I am trying to study the Jewish feasts and I wanted to see a Jewish calendar. I went to a website to look at one and now I am more confused. It shows the Jewish year as September to September however, when reading in Lev 23 about the time of the feasts it says that Passover should be on the 14th day of the first month. So why isn’t Passover in September according to the Jewish calendar? I would really appreciate any clarification you could give me on this.

Our study group recently had a lesson on the “doctrine of election”. Many of us were confused to the point that we are going to continue the teaching next week. Can you please shed some light on this subject? We were told that God chose those who will be saved “before the foundations of earth” and everyone who wasn’t chosen then has no hope. We know God is a just God and would not create people who had no chance of being saved. Can you help?

May I ask you to help me understand something? I follow several prayer groups praying for our nation. They all include the phrase, “Repent on behalf of our nation.” May I ask how we repent on behalf of another or for that matter a nation? I do pray that the Holy Spirit will do His work and convict the citizens of this nation of our sins. But, apart from that, I don’t understand how we can repent for our nation. Seems to me that is an individual responsibility.

I have been visiting your site for some time now and have thoroughly enjoyed it. Recently I received an email from the Reformation Book Store. They were advertising a book on the dangers of dispensationalism. It says that this belief causes confusion about how to pray for our Nation and the world because we believe the Bible predicts what will happen and there is nothing we can do about it, so why pray? I have to admit that I feel confused about this too. When we read that “there will be perilous times” why should we pray for wise leaders? What do you say about this subject?

I recently read an article, which was called “Is God for us or for Himself?” The author concluded that God mainly and ultimately is for Himself. He holds His own glory in the highest regard and evangelical Christians deceive themselves with the notion that they are the apple of His eye so to speak. Everything that God did and all that Jesus went through was solely for His own glory that is the dearest to Him. We delude ourselves to think otherwise.

A woman at our church, who was the leader of the Prayer Ministry, was diagnosed with a terminally ill disease. She requested prayer from her family, friends and church members to pray for her healing. She believed the many scriptures that tell us God is the Healer.

Many people were indeed praying for and standing on the scripture/promises of God’s word for healing. But many were praying that God would take her home. If all who were praying for her were born again believers, how does God answer the prayers of all those who were praying for the same woman in different ways?

There are a lot of pastors who dip their finger in some holy oil and then lay hands on people. This oil is sold and advertised on TV. The Bible says we have to pray and heal the sick in the name of Jesus only. When the use of oil is questioned, these pastors answer by saying in the book of James 5:14 we are instructed to lay hands on the sick and anoint them with oil. Is this verse being applied correctly? Does the usage of oil in this verse have supernatural effect or medicinal effect?

Was Jesus’ half-brother, James, one of the original 12 apostles? Paul mentions James in Galatians 1 as being an established apostle early on in Paul’s ministry; but which James is he in the list of the original 12 if indeed he was one of them?

Here’s another follow-up to “OSAS And Unanswered Prayer.”

You listed four things that you believe can prevent believers from being delivered from their afflictions, putting a very fine point on the issue:

1. Lack of faith, 2. Unconfessed sins, 3. Subconscious feelings that we deserve to be afflicted, 4. Secret desire to remain where we are.

My questions are these:

1. If we have a subconscious feeling that we deserve to be afflicted, does God hold this against us? (if so, why?). Your answer seems to imply this.

2. If we are held responsible for things of which we are not conscious, how do we recognize this and “repent” of it?

This is a very serious set of questions for me as I am very introspective, know I cannot fully understand what’s going on inside me, so it would seem that I am doomed to a life of (mostly) unanswered prayer.

Thank you for this opportunity to ask you questions, I value your wisdom.

My question is: There is a teaching that on some buildings and land there are curses because of the activities that have been carried out on the site, and these must be lifted by ‘spiritual warfare’ type prayer (applying the blood of Jesus etc). What is the Biblical position on this for New Covenant believers? Thank you.