Quote:
Originally Posted by aron
.... the musician, a keyboardist/vocalist with a band, kept repeating the same phrase about 25 times. But they would add things to "instensify" the verse and make the crowd hand-wave and arm-wave and stay engaged.
It made me think about the LC practice of pray-reading, taking one phrase and going over and over again, building "emotional context" or subjectivity into the word, but losing context in meaning, as the original sentence was once part of a narrative, with a beginning and an ending. In other words, there was a story there, once; now there was just a verse in a vacuum, filled with whatever imaginary things one might choose to put.
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Everyone's experience in pray reading is different. While what you share here is true, Aron, and many people experienced just that,
yours truly included, I sometimes did enter into the Presence of God through pray reading. Pray reading taught me how to meditate on the Word of God. I even used the pray reading technique to study for a test! It helped me retain my notes!
That's not to say I never experienced the emotional context... I did but it never felt real to me and due that my salvation from the Lord Jesus was so strong and intense, I believe I was able to discern what was real and what was fake,
even in me.
I'm not sure when Matthew 6:7 came alive in me but at some point in my journey it did:
when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.
Jesus told us in John 14:26 that
the Helper, the Holy Spirit, Whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.
These scriptures helped me to focus on Christ when I prayed or read/meditated on the scriptures. These scriptures were/are also instrumental in helping me to discern what is man's teachings for his personal gain, his/her control by manipulating the scriptures and to discern what is of the SPIRIT.
Unfortunately, I don't think the LC leaders (or many preachers for that matter) emphasized to us when we pray or study/read the word to read/pray from a pure heart.
We are told in Timothy to
follow Righteousness,(Who is Christ Jesus) faith, charity,(Love) peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
Blessings to all