Unfettered Access

For the past week, we have looked at “Pastor Report Card” doctrinal areas for review. So far, we have covered 1) Hearing God’s voice vs. the Bible speaks; 2) One God (not three); 3) Jesus is God vs. Jesus is God’s Son; and 4) The Covenant relationship requires hearing God and obeying. Today, we will talk about prayer intimacy. 

Attached are the first two pages of four, of another of the Mark of Excellence newsletters that were sent to select local pastors and prayer ministries to teach true doctrine. The remaining two pages will be included with tomorrow’s post. Each of the newsletters that were mailed to the pastors included a cover letter. I thought you might like to see a glimpse into my one-sided conversations with the pastors.

*** Excerpt from Letters to Pastors ***
Dear Pastor,

Subject: Mark of Excellence Newsletter, September 2021 Edition, “Prayer”

How’s that prayer list working for you?  I only ask because if God were really granting your every wish, you would certainly be promoting that as a reason for people to seek you out (with financial favor).  But that’s not how it works. Is it?  Since God wants His children to come to Him personally, to seek Him, to ask for forgiveness, and to hear Him and obey, you probably won’t successfully compete with Him.  But that won’t stop some from trying. As for me, I wouldn’t want a God that needs our advice.

I visit several churches via online access nearly every week.  So, I can say with confidence that most of you are promoting prayer intercession (interference) rather than prayer intimacy.  Some of you even have prayer lines, with 50 intercessors, waiting to pray for your congregation.  Really?  That’s sickening.  I grew up in the church and learned that prayer foolishness from others like you.  Oh, I had the best prayer lists of anyone.  I could summon up God, demand His favor and hold Him accountable better than most.  I hope you hear the sarcasm in that statement. There’s anger there too, because I was 40 years old before I understood that I was supposed to hear God in prayer.  That’s what growing up in the church provided?

Prayer is NEVER meant to be one-sided.  If you’re NOT listening to God in prayer with the intent of obeying Him, then you’re not doing it right.  I realize that’s hard to hear because it takes ALL the power from you and puts it rightly with God. If you’re doing all the talking in prayer, then it must be because you expect God to submit to you.  Let’s face it.  The only way you can submit to God in prayer is by hearing His voice and obeying.  But what’s modeled instead is that God is supposed to hear your prayers and obey.

Most of you would agree that Christians are not to pray to Mary or to dead saints as the Catholic church promotes, but aren’t you doing the same type of thing by asking to intercede for other Christians?  Do you really know the heart of God?  I didn’t.  All my one-sided prayers to the Creator, were useless for the Kingdom and so are yours.  Let’s face it.  The sovereign LORD knows our every need. Why are “we” doing all the talking?  And how many people does it take to overrule the will of God?  Do you need 1,000 people or more?  That’s sarcasm again.  Obviously, you can’t out vote the sovereign God.

This newsletter about prayer has been the most difficult for me to write.  I’ve had times of great grief as I’ve studied with God on how to present this. The grief may have been my own, but it felt as if it were coming from the heart of God.  Of all the perverted theologies, distorted prayer doctrine must be the devil’s favorites tied with “mute God” or the “God locked in a book” doctrines.

***End of Excerpt***

At the beginning of the year, and this process of doing church assessments, a woman commented on one of my posts insisting that I needed to privately discuss these matters with the pastors before airing their dirty laundry publicly. My response was that I have tried to discuss these doctrines with the pastors via email, private messenger contact, and mail correspondence. That didn’t seem to be enough for the lady who was publicly (not privately) telling me that I needed to do things differently. That’s ironic.

The church leaders do not want to hear a message from God, either by directly hearing from Him or by Him sending a messenger. They seem to believe that they are doing things exactly right despite knowing that all the churches who doctrinally teach contrary to them believe the same thing. So, I’m taking this message right to the congregations. Please seek God to know Him. Hear His voice in prayer so that you can obey Him. Ask Him questions about the doctrines at the church that you’re attending. Want His will above your own.

Source: Mark of Excellence Newsletter, dated September 2021, “Prayer” Edition