(All Scripture quotations are from the New International Version)
Is being saved the only way of going to heaven?
Yes. John 3 v 1-21 says:
1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2 He came to Jesus at night and said, "Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him."
3 In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again."
4 "How can a man be born when he is old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!"
5 Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. 6Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.' 8The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."
9 "How can this be?" Nicodemus asked.
10 "You are Israel's teacher," said Jesus, "and do you not understand these things? 11 I tell you the truth, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. 12 I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? 13 No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. 14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.
16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son. 19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God."
John 14 v 6 says:
6 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
What is speaking in tongues about – does it make any difference if you do or don’t?
It can be a heavenly language or ‘prayer language’ used as a private language between you and God. It is not just made-up noises as such, but a gift from God to help you pray. It is useful if you don’t know what to pray in a situation as you can pray in tongues instead. It doesn’t really matter if you can or cannot pray in tongues; it is to help us pray, not to help God listen.
It could also be a real language that you don’t know in ‘real life’ but God has given you the ability to speak even if you don’t know what you are saying. See Acts 2 v 1-13
If someone speaks out loud in tongues then it ought to be interpreted, that is, someone (else?) will say a word from God in English that everyone can understand. Interpretation is also a gift from God, probably like a prophecy when people say “The Lord says …” or “I have a picture of …” See 1 Corinthians 14 about how to handle these gifts in church.
Is there a right way to pray?
Luke 11 v 2-4 says:
1 One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples."
2 He said to them, "When you pray, say:
" 'Father,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come.
3 Give us each day our daily bread.
4 Forgive us our sins,
for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.
And lead us not into temptation.' "
Matthew 6 v 5-15 says:
5 "And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
9 "This, then, is how you should pray:
" 'Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
10 your kingdom come,
your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today our daily bread.
12 Forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.' 14 For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
The Scriptures above quote “The Lord’s Prayer” known to most of us from our school days. This prayer can be said just as Jesus said it, but it is more useful to think of it as a framework or outline on which to base your own prayers. It starts by telling God how holy (special) he is, then asks for God’s heavenly laws to apply here on earth too, (e.g. there is no sickness in heaven, no poverty, no sadness). It goes on to ask God for things we need on a daily basis, whether it is for food, a new job, health, it can be whatever applies to you. Next it asks God for forgiveness, but it also requires us to forgive others too: God may not take your request for forgiveness seriously if you hold a grudge against someone else for doing the thing to you that you want forgiveness for. The prayer then goes on to ask God to steer us away from things that take us away from God, and also from protection from the Devil and things he might be planning to do to or with us.
If you do not know how to start when you talk to God, then following the Lord’s Prayer outline can help you to begin. Remember that prayer is simply a conversation with someone who loves you completely, knows everything about you and wants to enjoy your company. There is no need to feel embarrassed talking to God, there is nothing you can admit to that he doesn’t already know, he just wants you to feel close enough to him to be able to talk about anything and everything from the mundane daily tasks to ‘big’ prayers like asking him to heal someone.
What is tithing and why do it?
A ‘tithe’ means 10%, or one tenth, of your income. In Malachi 3 v10-11 (below) God talks to the then nation of Israel about giving him what his is due – a concept they were well aware of even as far back as Abel (Genesis 4) giving God the first fruits of his labour as a thank you and an acknowledgement of God’s care for him and his livelihood. Throughout the history of Israel in the Old Testament the tithe was given to God and used to feed and provide for those who worked for God in the Temple and had no farms or businesses of their own. The priests and other Temple workers looked after the spiritual needs of the people, so God provided the tithe as a way of ensuring that the Temple workers had enough to eat for themselves.
Most Christians would say that in principle this still applies – the tithe received into a church from the congregation may pay for (or part-pay) some staff, running costs e.g. rent and utilities for the church premises, other ministries or good causes that the church supports from a central fund. Most Christians who tithe would agree that when you give financially to God in this way, there is a blessing that comes to you that does not come through any other way, that God will always provide for you if you follow this principle of giving 10% to him (usually to your church). The blessing may not always be immediate and it may not be what you expect, but God promises to bless you if you tithe, and God always keeps his promises.
10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. 11 I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit," says the LORD Almighty.
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