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Questions About the Bible |
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1. |
How can we know the Bible is true? |
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2. |
Does the Bible demand that we believe everything in it without
question? |
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3. |
Is the Bible’s purpose to teach us science or is it a spiritual
text? |
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4. |
Please reconcile: 6 days of creation, dinosaurs and evidence for
Earth being millions of years old |
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5. |
What does the Bible say about killing: war, the death penalty, self
protection, et cetera? |
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6. |
Does God approve of capital punishment? Should Timothy McVeigh die? |
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7. |
Why was incest and polygamy okay to God in the past but not now? |
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8. |
Who did the sons of Adam marry |
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9. |
Why did God say Lot was righteous when he did some pretty
unrighteous things? |
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10. |
Why didn’t Jesus want people to know who He was? |
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11. |
Why is Jesus called the Son of Man? |
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12. |
When is Christ returning and what will be the signs of His coming? |
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13. |
Are we saved because we choose for God or does God choose us to be
saved and so then choose others not to be? |
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14. |
Does Matthew 18:20 says that God doesn’t hear our prayers when we
pray alone? |
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15. |
Why is the tribe of Dan missing from the Jewish remnant of 144,000
in Rev 7? |
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16. |
Could you explain about anointing with oil per the New Testament |
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17. |
Did Adam have a belly button? |
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18. |
Does the Bible talk about other beings (UFO’s) in the universe? |
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19. |
Why does Jesus Christ have 2 names? |
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20. |
What does the Bible mean by ‘Fear God’?
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Questions About the Bible. |
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1. |
How can we know the Bible is true? |
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We can subject the Bible to all the authenticating tests we would
subject any other piece of literature to authenticate it. This has
been done with the Bible by both skeptics and Christians and the
answer is always the same. If we can believe the Iliad’s account of
the Trojan war, if we can believe the history of Julius Caesar, if we
can believe the account of the American Revolution, then we can believe the
Bible. There are more extant copies of the Bible, more archaeological
validation and more internal consistency in the Bible than in any
other historical work that has survived to the present day.
The single issue that calls the Bible’s accuracy into question is that
it is a history of a supernatural Being called God and His dealings
with humanity. If we deny the existence of this Being, then we must
question the validity of the Bible. BUT, if we accept the existence of
this Being, the validity of the Bible is assured by all the normal
rules of literary analysis.
For a more detailed answer, please order the 4-Tape Series,
“Is it
Reasonable to Believe?” |
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2. |
Does the Bible demand that we believe everything in it without
question? |
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God likes our questions and even encourages them. He is not put off by
the honest truth seeker. He is not afraid of our questions and He does
not punish us for asking them.
The Bible itself makes no demands on our belief whatsoever. The Bible
simply presents itself as Truth and invites us to believe it. It
describes the blessings that follow belief and some of the possible
effects of unbelief but leaves us with the responsibility of choosing
for ourselves.
Perhaps the question is really asking whether the Bible presents its
contents as being true from cover to cover. The answer to that is
“Yes.” The Bible presents truth in propositional form, meaning that
although it contains symbolic and figurative language in places, it
declares that the proposition being presented in that symbolic
language is meant to be understood as truth.
Genesis records the creation of the universe. It says,
“And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light.
{4} God saw
that the light was good, and He separated the light from the darkness.
{5} God called the light "day," and the darkness He called "night." And
there was evening, and there was morning--the first day.” — Genesis
1:3-5 (NIV)
This account is, without a doubt, written in poetic language. And
there may be good and honest intellectual debate about what some of
the symbolism may refer to but, without question, the Bible is
asserting that the universe and all that is within it did not just
happen, is not the product of irrational causes, but is rather the
creative work of the one true God, the Bible describes.
The Bible does not DEMAND that we believe that any more than a book on
nuclear physics DEMANDS that we believe in quantum particles. The
reader may choose to believe in quantum particles or may choose to
believe that everything in the universe is composed of 4 elements,
Water, Earth, Fire and Wind. The Reality of this universe is not
affected in the least by what we believe about physics or about God.
The only thing that is affected by our beliefs is our ability to
effectively relate to that universe.
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3. |
Is the Bible’s purpose to teach us science or is it a spiritual
text? |
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It’s a good question and one that goes to the core of our
understanding of what the Bible really is.
The purpose of the Bible is to reveal God and His purposes for
humanity, not to teach science of any kind. This is the position of
the Church for the last 2000 years, and Life Spring is no different.
HOWEVER, it has also been the position of the Church for the last 2000
years and IS the position of Life Spring Community Church that when
the Bible speaks of science, or philosophy, or politics, or family
life, or anything else, even though it is not its purpose to teach on
such subjects, it is true nonetheless.
The Bible speaks authoritatively on EVERY issue it touches. Because
God IS the Creator and sustainer of this universe and because He is a
Spirit Being, everything about this universe is ultimately, at the
core level, a spiritual issue. There is no separation between the
carnal and the spiritual. Everything is ultimately spiritual.
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To Questions About the Bible |
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4. |
Please reconcile: 6 days of creation, dinosaurs and evidence for
Earth being millions of years old |
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There have been several questions in this category, most of them very
long but I think this encapsulates the gist.
We have a Tape Series that will be available soon called,
“The Case
for Creation” plus there are many more resources available through the
Creation Research Institute on their web site at
www.icr.org.
On the 5th day, God created the sea animals.
“So God created the GREAT CREATURES OF THE SEA and every living and
moving thing with which the water teems …”
On the 6th day, God created all the land animals. You will not find it
in most books on dinosaurs but there is evidence that dinosaurs and
man co-existed. We find human footprints and dinosaur footprints in
the exact same rock formations. If the footprints were of anything
else, there would be no question that they co-habitated. There are
cave drawings of dinosaurs and of men killing dinosaurs.
Prior to the flood of Noah, there was a water vapor canopy that
enclosed the whole Earth creating a semi-tropical environment
world-wide. Water for the flood came in part from this canopy and
after the flood, the climate changed so dramatically the canopy never
again formed. The absence of this canopy caused global changes in the
Earth’s biosphere. Changes that could no longer support the food
demands of the dinosaurs and they died.
As to the evidence for an old Earth. The probability for the
spontaneous emergence of life without the intervention of God is so
minute that a person who rejects God has no choice but to state
emphatically that the earth is billions of years old in order to
explain our existence. Believe it or not, the evidence for an old
Earth begins with that premise.
We find what we desperately wish to find but sometimes the pathway is
circular. When a man finds a trilobite fossil, he deduces that that
species’ place on the evolutionary ladder demands that the fossil is
600 million years old. That’s how he dates that rock. Then he uses the
date of that rock to calibrate his other dating mechanisms (by
estimating the atmospheric concentrations of certain radioisotopes 600
million years ago). Then he uses his now calibrated dating mechanisms
to date a second rock to substantiate his original hypothesis. The
only thing he has really proven is that Trilobites lived when
Trilobites lived.
Consider this recently touted discovery.
It
says, “Dinosaur bones may show chain of evolution. Late Triassic
[period]: Find unearths unknown dinosaurs, branches of reptile and
mammal ancestors.”
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There is even a picture that shows the new
dinosaur and description, “small, primitive, planteaters had little
heads, long necks and are thought to be the beginning of a diverse
evolutionary lineage.” It sounds very authoritative but the actual
bones from which these conclusions were drawn are shown below.
2 dissimilar jawbones. From this evidence, I really
don’t see how it is possible to draw any conclusions about the length
of its neck much less its tail, it’s place in the Triassic period or
its being one of my ancestors. In no other field of science would a
paper like this even be accepted for publication in a journal. But we
accept such claims in the fields of evolutionary biology.
The conclusions that we draw from our study of the evidence depend
heavily upon the worldview that we bring to the table. If we start
with a worldview that God does not exist, the only option left to us
is evolution. If we start with a worldview that God indeed exists and
performs miracles, then creationism is a much smaller step of faith.
I submit this information not to show that those who believe in
evolution are unthinking people but rather to demonstrate that the
case for the origins of our species is not as cut and dried as we are
often led to believe by the media publications that we read.
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Questions About the Bible |
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5. |
What does the Bible say about killing: war, the death penalty, self
protection, et cetera? |
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The Biblical command in Exodus 20:13 (the 10 commandments), though
often mistranslated in many Bible versions, is NOT, “Do Not Kill.”
Specifically, it should read, “Do Not Murder.”
“You shall not MURDER.” — Exodus 20:13 (NIV)
“Kill” would refer to any action that ended a living being’s life. The
Hebrew word for murder carries a deeper meaning which involves malice.
The first thing to understand is that death of any kind is an
exception to the perfect order that God originally intended. The Bible
tells us that death came into the world as a result of man’s rebellion
against God. After that, the rules changed, if you will.
God’s desire is that no one should ever die but because of sin, that
is no longer an option. So God set up guidelines to govern appropriate
and inappropriate killing. The essential difference between killing
and murder is authority. If we have the authority to kill, then it
isn’t murder. So the question arises, what authority has God given to
us.
First, He has given us the authority to kill animals for food and
clothing.
“EVERYTHING THAT LIVES and moves WILL BE FOOD for you. Just as I gave
you the green plants, I now give you everything.” — Genesis 9:3 (NIV)
So therefore if we have the authority of men (ie the appropriate
licenses), we have the authority of God to hunt and fish for our
needs. Wanton killing even of animals is not sanctioned by God.
In addition, God gives us the authority to protect ourselves, our
families, friends, homes, country and land. This includes military
duty. God even commanded His people to go to war under certain
circumstances. Jesus talked about several military men during His
teaching and on every occasion considered them honorable men. There is
nothing inherently evil about military duty including killing.
However, we do have a responsibility before God to evaluate the war
that we find ourselves a part of and make appropriate moral judgments.
There is no question that God will hold German military servicemen
responsible for Nazi war crimes.
“And FROM EACH MAN, too, I will DEMAND AN ACCOUNTING for the life of
his fellow man.” — Genesis 9:5 (NIV)
Concerning vengeance, I can only say that if someone kidnapped my
child and killed her, I would feel as strongly about it as any man so
what I am about to share with you is not necessarily how I would feel
or even how I might actually respond but it is what God would want.
“As far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.
{19} DO NOT
TAKE REVENGE, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is
written: "IT IS MINE TO AVENGE; I WILL REPAY," says the Lord.”
—
Romans 12:18-19 (NIV)
That is a hard thing for me to accept. But God assures me that His
wrath is kindled even as mine would be and that He will judge. And His
judgment will be right. Mine may not be.
Concerning capital punishment, the Bible tells us that God Himself
instituted capital punishment for certain crimes. Capital punishment
is definitely killing but not murder. God recognizes the sin nature
inherent in humanity and made provisions for the abuse of power.
War, self-defense and capital punishment are all acceptable under
certain circumstances. What is not tolerable is hatred and a violent
attitude. Jesus said …
‘You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'DO NOT
MURDER, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.'
{22} But I
tell you that ANYONE WHO IS ANGRY with his brother will be subject to
judgment. — Matthew 5:21-22 (NIV)
The issue with God is not what we do with our hands but what we do
with our heart. Jesus said,
For from WITHIN, out of MEN'S HEARTS, come evil thoughts, sexual
immorality, theft, MURDER, adultery, {22} greed, malice, deceit,
lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. {23} All these evils come
from inside and MAKE A MAN 'UNCLEAN. — Mark 7:21-23 (NIV)
Finally, concerning the issue of suicide. Death, any death, including
self imposed death is a violation of God’s perfect order. But there is
a stigma in the Church that suicide is a worse crime than any other
form of murder. The truth is, to God it is all one and the same.
Murder is murder whether we are killing a stranger or killing
ourselves. And as bad as murder is in our own minds, God says even
that can be forgiven by a person who truly surrenders the leadership
of their lives to Jesus Christ.
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Questions About the Bible |
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6. |
Does God approve of capital punishment? Should Timothy McVeigh die? |
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Most people don’t realize that the justice system in the United States
was based on the justice system of the Bible. For many years in this
country, the death penalty was invoked in all crimes for which the
Bible prescribed it. In particular murder, violence against authority,
blasphemy, heresy, and rape. The Bible says,
If anyone with MALICE AFORETHOUGHT shoves another or throws something
at him INTENTIONALLY so that he dies {21}or if in HOSTILITY he hits him
with his fist so that he dies, THAT PERSON SHALL BE PUT TO DEATH; HE
IS A MURDERER. — Numbers 35:20-21 (NIV)
It is only in more recent years that capital punishment has come under
fire and for the most part the arguments take the form of protecting a
possibly falsely accused innocent party.
Again, God’s prescribing of the death penalty is not really as
punishment from his perspective. It’s for protection. Murderers,
rapists, treasonists and false prophets all destroy the fabric of
society. God was trying to protect His community from being destroyed
from within.
Should Timothy McVeigh die? Capital punishment is NOT a right of
citizens. It is the responsibility of the State. If, as is the case in
point, the State has determined that Timothy McVeigh is a murderer by
the Biblical definition, then the Bible clearly describes our course
of action.
I think God would have us sit down with Timothy McVeigh and share the
gospel of Jesus Christ. Give him an opportunity to repent and
surrender his life to Christ and then, without malice or hatred, or
revenge in our hearts, terminate his earthly life and commit him to
the Great God and Judge of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
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7. |
Why was incest and polygamy okay to God in the past but not now? |
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The second part of the question involves polygamy - multiple partner
marriage relationships. Polygamy was NEVER okay. It was tolerated as
all of man’s sins are tolerated in the sense that God will not force
His values on us. He desires that we CHOOSE His values. Jesus said,
“"Haven't you read," he replied, "that at the beginning the Creator
'made them MALE AND FEMALE,' {5} … and THE TWO will become one flesh'?
{6}
So they are NO LONGER TWO, but one. Therefore what God has joined
together, let man not separate."” — Matthew 19:4-6 (NIV)
God’s original intent and unchanged throughout human history is that
marriage be the union of two people and no more. Old Testaments
characters such as King David and Solomon are cited as proof that God
condoned this practice. The truth is that the practice of multiple
marriages never resulted in harmonious relationships and in the cases
of David and Solomon actually led to their downfalls. I repeat.
Polygamy isn’t, won’t ever be, and never was a part of God’s
prescription for marriage.
Concerning incest, the word incest today carries with it the
connotation of the rape of someone under our protection. Either
through the means of force or just taking advantage of people too
young to take care of themselves. Certainly, this behavior has always
been condemned by God without exception.
But if we look only at the marriage of brothers and sisters by mutual
consent, then we are talking about an entirely different matter.
Beginning with the first family of Adam and Eve and their children,
there was no other option.
The age old question, “Where did Cain get his wife?” is obviously
answered in that he married one of his sisters. God only created two
human beings. For the race to continue, inter family marriages were
necessary.
But after the flood of Noah when the world population had risen to
satisfactory levels, God instituted a prohibition against marriages
within the same family unit. This became necessary as selective
breeding within a narrow gene pool tends to result in serious health
issues. The book of Leviticus lists some 20 specific prohibitions
concerning inter family marriages.
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Questions About the Bible |
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8. |
Who did the sons of Adam marry? |
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It’s not a pretty answer. They married their sisters, and then their
cousins and their nieces and so on. Now the question behind the
question is probably, “But aren’t those practices prohibited in the
Bible?” The answer is yes. But not right away.
Even as late as 2000 BC, we find Abraham marrying, not quite his
sister, but a very close relative. But with the giving of the Law
through Moses, God outlawed marriages within close family circles.
The reason is that close interbreeding results in increased
probabilities of harmful mutations and bad gene combinations being
passed on. But these conditions didn’t exist with our first parents,
who were created in the image of God, and their immediate progeny.
Gene mutations only developed over time.
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9. |
Why did God say Lot was righteous when he did some pretty
unrighteous things? |
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Specifically, when the angels came to warn Lot of Sodom’s imminent
destruction in Genesis 18 and 19, the men of the city mistaking the
angels and a couple of good looking men, demanded that Lot send them
out to have homosexual relations with the men of the city. Lot instead
offered them his two daughters. That’s pretty ugly.
How can God then call Lot a righteous man? The answer is that
righteousness in God’s eyes has little to do with our actual behavior.
Those who look to the Messiah in faith, trusting Him completely for
their salvation are considered righteous before God. Those who do not,
are not. John writes,
“And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and THIS
LIFE IS IN HIS SON. {12} He who HAS THE SON HAS LIFE; he who DOES NOT
HAVE THE SON of God DOES NOT HAVE LIFE.”
— 1 John 5:11-12] (NIV)
Righteousness from God’s perspective is appropriated solely by faith
in the sacrifice of His Son Jesus Christ. So God looked upon Lot’s
faith in the Messiah that was to come and judged him righteous even
though he was a pretty dismal example of a child of God in terms of
his behavior.
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10. |
Why didn’t Jesus want people to know who He was? |
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A man with leprosy came and knelt before Him and said, “Lord, if you
are willing, you can make me clean.”{3}
Jesus reached out His hand and
touched the man. “I am willing,” He said. “Be clean!” Immediately he
was cured of his leprosy. {4}Then Jesus said to him, “SEE THAT YOU DON’T
TELL ANYONE. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift
Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.” — Matthew 8:2-4 (NIV)
This is one instance of this very question. It happened often in the
early part of Jesus’ ministry.
The Jewish Messianic hope of the period was for a military leader to
come and lead them in a military rebellion against the Roman Empire.
Until Jesus had time to reframe that messianic expectation in the
minds of His listeners, He didn’t want people to know He was the
Messiah or they would have gone off half cocked in some military
campaign against Rome. Such an activity would have prevented Him from
accomplishing His real mission which was to secure our salvation.
Jesus didn’t come to provide deliverance of the Jewish people from
Rome’s tyranny. He came to explain God’s plan of redemption and then
to personally, go to the cross and die to pay the penalty for the sins
of humanity. An insurrection would have jeopardized His real work.
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Questions About the Bible |
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11. |
Why is Jesus called the Son of Man? |
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“Yes, it is as you say,” Jesus replied. “But I say to all of you: In
the future you will see the SON OF MAN sitting at the RIGHT HAND of
the MIGHTY ONE and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
— Matthew 26:64 (NIV)
The Mighty One refers to God Himself. The one sitting at the right
hand of the Mighty One, is the King’s heir. In other words the Son of
God. The phrase Son of Man means a descendent of Adam, a member of the
human race. Jesus is portrayed in the Scriptures as simultaneously
being the Son of Man, or human AND the Son of God, or Divine. The
Spirit of the Creator God was enfleshed in Jesus.
Thus, Jesus is able to secure our redemption because in Him, Deity and
Humanity come together in one place. As God He can live a perfect
life, without sin or error. And, as man He can die and pay the penalty
for sin. He is called the Son of Man to highlight His humanity. He is
called the Son of God to highlight His Deity.
Christianity is NOT a philosophical view of life. It’s NOT a social
activity. It’s NOT a way to cope with life’s challenges. Christianity
is the dialectic statement that the God of nature has, in fact,
stepped into nature as its King. That this Jesus, who lived in space
and time, is the Creator of space and time and the rightful sovereign
of the universe.
That forces a confrontation for each one of us as to who is going to
be in charge of our lives. I WANT to be the sovereign ruler of my
life, BUT … if Christianity is true, that position is already taken
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12. |
When is Christ returning and what will be the signs of His coming? |
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A good question, one the disciples of Jesus asked in Matthew 26 and
one the Church has consistently asked for the last 2000 years.
We have a tape series that will be available soon on this topic
called, “What’s the World Coming To?” Let me try and give you an
overview.
“As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to
him privately. "Tell us," they said, "WHEN WILL THIS HAPPEN, and what
will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?"” — Matthew
24:3 (NIV)
The bottom line answer is this. When all things have been fulfilled.
Peter writes to us,
“The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand
slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but
everyone to come to repentance. {10} But the day of the Lord will come
like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements
will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be
laid bare.” — 2 Peter 3:9-10 (NIV)
The first great event in the fulfillment of Bible prophecy was to be
the re-gathering of the nation Israel onto their ancient homeland.
This event occurred in 1948.
In the last days, the prophet Daniel says that one called in Scripture
the Antichrist will set himself up on the temple and demand to be
worshipped as God. In order for this to happen, Israel had to regain
control over the Temple mount in East Jerusalem. That event took place
in 1967.
There are those who believe that a Jewish Temple must be rebuilt on
this site. The Scripture nowhere demands that that happen. The Temple
that the prophet Daniel saw his vision of the antichrist in could be
the Moslem Mosque called the Dome of the Rock which currently occupies
the site of the old Jewish Temple. Daniel would have had no way of
knowing the difference.
The next event will be the ratifying of a peace treaty in the Middle
East. After that a man will emerge who will be hailed as the greatest
leader in the Middle East. He will form a coalition of 10 nations and
together re-affirm the peace agreement with Israel.
Israel will hail this one as their long awaited Messiah. For 3½ years,
he will control the political, financial and religious arenas of the
Middle East. Then he will set himself up as God and demand to be
worshipped as such in the temple.
At that point, great tribulation will break out and Jews and
Christians will realize this man is not the Messiah but the long
prophesied Anti-Christ. 3½ years after that event, Jesus Christ will
return to set up His Kingdom on Earth and those of us who have chosen
to follow Him will join Him there. The dead in Christ will be
resurrected and all believers in every age will reign with Christ in
his Kingdom.
At some point in this 7 year period, Jesus Christ will take His Church
up into Heaven in an event called the rapture. There are those who
believe the rapture will occur at the onset of this 7 year period.
There are those who believe it will occur at the end and those who
believe it will occur in the middle. There is an emerging group to
which I adhere who believe that the rapture will occur towards the end
of this period but prior to the final judgment of God is poured out on
the nations. These have labeled their position pre-wrath.
That is the story in a nutshell. If that sounds exciting to you,
please accept my invitation to surrender the leadership of your life
to Christ and join us in that Kingdom. For more information
click here
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Questions About the Bible |
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13. |
Are we saved because we choose for God or does God choose us to be
saved and so then choose others not to be? |
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The Bible clearly teaches that God wants everyone to be saved [2 Pet
3:9]. The Bible clearly teaches that we must CHOOSE to follow God
[Josh 24:15]. AND, the Bible clearly teaches that God is sovereign and
chooses whom He wills. How do we reconcile all of that? The Apostle
Paul wrote to the Ephesian Church,
“For HE CHOSE US in Him BEFORE THE CREATION of the world to be holy
and blameless in His sight. In love {5} HE PREDESTINED us to be adopted
as His sons through Jesus Christ.”
— Ephesians 1:4-5 (NIV)
So who did the choosing, God or us? Paul wrote to the Church in Rome,
“For those God FOREKNEW He also PREDESTINED to be conformed to the
likeness of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many
brothers. {30} And those He PREDESTINED, He also CALLED; those He
CALLED, He also JUSTIFIED; those He JUSTIFIED, He also GLORIFIED.” — Romans 8:29-30 (NIV)
From this verse, it is clear that God calls us into His Kingdom. The
Scripture also tells us,
EVERYONE who calls on the name of the Lord WILL BE SAVED. — Romans
10:13 (NIV)
The Scripture is just as clear that WE must respond to God. John
Calvin referred to this response as “irresistible Grace”. We are
confused by asking the question which comes first. We do this because
we experience time sequentially and from our perspective one event
DOES, in fact, occur before another. But God exists independently of
chronological time.
The fact of the matter is that God MUST choose us or we will never be
saved. The fact of the matter is ALSO, that we MUST choose God or we
will never be saved. To delve any deeper into the subject from within
the framework of time seems to me to be unnecessary and unfruitful.
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14. |
Does Matthew 18:20 says that God doesn’t hear our prayers when we
pray alone? |
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Matthew 18:20 says,
For where two or three come together in my name, there AM I WITH
THEM.” — Matthew 18:20 (NIV)
The verse doesn’t say anything about hearing or answering prayer. God
reveals Himself and His purposes through 4 avenues on Earth: Prayer,
the Bible, circumstances and the Church. In this verse, He is talking
about that last one - The Church. Jesus is saying, when we gather
together in His name, we become the conduit through which the tangible
presence of Christ on Earth can be experienced.
Naturally, there is POWER where Christ is present. But, that power in
this instance would be manifested in discernment and understanding of
God’s purposes for a particular situation. When we come together as
the Church, we can understand the MIND of Christ better than any of us
can individually.
That increased understanding COULD mean greater effectiveness in our
prayers in that we would better know God’s will and Scripture tells
us,
This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ASK
anything according to HIS WILL, He hears us. {15}And if we know that He
hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of Him. —
1 John 5:14-15 (NIV)
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Questions About the Bible |
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15. |
Why is the tribe of Dan missing from the Jewish remnant of 144,000
in Rev 7? |
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In Revelation 7, God identifies 144,000 Jews who have embraced Jesus
as their promised Messiah and breaks them out by tribe. However, the
tribe of Dan is missing and the tribe of Manasseh is added.
In Genesis 48:15-16, Israel adopts Joseph’s sons Ephraim and Manasseh
as his own, thus increasing the 12 tribes to 14. But in Judges
18:30-31,
There the Danites set up for themselves the idols, and Jonathan son of
Gershom, the son of Moses, and his sons were priests for the tribe of
Dan until the time of the captivity of the land.
{31}They continued to
use the idols Micah had made, all the time the house of God was in
Shiloh.
— Judges 18:30-31 (NIV)
The tribe of Dan was the first to follow the sin of Jeroboam when he
set up the golden calf in the northern part of Israel as the new
center of worship. The tribe of Ephraim likewise agreed with Jeroboam
to set up another calf at Bethel.
Because of their idolatry, God removed Dan and Ephraim from the list
of Israel. God wrote this in the Bible to emphasize that anything we
value more than God has the potential for disqualifying us from God’s
Kingdom.
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16. |
Could you explain about anointing with oil per the New Testament |
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The ritual of anointing with oil embodies 2 symbols. First, the Bible
was written against the backdrop of a dry, dusty, desert environment.
Faces, hands and feet were always dry, cracked and chapped. Those who
could afford to do so would anoint themselves with oil. So on the one
hand, we had skin that looked vibrant, alive and healthy. On the other
hand, skin that looked dry, cracked and chapped.
The difference between what was alive and healthy and what was dry and
dead was the anointing of oil. So anointing with oil came to symbolize
life and health.
The Jews and Christians recognized that the true source of life and
health was not the oil but was God and in particular the Holy Spirit.
So, anointing with oil came to symbolize the presence of God’s Spirit.
In the Old Testament, the priests and the sanctuary were anointed with
oil to symbolize that the people and the buildings were set apart for
God’s service, empowered by His Holy Spirit and released to bring life
and health to the community.
Such events were always public ceremonies. There is nothing magic
about the oil. You can’t sprinkle oil on someone without their knowing
in the hopes of accomplishing some good. If the symbol is not
witnessed by the congregation, there is no power in the ritual. The
power comes from the participation of the community in the symbolism.
In the New Testament community, we read,
Is any one of you SICK? He should call the elders of the church to
pray over him and ANOINT HIM WITH OIL in the name of the Lord.
{15}And
the PRAYER OFFERED IN FAITH will make the sick person well; the Lord
will raise him up. — James 5:14-15 (NIV)
In this circumstance, the oil symbolized health and life and the
anointing is an act of faith that what the oil does outwardly-making
us look healthy - the Holy Spirit will do inwardlymaking us ACTUALLY
healthy. Note that despite the apparent language, There is no
guarantee of healing. The only thing that faith guarantees is that God
will raise us up in Christ at the last day.
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Questions About the Bible |
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17. |
Did Adam have a belly button? |
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Whether he did or he didn’t is the real issue. The real issue is where
did he come from? Was he the product of a natural birth of some
creature a little lower on the evolutionary ladder or was he, as the
Bible asserts, created in the image of God.
“The LORD God FORMED THE MAN from the dust of the ground and breathed
into his nostrils the BREATH OF LIFE, and the man became a living
being.” — Genesis 2:7 (NIV)
So if Adam had a belly button, it was because God gave it to him not
because he needed one.
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18. |
Does the Bible talk about other beings (UFO’s) in the universe? |
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Yes! In addition to humanity, the Bible talks about spiritual beings
we call angels. There are actually several different kinds of angels
mentioned in the Bible. Some of those angels, like humanity, have
rebelled against God and the Bible calls those angels, demons, and the
one instigator in particular, whose name was Lucifer, it calls satan
or the devil.
Concerning physical life forms on other planets circling other stars,
the Bible is silent. Not because they don’t exist, but because the
Bible is a book about God’s search for and reconciliation with
humanity.
Could UFO’s be beings from another world? Yes. The Bible does not
preclude that possibility. Could UFO’s be manifestations of demons
sent to confuse and distract humanity from their search for God?
Absolutely! That is also a possibility. We won’t know the answer for
sure until one lands and we can question him. Until then, I suggest, a
skeptical optimism.
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Questions About the Bible |
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19. |
Why does Jesus Christ have 2 names? |
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In other words, most people in the Bible seems to be referred to as
Moses, or Abraham, or David but Jesus is referred to as Jesus Christ.
Why is that?
The origin of names is an interesting study. In early human history
the practice of assigning a name began as a convenient way of
referring to someone. It evolved into a practice that parents invoked
in an attempt to destine their children to certain ends. This practice
was very strong among the Hebrews. The name Abraham means “father of a
multitude”, speaking of his destiny as the father of the nation of
Israel. Names had meanings and it was hoped that the child would live
up to his name.
In small communities, one name was sufficient. You would be Jacob, son
of David. In a small community, there would not likely be 2 Jacobs
whose father’s name was David. Over the passage of time, surnames took
the place of adding “son of …”. You would be Jacob Davidson, or
Johnson, or Robertson.
Or, you would be called by your profession. Jesus, the Carpenter’s
son, or the Carpenter and surnames like carpenter, smith, barber came
to be. My name, Amatangelo means “love of the angels”. It makes you
wonder what event occurred in my family’s history that they would be
known as the ones “loved by angels.” In the Bible, you will notice
that usually when a person is introduced, he is introduced with his
genealogy so that we can identify him specifically. Afterwards, he is
just referred to by his first name.
At the time of Christ, people were expecting the coming of one called
in the Scriptures, “the Messiah”. The word “messiah” means “anointed
one”. God had promised the coming of one who would have a special
anointing. The word anointing refers to the application of an oil.
Symbolically it represented the presence of God with an individual.
The Old Testament prophets did not give details about this anointing,
but we know now that it referred to the fact that this Messiah would
be the Spirit of God in human flesh. In anticipation of this event,
young Hebrew mothers and fathers were naming their children, Yeshua,
which means, “Yahweh (the personal name of God) brings salvation.”
Yeshua is the name Mary gave to Jesus. To distinguish, Yeshua the
Carpenter from Nazareth, who was revealed by His resurrection from the
dead to be the Messiah, the Anointed one, from the other Yeshuas of
His day, His Hebrew disciples called Him, “Yeshua, Hah Meshiah”,
Yeshua the Messiah.
Greek, the predominant language of the day did not have a “Ye” sound,
so when Yeshua is transliterated into Greek, it becomes “Jesu”. The
Greek word for “anointed one” is Christos. So, the Greek speaking Jews
called Him, “Jesu, Christo” which was the direct Greek translation of
Yeshua the Messiah. In the later transliteration into English, His
Name has become Jesus Christ. Jesus, or Yeshua, being His given Name.
Christ, or Messiah, being His title.
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20. |
What does the Bible mean by ‘Fear God’? |
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11 times in the Bible the phrase “Fear God” is used. In every case, it
refers to reverential awe.
My children fear displeasing me. Not because I might get mad and
punish them but because their love for me is so great that the mere
thought of displeasing me is punishment to them. God does not want us
to fear Him as a subject fears a tyrannical king. But rather as a
child fears his father.
My uncle works for the Canadian power company. He is what is called a
“High wire” man. He deals with cables handling in excess of 10,000
volts of electricity. He knows what that kind of power can do to men.
He has seen it first hand. In that sense, he fears electricity. Not an
irrational fear but a healthy fear that manifests itself in respect.
God is the most powerful thing in the universe. To not treat Him with
the utmost respect is foolishness. To fear God means to understand who
He is and treat Him accordingly.
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Questions About the Bible |
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V |
Questions About Other Religions |
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1. |
Did God create the other major religions for His own purposes? |
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The Bible affirms that God did not create other religious systems
other than Judaism which finds its fulfillment in Christianity with
Jesus Christ as the promised Deliverer of the Old Testament and the
revealed Deliverer of the New. The Bible says that men created their
own religious systems because they would not acknowledge God and His
sovereignty in their lives.
The Apostle Paul wrote to the Roman Church …
“For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor
gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish
hearts were darkened. {22} Although they claimed to be wise, they became
fools {23} and EXCHANGED the glory of the immortal GOD for IMAGES made
to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.
{24}
Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to
sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another.
{25}
They EXCHANGED THE TRUTH OF GOD FOR A LIE, and WORSHIPED AND SERVED
CREATED THINGS rather than the Creator--who is forever praised.” —
Romans 1:21-25 (NIV) |
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2. |
Do all roads lead to God? |
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This is a good question. At some point in our search for God we all
come to this question. The answer is essentially “YES!” The remaining
question is “what will happen when you get there?” God is the Creator
and Judge of this universe. There is no escaping Him. All roads
ultimately lead to Him. But then, AFTER that, some roads lead us to
spending eternity in His presence and OTHER roads lead us to an
eternity separated from Him. So, the first question we need to come to
terms with is whether all religions essentially teach the same thing?
The answer is clearly NO.
The atheist says there is NO God. The Christian says there is. There
is NO WAY to reconcile those two teachings. One is True and one is
NOT. That is not Christian Exclusivism. That is common logic.
The Buddhist says that the best we can hope for is to attain a level
of humanity in which we are in complete harmony with the universe.
Christianity says that we are transcendent creatures and our ultimate
destiny is to become children of God, not in some esoteric sense but
in a very tangible sense. There is no way to reconcile those 2
teachings.
Islam says there is no God but Allah and Mohammed is His prophet.
Christianity says, there is no God but Yahweh, and Jesus is His Son.
You can say that Allah and Yahweh and 2 different names for the same
Being but only IF that were true. But the FACT is, the God
described by Mohammed and the God described by the Bible are not the
same God. They have different character, morals and personalities.
They are irreconcilable.
We live in what philosophers call a determinate universe. All of our
science and knowledge is based on that fact. It means that we live in
a universe in which something that is ONE thing is, by virtue of that
fact, NOT another thing. Things in this universe can only be Blue, by
NOT being Yellow. They can only be Living by NOT being Dead. IF you
are heading North, doing so, excludes the possibility of
simultaneously heading South.
The fact that some things in this universe are true demands that other
things which are NOT those things be false. Again, That is not
Christian Exclusivism. That is common logic.
IF Christianity is TRUE, that demands that statements within other
religious systems that contradict Christianity must necessarily be
false. That does not mean that EVERYTHING within those systems must be
false, just those statements which contradict the truth.
So, the fact of the matter is that it is not Christianity that says
that there is only one way to Heaven. It is the nature of the universe
that demands it. Whatever the way IS that gets us to Heaven,
directions that are NOT that way, will not get us there. That is not
Christian theology, that is a general philosophical statement about
our universe that forms the FOUNDATION of all of our knowledge.
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Questions About Other Religions |
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3. |
How do we know Christianity is true? |
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So, now the question becomes, how do we KNOW which religious system is
true? The question can properly be asked, How can we know that
ANYTHING is true? How do I know that atoms and neutrinos and dinosaurs
are true?
The answer is, because their existence explains what I independently
observe in a particle accelerator or in the fossil record or in the
universe at large.
Christianity is not a mythology. It is not a subjective experience. It
is a philosophical system that is grounded on objective fact. God
exists. He created space and time. Then, in space and time, He came to
Earth in the person of a man who lived in real cities, touched real
people, said real things. He died in a specific place in a year we can
identify to pay the penalty for my sins. He was buried in a tomb in a
particular garden and on the 3rd day, not the 4th, He rose from the
dead. He was seen by real people who touched Him, talked to Him and
wrote about the experience.
That is not an abstract, transcendent or individually experiential
statement. That is a statement that can be tested and verified by
concrete evidence. I, Pastor Tony, know that Christianity is true,
because I have personally checked out the story and verified the facts
to my satisfaction. The only way that YOU can know if Christianity is
true is for YOU to do the same thing.
“Come now, LET US REASON TOGETHER,” says the LORD. — Isaiah 1:18 (NIV)
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4. |
Where can I find the evidence for Christianity? |
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The exact questions were, Where can I find the evidence for the
resurrection, for the existence of Jesus, for the existence of God.
Let me suggest some resources.
Our tape series “Is It Reasonable to Believe?” is a good place to
start. It’ll give you an overview.
Then some books, “Evidence that Demands a Verdict” by Josh McDowell
has the most comprehensive bibliography on the subject you can find
for under $100. “Ancient Secrets of the Bible” by Sellier & Russell is
great reading. It’s the kind of book you can read to your kids.
“Mere Christianity” by C.S. Lewis, “Jesus: The Great Debate” by Grant
Jeffreys is an excellent book. There are 3 books by Robert Faid on a
“Scientific Approach to Christianity” that are very technical but for
those that want to go that deep, they are excellent.
All of these resources and more are available at our Resource Center
or from our resource partner at ChristianBooks.com. The evidence
is real. You have to form your own conclusions but Christ never asks
us to check our brains at the door. He says,
You will seek me and FIND ME when you seek me with all your heart.
—
Jeremiah 29:13 (NIV)
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Questions About Other Religions |
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5. |
Is it possible to be saved without Christ (ie: Old Testament
people, Jews, etc.)? |
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The answer to the question asked is “No.” The answer to the question
behind the question is “Maybe.” First, is it possible to be saved
without Christ? Absolutely not!
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. NO ONE COMES
TO THE FATHER EXCEPT THROUGH ME. — John 14:6 (NIV)
The Apostle Peter said,
Salvation is found in NO ONE ELSE, for there is NO OTHER NAME under
heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” — Acts 4:12 (NIV)
The Bible is clear that our sins require a sacrifice,
Without the shedding of blood THERE IS NO FORGIVENESS. — Hebrews 9:22
(NIV)
The ONLY sacrifice that God accepts, is the only sacrifice that was
without sin. That being the sacrifice of the only begotten Son of God,
who without sin, died on the cross to provide substitutionary
atonement for the world. Apart from Christ there is no forgiveness
offered and without forgiveness, there can be no salvation.
That being said, can we be saved without knowing about Jesus? The
answer is “yes” and “maybe.” During the period of time, we call the
Old Testament. From Adam to Christ, God called people to salvation.
During that period of time, salvation was offered based on faith in
the Messiah whom God promised to come. They didn’t know His Name or
even much of who He was or what He would do but they put their trust
in the promise of God. These people were saved.
Not all people or all Jews who lived during that time were saved.
Then, as now, only those who surrendered the leadership of their lives
to God’s chosen one, whom they called the Messiah, whom we call Jesus
were saved. Salvation occurs when we surrender the leadership of our
lives to God’s appointed King whether we know His name or not. Indeed,
the name Jesus isn’t even His rightful name. It was most likely Yeshua.
Whether we know His name or not, whether we know anything about Him or
not, we surrender the leadership of our lives to Him and BY HIS DEATH
we are saved. Abraham was saved by the death of Jesus Christ even
though Jesus would not die for another 2000 years.
So much for Old Testament believers, now the hard question. What about
people today who have never heard of Christ? My first answer is, if
you know of one, tell them. But that doesn’t get to the heart of the
issue. God says,
You will seek me and FIND ME when you seek me with ALL YOUR HEART. —
Jeremiah 29:13 (NIV)
Someone who is truly seeking after God, will be given enough knowledge
and understanding to be saved. More than likely that knowledge will
come from someone - you, me, a missionary, someone - who tells them the
story of Jesus.
But, I remain open to the possibility that God may do something new.
God has spoken through angels in the past. He has even spoken through
a donkey. Who can say what God will speak through in the future. But
however, the knowledge comes, if this person surrenders the leadership
of their life to the God of Creation, even though they may lack a
complete understanding of Him, he will be saved. And that salvation
will be effected by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ whether or not they
know His name or understand what He has done for them.
But the real issue that we face is not really “what about people in
the Old Testament or remote tribal villages that have never heard of
Christ?” The issue you and I face is, “What about me?” If you have
never surrendered the leadership of your life to Christ, Jesus says to
you,
Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and
opens the door, I WILL COME IN and eat with him, and he with me. —
Revelation 3:20 (NIV)
Open the door of your life right now and let Him in. He loves you and
wants to give you your heart’s desire. Let today be your day of
salvation. If you are a follower of Christ today and there are people
around you who do not know about Jesus. It may be that you are the one
God is sending to tell them. The Scripture says,
"How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how
can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can
they hear without someone preaching to them? {15}
And how can they preach
unless they are sent? As it is written, “HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF
THOSE WHO BRING GOOD NEWS!” — Romans 10:14-15 (NIV)
If you know Jesus and you know them, consider this encounter your
invitation to tell them what you know. There are no coincidences in
this life. Instead, our Sovereign God arranges Divine appointments.
Don’t miss the opportunities that God beings your way. If you think
you don’t know enough, make sure you attend our STEP classes.
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Questions About Other Religions |
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6. |
Why are Catholics and Mormons (and perhaps
others???) not considered “Christians”, even though they believe in
Jesus Christ? |
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A common question. Believing in Jesus Christ does not make a person a
Christian any more than believing in farming makes a person a farmer.
Surrendering the leadership of your life to Jesus Christ is what makes
a person a Christian. I believe that Bill Clinton was once the
president of the United States but that doesn’t make me a Democrat.
The Apostle James wrote,
“You believe that there is one God. Good! EVEN THE DEMONS BELIEVE
THAT—and shudder.” — James 2:19 (NIV)
Jesus said,
“Many will say to me on that day, ‘LORD, LORD, did we not PROPHESY IN
YOUR NAME, and in your name drive out demons and PERFORM MANY
MIRACLES?’ {23}Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I NEVER KNEW YOU. Away
from me, you evildoers!’” — Matthew 7:22-23 (NIV)
A Christian is not a person who SAYS things about Jesus. A Christian
is a person who FOLLOWS Christwho has given control of his life to
Christ, who lives his life FOR Jesus.
It doesn’t matter if you call yourself a Mormon, or a Catholic, or a
Baptist, or a Life Springer. You are not a Christian by virtue of what
Church you attend, what good things you do, or even, what you SAY you
believe. You are not an American simply because you live in America
and espouse American ideals. You become an American when you surrender
your sovereignty to the Constitution of the United States. Likewise,
you become a Christian only when you surrender the leadership of your
life to Jesus Christ.
Some groups teach doctrine that is consistent with historical
Christianity and clear Scriptural instruction. These Churches are
referred to collectively as Evangelical. Life Spring Community Church
falls into this category. Some Churches teach doctrine that is
consistent with historical Christianity even in areas where that
historical Christianity is in opposition to the clear teaching of
Scripture. These Churches are referred to sometimes as Orthodox or
Mainline Churches. The Catholic Church falls into this category. Other
Churches teach doctrines that are contrary to historical Christianity
and the clear teaching of Scripture. These Churches are referred to
collectively as Christian Cults. Mormons and Jehovah Witnesses fall
into this category.
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Questions About Other Religions |
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VI |
Questions About Christian Living |
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1. |
What does a person do when their spouse and children do not know
God? |
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“And if a woman has a husband who is not a believer and HE IS WILLING
TO LIVE WITH HER, she must not divorce him. {14}
For the unbelieving
husband has been sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife
has been sanctified through her believing husband. Otherwise your
children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy.” — 1
Corinthians 7:13-15 (NIV)
There is an awful lot going on in this verse that we obviously don’t
have time to talk about but the operative phrase for this morning is,
“He is willing to live with her.”
The obvious question is, why would that even be an issue. He married
her, he obviously doesn’t mind living with her. The reason it’s an
issue is that even though her husband is not a believer, she is
expected to live like one. That means involvement at Church, small
group, serving where she can. If she works, it means tithing 10% of
her income. Everything that is involved in being a Christian.
Understanding that, if he is still WILLING to live with her, then her
role is to be an example of a godly wife in order to impact his life
and their children’s lives. This goes for husbands as well as wives.
Peter says,
“Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands so that, if any
of them do not believe the word, THEY MAY BE WON OVER WITHOUT WORDS BY
THE BEHAVIOR OF THEIR WIVES, {2}when they see the purity and reverence
of your lives.” — 1 Peter 3:1-2 (NIV)
It goes without saying, I hope, that this submissiveness does not
extend to areas of immorality, danger, or other areas that are in
opposition to the clear teaching of the Bible. In other words, the
role of a wife or a husband in an unbelieving family is exactly the
same as it would be in a believing family - to serve God and their
families with excellence.
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Questions About Christian Living |
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2. |
If it was NOT God’s will for 2 people to marry, would it then BE
God’s will for them to separate? |
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There is a big part of us that wants the underlying principle here to
be true. If I take control of the reins of my life and make a decision
contrary to God’s will, can I then later back out of the
responsibilities of that decision claiming temporary insanity? That’s
basically the question.
Sometimes just rephrasing a question, answers it for us, doesn’t it?
Sometimes, we make bad choices and the right thing to do is to go back
and undo them. For instance, if I were to steal something from
someone, the Bible tells us the right thing to do is to go back to the
store, return the stolen item and repay the store owner 4 times the
amount taken.
"If a man steals an ox or a sheep and slaughters it or sells it, he
must pay back FIVE head of cattle for the ox and FOUR sheep for the
sheep. … {3} A thief must certainly MAKE RESTITUTION."
— Exodus 22:1-3 (NIV)
Sometimes, however, we make bad choices and the right thing to do is
to accept the consequences of those choices and act responsibly. If 2
young people act irresponsibly and a young girl gets pregnant, having
an abortion does not make the problem go away. It merely adds another
bad choice to the one already made.
The right thing to do is for both parents to accept the consequences
and take responsibility for the child. That doesn’t mean they should
get married. Maybe, even probably, they shouldn’t get married. But
they DO need to take responsibility for making sure their child gets
the best life possible.
In the case of marrying the wrong person. There are very specific
cases in which it may NOT be God’s will for 2 people to get married
BUT once they ARE married, God’s will has been clearly communicated to
us in the Bible.
"I HATE DIVORCE," says the LORD God of Israel." — Malachi 2:16 (NIV)
Whether it was ever God’s will for 2 people to be married, it is
definitely God’s perfect will for 2 people who ARE married to stay
that way. I say, God’s perfect will. I mean that all other things
being equal, God would prefer 2 married people to stay together. But
sometimes, our choices get situations so twisted that God’s perfect
will is no longer even one of the available options. Malachi 2:16
continues,
"and I HATE A MAN'S COVERING HIMSELF WITH VIOLENCE as well as with his
garment," says the LORD Almighty. So GUARD YOURSELF in your spirit,
and DO NOT BREAK FAITH.
— Malachi 2:16 (NIV)
God hates divorce and God hates violence and God hates unfaithfulness.
So that, sometimes, God’s actual will becomes the lesser of 3 evils.
In such situations, the determining of God’s will is a matter that
requires fasting and prayer by the Elders of the Church. Anyway we
look at it, the Church is an integral part of determining God’s will
for our lives.
Regular consistent teaching from God’s Word in the Bible, the specific
moving and prompting of His Holy Spirit as He works and speaks through
the Church collectively and the specific directions He gives through
the Elders of His Church, all work to guide His children in the paths
that He intends for them. If you are not a regular part of a faith
community, life is going to be an up hill battle. We were designed by
God to live in community with one another and we need one another. Not
just to understand God’s will for our lives but for every aspect of
our spiritual growth
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Questions About Christian Living |
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3. |
Why do so many relationships and marriages end? Can I get out of a
bad marriage? |
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The first part asks why so many relationships end. The Bible gives a
very clear answer. It is because humanity is naturally self-centered.
We place ourselves at the center of our lives. We then view everything
that happens from the perspective of how it affects me.
If a person or a job or some other commitment does not provide some
net positive return on my investment. I walk away from it. But it
doesn’t have to be that way. God has something better planned for us.
I don’t know that God has specifically planned who your life partner
will be, except to say this. If you choose to marry someone, that is
the person God wants you to be married with. I realize that marriage
is difficult, and for the same reasons that becoming a Christian is
difficult. Ephesians 5 tells us that marriage is a reflection of the
relationship between Christ and the Church. In marriage we must
surrender at least a portion of our wills and our sovereignty to
another human being and that is tough.
Consider this, Abraham sent for a wife for his son. She came riding up
on a camel, saw Isaac to whom she was to be married, covered her face
with a veil and went to the Sarah’s tent to get ready for the wedding.
She married Isaac that evening, having never seen him, talked to him,
or discovered whether they were sexually compatible or not. And they
lived happily ever after. If THAT marriage can work, we should have no
problems at all!
God’s plan for marriages is simple. Husband love your wife to the
point of sacrificing your own life for hers. Wife submit to your
husband as we should all submit to God. There is a contract for
happiness that has no equal.
Wives, SUBMIT TO YOUR HUSBANDS as to the Lord. …
{25} Husbands, LOVE YOUR
WIVES, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her —
Ephesians 5:25, 25 (NIV)
But, in order for it to work, husbands have to surrender the center
position of their lives and put God there and then after God, their
wives. And wives have to do the same thing. Unfortunately, we all like
having the world revolve around us and making those surrenders isn’t
easy. That’s why so many relationships fail.
As to the second part of the question concerning whether we can get
out of a bad marriage or not. Clearly we can. People do all the time.
But does God sanction it? Is enough ever enough? Yes, unfortunately.
It does appear in the Scriptures that God sanctions divorce but never
happily. The Bible says,
Jesus replied, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your
HEARTS WERE HARD. But it was not this way from the beginning.” —
Matthew 19:8 (NIV)
It is clear that God reluctantly acknowledges divorce but that was not
His plan in the beginning. In fact, God says,
“I HATE DIVORCE,” says the LORD God of Israel. — Malachi 2:16 (NIV)
God acknowledges that sometimes the sinfulness of man makes divorce
the best of the AVAILABLE options but God would much prefer to
introduce some additional options. If this question resonates with you
and your current situation, let me encourage you to seek Pastoral and
family counseling and see what other options you can come up with
first. God can make ANY marriage work, if we are willing to surrender
control to Him.
Don’t choose divorce until every other avenue has failed. God says
that divorce works against the design with which we were created. It
is not a good solution. Unfortunately, because of our stubborn nature,
sometimes it may be the best solution. Even still, we would be wise to
explore every other avenue completely first.
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4. |
How do we prioritize the needs of our immediate family with the
needs of our family of origin? |
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Before we are married, we fall under the authority of our parents.
Even after we are what is called adults. We are to respect, honor and
provide for our parents to the best of our ability. However, when we
marry, a change occurs in the nature of our relationships. Although we
are still to respect, honor and provide for them, we no longer fall
under their authority. Our allegiance shifts to our immediate family.
In the beginning, when God set up the institution of marriage, He
said,
For this reason a man will LEAVE HIS FATHER AND MOTHER and be united
to his wife, and they will become one flesh. — Genesis 2:24 (NIV)
A man and a woman leave behind the authority of their parents and set
up a new union of shared authority. So what if you haven’t done that
and your current relationship is in trouble? Start today. Sit down
with your husband or wife and make a new covenant. Ask for forgiveness
and renew your marriage vows. The Apostle Paul said,
Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But
one thing I do: FORGETTING WHAT IS BEHIND and straining toward what is
ahead, {14} I PRESS ON TOWARD THE GOAL
— Philippians 3:13-14 (NIV)
Forgive one another as you forgive yourself for God says you are now
one flesh. Change the nature of your allegiances and start fresh with
God’s help.
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5. |
My children call me the meanest mom in the world, how can I
respond to that statement? |
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Check out our Tape Series, “Parental Guidance Suggested.”
I’m not sure
our children have enough data to assess whether we are the meanest
parents in the world or not. I’m pretty sure they don’t. Some children
feel we are being harsh when we tell them it’s time to go to bed no
matter what time it is. Another one thinks it isn’t fair that we make
them eat food that isn’t 95% processed sugar.
The point is, we have been duped in our western culture into the
thinking that our families should be democracies. That our children
form the audience that will judge our success as a parent. Let me set
the record straight. As parents, we serve an audience of one - God. He
is the one that will pass judgment on our success of failure as a
parent not our children. God says …
He who SPARES THE ROD HATES HIS SON, but he who loves him is careful
to discipline him.
— Proverbs 13:24 (NIV)
And rather,
TRAIN A CHILD in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not
turn from it.
— Proverbs 22:6 (NIV)
What you actually say to a child will depend of course on the child’s
age and maturity level. My caution is this. It is appropriate to help
your child understand these truths in the process of developing values
and beliefs. Doing so to satisfy your need to feel accepted by your
child is unhealthy. You need to go to your spouse or your friends to
meet that need.
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6. |
My two boys fight a lot. How can I help them to express their love
for each other? |
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Check out our Tape Series, “Parental Guidance Suggested.”
There are a couple of things. Model it in the home. Children don’t
learn from what we tell them, they learn from what we show them. Let
them see mom and dad love each other. Let them see mom and dad love
them. Honestly, I think Sylvia and I have been less than perfect in
this area of our lives. All I can say is ask for forgiveness and keep
trying.
Second, reward in an exaggerated way even the smallest attempts at
kindness. Too often the only attention our children get is negative.
Unfortunately that only tends to reinforce the negative behavior.
Finally, Pray. Only God can change a human heart.
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7. |
What is the meaning of life? |
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According the book, the hitchhikers guide to the galaxy, popular a
number of years ago now, the answer to that question is 42. The point
that Douglas Adams makes without even knowing it is that if we look
for meaning to this life IN this life we will be disappointed. King
Solomon did that and discovered,
“"MEANINGLESS! MEANINGLESS!" says the Teacher. "Utterly meaningless!
EVERYTHING IS MEANINGLESS."” — Ecclesiastes 1:2 (NIV)
We were created for Heaven. We were designed to live in Heaven.
Looking for the meaning of human beings on Earth is like looking for
the meaning of a piece of wood sitting on a table. To find the meaning
of the wood, we have to look beyond the table to the lathe and the
jointer and the finished china cabinets in the storage area.
The wood does not exist for the table, nor does the table exist for
the wood. They both exist for the china cabinets and ultimately for
the china that the cabinets will one day contain. The table is just
the place where the wood is shaped and smoothed and prepared to
function effectively in the china cabinet.
The true meaning of life can only be found when we look beyond Earth
to Heaven and to the Spirit of God that we have been designed to
contain. Our life on Earth is a preparation for our ultimate destiny
as the sons and daughters of God, cooperating and co-reigning with
Christ in God’s great cosmic plan.
Just as the wood must yield itself to the master’s hand as he shapes
it into the piece he desires. So too we, must learn, in this life, to
yield ourselves to the Master’s hand as He shapes us and works us to
conform us into the image of His Son, Jesus Christ. Paul says to the
Roman Church,
For those God foreknew he also PREDESTINED to be CONFORMED TO THE
IMAGE OF HIS SON — Romans 8:29 (NIV)
Our purpose in this life is to yield ourselves to that process.
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8. |
How do I discern between God’s will for my life and my will for my
life? |
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Basically since, God does not speak through emails, faxes or telephone
lines, how can I tell when he is speaking and how can I tell what He
is saying? John wrote in 1 John 5:14 …
This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask
anything ACCORDING TO HIS WILL, HE HEARS US. {15} And if we know that he
hears us--whatever we ask--we know that we have what we asked of him.
— 1 John 5:14-15 (NIV)
God “hears” our prayers whenever we pray in accordance with His will.
How do we know if we are praying according to His will? We have to get
to know Him. We have to spend time with Him in Bible study, personal
worship, prayer, and Church. There is no other way.
Sometimes the question becomes, how do we recognize the voice of God?
For that matter, how do we recognize anyone’s voice? We become
familiar with it. But since God doesn’t speak in a audible voice, we
sometimes think it is a little more difficult to get familiar with it.
That’s not really the case. The tone of our voice can be
counterfeited. What cannot be counterfeited is the character behind
that voice.
We recognize people because we know them. If someone with the voice of
our Calculus teacher says, “2+2=5”, we would do well to question who
is really speaking because the statement made, despite the obvious
familiarity of the tone, is not consistent with the character of our
Calculus teacher. The same is true concerning God’s voice. It’s an
issue of spiritual maturity. Once we get to know the character of God,
we begin to recognize His answers over the noise of the world. We do
that by spending time with Him in Bible study, personal worship,
prayer, and Church. There is no other way. Jesus said …
The watchman opens the gate for him, and the SHEEP LISTEN TO HIS
VOICE. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
{4} When he
has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep
follow him because they KNOW HIS VOICE. {5} But they will never follow a
stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not
recognize a stranger's voice. … {14} "I am the good shepherd; I know my
sheep and MY SHEEP KNOW ME” — John 10:3-5, 14 (NIV)
How do I know the difference between His answer and the answer I hope
I am going to get?
Check out the Tape “Hearing God.” Tape # T211. Essentially the answer
is this. God speaks to us through prayer, the Bible, circumstances and
the Church. The first thing we do is determine if the sense that we
get from God as we pray about a situation matches what we hear Him
saying to us as we read His Word in the Bible.
The underlying principle in determining God’s will for our lives is
that God will NEVER contradict what He has already written in the
Bible. You will never come across a situation that God wasn’t aware of
when He wrote the Bible. Your situation will never be an exception to
the rule.
Realizing also that the God speaking to us in prayer is the same God
who wrote the Bible and the same God who is working in the
circumstances of our life, we check to see if the circumstances of our
life are matching up to what we sense God is saying in prayer and the
Bible. Be careful, because circumstances alone are NOT a good
indicator of God’s will.
Then we take the matter to the Church. Talk to the Pastor or your
small group and see what other members of the body of Christ say about
the situation. When all 4 of these areas line up, you can be
relatively sure that you have discerned God’s will correctly. As I
said, there is more about this on the tape.
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9. |
How do I deal with nasty people? |
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Since I am stuck with them for a while, what can I do about it?
Essentially, ask yourself how Jesus would deal with the situation. He
took a stand against injustice but never demanded His own rights. The
Bible says,
DO NOT REPAY EVIL WITH EVIL or INSULT WITH INSULT, but with blessing,
because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. —
1 Peter 3:9 (NIV)
Primary among your life objectives is to reflect the character of God.
Close in line is to be a faithful witness for Jesus Christ to the
world. Way down the list a space is to make sure your feelings don’t
get hurt. I’m not saying that isn’t important. I am saying keep your
priorities in line. Paul said,
DO NOT TAKE REVENGE, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for
it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord.
{20}
On the contrary: "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty,
give him something to drink. In doing this, you will HEAP BURNING
COALS ON HIS HEAD." — Romans 12:19-20 (NIV)
Whoever said God didn’t have a sense of humor? Nasty people are
usually hurting people. You will never yell or argue them out of their
nastiness but you may love them out of it.
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10 |
How can I demonstrate at work that I am a Christian? |
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This question is at the core of our Christian experience. God has
placed us in job roles not to make widgets or serve hamburgers. He has
placed us in those roles so the world can see what Jesus looks like
when He works.
You are a lawyer so the world can see how Jesus would practice Law.
You are a machine operator so the world can see what how Jesus
operates a machine. You are a mother so the world can see how Jesus
parents children. You are a teacher, a clerk, a secretary, a chef, a
whatever, so the world can see what Jesus looks like in real life
situations.
Now the best way to do that is to know Christ so well, He just spills
out all over your life. How do we do that? We practice the spiritual
disciplines. We attend Church regularly. We join a local Church and
get actively involved in the ministry. We join and participate
regularly in a Small Group. We spend a quiet time every day in
devotions, reading the Bible and praying, talking to God about our
lives and His purposes. At Life Spring, we offer a seminar every other
month called “STEP 2” in which we discover the 8 essential habits for
spiritual growth.
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11. |
If we are supposed to put our total trust in Christ, what
responsibilities to we retain as individuals? |
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In the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes, the Preacher explores the
mysteries of life and faith and comes the following conclusion.
Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: FEAR GOD
and KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS, for THIS IS THE WHOLE DUTY OF MAN. —
Ecclesiastes 12:13 (NIV)
It is just as true today as it was 3000 years ago when it was written.
We are created by God. Like any created thing, our duty is to serve
our Creator. A pen must obey the design requirements of its designer
or it is not fit for anything.
Likewise, our whole duty is to keep God’s commandments, not in order
to gain some benefit in Heaven but just because that is what is right.
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12. |
Why does our faith seem to wax and wane? |
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In other words, when we first become Christians, there is a lot of
excitement but as we mature, doubts and confusion creep in. Why does
that happen? The question can be better stated, Why does it happen in
ANY of our relationships? And it definitely does in ALL of them.
Relationships are living things. They need to be fed or they die. They
need to be exercised or they atrophy. And the food that satisfied and
the exercises that worked when we were 2, no longer satisfy and no
longer work when we are 10, or 25, or 65.
Our diet and our exercise regimen has to mature with us or it will
become unfruitful. Our spiritual diet involves reading the Bible,
praying, fellowshipping with other believers. Our spiritual exercise
involves obedience to God’s commands. When we are just beginning our
journey, reading here and there in the Bible and praying over meals
and at bedtime is good enough. 2 years later, a more consistent
approach is necessary. 5 years later, we need to be teaching what
we’ve learned. Our diet must mature with us.
When we are just beginning our journey, obedience in the form of
Sunday morning attendance and baptism and Church membership can be
challenging exercises. 2 years later, we need something a little more
demanding. We need to be in a small group and working on tithing. 5
years later, tithing ought to be “no sweat” and we need to be heavily
involved in witnessing and discipling new believers.
Our faith waxes and wanes like any other relationship we have and what
that means is it is time for us to take the next step.
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13. |
Why does spiritual growth usually come through adversity? |
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That is a true and telling testimony, not so much about God but about
the human race. The Bible describes us as,
Yet they did not listen or pay attention; they were STIFF-NECKED and
WOULD NOT LISTEN or respond to discipline. — Jeremiah 17:23 (NIV)
C.S. Lewis said that God whispers to us in our pleasures and screams
at us in our pains. Unfortunately, as a race, we are conditioned or
maybe even designed to respond only to exceptions. Steady state rarely
gets our attention.
God has told us what we need to do to live life fully and completely.
It’s relatively simple. Desire Him more than anything else in life.
Read His Word with greater passion than we give to anything else. Pray
continually, make God a part of every conversation and spend time
together as His family at Church and in small groups. There are a few
others but that is the basic list.
Yet so few of us do these things with any kind of regularity and I am
as guilty at times as the next guy. So God has to get our attention
and He does so by taking away the things that matter to us. We call
that “Taking away”, pain or adversity.
That forces us to exercise muscles we don’t normally use and that also
hurts. When we are done with the process, we have a new muscle and we
call it spiritual growth. It doesn’t appear that we respond to
anything else.
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14. |
Can we take communion without being baptized? |
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Communion in this sense is a symbolic ceremony in which believers come
together and commemorate the last supper of our Lord Jesus Christ on
the night that He was betrayed and taken to be crucified for our sins.
The Apostle Paul writes,
"For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord
Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread,
{24}and when he had
given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for
you; DO THIS IN REMEMBRANCE OF ME.” {25}In the same way, after supper he
took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; DO
THIS, whenever you drink it, IN REMEMBRANCE OF ME.”
{26}For whenever you
eat this bread and drink this cup, you PROCLAIM THE LORD’S DEATH until
he comes." — 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 (NIV)
No where in these instructions does it say anything about baptism. It
only says that in so doing, we are proclaiming the Lord’s death. If
you can stand with the Church of Jesus Christ and proclaim that Jesus
died for your sins, then you are invited to the communion table.
We serve communion at almost every New Community service which are
held once a month. We announce them in advance. If you are a follower
of Christ, then you need to be at New Community to participate in one
of the 2 symbolic ceremonies of the Church, communion.
The other symbolic ceremony is baptism. Jesus commanded us to be
baptized. If you are a follower of Jesus Christ and you have not been
baptized, then, well, you’re not following very well. It doesn’t mean
you are not saved. It doesn’t mean you can’t participate in the family
of God.
It DOES mean, that something is wrong. Maybe you just don’t know about
baptism, in which case, come to our next STEP 1 seminar and find out.
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15. |
Why is it so tough being a parent of a teenager? |
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It has been said that parenting is the toughest job you’ll ever love.
I say it’s impossible.
No matter how good we are, all of us have pockets of
self-centeredness. Our children seem to be able to hone in on those
pockets with laser accuracy and stir them up. All of us as parents can
remember moments of complete failure. And the harder we have tried to
be good parents, the more painfully aware of those failures we are.
It’s really just a matter of averages. As human beings, we are
incapable of being perfect meaning that a certain percentage of our
decisions are going to be wrong. In the Church where we may make 10
decisions a month, we can look pretty good if we have just a mediocre
batting average.
In the marketplace where we make a couple hundred decisions a month,
we can still shine if we are half way decent. BUT, in the home where
the number of life impacting decisions that we are called upon to make
increases exponentially with the number and ages of our children, even
the star players can strike-out a sizeable number of times.
If you sometimes feel like a failure at parenting, the reason is
obvious. Parenting is impossible.
So the real question is “what do we do when we come up against
impossible odds?” There are a few options. We can evaluate our lives
and say, “You know, I really shine at work. I am going to invest my
life where I can see some dividends.”
Others say, “You know, those people at Church, they really think I’m
the cat’s meow. When I give a lecture - we call it a Bible study, it
sounds better - they really LISTEN. They think I’m smart. They value my
opinion. They don’t talk back. When they see me, they say nice things
to me. They appreciate me … and I need that.”
Other people get even more despondent. They say, “I’m no good at work.
I’m no good at Church. The Lord knows I’m no good at home. I just want
to go to that place where everybody knows my name … or nobody knows my
name.”
So we wind up with homes led by workaholics, or Churchaholics, or
alcoholics because the pain of the reality is too hard to bear. But
you asked this question because in the back your minds, at the core of
your being you know, there’s got to be another option. And Jesus says
to you, “Take heart,
What is impossible with men IS POSSIBLE WITH GOD.
With those words ringing in our ears we can face our task of parenting
with renewed encouragement and wisdom. Because God doesn’t just tell
us it’s all going to be okay in the end, He tells us how to live today
so that it is.
The truth is it is tough being a parent of children at ANY age. The
nature of the difficulties evolve as our children grow but they are
there all along. The difficulties actually begin in pregnancy. There
the difficulties are more physiological. Then comes the first year of
sleep deprivation, followed closely by the terrible twos. Years 3 and
4 mark a lot of firsts. First major colds, first scars, etc. Year 5
means the pressure of school starts and with it, chicken pox. Then
there are PTA meetings and soccer practices and homework. The
schedules increase until you can hardly keep it all together and
finally there is relief when they get their own license but it is
relief that comes at a cost.
You don’t have to drive them everywhere anymore, instead you lie awake
staring at the ceiling until they come home and then breathe a prayer
of thanksgiving. Of course they think you are being silly because
“they are the best driver of ALL of their friends.” You, however, have
seen their friends drive so it brings you little comfort.
But WHY the difficulty in the first place? Where does it come from?
The task of being a parent is at once both simple and profound.
Deuteronomy 6:5 states it like this,
LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD with all your heart and with all your soul and
with all your strength. {6}These commandments that I give you today are
to be upon your hearts. {7}IMPRESS THEM ON YOUR CHILDREN. Talk about
them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you
lie down and when you get up. {8}Tie them as symbols on your hands and
bind them on your foreheads. 9Write them on the doorframes of your
houses and on your gates.
— Deuteronomy 6:5-8 (NIV)
Our job as parents is to guide and coach our children to become what
God created them to be. That is a very simple task. What makes it so
difficult is that human will gets in the way. Maybe you haven’t
noticed this in YOUR family, but from time to time, our children don’t
WANT to be what God wants them to be. Have you noticed that? AND,
believe it or not, sometimes, WE want our children to be what WE want
them to be, regardless of what GOD wants them to be.
But I want you to know that even though God states our task in very
simple terms, He has no illusion of how difficult a task it really is.
He is, after all, our Heavenly FATHER. He knows how difficult children
can be. He says, in verse 7 that we are to “impress” His commands upon
our children. It is at least interesting to me that the word
translated “impress” in the original Hebrew literally means, “to
chisel”. It is the word which describes the job of a stone mason.
Although He states our job simply, God realizes the sweat that is
involved in the implementation. This is no easy task. This is akin to
chiseling marble.
We, as self-centered, self-gratifying, somewhat ego-centric
individuals, are to realign our wills with the Will of the Father in
Heaven and then, we are to focus on our self-centered,
self-gratifying, somewhat ego-centric children and re-align their
wills as well. THAT is an imposing task.
If marble could feel, I don’t think that being chiseled would be on
the top of the list of things it liked done to it. Our children are
the same way. When they were born, you taught them, if they wanted
something, they just needed to cry and you would give it to them. Now
you have to tell them, it doesn’t always work that way. When your
child was 1 and they were displeased with you, they came up and
slapped you across the knee cap. At the time you thought it was really
cute. Now, at 16, you are telling them they have to find other ways to
express their displeasure but they still like the old ways.
One of the reasons parenting is difficult is that our children fight
against becoming what they need to become. Being a child means that we
do what we want and our parents deal with the responsibility. Becoming
an adult means that we accept responsibility for our actions. Which is
more that just saying, “It was my bad.” It means saying, “It’s my
money that will pay for it. It’s my time that will fix it. It’s my
aggravation that will suffer. It’s my self-sacrifice that will see
that it doesn’t happen again.” That’s one of the reasons it’s so
difficult, but there is another reason.
In this chiseling process somebody has to hold the chisel and God says
it’s you. Somebody has to strike with the hammer and God says it’s
you. That doesn’t mean that you get to strike at will. It means you
have to strike in such a way as to make your children into the image
of God. That means you have to be responsible to know God well enough
to know what that is.
That’s why Deuteronomy 6:5 begins with “Parents! Love the Lord YOUR
God with all YOUR heart and all YOUR strength.” It begins with you and
I. THEN, impress that same love on your children.
It means that there will be times when you will be singularly
unpopular. If your main objective is to be your child’s best friend,
you will lose. It means you become the moving force for God’s agenda
in your child’s life. Framed in that way, it is easy to see why the
task is so difficult. It is only easy for parents who don’t care what
their children end up like. Parenting is a FULL TIME job for 20 years.
Some parents make the job even more difficult by choosing to have both
parents work outside the home. Now some couples just financially don’t
have a choice but some do.
The Bible DOES NOT say that both parents can’t work outside the home.
The Bible DOES say that we have a sculpture we are working on and we
only get a few years to work on it. And I will tell you from personal
experience, you can’t do it in 2 hours a day. I thank God today that
my parents made the choice to have my mother stay home. Most of their
friends did not. I’m sure it must have been hard for them at times.
But today, I thank God they made that choice.
One last thing on this subject. You don’t have to do it alone. Christ
is here to help and so is the Church. At the Resource Center, we have
a tape series called, “Parental Guidance Suggested”
that further
explores some of the how to’s of parenting. Check it out.
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16. |
Why is it so difficult to surrender control to Christ? Why do I
keep taking it back? |
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The Issue of control is at the core of our sin problem. We want to be
King. We want to be king when we are teenagers and we want to be king
when we are adults. We want to be in charge. We must constantly fight
against it. The passage in Deuteronomy says,
Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road,
when you lie down and when you get up. {8}Tie them as symbols on your
hands and bind them on your foreheads. {9}Write them on the doorframes
of your houses and on your gates. — Deuteronomy 6:7-9 (NIV)
Essentially, surround yourselves with the Word of God, the people of
God and the things of God. Reading the Bible and praying should be the
last thing you do at night and the first thing you do in the
morning - when you lie down and when you get up. When you are sitting
around the home, the centerpiece of the discussion should not be what
is on TV tonight but what you read in the Bible today.
This is hard stuff. I don’t do this faithfully. But this is the answer
to the question. Remove the stuff in our lives that we don’t want by
planting the stuff that we do and as parents, specifically fathers, we
need to set the example in this area.
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17. |
My boyfriend and I want to live together but not have sex, is God okay
with this? |
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My first response to this is that the first question is NOT is God
okay with this, but why do you want to do this? I’m sure if we were to
actually ask this person that question, they would answer because we
want to save money, or in some other way, it is more convenient that
we do this.
But the question I am really asking is why do you want to live as if
you were married without actually getting married? And sooner or
later, we are going to come down to the answer of commitment. Someone
is going to have to say, “I am not ready to make that commitment.”
At that point, God’s answer becomes, then you are not ready to live
together because a boyfriend and girlfriend cannot live together
simply as roommates. They have already moved beyond that emotionally
and they can’t go back. But, what I really like about this question is
that it is just one manifestation of an even deeper question. That
question is common to all of us. Basically it is stated as this.
I have rejected relativism. I believe that there are absolutes in this
universe and that God is the standard by which those absolutes are
judged. There are things that are clearly right and clearly wrong and
God determines which are which. But what I want to know is, with
absolute precision, where is the line?
Because I don’t want to miss out on anything this world has to offer
so I want to move as close to the line as I possibly can without
actually crossing over. I want to take advantage of all the
possibilities and use them to my advantage without violating my
principles. To which God says,
LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD with ALL your heart and with ALL your soul and
with ALL your strength. — Deuteronomy 6:5 (NIV)
Don’t love money so much that you would even ask the question. Don’t
love people so much that you would even take the risk. Love God so
much that even if you knew the precise location of the line, you would
position yourself light years away from it. You see, the question is
not, “How close can I get TO the line?” The question is, “How far away
can I get FROM the line?”
Parents, specifically fathers, take Deuteronomy 6:5-8 and make it your
life goal to become the perfect living embodiment of those verses.
Don’t worry about being the best father you can be. Don’t worry about
being the best mother you can be. Focus on being the best living
example of Deuteronomy 6:5-8 that you can be and the rest will take
care of itself.
Every one of us makes mistakes. Every one of us lives with regrets.
The secret of success is not, never make any mistakes. The secret of
success is starting right here, right now, picking up the pieces of
our last mistake and moving forward with purpose and love to make a
difference in our lives and in the world.
Don’t give up. Don’t give in to the pressures around you to suck your
energies into other less worthy pursuits. No matter where you are
today in your journey with God. Maybe you don’t even know who He is
yet. It doesn’t matter. It’s never too early to start. No matter where
you are today, it’s never too late to begin.
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Questions About Christian Living |
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18. |
Reconcile psychology and the Bible. Can the Bible heal me without a
therapist? |
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Psychology and the Bible are not inherently at variance with one
another any more than medicine and the Bible are at variance.
When a variance occurs, it is because some theologian has
misinterpreted the Bible or some doctor has ignored the spiritual
aspect of man. For many years the Jehovah Witnesses rejected blood
transfusions because of a gross misinterpretation of the Scriptures.
That doesn’t mean that the Bible is wrong. It means that man is wrong.
When medical doctors use their skills and talents to perform
operations that are morally wrong, that doesn’t prove that medicine is
bad, it only proves once again that men are bad.
Here is my take on the whole thing. If your arm is broken, or your
heart valve or your kidney, or some physical part of you that is
interfering with you ability to function normally, you do what the
Bible says to do. You pray, you call for the Elders of the Church to
come and pray over you and anoint you with oil. And then you go to the
doctor.
If your mind, or your heart is broken; if you are depressed or
grieving or you have some compulsive behavior pattern that is
interfering with your ability to function normally, you do what the
Bible says to do. You pray, you call for the Elders of the Church to
come and pray over you and anoint you with oil. And then you go to the
doctor.
Sometimes, God heals us. There are at least a hundred miracles
reported in the Bible. But consider the fact that the Bible covers of
period of some 1600 years. That equates to one miracle somewhere in
the world every 16 years. Now, I’m sure there are a few more than that
but the point is, they aren’t anything you can count on. Pray, seek
God and then, go to the doctor.
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19. |
Why do so many people use God’s name and/or word to fuel their hatred
and contempt for others different (racially, ethnically, gender, life
styles) than themselves? |
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Why do we do this? Basically because we are insecure. And we need
someone to validate our beliefs and our behaviors and who better to do
so than God. Does that mean that what they are saying is the way God
thinks or feels? Absolutely not. Let me share with you how God feels.
Concerning race, ethnicity and gender, this is what God says.
There is neither JEW NOR GREEK, SLAVE NOR FREE, MALE NOR FEMALE, for
you ARE ALL ONE in Christ Jesus. — Galatians 3:28 (NIV)
There is NO GREEK OR JEW, circumcised or uncircumcised, BARBARIAN,
SCYTHIAN, SLAVE OR FREE, but Christ is all, and is in all.
{12}
Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe
yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and
patience.
— Colossians 3:11-12 (NIV)
God calls us to look past all those outward differences and live
together in peace and harmony. Concerning lifestyle, God wants us to
treat people with the same level of compassion, kindness, humility,
gentleness and patience. But if we are talking about sexual preference
here then God has some other things to say as well.
God designed a man and a woman to lie together and make babies. That
is the way we are designed. I’m not talking about morality or
lifestyle choices here. I’m saying just look at the parts. It makes
sense. In fact, in common usage, if we have two parts that are
supposed to fit together to form some kind of a union, 90% of the
time, one part is called a male part and the other is called a female
part. Again, I’m not talking about morality or life style choices, I’m
just talking geometry.
When our kids are little, we buy them these little plastic things with
all different kinds of funky shaped holes in it and a bunch of funky
shaped plastic pieces and they learn to put the round plug in the
round hole and the square plug in the square hole. When they try to
put the wrong piece in the wrong hole, we tell them, “no honey, try
this one over here,” and they eventually get it. If after a few years
they still don’t know which piece to put where, we would naturally
assume that something is broken somewhere and try to find out what’s
going on.
God says, He designed us to function in a certain way. A husband and a
wife have sex together and make babies. If we are trying to put the
wrong piece in the wrong hole, whether it is premarital sex, extra
marital affairs, or homosexuality, God’s chief concern is that
something is broken that needs to be fixed. It isn’t that we are an
abomination in His sight and should be wiped off the face of the
Earth. It’s that He loves us and wants what is best for us.
If you are reading this and you are experiencing your sexuality
outside of the context of a husband and wife relationship, I want you
to know that I don’t judge you. I don’t look down on you. I don’t hate
you. And neither does God.
But God does want you to know that you are not experiencing sexual
fulfillment to the fullest possible extent and that bums Him out. He
says to you that if you have the courage to follow His instructions
concerning life, sex, love and everything else, He will teach you how
to experience sexual fulfillment beyond your wildest dreams.
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Questions About Christian Living |
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20. |
Why did God make some people be born gay if He condemns homosexuality? |
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The first misunderstanding we need to correct is that God does not
MAKE anyone born with a propensity to sin. Contrary to the media
profiling of the homosexual agenda, there is absolutely NO evidence of
genetic sequencing for homosexuality. I mean ZERO. I understand that
is NOT the implication we get from the media, but it IS the truth.
Despite that, I will acknowledge that all of us have propensities
towards particular sins. Whether those are in fact, genetic, or
sociological, or behavioral, it is CERTAIN that these propensities
exist. Some people have a propensity to alcoholism, others to
homosexuality, others to bestiality, others to premarital, or
extra-marital heterosexuality, others to drug abuse, others to rage
and violence, others to gossip and pride, others to lying and
stealing. Whatever your particular propensities are, we all have them.
The question becomes not whether we have them, but what are we going
to DO about them? Because what God condemns is NOT our propensity to
sin. Jesus Himself was tempted just like us. The Bible tells us,
[Jesus] has been TEMPTED IN EVERY WAY, just as we are—YET WAS WITHOUT
SIN.
— Hebrews 4:15 (NIV)
It is not our propensity to sin that God condemns, it is the action of
sin itself. It is our surrender to the temptation rather than our
surrender to the revealed will of God that is condemned. God condemns
the homosexual no more and no less than He does the heterosexual who
practices his sexuality in ways that God has not sanctioned.
The question is not whether we experience temptation or whether that
excuses us from sin. The question is whether we surrender our lives to
the pursuit of self-gratification and temporal pleasures or whether we
surrender our lives to the pursuit of eternal life in Jesus Christ.
Jesus asked the question,
What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet
forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? —
Matthew 16:26 (NIV)
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21. |
How do I deal with guilt? |
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Latest Pop Psychology tells us that feelings of guilt are instilled in
us early in life by our parents. Those feelings come out when we
encounter similar situations that prompted the behavior of our
parents. When that happens, we regress to that early childhood
development stage where the guilt first appeared and once again feel
the shame of that experience. Given that explanation, the answer is to
ignore the guilt because it does not exist in the present and is just
a shadow of our past. Process that guilt through therapy or a 12-Step
program and move past it.
You know, there is some truth to that. Most of us carry around a lot
of baggage from our childhood and guilt is a big one. Unfortunately it
isn’t the whole truth. It’s only part of it. And the primary problem
with that scenario is that is still leaves most of us feeling guilty
because a large part of the time, it doesn’t deal with the real issue.
While acknowledging the impact of our childhood on our current
feelings, the Bible offers another explanation. The Bible tells us
that many times we FEEL guilty because we ARE guilty. We feel that we
haven’t measured up because, quite frankly, sometimes we don’t measure
up.
When that happens our feelings point out a very real problem and until
the problem is resolved the feelings won’t go away. The only way to
resolve REAL guilt is through forgiveness. We need to be forgiven. The
way we receive forgiveness is we ASK for it. The Bible tells us we
must confess our sins -to one another and to God. To confess means to
agree. We must go to the people that we have offended and agree with
them that we behaved inappropriately.
We need to confess to one another and also to God. For you see, in our
hearts we recognize that our guilt goes much deeper than just those
around us. We have offended God and need to experience His forgiveness
as well. Fortunately for us, the Bible talks of a God who is rich in
forgiveness. It says,
If we CONFESS OUR SINS, he is faithful and just and WILL FORGIVE US
our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. — 1 John 1:9 (NIV)
Confession helps us recognize that we are broken people, that we fall
short of even our own expectations much less those of others and of
God. Realizing that, breaks the hold of pride in our lives. Then
experiencing the forgiveness of others and of God can go a long way
towards healing and overcoming those feelings of guilt. The Psalmist
wrote …
For I KNOW MY WRONG, and my sin is always before me. …
{7} Cleanse me,
and I WILL BE CLEAN; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.” — Psalm
51:3, 7 (NIV)
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VII |
Yeah, What about that? (Questions of a seemingly
trivial nature that hint at a much deeper meaning) |
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1. |
Can you mail a sandwich with a food stamp? |
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An interesting question. Surprisingly, the Bible is silent on this
subject.
I did talk with my friends at the Post Office however. There are some
problems with mailing a sandwich with food stamps. For starters, the
post office is not allowed to exchange food stamps for postage. But
mailing the sandwich itself, seemed to be the bigger issue.
2 problems with mailing a sandwich. First, standard first class
postage must be less than ¼ inch thick and … Really Now! … that
wouldn’t be a sandwich worth mailing in the first place. If it’s not
on a fresh baked sour dough roll, I say, “Why bother!”
The second problem is those guys in the Post office get hungry. They
said, make sure it wasn’t egg salad because there was no way that
would get out of the mail room. So I’d say you’re better off just
inviting Mom over on Mother’s Day.
But how about the Deeper issue? What do we do with questions on which
the Bible is specifically silent? The Bible is not just a compendium
of knowledge. The Bible is the self-revelation of our Creator-God to
His children. It reveals not just the “what” of life, but the “who”.
We read the Bible not just to know WHAT to do. We read the Bible to
know WHO we are doing it for. The Bible reveals the Character, nature
and ways of the One we seek to serve. Once we get to know God through
His Word, His character, His purposes and His ways, will direct the
course of our life and answer the million unanswered questions. Pick a
good translation of the Bible (i.e. NIV, NLT) in a 365 daily reading
format (I like The Daily Bible in chronological order) and start a
habit of daily reading. You will get to know God. Not just things
about Him, but Him personally and the knowledge will answer your every
question.
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2. |
Why did God let Denver beat Green Bay in the Super Bowl? |
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I think it has to do with God’s justice but I’m not sure. It does
bring up an interesting fact about human nature though. If Green Bay
had won, they would be parading down main street Wisconsin (yes,
there’s just one main street in Wisconsin) showing off their super
bowl rings and saying, “Yep, yep, we’re the champs. You betcha.”
But instead they went out there. Played some good ball and got beat
fair and square and all of a sudden, it’s God’s fault. Isn’t that
interesting. When things go well, we walk around like supermen, when
things go bad, we blame God. An athiest asked me one time, “Where was
God when my father died?” It is a poignant question. But one that
cannot be asked by an athiest. No one asks, “where was the Easter
Bunny, when my father died?” Or the tooth fairy, or Santa Claus. To
ask the question, reveals our true belief.
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3. |
Do you think David Blaine is Demon Possessed? |
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David Blaine is the illusionist who stood on top of a 22” wide
platform, 10 stories above the ground in Bryant Park, New York City
for 35 hours from May 20 through the 22nd 2002. Prior to that he has
had himself buried alive for 72 hours and encased in ice for 48 hours.
The term “demon possession” is an unfortunate translation of the Greek
“diamonozai” in the King James version of the Bible. What’s
unfortunate is that “demon possession” implies some form of ownership
which is completely absent in diamonozai. The truth is, demons are
actively working in this world to turn human beings away from God.
Demons work almost exclusively through the agency of people. Some of
those people are Christians, some are not. The question is not whether
a person is demon possessed but rather to what degree that person is
allowing demonic influences to turn themselves and others away from
God.
Asking the question of David Blaine might generate an interesting
discussion but the truth is, the only person we really need to be
concerned about is ourselves. The dark forces would want us to be
overly interested in others but God wants us to focus on ourselves
because that is the only self we can do anything about. The weapons of
diamonozai are fear and deception. In what ways are we allowing fear
and deception to direct and control our lives? When we know the answer
to those questions, we need to surrender them over to God. We need to
substitute the weapons of the enemy for the fruit of the spirit, which
are.
But the fruit of the Spirit is LOVE, JOY, PEACE, PATIENCE, KINDNESS,
GOODNESS, FAITHFULNESS, 23GENTLENESS and SELF-CONTROL. Against such
things there is no law.
— Galatians 5:22 (NIV)
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