<html><head></head><body><div><div><div><div><br></div>Ephesians 3;14<div><br></div><div><b>14. &nbsp;For this reason </b>(the Church displaying the manifold wisdom of God, sharing in the sufferings of Christ and his glory) <b>I bow my knees before the Father,</b></div><div><b><br></b></div><div><b><br></b></div><div>Our physical&nbsp;posture while praying in the sanctuary&nbsp;brings the flesh into agreement with the spirit. &nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Those who pray are called ‘supplicants’ meaning ‘those who make petitions or requests of God the Father’. &nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Age, illness, and other disabilities and circumstances&nbsp;certainly can limit our physical&nbsp;abilities, God&nbsp;understands. &nbsp;(So also, keep your eyes on the road while driving and praying…). &nbsp;Those who are able to kneel, or stand,&nbsp;with head bowed and hands clasped, will find it helpful in remaining focused in&nbsp;prayer. &nbsp;It also becomes a witness to those who observe us, (same with crossing ourselves).&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div> Some old Lutheran churches had kneelers built into the pews for congregational prayer.</div><div>What happened? &nbsp;The carnal flesh resents being made uncomfortable. &nbsp;Physical comfort became the priority, the&nbsp;justification for elimination&nbsp;of kneelers, or dressing in our ‘Sunday Best,’ to honor God and our fellow Believers. &nbsp; All&nbsp;rationalized by falsely&nbsp;claiming&nbsp;that only the intent of our hearts and minds mattered. &nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>They forgot that the faith and the Spirit are intended by God to inspire us wholly&nbsp;and&nbsp;impact our temporal&nbsp;behavior,&nbsp;<i>“Present your bodies to God a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God,&nbsp;which is your spiritual worship.” &nbsp;</i><span>(Romans 12;1&amp;2)</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div>This same attitude of ensuring carnal comfort then morphed into worship with big screens, (without the bother of&nbsp;holding hymnals, or turning pages, or staying focused on the liturgy) in easy chairs, with coffee-holders and popcorn. &nbsp;No kidding.</div><div><br></div><div>Many claim these changes were done to assist in bring new people into churches….has it worked?</div><div><br></div><div>Prayer: &nbsp;Merciful Father, grant us grace, humility, and love in such measure that we put honoring you ahead of comforting ourselves. &nbsp;Grant the spirit of the Servant Jesus be our own. &nbsp;Bless us to willingly&nbsp;let the Holy Spirit bring our&nbsp;flesh into subjection. &nbsp;<span>We pray in Jesus, Amen.</span></div><div><br></div><div>Love,</div><div>Dad/Baba/Eric</div><div>Grandpa Pickle Pastor</div><div>“A chapter a day, every day, progressively, be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word. &nbsp;God’s Word is our habitation, and we are His.”</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br><br><div><a href="https://mail.onelink.me/107872968?pid=nativeplacement&amp;c=Global_Acquisition_YMktg_315_Internal_EmailSignature&amp;af_sub1=Acquisition&amp;af_sub2=Global_YMktg&amp;af_sub3=&amp;af_sub4=100000604&amp;af_sub5=EmailSignature__Static_" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a><br></div></div></div></div></div></body></html>


Ephesians 3;14
14.  For this reason (the Church displaying the manifold wisdom of God, sharing in the sufferings of Christ and his glory) I bow my knees before the Father,

Our physical posture while praying in the sanctuary brings the flesh into agreement with the spirit.  
Those who pray are called ‘supplicants’ meaning ‘those who make petitions or requests of God the Father’.  
Age, illness, and other disabilities and circumstances certainly can limit our physical abilities, God understands.  (So also, keep your eyes on the road while driving and praying…).  Those who are able to kneel, or stand, with head bowed and hands clasped, will find it helpful in remaining focused in prayer.  It also becomes a witness to those who observe us, (same with crossing ourselves). 
 Some old Lutheran churches had kneelers built into the pews for congregational prayer.What happened?  The carnal flesh resents being made uncomfortable.  Physical comfort became the priority, the justification for elimination of kneelers, or dressing in our ‘Sunday Best,’ to honor God and our fellow Believers.   All rationalized by falsely claiming that only the intent of our hearts and minds mattered.  
They forgot that the faith and the Spirit are intended by God to inspire us wholly and impact our temporal behavior, “Present your bodies to God a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”  (Romans 12;1&2)
This same attitude of ensuring carnal comfort then morphed into worship with big screens, (without the bother of holding hymnals, or turning pages, or staying focused on the liturgy) in easy chairs, with coffee-holders and popcorn.  No kidding.
Many claim these changes were done to assist in bring new people into churches….has it worked?
Prayer:  Merciful Father, grant us grace, humility, and love in such measure that we put honoring you ahead of comforting ourselves.  Grant the spirit of the Servant Jesus be our own.  Bless us to willingly let the Holy Spirit bring our flesh into subjection.  We pray in Jesus, Amen.
Love,Dad/Baba/EricGrandpa Pickle Pastor“A chapter a day, every day, progressively, be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word.  God’s Word is our habitation, and we are His.”








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