Jesus The Mighty Prayer Warrior - Pastor Ron Halvorsen

The Bible records various instances when Jesus prayed to the father. For instance it records that Jesus prayed alone early in the morning in the wilderness. It is during one of these encounters that the disciples found Him praying that they were so impressed that they asked him to teach them how to pray. This resulted in Christ teaching us the Lord's prayer.

By the way, it can also be inferred from this incident that Christ prayed out aloud. How else would the disciples have have heard Him if he was offering a silent prayer?

The prayer life of Jesus evidences the  life of a mighty prayer warrior. During his prayer in the garden of Gethsemane the Bible records in Luke 22:44 — "And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground." This was most definitely not those prayers we offer while in our blankets. This was an earnest prayer that expressed the deeper longings of  His heart.

The bible records that He prayed before choosing the 12 disciples and in other important decisions of His ministry on earth. If the sinless Son of God prayed like this, how then should we sinful human beings pray. We definitely cannot afford to be casual about our prayers. We need to wrestle with God in prayer just like Jacob wrestled with the angel of the Lord.

In the following video, Pastor Ron Halvorsen. preaches a sermon titled, Jesus The Mighty Prayer Warrior. It is a sermon that will challenge to a powerful prayer life in your christian walk.

The Sabbath Under Attack

If there's one bible doctrine that has been attached than any other then it is the Sabbath. You only have to look in history to see all sorts of attacks against it. Starting from the time the church decided to change the day of worship from Saturday to Sunday, the sabbath has been under constant attack or crossfire.

For instance, recently a number of Sunday keeping scholars have produced scholarly articles which promote the view that the abrogation of the Sabbath was made by the apostles in the New Testament.  Some former Sabbath keeping  churches such as the worldwide Church of God have also abandoned the Sabbath and adopted Sunday arguing that it is the apostles who changed the day of worship in the New Testament.

Even recent efforts by the church to promote the observance of the Sabbath have, instead of going back to original Sabbath which is Saturday, promoted the observance of Sunday as the Sabbath. And as history of the Christian church has shown, it is disastrous to call upon the politicians to enforce the observance of sacred christian days or christian beliefs. Such efforts in the past have led to the persecution of those who hold contrary opinions to the majority.

In the video below, Dr Samuele Bacchiocchi presents the various attacks on the Sabbath in history and in our day. The title is the Sabbath Under Crossfire.

My Search For The Sabbath At The Vatican University

In the 1970's an Italian Seventh Adventist scholar, Dr Samuele Bacchiocchi became the first non Catholic to be allowed to Study at the Pontifical Gregorian University at the Vatican. Dr Bacchiocchi chose as his study the history of the change of the Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday. He later published a book titled From Sabbath to Sunday : A Historical Investigation of the Rise of Sunday Observance in Early Christianity. The book details his findings from his search for the Sabbath at the Vatican University. In the video below Dr Bacchiocchi details his search for the Sabbath at the Vatican.

How Did The Sabbath Change From Saturday to Sunday In Christendom?

Have you wondered how the early Christian church decided to change the day of worship from Saturday to Sunday? This has been a contentious issue between the few Christians who still worship on Saturday and the majority who worship on Sunday. Most Sunday keepers say that it was the apostles who decided to change the day of worship from Saturday to Sunday in remembrance of the resurrection which took place on a Sunday. On the other side, those who worship on Saturday insist that it was not made by the apostles but much later by an apostate church and that there is no scriptural basis for doing so. They say this is exactly what Christ warned about when he said, 'in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrine the commandments of men'. If the change is man made then those who worship on Sunday better heed the warning of Christ on worshiping in vain by teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. 

 To find out how the change occurred Dr Samuele Bacchiocchi spent five years at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome examining most ancient documents available. His investigation established that the change from Saturday to Sunday began approximately one century after the death of Christ as a result of an interplay of political, social, pagan and Christian factors. The results of this research are presented in the book From Sabbath to Sunday. This book which originally Dr Bacchiocchi's dissertation has the distinction of being the first book written by a non-Catholic ever to be published by a Pontifical press Catholic approval. Hundreds of scholars have praised Dr Bacchiocchi's book and consider it definitive study on the history of the change of the Lord's day.

A Prayer God Will Always Answer

In the video below, Dr Dwight Nelson preaches a sermon titled, Two Word Prayer. It is about a prayer that God will always answer. If you have tried all sorts of prayers without success then this kind of prayer is suitable for you. The Lord has promised that, 'ask and you shall receive.' But all these  prayers require faith in order for God to answer and you need to satisfy all the requirements specified in the Bible. For instance the Bible says that if you regard iniquity in your heart God will not answer your prayers. It also says that you need to have a spirit of forgiveness as well. But the prayer presented below is when you have tried everything and you are at your wits end.

What The Bible Says About Gays or Homosexuals

A lot has been said about how Christians should relate to gays, lesbians or homosexuals leading to fierce debates among Christians and non Christians alike. But what does the bible really say about gays? In the video below Dr Dwight Nelson, Senior Pastor of Pioneer memorial SDA Church delves into this contentious issue to reveal the biblical position on homosexuality.

Lewis Walton - Trial of Jesus: A Lawyers Perspective

Lewis Walton, J.D., LL.M, an experienced adventist lawyer goes through the trial of Jesus as found in the Bible from a lawyer's perspective. Did the trial of Jesus meet the conditions for a fair trial both by Ancient Roman standards or by modern standards? Should Jesus have been condemned to death by crucifixion if Pilate had followed all the standards required for a fair trial? What better way to get to glimpse with these issues than from a seasoned lawyer. Dr. Lewis Walton uses his credentials as an attorney to uncover the illegal trial of Jesus Christ.

 

 

Hindrances To Answered Prayer - Richard O'fill

Most people have the feeling that their prayers do not go beyond the 'ceiling of their homes'. We are all looking to the reasons why our prayers do not appear to be answered by God. In the video below Richard O'Ffill goes through hindrances on answered prayer. This video will open your eyes to the secrets of a dynamic prayer life that will bring rich dividends to your spiritual life.

 

There are various hindrances to answered prayer that can be found in the bible. Among those hindrances are disobedience to God, marital or home discord, unbelief, unforgiveness, idolatry, cherished sin etc. (Deut. 4:30, 31; Prov. 28:9; Isa. 1:15, 19, 20; Zech. 7:13; Gen. 22:18; Ps. 66:18; Isa. 59:1, 2; Mark 11:24; Heb. 11:6; James 1:6, 7)

 

 

The Bible and Health - David Ascherick

We all want to have good health, unfortunately it is much easier to eat whatever we like and whatever we like is mostly junk food that will harm our health. Does the Bible have anything to say about health. In the video below David Asscherick of ARISE ministry goes through some bible texts that teach us how to take care of our bodies. You will be surprised at how the bible offers some sound principles of health that were ahead of the knowledge at that time. The more you read these tips on health the more your faith will grow in the divine inspiration of the  bible.

 

God's desire is that we should prosper both in spirit and in health as well. It is with this in mind that the bible offers some tips on how we can pospone our funeral by following some principles. Principles that most christians have abandoned and have resulted in His people suffering from the same lifestyle diseases that are wreaking havoc in the lives of modern men.

The bible says our bodies are the temples of the Holy Spirit and should be taken care of intelligently. This means that we need to have enough rest and follow good principles of health. To show the importance of rest God mandated his people to have one day of rest which He called the Sabbath. Most people nowadays are suffering from diseases that result from lack of enough rest. If man had obeyed God in keeping the seventh day as a Sabbath on top of the rest we need everyday man would have prevented most of these diseases from shortening his life.

The Bible also calls upon us to avoid certain foods and some substances that can destroy our  bodies. (Rom. 12:1, 2; 1 John 2:6; Eph. 5:1-21; Phil. 4:8; 2 Cor. 10:5; 6:14-7:1; 1 Peter 3:1-4; 1 Cor. 6:19, 20; 10:31; Lev. 11:1-47; 3 John 2.)

The title of the video below is titled, How To Postpone Your Funeral.
 

our bodies are the temples of the Holy Spirit, we are to care for them intelligently. Along with adequate exercise and rest, we are to adopt the most healthful diet possible and abstain from the unclean foods identified in the Scriptures. Since alcoholic beverages, tobacco, and the irresponsible use of drugs and narcotics are harmful to our bodies, we are to abstain from them as well. Instead, we are to engage in whatever brings our thoughts and bodies into the discipline of Christ, who desires our wholesomeness, joy, and goodness. (Rom. 12:1, 2; 1 John 2:6; Eph. 5:1-21; Phil. 4:8; 2 Cor. 10:5; 6:14-7:1; 1 Peter 3:1-4; 1 Cor. 6:19, 20; 10:31; Lev. 11:1-47; 3 John 2.)

How To Be A Good Father To Your Son

Mike Tucker, Director of Faith For Today, discusses the role of fathers to their sons. This is a very important and timely message in an age when most fathers are abandoning their responsibilities resulting in millions of children being raised by single mothers. Mike Tuckers goes into the scriptures to discuss the role of fathers. The sermon was titled fatherhood and was in two parts. The first one is for fatherhood for sons and the second one discusses the role of fathers to their daughters. The video below is on fatherhood for sons.