Calvinism's PRAYER PROBLEM | Leighton Flowers | Ronnie Rogers | Soteriology 101

Does prayer make sense if Calvinism is true? How should we take the many passages of scripture that seem to be conditional promises God makes to us? Ronnie Rogers joined us a while back to talk about prayer and his book "If Only You Would Ask".

You can purchase the book here:

Check out the full episode here:

DOWNLOAD OUR APP:

Or @soteriology101 on Twitter

Please SHARE on Facebook and Twitter and help spread the word!

#LeightonFlowers #Calvinism #Theology

[sttech]

LEIGHTON! My friend came out of Calvinism a few days ago because he was trying to prove me wrong, but instead found the truth that prayer is incompatible with Calvinism. Praise God!

[Deanna]

Calvinists need to realize how danagerous this type of thinking is.

For years, i was in Calvinistic churches, and my prayer life died. Subconsciously, i was like..whats the point? Its not going to chnage anything. God doesnt really care how i feel anyway i realize now that i was dying spiritually.

Due to a series of very hurtful events at my last church, i left, and it was extraordinarily painful, but i see now, a year later, that i needed to leave that type of church. I started just reading the Bible for myself and was shocked to see verses like Psalms 116:1-2, and so many other verses about asking God for things in prayer that i had read before, but Calvinism had explained away.

I've seen so many prayers answered in specific ways since I've left Calvinistic churches. It's been amazing, and I feel like God is real again.

Videos like these are NEEDED and life saving!

[cecilspurlockjr.]

GOD desires interaction with us . Prayers make a difference and i know this from experience.

[emf]

I love the story of the sunglasses. I absolutely agree that God does such things to aid us in our spiritual journey. What a shame that some Calvinists are so ‘into their heads’ that they miss these beautiful faith building teaching moments with the Lord.

[solochristo]

Literally the entire book of Malachi. I'll choose (forgive the irony) a seemingly representative passage: "Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, said the LORD of hosts." Malachi 3:7

[emmanuelmoses]

Love his testimony at the end. I'm in a situation right now where I need God to move on my behalf, I'm trying to not worry about it and just be faithful 🙏🏾

[elteacher]

Thank you, brothe Leighton Flowers and brother Ronnie Rogers. God is good all the time, and God answers prayers.

[justmefl]

Well put. I find it difficult (ok, impossible) to take seriously Jesus' lament over Jerusalem through the lens of Calvinism. Same goes for the number of times God (in the O.T.) laments over Israel's refusal to obey, come to Him, honor Him, etc.. All of which, according to determinism, God pre-ordained so that it could not be otherwise. Appeals to mystery don't cut it.

[AlexEdfort]

Wow what a beautiful story of how God answers prayer!!

[jesusforever]

As someone in the West, who has attended Church in USA and Australia, I have also spent many years attending church in third world countries outside the influence of the Western Churches (and I can attest the same for all non-western Christians), the subject of Calvinism is a NON ISSUE. Apart from a select minority of Christians in USA, and the West in large, no one really cares about Calvinism and I don't really care (there I said it). All I know and testify is that I am a sinner destined to die and in his love and grace, Jesus Christ intervened and saved me, through his blood shed on the cross of Calvary. People in the West who love to talk either for or against Calvinism, could seriously make use of time better spent on knees praying for anything and everything under the sun and if that is too painful, just keep reading the Bible. God bless you all. ♥️🙏👍✝️🤗♥️

[JewandGreek]

Why is it that when I make the same observations I get called a prosperity preacher?

[HKFromAbove]

I agree completely with this short.
God has his plan in place and if it doesn't effect God's big determined plan He is happy to answer prayers. This also explains why even though bit is God's will to heal He sometimes doesn't because it will effect the outcome of our lives. This only works if we have free will. Without it doesn't make sense.

[clwhite]

Crazy! I just bought Rogers’ book yesterday. My prayer life was already helped so much by reading the kindle sample. Can’t wait til it comes.

[eugenejoseph]

Anecdotally speaking, every calvanits I've ever met has had an born again experience BUT early in their early sanctification a Calvinist told them that God was the one who CHOSE them and in their immature faith, in their humble hearts of new born babes, they would, of course believe that they didn't do anything to earn their salvation, that is, their awareness that they were lost is ignored and disregarded since they could never choose God! At that point the covert heresy of calvanism is then presented and they begin to give over their critical thinking to those 'who know better'! May God crush this heresy crom our pulpits!

[StefParmTpa]

This has always bothered me: If it is not in God's will, why pray at all because what is prayed for will never come about?

[d]

The Holy Spirit will not teach anyone Calvinism (Tulip). Calvinism is learned from man. Once a person starts learning/learns Calvinism a very bewitching, persuasive, and persistent spirit will come up on them. I fought it and eventually rebuked it in the name of Jesus and it left me for a season. The simple fact that it left after being rebuked tells me it is not of God. A kingdom divided against itself cannot stand. It remains persistent, but after being rebuked in the name of Jesus, the spirit of Calvinism loses its deceptiveness and persuasiveness.

[Myrdden]

I keep going back to 2 Kings 13...Elisha and the king and the arrows. "And he said, “Take the arrows, ” and he took them. And he said to the king of Israel, “Strike the ground with them.” And he struck three times and stopped. 19 Then the man of God was angry with him and said, “You should have struck five or six times; then you would have struck down Syria until you had made an end of it, but now you will strike down Syria only three times.”

Doesn't this imply that it was the king's choice that determined what would happen? Yes, God already knew what he was going to do, but he still had the free choice. I would love to hear Dr. Flowers talk about this section in 2 Kings 13. I don't see how it can get any clearer than this scripture that there is free will and that it actually matters what we do.

[eugenejoseph]

Why can't God change His mind? When I change my mind about a certain decision between this or that (not talking about sinful choices here) what would be wrong with that. What about Moses telling God He shouldn't destroy the Israelites when they sin?? And God relented? Isn't that changing His mind???

[brianjones]

When I persist in prayer I do it by thanksgiving for his answer like Abraham who looks past his own body and confidently anticipated the answer……”calling things which be not as though they were “

[buencaminoph]

I moved to a new city and I was invited to a small sized church of about 30-50 members. Later I realised that it's a reformed church. I continued attending because I already made some friends and being new in the city, I simply needed a community. I loved those brothers. But then it got to doctrine issues. I prayed that God would lead me to the right direction whether I'd stick around. Then I started to realise a lot of things. How our theology would determine how we do ministry. And prayers. Our theology will definitely determine how we pray. They pray without conviction. They don't quote scripture promises to back what their praying about. Prayer sounds like wishful thinking only. I'm a missionary and even that, the way I do missions doesn't align how they understand missionary work. Eventually left after almost two years. It was hard leaving my friends there. But as soon as they realise you're not really embracing the reformed doctrine, you're not part of their circle of friends anymore. While as a missionary I even have Catholic, evangelical, penteostal friends and network. It's like, it's doctrine not Christ that binds them together.