If The King James Version Was Good Enough For Jesus It's Good Enough For Me

Someone gave me a book the other day that literally stated the King James Version was the translation of the Bible that Jesus preached from (Yep, I knew you'd get a kick out of that). It's just to bad that it wasn't written until several hundred years after Jesus' earthly ministry had ended. It also means that somebody didn't do their homework on what they wrote.

An individual that I am acquainted with has a daily blog that deals with Biblical controvery and this was his reply to a sincere young man who wrote in about Bible translations. I thought it was worthy of sharing with you and hopefully will help you understand even more so that a translation is a translation and why some words don't match. Here is his answer:

Thank you for taking the time to write. I am glad that you are concerned with the reliability of the Bible and I pray that you continue to study. However, careful consideration and attention has been given to the relationship and translation of the NIV and KJV bibles. Allow me to outline a couple of points for you.

Whenever some group wishes to translate any ancient document (be it the Bible, a Greek play or a Latin proclamation from Rome) there are several difficulties that come into play. Because no one has the original documents written by the authors of the Bible, scholars must rely on copies or copies of copies (called manuscripts) and translations and their copies. Much like the game of telephone children play, those copies can end up being quite different from the original document written. It is the responsibility of the scholars to "weed out" all the added text and also decide which rendering would be true to the original work. We call this process textual criticism, and it is quite difficult. Luckily, there are a very large number of New Testament documents that we can compare against each other to find out what belongs and what was added.

The King James Version was originally written from 1607 to 1610, with a group of 54 Biblical scholars from only Great Britain. These were dived into six groups with three working on a rendering of the Old Testament and the other three working on the New Testament. One of the rules in translating the KJV was the committees were to follow an older translation known as the Bishops' Bible (written in 1568) "and as little altered as the Truth of the Original will permit." Even most of that translation was based on the Geneva Bible and the Great Bible which were revisions of the Tynedale Bible which was published in 1533. All in all, the KJV has only 39% of its language which is unique to itself, and over 90% of the New Testament can be found word for word in the Tyndale NT which was published in 1525. This means that much of the 1611 version was nearly a hundred years old when it was first published!

What makes all of this significant is that England didn't have any ancient Greek manuscripts until 1628. Therefore, the translators were at a definite disadvantage when trying to decide which passages were in the texts originally, and which were added later by someone who was copying or translating another copy or translation. Contrarily, the NIV committee consisted of over a hundred scholars from five countries who had much older versions (so they were more true to the originals) and a much better grasp on ancient Hebrew.

The verse to which you allude falls into a problem category. It doesn't appear in copies that are closer to the time when the originals were written, and much like the telephone game, the farther you get from the originator, the more stuff gets in your message that doesn't belong. Other such verses are Matthew 17:21, Matt. 18:11; Luke24:40; John 7:53-8:11; parts of 1 John 5:8; etc. These verses are not being blatantly left out, nor is the Bible being changed. Because we have better information now, the newer translations are just trying to correct some mistakes in the older translations. Remember, only the original copy is considered the Inspired Word of God. This does not mean that we have to worry, though. With all the new evidence, it is estimated that we know over 99% of our Bible is true to the original text, and those that are in grey areas do not affect any major Biblical doctrine.

Now, another problem that comes about in translation is how to make the new version read as closely to the original as possible, but still get the author's idea across. Let me demonstrate. If I were to translate "I got in by the skin of my teeth" into Russian and send it to a business associate there, I would have them totally baffled. They know there is no skin on teeth, and how could you use that as payment for entry, anyway?? So, a translator can either stick to the words that translate directly across to the new language, or he may opt to translate the idea (I got in with no time to spare) into the other language, thus making the sentence understandable. No translation can be exactly word for word and be understood. Even the King James English has these problems. In Matthew 19:14 the KJV reads "But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven" which can be very confusing to a modern reader.)

The translators of the KJV, along with the New American Standard and some others tried to keep the word order as close as they could. The translators of the NIV were developing a reading Bible, though, and they tried to make a thought by thought translation. This conveys the essence and meanings of the original documents, but becomes much more natural and conversational to the modern ear.

I hope I have given you a little more information concerning this issue. Before I end, though, I do wish to ask you to consider one more thing. If the KJV is the only one which can be relied upon, what do all the people do across the globe who don't speak English? They need a translation in their own language, and the problems are the same as those I've outlined above. If you'd like more information on this issue, I recommend James White's book "The King James Only Controversy" published by Bethany House.

Thank you again for your time, and may God bless you as you continue to seek His Word.

Prayer Is The Key (Part 5)

In 2008 ninety percent of U.S. adults say they pray -- more than half say it's once a day or more -- in times of economic distress or plenty, researchers said.

Lead author Wendy Cadge, a sociologist at Brandeis University in Waltham, Mass., found that the prayers fell into one of three categories -- about 28 percent of prayers were requests of God, 28 percent were prayers to both thank and petition God, while another 22 percent of the prayers just thanked God.

Some say they are sure God exists and others pray simply to cover the bases. Some pray for big things -- to stay healthy, keep employed and to strengthen relationships -- but some pray to find parking spaces and missing items.

The study, published in Poetics, analyzed 683 prayers written in a public prayer book placed in the rotunda of the Johns Hopkins University Hospital in Baltimore from 1999 to 2005.

The study found that prayer writers seek general strength, support and blessing from their prayers, rather than explicit solutions to life's difficult situations.

"If researchers studying religion and health take seriously even the possibility that prayer may influence health, they need to learn more about what people pray for, how they pray, and what they hope will result from their prayers," Cadge said in a statement.

Why Should We Pray – To whom do we pray?
Before we can answer, “why should we pray,” we must know to whom we pray. There is only one supreme Creator and sovereign God. There is only one way to Him and that is through His only- Son, Jesus Christ. God, our Heavenly Father, is the only one we can be assured of who hears and answers our prayers. He is the God of amazing love, mercy, and forgiveness.

-By Him, all things are possible. Jesus says in Mark 10:27, "Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But not with God. Everything is possible with God."

-Daniel 9:18 tells us: “We do not ask because we deserve help, but because you are so merciful.” (Mercy means showing favor, compassion, and kindness.)

-God’s ultimate demonstration of love is forgiveness of the sins each of us have committed. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God did not send his Son into the world to condemn it, but to save it” (John 3:16-17).

He is the only God who has done this, and is the only God able to do so. But His enemy, Satan, has sent many false gods to deceive mankind. Do not be deceived nor allow anything or anyone to take priority over the only true and living God.


Prayer is the key to the heart of God. Prayer is the only way to a real and personal relationship with God.

-Pray acknowledging He is God, and that you accept His gracious gift, Jesus Christ, as your Lord and Savior (Genesis 17:1, Romans 6:16-18).

-Pray confessing our sins and accepting His forgiveness (Romans 3:23-26).

-Pray that His will be done in our lives, that His Holy Spirit guide us, and that we be filled with the fullness of all God has for us.

-Pray for (spiritual) understanding and wisdom (Proverbs 2:6-8, 3:5).

-Pray with thanksgiving for all the ways He blesses us (Philippians 4:6).

-Pray when we are ill, lonely, going through trials or interceding for others (James 5:14-16, 2 Corinthians 12:9-10).

Pray to worship Him (Psalm 95:6-7).

There is nothing we can’t pray about. There are abundant references to prayer in the Bible. The Bible tells us to “pray without ceasing” and “in everything give thanks to the Lord.” When we choose to have a positive attitude, we realize we have received many blessings for which to give God praise.

We find intimacy with God through communicating with Him in prayer. We go to Him in faith, knowing that He hears and answers all our prayers (1 John 5:14). Be confident that God knows and wants what is best for us; so ask that His will be done in all we seek from Him. Then, thank Him for it, even though it hasn’t happened yet.


Jesus gave his disciples, what we call, “The Lord’s Prayer” (Matthew 6) as a model.

In addition, Hebrews 4:14-16 tells us we can pray boldly -- “That is why we have a great High Priest who has gone to heaven, Jesus the Son of God. Let us cling to him and never stop trusting him. This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same temptations we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it.”

Above all, pray with sincerity, honor, and humbleness before the Almighty God. “The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and wonderful results” (James 5:16).

Prayer Is the Key (Part 4)

I have been at my post of duty at DCOG for almost 20 months now. I have some great people that I serve that have a vision for what our church can be. I have others, just like every church does, that are completely happy with the way things are. Sometimes the vision for the church that God gives you does not always match what some want in the congregation. That's when the enemy comes in seeking to destroy and tear down.

For weeks I sought the Lord over what to do. My Wednesday and Sunday night crowds were less than a 1/3 of what I was having on Sunday morning. It was so frustrating to have a Word from the Lord for the church on Sunday night and only a handful be there to receive it. Sadly, I could not preach as I felt God wanted me to do because many times the folks that needed to hear the Word were not there in the service. So I would leave broken-hearted and depressed feeling that somehow I had missed the mark by not reaching the whole church with the Word.

Now I am a churchy person. I was raised you don't miss a service and until 911 never, ever called off a service even on Homecoming night. But the Lord begin to speak to me about maximizing the time on Sunday night into a time of prayer for our church to reach our community with the gospel.
I only have 3 families that live within a mile of our church. The majority of our folks drive 8-15 miles minimum to church. Some even longer than that that come on a regular basis. I knew if I couldn't get them to come for a regular service, how in the world was I going to get them to come for pray?

So when the Lord laid this burden on my heart, I sought Him for direction and I decided to put my church family on an honor system with God. I asked them to stop whatever they were doing between 6-7 p.m. at home and take that time to pray for our church. I didn't want to be upset by having only a few come to the church building and pray for a short time. So I believe that the Lord laid this on my heart for a few weeks to take this time to pray for our church and not just have a regular worship service.

I was asked, "Aren't you afraid they will go somewhere else if you don't have Sunday night service?" My replay to that is very simple-If DCOG is your church you will seek the Lord for her to be a light to this community and to you and not be searching for another church. I believe the majority of the people will heed the call of the Lord placed on me and do what I believe the Lord has asked us to do pray.

Prayer is still the key to an old-fashion move of God in a new-fangled day. Prayer can still move mountains and bridge valley after valley. Prayer is still the key that unlocks heaven for the believer and brings conviction upon the sinner.

So when you pray, please pray for me and for my church. I want to be and to do what God wants more today than ever before. I can only do that through the power of prayer.

Prayer Is The Key (Part 3)

The power of prayer should not be underestimated. James 5:16-18 declares, "…The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops." God most definitely listens to prayers, answers prayers, and moves in response to prayers.

Jesus taught, "…I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you" (Matthew 17:20). 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 tells us, "The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." The Bible urges us, "And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints" (Ephesians 6:18).

The power of prayer is not the result of the person praying. Rather, the power resides in the God who is being prayed to. 1 John 5:14-15 tells us, "This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us - whatever we ask - we know that we have what we asked of him." No matter the person praying, the passion behind the prayer, or the purpose of the prayer - God answers prayers that are in agreement with His will. His answers are not always yes, but are always in our best interest. When our desires line up with His will, we will come to understand that in time. When we pray passionately and purposefully, according to God's will, God responds powerfully!

We cannot access powerful prayer by using "magic formulas." Our prayers being answered is not based on the eloquence of our prayers. We don't have to use certain words or phrases to get God to answer our prayers. In fact, Jesus rebukes those who pray using repetitions, "And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him" (Matthew 6:7-8). Prayer is communicating with God. All you have to do is ask God for His help. Psalm 107:28-30 reminds us, "Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distress. He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed. They were glad when it grew calm, and he guided them to their desired haven." There is power in prayer!

God's help through the power of prayer is available for all kinds of requests and issues. Philippians 4:6-7 tells us, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." If you need an example of a prayer, read Matthew 6:9-13. These verses are known as the Lord's prayer. The Lord's prayer is not a prayer we are supposed to memorize and simply recite to God. It is only an example of how to pray and the things that should go into a prayer - worship, trust in God, requests, confession, protection, etc. Pray for these kinds of things, but speak to God using your own words.

The Word of God is full of accounts describing the power of prayer in various situations. The power of prayer has overcome enemies (Psalm 6:9-10), conquered death (2 Kings 4:3-36), brought healing (James 5:14-15), and defeated demons (Mark 9:29). God, through prayer, opens eyes, changes hearts, heals wounds, and grants wisdom (James 1:5). The power of prayer should never be underestimated because it draws on the glory and might of the infinitely powerful God of the universe! Daniel 4:35 proclaims, "All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back his hand or say to him: 'What have you done?'"

Prayer Is The Key (Part 2)

How to Pray When Your Heart is Broken
 
Despite our heartfelt prayers, things don’t always go the way we want. A loved one dies. You lose your job. The outcome is just the opposite of what you asked for. What then?
 
Jesus' friend Martha was brokenhearted when her brother Lazarus died. She told Jesus so. God wants you to be honest with him. You can give him your anger and disappointment.
 
What Jesus told Martha applies to you today:
 
"I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" (John 11:25-26, NIV)
 
Of course, we should not always expect Jesus to raise our loved one from the dead, as he did Lazarus. But we should expect our believer to live eternally in heaven, as Jesus promised. God will mend all our broken hearts in heaven. I don’t know how he will do that, but I believe with all my being that he will.
 
Jesus promised in his Sermon on the Mount that God does hear the prayers of the brokenhearted:
 
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted." (Matthew 5:3-4, NIV)
 
We pray best when we offer God our pain in humble sincerity, and Scripture tells us how our loving Father responds:

"He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds." (Psalm 147:3, NIV)

"The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit" (Psalm 34:18).

The image of heartbreak describing the devastating emotional pain of a broken relationship transcends culture and is expressed in the same way in almost every language.  We feel the pain of betrayal and separation deeply at the core of our soul.  It feels as if our heart really is breaking – because of course, it is. God understands this experience because he himself has lived through a broken heart.  God has been a jilted lover. Through his love for us, he has endured unfaithfulness and desertion. God understands our loneliness and identifies with us. We can talk to him about this experience and ask him for help at our deepest point of despair – because he’s been there himself!

Here is a prayer for those who have suffered a broken heart.

“God, you care deeply for broken-hearted people.  This is a promise you make: You are close.  We pray for all those who are crippled by broken relationships.  Our hearts take the blow of disappointment.  We feel crushed because our hopes are dashed.  God, heal broken hearts.  We cannot fix our own wounds.  But you can.  If pieces of our heart have been lost, or are held captive by another, recover them and bring them back to us and miraculously “put us back together” so that our heart is whole again.  You are a mender of broken hearts.  We ask for this miracle, in the name of Jesus.”

Prayer Is The Key

When we wonder how to pray, we seldom look to the Bible for guidance. The truth, however, is that the Bible is packed with praying people, and we can learn much from their examples.
 
Sometimes we have to dig through Scripture for models. We don’t always find an obvious tip-off, such as, "Lord, teach us to pray…" (Luke 11:1, NIV) Instead, we can look for strengths and situations. Many Bible figures showed courage and faith, but others found themselves in situations that brought out qualities they didn't know they had, just as your situation can do today.
 
How to Pray When Your Situation is Desperate
 
What if you feel backed into a corner? Your job, finances, or marriage may be in trouble and you wonder how to pray when danger threatens. David, a man after God’s own heart, knew that feeling, as King Saul pursued him across the hills of Israel, trying to kill him. The slayer of the giant Goliath, David understood where his strength came from:
 
"I lift up my eyes to the hills—where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth." (Psalm 121:1-2, NIV)
 
Desperation seems more the norm than the exception in the Bible. The night before his death, Jesus told his confused and anxious disciples how to pray at such times:
 
"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me." (John 14:1, NIV)

When you feel desperate, trusting in God calls for an act of the will. You can pray to the Holy Spirit, who will help you overcome your emotions and put your trust in God instead. This is hard, but Jesus gave us the Holy Spirit as our Helper for times like these.

When God Puts A Burden On You-Pray

You may not understand that statement fully so let me explain. Sometimes God allows things that shouldn't become so heavy to gain weight so that He can get our attention. It's not always easy to know what God wants, but after a few years you begin to understand when He is speaking to you.

A pastor has to make decisions based on what he or she hears from the Lord. They are not always easy decisions to make because you know that people in your congregation don't always understand why. I guess that's the problem most pastors are facing today. Everybody is happy with stuff being the same whether it's working or not. I've been told by more than one person don't rock the boat, but when you feel you are on a sinking ship something has to change.

God has placed a heavy burden on me for my church. God sent me here 21 months ago and I have fought the enemy ever since accepting this challenge. I've got some great people that love God, but I have some that don't really care if the church grows or changes at all. I have preached until my breath has given out and it hasn't changed much of the atmosphere. I have cried to God for direction and this past Wednesday I believe I heard from the Lord. God spoke to my spirit, "Pray".

I had a month of prayer last year and ended up dealing with a problem in the church that put me in the hospital and caused a division in my church. It almost cost a young minister his calling because of lies that were being told on him. So when the Lord said, "Pray", I thought, "The last time I heard that all hell broke loose around me." But I am convinced even more so this morning that the key to turning my church around is prayer. Not just my prayer, but the prayers of every person in my congregation who considers our church worth having. This is not a one man show, it is a corporate effort.

I have talked with other pastors recently who are going through the same things I am facing. Less than a 1/3 of their congregants return for a Sunday night or Wednesday night service. They are burnt out preaching a message to the church when a good percentage of the church isn't there. They have tried everything their experience in ministry has taught them to grow their churches, yet they have come up empty. I say to those brethren, "Pray".

Pastor Bobby Johnson, one of the greatest COG pastors in our history, taught me the value of prayer as a young preacher. My dad, Rev. Alton L. Stone, Sr., showed me the value of prayer in some of his darkest times of ministry. In fact he and mom would pray and God would change things. I remember him talking many times about being burdened in prayer for special things that God would place on him.

So I have come to a conclusion-whatever decision I make on anything is not going to please everyone, but who can argue with a call to prayer? If that is the burden I must bear, then so be it-But I believe that it will change me, my congregation, and my community. If not, I will at least have obeyed God and done what He has told me to do.

So I'll carry this burden and I'll pray....and I'll believe that the windows of heaven will open and God will either move the church forward or move me to a place that desires to see an outpouring of His Spirit in these last days.