what the new testament teaches me about how to pray.

[johnson1942]

the Lord Jesus Christ gave us many examples on how to pray for different situations. not all situations require the same prayer and that is why he gave us so many different examples. remember when he had to pray twice for the blind man that he put mud in his eyes to make his vision come back. the first time he saw men that looked like trees, the second time he was restored in his vision. this example is in the new testament so we do not give up in prayer for a positive result to something. if christ had to pray more than once for something we can do the same also. also remember the nice story of the, i believe it was a widow,how wanted her part of the inheritance and went before the judge without results.she kept coming back until the judge said i will grant her request because i need peace and i dont care anything about her but i need peace in this to get rid of her. she go her request. all this is about, dont quit in prayer over something that you need a positive result in, keep praying about it until the result come. a baptist preacher once told me this when i asked him what the will of God is and he said this. if it isnt a sin or evil in any way then it can be the will of God. stop being overly concerned what the will of God is in your life, the Holy Spirit will direct you, he open doors, closes doors and he stimulates movement. live and walk in the Holy Spirit. my mission has always been to bring peace and power into a christians life, hope this helps someone. by power i mean power in prayer for positive results.

[Pine Baron]

Thank you, johnson 1942.

[claude]

We were pretty much on the same page Johnson, right up until we got here, and then not so much;


stop being overly concerned what the will of God is in your life,

I don't know what the circumstances were that would cause a pastor to say such a thing, but at face value, it is the absolute worst advice I have ever seen.

I understand that you didn't say this, so take no offense, but I want nothing in my life that is not God's will. My every prayer, my every desire is suffixed with, as You Will Father.

Jesus was extremely clear on this in several examples,;

Matthew 6:10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

Matthew 26:42 He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not p*** away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done.

Luke 11:2 And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.

Hebrews 10:7 Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God.

Hebrews 10:9 Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second.

Frankly, the Fathers will is the only thing I wish to do, the only thing I wish to know, the only thing that keeps us alive ultimately is in His will.

[Boaz]

I took it in context that his will would be made known , struggle to find it is unnecessary which is true .

[johnson1942]

well im now sorry i posted it. i have no place here. i wanted to see how walking each moment in the Holy Spirit would be received. claude it also says do not forsake the body of believers. im not going from one match with a verbose person to another. goodby, i will never ever even check in to see what is going on. goodby.

[claude]

Well, whether you come back or not, how does one Walk with The HOLY SPIRIT, the very Spirit of God, while being not overly concerned by the Will of God in ones life?

I'm sorry you have taken offense where no offense was offered.

[Boaz]

WELL HECK !! Christian against Christian . Nuff to make me puke .

Johnson1942 was trying to share .
Claude you slapped him in the face .......Nitpicking and quoting out of context and spirit/ intention of his post .

Johnson 1942 you didn't even try to clarify . Sure don't take much for you to abandon this place .

I would say the better man would trying to message the other to sort this out and return to restart the thread .

Read James it will give insight of how brothers are to deal with situations as such . DANG IT !

[claude]

WELL HECK !! Christian against Christian . Nuff to make me puke .

Johnson1942 was trying to share .
Claude you slapped him in the face .......Nitpicking and quoting out of context and spirit/ intention of his post .

Johnson 1942 you didn't even try to clarify . Sure don't take much for you to abandon this place .

I would say the better man would trying to message the other to sort this out and return to restart the thread .

Read James it will give insight of how brothers are to deal with situations as such . DANG IT !

How do you know that hasn't been tried Boaz, and how many times have you conversed with this man?

Don't attempt to scold me, it won't fly.

You have a good day sir, and I truly mean that, but I'll tell you straight up your opinion of my posts is not nearly as weighty as you might wish.

[Boaz]

I have only negatively on commented on this one . Do what you need do . My opinion , I have no authority here . It is my hope you can work it out .

[claude]

I have only negatively on commented on this one . Do what you need do . My opinion , I have no authority here . It is my hope you can work it out .

I have done what I needed to do, it is not going to be worked out because one party refuses to participate in any attempt at making peace. It was my hope as well, at this point in time, it is not to be.

[GhostHawk]

Your both wrong in my opinion, and I suspect you both need to have a serious talk with the Lord about pride.

Claude you could have asked him to clarify, and you could have been much nicer, briefer and with better tone.

Johnson how can you say you are trying to live in the spirit if you can not even engage in a more or less friendly conversation?

Claude did not say you were wrong, he said you lost him, the path split, you went one way he went another.


Now if you are both going to be mad at me, so be it. I can take abuse in a good cause.

We are supposed to be all Christians here! Willing to speak, to listen, to share.
How can you do that if you run away at the first sign of a difference of opinion?

We are human, we fail, we fall, we pick ourselves up out of the mud, and take another step.
If you stop then you have failed. But you can always wake up tommorow and try again.

365 days a year, I'm pushing hard at 64. I know many are older. That is a lot of fresh starts.

Johnson1942 this is the chapel, this is not like those other threads. You guys start any pissing matches in here and I'll post bad recipes until you stop. The one thing I have is endurance.

Now if I am wrong, someone ELSE say so please. Straight up honest to my face. And I will drop it.

Brother Boaz? Brother Blackwater? PreacherJim? Anyone else?

I don't know about you guys, I grew up with 2 brothers and a sister. Holidays there were more cousin's than you could shake a stick at. The one thing my father would not tolerate was squabbles.

Keep it verbal, keep it clean, keep it civil, when in doubt the World Book Encyclopedia was the authority of last resort.

Far as I am concerned same rules apply here. What is said here stays here. Keep it clean, polite, don't get your undies in a bunch, no leaving in a huff allowed. In fact that is as good as an admission of defeat.

Ultimate authority is King James Bible.


Sigh, my curse is that I can see both sides of almost any dispute.

[Boaz]

I was a mod on a Christian gun forum started by a young Baptist preacher long ago . He truly wanted it to be place all Christians could come to talk guns and discuss their faith in GOD to strengthen all . He was a good man .

Back in the old days the forum thing was new , tools to run it were mainly run manually . His was just a Simple Machines site , a simple setup for a forum . The membership admissions were all done by hand . Some times you would click on in the morning and the spam bots had taken over , Soviets peddling ****** , office furniture or anything you can think of . Had to shut the forum down to remove all the bots , track IP's to clear potential future bot infestation . The spammers , nut jobs , atheists , trolls were enjoying themselves back then , any forum that claimed to be Christian anything was under pressure . We worked hard to make it fly .

Having to deal with all the interference from forces trying to tear the forum down was dealt with . The forum was destroyed from within . Christians arguing , fighting over theology , church traditions , holier than thou non stop scripture wars , arguments that certain translations of the bible were evil , that their church was the only one , and any other 'Christian' failing you can name . What was meant and desired to be a glory to GOD was destroyed by his own people . The atheists , trolls , wingnuts couldn't stop us but single minded 'Christians' did , they got er done . I have never forgotten it .

[GhostHawk]

Thank You for sharing Boaz.

I am also an active member at this forum. http://www.theslingshotforum.com/

Owner is a semi retired CEO of a tech company. He makes more now off Youtube than he did as CEO.
He runs a nice set of forums all about slingshots. He has one paid admin to deal with the technical side.
He has chosen about a dozen active members who's sole job is to remove spammers.

Otherwise the forum is unmoderated. But, show up and start posting kill pictures of critters you have shot with your slingshot and members will post Recipes, pictures of said recipes until you delete it. Post an overpriced piece of steel and wood for sale that anyone could build in 10 minutes and your chances of surviving the next 48 hours on the forums are about nil.


There is only one rule. Be Polite. You can hate someone's guts, you can despise them. But you will communicate politely. Or you will not be there.

Surprisingly given the very tight knit nature of the people involved, it works.
Some of the people there are amazing artisans in wood and metal, plastic. Some have amazing skill.
Young people are guided and directed, encouraged.

As I see it we are here to live, love, and worship. The devil is in the details.

I am also going to add my personal philosophy in hopes that it helps.

"Pain shared is pain diminished, it is devided, reduced. Joy shared is joy multiplied, it doubles and redoubles. It reduces pain, it encourages, it makes life worth living."

Share it all brothers! But please be polite and leave the bickering elsewhere.
http://www.theslingshotforum.com/

[Preacher Jim]

fellows my bible asks the question how many times should i forgive my brother?
can both or all of you answer that question?? As i have stated all opions are welcome, will i or sometimes any one agree, no but do we not love one another enough to share our reasons and still love one another?
Jesus said, by their love you will know them and fellows i am not feeling love in this thread.
jmho.

[Preacher Jim]

Do you know what upsets me most is this a fuss between my brothers in Christ who we all serve.
now i shut up, and suggest there needs to be some Biblical Forgiveness and agree to disagree.
love you all my brothers.
Jim

[Boaz]

Agreed Jim .

[Blackwater]

Amen, Jim. I've been reluctant to post here because of a member's apparent hatred and dread of some of the thins I've said, and he won't even tell me what's offended him! It's guaranteed that when a number of folks coming from who knows how many denominations, come together and discuss the Gospel, that there WILL be disagreements. These disagreements were once handled with aplomb, but peacefully and with mutual respect. That seems to be mostly a "sign of the times" that this seems to be a pipedream these days! There's always someone who seems to have nothing but ridicule and actual venom for anyone who dares post something that they don't agree with. This is obviously not what Christ intended for His people, but it's SO very common today!

Even among us Christians, it seems willfulness is growing like a cancer on the body of Christianity and the church. It'd not be much of a Chapel here if we felt like we were walking on eggshells, would it? I have no doubt of Johnson's salvation or his righteous works. And Claude obviously, I think, didn't mean what he said quite the way it was taken. Are we no longer Christian enough to deal with such common, every-day occurances here??? If not, it has to be because we're serving our OWN wills rather than our Lord's, I think.

We all come from differing backgrounds and training, but IF we can unite in the service of the Lord, what a great boon that will be to us all. But if we fly off the handle at the least sign of a difference, and fail to try to understand where those differences come from, we're insulating ourselves from real edification and the reconciliation we all deserve, one with another, that I think Christ always has wanted for us, and gave us great advice and council to achieve, here or anywhere else.

Even among Christians, there always seems to be a few "my way or the highway" types, that always seem to disrupt what was once a really great place. Yeah, we have differences among us, but we have WAY too many similarities to let those (ultimately minor) differences separate us and disrupt a good and righteous thing like our Chapel here. I don't know about others, but I don't learn from those who think exactly like I do, and there's an awful lot more who don't than do, so I've got a LOT of learning to do. I don't figure it diminishes me or my beliefs in the least if someone disagrees with me. I don't figure it diminishes them in the least if they don't see everything just like I do. We're ALL Christian, and ALL in the process of (hopefully) becoming more knowledgeable and more understanding not only of Christ, but of ourselves and others.

Even the disciples had disagreements among themselves, and went to Jesus to settle them. And they were humble enough and honorable enough and righteous enough to accept whatever Jesus said as the final word on any matter. Can we no longer do this? If not, I don't think the Lord will be happy about that! My take on it only, of course, but it's long been a very frustrating thing for me to try to discuss serious matters seriously and peacefully.

What does it do to a man to be disagreed with? To react beligerantly to that is simply Political Correctness theology, and NOT anything Christ gave us! I think that's pretty clear, isn't it? If not, take a moment to think about it. PC has invaded even our churches, and scriptures have been used to justify and excuse it. Christ never said our walk would be easy or that everyone would agree. He simply gave us instructions on how to handle differences, but we often just don't apply that good advice.

I have no problem with someone seeing things differently from the way I do, or why they should get their feelings hurt because of the difference. But what is more common today amongst Christians BUT this! I know we "see through the glass darkly," but ..... really, THAT darkly???

Just my 2 cents' worth on it. Even as Christians, we're not perfect, and we don't always say things in the best of all possible ways, but that does NOT mean we're no longer Christians, does it???

Sheesh! No WONDER so many pan "organized religion!" It's not like they don't have a point! And it's all OUR fault when we can't get along and become needlessly critical of each other. No attempts to correct or question - just go straight to condemnation and anger and fury! This is NOT what Christ told us to be like, no matter how many Bible verses one might quote in an attempt to justify it and escape responsibility for not following the good advice we've been left to guide us.

We're men. Not Gods. We err. We say the right things in the wrong ways, or the wrong things in the right ways, and err in all manner of ways and things. But who among us is not a Christian, even though we're not infallible? If there's one here, perhaps their proper place is beside God giving him advice??? Yeah, that was hyperbole, but it's only meant to make us stop and think, lest we self-destruct this place, and make it something it was never intended to be - a place ONLY for the "elect," or those who regard themselves as such.

If there's anyone here who's perfect and never errs, never falters or fails, let him or her step forward, and we'll see how many follow you. Church is a place for redeemed sinners, who are trying in this difficult day and time, to find and keep and grow in peace, and worship God in as worthy a way as we know to do so. That's really all there is to it! There's no magic. On becoming a Christian, we don't suddenly become something beyond human, we simply become saved sinners, and we have to learn to grow within the Spirit and the Word. And some are further down the path than we are, and some not as far yet. We're to pull and tutor those behind us, and learn from those in front, and allow God's plan and spirit to work within us. That's really all there is to it, but some in our midst always seem to create and sustain something quite outside those natural parameters. Some of them have good points, but their insistence on having their way all the time is rather haughty, I think, and very much assumptive that they are the "elect" and they seem to always like talking down to us peons. Christ never did that, so I just don't let them bother me very much at all. Sometimes, it's just best to shrug, and walk away from such people, especially when there seems no chance whatever of there being any coming to reason with them. And it's such a shame to lose those who may indeed have something of substance to offer! This is the great tragedy of these things, and I have no idea how to "fix" or even ameliorate it.

But there are far too many folks here who are far too good to let an incident like this stop us or allow it to diminish or destroy this Chapel. We're almost all of us MUCH better and wiser and more Christian than that! That's what I believe, anyway. YMMV?

[Boaz]

The Chapel has brought us together and done well because we respect each others right and ability to opinions and work at/want to get along .
There has been practicality NO problems here . Many friendships have been made , much good done through prayer , praise and commonality in our faith and belief in GOD .
There has been an out pouring of concern for others , we as a whole are strengthened by our common bond , our love of GOD . Faith and belief in the one true living GOD . Love and concern for all . There are so many I know believe that come seldom but make a difference . I pray always that they may find solace and comfort here and make it a part of their lives . We have been availed the opportunity through our Lord in this place to make that difference . These places to do this are drying up , folks that care are fading , this is a good place .

People come here , some need prayer , some seek GOD , some seek others of faith , the lost watch us all the time......waiting .....waiting .

Post , post often and help us . GOD bless the one's that post please .

[buckwheatpaul]

Great post! Thank You...Paul

[Boaz]

Truth Paul and I grow weary brother . I grow weary .

[GhostHawk]

PreacherJim I believe this is what you were looking for.

"Jesus answered, “I tell you, not just seven times, but seventy-seven times!…"

[Boaz]

You are correct , Jim will confirm it .

[Boaz]

Good night guys , I am tired .

[dverna]

Boaz, your comment is so important "What was meant and desired to be a glory to GOD was destroyed by his own people . The atheists , trolls , wingnuts couldn't stop us but single minded 'Christians' did , they got er done." These types of professed Christians are why organized religion is in so much trouble.

Blackwater is correct. At times we must "agree to disagree."

As a man searching, one of the challenges I face is accepting so much on faith. The other is dealing with the various denominations - each of which thinks their beliefs are the right ones. When I see such bickering, and at times total disgust, between "men of faith" it makes me wonder why God has managed to get things so wrong.

Now, I know the canned answer is that God has not erred, but man has corrupted His Word and man's willfulness has caused confusion and misunderstanding of His Word. Yet we have dozens of factions all under God's will.

When people of faith cannot agree on His Word, and by that I mean what is written in the Bible, how can a non-believer make any sense out of it? Then we have the added challenge of nuances created by translations that may have not been 100% correct; and that what was written, is different than what was meant.

I am more and more convinced that organized religion is mostly a "feel good" institution to make people satisfied with themselves. Putting a few dollars in the collection plate make us feel good. Doing service work in the name of God makes us feel good. But all those things can be done outside of religion. We can support good charities either with money or by volunteering and feel good without trying to please God. We are pleasing ourselves for the "right" reasons.

The other aspect of organized religion that makes people feel good is its acceptance of sin. Every sin can and will be forgiven. Whether it is in the confession box, or by proclaiming that we accept Jesus as our Savior. Any misstep, wrong doing, or atrocity is forgiven. There is something intrinsically wrong with that. Not all sins are equal but most Christians believe that. Just wrong on so many levels.

Anyway, enough about MY problems.

This thread is sad. But it is a worthwhile read for both the faithful and non-believers.

BTW, I understand and respect the views of Johnson1942, Boaz, Blackwater, et al. I think you are all good people and it is sad to see good people act like this when I know that we would all find a way to be friends around a campfire having a beer. Unless of course you are a Baptist, or some other denomination, and are forced to drink iced tea. (LOL)

[Boaz]

I'm not actually sure your requesting a answer so I'll keep it short .

Neither of these men should have left . No one wants that here . I have messaged both not to leave ,that no purpose would be served.

You use ...organized religion , I will use the word church . No church is perfect , no Christian is perfect and never will be . Christians are just people with the same problems we all have . The church will be what YOU make of it , your accepting Christ as your savior will also be only what YOU make of it . God gave us freewill for a reason . I am as imperfect as they come , I admit to more failure than success . There are many good Christians , there are many right here in this Chapel that try to practice what we are taught by our Lord . The only Gage we have is Jesus Christ and we will never come close to his perfection but we must try as imperfect as we are . Trying and caring is key , it's what you put into it as to the outcome .

[Boaz]

PS; I'm Baptist so pass the tea jug .

[Preacher Jim]

You are correct 7x70 was an infinite number to the Hebrew. Sorry been off today fellows my dad was a rough fist fighter but he taught us boys if your perfectly right fight, if the question is only your personal interpretation think and shake hands.

[Blackwater]

dverna, I'm a Baptist, but I'll imbibe with you any day. It won't be much, but it'll be oh so good to simply share a drink with another Christian, even one who may not see things quite the same as I do. After all, in the military, they have pilots, gunners, heavy equipment operators, medics, and why shouldn't Christianity be composed of different folks of different types? And what's the big deal about a difference in comprehension of the Word, as long as we all worship the same Savior? I tend to be a pretty simple guy, and this seems so very simple to me. I understand that Satan uses our inner weaknesses in many ways, and separating Christian from Christian is one of his most devious devices in wreaking his havoc among us. Just because we're Christian doesn't men we're immune from his temptations. After all, didn't he try to tempt Christ himself in the desert on the mountain? He surely won't be missing tempting us!

When my eldest grandson made his profession of faith, everybody congratulated him, and I did to, but added, "Now the hard part starts. You DO know the devil will be after you now more than ever, don't you?" He looked at this departure from what everyone else had told him with a bit of a start. Since then, I think he's come to understand.

Christ gave us the story of the prodigal son to show us how great the joy is when another soul comes to light. But just like on any battlefield, when one makes one's proclamation, one makes one's self a target also. It can't work out otherwise. And this world IS a huge and very deceptive battleground between Good and Evil, and they're essentially fighting over us! Each side wants our soul. Which we give ourselves to is OUR decision to make. Christ whispers his sweet invitation. Satan shouts and condemns and complains and tempts with a fiery breath, because it's all he knows HOW to do! And Satan can and will and has fooled a lot of folks into falling for many concepts that are the reverse of what Christ has tried to diligently and thoroughly to give us, if we'll but reach out our hands and simply accept it.

But for now, maybe this dissension has passed, and we can get back yet again to doing the great work this place has been doing from its inception. I haven't heard the story fully, but somewhere, I got the idea that Boaz was a big, if not THE instigator for getting this Chapel set up on this site. We all owe him a great deal of respect and many thanks if that's true, and to No. 1, for putting it up and helping to sustain it.

The guys here are WAY too good and too kind and too sincere about their walk with the Lord to let a little squabble mess it up. Sometimes, I think I can almost hear our Lord sigh, and say, "Why have my people so little heart and perseverance?" That's when I feel so humbled, and so inadequate! But just like the folks in LA are doing now after the flood, we just pick ourselves, dust ourselves off, and .... once more into the breech! What else really, CAN we do?