Pastor's Circle - Jerry Horner

Jerry Horner has been a university professor and administrator since 1962. He also functions as the executive director of New Creation Ministries. He joined the Pastor's Circle to discuss prayer and fasting. Below are the "CliffsNotes" of his interview.

How essential is a daily prayer life?

How essential is it to eat food? How essential is it to breathe?

I daresay that you can measure a person's spiritual depth by his prayer life.

If prayer was so important that Jesus often went out alone in solitude to do it, how important must it be to us?

What should  you do when you pray?

First of all, you find a "prayer closet". Basically, to me, that means a place with no distractions.

To me, that is the key.

Getting away from not only physical distractions, but also with mental and spiritual ones.

Some people say it's easy to pray. But if you are wrestling and agonizing in prayer, it's very difficult.

Why do we find it difficult to praise God?

It's interesting you say that, because I remember a lesson I learned as a teenager. I've never forgotten it.

I heard a man say, "The only time people pray is when they pray to get something or to get out of something."

Maybe we ought to try the posture of praise in prayer more. That sets the tone.

Some people say, "Well, I'm too weighed down with problems." And I say, "Go to the Psalms.

Praise and "blah's" don't mix.

How important is fasting?

Fasting is a discipline where, as I said, your priority is in the spiritual.

It doesn't do any good to just do without food.

Anybody can do without food.

But what do you do in that place where you would normally eat?

Fasting focuses all attention and all energy on God.

"God is saying to Africa, you need to rise and go... to the ends of the earth"

Dr. Jerry Horner joined the Pastor's Circle today from South Africa. With him, was George Mosima, a South African pastor. (Dr. Horner's answers are in regular font and George Mosima's answers in italicized.)

What are you doing in South Africa?

The Lord is moving mightily all over Africa.

Here in South Africa particularly, there has been such a growth.

There are new churches beginning every day.

I have with my a pastor who knows more about that than I.

Why is the church growing in Africa unlike other world? 

I think there is such a mighty revival in Africa.

It is the Lord's doing.

We just think that the hand of the Lord is moving so mightily.

Prayer. How big of a role does prayer play in revival?

No doubt about it.

We have always believed in the power of prayer.

Praying in the morning, praying during the day.

Some people take time off work to go to their churches and pray.

We believe that God moves even as we pray.

When someone knows the Lord Jesus Christ as savior, why does it happen?

For the most part, what we see...we encourage a lot of people to invite their friends, but also to live that life.

As a result of that, people want to know what happened to you.

What does Africa need from America right now?

Well I can agree with you, Matt. The day of the old concepts of missions has passed.

We have Africa sending out missionaries now.

There are hundreds and hundreds of African missionaries all over the world.

I think we need genuine men from God who believe in the power of prayer.

We need people who uphold the principles of God.

I believe that God is raising up men and women of God who are going all over the world.

I think God is saying to Africa, you need to rise and go to Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

I've been told that Africa need more education and discipleship.

That's a fair assumption.

As you can imagine, Africa for the most part is undeveloped.

So you will find a lot of pastors still needing a lot of training material.

What are some of the problems you're going to face?

It's known all over the world. Leadership is a problem in Africa.

Sometimes we think since we've been given authority, we think we need to be tyrants.

Somebody said that everything rises and falls on leadership.

When I was in Kenya, someone told me that there were 300 cults in that nation alone. Does Africa struggle with synchretism?

I've been in many countries of Africa, and there are still hangovers from the pagan gods.

This is why they need the true teachings of God.

In the South African context, we still have part of our society that believes in these ritual, pagan ideas...where you have people who practice voodoo.

Pastor's Circle - Jerry Horner

Jerry Horner joined the Pastor's Circle today, sharing how the Apostle Paul has had an impact on his life.


Who are some Bible characters - outside of Jesus - who have provided inspiration to you?

If I had to pick one outside of the Lord, of course, it would have to be the apostle Paul.

I supposed Paul has been my mentor. Here's a man who was in rebellion...here was a champion of the traditional way.

I felt myself to be a traditional champion of the faith. But when God opened my eyes to the scripture, I saw that I was wrong on many fronts.

Here was Paul on the way to Damascus.

As far as he was concerned Jesus was dead.

He was not too big to admit his mistakes. When he and Barnabas had this dispute about John Mark...later Paul admitted that he was wrong. Paul was not too big to recognize his own mortality. He was not too big to recognize that he needed people's prayers.

Why did God call Paul?

Paul had a reputation - a terrible reputation. So much so that when he did leave Jerusalem, nobody wanted to have anything to do with him.

I think that the apostle's would have been comfortable in Jerusalem and in Judea until one thing happened. Stephen's martyrdom and the accompanying persecution.

Paul did set things into motion for the worldwide spread of the gospel.

One of the things we've got to learn from Paul is you're going to have some suffering in you life.

You know what, the Lord himself said that.

I'm all for stressing the benefits of discipleship...but I want to tell you, let's not leave out commitment. Let's not leave out the lordship of Jesus Christ. Anyone who's going to pattern his life after the Lord Jesus Christ is going to face persecution.

Looking back in Christian history, who would be your heroes?

There have been many who I've looked towards.

I look to a man by the name of Charles Spurgeon as a model preacher, as an expositor of the gospel.

When I was in seminary, I bought a set of commentaries...one of the best investments I ever made was when I traded those books for a set of Spurgeon sermons.

Why was he so great?

We can praise God that somebody had enough foresight to take down notes and devised some kind of shorthand to preserve those sermons.

I think what made him so terrific was his commitment ot the word of God...and this man had a way of bringing out the word of God to the situation he was addressing.

How can we be the kind of speakers who were relevant like Spurgeon?

I think it's very simple. First, make reading the newspaper a daily habit.Read the newspaper and read the Bible.

Stay abreast, know what is happening.

In every particular country that I'm in, I have to be relevant to what they're going through.

Pastor's Circle - Dr. Jerry Horner

Strengths of Church in America?

There's an ebb and flow. And you'll find that God does have a movement, a personality for every generation.

And God always has somebody to stand in the gap.

The weakness has been, I think, in the refusal...of the church in standing up for basic Christian values - the biblical worldview.

Where there is compromise there is always weakness.

The strength is that there are people who know biblical values. They do take a stand. There is a voice. There are leaders who are coming to the fore.

Our churches are deluded with a worldview that is totally contrary to a biblical one.

I honestly believe out of chaos, God does bring a resurrection. And out of ruin there can be something stronger.

In the national life..trials bring strength. And when we endure, there are lessons learned.

Our country, unfortunately, doesn't learn much from history.

Why do we compromise?

It's subtle, because Satan is very keen. It's like the proverb about opening the door a little crack and elephants come in.

Sometimes when we think we're being tolerant..when we open the crack just a little bit, then the tide rushes in.

I think sometimes it's a fear of being branded.

You can't lie down with the rattlesnake, and cuddle up to a rattlesnake. There is a room for intolerance. Jesus was very intolerant..when it comes to two things...ethics and doctrine. And there can be no compromise whatsoever.

Is the young generation headed in the right direction?

I'm very encouraged, because I see dedication among young people. Sometime that dedication can be positive, sometime it can be negative.

It was my joy for almost fifty years to be associated with college-age students. Here they are frequently teaching, living out, and modeling a biblical worldview.

Key to good families?

The key there is the father as the priest in the family. The father taking his biblically-appointed role...setting the example, doing the teaching.

In the larger context of the kingdom of God. It is a living fellowship based on the common belief in redemption in Jesus.