Q. Matthew 5: 29-30 says, “If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.” Did Jesus literally mean for us to maim ourselves ? A. This passage is obviously symbolic, because the urge to sin does not originate in the offending body part. Even blind men lust after women and men with no hands covet the possessions of others. Sin originates in man’s heart. Only God can “cut out” our hearts and give us new ones. (Ezekiel 36:26) The Lord was demonstrating the futility of trying to eliminate sin from our lives in our own strength. That’s why we need a Savior. Q. I just want to know that if we pray to God to help and sustain us during the great tribulation will He still answer our prayers or will the gates of heaven be shut during these times? A. First, let’s clarify that those who are true believers now will be in Heaven with God during the Great Tribulation and won’t have to worry about whether He hears their prayers. That said, some scholars believe that God will not hear the prayers of the people on Earth during the Great Tribulation. This is based on the view that the prayers of the saints are carried into God’s presence. Rev. 15:8 tells us that no one will be able to enter the Temple in Heaven during the Bowl Judgments, aka the Great Tribulation. The view has some merit, and God has in the past closed his ears to the prayers of the people during a time of judgment (Jeremiah 11:14). But even if this is not the case during the Great Tribulation, you wouldn’t want your worst enemy to have to endure the End Times judgments. Tags: End Times, Great Tribulation, Prayer Q. Recently, I’ve received letters from a church saying that The Holy Spirit had directed them to mail me. I regularly receive letters claiming Spirit led instruction. It says that if I’m obedient, God will pour out great blessings for me. God has blessed me richly and I’ve been a faithful tither for several years. If it is instruction from the Holy Spirit, I want to be obedient. I’m not sure it is. I don’t want to be taken advantage of, but want to do the right thing. Am I missing something? A. I don’t think the Holy Spirit tells churches to send mailings asking for money or any other kind of help. If the church that sent you the letter was following the Holy Spirit’s direction, they wouldn’t need to ask for money. And we don’t need a letter from someone to receive the Holy Spirit’s instruction. He has a much more efficient way of prompting us. Q. My sister used to be a very strong Christian and would share her faith with anyone. Since getting a divorce she has fallen away from the church and pulled her children out as well. She is also pulling her away from the family. I pray for her continually but sometimes I wonder if God hears my prayers due to the anger that I have inside towards her. I am tired of seeing her hurt the family and her children while turning her back on God. I have also prayed about the anger that I have toward her. How do I pray for her in a way that is glorifying to God when I cannot seem to get control of my anger and hurt towards her? A. You’ve answered your own question. You can’t pray for your sister while you’re still angry with her. In Matt. 18:21-35 the Parable of the Unmerciful Servant makes it clear that the Lord forgave you when you were still a sinner. And it wasn’t just a little thing, it was for everything. So you must now make the choice to forgive your sister from your heart just as He forgave you, and do whatever is in your power to reconcile with her. Then you can be an effective prayer warrior on her behalf. Ephesians 4:26-27 admonishes us not to let the sun go down on our anger, because it gives the devil a foothold in our heart. Footholds become strongholds. Ask for the Lord’s help in doing this because He has given you the power to demolish strongholds. (2 cor. 10:3-5) Tags: Prayer Q. My question deals with the prevalence of “The Prosperity Gospel”. Some of the well meaning proponents of this suggest that if one is sick, or poor, or even dies untimely, it is evidence of a lack of faith. I find it offensive, and am troubled because some I love have stated this, and it is divisive. I am hoping you will address this for the Church. Thank you. A. It’s true, the Bible does support much of the Prosperity Gospel teaching. The Lord has promised to meet all our needs (Matt. 6:33) heal us (James 5:14-15) and even make us wealthy (2 Cor. 9:11). But there are conditions, and in failing to teach these conditions, many Prosperity Gospel teachers are in gross violation of the very Scriptures they cite. It’s clear that we come into the blessings of Scripture as we yield our lives to God. For example, Matt. 6:33 says that the Lord will provide for those who make seeking His Kingdom and His righteousness their first priority. To me that means placing our entire life in His hands and doing only those things He directs us to do. How many of us live this way? In 2 Cor. 9:11 Paul said we will be made rich in every way so we can be generous on every occasion. People I know who are being blessed in this way live relatively simple lives and give away 50-70% of their income. They understand that the Lord blesses them for the purpose of giving generously, not for funding their personal luxuries. They also know they’re storing up treasure in Heaven, where it will last forever (Matt. 6:20). How many of us give this way? And just about every time the Lord healed anyone, He said that it was their faith that made it possible. How many of us really believe that the Lord will supernaturally heal us? How many of us have ever even seen anyone healed this way? In Romans 8:28 Paul said that God works everything together for the good of those who love Him. The word translated love there means to be totally given over to Him regardless of His response to us. How many of us love him this way? In summary, it takes a commitment to developing and maintaining a very close subordinate relationship with the Lord to fully activate these promises, yielding every aspect of our lives to Him to do with as He pleases, just like Jesus did with His Father. This kind of love was much more prevalent in the years after the resurrection. It’s extremely rare today, but clearly necessary, and for that reason many prosperity gospel teachers who don’t explain these conditions will have to answer for their misleading instruction (James 3:1).
Deliberate Disfigurement?
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Praying During The Great Tribulation
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A Letter From The Holy Spirit?
Praying In Anger
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Is The Prosperity Gospel Wrong?
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
AskaBibleTeacher: (Deliberate Disfigurement?; Praying During The Great Tribulation; A Letter From The Holy Spirit?; Praying In Anger; Is The Prosperity Gospel Wrong?) -Jack Kelley
