I'm not very good at praying; what's a good way to start?

Sincerely, One Step At A Time

Dear One Step At A Time,

You start by creating the most fertile soil for success. All prayer needs two key elements. Without these two things, it is impossible to pray.

1. Time
2. Something to say

Both of these elements are equally important. If you have time but nothing to say – you won’t pray. If you have concerns, thanks, or praise but no time set aside to say them – you won’t pray. Neither element can be neglected.

Daniel made it a point to pray regularly (Dan 6:10). Christ set aside time to go away from the multitudes and pray (Matt 14:23). In our busy world, we have to schedule the things that are important to us. If prayer is a priority (as it should be), we need to set aside time to do it. Find two or three times a day that you can set aside short time-blocks (as little as two or three minutes) to focus on prayer. Make sure it is time when you won’t be distracted or disturbed.

Now that you have the time, find a topic. There are many ways to do this. Make a list of others who need prayers (1 John 5:16, Phm 1:22), personal flaws that you are seeking to correct (Acts 8:22), and blessings for which you are thankful (Php 4:6). Taking the time to jot these things down can go a long way to preparing your mind to address your Maker.

The word 'Easter' is not in the Bible, so why do so many churches celebrate it?  Is it okay to celebrate Christmas and Easter as Christ's birth and resurrection?

 

Sincerely,
Easter Egg Hunter

Dear Easter Egg Hunter,

Christmas, Easter, St. Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, Lent, and Good Friday are all examples of religious holidays that are not mentioned in the Bible.  So where do they come from?  The following history of Easter comes directly from International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, an accepted and respected source of religious history:

"The English word comes from the 'Eastre' or 'Estera', a Teutonic goddess to whom sacrifice was offered in April, so the name was transferred to the paschal feast.  The word does not properly occur in Scripture, although the Annotated Version has it in Acts 12:4 where it stands for Passover, as it is rightly rendered in Revised Version.  There is no trace of Easter celebration in the New Testament, though some would see an intimation of it in 1 Cor 5:7." (ISBE)

Easter's roots are not Biblical - but pagan.  It's very name is a reflection of that fact.  There is nothing wrong with celebrating Easter as a holiday, but it is important that we not confuse a secular holiday with a Biblical commandment.  Paul warned that we can't place importance upon any day beyond what Christ has already commanded His church (Col 2:16-17).  Unfortunately, society has emphasized non-Biblical days such as Christmas, Easter, Lent, etc. as being of great value and importance.  Easter Sunday and Christmas mass are traditionally the most significant events of the year to much of the Judeo-Christian world.  That ought not to be.  Christ commands that we remember His death and resurrection every Sunday (Acts 20:7, 1 Cor 11:26).  That is where Christ placed His emphasis.  We should do the same.

I will be going to Basic Combat Training and Advanced Individual Training in the military. I will also have the possibility of being deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan after that.  How will I be able to worship God when I won't be allowed to go to church?  They will let me go to a church in basic, but I am guessing it will be a water-downed version of what God intended the church to be. What do I do?

 

Faithfully,
Sworn In

Dear Sworn In,

You do what you can.  Your situation is difficult but not unique.  There have been many soldiers that have served Christ and country.  Cornelius the centurion was the first Gentile convert (Acts 10:1), soldiers asked John the Baptist how to be faithful (Lk 3:14), and another centurion humbly sought Christ's help (Matt 8:9).  So take courage, you are not alone in your dilemma.

I consider your situation to be a 2 Cor 8:11 case.  You are accountable for what you are able to do.  If you are out in the middle of the deserts of Iraq, you are physically unable to make it to worship services.  Therefore, you are not condemned for that which you cannot do.  An analogous situation would be a mute Christian; he is commanded to confess Christ with his lips (Rom 10:9), but nobody expects a mute man to do this because he physically unable.  If you are able to make it to services - DO IT.  If you can't attend, do what you can - pray (1 Thess 5:17) and study (2 Tim 2:15) on your own.  Consider asking some christians that are veterans of the military for tips and advice on what they did to make it through.  Whatever you do, make sure you have a support system in place for the days and years ahead.  As much as possible, surround yourself with others that you can depend on spiritually.

Why is the Lord's Supper offered on Sunday nights as well as Sunday mornings? They didn't offer it in the 1st century. If it were available twice, then why are we commanded to "wait for one another" 1 Cor 12:33? If they had a second offering, wouldn't they have no need to wait for each other?

 

Sincerely,
One Too Many

Dear One Too Many,

Waiting for one another has nothing to do with only offering communion once.  We are commanded to take the Lord's Supper as a remembrance of Christ (1 Cor 11:24-25).  We are given the example that the church took it on the first day of the week, i.e. Sunday (Acts 20:7).  We are also commanded to wait for each other before partaking (1 Cor. 11:33).

So the question is, what does waiting for each other look like?  Does every member have to be there?  Is it still waiting for each other if someone is sick that day, and we take communion without them?  What if people are traveling?  Of course, we could never take the Lord's Supper if we waited for each other in this manner!  To understand what Paul meant when he commanded the Corinthian church to wait for each other, you have to see the context that he said it in.

The Corinthian church was treating the Lord's Supper like a common meal (1 Cor. 11:20-22).  They were eating it in a common, disorderly, unholy manner.  Paul reprimanded them for that - and rightfully so.  The solution was to wait for each other, to do it in an organized fashion.  They were to set aside a time to take the Lord's Supper on the first day of the week, so that all could be there.  By offering it twice, you aren't violating the command to wait for each other - in fact you are upholding it!  The Lord's Supper is being taken in a organized fashion, so that all can remember and examine themselves as God intended.

Do angels intercede to word our prayers in the right language, or do we need to learn how to pray in accordance to God's will?

 

Sincerely,
Lost in Translation

We need to learn how to pray in accordance with God's will, BUT there is one exception to this (I'll get to that last).  Jesus' disciples asked him to teach them how to pray (Lk 11:1).  Jesus didn't correct them.  Instead, He taught them (Lk 11:2-4).  There is definitely a right way and a wrong way to pray.

However, God does intercede for us in our prayers.  Specifically, the Holy spirit intercedes for us (Rom 8:26).  There are times when we don't know what to ask for, how to ask for it, or even whether we should ask for it!  Sometimes we are in such suffering and agony that words can't express the struggles and agony we are in.  In such cases, God says that our lack of eloquence won't hinder our prayers.  The Holy Spirit who can examine our hearts makes sure the Father is aware of our deepest yearnings and concerns.  Angels never translate our prayers, but God's own Spirit cares enough to listen and help.