Dr Paul Allen

What in the world would it mean to pray “Thy kingdom come”? Well, it is first of all, an understanding that God has promised a kingdom, that He is Himself a sovereign king, and that in His incarnation and in His saving work—His death, burial, and resurrection-Jesus has inaugurated a kingdom, a kingdom that is not yet fully consummated. In this sense, inevitably we have to speak, regardless of what may be the specifics of our biblical eschatology, we would we all have to understand that we are right now living in something of an in-between times. We are living between the ascension of Lord Jesus Christ and the decisive events of His coming. Then we understand His coming as affirmed by Scripture going to be a historical, space-time, physical return in glory. We understand that it's going to be visible to all humanity. We understand that it will set into sequence a series of events that will include God's judgment upon humanity and then the full consummation of the kingdom. In ...

I want to pray more this year. More than ever before. God promises that he hears and actively responds to prayers as we come to him in the name of Jesus. We have not, because we ask not. I’m resolved to pray biblical prayers for myself and others. I’m responsible to pray for the members of my church family because I’m a member of the family and James commands us to “pray for one another” (James 5:16). As a pastor, I’m to be devoted to not only the ministry of the Word, but also the ministry of prayer (Acts 6:4). As a friend, I want those I love to experience the joy of the Lord. But there’s the problem: My praying through a list of names and needs often feels more like reading a shopping list than meaningfully communing with the Father in heaven. As a Christian who cares a lot about theological accuracy, I’ve found that if I pray a biblically grounded prayer request then I’m content with that even if I’m not really meaningfully pleading or connecting with God. There has to be ...