.

[jimmyjimmy]

What matters most is the intent of the heart, not the smoothness of expression.

Really? Do you say the same for the music or preaching?

 

[Razare]

Prayers should be spoken from the heart, it's what makes them authentic or inauthentic.

 

[sculleywr]

A similar criticism might be made of starchy pre-written prayers - "Most blessed God, Thou Who Art the Ineffably Sublime Creator and Sustainer of the Universe, Who Condescendest to Thy Lowly, Humble Servants . . ."

Even if they are ornate, if a person prays them with compunction, meaning the words that he says with his heart, then would God really fault a person for praying something that was prewritten? It is not repetition that the Lord hates. It is vain repetition, when a person prays with no humility or compunction. A person can pray this way just as easily extemporaneously as he can recited.

 

[prodromos]

I agree. I've heard people refer to some of the extemporaneous prayers as "just" prayers. "Lord, I just want to thank you for just blessing us the church picnic, and for just. . .

I always knew them as "Wejus" prayers. Not a fan of those.

 

[prodromos]

I find that the prayers we use in the liturgy are very succinct and really get to the heart of the matter and it helps me to align my own thoughts.
With regards to the community aspect which was brought up earlier, it helps us to be of one mind when we use prewritten prayers of godly men and women.

 

[brinny]

During a worship service, is it inauthentic to use a prayer that you wrote beforehand or someone else wrote 1,000 years ago?

i write prayers in my Prayer Journal all the time. Sometimes i might even pray them later.

It is from my heart, it was then, and it is again when i pray them.

A very dear Bible teacher said once that she writes "love letters" to Jesus.

I sense that these are precious to Him.

Perhaps it all depends what's in one's heart when one prays a written out prayer.

God reads the heart anyway.

 

[LittleLambofJesus]

I find that the prayers we use in the liturgy are very succinct and really get to the heart of the matter and it helps me to align my own thoughts.
With regards to the community aspect which was brought up earlier, it helps us to be of one mind when we use prewritten prayers of godly men and women.

All being of one mind is good..........

1Ch 12:38
All these men of war, who could keep ranks, came to Hebron with a loyal heart, to make David king over all Israel;
and all the rest of Israel were of one mind to make David king.

Phl 1:27
Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel

1Pe 3:8
Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another;
love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous;[fn]

Rev 17:
13
“These are of one mind, and they will give their power and authority to the beast.
17
“For God has put it into their hearts to fulfill His purpose, to be of one mind, and to give their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled.


.

 

[W2L]

All being of one mind is good..........

Not always. In Gen 11, God didn't like what man did when he had one mind and so God confused their language.

Genesis 11:5 But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built. 6 And the Lord said, “Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them. 7 Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

Not always. In Gen 11, God didn't like what man did when he had one mind and so God confused their language.

You're right W2L, in some cases God did not approve of the one mind..
But here in this thread, mostly,
and the Scriptures posted, are about being ONE MIND IN CHRIST
which is rare, and is ALWAYS GOOD (IN CHRIST).
It is so rare, most people never see it.

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

What matters most is the intent of the heart, not the smoothness of expression.

As JESUS says, what the heart is full of , to overflowing,
that is what comes out....
so yes, it is good then if the heart is filled with what Jesus calls good - not carnal , not fleshly desires, but righteous Godly desires and His Way of thinking ("we have the mind of Christ").

Really? Do you say the same for the music or preaching?

Yes, I do.

 

[W2L]

You're right W2L, in some cases God did not approve of the one mind..
But here in this thread, mostly,
and the Scriptures posted, are about being ONE MIND IN CHRIST
which is rare, and is ALWAYS GOOD (IN CHRIST).
It is so rare, most people never see it.

Yes, i know that the scriptures posted were referring to having one mind, i.e, the mind of Christ. I am fully aware of those scriptures and have thought about them many times in the past.