5 out of 5 stars. Anything, that is, which is biblical. More importantly, I hope you are developing a relationship with our awesome God as this is the beginning of a lifetime of watching God at work in your life. Honi the Circle-Drawer by G. J. Goldberg INTRODUCTION Josephus is extremely skeptical about those who pretend to be miracle-workers, calling them deceivers (apateônes) and enchanters (goêtes). He will make my heart anew and fan the flames of my heart for Jesus. We don’t get a testimony in seminary; we get a testimony by being tested. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. In addition to the constant use of the word miracle to describe answers to prayer, statements like the following are common: “I’m confident that you are only one prayer away from a dream fulfilled, a promise kept, or a miracle performed” (p. 15), and “[God] allows our small plans to fail so that His big dream for us can prevail” (p. 71). Our God is an amazing and mighty God who can and will do more than we could ever ask or imagine. It’s irrefutable and undeniable. Drawing a Circle 11 twofold litmus test—the will of God and the glory of God. Today is the day for you to not only draw your prayer circle but also form your prayer circle with other believers in Christ. His book (The Prayer of Jabez) sold tens of millions of copies and generated a cottage industry of other books, products and ministries. Concerning the individual the requests are simple. It should not take a theologian, or even a very mature Christian, long to realize that something is wrong with drawing circles as part of our prayer life, and especially making outlandish promises in connecting with this method. This happens as we make the decision to become circle makers. The white chalk circles all around this conference center were a constant reminder that I need revival. It's the first forty days on your way to a lifetime of watching God work and believing in the God who can do all things, whether you are a beginner at prayer or an expert looking for fresh inspiration and encouragement. Begin a lifetime of watching God work. This is the three circles image that I and many others use/draw to explain the message of God. God is inviting you and me into the adventure of seeing His dreams come true in this world. To hear all the praise being poured out on Mark Batterson’s The Circle Maker and prayer circles, the unaware child of God might swear that this kind of prayer is what Jesus practiced and taught His disciples. Mark Batterson’s books The Circle Maker and Draw the Circle will be available for purchase at the simulcast event. But it might prove helpful to dig a little deeper into Batterson’s theology. Even among Christian leaders who take solid theological stands, and who are well-respected within conservative circles we are finding a strange acceptance of a practice found nowhere in Scripture. Unfortunately, however, prayer circles can be found in many pagan religions. Let this book be your 40-day guide to experiencing more passionate, persistent, intimate communication with God. 3 Circles gospel drawing You can start drawing it at various areas but I often begin with the circle on the right which talks about living in brokenness and not God’s perfect loving design (represented by the circle on the left with the heart in it). It directly violates the principles of prayer. The Circle Maker is much like The Prayer of Jabez. You have completed the 40 Day Prayer Challenge from Mark Batterson’s book, Draw the Circle! “We cannot live off of someone else’s experience forever. There is no desire here to question the sincerity of these women, nor their Christian character, nor is their doctrinal content as a whole being challenged. We can get real theoretical about revival and awakening. 200-202). Christians love prayer, even when they foolishly do not take time for it. Even Glenn Beck is promoting The Circle Maker. Author Mark Batterson states, “We’re often so anxious to get out of difficult, painful, or challenging situations that we fail to grow through them. This piece of chalk represents a turning point, a moment of surrender, a change of heart. Either way, the church is edified and God is glorified. Leslie Bennett: I can’t live on yesterday’s revival. It’s not a testimony if we don’t share it with others. I thought, “Lord, I’m not here to teach these women. And if it doesn’t start with me, if it doesn’t start with you, then it doesn’t start. I’m here to seek Your face.” [6]. Nor are these mere cheerleading slogans which echo the preaching of Joel Osteen and other prosperity teachers, (pp. In an article found on Revive Our Hearts’ website, DeMoss writes: It’s a challenge Life Action has issued repeatedly to men, women, teens, and even children. Wilkerson, who should have known better given his theological training and ministerial background, ripped an obscure prayer out of the Old Testament and offered it as a model which, when prayed, “correctly,” virtually guaranteed a life of miracles and prosperity, or so he said. North Pointe Women’s Bible Study—“Draw the Circle” Where: North Pointe Community Church Café. Batterson does not distinguish between the two. If that were the case, I would not have bothered to write this analysis. But, oh God, let the revival start inside this circle. [7] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prayer_circle, [8] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic_circle, The comfort of the believer against the miseries of this short life is taken from the decree of their election and the eternal covenant of redemption, settled in the purpose and counsel of the blessed Trinity for their [benefit,] wherein it was agreed before the world was that the Word to be incarnate should be the Savior of the elect. As we prepared for the forty-day challenge, I believed that God wanted our church to circle 2 Chron icles 7:14 by hitting our knees every day at 7:14 a.m. A dialogue among the main speakers including Jan Parshall, Priscilla Shirer, Joni Eareckson Tada and DeMoss is recorded below. We are not all powerful, only God is. “Remember the Samaritan woman who was totally transformed by a single encounter with Jesus at the well? For here, the asserting of the eternity of God is with relation to His own chosen people; for “Thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations” (Psa 90:1), and, “From everlasting to everlasting, thou art God” (Psa 90:2) is in substance this much: Thou art from everlasting to everlasting the same unchangeable God in purpose and affection toward us Thy people, and so Thou art our God from everlasting in regard of Thy eternal purpose of love, electing us, and in regard of Thy appointing redemption for us by the Redeemer.—David Dickson, https://www.reviveourhearts.com/radio/revive-our-hearts/report-true-woman-12/. What do we know about prayer from God’s Word? This clearly is not true. Email, call or text me – or better yet, share it with our praying community by commenting below! By RWexler on 05-19-15. It’s a simple expression of a heart prepared for God’s work—and no matter how many times it’s done, it keeps illustrating something critical about the revival we are praying and pleading for God to send. It’s a stewardship issue. Drawing inspiration from his own experiences as a circle maker, Batterson will teach you how to pray in a new way by drawing prayer circles around your dreams, your family, your problems and most importantly, God’s promises. Leslie: Not with anybody else. Next it focuses on the big picture of God’s plan for the future – His kingdom. We fail to learn the lessons God is trying to teach us or cultivate the character God is trying to grow in us.”, Take a look at Romans 5:3-5. She is also the host and teacher for Revive our Hearts and Seeking Him, two nationally syndicated radio programs. He invites us to draw a circle around those promises and pray until we see them become a reality. Following prosperity methods, He adds that drawing a circle and stepping into it in prayer are the keys to getting what we want from God. Below are some concerns about Batterson’s approach to Scripture and his theological teachings, in addition to the fact that the whole circle prayer methodology is based on an ancient myth and not Scripture: Given the obvious problems with the exaggerated claims of Batterson and the clearly unbiblical basis and assertions in reference to prayer circles, what is the attraction? Instead of rejecting it, many have embraced and practice it. There is so much mentioned concerning prayer in the Bible that whole volumes could not do it justice, so we will narrow our scope to just one incident in the life of Jesus. Apparently, the incredible promises given coupled with such little effort (praying inside a drawn circle or walking around the object of one’s desires while praying) are just too much to resist. Despite these obvious issues, on the back cover of the book it is boldly stated: In The Circle Maker, Pastor Mark Batterson shares powerful insights from the true legend of Honi the circle maker, a first-century Jewish sage whose bold prayer ended a drought and saved a generation. While there is certainly nothing wrong with bold prayers, and there are many found in Scripture, most are not “big, audacious, and hairy” as Batterson calls for (p. 179). [3] But it gets worse. In addition to the story above we can expect God to give us the name of our child (p. 26), define our specific purpose in life (p. 29), give us revelation about the purchase of property (pp.40-41, 107), show us how much money He will give us (pp. Batterson is clearly misguided in The Circle Maker. But oh, Lord, would You start the revival inside this circle? The Circle Maker (the inspiration for Draw the Circle), a dynamic four-session small group Bible study, uses the story of Honi the Circle Maker, who prayer-walked until the rains came during a devastating first Century drought.Mark Batterson not only teaches about big dreams and bold prayers, he lives it. People say that witchcraft uses circles, so therefore it is wrong to use the circle in this illustration. Nancy (conf): It’s not my brother, not my sister, not my mother, not my pastor, not my friend who came with me. “This happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.” John 9:3, I’m not sure about you but I found myself highlighting most of day four in Draw the Circle! And despite the fact that there is no clear way that these so-called voices can be discerned to be the Lord’s (something he admits), still we need to obey these promptings as we would Scripture (pp. Today millions of those who would consider themselves Christians practice some form of contemplative prayer. Don’t be satisfied with secondhand faith; get a testimony!”, Most of us are educated way beyond our level of our obedience. He would come to the town where he had been invited, and he would come to the outskirts of the town. If the Lord wanted us to incorporate something into our lives He revealed it in the Bible. Following prosperity methods, He adds that drawing a circle and stepping into it in prayer are the keys to getting what we want from God. I have loved hearing from so many of you, the stories of how Mark Batterson’s The Circle Maker and/or Draw the Circle has impacted your life. And it must be continually upgraded. “Don’t be satisfied with simply going to church; get into God’s presence. Just to think that sinners, even forgiven sinners, are invited to approach the throne of grace where we will receive mercy and grace in our time of need (Heb 4:14-16) is nothing short of astounding. Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. For example, Batterson was reading from the book of Joshua concerning the Lord’s promise to Joshua that he would give “you every square inch of land you set your foot on – just as I promised Moses.” As he read this promise given specifically to a biblical character he felt that God wanted him to stake claim to the land that he believed God was giving him and his church (p. 17). There is no independent or historical evidence that anything like this event ever took place. I’m the first one who needs the very messages coming out of my mouth. p. 208). In prayer we ask for deliverance from the wickedness of others (Psalm 31:1-2), make our requests known (Phil 4:6), cast all our anxiety on the Lord (1 Pet 5:7), and much more. I explained to our church Bob: We began the event first thing by asking all of the speakers who were going to be speaking in the main session to come up on the platform. “A testimony is powerful, in part, because we cannot argue with it. Perhaps you’ve heard of him. Even more importantly, this account is not drawn from Scripture. The Bible never mentions marching in circles during prayer, drawing circles around objects, or demanding what we want to receive from God. I have already mentioned that Andy Stanley has promoted Batterson and his errant teachings to tens of thousands of Christian leaders and young adults by inviting him to preach at his conferences. 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