Is Contemplative Prayer Biblical Prayer?

by Leisa Garcia

In 2 Corinthians 2:11, Paul takes it for granted that the Corinthians are “not ignorant of his (Satan’s) devices.” Sadly, a large portion of the church today appears to be vastly ignorant of Satan’s devices. 

Deuteronomy 18:10-11 gives a list of occult or pagan practices which are an abomination to God. Many of these have been disguised by being given positive-sounding names or simply adding the word “Christian” to them such as “Christian Yoga” in effect producing “Christianized Abominations.”  One such practice is called centering or contemplative prayer, which isn't prayer at all, but mystical meditation

What is the Biblical definition of prayer?

There are a number of different words translated "pray" "praying" or "prayer" in the New Testament Greek.  Many of which simply mean to make a request of either man or God.  Two of these are "Eratao" and "Deomae."

“Erotao” ἐρωτάω is a verb that simply means to ask, request, beg.   It is used in passages such as Luke 5:3 "And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon's, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land.  And he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship."  (John 17:15; Acts 10:48; 1 John 5:16 and many others)

“Deomae” δέομαι is a verbal/gerund which means--wanting, desiring, asking, begging, beseech, make requests.”  2 Corinthians 8:4 "Praying us with much entreaty that we would receive the gift, and take upon us the fellowship of the ministering to the saints." (Galatians 4:12; Acts 8:22; 1 Thessalonians 3:10 and many others) 

However, the next word, “Proseuche” προσευχή is a noun which actually means "a prayer addressed to God."  Romans 12:12  "Rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing instant in prayer"   (Luke 19:46; Acts 12:5; Philippians 4:6;  and many others) 

"Proseuchomai," προσεύχομαι  is a verb that means to offer up prayers (to God). Mark 11:24 "Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them." (James 5:13; Hebrews 13:18; 1 Timothy 2:8 and many others)

Characteristics of Biblical Prayer 

The characteristic of scriptural prayer is making requests directed to God.  Phillipians 4:6 "Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God."

Using language and words.  Matthew 6:9-13 (The Lord's Prayer)

Your desires, your mind, your thoughts, etc.  1 John 5:14, 15 "And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us:  And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him." 

Prayer is our communication to God.  This is in contrast to reading, studying and meditating on God's word, which is God speaking to us.

Comparison of Biblical Prayer with Contemplative Prayer

Biblical Prayer	Centering / Contemplative Prayer
Makes Requests to God	Makes no Requests
Uses the Mind, Desires and Conscious Thought	Conscious thoughts are considered undesirable
Uses words to communicate our requests	A word or phrase is only used to eliminate thought
GOAL:  To communicate with God, to express our needs and desires; and to receive an answer from God.	GOAL:  To reach “The Silence” when all distracting thoughts are gone, a thin place where the spiritual barrier is the thinnest, where you can contemplate God with your soul NOT with your intellect.

See also:  The Origins of Centering/Contemplative Prayer--Kundalini

The "Church" in the Wilderness

by Leisa Garcia

Recommended to read first:  One New Man

Acts 7:38  “This is he, that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the mount Sanai, and with our fathers, who received the lively oracles to give unto us.

There are many in the Hebrew/Jewish Roots movement who believe that the church existed in the Old Testament, that Israel WAS the church, is the church now, and always will be the church.  They use this passage as a proof text.  The King James Version uses the word “church” in this verse.  (So does the ASV & the WEB).  At first glance, it appears to be an error in translation, but the translators really did have a logical reason for using the word "church."

The Greek word "ekklesia," which is translated "church" in this passage, is often translated as such in the New Testament meaning "a gathering of citizens called out from their homes into a public place--an assembly or any gathering or throng of men assembled by chance, tumultuously."¹

In Volume Four of Dr. Norman Geisler’s “Systematic Theology” he states:

“In classical Greek, ekklesia referred to an assembly of any kind, religious or secular, lawful or unlawful.  The Hebrew words qahal and edhal, often translated as ‘ekklesia’ in the Greek Old Testament, meant a gathering or assembly such as Judaism eventually had in the synogague²

Our English word “church” originates from the Greek word κυριακός "Kyriakos"--which means “belonging to the Lord.”³ That is exactly what the Ekklesia is, The Ekklesia of Christ, the one that belongs to Christ the Lord.  Choosing to translate “called-out assembly” as “church” when it is the Ekklesia of Christ makes sense because the Ekklesia of Christ belongs to the Lord. But technically it isn't a translation of the word ekklesia.   It would have been more prudent to translate the Greek word ekklesia according to it's actual meaning of a "called-out assembly."  Then the type of assembly would be determined by the context, as it still should be now.  Unfortunately, using the word "church" creates unnecessary confusion.

It also makes sense why the KJV translates the “ekklesia” in the wilderness as “church.”  It was a called-out assembly of the nation of Israel “who belonged to God” as a nation, however it most certainly DOES NOT make that gathering the equivalent or interchangeable with the Ekklesia of Christ which is a very specific ekklesia for the following reasons:

FACT #1:  There are various ekklesai  (plural of ekklesia) and assemblies.   It must be determined by context, what type of assembly is being spoken of. 

FACT #2:  There is a specific Ekklesia which is the Ekklesia belonging to Christ.  It is NOT equal to any other types of ekklesai.  (Matthew 16:18)

FACT #3:  The Ekklesia belonging to Christ, is synonymous with the Body of Christ.  The Ekklesia IS the Body of Christ.  (Ephesians 1:22,23; Colossians 1:18,24) 

FACT #4:  The Ekklesia is made up of ONLY believers.  (The Nation of Israel was made up of believers AND unbelievers)

(Ephesians 4:12,13; Acts 1:47; Romans 12:5; 1 Cor. 10:16,17; I Cor. 12:13,27)

FACT #5:  The Ekklesia of Christ is built upon the Apostles and (New Testament) Prophets with Jesus Christ being the Chief Cornerstone.

(Ephesians 3:5; Ephesians 2:20)

FACT #6:  The Jews as a nation, the Gentiles as nations, and the Ekklesia of God are three separate entities.  (1 Cor. 10:32)

They are spoken of separately again and again.  The Ekklesia IS NOT the equivalent of the nation of Israel, it is NOT the equivalent of the Jew and Gentile nations put together.  None of the three are synonymous.  There is the Nation of Israel, there are the Gentile nations and there is the Ekklesia of God (of Christ) which is made up of ONLY believers  taken from both Israel and the Gentile nations as proven in Fact #4.

FACT #7:  Israel as a nation are the People of God, but individually only a small number have ever been true believers.  This group has historically been called “the remnant.” 

(Romans 11:5)

FACT #8:  Jesus states:  Upon this rock (himself, the cornerstone) I WILL build my Ekklesia (Church).  The Ekklesia is built upon a foundation made up of Jesus Christ as the cornerstone and the New Testament Apostles and Prophets. 

The Ekklesia is built upon the foundation.  That foundation (Fact #5) could not exist until Jesus rose from the dead and the Holy Spirit came upon the Ekklesia at pentecost.

The Ekklesia of Christ could not exist until the foundation had been laid, so it could be built upon the foundation.  It could not have existed before.  A foundation is the first thing made the building is built upon it, the building could not exist until the foundation was first laid.

FACT #9:  “I WILL build” is translated from the Greek word οἰκοδομήσω which is in the Future Tense. 

At the time Jesus spoke these words in Matthew 17:18, what he was speaking of was still something that would happen in the future.  The Ekklesia could not have existed before.  Future means future.

Greek Lesson:

The most important part of Greek verbs is the ending of the verb, the ending of the verb tells us more than one thing, but what is important in this instance is the sigma σ.  This is called a tense formative.  The sigma is the tense formative that tells us the verb is in the future tense.

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Works Cited

¹"ekklesia.” def 1(c).   BlueLetterBible.org. Web.

http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=G1577&t=KJV

²Geisler, Norman.  Systematic Theology:  Volume Four – Church, Last Things. pg 17.  Minneapolis:  Bethany House. 2005.  Print.

³"kyriacos." def 1-2.  BlueLetterBible.org. Web.
http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=G2960&t=KJV