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Matthew 5:43-48
The practice of prayer conversion
A. Definition: The practice of converting negative mental attitudes from
others into positive thoughts within your own soul, through praying for
them. Luke 6:27-28
1. But I say to you to love your enemies: This is the principle of beneficent
love which should be applied in every area of our life in regard to every
person in our life.
2. Beneficent love as applied to our enemies will be expressed in 3
ways:
a. Overt actions: Do good to those who hate you
1. do good: poieo: present active imperative
2. those who hate: miseo - present active participle
b. Verbal expressions: Bless those who curse you
1. bless: eulogeo - present active imperative- speak well of
2. curse you: kataraomai - to speak down or against.
c. Mental attitude maintenance through prayer:
1. pray: proseuchomai, present middle imperative
2. those who mistreat: epāreadzo - verbally abuse
3. The essence of prayer conversion is to offset any intended harm directed
from anyone who is antagonistic to you, while at the same time preserving
your mental attitude of love, mercy and grace.
4. Prayer conversion then serves also as a preventative maintenance
technique on your own mental attitude as well as providing a positive way
to deal with negative attitudes when they do infiltrate.
B. Matthew 5:44-45
V. 44
1. Pray: proseuchomai - present middle imperative
2. For those who persecute you: dioko - present active participle
V. 45
1. So that: hopos - purpose and result
2. You might become: ginomai - aorist middle subjunctive- the process
of character reflection viewed as to its final goal. (Luke 6:35, and you
will be - future indicative- eimi)
3. Sons of your Father who is in Heaven: The imitation of God (Eph.
5:1)
4. For He causes the Sun/sends rain: common grace provisions for the
people of the world in that they are His offspring and under His creator
responsibility. Acts 14:17
5. On the evil/good; righteous/unrighteous:
ponāros / agathos; dikaios / adikos
Creator love and concern for His creation is unprejudiced.
(Luke 6:35 - He is kind to ungrateful and evil men)
crāstos + acharistos (cf Rom. 1:21) + ponāros
6. We are to reflect that same impartiality and desire only what is
best for everybody.
a. Mt. 5:48, Therefore, you are to be complete and consistent (teleios)
just as your heavenly Father is complete and consistent (teleios).
b. Luke 6:36, Become merciful (ginomai + oiktirmon), just as your Father
is merciful (eimi + oiktirmon).
C. Prayer conversion will also facilitate your own prayer access to the
Father in that fellowship is either maintained or restored based on grace
forgiveness of others. Mark 11:25
1. And whenever: kai hotan - whenever you are attempting the prayer
activity of v. 24 - proseuchomai and aiteo - these words are used together
to express petition type prayer, although it could also include intercessory
prayer.
2. You stand praying: stāko - present active indicative + proseuchomai-
present middle participle
3. If you have: 1st class condition "if" + echo - present
active indicative, to indicate the reality of mental attitude sins toward
another.
4. Anything against anyone: kata + tis (no exceptions)
5. This presence of mental attitude sin prevents personal prayer access
and all petition will be useless. Ps. 66:18
6. Forgive: present active imperative - aphiemi - to let go or send
away.
The commanded attitude adjustment in you in order to be restored to
fellowship.
7. In order that: hina + subjunctive- paves the way for prayer access.
8. Your Father also may forgive you: aorist active subjunctive- aphiāmi.
a. This amplifies 1 John 1:9
b. Confession of sin accomplishes nothing if we retain in our soul the
negative attitude that either precipitated or resulted from the sin confessed.
Proverbs 28:13
c. If we retain mental attitude antagonism toward anyone, our own fellowship
is forfeited.
9. V. 26 is not in the original (omitted by manuscripts - aleph, B,L,W,D,Y)
But is present at Mat. 6:14-15
V. 14
1. For if: 3rd class condition "if" - potential which indicates
personal responsibility for your attitudes.
2. You forgive: aorist active subjunctive- aphiāmi - any given
point of time you are faced with the sins of others.
3. Their transgressions: paraptoma - an overstepping of a boundary or
standard. In this case it is an offense against your personal standards.
4. Your heavenly Father will forgive you: aorist active indicative -
aphiāmi.
Nothing will be in the way of your fellowship with God.
V. 15
1. But if: 3rd class condition again
2. you do not forgive: me aphiāmi - aorist active subjunctive
You choose to maintain a grudge of bitterness and or anger.
3. Neither will your Father forgive you:
oude + aorist active indicative- of aphiāmi.
4. It is impossible for you to experience forgiveness for any of your
confessed sins if you continue to hold onto any one particular sin. Proverbs
28:13
5. This then is the principle of mental attitude purity in order to
maintain prayer access. In fact the occasion of prayer should give you
the opportunity to deal with this problem in your life on a daily, almost
moment by moment basis.
D. When you see someone do something of which you don't approve, dismiss
(aphiemi) the disapproval from your mind through application of grace and
specific prayer for the person.
1. Application of doctrine: Rom. 14:4, 10; 12:19
2. Specific prayer: gospel information or conviction for growth and
fellowship.
3. This includes both those over you and under you in authority.
E. Anytime you think of your disapproval of that person, convert your
concentration to positive prayer.
1. The excuse: I just keep thinking of what they did or said.
2. To entertain these thoughts is creature arrogance that is simply
ignoring divine provision.
F. Dismiss your disapproval, remembering that you are not responsible
for that person, but you are responsible for yourself and your personal
priesthood before God. We cannot allow someone else's behavior to distract
us from progress and service in the Christian way of life.
G. Let the problem itself determine how long you pray for the person.
Whenever you think of them, pray.
H. Five guidelines found at 1 Peter 3:8
1. Like-minded: homophrōn
a. maintaining accurate doctrinal standards as your point of reference
in dealing with other people.
b. Of course, you cannot answer for the other, so you must apply Romans
12:18, as far as it depends on you - - -
c. The next 4 actually depend on this one.
2. Sympathetic: sumpathes; sum=with, pathos=passion or suffering.
Therefore, this is an identification with someone else's pressures in
general.
Application of grace humility - we all have problems.
3. brotherly: philadelphos - esprit de corps for everyone in the body
of Christ. Basically - desire for his progress in spiritual growth in order
to function in the body efficiently.
4. compassionate: eusplangnos - good "emotioned". Emotions
that express the desire for the other's well-being.
5. Humble: tapeinophron - humility of mind
a. application of grace humility using the status of servant as the
foundation.
b. Through love serve one another. Gal. 5:13
c. Apply the doctrine of debtor: Rom. 1:4; 13:8
I. Prayer conversion, then is the technique of dealing with your negative
attitudes and the negative attitudes of others through prayer about and
for them.
J. And the result will be 1 Pet. 3:9 - eulogeo - present active participle
Giving a blessing instead - speaking beneficially toward.
K. Application of Rom. 12:14-21 - Doctrine of vengeance.
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