Hello Dada, Some people in some societies marry by some form of arrangement and it is accepted that they may well not ever be in love with each other. They come together in marriage solely on the basis of a covenant agreement to uphold each other as life long partners and have children. In those societies this regularly seems to work out fine for them.

In Western society, however, there is an aspiration to marry the one you are in love with and live married life in love with that marriage partner. It seems to me that to enter into marriage without feeling you are really in love with the one you are marrying is to run the risk of reaching a point in your marriage where you are regretting having married. You are likely to be feeling you've missed out on the opportunity of experiencing the intensity of truly being in love.

For this reason I do not recommend getting married to someone you are not in love with. I believe some married couples do fall in love with each other after they are married but I do not believe one should get married simply thinking that love will come later. In my opinion you would need a very strong reason and, as Christians, a very clear leading of the Lord to marry someone you were not in love with.

Hello Rev JB, I can understand your difficulties in moving your church forward in this area. The question really needs to be asked though, where does the the church stand on the Holy Spirit? It is going to be extremely difficulty to convey to the church an understanding of Christ dwelling and moving in worship if they don't appreciate or even acknowledge the Holy Spirit moving among them.

The principle reason for this is that the foundational Bible passage for the type of worship you are wanting is Ephesians 5:18-20. Therefore, to have this foundation as an accepted truth and sort after experience you have to teach a belief in and an appreciation of the filling to overflowing of believers with the Holy Spirit. With this there needs to arise in the church an anticipation of the tangible manifestation of the Holy Spirit among them.

Hi Bobbie, I am sorry to hear of this trying situation. It is clearly attack on your finances by your adversary the devil. 1 Peter 5:8. I have prayed for you to have strength in the Lord and power in prayer and word at this time. Eph.6:10, Rom.8:26,27.

You need to call upon the Lord to rebuke the devourer for your sake. Malachi 3:11. You also need to follow through on the exhortations to you given in verses 7 and 9 1 Peter 5.

At the same time I recommend you study my class in the Bible Study called "Blood Victory" - see Stage 5 Class 13. Let this encourage and guide you.

Hi Sarah

I am sorry to hear the religion of the one you love stands in the way of you marrying him. I have prayed you will be comforted and guided in this.

It is a good thing indeed if the person a Christian is in love with is also a Christian or becomes a Christian before marriage is entered into. The Bible urges us to have it this way. See 2 Corinthians 6:14.

Hi Ruth,

In a sense, they are all correct! Jesus cried out, "Out of his (the one thirsty who comes to Jesus to drink) belly will flow rivers of living water". John 7:37-38.

This living water is the water of the river which Ezekiel spoke saying, "everything will live wherever the river goes." Ez.47:9. It is the Word of God made to be living by the Holy Spirit.

It is "logos" made "rhema" by the Holy Spirit. It is that word from the mouth of God that is part of a flow of ministry of the Holy Spirit bringing life to the hearer by the power of its relevancy and ability to speak to the heart. This "rhema" word brings faith and by that faith the hearer is positioned to be saved out of death into the life of God.

Hi Roger,

I am puzzled by how a book about the history of the translation of the Bible can bring such a reaction. What has brought this on?

"Trial By Fire" is based on Harold Rawlings' illustrated lecture explaining the fascinating story of how the English Bible came into existence.

I haven't read this book yet but I have an outline of the lecture and it follows the generally known scheme of the stages of how we got our English Bible. The only part that might be controversial is his drawing a parallel between the fierce opposition these early translators encountered and the determined resistance modern translators encounter who seek to render the Bible into the current idiom.

It sounds like it should be worth reading.

Hi Melissa

You will find guidance on hearing your Heavenly Father's answer to your prayer in my Bible study "Hearing from Heaven". Follow the link below.

Hi Hazel,

In general, you will find Pentecostal churches will be happy to do this. There are also quite a number of Anglican churches who do water baptism, even if you have already been christened. This happens in Anglican churches who count themselves evangelicals.

Hi Hazel

In place of trying to "read the Bible" take specific things God has said in the Bible and ponder them. By ponder, I mean speak them aloud to yourself reflectively.

For example, take John 14:27. Read that verse aloud to yourself. Read the whole verse aloud. Then read each phrase separately and aloud. As you do this imagine it is not you speaking to you but Jesus Himself speaking to you.

Here are 5 verses for 5 days for you to get started with: John 14:27, John 10:10, Isaiah 41:10, 1 Peter 5:7, John 10:27-28.

You also asked about prayer. Open your Bible to Psalms and take a Psalm as your praise and prayer. Read that Psalm aloud as your own words to God. Here are 5 short Psalms for 5 days to get you started: Psalm 63, 16, 42, 61, 121.

Hi

You will find helpful counsel on this on my Teaching Pages web site where I have a page entitled "How to pray in tongues". Follow the link below.

Hi Bobbie

Let me ask a question first in order to move to an answer to your question.

How does God respond to our plight? He sent His Son to save us and He had that good news brought to us by someone who was part of the Church so that we could receive that rescue personally.

God intervenes in the matters of the earth through the activity of Church. By the Church I mean the members, the people, of the Body of Christ throughout the earth. (See Mat.16:18-19.)

Who failed when a child suffered? Was it God or was it a person or people of the Church? Is it likely that God turned a deaf ear? Or was it more likely that a person turned a deaf ear to the Spirit's urgings to action?

God established in the Beginning how the earth was to be managed and goodness and justice performed. This was then reaffirmed in the New Testament. See Gen.1:28, Luk.10:19, Mat.28:19.

Hi Bobbie

Pray for your brother and his wife. God's grace can do wonders for them.

Hi Bobbie

There is a gift of the Holy Spirit the apostle Paul refers to as "discerning of spirits". See 1 Corinthians 12:10. This gift works in some men and women of God for the benefit of God's people.

However, what you describe as your brother and his wife recognising demons on or in people is very likely to be a delusion. It is one that frequently comes on those young in the Lord, zealous novices. Often it is through falling into the trap of spiritual pride.

Prayer, grace and regular times under good ministry of God's word should seem them through this into a better place.

Hi Roger

Your question begins, "Why were Annias and Safias killed for...".

If you look at the Bible passage about that incident you will find that no where does it say that either of them were killed because of what they did. Here's what it says of Ananias, "Ananias, hearing these words, fell down and breathed his last." In other words, she died.

It may be a commonly held church doctrine that God killed Ananias and Sapphira but scripture does say that. Therefore, there is no reason, in my opinion, for considering why Annias and Safias were killed by God since we have no scriptural statement to say that this is what happened. Why not just assume they dropped dead from fear? Nothing to do with God.

Hi Rev Ken

Thanks for pointing out the oversight in not having our statement of faith available on the site. This will be rectified shortly. In the meantime, you can see it on the sister site "Teaching Pages". You can follow the link below to it.

No licensed counsellors operate from this site. Counsel is given but no counselling is provided. A friend gives counsel, a licensed counsellor provides counseling.

The church behind The Virtual Church is affiliated to Evangelical Alliance UK.

Hi Kristina

What you describe is mostly likely what is commonly known as sleep paralysis. This is a condition in which a person experiences all of the things you describe. A good description can be found on a student page on the Bryn Mawr college site and good explanation of it can be found on the Medical News Today web site. Please follow the links below to them.

You will read on the first link that it is possibly a hereditary disorder which would explain why your mother also experienced it at your age.

Hi Cristina

God speaks about what you are going through in Proverbs. He says, "Hope deferred makes the heart sick".

He doesn't stop there though. He continues by giving us great cause for hope. He says, "But when the desire comes, it is a tree of Life." Prov.13:12.

He also speaks about what you are experiencing in Isaiah. He says, "Who among you fears the Lord? Who obeys the voice of His Servant? Who walks in darkness And has no light?"

He then continues and tells you what to do in that situation. He says, "Let him trust in the name of the Lord And rely upon his God." Isa.50:10.

You can follow that counsel or exhortation by following Abraham's example. "He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform." Rom.4:20-21.

Hi Barry,

Your pray is visible in the Prayer Room. Your posting was immediately successful.

After making a posting return to the page where you made the posting and then refresh the page to ensure you've got the page updated with your posting. (Sometimes you have to hold down Shift as your refresh.)

Hi Sarah,

It's not unusual for a young female to have strong feelings of attraction to other females that they are close to as well as towards males. However, God has given you this wonderful gift of choice. It all matters you can choose whether to act on certain feelings you have or not.

God's Spirit is with you to help you make good choices. He is with you to advise you on what are good feelings to act on and what are not. You can use your gift of the ability to choose to choose not to act on some feelings you have that could lead in a direction that is not best for your life. You can choose to act only on the strong feelings within you that you have an inner sense will give you long term blessing and make your life a blessing to many others also.

May the Lord bless you in your relationships to God's glory.

Hi Paul,

Interesting notion about why the church was set up. However, what does the New Testament say about it? In the New Testament we find that Jesus gave the Church a commission and it is that commission which tells us what the work of the Church on earth is. It is in helping to fulfil that commission that The Virtual Church plays a role. You can read that commission in Mark 16:15-18 and Matthew 28:18-20.

[P.S. Social interaction occurs on many levels and in many forms. The internet provides social interaction and it does so very effectively for those who are unable to get out of their houses to places where people gather together physically.]

Hi Val,

Clearly there's an issue here that you need to seek the Lord over for His healing. It sounds like you suffered a spiritual attack (see Eph.6:12) in your childhood designed to cut you off from the experience of the promises that are attached to being part of a vibrant church of God (see Eph.2:19-22, 4:11-16).

Before you venture again into church life you need to let God (see 1 Thes.5:24) do some background work in you of setting you free from what your adversary the devil has tried to establish in your life. God has given promises in this regard. Let the power and ministry of the Holy Spirit make those promises become very real to you and relevant to you. Those promises will then set you free (see Joh.8:31-32).

Here are some of those promises: Rom.8:15, 2 Tim.1:7, Heb.2:14-15. This is the time - the due season - for you to seek in your life this wonderful work of God.

Hi Bobbie,

This is something I also have to deal with regularly. The world we live in has many tragedies and tragic situation that emotionally impact upon us when we a caring for the lives of others. It is essential however that we do not allow a weight of this to load itself up on our hearts.

To prevent this we have to take extra quality time in prayer with the Lord pouring out our hearts to Him and letting Him know our requests. The Bible gives us good and clear counsel on how to do this: Psa.62:8, 1 Tim.2:1-4, Phil.4:4-7.

At the same time you have to be hearing and hearing what God has promised and declared regarding His heart and care for the afflicted. Such scriptures as Psa.68:5-6 must be in your heart and in your consciousness. Other like scriptures are Psa.107:4-9 and Psa.37:12-17.

It is essential that you act in this way to free yourself of the emotional weight you get under otherwise you will be robbed of your ability to serve the Lord joyfully and make a real positive impact by your faith on those around you.

Hi Tracey,

I think Paulofalus' responses to your posting on the Interaction page regarding the church issue you face are very good. Do they about cover it for you?

Hi Stanley,

Sadly, sometimes the one we are in love with doesn't reciprocat our love. It is likely that she won't realise how much you love her. This is a time for you to give of your time to praying for this girl whom you love to the end that she may know God, His love and His purpose for her life.

Hi Val, There's a couple of points here. Firstly, the outworking of our gifts in Christ (commonly called our calling) can change through our lives. What is prophecied or guided by the Holy Spirit as the right role and place for us at one particular time in our lives may not continue to be for the whole of our lives. Indeed, the Bible indicates that change is good for us and is an aspect of our lives in Christ. Of course, we shouldn't just engage in change at a whim but ensure that any change follows the leading of the Holy Spirit to the glory of God.

The second point is that God delights to give us the desires of our hearts because He is the One who is putting them there when we are pleasing Him. Psa.37:3-6.

Hi Keith, Let me point out first of all that this is not a forum or a place for discussion of doctrine. The following is my final response to your initial question on the Ten Commandments.

The Christian's life of godliness is not maintained by attention to the Law but instead by shifting his life into the sphere of good works which God prepared in Christ for us to walk in. Eph.2:10.

This sphere of good works is an atmosphere in which we commit ourselves to living in. It is a sphere of life in Christ Jesus which is created and sustained by grace, love and obedience to the promptings of the Holy Spirit.

Hi Keith, Indeed the Ten Commandments haven't been done away with. Paul tells Timothy who they are made for (1 Timothy 1:8-11) and he speaks in detail about the Christian's relationship to the Law in his letter to the Galatians. The letter to the Galatians acted as a follow up to the letter sent out by the Jerusalem Council.

Hi Keith, This topic you refer to was fully covered by the apostles at the Jerusalem Council as is recorded in Acts 15. These Spirit-led men came to a conclusion on behalf of the Church and communicated it in a letter.

Hi Lee, My son Ben came up with a new way of encoding the audio file of my sermons which has been a problem lately. As a result a new sermon is now on the Virtual Church. Praise the Lord.

Hi Lee, I'm glad to know you've been checking for new sermons. Sorry it hasn't changed in some time. I'd like to see it changing often - indeed weekly. It's a combination of time and technical issues that are hindering this at the moment. Please pray for this.

In the meantime, you can hear the sermons that are meant to be up on The Virtual Church on the Harvest Field Church web site. Go to that site and select the Publications page. From there you can download mp3 files of the sermons.

Hi Val, Fasting means there's no need to leave off worship and devotion in order to prepare meals and eat. However, fasting does not of itself move God. Nevertheless, it ought to move the one fasting - move them into a better place of worship and a greater openness to God's Spirit. It is faith that God responds to.

A lot of people seem to think getting as many people as possible to pray helps in getting an answer. I see nothing in scripture to support that view. Two or three should be sufficient. However, you ought seek two or three who are able to pray prayers of faith and who know how to pray according to scriptural principles of prayer such as praying in the name of Jesus. Hence, posting prayer requests on this web site is a good idea.

The significance of Robert giving his life to the Lord when he was a child is that if that meant he accepted Christ personally as his Saviour then to this day he is God's child.

Hi Donna, Hover over "Church Office" in the menu above then click on "Join". At the page you come to fill in your old email address and check Unsubscribe then submit. Repeat the process only fill in your new email address and check Subscribe then submit.

I'm glad my devotional message continues to bless you. Email me if you need to change your Daily Guide email address.

Hi Sally, Everyone who comes to God the Father by Jesus is chosen. As the old evangelistic saying goes, "He chose you because you chose Him!". Everyone who has personally accepted Christ as their Saviour takes their place among the "you" that the apostle Peter refers to in his first epistle. "You are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light." 1Pet.2:9. In other words, you are chosen in Christ. Rom.16:13. (For some background to this see Jam.2:5, Deut.7:7-8.)

Hi Michael, What to do about it will all depend on what you mean by lust. Where the Bible in English uses lust the Greek word it is translated from means, "unregulated, unchecked craving". Such craving leads to sin if it is allowed to initiate action like unto itself. See James 1:14. The Bible's counsel on what to do about it is contained in Romans 7:15 - 8:6. That counsel is about partaking of Christ's victory over sin and by welcoming the power and influence of the Holy Spirit in your life. (Having said that, I wonder, since you are male, whether really you are using "lust" as a code word for the desire to masturbate. If so, say so, for in reality it is a different matter.)

Hi Neyda, Your request for counsel gives rise to two questions, namely, "what is sin?" and "what is a covenant?". I think the most helpful definition of sin written in God's Word (the Bible) is found Romans 14:21. It says, "Whatsoever is not from faith is sin". This means that if you are doing something that you do not have a confidence from God about then to you it is sin. In that case, you're left either needing to stop what you're doing or move yourself into a place of faith from God about it. What is covenant? Covenant is not about signatures! However, covenant is something that has to be made between two parties. Covenant is an agreement of mutual and beneficial lasting commitment that two parties solemnly make between them. The marriage ceremony is an opportunity to make such a covenant. The Christian marriage ceremony, when done according to scripture, goes further and joins the two parties spiritually as one in the sight of God.

Hi Sarah, That will be fine. Please post your prayer request on the Prayer Request posting board of the Prayer Room here in The Virtual Church.

Where there's a choice and an opportunity, as a Christian, you want to be in a church that is genuinely looking to be living in Paul's exhortations about church life. Here are a couple of the main ones: Ephesians 4:11 - 16, 5:19 - 21. Note though, if a departure to another church becomes something you are pressed to do in the Spirit, nevertheless in it, seek to maintain the unity of the faith.

It's not entirely clear to me from what you've written what it is exactly you are asking for Bible references on. I'll take it you would like verses on putting God first and not having any gods before Him. Assuming that's the case how about Mat.6:33 and Mat.22:37? Also read Colossians 2:6-8.

Ilil Arbel, Ph.D. in his article 'Shekhina' writes that the Bible does not mention the name Shekhina. However, he goes on to say that the word Shekhina, in Hebrew, is derived from the Biblical verb shakhan, meaning 'the act of dwelling'. He tells us that Shekhina is a Talmudic term describing the manifestation of God's presence on earth. So when we speak of shekinah glory we are referring to the appearance of the glory that is the manifestation of God's presence on earth. The appearing of this glory is described often in the Old Testament and most frequently this appearance is over the ark of the covenant. It signified God's approval of His people's work. See Ex.40:35 and 2 Chron.5:13-14,7:2.