Prayers May Be Answered

  Have you even had times when you have wondered--is God even listening to my prayers? Does He even incline his ear to my requests and answered them?
  That is a few questions. And the Bible infers the answer to the last two by what it does say.
   I consider the Bible to be God's communication with us humans in the revealing of Himself. All through the first half of the Bible He reveals Himself as a person who hears prayer and answers prayer of those who are in a relationship with Him.
   He gave a son to Hannah when she asked. He saved Lot form Sodom when Abraham asked Sodom to be spared if ten righteous people could be found. Only Lot was found.
   He heard Jesus when Jesus prayed. He hears us also according to 1John 5:14. "And this is the confidence that we have toward Him, that if we ask anything according to His will He hears us.' (esv)
 It is my contention that our asking is what is being referred to here as God's will.
 this promise is only for Christians. I define a Christian as one who has a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. It is a family relationship.
  As for belief, this is where faith steps in. For without faith it is impossible to please God. Faith says that God exists and is one who rewards those who are His.

Is It Possible For A Christian To Be Sexual

   Is it possible for a Christian to be sexual?
  What a subject.
   I would like to discuss if it is possible for a Christian to be homosexual and still a Christian. Or to push the envelope more, a transsexual.   Let me push the envelope a bit here. Let me bring in a discussion something that most Christian seem not to touch.
   This post is not for the eyes of youngsters. It should be discussed, but it is not necessary that it be read by,-- say, people under eighteen.
  So that makes it a college age posting.
   You can read it in some Christian magazines. I have seen it in CT. Articles written by authors who claim to be both Christians and gay.
     Yes, Jesus died for all mankind. Male, female, gay. And by extension, transsexuals. No one is beyond the redemption provided by the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
     Next step. Okay. he died for all. But would we want a be lead by a known gay person?
    The Bible, which is our authority, written by God using men ( he needed the hands of his creation to record His Words) states that God created them male and female. I don't read God creating anything gay as we define gay in the twenty first century. It was the effects of sin that caused human kind to mutate into gay and transsexual.
      God loves the whole world. Male, female, gay, transsexual.
      Jesus died for the whole world, male, female, transsexual.
      Yes. It is possible for a transsexual to have confessed his sin and accept Jesus as his personal savior and on his way to heaven when he dies.
       Yes, it is possible for a Christian to be gay.
       Is it what God would want? No. He wants all people to be the sex He created them. But HE understands sin and the destruction it has caused.
        Please feel free to comment and let us discuss this.

Prayer's Pipe Line

Open The Pipeline

   Maybe I handled this issue earlier in a post a few months ago. This is the issue of prayer getting to the throne of God to be answered.
   Of course we know that God hears the prayers of most everyone. Maybe not the muslim who is deep in his belief system. Not the Jehovah's Witness. Not the Mormon. Not the person who has no connection to God through the new birth.
    Sin blocks our prayers from getting to heaven to the throne room. Sin has to be removed or the prayer just hits the blockage and like a pool ball goes elsewhere. But not to God.
     The death of Jesus on the cross and the resurrection three days later and the ascension opened up the pipe line of prayer. Now it was possible for the prayer of a child of God to get to heaven, to the throne room ,and be heard.
   The connection was now there for the prayer to go up and the answer to come down.
    That is prayer's pipe line. Nothing we can do to keep it open. That is one of the gifts of God granted freely to His people.
    Of course on our end we need to keep confessing so that we can be assured of being heard and assured of getting an answer.. But we have nothing to do with the pipeline. That is already set. When we confess it is like using a Drano solution to keep the pipe clear.

Seeking For Meaning

   On Sunday I heard that the other person I was thinking to add to this blog as an author has decided to start off with another organization. He is no longer available to blog with me. So it is just a one person blog.
  I wasn't always a Christian. Before I was I belonged to the Roman Catholic Church. A Roman Catholic has all the facts but the final step, that of asking Jesus alone to save them from the penalty of sin and give them assurance of going to heaven when they die.. that part is missing.
   If belonging to the right group (There is none) and believing my security was in man and good works which I have done to get me to heaven, than I would have been okay. There would have been no reason for the resurrection.
   Yes. It was the resurrection that sealed the truth. Not the death alone. A dead person has never been able to save another.
    I was born a Roman Catholic. It wasn't something that I chose. I was educated in a Catholic environment through grade school.. And still my paternal grandmother said "if only you had stayed you would have understood." when it came to, what?
   Salvation is not in a church group.
    When I was twenty one and away at school , this was when I got hold of a Bible and read it for myself. I wanted to know what it said, not what a priest said it said.   About this time the Vietnam war was still going on. My brother was killed in that war. He was so young.
   I realized that young people died not just the elderly. And If I were to die, where would I spend eternity? And how could I be sure?
   I sought answers. I was seeking for meaning.
   Now, being a Roman Catholic is not all bad. The facts were all there. The application was not. Not the way that will draw you to seek answers outside the church.  Nor would my saying a Roman Catholic have made the truth apparent to me as my paternal grandmother was no doubt trying to say.
    A personal encounter with Jesus Christ and the resurrected Savior who took the penalty for my sins.. which was eternal separation from God, was needed.
   

Grafted Into The Vine

 This past Tuesday, 5 Aug, was held the national evening to thank the police and other organizations of service in the community. It was a night of food, dancing, booths where we could see what our police department and fire department and other service organizations were up to.
   There was a good attendance. Also there was the Jewish organization of Chabad.
    I was asked twice if I were a Jew. Now, I don't look Jewish. But I guess they ask all males.
    While I am not a Jew I am grafted in to the vine. That vine is attached to the Abrahamic promise of blessing. It is the same vine from which the Jews come and the Messiah.
     To pick up the trend. The Olive tree was mentioned by Saul of Tarsus in what comes down to us today as the letter to the Romans found in the second half of the Bible. The gentiles ( Non-Jews) can be grafted in as a wild branch. They can be grafted in when they have a relationship with God through the blood of Jessu Christ. This union grafts them in with the same privileges as a Jew. That is a true Jew.
    What makes one a true Jew? In today's parlance that would be a Jewish individual who has found their Messiah.
    But for us non-Jews we have to be grafted into the vine. It is not hard to do.

Faith Is The Answer To So Many Things

 Let us look at faith.
  Faith is the answer to so many things. Yet so few of us know what faith is.
  It can't be touched. You can see the results, but it is not something you can putt in a testtube and mesaure.
    Yet again we have in the eleventh chapter of the epistle to the Hebrews a number of names of people faith worked for. But it was a daily day by day walk without any tangible object to touch, taste or smell.
    In Hebrews 11:1 we are told that faith is a substance of hope that shows evidence . But what kind of evidence? We can't see it now. We will see it later. At least those of us who are in a proper relationship with God.
    Our examples of faith are listed. Abel who lost his life because he did right. Noah who saw no rain but still built the boat. Abraham who left his family and went out to a land that he never really did get. Abraham who also had a child in his old age who hung on because God said a child was coming. (Abraham who fathered an offsring that wasn't the one God was going to bless him and the world through. A child that would father the nation of Arabs) Abraham who was willing to sacrafice his only claim to fame because God told him to, but was stopped and received the child back. Moses who lead the people out of Egypt.
    So many more. They are all there in the book. Our examples. Not perfect but still what I would call masrters of faith.
   And it was learned.
   The key. There is always a key. The key to faith is found in verse six. The rewards of faith come about because of God's existence. God delights in rewarding those who believe in Him and His power. His ability. His existence.
    The question to ask is do we have our reward now? When  we pray and ask in faith, do we have a tangable reward now? If we ask for finances do we get finances now?
    That is the question. And the answer is..I really don't know. Yes, we believe the heaven is a place of no needs. No reason to have a form of barter. But as for this moment on earth, I really don't know the answer to the  need.
     This is a puzzlement.

Let Us Discuss Prayer

    So now let me look at the one right we have. I call it the believer's privilege. That is the one weapon beside the Bible that we have. It is prayer.
    Prayer has a power, so I have been told. Things can happen because a Christian prays.
    Let me define Christian. A Christian is a person who has a relationship with God because he has acknowledged he is a sinner and that Jesus died and rose again for him. Confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, and you shall have a relationship with Him.
    And you are given a weapon called prayer. Not only a weapon but a way to talk to God. Just as a child talks to his father, so we talk to God by prayer. And if we pray right we shall receive what we request.
    It seem most of the time.  The request must be in accordance with what God sees is best for you to  have at that point in your life.
    I am also coming to undertand we must be on praying ground. As I see it praying ground is not having sin blocking the passge way. That is why we confess our sins to cler out the passage way.
   And the passage way has been set up by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. So we all have praying ground. God himself has provided the ground.
   God sees us sinless. So the ground is always open on His end.
    When  can I pray? Always. The ground is open. If you have confessed all the sin you know of, you have the assurance that the way os lear. God sees it clear at all times. The blockage is on
our side if there is blockage.
     Please feel free to leave your comments.

Bible Study Methods Win Out

  I was looking back at my statistics and find that bible study method posts seem to be the ones people are looking at mostly. Readers of this blog don't seem to be so interested in discussions of theological issues.
  I would thus determine the readers of this blog want more help in the study of the Bible for themselves. They may be tired of having some other person tell them what they should believe or what the Bible says.
   And that is the reason for studying the Bible for yourself using a Bible, a notebook, a pen and common aids that are provided. Aids such as a Bible dictionary to find out some background on the area or concept you are looking at.
   And you are asking questions as you are reading. Questions such as: who is speaking? Where is this taking place? Who are the hearers? Is this addressed to me or others? What is it saying to me in a way I can apply it to my life?
     You are jotting these answers down in your notebook. Not all questions have to be answered. These will provide you with areas to pray about..To pray for more understanding. To pray for application. You should aim to do what you determine the book is telling you. After all, it is my view, that God is speaking. He has written all He wants us to know in the Bible. He expects us to study it and apply it.
    No doubt you are studying  in a group so you can discuss what you are finding . You can't hope to grow if you absent yourself from the congregation. Find a good Bible teaching church that expects you to be accountable to one another.

World Views

     Let's face it. We all respond to life and things that are going on according to the world view we hold.
     So what is a world view?
     It is the grid through which we see and interpret things.
     If we have a world view that we are only pawns and things happen around us that we can change and make things better. Well, that is one grid.
     Another grid is that we are a special creation made by God and have meaning. At one time we had fellowship-- a relationship with God, but lost it. But we still have worth. So much worth that God provided a way we can get back in relationship with Him. This way points back to a cross and an empty tomb.
     The world is not improving. The world, also a creation of God, is also cursed to a cycle of destruction.
    But this is not the final home of mankind. We are created to live forever. One world view would say that we are gods and can improve ourselves. The other says, no, we are not gods but creatures who were created to have eternal fellowship with out creator. This world we are in now is but a waiting station to the next.
   If you have read C.S.Lewis's The Great Divorce, it is the same idea.
   Just thought I would share this thought in this blog. Have a great day.

Prayer Is the Church's Furnace

     I am a big fan of prayer. We know that prayer is talking with God as we would talk to our friend. We let our friend know what is going on.
     On the one hand we understand  God knows all things. That would mean we can't tell God anything He doesn't already know. It also means there isn't anything we can tell Him that will shock Him. And maybe there is nothing that we can say that will cause Him to loved us less.
     He has heard it all.
      That being said we have to realize that prayer has power to get things done. Not always when we wish it to be done. There is a saying that God is an on- time God. He may not act when you want Him to but He always answers on time.
       And prayer is the church's furnace. The prayer room is often referred to as the boiler room of the church. When prayer goes up, is a saying, blessings come down.
        Recently I was handed a devotional by a member of my church. I am a deacon and need to be on the team that pushes prayer as our next step to growth. The idea is to get a group together in our zip code and form a prayer unit that will pray for growth and wisdom.
        Every pastor and congregant needs prayer/.
        That being said let me say this- this little devotional called "The Power Of Prayer" can be reviewed by me this way.-
        A devotional made up of a compilation of the works of E.M. Bounds concerning the subject of prayer.

        Set up as a daily reading per month and day it can be read through in a year’s time.

        Short excerpts with a prayer, attached this devotional will introduce you to the thoughts of Bounds without the reader having to buy and use the three booklets used  by Kobus  Sandenbergh, the compiler.

       It may do you some good but I don't care for devotionals as they seem like predigested food to me. They may offer a springboard for further and deeper exploration.and as such are useful.

      That said I still feel prayer is needed. God wants to hear from you. 

       We pray. He answers.
        In fact He has already answered. His answer is in the Bible. That is why I link prayer with Bible study.

A Welcoming Spirit

  More churches would grow and maintain fellowship if we were to greet all the people who come in to the building. Show that we are glad to have them there. Don't just leave the greeting to the man at the door who hands out the daily Sunday program. But each one of us should be aware of who is there and of visitors.
   Say hi. Listen to their needs. Find out something about them. Find out what they expect a church that is meeting their needs to look like. Not that you presently are that church. But you can change.
   Preach the word.
   Don't just hang around in little cliques. Get to know people. Be the type of person you would like to meet if you were a stranger in the midst.
  

It Is Okay To Ask Questions

When you are confronted with a puzzlement or even if you just wonder why something you have been told is accepted by others.. it is okay to question.
    Not everything you have been told or hear is found in a Bible verse or even is a teaching of the scriptures.
  You have to keep looking for the answer and prove all things.
  That is why we need to be in a Bible group or under a Bible immersion plan.
  Not becasue it is something I tell you. It is something that is needed for your growth..
   " Study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman..."
    Not everything to know is in the Bible but all we need to know is there. At least when it comes to God.
     It is just a feeling of mine but God may not have revealed all about Himself. There may be areas of God we don't know about. These areas would then be areas that we have left to discover when He comes back for us. That comes in the area of hope.
   We hope to see Him face to face someday. We now see through a glass darkly, is the way the scriptures put it. 
   That will be a glorious day.

It Was A Great Easter Service

 Last Sunday, 20 April. we had the chuildren start out wit htheir Easter play. All the children were not miked so it was hard to hear and understand and follow what was going on.
  But as I could figure out, these three wise dude were seeking the king. Only it is now 2014. They missed him.
   Easter is celebrated because Jesus arose from the grave. Because he rose we shall rise.
   It was a good Easter service. Wish you had been there.

I Am Being Spammed

  I went into my back office on this site and I am noticing that I am being spammed by a sex site. Now, I wish that other people besides sex providers were reading my site. Not that the sex providers are beyond salvation from a bad habit.
    Porn is not healthy. It destroys your view of women and of the male/female continuum. And how the sex presented by the site that is spamming links with this post, I am having trouble seeing.
    There is no one beyond the need for God and for forgiveness.
     I believe all has been said about this. Please be respectful toward the subject matter of this site you are reading.
      And have a n ice day.

Possible versus Best When We Pray

Prayer Of the Righteous

 Recently I read a book.. in fact I am still reading it.. titled God Is Just Not Fair" and I will be talking about it in a review on my book review site soon. but not just now.
   It was reading the section on prayer. It intrigued me. Usually when a person talks on prayer you get pablum. You know the stuff. Pray and God answers either yes, no, or wait.
   This take on prayer was that when we pray, God always answers. The answer He gives is not based on what is possible (The Bible says all things are possible with God, so we don't have a person up there who is given a request that is not possible to be answered) but on what is best for us.
    The example is Jesus praying in the garden that if it were possible God would not send Him to the cross to die in our place. But the stipulation was not my will, but thine be done. The best was that Jesus go to the cross. take upon Himself the payment for our sins. The best was to die, not to be spared the cross.
     God hears the prayer of a righteous person. A person is righteous if he is a Christian. God hears the prayer of His people.. those who are blood bought. All our prayers are heard. All are answered. All are responded to according to what is best.
    That is why Paul never had the thorn removed. God did answer Paul's prayer to remove the thorn. It was possible for God to remove the thorn. But it was best that the thorn remained in Paul's case..
    So it is for us. Some people are healed still by prayer. Others stay in their state. The evidence of the answer is not the result but the faith. Now faith is the evidence of things unseen.
     Let me know how you are doing in your prayer life. Is this posting helping you?

A Look At The Assembly Called City Of God

 The other week I got a post card in my mail announcing a new church group was meeting at a near by school. They were attempting to get a following in the Santa Monica, CA area.
   I , being a analytical person, did some research.
   I found that they are a charismatic group. Anyone can call themselves charasmatic. That just means spirit lead. A charismatic group tends to be a bit free in form.
   A look at their doctrine of faith seemed to be in order. They do hold to the Trinity. They have separate statements for each person of the Godhead. They have a statement of hell and eternal life. A statement also covers salvation. There is one on the atonement.
   Okay. They look sound.
    The name they choose is one that won't pull many seekers. It brings to mind the book by Saint Augustine by the same name.
    They have a web site ( no one can survive in this internet age without one) but it doesn't say much. There is no place to get a statement of faith or information. There is a contact us link, but that is all.
    I would say, as I would any group, be careful and wise if you follow this movement. Their slogan is "disciples on a mission." You  would think they wouldn't want to hide their belief . You would think they would want to proclaim what they are and not have a person dig.
     In the later days men will be lovers of self
     Seeking out people to tickle their ears.
    This has been a look at the Assembly called City Of God.
     Reviewed 26 March 2014

Prayer Is the Answer

  It is not easy being a Christian. No one said it was or would be. Yet somehow you wish it were.
   Well, so do I.
    I could envision a time with no problems, worries, or trouble.
    But that is not now. At the moment we can talk to God about our needs and problems and let Him work it out. We do this by faith.
    That is what prayer is. talking to God. At times it may seem like talking to yourself. It could even start to feel that way.
     Yet prayer is an intimate talk with an invisible but all powerful Deity. He has said in His Word, the Bible, that He cares for us. It is said, rather, He records that He will hear and answer. Hebrews 11:6 states that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.
      We seek Him in prayer.
      Often we have needs that seem too difficult. Nothing is impossible with God, He has recorded.
    When it comes to financial needs, we should remind God that He has recorded in the Psalms that He Himself is the owner of the cattle on the hills. That must be an Eastern way of saying He owns it all and has no lack.
      It is He, He has recorded, who makes rich. Maybe you don't want to be rich but merely able tro pay your bills and have some to undergird His kingdom purpose financially.
    That is my wish. That is what I am asking at the moment.
    By faith I have to believe that prayer is the answer. God wants to hear from me. I have to believe He wants to provide.
    When I pray I ask directly for what I need. I don't go through the vain repetition that the Catholic  prayer books dictate. God must be sick of the rosary and the prescribed, pre-wrote so called blessed words written in the missal that each Catholic carries around lest he forget the formula that is said to move God..
     No, God likes it when His people talk to him and not read off a list of words.
     God allows needs so that we will ask and so He can provide.

Prayer Is A Talk Wth God.

   For those of us who are Christians there is the privilege of talking with God. Note I did not say to but With.
    God wants to have a conversation with us and I believe wants to provide for us. The Bible says he will meet our needs, The Bible says He will give us our daily bread when we ask for it.
     Relationship means provision. He doesn't want a one sided relationship. A relationship that is all one sided is not a relationship. He wants us to talk with Him. This is by prayer.
    The heathen talk to God giving Him orders. A Chrsitain talks with God as a child would talk wo his eloders. We are never to get overly sloppy with God. He does not look for that type of a relationship.
    The Bible says that Jesus, God in the flesh, referred to us as friends. We are privileged to be friends of Jesus and Jesus as our friend wants to give us what we need. But as Father we knew to respect Him. 
   Suggestions? Thank Him for giving you another day. Tell Him about your day. request His provision for the day. Thank Him for your friends. Thank Him for your mate if you are married.You get the idea
   Prayer is a talk with God. Use it.

Get Your Ex Back

  It happened. You watched as your ex walked away from the relationship.
    If you are a Christian you are sure it was not meant to be this way. After all, God loves marriage. He could have kept you together.
   Don't blame God for your human failure. A marriage is supposed to be a partnership. You, God, and your spouse. But sometimes we allow other things beside God to be the center of the marriage and soon, it is over. She leaves. Or he leaves.
    You tried everything. You prayed together. You attended services at your local church together. You...  Did all you humanly could.
    But whatever happened, it happened and she or he has now become your ex.
    You want them back. Let me suggest a little program. This uses prayer, not as a means to  over power the other with how spiritual you are. But this may work.
    Get this program and you have 2 months to use it risk free. If you don't like it you return it and get your refund.
    It is a small digital book of prayers that may work for you. I can't speak for God but I can say that prayer works. Follow the program for two weeks.
    It is only $29.95. A mere dinner out at a low cost restaurant. But it is worth oh so much to get your ex-back.

A Look At Thinking Affecting The Subconscius

  I realize there is a movement out there that says whatever we dwell upon with emotion and imagination can be given to us. That our thoughts send out vibrations  that will correspond to vibrations in the universe. These vibrations will manifest themselves in reality and become that which we think. That we are creators.
   It is all metaphysical. But even if it is beyond physics does that mean it may be untrue?
   There is another realm outside what we can see, touch, taste, smell and hear. There is a realm that the spirits dwell in. From time to time they may intersect and cross over.
    Yet to say that we, mere humans, can do anything to create reality from thoughts.. that takes a little discussion.
     Yes, we can make ourselves glad and sad by our thoughts. The Good Book says, as a man thinks in his heart, so is he. Our thoughts do affect our moods. We also have imaginations. People who are great achievers have something within themselves that we all have which helps them see what they want and seem to push them to attain what they seek.  But is that the mind mainfesting wha tthey want? As claimed by the practitioners of the practice.
    We do have a subconscious that we are not aware is at work in us. It is an area that has our basic belief and conclusions about life. If we believe we can do something we should be able to. Those who believe they can or can not do something are right. It is all the work of our subconscious.
    Let me know what you think about that and let us start a conversation.
    I will look forward to seeing your comments.
   

What Is This I Hear About Sex?

          We have to consider that God made us with a sex urge. Now there is nothing wrong with that. If we did not have a sex urge we would not be able to procreate and have fun doing it.

          It is this power of sex that God has given to us that makes us different from a mere animal. Yes, they have coupling and the procreation instinct also, but it is a basic urge for them. For us men and women, it is more than a basic urge. It is pleasant and enjoyable.  And it should only be a matter between a man and a woman who are married to each other. It is not a play tool.

                That girl, boy, is not a toy. That boy, girl, is not a toy.

                That penis you have, men, is not a tool to be inserted in a woman’s vagina whenever you feel the urge. . Sex makes the two of you one. There is a bonding—a glue- that happens. That is why it should only be within marriage. It leads to joy and delight.

                See the Song Of Solomon for a picture of sex that pleases God.   

                Outside of marriage it is not something to be done. Inside marriage It is the icing on the cake .

                Outside of marriage it may momentarily satisfy but it is not satisfying over the long period of time.

                Dr. Gordon Neufeld, a noted secular psychologist, as said that sex is a potent bonding agent: It creates couples, attaches to each other those who engage in it.

                On the other hand, pornography is a poor substitute for sex. Pornography may be considered by some a socially acceptable form of entertainment. But it scars the brain. Sure, it provides stimulation and a momentary lift, but it has the tendency to leave a person emptier than before. Naomi Wolf, a social critic, has pointed out that, ironically, pornography deadens sexual desire in relation to real people.

                When a person makes the decision to not have sex for a season he is offering up a gift to God—a infinitely precious gift.

                 I would like to offer you a link to some information concerning sex and the Christian.  Please take a look. It is an offer of  e-books so you can get it right now. For a limited time it will cost only $37.00.