Is there a Christian pattern for prayer?
Prayer is one of the greatest privileges God has given His children. Prayer gives us communion with our Heavenly Father, through His Son Jesus. It provides us with spiritual strength and wisdom. Prayer is not only a privilege, but essential to our Christian growth. As the Apostle Paul instructs, “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17).The [...]
God is love no doubt, but why did He commit Himself to hating Esau, a human being? (Romans 9:13, Malachi 1:2,3)
The root word for "hate" in Romans 9:13 is the Greek verb mise? (Strong's Exhaustive Concordance #3404). While this word can mean "to detest" or "to persecute," its primary meaning in this context—and in many other biblical passages—is "to love less," "to prefer less," or “to separate from.”This is the same Greek word Jesus used in [...]
Are good and bad spirits real?
The shortest answer is 'Yes'. The full story is more complicated as outlined in the Bible. God created spirits as well as all the examples of earthly life we can see. In Isa. 45:12, God states, “I have made the earth, and created man upon it: I, even my hands, have stretched out the heavens, [...]
Can culture and gospel go together?
James 4:4: "… know ye not that the friendship of the world (culture) is enmity with God (gospel)? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God." This shows that there is a difference between the standards and practices of the world and God's righteous standards. Although there are some [...]
Who were the tax collectors in the time of Jesus? Why were they hated by the Jews? Were any Apostles tax collectors?
The Bible uses 2 words for tax collectors: tax collectors or publicans. Some Bible history references note that the word “Publicans” was likely used for the chief tax collector in charge who would then hire a staff of tax collectors to actually go out and do the work of gathering the money. Remembering that Rome [...]
Reading my Bible has suddenly become work for me. Lately, it is a burden. How do I ignite that fire again?
You are not alone when you say that reading the Scriptures can sometimes be burdensome! Many times the reason can be something as simple as fatigue, the wrong time of day, distractions around us, or just too many other things on our mind to be able to focus properly. We can end up staring at the [...]