Questions Attempted: Church, Prayers and People

Wowzers. I figured that there might be some tough questions, but man, those were REALLY tough. Before I try to answer any questions, let me say a few things.

1. The thought of answering questions and defending my faith makes me nauseous. Not because I do not believe, but because I am afraid of misrepresenting the One who is perfect and blameless.

2. I am not a theologian. I have never studied Greek or Hebrew and I have not attended seminary of any kind (I knew you all were wondering). This is the BEST that I can do with the limited knowledge (and jumbled Mom brain) that God has given me.

3. If I don't answer your questions it's because, well, I DON'T KNOW.

4. I do not claim to represent any specific denomination. All I can tell you is that I am a believer in Jesus Christ, that He is indeed the Messiah and that His blood has the power to wash away all sin no matter how great or small. I've seen it in my own life.

5. Please, I'm begging you, remember that I've only been a Christian for 5ish years. I'm still just a baby. If you see an error in something I have said, please feel free to comment and correct me. However, please also back it up with Scripture. I will also use Scripture to emphasize my points.

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Since there were several questions, I will take a few posts to answer them. But here's a start:

@ Anonymous 9:23AM: Let me address your second question first, because I think that is easier for me.

The question was:
Why do people use a prayer to be "saved" when no one in the bible did?

You are right! In the Bible, there is not a specific prayer that "saves" you. There is only one Man and his name is Jesus.

But, here is where I think the idea of a prayer came from. Matthew 10:9-10 says,

That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.

Notice that according to this passage it takes BOTH actions, the belief in your heart and the confession with your mouth. This is why I was so excited when Elizabeth proclaimed her faith to us and our church members.

My prayer is that every person begins a relationship with the Lord and grows to know him intimately, deeply and on an incredibly personal level. It wasn't until I was 2 years into my relationship with the Lord that I understood what it meant to know Him intimately and, quite honestly, I'm still learning.

As far as the term "saved," not only is it referenced in the above passage, but I actually saw this in scripture as I studied yesterday. Luke 9:23-24 says,

Then he [Jesus] said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it."

While this passage does not reference saying a specific prayer, it does say that a person is "saved" when they give up their life for the Savior. This is not necessarily in the literal sense (but yes, it can mean death) but rather a giving up on their former way of living. If there is not a transformation in the way a believer lives his/her life, has that person really given up their life? I think not.

Just FYI - Mark 8:34-35 says the same thing, and Matthew 16:24-25 is basically the same, but doesn't use the exact word "saved."

Okay, Anonymous @ 9:23Am, to your first question:

The question was:
How can people look at the "church" today, and say it is accomplishing the same goals as the church of the bible?

I am not terribly knowledgeable in the ways and practices of the Early Church. However, my understanding is that their desperate desire was for ALL people to know Jesus as Lord. The first followers faced incredible persecution, often resulting in death. However, they pressed on, telling everyone they saw about Jesus and the miracle of His birth, death and resurrection.

I find that, as a general rule, most churches are still doing this exact thing.

I would be curious to know more about your experiences with "church." Just like every group of people, they have their faults. Romans 3:9-12 says this about all people, that includes the "church,"

What shall we conclude then? Are we any better? Not at all! We have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under sin. As it is written: "There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one."

The church that my family attends is wonderful. It is rather large for our area and does a lot to help in the community and to grow its members. However, it has one major flaw...it's made up of PEOPLE. Anytime you get a group of PEOPLE together you encounter sinners, and selfishness and imperfections and drama and...well, you get the idea.

However, the thing that comes to mind when I think about a bunch of folks, gathered together, working toward a common goal, (in this case telling people about Jesus), is this:

Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.
~ Colossians 3:12-14

Wow. Sorta puts it all in perspective huh? Just as I am forgiven, I need to also forgive. I know that I want to be loved, in spite of my many, many, many flaws. Likewise I need to love people even though they have flaws.

Afterall, it just says I have to LOVE them, it doesn't say I have to be BFFs with everyone. I looked my whole Bible over and no where did I find a book of Claire's saying, "Thou shalt share BFF bracelets and/or necklaces with all-eth of the congregation."
And praise the Lord for that. I'm sure I'd probably drive some folks crazy if they had to be my BFF. Just ask my BFF, she puts up with a lot.

But seriously, (although I was serious with that last bit) as I continue to seek and find answers about your questions, I encourage you to do the same. Seek and find for yourself. Looking up scripture to back what I believe has been incredibly rewarding and taught me even more about this glorious God I serve.

For that, I thank you.

PS - If you don't have a Bible, you can 1) email me and I'll send you one and/or 2) check out Bible Gateway.com. It has a ton of awesome resources. If you've never read the Bible, a good place to start is with the book of James.