Can You Pray To The Holy Spirit?

About two years ago, I found myself in a bible study where this question arose. I was the only one who answered it in the affirmative and my position on the subject was met with vehement opposition. The general consensus seemed to be that we were only to pray to God the Father.

I later discovered that such a conclusion was neither biblical nor logical.

It is not biblical to say that we should only pray to God the Father. Scripture records for us the dying prayer of the martyr, Stephen, in the Acts of the Apostles when he looked up to heaven and prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit" (Acts 7.59).

I didn't have much that was significant to defend my answer in that bible study, but one thing I did ask those who answered the question with a definite 'no', was to approach the Elders of the church to have at least one song removed from our songbooks. "Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me." A song which is a prayer to God the Holy Spirit.

What about the Lord's prayer in which the Lord presented the model of prayer for all to follow that addressed God the Father? Well, one must understand that there is only one God. When we pray, we pray to Him. Granted there are three persons in the Trinity. But while They are different in function, They remain one in essence. Therefore, it is not possible to pray to One without praying to All Three. Thus it is not logical to conclude that you cannot or must not pray to any of the persons in the Trinity other than the Father.

When, then, are we to pray to the other two? One instance when it is appropriate is when we are praying with an emphasis on One's function. For instance, it is God the Holy Spirit who convicts men of sin. It is therefore only fitting that when we are praying for conviction of sin to take place, we pray to the Holy Spirit.

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Five Reasons Why Pompi, Abel And Whoever Else CAN'T Minister In Clubs

Pompi is arguably Zambia's number one artist at the moment.

If Pompi is number one, Abel is definitely number two!

Christian artists Pompi and Abel have caused quite a stir by performing at night clubs saying that they are using the opportunity for the promotion of the gospel. I'm skeptical.

A few facts.

FACT: Jesus Christ commanded us to go into ALL the world and preach the good news (Matthew 28:19). FACT: We are to make the most of every opportunity to preach the gospel (Colossians 4:5). Fact: We must be like Jesus who spent his time with sinners (Mark 2:13-17). FACT: Even Paul said, he became all things to all men for the sake of the gospel (1 Corinthians 9:19-23).

Why then must these guys STOP ministering in clubs?

1)      It is a contradiction.

While it is NOT a contradiction for a Christian to be found among sinners, after all how else will they share the gospel with them, it is a contradiction for a Christian to be found in compromising acts, situations and environments even if it is in a bid to win over the lost. Many people will begin to argue that if these Christians can go to clubs, why can't they? Furthermore, their testimony will be soiled. Anyone who points to them as examples of Christianity will be met with responses like, "You mean those guys who go and sing in clubs?"

2)      It is dangerous.

Like one preacher said, “The strongest, wisest and most godly men who ever lived, all fell to sexual sin. I am not stronger than Samson, wiser than Solomon or godlier than David...” These guys are human. They cannot go into a place where there are loose and scantily dressed women who are dancing provocatively without feeling the pull of temptation. And since the temptation is there to sin physically, despite all the eyes on you, how much more mentally where you can wander off with no body ever knowing? Even in their thoughts they will be tempted to play out encounters with the lewd women they see. I don’t think God would have you spread his word at the expense of your purity and testimony both of which will be compromised if you yield to the temptation. When Joseph was grabbed by a lustful and half naked woman, he fled! He could have taken that opportunity to show her the error of her ways. He could have used it as an opportunity to evangelize. He could have said, “I’m not going to run because greater is he that is in me…” But he literally RAN out. Why? He wasn’t going to give temptation a tenth of a chance. To go into a club to do evangelism is to assume you are stronger than Samson, wiser than Solomon and godlier than David. I would not be so bold!

3)      It is not necessary.

There are ENOUGH opportunities in less compromising places. What about those who say, "clubs have one of the largest assemblies of lost sinners?" They say, "It’s a golden opportunity to speak to so many lost people at one time." Well, that may be true but there are infinitely less compromising situations where you can minister to a descent crowd of people. These guys are popular musicians who can pull crowds (that is why clubs are letting them in and having them over to begin with). Have they tried holding open air concerts in the different neighborhoods of Lusaka? Have they tried holding a concert at the Agricultural Show or Trade Fair? Have they tried going to places such as Arcades where musicians can set up and sing? Have they tried schools, churches, restaurants, youth groups, malls, community halls, parks, etc? It is just not necessary to go into clubs; all the places I’ve mentioned are TEEMING with people and would do fine and keep them quite busy in ministering that they’ll never have time to hit the clubs.

4)      It is ineffective.

Granted someone can be saved after hearing Pompi or Abel or whoever else minister in a club. It is possible and while I would be skeptical, I wouldn’t out rightly refute someone who claimed to be saved through such an endeavor. But we must be real. People in a club are NOT in the sort of frame of mind or overall state to be reasoned with. And gospel preaching (and when I use preaching I mean all its forms, music included) wrestles with the mind (Romans 10:14-15, how will the believe if they haven't heard...?" If they can’t hear you because the environment is too noisy or too distracting or because they are not in the mood, or are drunk, you're wasting your time. Pack up and try another time. You may be saying it's worth it for even one person who hears. Well, you're right, but wouldn't it then be even more worth it to go and minister in a place where people are level headed and able to listen? Clubs are definitely not the place for speaking to people’s minds, apart from their very nature; the people themselves are there for fun. They want to have a good time, not be told to change their ways.

5)      It is not feasible.

If you preach the true UNADULTERATED gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ in a club, you WILL be thrown out, If not by the clubbers themselves then definitely by the owners of the club or function that invited you. The people at the club have gone there to have a nice time. They’ve gone there to drink, party, do drugs, crack unwholesome jokes, indulge in sexual encounters and so on. If you are going to preach the gospel (and again I use preach generically) you will condemn such behavior and call it sin and invite them to amend their ways. They will not take it kindly and will send you out. If you go there and say, “Jesus loves you, accept him as your Lord and Saviour,” then you are not preaching the gospel. A gospel that does not condemn sin and call people to repent is no gospel at all. Let me put it this way, if you go and sing/preach the gospel at a club and they invite you back, either a revival would have begun or you are not sharing the gospel. The gospel is offensive because it calls sin sin and calls people to repent. The gospel empties clubs and bars so if you do it right, you will soon be very unpopular with the clubs and they'll never have you back.

Thanks for reading.

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Jesus Couldn't Have Died On Friday

The Easter holiday is comprised of four days over a weekend, Good Friday, Holy Saturday, Easter Sunday and Easter Monday. Good Friday is celebrated as the day of Christ's death and Easter Sunday as His resurrection. Notice, however, what Jesus said in Matthew 12:40:

For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

Friday evening to Sunday morning cannot take three days and three nights.

The idea that Jesus died on a Friday is probably taken from Mark's account of Jesus' death. In verse 42 of Mark 15, He writes:

And when evening had come, since it was the day of Preparation, that is, the day before the Sabbath...

Mark records Jesus' death as the day before the Sabbath. The Jewish Sabbath was the 7th day, Saturday. This can easily be explained. The Jews had at least two special Sabbaths, apart from their weekly 7th day. These days where set apart and they were to have special assemblies and no work was to be done. The first day and last days of the feast of Unleavened Bread were special Sabbaths.

Leviticus 23:3-8~“You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of complete rest, an official day for holy assembly. It is the Lord’s Sabbath day, and it must be observed wherever you live.

“In addition to the Sabbath, these are the Lord’s appointed festivals, the official days for holy assembly that are to be celebrated at their proper times each year.

“The Lord’s Passover begins at sundown on the fourteenth day of the first month. On the next day, the fifteenth day of the month, you must begin celebrating the Festival of Unleavened Bread. This festival to the Lord continues for seven days, and during that time the bread you eat must be made without yeast. On the first day of the festival, all the people must stop their ordinary work and observe an official day for holy assembly. For seven days you must present special gifts to the Lord. On the seventh day the people must again stop all their ordinary work to observe an official day for holy assembly.”

John is specific in mentioning that it was a day before the special Sabbath, some versions call it a high Sabbath. That is John 19:31:

Since it was the day of Preparation, and so that the bodies would 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.

Here's a view with which I agree: Jesus was crucified on a Wednesday morning. He died around 3pm (the 9th hour) and was brought down from the cross and buried before Wednesday evening arrived (see John 19:42). The Jews began their day in the evening (important), thus Wednesday evening would have been the beginning of Thursday for them, which would be the day to celebrate the Passover. Thus Jesus spent Wednesday night and Thursday (one night, one day), Thursday night and Friday (two nights, two days) and Friday night and Saturday (three nights, three days) and rose on Saturday night into Sunday (Saturday evening would already be Sunday, the first day of the week, since their day began in the evening like I said). Three days and three nights.

John records in verse 1 of John 20:

Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb.

For those who think it really doesn't matter when Jesus died, it does. If He prophesied that He would be three days and nights in the heart of the earth and His prophesy was not fulfilled, it would render Him a false prophet. A fraud. Deuteronomy 18:21-22:

And if you say in your heart, ‘How may we know the word that the Lord has not spoken?’—when a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the word does not come to pass or come true, that is a word that the Lord has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously. You need not be afraid of him.

For a more comprehensive discussion of this view, click here. I cannot vouch for anything else on this site. Caution must be employed.

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