This then is how you should pray.
How and Should. Some religions – even some Christian denominations – seem to be more into what and must.
But that’s not what Jesus said.
He said How and Should.
This then is how you should pray… More
And with that he breathed on them and said, Receive the Holy Spirit. This verse is from John 20:22. Yes – John’s Gospel. This is one of those verses that just makes you want to ask, “What is going on here? Didn’t that happen later? Wasn’t that in Acts? On Pentecost?”
Let’s start someplace unexpected. In the middle. At the very beginning of the book of Acts, written by Luke.
The problem of “Receive the Holy Spirit” More
Let the dead bury the dead. What does that even mean? How can one dead person bury another one? Actually, the more common translation is “let the dead bury their own dead”. But still – we’re not talking a horror movie here. This is a quote from the Bible. From Jesus. I don’t remember ever reading about this verse in a book. Don’t remember hearing it in a sermon either. I only remember reading it in the Bible. Right now though, I feel like I’m living it.
Let the dead bury the dead More
Becoming a Christian is easy. You know – say the sinner’s prayer and voila, you’re a Christian. Or so we’re often told. But, saying “I’m a Christian”, or being told, “You’re a Christian” – does that really make someone a “real” Christian? No, it doesn’t. Being a real Christian isn’t that easy. It takes a lot more than just some words. Many who start off on the path to becoming believers end up leaving that path. At one point, Jesus even asked His closest followers, You do not want to leave too, do you?
Being a real Christian isn’t easy. You do not want to leave too, do you? More
The Lord gives and the Lord takes away. It’s a pretty common saying. It’s most likely to be used when something bad happens. Like it’s supposed to make people feel better. And it might actually accomplish that goal – if it was told correctly. It’s like the old thing about the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. So here’s the truth about the Lord gives and the Lord takes away. It’s true. However, it’s not the whole truth. Therefore, it isn’t actually “nothing but the truth”.
The Lord gives and The Lord takes away More
Have you ever heard of a Grown-again Christian? Me neither. But the Apostle Paul did. “But for right now, friends, I’m completely frustrated by your unspiritual dealings with each other and with God. You’re acting like infants in relation to Christ, capable of nothing much more than nursing at the breast.” The Message
And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. This tells of a time when we won’t cry anymore. Will this be the greatest miracle in the Bible? Maybe that depends. For instance – who is being talked about here. Who’s eyes are their eyes? And what does wipe away every tear actually mean?
Wipe away every tear from their eyes: the greatest miracle? More
Is liberal Christianity signing its own death warrant? That question was from 2012. Maybe a better question for today is whether Christianity is signing its own death warrant – liberal or otherwise. However, I think the best question is can Christianity sign its own death warrant.
Is liberal Christianity signing its own death warrant? More
But let’s look beyond just confidence in organized religion. If you have little to no confidence in your church, you probably won’t be involved there. And for sure – if your not involved in your church – you will be saving Nobody’s soul in that church.
Confidence in organized religion hits all-time low in Gallup Poll More
Lots of people know the story of the Prodigal Son. Even many non-Christians. But what of his brother? In Luke’s Gospel, the parable of the Prodigal (lost) Son is 22 verses. Only five of them are about the “other” brother. I can’t help but wonder though …
