Do these verses relate?

  

How do these verses relate?

 

Luke 11:3   

        Give us each day our daily bread,

 

Romans 8:26   

    Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. 

 

James 4:2-3   

    …You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. 

 

 

 

Christians Need to Know Why They Believe

Christians as a whole believe the Bible but do not read the Bible. They have been told what the Bible says but they do not KNOW what the Bible says.

 

Christians and Muslims pray to the same God, each has there understanding of God, neither receives responses neither questions that lack of response.

 

James tells us: "… You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions."

 

"…let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

 

Native Americans had their religions. Some prayed to one Spirit others prayed to many Spirits. They believed the Spirit(s) answered their prayers. We believe they deceived themselves.

 

How about the millions of Christians praying for the end to world hunger while millions continue to starve to death? When was the last time an amputated limb was restored? When the last time a person horribly disfigured was restored to the way they had been?

 

Christians need to look very hard at what they believe.

 

 

 

The Holy Spirit is not automatic.

Paul told the Roman Christians, the Spirit himself intercedes for us because we do not know what to pray for James told his readers we can pray wrongly and for that the Holy Spirit is of no help.

 

Romans 8:26 

    Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. 

 

James 4:3 

    You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. 

 

 

 

No One Questions. . .

It has been demonstrated again and again that the placebo effect can make people get better. Research has shown the placebo effect is enough to cure cancer. If a trusted doctor gives you medicine, odds are it will make you feel better (it may even make you get better) even if the medicine is only a sugar pill.

If the doctor truly believes, truly cares, and can see us for who we are, we can sense that. It doesn't matter what she says; it matters what else we pick up in our interactions with her. The words don't cure us our beliefs do.

Several times Matthew, Mark and Luke recorded that Jesus told people "their faith has made them well." James told his readers when they prayed they had to "ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind."

Do we pray expecting God to heal? We may believe he can but are we convicted that he will? I for one am not because in my experience and observation he never has. I imagine you have heard the preacher's story of the man who prayed that it not rain and took an umbrella or the opposite he prayed that it would rain and left the umbrella at home. Most public prayers are by rote and because it is time for a prayers. Prayer appears to be the only area in which growth is not expected. The manner in which an individual prays as a child is accepted when they are adult.

When people attempt to refute my assertions about prayer their examples always come from the Old Testament. Apparently we have no New Testament examples of God answering prayer. But no one questions that. People make comments such as "prayer works" or "prayer is powerful" but do not offer examples supporting their words. But no one questions that.

Apparently I have never met a righteous man or at least never heard one recite a prayer because I have never experienced nor observed a prayer that did anything close to James' assurance "the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."

The disciples came to Jesus privately and said, "Why could we not cast it (a demon) out?" He said to them, "Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you." Christians claim Jesus was perfect but they do not believe him. If they are correct Jesus lied and was hardly perfect.

I believe Jesus was being literal and no I do not have faith enough to move mountains. But I wonder what people would think if I did.

Muslims pray. Christians pray. Neither experiences results and no one questions that.

How Long

Most churches spend little time looking ahead and planning for unexpected events.  

In the 70s some black folks were going around interrupting church services to read  their "Black Manifesto." At one of the business meetings the men of the congregation we attended in Ohio addressed the issue of how the congregation would respond. One of the men said if they showed up he would blow them back out the door with his shotgun. No one asked if he had the shotgun with him at all times or if he had it stored someplace accessible in the building.  I did not doubt the former or the latter.

Now change the scenario to gay. How will we react to a practicing homosexual showing up at our door; maybe as a result of an invitation of one of our members?  When it happens it will catch us off guard and we will be unsure of how we should react or act. The men have already shown we cannot discuss sensitive issues so this should be good one.

My guess is the men will be surprised to know the word homosexual does not appear  in the original text but rather a description that some translators translate as homosexual. Several versions translate the terminology as homosexual but the word does not appear. It did not exist until the last century.

1 Cor. 6:9 (ESV)
    Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality (KJV-nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, ) 

1 Tim. 1:10 (ESV) 
    the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality (KJV-defile themselves with mankind), enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine, 

 

Homosexual is slang for queer. Queer means: off center, weird, odd, unwell. Synonym to queer is strange. Nothing to do with same gender sex.

According to the Wiki Dictionary, Gay in the sense of homosexual (first recorded in 1951) was shortened from earlier gay cat 'homosexual boy' in underworld and prison slang, itself first attested about 1935, but used earlier for a young tramp or hobo attached to an older one.

People attracted sexually to members of their own gender are at the very least a bit odd, weird, off center.  They are queer. They should not be mistreated because of their queerness but there is no denying they are a bit odd. Anyone who has ever seen a female impersonator doing burlesque understands those folks are a bit strange. 

Anyway I am looking forward to the eventual discussion of what we do.

 

As an aside notice in 1 Corinthians 6:9 sexually immoral, adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality are different, Apparentloy adulterers are not being sexually immoral as effeminate, and abusers of themselves with mankin are not being sexually immoral. That might be worth discussing that in a class sometime.