Dr Paul Allen

How do I pray for a miracle? ( Matt. 17:20) When we are faced with a great need, either for ourselves or for others, we should begin by humbly seeking to know God ’s will in the matter: "Father, what do You want to do in this situation?" Jesus said, "My Father has been working until now, and I have been working" (John 5:17). He listened to the voice of the Father , and He watched Him. Be careful not to start or end a prayer by saying blindly, "If it be Your will." Rather, you should seek to know God’s will in the situation and then base your prayer upon it. Praying for a miracle is welcoming a gift of the Holy Spirit to manifest. When His will is to work one, He will witness that to your heart. Then you can ask Him to perform the miracle that you know He wants to bring about. It is often important to exercise a key to the miraculous—the spoken word. God has given us authority over disease, demons, sickness, storms, and finances (Matt. 10:1; Luk...

Third window in the north aisle with two lights depicting the Raising of the Daughter of Jairus. This window was created by Patrick Pollen in 1958. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) “James and John the sons of Zebedee approach him, saying to him, ‘Teacher, we wish that you might do for us whatever we might ask you.’ ” The disciples James and John have previously been mentioned together, along with Jesus and Peter , in Mark 5:37 on the occasion of raising up the daughter of Jairus .  These three were with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration (9:2), and they will be together again in Mark 13:3 when they ask for further clarification of Jesus’ prophecy of the temple’s coming destruction.  According to Mark 3:17 Jesus surnamed James and John Boanerges, that is, the “ sons of thunder ” (on this problematical epithet, see Guelich, 161–62).  They approach Jesus, the “teacher” (διδάσκαλε—on the lips of the disciples in 4:38; 9:38; on the lips of others in 5:35; 9:17;...

“The LORD did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people.” ( Deuteronomy 7:7 ) Modern people—even Christians—tend to measure success in terms of bigness. God ’s measure, on the other hand, is based on quality, not quantity. There were undoubtedly millions of people on the earth, for example, when the Flood came in the days of Noah, but only “few, that is, eight souls were saved” as the waters lifted up the Ark ( 1 Peter 3:20 ). A few centuries after the Flood, populations had again increased, and great nations developed in Egypt, Sumeria, and elsewhere. But God called one man, Abraham , to establish a new nation, and he obeyed. Many great nations (Arabs, etc.) came from Abraham, but again God chose only one, Israel , to inherit the promise. Israel did grow, but as our text shows, even this chosen nation was nearly always insignificant compared to other nations. In Israel’s history, many instances a...

TOTAL DEPRAVITY IS A REALITY, both taught in Holy Scripture and experienced in life, with important implications for pagans and Christians alike. Very often we think of this Biblical doctrine in connection with those who are unregenerate, or with regard to Christians before their conversion, but we reflect less frequently on the depravity which still infects those who have been saved by grace and reborn of the Spirit.  This is a serious omission, for misunderstanding or underestimating the continuing corruption in the believer leaves the Christian unprepared for the warfare of sanctification and leads to a variety of spiritual problems. There are many errors propagated in evangelical circles on this subject, the two main tendencies of which are: perfectionism and antinomianism. The former asserts that the Christian life is (or ought to be) characterized by complete victory over sin. Perfectionistic teachers not only distort the biblical teaching on holiness, but also dan...