New King James Version
Matthew 6:
5 “And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.
6 But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.
7 And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.
I am sure we have all read the above passages before, and to me it seems very clear what Jesus is saying in His teaching and how we should conduct ourselves during prayer.
Yet, much to my surprise, I was listening to Charles Stanley of In Touch Ministries teaching on this matter, and he went as far as dropping on his knees on stage with the bible on the floor in front of him stating that, unless you are on your knees when you pray, you are not humbling yourself before God. He went further, how he was taught this by his mother and grandfather as a child when they prayed by his bed. According to Stanley, unless you are on your knees, you are being prideful by not submitting to the will of the Father and not being earnest enough. He struggled up back to his knees and continued to the applause of the congregation.
I am sure like many other, we like Charles Stanley for the many inspiring teaching on our Savior, yet, I am sure he should have made it clear that his statements were his opinions and not something which Jesus taught, especially since there is many people that by many different physical or medical issues could not or would not be able to do such a thing, which that includes myself with double knees replacement.
Please share your experiences on this matter, or if you feel that I am incorrecting in understanding what Christ taught in Matthew 6.
In Christ's love,
Frank
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by bassfishinglawyer
