Looking At My Prayer List

"Gevouwen Handen" Jacob de Wit (1695-1754)

Back in 2008 I wrote about my prayer list, "Today's Prayer List." Ran across it recently and realized without the names, I could not remember which prayers went to specific people. I also have no idea how those eighteen year old prayers were answered. 

I do know some of my prayers have received a "No" answer. But a huge number I thought were "No" turned out to be "Later, my child. Be patient." Often my impatience showed through. 

I will tell you that my Beloved Husband is answered prayer. I remember praying one Saturday night in May, 1960, for someone who enjoyed my company, as I am, not adjusting to their likes/dislikes, no need to impress. I met him after Sunday dinner at our house. He was a friend to the young man dating my best friend. The rest of the week is a full chapter of life's story, but we married one year and five days later. 

We celebrated our 65th wedding anniversary this year and are looking forward to more. 

I wrote about answered prayer this month. King Hezekiah's prayer for more time is recorded in 2 Kings 20:2-3 and Isaiah 38:2-3. Read the following verses, too, for the answer.

Jesus prayed, too, but a portion of His prayer received a "No" answer:

Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me. And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done. And he came and found them asleep again: for their eyes were heavy. And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words. (Matthew 26:38-44)

As we know, His death was pre-ordained:

But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory: Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. (1 Corinthians 2:7-8)

According to John 1:1

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. (John 1:1-4)

Jesus was God when the world was created. Thus He knew exactly, down to His last words, what would happen the next day. According to John, who was found to be sleeping, Jesus also prayed for me and millions of others who believe He is the Son of God:

For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me. I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine. And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them. (John 17:8-10)

I never have kept track of answered prayer. I have moved people off my prayer list for a variety of reasons - some I know the prayer was answered, though for it might have been "Yes," "No." or "Later," some simply left my circle of information and I don't know for certain.

There is one different list - one request with many names - my "Lost" list. People I know have specifically stated that they do not believe there is a God, or a small number who stated that their is a supreme being that we don't know but never would have died for our sins. Yes - some people are as outspoken as I am.

Those people stay on my list until I know they have made a profession of faith (and there is joy here and in heaven) or they have died without doing so. There is no need for me to be praying past the point a person is no longer in a position to make a profession of faith. Honestly? That doesn't include a coma. There was one young man who had my prayers for a couple of years after the accident that put him in a coma with brain activity. But he never regained consciousness. I won't knew until I get to heaven whether he is there or not. That is God's decision.

However, when I know someone who has been outspoken, they will stay on my Lost list. I will pray their hearts will be open to the gospel message, that they will accept the unspeakable gift God has offered, and Jesus has paid the day He died on the cross. They day He made a promise to the thief next to Him:

And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise. (Luke 23:42-43)

Leaving It

Yesterday's post was interrupted by the loss of our electricity for an afternoon. I was about halfway through typing "Leave It!" with the explanation of leaving a person alone after they had made it clear they had no interest in hearing any more about Jesus, Christianity, churches, and their salvation was in their hands, not my words. For those of you who read yesterday's blog - it didn't turnout like that at all. Not one of the scriptures I had in mind - such as:

And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet. (Matthew 10:14)

And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear you, when ye depart thence, shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city. (Mark 6:11)

And whosoever will not receive you, when ye go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet for a testimony against them. (Luke 9:5)

I have left online discussions by stating that we had obviously reached an impass, a point that neither one of us would change our mind. On my side, I had quoted scripture that the other person would not accept as an answer. Often it would be one of the above verses. 

When discussing religion, biblical scripture in context (and in conjunction with Scripture written later) is my reference. For some people, such scripture is not inspired by God. For some others, fulfillment of scripture is open to a wide variety of interpretation plus is required for salvation. Nope - not going into specific cases here. 

I did write "I believe we've both stated our cases and best we shake dust and end the discussion." I would venture to say that the person on the receiving did the same thing without writing it out. 

When Christians speak out their differences, some never walk away, wanting to be convincing in their interpretation. I do not see that as constructive or helpful in reaching those seeking information. I have had informative and helpful discussions with co-workers - atheist, Catholic, Confucianism, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim, and Wiccan. I must admit, that last one seemed to be in a rebellion against a Christian upbringing rather than a firm believing Wiccan. 

On each of the above cases, even when my beliefs were deemed incorrect, I did not mention shaking dust because we never mentioned the question I so often use when ending my blog posts: What is your decision about where eternity is spent? 

I am very clear that scripture gives the requirement that we believe Jesus is the Son of God, we are to be faithful to Him in order to receive God's grace, with that grace through faith comes eternal life with Him. That's the bottom line.

When that happens, we'll want to share that joy that occurs in heaven right here and now, with anyone who will listen. We want to learn more, spend time with His word, learn from history and prophecy, and see it applied in our lives. There's also a desire to associate with other believers. We'll be with them through eternity. 

No shaking dust from sandals once we have a discussion that continues to state the gospel and it is heard. 

"Leave It!!"

Dog on leash at Jonquil Park, Chicago, Illinois
 Creative Commons Attribution 4.0

It's that an adorable dog waiting for it's owner's command? If you've been around dogs for any length of time, you've seen dogs respond to their owners voices and commands. The training is for the dog's best interest and safety. One of the first commands taught is "Sit." That's a very safe command and when the dog follows directions, sitting could keep it safe in a number of situations. "Stop" is also a good first training command, but it is inherent in the "Sit" command. Tone of voice is also valuable.

I've picked up a lot of that watching my sister, who has a very trained English Bull Terrier. "Bull" is a key word with them because they are very similar to two-year old children who haven't quite understood commands are for their own safety. Her dog, Deed, is very well trained dog because his owner is a very good trainer. After achieving his breed Championship, Deed started scent and agility training - and he certainly heard "Leave it!" many times while winning at a variety of shows.

"Leave it!" means exactly what we expect it to mean, and what people/dogs are trained to do - whatever you are doing, stop and leave alone whatever is in front of you.

Trust me, young dogs learn that early from their own parents before learning from an owner or trainer. Parent pets - dog or cat - are born with instincts we humans lack, but it still takes parental control to teach that certain actions will be met with reactions that at minimum are a discomfort - at maximum are painful.

As adults, people (just as you, dear reader, and I) get the same training all through life. I can assure you that at 85 I'm still receiving "Just leave it!" instructions. This time from our children. There are many things from childhood through the end of life that we should pay close attention to doing - or not doing - as life throws us curves. Neither age nor experience counts when we need to leave something alone.

Most of us learn some of it ourselves. I remember when I wondered how my son had blistered his thumb. I do not recall how long it took, but it was not within a day or two, that I associated the blister on his thumb and the one I just noted on his first finger with an odd bobbie pin that had melted tips. Why this two-year old figured he could plug a bobbie pin into a wall socket was beyond my experience! 

As adults such actions without knowing the consequences usually end up harsher than a couple of blisters. Plus, we've had more experience with paying attention to consequences. We've seen consequences that harmed people - seriously and often with life-changing results. However, our son - as he grew older - said he needed to make is own mistakes. I questioned once why he needed to make them all.Yes, all three of my children made errors as they stepped into adulthood, but he stepped further, becoming the prodigal in our prayers.

He knows this. When returning to the closeness of family, he explained that he didn't see religion as we and his sisters did. Within a few months, and the prayerful attention of our Associate Pastor, our son made his profession of faith before the congregation and was baptized showing his following of Jesus' example, displaying the death, burial, and resurrection to life eternal.

I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth. (3 John 1:4)

Oh, how I agree with John! But - close to that joy is hearing of someone else, anyone else, coming to the same conclusion:

I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance. (Luke 15:7)

When we as Christians approach people to share the good news that Jesus' provides for us eternally, we are asking them to "Leave it." Leave a path that has eternal consequences and separation. Based on my personal experiences, God keeps His commitments and His promises laid out in the Bible. Prophecies have been fulfilled, and there are more waiting for fulfillment. I have no idea when or how, but firmly believe they will occur. The most serious is eternal separation.

God's time has us living until we die here on earth. That happens to everyone. Resurrection has proven to be possible under specific circumstances. All I ask for those who do not believe is to consider the differences laid out after death. Decide if you could believe:

For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day. (2 Timothy 1:12)

If I'm wrong, I've lost nothing and have enjoyed life here. If I'm right, I have gained what can't be bought except through God's planning. Pascal's Wager can be answered simply by ignoring the question. Have you made a personal decision? Don't leave this one without careful consideration.

Trinity Isn't Just Rivers in Texas

 

Yesterday I focused a bit on our Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. You'll find all three titles for specific interactions in the Bible. You'll also find theological disagreements with some saying "Trinity means you worship three different God." Or, "These three are separate but equal," which doesn't complete the story. Frankly, I do not wish to get into a theological discussion, but to ignore the subject leaves it beyond discussion - which is never good when discussing what we believe. From my personal belief statement:

… there is one God, eternally extant in three biblical definitions:  Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God is One, the 'echad', of Deuteronomy 6:4, the Father of Matthew 6:9, the promised sacrifice of Genesis 22:8, the Word of John 1:1, the Beginning and the End of Revelation 1:8.

Beyond that, I will not argue, but I will send you to scripture. Let's look first at Jesus' baptism, where all three are mentioned:

Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him. And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. (Matthew 3:13-17)

And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan. And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him: And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. (Mark 1:9-11)

Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened, And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased. (Luke 3:21-22)

John doesn't cover Jesus baptism, but his first few verses - plus the book of Revelation - pretty well covers the deity part:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. (John 1:1-5)

Now, if anyone is wondering which "God" is under discussion, never doubt that it is Judaism that brought Jesus to the synagogues on the Sabbath (that's the seventh day of the week, Saturday in English) and read from the books of prophecy:

And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read. And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears. And all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. And they said, Is not this Joseph's son? And he said unto them, Ye will surely say unto me this proverb, Physician, heal thyself: whatsoever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in thy country. And he said, Verily I say unto you, No prophet is accepted in his own country. (Luke 4:16-24)

He got explicit with His disciples about what was prophesied - they did not understand:

Then he took unto him the twelve, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished. For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on: And they shall scourge him, and put him to death: and the third day he shall rise again. And they understood none of these things: and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken. (Luke 18:31-34)

If you wonder what did happen to some of the prophets, read Jeremiah and Ezekiel, or some of those considered minor prophets. Jesus knew exactly what happened to them:

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. (Matthew 23:37-38)

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate: and verily I say unto you, Ye shall not see me, until the time come when ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. (Luke 13:34-35)

Once again, I will say that I worship God, whom I believe has appeared to mankind three different ways: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. I do not need any statue of any one of those to keep my understanding and memory alive. Jesus told the woman at the well how were would worship. I have no problem accepting that:

Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. (John 4:21-24)

Come, read the Bible and worship with me.

Why I Can't Ignore You

Muslims believe Jesus was a great prophet. Thomas Jefferson believed Jesus was a great philosopher. Many people believe Jesus was a good man, but just as the two previous examples, they do not believe He was God. Even people who believe in the biblical view of an all powerful deity who created the universe have a problem believing a man can be God. 

Understanding the aspects of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit can be a hang up point for a new Christian, but there are verses to use that help:

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. (Genesis 1:1)

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. (John 1:1-3)

I and my Father are one. (John 10:30)

Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us. Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father? (John 14:8-9)

There is no doubt with scripture that the disciples heard Jesus say He and the Father were the same. He and the Father were one. Then the rest of the letters went out from Matthew, Mark, Luke, Paul, Peter, and James - and virtually confirmed they believed exactly the same. Each of those letters a testament to their belief in Jesus Christ, human Son of God, lived here on earth with them.

We must see Jesus as a man, as human as we are. He also has a Spirit - I think that goes without saying. He definitely had a human body that functioned and felt as ours did. He was not conceived as we were, but He gestated and was born as we were. 

He was raised by law abiding and religious parents - arrested to by their compliance with rules for census taxation and visits to the temple. He could tell when someone touched Him with faith:

And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes? (Mark 5:30)

And the whole multitude sought to touch him: for there went virtue out of him, and healed them all. (Luke 6:19)

And Jesus said, Who touched me? When all denied, Peter and they that were with him said, Master, the multitude throng thee and press thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me? And Jesus said, Somebody hath touched me: for I perceive that virtue is gone out of me. (Luke 8:45-46)

I won't go into the tortuous humiliation He suffered being tried, beaten and crucified, but remember how painful death by crucifixion is known to be - or look it up. There's a lot of information.

Since I believe the Bible was inspired by God, that it was written to show God to mankind, it would be impossible for me to take it apart and determine what was true and what wasn't. Which is exactly what Thomas Jefferson did - cut the New Testament into pieces to be glued back without any of the miracles the writers said Jesus did. You see, Jefferson could not destroy the historical Jesus. Nor could his mind accept a miracle. Nor could God be in the body of a man.

He wasn't and isn't alone. Many do not believe. However, since I do - I cannot ignore those who do not. To deny Jesus is to activate John 3:18:

He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. (John 3:18-19)

I know what happens when those who believe do not speak out to those who do not:

And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out. (Luke 19:40)

When To Stop Evangelizing

"Politics" in public domain

 

Sometimes differences need to be affirmed and discussions ceased. Tempers can flare on both sides, and neither person will adapt what they think, but will continue arguing until anger erupts. That does good for no one. There comes a time in any heated discussion to draw lines, explain the impasse reached, and decide not to destroy a relationship.

While the graphic is labelled "POLITICS," the discussions that become heated can be a wide variety of subjects, but religion is right up there with politics. Let me take a few paragraphs to examine my view.

When Jesus sent His twelve disciples:

These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. (Matthew 10:5-7)

He sent them to "the lost sheep of the house of Israel," no where else. He mentioned that in other places:

But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. (Matthew 15:24)

The woman asking for help for her daughter was being a nuisance, the disciples told Him. Verse 24 is how He answered. That wasn't the last of her insistence, though:

Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me. But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs. (Matthew 15:25-26)

She asked Him directly, and His answer was - frankly - insulting. She did not rise to the insult, but gave Him facts:

And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table. Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour. (Matthew 15:27-28)

Was Jesus insulting the non-Jew, standing by His calling, or giving us an example of persisting in what we know is right? Since I do not believe Jesus made a habit of insulting, I believe this was both an example that He was there to reach the children of Israel first. It was their job to share God with the world. He also taught us to continue asking Him for assistance, and He showed what miracles can be done.

Now - how did I reach the title "When To Stop Evangelizing" from this particular encounter? It is a reach - but my mind is a roundhouse of tracks and I did cross a couple, having testified of my beliefs and having people refuse them. 

One was a former Bible College attendee who became an atheist because his chosen lifestyle did not fit into Christianity. I found him to be a kind, considerate, family-oriented, thoughtful individual who had made a serious profession of faith - and followed it with training - but left that behind. I enjoyed many of the artistic interests he did - music and visual arts. And, I witnessed to him - to no avail. After many years he remains a friend, uninterested in God. He reads my blog every once in a while, and he will recognize himself. 

He will not be surprised that I continue to pray for him. I've told him enough times over the years that he is in my prayers - but we no longer discuss our differing opinions. We know they are different. He firmly stated that, just as I did, but there is no temper, anger, nor reason to regret the friendship.

From my view, I realize the decision is his. Not mine to make. There is nothing I can say different. I will not agree with his viewpoint, but I value his friendship. And, he knows I pray for him, but he does not cut off my friendship, either. He does not request I change my beliefs, either.

There are a few people in our extended family with similar attitudes. One says, "I believe in a different god," but makes no requirements we believe in an unexplainable deity, and we remain family - again, knowing I pray for God to send someone who can reach their hearts.

In reality, although we support missions and missionaries, we cannot change anyone's mind about their decision regarding a relationship with God. But - we pray for them. So many verses, but here's a couple:

Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7)

Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. (1 Thessalonians 5:17-18)

Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. (James 5:16)

Answering Questions

 

Recently hearing David Wood answer a Muslim's question about Bible accuracy, I was reminded of how Charlie Kirk would take questions for those attending his visits to universities. Each of these men spoke from memory with the ability to quote scripture and address not only the specific question, but often put it in context with surrounding scripture to explain how the incorrect interpretation was created. That, in my mind is a talent, a gift. Well done, while giving God the glory, it is a gift that can reach the unsaved. Not all of us have that gift.

Then again, not all of us are called to speak out publicly. I had to do that a few times, and I was not gifted with the ability to do it without a bunch of quaking in my shoes, and making a few mistakes. One happened in Taiwan. I was leading a User Acceptance Test. There were a series of specific items to be tested, but the end users were also able to do what they considered every day work, in case our tests did not touch theier concerns.

The testing was to begin on a Monday morning. The manager who introduced me to the class did so both in English and Chinese, then he was called away for a moment. Rather than ignore the class, I made a few comments about what we would be doing in the coming week as we worked together on testing the software prior to acceptance by the company. They were consistent in eye contact and attention, as I began ro run out of nonspecific words. I was about to talk about the firsts test when the manager returned, smiled so kindly, and explained he was the only one in the room who understood English.

There are times when I've wanted to speak to someone about their religious beliefs, and feel I lack the ability to do so without creating an issue. Then remind myself:

But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak. For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you. (Matthew 10:19-20)

In context, Jesus is explaining to the disciples that they will be taken by authorities because they speak truth, and not to worry. Their situations were a lot different that what mine are, yet God provides other verses as a confirmation we've read this one as the Spirit is with us when we speak of Him:

And it shall turn to you for a testimony. Settle it therefore in your hearts, not to meditate before what ye shall answer: For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist. (Luke 21:13-15)

Luke's example is the same as Matthew's, read in context. In Luke 12, though Jesus began speaking with His disciples, there were multitudes around Him, and His words went beyond confrontation:

Also I say unto you, Whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God: But he that denieth me before men shall be denied before the angels of God. And whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but unto him that blasphemeth against the Holy Ghost it shall not be forgiven. And when they bring you unto the synagogues, and unto magistrates, and powers, take ye no thought how or what thing ye shall answer, or what ye shall say: For the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say. (Luke 12:8-12)

Paul tells us how difficult it is for a person to believe:

How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! (Romans 10:14-15)

Not all Christians are called to be preachers, but every single Christian is called to confess before men our belief in Jesus. We have opportunities to do that. It woiuld have been inappropriate for me to do that before my Chinese test class, but it was very appropriate to mention it as one of the managers and I went to lunch and I took a moment for prayer before my meal. Our assistant pastor stopped to help a motorist, mentioned his job and his calling - and we now have another family in our congregation and a marvelous tenor in the choir!

One student asked my grand-daughter to join her on the bus that picked up children for church. Now four generations have been members there. All because one person asked a question - and another gave an answer. As Peter put it:

But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: (1 Peter 3:15)