It is true that often when we pray it is to ask God to help us in a time of difficulty , whether its financial or health or employment or other areas of need. Its as if we only pray when we want or need something.

The Bible talks about a time before “sin” became part of the fabric of this world, when God came down in the cool of the day for a “chat ” (Prayer) with the present incumbents of earth.

We can guess that those conversations were not requests for health or food or need as there was no “sin”. They would have been healthy in mind and body with a God given purpose on earth. What would the conversation (prayer) have been like?

Yes, God is a holy awesome God and we must be careful in our approach but the Bible also says that if we repent, confess our sins , and receive his forgiveness and receive the Holy Spirit God calls us his family & friends and we can address Him as our Father.

Prayer then becomes a normal conversation , like a father speaking to a growing child, like a growing child speaking to His Father.

Alpha is a place to ask the big questions of life. Connect with others online to watch a series of episodes and explore the Christian faith together.

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Essential Truths

Forgiveness

Well, that’s a tricky one!!

I’m very happy to accept the forgiveness of Christ But to forgive others?

Then I read the Prayer that Jesus taught his disciples.

“and forgive us like we forgive others”

(now I know that forgiveness from Christ is by Grace & not dependent anything I do)

So what is Jesus saying . As we receive eternal forgiveness that should flow into a forgiving life.

The parable of the unmerciful servant Matt 18 makes the same point.

No doubt in any individual case we can construct strong argument for our right, moral position and the pain we have suffered and the injustice.

But maybe our ability to forgive others comes back to the cross and really understanding why Jesus was there in the first place.

On the cross Jesus says, “Father,forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” I don’t think any of “them” deserved forgiveness but Jesus gives us a supreme example.

Divisions are the result of sin! When sin entered the world, it brought 4 levels of alienation:

1. alienation from God: spiritual problems
2. alienation from self: psychological problems
3. alienation from the other: social problems
4. alienation from nature: ecological problems

A complete, full gospel will be a gospel that will continually analyse the situation of each community in terms of these 4 levels of alienation and bring a relevant message until change happens.

Our culture is convinced that all truth claims are personal and subjective, elevating tolerance as the apex value of our day. Anything you do that doesn’t hurt me is now acceptable morality. Obviously, we cannot find truth in a society that doesn’t believe truth exists. (Denison)

In the face of tragedy, we have two options.

We can decide that God is not who he says he is. We can let our questions keep us from experiencing his transforming love and sustaining grace. We can trust our doubts more than we trust our Creator.

Or we can decide to have faith in our Father even when we don’t understand him. The harder it is to trust God, the more we need to trust God.

Today’s secular worldview is cohesive and consistent only in that it views life through the prism of the self. Our ultimate value is whatever makes us happy. Dwelling on the sufferings of others doesn’t seem to help them and only saddens us. This era of constant access to the world has actually accomplished the opposite—it’s made us less attentive to the world. If the news doesn’t make us happy, we turn it off.

By contrast, one way the Christian worldview is cohesive and consistent is that it views life through the prism of the other. We’re taught to “bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2). Loving God and loving our neighbor are intertwined (Matthew 22:37–39). Jesus identifies himself with those in need: what we do for them, we do for him (Matthew 25:40).

If we value people in pain as Jesus does, we can never be callous to their suffering. Every victim of violence—and every perpetrator—is someone for whom Jesus died (Romans 5:8). The answer to compassion fatigue is not less compassion—it’s the power of the Spirit. The first “fruit of the Spirit” is “love” (Galatians 5:22). The ability to care for those in crisis comes ultimately from Christ.  (Denison)