Q. Wichita, Kansas — “I am saved and seek to serve the Lord here in our church through visitation and witnessing. But is is so hard fo r me to read the B ible and pray. Do you know why this would be?” A. This would be hard to answer categorically since it would require probing one’s innermost thoughts. This has to be thought out in the power of the Holy Spirit. When one reads the King James’ Version, there may be a difficulty in understanding what is meant by some of the older terminology. You might try using another version such as The Ampli fied New Testament, or the Living Series, along with the King James. We also like to recommend The New American Standard Version which has just recently been published. It is certainly very true and faithful to the original. As far as prayer is con cerned, David testified, “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.” There may be some unconfessed sin in your life. Come to the Saviour and ask Him to cleanse your heart. Then, begin to thank Him for what you have, and what you are through the Lord Jesus Christ. Prayer is not something hard. Just talk to the Lord as you would a friend. Tell Him how much you love Him, and how glad you are that you can serve Him. Ask Him for wisdom in your witnessing. Pray for your pastor and his staff, the missionaries, and those who are ill. Remember our President and those in authority over us. You will find your heart opening up more and more to Him, and prayer will be easier. Q. Los Angeles, CaIif. - “During what period in the church’s history , did the birth o f Christ becom e promi nent?” A. Perhaps our questioner has in mind when the celebration of Christ mas, Christ’s birth, became promi nent. If this is the case, it really came to the fore in the eighteenth century.
As far as the incarnation of the Sav iour, this has always been prominent sipce the first century. Make no mis take about it, the birth of Christ has always been important. He is God’s Son, the Lord of life. Christ, the Messiah, the Saviour of the World, was bom of a human mother without a human father. The latter place was taken by the omnipotent, blessed Holy Spirit who so over-ruled sin that Mary had inherited from her parents, that the angel Gabriel could say “that holy thing which is bom of thee, shall be called the Son of the Most High.” And such He is, thank God! His Deity was not af fected in any wise by the incarnation. Q. San Francisco, Calif.—“/ have a neighbor who is an unbeliever. She does not believe in the virgin birth o f Christ. What scriptures can 1 use to help her understand?” A. The first point is to verify for her the inspiration of the Scriptures. If she will accept the Bible as the Word of God, then you can show her Luke 1:35. It is cardinal to our faith. Matthew 1 quotes from Isaiah 7:14, referring to the Lord’s virgin birth. John 3:16, known as “the Golden Text” of the Bible, shows why Christ came. All through Scripture the per son of the Lord Jesus Christ is of such significance that a virgin birth is absolutely logical and sensible. A normal birth is natural to a natural being; while supernatural birth is natural to a supernatural being. Jesus Christ was not a mere man. He is a supernatural Person. He is Deity. Such a birth for Him would be per fectly normal. Do not overlook the fact that you should pray that the Holy Spirit Himself will speak to the heart of your neighbor, bringing conviction to her soul so that she might receive the Lord as her own personal Saviour. Q. Seattle, Wash.-“T o c% much is made o f astrology and its effect on our personal lives. Newspapers carry Page 25
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