THE
BIBLE PRAYER LINE – Bible Questions Answered
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Bible
Prayer Line Index
Bible Questions Answered:
“Didn't
the church, exist in the Old Testament times as well...?”
Bill/
Meppen (Lower Saxony) Germany
Bible Answer:
Bible Texts:
Matthew 16:16,18 (The Confession of who Jesus is.)
16
Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the
living God.”
18...upon
this rock I will build My church, and all the powers of hell will not
conquer it.
The church did not exist before the incarnation, and Jesus tells
Peter so.
Jesus the Creator, Jesus the Carpenter, He would build His church.
Wasn't Israel the church, or the church Israel, in the Old Testament?
No, Paul lists them as being different.
Romans
9:6 ERV
I
don’t mean that God failed to keep His promise to the Jewish
people. But only some of the people of Israel are really God’s
people.
I
Corinthians 10:31,32 NLT
31
So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the
glory of God.
32
Don’t give offense to Jews or Gentiles or the church of God.
Hebrews
12:18-24 NLT
18
You have not come to a physical mountain, to a place of flaming fire,
darkness, gloom, and whirlwind, as the Israelites did at Mount Sinai.
19
For they heard an awesome trumpet blast and a voice so terrible that
they begged God to stop speaking.
20
They staggered back under God’s command: “If even an animal
touches the mountain, it must be stoned to death.”
21
Moses himself was so frightened at the sight that he said, “I am
terrified and trembling.”
22
No, you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of The Living God, the
heavenly Jerusalem, and to countless thousands of angels in a joyful
gathering.
23
You have come to the assembly of God’s firstborn children, whose
names are written in heaven. You have come to God Himself, who is The
Judge over all things. You have come to the spirits of the righteous
ones in heaven who have now been made perfect.
24 You have come to Jesus, the one who mediates the new covenant
between God and people, and to the sprinkled blood, which
speaks of forgiveness instead of crying out for vengeance like the
blood of Abel.
Acts
2:1-47 NKJV
(Coming
of The Holy Spirit)
1
When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one
accord in one place.
2
And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty
wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.
3
Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat
upon each of them.
4
And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with
other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
(The
Crowd’s Response)
5
And there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every
nation under heaven.
6
And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together, and were
confused, because everyone heard them speak in his own language.
7
Then they were all amazed and marveled, saying to one another, “Look,
are not all these who speak Galileans?
8
And how is it that we hear, each in our own language in which we were
born?
9
Parthians and Medes and Elamites, those dwelling in Mesopotamia,
Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,
10
Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya adjoining Cyrene,
visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes,
11
Cretans and Arabs—we hear them speaking in our own tongues the
wonderful works of God.”
12
So they were all amazed and perplexed, saying to one another,
“Whatever could this mean?”
13
Others mocking said, “They are full of new wine.”
(Peter’s
Sermon)
14
But Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to
them, “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be
known to you, and heed my words.
15
For these are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third
hour of the day.
16
But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
17
‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God,
That
I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh;
Your
sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
Your
young men shall see visions,Your old men shall dream dreams.
18
And on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My
Spirit in those days; And they shall prophesy.
19 I
will show wonders in heaven above And signs in the earth beneath:
Blood and fire and vapor of smoke.
20
The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood,
Before the coming of the great and awesome day of The Lord.
21
And it shall come to pass That whoever calls on the name of The Lord
Shall be saved.’
22
“Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested
by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through
Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know—
23
Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of
God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to
death;
24
whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was
not possible that He should be held by it.
25
For David says concerning Him: ‘I foresaw The Lord always before my
face, For He is at my right hand, that I may not be shaken.
26
Therefore my heart rejoiced, and my tongue was glad;
Moreover
my flesh also will rest in hope.
27
For You will not leave my soul in Hades, Nor will You allow Your Holy
One to see corruption.
28
You have made known to me the ways of Life;
You
will make me full of joy in Your presence.’
29
“Men and brethren, let me speak freely to you of the patriarch
David, that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to
this day.
30
Therefore, being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an
oath to him that of the fruit of his body, according to the flesh, He
would raise up The Christ to sit on his throne,
31
he, foreseeing this, spoke concerning the resurrection of The Christ,
that His soul was not left in Hades, nor did His flesh see
corruption.
32
This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses.
33
Therefore being exalted to The Right Hand Of God, and having received
from The Father the promise of The Holy Spirit, He poured out this
which you now see and hear.
34
“For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he says himself:
‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My Right Hand,
35
Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.” ’
36
“Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has
made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”
37
Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to
Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall
we do?”
38
Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be
baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and
you shall receive The Gift of the Holy Spirit.
39
For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are
afar off, as many as The Lord our God will call.”
(The
Church Is Born And Grows)
40
And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, “Be
saved from this perverse generation.”
41
Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day
about three thousand souls were added to them. 42 And they continued
steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the
breaking of bread, and in prayers.
43
Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done
through the apostles.
44
Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common,
45
and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as
anyone had need.
46
So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread
from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity
of heart,
47
praising God and having favor with all the people. And The Lord added
to the church daily those who were being saved.
The
Church:
Acts
1:5 KJV
for
John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with The
Holy Spirit not many days from now.”
I
Corinthians 12:13 KJV
For
by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or
Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into
one Spirit.
What
was the church built upon?
Ephesians
1:19,20 NKJV
19
and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who
believe, according to the working of His mighty power 20 which He
worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him
at His right hand in the heavenly places,
Built upon the resurrection of Christ.
Today's
Church:
Ephesians
2:14-18 NLT
14
For Christ Himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and
Gentiles into one people when, in His own body on the cross, He broke
down the wall of hostility that separated us.
15
He did this by ending the system of law with its commandments and
regulations. He made peace between Jews and Gentiles by creating in
Himself one new people from the two groups.
16
Together as one body, Christ reconciled both groups to God by means
of His death on the cross, and our hostility toward each other was
put to death.
17
He brought this Good News of peace to you Gentiles who were far away
from Him, and peace to the Jews who were near. 18 Now all of us can
come to The Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what
Christ has done for us.
The
Church’s One Foundation
The Church’s one foundation
Is Jesus Christ her Lord;
She is His new creation
By water and The Word:
From heav’n He came and sought her
To be His holy Bride;
With His own blood He bought her,
And for her life He died.
Elect from every nation,
Yet one o’er all the earth,
Her charter of salvation,
One Lord, one faith, one birth;
One holy Name she blesses,
Partakes one holy food,
And to one hope she presses,
With every grace endued.
’Mid toil and tribulation,
And tumult of her war,
She waits the consummation
Of peace for evermore;
Till, with the vision glorious,
Her longing eyes are blest,
And the great Church victorious
Shall be the Church at rest.
Yet she on earth hath union
With God the Three in One,
And mystic sweet communion
With those whose rest is won:
O happy ones and holy!
Lord, give us grace that we,
Like them, the meek and lowly,
In love may dwell with Thee.
Author: Samuel John Stone
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Prayer:
John 17:3 KJV
And this is
Life eternal, that they might know thee The Only True God, and
Jesus Christ,
whom thou hast sent.
