What Does the Bible Say About Appropriate Places to Pray?

What does the Bible say about appropriate places to pray? That's just one of the questions we'll be answering on today's edition of CORE Christianity. Hi, it's Bill Meyer along with Pastor Adriel Sanchez, and this is the radio program where we answer your questions about the Bible and the Christian life every day.

You can call us with your question at 833-THE-CORE. If you get our voicemail system, feel free to leave your message there. You can also email us anytime at questionsatcorechristianity.com.

First up today, here's a voicemail from one of our listeners named Ray. My question is, is there any evidence of where Christ went at the age of 12 to 13, when he seems to have disappeared from the Bible to the time when he came back for his ministry and was crucified and went to heaven? I heard that there was a Buddhist monastery that he could have gone to.

That was not far from where he was. I heard that there is a possibility that he went to the school for prophets that is mentioned in the Old Testament. I was just wondering if you could elaborate on that, if there's any evidence at all. Thank you. God bless. People who have Buddhist convictions or want to try to draw lines of correlation between Jesus and Buddhist teaching or something like that would want to say, but there's just zero evidence for them.

It's totally speculative. Similar with Jesus going to the school of the prophets. I think there's a question about really the extent to which those schools were still operational during Jesus' time. One thing, sometimes you'll hear people say, you know, Jesus was like this miracle worker, child, and teenager. There's some Gnostic writings that seem to indicate the stories about Jesus as a young boy doing all sorts of wild miracles. But we can rule that out as well. I think that up until his earthly ministry, what was described, the focus of the gospels, that our Lord Jesus led a very pious and simple life.

They didn't draw a ton of attention. There is biblical evidence for that, and I think it's when Jesus is back in his hometown, in Mark chapter 6, when he's in Nazareth, how do the people refer to him? What's so troubling to them about Jesus? Now that he's doing these miracles and he's got this amazing teaching, listen to the story. Mark chapter 6, verse 1, Jesus followed him. So Jesus, this is where he grew up.

This is his hometown. And on the Sabbath, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished, saying, where did this man get these things? And what is the wisdom given to him? How are such mighty works done by his hands? Now, there are some people who might say, well, where did he get them? It was the Buddhist monastery.

No, no. I mean, what's being implied here in the gospels and what Jesus himself says is that his teaching comes from the Father. That's where the wisdom came from.

It wasn't, you know, learning from Buddhist monks or something like that. It's that teaching with authority that he has that came from heaven. He came from heaven. And so they're asking, you know, these mighty works are done by his hands. Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joseph and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us? And they took offense at him.

It is not without honor except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household. And he could do no mighty work there except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them. And he marveled because of their unbelief. They stumbled at Jesus, his teaching, his miracles. They just couldn't grasp it. Why couldn't they grasp it? Well, because he was the hometown kid. He just seemed so ordinary.

They'd never heard anything like this. And it indicates that he led a pious but quiet life leading up to his earthly ministry. And isn't it interesting that the focus of the gospels—why is it that the gospels focus on that period of three, three and a half years of Jesus's earthly ministry? It's because that's what we need to focus on.

His redemptive work of Jesus Christ on our behalf, his binding of Satan, going to the cross, suffering and dying for us, rising again from the dead. That's where God wants to fix our eyes. And so when people speculate about, what was Jesus doing when he was 17? Yeah, that's an interesting question. But the reason that's not discussed is because that's not where God wants our focus to be. And so some of this is, I think, a big distraction as well. I appreciate your question. Again, it is interesting to think about. But really, it seems to me that the best answer is that he led a pious and simple, quiet life leading up to the earthly ministry.

Thanks. It's interesting what you said about distractions. We have a family member who is not a believer, who will constantly bring up these little picayune things that people have said or found or speculated about Jesus or about the Bible. And he'll get into arguments with my mother-in-law specifically, who's a believer, and try to really distract from the key message. And I'll always say to her, just keep bringing it back to the gospel.

Yeah, there's wisdom there. There is wisdom there because a lot of it can be a smokescreen or just a distraction, like you said. And especially as we're having conversations with non-Christians or with people who are skeptical of the Christian faith, I think it is important for us.

Obviously, we want to answer questions when they're asked in good faith and do our best to do that. But really, trying to take it back to the gospel and the main story, what this is all about. Because the gospel is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes. And so that's where we always want to get is to the gospel as Christians in those conversations. Amen. This is Core Christianity with Pastor Adriel Sanchez. If you have a question about the Bible, the Christian life, doctrine, theology, you can email us anytime at questions at corechristianity.com or leave us a voicemail on our voicemail system, 833-843-2673.

That's 833, the Core. Let's go to Deb calling in from Oklahoma. Deb, what's your question for Adriel? Deb, are you there?

I think we may have lost Deb. All right, let's go to Alyssa in Chicago. Alyssa, what's your question for Adriel? Hi, Pastor Adriel and Bill. Thank you for taking my call.

I really appreciate your program. My husband and I have been going through the Core 101 Bible study, and we've been talking about kind of the early history of Christianity. And he brought up a good question. We noticed, obviously, that there was a Jewish tradition then and there's a Jewish tradition now.

So we're wondering when the distinction occurred between Jewish and Christian and why that difference or distinction occurred. So a couple things, Alyssa. One, stoked that you guys are using the Core 101 Bible study? Yeah, that's wonderful. And great, great question.

So a couple of things. When we think about the Christian faith, it's the fulfillment of those promises that we had in the Old Testament. We are, we believe as Christians, the children of Abraham by faith. Abraham was justified by faith, Romans 4. And we are the children of Abraham, Galatians 3, by faith. That's our family, our faith.

And so you have this continuity, this organic development. But when Jesus, the promised seed came, the Messiah, the one who fulfilled all of these promises, he was rejected by so many of the Hebrews. And this was one of the great tragedies that the Apostle Paul brings up in Romans chapter 9. He says, you know, man, my heart is breaking for my kinsmen according to the flesh. They have all of these promises that God has given to them.

And so he's wrestling with that. John, in John's gospel, in John chapter 1, says, you know, Jesus came to his own, but his own people didn't receive him. And so you have this, you have this break there where you have many who rejected Christ as the Messiah, as the Savior of the world, continued to operate for a short time even there with the temple. But Jesus warned that that temple was going to be destroyed. And indeed it was in 70 AD. And so you do have this Jewish tradition that has continued, but it hasn't continued in the exact same way that it was, you know, continuing back then with the temple and the sacrifices.

And so they've had to account for that. Early on in the Roman Empire, you know, the Christians were sort of under the umbrella of the Jews. The Romans just viewed them as kind of like a Jewish sect or something like that. And so they were viewed kind of as this one body, but more and more, especially after the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem. And then as there were arguments and debates and the early Christian apologists were making a case, just like Paul made a case and Peter making a case that Jesus was the Messiah, you had this antithesis that grew and persecution, you know, persecution of Christians, not just by the Romans, but also by the Jews there in the first century. And so that's where you really saw this definitive break, this definitive shift. And it all centered around who do you say that Jesus is? And frankly, that same break, that same antithesis exists today based on your identity or identifying with Jesus Christ, your union with Him. And so this is relevant to us even now. And I appreciate your question. Again, thanks for checking out that Bible study, and God bless you and your husband.

Interesting that you pointed out in today's world it's very similar. If you are willing to say Jesus was a good teacher, a prophet, a really good guy, but you move to saying He's God, He's God's Son, there are those who will definitely have a problem with that, and many in our culture, unfortunately. Yeah, well, and that's just the thing. I would say it's the most important question that any one of us can answer, and it's who do you say that Jesus is truly? Who do you believe that Jesus is?

And I'm not just making that up. I mean, I get that from Jesus' words to Peter when He goes to His disciples and He says, Who do people say that the Son of Man is? And they said, some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets. And He said to them, But who do you say that I am?

And I think each one of us has to ask that question, or imagine that Jesus is asking you that question. Who do you say that I am? Many people say He's like one of the prophets.

He's a good religious teacher, kind of a spiritual guru, or maybe a zealot, someone who had these really strong beliefs that he died for. But who do you say that I am? And Simon Peter replied, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. And that's what the Pharisees rejected. That's what many of the religious teachers in that day rejected, was that truth. And Jesus said, Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.

This is something that comes from God, this understanding. And so if you can say, Jesus, you are the Christ, you are the Son of the living God, that's by the grace of the Holy Spirit. But if you're just saying, Well, Jesus was a good teacher. He was a pretty good guy. I think He had some nice teachings, you know, where I just kind of love everybody and so forth. You're missing, actually, who Jesus, well, He wasn't just a good teacher. He wasn't just a prophet. He is the Lord of glory who calls all of us to follow Him and to receive His grace. And when you start talking like that, like Jesus did, you are drawing a line in the sand and you are saying, Look, it's not enough just to say that I was a good teacher, or to sympathize with some of my teachings. You have to receive me, believe in me as Lord and as God.

And that's what so many today are unwilling to do. So well said. Thanks for that, Adriel. This is Core Christianity with Pastor Adriel Sanchez. Just want to point out our website to you. It's CoreChristianity.com. And you can also send us an email anytime at questions at CoreChristianity.com. Let's go to Deb, who's calling in from Oklahoma. Deb, what's your question for Adriel? I'm so sorry, first of all, for the technical difficulties.

Oh, that's okay. I want to thank you for having this program. It's answered so many of my questions. I'm involved in a very good Bible study as of now, and I feel like the more I learn, the less I know.

It's been very good for me. There is a movement in Christian women of a woman that is teaching that God spoke to her from the sky. And I'm just really concerned about that because I don't feel that that's biblical, and I just wonder what your opinion was on that. Hey, Deb.

Well, thank you so much for your encouragement, and I think that you're right to be concerned. Now, I'm not familiar with this movement. You don't have to name it, but I'm just curious. This woman is saying that God spoke to her audibly from the sky, and what was the message? For her to start this movement. Well, here's the thing. This is always how it works, too. I've had this special encounter with God, and I'm supposed to start the new thing. We've seen this over and over again. This is how Islam was started many years ago, with people saying, the church has gone astray, and I've received this special revelation from God, and we need to get things back on track.

I'm the one who's going to save the day. Same thing with Joseph Smith in the Mormon church. Joseph Smith was saying, essentially, all the churches out there are apostate. The gospel has been lost. It needs to be recovered, and so you get this vision, this sign from heaven. We don't need a new revelation.

We don't need a new voice from heaven. What the church desperately needs today is to go back to the revelation once for all, delivered to the saints. We need to recover that, that gospel, that truth, that word that we have firmly fixed in 66 books, the holy scriptures. So often the problem is that we're not satisfied with what God has already said, or we're convicted by it, and so we're looking for something else.

What we need to do is go back to the word. Any time someone says, God spoke to me, and I have this new message, and I'm going to get everything back on track, or this is it, this is the way, this new move of the Spirit, whatever it is, I think we should be very suspicious of that, because that's just not how God ordinarily works today. The reason you have in the Bible all of these instances where God is speaking from heaven or doing these amazing miracles, splitting the Red Sea and so forth, is because redemption was being accomplished. Oftentimes when God was performing his redemptive acts, you would have these new revelations that were given, and certainly the pinnacle of that was Jesus himself. That's the finality of revelation, because in Jesus, redemption has once and for all been accomplished, and so since redemption has been accomplished, we're not expecting any new revelation.

And so people miss the correlation between revelation and redemption, but I think it's highlighted by the New Testament. The author of the Hebrews says in Hebrews chapter 1 verse 1, Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. Long ago God was speaking to our fathers by the prophets, you know, in that way. Now he has spoken finally, with finality, through his Son, Jesus. And the sad reality is, Deb, there are so many people that aren't satisfied with that revelation, or they think that they've exhausted the truth already. Whatever it is, the answer is not a new voice from heaven. It's going back to the one who came down from heaven to redeem us and established his church and said, I'm going to build my church, and the gates of hell are not going to prevail against it.

And he gave us apostles, and he gave those apostles his word, and those apostles handed down his word and entrusted that word to faithful men who were going to be able to teach others, and they in turn continued that process, preaching the gospel and planting churches. That's what we need to recover. And so, sister, you have discernment. You're wise in being suspicious of this.

And I hope that women aren't swept away by this individual, and I hope that this individual who's making these claims comes to her senses truly. Thanks for reaching out to us. Wow. Preach it, brother.

That was really good. Deb, thank you. As Adriel said, we appreciate your discernment, the fact that you are really concerned about this. Amen to that. This is Core Christianity with Pastor Adriel Sanchez.

So great to have you with us today. We often receive calls on this program about the difference between Protestant and Catholic doctrine. And to help you understand those differences, we actually have a free resource we want to offer you today. It's a new booklet that we're offering here at Core Christianity called What Still Divides Us. And as Bill just said, we get a lot of questions here at the Core on what are the main differences. Maybe you're listening right now and you are Roman Catholic.

One, we're super thankful for you. Thank you for listening. And we can have these discussions. We can talk about some of those differences and hopefully grow in the Scriptures and understanding God's Word. So if this is a question that you have, get ahold of this resource, What Still Divides Us, as a perfect way to dig deeper. And maybe have a discussion with a family member or friend who is Roman Catholic. And you can get it over at corechristianity.com forward slash radio to get your new booklet, What Still Divides Us. Something, as Adriel said, a great resource if you have a friend or relative who is Catholic and disagrees with you on your theology to just sit down and have a really good charitable discussion about the differences between the doctrines in those two faiths. This is Core Christianity with Pastor Adriel Sanchez.

You can leave us a voicemail anytime with your question at 833-THE-CORE. Here's a voicemail from one of our listeners named Jesse. My question this morning is, knowing the Bible says go into your room and pray secretly and close the door while you pray to God, what is the difference if you're praying in the car or outside of your room or in a place where it has no doors? That's my question this morning. Thank you and God bless.

Yeah, I appreciate that question. So this is coming from Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. And the exhortation that Jesus gives here with regard to praying is one, he's rebuking the religious leaders who, when they prayed, loved to do it in front of people.

Now why would they love to do it in front of people? It's because they weren't really interested in God hearing them, they were more interested in other people hearing them. Prayer for them was a show. It was a way of getting attention and other people saying, wow, what a pious and holy person you are. And so Jesus says, when you pray, don't be like the hypocrites, for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at street corners that they may be seen by others.

Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. Now the point here is not that you're only allowed to pray if you go into your coat closet or something like that.

It's just, who are you praying for? Are you praying to your Father so that he will hear you? And you can do that whether you're in a room full of people or in a room all by yourself or in your car, or are you praying so that other people will notice you and to sort of make yourself look holy and to build yourself up? That's what Jesus is getting at there.

So I think it's important that we understand the context. We're told by the Apostle Paul to pray without ceasing. And so our entire life, in one sense, should be a prayer offered up to God. And you think, well, how do I pray without ceasing? I have a hard time praying for five minutes. What do you mean pray without ceasing?

But it's just that point. It's just that we're in constant communion with the Lord. And we have this special constant communion through Jesus Christ that you have an access to God and to his heavenly throne room that saints in the Old Testament could only dream about.

The curtain has been torn down. We enter into the holy place through Jesus, our great high priest. And this is why the author of the Hebrews says, let us come to God boldly. Let us come to his throne of grace boldly through Jesus, the mediator that we have. And so this is really pray at all times in all places. Paul tells Timothy, lifting up your hands to the Lord, giving thanks, but make sure you're praying to God and not for others.

That's the point. And brothers and sisters, I know this is one of the areas where so many of us, we really struggle. I struggle in my prayer life.

I want to grow in this. Look at that passage in Matthew chapter 6, verses 5 and following, all the way through verse 14. Jesus gives some great instruction there about praying, and he even gives us how to pray.

That's where he gives us the Lord's Prayer. Thanks and God bless. Thanks for listening to CORE Christianity. To request your copy of today's special offer, go to corechristianity.com forward slash radio. Or you can call us at 1-833-843-2673. That's 833-THE-CORE. When you contact us, let us know how we can be praying for you. And be sure to join us next time as we explore the truth of God's Word together.