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• Acceptable Prayer

  …ster WongMixxMySpaceNetvouzNewsvineoneviewOnlyWirePlugIMPropellerRedditSegnaloShoutwireSimpySlashdotSurphaceSphinnSpurlSquidooStumbleUponTechnoratiThisNextTwitterWebrideWindows LiveYahoo!Email This to a Friend  Link HTML:  Permalink:  If you like this then please subscribe to the RSS Feed.Powered by Bookmarkify™ More »When a person runs into trouble in his or her life they are often counseled to p…

• Praying to God to Bless the Bread–Really?

  “God is Spirit, and those who worship him must worship him in spirit and truth.” (John 4:24 NKJV) Whose job is it to bless the bread and bless the fruit of the vine when the Lord’s Supper is being  observed in the communion service?  One hears continually prayers or petitions to God to “bless the bread” and to “bless the fruit of the vine.”  Why?  I have no idea other than it has been done so long it has…

• Pray For Others Lest You Sin

  …lfare and that certainly involves praying for him. Paul asked the brethren to pray for him and his company, “Brethren, pray for us.” (1 Thess. 5:25 NKJV–see also 3 Thess. 3:1)  The writer of the book of Hebrews requests prayers when he says simply “pray for us.” (Heb. 13:18 NKJV) There is one prayer request by Paul that seems to be more than just a request.  To the Romans he writes, “Now I beg you, brethren, through the Lord Jesus Christ, a…

• Prayer

  Acceptable Prayer Pray For Others Lest You Sin Audio Sermons (by Waymon Swain) The Disciples Prayer …

• Things People Do Not Know About the Church

  ….  “He who believes and is baptized will be saved.” (the words of Jesus–Mark 16:16 NKJV) “But, why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46 NKJV) (12)  The church is the place where prayers to God will be heard.  “The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” (James 5:16 NKJV)  No one is righteous who has not been cleansed by the blood of Jesus and who thus is not a member of the church…

• Lessons for the Church from Isaiah (Chapter 1)

  …crites cannot please God nor worship him in a manner acceptable to him.  To worship God acceptably one must be making a sincere effort to obey God and live the life.  “One who turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be an abomination.” (Prov. 28:9 NKJV) We all would do well to memorize Prov. 28:9 just quoted for that is our status with God when we become involved in sin and have not or will not repent of it.  I would like t…

• Healing For the Brokenhearted

  …s passage God is talking to his children.  Are you a child of God?  If so then there is help.  There are 3 things from this passage that must be considered. (1) Have I made myself a righteous person?  If I want God to hear my prayer and help me then if I am not a righteous person I need to take the steps necessary to become one.  That may be by obeying the gospel from the heart if one has never done so.  For those who have but have not been faith…

• Three Benefits of Being a Christian in This Life – Hope, Love, Peace

  …#8217;” (Heb. 13:5-6 NKJV)  Here is the promise and the hope we have that God will not leave us–a Christian hope, blessing, and comfort. There has never been a faithful Christian but what found hope and comfort in prayer.  We know he will hear our prayers, if we are living faithfully, and that gives us strength.  The writer of Proverbs said the prayer of the upright is God’s delight (Prov. 15:8 NKJV).  The Lord “hears the …

• Does God Really Care?

  Over the course of time just about all of us are confronted with the reality of suffering and abuse not just on newscasts but in our own personal world where we live day by day and experience life up close.  Why are small precious children abused?  Why do many of them from all outward appearances not have a chance from the get go due to the circumstances they were born into?  Why do old people often get in such horrible conditions as you find th…

• The Need to Sing in Worship

  ….  Take a look at the very first line of this song of Moses and of the Lamb, how it starts, “Great and marvelous are Your works, Lord God Almighty!”  To who is the song directed?  Directly to God just as much as a prayer would be. We know Jesus sang.  At the last supper when Jesus instituted the Lord’s supper the Bible says, “And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.”  (Matt. 26:30 NKJV)  S…

• The Truth So Called Christians Will Not Accept

  Most people who call themselves Christians are in reality not Christians at all no matter how dedicated they may be to their faith.  The word of God is truth (Jesus speaking–John 17:17) and stands as the one and only standard that is acceptable to the God of heaven and of men.  It, not man, sets the standard for who is a Christian. As there is a political correctness in our land there is likewise a religious correctness that one must adher…

• The Prodigal Son–When He Came to Himself

  …told him.  He says words to the effect that I will pray for you that such events (meaning negative things) will come into your life that will open your eyes and heart.  I have thought about that statement for years.  It was a prayer for adversity. I have come to believe the Bible professor was right in making a statement of that kind and offering that kind of prayer.  No, he was not praying the young man be in a car wreck and be paralyzed for lif…

• Though He Slay Me

  …cations to God.  Do we get to feeling the same way?  Job did.  He was praying fervently and it did not seem God was answering him. One thing we can learn from Job’s experience is that while we may think God is not hearing our prayers that is not the case.  God is well aware of what is happening to us and what we are going through.  He knew Job’s situation.  We also learn that he will respond in his own time and in the way he sees best and taking …

• Resource Sites

  Here are some links to what I consider to be some great sites I highly recommend. Christian Courier  (This site is owned and run by Wayne Jackson who does the writing found on it.  I don’t know where you would go to find more scholarly Christian articles on the web.  The man does his homework which means he does extensive research before he starts writing.  All of this will be readily evident to you once you read an article or two of his. …

• Instrumental Music in Christian Worship–Is it God’s Will?

  I am sure there are millions of people who call themselves Christians who have never given the subject of instrumental music in Christian worship a thought.  It is just taken for granted that it is a part of acceptable worship to God.  I suspect even most of us who were raised in a religious setting where instruments were never used in worship wondered about it at one point in time or another.  Was it really wrong to use them in worship and if s…

• The Sin of Being Unthankful and the Need for Thanksgiving

  …Lord Jesus Christ.” (NKJV) Col. 3:17 – “And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” (NKJV) Col. 4:2 – “Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving.” (NKJV) 1 Thess. 5:17-18 – “Pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (NKJV) Heb. 13:15 – ”…

• The Struggle to be a Spiritually Minded Man or Woman

  …or were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.” (Rom. 1:21 NKJV)  This led to all types of specific sins a result of the state of their minds and hearts. Jesus said in his prayer to the Father, “I have glorified you on the earth.” (John 17:4 NKJV)  That is our job as well.  The only way God can be given glory by man is by obedience.  That would include thanksgiving, worship, praise…

• Are the New Testament Scriptures Alone a Sufficient Guide to Heaven?

  … on the Day of Pentecost and the speaking in tongues that day as the word was first preached to man after Christ’s resurrection. A little later in Acts 4 upon the release of Peter and John from arrest and imprisonment a prayer is uttered by the disciples.  “Lord … grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word, by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your …

• Abuse of the Old Testament

  …ople who have not gone to the book of Psalms time and again over the course of his or her life to find comfort and hope and especially in time of sadness and sorrow? Want to learn how to pray?  Read David in the Psalms to see prayer from the heart.  Learn how to praise God in prayer and how to petition him for his blessings.  Learn how to thank God. Need wisdom?  Go to the book of Proverbs.  Many, many New Testaments that one can buy also include…

• What Does the Phrase “My Name” Mean in the Bible?

  … that institution, whatever it might be must be respected and honored for it is God’s honor that is at stake.  God spoke to Solomon with respect to the temple Solomon had built for God and said, “I have heard your prayer and your supplication, which you have made before me; I have consecrated this house which you have built by putting my name there forever, and my eyes and my heart will be there perpetually.” (1 Kings 9:3 NASU) …

• Obedience of Faith and Justification by Faith–Opposing Doctrines?

  …shall we do?’” Would you dare say these men lack faith?  According to our saved by faith friends the job is finished.  Nothing else to be done.  They are saved.  Oh, they might, according to the teaching of our times, offer a prayer to God making confession to him–a confession of faith–but that is it. Did Peter tell them the job is done?  Did he tell them to offer a prayer of confession to God?  He did neither.  I emphasize this–…

• Abel’s Sacrifice by Faith versus Cain’s Sacrifice

  …s said that Abel “obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts.” (Heb. 11:4 NKJV)  This was not said of Cain but I ask the question could it have been?  Was it impossible for Cain to make an acceptable sacrifice?  That Cain knew all he needed to know to make such a sacrifice is self-evident.  God is not a respecter of persons (Acts 10:34).  Cain’s failure was just that–Cain’s failure.  He had n…

• Faith, Works, and Baptism

  …precede obedience.  The justifying faith Paul was talking about in the book of Romans was a faith that led to obedience.  Faith must precede obedience before you can have obedience out of faith. There has never been a baptism acceptable to God but what it was first preceded by faith and submitted to by faith.  (This being one reason infant baptism is of no account being a pure human invention.)  Faith saves because it believes God and does not do…

• Saved by Jesus Outside the Church?

  … if he is living faithfully.  The church is made of individual members called by Peter “living stones” which he says “are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 2:5 NKJV) There was no such thing in the New Testament as a Christian living separate and apart from a local congregation when such a congregation existed.  Certainly, …

• Weak, Defiled, and Seared Consciences

  …  What is a weak conscience?  The first time one reads about a weak conscience in the New Testament is in 1 Cor. 8:7-12.  This entire chapter is devoted to the subject of eating meats offered to idols and whether or not it is acceptable in God’s eyes for a Christian to eat such meats.  One should also read 1 Corinthians 10 beginning around verse 14 through the end of the chapter on the same subject and Romans 14 also has some application ev…

• Jesus the Foundation of and the Builder of the Church

  …urch but so is every other Christian.  Peter tells us so.  “You also, (he says speaking to Christians–DS) as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 2:5 NKJV)  The church is the spiritual body of Christ, a spiritual building being built up.  The church is Christ’s body–”his body, which is the churc…

• Who is the Believer in John 3:16?

  …aving believed, he cannot obey.”  This seems to be the consensus meaning of the Greek.  It is a person who does not believe and thus cannot obey because of his unbelief.  One can see then how either translation would be acceptable, “does not believe” as in the NKJV or “does not obey” as in the NAS and ESV.  The NAS reference edition admits as much for in its side margin notes it has “Or, believe” even tho…

• A Good and Pure Conscience

  …ood or pure conscience.  There can be no acceptable service to God without such a conscience. 2 Tim. 1:3, “I thank God, whom I serve with a pure conscience, as my forefathers did, as without ceasing I remember you in my prayers night and day.”  This is Paul once again telling us he lived his life in a way to always have a good conscience.  Compare this with what he said back in Acts 24:16 already discussed here. We ought to live our l…

• The Great Commission and Cornelius

  …nvince him he needed to go and talk with Cornelius.  And, all Bible students know, that after the fact he took a lot of flack for it from the Jews back in Jerusalem and had to defend himself.  What convinced those Jews it was acceptable?  Peter’s recounting the fact that the Holy Spirit fell on the Gentiles.  Would they ever have gone on their own to the Gentiles had this not happened? When God has a purpose he may give his Spirit to even a…

• Honestly Deceived

  …what the authorities in their religious body first have to say about a verse, about a doctrine, before they are willing to accept the word at face value. There has always been pressure to conform our thinking in a way that is acceptable to others.  The prophet from God wanted to believe the old prophet who lied to him.  It was that or call him a liar and that would not have been a pleasant encounter.  He wanted to believe the man was pure.  Eve w…

• Non-Offensive Christianity

  …not class ourselves or compare ourselves with those who commend themselves. But they, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.” (2 Cor. 10:12 NKJV)  Christ is the only acceptable standard a Christian can have.  The goal and the desire is not to be the best of the average of everyday people but to be Christ-like.  Our desire is to be saved and in order to be saved we must live like Christ a…

• Bible Authority, Foot Washing, the Holy Kiss, and Head Coverings?

  … it and it is being done somewhere.  Every type of special service the mind can imagine (and many that you cannot) is being held.  The idea is that anything we do in worship with the intent of pleasing God, to glorify God, is acceptable to him—anything we can dream up with no scriptural authority required. It has always been terribly difficult for me to see how one gives glory to God by adding to his word and doing things he has not commanded as …

• The Christian, Politics, and the Government

  …NKJV) or as the ESV translates it, “never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God.” (Rom. 12:19 ESV) The Bible teaches we ought to pray for those in authority.  “Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.  For this is good and acceptable in the si…

• The Washing of Water by the Word–Baptism and Salvation

  …s what it says; read it for yourself.  Since you and I are the church that is how we are sanctified and cleansed.  We are as living stones “being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 2:5 NKJV) Jesus is the chief cornerstone of this building (1 Peter 2:6-7), this spiritual house, this body of Christ, the church.  Paul says, “You are God’s building.” (1 Cor…

• Christian Circumcision

  …f heart to get a man into the baptismal waters.  Jesus uses means to cleanse us and puts us to the test.  It is not only a test of obedience but also one of faith.  The man without faith will never submit to a baptism that is acceptable to God.  He may be baptized to please his family, or to join some manmade denomination, or for some other reason but until he believes the scriptures and what they say about baptism and acts out of faith in those …

• The Lord’s Supper as a Part of a Larger Meal–Right or Wrong?

  …d early in this article, those of this mindset will readily tell you they do not need God’s authority and that takes boldness I don’t have and I am glad I do not have. When I say I know as well as God knows what is and is not acceptable I am bold okay but I fear I might also be reckless. I want to make sure I am being understood as to what I am and am not saying. I am not saying that first century Christians observed the Lord’s Supper in all its …

• What Is Baptism (the Sprinkling Hoax)

  …e water” (Acts 8:38 NKJV) and “came up out of the water.” (Acts 8:39 NKJV)  They did not go down to the water but down “into” the water.  Let me ask a question.  Why if sprinkling or pouring were acceptable for baptism would any man go down into the water?  Would it be because he enjoys getting himself and his clothes soaking wet?  You might go down to the water and reach out with a little pail or cup but why go down…

• When did Obedience Become Legalism?

  … the Bible as the standard of authority for what is right versus what is wrong.  We often still claim for ourselves the mantle of Christianity but must twist the scriptures (2 Peter 3:16) to suit modern conceptions of what is acceptable conduct and behavior. To condemn sin as did John the Baptist, Paul, and Jesus is today seen to be unloving, intolerant, and judgmental, and thus unchristian in the minds of many.  Yet, in the New Testament Paul, b…

• The Silence of the Scriptures

  …Jesus’ bearing witness to the truth involved both delivering truth and then confirming it via miracles.  “Truth came through Jesus Christ.” (John 1:17 NKJV)  Whatever Jesus spoke was “truth.”  In prayer to the Father Jesus said in John 17:17, “Your word is truth.” (NKJV)  The words Jesus spoke, whatever, wherever, to whomever were truth.  He spoke the words the Father had given him. To worship in truth th…

• Christian Living

  … Nothing But Leaves Don’t Live in the Past Be Careful How You Bend That Twig The Home As God Sees It Remove Not the Ancient Landmarks The Pot of Gold at the End of God’s Rainbow Why I Am a Christian The Disciples Prayer The Burden of Life Division On to Canaan Abiding in The Doctrine Learning From the Mistakes of Peter …

• The Faith of Enoch

  …are commanded to do, thus what must be believed is the truth.  Why will men perish?  The answer is “because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved.” (2 Thess. 2:10 NASU)  Jesus in his John 17 prayer to the Father said, “Thy word is truth.” (John 17:17 KJV)  When the Bible says Enoch walked with God do you think he walked in truth? John says just a little later, “And this is love, that we walk ac…

• Disobedience to Jesus

  … (John 14:15 NAS)  See similar statements in John 14:21 and 23 and John 15:10.  He says in John 14:24, “He who does not love me does not keep my words.” (NAS)  Can such a man go to heaven? Jesus, in his well known prayer in John 17, said of his disciples, “they have kept thy word.” (NAS)  Of course, he was speaking of the Father’s word that he (Jesus) had given the disciples.  Could he say that of you and me or would…

• Which Denomination Did Jesus Build?

  …e right to stay separated from fellow believers that you admit will be saved?  Why are you not guilty of willful sin if you refuse to disband and join with them, if you refuse to be of one mind with them?  Reread Jesus’ prayer in John 17. If your disagreements are considered to be insignificant as far as salvation is concerned why are you so hard hearted as to refuse to be one with them?  Why do you refuse to be of one mind? It is sometimes…

• Never Give Up

  …, here are a few.  We begin to put God on the back burner and give him second place in our lives feeling that there is just not enough time to do everything.  Attendance at worship services begin to lag, Bible reading ceases, prayer time diminishes, there is no time for good works, we begin doing whatever it is that is required of us to stay in good standing in our job even if it means sacrificing our Christian life.  It is easy to eventually end…

• God’s Willingness to Forgive–King Manasseh

  …t and yet we do it anyway.  We sin willfully.  John says, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”  (1 John 1:8 NKJV)  John was writing to Christians when he said that. Solomon in his prayer of dedication of the temple said, speaking to God of God’s children, “If they sin against you–for there is no one who does not sin” (1 Kings 8:46 ESV) and asked that God forgive them upon their repentance. David…

• The Church Christ Built–Marks of Identification

  … old way of doing things pleases God. What are the acts of worship as found in the New Testament that when done in the right manner pleases God?  Partaking of the Lord’s Supper on the first day of the week is one (Acts 20:7), prayer is another, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs (Eph. 5:19-20, Col. 3:16) is included, teaching of God’s word in which exhortation would be a part, and giving.  Very few if any would object to any of these th…

• The Faithfulness of Jesus to God the Father

  … to death, even the death of the cross.”  Yes, the cross was a commandment given to Jesus. It can be difficult sometimes for a man to obey, to be faithful, but ultimately unfaithfulness is far more costly.  Jesus’ prayer and weeping in the garden shows it was not easy for him to be faithful either.  He went through much agony to be faithful.  We need to be willing to suffer also if we are to live faithfully. What then can we learn fro…

• Be Faithful to the Lord (The Conversion of Lydia)

  … mystery to it.  Paul, Silas, and Timothy, as you recall, enter the city of Philippi to preach the gospel.  Their first opportunity, as far as we can tell, is to a group of women out at the river side at a gathering place for prayer.  Lydia is one of the women assembled there.  The first mystery to some people is found in the statement in verse 14 where it is said that “the Lord opened her heart to respond to the things spoken by Paul.̶…

• Receiving the Gospel (Acts 2:41)

  “So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and there were added that day about three thousand souls.” (Acts 2:41 NAS)  In my younger days I use to hear about those preachers on tv or radio who would tell their listening audience words to the effect that if they wanted to receive Jesus and salvation just to lay their hands on top the set, say certain words in the form of a prayer, and presto–salvation.  For all I k…

• The Joy and the Danger of a Clean Conscience

  …ince him of his evil.  Psalms 51 is a record of David’s reaction when confronted by his sin.  Could he ever be restored?  Could his conscience ever be made clean again? Let us listen to a little of what he had to say in prayer to God.  “Be gracious to me, O God, according to Thy lovingkindness; According to the greatness of Thy compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, And cleanse me from my sin. For …

• The Parable of the 10 Virgins–7 Lessons

  …w families as honest as the day, morally above reproach, kind, generous, do not drink, do not curse, have a great family and family life yet have no interest in religion, in Christ, the Bible, or God although they may offer a prayer at the Thanksgiving meal.  They may, if pressed, make a claim to believe in God but a Bible would last them 10,000 years for it would never be used nor would there ever be any point in expecting to see them in the pub…

• Deeper Spiritual Understanding–How do I Acquire It?

  …ld Testament) and prayed and yet to what avail? We are all familiar with the parable of the tax collector and the Pharisee beginning in Luke 18:9 who both went up to the temple to pray.  Only one went down from it justified.  Prayer was of no profit to the Pharisee. We might also say with justification that the Pharisees seemed to know the Old Testament scriptures in the sense that they could tell you what they said.  Their problem was one of und…

• Ghost Hunting and Consulting the Dead

  … pay them money, in hopes of making contact with departed loved ones.  This is sinful.  A person should never in their grief try and consult anyone on the other side in the spirit world other than God himself and that through prayer.  “Should not a people seek their God?  Should they seek the dead on behalf of the living?” (Isa. 8:19 NKJV)  Part of Manasseh’s sin was that he consulted mediums (2 Chron. 33:6 NKJV). We might say that is the people …

• The Mysterious Eloquent Evangelist

  …veness of those sins. Neither were the apostles baptized again after receiving John’s baptism nor was there a need for them to do so.  Jesus said they were “clean.” (John 13:10-11, John 15:3)  He says in his prayer to the Father “they have kept thy word” (John 17:6 NAS), “I have been glorified in them” (John 17:10 NAS), “they are not of the world” (John 17:16 NAS), and finally, “not one …

• Christianity and Multiculturalism

  …e but now united as “one new man.”  “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Gal. 3:28 NKJV) Jesus long prayer in John 17 includes this, “I do not pray for these alone but also for those who will believe in me through their word; that they all may be one.” (John 17:20-21 NKJV)  I would also recall to the readerR…

• The Peace Found in Forgiveness of Others

  …what they do” (Luke 23:34 NKJV), then surely no one has done such evil to you as that done to him.  (I am not saying those who crucified Christ were forgiven without repentance and obedience to the gospel but only that Jesus’ prayer was from a heart desiring their forgiveness which came to many as they obeyed the gospel on the Day of Pentecost.)  How is our heart toward God and our fellowman when we relish hatred and enjoy the bitterness and ange…