Praise

St. Mark’s Lutheran Church

P.R.A.I.S.E. is our way of Life!

+ + + In the Name of Jesus + + +

P = Prayer and Personal Time with God
R = Rejoicing in the Lord (Worship)
A = Action (Putting Faith into Action – Discipleship)
I = Inreach (Building Christian Friendships)
S = Study of God’s Word
E = Expansion, Evangelism/Outreach (Passing on the faith)

“If anyone is in Christ, He is a new creation. The old has gone, the new has come! We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God is making His appeal to the world through us!” (2 Corinthians 5:17, 20)

Have you ever wondered what it means to be a “new creation” in Christ? Have you ever thought about how that truth translates into the actions and motives of your everyday life? We at St. Mark’s have been exhorted by God to not only ask what it means to be this “new creation”, but to also strive to live out our life as such. The P.R.A.I.S.E. acronym is a simple tool that we all may use to remind us of what the “new creation” in Christ is to look like. As we continue this spiritual journey to which God has called us, we are constantly led by God’s pure Word. The P.R.A.I.S.E. acronym reflects the foundational instructions of that Word, and puts before our path 6 principles true to a life of walking with and working for Christ! As you weigh your Christian life against this P.R.A.I.S.E. checklist, may the Spirit of the Living God challenge you, lead you, mold you and shape you more and more into that image of Jesus. To God alone be the glory, through the glory of Jesus Christ!

Here is the PRAISE acronym “checklist”.

 

P = Prayer and Personal Time with God

It is important for each and every servant of Christ to “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46). “Stillness” includes personal prayer time, personal time spent in reflection on life, and personal time spent simply removed from the hustle and bustle of daily life, without agenda, and without plans. This is time to simply talk with God, walk with God, and listen to God, and is vitally important in the life of every Christian.

R = Rejoicing in the Lord (Worship)

While the Bible teaches that the “Worship” of our Lord is a 24 hour a day, 365 day a year reality, the Bible also tells us that the servant of Christ will make it a point of gathering routinely for “the apostles teaching, the fellowship, the breaking of bread, and prayer” (Acts 2:42). We call this gathering “corporate” worship, and understand it as a time set aside for all servants of Christ to mutually gather around these gifts from the Lord. You might wonder how we could ever consider corporate worship a “have to”, when there are so many blessings that come from gathering with fellow believers around the truth and in praise of our Savior. Hebrews 10:25 in love commands us, “Do not give up meeting together as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another, and all the more as we see the Day approaching.” That’s why our attitudes have to be Christ-like in regard to “corporate” worship. As Christ gathered with His disciples for an intimate time of prayer, fellowship, and meal He exclaimed to them, “I eagerly desire to eat this meal with you”. May we too eagerly desire a weekly time with brothers and sisters in Christ, around God’s gifts of truth and mercy.

A = Action (Discipleship- Ministry to People)

Ephesians 2:8-9 reveals to us the depth of God’s love to us in Jesus Christ, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith, and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast”. Indeed, the forgiveness and promises of eternal life that are most certainly ours have nothing to do with our own abilities, and everything to do with what Jesus has done for us in His life, death, and resurrection! And yet, for those of us living in that faith of Christ Jesus, Ephesians 2:10 continues, “For we are God’s workmanship…created in Christ Jesus to do good works which He prepared in advance for us to do!” As a servant of Christ, life is to be built upon service, a living out of our faith in very real and radical modes of service. This service (action) can include anything from working with the youth, to visiting the bereaved and lonely. This service (action) does include a giving of ourselves financially, supporting the Kingdom of the Lord in real and tangible ways. We at St. Mark's are committed to challenging, empowering, and training all of our members, so that they may indeed get involved and take their Christian call to action as seriously as the Lord intends. In this way, we all live out our faith in the one true Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and give utmost glory to His name!

I = Inreach (Building Friendships)

It is one thing to simply belong to a church. It is another thing to belong to a family. We at St. Mark's consider ourselves a family of believers. We seek to grow in friendship, and in doing so, we seek to bear one another’s burdens and celebrate one another’s joys. Galatians 6:10 proclaims, “Then let us not grow weary in doing good, but as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.” As servants of Christ, we are all called to seek out vital Christian friendships. These friendships not only give us the daily support, comfort, and accountability that we need, but they also allow us to do good to one another, truly loving one another as Christ loves us! Sincere Christian friendships are not simply part of our life in Christ, they are the God-ordained essence to our life in the body of Christ!

S = Study of God’s Word

If you were to spend 98% of your time listening to the world around you, and 2% of your time listening to God, whose voice would you hear more clearly? There is no greater use of time for the Christian, than to dwell in the Word of Christ. We at St. Mark's consider daily personal study of God’s Word to be of utmost importance, creating the eternal avenue by which we walk hand and hand with our Lord and God. We also place high priority on the “corporate” study of God’s Word. God promises us that, “when 2 or 3 gather in my name…I am there”, so obviously God incredibly blesses those involved in the corporate study of His Word. For the Christian there is no excuse. A life in Christ Jesus is a life in personal study of God’s Word every day, and a life gathered around other believers studying the Word of God on a frequent basis. Your commitment to this principle is indeed a true measure of your spiritual growth and maturity.

E = Expansion, Evangelism, and Outreach

All followers of Jesus Christ are called to be unified in one common mission: The making of disciples of all peoples, all backgrounds, and all nations. In this divine mission, we at St. Mark's understand that all servants of Christ are called to be His witnesses and His ambassadors. We might be called to share the Good News of Jesus Christ at work, at play, or anywhere in between. We might be called to share Christ in a cozy and familiar environment, or at times even in a setting way out of our comfort zone. And yet, wherever and whenever God may desire to use us, we are to wholeheartedly respond, “Here I am Lord, send me, send me.” Contrary to popular opinion, Evangelism/Outreach is not the job of a committee or of certain “gifted” individuals, but rather the calling of each and every Christian. Jude 21-23 proclaims, “Keep yourselves in God’s love…be merciful to those who doubt, and snatch others from the fire and save them!” This is our mission, our passion, and our “work” in Jesus Christ our Lord.

**This acronym and the 6 aspects of a life in Christ found within, are central to the ministry of St. Mark’s Lutheran Church. We should all take a long and hard look at our strengths and weaknesses in regard to these exhortations. God our Father fully revealed Himself to this world of sin through His Son, and now, the Son promises that He will continue to fully reveal Himself to this same world of sin through His body (you and I the servants of Christ). In the mercy and forgiveness that is ours in our Savior Jesus Christ, may we all continue to be molded into that “image of Christ”. We are salt, we are light, we are new creations and ambassadors, all to the Glory of God alone, through the name above all, Jesus Christ!

Praise is our way of life!