sunilbernard

Q4. What does it mean to have a broken heart and spirit? Why is this essential in the prayer for pardon? In what sense is this a "sacrifice"? Why do we tend to resist a "broken and contrite heart" in ourselves? Broken heart and spirit means crushed and heart broken. Utterly broken down in the heart and mind. Absolutely no will power to do anything. Final acceptance of the fact that he has broken the relationship between himself and God. It is this state of mind that is essential for a prayer of pardon. Pardon is granted when the seeker is genuine. God knows the mind and seeks genuine state of the mind and spirit of the individual. From a personal point of view this can be termed as a sacrifice as it involves dying to self. Being crushed and broken hearted is dying to self and saying Lord, I am undone. Please help me. The 'SELF' that is there in us refuses to be crushed and broken. It always want self gratification. We were born with a rebellious attitutde, questioning the credentials of God Himself. The very first question that Satan posed was 'did God said so'? We tend to question everything pertaining to God's views. It is good to question and seek clarifications but not necessarily things pertaining to God as the Psalmist says, 'my thoughts are not your thoughts, they are higher than the sky....' We cannot comprehend God with our human minds. We should always condemn this 'SELF' and let God handle our things in His way and time.

Q3. Is it possible to have a pure heart? How does God bring about a pure heart? What is our part in this? It is possible to have pure heart provided we walk in His ways and submit to His will. Why not ? God questions us. When I have sent my only son for your sin's sake, why not become pure through His blood. Yes, its perfectly possible to maintain a healthy relationship and keep our hearts and minds always pure. For when Satan tempts us and makes us fall, we should go back to the bosom of our Father and immediately cleanse the slate and erase the virus before it has a chance to spread. God brings about a pure heart in us by controlling our inner man. The inner being is the sole dictator of terms. Once that is in the hands of God, then our lives will be pure and without any blemish. That inner purity is achieved by feasting on the Word of God and being in communion with him constantly. Our part in this process is to submit to His authority. Let no self will guide us. It is best to hand over the charge to an authority who can rightly take care of things.

Q2. In his prayer does David seek to minimize his sins? To maximize them? Why does an authentic prayer for pardon require clear, unvarnished acknowledgement of sin to be effective? David doesn't seek to minimize or maximize his sins. He confesses to God on his actuals. Just what they are. Basic sin against His divine moral conduct. In sin did my mother concieve me David says. That is his basic nature from birth is sinful. He is prone to sin naturally. That is the crux of his admission of guilt. When David acknowledges his sin against God and says, against you , only you, have I sinned, he is laying himself bare before God. He is opening his mind completely to God and says Lord you know my innards because you created them. So here am I, openly confessing my sins to you because you are the only one who can forgive them. Prayers like that are very authentic and God honors those kind of prayers. They come from deep down in the heart.

Q1. In what way does a prayer for pardon require faith? What is that faith based on? How does a person gain the faith to pray this prayer in confidence? It requires faith that you will be granted pardon when you pray for it. It is an aspect for the future and future is uncertain. So unless one is sure that pardon will be granted at all costs, one cannot pray in faith. So there we have, our God of promises, who says him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out John 6:37. He who approaches the Lord for forgiveness, will be suitably rewarded by forgiveness. Basic idea is to have faith that we will recieve forgiveness when we ask for it. That faith is based on the word of God. The promises of God are forever aye. They are never forgotten by God and He is the one who delivers. Our faith is on an infallible God who delivers what He promises. Call on me in the day of trouble and I will save you says the Lord. Like that there are so many promises which are true and dependable. Gaining this kind of faith is not a one time action nor a days practice. It is not fast food stuff. We have to grow into friendship with God and enemity with the world. When our companionship and fellowship with God grows day by day, then the fellowship will automatically drive us to experience faith that will be reciprocated. We will develop a sense of belonging that says we will not be denied anything when we ask anything. That is the kind of faith that we should develop on our Lord Jesus.

Q4. In what way does Abraham show persistence? Why is persistence necessary in prayer? Have you ever experienced "praying through"? What was it like? Abraham shows persistence through the bargaining that he does with the Lord God. From 50 souls down to 10 he goes on bargaining with the Lord. And the best part is, the Lord goes along with him. That shows that our Lord God loves to have two way communication with His children, and that He loves to engage Himself with His children in more ways. Its not a cat and mouse game that the Lord God is playing with Abraham, but He is interested in saving souls as much as Abraham. Though Abraham's main concern was for his relative Lot and his family, the Lord God wants us to intercede for many non Christians who are His creation, thereby giving them a chance to escape the great judgment day. I am learning to 'pray through'. Its a difficult proposition for we 21st century Christians who want everything in a 'fast food' kind of atmosphere. We want everything in a jiffy, but the Lord says it will be answered in MY TIME. Praying through teaches us (me) patience as well as persevering in prayer through intercession. What a great lesson on perseverance.!!

Q3. Do you think Abraham's boldness pleased God? Why or why not? Yes, it pleased God immensely because God wants His children to come to Him under all circumstances. Though He is an awesome God, He has given us, His chidren, the privilege of calling Him Abba, Father. As a father, He expects His children to come to Him for all requests, with boldness. Abraham used his access to God with boldness. God wanted just that and He was mighty pleased with that. What might cause God to take delight in your prayers to him? When we pray according to His will. That is the most important thing that we have to learn while praying and that causes God to take delight in our prayers, as God is sure to answer them positively. There are many references found in the word of God to that effect. While we learn to pray and intercede for one another, it is imperative that we first find our whether it is in the will of God and then start interceding.

Q2. How did Abraham demonstrate his humility before God? By recognising the fact that he was made from dust and is nothing but dust, of no value, very insignificant. Before the Almighty God, that's what we are. We must never forget that important fact that we are NOT IMPORTANT, if God choses. But its the contrary. God has given us His rights, to be called the children of God, John 1:12. So when we come before God, we must always remember that fact that we are what we are by His grace alone and not because of our birth. Why must boldness be tempered with humility? God has given us the privilege of being called His children. That gives us right to have continous access to Him. But that does not deny the fact that we are still human beings, created out of dust. Physically, we are still nothing in the sight of God. That's where we should be aware of our position and come to Him in all humility. We come to His throne of mercy with boldness because He has given us the right to be His child, but we should humble ourselves before His Awesome Presence conscious of our physical attributes.

Q1. What is the basis of Abraham's argument that God should spare Sodom? Abraham's basis is his firm conviction that God is a just God and He will not allow injustice to prevail in His kingdom. He has experienced the Lord's justice in many ways and so Abraham bargains with God boldly for the lives of his kin, Lot and his family. The Lord will allow persecution, trials and tribulations in one's life so that the particular individual may increase in his personal faith and spiritual strength. That's the stepping stone for the Christian to leap forward in faith. God is a just God and He will take care of the righteous ones according to His promises in the Bible. That's why Abraham is so caught up with saving Sodom atleast for a few righteous characters, if available. How does it relate to God's character? God's character is just and righteous. He never allows bad things to overshadow His children. Even if He does, its only for a positive purpose of increasing thier faith. So Abraham's argument or bargaining with God perfectly gels with God's inbuilt character.

Q4. How can prayer change God's mind without conflicting with the doctrine of the Immutability of God? Can God answer a prayer for something outside of the scope of his will? Effectual , fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much, says James. It means that when we pray with all zeal and fervency, God listens and changes course. As detailed in the study, anything done within the boundaries of the will of God will prevail over his scheduled actions. God does relent, provided it is in His realm of will. Any prayer outside the scope of His will cannot be answered by God. Because God does not alter His characteristics for the sake of man. If we pray with selfish motives or biased opinions, He will not answer them as they fall outside His will. We should know before attempting to pray, whether it stands the scrutiny of God's will. If we are sure we are within the boundary of His will, then we should attempt to pray. Otherwise it is a futile exercise.

Q3. How can a wrong understanding of determinism and predestination keep us from the kind of gutsy prayer that Moses prayed? What do you call a belief that our prayers make no difference to God's response? We are humans, limited in our understanding of the scriptures and the mind of God. In that position, we are not in a position to argue for or against, predestination, determinism, foreknowledge, freewill etc. But we should be concerned about the present position we are in. We should concern ourselves on the present object of our focus. If we are supposed to pray, let us pray fervently, forgetting about the attributes of the Lord God and forgetting about all the mind boggling abstract ideas. If we follow one school of thought, we will be distracted and our prayers will turn out to be spineless, abstract words instead of the kind of gutsy prayer Moses did. If we believe that our prayers make no difference to God's response, then we are believing that God who has predetermined the actions of all, will do them whatsoever be the prayers we offer. We are resigned to God's chess game. The Hindus call it the 'Karma' or one's fate. Fortunately, we have a God who listens to His childrens' prayers and answers them, according to His promises made in the scriptures.

Q2. What aspects of Moses' prayer of intercession should we emulate in our own prayers? Upon what logical grounds does Moses offer this bold appeal to God? What do you think it means to "pray the promises of God"? How does knowing the Bible help you get your prayers answered? How does this help our prayers be within God's will? Boldness is the first word. Moses faced the Lord God and told Him point blank that YOU will be ill talked of. What courage to advice the Lord God himself!! That comes be being constantly in communion with God and knowing His thoughts very well. Moses was in sync with God, that's why he could so easily turn back God's mind. Moses told the Lord that people would scoff at the name of the Lord who couldn't finish what He started off. By wiping all Israel, people who heard about the mighty deeds of the God of Israel, would lose all credibility in Him. The Israelites were God's own people. If He finishes them off in the wilderness, He would break His own promises made to their forefathers. Pray the promises of God would mean to remind God of His promises and claim them. Not that God would forget, but that we would be reminded of His promises made to us and claim them in faith. Knowing God's word and His promises made to us will clear many doubts that exist in our minds. Claiming those promises will make and increase our faith. Praying for those promises to be fulfilled in our lives will make us to be in sync with God's will. That is praying in God's will. Praying in God's will is sure to get our prayers answered because He promised in the Bible that whatsoever ye ask in my name, think that you have got it. What more promise do we require.

Q1. Read Exodus 32:1-14. What had the people done that was so bad? How can a loving God be angry? Is God's sentence to destroy Israel and raise up a new nation through Moses justified? Broke the commandments even before they were given. Of course they were not physically aware of these commandments being given. But for long time they were aware that their God, Yahweh, is a jealous God and does not share His glory with anyone. They should have known better than to ask Aaron to make an idol because they very well knew, Yahweh did not like idolatry in any form. Anger in God is because of His love for His children. He is angry because He can't see them destroy themselves in and through idolatry. He wants the best for His children. He wants them to have a living God for their worship whereas they are seeking to make a make believe God for thier worship. God is perfectly justified in his outburst against Israel. When He can create man out of dust and make him a living being, he can easily destroy mankind and create a new strain of human beings. Looking at the past behaviour of Israelites, God must have rued the day He decided to make a nation out of them. They let Him down so badly that God vowed to destroy them and He is perfectly justified because of the callous attitude of the rebellious nation.

Q4. Why should we continually ask forgiveness? How can unforgiveness on our part block God's blessing? How can unforgiveness block God's forgiveness? Because we are born in sin as the Bible says, ' in sin did my mother concieve me'. God doesn't tolerate sin. Even though we are born again believers, we still sin because of our inherent system. Therefore, it is necessary that we keep on asking God for forgiveness, everytime we come to His throne of mercy. That is the second aspect of the model prayer. ACTS - Confession. If we don't forgive people who hurt us, God's love doesn't abide in us. Even though Jesus was subjected to the highest form of torture and cruel death, He still could say Father, forgive them.... that is divine love. We may not be capable of going to that extent, but it is in our capacity to forgive those who have hurt us and caused us harm. By being Godly and forgiving in nature, inherits the blessings that God gives His children. When we forgive and follow the pattern set by Jesus, God also would forgive us and give us His blessings. If we don't do it, we forgo all the positive effects that come with forgiveness.

Q3. Why do we seek to be independent of asking anyone for help? Why do we seek to be independent of God? Why should we ask God to "give" us daily bread so long as we can earn a living for ourselves? Pride keeps us from asking any one for help even when we are lost in a jungle. We always want to try it on our own. The basic nature of man to be self dependant. The rebellious frame of mind which says why should I need someone when I can do things myself? That's the basic structure of our mind which dictates what we chose to do. The rebellious attitude inherent in each one of us makes us run away from God and do things our way. God is a loving Father. He delights in His children and loves being close to them. When we love someone, we always try to please them. So in this case, when we are in love with the Father and want Him to control our lives, it is better if we let Him give what He wants to give us. In the best interest of His children, our loving Father will always give the best to us. Whether our needs are physical or mental or spiritual or economic, its always the best for His children. Why do we have to strain and struggle all our lives for the 2nd best things, when our Father is prepared to give to top of the line stuff for us.

Q2. In what sense are we asking that the Father's kingdom should come? Why are we asking for the Father's will to be done here on earth? How should this prayer affect our living? In what sense? In a sense of awe. In a sense of helplessness. Because earlier we see how the Father's glory is and how we often take His name in vain. Having tasted the majesty of His name, we now ask our Father that He come soon and establish His throne because we have made our lives miserable having gone our own ways. We have become helpless on our own strength and now we crave for the Father's abiding presence. Our will is always contradicting the will of the Father, because we are in this world and this world belongs to the Devil and his angels. They control everything in here. So, in a way, they control our minds and bodies too. Unless we surrender our everything to our Lord and Father, there is always this contradiction taking place in all our decisions. That is why we seek the Father's will to be done on this earth as well as in our lives, so that our lives might become more meaningful in His sight. This prayer is self demeaning, self killing. We kill the self and ask the Lord to take over. Once He does that, our lives will change automatically and we begin to live for the Lord along with Paul saying, 'for me to live is Christ, to die is gain'. What a blessed life that will be.

Q1. What about our lives and words "hallows" the name of our Father? What desecrates and besmirches it? How should we "hallow" the Father when we begin to pray? "Be ye holy even as I am holy" says the word of God. The Lord God, Creator, deserves to be honored with all our being, we being His creation. He is a loving father but that doesn't give us the license to jump and dance on Him. When we compare ourselves to His Holy and Awesomeness, we dare to address Him anything less. We have to be conscious of that fact that even though He is a loving God, He still sits on His Majestic throne. We give respect to mere mortals in high places. Doesn't the creator of all deserve more than that? When we use His name flippantly, without any respect or just for no reason, then we dishonor that holy name. That besmirches His name. When we get the big picture of His holy and awesome presence, then we will know and give due credence to His name. When we pray, we should address His Holiness. When that title is betowed upon mortals such as judges and christian leaders in the higher echelons, why not give more to the original owner of that title, "His Holiness"!!!

Q5. Now that you're finished with James: Practical Christianity, what did you get out of this study? How would you evaluate the study? What can be improved? This study was particularly useful exposition to me. I am a practical person and always look for things on the practical side. As such, it opened my eyes towards the practical aspects of prayer, role of faith, healing prayers by beleivers, confessing sins to one another (a difficult aspect) and seeking the lost souls and praying for them in earnest. Vow, what a packet!! This one really shook me and goaded me into going into the right ways of doing things. This study was a real blessing. Hats off to Pastor Ralph Wilson for his indepth analysis and points to the key material.

Q4. (5:19-20) In the light of James' emphasis on active faith vs. dead faith (2:17), why is the role of finding and bringing back the wandering sheep so important? Active faith is dynamic. It goes out from us to do things for the Lord. Dead faith is selfish. It says, you are saved, its enough. Be satisfied. But our Lord, in Luke 15, gave a tremendous example of how a good shepherd, leader, Pastor, shoud behave. With love for the lost soul. Active faith is going out to gather the lost souls and bring them in for the harvest. When the Lord returns, the faithful ones should present the Lord with a basket full of fruits (souls) to make the Lord say, well done, thou good and faithful child...

Q3. (5:14-16) In the healing prayer, what is the role of oil? What is the role of the prayer of faith? What is the role of faith? What is the role of confession of sins? Oil is a symbolic representation of the Holy Spirit. As the oil is poured out and anointed, so the Holy Spirit is poured out on the sick person and he is anointed. The oil may contain medicinal properties too, depending on its purity, but mainly, it is a symbolic representation. Prayer of faith effects the healing process. In other words, it is the starting point for the healing. It contains the deadly punch for satan to start fleeing. The role of faith is to unite the sick person, the person who prays and God. When these three are united in faith, then the work of healing starts. Confession to each other starts a chain reaction. The soul is freed from its bondage. Prayer is initiated for the forgiveness and the healing process starts.

Q2. (5:14) What is the elders' role in prayer for the sick? What must be their spiritual qualifications for this ministry of prayer? The elders' role is of interceding. This is a wonderful ministry for the elders of the church. The elders are spiritually strong persons who have great spiritual maturity. Thier job is to lead from the front in faith. Thier spiritual qualifications are long walk with the Lord, strong faith in the Lord's abilities and discernment. Above all, they should possess the most important qualification of patience. That is, they should pray unceasingly. The Lord will answer according to His time. We should watch and pray without ceasing.

Q1. (5:13-14) According to verse 14, who is to initiate prayer for healing? Why might this be important? The patient needs to initiate the prayer for healing. Then ask the elders of the church and others for strengthening of his faith. This is important because our own individual faith is weak. Moreover, Jesus is the great physician. Doctors are there for us to cater to our sickness but our dependence should be on our Lord more as we are His children, called to serve Him.

Q4. (5:9) What does our grumbling and complaining say about us? About our faith? About our patience? Our grumbling and complaining are connected to our faith and patience and above all our Christian maturity. If we are grumbling all the time, then we are still babies in Christian life. We have to learn to grow in the Spiritual life which is sans grumbling and complaining. Our patience and faith are interlinked. If we don't have faith, our patience suffers. And faith is believing in the work of Jesus and allowing Him to control our life. If we don't do that, then the cascading effect of faithlessness leads to grumbling to complaining. We'd better be watchful as our lives are being watched by others and we should not become stumbling block for budding Christians.

Q3. (5:7-8) What can happen to us Christians if we lack the patience to eagerly expect Christ's return? Why is patience so vital? We will become sluggish in our behaviour and Christian walk. Like the foolish virgins, we will become lazy and doze off and not be on our gaurd. Patience is required to wait for the coming of the Lord as his time table and ours do not match. Our thinking and His thinking do not match. His ways and our ways do not match. So we should not expect things on our plane but leave it to God. Jesus said, no one knows when the Father will come, not even Himself. Lets leave God's time table to Himself and concentrate on winning and preparing people for the coming of the Lord.

Q2. (5:5-6) What is the spiritual danger of our demand for comfort and luxury? Extra credit: How might our demand for low-priced goods and services cause us to (1) oppress our own employees or (2) cause workers in this country or abroad to be under paid or oppressed? How does all this relate to the need for patience? We become spiritually lazy. We hesitate to do hard work for the Lord. We depend too much on technology and don't do research on our own. We become dependent of the comforts of technology. This depletes our mind of basic power of thinking and applying. Lethargy sets in and in due course of time we stop working because we have become too obese to move around. That's the danger which should be avoided at all costs. All the Call Centers running in India and other third world countries are doing this. They are getting low priced goods and services from third world countries and denying their own people their due. Patience is required to search for better opportunities for your own people rather than denying them the privileges they deserve.

Q1. (4:13-16) What danger is James warning us about in verses 13-16? How can we be humble in our planning without being indecisive and wishy-washy? James is warning us about our pride and boasting. About our own achievements, our own capabilities and talents. This is a very controversial subject vis a vis believers and non believers. People tend to make plans for the future education, jobs, marriage and retirement. Its natural. We have to be foresighted. But not at the cost of our Lord. We should not relegate Jesus to a corner and go about our own plans and ask Jesus for post-facto approval. That's not to be done. We have to go to the Lord with the plans and go for sanction and approval before embarking on the course of action. If the Lord agrees, then it will be a success story. God has given us minds, knowledge, wisdom and the Bible for guidance. We have to be positive in our thinking, along the lines of the Lord. When we are sure we are doing it according to the Lord's will, there should not be any indecision on our part in doing it. It boils down to the basic of going to the Lord and depending upon His wisdom rather than our own wisdom.