E-mail Questions Answered by Ken Smith:
12/11/06  Religion & Tradition:
It is like the "Lords Prayer" as we call it (Actually our Lord's Prayer is found in John 17).  The Disciples asked our Lord to teach them "HOW" to pray and He gave them an outline of concerns and issues to pray for.  It was not His direction to pray the list of instructions.  His instructions were a guide as to what to pray for and of course were not at all limited in scope.  Even the first few words:

Our Father.... my that goes really deep.  How does God become my father as a lost child of Adam in rebellion?  Who Art in Heaven.....  Where is heaven.  If my Father is there,  I want to go.
Hallowed be they name....  Jesus hallowed My Father's name,  how do I hallow my Father's name on earth"  And so on, I am sure you get the point.

Liturgy and Traditions are neither good nor bad subject to what they confirm.  But if I don't fully understand then it simply becomes a manipulative ritual dedicated to status quo.  A priest and close friend of my once mused to me,  "Ken,  my church is a collection of God's chosen frozen dedicated to the preservation of the stuff."  He tried to thaw them out and was in hot water him self most of the time.

If the Holy Spirit breathes life into a liturgy/mass then it is a wonderful time with the Lord.  This has happened to me perhaps 3 or 4 times in the past 50 years.  The mass or liturgy must be a living experience or it becomes just a mantra or vain repetition with folks looking at their watches.  It is always a form of godliness, 2 Tim.3:5 but if there is no release of God's power for the needs of His people it can cause unbelief.  The most important factor in the Eucharist is not the elements of bread and wine but in being in forgiveness and with the unity of one mind and one spirit to qualify to receive the  Body and Blood of our Lord. 

 A definition of insanity is to do the same thing over and over again always expecting a different result.  We have folks doing the same things over and over and still not finding healing or victory.  We need to look at this.  It is His Kingdom that He wanted us to pray to bring to earth,  "Thy Kingdom Come, thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven."

Here are some verses on the Kingdom to consider with this part of the instructions on Prayer:
Blessings in Jesus Christ,  Pax,  +K<><

The New Testament Kingdom
"Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the Kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein (Luke18:17)."

"Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom" (Luke 12:32).

"And he said unto them, 'Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the Kingdom of God's sake, Who shall not receive manifold more in this present time, and in the world to come, life everlasting' " (Luke 18:29-30). 

"For the Kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost" (Rom.14:17).

"For the Kingdom of God is not in word, but in power" (1 Cor.4:20).

"Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptable with reverence and godly fear" (Heb.12:28). 

"For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (2 Pet.1:11). 

"And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony and they loved not their lives unto death" (Rev. 12:11-12, King James Bible).

Paul in Rome
Preaching the "Kingdom of God", and teaching those things which concern the "Lord Jesus Christ", with all confidence, no man forbidding him ( Acts 28:31). The Apostle Paul's first thoughts, as recorded by St. Luke, concerning His ministry was to preach the Kingdom of God, and then to teach about our Lord Jesus Christ. Christians tend to have messages backwards.  This is possibly due to the lack of power in today's church to demonstrate the Kingdom with signs following.

We seem to have it backwards.
 In the Jerusalem Church all were delivered and healed.

"And by the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were done among the people. And they were all with one accord in Solomon's Porch. And none of the rest dared join them, but the people esteemed them highly. And believers were increasingly added to the Lord. Multitudes of both men and women. So that they brought the sick out into the streets and laid them on beds and couches, that at least the shadow of Peter passing by might fall on some of them. Also a multitude came out of the surrounding cities to Jerusalem, bringing sick people and those who were tormented by unclean spirits, and they were all healed" (Acts 5:5:16).

"Thy Kingdom Come,
Thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven".

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