Is it right for pastors to ask people for money for prophecies?

Sincerely,
Read My Palm

Dear Read My Palm,

Absolutely not!  Especially since God specifically says that we have the perfect and complete Bible, so there are no more prophecies (1 Cor 13:8-101 Cor 13:8-10
English: American Standard Version (1901) - ASV
8 Love never faileth: but whether [there be] prophecies, they shall be done away; whether [there be] tongues, they shall cease; whether [there be] knowledge, it shall be done away. ⁹ For we know in part, and we prophesy in part; ¹⁰ but when that which is perfect is come, that which is in part shall be done away.  

WP-Bible plugin, Jas 1:25Jas 1:25
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25 But he that looketh into the perfect law, the [law] of liberty, and [so] continueth, being not a hearer that forgetteth but a doer that worketh, this man shall be blessed in his doing.  

WP-Bible plugin).  Televangelists that promise healing miracles, local preachers that profess to have visions, and any others of their ilk are charlatans and liars.  They are no different than Simon the magician who tried to buy the gift of God for money… they are diseased in heart and enslaved to iniquity (Acts 8:19-23Acts 8:19-23
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19 saying, Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay my hands, he may receive the Holy Spirit. ²⁰ But Peter said unto him, Thy silver perish with thee, because thou hast thought to obtain the gift of God with money. ²¹ Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right before God. ²² Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray the Lord, if perhaps the thought of thy heart shall be forgiven thee. ²³ For I see that thou art in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity.  

WP-Bible plugin).  The word of God is in the Bible and free and available to everyone… anyone that tries to sell it to you is a false teacher.  Accept nothing but the Bible; don’t let anyone add to it, and don’t let anyone take away from it (Rev 22:18-19Rev 22:18-19
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18 I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, if any man shall add unto them, God shall add unto him the plagues which are written in this book: ¹⁹ and if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the tree of life, and out of the holy city, which are written in this book.  

WP-Bible plugin).  We have everything we need to know about life and godliness within the pages of the Scriptures (2 Pet 1:32 Pet 1:3
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3 seeing that his divine power hath granted unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that called us by his own glory and virtue;  

WP-Bible plugin).  There is no need for additional prophecy because God has handed down to us once and for all His Word to the saints (Jude 1:3Jude 1:3
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3 Beloved, while I was giving all diligence to write unto you of our common salvation, I was constrained to write unto you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered unto the saints.  

WP-Bible plugin).  Don’t give a penny, or even a greeting, to those who would use the Gospel for greedy gain (2 Jn 1:10-112 Jn 1:10-11
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10 If any one cometh unto you, and bringeth not this teaching, receive him not into [your] house, and give him no greeting: ¹¹ for he that giveth him greeting partaketh in his evil works.  

WP-Bible plugin).

What is the correct way to pray?

Sincerely,
On Bended Knee

Dear On Bended Knee,

Jesus’ followers asked Him that very question (Lk 11:1Lk 11:1
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11 ¹ And it came to pass, as he was praying in a certain place, that when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, even as John also taught his disciples.  

WP-Bible plugin).  His response was what is commonly referred to as “The Lord’s Prayer” (Lk 11:2-4Lk 11:2-4
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2 And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Father, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. ³ Give us day by day our daily bread. ⁴ And forgive us our sins; for we ourselves also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And bring us not into temptation.  

WP-Bible plugin).  We are not expected to match that prayer word-for-word, but it is a model off of which we can base all of our prayers.  The prayer started off with reverence for God (Heb 12:28Heb 12:28
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28 Wherefore, receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us have grace, whereby we may offer service well-pleasing to God with reverence and awe:  

WP-Bible plugin) and humility of spirit (Dan 10:12Dan 10:12
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12 Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel; for from the first day that thou didst set thy heart to understand, and to humble thyself before thy God, thy words were heard: and I am come for thy words' sake.  

WP-Bible plugin).  Jesus’ prayer also included thanks for the things that God had given Him.  It is always good to make sure that our prayers include thanksgiving (Php 4:6Php 4:6
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6 In nothing be anxious; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.  

WP-Bible plugin).  After that, He prayed for His physical needs (like daily bread).  God wants us to ask Him for help in this life (Lk 18:1-7Lk 18:1-7
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18 ¹ And he spake a parable unto them to the end that they ought always to pray, and not to faint; ² saying, There was in a city a judge, who feared not God, and regarded not man: ³ and there was a widow in that city; and she came oft unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. ⁴ And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man; ⁵ yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest she wear me out by her continual coming. ⁶ And the Lord said, Hear what the unrighteous judge saith. ⁷ And shall not God avenge his elect, that cry to him day and night, and [yet] he is longsuffering over them?  

WP-Bible plugin).  The model prayer also included a request for forgiveness of sins and a commitment to serve Him faithfully.  God tells us that He will forgive us if we ask (1 Jn 1:91 Jn 1:9
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9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  

WP-Bible plugin).  Last, but not least, the prayer includes the words “Thy will be done”… everything we do and ask for must be subject to God’s will (Jas 4:13-15Jas 4:13-15
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13 Come now, ye that say, To-day or to-morrow we will go into this city, and spend a year there, and trade, and get gain: ¹⁴ whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. What is your life? For ye are a vapor, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. ¹⁵ For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall both live, and do this or that.  

WP-Bible plugin).  Those are the basic instructions that Christ gave on prayer.

The Bible really doesn’t say a lot about dinosaurs even though they seem to be a big part of our past; how could we live in peace at the same time?  I’m a christian looking deeper.

Sincerely,
Clever Girl

Dear Clever Girl,

Humans lived in peace with the dinosaurs until they became extinct… the same way we live in peace with bears, snakes, lions, elephants, etc.  In the Garden of Eden, all animals lived peaceably with humans (Gen 2:19-20Gen 2:19-20
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19 And out of the ground Jehovah God formed every beast of the field, and every bird of the heavens; and brought them unto the man to see what he would call them: and whatsoever the man called every living creature, that was the name thereof. ²⁰ And the man gave names to all cattle, and to the birds of the heavens, and to every beast of the field; but for man there was not found a help meet for him.  

WP-Bible plugin), and after the flood of Noah’s day, God placed the fear of mankind in every animal (Gen 9:2Gen 9:2
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2 And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every bird of the heavens; With all wherewith the ground teemeth, and all the fishes of the sea, into your hand are they delivered.  

WP-Bible plugin).  Dinosaurs would have had the same relationship with mankind as all other animals.

Dinosaurs are never specifically mentioned in the Bible, but neither are dodo birds, preying mantises, kookaburras, or chuckwallas.  Just because a certain animal isn’t mentioned in the Bible, doesn’t mean the Bible says it didn’t exist.  However, it is worth noting that the book of Job mentions two animals that sound very, very much like dinosaurs.  Job 40:15-24Job 40:15-24
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15 Behold now, behemoth, which I made as well as thee; He eateth grass as an ox. ¹⁶ Lo now, his strength is in his loins, And his force is in the muscles of his belly. ¹⁷ He moveth his tail like a cedar: The sinews of his thighs are knit together. ¹⁸ His bones are [as] tubes of brass; His limbs are like bars of iron. ¹⁹ He is the chief of the ways of God: He [only] that made him giveth him his sword. ²⁰ Surely the mountains bring him forth food, Where all the beasts of the field do play. ²¹ He lieth under the lotus-trees, In the covert of the reed, and the fen. ²² The lotus-trees cover him with their shade; The willows of the brook compass him about. ²³ Behold, if a river overflow, he trembleth not; He is confident, though a Jordan swell even to his mouth. ²⁴ Shall any take him when he is on the watch, Or pierce through his nose with a snare?  

WP-Bible plugin mentions the “behemoth”, and the description of that animal sounds remarkably similar to a diplodocus.  Job 41:1-34Job 41:1-34
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41 ¹ Canst thou draw out leviathan with a fishhook? Or press down his tongue with a cord? ² Canst thou put a rope into his nose? Or pierce his jaw through with a hook? ³ Will he make many supplications unto thee? Or will he speak soft words unto thee? ⁴ Will he make a covenant with thee, That thou shouldest take him for a servant for ever? ⁵ Wilt thou play with him as with a bird? Or wilt thou bind him for thy maidens? ⁶ Will the bands [of fishermen] make traffic of him? Will they part him among the merchants? ⁷ Canst thou fill his skin with barbed irons, Or his head with fish-spears? ⁸ Lay thy hand upon him; Remember the battle, and do so no more. ⁹ Behold, the hope of him is in vain: Will not one be cast down even at the sight of him? ¹⁰ None is so fierce that he dare stir him up; Who then is he that can stand before me? ¹¹ Who hath first given unto me, that I should repay him? [Whatsoever is] under the whole heaven is mine. ¹² I will not keep silence concerning his limbs, Nor his mighty strength, nor his goodly frame. ¹³ Who can strip off his outer garment? Who shall come within his jaws? ¹⁴ Who can open the doors of his face? Round about his teeth is terror. ¹⁵ [His] strong scales are [his] pride, Shut up together [as with] a close seal. ¹⁶ One is so near to another, That no air can come between them. ¹⁷ They are joined one to another; They stick together, so that they cannot be sundered. ¹⁸ His sneezings flash forth light, And his eyes are like the eyelids of the morning. ¹⁹ Out of his mouth go burning torches, And sparks of fire leap forth. ²⁰ Out of his nostrils a smoke goeth, As of a boiling pot and [burning] rushes. ²¹ His breath kindleth coals, And a flame goeth forth from his mouth. ²² In his neck abideth strength, And terror danceth before him. ²³ The flakes of his flesh are joined together: They are firm upon him; They cannot be moved. ²⁴ His heart is as firm as a stone; Yea, firm as the nether millstone. ²⁵ When he raiseth himself up, the mighty are afraid: By reason of consternation they are beside themselves. ²⁶ If one lay at him with the sword, it cannot avail; Nor the spear, the dart, nor the pointed shaft. ²⁷ He counteth iron as straw, [And] brass as rotten wood. ²⁸ The arrow cannot make him flee: Sling-stones are turned with him into stubble. ²⁹ Clubs are counted as stubble: He laugheth at the rushing of the javelin. ³⁰ His underparts are [like] sharp potsherds: He spreadeth [as it were] a threshing-wain upon the mire. ³¹ He maketh the deep to boil like a pot: He maketh the sea like a pot of ointment. ³² He maketh a path to shine after him; One would think the deep to be hoary. ³³ Upon earth there is not his like, That is made without fear. ³⁴ He beholdeth everything that is high: He is king over all the sons of pride.  

WP-Bible plugin mentions the “leviathan”, a sea beast, that sounds not unlike an aquatic dinosaur.  Dinosaurs may be extinct today, but there is no contradiction between the Bible and the dinosaur fossils found by paleontologists.

In Exodus 20:8-11Exodus 20:8-11
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8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. ⁹ Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work; ¹⁰ but the seventh day is a sabbath unto Jehovah thy God: [in it] thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy man-servant, nor thy maid-servant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: ¹¹ for in six days Jehovah made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore Jehovah blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.  

WP-Bible plugin, the fourth commandment says, “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.  Six days you will labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord, your God.  For in six days, the Lord made all the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day.  Therefore, the Lord blessed the Sabbath Day and hallowed it.”

Why don’t all Christians observe and worship Him on the Sabbath, which would be the seventh day, which is Saturday?  Also, when did this change to worshipping our Lord on Sunday happen, and who changed that?

Sincerely,
One Day At A Time

Dear One Day At A Time,

The Sabbath was a holy day for the Jews, not for Christians.  The Old Testament has a myriad of laws that are no longer binding in the New Testament: animal sacrifice, clean and unclean foods, and various festivals… just to name a few.  2 Cor 3 is an entire chapter devoted to explaining how the Old Law has been surpassed by the New Law.  2 Cor 3:32 Cor 3:3
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3 being made manifest that ye are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in tables [that are] hearts of flesh.  

WP-Bible plugin especially clarifies the issue when it states that our law is “not in tables of stone”, a direct reference to the Ten Commandments that were written on stone tablets.

Gal 3:24-25Gal 3:24-25
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24 So that the law is become our tutor [to bring us] unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. ²⁵ But now faith that is come, we are no longer under a tutor.  

WP-Bible plugin makes it clear that the Old Law was a tutor to bring mankind to Christ, but now that Christ has come, we are no longer under that tutor.  The Sabbath is a part of that Old Law.  In the New Testament, christians meet on the first day of the week to worship, take the Lord’s Supper (Acts 20:7Acts 20:7
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7 And upon the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul discoursed with them, intending to depart on the morrow; and prolonged his speech until midnight.  

WP-Bible plugin), and take up a collection (1 Cor 16:1-21 Cor 16:1-2
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16 ¹ Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I gave order to the churches of Galatia, so also do ye. ² Upon the first day of the week let each one of you lay by him in store, as he may prosper, that no collections be made when I come.  

WP-Bible plugin).  In short: different covenants, different days.

The Old Testament law given by Moses was a covenant with the Jews (Deu 5:1-5Deu 5:1-5
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5 ¹ And Moses called unto all Israel, and said unto them, Hear, O Israel, the statutes and the ordinances which I speak in your ears this day, that ye may learn them, and observe to do them. ² Jehovah our God made a covenant with us in Horeb. ³ Jehovah made not this covenant with our fathers, but with us, even us, who are all of us here alive this day. ⁴ Jehovah spake with you face to face in the mount out of the midst of the fire, ⁵  saying,  

WP-Bible plugin).  The New Testament law given in Christ is for all of mankind (Acts 2:38-39Acts 2:38-39
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38 And Peter [said] unto them, Repent ye, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ unto the remission of your sins; and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. ³⁹ For to you is the promise, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, [even] as many as the Lord our God shall call unto him.  

WP-Bible plugin).

Who changed the law?  God did.

When did it change?  When the church began.

I have a friend who speaks about the Bible having figurative language in it.  How would you respond to this comment?

Sincerely,
Mr. Metaphor

Dear Mr. Metaphor,

The Bible does use figurative language, but so do you.  Every time you say, “I’m dead on my feet”, “That guy really missed the boat”, or “I’m as happy as a lark” – you are using figurative language.  Figurative language is a normal part of human conversation.  The Bible uses it just like you do.  The important thing to remember is that speech can only be considered figurative in certain circumstances.

1. If the writer or speaker specifically tells you that the language is figurative.  For example, Rev 1:1Rev 1:1
   English: American Standard Version (1901) - ASV
   The Revelation to St. John ^{1 1} The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show unto his servants, [even] the things which must shortly come to pass: and he sent and signified [it] by his angel unto his servant John;  
   
   WP-Bible plugin says that the things in the book are ‘signified’, a word in Greek that means ‘symbolized’.
2. Context demands that it be considered figurative… like when Jesus says that we are “the salt of the earth” (Matt 5:13Matt 5:13
   English: American Standard Version (1901) - ASV
   13 Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost its savor, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out and trodden under foot of men.  
   
   WP-Bible plugin).  It wouldn’t make sense if He were trying to say that people are literally made of salt.

Bible writings should be considered literal unless there is a reason to believe otherwise – just like normal writings.  There is nothing wrong with saying the Bible uses figurative language; it is just important that we don’t assume something is figurative.  Always assume literal unless proven otherwise.

How should we treat The Bible?  What I mean is that I feel funny sometimes laying it on the ground, or how would one go about disposing of it if it somehow became unusable (for example, if you spilled something on it)?  I guess I’m asking where the line is between showing the utmost respect for God’s Word and not stumbling into an area that could be misconstrued as actually worshipping the object itself.  Thank you!

Sincerely,
Handle With Care

Dear Handle With Care,

The words of God are holy (Ps 105:42Ps 105:42
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42 For he remembered his holy word, [And] Abraham his servant.  

WP-Bible plugin), but the pages they are printed upon are not.  It is natural to feel a need to treat things that represent important ideals with extra care and diligence (for example, the U.S. flag has specific rules for transportation, use, and disposal), but we must remember that God commands us to show Him reverence (Heb 12:28Heb 12:28
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28 Wherefore, receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us have grace, whereby we may offer service well-pleasing to God with reverence and awe:  

WP-Bible plugin), and that is the principle you have to keep in my mind.  If you purposefully abuse your Bible (such as defacing it, kicking it around, etc.), there comes a point when that shows disrespect and a lack of reverence for God, but disposing of an old and tattered Bible isn’t irreverent… it is a practical matter.  In fact, if you are heeding the Bible’s teachings to study and diligently search out the Scriptures (2 Tim 2:152 Tim 2:15
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15 Give diligence to present thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, handling aright the word of truth.  

WP-Bible plugin, Josh 1:8Josh 1:8
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8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth, but thou shalt meditate thereon day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.  

WP-Bible plugin), you will probably burn through quite a few copies of the Bible in your lifetime.  Old, tattered Bibles with pages falling out are a sign of a healthy christian.  Treat your Bibles nicely, but remember that the most important copy of the Word of God is the one that has been sown in your heart and life.