Editorial Staff

Question: What did Jesus mean when He said, "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him" (John 6:44)? Does this mean there are some whom God is not drawing to Him?

Question: When I read your magazine, I realize how deeply Jesus Christ wanted His followers to obey Him. But after years of prayer and Bible study, I find that I am not able to obey Him and grow spiritually as much as I would like to. There are some who say all I need to do is "believe"—and I do believe—so why do I find it so hard to obey Jesus' commands?

Question: Jesus' death and resurrection lifted the veil between human beings and God the Father (Matthew 27:51; 2 Corinthians 3:14-16). Since we now have direct contact with the Father, unlike the ancients who only knew the God of the Old Testament—Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 10:4)—why do we need to pray to Jesus? In fact, should we be praying to Christ at all, since He came to reveal the Father (John 14:7)?

Question: If God is all-powerful, why does He allow Satan to be the "god of this age" (2 Corinthians 4:4)?

Answer: Scripture makes it clear that the devil—Satan—is currently in charge of planet Earth. Even Jesus Christ Himself, shortly before His arrest and crucifixion, acknowledged Satan's authority: "I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me" (John 14:30).

Question: In Matthew 18:20, Jesus said: "where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them." Does this mean that individual Christians can decide for themselves when and where they can worship on the annual Holy Days and the weekly Sabbath?