PRAYER
The
Bible teaches and the Scriptures repeatedly affirm the necessity and
immeasurable value of frequent, heartfelt prayer (1
Timothy 2:8 ;1Thessalonians 5:17).
According
to (Acts
2:42), prayer was one of the things the early disciples
continued in steadfastly.
The Bible teaches that through the
mediation of Christ, we now have bold access to the Father's throne
through the avenue of prayer (Hebrews
4:16). Our prayers should be fervent (James
5:16), consisting of our thanksgiving for God's rich
blessings and our requests for God's continued help (Philippians
4:6). The Bible teaches prayer is a precious
spiritual blessing in Christ through which we cast all our care upon
the One who cares for us (1
Peter 5:7). These things should be kept in mind by
the male member leading the prayer during the worship service, and
by the rest of the Christians who follow along in their
minds.
CONTRIBUTION
The
Bible teaches the "collection for the saints" must be gathered only
once a week, on the first day of the week (the Lord's Day),
according to the divine pattern given to the Church at Corinth and
the congregations at Galatia (1
Corinthians 16:1-2). At this time, each
disciple is to give of his means in a cheerful manner as he has been
prospered, and as he has purposed in his heart (2
Corinthians 9:7). Those who are not members of the
Church are not required to give.
The Bible teaches that these
funds are to be utilized for the work of the Church, for the support
of evangelists, elders, and widows indeed, and for the assistance of
needy saints (1
Corinthians 9:14, 1 Timothy 5:3, 17-18, Romans
15:26). The Bible teaches that God requires
Christians and congregations to be good stewards of the
blessings, be they material or otherwise, bestowed upon them (1
Peter 4:10).
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