Prayer is Everything [PiE]

I do not remember the first time I ate a pie, but all I know is, it produced a rare sensation in me! It must have been as a child. Dad was a chef to a British colonial official somewhere in Ikoyi. He used to cycle to and from work every day, and there were occasions that he came back late because his boss held a party. And he would bring English foods home, which he made - I had my first bites of English foods before adolescence. But I cannot forget my first meat pie bite! While I have since lost interest in the baked pasty (though I delightfully devoured the ones made by my last daughter during the last Christmas), another kind of PiE has found its way into my life!

I am ordinarily unschooled theologically but like Peter and John (Acts 4:13), my courage stems from constantly being in the Word (John 1:1). The social origin of theology is a thesis in its own right but suffice it to say that theological reconstruction is believed to have its roots in philosophy. If theology evolves from mankind’s deliberate efforts to organize religious experience, beliefs, and customs in harmony with other elements of experience (Mathews, 1912), then we all are socially constructed theologians! However, we are reminded in Romans 12:7 that teaching is a gift given through the grace of God.

But if we are keen on teaching, note what James 3:1 says: “Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my fellow brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.” So, why do we think teachers will be judged more strictly? If you really desire the gift of teaching (by praying and waiting on the Holy Spirit), then note that you will be held accountable to live by the truth that you teach. You also cannot lead people away from God's Word with your own words. You cannot claim knowledge too if the Holy Spirit has not gifted you with it. This is because the more you claim to know, the more you will be held accountable for living out that knowledge. Because you are regularly called upon to teach, it does not necessarily mean you have received this gift from the Holy Spirit.

If you are great at teaching (like millions of unbelievers in their respective fields, e.g. full-time teachers, motivational speakers, professional trainers, driving instructors, etc.) but your behaviour and lifestyles mislead those who hear you, then your teaching ability (not gift) is not from the Holy Spirit. It is therefore dangerous for you to continually be put forward to teach, because the hypocrisy will impact on the congregation. A basic test can be found in Matthew 20:28. If you ever teach this scripture, make sure you make it a lifestyle, not a one-off because you want to teach about humility. What is the actual doctrinal foundation of the Church – do the teachers walk the talk, or do their actions put the entire congregation in jeopardy? Do you know your sheep by name (John 10:3), do you empathize with the congregation to whom you teach (Proverbs 27:23) or do you use the pulpit to bully and show disrespect for the laity (1 Peter 5:2-3)?

It is interesting too that 1 Corinthians 12:8 stresses knowledge as something given by the Holy Spirit. So, how do we acquire knowledge about God? I remember how back in the day as a neophyte, Romans 10:17 had incredible impact on me. The key message of the verse is how knowledge strengthens faith, which in turn, is given by the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:9).

Now, let us recap: knowledge of God is not based on attending a theological institution but is given by the Holy Spirit; teaching is a gift of the Holy Spirit through grace; not Everyone can teach the word of God; faith is developed from the knowledge of God; and faith is given by the Holy Spirit. It is therefore safe at this juncture to infer that the Holy Spirit is pivotal to knowledge, teaching and faith. But the burning question is, “Do we cede control to the Holy Spirit, or are we constantly relying on our wisdom?” Again, 1 Corinthians 12:8 reminds us that wisdom is a gift of the Holy Spirit. What does James 3: 13 – 18 teach about wisdom? Are our deeds done in the humility that comes from Holy Spirit’s wisdom, or are we envious, greedy, selfish and deceitful?

Is the Church a safe space or are people scared to say their minds because of the repercussions? Are we all pure hearted towards one another, are we peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere? If anyone is like the (positive) latter, then you have the Holy Spirit’s gift of wisdom!

So, where does prayer come in, is it a gift of the Holy Spirit? I am hardly attracted to what I call ‘statistical Bible’ because I fail to see its essence, e.g. how many times the words prayer, prayed, praying, etc. appear in the Bible? If you believe that giving biblical statistics is for emphasis, then what could be more emphatic than just one admonition from Christ Jesus about the importance of prayer (Matthew 26:41)? What does apostle Paul say about prayer (1 Thessalonians 5:17)? If prayer is God’s will for us as Christians, is it therefore not Everything?

Prayer is not a gift of the Spirit otherwise Romans 8:26-27 will be a lie! So, can we allow the Holy Spirit to do his work? Prayer does not have to be complex or legalistic or follow a tick-box pattern. Anyone who has the Holy Spirit living inside of him/her should be trusted to pray even unprepared, because when sometimes we do not know what we ought to pray for, the Spirit himself intercedes for us! The beauty of prayer is, we can use it in any circumstances (e.g. in trouble and in sickness – James 5:13-15; 2 Kings 20:1-11; against spiritual forces - Ephesians 6:18), etc. If you are not encouraged by the 17th verse of the fifth chapter of the book of James, then you will never be motivated to pray: “Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for 3.5 years” (James 5:17). And Christ Jesus says, “…I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘move from here to there and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you” (Matthew 17:20). So, why are some of our prayers delayed (Daniel 10: 12-13) or not answered at all (James 4:3)?

In conclusion therefore, Prayer is the thread that ties all the gifts of the Holy Spirit together. If you desire to teach/preach, pray for God’s Holy Spirit’s anointing so you may walk the talk, by grace. You can also pray for wisdom that comes from the Spirit of God (James 1:5) as well as knowledge and faith. In our daily prayer may we ask for God to break us such that we completely submit to His Spirit in Everything (James 4:7). And my new PiE? Hebrews 5:14!