Why only Christians can pray

On Saturday morning we ended our church’s mission’s month with a seminar presented by Bishop Frank Retief. One of the topics covered was, “Why pray for missions?” In introducing his subject, Frank made the point that only Christians can pray. I’m assuming that we all understand pray to mean: speaking to God. If there is… Continue reading Why only Christians can pray

Jesus, Satan, and the Apostle Paul (Jesus and the victory of God in Paul’s thought)

In recent years scholars have taken more seriously the influence of Jesus of Nazareth on the apostle Paul’s thinking. You might think this connection was obvious, but in the world of “biblical” scholarship nothing is obvious. Evangelical scholars contend that the greatest change in Paul’s thinking was brought about as a consequence of Paul’s vision… Continue reading Jesus, Satan, and the Apostle Paul (Jesus and the victory of God in Paul’s thought)

Why saving grace must be irresistible

The fourth point of Calvinism is Irresistible Grace.  This doctrine says that when God calls us to faith in Jesus he calls effectively; he always succeeds in his purpose to save us. The Bible distinguished between the general call of God to all sinners to come to Jesus (e.g. Jesus saying “Come to me, all you who… Continue reading Why saving grace must be irresistible