e pray that God will bless you with a true, spiritual understanding of prayer, faith and worship of God. May the power of God through the mighty name of Jesus Christ be your helper.
WHY DO WE CALL GOD “FATHER”?
Some people are offended when they hear Christians speak of God as our ‘Father.’ To some, this may seem disrespectful, or that we think God is too small. However, this is not the case. We call God our Father because God tells us to do this. This name reminds us that he is loving, powerful and full of authority. He desires what is good for us. Jesus Christ made it clear that God desires a close relationship with his children. We also call God our King, Master, Creator, Truth, Life, Source of All Good Things, Protector, Judge, Savior, Lord of Life, etc. There is not one word that can hold all the greatness of God. However, no one should think that followers of Jesus Christ believe God to be small or human-like because we call him our Father. By this name, “Father,” we give him the greatest praise and express our deepest trust in him.
I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty. Apostle Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians, 6.18
PRAYER
For the followers of Jesus, prayer is very special. Prayer can be private in our homes and personal lives. It can also be public in our gatherings as believers. However, we are taught by Jesus not to do our prayers just to be seen by other people. Because of this, the followers of Jesus are sometimes accused that we do not pray. This is not true. We pray many times in a day, following the many teachings found in the Holy Bible about prayer. We pray before eating to thank God for our food. We pray when we go to sleep, when we wake up. We live each day with a heart full of prayer and trust that God hears and answers us. Prayer is mentioned hundreds of times in the Bible with examples of prayers of the prophets and leaders like David, Moses, Solomon, Daniel, Paul and others. Jesus prayed often, even all night at times. For followers of Jesus, pray is not repeating words we have been told to say. Prayer is the heart and soul speaking to God freely in thoughtful praise, thanksgiving, confession and request. We do not have one language for prayer, for God hears all languages as long as the prayer is said in faith.
IS THE BIBLE RELIABLE?
Is the Holy Bible reliable? Has it been changed or corrupted by Jews and Christians? This is said by some people. Let us consider some facts that are clearly proven by historical information that is available today. We have hundreds and thousands of copies of the writings of the Bible books. Many of these date all the way back to just some few years after the time of Jesus and his apostles. These books are found in many museums around the world. They confirm that the words of the Bible are correct. Hundreds of these are much older than the time of Muhammad, the prophet of Islam, who was born somewhere around the year 570 A.D. according to the Western calendar. Many, many translations of the Bible were made into languages of the Middle East and Mediterranean world between the years 200 A.D. to 500 A.D. These all show the same message of the Bible from start to finish. There has been no meaningful change in the text of the Bible. It is correct and true.
It is not a simple thing to say God has allowed His word to be changed. Men and women should be very careful about making statements about the purity of the Bible. To leave out important parts of the Word of God because we do not like what it says is to make a great mistake.
I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book. Prophet and Apostle John, Revelation 22.18-19, the last book in the New Testament of the Bible
The Holy Bible is proven to be the most reliable ancient book in the whole history of mankind. It cannot pass away, be replaced, or be changed. Without the Bible, there is no full message of God for the world. Those who do not turn away from the Bible, or who don’t read it, or who think it is unnecessary, are closing their minds to the words of God.