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What Should Our Attitude Be When We Pray?
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The Branches And The True Vine Teaching About Prayer
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About Our Prayers And Gods Desire For Our Life
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What Should Our Attitude Be When We Pray?

This blog post discusses prayer. How should we pray? What should our attitude and petitions toward God be? How do we approach Him?

It is clear that God is often the one who draws us to go to Him, and He does His precious work in us, teaching us how to get closer to Him and showing us how much we need Him. But what kind of attitude do we also need to have, or what type of feeling always needs to be present in us when we pray and get in front of Jesus?

 

For which reason do we go to Jesus?

We can get an example here from the story of the centurion’s servant who was healed by Jesus.

5 Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, 6 saying, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented.”

7 And Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.”

8 The centurion answered and said, “Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

10 When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, “Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel! 11 And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. 12 But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” 13 Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you.” And his servant was healed that same hour. (Matthew 8:5-13)

We see that the centurion asked Him to heal his servant. There is a prayer expressing a petition. We also know that the position of a centurion at that time was a position of authority and power. We know how often the persons with power are usually not disposed to humble easily, but here we see a different reaction in this man. He was humble. Firstly, he recognized that he was not worthy of Jesus to come to his home. Here, we see him acknowledging not only how small and unworthy he was but also acknowledging the greatness of Jesus. A great man, in people’s eyes like him, said that He wasn’t worthy of Jesus going and visiting his servant in person. He trusted in the authority of His word. That means that he wasn’t looking at Him as a simple miracle maker or someone performing wonders and prodigies, even if He also did that.

Many people in the crowd were looking at Him as someone just performing miracles, as a great man of influence that everyone wanted to be with and follow. We can see, in fact, that not all of the people following Him endured till the end. It happened because they didn’t really understand the real purpose of His coming and His teachings. Everything was going fine until He was healing and multiplying the fish and the bread, but when things became harder and He demanded something more from them, they retreated. They stopped following Him. It happens in this way with the people who just follow Him for the fame or for what they see. He said that a servant is not greater than his master, and whoever follows Him must be like Him and go through the same trials (Matthew 10:24, 25). Few of them acknowledged His true greatness. People, in general, are always looking for someone who can somehow draw their attention.

Many people were truly amazed by Jesus when He multiplied the bread, but few of them really understood the purpose of His coming.

“Jesus answered them and said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate the loaves and were filled.”” (John 6:26)

We also see the following words of the centurion to Jesus: “But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed.” There is something different here than just a person looking for a healer or a man of miracles. Most people, when hearing of someone performing miracles, want to be with Him; they want to be in the place where He is. If they have something to solve, they would like Him to be there so that He can touch them or do something so that they can find a solution. This is because they believe more in the miracle itself, more in that exact moment that will give them a solution. They would do anything just to obtain that. If it is a question of money, they would even pay.

 

The authority of Jesus

Still, here we see this centurion attributing to Jesus the authority of God. Only God was the one who could heal and do something with such authority. Even from a distance, just with a word. Remember that God created everything just by the word He said (Genesis 1:1-26). So, we see here the centurion attributing such a power and authority to Jesus. In this way he didn’t look at Him just as a simple miracle man, but as something more.

“…. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed.

We often want to go to Jesus as a man who performs miracles only. We go to Him for something we wish to happen. Something that in itself might not be wrong, but we only remain at that point, asking Him to do something for us without caring for the rest. Here in this story, we see that even though the centurion wanted something He wished to happen from Jesus, he didn’t simply ask Him for that but also acknowledged something more. When someone only asks for a miracle or something he wishes to happen, he remains disappointed when he doesn’t receive His answer. However, it is a different attitude that we need to show in front of the King of the Kings. He is not just a famous man who performs miracles. Many people are looking for such people today. People who can give them what they wish, most of the time, to satisfy their desires only. But Jesus offers you salvation along with what you’re asking Him for, and the most important is obviously salvation.

We can quickly see another example as well. The one of Esther. We know that she was a Jewish girl who became a queen by marrying the King of Assyria. The Book of Ester is a beautiful story that represents the trials through which the nation of Israel had to go through and the courage of Ester, but this book has another great meaning as well. Even though this particular book doesn’t speak much about God, it is full of spiritual messages for our lives. It is a comparison. The king in the story is often metaphorically seen as God, and Ester represents us - the believers and the church. We know that Christ is the bridegroom, and the believer or the church is His bride. The story tells us that no one could approach the King without being summoned by him (Esther 4:11). The breaking of this law could have been punished with death. Nevertheless, when Ester heard that her nation (Israel) was threatened with death and advised by her uncle, she decided to present herself in front of the king and to make a petition so that her nation could be delivered. Imagine the fear and the respect she had to go to the king with! Chapter 4 of Esther tells us what she went through and the way she prepared herself to approach the king. Obviously, the Bible says that we need to be confident when we go in front of God and that we mustn’t hesitate to ask Him for something, but in the same way, we need to have due respect when we approach the King, the same as the one Esther was having. We have to know that we are approaching the King of Kings.

So, we see the centurion approaching Jesus as God Himself, the One that can heal with a word only, even from a distance, because obviously, He is omnipresent. Jesus is one with God. Hundred percent human and one hundred percent God. He is the God-man, as some people describe Him. Not the man-God, but the God-man. His first nature is always God, even though He is one hundred percent human as well. There have been many persons who wanted to become God or who thought that they were a god. In the past, we saw leaders, kings, and rulers that called themselves gods, and people worshiped them as gods. People like the Pharaoh from Egypt, for example, and other kings considered themselves such or related to divinity. Nevertheless, all of them wanted to represent their own glory and themselves, and all of them passed away. In contrast, Jesus always represented God first (because He was God) and continues to live.

As the story continues, we see that the centurion expressed that he was a man with authority. He said that in the same way He commands a soldier to do something, he is also ready to submit and acknowledge Jesus’ authority. Sometimes, our prayer toward God might also not be answered because we ask according to our own will and we don’t submit to Him in our prayer.

“Yet you do not have because you do not ask. You ask and you do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.” (James 4:2, 3)

It doesn’t mean that we mustn’t ask Him for anything about our own needs, but it means that it needs to be accompanied with fear and respect, knowing that He is above all. We mustn’t be like those people who are just interested in their own requests and needs, and if it happens, then fine, and if it doesn’t, they just get upset, but in both cases, they don’t show any other interest toward Jesus. The same as it happened with the ten lepers healed by Jesus (Luke 17:11-19). All of them were cleansed, but only one had understood what was essential, came back to worship Jesus, and truly received salvation and healing.

People who are just interested in their own things and purpose are like those who pay someone to perform something for them or solve their situation. Why? Because they are focused only on the miracle itself and the particular situation they are in. They don’t care who will help them and in which way. They just want it done. It is not this way when it comes to a miracle performed by God. Here it is very important Who is doing it. It is not only important but is the most essential; it is of the most significant importance. And it is also important in which way is done. Jesus is the purpose of all and knowing Him is eternal life. This is the benefit (if we can say it this way) of knowing Him with our hearts and serving Him. Everything else we can receive here on this earth; all other miracles and benefits are nothing compared to the knowledge of Him and the eternal life we can receive by that. What happens is that most of the people are focused on what happens here on this earth. Their eyes need to be opened so that they can see the real value of what God can give them and see His person. This is also a very important miracle that needs to happen in our lives.

There were many persons asking for a miracle in the Bible. One of them was King Herod when he asked Jesus to do a miracle for him, but He didn’t because there wasn’t any purpose (Luke 23:8, 9). Because Jesus performs miracles not to draw attention, but with a specific purpose, for God’s glory. There have always been people who claim to perform miracles and prodigies with the purpose of drawing attention only. The scripture tells us that more of them will come in the last times. All of this happens to mislead people.

“For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.” (Matthew 24:24)

 

The sign of the prophet Jonah

 

38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.”

39 But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 For 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. 41 The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here. (Matthew 12:38-41)

In this passage, we see the scribes and Pharisees asking for a sign from Jesus. We have to know that He doesn’t perform a sign just because someone wants to see it. It can happen in certain situations where He will let someone see a sign, but it always happens with a purpose. It can even happen sometimes to people who don’t expect it. But here, Jesus called those persons a perverse generation. And they were in this way because they actually wanted to test Him because they were not sincere in their request. Better than anyone else, He knows how sincere our desires are. He also told them that no other sign would be shown to them but the sign of the prophet Jonah, who was three days in the womb of the fish. We know this is a comparison with the Son of God dying on the cross. Because He was also in the tomb for three days, after which He rose from the dead. Jesus told them that because that was the most important thing that they had to understand and accept first. It's much more important than any sign that might be there. That was the sacrifice that was going to give them salvation.

In the cross of Jesus, we find what is essential and the most important. There, we find humility, God’s love, and God’s righteousness and justice poured on the Son. The cross was and is the center of all. This is the reason why we exist. This is the beginning and the end. That’s why Jesus told them that no other sign would be shown to them but the sign of Jonah. They couldn’t receive a miracle because they were not sincere in their request, but the universal opportunity of the cross was still shown to them. It is shown to everyone. That’s the purpose of God. He wants everyone to hear the good news.

In Jonah's story, we see another similarity with the cross of Jesus. After being in the womb of the fish, Jonah went to Nineveh proclaiming repentance. Jesus died so that we can have the opportunity to repent. After repenting and accepting Him in our lives, we will probably be able to see signs and wonders. We will obviously see and receive according to what God wants to give us and according to His will, but what I mean is that our attitude of asking and praying will be different. It will be humble, and we will be able to acknowledge the greatness of Jesus.

However, this is the attitude we need when we pray and ask Jesus for something. The Spirit of God is the one that can convince and help someone to have that kind of attitude. This is how the centurion went in front of Jesus. This is the attitude that we find in the cross. This is the attitude that the cross can bring to our lives because humility and the way to acknowledge His greatness started right there. If someone today can humble himself and acknowledge His greatness, it is because of that.

The Branches and the True Vine:

Teaching About Prayer

We will discuss the topic of prayer by taking as reference a passage found in the gospel of John chapter 15.

1 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.

5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. 8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples. (John 15:1-8)

 

We see how Jesus talks to His disciples about abiding in Him and bearing fruit. He told them they are the branches, and He is the true vine. After telling them some essential things, such as that without Him, they could not bear fruit and could not do anything alone, He also told them that if they abide in Him, they can ask anything they desire, and it will be done. Just think about it – anything we desire. What does it mean to ask anything we desire if the Bible speaks about praying according to the will of God?

We can see these two parts in the New Testament that deal with prayer, and we can compare them. They don’t contradict each other; they just complete each other. The first one is in James 4:2-4.

“You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures. Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever, therefore, wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”

This verse tells us that sometimes we can ask in the wrong way and not receive. We may ask for something to spend on our pleasures. I think that this kind of prayer that gets rejected has to do with our friendship with the world, as the last part of the passage speaks about. We nevertheless need to keep on praying; then, if our prayer is somehow not right, we trust in God that He will show us what to correct and which is the right way of doing it. It could also be that even praying with the right attitude and for the right things, it is not time for some things to come right now in our life, and we will receive them later on, at another time. Anyway, we need to keep on praying and asking God for discernment.

There is also the example of Jesus’ prayer in Mathew 26:39.

“He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.””

From these two passages, we see that prayer does not have to do with what we would like only, but with His will, and we also need to pray for what is right according to Him.

Let’s see other passages that speak about the other part of prayer.

“Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.” (Mathew 18:19, 20)

This verse says that if two or three agree on earth concerning anything they ask, it will be done for them. It speaks about “anything” here, but how can we define it? Notice also that it talks about being gathered in His name. It is not a question of only mentioning His name but also honoring what His name represents. The other verse is the one in John 15:7.

“If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.”

It speaks about something similar to the previous passage we read – “to ask for what we desire.” Again, this invitation comes with something else along – to abide in Him.

Let's look at the passage from the beginning so that we can understand what this exactly means. We need to see something about faith as well—our kind of faith and the faith that can reach God, the one that comes from Him. You ask anyone on the planet, and they will tell you that they have some kind of faith that certain things will happen. People believe in something, and they have placed their hope on something. Many times, it happens that they don’t put it in the right place. When, instead, we speak about the faith that leads us to God, the faith that is accepted by God and comes from Him, then we see that this kind of faith is humble and glorifies God. It accepts what comes from Him. There is the example of the Greek woman who was praised for her faith.

 

25 Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, help me!”

26 But He answered and said, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.”

27 And she said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.”

28 Then Jesus answered and said to her, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour. (Matthew 15:25-28)

 

We can see here that she was praised for her faith, but that had to do with her humility, as we see from the previous verses. In those days in Israel, dogs were considered a very low class of animals. They were despised, and yet, we see her comparing herself to those dogs and saying that just receiving a little was going to be sufficient, just by receiving crumbs that usually no one eats. In this way, she showed a humble attitude while pleading with Jesus to help her. This is the faith that pleases Him. Faith, of course, is to be sure, to believe, and to have certainty, but it also has to do with being humble. I believe that this is also a work of God. He is helping us and leading us to be humble, we just need to respond. This is the attitude and faith that pleases Him.

 

8 The centurion answered and said, “Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

10 When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, “Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel! (Mathew 8:8-10)

    

Here, we see when Jesus praised another person for His faith. And it was again this kind of particular faith that made that person humble and led him to ask the things that he desired, in this case, for his servant to be healed, but with the right attitude and humility. He, being a great man of power and authority and a centurion, said that he was like one of those soldiers who had submitted to him, ready to do whatever his master was telling him. He had that attitude in front of Jesus and also said he was not worthy of receiving Him in his home. He was such a great person, and as he was used to commanding, he could’ve commanded Jesus to perform a miracle, even if this way wouldn’t work. He understood who was in control and who had the ultimate authority (Jesus) and humbled before Him. We can see that this great faith, which is praised by Jesus and pleases Him, has to do with having the right attitude and humility. We need to pray and ask Jesus to help us have that kind of attitude and create it in us.

Jesus speaks about abiding in Him in chapter 15 of the gospel of John. In the same passage, He also talks about prayer.

“If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.” (John 15:7)

To abide in Him also means to desire His presence, to dwell in Him, to submit to His words, to everything He is, and to be prayerful, not only by asking what we would like to be done but also what pleases Him. That’s why we are talking about abiding in Him. Not in what we are but in what He is. This means that, in a way, we need to look more for His presence and His person in our lives, not just to ask for things that we wish to happen. Important is what God wants to happen. That’s why one of the things He taught His disciples to pray for was:

“Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:10)

This is important – His will. What pleases Him is also good for us, as we are His creatures; we are created by Him. We need to be one with Him. We are supposed to be in this way. That’s why this passage in John tells us to abide in Him. To be one with Him. When we understand what is abiding in Him and what pleases Him, we will also change and realize our purpose. Then, I think that our prayers and the things we wish to happen will also change. The more we abide in Him, the more we will realize and desire what pleases Him. We will not ask anymore what can harm us; we will not pray in the wrong way by asking the wrong things to spend them on our desires.

What usually happens is that the statement of asking what we desire attracts everyone at first look. We need to know that what comes first in the passage is not to ask what we desire, but to abide in Him.

“If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.” (John 15:7)

We are speaking about abiding in Him and His word to abide in us, meaning what His word is saying, His commandments. Then, we can ask what we desire, but I think that when we abide in Him and have His faith, we will automatically ask what pleases Him.

The secret and what is most important lies in abiding in Him. Then we grasp the true purpose, and we start to know God, which is the ultimate goal and the most important.

About Our Prayers and God’s Desire for Our Life

What do we ask from God when we pray to Him? Which is our main desire? Many of us ask Him to help us with certain situations or problems (which is good), but do we sometimes miss something at a certain point? The Bible says in James 4:2, 3 that we might not receive because we don’t ask correctly. Many of us could be asking just to satisfy our own desires. I am placing myself in this group, too. Which is His main desire for our lives?          

If we look at what the Bible talks about, we see that God’s main desire for us is to get saved. And this could be overlooked as we are so used to listening to this message that we might take salvation for granted many times. We might think, “Well, if John is saved, why then I wouldn’t be?” or maybe we just don’t see ourselves in need. One of the things that we can ask God is to be saved. We can ask Him in our prayers to accept Jesus. We should not feel ashamed or think we are less if we realize we are not saved and need Jesus in our lives. Someone might be thinking: “How do you know whether a person is saved or not? How can I know that I am saved?” Well, when we are saved, His Spirit testifies to our spirit that we are His children. A believer will surely know that he is saved. This won’t be because of a certain event in a religious environment that happened or because someone “assured” him, but because God Himself assured him. Yes, a believer might have doubts sometimes that he might’ve lost his salvation (which, in most cases, is a devil’s deceit), or he might doubt that he can overcome a trial he is in, but he will definitely know that he was saved one day and that God has worked in his life.

A passage in Romans that we all know says:

 8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach): 9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” (Romans 10:8-11)

 

Surely this passage speaks about something deeper than someone just stating that he is saved. It talks about confessing with the mouth, but it also talks about believing in the heart. To be saved is one of the most fundamental things we need to have; it is not just an option. In His conversation with Nicodemus, Jesus says that for someone to be able to see the Kingdom of heaven, he needs to be born again.

 “Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John 3:3)

He said that this must happen. Further on, He carries His conversation with Nicodemus, saying:

“Jesus answered and said to him, “Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things?  Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive Our witness.  If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?” (John 3:10-12)

This is fundamental and represents something that needs to occur here on Earth. That’s why Jesus speaks of this occurrence as “earthly things.” Without this experience, we cannot see and perceive the heavenly things nor understand God’s plan for us. When Jesus spoke of “being born again,” He spoke of being saved. In the same chapter, verse 16, we find some of the most famous and known verses.

“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)

This verse has often been taken as something that we already know of and that we mustn’t worry about most of the time. This is what usually happens with what we have heard and known for a long time. Many people get mistaken when it comes to this topic. With this, I am not judging; I am just speaking in general that when it comes to salvation, some people get mistaken for not giving it the right value.

It could happen that sometimes the people go straight away on the third or the fourth step, and they miss the first ones. It cannot be done in this way. The first one obviously is salvation, but sometimes people want right away to grow or take some of the next steps in the Christian life without taking the most important, which is to be saved. It is impossible for someone to grow without it. He first needs to be born and then grow. It is the same as in natural life. A baby is first born, and after that, it starts growing, talking, etc. We need to repent first. This is like a foundation on which someone builds. If we don’t have this strong foundation in our life, which is Christ, then we build on sand, and our house will eventually get swept away by the storms and winds coming into life. We must first dig deeper in the ground until we find a rock, and only after that do we start building. This is what the Bible tells us (Luke 6:47, 48).

Nicodemus, who had a conversant with Jesus on the new birth (John 3:1-21), was a teacher of Israel and a very learned person regarding the scriptures but still wasn’t born again. He knew he was missing something. It is a question of faith and not just theological knowledge, even though it is needed sometimes. Knowledge, though, is a step that comes further on.

The Bible says in James 4:3 that our prayers might not be answered sometimes. I think that this is also having to do with salvation. Depending on this, depending on the matter of whether what we ask will contribute to our salvation and relationship with Him, God will be moved to answer a prayer or not. He best knows what is good for us and what is not. He is more interested than us in our salvation. If He had to accomplish everything we ask Him for (even the things we esteem for good), we would probably find ourselves very far from Him in time. But, yes, He first looks at what stage we are in our relationship with Him and our salvation, as this is the most important thing. How good it is that God cares and knows what is best for us!

Salvation is an act of God, and it happens when God interferes in the life of someone. We have to say, though, that there are specific conditions and things that accompany this event. One of them is the sincere repentance that comes after realizing that man’s condition. This comes along with a cry that comes from the deepest of the heart. It is something natural that occurs after someone comes to the realization of his own condition. It is natural because after the Holy Spirit convinces us, and in this way, we see our condition, we realize our need for Him. It is the same that happened to Peter after he tried to walk on the water and then drowned. He started to cry out to Jesus to help him.

 

29 So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. 30 But when he saw [e]that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!”

31 And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” 32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. (Matthew 14:29-32)

 

Here, we see how Peter cried out to the Lord, “Lord, save me!” Just imagine the way he did it. How natural was that? How sincere was that? Obviously, a lot, as he was drowning himself in the water! He knew he didn’t have any other chance. He cried out with a need. This is the way we need to cry out to Jesus. This is how we need to be convinced by God and see our condition.

There is also another situation that, in certain aspects, is similar to this one. It is the story of snakes biting the nation of Israel while crossing the desert because of their rebellion against the Lord. There was only one way for them to get out of that situation. God told Moses to make a big serpent out of bronze so that whoever looked at it, to be healed.

“Then the Lord said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live.” So Moses made a bronze serpent, and put it on a pole; and so it was, if a serpent had bitten anyone, when he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.” (Numbers 21:8, 9)

Just imagine again the way they were going to look at the serpent. Surely, they wouldn’t say: “I can maybe do that tomorrow..., or “No, I don’t think this is the way…”. Each normal person would do it straight away, as soon as he could. He will do it with a need and as quickly as possible. The same attitude we need to have concerning the gospel and salvation. But how can this happen? How can we really look at God with such a need? It is possible only by His grace and if He reveals our condition to us. We need to be disposed toward Him. We mustn’t resist Him. We need to leave ourselves to be convinced by Him. When it is a matter of salvation, it is a matter of life and death. This is how we need to look at it and pray to God to show us that.

This situation about the serpents is also mentioned in John chapter 3. The same chapter in which Jesus talks to Nicodemus about the new birth. He actually gives him the example with the serpents, saying that as Moses lifted up the bronze serpent in the desert, so in the same way, the Son of Man needs to be lifted up so that whoever believes in Him will not perish but will have eternal life.

“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:14, 15)

After this comes the verse that we all know, and this is John 3:16.

“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.”

Salvation is something really fundamental. I don’t want to exaggerate, but I have to say that probably 90 percent of people might’ve taken it the wrong way. With this, I am not saying that certain other people or I have more understanding, and that’s why we got saved. I am just saying that if someone is saved, it is by the mercy of God and because he didn’t conform himself to be like the rest of the crowd. When we speak about salvation, we don’t talk about an event happening in a mass, but about a personal experience someone is having with Christ, and when we talk of a congregation, we have to say that in most cases, probably few of them are really saved.

This might sound shocking, but it is true in most cases. I don’t talk about a non-religious environment where you will obviously say that most people don’t care at all for the Lord, but I talk about a church or a congregation where everyone hears the word and regularly attends services. Some people might think that most of the people there are saved and just those who obviously and openly refuse the Word of God are lost, but here we are talking about people who apparently believe and are even members of a church. I am not judging anyone with this or stating that congregations are wrong. No. On the contrary, a believer must attend a church and be a part of a body. I am just stating what the Bible says. A passage says that many will knock on the Lord’s door at the end, but it will not be open to them. They will even say they were with Him and performed His works, but He will tell them that He doesn’t know them. They were in a religious environment, but not for this it means that He knew them. He would know them if they have a personal relationship with Him and have repented.

 

23 Then one said to Him, “Lord, are there few who are saved?”

And He said to them, 24 “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able. 25 When once the Master of the house has risen up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open for us,’ and He will answer and say to you, ‘I do not know you, where you are from,’ 26 then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets.’ 27 But He will say, ‘I tell you I do not know you, where you are from. Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity.’ (Luke 13:23-27)

The Bible says that there are few who are saved. Whoever claims that most of the people attending church are saved is wrong most of the time, and it might be that he doesn’t know the Lord.

 “Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” (Luke 12:32)

Here, we see Jesus addressing the believers as a “little flock, “ meaning they are few. When I personally faced the gospel, I was a bit scared not to be taken away by the crowd and become part of the congregation just because all the rest were following it. With time, I had an opportunity to see and examine the life of the people belonging to the congregation as I was living in a Christian community because it was a place providing a drug rehabilitation program, and in the past, I had this kind of problem. Living 24 hours with the same people lets you see how people live. I was a bit surprised when I noticed that most of them didn’t live and behave in a Christian way. The place was Christian, and many people claimed to be believers, but still, very few of them walked in that way. With this, I am not saying that believers don’t make mistakes. They make mistakes, but their life’s core shows that they love God.

However, seeing that there were few believers in the congregation awoke my interest in spiritual matters and the Bible. I just thought that if there are very few believers and it is a question of belonging to God and not just to a place, then there is something true about it, and it doesn’t depend on how the people influence you. This made me think that it is a privilege. At that moment, I started to get interested. In the beginning, I didn’t want to be taken away and influenced by the masses as I thought that most of the people of the place belonged to that kind of belief, and I will try to stick as much as possible to my opinion, but then I realized I wasn’t right. Things are probably happening this way only with Christianity. When I talk about Christianity, I am not referring to a denomination or just religion but to Christianity and faith as the Bible describes them. In most religious groups or sects, some of which also bear Christian names, you see that the majority, if not all, people attending the congregation there are acknowledged as already saved persons. It seems it is just enough to belong to that religion and place, and you are fine. This makes it look like salvation is by works – you just need to regularly attend a specific place and be a member. It is not this way when it comes to real faith and salvation. We are not Christians because we belong to a congregation but because we belong to Christ. It is by faith. By faith, by believing in His name, you are saved and belong to Him. With this, I am not saying that we mustn’t belong to a congregation and a church, but what actually makes us belong and become members of a church body is not how we fit there or the acceptance of people there but if we belong to Christ and if we are saved by Him.

Many people might ask: “What is the will of God for my life?” or “What should I do for God?” The main thing He desires for us, and His will for us, is to be saved. All other things come in second place. God will not first answer any prayer someone is praying to Him. He will first do anything possible to get our attention to salvation and the fact that we are lost. The Bible says: “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33, emphasis added)

The kingdom is important, and what is first in the kingdom is repentance and salvation. This is how someone gets access to it. The rest of the kingdom's matters also have to do with that as they have to do with the will of God, which is reaching other people with the gospel's message. This is the expansion of the kingdom. It is not an expansion of a church or an organization, but more people who accept the gospel and repent, which may also lead to an expansion of a church. But the first thing first, which is knowing Jesus. All the rest of the things, which are an expansion of the church, growth, etc., are secondary.

“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33)

Yes, we might sometimes pray for the things we need, but generally, God has promised He will care for them. I am talking about our daily and basic needs, such as food, clothing, or even health. God has promised that He will take care of them. This doesn’t mean that we mustn’t work or try to provide these things; it just means that we mustn’t be overly worried about them. In the previous verses (Matthew 6:25-32) before Matthew 6:33, where it says to seek first the kingdom of heaven, it says that we mustn’t worry about what we will drink, eat, or put on. All of these are very basic prime daily needs that most people usually worry about. Instead, we have to work as we can for those things, not to be worried at the same time and to be worried about the kingdom. That needs to be our priority. First, this, and then the rest. This needs to be like our bread and water. It is not something that comes from time to time to our mind, and then we remember to go to church.

We must also say that those who are saved and have the Spirit of God, by nature, tend to prioritize heavenly things. We always need to put an effort, though, to focus more on that. We just need to seek His kingdom. This means we need first to pray for repentance on a personal level and then for other people’s repentance. Because they need to be saved for a judgment will come one day, and we don’t want them to end up far from God. The Bible even says in Matthew 6:31, 32 that the Gentiles are looking for all the material needs first. This is also probably the reason why they use many words and repetitions in their prayers (Matthew 6:7). There is nothing wrong with using many words in our prayers, but in this case, Jesus was probably referring to the prayer asking just for what is material, which is what God told us not to worry about as He promised to provide it for us. This means they were repeatedly praying for their primal material needs only, without seeking the kingdom. Christians might sometimes pray for the material things they need, and those prayers might be answered, but as we already said, they need to seek the kingdom of heaven first. Those who don’t know God need first to pray to know Him and repent. God cannot just answer other prayers before that. He might do that just to show He is faithful, but He wants people to know Him first because that’s the main purpose.  

There is a passage in John 6:28, 29 saying:

“Then they said to Him, “What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?”

Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.”

We see here how people asked Him, which is the work of God. Something that many people would like to know. Jesus answered that the work of God is to believe in Him whom He sent. This is the work of God. This is the essential thing He desires for us. This is His will above all others for us. And this is good news because if it depended only on what we desired for ourselves and what we retained as good, then we surely would get lost. We don’t know exactly what is really good for us. God does. He will lead us always toward the salvation of our souls. Only after that will He show us the rest of His plan for us. He will actually provide it for us. Many times, people might think: “Maybe God wants me in this place, or in that country, or doing that job….” We cannot be sure about that. God, above all, wants us to be saved first. His initial interest in us is not the place we are, the job we have, or where we like to shop. We are usually focused on these things and think that our joy and life depend on them. His desire for us is to be saved, but if we eventually harden ourselves, we might miss it, and then He will have to judge us according to our deeds. He will probably do it with sadness as He doesn’t enjoy (if we can say so) punishing or judging people. He does it because He is perfectly righteous, and justice is in His nature. Jesus wept when He saw the unbelief of the people around the tomb of Lazarus.

1 Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, 2 for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. 3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time, (1 Timothy 2:1-5)

This statement by Apostle Paul shows that God desires for people to be saved. It is not only us desiring that, but He in the first place. He desires it more. Because as we already said, if it depended only on us, then very few or almost no one would have been saved. It is so because we like sin; we used to live in it and be enchanted by its enchantment. We need to be awakened so that we can see the truth. The truth is that we are lost, and we need a Savior. This is a work of God. He awakes our souls by convicting us of our sins. He sends His Holy Spirit to do that. This is His work. That’s why He takes all the glory for our salvation. Not only did He send His only begotten Son to die for us, but He also works out the salvation in our life till the end as He convicts us of sin, and we become aware that we need the Savior He sent. He also keeps us and protects us along the way. He keeps on warning us and guiding us toward the end. We need to respond to the gospel’s message after He convicts us of our sins, but He does all that and more than we can imagine. We need to appreciate it.

“Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.” (Philippians 2:12, 13)