Richard F. Ames

[The text below represents an edited transcript of this Tomorrow’s World program.]

Confusion in Christ?

Have you ever wondered WHY there are so many Christian denominations? Why isn’t there just one Church on which everyone can agree? An April 2017 Pew Research report found that there are about 2.3 billion professing Christians around the world. That’s 31 percent of planet Earth’s population at the time (“The Changing Global Religious Landscape,” PewForum.org, April 5, 2017). Listen to this amazing fact: The World Christian Encyclopedia identifies at least 33,000 Christian denominations, with 9,000 of those classified as “Protestant” and 22,000 as “Independents” (Vol. 1, Oxford: University Press, 2001, p. 10).

WHY are there so many Christian denominations? The answer is found in the Olivet prophecy in your Bible, and in many other prophecies as well. When Jesus’ disciples asked Him about the end times, He gave them several key signs. But what was the FIRST sign He gave them? Matthew 24:3, “‘Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?’ And Jesus answered and said to them: ‘Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many.’”

Yes, many DO come in His name, calling their religion Christianity and saying that Jesus is the Christ, but at the same time deceiving many. There are a few imposters around the world claiming to be Christ Himself, but what Jesus REALLY said was that many would proclaim Jesus as the prophesied Messiah, the Christ or the anointed one of God, yet preach against His true teachings.

Did you know that Jesus and the New Testament Church He established did not keep Sunday as the day of worship? Did you know that the original first-century Church of God did not keep Christmas or Easter? How can there be such a vast difference between original Christianity and the so-called Christian traditions we see today? My friends, what happened to original Christianity? Wouldn’t you want to be a part of the Christianity revealed in your Bible? What happened to the Christianity of Christ?

Stay tuned!

The First Century Church, Gone?

Warm greetings to all our friends around the world!

If you were living in Jerusalem when Christ’s apostles were preaching, would you be observing Christmas and Easter? Would you be meeting on Sunday morning for church services? As shocking as it may seem, the answer to both questions is NO! So, how did today’s popular Christianity add so many strange customs and doctrines that Jesus Himself never knew or taught? We’ll answer that question on today’s program, and we’ll be offering you our inspiring free study guide Restoring Original Christianity. This booklet reveals the little-known history of the early Christian Church and how compromisers and conspirators brought into it pagan and licentious practices that Jesus condemned! Be sure to write down the contact information to request your free copy. Be sure to request Restoring Original Christianity.

My friends, do you know where God’s true Church is today? Can you find it among the thousands of denominations claiming to be Christian? The World Christian Encyclopedia identifies at least 33,000 Christian denominations, with 9,000 of those classified as “Protestant” and 22,000 as “Independents” (Vol. 1, Oxford: University Press, 2001, p. 10).

Today, we’ll consider the practice, doctrine, and traditions of the early New Testament Church. For example, did the Apostles observe Easter? Celebrations of Easter Sunday vary around the world. Easter customs include the coloring of eggs and the popular Easter egg hunt. We all know that rabbits do not lay eggs, but parents share these fables with their children anyway.

Some traditionally celebrate the day with a new set of clothes and display the fashion of an Easter bonnet or a creative hat. Obviously there were no bunnies or eggs at the resurrection. But was it even a Sunday resurrection, as so many claim? NO! How do we know that? Remember that Mary Magdalene went to Christ’s tomb Sunday morning. Did she see a sunrise resurrection? If you have your Bible, turn to John 20:1. What did Mary see? John 20:1, “Now the first day of the week Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. Then she ran and came to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and said to them, ‘They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him.’”

Our Lord was not resurrected Easter Sunday morning, according to your Bible. He had fulfilled the sign He gave to the scribes and Pharisees to prove His Messiahship. Do you realize, my friends, that a traditional Friday crucifixion and an Easter Sunday morning resurrection deny the very sign Jesus gave in Matthew 12:39, the “sign of Jonah”? My friends, Jesus was resurrected Saturday evening just before sunset, exactly 72 hours, three days and three nights, after He was placed in the tomb before sunset on Wednesday evening, just before the beginning of an annual Sabbath. As the Apostle John recorded, “Therefore, because it was the Preparation Day, that the bodies should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.” That’s John 19:31).

The “high day” was an annual Sabbath or Holy Day observed that year from Wednesday at sunset until Thursday at sunset. Jesus did fulfill the sign of Jonah. And there was no Sunday resurrection to celebrate as Easter! So, what Holy Day did Christians observe? Some are confused because the King James Version of the Bible uses the term Easter in Acts 12:4. But LISTEN to this. The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia explains: “EASTER (AV Acts 2:4). An anachronistic mistranslation of the Gk. pascha (RSV, NEB, “Passover”), in which the AV followed such earlier versions as Tyndale and Coverdale. The Acts passage refers to the seven-day Passover festival (including the Feast of Unleavened Bread). It is reasonably certain that the NT contains no reference to a yearly celebration of the resurrection of Christ” (Vol. 2, p. 6).

Notice what the Apostle Paul wrote to Corinthian brethren who were abusing the sacred observance. “Your glorying is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.” That’s in 1 Corinthians 5:6-8.

My friends, the original New Testament church founded by Jesus Christ and led by His trained and ordained apostles never observed Easter Sunday, but they did observe the annual memorial of our Lord’s death, the New Testament CHRISTIAN Passover following the example of Jesus Christ Himself.

The Sign of Jonah

Jesus was in the heart of the earth, the tomb, for exactly three days and three nights, 72 hours, just as He said. You can read about the sign of Jonah in Matthew 12:39-40.

Did the Christianity of Christ observe Sunday as its weekly day of worship? We already saw that Jesus was resurrected on a Saturday evening, not on Sunday morning. Then how did the masses of professing Christianity start observing Sunday? Did the Apostle Paul teach the Gentiles to avoid the so-called Jewish Sabbath and encourage them to observe Sunday as the Christian day of worship? Let’s look at what day the Gentiles actually observed as they followed Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles.

If you have your Bible, turn to Acts 13:42. In the first century AD, Paul preached on the Sabbath in the Antioch synagogue. Notice that his audience included BOTH Jews and Gentiles. After the Jews left, the Gentiles made a request. Now, this was YEARS after Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection. Surely, if Christians were to keep Sunday, these Gentiles would have met with Paul the very next day, Sunday. But did they? Acts 13:42, “So when the Jews went out of the synagogue, the Gentiles begged that these words might be preached to them….” WHEN? The next day, Sunday? No! Verse 42: “The Gentiles [not the Jews] begged that these words might be preached to them the next Sabbath.” Read that again in your own Bible. “The Gentiles begged that these words might be preached to them the next Sabbath,” NOT SUNDAY!

Read it in your own Bible! Acts 13:44: “On the NEXT SABBATH almost the whole city came together to hear the word of God.” Paul met with Gentiles, not on Sunday, but on the Sabbath. New Testament Christians observed the seventh-day Sabbath. The first and second century Christian churches consistently observed the seventh day Sabbath! It was not until the second and third centuries AD that we find a tiny hint that some churches began to observe Sunday as a day of worship. Yet it was much later, in the fourth century AD, when the Emperor Constantine ENFORCED Sunday worship throughout the Roman Empire. Constantine had been a pagan sun-worshipper. He gave the following edict in 321 AD, “Let all magistrates and people… REST on the venerable day of the sun” (“Roman Legislation for Sunday,” Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge, Volume XI, p. 147).

Just a few years later, the Roman church passed a startling decree in the Council of Laodicea. They declared: “Christians shall not Judaize and be idle on Saturday, but shall work on that day; but the Lord’s day they shall especially honour, and, as being Christians, shall, if possible, do no work on that day. If, however, they are found Judaizing, they shall be shut out from Christ” (A History of the Councils of the Church, Vol. 2, p. 316). In other words, Christian Sabbath-keepers who followed the example of Christ and the Apostles were declared to be heretics.

But on what authority did the Roman church make this change? The noted Catholic theologian, James Cardinal Gibbons, wrote this bold statement: “But you may read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, and you will not find a single line authorizing the sanctification of Sunday. [Listen to this!] The Scriptures enforce [the] religious observance of Saturday, a day which we never sanctify” (The Faith of Our Fathers, 1917, pp. 72-73). That’s a quote from Gibbons’ The Faith of Our Fathers, first published in 1876.

In other words, Gibbons is saying, if the Bible is your authority, you have NO basis for observing Sunday. The Scriptures, as he states, “enforce the religious observance of Saturday.” We agree with his statement. Do you? But his church rejected the divine authority of the Bible!

My friends, the original Christianity of Christ emphasized obedience to the Holy Scriptures, not the later traditions, many of them pagan, that were contrary to the Scriptures. The noted historian Will Durant comments on the transition from original Biblical Christianity to the professing traditional Christianity we see about us today: “Christianity did not destroy paganism; it adopted it” (Will Durant, The Story of Civilization, Vol. 3, p. 595).

But what about the so-called “Reformation”? If you really want to know how the Protestant Reformation failed to reform traditional Christianity, I urge you to read [the late] Dr. Meredith’s series on our website at TomorrowsWorld.org. Just go to the search bar and type in the title of that series, “The Plain Truth About the Protestant Reformation.” You will be amazed at the depth of research and the shocking historic developments that rejected the Christianity revealed in your Bible. You will find many answers to the question posed by this program: What Happened to the Christianity of Christ?

A Kingdom Here on Earth!

We’ve seen major changes from first-century Christianity to its modern corruption that includes traditions and doctrines that were even condemned by Christ. Let’s summarize a few of these changes.

The original Christians, Jews AND Gentiles, observed the New Testament Passover. Today, mainstream Christianity observes a pagan-inspired Sunday Easter. Original Christianity embraced the only sign of Jesus’ Messiahship, His statement that He would be in the heart of the earth (or the tomb) for three days and three nights. Mainstream Christianity today denies Jesus’ sign with the false idea of His spending Good Friday to Sunday in the grave. The original Christians observed the original seventh-day Sabbath before the Roman church enforced Sunday worship in the fourth century AD.

My friends, you need to study your Bible and history. Do you want to follow the Jesus Christ of the Bible and His original teachings and Way of life? He stated in Luke 4:4, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.” Jesus said this when the New Testament was not yet written. He was talking about what we call the Old Testament. Yes, if you are going to live by every word of God, you need to read and obey the WHOLE Bible, Old and New Testaments!

What other changes were deceptively made to the practice of original Christianity? Jesus and His apostles observed the annual Sabbaths, biblical festivals and holy days. They did NOT observe the day of Jesus’ birth--they did NOT observe Christmas. Most any reputable encyclopedia documents the original pagan celebrations surrounding December 25. One of the major festivals celebrated throughout the Roman Empire was the Saturnalia, in honor of Saturn, god of agriculture. The Encyclopedia Britannica states that “… the Saturnalia… became the most popular of Roman festivals, and its influence is still felt throughout the Western world. Originally on December 17, it was later extended to seven days. It was the merriest festival of the year: all work and business were suspended; slaves were given temporary freedom to say and do what they liked; [Notice!] certain moral restrictions were eased; and presents were freely exchanged. The influence of the Saturnalia upon the celebrations of Christmas and New Year have been direct” (“Saturn,” The New Encyclopedia Britannica, Micropaedia, Volume VIII, p. 916).

Most scholars will admit that Jesus was not born in the winter, but in the fall, in September or October. And just WHY was He born? The commercial, pagan customs surrounding the winter holiday obscure the very purpose for the Messiah.

What purpose was revealed to Mary, Jesus’ mother? LUKE 1:30, “Then the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; [and the] Lord God will give Him the THRONE of His father David. And He will REIGN over the house of Jacob forever, and of HIS KINGDOM there will be no end.’”

The angel Gabriel told Mary that Jesus would be a KING! He was born to be King of a Kingdom that would never end! About 30 years later, Jesus began His public ministry. He began preaching a specific gospel! Turn in your Bible to the book of MARK. MARK 1:14, “Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching [and what did He preach?] the GOSPEL OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.’”

There is another major difference between original Christianity and the modern counterfeit: The original Church preached the gospel of the Kingdom of God, the Kingdom that will rule on earth for a thousand years under the King of kings and Lord of lords before the White Throne Judgment (Revelation 19:16; Revelation 20:4). Yet at least one major denomination believes IT is NOW the Kingdom of God on earth. My friends, if you’ve been following our regular Tomorrow’s World programs, you know the King’s earthly rule over all nations will NOT be proclaimed until the seventh trumpet of Revelation 11:15: “Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, ‘The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!’”

My friends, most people have overlooked the true gospel Jesus preached. He will return to this earth as King over all nations on earth! The angel Gabriel proclaimed in Luke 1:33, “Of His kingdom there will be no end.”

Real Original Christianity: Straight from the Bible

On today’s program, we’ve seen how pagan changes from Jesus Christ’s original Christianity led to the popular modern faith we see around the world today. During the first century after Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection, the Church He established grew rapidly under the apostles. But deceivers and infiltrators later influenced Christians to compromise and follow false doctrines. The Apostle Paul warned the church at Thessalonica; “For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work…” (2 Thessalonians 2:7). That same lawlessness is taught in many of today’s churches; that supposedly Christ did away with the Ten Commandments and since we are under grace, we can practice lawlessness! My friends, grace does not permit you to murder, lie, commit adultery, or steal! Jesus told the young rich man who was seeking eternal life: “But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments” (Matthew 19:17). Jesus then mentioned several of the Ten Commandments. The Ten Commandments reflect the two great commandments: to love God and to love your neighbor.

Here’s a short excerpt from today’s free literature offer: “In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus certainly did not ‘do away’ with God’s spiritual law (Matthew 5:17). Rather, He ‘magnified’ the Ten Commandments. He explained that we must not only refrain from killing other human beings, we must not even look on them with contempt or hatred (vv. 20–23), as that is the ‘spirit’ of murder. We are not to ‘hate’ even our enemies. As Jesus said clearly: ‘But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.’ (v. 5:44).” That’s on pages 17 and 18. Be sure to order your free copy today!

Original Christianity is a way of love and a Way of life. Jesus stated, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6).

My friends, which will you choose, the Christianity of your Bible? Or a false religion promoting pagan holidays and lawlessness? You need to seek the truth. Check up on the references we give you on this program. Prove for yourself, from your own Bible, what is the truth!

[The text below represents an edited transcript of this Tomorrow’s World program.]

Prayer is Our Lifeline to God

The COVID-19 pandemic has killed hundreds of thousands. And it has affected the mental health of millions who have faced dangers in their city, state, province, or nation. One report by KFF, the Kaiser Family Foundation, reveals the negative effect on people’s mental health.

“The COVID-19 pandemic and resulting economic downturn have negatively affected many people’s mental health and created new barriers for people already suffering from mental illness and substance use disorders. In a recent KFF poll, nearly half (45%) of adults in the United States reported that their mental health has been negatively impacted due to worry and stress over the virus” (“The Implications of Covid-19 for Mental Health and Substance Abuse,” Kaiser Family Foundation, KFF.org, April 21, 2020).

Are you one of the millions stressed and worried? Are there strategies to cope with the crises affecting all of us? Believe it or not, your Bible gives solid keys for facing these global problems with faith and confidence.

The KFF report explains the problem further:

“Though necessary to prevent loss of life due to COVID-19, these public health measures expose many people to experiencing situations that are linked to poor mental health outcomes, such as isolation and job loss. Additionally, feelings of anxiety are increasingly common, as people are fearful of themselves or loved ones falling ill and are uncertain of the repercussions of the pandemic” (ibid.).

My friends, help is available, and it may be as close as your bed stand or bookshelf. It’s this book, the Holy Bible, that reveals a powerful solution to the stresses of our day. That solution is the power of prayer! On today’s program, we’ll offer you an inspiring FREE study guide, Twelve Keys to Answered Prayer. Be sure to write down the contact information to order your free copy. You may have neglected one of the most powerful solutions to life’s challenges. Now is the time to seek the help of the greatest power in the universe, your Father in heaven. What are the keys to answered prayer? You need to know the five keys to answered prayer!

Stay tuned!

SEGMENT 2: Learning to Pray

Warm greetings to all our friends around the world!

Nearly every nation on earth is facing historic health and financial crises. Just half-way into 2020, more than 8 million people had tested positive for the COVID-19 coronavirus. More than 400,000 had died. Economies are devastated. How many countries will survive the global economic meltdown? The Washington Post featured this headline: “More than 90 countries plead for financial lifelines as coronavirus wreaks economic havoc across the globe.”

The Post describes the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic:

“Global financial leaders are facing calls to speed emergency help to roughly one-half of the countries on the planet, as the coronavirus pandemic threatens to wreck the health and finances of billions of people in the developing world. The United States, Europe and Japan are sinking into what many economists say will be the worst global recession since the 1930s amid efforts to halt the runaway respiratory illness. But deteriorating conditions in dozens of emerging markets could add to the industrial economies’ pain and complicate their eventual recovery. If left unchecked, the catastrophe descending upon countries such as South Africa, Brazil, India and Lebanon could shake the industrialized world.” (“More than 90 countries plead for financial lifelines as coronavirus wreaks economic havoc across the globe,” The Washington Post, WashingtonPost.com, April 13, 2020).

My friends, we need God’s coming Kingdom to bring peace and prosperity to the whole world. And, as we pray for that kingdom to come, we can also find great comfort, peace of mind, and faith to face the dangerous world. In its 2019-20 bushfire season, Australia’s wildfires killed more than a billion kangaroos, koalas, and other animals. Subsequent floods did further damage. In the first half of 2020, the COVID-19 virus killed more than 400,000 around the world, while millions more suffered loss of jobs and livelihoods and even the loss of once-prosperous businesses. Governing authority has come into question after severe apparent abuses of police power. Even the best governments struggled to cope with the chaos, while others lost control and watched helplessly as angry citizens turned from peaceful protest to looting, plundering, and deadly violence.

How can we cope with the stress and turmoil around us? Your Bible gives us keys to face the challenges in our lifetime. And we are living in the prophesied period of time called in your Bible, the end-time. God has given us a way to succeed even in times of trouble. One vital gift God gives to those who follow His instructions is the power of prayer. On today’s program we’ll reveal, from the Bible, FIVE keys to answered prayer, and we’ll be offering you an inspiring free booklet titled: TWELVE KEYS TO ANSWERED PRAYER. My friends, you can learn to pray in a way that will bring results from your Father in heaven. In spite of daily stresses, you can have peace of mind through daily prayer! Our inspiring free booklet TWELVE KEYS TO ANSWERED PRAYER will give you biblical principles for effective prayer. This inspiring free booklet will help you and your family in your study of the Bible and your relationship with your Father in Heaven, and with your Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Be sure to write down the phone number or address to request your free copy. You can also order this free booklet on our Web site at TOMORROWSWORLD.ORG.

Despair over our troubled world is nothing new. Sixty years ago, all I could see on the international horizon was potential nuclear war between the two superpowers, the United States and the Soviet Union. The world had some solace in the strategy of MAD: Mutually Assured Destruction. Both powers had enough nuclear weapons to destroy all life on earth! We still face that same world danger, today! Back then, I personally became depressed at the prospect of seeing the world totally destroyed. Then I heard a radio program called The World Tomorrow. The speaker, Herbert W. Armstrong, powerfully proclaimed the good news from the Bible, that the Messiah, Jesus Christ, will return to save the planet from cosmocide! I began to study Bible prophecy and grew in faith and hope for the future.

I was encouraged by God’s promise in JEREMIAH 29:10, “For thus says the LORD:… For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and FIND Me, when you search for Me WITH ALL YOUR HEART. I will be found by you, says the LORD….”

Seeking God felt awkward at first, but I persisted in prayer. God kept His promise, and I began to have peace of mind. You, too, can have peace of mind, IF you seek God with your whole heart and mind. We need God’s love, protection, and guidance as we near the end of this age. Our world will soon face increasing cataclysm and turmoil. Jesus stated in Luke 21:25, “And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; [LISTEN TO THIS] men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of heaven will be shaken” (Luke 21:25–26).

Prayer will keep your heart free from fear in the times ahead.

What Are the Five Keys?

In the remainder of this program, I want to share with you five keys to answered prayer.

Key Number One to Answered Prayer is: PRAY ABOUT EVERYTHING THAT WORRIES YOU.

Are you anxious? Turn in your Bible to Philippians 4:6, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.” Our Father in heaven wants you to share with Him your worries and anxieties. When you face your concerns, you need to pray and talk in detail with God about your problems. Ancient King David was very open with God in his prayers. Turn to Psalm 6, for example. David was suffering and prayed to God from his heart. Psalm 6:1, “O LORD, do not rebuke me in Your anger, nor chasten me in Your hot displeasure. Have mercy on me, O LORD, for I am weak; O LORD, heal me, for my bones are troubled. My soul also is greatly troubled; but You, O LORD—HOW long? Return, O LORD, deliver me! Oh, save me for Your mercies’ sake! For in death there is no remembrance of You; in the grave who will give You thanks?” (Psalm 6:1–5).

Read the Psalms and see how David prayed from the heart. You need to share your problems with God in prayer. And what will be the result? Listen to this comforting promise in Philippians 4, verse 7: “…and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

Yes, you can have peace of mind through prayer. Key Number One: PRAY ABOUT EVERYTHING THAT WORRIES YOU. Key Number Two is: CLAIM GOD’S PROMISES. If you have your Bible, turn to 2 Peter 1:2. Notice here that God has given us through His word, the holy Scriptures, not just “promises,” but “exceedingly great and precious promises.” 2 Peter 1, verse 2. The Apostle Peter writes: “Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust” (vv. 2–4).

The Bible is a goldmine of guaranteed promises. But there’s a requirement. You must BELIEVE that God will give them to us if we pray according to His will. Jesus chided His audience as He explained God’s willingness to provide our every need. He told His listeners in Matthew 6:28, “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?” (vv. 28–30).

We need to trust God to provide for us. He has all power in the universe. He owns everything that exists. Consider His promise to you, in your own Bible: He has promised:

• To answer our prayers (Matthew 7:7–8);
• To fulfill all our needs (Philippians 4:19);
• To guide our lives (Proverbs 3:5–6);
• To grant us long life, if we honor our father and mother (Ephesians 6:2–3);
• To fulfill the desires of our heart, IF we delight in Him (Psalm 37:4–5);
• To give us peace of mind (Philippians 4:6–7);
• To strengthen us to endure trials (1 Corinthians 10:13);
• To give us the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38; Luke 11:13);
• To give us the gift of His love (Romans 5:5);
• And to give us eternal life (1 John 2:25).

My friends, study these promises. Remind God that He has given YOU these promises. Ask God in faith to fulfill these promises in YOUR LIFE, and you’ll begin to have a greater peace of mind! And, you’ll be fulfilling one of the keys to answered prayer.

How Did Jesus Pray? “Your Will Be Done”!

There are many, many more promises in the Bible for you and your family, and for all human beings on earth. Be sure to make your own list as you read them in your Bible. Key Number Two: CLAIM GOD’S PROMISES. Key Number Three is: THANK GOD CONTINUALLY.

Where do your blessings come from? The source of everything good in our lives is the Creator of all things. When we ask God for anything, we need to ask with an attitude of appreciation for His blessings and His promises. Remember, when you pray about your anxieties, fears and worries—that’s the first Key we discussed—to pray with THANKSGIVING. Again, Philippians 4:6: “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with THANKSGIVING, let your requests be made known to God.”

When you pray with thanksgiving, you exercise faith that God is listening to your requests! When was the last time you thanked God for your blessings? Some of you may be familiar with the old nineteenth century hymn, “Count Your Blessings.” Here are some of the words: “When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed, when you are discouraged, thinking all is lost, count your many blessings, name them one by one, and it will surprise you what the Lord hath done” (1897, Johnson Oatman, “Count Your Blessings,” Hymnary.org).

When you COUNT your blessings, when you THANK God for all the blessings you’ve experienced or WILL experience in your life, you can have peace of mind! Again PHILIPPIANS 4:7, “And the PEACE OF GOD, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

My friends, count your blessings and express heartfelt gratitude to God. King David even thanked God in the middle of the night. Psalm 119:62, “At midnight I will rise [and] give thanks to You, because of Your righteous judgments.”

Key Number Three to answered prayer is: THANK GOD CONTINUALLY. Key Number Four is: SEEK GOD’S WILL. How would you characterize human nature? Not only is it UN-thankful, but it is also vanity, lust, and greed! Just a simple review of world history demonstrates humanity’s selfishness. Most people seek their OWN WILL and not God’s! Often, even professing Christians pray selfishly. They want to GET, more than they want to GIVE. Remember Jesus’ statement in Acts 20:35, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Or as the Moffatt translation has it: “To give is happier than to get.”

Yes, we should pray and claim God’s promise that He will provide our every need (Philippians 4:19). Yes, we can even rejoice in claiming God’s promise to give us the desires of our heart (Psalm 37:4), but our attitude must always be, “Your will be done”! What did Jesus teach us to pray? MATTHEW 6:10, “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

My friends, this is an extremely important key to answered prayer. Human beings are on the whole extremely selfish. The world’s way of life is one of greed. But Jesus sought to do His Father’s will. When Jesus prayed in agony the night before His crucifixion, He asked that the cup of suffering be passed from Him—IF it were God’s will! In LUKE 22:42, Jesus prayed, saying, “‘Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.’ Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him. And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.”

Jesus was willing to suffer for YOU and Me. He surrendered HIS will to His Father’s will! Let me tell you. When you’re struggling over some problem or trial, ask for God’s deliverance, but ALSO pray that His will be done. God strengthened Jesus to endure the sacrifice He was to make, and he will strengthen you. When I prayed to visit Jerusalem years ago, I prayed that God’s will be done. But He knew WHEN it would be best for me to fulfill the desires of my heart. So, 17 years after my first request, God gave me that wonderful blessing. Key Number Four to answered prayer is: SEEK GOD’S WILL.

Staying Connected to God as a Family

Key Number Five concerns our relationship with God and His Son Jesus Christ. By whose authority do you pray to God in heaven? Notice what Jesus told His disciples. Turn to John 16. Our Lord and Savior gave this instruction in John 16:23, “And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you. Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.”

Key Number Five to answered prayer is: PRAY IN JESUS’ NAME. Jesus the Christ is at the right hand of God in heaven. He is our great High Priest who ever lives to make intercession for us, as it tells us Hebrews 7:25. He gives us the authority to pray to God in heaven. We pray in Jesus’ name and authority. Since He’s given us that authority, we can pray boldly. Notice that in Hebrews 4:16, “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

We can pray with confidence because Christ is our High Priest and Savior. He sympathizes with our weaknesses. He knows what it’s like to suffer. He was tempted in all points, as we are, yet without sin, as it tells us in verse 15.

My friends, God wants you to be His begotten son or daughter. He loves you and has demonstrated that love by giving His son to pay for your sins. Most of you know the precious verse or golden verse of the Bible: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

My friends, you can rejoice in God’s love for you as He answers your prayers! On today’s program, we’ve briefly discussed five keys to answered prayer. You need to apply these keys and others as well. Be sure to request our inspiring free booklet, TWELVE KEYS TO ANSWERED PRAYER. You need this inspiring free booklet.

We invite you to join us every week on Tomorrow’s World. As the world becomes more stressful, dangerous, and challenging, you need to practice the way to true and lasting peace and life revealed in your Bible. Gerald Weston, Wallace Smith, Rod McNair, and I will continue to share with you the revelation of Jesus Christ, the gospel or the good news of the coming Kingdom of God, and the exciting end-time prophecies and their meaning. So, be sure to join us again next week, right here, at this same time!

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