The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.” (James 5:16-18) Jesus taught, “…I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you” (Matthew 17:20). 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 tells us, “The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of…

There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. (1 Corinthians 12:4) Natural talents are gifts that are born with us. They include such things as artistic, musical and mathematical talents, or talents for public speaking, dancing, construction, or athletics. Skills such as these will always come more naturally to those who are talented, though they are possible for people who lack inborn talent in a certain area to develop some basic skills in that area. Spiritual gifts are sets of supernatural skills that God gives Christians for the sake of witnessing in the world, and strengthening each other and the church as the Body of Christ. Natural talents…

Jesus’ visit to Bethany to raise His friend Lazarus spurred the final events that would lead to His crucifixion. Jerusalem at the Feast of Dedication (John 10:22-39) Jesus was in Jerusalem for the Feast of Dedication, what we call Hanukah today. It celebrated the re-dedication of the Temple in 165 BC, which the Seleucid Emperor Antiochus Epiphanes had half destroyed and desecrated. Judas the Maccabee was the leader of the rebellion against the Seleucid Empire, no relation to Judas Iscariot! Jesus was in the Temple when a number of Jews surrounded him and told Him to say plainly if He was the Christ or not. So he did. They tried…