If you had questions about how to grow in your prayer life, who would you ask? Today, on Renewing Your Mind, a story about a barber who wanted to learn more about prayer and the monk he turned to for help. Master Peter put a cloth around the man's neck to keep the whiskers from falling down his shirt, lathered up the man's chin, and began to give the man a shave. The door opened, and a new customer walked into his shop. Master Peter recognized the man immediately, for he was an outlaw.
Hello, and welcome to Renewing Your Mind. I'm Josh Mann, and today is Reformation Day. 509 years ago today, Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the castle door in Wittenberg, igniting the Protestant Reformation and the recovery of the biblical gospel. And on today's episode, we'll hear R.C. Sproul read his children's story called "The Barber Who Wanted to Pray." This story is based on true events from Luther's life, and it was written to communicate the truth of God's word to the next generation.
But even though it's a children's story, the contents of Dr. Sproul's stories have benefited Christians of all ages, and we're delighted to bring you this story again. Here's Dr. Sproul now reading "The Barber Who Wanted to Pray." Every night at dinner, Mr. MacFarland gathered his family together for devotions.
Mr. and Mrs. MacFarland had six children: two boys and four girls. The children's names were Donovan, Riley, Molly, Erin, Claire, Delaney, and Shannon. It was Mr.
MacFarland's practice to read a portion of scripture every night. And give a short explanation of it. Then he would ask each of the children to recite memory verses from the Bible, and to answer catechism questions. Finally, Mr. MacFarlane would lead the family in prayer.
Each of the children would participate in the prayers in his or her own way. One night, just after devotions had ended with the singing of a favorite hymn. The McFarland's daughter Delaney spoke up. "Daddy," she said, "your prayers are beautiful.
Sometimes I want to cry for joy when I listen to your prayers, but my prayers seem so simple and weak. I'm almost embarrassed and ashamed to pray out loud. Daddy, can you teach me how to pray in a way that will make Jesus happy and will make me feel more comfortable?" Mr. MacFarlane smiled. I understand how you feel, Delaney.
He said. When I was younger, I felt exactly the same way. I wasn't sure how to pray. About all I knew when I was your age was the table grace. God is great.
God is good. And we thank him for this food. Oh yes, I also knew my nighttime prayer.
Now I lay me down to sleep. I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take. But other than those two simple prayers, about the only thing I could say in prayer was, "Dear God, please bless mommy and daddy and my brother and sister and Uncle Joe and Aunt Sue." Then my grandfather told me a story that changed everything for me. Do you think you might like to hear the story?
Delaney said, "Yes, I surely would." The other children who had been listening to the conversation between Delaney and their father nodded eagerly too.
So Mr. MacFarlan told his children this story. Once upon a time. In a village far across the sea, there lived a barber. Everyone in the town knew him.
He not only cut men's hair and shaved their beards, but he could do all sorts of things that people needed to have done. The villagers called him simply Master Peter. One morning, one of the village men came in for a shave. Master Peter put a cloth around the man's neck to keep the whiskers from falling down his shirt, lathered up the man's chin, got out his razor, and began to give the man a shave. While the barber was shaving the man, the door opened and a new customer walked into his shop.
Master Peter recognized the man immediately. For he was an outlaw. The emperor of the land had promised a large reward for anyone who could capture him, dead or alive. And Master Peter knew that the authorities would take this man away if they could get their hands on him. When Master Peter finished shaving the first gentleman, he sent him on his way and motioned for the outlaw to have a seat.
Master Peter asked, "What can I do for you today, sir?" The outlaw said, "I would like to have a haircut and a shave." Master Peter began to snip away at the man's hair, trimming it neatly. He then rubbed soap lather on his face to prepare him for a shave. Peter took out his razor, and as he sharpened it on the strap beside the barber chair. His hands began to tremble as he thought about the importance of the man who was sitting in his chair. He calmed himself down and began to shave the man's face, moving down from his cheeks to his chin to his neck.
Peter's razor was pressed very gently against the outlaw's neck. All Peter had to do was press hard on the razor. And he would cut the man's throat, killing him instantly. Then Peter could go to the emperor and say that he had taken care of the outlaw, and he could claim the reward, which would make him rich. But as his razor touched the man's neck, Master Peter thought to himself, "There is not enough money in all the world to make me kill this man." He is my hero.
Master Peter knew the story of the man in his chair. The man had been a monk, then a knight, and now he was a world-famous professor at the university in Peter's town. The world had been changed, and the whole church was better because. The reformer had been brave enough to stand up for the truth of the gospel of Jesus, as no one had since the days of the apostles. No one had so much courage as he.
The name of the outlaw in the chair was Martin Luther. The man whose protest had started the Protestant Reformation and recovered the gospel from darkness, but because his teachings had disturbed some of the authorities, including the emperor himself, those who were opposed to him had convinced the emperor to banish Professor Luther.
Now they wanted to capture him and burn him at the stake. But the people who had discovered the truth of the gospel of Jesus because of this man's teaching loved him so much that they would rather lay down their lives than see him captured and executed. Doctor Luther's barber, Master Peter, was one of those people. Peter would never betray his hero. Suddenly, Peter had an idea.
He had been struggling with his prayers, and Doctor Luther was famous for his prayer life. He decided to ask Doctor Luther for his advice while he was sitting in the barber chair. Peter said, "Doctor Luther, I know who you are. It is a privilege for me to have you in my barber shop today. I wonder whether I may ask you a question." Doctor Luther said, "Of course you may.
How can I help you?" Peter said, "I have a problem. I try to pray every night, but sometimes I feel that my prayers never go any further than the ceiling. I know that you pray for hours every day. There's probably no one who knows how to pray better than you do, Doctor Luther. Do you think you could help me learn to pray better?" Doctor Luther said, "That's a wonderful question, my friend." My students ask me very deep questions all the time about God and the Bible and church life, but rarely do they ask me about how to grow as a Christian.
Nothing makes me happier than to learn that you want to pray in a deeper way. Let me go back to my study and think about it, and perhaps I can write down a few ideas. That will help you pray more effectively. Thank you, Doctor Luther. Peter said.
Then he quickly finished Doctor Luther's shave. When Doctor Luther got back to his study, he picked up his pen and began to write instructions for Master Peter. Doctor Luther wrote more than fifty books during his lifetime. But perhaps the smallest and shortest book he ever wrote was the one he wrote especially for his barber master Peter. In this book, Doctor Luther explained his method for prayer.
He called the little book a simple way to pray. When the book was finished, Doctor Luther went back to the barber shop, and gave the first copy to Master Peter. Peter couldn't believe that the great Martin Luther had taken time to write a book just for him, so that he could learn how to pray. Doctor Luther said, "To begin with, you must learn three things by memory. The first is the Lord's Prayer." The second is the Ten Commandments, and the third is the Apostles' Creed.
Then Doctor Luther went on to explain that once Peter knew these things by heart, he could use them to help himself pray. For example, Doctor Luther said, "You begin by praying through the Lord's Prayer." Peter asked, "Do you mean that all I have to do is just pray the Lord's Prayer every night?" No, Doctor Luther said, "That's not what I mean. It's a wonderful thing to do, but what I mean by praying through the Lord's Prayer is doing something like this. Think about the first petition in the Lord's Prayer: 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name.'" When you think about these words, allow your mind and your heart to give careful attention to what these words say, and let them move you to deeper prayer. Say the first line of the prayer, and then begin to pray like this.
Oh God, it's hard for me to believe that you are really willing to be my heavenly father. In our family, we have our father whom we love, but you are the father of all of us who put our faith in Jesus. It's because Jesus is your son, and through him, you have adopted us into your family that we have the privilege to pray to you as our father. We know that you don't have an address here in our village, but you reside in heaven itself. You're not our earthly father; you are our heavenly father, and you are the one who owns the whole world.
It's a wonderful thing that we have a father who owns everything to whom I can come in my prayer. Jesus taught us to say, "Hallowed be your name." Father, help me to understand that there's nothing more important in my life and in my prayer than to give reverence and worship to Your name. Lord, guard my tongue, that I may never use Your name in a foolish or corrupt manner. But that when I speak of You and when I think of You, my heart will be moved to respect. And adore you, Doctor Luther said to Peter, "Do you understand what I mean by praying through the Lord's prayer?
You can pray through these parts of the Lord's prayer every day and never make the same prayer twice. You can think about one portion of it and give your attention to that, and your prayers will rise in excitement and enjoy." Then Doctor Luther said, "Now think about praying through the Ten Commandments. The first commandment says, 'You shall have no other gods before me.' You can pray something like this: 'Lord God, we know that the world is filled with people who worship idols and statues, who believe in many gods, and yet you and you alone are God.'" Sometimes there are things in my life that I put ahead of you, things that become my idols. Forgive me when I do that. Help me not to allow myself to have any other gods in your sight.
Master Peter was very excited. I see what you mean, he said. Doctor Luther grinned. You can go through each one of the Ten Commandments in that manner, he said. Or you can turn your attention to the Apostles' Creed.
It begins with, "I believe in God the Father Almighty." As you begin to think about that, you begin to think of the power God has, the strength that He displays. Our children think that we, as their earthly fathers, are so strong that we can do anything. But we are complete weaklings compared to God because He is Almighty. And we love him not just for what he can do for us, but for who he is.
So we can pray and pray, never get tired of praying. We can never run out of things to pray about if we focus our attention on the Lord's Prayer, on the Ten Commandments, and on the Apostles' Creed. Master Peter could not thank Doctor Luther enough for teaching him the secret to a simple way to pray. When Mr. MacFarland ended his story, he said to his children, "Do you see why every night during our devotions I want to make sure that you are learning the Lord's Prayer, the Ten Commandments, and the Apostles' Creed?
From now on, at our devotions, when you pray, I'm going to ask you to practice praying in the simple way that Dr. Luther taught his barber." Delaney said, "Thank you for telling us that story, Daddy. I can hardly wait to try Doctor Luther's way to pray. In fact, can we have family devotions again tonight so we can try it?" The other children said, "Oh yes, Daddy, please." Mister McFarland was delighted to see his children's new interest in prayer. He said with a smile, "Let's pray." Dr.
Sproul's children's books are such wonderful resources for Christians, both young and old. Here he is reflecting on the hope that the barber who wanted to pray would be encouraging not just for children but for parents as well. I'm delighted with these little children's stories, and I think so many times they're more helpful for the parents than they are for the children, because every parent can be greatly blessed by learning this simple way to pray. For their own prayer life, it's a wonderful privilege to be able to communicate God's truth to our children and even grandchildren. Though it's not always easy.
As a father of three girls, I can attest to the fact that children sometimes ask very challenging questions, which is why it's vital for parents to be steeped in God's truth and to be ready to guide the next generation in the truths of the Christian faith. When you donate to Renewing Your Mind today, you'll receive the digital download of R.C.'s book, *The Prayer of the Lord*. This classic book was written to help Christians understand how to pray using the pattern that Jesus. For us.
Well, before we wrap up our time together on this Reformation Day episode of Renewing Your Mind, I want to highlight another way that R.C. Sproul sought to pass on the truths of the Protestant Reformation to the next generation, and that's through Reformation Bible College. And who better to tell you about the vision for this school than its founder and first president, Dr. R.C. Sproul?
Let's listen to a discussion now with R.C. RBC Professor Dr. Keith Matheson and Ligonier's President. Chris Larson, for those listeners who are just now hearing about Reformation Bible College, Doctor Sproul, if you could just explain your idea behind the school and why you think it's so important today, with what the next generation is facing in our culture and the challenges that are confronting the church.
Well, when we look at the ancient world, we know that the Greeks led the world in civilization, and so much of it was based upon the educational philosophy. And you saw the heroic activities of Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, and then his student Alexander the Great. But nothing compared to the vision for education that was found in ancient Israel. Where God required people to study the things that He had revealed, and He promised to make them a great nation if they would follow along the lines of what He had revealed to them. The Christian church started when Jesus was a rabbi.
And selected students, we called disciples, twelve men who would turn the world upside down, as it was said of them. And throughout church history, we have seen the enormous influence of Christian education on the whole world, but not the least of which on the church. And we're living in perilous times all the way around the world. Christians are suffering radical persecution, being slaughtered by the tens of thousands in different places in the world. And in the United States, we're seeing a growing hostility and skepticism towards the Christian faith.
We need to raise up a new generation of articulate, knowledgeable Christians who can lead us into the future. And that's the heart of the mission of the Reformation Bible College, Chris.
So, Dr. Matheson, as we've worked through the curriculum, and Dr. Sproul has cast the vision for the college, how does the curriculum integrate the Bible in all of its studies? Our curriculum is is absolutely unique in in what we've tried to do. We Specifically, set out to redefine what a Bible college is, what a Bible college can be, and we, through four years, we have students studying every single book of the Bible.
There are very few Bible colleges that do that. They're studying every topic of systematic theology. This is being integrated with the study of the great works, the classics of literature. Philosophy and music as well, from Plato to the contemporary scene.
So we're trying to have our students learn not only the content of the Bible and Orthodox theology, but be able to integrate it and interact with culture, and be able to read and interpret culture in light of Scripture and critique culture in light of Scripture. Doctor Sproul, what can a curriculum like this do to provide a backbone for students and what they're going to be facing in the coming years?
Well, like I said earlier, Chris, what I want to see are knowledgeable, articulate Christians ascend to positions of leadership in in the culture, people who know what they believe and why they believe it, so that their thinking is informed. From a Christian worldview, which worldview comes ultimately from sacred scripture?
So that every Christian's duty is to seek the mind of Christ.
Well, this is the effort that we have here: is to help students learn the mind of Christ as it is found for us in sacred scripture. But isn't it just important that you love Jesus? Yes, but you know, how can you love somebody you don't know? At the heart of falling in love with Jesus is finding out who He is, and if you want to love God, you got to find out who God is, and His autobiography is the Bible. And so, by studying the truth that Jesus taught, we can have a love affair.
With a profound deepening of our affection for Him, and it's the old story: the more you know Him, the more you love Him.
So this this junction that you hear constantly: "Well, I don't need to know theology; I just need to love Jesus and everything." That is as antagonistic to the New Testament as it is to theology, because the whole New Testament and the Old Testament as well is designed to increase our affection for God. Dr. Sproul, many of our listeners are aware of your love for church history and the great leaders of church history. And where have you sought in this curriculum to bring that forward to teach this next generation? And who are the leading lights you try and put in front of our students as models?
Well, we like to look at the history of the church, and we like to have our students get to know—not just know about, but get to know. The Titans of the Christian faith, such as Augustine, Athanasius, Saint Thomas, Luther, Calvin, Edwards, and the like. Dr. Sproul, what can this education do for these students? You know, one of the things that I'm afraid we've lost in the contemporary culture is the classic sense of Christian vocation.
And we have somehow thought that to have a vocation meant full-time Christian service, whereas the idea of vocation is the idea of God. Giving a call to a man or to a woman to a particular task, and that task may be a medical task. It may be a scientific investigative task. It can be all different kinds of tasks. It may be educational and and administrative, but.
Whatever a person is called to do, he's not only called to do something; he's called to be something, and that being will, in large measure, define what he does. And people, whatever else they learn, all the mechanics of scientific inquiry, and philosophical investigation, and the rest of those things. Will be amplified if they are first of all rooted and grounded in the Word of God. That has to inform you, no matter what your vocation is, whether it's education or medicine or science, whatever else. Dr.
Sproul founded RBC more than 15 years ago to prepare young Christians to think biblically. Live faithfully and stand firm in today's world. With on-campus and online degree options available, you can visit discover.reformationbiblecollege.org today to learn how RBC can help prepare you or your student to lay a biblical foundation for life. What do literature, music, and theater have to do with the Christian life? Join us next Saturday as we hear a message from R.C.
Sproul's series, "Recovering the Beauty of the Arts," here on Renewing Your Mind.
