Prayer For New Converts to Christ

Bible Verses About Prayer: 20 Important Scripture Quotes

Prayer For New Converts to Christ

God speaks to us through His written word, the Bible. Christians speak to God through prayer.  Prayer is an important part of the Christian’s life; we pray in words and sometimes we pray in song.  Here are twenty important scripture quotes about prayer.

How Often Should We Pray

1 Corinthians 1:4I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus,

Ephesians 6:18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,

Philippians 1:3-4 I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy,

Colossians 1:3 (KJV) We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you,

1 Thessalonians 5:17 pray without ceasing

How Should We Pray

Psalm 66:17 I cried to him with my mouth, and high praise was on my tongue.

Psalm 95:2 Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!

Matthew 6:9-13 (KJV)After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

1 Corinthians 14:15 What am I to do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will pray with my mind also; I will sing praise with my spirit, but I will sing with my mind also.

James 1:6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.

What Should We Pray For

Psalm 50:14-15 Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and perform your vows to the Most High, and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.”

Psalm 118:25 Save us, we pray, O LORD! O LORD, we pray, give us success!

Psalm 122:6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem! May they be secure who love you!

Romans 10:1 Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved.

Romans 10:13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Who Should We Pray For

Romans 15:30 I appeal to you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf,

2 Corinthians 1:11 You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many.

1 Timothy 2:1-2 First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.

James 5:13-14 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.

James 5:16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.

Christian Quotes About Prayer

“Those persons who know the deep peace of God, the unfathomable peace that passeth all understanding, are always men and women of much prayer.”~ R. A. Torrey

“Don’t pray when you feel it. Have an appointment with the Lord and keep it. A man is powerful on his knees.” ~ Corrie ten Boom

“You may as soon find a living man that does not breath, as a living Christian that does not pray.”  ~ Matthew Henry

“Prayer will make a man cease from sin, or sin will entice a man to cease from prayer.”  ~ John Bunyan

“We have to pray with our eyes on God, not on the difficulties.” ~ Oswald Chambers 

Other Articles You Might Want To Read Today

10 Prayers of Strength       Are you looking to call out to God for strength in your current situation? Read these prayers.

20 Bible Verses About Peace– The Peace found through God can defy all understanding. Check out these great scriptures about peace.

25 Bible Verses For Strength– Are you looking for Strength? Check out these scriptures about how to find strength in God.

25 Bible Verses About Love– What does the Bible say about love? Check out these great scriptures and quotes.

Resources:  The Holy Bible, English Standard Version The Holy Bible, King James Version (KJV) “Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.” www..com ” I Want To Know You”- Sonicflood

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Источник: //www.whatchristianswanttoknow.com/bible-verses-about-prayer-20-important-scripture-quotes-2/

Prayers for the Dead in the Bible and in Tradition

Prayer For New Converts to Christ

“Where do we find any evidence that praying for the dead is a biblical? From what I have read it appears that the Bible almost says the opposite of this in Ezekiel Chapter 18.

Sure, Ezekiel was talking to Israel prior to the New Covenant that we have in Christ, but it says at the start of the chapter that this came from the word of the LORD and it seems consistent with Romans 2:3-9.

First, let me point out that neither of the passages cited address the question of praying for the dead.

The point of Ezekiel 18 is that a son is neither saved nor condemned because of the righteousness or the sins of his father, and neither is a father saved or condemned because of his son. Also, past righteous will not save a man who falls into sin, nor will past sin condemn a man who turns from his sin. The passage is not about prayers for the dead.

The point of Romans 2:3-9 is that everyone will be judged according to his works. This has nothing to do with prayers for the dead either, unless you assume that we believe that by praying for the dead we could pray an impenitent sinner into heaven, but we do not believe that.

There are, however, passages of Scripture that do address this question. 2nd Maccabees is not in most Protestant Bibles, but it was included in the 1611 King James Bible, and has been considered to be part of Scripture by the Church since the time of the Apostles (see Canon 85 of the Holy Apostles) — and in 2nd Maccabees 12:38-45 we find a very clear example of prayer for the dead.

In the Wisdom of Sirach (which is also listed among Scripture by the Canon 85 of the Apostles), it says: “Give graciously to all the living; do not withhold kindness even from the dead” (Sirach 7:33).

And in 2 Timothy 1:16-18, St. Paul is praying for Onesiphorus, who obviously is no longer among the living:

“The Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chain; but when he arrived in Rome, he sought me out very zealously and found me. The Lord grant to him that he may find mercy from the Lord in that Day—and you know very well how many ways he ministered to me at Ephesus.”

Jewish Tradition

The text from Second Maccabees that has already been cited is clear evidence that this was the Jewish custom well before the time of Christ, but is also a fact that the Jews continue to pray for the dead.

So if prayers for the dead were some pagan corruption that crept into the Church, one has to wonder how it also crept into Judaism… especially when this would have to have happened before the the time of Christ.

Christian Tradition

When I first began to seriously consider becoming Orthodox, prayers for the dead were on my list of about 5 issues that had to be resolved, but it was also one of the first issues to be scratched off that list, because the evidence that the early Church prayed for the dead is far too ubiquitous to allow one to doubt it. You find it in the earliest texts of the Liturgy. You find it passing comments made by the earliest writers of the Church. You also find them in the catacombs. For example, we have the Epitaph of Abercius, Bishop of Hieropolis, who reposed in 167 A.D., in which he asks for those who read the epitaph to pray for him. When St. Augustine’s pious mother was departing this life, her last request was: “Lay this body anywhere, let not the care for it trouble you at all. This only I ask, that you will remember me at the Lord’s altar, wherever you be” (Confessions 9:27). And quotation upon quotation could be multiplied along these lines.

Prior to the Protestant Reformation, there weren’t any Christians, anywhere, who did not have the custom of praying for the dead.

Conclusion

I remember hearing the story of an Anglican priest who had adamantly opposed prayers for the dead any time the issue was raised, and then after his wife’s death he ceased to speak up on the matter, and was asked about it. He said that he had prayed for his wife every day, since he had met her, and could not bring himself to stop after her death.

Prayer for the dead is a way the living show their love for dead. We also believe that prayers the dead are of some benefit to them, but exactly how these prayers benefit them is not something that the Church has precisely defined.

If someone dies in a state of repentance, but without having had a chance to bring forth all the fruits of repentance, we believe that they are not ready to enter immediately into the presence of God, but that at some point, through the prayers of the Church, they will be.

If someone dies in a state of impenitence, while our prayers are of some benefit to them, those prayers cannot make them worthy of the Kingdom of Heaven. But in either case, by praying for the dead, we strengthen our own faith, and come to better entrust our loved ones to God’s mercy.

Update:

For those who want further proof that the Church does not believe that those who die in a state of unrepentance can be prayed hell, consider the following:

St. John of Damascus wrote that those who have departed, unrepentant, and with “an evil life” cannot change their destination from hell to heaven by the prayers of anyone (“On Those Who Have Fallen Asleep in Faith, 21 PG 95,268BC, referenced in “The Mystery of Death,” by Nikolaos P. Vassiliadis, p. 432.

St. John Chrysostom wise speaks of those who are where it is not possible to receive cleansing, and who are outside of the Kingdom of God, but who may receive some consolation by our prayers (Homily “On Not Mourning Bitterly Over the Dead”, PG 60,888-889, referenced in “The Mystery of Death, p.

432-434),

And St. Mark of Ephesus states in his “First Homily, Refuting the Latin Chapters Concerning Purgatorial Fire”:

“But we have received that even the souls which are held in hell are already given over to eternal torments, whether in actual fact and experience or in hopeless expectation of such, as can be aided and given a certain small help, although not in the sense of completely loosing them from torment or giving hope for a final deliverance.

And this is shown from the words of the great Macarius the Egyptian ascetic who, finding a skull in the desert, was instructed by it concerning this by the action of Diving Power.

And Basil the Great, in the prayers read at Pentecost, writes literally the following: “Who also, on this all-perfect and saving feast, art graciously pleased to accept propitiatory prayers for those who are imprisoned in hades, granting us a great hope of improvement for those who are imprisoned from the defilements which have imprisoned them, and that Thou wilt send down Thy consolation” (Third Kneeling Prayer at Vespers). But if souls have departed this life in faith and love, while nevertheless carrying away with themselves certain faults, whether small ones over which they have not repented at all, or great ones for which — even though they have repented over them — they did not undertake to show fruits of repentance: such souls, we believe, must be cleansed from this kind of sins, but not by means of some purgatorial fire or a definite punishment in some place (for this, as we have aid, has not at all been handed down to us). But some must be cleansed in the very departure from the body, thanks only to fear, as St. Gregory the Dialogist literally shows; while others must be cleansed after the departure from the body, either while remaining in the same earthly place, before they come to worship God and are honored with the lot of the blessed, or — if their sins were more serious and bind them for a longer duration — they are kept in hades, but not in order to remain forever in fire and torment, but as it were in prison and confinement under guard. All such ones, we affirm, are helped by the prayers and Liturgies performed for them, with the cooperation of the Divine Goodness and Love for mankind. This Divine cooperation immediately disdains and remits some sins, those committed human weakness, as Dionysius the Great (the Areopagite) says in the “Reflections of the Mystery of those Reposed in Faith” (in The Ecclesiastical Hierarchy, VII, 7); while other sins, after a certain time, by righteous judgments it either wise releases and forgives — and that completely — or lightens the responsibility for them until that final Judgment” (see “The Soul After Death”, Appendix I, p. 208f).

Here also is a quote from St. Symeon of Thessalonika’s Liturgical commentary, about commemorations at the Proskomedia:

“And there is no place here [in commemorations at the proskomedia] for unbelievers, let alone for the heterodox. “For what communion does light have with darkness?” since, scripture says, the angels will separate out the evil from the midst of the just.

Therefore it is also not at all right for a priest to make a commemoration of him; neither for a heterodox, or make a commemoration of him neither for those openly sinning and unrepentant. For the offering is to their condemnation, just as it is also for the unrepentant who receive communion of the awe-inspiring mysteries, as the divine Paul says” (St.

Symeon of Thessonika, The Liturgical Commentaries, edited and translated by Steven Hawkes-Teeples, (Toronto: Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies, 2001), p. 232f).

Источник: //www.pravmir.com/prayers-dead-bible-tradition/

Constant Prayer Unites Us to Christ, the True Temple

Prayer For New Converts to Christ

September 12, 2016

There is a species of seal in Hawaii that spends so much time in the sea that algae grows in its coat, lending it a greenish tint. wise, in Costa Rica, the sloth is so sedentary it not only attracts algae and fungi, helping it to blend in with the forest, but its fur also is home to a certain species of moth.

the sloth and the seal—fittingly named the ‘monk’ seal—Psalm 92 calls on us to become so ensconced in the environment of the temple that we become part of it.

Referring to the just ones, it declares in verse 13, “Planted in the house of the Lord, they shall flourish in the courts of our God.

” This hearkens back to Psalm 1, where the righteous man is also ned to a tree planted by still waters—itself a reference to a return to an Eden, where, as in the temple, God is directly encountered.

But isn’t the temple an Old Testament institution? A shadow of things to come?

Indeed it is.

But our God does not throw things away. Our God renews. So it is with the temple.

Christ is the new, true temple

In the New Testament, Christ becomes the temple—the place where heaven meets earth, where we encounter God. Jesus famously declared this when he said the temple would be torn down and rebuilt in three days, a statement which John says was meant to be understood explicitly in reference to Himself (John 2).

This is hinted at John 1 where the gospel writer says that Jesus, as the Word of God, ‘dwelled’ among us. There, in verse 14, the Greek word is skēnoō, which would be more literally translated as ‘set up a tabernacle’ or ‘abide in a tabernacle,’ which in the Old Testament times was a sort of precursor to the temple. We could translate verse 14 as ‘tabernacled’ among us.

As with the old, so with the new: we are still called to dwell in the temple. Jesus says in much in John 15:4-5, again turning to a floral analogy:

Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abide in the vine, so neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine: you the branches: he that abides in me, and I in him, the same bears much fruit: for without me you can do nothing.

This command is repeated in 1 Peter 2:3-5—this time using more explicit temple terminology:

[F]or you have tasted that the Lord is good. Come to him, a living stone, rejected by human beings but chosen and precious in the sight of God, and, living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

In the gospels, the figure of Anna illustrates this notion devotion to God through the temple, as described in Luke 2:36-37,

There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived seven years with her husband after her marriage, and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple, but worshiped night and day with fasting and prayer.

Notice how Luke depicts Anna: as one who ‘never left the temple’ but remained there 24-and-7, expressing her devotion through fasting and prayer. Anna exemplifies for us what it means to be a ‘living stone’—to become so devoted to God in the temple that one becomes a part of it.

Union with Christ, the true temple

As Christians, with our understanding of Christ as the new temple, becoming a ‘living stone’—

part of the temple—means union with Christ Himself. We are no strangers to this type of language: in the Eucharist, the body, soul, and divinity of Christ are fully and really present to us. However, union with Christ comes not only through sacraments but also through prayer, something to which the great mystics of the ages, such as St. John of the Cross, have testified.

In John 15:7, Jesus said as much: “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, you shall ask whatever you will, and it shall be done unto you.” Abide in the Word Incarnate, and His words—let’s say the Word itself—will abide in you. In the context of prayer, we think immediately of the Our Father.

Notice in this prayer, it is the Father, not the Son, who is addressed. Praying to ‘Our’ Father implies a radical notion of sonship in which we become the adoptive children of God. As Paul wrote in Ephesians 1:5, “He destined us for adoption to himself through Jesus Christ, in accord with the favor of His will.”

Just as we need to recover a heightened Eucharist awareness—as St. John Paul II put it, ‘amazement’—so also we need to do the same with prayer, letting our minds and hearts be fired by this incredible truth that through prayer we become united with Christ and caught up into the very life of the Trinity.

How to pray constantly ‘in the temple’ today

Un Anna, we do not need to be a physical place to pray in the ‘temple.’ Because Christ is the true temple, we can now pray anywhere and be ‘in the temple.’

In other words, all of us are called to be living stones, to become part of the temple, and all of us—regardless of our schedules, personal circumstances, and state in life—can answer this call one way or another. Below are four ways we can live out this calling of constant prayer ‘in the temple.’

  1. Daily Mass. For those who are able, participating in daily Mass is one obvious way. Not only is the liturgy itself prayer, but there are the private prayers we offer before, during, and after Mass.
  1. Liturgy of the Hours. For those who are unable to attend daily Mass for whatever reason an excellent way to ensure you pray throughout the day is the Liturgy of the Hours. These prayers are now available online here, so there is no need haul the books to work in order to be able to fit them into your lunch break.
  1. Exclamations. No one can ever say they do not have enough time for daily prayer. Exclamations are a traditional form of prayer, also known as aspirations or ejaculations, that are short—one or two lines—and meant to be easily recited any time, under any circumstance. Here is a list of some of the traditional ones.

Источник: //catholicexchange.com/constant-prayer-unites-us-christ-true-temple

How can followers of Christ best pray for Muslims?

Prayer For New Converts to Christ

Every Muslim is unique and wonderful in God's eyes. Followers of Jesus Christ should be careful not to generalize or presume that all Muslims are the same. Here are some important issues in understanding how to pray more effectively.

Every Muslim is someone whom God loves. Unfortunately, some Christians make the mistake of not praying for Muslims because of their own prejudices or fears.

  • Let us begin in prayer by asking God to give us a heart filled with love and compassion towards Muslims.

  • We also need to pray in faith and confidence that God will hear us and will move powerfully in answer to our prayers of love and compassion (John 14:12-14).

Muslims believe in the uniqueness of an all powerful and supreme Allah. Similar to Christians and Jews, Muslims believe that Allah is creative and eternal. Muslims also believe that Allah is unknowable and that it is impossible to ever really know him or have a relationship with him as a personal saviour. According to Islam, Allah holds himself apart from mankind.

  • When praying for Muslims, pray that they will have a full revelation of the true God and His loving character (Hebrews 8:8-9).

The Muslim worldview is strongly influenced by an awareness of the supernatural and the presence of good and evil spirits known as jinn. Jinn are greatly feared and are often thought to be responsible for illnesses and misfortune.

Superstitions control many aspects of a Muslim's everyday life and often result in them living in constant fear.

This fear reveals a heart cry and desperate need that can only be met in the person and authority of the Lord Jesus Christ.

  • Pray against the fear that influences many Muslims (1 John 4:18).

Galatians 4:22-25 tells us that Ishmael was born as a result of works resulting in slavery. Islam means submission, and a Muslim understands that he is a servant of Allah. While this is also a Biblical aspect of our relationship with God, it is incomplete. As Christians, through Jesus, we know that we move from being servants to becoming sons and daughters.

  • Pray that Muslims will also understand that God desires for everyone to know Him as children and not as slaves (Galatians 4:7, Matthew 18:3).

Islam teaches that a person must do enough good deeds to outweigh the bad deeds in order to make it to paradise. Even then, there is no guarantee for a Muslim of salvation. As a result of this belief, it is difficult for many Muslims to fully understand the basis of forgiveness of sins. It is also difficult for Muslims to understand repentance.

Never underestimate the work of the Holy Spirit as you pray for Muslims. Allow God to teach you how to pray and to share His heart with you concerning them.

Vast numbers of Muslims have come to Christ as a result of supernatural encounters. Many have dreams and visions of Jesus. It is only God who can open blind eyes and soften hearts.

Only God can bring true conviction of sin and create new life (Romans 8:26, John 16:8).

More information

To learn more about Islam, please see…

[ a question & answer overview for Christians ]

  • WOMEN—How can female followers of Christ develop friendships with Muslim women? Answer

  • Sin
  • Forgiveness of sin
  • Repentance
  • Good works
  • Prayer
  • Discover the good news that Jesus Christ offers
  • Discover God’s promise for all people—told beautifully and clearly from the beginning. Discover The HOPE! Watch it on Christian Answers—full-length motion picture.

  • Do you understand God’s Story? Take a multimedia journey through the Bible, from Creation to eternity. Hear and read an exciting summary of the Bible’s most important records, in chronological order.

  • ETERNAL FORGIVENESS OF SIN—Will all mankind eventually be saved? Answer

  • ISLAM vs. BIBLE—Why do many Muslims claim that the Bible is corrupt and untrustworthy? Answer

More resources on prayer for the Muslim world can be obtained from the following resources

30 Days Muslim Prayer Focus (used by permission). Edited by Paul S. Taylor. Supplied by Films for Christ. Copyright © 2001, 2009, All Rights Reserved—except as noted on attached “Usage and Copyright” page that grants ChristianAnswers.Net users generous rights for putting this page to work in their homes, personal witnessing, churches and schools.

ChristianAnswers.Net Christian Answers Network PO Box 1167 Marysville WA 98270-1167

USA

Источник: //christiananswers.net/q-eden/muslim-prayer.html

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