gimmicks to fill the pews.

There are more than enough believers and those on the edge of believing who are hungry for Gods word and they want what is true, not the religious jargon and mombo jumbo, blab it and grab it religion. Many people, believers also are discouraged by trickery and the slight of hand and face in many fellowships. Hooks, gimmicks, tricks like: Prayer lines(5, 10 15 or 20 dollars); If you love God bring the preacher $25.00; If you want to be blessed, be here next Sunday, I would not miss it!; If you want your family blessed and your body healed, give God a sacrificial offering.  Honesty should be commonplace in a place of worship.

How can you exhort someone or comfort someone in trouble if every time they ever asked asked you “How are you” your reply has always been “I’m blessed of the Lord and I’m too blessed to be stressed”, how can you identify with (empathize) anyone. Its helps in the restoration process of a soul when you can identify with what they are going through, but, if your too blessed to be stresses, you send the message that , I have no problems.

I’d rather go to the brother or sister in Christ of whom I know has been through much (because they are open enough to be real), he or she can always share with me how God saw him through their situation. Would you let a surgeon operate on you and they never performed a surgery?

Just preach/teach the word of God and leave the hooks and gimmicks to the sales force and marketing team.

Going Against The Grain.

Check out the following How to posts from Going Against The Grain

How to draw attention to yourself and your church.

How to: Increase the numbers in the prayer line.

How to: Defend your faith / How to: Defend your faith -cont

Prayer Anointing for Spiritual Warfare

Morris Cerullo continues his challenge to call the church to corporate prayer and to the individual to practice a life style of intimate prayer in. “How to Pray” is written with the express purpose of assisting the reader to experience a new all consuming delight in prayer.

The book provides three sources for learning how to pray. These include the example of Jesus’ prayer life, the fundamental role of the Holy Spirit as our teacher in prayer, as well as illustrations from Old Testament prayers. Cerullo talks about using prayer in praise and worship, in intercession, and about implementation of authority in prayer. He encourages the reader to discover God’s plan for end time prayers and the need for developing a relationship with Christ through significant, consistent, effective prayer.

Section II of the book reveals Christ as intercessor, and discusses throne room intercession and what it means. Cerullo shows how the Holy Spirit is our prayer enabler. Section III is made up of powerful lessons on experiencing the unlimited potential of supernatural prayer, and the key to releasing heaven’s resources through prayer. The chapter on perseverance and wrestling in prayer is both challenging and helpful. The final chapter teaches important lessons from Christ’s seven-fold high priestly prayer.

Each chapter closes with a compelling prayer which models the lessons taught throughout the chapter. These prayers can be individualized, paraphrased, or effectively used in the personal prayer life of the reader. Thought provoking classical quotes and meaningful gems from well known Christian leaders are included throughout the text. A helpful list of Verses on Prayer is included in the appendix.

“How to Pray” is valuable as a manual and guidebook for pastors, evangelists, and lay Christians. Morris Cerrullo’s writing is forceful, insightful, and passionate.

Destiny Image Publishers, Inc., 978-0768428414

As reviewed for Midwest Book Review

Richard R. Blake, Christian Education Consultant, Book Store Owner

Author: Richard R Blake
Article Source: EzineArticles.com