“Whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.” (Mt 21:22)

“Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to the disciples, ‘Sit here while I go and pray over there.’” (Mt 26:36)

“Whenever you stand praying …forgive… that your Father in heaven may also forgive you.” (Mk 11:25)

“But the angel said… “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son.” (Lk 1:13)

There was a widow of about 84 years old, who “did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.” (Lk 2:37)

“It came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.”  (Lk 6:12)

“As He was praying…one of His disciples said to Him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.” (Lk 11:1)

“When He rose up from prayer, and had come to His disciples, He found them sleeping.” (Lk 22:45)

“These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication.” (Acts 1:14)

“And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.” (Acts 2:42)

“But we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” (Acts 6:4)

“Your prayers and your alms have come up for a memorial before God.” (Acts 10:4)

“Cornelius, your prayer has been heard, and your alms are remembered in the sight of God.”  (Acts 10:31)

“Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church.” (Acts 12:5)

“As we went to prayer …” (Acts 16:16)

“For God is my witness . . .without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers.” (Rom 1:9)

“Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved. (Rom 10:1) He’s obviously referring to salvation from sin in this age as He wrote, in the next chapter, that all Israel will be saved. (Rom 11:26)

“Rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer.” (Rom 12:12)

“Now I beg you…strive together with me in prayers to God for me.” (Rom 15:30)

“Do not deprive one another… that you may give yourselves to fasting and prayer.” (I Cor 7:5)

“You also helping together in prayer for us, that thanks may be given.” (I Cor 1:11)

“And by their prayer for you, who long for you because of the exceeding grace of God in you.”  (2 Cor 9:14)

“I … do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers.” (Eph 1:15-16)

“Praying always with all prayer and supplication.” (Eph 6:18)

“I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy.” (Phil 1:3-4)

“I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayer.” (Phil 1:19)

“Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving.” (Col 4:2)

“Epaphras… greets you, always laboring fervently for you in prayers, that you may stand perfect.” (Col 4:12)

“We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers.” (I Thes 1:2)

“It is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.” (1 Tm 4:5)

“She…trusts in God and continues in supplications and prayers night and day.” (1Tm 5:5)

“Without ceasing I remember you in my prayers night and day.” (2Tm 1:3)

“I thank my God, making mention of you always in my prayers.” (Phlm 1:4)

“I trust that through your prayers I shall be granted to you.” (Phlm 1:22)

“In the days of His flesh… offered up prayers and supplications.” (Heb 5:7)

“Pray for us.” (Heb 13:18)

“Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed.”  (Jas 5:16a)

“Husbands…giving honor to the wife…that your prayers may not be hindered.” (1Pt 3:7)

“The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayers.” (1Pt 3:12)

“But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers.”(1Pt 4:7)

“This is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.” (1Jn 5:14)

“The prayers of the saints.” (Rv 5:8; 8:3)

“The prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the angel’s hand.” (Rv 8:4)

Footnote (a): Galatians 3:8; See also Genesis 12:3; 18:18; 22:18; 26:4; 28:14; Acts 3:25-26

Dear friends,

Many people ask . . . “What’s the best Bible translation?”

Before I disclose my three favorite translations, I must make a qualifying statement:

I don’t believe there is a single, best translation; but instead, there’s a preferred attitude of heart in approaching the Scriptures.

Whatever translation you read or refer to, I highly recommend that you carefully read:  

Hope for All, pages 128-129 with the endnotes, titled: “Bible Interpretation.” In this short section, I discuss 12 points that might help you better understand difficult passages—by difficult, I mean those which on the surface may seem to conflict with God’s infinite love and mercy for all people.

I encourage you to review these pages from time to time. Of course you’ll benefit most from this section if you will first read and understand all ten Anchors of Hope which precede them.

As for me, the main translation I use is the New King James Version and I do so for several practical reasons, not because I consider it more accurate than others. The NKJV provides alternative Greek manuscript variants in footnotes which I value. And since I’ve grown familiar with it over time (having memorized numerous passages), it facilitates quoting Scripture when writing and speaking. As well, familiarity with this popular translation helps me quickly locate specific verses in a concordance which is very helpful to me.

As for Biblical accuracy, these are my preferred New Testament translations: 

1. The New Testament by Jonathan Mitchell (JMT), subtitled: God’s Message of Goodness, Ease and Well-Being Which Brings God’s Gifts of His Spirit, His Life, His Grace, His Power, His Fairness, His Peace and His Love. Expanded, Amplified, Multiple Renderings. Now don’t try to say all that in one breath!

This contemporary New Testament translation includes the various possibilities hidden in the Greek text not evident to English-only readers. It lays out most of the grammatical and textual options or possibilities (which only Greek readers can see) without limiting the number of English words needed to convey the meaning of the Greek text. The treasure of this translation for me is that it encourages and facilitates dependency on the Holy Spirit to shed light on the meaning of a particular passage. I know of no other translation that offers this feature.

Furthermore, I’m privileged to have come to know Jonathan personally. He has been so gracious to answer (by email and by phone) numerous questions I have had with the text. He does so thoroughly and humbly. He has made it clear that his priority has always been to remain faithful to the text even if it conflicts with his personal views. This translation is available on Amazon as an E-book or Paperback (650 pages, 8.3 x 11 inches).

2. The Concordant Literal Translation by Concordant Publishing Concern. This work consistently links one English word to each Greek word enabling the Bible reader to more accurately compare one passage with another. In this way, one can develop a natural sense for a word’s meaning. See Amazon.

3. The New Testament: A Translation, by David Bentley Hart. (1)

This is a recent translation I have started referencing since December, 2017. See Hart’s bio below. He explains on pages 537-548 why two Greek terms frequently used to support endless punishment, actually affirm the contrary.  See author and theologian Brad Jersak’s insightful review of this New Testament here: www.HopeForAllFellowship.com/NTReview

It’s reassuring to know that the translators of these three N.T. versions are not biased by a belief in endless punishment.

Among other translations I appreciate are Young’s Literal Translation, The Source New Testament, The Apostolic Bible Polyglot (of the Greek Septuagint), Barclay’s Daily Study Bible Series with commentary, Eight Translation New Testament by Tyndale House (2) and the online Blueletterbible.org study resource.

Note: we do not need to be scholars to compare translations!

“Be diligent rightly dividing the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15)

David Bentley Hart Bio:

D.B.H. was previously a professor at the Christian Studies Center and held the visiting Robert J.

Randall Chair in Christian Culture at Providence College and visiting Danforth Chair in Theological Studies at St. Louis University; he was also a fellow at the University of Notre Dame’s Institute for Advanced Study. He has taught at the University of VA, the University of St. Thomas, Duke Divinity School and Loyola College. He is the author of numerous books, including: Atheist Delusions: The Christian Revolution and its Fashionable Enemies (2009) and The Beauty of the Infinite: The Aesthetics of Christian Truth (2003). Hart earned his B.A. from the University of Maryland, M.A. in Philosophy from the University of Cambridge, and M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Virginia. www.berkleycenter.georgetown.edu/people/davidbentleyhart

“God Is Love” 1 Jn 4:8, 16  “Love Never Fails”  1 Cor 13:8

May you grow in love, joy and peace in God’s unfailing, unending love for you and for all people.

I would love to hear from you!

Gerry Beauchemin

Read other Hope E-Reports Here

Sign up for our Hope E-Reports (free) Features videos, books, reviews, articles, reflections, devotionals, etc.—things that will strengthen your faith in God’s prevailing love for all.

Help us get Hope to the World! Call or email me (Gerry), I would be happy to share the details of our vision and plans with you. Also, see our About and Connect pages. Your prayers are appreciated. Thank you!

Contact
Hope For All Fellowship
Email: [email protected]
(956) 280-1708 
HopeForAllFellowship.com 

References:

(1) Hart, David Bentley. The New Testament: A Translation. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2017

(2) Published 1977. https://www.amazon.com/Eight-Translation-Testament-Tyndale-House/dp/0842346902/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1535058027&sr=8-1&keywords=Eight+Translation+New+Testament

Dear Friends,

If you may recall, in our June 2018 Hope–E Report we featured Gary and Michelle Amirault of Tentmaker Ministries (Tentmaker.org), a couple who have labored extensively over many years to bring Hope for All to the world.

Well, our beloved Michelle, whom so many of you know and love, has gone on to be with Jesus on Tuesday. We celebrate Michelle’s joyful embrace in the arms of her Lord whom she loved so dearly and also mourn her absence in the time being. Let’s all keep Michelle’s husband and daughter (Gary and Elena) and all her loved ones in our prayers.

We thought you would appreciate Gary’s tribute:

Michelle (Aaron) Amirault
June 18, 1949 ~ July 31, 2018 (age 69)

Michelle Amirault, age 69, passed through the veil July 31, 2018.

A celebration of her life will be held August 11, 2018 from 5 to 7PM at The Rotunda in Hermann, MO. 1015 Washington St.

No viewing or burial service. Will have worship service. No flowers please.

Michelle Amirault is survived by her husband Gary, her daughter Elena, her brothers Mark, Robert, and Fred Aaron and her step sister Beth Giove and step-brother Wayne Nieberg. Michelle’s parents were Albert Aaron and Marian Sirasky. Michelle graduated from Northwestern High School in Hyattsville, Md. Her fondest memory from that time was being the high school reporter for a local radio station, WEAM.

Michelle was born in Baltimore, Maryland, graduated from the University of Maryland to become a teacher. She taught for one year after which she joined her husband in advertising sales. They would form a company called Photographic Display Systems in which she was Vice-President/treasurer. She kept the most immaculate accounting books imaginable.

In 1984, Michelle had an encounter of the God-kind, she was made aware by the Holy Spirit that Jesus/Yeshua was indeed the Messiah, the Savior of mankind. This made things quite difficult for her considering she was raised Jewish and her husband, Gary, was a devout atheist. Her Christian friends thought it would take decades, if ever, for her husband to come to Christ, but they were wrong. God IS mightier than any atheist – Gary was loved into the kingdom of Jesus on Valentine’s Day, 1985. It was an incredible encounter. A Damascus Road experience.

Gary experienced the love of Christ in a dimension that exceeded the expectations of the various churches and Messianic Jewish Congregations they attended in the Baltimore/Washington D.C. area of Maryland. He experienced a love that truly loved everyone without exception. But this kind of love did not fit into the traditional Churches that taught most of mankind would go to eternal damnation in a place called Hell.

Because Hell seemed clearly taught in the Bible translations Michelle and Gary were using and because all the churches they had visited taught eternal damnation, Gary and Michelle began to zealously beg anyone and everyone to “get saved” from Hell.

After 5 years of evangelizing a “turn or burn” gospel (which is no gospel at all), Gary told God he could not take another step in the direction he was going. He asked God to just take him out, take him home. On that very day, he was given a set of booklets entitled “Savior of the World Series” by J. Preston Eby. These booklets taught that Jesus was truly the Savior of the whole world, that no one was going to be burned alive; that no one was going to “eternal conscious torment.” The booklets revealed that the early believers in Christ taught universal salvation through Jesus Christ.

It was not until several centuries after Jesus’ death that the teaching of Hell began to dominate the Church. The booklets taught that critical errors were introduced into our Bible translations. If what was in those booklets was true, that would explain why what was supposed to be “good news to all mankind” was such bad news that Gary couldn’t preach and teach it anymore. The traditional Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox “gospel” is not victorious, it makes Jesus look like a miserable failure.

After this, Gary spent countless hours studying church history, words studies, comparing Bible translations, etc. and came to the conclusion that Jesus truly planned from the foundation of the world to save all mankind. He will not fail in His mission. Michelle and Gary started a non-profit ministry named “Tentmaker Ministries” which ultimately would publish a magazine, produce cassette tapes, CDs, DVDs, Bible Software, tracts, books and eventually create several internet sites dedicated to declaring what they would call “The Victorious Gospel of Jesus Christ.” These internet sites are:  tentmaker.org, lovewins.us, and what-the-hell-is-hell.com.

Michelle and Gary would reach millions of people around the world with these various means. While Michelle is known in the local communities of Hermann, Montgomery City, Jonesburg and New Haven as a substitute teacher who always hoped one of the students would ask a question about God so she could legally spend the rest of the class period sharing with the class how much Jesus loves them, few know that Michelle was the backbone and heart of a ministry that reached millions around the world. And her love reaches into the hearts and minds of millions even today and will continue to touch hearts for many years to come.

Michelle loved Bible studies, loved to worship – she loved Jesus – she loved to love people. She filled thousands of requests for various materials from Tentmaker Ministries, kept immaculate accounting books, worked outside part-time jobs like house cleaning to make ends meet.

A woman called mother Teresa who became a saint in the Roman Catholic Church is said to have said, “We can do no great things, only small things with great love.” Michelle did many, many small things that most people who knew her never knew about. But they are great, great things in the heavens.

She loved much, always forgave everything, and was grateful for the smallest of things. Her smile radiated to everyone. She is missed by many.

She would like you to watch a video she made entitled:

“Messiah Revealed to Jewish Woman”

Memorials to Tentmaker Ministries via paypal.com which includes Mastercard and Visa. Email address: [email protected]

You may also support Tentmaker by making us via your Amazon purchases through their Smile program in which they will send a small percentage of your sales. Go to smile.amazon.com and type in Tentmaker Ministries & Publications Inc.

Remember: Love NEVER fails. (1 Cor. 13:8) Love ALWAYS win!