The following questions and answers have been taken from questions from members and acquaintances and the resulting answers from the MCBC Pastor with other sources of information and years of asking many of these questions himself and searching out the answers. If you have questions about what MCBC believes the Bible to teach on any topic that is not answered here, please contact your Small Group, Sunday School or Team Leader.
1. What are Medical Center Baptist Church’s Beliefs?
2. What does MCBC believe about holy communion? What are considered sacraments at MCBC?
3. Will MCBC baptize a person who lives unmarried with another person?
4. What does the bible say about homosexuality?
5. What is the baptism of the Holy Spirit?
6. What does it mean to be a chosen people?
7. What about stem cell research on embryonic tissue?
8. What is the meaning of "the fear the Lord?"
9. Can I tithe to another Christian organization?
10. Should I pay off my debts or tithe?
11. Do we really have free will?
13. What does Jesus say about divorce?
16. Rebuilding trust
18. When to turn the other cheek: Revenge vs. Self Defense
20. Women and 1 Corinthians 14?
22. Serving communion: Am I worthy?
24. Is doing drugs really so wrong?
26. Helping my child understand God.
27. What is the meaning of a "New Earth"?
28. Christian rumors on the web
29. Why does God bless the evil but not the good?
31. Is evolution part of God's plan?
32. What about people who live in a country without Christian witness?
33. What does the bible say about drinking alcohol?
34. What does the bible say about angels?
35. Are there animals in heaven?
36. Do I have to get baptized again at MCBC?
37. Christianity vs. Catholicism
39. Decision for Christ after death
41. Easter
42. Forgiveness
44. Jesus as a child
45. Do we have deacons at MCBC?
47. Salvation - Can We Feel It?
52. Tithing #1
53. Tithing #2
54. Tithing #3
55. Tithing #4
56. Trinity
57. Waiting
58. Woman Pastors
59. Worry
61. Healing
63. Where does MCBC stand on abortion?
64. What is MCBC’s position on Political and Foreign Policies?
65. Can homosexuals be members of MCBC?
66. Can unmarried heterosexual couples living together be members of MCBC?
1. What
are
What We Believe: Most of these are covered by the 2000 Baptist Faith
and Message
ABOUT GOD
God is the
Creator and Ruler of the universe. He has eternally existed in three persons:
the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. These three are co-equal and are one
God.
Genesis 1:1,26,27; 3:22; Psalm 90:2;
Matthew 28:19; 1 Peter 1:2; 2 Corinthians 13:14
ABOUT MAN
Man is made in the spiritual image of God,
to be like Him in character. He is the supreme object of God´s
creation. Although man has tremendous potential for good, he is marred by an
attitude of disobedience toward God called "sin". This attitude
separates man from God.
Genesis 1:27; Psalm 8:3-6; Isaiah 53:6a;
Romans 3:23; Isaiah 59:1,2
ABOUT ETERNITY
Man was created to exist forever. He will
either exist eternally separated from God by sin, or
in union with God through forgiveness and salvation. To be eternally separated
from God is Hell. To be eternally in union with Him is eternal life. Heaven and
Hell are places of eternal existence.
John 3:16; John 2:25; John 5:11-13; Romans
6:23; Revelation 20:15; 1 John 5:11-12; Matthew 25:31-46
ABOUT JESUS CHRIST
Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He is
co-equal with the Father. Jesus lived a sinless human life and offered Himself
as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all men by dying on a cross. He arose
from the dead after three days to demonstrate His power over sin and death. He
ascended to Heaven´s glory and will return again to
earth to reign as King of kings, and Lord of lords.
Matthew 1:22,23; Isaiah 9:6; John 1:1-5,
14:10-30; Hebrews 4:14,15; 1 Corinthians 15:3,4; Romans 1:3,4; Acts
1:9-11; 1 Timothy 6:14,15; Titus 2:13
ABOUT SALVATION
Salvation is a gift from God to man. Man
can never make up for his sin by self-improvement or good works. Only by
trusting in Jesus Christ as God´s offer of
forgiveness can man be saved from sin´s penalty.
Eternal life begins the moment one receives Jesus Christ into his life by
faith.
Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:8,9; John 14:6,
1:12; Titus 3:5; Galatians 3:26; Romans 5:1
ABOUT ETERNAL SECURITY
Because God gives man eternal life through
Jesus Christ, the believer is secure in salvation for eternity. Salvation is
maintained by the grace and power of God, not by the self-effort of the
Christian. It is the grace and keeping power of God that gives this security.
John 10:29; 2 Timothy 1:12; Hebrews
7:25; 10:10,14; 1 Peter 1:3-5
ABOUT THE HOLY SPIRIT
The Holy Spirit is equal with the Father
and the Son as God. He is present in the world to make men aware of their need
for Jesus Christ. He also lives in every Christian from the moment of salvation.
He provides the Christian with power for living, understanding of spiritual
truth, and guidance in doing what is right. The Christian seeks to live under
His control daily.
2 Corinthians 3:17; John 16:7-13,
14:16,17; Acts 1:8; 1 Corinthians 2:12, 3:16; Ephesians 1:13; Galatians
5:25; Ephesians 5:1
ABOUT THE BIBLE
The Bible is God´s
Word to all men. It was written by human authors, under the supernatural
guidance of the Holy Spirit. It is the supreme source of truth for Christian
beliefs and living. Because it is inspired by God, it is truth without any
mixture of error.
2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20,21; 2 Timothy 1:13; Psalm 119:105,160, 12:6; Proverbs
30:5
2.
What does MCBC believe about holy
communion? What are considered sacraments at MCBC?
The only sacrament we have at MCBC is that one would accept Jesus into their
heart and confess Him as Lord and Savior. Romans 10:9 "That if you confess
with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God
raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." There are many scriptures on
this.
We do celebrate Holy Communion and believe it is one of the two ordinances
Christ gave the church. Water baptism would be the other. Since Jesus instituted
Holy Communion on a Thursday night and then it was practiced in homes in the
New Testament, we don't land on a certain day or time to take communion.
The Lord's Supper: Communion With God's Family
Jesus never asked His disciples to remember His birth. But He did instruct them
to remember his death and resurrection. He gave the church two visible symbols
(called "ordinances") as reminders of His death. These two ordinances
are: Baptism and The Lord's Supper. The Lord's Supper
is an object lesson that represents a great spiritual truth for believers.
What Is The Lord's Supper? (1 Cor. 11:23-26)
1. It is a SIMPLE ACT: The Lord Jesus, on the night He
was betrayed, took bread..." (vs. 23)
2. It is a REMINDER: ...and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said,
'This is my body, which is for you; eat it in remembrance of me.'" (vs.
24)
3. It is a SYMBOL: In the same way, He took the cup, saying, 'This cup is the
new covenant in my blood; drink it to remember me.'" (vs. 25)
4. It is a STATEMENT OF FAITH: For whenever you eat
the bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes
back." (vs. 26)
Who Should Take The Lord's Supper?
1. Only those who are already BELIEVERS (Mark
2. For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats
and drinks judgment upon himself." 2 Cor. 11:29
How Do I Prepare Myself For The Lord's Supper?
1. Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an
unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the
Lord. A person ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks
of the cup." 1 Cor. 11:27-28
By...
Self-Examination
1 Cor.
1 John 1:9
Recommitment
Rom. 12:1 Restoring Relationships
Matt.
Jesus never said when or how often believers should observe The Lord's Supper.
He instituted it on a Thursday night. In the Bible, Christians observed the
communion in small groups in homes.
3.
Will
Question: Will MCBChurch baptize a
person who lives unmarried with another person?
Answer: The short answer is yes. However, the logic behind that
decision is that at MCBC baptism does not confer membership to a person.
Baptism is just one of the requirements for membership. We follow the New
Testament example of Acts 2:41 (among others): "Then they that gladly
received his word were baptized:" and baptize any who confess that
they have accepted Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord and desire to follow Him in
believer's baptism.
Membership is only conferred after someone has accepted Jesus Christ as Savior
and Lord, been baptized by immersion, met with the Pastor or designated
spiritual counselor, been voted on in the following church business meeting,
agreed to MCBC’s Covenant and Statement of Faith AND
agreeing to:
o Protect the Unity of our Church;
o Share in the Responsibility of the Church
o Serve in the Ministry of the Church
o Support the Testimony of the Church
While we will baptize unmarried persons living together without benefit
of marriage, we will not accept them into membership because their living
arrangement would not support the Testimony of the Church and violates not only
God's commandment prohibiting adultery, but also the more general
lifestyle guidance of Philippians 1:27 "Whatever happens, conduct
yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ."
We would however welcome them to attend our church and be fed by our teaching
and ministries and to grow in their understanding of their new Christian walk.
As long as they continued in their unbiblical living arrangement they would not
be able to be a leader in a ministry because leadership requires church
membership.
4.
What does the Bible say about homosexuality?
Question: What does the Bible say about homosexuality?
Answer: The Bible very clearly says that homosexuality is a
sin.
"Homosexuality is absolutely forbidden, for it is an enormous
sin." Lev.
"Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the
While all sin is destructive, Romans 6 warns us of the great dangers in sexual
sin when it says, "Run away from sexual sin! No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual
immorality is a sin against your own body." (1 Cor
I've heard it asked, "Isn't being homosexual something that a person is
physically born with?" First of all, there are absolutely no facts to
support this claim. From time to time studies have been reported in the news
that seemed to indicate this, but every one of these studies has proven to be
wrong. Secondly, even if some physical difference were discovered, it would be
no excuse for sin. We know that some people can develop a stronger physical
addiction to alcohol than others, but that's obviously no excuse for living an
alcoholic lifestyle.
Finally, a word about being judgmental. It's not judgmental to say that what
the Bible calls a sin is a sin, that's just telling the truth. Not being
willing to talk to someone caught up in sin, or not believing that they can be
forgiven, or thinking that you are not just as much in need of Jesus as they
are... that's being judgmental.
5.
What is the baptism of the Holy Spirit?
Question: What are your beliefs regarding the Baptism in the
Holy Spirit as a second experience? What are your beliefs on the gifts of the
Spirit? That is, speaking in tongues, prophecy, healing, miracles etc? Do you
believe they are for today?
Answer: Thanks for your questions about the Holy Spirit. We
have a class at MCBC called "Basic Christianity" that focuses on the
answers to questions just like you've asked. I'd encourage your small group or
Sunday School to do this study together! You'll be
able to get more complete answers than I can give you here. The reason we have
this class is because we know people like you have questions!
The Bible teaches that, at the moment you believe in Jesus, you are baptized
and sealed by the Holy Spirit. This one time experience that comes at the moment
of salvation is God's powerful way of declaring, "You're in my family and
I'm not going to let you go." The baptism of the Spirit happens the moment
you are saved, so you do not need a second experience.
Eph.
From the first days of the church, people have always been more impressed with
the spiritual gifts that are more spectacular (healing, tongues, etc). God
tells us in 1 Corinthians 12-14 that He is more impressed with the less
noticeable gifts, and that He is most impressed with love. Those chapters are
filled with warnings about using those more spectacular gifts in ways that draw
attention to ourselves rather than to the Lord. Paul
says that he would rather speak in a few words that people would understand
than in thousands of words in tongues. That is why we don't speak in tongues in
our worship services - we want to speak in ways that people understand.
Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled
with the Spirit. Ephesians
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am
only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 1 Corinthians 13
6.
What does it mean to be a chosen people?
Question: What about the Jews. They follow the laws as handed
down to Moses. They do not accept Jesus Christ. How can they be saved and
insure their place in heaven? If they are God's chosen people, surely there is
some explanation.
Answer: When you begin to think about how those who have a
Jewish heritage come to salvation, the best answer is in looking at the first
followers of Jesus. The first disciples were all Jewish men, but their
salvation came through their relationship with Christ - not their Jewish
background. The same is true of the apostle Paul and every other Jew who came
to Christ in the New Testament. The truth of the Bible is,
we all come to salvation in the same way... through our faith in Christ. When
God calls the Jews His chosen people it does not mean that they are all
automatically chosen for salvation. It means that they were chosen to be the
nation that would follow Him and teach others what it meant to follow Him. That
is why Jesus went to the Jewish people first when He came to this earth.
Through the Jewish people (Jesus Himself was a Jew) He brought the blessing of
salvation to the world.
Of course, today there are not as great a number of Jewish believers in Jesus
as we would expect. If they are God's chosen people, why aren't more choosing
faith in Him? The Bible tells us in Romans 11 that there will be a day when
this will change - a day when there will be a great revival of faith in God
through Jesus among the Jewish people. Obviously this is a day that we, as
believers in Christ, want to pray for!
To the Jews, I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law,
I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as
to win those under the law. To those not having the law, I became like one not
having the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law),
so as to win those not having the law. 1 Corinthians 9:20-21
Therefore, no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the
law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin. But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made
known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God
comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference,
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified
freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
Romans 3:20-241
7.
What about stem cell research on embryonic
tissue?
Answer: The question about stem cell research is a question
about life. It is about improving the quality of life for all of us.
Who wouldn't want to improve the quality of life by discovering a cure for
cancer, or a way to grow a new heart or a new kidney? If you believe that
embryonic tissue is not a living person, or even if you are in doubt about that
fact, you'll most likely come down on the side of feeling that research is
warranted.
However, if you believe that life begins at the moment of conception, your
response is far different. Something in you recoils at the words in the White
House fact sheet, Federal funds will only be used for
research on existing stem cell lines that were derived: (1) with the informed
consent of the donors; (2) from excess embryos created solely for reproductive
purposes; and (3) without any financial inducements to the donors.
The words excess embryos" hit you deeply. How could any life be spoken of
as excess?" Even more horrifying to you are statements you read about
creating an embryo in a test tube in order to destroy it. Much of the argument
about stem cell research seems to focus on what ifs." What if people clone
themselves just for the extra body parts. What if we
developed embryos only to harvest their cells for our benefit."
You're not so worried about these possibilities - they sound like science
fiction to you. Your concern is with the present; with the way that life is
being treated now.
The question is - what does the Bible have to say about when life begins?
You made my whole being; you formed me in my mother's body... You saw my bones
being formed as I took shape in my mother's body. When I was put together
there, you saw my body as it was formed. All the days planned for me were
written in your book before I was one day old. Psalm 139:13, 15-16 (NCV)
"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I
set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations." Jeremiah
1:5 (NIV)
Psalm 139 tells us that God knows us personally while we are being formed in
the womb, and Jeremiah 1:5 is one of many verses in the Bible that clearly show
that even before we were conceived God knew us as persons. Life begins when God
creates, and the Bible tells us that that happens in the womb.
President Bush's decision to allow federal funding of research only on existing
stem cell lines (cells that have already been taken from an embryo) has drawn
mixed reaction even from conservative Christians. Some applaud the fact that he
has cut off the possibility of funding for any newly created or destroyed
embryos, others feel that any use of cells harvested from embryos cheapens the
value of human life. These groups continue to agree, however, on the fact that
an embryo is human life - a unique creation of God.
You see, the stem cell question really is about quality of life. But, quality
of life is not limited to our physical health. We are more than body parts, we
have a soul. The choice to treat a living person as a medical commodity will do
more damage to our soul - to our quality of life - than a thousand cloned
hearts could heal.
I encourage you to think not so much about the President's decision as YOUR
decision. As believers in Christ, we are called upon to think differently and
to act differently than the world around us. This is one of those
opportunities.
What can you do?
1. Let others know, in a reasoned way, why you believe what you believe. The
truth has the power to set people free.
2. Make the decision yourself to treat life as life. That may mean:
• Accepting responsibility for an abortion that you had or encouraged someone
to have in the past, knowing that God WILL forgive you. (This is a TOUGH
decision for any who have rationalized an abortion.)
• Deciding against any infertility options that allow embryos to be frozen and
later discarded. (This is a TOUGH decision for couples who have yet to have a
child.)
• Deciding to speak out against overzealous stem cell research, even though you
know it slows down the process of finding a possible cure for someone you love.
(These are the most difficult sentences in this article to write. Having heard
the pain of abortion and of infertility, knowing the desperation that many
families feel as they are looking for the hope of a cure; I know how easily
these words could sting. Please accept them, instead, as the words of someone
who cares about you and who knows that God will meet you as you make these
tough decisions of faith.)
3. Pray for those who have the power to make decisions on this issue:
scientists and governments alike. Ask God to help them to see that they are
making decisions that are impacting not just people's bodies, but also our
souls.
4. Remember that God is still in control. He will bring to Himself the innocent
baby and the parent seeking for faith. He will direct and guide those who have
the humility to ask for His wisdom. And, as He always has throughout history,
He will show Himself as the real God to any who would attempt to play God.
8.
What is the meaning of "the fear the
Lord?"
Question: What does the Bible mean when it talks about “the
fear of the Lord?” I thought that love was supposed to cast out fear. Is the
word “fear” being translated in the wrong way in these Old Testament passages?
Answer: You hit the nail on the head when you pointed out that
perfect love casts out fear... so we can't have a loving relationship with God
in which we are also terrified or afraid of Him.
I don't think that the word is translated wrong in the Old Testament... it's
just that we have a more one dimensional idea of the word fear today. The word
fear also carries the idea of having a deep respect for someone's position or
power. I'm still learning what it means to see God, at the same time, as your
best friend AND as the ultimate power in all of the
universe. Unfortunately, these days we lean a little too hard towards the
"friend" side of that equation... and so, sometimes act as if we can
take advantage of God's grace or flaunt His power. The "fear of the
Lord" is a phrase that reminds us to keep our respect for God's power in
balance with our appreciation of His tender love.
His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation. He
has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud
in their inmost thoughts. He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has
lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent
the rich away empty.
He has helped his servant
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of
knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline. Proverbs 1:7
9.
Can I tithe to another christian organization?
Question: I give, first and foremost, to honor and please God,
but as a member of
Answer: First and foremost, your gifts to Saddleback are NOT
insignificant. People often make the mistake of thinking that their part of a
church is somehow lessened because the church has other members. Just as every
individual ministry is important, every amount of money given is important.
Many times the fact that people give just a little bit more helps us to begin a
new ministry that makes a tremendous impact on the church. Also, when you give
out of a faithful heart, God takes your gift and stretches it beyond what you
would add up with just numbers. Your giving is FAR more important than you will
ever imagine!
If you would ask this other ministry, or any other Para-church organization,
they would give you the same advice that I would. First give your tithe to the
church, and then give any gifts beyond that to meet other needs. The reason for
giving to the church first is because it is the Christ ordained body for doing
His work in the world today. Also, just to think practically, the more healthy
the church gets and the more people the church reaches and teaches, the more
people there will be to give to ministries such as this one you are talking
about.
Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my
house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will
not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you
will not have room enough for it." Malachi 3:10
10. Should
I pay off my debts or tithe?
Question: Should I pay off all of my debts before I begin to
tithe?
Answer: The Bible encourages us to do both, not one or the
other. In fact, I've found again and again that one of the keys to paying off
debts is beginning to tithe. It not only brings God's blessing to a person's
finances, it also helps them to begin to think more sacrificially, to plan more
carefully and to see God's direction more clearly. We have personal financial
counselors at Saddleback that help people who are in debt plan how to do this
with wisdom.
The Lord answered, "Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom the
master puts in charge of his servants to give them their food allowance at the
proper time? It will be good for that servant whom the master finds doing so
when he returns. I tell you the truth, he will put him
in charge of all his possessions. Luke 12:42-44
If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your
children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who
ask him!
Matthew 7:11
11. Do
we really have free will?
Question: How could God know and plan everything that will
happen and yet also give us a free choice? Aren’t these two ideas mutually
exclusive?
Answer: One of the great truths of the Bible is that God is
able to know and be in control of all that happens (the Bible calls this
predestination), and yet still give us free will and individual choice within
that plan. Of course, it looks to us as if that were impossible. But that's why
God is God and we're not!
One picture that has always helped me to understand these twin truths of God's
sovereignty and our free will is that of two ropes hanging before you and
extending through the ceiling above your head. One is marked
predestination" and the other free will." If you were able to look
through the ceiling you could see that the two ropes are actually one, hanging
on a pulley above the ceiling. God can see, in ways that we cannot see, the
ways that these seemingly contradictory facts are actually one powerful truth.
Our free choice cannot violate God's sovereignty and God's sovereignty cannot
violate our free choice.
The other way that the rope picture helps me is as a reminder that I can't lean
more heavily on one of these two truths - God's will and our choice - than the
other. Be sure to keep these truths in balance. If you lean too far toward
God's being in control, you come down on the side of fatalism: it doesn't
matter what we do. If you lean too far towards man's free will, you come down
on the side of humanism: we are in control of our fate.
How do you reconcile those two? If God gives us choice, doesn't that put us in
control rather than Him? Our God is an awesome God! He is able to give us, as a
part His creation, a free will to decide, and yet still remain in complete
control of His creation. How does He do that? He is God!
Struggling to understand truths such as this reminds me of how great God really
is. If I were able to completely understand Him, He wouldn't be God!
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. And those he
predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he
justified, he also glorified. Romans 8:29-30
12. Jesus
as God's son
Question: If you had two minutes to convince a person of
Jewish belief about Jesus being our Lord and Savior what would you say? This
person has difficulty understanding that Jesus is God’s Son. Approaching people
with other beliefs is a weak spot for me.
Answer: I have talked with people who
matches the description of the person you're talking about. They expressed some real hesitancy in
believing that Jesus is God's Son, feeling that somehow she would be believing in two different Gods if they were to trust both
the Father and the Son. Your friend may be struggling with feeling that Jesus
is somehow not really God, and that to follow Him would be to miss out on
serving the REAL God. Explaining the fact that Jesus did miracles that only God
could do and that He was proclaimed to be God by the prophets and by His own
followers and that He proved who He was by His resurrection, just might help
your friend to see that believing in Jesus would not be a denial of his or her
faith, but the fulfillment of their faith.
Here are a few Scriptures that I'd encourage you to study regarding the truth
that Jesus is the God who can save and direct us.
God is creator - Isaiah 44:24 Jesus is creator - Colossians 1:15-16
God is savior - Isaiah 43:11 Jesus is savior - Titus 2:13
God is the I am - Exodus 3:14 Jesus is the I am - John 8:58
Jesus says, I and the Father are one." John 10:30
There is one mediator between God and man, Jesus
Christ." I Timothy 2:5
To learn more...
Do the Basic Christianity Study on Jesus.
13. What
does Jesus say about divorce?
Question: My question is about God. If after legal separation
there was no change in my spouse, does God recognize this as an acceptable
reason to terminate the marriage? I tend to think that if there is no change
then it should be acceptable to leave the marriage.
Answer: The Bible does not say that it is right for us to
leave our spouse for any reason. It does tell us to be at peace if they leave
us through adultery or desertion. God says this not to trap us, but to help us
to see the importance of marriage and the great pain that comes when a marriage
is broken.
God want us to grow in our relationships, and He wants to grow us even through
painful relationships. In cases such as you're speaking of here, the most
important thing to do is for the couple to get into counseling together. It is
not enough for one spouse to go, both must go. This is a problem that can't be
dealt with alone, but where we need the help of others. There is nothing wrong
with getting help, by the way... God has built us to need other people.
One of the pictures that I often give people to help in understanding this need
for outside help is that of being in quicksand. Sometimes an individual or a
couple find themselves in a problem, and the harder they fight to get out, the
more they feel like they are sinking in quicksand. In those times you won't
find the answer by yourself. The harder you work the faster you seem to sink!
You need someone outside of the situation (a good Christian counselor) to give
you a hand to help to lift you out of the quicksand. But you will need to both
trust this counselor to help you, knowing that they have your best interests at
heart.
As I said earlier, the Bible does allow divorce when the other person leaves us
through adultery or desertion. Actually, in those cases they have left us
rather than us leaving them. There is a third condition which I feel a need to
talk about, that of physical abuse. Although the Bible does not tell you to
divorce if this is the case, my advice would STRONGLY be to separate from your
spouse for your protection. It is not God's will for you to allow your spouse
(or anyone else) to continue to physically abuse you. Hopefully, that
separation will be the wake up call that causes them to get counseling to rid
their lives of this terrible sin. If this is the situation, please get in touch
with our lay counseling ministry and let us help you.
Some Pharisees came to him to test him. They asked, "Is it lawful for
a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?" "Haven't you
read," he replied, "that at the beginning the Creator 'made them male
and female,' and said, 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother
and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh'? So they are no
longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not
separate." "Why then," they asked, "did Moses command that
a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?" Jesus
replied, "Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts
were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning. I tell you that anyone
who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, and marries another
woman commits adultery." Matthew 19:3-9
14. Married
to an unbeliever
Question: I’ve become a believer but my husband is still an
unbeliever. We seem to constantly argue about my new faith, and I’m wondering
if it just wouldn’t be better for us to get a divorce. Does God have anything
to say about this?
Answer: This is one of the relationship issues about which God
speaks most clearly in the Bible. In 1 Corinthians 7 He talks very directly
about the circumstance of a believer being married to an unbeliever. You can
see the answer to your question yourself, straight out of the Bible. Look at
what verses 12-15 of that chapter say:
"If a Christian has a wife who is not a Christian, but she wants to
stay with him anyway, he must not leave her or divorce her. And if a Christian
woman has a husband who isn't a Christian, and he
wants her to stay with him, she must not leave him."
For perhaps the husband who isn't a Christian may become a Christian with the
help of his Christian wife. And the wife who isn't a Christian may become a
Christian with the help of her Christian husband. Otherwise, if the family
separates, the children might never come to know the Lord; whereas a united
family may, in God's plan, result in the children's salvation.
"But if the husband or wife who isn't a Christian is eager to leave,
it is permitted. In such cases the Christian husband or wife should not insist
that the other stay, for God wants his children to live in peace and
harmony." 1 Corinthians 7:12-15 (TLB)
15. Handling
disappointment
Question: Someone that I was very close to really let me down, and I don’t know what to do with the feelings of anger
that I’m having. They didn’t come through when I needed them to, and I just
don’t know if I can forgive them.
Answer: Your question seems to focus on "what do you do
when someone disappoints you?" The truth is, we're all disappointed by
people much of the time. Sometimes it is because of their lack of follow
through, sometimes it is because we have too great an expectation. Whatever the
cause, I've found it important to face those disappointments with a sense of
humility. Humility reminds me that I, myself, let others down, that often I
don't understand why people do the things they do, that there are times when
someone may be doing the best they can under the circumstances, and that I
can't see the hidden hurts and pressures of another's life. With that humility,
I can then talk to the other person about it, not with a sense of judgment but
with the gentleness of understanding that allows me a better opportunity to be
heard. Before giving this other person your forgiveness, first try giving them
your understanding. You may then discover that their actions toward you are not
willful sin, but instead just a matter of their being human.
"Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For
in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you
use, it will be measured to you.
"Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay
no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother,
'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in
your own eye? Matthew 7:1-5
Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus, Who, being in
very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in
human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and
became obedient to death-- even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to
the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the
name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the
earth. Philippians 2:5-10
16. Rebuilding
trust
Question: Does forgiving someone mean you have to just let
them keep hurting you?
Answer: No, it does not. Remember that, when God forgives us,
we still suffer the consequences for those sins. That same principle applies to
our relationships with each other.
Let me explain. Forgiving someone's wrong does not mean that you can't
challenge them to do what is right or that you automatically should begin to
trust them to do what is right. Forgiving someone for lying does not mean you
have to start believing everything they say. Even though you have forgiven
them, it will take them some time to rebuild your trust. That's the consequence
of their sin. Forgiveness is immediate, trust must be
rebuilt little by little.
Let me be very clear about this. Forgiving someone does not mean that you have
to pretend that the sin they committed against you never happened. That would
be foolish, and in cases such as physical abuse it could even be life
threatening. Forgiveness means that you let go of your feelings of anger and
retribution and hatred. It does not mean that you have to allow another person
to continually hurt you in the same ways.
"Be kind and compassionate to another, forgiving each other, just as
in Christ God forgave you." Eph. 4:32
"For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly
Father will also forgive you." Matthew 6:14
"Forgive , and you will be forgiven."
Luke 6:37
17. Is
tithing legalistic?
Question: Isn’t the idea of giving 10% to the Lord just a
legalistic, Old Testament rule? Why would we, as new covenant believers, do
this today?
Answer: To help you with your question about us being under
the new covenant... new covenant Christians can and should live out God's moral
and spiritual direction in the Old Testament. Jesus taught us in the Sermon on
the Mount that we should do it with a new heart and a greater passion, not as
rules to be kept, but as directions from God's heart to ours. Of course you can
make God's direction to tithe something that you do legalistically, just as you
could make attending church or reading the Bible rules that you keep rather
than a lifestyle God directs.
I don't know all of the reasons why God gave us the direction to give 10% so
often in the Bible, but I do know that this is a number that is high enough to
be a real faith challenge to me. I can't imagine God asking us to give in a way
that would not be a challenge and a sacrifice. I sometimes tell people (a
little tongue in cheek, I must admit) that, if you're really worried about 10%
being a legalistic requirement, just give 20% or 30% and then you'll erase that
concern!
"Just as you excel in everything else... in faith, in speech, in
knowledge, in complete earnestness... see that you also excel in the grace of
giving." 2 Corinthians 8:7
18. When
to turn the other cheek: Revenge vs. Self Defense
Question: I have a question that is relative to what the Bible
says about not enacting revenge. My six-year-old son has a neighbor boy, seven,
who is mean to him at times. He grabs him by his wrists and twists them hard,
or else grabs his fingers and bends them backwards. Answer: My
wife and I struggle with the biblical response to defending one’s self on the playground.
As much as I believe that we should instruct him to discuss this with his
playmates, saying "Please stop doing that, I don’t like it", the
reality is that I am of the belief that this 7 year old will continue doing it
everyday. Is there any latitude biblically, that allows us to instruct our
children to say, "please, stop doing that, I don’t like it, it
hurts", followed by, "If you don’t stop that, then I will hit
you"? This would be retaliation, however, I don’t
believe God intended us to be defenseless either. Any comments would be
appreciated. Thanks
You've asked some important questions. They give me a
chance to clear up some confusion with a few of the verses in the Bible. They
have to do with the difference between defending yourself and taking revenge.
NOWHERE in the Bible are we prohibited from defending ourselves. Even when
Jesus told us to "turn the other cheek" he was talking about someone
who had already insulted you, not a person who was threatening physical harm.
You can feel confident about telling your son it is OK to defend himself. Of
course, he'll have to do that in a way that fits with the rules of his
school... the Bible has a lot to say about respecting authority. You wouldn't
want your son to hit the other boy and then end up being the one in trouble.
But there are no playground rules (and nothing in the Bible) that would keep
him from strongly saying, "Stop that now" or from pushing someone
away who is trying to hurt him.
There is a difference between defending yourself from harm and taking revenge
for an insult or a hurt. We are told again and again in the Bible to not take
revenge for the hurts that have already happened to us. To help you to picture
this, Jesus did not tell us it was wrong to block someone's attempt to slap us.
However, if we are slapped, He told us to turn the other cheek rather than
slapping them back. He said this not because He wanted us to be punished with
another slap, but because He knew that retaliation always resulted in an
escalation of violence. As you know, the person who does not have to retaliate
is the one showing the real courage - and is the one who often causes the
violence to stop right then and there. To apply this principle to your son's
situation: he should defend himself when confronted but should not walk up to
the other boy and hit him because of what happened on the playground yesterday.
Revenge isn't swinging back when someone is swinging at you. Revenge is when we
make a plan to get back at someone who took a swing at us yesterday, or last
month.
"Do not say, 'I'll pay you back for this wrong!' Wait for the LORD,
and He will deliver you." Proverbs 20:22
19. Heaven
will pass away?
Question: Our small group was meeting last week and we came
across a verse that raised some questions. It’s found in Matthew 24:35 Jesus
says, "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass
away." Several folks raised the question that they thought heaven was
eternal and would not pass away.
Answer: Can you shed some light on this verse and what it
means? Thanks.
God is eternal, and we will be in His presence, in a physical place called
heaven, for all of eternity, as believers. The group is right about that, and
that's what makes us think that heaven, as it is now, will last forever.
However, in Revelation. 21, God tells us that, when this world ends, He will
not only create a new earth, but also a new heaven. The PLACES of heaven and
earth as they are now will pass away, to be replaced by a new heaven and earth
where we will live together with the Lord forever. The PEOPLE who are now with
the Lord will obviously continue to live forever with Him whether in the old
heaven or the new heaven.
Why does God need to create a new heaven? I don't know! The Bible doesn't tell
us exactly why. One obvious reason might be that, since the new earth will be a
perfect place, there will be a greater connection between this new heaven and
earth than there is between earth and heaven now. You'll be able to go back and
forth between them, for instance.
"All creation anticipates the day when it will join God's children in
glorious freedom from death and decay." Romans
20. Women
and 1 Corinthians 14?
Question: I was reading in 1 Corinthians 14:34 that women are
not allowed to speak in the church. Whoa – what’s up with this!?
Answer: Historical perspective REALLY helps with this one. In
that day, men and women sat on different sides of the church. For a woman to
ask her husband a question she would have to shout it to the other side of the
church or disrupt the church service by getting up and walking over to him.
Apparently, this is exactly what was happening in the Corinthian church, and
their worship services were becoming a zoo. Paul is saying, "Listen during
the worship service, and talk about your questions on the way home."
"Now I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and
the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ if God." 1 Cor. 11:3
21. Tithe
on gross or net?
Question: I know that tithing is supposed to be giving 10% to
the Lord. Is that 10% of the gross or of the net after taxes? I don’t know that
I could afford to give 10% of what I earn before taxes!
Answer: Thanks for your well thought out question about
tithing. The practice that Christians have always carried out is the giving of
10% back to the Lord of ALL that the Lord has given to you - your
gross. It's not really a tithe to subtract out our largest payments and then
give 10% out of the remainder.
I know that this is a tremendous challenge. That's the idea! The Lord could
have asked us to give 50% to Him, but He chose 10%. I believe that this is
because that is an amount large enough that it takes a real act of faith and
trust to give it to him. God is not interested in our money so much as He is
interested in what it represents: our heart and priorities. The beauty is that,
when we give out of a good heart, God then uses it to bless not only us, but
many others.
I've talked to many people who felt exactly like you've expressed in this note
before they began giving, "There's no way I could give like that, even
though I might want to!" Yet when they've started to give they have seen
God bless them in a way that was life changing. And it's not always that He
gives us more money, sometimes He stretches what we have in miraculous ways.
You wouldn't have written this note if you weren't serious about wanting to
follow the Lord. I'd encourage you to start now and make the sacrifice to tithe
beginning this next month. Read Malachi chapter 3 (its
the last book in the Old Testament.) You'll find a verse where God encourages
us to "test me in this" by tithing. As you step out in faith, you
will begin to see God work in a great way in your heart and in your finances.
Remember the law of sowing and reaping. We will always reap what we sow, but
there is always a time period between sowing and reaping. Although it probably
will not come with the timing or in the way that you expect, you can trust God
to be faithful to bless your giving.
Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my
house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will
not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you
will not have room enough for it. Malachi 3:10
22. Serving
communion: Am I worthy?
Question: I’m a leader getting ready to share the Lord’s supper in our small church. I have to admit that I
feel very uncomfortable with this. I grew up in a church where a priest was the
only one who could help us with communion, and I feel very unworthy to do this.
Answer: There are two reasons why you shouldn't be nervous
about sharing the Lord's supper in your group.
First: The Bible teaches that every believer is a "priest" before the
Lord. Isn't that a wild thought!
"And now God is building you, as living stones, into his spiritual
temple. What's more, you are God's holy priests, who offer the spiritual
sacrifices that please him because of Jesus Christ." 1 Peter 2:5 (NLT)
That means you don't have to have special credentials to do any ministry for
the Lord. We all stand as equals before him. We do want people to understand
what the Bible teaches about the Lord's Supper before leading others in this
celebration - which is why we ask that people grow to the point of being small
group leaders before doing this.
Second: The Bible does not teach that communion or baptism have
sacramental power- they do not have the power to give grace or salvation. We
don't get more of God's grace just by eating a piece of communion bread and the
bread does not in any way actually become the body of Christ - which are the
beliefs behind the feeling that only a priest could give communion. The Bible
teaches that baptism and communion are symbols, that
they are spiritual pictures of what God has already done in our lives.
What a joy it is to help another believer picture the fact that they have a new
life through baptism, or to picture the truth that Jesus died for us in the
Lord's supper.
If you want to study this further...Look at our guide for sharing the Lord's
supper in your small group
23. What
about suicide?
Question: I heard that suicide is an unpardonable sin, and
that people who commit suicide will go to hell no matter what they believed. Is
this true?
Answer: Suicide is not an unforgivable sin. The idea that it
is unforgivable comes from thinking that, since you don't have time to confess
that sin after you've committed it (because it is a sin that brings your
death), you would be trying to get into heaven with an unconfused and unforgiven sin on your record.
The Bible tells us that, when we become believers in Jesus, He forgives ALL of
our sins. That includes not only sins in our past, but all of the sins we will
commit in the future. If this were not true, we would have to confess our sins
every second of every day, fearful that a car might hit us or a heart attack
might come in those moments after we'd committed a sin and before we had time
to confess it. God and His forgiveness are obviously greater than that.
While God will forgive the sin of a believer who commits suicide, there is
horrible loss any time a person takes their own life; the loss of a life that
could have made a real difference in the world and the loss of the rewards for
our work on earth that could have been enjoyed in heaven. If you know someone
considering suicide have them come in and talk to our
Sunday School teacher or Small Group leader... they'll get the encouragement
they need to make the right choice, the choice to live.
"...But if anyone does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in
our defense - Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for
our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world" 1
John 2:1,2
24. Is
doing drugs really so wrong?
Question: I’m a new believer who really wants to live my life
for God. One struggle I’m really facing is quitting the drug habit I started
many years ago. I’ve been wondering, is this really so wrong? Even though I
know it might be bad for me, it’s not really hurting anyone, is it?
Answer: Doing drugs is wrong - it is a sin - for two reasons.
First, it is mistreating the body that is God's temple. God tells us to treat
this body in the best way possible because it is where He lives, now that you
are a believer. You can also mistreat your body by over-eating, smoking and
many other things. Although none of us are perfect, we want to treat the body
the Lord gave us in the best way possible. Doing drugs is also a sin because it
is against the law... and the Bible very clearly tells us in Romans 13 that we,
as believers, are to respect the laws of the land that we live in. Even though
you may not agree with the law (many people don't like the law that says they
have to pay taxes!) you still keep the law out of respect for God.
In order to change this habit you need help. Don't try to go it alone. At MCBC we
have a program called “Celebrate Recovery" that will lead you through a
Christ-centered recovery process. In this process, you'll find the power for
change that can come only from Christ and the value of getting strength from
others who are working to change in the same way as you.
"Or don't you know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit,
who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself,
for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your
body." 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NLT)
25. Train
up a child...
Question: There is a verse in the Bible that causes me a great
deal of shame or pain or guilt – I really don’t know which! "Train a
child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from
it." Proverbs 22:6 (NIV) One of my children has not gone to church
since she left our home and is living a very rebellious life, and I can’t help
but feel that this verse is telling me that if I had just trained her right
this would not be happening.
Answer: This great proverb has been the source of more
heartache than you can imagine. If you'll forgive me for writing a little more
than usual in this answer, I hope we can begin to heal some of that hurt. Here
is the pattern that leads to the heartache.
Even when our kids are small, we begin to worry whether they will make the
right choices in life. As Christian parents we'd like to have a GUARANTEE that
our kids will follow God even more fully than we have. With that desire, we
come across this verse and think, That's it! God has
promised that I'll always have great children."
But then IT happens.
Your child has a rough time in Jr. High or college. They fall in with the wrong
friends, and the heart for God that you had hoped for them is nowhere to be
seen. Then comes the thought that brings all of the
heartache. "If God promised that if I'd only raise my kids
right, they wouldn't turn away... what's wrong? Gods promise can't fail, so
maybe there is something wrong with the way that I raised my children." We
may never voice that thought to anyone, but not far below the surface it is
there.
Let me say three things if you are struggling with this. Even those who are not
parents will, no doubt, have an opportunity to share these encouragements with
someone someday.
1. In this world, there is no such thing as a perfect parent. This proverb is
not about guaranteeing that your kids will turn out perfectly if you're
perfect, nor is it about blaming yourself for the fact that you are less than
perfect. We live in an imperfect world.
2. In heaven, there is a perfect Parent. God's actions toward us are always
perfect, never selfish, and filled with constant love. Yet, look at how many of
His children have turned away from that love. It started in the garden of Eden! If God's perfect love toward us cannot
guarantee that none of His children will ever fall away, how can we put that
burden on our parenting? Your teaching cannot violate their free will to do the
wrong thing, any more than God's direction could keep Adam and Eve from eating
the fruit on that tree.
3. What, then, does this proverb mean? As with most of the book of Proverbs, it
expresses a universal principle, not an individual promise. Nine times out of
ten (more like 99 times out of 100), if you teach the right thing, your kids
will end up doing the right thing. That is God's moral law.
But don't miss the phrase, "when they are OLD, they will not depart from
it."
That doesn't mean 16, or even 26: it means old. The truth is,
those good lessons that you taught WERE heard; they did sink in. Stop telling
yourself that the time you gave to teaching your child was, "Just
wasted." Those teachings sunk in so deeply that even when they are old,
maybe even after you are gone, they will emerge again to give your now grown
son or daughter the direction that they need.
"Even a child is known by his actions, by whether his conduct is pure
and right." Proverbs 20:11
"The father of a righteous man has great joy; he who has a wise son
delights in him. May your father and mother be glad; may she who give you birth
rejoice! My son, give me your heart and let your eyes keep to my ways." Proverbs
23:24-26
26. Helping
my child understand God.
Question: Like most six year olds, when things don’t go my
son’s way he gets real upset. Lately, when things don’t go right he blames God
and it breaks my heart. For example, he hurt his ankle the other day. When he
woke up the next morning and it wasn’t better he cried, "I prayed all
night about my ankle and God didn’t heal me. He only helps the people in the
Bible and not me. I hate God!" He even gets mad at God about little
things. If he messes up on a picture he’s making or doesn’t catch a ball he
gets upset that God isn’t helping him. I don’t seem to have the right words to
explain to him that God loves him and is in control, but doesn’t necessarily
help him in every move he makes. Do you have any words of wisdom about getting
through to him?
Answer: As difficult a time as this is with your son, it also
sounds like a time when you will be able to teach him some things about who God
REALLY is, truths that many people never learn.
I know that you already see that your son needs to learn, during this time,
that being a believer in God does not mean we don't go through difficulties. My
encouragement to you would be to not be upset that he is acting this way...
it's a very natural reaction. You may be worried that these questions he's
asking mean he won't love God as he grows up, and nothing could be further from
the truth. These reactions give you the opportunity to tell him the truth about
the real God, that although bones don't heal overnight, HE made them so that
they would heal, that although, even as believers, we feel pain and
frustration, HE will help us to grow in spite of it all. Hearing those truths
from you now will put him WAY ahead spiritually. He'll still be Jekyll and
Hyde, like all 6 year olds are - but he'll be learning truths that will last a
lifetime!
"Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a
life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant
offering and sacrifice to God." Eph. 5:1-2
27. What
is the meaning of a "New Earth"?
Question: I was reading in the book of Revelation about a new
heaven and a new earth. Are these two separate divisions of life after death?
Do some people get to go only to the new earth, and
others to the new heaven?
Answer: Don't think of the new heaven and earth as two
separate places, with only the "better" people getting into the
heaven part. The Bible pictures them as one place, with all who are in heaven
having the ability to be in both.
The fact that there will be a new earth along with a new heaven reminds us that
the afterlife is a material and real place. We will have new bodies, and God
will recreate this world to be even more beautiful and awe inspiring than it
is. Just think of what eternity will be like in a PERFECT heaven and earth!
"Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the
first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. Now the dwelling
of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and
God himself will be with them and be their God. 4He will wipe every tear from
their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the
old order of things has passed away." Rev 21:1,3,4
28. Christian
rumors on the web
Question: I’ve received an e-mail saying that Madeline Murray
O’Hare is involved in a campaign to remove religious broadcasting from the air.
Is this true? What should I do about this?
Answer: If this story were true, we would want to immediately
act upon it. However, the story IS NOT true. It is a rehash of a story
(recently adding a paragraph about Touched by an Angel" at the beginning)
that has been circulated and re-circulated for years. Numerous statements have
come out showing that this information is false. I've copied a web address
below for you where you can learn more... and what it has to say about this
particular rumor.
Watch out for Christian Urban Legends" - there are a lot of them out
there! A couple of other false rumors that you'll often see are:
The Proctor and Gamble Rumor (Falsely stating that the company president said
on a talk show that the corporate logo is Satanic)
The Liz Claiborne Rumor (Falsely saying that she appeared on Oprah and stated
her allegiance to occultism)
The Janet Reno Rumor (That she appeared on 60 minutes and defined a cult as any
group with a strong belief in the Bible and in the second coming of Christ.)
You can read more about these and other false rumors at: http://www.snopes.com/ or http://www.symantec.com/avcenter/hoax.html.
"A truthful witness gives honest testimony, but a false witness tells
lies." Proverbs
"Do not spread false reports. Do not help a wicked man by being a
malicious witness." Exodus 32:1
29. Why
does God bless the evil but not the good?
Question: My big question is this: why does God bless the evil
but not the good? I don’t want to focus on myself, but it’s so difficult for me
to understand why we can’t have children when some woman who is on crack and
doesn’t even want a baby gets pregnant and has a child. Please help me to
understand.
Answer: Thanks for taking the time to write... you've asked
one of the most significant questions that can be asked. I've asked it myself.
Although the answer to this is certainly not so simplistic that it can be
expressed in a short reply, let me share a few of the thoughts that I've had as
I've struggled with this.
Jesus said at the end of Matthew 5 that God causes His blessing to be given to
both the evil person and the good person... and that both the evil and the good
go through difficulties also. Believer or unbeliever, evil or good; we all face
sickness in our families and natural disasters. God does not always protect us'
as believers' from having to face the same difficulties that unbelievers must
face, and He allows unbelievers to experience some of the same benefits that we,
as believers, enjoy because we are a part of His creation. One reason for this:
it allows those who don't know Christ to see what it really means to know Him.
When they see a believer finding even a bit of light in their struggle when all
they can see is darkness, it helps those who do not yet know Christ to see who
He REALLY is.
I know that the theology of that is no comfort for you as you wait for a child.
My wife and I had to wait for children much longer than we expected, and were
even told by doctors, at one point, that we would never have children. Believe
me when I say that I know the struggle you're facing right now, and that it is
one of the most hurtful things anyone can go through. I found, during this
time, that God did not turn the light on for me all at once... He just gave me
enough light to make the next step. My prayer is that He will do that for you
also!
We have a support group at Saddleback for those who are waiting for children to
come into their lives. If you haven't already attended, would you call the
church office and ask them when the "infertility" group next meets?
Almost all who attend have found it to be a great source of strength and
encouragement.
"He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on
the righteous and the unrighteous." Matthew 5:45
30. What
about dinosaurs?
Question: How do they fit in with the idea that God created
the world rather than the world evolving on it’s own?
Why doesn’t the Bible talk about dinosaurs?
Answer: The Bible tells in Genesis 1 that God made the world
in 7 days, and that He made all of the animals on the 5th day and the 6th day.
All of the animals were created at the same time, so they all walked the earth
at the same time. I know that the pictures we all grew up with in the movies
were that dinosaurs roamed a lifeless, volcanic planet. Remember these are just
pictures drawn by someone today! The Bible's picture is that dinosaurs and man
lived together on the earth, an earth that was filled with vegetation and
beauty.
What happened to the dinosaurs? The scientific record lets us know that they
obviously became extinct through some kind of cataclysmic event on the earth.
Many scientists theorize that this may have been an asteroid striking the
earth, while many Christians wonder if this event could have been the worldwide
flood in Noah's day. No one can know for certain what this event was.
Although it cannot be stated with certainty, it appears that dinosaurs may have
actually been mentioned in the Bible. The Bible uses names like
"behemoth" and "tannin." Behemoth means kingly, gigantic
beasts. Tannin is a term that includes dragon-like animals and the great sea
creatures such as whales, giant squid, and marine reptiles like the plesiosaurs
that may have become extinct. The Bible's best description of a dinosaur-like
animal is in Job, chapter 40. We don't know for certain if these are actually
dinosaurs or are some other large creatures that
became extinct.
This should not sound so strange. After all, God tells us that He created all
the land animals on the 6th day of creation, the same day that He created
mankind. Man and dinosaurs lived at the same time. There was never a time when
dinosaurs ruled the earth. From the very beginning of creation, God gave man
dominion over all that was made, even over the dinosaurs.
"For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and
all that is in them, and rested the seventh day." --Exodus 20:11
"All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made
that was made." --John 1:3
"Look at the behemoth, which I made along with you and which feed on
grass like an ox. What strength he has in his loins, what power in the muscles
of his belly! His tail sways like a cedar; the sinews of his thighs are
close-knit. His bones are tubes of bronze, his limbs like rods of iron. He
ranks first among the works of God..." --Job 40:15-19 (NIV)
31. Is
evolution part of God's plan?
Question: Why is it not OK for evolution to be part of God’s
plan? I don’t understand what the problem is: couldn’t God have used the
process of evolution as the way that He created the earth?
Answer: When I was a young believer in Christ, I had some distinct
feelings about the issue of evolution. Much as you have expressed, I believed
that evolution and the account of the Bible about creation could exist along
side of each other very well. I just didn't see what the big argument was all
about. I had some friends who had been studying the Bible much longer than I
had who saw it differently. But they didn't push me or argue with me, they
simply challenged me to take some time to look into the facts and study the
issues carefully. I'll always appreciate them for that, because this was an
issue that I had to really think through. Eventually, I came to the conclusion,
through my study of the Bible and science, that the
two positions of evolution and creation just could not fit together... that
there are some real problems with the idea that God created through evolution.
I would encourage you to take some time to study this issue. I found that,
although I'd understood the science side of the equation, I needed to take some
more time to read what the Bible really had to say about this subject. Not
having taken the time to really read the Bible, I was very ignorant about what
it had to say. Let me give you one example. I discovered that the problem of
sin, as addressed in the Bible, was much more serious than I had previously
thought. When I realized that the world was clearly a perfect place as God
created it, and that this perfection was ruined by the sinful choice of Adam
and Eve, it really started me thinking. Did the Bible teach evolution or did it
teach the creation of a first man and woman named Adam and Eve? If we evolved,
which human being would have made the choice that brought sin into this world?
If Adam and Eve were just allegorical pictures, why did the New Testament place
some much importance upon them as responsible and real individuals? Since God clearly
says that it is our sin that brought death into our world, how could there have
been death for billions of years before the arrival of the first man who sinned
on the earth? As I asked questions about this issue and studied what the Bible
had to say, I found it to be one of the greatest times of learning in my life
as a new believer. My prayer is that you will have this same experience!
"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." Gen.
1:1
"Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that
has been made." John 1:3
If you want to study this further...
Here's a web site that you might want to check out: http://www.probe.org/content/section/13/67/
(One article that is especially thought provoking discusses "
32. What
about people who live in a country without Christian witness?
Question: What about people who live in a country where they
have never heard about Jesus? Will they be able to get into heaven by some
other way?
Answer: There is only one way to get into heaven, through what
Jesus did on the cross for us. He paid the price for our sins on the cross, no one else could do that because He alone is God.
What about those who haven't heard about the cross? They can be saved the same
way that the people in the Old Testament were saved. The book of Romans tells
us again and again that Abraham was saved the same way that we are, by his
faith. Abraham didn't know the name of Jesus or that one day Jesus would die on
the cross for his sins, but he trusted all that he knew about the God who had
shown Himself to Abraham. Because of that trust, when Jesus died thousands of
years after Abraham, the same forgiveness that was offered to us was given to
Abraham.
God still reveals Himself to people who haven't heard the name of Jesus today.
Romans
Since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it
plain to them. For since the creation of the world God's invisible
qualities--his eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being
understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.
'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. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23and exchanged
the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds
and animals and reptiles." Romans
"Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."
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? And how can they preach unless they are
sent? As it is written,
"How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"
But not all the Israelites accepted the good news. For Isaiah says,
"Lord, who has believed our message? Consequently, faith comes from
hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ. 18But
I ask: Did they not hear? Of course they did:
"Their voice has gone out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world. Again I ask: Did
"I will make you envious by those who are not a nation;
I will make you angry by a nation that has no understanding. "And
Isaiah boldly says,
"I was found by those who did not seek me;
I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me. "But concerning
"All day long I have held out my hands
to a disobedient and obstinate people."
Romans 10:13-21
33. What
does the bible say about drinking alcohol?
Question: What does the Bible say about drinking alcohol?
Answer: Here are three
things to remember:
- The Bible does not say that it is wrong to drink
- The Bible does say that it is wrong to get drunk
- The Bible commands us to remember the influence we have on an unbeliever
In Bible times everyone drank a watered down wine. Without refrigeration, there
was no way to keep fruit juice without it fermenting. There is nothing
biblically wrong with drinking wine with a meal, as long as it's not as a means
of escape or your don't struggle with becoming drunk.
In spite of this, our Church Covenant indicates we are agreed that we will not
drink at all. This is because we are very mindful and concerned about our
impact on others. We live in a society where alcohol is the chosen drug of
escape" for many people. We are in a church where many have seen Jesus
free them from their alcohol addiction through the Celebrate Recovery program.
We are gladly willing to give up our freedom to drink alcohol and wine, knowing
that it might save someone who struggles with alcohol from seeing us drink and
thinking, If it's OK for them, I should be able to
handle it also." Paul talks of his willingness to give up his freedom
because of his love for the people for whom Jesus died.
"But be careful that your freedom does not cause those who are weak in
the faith to fall" Corinthians 8:9
34. What
does the bible say about angels?
Question: Do angels have the same freedom of choice that we
do?
Answer: The Bible does teach that angels, at this point, do
not have the same freedom of choice as we do. Through out the Old and New
Testament when angels are spoken of, they are spoken of as beings that always
obey God. They always respond immediately to Him and they always worship God.
The mystery to us about this is, if angels don't have a choice, how was Satan
able to make them choose to leave heaven? What some teachers of the Bible
believe about this is that, at some point in history, before the world was
created, God allowed a window of opportunity" in which angels were able to
choose. There are some that believe there was a great battle in heaven,
possibly even over God's plan to send Jesus for our salvation, that resulted in
Satan and a third of the angels falling from heaven. Most teachers believe
that, since that point, there has been no further opportunity for angels to
choose against God. Once that choice was made it was an eternal choice. Some of
this is trying to figure out what the Bible means when it doesn't give us a lot
of information. But this is a quick outline of what most teachers believe about
this.
"For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways;
they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
You will tread upon the lion and the cobra;
you will trample the great lion and the serpent" Psalms
91:11-13
"Praise the LORD , you his angels, you mighty
ones who do his bidding, who obey his word." Psalm 103:20
35. Are
there animals in heaven?
Question: My dog died this week, will he go to heaven?
Answer: I am very sorry to hear that your dog died. I know how
very close you can feel to a pet that has been with you, maybe all of your life
in this case. The Bible does not tell us exactly where animals go when they
die. It does indicate that, in heaven, there will be a new creation. It will
not be just a place of clouds, that there will also be trees and animals up
there in heaven. Some people have asked me if, when they get to heaven, they
will be disappointed because the pet that they loved was not there. I can
promise you that this will not happen. Heaven will not be a place where there
is any disappointment in our lives. I often tell people, when you get to
heaven, if you are longing for your dog to be there then God will obviously
meet your need and your dog will be there. Heaven will be a place where there
is no more longing, crying or any kind of pain.
As I respond to your letter, I am praying that God will give you peace,
strength, and a sense of His love while you are grieving for the loss of your
dog. Never feel afraid to tell God that you hurt, and are grieving. God cares
about every hurt we have and He can help and strengthen us.
"In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have
told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you." John 14:2
"Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have
a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human
hands." 2 Cor. 5:1
19 The creation waits in eager expectation for
the sons of God to be revealed. 20 For the creation was subjected to
frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected
it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to
decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. Romans
8:19-21
36. Do
I have to get baptized again at Saddleback?
Question: If I want to be a member of MCBC, do I have to get
baptized again?
Answer: The reason we would ask someone to be "baptized
again" is if they had been baptized as a child or an infant before they
actually came to know Christ. This was something that a parent did for a child
and not a personal declaration of a commitment to Christ. We would also, in
some cases, ask someone to be baptized again if they came from a church in
which the teaching about salvation and baptism differed greatly from what the
Bible has to say. For instance, there are some churches that teach you can be
baptized for someone else in order to secure their salvation or there are other
churches that teach that you must be baptized again and again in order to keep
your own salvation. In those cases, even though someone may have been baptized
as an adult, we would encourage them to be baptized again to make a fresh
declaration of their belief and trust in God's word at this point. We would not
ask someone to be baptized again if they were recommitting their lives after
they had fallen away, even for sometime. There are some people who choose to do
this, but we do not believe that the Bible teaches that this is a necessity.
"When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as
he was praying, heaven was opened" Luke 3:21
"All the people, even the tax collectors, when they heard Jesus'
words, acknowledged that God's way was right, because they had been baptized by
John." Luke 7:21
37. Christianity
vs. Catholicism
Question: What is the difference between Christianity and
Catholicism?
Answer: When I talk to people about Catholicism I share with
them that it is a religion; it is a denomination of churches like Baptist, or
Presbyterian. Obviously it is not our religion or the denomination that we
belong to that make us a Christian, it is our relationship with God. You can be
a Christian, whether you are a Catholic or a Baptist, or a Methodist, or in a
church where there is no denomination. There are many great Christians in the
Catholic Church and there have been for thousands of years.
I know that your question, though, is related more to what is the difference
between what we say the Bible teaches and what Catholicism may think the Bible
teaches. At least, I think that is what you are focusing on. One basic
difference is the fact that Catholics accept, as their ultimate authority, not
only the Bible, but also the history of what certain people have said within
the church. What that means is, while I might look at the Bible for an answer
to a question about who are ministers in the church and what they can do and
get all of my answers from the Bible, a Catholic theologian would not only look
at the Bible but they would look at some of the popes have said in church
history. Some people mistakenly think that everything that a pope says, is said to be flawless by the Catholic church, but
there are times when a pope is able to speak in a way that is put down as
coming form the mouth of God. Because we both believe in the Bible, what
Catholics believe and what protestant churches" believe, when it comes to
the basics, are pretty much the same. For instance, we both believe that Jesus
is the only way to salvation and that the Holy Spirit comes in the life of a
believer. However, when it comes to some of the other issues, such as saints
and the position of Mary in the church and what it means to be a priest, there
are disagreements because of the fact that Catholics accept some of those
things that have been said in church history to be just as authoritative as the
Bible.
"But, Let him who boasts boast in the Lord. For it is not the one who commends
himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends." 2 Cor. 10:17,18
"Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own
sight." Isaiah 5:21
38. Why
do good people die?
Question: Why do good people die of such things as cancer and
AIDS?
Answer: The reason is simple; sin is present in our world. It
doesn't always have to be my sin that causes me to suffer. The sins of others
can bring suffering into my life. Also, just the fact that I live in a sinful
world where things aren't perfect and natural disasters happen and sickness
like cancer occurs causes even good people to suffer. The teachers in Jesus'
day acted as if any suffering that someone faced was a direct result of their
sin or their parents' sin. Why does God allow the sinful world to continue? He
could destroy it immediately but He would also have to destroy all those people
who did not know Him. His desire is to wait as long as possible to give people
the opportunity to come to know Him. While God is waiting, you and I, as
believers, patiently live in a world which is surrounded by sin and hurt. God,
in His grace, allows even the sin to bring growth and character into our lives.
I don't know how he does that, how he can use even sin, but he does. God, in
His power, one day will take us out of this sinful world. Those good people
that know Christ who die of cancer are actually better off than we are right
now. They are with the Lord in heaven. For me, the world doesn't make sense
unless I realize that there is a heaven where everything is going to be put
right one day. The things that happen in this world don't add up until I
realize that this world doesn't write the books; the real bottom line, when it come to morality and right and wrong, is written in
eternity. It will be written in heaven with the Lord when we get there.
"Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being
renewed ay by day." 2 Cor 4:16
"He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death
or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed
away." Rev. 21:4
39. Decision
for Christ after death
Question: My Mormon friends’ say we can we come to Christ
after we die. Is this true?
Answer: After we die we have no further opportunities to make
a decision about our faith in Christ. Let me give you a couple of verses that I
think will help you, although I am not sure that they will be of help with your
Mormon friends. Sometimes people who are caught up in a cult like Mormonism
believe what they believe because the culture they are caught up in keeps them
from making a change. However, it doesn't hurt to share the truth and to
recognize that God's word does act like a sword, it
cuts to the heart of the matter and helps to make a clearer decision about the
truth.
The verse in 2 Corinthians 5:6-8 talks about being absent from the body and
present with the Lord. Another very helpful single verse about that is Hebrews
9:27. "Just as man is destined to die only once and after that comes
judgment," with the emphasis on only once. A parable that Jesus told
about this, that is helpful, is the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. In
Luke 16:20 Jesus has resurrected Lazarus from the dead, and it is at this part
of the story that Jesus told the parable that people weren't able to cross-over
from a place of judgment to a place of life.
"Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment,
so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will
appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are
waiting for him." Hebrews 9:27
40. Due
Penalty Romans 1:27
Question: What does “due penalty” mean ?
Answer: I have to admit that I had to do some digging myself
to find out what is meant by due penalty" in Romans
"In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women
and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with
other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their
perversion." Romans 1:27
41. Easter
Question: Why does Easter not always follow the week of
Passover?
Answer: Because the Jewish calendar and our calendar differ,
Passover is always on a different date each year. Add to that the fact that the
early Christians began to celebrate the resurrection on what was a formerly
pagan holiday (Easter). The reason they did this is that they wanted to take
over the false worship for the worship of Jesus. The problem for us is that is
makes our calendar today totally confusing! If they were doing it again I would
love to see them always have resurrection day at the end of the Jewish Passover
week.
But...I'm honestly glad to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus anytime!
"The LORD's Passover begins at twilight on
the fourteenth day of the first month." Lev. 23:5
"After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary
Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb." Matthew 28:1
42. Forgivness
Question: What does the Bible say about forgiveness?
Answer: God must have know that
forgiveness would be a struggle for us...why else would He have put so many
verses in the Bible about it! I have found in my own life that the #1 thing
that strengthens me to forgive is recognizing how much Christ has forgiven ME
for! Here are a few verses that I think will help you to see God's
encouragement and strength to forgive.
"Forgive us for our sins, just as we have forgiven those who sinned
against us." Matt
"Happy are they whose sins are forgiven, whose wrongs are
pardoned." Romans 4:7 (NCV)
"But now you should forgive him and comfort him to keep him from
having too much sadness and giving up completely." 2 Corinthians 2:7
(NCV)
"Be kind and loving to each other, and forgive each other just as God
forgave you in Christ." Ephesians
"Get along with each other, and forgive each other. If someone does
wrong to you, forgive that person because the Lord forgave you,"
Colossians
"Most importantly, love each other deeply, because love will cause
many sins to be forgiven." 1 Peter 4:8 (NCV)
"But if we confess our sins, he will forgive our sins, because we can
trust God to do what is right. He will cleanse us form all the wrongs we have
done." 1 John 1:9 (NCV)
43. Heaven
- For Children
Question: A 5 year old asks if we have birthday parties in
heaven. Is this an important question ?
Answer: ANY question a 5 year old asks about God is important!
There is no verse that says we celebrate birthdays...just many that say we
celebrate Jesus for an eternity. BUT, there are many things that we'll get to
do in heaven that are not recorded in the Bible. Many 5 year olds ask questions
about heaven, including my own children. Here's what I sometimes say... In
heaven we will be able to do anything we want to do. If, when you get to
heaven, you want a birthday party you will have one. If you want to have a birthday party every day for one whole year while you are in
heaven...you get to do that, too! Who knows what we'll want when we
actually get there. I just hope that this gets him to thinking about how great
heaven will be on his level of thinking.
"In my Father's house are many rooms, if it were not so, I would have
told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you." John 14:2
44. Jesus
as a child
Question: Where can we find information about Jesus in his
young life?
Answer: The Bible just says three things about Jesus' life
before he was thirty It talks about his birth, of course, in Bethlehem, then it
talks about Jesus at the approximate age of 2 when his parents had to flee
Egypt to escape Herod, and a third time is when he was 12 and he met with the
rulers of the temple and was empowered with his knowledge of God's word The
Bible tells us, at the end of the Gospel of John, that if all the things that
Jesus did in his life were recorded they would fill more books then all the
world could contain. This shows us that the things that were recorded for us in
the Bible had to do with why Jesus came for our salvation. It may be, when we
get to heaven, we will be able to get in on the stories of what Jesus did in
his younger life. It is most likely that he encouraged his parents at his young
age and even supported them as he grew between the ages of 20 and 30.
"Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents
brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law
required," Luke 2:27
45. Do
we have deacons at MCBC?
Question: Do we have “deacons” at MCBC church?
Answer: Our small group, Sunday school and team leaders do the
ministry functions of a deacon - caring for God's people. The word deacon in
the Bible is the same word as the word for servant, and that's exactly what our
small group, Sunday school, and team leaders are. Rather than meeting and
making administrative decisions, our “deacons” have as their purpose of serving
people and meeting needs every week.
"Deacons, likewise, are to be men worthy of respect, sincere, not
indulging in much wine, and not pursuing dishonest gain." 1 Timothy
3:8
"They must first be tested; and then if there is nothing against them,
let them serve as deacons" 1 Timothy
46. Salvation
- Old Testament
Question: Will the people who lived before Jesus came to earth
go to hell because they did not know Him?
Answer: People did know God and were saved by God before Jesus
came to earth. The evidence of this is found in the life of Abraham from the
book of Genesis. When Abraham believed and trusted God, the Bible tells us that
God credited that to Abraham as a right relationship with God. The truth is, people get to heaven the same way whether in the Old
Testament or New Testament, through trust in the God who made them. You might
think of it this way, although the people in Old Testament times did not know
that Jesus was going to come someday and die on a cross for the sins of all
mankind; they did trust in the God who was going to do that one day. So they
trusted in something that they had not yet seen, as it says in Hebrews Chapter
11, while you and I trust in something that we have already seen. People aren't
brought into heaven by their works or keeping the law in the Old Testament, but
we are brought in by trusting Christ in the New Testament. It's
trust and faith all the way through. Now faith is being sure of what we
hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were
commended for.
"By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command,
so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible" Hebrew
11:1-3
47. Salvation
- Can We Feel It?
Question: My friend has asked Christ into his life, but he
tells me that he doesn’t feel any different. How do we know that Christ has
come into your life, after you have asked Him in?
Answer: You ask a great question. You said that your friend
didn't feel any different or felt like his prayers were not being answered
immediately. As I read this, I wondered if there was some reason that he asked
Christ into his life? Was there something that he
needed God to do and, when God didn't do that, he wasn't sure if he wanted to
believe in Him anymore? Sometimes, instead of trusting Christ, we are trying to
get Christ to do something that we want done. Obviously, that kind of faith is
not sincere faith and it doesn't really change our lives. You also said that he
didn't feel any different. Now this may be the problem that he is struggling
with. I know many people who, once they ask Christ into their lives, don't feel
different immediately; for them the fact that God is real is still a matter of
faith and trust. I know many who expect to feel a certain way when they ask
Christ into their life and, when they do not, they wonder if He really is
there. The problem is, the Bible doesn't tell us how
we should expect to feel. It does tell us that we are saved from our sins. It
does tell us that we will be with Him for eternity. It does tell us that the
Holy Spirit comes to live in our lives to direct us. It does tell us that we
have a new spiritual sensitivity about life that we've never had before. If
your friend made a genuine commitment to Christ, these things are true about
him whether he feels that they are true or not. So for him, God is trusting him at the beginning in saying, I want you to
follow your faith and not just your feelings.
"God our Savior ... wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth." 1
Timothy 2:3-4
"If you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your
heat that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." Romans
10:9
48. Salvation
- Unbelievers
Question: Who are unbelievers?
Answer: When we talk about whom unbelievers are, we are usually talking about the word belief, as it refers
to intellectual assent to something. There is another way that the Bible uses
the word belief, meaning a relational trust in someone. When the Bible says 'as
many as believed him to them he gave the right to become the children of God',
it's talking about that relational trust in him. There are, obviously, a lot of
people in the
When we talk about people of other beliefs who have sincerity about them to the
point that they are envied for their resolve and their belief, we wonder how they
could be wrong. The truth is, it's obvious to all of
us that you can be sincerely wrong. We know that we can be sincerely wrong
about something like the law of gravity. It's a scientific fact that, if you
try to deny it and step out of a second story window, you will find yourself
falling to the ground. When it comes to the issue of religion and belief in
God, it's tempting to think that our sincerity might be enough. But just as
there are physical laws in the universe, there are also spiritual laws. Just as
there are physical facts, there are also spiritual facts. It is a spiritual
fact that God sent his son Jesus Christ to this earth. If sincerity were enough
to get us back into a relationship with God, he wouldn't have needed to send
his son. If other religions were the way to God, I believe it wouldn't have
been cool for God to send his son to suffer and die for us. It would have been
much better for him to use one of these other means to reach him. The truth is
a spiritual law is at work here. We are separated from God, and we don't have
the strength and power on our own to get back to him. That is why he had to
send a savior.
"All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him
receives forgiveness of sins through his name." Acts
"The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that
they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the
image of God" 2 Cor. 4:4
49. Salvation
- Heaven
Question: How am I able to be with the Lord for eternity in
Heaven?
Answer: There is really only one thing that you and I must do
to be with the Lord for eternity That is to trust in
Jesus Christ as the one who forgives our sins and leads our daily lives.
Trusting in his son is the one thing that gives us life with him forever. You
can read in 1 John 5, "He who has the Son has life,
he who does not have the Son does not have life." That
make it pretty clear doesn't it? Then all those other things that the
Bible talks about, instead of calling them suggestions in order to get rewards,
what they really are, are signs of our faithfulness and love. They are the
things that we do because we love the one so much who has given his life for
us. The obedience that I have in my life because I am a believer is not
motivated by a desire to make myself right for getting to heaven. It is
motivated by a desire to please the God who has already saved me and who is
going to take me to be with him for eternity in heaven. That is a refreshing
way to live. I do believe very strongly that some believers will have more
rewards in heaven than others. But it is a funny thing; as long as I am doing
it to get the reward I do not think that there is any reward in it. It is when
I do it purely out of love for Christ that there is true reward in it.
"If you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe
in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."
Romans 10:9
50. Salvation
- Unbelievers
Question: What happens to people who don’t believe in Jesus?
Answer: The Bible tells us, in Hebrews 9 that "it is
given to mankind once to die and after that comes the judgment." It's
a verse that reminds us of the truth, that there are no second chances after we
live on earth, however, God gives us many second chances during our life on
this earth. By that I mean, if someone rejects Christ
the first time they hear about him, God will come to them again and again to
let them know the truth that He loves them. God does not give up on us. But the
Bible teaches us that it is on this earth that we make the decisions that will
last for an eternity. I see it this way, the decision that I make during this
time on earth indicates the kind of heart I have and the decisions that I am
going to make even if I am given an entire eternity to think about it. Those
who chose to be with Christ here on this earth will be with him through
eternity. Those who choose to be with Christ here on this earth will be with
him throughout eternity. Those who choose to be apart from Christ on this earth
will be apart from Him throughout eternity, that is
what hell is, a place where we are totally apart from God, His goodness, His
grace, His power and His love. The truth is that God doesn't send anyone to
hell. He sent his only son to earth to die for us so that none of us would have
to go there. The only way that we can go to hell now is by rejecting God's
saving solution in His son Jesus Christ.
"Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment,
so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will
appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are
waiting for him." Hebrew 9:27-28
51. Temptation
- Jesus
Question: Was Jesus tempted sexually?
Answer: The Bible tells us in Hebrews 4:15, "For we
do not have a high priest (Jesus is our high priest) who is unable to
sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every
way, just as we are - yet was without sin." I have put in bold the
key phrase that answers your question. Jesus faced exactly the same temptations
that we do. The Bible reveals, throughout its pages from Genesis on, that
sexual temptation is a major area of temptation for mankind. That's obviously
still true today.
There is no specific instance in the Bible of Jesus facing a sexual temptation.
We know from Hebrews 4 that he was tempted, but the Bible does not tell us when
or how. Sometimes people conjecture about how Jesus would have been tempted.
That's wrong! This verse is in the Bible not to get me to conjecture about the
exact times and places Jesus was tempted. This verse is in the Bible to let us
know that Jesus was tempted. Remember, temptation is not sin. He never sinned!
That's the kind of friend I need to encourage me when I am tempted!
"Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the
devil." Matthew 4:1
52. Tithing
#1
Question: My husband is not a believer. Should tithing be a
family decision?
Answer: Finances in a family are always a family issue and
involve the decision of the whole family. Tithing is a family issue that
involves the decision of the entire family. I would encourage you to sit down
and talk with your husband about how you are feeling. In fact, there is a two
or three step process that we usually encourage people to use in this
discussion.
First, sit down and talk with your husband and see if he would be willing to
tithe. Even though he is not a believer, who knows what God might do in his
heart. God may use the fact that you are sharing your desire, to speak to his
heart about what your commitment to Christ really means in your life. If, as
someone who has not yet made that commitment to Christ, he has some feeling against
tithing, I know that you and I both can understand that. The next step is to
ask if he might be willing for you to tithe on a certain portion of your
income. Perhaps the portion that you earn, because that is something that you
are responsible before God for. I found that most people are willing, at least
at this point, to say, yes, I would consider that because that is something on
your heart. You might even encourage him by saying, Let's
try this, and see what God does", this is one of the ways that God can
prove that he is real not only to you but maybe also to your entire family.
Secondly, when going through a really difficult time financially, I find that
the decision to tithe is a difficult one and it has to be worked into slowly.
You might make an agreement, even with your husband, to begin with a certain
percentage and build toward a tithe. It is much more important that you make a
decision to begin than that you build some kind of barrier that keeps you from
doing anything for the Lord that you would like to do.
I found that, when someone can explain to their husband or wife that this is a
commitment that they have made out of a real genuine love for the Lord and not
a feeling that it is something that the church is requiring of them; that most
people, in that case, are responsive and understand in a better way why this
commitment is important to someone.
No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the
other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve
both God and Money." Luke 16:13
Do not save riches for yourselves here on earth, where
moths and rust destroy, and robbers break in and stead. Instead, save riches
for yourselves in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy and robbers cannot
break in and stead. For where your heart is will always be where your riches
are." Matthew 6:19-21
53. Tithing
#2
Question: Is tithing between you and the Lord, or you and the
church?
Answer: The short answer to your question about tithing is: “It's between you and the Lord Jesus."
God does direct people in different ways about their giving. I don't want
anything I say to take away the freshness of you talking to the Lord and
responding to His loving direction in your life.
With that understood, there are some guidelines in the Bible. I think that the
Bible is very clear about believers giving 10% to the Lord...it is not as clear
as to exactly where that 10% should go. One reason is that there was only one
place to give in New Testament times...the church. All mission work,
benevolence, etc. came through the church. There are a couple of reasons that
I've always chosen to give my tithe to the church, and then give to others
above that tithe. First, I am convinced that the church is God's #1 method for
reaching a lost world and growing believers. That local body of believers where
we fellowship and minister together is where God is changing the world. A
second reason is that tithing is an act of worship, and so I give as an act of
worship to the Lord.
It might interest you to know that we also tithe" as a church. We give 10%
of what the Lord has given to us to organization s and ministries outside of
our church. Every year we give to support new church starts, local missions,
foreign missions through the Cooperative Program, Youth For
Christ, and support for a Chinese evangelist We also give to support the
outreach of our school ministry,
All the believers joined together and shared everything in common; they
sold their possessions and goods and divided the proceeds among the fellowship
according to individual need." Acts 2:44-45
54. Tithing
#3
Question: I have this feeling in my heart that the Lord
wants both my husband and I to start tithing. I have already talked to my
husband about this decision. What advice can you give me that will help in the
process of tithing (especially on a one-income home)?
Answer: Tithing is a family decision. We don't want to have to
give to the Lord without letting the other people in our family know what we
are doing. I commend you for talking to your husband about this decision. I
suggest that you tell your spouse that you want to give. There will be times
when the person we are married to does not agree with what you feel about
something. I encourage you to ask your husband if you can tithe on a portion of
your income, since you have this as a feeling in your heart. It can be a
portion you bring in or a portion you are responsible for. Even though it is a
one-income home, there are portions of the budget that you manage. It is likely
that he may not feel good about that. I suggest that you ask him if it would be
acceptable for you to give a small amount to the church on a weekly basis. We
believe God knows your heart and that tithing should certainly not be a wedge
that drives families apart. Because God knows your heart He can certainly bless
you for doing what is in your heart to do even though circumstances might
prevent you from actually tithing.
”...Give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread.
Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, Who
is the Lord? Of I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my
God." Proverbs 30:8-9
55. Tithing
#4
Question: What is tithing?
Answer: The Bible is very clear about believers giving the
first 10% to the Lord. In fact, the word tithe" literally means 10%. It is
a sign of our faith and trust that He uses to bless others. We are not limited
to that amount. However, the Bible often talks about giving an offering above
10% to the Lord.
We also tithe" as a church. We give 10+% of what the Lord has given to us
to organizations and ministries outside of our church.
“At that time men were appointed to be in
charge of the storerooms for the contributions, firstfruits
and tithes. From the fields around the towns they were to bring into the
storerooms the portions required by the Law for the priests and the Levites,
for
56. Trinity
Question: Are God and Jesus one and the same, or are they two
different people?
Answer: The Bible teaches very clearly that there is one
God... not two or three or seven. It also teaches clearly that the Father is
God and that Jesus is God and also that the Holy Spirit is God. The fact that
there is only one God and yet three separate persons are called God leads us to
the truth of the Trinity" of God. This means that although God is one in
person, He also expresses Himself in three distinct personalities. That's why
Jesus can talk to the Father and be sent by the Father and yet they are still
one. This is a difficult truth to grasp. I tell people that it's one of the
truths about God that reminds us that He is bigger than we are.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was
God. He was with God in the beginning.
Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has
been made." John 1:1-3
57. Waiting
Question: Will waiting ever end?
Answer: God will help you, as you refer to His Word about
waiting, to find a real sense of His grace, strength and peace. We are all
facing times of waiting in our lives, and I pray that the time of waiting you
are facing right now will end as soon as the Lord can end it. I also pray that
God will show you the great plan he has for your life.
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart,
and you will find rest for your should. For my yoke is easy and my burden I
light." Matthew 11:28-30
I waited patiently for the Lord; He turned to me and heard my cry."
Psalm 40:1
58. Woman
Pastors
Question: What do you feel about women teaching in the church?
Answer: It's our belief that the Bible clearly teaches that
only men should be the Senior Pastor and the leading elders in a church. We
would not have a woman as our Senior Pastor. We do believe that the Bible does
not prohibit women from teaching in the church under the authority of the
pastor and elders of that church. We believe that the phrase over a man"
modifies the verb teach in the verse below. In other words, women can teach in
a church, but not in a position of spiritual authority over a man. (By the way,
I don't understand all of the reasons why God has set things up this way. But I
do trust His word.)
I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must
be silent." 1 Timothy
“There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor
free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Galatians 3:28
59. Worry
Question: Aren’t there some things we SHOULD worry about… like
our not allowing God to work in our lives to change us?
Answer: Worrying is wrong. Whether we're worrying about
something bad happening to us or something good not happening to us, worry is
wrong.
Why is worry so wrong? Because our focus is all off when we worry. Worry causes
the focus to be upon how bad the problem is and upon the fact that we can't
seem to find a way to solve the problem. The spiritual opposite of worry is
prayer. Instead of worrying we should pray! Prayer gets the focus off of the
problem and onto the Lord. Prayer reminds us that God can solve problems and
work in ways that we never could.
How about when you're struggling with growth in a particular area of your life?
Worry only deepens the rut" of bad habits or attitudes. Sometimes is seems
as if worry works for a moment, but it's always temporary. You will also find
that the habit gets further and further entrenched in your life. Prayer is the
secret to beginning to release the bonds in our lives. Ephesians 6 tells us
that prayer is one of the parts of our spiritual armor. Prayer sometimes
removes something that is binding us immediately. I have found that the bondage
is lifted slowly. Each prayer that you pray snaps one more strand of the
rope" until, one day, you wake up and discover a new sense of freedom and
growth in your life.
...be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of
God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our
struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the
authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual
forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God,
so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and
after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of
truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in
place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel
of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you
can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of
salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Eph 6:14-19
60. God's
Sovereignty
Question: Since God knows everything we’re going to do, and
everything we’re going to say, what is the point of being put in this world? I
have asked several people this question, and have never received an answer.
Answer: The question that you are asking is about our free
will and God's ability to understand and be in power over everything. This is
God's sovereignty." Christians have been asking this question for two
thousand years. One of the reasons it is a difficult question to answer is
because only God, only someone with the power of God, can totally understand
how God can understand and know everything and yet also give us free will. You
and I, as human beings, cannot see how this is possible. The reason we cannot
see it is, just honestly, that it is too big for us to see. You would have to be
God to understand how greatly he values our choice and how much it plays into
what happens in our lives in this world and, at the same time, how powerful his
sovereignty is and how it cannot be violated in this world. When you look at
this from one angle it also looks like a contradiction, doesn't it? Yet, when
reading through the Bible for many years and looking at it from a different
angles, I see it as, instead, two truths that beautifully tie together and to
help us to see how great God is. What a great plan he has for our lives. He
could have created a world where, what I choose and what you choose makes a
difference not only in our own lives, but the lives of those around us. But,
what I choose and what you choose makes a difference not only in this life, but
also in the life that we are going to live in eternity. That is made clear
many, many times in the scriptures. God also could have made a world where our
choice is what rules. He chose not to do that either. Instead of allowing our
choice to be the ruling influence in the universe, it is His will that rules
everything. Why is my choice important? Because it determines how much I grow
in character in this world. Because it determines where I am going to spend
eternity. Because it determines the joy or lack of joy I have in my daily life.
Because it determines how much I will show Christ or not show Christ to the
people around me. Because it determines the amount of joy the people I live
around will have.
"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." Genesis
1:1
61. Healing
Question: How do you feel about healing at MCBC?
Answer: We do believe in God's power to heal. We practice, as
a church, what the Bible teaches in James chapter 5. James talks about those
who need healing in their lives and believe that it should be prayed for; that
they should call upon the elders of the church and the elders will come and
pray for that person laying hands on them and anointing them with oil. That is
exactly what we recommend. I have done this in the past and have seen God work.
We do not make a public show of our praying for healing. It is a private time,
usually of prayer and faith, with those who are facing the struggle and
suffering in their lives. The laying on of hands and the anointing with oil is
no sign of special power that we have as leaders in the church, we all have the
same power and authority to talk to God about our needs. It is simply a way the
Bible reaffirms the presence of the Spirit in each of our lives and the power
of God to work in our lives. We believe that, when it comes to healing, there
are times when God says yes" and there are times when God says no" to
a physical healing on this earth. Obviously, even death is something Christ has
already overcome and we will spend eternity with Him in heaven. There will come
a day for all of us when there will be something that He won't heal us of and
we will go to spend eternity with Him (that is unless the Lord comes again
first). We need to have the humility to realize that we do not always know what
God's answer is going to be on the question of healing. So He has told us to
put faith in Him and to trust Him for our heart's desires. We, as leaders in
the church and as a church, strongly encourage prayers for God to be at work in
healing those physical, emotional, and spiritual hurts that we have in our
lives. In these prayers for healing, we will generally gather several leaders
with a person, and maybe their family, in a room and just circle around them as
they are seated in a chair. One by one, we pray for them that God would be at
work in their life. We believe in this simple time of talking together with the
Lord, that God, many times, has brought about a healing. It is His way of
blessing the faith of those who have asked for prayer. This prayer for healing
also reaffirms in a person's life that they are not alone; that we, together as
a church, are standing with them and praying for them and their family.
He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree,
so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness by his wounds you have
been healed." 1 Peter
Heal me, O Lord and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are
the one I praise." Psalm 30:2
62. Will
heaven pass away?
Question: Our small group was meeting last week and we came
across a verse that raised some questions. It’s found in Matthew 24:35 Jesus
says, "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass
away." Several folks raised the question that they thought heaven was
eternal and would not pass away. Can you shed some light on this verse and what
it means? Thanks.
Answer: God is eternal, and we will be in His presence in a
physical place called heaven for all of eternity as believers. The group is
right about that, and that's what makes us think that heaven as it is now will
last forever. However, in Revelation. 21, God tells us that when this world
ends He will not only create a new earth, but also a new heaven. The PLACES of
heaven and earth as they are now will pass away, to be replaced by a new heaven
and earth where we will live together with the Lord forever. The PEOPLE who are
now with the Lord will obviously continue to live forever with Him whether in
the old heaven or the new heaven. Why does God need to create a new heaven? I
don't know! The Bible doesn't tell us exactly why. One obvious reason might be
that since the new earth will be a perfect place, there will be a greater
connection between this new heaven and earth than there is between earth and
heaven now. You'll be able to go back and forth between them, for instance.
"All creation anticipates the day when it will join God's children in
glorious freedom from death and decay." Romans
63. Where
does MCBC stand on abortion?
Answer:The Bible clearly teaches that life
begins at conception. With that clear teaching from God, abortion is
murder and so is obviously wrong.
“You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit them together
in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully
complex! It is amazing to think about. Your workmanship is
marvelous—and how well I know it. You were there while I was being formed
in utter seclusion! You saw me before I was born and scheduled each day
of my life before I began to breathe. Every day was recorded in your book!.” Psalm 139:13-16 TLB
If you are a woman who has had an abortion, and are feeling far from God due to
fear or guilt, our Heavenly Father offers both grace and forgiveness. We
encourage you to contact MCBC’s church office or the
Pastor or group leader for more information on Post Abortion Support Groups,
and come to know the love and compassion of our Lord Jesus Christ.
“Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus
Christ. Praise be to the God and Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ. God is the Father who is full of mercy and all comfort.
He comforts us every time we have trouble, so when others have trouble, we can
comfort them with the same comfort God gives us.” 2 Corinthians 1:2-4 NCV
“When someone becomes a Christian, he becomes a brand new person
inside. He is not the same anymore. A new life has begun! All
these new things are from God who brought us back to Himself through what
Christ Jesus did. And God has given us the privilege of urging everyone
to come into His favor and be reconciled to Him. For God was in Christ,
restoring the world to Himself, no longer counting
men’s sins against them but blotting them out. This is the wonderful
message He has given us to tell other.” 2 Corinthians 5:17-19 TLB
64. What
is MCBC’s position on Political and Foreign
Policies?
Answer: We have many different opinions at MCBC. Because these
issues are not in the Bible, they are not preached on. We do talk about moral
issues.
65. Can
homosexuals be members of MCBC?
Answer: They cannot be members until they've repented of that
sin. They can attend church - we hope they do! The Bible teaches that
homosexuality is sexual immorality - in both the Old and New Testament.
66. Can
unmarried heterosexual couples living together be members of MCBC?
Answer: Couples who are cohabitating and having sex outside of
marriage cannot be members of MCBC until they have repented of that sin.
They can attend church,