We Should Remember God In Our Prayers

By Pastor Bruce K. Oyen

Email: bk_oyen@hotmail.com

     We should remember God in our prayers. It might sound strange for me to say that, but that is because when we are told something like, "Remember Jim, John, and Joe in your prayers," or when we are told something like, "Remember Sandra, Sally, and Susan in your prayers," we immediately know it means we should pray for them because they have specific problems, and they need God's help.

     You might wonder if I am suggesting that we need to pray for God like we pray for a friend in need. No, that is not my suggestion, for the Bible reveals God as "God Almighty." The Bible also reveals him as  the all-knowing, all-wise, and transcendent one who needs help from no one. He who made the universe, and who sustains it by his own power, is not dependent upon anything or anyone he created.

     When I say we need to remember God in our prayers, it means we need to do more than to ask him to help someone in need,  even if those needs are very significant. When I say we need to remember God in our prayers, it means we need to remember who it is we are talking to: God Almighty! It means we need to remember to take time to worship him, to adore him, to praise him, and to thank him for who he is in himself, not just for what he does for us. 

     This takes time. But it is time well-spent! Let's take more time during our prayer time to worship, adore, praise, and thank our Triune God, who is the Father , the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  Sometimes it might be better to skip asking God to do this and that, and just spend the time doing the things mentioned above. Remember, he is worthy of exaltation in our prayers.

     Some reading suggestions. The next time you read the Book of Psalms, note its emphasis on the worship of God. Intertwined with all the prayers for divine help in the Psalms is its emphasis on the worship, praise, adoration of God, and gratitude to him. This same thing will be noted in other parts of the Bible. For example, sometime soon read through the book of Revelation and note the frequent worship of God. It will be profitable to read A. W. Tozer's book called "The Knowledge Of The Holy." In this short book, Tozer expounds on the attributes of God as they are revealed to us in God's Word, the Bible. Tozer's book has the ability to transform us into worshippers of God.

We Can Trust in God Above

By Pastor Bruce K. Oyen

Written on March 31, 2009
Email: bk_oyen@hotmail.com

We do not know what this life will hold,
whether mostly joy, or grief untold.
But we can trust in God above
to filter it all through His tender love.

He will give answers to our prayers.
He will help us with our cares.
He will enable us to do His will.
No matter what, He's with us still.

As our days, our strength shall be.
God knows what's best for you, for me.
He holds our days in His hands.
We can trust His loving plans.

The Bible Is A Book Of Comfort And Hope

By Pastor Bruce K. Oyen

Email: bk_oyen@hotmail.com

     Those who know little or nothing about the Bible's contents might be surprised to learn that it is a Book of comfort and hope. While it speaks about many subjects, comfort and hope are two of its common themes.  

      But first, it must be stated that the Bible does not offer comfort and hope to everyone. Instead, comfort and hope are offered to those individuals who acknowledge their own sinfulness before God, who is sinless. The Bible says that "all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." That includes you. It includes me. (See Romans 3:23.) Until we admit this to be true of ourselves, we will not admit of our need of God's forgiveness. And as long as we do not admit this need, we will not find the comfort and hope that comes to those who receive God's forgiveness. This forgiveness is received from God by believing in his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. The Bible says a very important thing in Acts 13:38: "....through this man (Jesus Christ) is preached to you the forgiveness of sins....." Paul's point here is that if we want forgiveness of sins, it will be found only by believing in Jesus Christ. 

    Comfort and hope come with forgiveness of sins. But, our need of them does not stop there. Like everyone else, Christians can experience great difficulties and heartaches in life. It might be the death of a loved one. It might be prolonged illness. It might be financial disaster. It might be marriage or family problems.  It might be something else. But whatever it is, we need comfort and hope to help us cope.

    Those who read their Bible discover its wonderful ability to give us these things. This should come as no surprise to us, for some of  the Bible's writers make reference to this fact about the Bible. For example, in Romans 15:4 the apostle Paul said, "For whatever things were written before (in the Old Testament portion of the Bible) were written for our learning, that we through patience and the comfort of the Scriptures might have hope." Right here in one verse, we find comfort and hope linked to the Scriptures.

    Another example of the  Bible's ability to give us comfort and hope is found in Psalm 119:49 and 50. These two verses say this: "Remember the word to Your servant, upon which you have caused me to hope. This is my comfort in my affliction, for Your word has given me life."

    Psalm 23 has brought comfort and hope to countless persons. When they lose their husband, their wife, their son, their daughter, their mother, or their father by death, they turn to this, the beloved Shepherd's Psalm..

    First Thessalonians 4:13 - 18 has done the same thing for many Christians as they lay on their deathbeds. I well remember a Christian lady named Tressia, who died many years ago. She was over 100 years old, and lived in a nursing home. She could barely walk, could not see well, and was extremely hard of hearing. She was anxious to die because of her troubles. Whenever I visited her in the nursing home, we would pray together, and I would read her a Scripture passage. She always requested that I read First Thessalonians 4;13 - 18. Why? Because those verses were a constant source of comfort and hope to her in her final days before passing away. She looked forward to dying and having her soul leave her body to go and be with Jesus Christ in heaven.

   Yes, the Bible is a Book of comfort and hope! Therefore, read it daily and be encouraged by it. The Book of Psalms, the Gospel of John, Romans chapter 8, and Revelation chapters 21 and 22 are great sources of comfort and hope. The New King James Version is a reliable Bible translation in modern English.

"The Message" Is Not The Bible

By Pastor Bruce K. Oyen

Email: bk_oyen@hotmail.com

     This may shock some of you, but Eugene H. Peterson's book called "The Message" is not the Bible. And because it is not the Bible, it is not the Word of God. It is a distortion of the Bible, which is the Word of God. 

     However, this is not to say that no Biblical truths can be found in "The Message." But why read something as if it is the Bible, when the Bible's message has been seriously distorted in so many places? As an example of this distortion, here (in red) is Psalm 1 form "The Message." It is taken from the Bible Gateway website.

1 How well God must like you—
    you don’t hang out at Sin Saloon,
    you don’t slink along Dead-End Road,
    you don’t go to Smart-Mouth College.

^2-3 Instead you thrill to God’s Word,
    you chew on Scripture day and night.
You’re a tree replanted in Eden,
    bearing fresh fruit every month,
Never dropping a leaf,
    always in blossom.

^4-5 You’re not at all like the wicked,
    who are mere windblown dust—
Without defense in court,
    unfit company for innocent people.

⁶ God charts the road you take.
The road they take is Skid Row.

     Now compare this perversion of Psalm 1 with, say, the King James Version, the New King James Version, the English Standard Version, the New American Standard Version, or the New International Version.

     Many readers struggle with the old English of the King James Version. Although its antiquated words and phrases might make it difficult for us to comprehend some of what it says, that is a minor problem compared to the manner in which Peterson's modern English paraphrase perverts the Bible. If you don't want to struggle with the old English of the King James Version, at least use a reliable modern English translation such as the New King James Version.

     In spite of the fact that many well-known Christians promote "the Message" as the Bible, other Bible scholars and Christians say they are seriously mistaken.

     Here is an example of what I mean. It is taken from the end of an evaluation of "The Message." This evaluation was written by Michael D. Marlowe, and is found on his website. A link to it is given below.

     Here (in red) is how Marlowe concluded his evaluation of "The Message." I have underlined some words because of their importance..

    The Message has found a ready audience among "evangelicals" who are bored with the Bible, and who wanted a jazzy and fun paraphrase to take its place. Its popularity is just one more example of the levity of the contemporary church, and of its unhealthy taste for novelties and fads, which have become so much a part of ministry in evangelical churches in the past thirty years. As Peterson has written in one of his books on pastoral care, American church leaders have been "transformed into a company of shopkeepers with shopkeepers concerns — how to keep the customers happy, how to lure customers away from the competitors down the street, how to package the goods so that the customers will lay out more money." ⁽¹⁰⁾ And again, speaking of entertainment-driven ministry he says, "There are others who do not desert the place of worship, but in staying, they do something worse: they subvert it. They turn it in to a place of entertainment that will refresh bored and tired consumers and pump some zest into them." ⁽¹¹⁾ But if there is one thing worse than turning the Sanctuary into a place of entertainment, it is turning the Sacred Page into a piece of entertainment.

     This book should be recognized for what it is. It began as a stimulating paraphrase of the Epistle to the Galatians included in a popular devotional book, and it remains a piece of stimulating devotional literature. But it is not the Word of God. As Craig Blomberg of Denver Seminary has put it, "it is freer even than a paraphrase. I think of it more as devotional literature than as a version of the Bible and wouldn't recommend it for any other role." ⁽¹²⁾

---

      If you want to read Michael D. Marlowe's entire evaluation of "The Message," click on this link:

http://bible-researcher.com/themessage.html

You Can Become A Christian Right Now

By Pastor Bruce K. Oyen

Email: bk_oyen@hotmail.com

    This message is for non-Christians. Do you know that you can become a Christian right now? It doesn't matter if you are all alone somewhere, or if you are in a crowded shopping mall, you can become a Christian right now. It doesn't matter if you have lived a very wicked life, maybe even murdered one or more persons, you can become a Christian right now.
    To learn why you need to become a Christian, and how you can become one right now, click on the following link. It will give you the information you need.

    Here's the link: http://www.godssimpleplan.org/gsps-english.html.

    

A User's Guide To Bible Translations

By Pastor Bruce K. Oyen

Email: bk_oyen@hotmail.com

     This posting is a promotion of another book on Bible translations. The Christian faith is not only Christ-centered, but also Bible-centered. Well-taught Christians  know that the Bible is from God, though it was mediated to us through human authors, whom God infallibly guided as they wrote the Bible.

     The Bible was originally written in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. Very few of us know those languages, and therefore we must read translations made from Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek into our our own languages.

     Those of us who read English have many English Bible translations from which to choose. We need help in this matter. David Dewey's book, "A User's Guide To Bible Translations," was written to provide the help we need.  Every book has its weaknesses, but Dewey's book is informative, interesting, and easy to read. If you buy it and read it, you will benefit from it.

     What follows is a link to one source for the book. It will let you look at the table of contents, and read some of it. Doing so will help you to decide if you should get this book.

    

http://www.christianbook.com/guide-bible-translations-making-different-versions/david-dewey/9780830832736/pd/832734?product_redirect=1&Ntt=832734&item_code=&Ntk=keywords&event=ESRCP

How We Got The Bible

By Pastor Bruce K. Oyen

Email: bk_oyen@hotmail.com

    

     Have you ever wondered how the Bible came to be written? Do you know the history of its composition? Do you know what its original languages were, and on what it was written? Do you know how it was preserved over many hundreds of years, so that it is available to us now, in the year 2012? Do you have other questions related to how we got the Bible?

     These are very important questions, worthy of our serious consideration. I have read other books and articles on this subject, but the book by Neil Lightfoot is especially interesting and informative. It is called "How We Got The Bible." Some books are so long, readers are hesitant to read them. Not so with Lightfoot's book. It is long enough to be helpful, but short enough to be readable in a reasonable length of time. The charts and pictures bring the subject to life.

      What follows is a link to one source for this book. It enables us to look at the table of contents, and to read some of it. These things will help you decide whether or not to get the book. But I hope you do get it, and then read it! Here's the link: http://www.christianbook.com/how-got-the-bible-third-edition/neil-lightfoot/9780801072611/pd/072611?product_redirect=1&Ntt=072611&item_code=&Ntk=keywords&event=ESRCP