Question:

54.2—Why do so many people use “Old English” when praying?

Answer:

54.2—Being one of those individuals who continues to use “Thee’s” and “Thou’s” when addressing the Almighty God, or His Son, Jesus Christ, I can say that it is done out of a feeling of respect and reverence for their Person and Position. Using present day pronouns seems to put the person addressed on much the same level as myself.

“Reverence towards God and the holy things connected with His name is especially to be observed. ‘God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of [His] saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are about Him’ (Psalm 89:7). ‘Holy and reverend is His name,’ it is written again (Psalm 111:9). ‘Thou shalt reverence My sanctuary’ is twice commanded in His Holy Word (Leviticus 19:30; 26:2). The growing disregard of reverence for things sacred is lamentable, and is an indication of the last days in which our lot is cast. Even professing Christians speak of God as if He were such a one as themselves. God says, ‘These things hast thou done, and I kept silence; thou thoughtest that I was altogether such an one as thyself: but I will reprove thee, and set them in order before thine eyes’ (Psalm 50:21). It is a common occurrence in the big modern evangelistic campaigns to hear God addressed in prayer as if the person praying were on very intimate terms with God, the Most High, and could approach Him as familiarly as if He were little more than themselves—in a way they would not presume to address the chief magistrate of their land.”  (Quote taken from Life and Times of Samuel the Prophet by C. Knapp)

Question:

54.4—Is everything clear-cut, black and white to God? Example: When two people feel they are both doing God’s will and they are doing two different things, is it that one of them is wrong or that God is showing them each something different on the same subject? (Basically, are certain things relative to the individual or individual situation?)

54.4—Everything is “clear-cut, black and white” regarding whatever God tells us in His Word is His will. Here are a few examples: “For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication” (1 Thessalonians 4:3). “Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). “Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well. For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men” (1 Peter 2:13-15). God “will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4).

But, as you say, God’s will for each person is also “relative to the individual or individual situation.” In other words, “God has a special plan and purpose for each of His people.” He makes His will known to them through His Word and:

(1)  Through close communion with Himself as He says: “I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with Mine eye” (Psalm 32:8).

(2)  By having a single eye desiring only to please the Lord:  “The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light” (Matthew 6:22).

(3)  By the Spirit revealing the Scriptures to us, and thus leading us into all truth.  “Howbeit when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth: for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak: and He will show you things to come” (John 16:13).  

(4)  By spiritual impressions. Examples of these impressions are recorded in Acts 16:6-9 when Paul was on a missionary journey. He was “forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the Word in Asia” and then “they assayed to go into Bithynia: but the Spirit suffered them not.” But when they came to Troas, Paul had a dream in which there stood “a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us.” So he went to the city of Philippi in Macedonia where the Philippian jailor and others were saved and later an assembly was formed in that city.

(5)  Through godly counsel: “Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counselors there is safety” (Proverbs 11:14). We thank God for giving godly men like those in the tribe of Issachar “that had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do” (1 Chronicles 12:32). We should seek the counsel of those who lead by example, give the direction found in the Scriptures that applies to the situation, and who teach us to only follow them as they follow Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1).

God’s will is specially tailored for each of His children so they can bring glory to Christ, blessing to others, as well as blessing to themselves. The truth of “the one body” is that each member has a different function, and we are not in the position to know who is right and who is wrong unless the Scriptures are not followed. For example, if a man and woman live together without being married, we know this is wrong because it violates God’s will that is expressed in His Word: “For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication” (1 Thessalonians 4:3).

We may see others doing things we do not believe God would have us do where there is no direct violation of the Scriptures, and the Lord may convict us to speak to them about it, but we should not seek to force them to do what we think. Each of us must answer to God for what we do and don’t do (Romans 14:4). So, in a real sense we cannot walk in our brother’s shoes, but we are responsible to be sure we are walking in God’s will for our lives.

Question:

54.3—When is it okay to pray during meeting or when is it okay to tell your opinion during a meeting? Do you have to be a certain age? And how do you know the Holy Ghost is leading you?

Answer:

54.3— The Scriptures do not give any age for participation in the assembly meetings, but we are told that we must be “filled with the Spirit,” or controlled by the Spirit, which is necessary for the Spirit to give us something to speak and so He can provide the opportunity to speak it. This is the age of the Spirit of God, and this is how the Spirit has led in the assembly of the Lord’s people since the day the church was formed on the day of Pentecost. “And they were all filled [controlled] with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance” (Acts 2:4).

A Spirit-filled Christian is a Word-filled Christian, so if we are led of the Spirit we will not express our “opinions,” but if the Spirit wants us to speak in the assembly He will bring to our minds what God’s Word has to say about the subject. The Spirit’s function is to glorify Christ (John 16:14), and He is the power for all ministry (1 Peter 4:11), worship (Philippians 3:3), and every activity in the functioning of the assembly (1 Corinthians 14:15).

1 Corinthians 14 tells us how we can know when the Spirit gives us utterance in the assembly. What is said will be:

(1)  According to the Scriptures (verse 37).

(2)  Subject to the Spirit in others (verse 30-33).

(3)  Not presented by women (verse 34).

(4)  Done fittingly and in order (verse 40).

(5)  Profitable and refreshing to ourselves and to others (1 Corinthians 12:7; 16:18).

It is important that we know that the Spirit of God is leading when we participate because Divine Persons of the Godhead are present in the gathering of the assembly. Christ is there, not physically for His body is in heaven, but He is there by His Spirit as He promised: “Where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:20). The Spirit of God is present as well to lead and direct in everything that is done: “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are” (1 Corinthians 3:16,17). These verses were written to the assembly at Corinth and tell us that the Spirit of God dwells in the gathering of the assembly, and they warn that God will judge any person who defiles the temple or assembly by not being led of the Spirit and thus producing “wood, hay, and stubble” that will be burnt up at the judgment seat of Christ (1 Corinthians 3:12-15).

This warning is not given to cause us to keep us from participating but to instruct us to come in the right manner into God’s holy presence. The Spirit of God says to each believer: “Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus…Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water” (Hebrews 10:19,22). The sprinkling of our “hearts” by the blood of Christ has made us fit to come because it has freed us from the guilt of sin, and the washing of our “bodies” by the Word cleanses us from the power of sin in our lives. Thus we can come boldly with our praise and worship into His presence in the assembly, and we are encouraged and pleaded with by God Himself to come.

Dear Christian young people, let us not disappoint the Lord and grieve the Spirit of God by not functioning in His assembly, as He desires us to. If you know the blood of Christ has washed your sins away, allow the Word to cleanse you from anything displeasing to God. Then come, controlled by the Spirit, and function as a priest in His presence in His assembly—thus bringing glory to His name and blessing to His people, the unsaved, and to yourself as well.

Question:

54.2—Why do so many people use “Old English” when praying?

54.2—The use of “Thee, Thou, and Thy” when referring to God is to show more reverence than simply the common “you.”  The Lockman Foundation has followed this in their NASB translation of the Bible.  Quoting their l977 edition, they say, “Thou, Thee, and Thy are not used in this translation except in the language of prayer when addressing Deity.”  (I believe them to be correct in this.)  To be consistent, they ought to have done the same when addressing Christ…Is He not Deity?

Notice that the Lord Jesus is careful in addressing Mary at the grave when He said, “…but go tell my brethren, and say to them,  ‘I ascend to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.'”   He did not say ‘to our Father and our God.’  The distinct Glory of the Godhead must be maintained.

Question:

54.1—I have friends who say they are saved but they don’t act at all like they are. I don’t want to talk about being good because they will always either ignore me, make my life awful, or avoid me. What should I do?

Answer:

54.1— I believe it will be helpful in answering this question to consider Philippians 2:14-16: “Do all things without murmurings and disputings: That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; Holding forth the word of life.” These verses give us two things we can “do” toward those who, though they may profess to be saved, do not act like they are. (1) We can “shine as lights,” and (2) we can “hold forth the Word” to them.

(1) The way we shine as lights is by doing “all things without murmurings and disputings,” which means that everything we do should be done without complaining and arguing. We live in a “crooked and perverse [perverted]” world, which is characterized by complaining and arguing, so we will have a testimony for Christ, which will be seen by not doing those things. Only Christ can save souls and only He can give victory over the power of sin in our lives, but He desires to use those who are truly saved to show Christ by their actions. Jesus said: “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).

(2) The Lord sometimes gives us the opportunity to hold forth the Word of life by quoting a verse from the Bible.  An example of this is when the jailor at Philippi asked Paul and Silas, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”  And they answered him, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house” (Acts 16:30,31).

We are not told to talk about “being good” to the unsaved or even to those who profess to be Christians but who are not living right.  Instead we should show in our own lives how Christ would act, and then, “Sanctify the Lord God in your hearts,” which means that Christ means everything to us and is the Lord of our lives. We then will “be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear” (1 Peter 3:15).