I am still going through the gospels and looking at instances where people came to Jesus with a question or a request, and the answer they got was not what they were expecting.

I am going through the gospels and looking at instances where people came to Jesus with a question or a request, and the answer they got was not what they were expecting. Makes me wonder if, when I think I haven’t received the answer to my prayer, the reality is I did. And I just did not recognize it.

Throughout the gospels we find several instances where someone comes to Jesus with a direct request or question and His answer is, to say the least, indirect. A lot of times, as the saying goes, “it comes out of left field.” Why was that?

In the previous parts of this study, I have tried to emphasize that the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives is simply the next logical, necessary step in the transition of the Mission from the Messiah to His disciples. As such, it is not only available to every believer, it is expected to be part of every believer’s life. Then why do we find some Christians wondering about it, or seeking special instruction on how to receive Him? Isn’t He right here next to us?

What is the greatest temptation that we can face in this life? If we wanted to be technical about it, nit-picky, we could say there is not one answer to that question. Because we are all different from each other:  Be it either by difference of circumstance or by virtue of a different – inherent – psychological make-up, at any particular time, each one of us will have a different weakness. Can’t you imagine yourself ever being desperate enough to risk stealing?

Or how does Acts chapter 2 differ from John chapter 20? Like many other questions about Christianity, this one too has become a subject of debate, leading to efforts at systematizing doctrine, and, therefore, eventually, demarcating denominations. It certainly is a subject in the branch of Theology called Pneumatology. Should I even venture to put forth my opinion?