May 16, 2021
In God is my salvation and my glory:
the rock of my strength,
and my refuge, is in God.
(Psalm 62:7)
Missing Verses (Part 2)
In this second installment, another verse that is missing from many of the modern Bible versions is examined. In Matthew 17, a man’s son is vexed by a devil, causing him to fall into the fire and into the water. The father brought his son to the disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ to cure him, but they could not do so. The Lord came to the young man and rebuked the devil. The scripture says, “the child was cured from that very hour” (v. 18). The disciples approached the Lord to ask, “Why could not we cast him out?” (v. 19). Jesus answered the disciples in the next two verses and revealed how it was that this particular devil was cast out.
Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting. (Matthew 17:21)
Missing from the New International Version, The Message, English Standard Version, and New Living Translation (among many others) is verse 21! Why would this verse be missing from so many English translations? The Lord Jesus Christ revealed the spiritual power behind prayer and fasting in this verse. Since Genesis 3, Satan has been at work corrupting the scriptures by adding to, subtracting from, and changing God’s words. In removing Matthew 17:21, a component of spiritual power through prayer and fasting is removed. Nehemiah fasted and prayed as he sought direction from the Lord (Nehemiah 1:4) and Daniel also fasted and prayed for Israel (Daniel 9:3). Both of these men had their prayers specifically answered. In the New Testament, Anna the prophetess fasted and prayed (Luke 2:37), Cornelius fasted and prayed (Acts 10:30), as did Paul and Barnabas (Acts 14:23). By removing a key verse concerning prayer and fasting, a powerful means of having prayers answered ends up missing from the modern translations.
Praise the Lord!
There are a number of items from our church family worthy of giving great praise to our God!
- Praise God for travel mercies for Chris, Maile, and the 8th grade class at Park Avenue Christian Academy. The class had a great retreat last week.
- Praise God for opportunities to witness being taken advantage of in these last days by those in our church family.
- Praise God for both physical and spiritual protection for Addie last week.
- Praise God for the freedom we still have to teach and preach the Bible as we meet on a regular basis. Some in our nation have not enjoyed the freedom we have experienced in Florida.
Praise ye the LORD.
O give thanks unto the LORD;
for he is good:
for his mercy endureth for ever.
(Psalm 106:1)
Memory Verse –
This morning – Matthew 6:33
May emphasis: THE KINGDOM OF GOD
Next week (May 23rd) – Luke 18:17
Keep Your Eyes on Israel
Tensions have increased in the Middle East over the last few days and this should be no surprise to Bible believing Christians. Beginning in Genesis 12, the main group of people the Lord focused on in the Old Testament was Israel. There are many unfulfilled prophecies in the Old Testament dealing with Israel and many of them await fulfillment until the Great Tribulation and the Millennium. As conflict increases, continue to pray and remain faithful to the Lord Jesus Christ. If you are in search of news from Israel, take a look at www.timesofisrael.com online.
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