When Peter denied the Lord and cursed, was he saved? He had already declared Jesus the Messiah so I would assume he was. Did he have the Holy Ghost? After the resurrection, he was strong in his faith even unto death. What made him stronger than before?

I am seeking your advice concerning prayer. Our Pastor is leaving and we are having a farewell banquet for him and his family. There will be many in attendance including pastors from other churches and I have been asked to offer the opening prayer.

The idea of praying aloud in front of so many makes me nervous. I always pray from my heart but in this case would it be okay to write something and memorize it?

Also when I think about what to say in the opening prayer, the book of Psalms comes to mind but I don’t know why. Is there something there I should know concerning this? Perhaps a word from Psalms that I should use in the prayer?

I understand how we count years since our Lord’s death- EG, 1248ad, 1249ad, 1250ad, etc. How did we get the the “count-down” years before Christ was born? EG, 1250bc, 1249bc, 1248bc, etc? How was it that the ancients “knew” to count time downward to the promised, prophesied event of the coming Messiah?

I guess my question is, what was the starting point and how is it man knew to count downward? Very perplexing!

Re: Matthew 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you. When we decide to serve Him first, this decision must be followed by action or it will be as useless as if we did not decide to do so in the first place. To honor God with your lips and not your heart is not acceptable. This worries me. If I am doing anything like what I should be doing it will be a big surprise to me. And I suspect I am not alone. I just read that most of us are in the same boat. What do you think? Your opinion will be greatly appreciated. And anxiously awaited.

I believe that, surely, it must be God’s will that I love Him more than I do, and that my faith be greater than it is.

I am taught, however, that I must have faith for my prayers to be answered. If my faith is weak; if my belief is not strong; it seems that God will not answer my prayers for greater faith or stronger belief and love of Him.

So, what can I do with my need for God-given faith if the little faith I have is not great enough for Him to grant what I ask Him for? How can I avoid the Catch 22 of having too little faith for my prayer for more faith to be answered?

I ask:

1. to ensure my Salvation and to have the “Blessed Assurance” I see in others ;

2. to know His will for me and to be made strong enough to do it;

3. to serve him (and to be rid of a desire for some form of recognition) .

If it is my motives that are impure in my prayer for increased faith and love of God, where can I get the faith I need for him to answer my prayer to rid me of those impure motives?

I have come across many Christians who attempt to make a case against public and/or corporate prayer based on Matt. 6:6 which says, “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.”

There is some confusion among my husband and me and some of our close friends over the meaning of 2 Cor 9:8-9. All of us believe in tithing and practice it, plus we all give above the tithe to other ministries. Some of us believe it says we should give to everyone who ask us for money no matter what. Others say we should try to be discerning in who we give money to. We all want to be generous. If we do not give to everyone who ask us for money or financial support, are we being disobedient to this scripture?

Re: “Cheap Grace” A question arose regarding giving an account for ourselves. It’s mentioned more than once in Scripture (Jesus and Paul making such statements – sorry don’t have the verses to back them up this time), and has caused a few discussions I’ve had with others. Will you please help us on this issue, as we know our sins were paid for by Jesus’ sacrifice for us on Calvary?

The blessing at meal-time has become a source of derision in our family. The repetitive nature of it makes my skin crawl each time it is said. Also, it is my belief that the head of the household should say the evening meal prayer. But my husband disagrees. He feels everyone should take turns saying it. Now nobody wants to. I wish it was lovely and different each time and that we could include things that are happening in our family and ask for specific blessings, etc. But is that more like a regular prayer and not a meal-time blessing?

Would you please give us your thoughts on the concept of a believer cheapening the grace of God?