Brother Williams wrote:only a reprobate who is ashamed of his faith wouldn't bless their food in public. but, there are many fearful and unbelieving.
PS Reprobate is a verb. You need an education before you can even begin to try to educate others.
When it comes to public prayer, we mustbe careful not to want to be seen of men... EVEN IN CHURCH!!!! It seems most are doing just that...with theirmany words.....
Read the bible, you will find all answers there.....
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But I would agree that meal prayers at restaurants are not great means of evengelism. Praying just to be heard praying is surely questionable. Some Mennonite friends of ours pray silently before meals in public. That seems a right thing, imo. And speaks volumes to any who happen to notice, without the 'look at me' aspect.
Ok why only "evangelise" in resraurants.?
Do you also stand in prayer and audibly thank the Lord at the supermarket checkout, - the clothing shop when you buy your new clothes, - the hardware store when you buy new house parts.....etc...etc. Oh and how about the taxi, do you pray before you pay the driver or after.?? I suppose before otherwise he'd zoom off.
If not does that make you a hypocrite.??
I have never bothered what others think when as a family or a group of believers eating out together, bow their heads in prayer. We are to honor the Lord in everything that we do. We need not pray so loudly as to attract attention but I think we need to pray loud enough so that everyone on the table can say 'amen' to the prayer.
Saying grace always starts the meal on a right note. We should not only thank God for the food but also for the opportunity to fellowship among His saints. If an unbeliever is in our midst, they usually see nothing wrong in us asking for God to bless our time together. So let's keep on praying!!
For I am not ashamed of the Gospel!!
So I will continue to give thanks, as I always have done - audibly - whether in a restaurant, or in a food court at a shopping mall, or wherever. Christ is the Lord of ALL, and ALL authority has been given to Him (Matt.28:18). Therefore no post-modern shop proprietor is going to tell me to stop on the specious grounds that it "might offend someone".
Whenever my wife and I are eating out, we usually ask God's blessing, but very softly as not to be a disruption to those around us. Just the fact that we are joining hands, bowing our heads before eatings is a testimony in itself.
We try to be a witness, but there are appropriate ways of doing it not to cause a scene.
My former pastor and another friend and I were in a restaurant where the pastor invited the waitress to join us in prayer. Two weeks later my buddy and I went back to the same restaurant and saw the same waitress. She asked us to let her know when were ready to ask God's blessing on the food so that she could join us.
Matt6:5 "And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. :6. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly."
