A faithful CLCer writes, “In the New Testament Apostle Paul talks about being of the “Tribe of Benjamin.” What was so special about the Tribe of Benjamin as opposed to the other eleven tribes?”

Interesting question….and one I’ve never been asked before (love that; makes me think!)

There are a few things about Benjamin that make him (and his descendants) special:

• he was the last son born to Rachel, whom Jacob especially loved, so he became a favorite son (Genesis 35:16-18; Genesis 42:38)
• Jacob prophesied of their ferocity & courage in battle (Genesis 49:27)
• Moses gave them a special benediction (Deuteronomy 32:12)
• his descendants were known for their ability & marksmanship (Judges 3:15; 20:16; 1Chronicles 8:40; 1Chronicles 12:2)
• Benjamin (along with Judah) remained loyal to David’s family when the 10 tribes revolted. (1Kings 12:21; 2Chronicles 11:1)
• finally, the city of Jerusalem lies within the territory assigned to the tribe of Benjamin (Jeremiah 6:1)

The erection of the Temple on Benjamitic ground is explained in several ways in Jewish tradition. Some said that Benjamin was privileged to have the Shekinah dwell in his territory because all the other tribes (that is, fathers of the tribes) had taken part in the selling of Joseph. For God said: “If they—the Israelites—build me a Temple in some other place and seek my mercy, I can show them as little mercy as they showed their brother Joseph.” Another tradition gave this reason: Because Benjamin did not bow down before Esau as did his brothers and his father (Gen. 33:3-7), nor before Joseph (Gen. 42:6), his territory was reserved for the worship of God.

As I read Paul’s description of himself again (Romans 11:1; Philippians 3:5), I’d say he was proud of his heritage – and my guess is that it had to do with all of those facts above, but probably especially the last two listed.

Hope that helps.  Now, what would YOU like to Ask the Pastor?

Surprisingly, for the first time in this blog (at least in my memory), we have a question about dinosaurs.  Specifically, a reader asks: “Were there ever really dinosaurs?  If so, were they before or after Adam and Eve? We’ve been seeing dinosaurs on movies and people always mention them, but I’ve never read about dinosaurs anywhere in scripture. I hope this question does not sound too corny but whenever I ask someone, they don’t know the answer either.”

That’s not a corny question at all – it’s VERY often asked and can become a point of concern for some even coming to faith in Christ.

Having said that, let me quickly add that I do not consider myself an expert in this area – it’s not one that I have studied extensively or majored in at all.  BUT, there are a number of born-again scientists who have done their research, and I can recommend that you read their writings: Henry Morris is one that I especially recommend.

Meanwhile, here is an article addressing your question online and here’s another good one, while this is a good website for all such questions.

Finally, let me just say that I believe dinosaurs were a part of God’s creation in the Genesis account, so they would have lived during the lifetime of Adam and Eve (and other characters in Genesis) – most likely perishing in the Flood.

Hope that helps!

Now, what would YOU like to ask the Pastor?

Last week’s topic of predestination isn’t quite finished, as my favorite questioner writes, “I do have a better understanding of what takes place when we think that someone’s life was already predestinated.  I’m glad you gave an example of Judas and Pharaoh when you said that God pretty much saw that they would choose to make bad choices in life.  Some of us still makes bad choices in life, and God forgives us and we get more grace to go on, but I guess it all boils down to God looking at the heart of each individual.  Maybe he saw something in Esau, Judas, and Pharaoh’s heart that helped  Him to make His decision, because I know that I’ve made bad choices in my life many times. It’s still kind of confusing, but your answers helped to clear some of the dust.”

I’m probably walking where angels fear to trod, since this whole doctrine of predestination has been debated in Christian circles for hundreds of years, and certainly won’t be resolved by my blog

Nonetheless, I want to try to clear up the confusion about God seeing individuals will make bad choices, so He predestines it to be so.  I don’t really believe that is accurate, and I’m sorry if my previous answers left that impression. There is a difference in foreknowledge and predestination.  God knows the end from the beginning, so He does know the choices that any of us will eventually make – but that does not mean He wills it to be so.

In the example I used of Judas – it is true that God had ordained that one of Messiah’s close followers would betray Him, but it certainly is not to be implied that Judas had to be the one.  My understanding of Scripture is that Judas had a free will to choose, and if he had chosen differently, then another of Jesus’ disciples would have been the one to betray the Lord.

As simply as I can say it, God does predestine certain events – but He always gives individuals a free choice.  It is predestined that He will have a Church, a Bride – but it’s left to each of us to choose whether we will receive Him into our lives and be a part of that Church.

Hope that helps!

Now, what would YOU like to Ask the Pastor?

Looks like last week’s answer raised as many questions as it solved: “I’m sort of confused after reading Romans 9:10-20. Some people believe that whatever we do in life is predestinated, whether it is for good or bad, but I was taught that God gives us all a choice, to choose good or evil.  In Romans, it says that God has mercy on whom He will have mercy, and Esau’s destiny was planned even before he was born. So did he even have a choice? I guess this also goes into the part about when God hardens people’s heart. Help!”

Frankly, I’m not surprised that last week’s Q&A brought some confusion.  The teachings of predestination versus free will have been debated among Christians for the past 1500 years or more, and there’s a reason for that – namely, that there are verses in Scripture that can certainly be interpreted to lend support to each view.

Our job, admittedly sometimes difficult, is to consider the ‘whole’ of Scripture and let Scripture interpret Scripture, rather than basing a doctrine or conclusion on one isolated passage of Scripture.

Probably the biggest key to the Romans 9 passage, according to all the scholars I consulted, is that the quote in verse about loving Jacob and hating Esau is actually a reference to Malachi 1:1-3, which is clearly written about nations and not individuals! God loves all individuals, but HE has blessed some nations and brought judgement on other nations – in this case, the Edomites, who descended from Esau.

In fact, I think you’d be pretty safe (in my view) of saying that verses which seem to support predestination are speaking in terms of groups, such as a nation (as here) or the Church collectively; whereas verses that support the idea of free will or free choice have to do with individuals.  In other words, it IS predestined that God will have a Church – His Bride, who will spend all eternity enjoying His fellowship in heaven.  But whether you or I or anyone else will be a part of that Church is determined by our choice to receive Jesus into our lives.  Another example would be that it was predestined (and prophesied here and here) that Messiah would be betrayed by one of his own disciples; but Judas still had a free will to choose, and if he had chosen differently, someone else would have been the betrayer.

As to the issue of God ‘hardening’ someone’s heart (such as what is written about Pharaoh), the truth of Scripture seems to be that God “allows” a person’s heart to be hardened because of the choices they make.  As someone else said, “the same sun that melts the ice also hardens the clay”.

I’ll be the first to admit that this whole subject of predestination can be difficult and confusing, but I hope this has helped a bit.  Whew!

Now, what would YOU like to Ask the Pastor?

My favorite questioner asks, “When Rebekah and Jacob deceived Isaac into thinking that Jacob was his firstborn, how come God was not against this thing?  I understand that Esau sold his birthright for food, which was dumb, however, that did not make it right for Rebekah and Jacob to outright lie and pretend that Jacob was the firstborn.  I know that God had a plan in motion regarding Jacob, but I just don’t understand how Rebekah and Jacob were not held accountable for their lies.  Also, when Cain killed his brother Abel, God punished him for that.  I know that Jacob didn’t kill Esau, but he did steal his birthright.”

Interesting questions, all.

I think the best answer to this question (which is not directly addressed in Scripture, as best as I can tell) is: “what makes you think God was not against their lies and deception, or that they were not held accountable for their lies?”

I do know that Jacob certainly paid for his deceiving ways – when his father-in-law cheated him, not once, but numerous times – giving him the ‘wrong’ daughter as his wife, changing his wages ten times, etc.  So I’m just not sure that any of us could say that they didn’t pay for their wrongs, or that God accepted their lying.

I also know that God is entirely capable of fulfilling His plan without our interference.  In my understanding of Scripture, since God had determined before they were even born that Esau would serve his younger brother, HE would have orchestrated events to bring that to pass even without the conniving and scheming and deception implemented by Rebekah and Jacob.  (Read Romans 9:10-20 for an interesting New Testament commentary on that OT story.)  I should probably add that if that passage in Romans ‘bothers’ you, keep in mind that Hebrews 12:16 makes it clear that Esau was both immoral and godless.

The bottom-line, I think, is that we can’t always know how God rewards or judges someone for their actions – even David struggled in Psalm 73 with the thought that the wicked could get by with anything and still prosper, while he was trying to please God for seemingly no advantage – until verse 17 when he went into God’s house and finally understood the destiny of the wicked.  It’s a valuable lesson for all of us – that while it may sometimes “appear” that someone is getting by with evil, or that God isn’t judging them for their wrongs, the truth is that HE is a righteous judge, and we can trust Him to do what is right ultimately.

I hope that helps.  Now, what would you like to Ask the Pastor?

Last Friday’s post got piqued some interest on the subject of tithing – here’s today’s question: “A lot of people feel that tithing was something that was done in the Old Testament and we don’t really have to tithe anymore. Can you give me some scriptures in the New Testament that shows that we are still obligated to pay tithes?”

Such a great question.  Like you, I’ve heard all those comments, and I know good people who’ve bought in to that error, and thus miss out on God’s promised blessings.  Here are a few New Testament Scriptures regarding tithing:

• Matthew 23:23 – notice that our Lord Jesus Himself said about tithing, we “ought” to do.  That’s a strong word – tithing is something we are morally obligated (ought) to do!
• 1 Corinthians 16:1-2 – here is the New Testament pattern (Paul was teaching all the churches to do this) – their giving was to be done “in proportion” to what they had received.  That means they were to give a set percentage of their income.  What would that percentage be?  Obviously, the entire Old Testament had prescribed 10%, so there was no need for Paul to repeat that information again – they already knew that!
• Hebrews 7:7-15 – please note that Paul speaks of tithing in the present tense (‘we pay tithes’) which means tithing was still being practiced in the New Testament Church and his argument is that Melchizidek never died, so he’s still receiving tithes.  (Since Melchizidek is a type of Jesus, you could say that Jesus is receiving our tithes!)

Matthew 5:17-22, 27-48 addresses that whole argument better than anything.  Whoever says that we are not under the law anymore obviously doesn’t understand – Jesus didn’t come to destroy or contradict the law; He came to fulfill it!

Would any Christian today commit murder and then say, “well, I’m not under the law anymore, so it’s ok for me to kill someone.” NO!  Would any believer commit adultery and then say when confronted, “I’m not under the law, so I don’t have to live by that commandment anymore” - Of course not.

In fact, as you notice in those verses from the Sermon on the Mount, while the law of Moses had imposed several requirements on God’s people, Jesus emphatically added more – instead of “don’t kill”, in the New Testament, it’s “don’t hate”; instead of “don’t commit adultery”, in the New Testament, it’s “don’t look with lust”; in other words, in this New Testament time of grace (remember grace and truth came by Jesus Christ – John 1:17), Christians do more than the minimal requirements of the Law.

When people tell me that they’re not under the Law and don’t have to tithe, I say, “oh, so you give more than 10% out of love for what God has done by His grace”!

The real issue behind those objections and arguments is a lack of trust in God’s Word and/or a stronghold of mammon.  I don’t have time in this post to develop that further, but the truth is, we don’t tithe to the Lord because we have to, we tithe our income to the Lord because we want to honor Him for what He’s done for us! (Prov. 3:9-10; Exodus 13)

Hope that helps.  Now, what would you like to Ask the Pastor?

Another faithful reader asks, “should a person give their whole first check as a firstfruits offering? Is that the only first fruit offering to give or would a portion of it be sufficient?”

Let me state up front that this blog represents my personal opinion.  I know my answer to this question will not agree with some of the “Brother & Sister Wonderful’s” on television.  I’ve heard their teaching and seen some of their polished appeals for you to send them the entire first check of the year or the entire first check of a new job.  However, I do NOT find that concept in Scripture, at least as I understand God’s Word.

As I read the various references in the Old Testament to “firstfruits”, they clearly speak of the beginning of one’s harvest (since theirs was an agrarian culture and they didn’t receive a paycheck for their labor as we do). By reading those various references to firstfruits, I have come to the conclusion that “firstfruits” in Scripture is synonymous with “tithes”, since the principle is identical: when we give the Lord the first portion of our harvest, He promises His blessing on all the rest of it! (See Proverbs 3:9-10 – and keep in mind that our Proverbs series continues this Sunday, and interestingly enough, our topic is “Master Your Money”!)

That’s another reason we don’t tithe on the ‘leftovers’, after we pay other bills, but on the ‘first’ tenth of our income, to invoke God’s blessing on all the rest.  After all, Scripture is quite clear that it’s ALL His! (Psalm 24:1)

So, my understanding of bringing your firstfruits to the Lord is identical to bringing your tithes to the Lord.  I do not see anything in Scripture that would require me to give God the entire first check of the year or the entire first check from a new job.  I am sure that God blesses us whenever we bring an offering over and above our tithes, so if you or someone you know testifies about the blessing they received by giving their first check to the Lord, I have no problem with it – I just don’t see that as a requirement in Scripture.

I suppose CLC could bring in additional income if I would teach that everyone should bring their first check to the church, and perhaps that is why some ministers do so.  But I didn’t enter the ministry to enrich myself or to fatten the bank account of CLC.  My role is to teach God’s Word, and that’s what I try to do through this blog as well.

Hope that helps.  Now, what would you like to Ask the Pastor?

Last week’s question prompted a follow-up from one of my favorite “ex-CLCers”, now living in Atlanta.  (A friend told me last week that there’s no such thing as an ‘ex-CLCer’; he says ‘once a CLCer, always a CLCer at heart’!  I hope so.)

At any rate, here’s the question: “I wonder if you have any suggestions about staying focused during meditation – that is when my mind seems to wonder the most.  Often times it could be a song in my head, and one of praise & worship, but I can never seem to get my mind completely blank to just focus on being completely in the presence of God.”

Excellent question…..at least because it gives me a chance to clarify something that I think many may be confused about: e.g., the subject of Biblical mediation.

You see, meditation in the Bible is NOT at all the kind of meditation practiced in yoga or in some Eastern religions, where the goal is to “get my mind completely blank” as you’ve stated.  Instead, meditation in the Bible comes from the same root connotation as a cow chewing its cud.  I’ll try not to be too graphic here, but the cow, unlike us, has four stomachs to aid in the process of digestion.  Healthy cows regularly regurgitate what they’ve already eaten (and partially digested in one stomach compartment) and chew on it some more (“chewing their cud” we call it), which enables them to get the full benefit of what they’ve eaten.

That’s the picture of Bible meditation!  The goal is not to get our mind completely blank; the goal is to reflect upon different aspects of the verses we’ve already read, to ensure that we’re getting the full truth and maximum benefit of what God is saying to us – so we ruminate and reflect and consider additional aspects of truth we’ve already received.  I like what Rick Warren says, “if you know how to worry, you already know how to meditate“! He also writes, “Worry is focused thinking on something negative. Meditation is doing the same thing, only focusing on God’s Word instead of your problem.”

I especially like the Amplified Bible in Mark 4:24, because that’s the real principle behind meditation.  Of course, Joshua 1:8 is another ‘classic’ about meditation, and introduces another interesting aspect about Biblical meditation: it involved one’s mouth, for the Jewish people would regularly ‘mutter’ the verses, repeating them over and over to themselves, as they reflected on the truths of Scripture.

As to additional suggestions about avoiding distracting thoughts during meditation, other than the tip last week about having pen & paper nearby, I don’t know…….but I suspect your mind will be so active in Biblical meditation that it won’t be much of a problem.  One tactic I’ve sometimes used is to emphasize each word individually in a verse – making it stand out as the most important part – which can bring about much fuller meaning than the ‘traditional’ way we read it.  Obviously, there are different methods to help you meditate on Scripture, but that’ll have to wait for another day.

Hope this helped!  Now, what would YOU like to ask the Pastor?

One of my favorite ‘questioners’ asks, “I would like to ask you a question about prayer.  Sometimes I wonder if God honors or hears prayer when the person’s mind is on something else.  It’s not intentional, but a lot of times when I’m in my prayer room, my mind strays and I begin to think of something else other than my conversation with God.  When I realize my mind is straying, I hurry up and snap out of it, but I really feel guilty when this happens.  Is this something that all Christians go through and/or does God honor these type of prayers and/or when this happens should I repent and keep praying or should I stop and start when I think I can give my full attention to God?”

Good question, for several reasons.  It’s a good question because I’m sure your experience is not unique; probably every Christian sometimes struggles with wandering thoughts during prayer.  It’s an important question because every Christian I know wants their prayers to be effective, and sometimes questions whether they’re “doing it right”. And it’s an especially important question because it raises another issue about guilt and fear that needs to be addressed.

So here goes, in order:

1.  As I already said, I think every Christian sometimes struggles with wandering thoughts in prayer.  At least, I do, and I’ve had several conversations through the years with others who have the same struggle.  While I don’t mean to minimize this, I also don’t want to make it a bigger concern. I do not believe you need to repent for this and wait to pray at another time when you are more focused – I think it’s just part of being human.

2.  I’ve actually heard several experienced intercessors (including my wife) who deliberately keep pen and paper nearby when praying, and when a random thought of something they need to do crosses their mind, they stop praying and write it down, so they can move on in prayer instead of continuing to battle with that distraction.  They say there’s something about writing it down that frees their mind to concentrate on the task at hand.

3.  Does God hear our prayers when we’re distracted?  While the Scripture doesn’t address this directly, it is my opinion that He does! After all, He’s a good God.  He’s a loving heavenly Father who knows how to give good gifts to His children (Matthew 7:11).  In fact, He already knows what we need before we ask Him.  (Matthew 6:7-8) Why would He then not hear and answer our prayers, just because we’re human and got distracted in our asking?

4.  Perhaps the most important issue to me is the underlying tone of fear and guilt that I hear in your question.  While it’s true that many people do not walk in the fear of the Lord, which Proverbs 9:10 tells us is the beginning of wisdom (had to get in another shameless plug for our new sermon series at CLC) – it’s also true that the ‘fear’ Scripture is talking about is a healthy reverence for God, not a knee-knocking, nervous fear that I’m somehow displeasing Him.  That kind of fear is the opposite of faith, and it keeps us from walking in the grace of the Lord!

As a pastor, I see and hear this way too much – where the enemy keeps some believers from enjoying their walk with the Lord, because they’re always struggling with thoughts that they’re somehow displeasing the Lord, and it can become an obsession that “I just don’t want to be out of God’s will” or “I just want to do what God wants”. Does any good father want his children to be in terror or even nervousness about pleasing him?  I think not.

And our heavenly Father also wants us to walk in His favor and blessing.  His grace is what saves us, not our works.  And after we’re saved by trusting Jesus, it’s still His unmerited, undeserved favor that enables us to walk in the blessing of the Lord, not our perfection in always saying our prayers exactly the right way, or keeping our thoughts focused each time we enter our prayer closet.  Say it to yourself: He’s a good God! He wants to bless me!  He delights in answering my prayer, even more than any earthly father enjoys blessing and giving to his children.

I’ve got to get down off my soapbox now, but I hope this helped.  If so, leave me a comment below.  Or if you need further clarification, please ask your question below.

Now, what would YOU like to ask the Pastor?

My favorite ‘questioner’ is back after several weeks’ absence: “Is there a difference in ‘having fear’ as opposed to ‘being afraid’ of or about something? I know that the bible teaches us that God have not given us the spirit of fear, so therefore, my understanding is that it may be sinful to fear. (or is it)? Or is this one of those faults we have to pray for deliverance about? It seems that  Abraham was afraid to leave his country and everything that was familiar to him when God told him to leave. In Genesis 12 he was also afraid of the Egyptians, which is why he told Sarah to lie and say she was his sister. Yet, God did not hold this against him. So, is there a difference in having fear as opposed to being afraid of something or someone?”

Interesting questions.  Important questions!  Let me address them in this order:

1.  You are definitely correct in thinking it can be sinful to fear – read Revelation 21:8 where, at least in the KJV, ‘fearful’ people lead the list of those who will NOT go to heaven!

2.  However, let me quickly add that the reason fear can be sinful is not just that (like all sin) it causes us to ‘miss the mark’ of what God wants for our lives, but specifically because fear has torment (see 1John 4:18) and especially (at least in my thinking) because fear paralyzes us; i.e., it keeps us from obeying God’s Word.  Just in my years of ministry, I’ve known people who were afraid to tithe (in fact, I think that’s the #1 reason that some believers do not tithe – fear that they won’t be able to pay their bills if they do); I’ve known others who were afraid to receive the Holy Spirit (fearing that they’d ‘lose control’, etc.); I’ve seen still others who were afraid to be fully obedient to God’s call upon their lives (fearing He would require them to do something they didn’t want to do). In each case, fear kept them from receiving God’s blessing!

Having said that, I think what you’ve written about people being afraid of certain things is natural and normal.  But God is calling us to live above our carnal nature!  So while all of us experience fear, as believers, we are called to not surrender to our fear, but rather to exercise faith in God’s Word in spite of our fears!

In fact, the opposite of faith is fear.  And it is impossible to please God without faith.  (see Hebrews 11:6)  Let’s choose to believe God, not our fears!

Hope that helps.  Now, what would YOU like to Ask the Pastor?

A CLC-TP member asks, “While reading through Revelation chapter 11, a question popped up my mind: will the two witnesses be Moses and Elijah?”

Very good question….at least, in the sense that it’s been debated for many years.  Obviously, the Bible does not specifically identify who those two witnesses are, but based on my years in ministry, I would say the most common opinion is the one you’ve expressed – that the witnesses are Moses and Elijah.

However, I personally beg to differ.  Of course, I can’t be sure, but since the Bible says each person is destined to die once (Hebrews 9:27) and there are two people in Scripture who never died, I tend to think the two witnesses will be Enoch and Elijah.

Any0ne else have any thoughts or want to expand on your views in regard to this future prophecy?  Please leave your comments below-

Now, what would YOU like to Ask the Pastor?

One of our CLCers recently wrote me on FaceBook to ask, “Do you believe or is there proof that your loved ones who’ve passed away can send messages to show that they are looking over you.  Or is It all mere coincidences”?

Great question….especially since it’s one that I suspect many others are asking.  Unfortunately, my answer probably won’t satisfy anyone.  In my opinion, the Scriptures give us no real reason to believe that our deceased loved ones can send messages back to us – or even that they are presently aware of what’s happening with us on earth.

Luke 16:19-31 is perhaps the only New Testament passage that deals directly with your question, and basically shows us the exact opposite, as the rich man could not get a message to his family, so he asked for assistance from Abraham.  Of course, Abraham told him that was not possible.

There is one much-debated passage in the Old Testament where the witch of Endor conjured up the departed spirit of Samuel at Saul’s request, but Bible scholars are not in agreement that she even succeeded, and, even if she did, there is no indication that Samuel could send messages to the living.

I know that popular TV shows and ‘politically correct’ thinking would encourage us to believe otherwise, but I simply find no support in Scripture for the idea that our deceased loved ones can or do send messages back to us on earth.  So any supposed messages would have to be “coincidences”.  AND I certainly don’t believe that they are “looking over” us.  Instead, our trust should be in the Lord Jesus, who IS our protector and guide!

Hope this helps.  Now, what would YOU like to ask the Pastor?

One of our Downer’s Grove members writes,  “I have a question (maybe two) about what seems inconsistent in God’s judgement. Most times sin is judged swiftly with the earth swallowing up Achan, for example, but I can’t understand why it was OK, and even considered a blessing from God, for David (and Solomon) to have skads of wives and concubines. Yes, David suffered and was called on the carpet for his sin against Uriah with Bathsheba, but what about all the other women. Just because they were not married he could collect hundreds of them???? What’s up with that?”

Ooooh, good question.  Unfortunately, I don’t think I have a good answer for this one.  I can tell you that I’m not aware of any Scripture that would indicate that multiple wives was considered a ‘blessing from God’.  In fact, Jesus made it quite clear that this is not the case in Matthew 6:24, when He said, “no man can serve two masters!”

Sorry; I couldn’t resist.  But on a more serious note, I know that even in Old Testament times, God was quite clear that marriage was between one man and one woman – with the 7th commandment, and perhaps even more specifically in regards to the kings you mentioned – Deuteronomy 17:17.  So my conclusion is that even during those times and those kings, it was clearly wrong in the sight of God.

One possible explanation would be Acts 17:29-30 (in regards to God overlooking our ignorance), but that seems to be a stretch, since we’re not talking about pagans, but the kings of Israel!

Anyone reading this have any further insights?

Now, what would YOU like to Ask the Pastor?

Our reading through the New Testament has generated more questions than usual, so I’ll answer two today instead of one:

Q1: One of my favorite CLCers writes: “My question comes from Israel’s response to Pilate when they chose Jesus to be crucified in Matthew 27:25 - Did Israel curse themselves?  Is this also generational curses?  Is this a basis for Anti-Semitism (but that was also going on in the O.T.)?”

Great questions!  Let’s take them in order: (a) yes, in my humble opinion, Israel did curse themselves by verbally declaring that Jesus’ blood would be upon them.  The horrible persecutions that have come, including the devastation in 70 A.D. and certainly Hitler’s holocaust seem to have been some of the result.  (b) It was a generational curse in the sense that it continued for generations – but usually when we speak of generational curses today, we’re referring to individual or family curses, rather than a national curse. (c) It certainly has been used for expressions of anti-Semitism in past history – as even Christian churches & leaders of previous generations have spoken of the Jews as being “Christ-killers”, etc. (d) yes, anti-Semitism had already begun even in the OT, so this would not have been the sole cause.

Obviously, NONE of this excuses anti-Semitism today!  God has not rejected the Jewish people forever (Romans 11:1).  Instead, at CLC, we are investing in Jewish evangelism, with faith for an end-time harvest greater than ever! (Romans 11:11-15)

Q2: Another faithful CLCer writes, “Was John the Baptist really Elijah??  The way the Lord puts it in Matthew it sounds like it?!!  Elijah never died and the resurrection of Jesus had not taken place yet.  Elijah was born and John was born so it would seem to be 2 separate individuals.  Any insight??

More great questions.  I must admit that this is only my opinion, since Scripture could be interpreted either way – but I personally do not believe that John the Baptist was literally Elijah.  I base my opinion, in part, on Matthew 11:14; 17:10-13 – particularly where Jesus said “if you are willing to receive it” – since if it was literally true, it wouldn’t matter if they were willing to receive it or not!  My opinion is that John the Baptist was born, separate & apart from Elijah of the OT, but that he did come in the same spirit & power of Elijah, to fulfill prophecy.

Hope these helped.  Now, what would YOU like to Ask the Pastor?

One of my personal intercessors asks, “I have a question for you from Acts 21:4, when Paul was sailing to Jerusalem they landed in Tyre for a week. While there they stayed with some believers and those disciples prophesied through the Holy Spirit that Paul should not go on to Jerusalem. But Paul was led by the Holy Spirit to go on to Jerusalem, Acts 20:22. Why would the Holy Spirit tell Paul to do one thing and tell others to try and dissuade Paul from doing what he heard the Holy Spirit telling him to do? In this case which should we listen to, what we hear the Holy Spirit saying or what others hear the Holy Spirit saying?”

Great questions.  I only wish I had as good an answer to them!

My thought on the first question is simply that these believers were concerned (rightfully so) by what they sensed prophetically would happen if Paul went to Jerusalem, but that didn’t change the fact that he felt compelled by the Spirit to go anyway.  (Although I can’t really say ‘why’ the Spirit would speak to them to warn Paul, even though he was acting on what the Spirit was telling him)

As to the second, and perhaps more important question, I personally think that hearing from the Holy Spirit is almost always a subjective thing.  By that I mean it’s always possible for me to be mistaken and think I’ve heard from the Holy Spirit when perhaps it’s only my own spirit (or in rare situations, even the enemy who is speaking to me).  That’s why it’s so important for each of us to have trusted leaders in our life, as Proverbs indicates (Proverbs 11:14 and Proverbs 24:6).  If I think the Holy Spirit has spoken to me, and my trusted advisors disagree with what I’ve heard, I would likely follow their counsel – unless after more prayer & soul-searching I concluded that this was one of those times when “I ought to obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29).

So I can’t really give you a definitive answer, but I can tell you that in my experience, there is safety in the multitude of counselors.

Hope that helps a little.

Now, what would YOU like to Ask the Pastor?

One of my favorite CLCers writes, “I actually have a question posed by a friend.  She wants to know do animals have souls?  She says when you look in their eyes they don’t seem souless.  If you believe the “Darwin’s” theory then how could you say Apes don’t have souls if we evolved from them.”

Hmmmm….seems like there’s no good answer for this question.  The truth is, at least from my studies, the Bible is silent on this issue.  Scripture gives me no indication that animals have souls, but every indication that only mankind does.  However, as a dog-lover myself, I’m sure the popular sentiment would be that “all dogs go to heaven”.  (I suppose cat lovers feel the same way, but I’m certainly not going to endorse that idea, since cats are of the devil)

Just kidding.

Back to the original question.  With all due respect, the reasoning of your friend is SO typical of Americans, it’s really sad.  By that I mean that rather than using God’s Word as our final authority, most of us instead use a hodge-podge of our own ideas and what seems right to us.  Looking into an animal’s eyes is not a determining factor for anything, unless you’re an animal opthamologist.  But that’s so typical of the humanist approach to spiritual issues.

And to use the logic of Darwin’s theory of evolution, for us as believers, is almost adding insult to injury.  Darwin had a theory only, and it has never been scientifically proven, and it never will be – because it’s contrary to Scripture.  We did not descend from apes, or any other animal life.  We were created in the likeness and image of God.  GOD Himself fashioned us, with His own hands, and breathed life into us (Gen. 2:7).  That’s foundational truth, and if we reject it for theories, then the whole Bible is suspect.  Instead, I’ll take my stand with the Apostle Paul as outlined in Romans 3:4.  As one old-timer said, “I believe the Bible from cover to cover.  In fact, I even believe the cover, where it says, ‘Holy’ Bible!”

Wow….didn’t expect to get so theological over a dog.  Hope it helps.  Now, what would YOU like to Ask the Pastor?

One of our CLC-Lisle members writes, In Numbers chapter 22 when Balak’s emissaries come for the second round of pleading, Balaam first informs them that he will not oppose God for any ammont of money, and then seeks Gods guidance on the matter. In his dream/vision God the TELLS him to go with the men but await His further instuction. (Here comes what upset me) The next verse begins with Balaam saddling the famous donkey and setting off. Then God’s anger flares up… Why? Up until this point Balaam has sought God’s guidance and followed His orders. I am sometimes shocked with just how black and white the old covenant was (Moses and Aaron are held out of Cannan for hitting a rock instead of speaking to it) but still fail to follow the cause effect  relationship here. Just wondering if you could shed some light on the issue for me.

Great question.  This one has bothered a lot of Bible readers through the years, so I feel your pain (lol).  Here’s my best take:

I think the best clue to understanding God’s anger is in the previous verses, specifically verses 10-12.  There God clearly told Balaam not to go.  His will didn’t change just because Balaam begged again, especially since the reason he asked the second time was because it represented an opportunity to gratify his flesh, his pride, his personal greed – all of which ultimately became his downfall.  So when God ‘told’ him to go in verse 20, I suspect it was a case of “give him what he wants even though it’s not good for him” rather than any change of mind on God’s part.  (Perhaps that’s ‘reading between the lines” based on the eventual outcome more than a strict look at the words of verse 20, but I do think that’s what was going on.)

I think the point of the story is that “partial obedience is disobedience”, a point that’s driven home elsewhere in Scripture many times, with many different characters.  And it’s a lesson that all of us need to heed, since it’s a common temptation for us all.

As to your comment about Moses being judged harshly for striking the rock rather than speaking to it (and I realize you weren’t asking, but since I’m here I’d like to clarify) – not only was that a serious matter because partial obedience is disobedience, but in this case, it violated the “type” for the future.  See, 1Corinthians 10:4 reveals that the Rock was Christ.  As such, He must only be smitten once, which happened at the Cross when Jesus was smitten on behalf of all of us, paying the price for our eternal salvation.  Since that time, He must never be smitten again, or crucified afresh, but rather now we are to speak to Him, call on His name, to receive all the benefits that His death provided for us!

When Moses struck the rock in anger that second time, he violated that type or shadow (Heb. 8:6) and ruined the example for us.

Hope that helps. Now, what would YOU like to Ask the Pastor?

An anonymous CLCer submitted a couple of Bible questions via a connection card:

Q1: “Where was Daniel when Shadrach, Meschach & Abednego were in the fiery furnace?”

Good question.  I don’t know. The Bible doesn’t mention where Daniel was specifically – but the reason the three men were put into the furnace was because of specific accusations against them (Daniel 3:8-12), and since Daniel wasn’t included in the accusation, it makes sense that he wasn’t thrown into the furnace.  My opinion is that he certainly would not have bowed to the king’s image, but perhaps the accusers didn’t notice, or weren’t interested in going after him for some reason.  Obviously, he was the target later (Daniel 6:1-16), and he was tested in the lion’s den.

For what it’s worth, some commentators have speculated that perhaps Daniel had been called away on business, or simply was not present on this occasion, or even that he was so highly favored by the king that the astrologers didn’t dare include him in the accusation.  Good question!

Q2: Will Samson spend an eternity with God?  After all, he did commit suicide, didn’t he?

I can answer the second question, but not the first.  Yes, from Judges 16:29-30, it certainly sounds like his death would be ruled a suicide.  However, whether that dooms him to eternity in hell is a question that only God can answer.  You and I may speculate about the eternal destiny of different individuals, in the Bible or in history or even in life today, but we are not in a position to know anyone’s heart, or how God sees them.

And when it comes to the whole issue of whether suicide results in eternal damnation, well, let me just say that there is NO consensus on that issue in the body of Christ.  I’m certainly not prepared to say that it’s a sin that would automatically send someone to hell – but neither would I want to take my chances!

So let’s leave this question in the hands of a just and merciful God.

Hope that helps.  Now, what would YOU like to Ask the Pastor?

Gonna answer two questions today to relieve the backlog:

Q1: A CLC-Lisle leader asks about ‘spiritual blindness’ in John 9:41.  “Is this symbolic in saying that those who don’t know Jesus, will not be judged guilty?”

Let’s look at the passage.  Jesus was addressing the Pharisees, who thought they knew it all, and basically telling them they needed to acknowledge how little they did know, so He could teach them.  The specific statement about the blind not being guilty is difficult, but this much I know from the whole of Scripture: it does not mean that those who don’t know Jesus will not be judged.  That’s a false teaching that’s been around for hundreds of years – usually called “universalism”.

Scripture is very clear that those who do not know must be reached with the Gospel, and that’s why the Church is still here – to bring the Good News to all, so that no one remains in darkness.

What is true in Scripture is that those of us who have received truth and light will be held to a stricter accountability than those who do not know. (see Luke 12:46-48; James 3:1)

Q2: A faithful CLC-Shorewood member writes,  ”I am curious, with the new covenant of Jesus Christ… what is Israel’s future? Some say they are the chosen people and are saved without Christ… others they are lost and only saved if they know Christ. What is the truth and what is Israel’s future for salvation?”

GREAT question!  Much misunderstanding about this!  Let me try to make it simple: there is NO salvation outside of Jesus Christ. Period.

The Jewish people ARE God’s chosen people.  Without them, we wouldn’t have a Bible, or most any of the revelation of God that we enjoy.  But they, like us Gentiles, are lost without Christ (Rom. 3:23, Rom 6:23; Rom 5:8-11; Rom 10:1-4).

Yet God has not rejected them forever, and in these last days He has a plan to bring them back to Himself! (see Rom. 11:11-15)  Too many of us believers, including CLC, have neglected the evangelism of Jewish people in the past, but God is turning our hearts toward His earthly people again, and I’m excited that Israel is becoming our first priority in world missions!  In fact, our CLC trip to Israel this November 9-19 is more than a sightseeing tour of the Holy Land; it’s to connect us even more with the people and the land.  (Get all the details here)

Hope those answers helped.  Now, what would YOU like the Ask the Pastor?

Got a little backlog with several questions submitted of late, so I’m going to answer two today:

Q1: One of my favorite CLCers writes, “In Genesis 32 Jacob wrestled with a man.  This man told him in verse 28, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, It is now Israel, because you have struggled with both God and men and have won.”  In Genesis 35 Jacob is told again, in verse 10, “Your name is no longer Jacob; you will now be called Israel.”  Why is he told two different times?  If his name was changed in Genesis 32, how can his name still be Jacob?

Great question, but maybe we’re overthinking this one.  Has God ever told you something twice?

To be honest, there’s no explanation given in Scripture for this, but I’ve got to believe the repetition was merely for the sake of emphasis.  You can actually find several references to “Jacob”, even hundreds of years later, despite the fact that his name is changed to Israel.  I really don’t see any contradiction here; I just see it as God working with Jacob just like He works with us, until we ‘get it’.

Q2: A CLC-Lisle member says, “In John 2:4 Jesus said”…Mine hour is not yet come” and yet he then proceeds to do his first miracle and provide the wine miraculously transformed and requested by implication for the wedding?????”

Love it!  You’re absolutely right in your observation: Jesus said (in effect), it’s not time for me to demonstrate the miraculous yet, but then proceeded to do that very thing.  What’s up with that?

The answer can only be found in what transpired between his statement and the miracle.  Notice the passage again.

Mary refused to take ‘no’ for an answer! Her faith prompted Jesus to do the miraculous even before He intended to!

In fact, her faith reminds me of the Gentile woman in Matthew 15 whose faith likewise prompted Jesus to meet her request, even though she was a Gentile and He was only sent to the Jewish people at that time.  Faith brings the miraculous!

I could preach, but I won’t.  Or maybe I will – just because our fast is nearing an end, don’t forget to ask boldly.  Don’t quit.  Keep believing!

I hope those helped.  Now, what would YOU like to Ask the Pastor?

One of our faithful CLCers writes, “In the third service on 1/10/10 you stated that the early church changed the day that they assembled themselves together to Sunday, the first day of the week. What is the scripture verse that you use to support that statement? I have a good friend who is Messianic and I would like to share it with him.”

Uh-oh, busted!

Not really – I love it when people don’t just take my words for fact, but do as the Berean’s in Scripture (Acts 17:10-12).  Here’s what I know:

In Acts 20:7 we see that the believers came together on the first day of the week, and specifically to observe the Lord’s Supper, which would indicate it was a worship gathering.  In 1Corinthians 16:1-3, it appears that this was the accepted practice for the believers both in Galatia and in Corinth.  In Revelation 1:10, John was worshipping on what he called, “The Lord’s Day”, which, according to some scholars, is the earliest reference in Christian literature to the first day of the week as ‘The Lord’s Day’.

Now, let me be very clear: in my understanding, the New Testament does NOT prescribe a certain day for worship.  In fact, we are told specifically that there is room for differences of opinion on this issue (Romans 14:5-6).  It’s obvious in the New Testament that Jewish believers continued to assemble for worship on the Sabbath, just as they had done under the Law.  Historians say that at some point the Gentile believers changed the day of worship to Sunday, in commemoration of the resurrection of Christ on the first day of the week.  It’s pretty obvious from the verses cited in the paragraph above that this had become an accepted practice among the Gentile churches.

For the record, I have no issue whatsoever with Messianic Jews worshipping on Saturday.  In fact, there is certainly Biblical support for what I call “completed Jews” (Messianic believers) to maintain their Jewishness, rather than abandoning their culture.

Hope that helps.  Now, what would YOU like to Ask the Pastor?

One of my favorite CLCers asks, “Can you explain Proverbs 26, verse 4 and Proverbs 26, verse 5?  They seem to be contradictory.  Am I over-thinking it?

Great question!  This passage had me stumped, so I don’t think you’re over-thinking it at all.  I’m indebted to my Spirit-Filled Life Bible (my favorite for study purposes) for this helpful explanation: “These apparently contradictory proverbs are compatible if we recognize that each teaches a separate truth.  If you imitate the style of a fool, you are one yourself; but if you respond to him as you would to a wise man, he will think himself one.”

Hope that helped you as much as it did me!

Now, what would YOU like to ask the Pastor?

A CLCer asks, “In Rom 14:10 & 2Cor 5:10 it says we all appear or stand before the judgement seat of Christ. Then is it correct to say we will all get to visit heaven? Is Christ’s judgement seat in Heaven or a suburb of Heaven? Is the great white throne in heaven across the hall from the judgement seat? If so, will Jesus go across the hall to say ‘I’ve got some bad news and more bad news’?

Great questions…and I especially like the tongue-in-cheek approach!

First, let’s distinguish the difference in the two judgments: the judgment seat of Christ cited in the two Epistles above is the Greek word, “bema”, which refers to the judging stand used during the Olympics for the winners to receive their awards. In other words, the judgment seat of Christ is where true believers will appear, to receive our rewards. No unbelievers will appear before Christ’s bema-seat.

The great white throne, on the other hand, is described in Rev. 20 as being the place of final judgment for those who are cast into the lake of fire, after having been judged by God’s word. NO believers will have to appear there.

As to the location of the two, I can’t speak with certainty about the judgment seat of Christ; but the great white throne must be in heaven.  So, as funny as it sounded when you asked, I guess it would be correct to say that everyone will get to ‘visit’ heaven!

Unfortunately, what happens at the great white throne is no laughing matter.  In fact, it’s one of the most important reasons why The Church needs to be reaching out to everyone with the Good News of salvation – to “plunder hell & populate heaven” (to quote Reinhard Bonnke)  I’m believing 2010 will be a great year of harvest at CLC!

Now, what would YOU like to Ask the Pastor?

One of our Shorewood members writes,  “Can you please explain the difference of the Gift of tongues and the tongues that take place at the baptism of the Holy Spirit. I was taught at salvation one gets their spiritual gifts, but not all get the same gift and not all get the gift of tongues. Can you elaborate on why tongues is available to all who ask through the baptism of the Holy Spirit?”

Great question.  IMPORTANT questions.  In fact, from my experience, this is perhaps THE biggest question for those who have been taught against “speaking in tongues” for today.  I’ll try to keep it brief, because this can be a Bible study all in itself.

1.  From my understanding of Scriptures, there are 3 different purposes or uses of “tongues” – (a) a ‘sign’ that normally accompanies the baptism or infilling of the Holy Spirit; (b) a ‘prayer language’ that brings wonderful benefits to our devotional times with the Lord; and (c) a gift for public use in the congregation, when accompanied by it’s companion gift of “interpretation of tongues”.

2.  Besides my own experience, which is always subjective and never to be the authority for doctrine, I know that the distinctions I’ve listed above are valid, because the public gift (“c” above) has very definite restrictions/guidelines for its proper use, as listed in 1Cor. 14:27-28, yet NONE of the examples of “speaking in tongues” in the book of Acts meet that Biblical criteria for the gift of tongues!  (Acts 2:4 involved about 120 people, all speaking at the same time, and no interpreter; Acts 10 involved an indefinite number, but definitely more than 2 or 3, and again they spoke at the same time and w/o an interpreter; and Acts 19 involved 12 men who all spoke at the same time and w/o an interpreter.) Since we know that the Bible does not contradict itself then what happened in Acts MUST be different than the gift of tongues for public use as described in 1Cor. 14.

3.  Furthermore, since Paul boasted of his personal practice of praying in tongues, yet said that he’d rather speak 5 words that could be understood rather than 10,000 in tongues during a church service (1Cor. 14:18-19), it seems obvious that he was referring to a devotional use of tongues (“b” above) rather than the public gift with interpretation.

4.  So, to answer your questions more specifically, tongues is available to every believer as a devotional aid (there are MANY benefits listed there in 1Cor 14 and in Romans 8, as well as Jude 20.) The ability to pray in tongues begins when a person is baptized in the Holy Spirit, but, to be honest, at CLC we don’t focus on that “evidence doctrine”, because I’ve learned through the years that it usually just generates arguments.  Instead our focus is on those practical benefits to our prayer life – and I think every believer should desire & expect those benefits!  As to the teaching that no all get the same gift and not all get the gift of tongues, I would agree totally – with the understanding that the gift of tongues referred to is the “(c)” use above; i.e., the gift that is used in public with the accompanying gift of interpretation.  Not every believer receives that gift, but every believer can/should be endued with power from on high (Luke 24:49) and certainly every believer can/should use their prayer language regularly (ICor 14:18)

Hope that helped a bit.  I especially hope that you’re enjoying this Christmas season!

Now, what would you like to Ask the Pastor in 2010?

My favorite questioner writes: Matthew 23:8-10 states that we should call no man Rabbi, Father, or Master. It goes on to state that we have only One Father, which is in heaven.  Can you break this down for me? I’ve read the KJV, The Amplified Version, and the NLT, and they all seem to give the same clear meaning (not to give these titles to any one on earth).  I’m really confused because Rabbi and Father are common titles used in today’s world, especially in some churches and synagogues.

Great question.  The answer is probably a little more complicated.  First, we must never fall into the habit of judging Scripture by what we see around us, but rather judge what we see in life on the basis of Scripture!  (Let the chips fall where they may, as far as what some churches or synagogues practice today)

However, I do think Jesus’ intent was more than just telling us to avoid those specific titles, because, frankly, the same error can be made today with titles like ‘Apostle’, ‘Prophet’, ‘Bishop’, or even the one I most commonly answer to, ‘pastor’.

I do like what Eugene Peterson has done in The Message paraphrase, because I think it addresses the real issues, both for leaders and their followers:

• pedestals are not good for people!  My ego doesn’t need to be stroked, and you don’t need to place your ultimate confidence in man, but in God!
• all of us are equal in God’s sight even though we have different gifts and different callings.  None is holier than another!
• God, and only God, is the true Authority for both leaders and followers.  In fact, I’m only able to be followed as I am following (1Cor. 11:1)
• As leaders exercise our calling, we must remember that at best, we are only “under-shepherds”, and we dare not let followers force us to take charge of them – their ultimate responsibility is to the Chief Shepherd!

I am always honored and humbled when someone chooses to call me ‘pastor’ – but as I’ve said before, I’d much prefer to do the stuff and not have the title as to have the title and not do the stuff!

That was fun – hope you found it helpful.

Now, what would YOU like the ask the Pastor?

For the first time in many months, none of my readers submitted a question for this week….so I’ll answer the question that was asked of the panel I served on at the Las Vegas conference I attended this week: “what went wrong in the garden of Eden?”

My answer is short and to the point, just 9 words:

• a real devil
• a deceived woman
• a passive man

In order, let’s never overlook the fact that we have an enemy who is real and cunning. (Never forget that!)  And, as Eve demonstrated in the garden, each of us is subject to deception (don’t fool yourself – you need God’s Word and accountability).  Finally, for the men in my audience, God has called us to be responsible in our marriage and our family.  Let’s learn from Adam’s poor example and reject passivity in order to be the leaders God has called us to be!

Now, what would you like to Ask the Pastor?

One of our CLC-SW members wrote, I have a question for you that I have always wondered since I got saved! Why do we not see the gift of interpretation of tongues in the church these days???

Great question!  I wish I had the wisdom to say, “I don’t know” (because that’s the honest truth).

But since I try to deliver each Friday, I’ll give you my ‘thoughts’ on the subject:

• Some of us HAVE seen the gift of interpretation of tongues in operation – me included.  I’ve had a few experiences that would give you Holy Ghost goose-bumps for sure, and I’ve had lots of other experiences in church through the years that were completely forgettable.  But I’ve definitely seen enough to know that it is a valid gift that is still in use in the Body of Christ today.
• Having said that, I will quickly say that the use of that gift seems to primarily occur in Pentecostal churches, and not in more ‘charismatic’ churches (boy, I hate labels like those, and I just used two in one sentence!) I’m not sure WHY that is; it’s just been my observation.  I suppose it could amount to a bias toward that gift (obviously with it’s companion, the gift of tongues) among Pentecostals, perhaps because of their tradition and ‘comfort levels’, compared to Charismatics, who may be more comfortable with the gift of prophecy.
• It could also have to do with our shortened-services to accommodate multiple service schedules & please American Christians (I’m just sayin’). Personally, I feel the pressure every Sunday to fit everything in that we try to do (worship, special announcements, special music, preaching, etc) and keep the service to a 75-minute time limit (which we usually exceed anyway, but that’s the goal).  In my heart of hearts, I try to balance that with our love for the full ministry of the Holy Spirit, and a determination to never quench what the Holy Spirit might want to do in our public gatherings – but it’s possible that we don’t always spend the time lingering in His Presence, which is the atmosphere from which many of the gifts of the Spirit flow.
• One other interesting possibility that is espoused by some teachers is that the gifts of the Spirit were given for special needs & circumstances, to provide supernatural assistance – so some have concluded that if we aren’t seeing certain gifts manifest, it simply means that there isn’t a need at that particular assembly.  (I’m a little uncomfortable to take than too far, but obviously we don’t need the gifts of healing to manifest if there’s no one in the meeting who is sick, etc.)

That’s about as much speculation as I can render – hope it gives you some food for thought.  Let me close with 1Cor. 14:1 – we may not know why certain gifts are manifest more than others, but EACH of us should desire spiritual gifts, and use them to edify the body of Christ!

Now, what would YOU like to Ask the Pastor?

Today I’m going to try to answer 2 questions, since both were submitted the same day, and actually somewhat overlap:

Q (1): Pastor, I have a question regarding angels and statues and I guess you can say any type of graven images. I know that some churches have statues and they even pray to these statues. Some of these statues are images of Jesus, Mary and some of the people they perceive to be saints in the bible. I personally have a problem with this. But my main question goes so far as to ask your thoughts on pictures? Years ago, myself included, we would have pictures of how we perceived Jesus to look. We didn’t consciously pray to the picture, however, it would be so easy to look at the picture and unconsciously ask for his help. Please enlighten me.

A: Interesting question…one that I haven’t heard often.  First of all, my understanding of “graven images” is strictly in the context of idol worship in heathen cultures, where they literally carved or constructed idols to represent the gods that they worshipped – mostly out of superstition and fear.  Certainly idolatry is forbidden throughout Scripture – in the sense of us having any other gods before the Lord, the only True God.  And I’m among the preachers who have said, “you can make an idol out of anything: your job, your car, your spouse, your money, your hobby, etc.”

Perhaps the most interesting application of this principle in the New Testament is Col. 3:5, which equates idolatry with greed (covetousness in many other translations) – which certainly gives us a reason to stop & consider the materialism of our day and culture.

Nonetheless, in regards to your specific question, I don’t find anything in Scripture that would forbid having a picture of an angel, or a Bible character, or even an artist’s conception of Jesus – so long as it’s a picture only and NEVER the object of prayer or devotion.  Having said that, I personally don’t know why anyone would want those type of pictures in the first place, since no one knows exactly what an angel or Jesus looked like – in fact, if we did see an actual photograph of Him, I think we’d be quite surprised, according to Isaiah 53:2!

Q (2): If God is love and love is not jealous, how can God be a jealous God? I heard that Oprah quit attending church because she heard that God was jealous of her…. is there a scripture that says God is jealous OF us?? If so could you explain what that mean exactly, as well as explain what could appear to some as a contradiction of Jealousy and Love from God?

A: Wow…never been asked these before!  I guess I’d start by saying I suspect the Oprah rumor is just that, a rumor – and certainly there is NO Scripture that would imply that God is jealous OF us!

After a quick consult with Merriam-Webster’s dictionary, I found that jealous has 4 possible meanings, but only 2 that could ever apply of the Lord:

• intolerant of rivalry or unfaithfulness
• vigilant in guarding a possession

The other 2 meanings are: “disposed to suspect rivalry or unfaithfulness” and “hostile toward a rival or one believed to enjoy an advantage” and it’s in that sense (I believe) that 1Cor. 13 has in mind when it reports that “love is not jealous”.  As humans, we may become suspicious or get hostile toward a rival, but God doesn’t.  However, He IS intolerant of rivalry or unfaithfulness on our part – He won’t tolerate us having other ‘loves’ ahead of Him, since He is the only true God.

And I’m thankful that He is SO vigilant in guarding us, His possession! (see Deut. 32:8-12)

I don’t see that as a contradiction; I see that as proof of true love!

Hope this helped a little bit, although I admit that both are tough questions.

Now, what would YOU like to Ask the Pastor?

A faithful writes, “Somewhere in the Old Testament it gives the impression that some of the angels came down to earth and laid with human women and the women actually had babies.  Some of these babies grew up and became giants.  Is this true?  I can’t remember where in the Old Testament I read this but I know that I read it. Can you give me some type of insight into this, or at the very least can you tell me if this is true?”

Great question. The passage is Genesis 6:1-4.  As you can see, it doesn’t say “angels”, but rather, “the sons of God” – a term that IS sometimes used to describe angels.  (see Job 1:6, for instance). For this reason, some teachers believe exactly what you said – that angels had sexual relations with women and that giants were produced as a result.

However, others of us don’t necessarily buy into that teaching (me included). The traditional Jewish interpretation was that the “sons of God” in Genesis 6 is a reference to the “righteous line of people who descended from Seth” (see Gen. 4:26) - because you can trace a ‘bloodline’ of the ‘righteous’ men of the Old Testament all the way back to Seth.

Another reason I find it difficult to believe the sons of God were angels in this passage is that Jesus said that angels do not marry, leading me to think they wouldn’t have sexual relations on earth either (see Matthew 22:30)

So I can’t solve this one completely, as Christians are divided on the issue – but at least now you know where the passage is and what the issues are.  Hope that helps you reach your own conclusion.

Now, what would YOU like to ask the Pastor?

One of my favorite CLCer writes: “Lately, I’ve heard more people choosing cremation over burial.  I was told as a child that cremation is a sin.  I’m reading the bible from cover to cover (something I’ve never done but have been compelled to do since being @ CLC).  I’m now in Ezekiel.  Up to this point, I haven’t recognized anything on this.  Did I miss something?  Is there any reference to this in the bible?”

Great observation and great question.  The short answer is “NO, there is no reference to cremation in Scripture”.  It’s also true that more & more people seem to be choosing it over burial, in part probably because of the lower costs.

Since the Bible is silent, I do think you are free to choose for yourself or your family.  However, I can say that the Jewish people have not practiced cremation from OT times until now, in part because of their regard for the human body as God’s creation.  Burial has always been the Jewish way of disposing of their dead, and Christians followed suit until more recent times.

Regardless of one’s conviction along those lines, the clear truth remains: at the Resurrection, our earthly bodies (whether reduced to ashes or remaining intact in the grave) will be transformed into a new body, like His, and we’ll never be separated from Him again!  (1Thess 4:13-18; 1 Cor 15:35-58)

Hope that helps.  Now, what would YOU like to ask the Pastor?

My favorite questioner asks, In Psalm 22, when David wrote and cried out to God, did he know that he was actually prophesying about Jesus? Did God let him know about the messiah in a dream or vision? Did he know what he was saying or was he caught up in a parallel place where he could actually feel and see what our Lord was going to go through?

Excellent questions – and a very good observation, that the Messianic Psalms go into amazing details about Jesus, hundreds of years before he was born!

The Psalms or other Old Testament prophecies don’t reveal the answers to your questions directly, but I think 1Peter 1:10-12 sure does.  (You may enjoy The Message rendering of that passage, too)

It seems from those verses that David did know that he was prophesying about the Messiah, but whether he knew that from a dream or vision, we don’t know.  It is possible that he was just writing the words as the Holy Spirit moved upon him (see 2Pet.2:20-21), but it’s also very possible that, at the moment he was writing, David felt completely forsaken and the cry was his own cry, with a deeper application to the suffering of Christ.

Another interesting concept (I think) is found in John 19:28-30, which shows us that Jesus, who is The Word of God in human form (John 1:1, 14) was so aware of every prophecy concerning Himself that He would not die until He had fulfilled the last one!  How trustworthy is God’s Word! If HE said it, HE will bring it to pass!

I’ll get off my soapbox now to say, I hoped that helped a bit.

Now, what would YOU like to ask the pastor?

My favorite inquirer writes:  I have a questions regarding the book of Job.  I’ve heard people make statements concerning how Job was long suffering and about “the patience of Job”. While reading the book of Job and then a commentary about it, it seems to me Job did not have a lot of patience, nor did he seem to take his suffering lightly. What also confuses me was why did God brag about Job to satan and then while Job was going through his trial, God criticized Job and rebuked him?   I thought that Job was a righteous and upright person, and long suffering, but in going over the book of Job now, it does not seem like he was very long suffering. It seems like he complained about his suffering as much as I would have complained if I had to go through that! Please enlighten me. And one more thing: God multiplied Job’s blessing in the end, but can a person’s previous children ever be replaced? New children are a blessing, but can they really replace your lost children?

Good questions, all.  I think I counted 4 or 5 in all, so let’s try them, in order:

• Even the Scripture speaks of the “patience of Job” (James 5:10-11), so I’m certainly going to agree w/God that Job did exhibit patience and longsuffering in his trial.  I suspect that ‘commendation’ comes from his initial response to his suffering, which I probably should point out, seems to me to be greater than any person on earth that I’ve ever known about, when you add up ALL that he suffered at once.  He certainly displayed patience in not cursing God, even when his own wife advised him to do so.  It wasn’t until his so-called ‘friends’ piled on their condemnation that Job ‘slipped’ and began to speak things that he later acknowledged he should not have. (Job 42:3-6)
• God did indeed ‘brag’ about Job to Satan, and He later did speak the truth about Job, but again, it was only after Job made accusations against God foolishly.  If you look carefully at the conversations with his friends, God judged them, not Job, and actually told them to ask Job to pray for them.
• Actually, if Job complained as much as you would have, I think that’s ‘good news’ – because no one is perfect, and God knows that about us.  So if Job did complain (after enduring the most awful suffering imaginable) then perhaps there is hope for all of us ‘complainers’ – especially if we’re willing to acknowledge our weakness to God and ask forgiveness, as Job did.
• You are certainly correct in saying that children we lose in death cannot be replaced, ever.  I don’t think the message of Job was intended to say that they were replaced, but simply that God DID bless Job again after his losses.  And while nothing could compensate for the loss of his children, at least he was comforted by having more children who were a blessing to him.

All good questions; hopefully this helped a little bit.

Now, what would YOU like to Ask the Pastor?

A new reader writes: I have two questions. First, I was listening to a study and this author said that ALL demons are controlled and get their power from the spirit of insecurity and the spirit of inferiority. This was a revelation the author received personally from God. Listening to him explain this did not convince me and I wanted to get your insight on this. Second, I’m reading the book Spiritual Seasons – a statement was made that our spiritual season and the natural season are parallel. What is your perspective on this?

Boy, never been asked either of these before, and I hope I’m not missing something that each teacher expressed, but based on the info you’ve given, here are my thoughts:

1.  There is nothing in Scripture to verify the idea that all demons are controlled & empowered by the spirits of insecurity & inferiority.  Furthermore, since the speaker played what I call “The God card” by saying that GOD revealed this to him personally, we’re left with no option but to either accept his teaching OR call him in error.  Personally, I would have to vote that he’s in error, since his ‘revelation’ is extra-Biblical; i.e., outside of the written Word.

2.  While the second question isn’t quite in the same category, it also makes a declaration that simply is NOT in Scripture.  The closest support I could possibly offer is 1Cor. 15:46, which actually  is dealing with Adam & Jesus, but sometimes can be construed as a principle that we often experience things in the natural before we experience them in the spiritual.  Again, I certainly can’t say that this MUST be the case, so I would have to disagree with the idea that our natural seasons parallel our spiritual seasons.

Having said that, I would caution you to read/listen with discernment as to exactly what is being said.  Oftentimes a preacher will use a comparison or example for the sake of illustration, and it may make for good ‘sermonizing’, but that’s different than trying to make an absolute doctrine of something as subjective as your question.  I never want to be guilty of judging someone as a ‘false teacher’ if they were just doing some sermonizing rather than trying to insist on a doctrinal absolute.

Hope that helps.

Now, what would YOU like to Ask the Pastor?

One of our readers asks, “I thought that the judgment for us (as believers) is not about heaven and hell but rather the administration of rewards or the five different crowns. But this seems to be a contradiction to 1Peter 4:17. Also, according to verse 18, it seems that the righteous shall scarcely be saved.  Can you please explain these two verses to me?

I’ll try.  Keep in mind that I’m writing this from Senegal and have none of my Bible resources available to me.  This much I know: this passage is not about the eternal judgments of God after we die; this passage refers to the trials and difficulties that we face here on earth.  In fact, verse 18 is a direct quote from Proverbs 11:31.

Each of us as believers will face times of God’s chastening, which doesn’t come to punish us, but to purify our walk and help us become more like Him.  

Perhaps Peter is using a bit of hyperbole in saying that we are ‘scarcely’ saved; most of the more modern translations render it “with difficulty”.  In other words, if even believers experience difficulties and challenges in this life, how much more difficult is it for the wicked.

David expressed something along this same line in Psalm 73, when he began the chapter by indulging in a little self-pity, feeling that the wicked were prospering while perhaps he had lived carefully for no reason, or that he had endured God’s chastening for no real benefit….UNTIL he went into the sanctuary and began to understand the truth – that the wicked face eternal judgment & condemnation, while he will be enjoying eternity in the Presence of the Lord.

Hope that helps.  Now, what would YOU like to Ask the Pastor?

A faithful CLCer writes, “I would like to know if I have the legal right/authority to repent on behalf of members of my immediate family that have not committed their lives to Christ?”

If I’m understanding the question, or more importantly, the desire behind it – the answer is ‘no’.  Turning from sin and receiving Christ is an individual and personal decision.  The word repent literally means, ‘a change of mind’ (see Matthew 21:28-30 for Jesus’ own illustration of repentance).  Once you understand that, it’s easy to see that no one could have a ‘change of mind’ on behalf of someone else, no matter how much we wish we could.

Probably all of us have loved ones that we earnestly and deeply want to come to repentance so they can receive Christ and enjoy a relationship with Him.  We can, and should, pray for them, and do our part to make the Gospel attractive to them by our lifestyle and our love – but we cannot make that decision for them.  Scripture is quite clear that each of us is responsible before God for our own choices.

Now, in case I misunderstand your intent, there is an “identificational repentance” championed by John Dawson and C. Peter Wagner in some of their writings – but that is a method of spiritual warfare, not a repentance intended to bring forgiveness for someone else.

I hope that helps.  Now, what would YOU like to ask the Pastor?

One of my favorite CLCers (have you guys noticed how many ‘favorites’ I have?) asks, “Based on the parable of the Good Samaritan, where does the good samaritan draw the line to helping or does he help until the peron is completly well or healed?”

Great question.  Tough question.  Needful question.

I think all of us who sincerely seek to help others in the spirit of Jesus have faced this dilemma…..we see the need and we give of ourselves, but sometimes it seems it only opens up even more ‘neediness’ (is that a word) in the person we’re trying to help….and there seems to be no end.  So where DO we draw the line.

I’ll readily confess that I don’t have a quick solution to this one, as I struggle with it personally from time to time.  But here are a few principles I know:

1.  You must draw the line before harming yourself or your family!  In other words, if you helping them is going to take you beyond the limit of your resources (financial, emotional, physical or relational) then you must not continue.  My former pastor (now deceased) used to say, “He who would help another must have more than enough strength for himself” – and that still rings true.

2.  You must draw the line when God says so – and He plainly says that peace is the umpire (Col. 3:15). This means if you don’t have peace, don’t!  If you do have peace, no matter how illogical it seems, go for it!  (It’s quite possible that the fact you are questioning where to draw the line means you’ve already crossed it & no longer have peace to continue giving/helping……I’m just sayin’)

3.  You must draw the line when YOU become their Jehovah-Jireh.  (In other words, the purpose of our helping is to show people Jesus, and if they’re not making that connection, but only becoming more & more dependent on us, then it’s time to redirect their attention to their true provider, the Lord!)

I hope that helps a bit, because I know first-hand how important this question is, as I said before.  In my old denomination we used to sing a song that went something like this:

“I want to live the way God wants me to live.  I want to give the way God wants me to give.  I want to love; love ’til there’s just no more love.  I could never, ever out-love the Lord!”

Sincere sentiment; poor theology.  I’ve heard my wife say more than once that it was that desire which caused her to break her health, wind up in the hospital, and cut short our missionary service many years ago – all because we didn’t know where to draw the line.  As God’s vessels, we MUST be healthy – emotionally, physically, spiritually – so that we can truly help others.

Now, what would YOU like to Ask the Pastor? Please leave your questions in the comment section below.

Whew…nice to get back to my ‘regular’ Friday post featuring one question, instead of the marathon we just completed.  At any rate, a faithful CLCer asks, I know that we have to forgive but in order to forgive fully are you also responsible to rebuild a relationship when someone has done you so wrong?

Great question!  Unfortunately, I think you are probably the only one who can truly answer it.  By that I mean IF you have forgiven fully, and there is still no restored relationship, then it could fall in the category of Romans 12:17-19 (esp. verse 18), which I understand to mean that sometimes it’s just not possible to live in peace with some people – even though you do everything in your power to do so.

If that’s the case, then there is no guilt to just let the relationship go and trust God to restore it down the road, if ever.

However, it’s also very possible that the reason we don’t want to restore a relationship is because we really have NOT fully forgiven.  If that’s the case, then obviously, we need to forgive more fully and seek the restoration of the relationship.

I’ve quoted him many times, but I’m reminded (again) of my pastor describing a ‘tiff’ between himself & his wife, and him hearing the Lord in prayer saying that he should ask her forgiveness.  Bishop Garlington said, “But, Lord, I’m right this time!”, to which the Lord replied, “Joseph, do you want to be right or do you want to be reconciled?”

I hope this helps – this much I know: life is short & relationships are what it’s all about.

Now, what would YOU like to ask the Pastor?

Finally!  We’re finishing up all the questions submitted for our “Got Questions?” series that didn’t get answered via a Sunday sermon:

Q: Someone asked, ‘why do non-denominational churches seem to not preach doctrine & only ‘feel good’ messages?

A: I don’t know if that’s a question or a criticism – but I do know that at CLC we preach plenty of doctrine each week, so I really can’t speak for others.

Q: In a similar vein, someone else asked, “What’s with the faith-teaching theology that I run across all the time, even here at CLC?

A: This ‘question’ actually was considerably longer, as the questioner expressed strong feelings against ‘faith-teaching’.  I don’t pretend to answer or even agree with everything that someone may espouse in their ‘faith-teaching’ theology – but neither do I believe your concept that everything is up to God’s sovereignty. It’s not arrogance, in my humble opinion, to think that my faith can make a difference in whether or not I receive from the Lord – but I do know that my faith is not a guarantee that I’ll get what I want every single time.  I don’t have time or space to answer your every concern, but I would urge you not to surrender to a “Que sera, sera” attitude!

Q: Since the word ‘rapture’ is not in the Bible, where does this theory come from?  Will some Christians stand against the Anti-Christ?  Will Christians escape the tribulation period?

A: My first inclination is to say that Christians have disagreed on this subject for hundreds of years, so I’m not likely to settle the dispute in this blog.  But since I’m paying for this space, I’ll give you my opinion:

• while the word isn’t in the Bible, the concept of the rapture is NOT a theory – read 1Thess 4:15-18 for yourself and it’s quite clear: Jesus will return for His Church, and we will be caught up to meet Him in the air.
• I think many believers are already standing against the Anti-Christ, as 2John 1:7 would indicate.
• As to whether the rapture is pre-, mid-, or post-tribulation, I’ve already responded earlier in this post.  All things considered, I don’t know the answer to your question, but I lean toward the post-tribulation position, which would mean that, yes, Christians would be alive to face and stand against the Anti-Christ.

Q: A similar question was – can you give some clarity about the pre, post & mid tribulation eras?

A: Probably not to anyone’s satisfaction, but let’s try: the ‘pre-trib’ view says that prior to the AntiChrist and the period of God’s wrath being poured out upon the earth, that the rapture of the Church will take place and we will be caught away to be with the Lord forever.  The ‘post-trib’ view says that the Anti-Christ will be revealed and the world will enter into a period of about 7 years of trouble & difficulty such as we’ve never known before (particularly for the nation of Israel), and that Christians will remain here during that entire time, to stand against the AntiChrist.  Finally, the ‘mid-trib’ view says that Christians will remain here on earth for the first half of the tribulation, to experience the suffering that comes upon Israel, but that this was to purify us, not to punish us.  That view says the last half of the tribulation (3.5 years) is the period of God’s wrath, and that believers will never experience His wrath, so He will rapture us away to be with Him prior to that time of “Great Tribulation”.  I deliberately didn’t list any verses for you, as my experience is that each position has different passages to support its view.  (I realize that all 3 positions can’t possibly be right, but at this point I don’t feel I have enough insight to make this a test of fellowship at CLC – my STRONG position is that all Christians should live so as to be ready to endure the tribulation, and if we escape sooner, Praise the Lord!)

Q: I have no feelings of love toward my Mother, because of the past.  How is the best way to deal with this fact?

A: Your question was much longer than this and understandably showed a lot of mixed emotions on your part as to whether you have deal with the bitterness & resentment left from the way she treated you.  I would simply say, you must forgive (I know you say you have, but, as my wife has taught here at CLC, forgiveness is like peeling an onion – there are different layers.  Each time you encounter another layer, you must choose to forgive again.) This has nothing to do with her deserving or even asking for forgiveness; it has to do with you being free from the bitterness and resentment and the ‘closed heart’ that unforgiveness causes – so you can still receive everything God has for you.

Beyond that choice to forgive & release her (by the way, I suggest you do that verbally in prayer), you may be a prime candidate for counseling.  Sometimes it just helps us to process things in a more healthy manner if we have a close confidante with whom to share.  We have trained lay counselors at CLC, and we also refer to professional Christian counselors, so call the office to set up an appointment if you desire.

Q: A precious CLCer asked me to explain how the Father, Son & Holy Spirit are all God, and to explain what Paul meant about women keeping silent in the church in 1Tim 2:11-12

A: I wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry at your confidence that I could do this in one sermon,  let alone one blog post!  But since fools (and pastors) rush in where angels fear to tread, here goes:

• The Father, Son and Holy Spirit are all God, because each of them possesses Divine qualities; i.e., each of them can do & know things that only God can know or do.  The doctrine of the Trinity (another word that is not found in Scripture, like ‘rapture’, but the concept certainly is found all through Scripture) simply embraces the fact that since each possesses those qualities of Deity, and the first and greatest commandment of all is Deut. 6:4 (this truth that God is One is what separated Israel from every other nation on earth, all of whom worshiped a multiplicity of gods), then they must be One.  (Some say ‘one God in three persons’; others say, ‘one God in three manifestations’ – makes me no difference so long as we understand that the Father, Son & Holy Spirit are One!) That’s a 75-second explanation of an 8-hour concept….hope it helped a bit
• To be honest, the 1Tim. 2:11-12 passage is difficult.  Some have said Paul ordered women to be silent because, in that culture, women & men sat on opposite sides of the church gathering, and since women were generally uneducated & illiterate in that era, they were constantly interrupting the teaching to ask their husbands for explanation.  While that does make some sense, it doesn’t really satisfy.
• What I do KNOW is that the Greek word for “silent’ in that passage is the same as in verse 2 of the same chapter, where living a ‘quiet’ life certainly doesn’t mean ‘silence’.  I also KNOW that Paul makes reference to many women leaders in the New Testament, including some who were considered ‘apostles’, and others who ‘prophesied‘, which would be difficult to do while keeping silent.  And since I KNOW that the Bible doesn’t contradict itself, and that Gal. 3:28 is clear that it no longer matters – male or female have the same rights & privileges in Christ Jesus!
• I suspect that the true meaning of 1Tim. 2:11-12 has to do with the word ‘usurp’ (in the KJV) – and that Paul was addressing the fact that no woman should ‘take over’ or ‘forcibly seize’ the authority from a man (by the way, no man should do that, either!).  God has always ordained authority, and He always works through delegated authority (see Romans 13:1 and Luke 7:7-9 for two of my favorite examples). So my interpretation of the passage you asked about is that it has more to do with order in God’s house than with the male & female issue.

That’s ALL, folks!  Join us this Sunday for the final installment of our “Got Questions?” series and for next Friday’s feature here, what would YOU like to “Ask the Pastor”?

Still continuing to answer questions that didn’t qualify for a sermon during our current “Got Questions?” series:

Q: Are we overstepping our bounds by using technology like In Vitro Fertilization (IVF)?  If God meant for us to have children, he’d allow us to have them naturally, right?

A: Not sure this was really a question as you seem to have already made up your mind – but if you are asking, my answer is (a) the Bible is silent on this issue; and (b) that being the case, it seems strange to me that we would rule out some technology like IVF, but welcome the technology that allows us to defeat diseases or correct near-sightedness, or any other number of quality of life improvements that modern technology has afforded us.  Personally, I’m very thankful for an air-conditioned church, with video screens, wireless microphones, and electronic keyboards – none of which God provided for us before modern technology.  You don’t have to agree, but I’m just sayin’……..

Q: Is it wrong for me to get a tattoo?

A: Ahhh, I already answered this one in depth over a year ago – check it out here

Q: Is it ok to still teach our children “tough love?” Or do we be careful not to upset them and have them not like us? Another similar question was: Is it wrong to spank your children or do we still follow “spare the rod spoil the child”?

A: I suspect this is too complex a subject to attempt to answer, but I’ll wade in anyhow (that’s my nature).  If by ‘tough love’ you mean that, as parents, we choose to do what’s best for our children even if they don’t like it, then certainly we should do so (see Heb. 12:4-11 tempered with Eph. 6:4).  Finding that balance is never easy, but it is the goal.  And to answer the last question, Scripture was given to us long before Dr. Spock wrote his book, and it actually doesn’t say sparing the rod spoils the child, but that if we spare the rod we hate our child (see Prov. 13:24). While I never condone harsh spankings done in anger, I’m convinced that the Bible’s instruction in this regard is wisdom that parents should heed.

Q: Since Peter, James and John were asleep when Jesus was praying in the garden of Gesthemane, who heard the words that Jesus spoke to the Lord so they could be recorded in the gospels?

A: Great question!  While there may be other possible answers, the one I know heard for certain is none other than the Holy Spirit, who gave each of the Biblical writers the inspiration to write what they did – just as Moses was able to record for us the events contained in the book of Genesis, even though he wasn’t born until Exodus!  (see 2Pet 1:20-21 and 2 Tim. 3:16)

Q: I’ve heard it said that those who don’t tithe will go to hell.  Is that biblically sound?

A: To be honest, I’m always amazed at how any human can pronounce who is going to hell – since eternal judgment is reserved for GOD, and God alone.  (Personally, I’m thankful that’s not my responsibility, since I would no doubt send some to heaven who should be in hell and others to hell who should be in heaven – all because of my own finite understanding and inability to see someone’s heart!) But as I climb down from my soapbox to get at the real question you asked, my answer would be, “if that’s the only reason someone is tithing, I doubt it will work”.  I don’t believe we tithe out of the fear of hell; we tithe because we love the Lord and we want to obey His Word, and especially because we TRUST that He knows best, and that by honoring Him with the first tenth of my increase, HE  will become my financial partner to insure that my 90% will go further than the entire 100% would have!

My personal favorite quote in this regard comes from Andrew Wommack, who was asked, “If I don’t tithe will I go to hell?” replied, “No, but you’re stupid to miss out on all the benefits of tithing!”

Q: Why is it seen as ok that Rebekah & Jacob stole the blessings intended for Esau?  Isn’t that downright theft?

A: I’m not sure.  First, I’m not sure that “it is seen as ok” – I don’t recall any Scripture that indicates God was pleased with their conniving.  Second, I’m not sure the blessings were “intended” for Esau, since other passages indicate that God planned even before their birth to bless Jacob above his brother (see Romans 9:10-14).  It may simply be that Rebekah & Jacob plotted together to accomplish something that God would have brought about in His own way anyhow.

Q: Why so many interpretations and only one Holy Spirit?

A: The question of the ages!  My quick answer is “a whole lot of flesh”. One thing is for certain: all of us can’t be right! The question you raise is the primary reason that the body of Christ is divided into so many different denominations and that Christians oftentime are found fighting against their own brothers and sisters in Christ.  While I don’t have the answer to your question, I know it’s one of the reasons Jesus prayed for us (see John 17:20-23), and that God’s plan is to someday bring us together in unity (see Eph 4:11-15) – although I believe that unity will begin in the Spirit rather than in doctrinal views.

Hope this has helped a bit.  Next Friday, we’ll finish off the questions that didn’t make the sermon series by looking at all those dealing with “end-times”.  Meanwhile, you don’t want to miss THIS Sunday – most controversial topic of the entire series!

As promised, I’m answering questions submitted on our website that didn’t qualify for a Sunday sermon.  First, though, I want to respond to some of the specific questions we weren’t able to cover even in the sermons:

Q: Should parents give birth control to their teens if we suspect they are sexually active?

A: To be honest, I don’t know.  I would make this a real matter of prayer, and be led by peace (Col. 3:15).  For sure, our children need to know our position regarding abstinence.  If our teen is a born-again, Spirit-filled Christ follower, then we certainly hope they will wait until marriage.  But if the child is rebellious or not a believer, and you have good reason to believe they are active sexually, then I certainly would not criticize a parent for providing birth control — after prayer.

Q: Is masturbation a sin?

A: Probably.  For sure, masturbation that results from or includes sexual fantasizing, pornography, etc. is definitely sin, because of what Jesus said here.  (Interesting that He mentioned the hand, isn’t it – can’t be sure of what He meant, but I’m just sayin…).

HOWEVER, as a parent, I would caution you from making a ‘big deal’ about this with your teen sons.  I agree with Christian authors such as Dr. James Dobson and Dr. Doug Weiss on this issue, that we can sometimes cause more harm by freaking out about this with young men.  I would never advocate masturbation as “God’s answer for single men” as some have, and I would especially point out the sin of lustful thoughts and pornography which are almost always a part of masturbation – but I wouldn’t saddle sincere young men with more burdensome guilt than they already struggle with.  I know my answer didn’t please some of you, but that’s my honest thoughts on the subject.

Q: Is It ok to use contraception? (i.e., The birth control pill, patch ), anything that prevents pregnancy?  What about a tubal ligation or vasectomy?

A:  I don’t see anything in Scripture that would forbid contraceptives.  The only passage I’ve ever heard asserted (Gen. 38:7-10) is clearly NOT forbidding contraception, but rather was a judgment on a man who refused to obey the cultural responsibility to his deceased brother, in order to preserve his name in Israel.

Q: We had several ‘judgment’ questions (will devout Catholics make it to heaven? How can we reconcile the idea that certain sins will keep someone out of heaven with the idea of a loving God?, etc.)

A: To be honest, I don’t believe God has authorized me or anyone else on earth to decide who will enter heaven (and who won’t).  I had all of that kind of judgmental attitude for a lifetime in my former faith family.  What I am comfortable declaring is that denominational ‘labels’ don’t mean anything to God, and ALL those who have truly trusted in Jesus and His shed blood for the forgiveness of their sin are declared righteous and will inherit heaven. (In case you’re wondering, that does not negate the verses that speak about those who practice certain sinful lifestyles as not inheriting the kingdom of heaven – at least in my humble opinion, since I do not agree with the teaching of “once saved, always saved” as I have discussed here before.)  God is kind, but He is not soft!

Q: Does hell burn for eternity, or will people there just be burned up completely and then it’s over?

A: While I understand the rationale and desire to think that hell would offer limited punishment or what is usually known as “annihilation of the soul”, I personally do NOT see that concept in Scripture.  What I do see instead is several references to the ‘eternal’ aspect of hell – including this one from the lips of Jesus Himself.

Q: What is the meaning of ‘Son of Man’, and why is Jesus called the Son of Man?

A: Finally a question I can answer!  The term, ‘son of man’ is used especially in Ezekiel and Daniel, as well as of our Lord Jesus.  In each case, it is used to emphasize the humanity and frailty of the individual.  As to Jesus, the importance of his humanity cannot be overemphasized, because it was Him becoming one of us that enabled Him to be our great Example in all things.  If He were only divine, as the Son of God, I wouldn’t be able to relate to Him and would never be able to walk as He walked.  But He became like us, so that we can become like Him!

Q: Why is racism a major part of the fabric of the Church?

A: Simple: because we live in a fallen, sinful world.  There is NO justification for racism anywhere, anytime – but fallen, sinful humans practice many forms of evil, including racism.  And, as I’ve said so many times from our pulpit, we can’t expect our society to get it right until the Church gets it right.  While I’d be the first to agree with Dr. Billy Graham that this is one of the major issues facing the American Church today, and that our progress since Dr. Martin Luther King said, “Eleven o’clock on Sunday morning is the most segregated hour of the week” has been small, I’d prefer to focus on churches like CLC where one of our core values is and always has been to be a multi-cultural church intentionally.  We may not have it all down perfectly even at CLC, but it is a focus for our leadership team and our goal as an apostolic church to show others the way, with “red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in His sight!”

That’s all I have time for this Friday – hope you found it helpful.  I especially hope you’ll join us this Sunday when we’ll tackle the next of the “Got Questions?”  series with a look at “Addictions”.

As promised, I’m continuing with questions submitted on our website that didn’t meet the criteria for our current sermon series:

Q: Please expound on speaking in tongues in public without an interpreter. Is that “spiritually legal” based on                  I Corinthians 14:28?

A: I’ve actually addressed this issue twice before in this forum – here and here, although you’ll need to read the entire posts to get to your question.  If you’re looking for a ‘quick’ answer, in my opinion/understanding of Scripture, it IS definitely ‘legal’ if you’re talking about someone praying or singing in the Spirit during congregational worship.  IF you’re talking about someone speaking out publicly (in such a way that captures everyone’s attention), then obviously the Scripture you cited tells us to keep silent if there is no interpreter.

I suspect the question has arisen because you haven’t made the distinction between ‘speaking in tongues’ as a private devotional aid, and ‘speaking in tongues’ as a gift for public edification when accompanied with the gift of interpreting tongues.  Hope that helps.

Q: What are the “Lost books of the Bible”? Do they exist? If so, who wrote them and why aren’t they in the Bible?

A: I’m not totally sure that I know which books you may be referring to, but I’ll tell you what I do know – there are a few books in the Roman Catholic Bible that are not included in other versions (such as the book of Maccabees).  Those books are generally considered to contain truthful information, but the Church fathers throughout history did not accept them as inspired of God – so they were not included in the Canon of Scripture.

If you’re referring to books supposedly written by the Apostle Thomas and others (“The Gospel of Peter”, etc.) – and sometimes referred to by non-Christians who seek to contradict the teaching of Scripture, then the answer is that none of those books were actually written during the time of the Apostles and are considered spurious and not at all authentic, so they have been universally rejected by the Church and never included in the Canon.  I’m not sure that the authors are all identified, but for sure they were written long after the Apostles had died and, more importantly, the information contained is contradictory to the inspired Scripture and easy to reject by anyone who is a serious student of the Bible.  I hope that helps, but if you have something more specific in mind, please let me know.

Q: I heard a teaching once and the preacher said you should not only tithe to your church, you should tithe to yourself. Is this in the Bible?

A: No.

However, the Bible does teach the value & benefit of saving money (Proverbs 21:20; 13:11; 22:3; 6:6-8), and so many pastors, including me, have suggested that it would be wise to “give 10%, save 10%, live on the rest”.  I still advocate that as good financial advice, but no where does the Bible say we should tithe to ourselves.

Q: James 5:16 says we should confess our sins to one another, yet the only ones I see doing that is the Catholics, and even then inside booths? what’s up with that? How and when and to whom do I confess my sins?

A: Great question!  First, the Roman Catholic church practices the confessional as their traditional approach to receive forgiveness; whereas my understanding of Scripture is that only God can forgive sin (Mark 2:7; Luke 5:24; 1John 1:9).  However, the verse in James speaks to a different purpose: not forgiveness, but confessing so we can be whole! I see tremendous value in getting our ‘secrets’ out in the open, in the context of a loving, accountable relationship with someone who will not gossip or indulge my sins, but will love me, pray for me and hold me accountable for growth and change, so that my sins & weaknesses won’t eventually ruin my life, but instead I will be healed!  I wish I had more time/space to elaborate, but I can’t emphasize enough that the person you confess to must be a mature believer that you know loves you – so that your confession doesn’t result in disrespect and gossip!

Q: Is it possible for a Christian to have a demon inside of them?

A: My favorite answer to this oft-asked question comes from the late Judson Cornwall, who said, “A Christian can have whatever he wants!”

Seriously, this is a subject that needs much more time than I can give here – but the idea of demon-possession is an unfortunate translation of the Greek term that Jesus used, which would be better understood as demonized.  I do not believe a Christian can be totally taken over or possessed by a demon.  However, I am very convinced that anyone, including Christians, can be demonized through open doors in our past, such as childhood trauma, repetitive sin, involvement with the occult, etc.

The good news is that Jesus has given us authority over ALL the power of the enemy (Luke 10:19-20).  At CLC, we heartily endorse the ministry of Cleansing Streams, and we have seen numerous believers completely set free from demonic influences that had hindered or bound or tormented them for years.  And you can sign up this weekend for the next semester, which begins later this month!

Hope this has been helpful.  Join us this Sunday as we consider, Safe Sex, and be sure to tune-in here again next Friday with more of your questions.

As promised, I’m going to answer the questions that we didn’t feel appropriate for the current sermon series starting today (and each Friday in August as well, so stay tuned). Should be fun…here goes:

Q: Can I smoke & sing in the choir?

A: Well, sure – but why would you want to?  For some reason, this question struck my funny-bone, wondering if the question was a request, or an attempt to report someone?  Ok, ok, all humor aside, I still have 2 answers: (a) honestly, as a pastor, I would not be surprised if we have choir members who smoke, or drink to excess, or engage in illicit sex, or any other numbers of questionable behaviors, even though we have leaders sign a commitment to Christ-like behavior, because CLC is made up of imperfect people (the only kind there are) and pastors have no control over what people do outside of church; but (b) if you’re asking whether we approve of smoking, then the answer is no, I would prefer that we have a no-smoking choir (and all other areas of leadership or service as well).  I view smoking as an undesirable habit (see 1Cor. 6:12) that is also hazardous to your health.  Finally, someone asked Rick Warren once if he could smoke & still go to heaven and Rick’s answer was classic: “Sure, you’ll probably even get there faster!” (Oops, there went my gift of sarcasm again).  Dead-serious now: if you are fighting an addiction to nicotine, we’re here for you and Cleansing Streams would be my first recommendation.  You can sign up this Sunday!

Q: If God created man because He was lonely, where were the angels & heavenly beings?

A: I already addressed this in a previous post – click here to read.

Q: How can you reconcile the Scriptures that say ‘to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord’ and the teaching that when Christ returns, the dead will arise from the grave?

A: I addressed this one previously also, at least twice – click here to read or here to read an earlier answer.

Q: We had several questions dealing with marriage & divorce and whether remarriage after divorce is an act of adultery – so many that I think we will do a teaching on this subject in our next marriage series at CLC (this fall).  However, I did address several aspects of that issue over a year ago, and I invite you to click here to read that post.

That’s all we have time for this week, but don’t dare miss this Sunday when we’ll address another “Got Questions?” that is a major concern for people in our nation, and even within the church.  And then tune in next Friday for more answers to your questions.

I apologize in advance for a marathon post, but since we plan to answer your “Got Questions?” submissions that are not used in the sermon series (which begins this Sunday at each CLC campus), I’ve got to clear the deck of some backlogged questions submitted prior to the announcement of the new series…here goes:

1.  Does our sin separate us from God?

Uh, that would be undeniably, absolutely YES.  (see Isaiah 59:1-2)  Sin always brings death.  Just as Adam’s sin caused him to feel ashamed and to hide from God’s presence, even today our sin breaks our fellowship with God until we turn from it through repentance.

2. A faithful altar minister asks, “I hear people talk about ‘pleading the blood of Jesus’, but what does that mean?  It sounds to me like a prayer of desperation instead of faith.  Can you explain it?”

Umm, not sure; I’ll try.  I also have heard that term used, actually from my youth, and often times from highly-respected “prayer warriors”.  While I do not doubt their sincerety, I must say that I do not find that term or that practice in Scripture, at least not in the sense of repeating those words.

What I do find in the Bible is the power and effectiveness of the precious blood of Christ, our sacrificial Lamb.  I certainly believe that in spiritual warfare or deliverance, we have every right to use the established fact and legal authority given to us because of the blood of Christ….so if that’s what’s meant by “pleading the blood”, I’m all for it – but not a ‘vain repetition’ of just repeating those words like a mantra.  Hope that helps!

3.  Who will be here on earth during the Millennium?

Lots of folks!  Ok, seriously, as I understand Scripture, the Millennial Reign of Christ, (millennial = 1,000), and during which time Satan is bound, follows the return of Christ with His saints.  During that 1,000 year period, Jesus will rule (literally) from Jerusalem, and those of us who were part of His bride, the Church, will reign with Him, as ‘officials of His government’, if you will.  The purpose is to demonstrate to the world the kind of utopian paradise we could have if God’s will is done and sin is eliminated.

As to who is alive on the earth for us to rule, it would certainly include those who survived the Great Tribulation prior to the Millennium, as well as any children born during the 1,000 year period.  I’m guessing it includes people from many nations, as there will definitely be those alive who will be deceived at the end of the period when Satan is loosed again. Hope that helps!

4. A faithful CLCer writes, “Recently I read Matthew 12:36-37, and it made me wonder: after we are saved, are we assured of heaven?”

Very interesting question.  I think my best answer is that, in my humble opinion, being born-again does not assure us of heaven if we later choose to walk in disobedience to the Lord.  (I know; I know – many of you do believe in ‘unconditional’ eternal security or what’s called ‘once saved, always saved’ – but I don’t personally interpret Scripture that way, as I explained many times in the past, including this post.) However, I also know that Scripture teaches true believers do NOT appear at the Great White Throne for judgment as to heaven or hell as our final destination; we are judged at the ‘bema’ or Judgment Seat of Christ, which is for the administration of rewards, just like the Olympic platform for the medal winners.

So it’s important that we walk faithfully with the Lord in speech and conduct, but I don’t believe we ‘lose’ our salvation easily or for a slip of the tongue as the question implies.  This is such a weighty subject, I hope I’ve helped and not hindered by such a brief response.

For the next several weeks, I’ll be answering questions submitted on the CLC website for our current sermon series.

One of my ‘favorite’ CLCers asks, “If God created man because He was lonely- where were the angels and heavenly beings? Did they exist before the creation?”

Good question, and personally, I think you ‘caught us’ again!  I’ve noticed with several of the questions that have been submitted that there is a common theme: you’ve heard preachers say stuff that you can’t find in the Bible!

I suppose it makes for good sermon fodder, and on some level perhaps there is a measure of truth to it, but I haven’t found any Scripture that indicates God was lonely until He created man.  What the Bible does teach is that man was created for God’s pleasure (Rev. 4:10-11), althought to my chagrin I just now discovered the modern translations render that “by your will” or “because You wanted it”

As far as angels or other heavenly beings predating the creation of man – YES, they do – although we’re not told when they were created.  Perhaps the closest thing to ‘proof’ of their existence before man is Ezekiel 28:13-16 or possibly Psalm 8:4-6.

By the way, even though I can’t find Scripture that indicates that God was lonely, I do know that He created us for relationship – and our lives are only complete when we walk in fellowship with Him!

I hope that helps.  Now, what would YOU like to Ask the Pastor?

A reader asks, “I have heard people say that when we die, we are only asleep until the resurrection and judgement, and that our spirit knows nothing. On the other hand, I have heard that when we die as believers, our spirit goes straight to be with the Lord, and that we know exactly what is happening on earth. Some people say that our love ones who died in Christ are even rooting for us to make it. I’ve been reading Job 14:10 and 14:12, and it seems he makes some reference to what goes on after death. Can you shed some light on this for me? Also, if as believers, we go straight to be with the Lord, when is the judgment for us and on the day of the resurrection, don’t our bodies suppose to rise? If so, where will our spirits be?”

Allrighty then…no softballs from this crowd!  All great questions; just hoping my answers will satisfy!

Let me begin by saying that (at least in my mind) it can be difficult to sort all of this out, because the Bible gives bits and pieces of information regarding what happens after death in numerous different places.  However, my understanding of Scripture is as follows (taking your questions in order):

1.  Keeping in mind that humans are tripartite beings; i.e., we are body, soul and spirit, the verses that speak of us being asleep are referring to our physical bodies (Isa 26:19; Dan 12:2;Matt. 9:23-25; John 11:11-13).  As far as our bodies are concerned, we are at rest after death, awaiting the Resurrection.

2.  When a believer dies, our spirit goes immediately into the Presence of the Lord (2Cor 5:6, 8; Luke 16:22)

3.  As far as us knowing what is happening on earth, the only Scripture that may shed light on that is the story Jesus told about the poor man named Lazarus in Luke 16:19-31 – I say ‘may’, since I’m not sure if the rich man knew what was happening with his brothers, or if he merely requested for them because of prior memory.

4.  The only Scripture that might imply that our loved ones in heaven are ‘rooting’ for us would be Heb 12:1, although I really think this concept is more ‘preacher-talk’ than Biblical interpretation of that verse.

5.  Regarding Job 14:0, 12, I would simply say that I’d hesitate to build a doctrine around Job’s statements.  I don’t think he was trying to teach us about the afterlife; I think his statement was intended to convey the preciousness of life and the finality of death.

6.  Finally, one that I’m certain about: as born-again believers, the only ‘judgment’ we experience is the Judgment Seat of Christ, which is not about heaven or hell, but rather the administration of rewards.  There are at least 5 different ‘crowns’ that we could receive at that Judgement Seat, which is actually the Greek word, ‘bema’, which was used to describe the Olympic judging stand where the winners stand to receive their medals! (see Rom 14:10 and 2Cor 5:9-10)

7.  At the Resurrection, our spirits (which went to be with the Lord at death – Ecc 12:7) are reunited with our bodies – in fact, that’s how Resurrection happens: our dead bodies are brought back to life when the spirit returns.

Hope that cleared things up at least a little bit!  Now, what would YOU like to Ask the Pastor?

A faithful CLCer asks 2 questions, “First, is there a difference between the Holy Spirit that John the Baptist received, and the present Holy Spirit”?  Also, “people often say the Bible says that in the End Times, you “won’t know the seasons”; is that Scripture? What I have read in Genesis says we will always have the seasons.  Have I missed something?”

On the first question, the Holy Spirit is the same from eternity.  There is a difference in how people experienced Him in the Old Testament (including John the Baptist, who lived prior to the New Covenant Jesus made with us by His death) and how we experience Him today (for instance, the sign gifts like ‘speaking in tongues’, etc. were not available in the Old Testament) – but there is NO difference in the Holy Spirit Himself.

As to the second question….interesting….I’ve heard the same statement from well-meaning folks, but in my study of Scripture, I’ve not found a specific reference that would verify that.  Indeed, as you point out, Gen. 8:22 indicates that seasons will be with us as long as the earth remains.

Did the ‘End-Times” series provoke any other questions?  What would YOU like to Ask the Pastor?

A CLCer recently asked, “Where in the Bible do people get the notion that disease and illness is due to lack of faith?”

Great question, even though it’s so sad that it needs to be asked.  It’s perhaps the most hurtful extreme that has come out of the ‘faith’ movement among Spirit-filled churches, and that is the ‘pronounced judgement’ that if a believer has an illness, it must be because of their lack of faith.  There is NO Scripture in the Bible that pronounces that judgment upon a believer – it’s simply faulty theology.

Having said that, I will say that I don’t believe the Bible agrees with some of the statements in the original question; namely, I do not believe that God ever places sickness on us.  From my understanding of Scripture, all sickness and disease is a result of the Fall, and is further complicated by afflictions from the evil one – but NEVER from God.

Furthermore, the idea that sickness is a ‘burden’ for us to bear (as was implied in the statement about Paul’s thorn in the flesh) is also NOT Biblical.  (We can’t be certain what Paul’s ‘thorn’ was, but he indicated it was a “messenger of Satan, to torment me and keep me from becoming proud”) Again, there is NO Scripture that would ever teach that God puts sickness on us as a burden for us to bear, or to teach us some lesson.

I believe the correct and safest Scriptural position for us to take as believers is to always assume that it is God’s will to heal – every sickness and disease – and to ask Him to do so, in faith.  That does not preclude us from seeking medical treatment in the meantime, even as we continue trusting God for complete healing.  But if that healing does not manifest, there are a myriad of possible reasons, and the last thing any of us as believers should do is point a finger of judgment against someone who is not healed and tell them that it’s because of their lack of faith.

Hope this helps – it’s a subject that needs fuller treatment than this forum allows.

Now, what would YOU like to Ask the Pastor?

A faithful CLCer asks,In Genesis 4:16, when God forced Adam and Eve out of the Garden of Eden, and they went out of the presence of God into the land of Nod, were these people godly people or ungodly people? Were they created in the image of God?

First, it wasn’t Adam & Eve who settled in Nod, it was Cain (see Gen. 4:16).  However, the answers to your other two questions are the same.  Since Adam & Eve were the first and only humans that God ever created, and from them came the entire human race (see Gen. 3:20), the people who lived in the land of Nod were descendants of Adam & Eve, just like Cain.  I suppose we would have to consider them ungodly people, in the sense that it wasn’t until the birth of Seth’s son Enosh in Gen. 4:25-26 that a godly line of people began to call on the Lord.

I guess the unstated reality here is that Cain must have married his own sister.  While the Bible is silent on this issue, we know that Adam & Eve were the progenitors of the entire human race, and yet their daughters are not named.  I’ve not been able to draw any other conclusion from my study of Scripture but that in those early years of the Bible that men must have married their own sisters, cousins, etc. until the population of the world had increased enough to make that practice unnecessary and ill-advised.

I hope this helped, but if you need further explanation, let me know.

Now, what would YOU like to Ask the Pastor?

A faithful CLCer asks, “What is a “sin nature” and did Jesus have one. The way I see it, a sin nature is nothing more than free will , but if so why the extra terminology?

Ooooh, theological questions….I don’t get many of those, and I’m no theologian (I’m a pastor), but I’ll take a stab at it:

In my understanding of Scripture, the “sin nature” is not the same thing as “free will”; it resulted from ‘free will’.  In other words, God created Adam & Eve (and every human since them) with a free will to choose to obey or disobey His instructions.  When Adam & Eve exercised their free will by choosing to eat of the tree God told them not to eat from, sin entered the world, and (I believe) the ‘sin nature’ entered the human race.  Others call it the “Adamic nature”, and that is the same thing – it’s our human propensity to fall short of God’s plan for our lives by choosing our own way instead of God’s way.

The one passage that puts this in the clearest terms is Romans 5:12-20

For the second question: “Did Jesus have a sin nature?”, the answer is positively, uniquivocally, NO!  That’s why the virgin birth is such an important truth in Scripture.  (Pardon my soapbox, but I’ve long thought that some believers have supposed that the virgin birth was a testimonial to the virtue of Mary, which is actually missing the point completely.) If Jesus had a human father, he would have inherited the sin nature of Adam, just like all the rest of us, and His blood would not have been able to take away our sin.  But He didn’t!  Mary was impregnated by the Holy Spirit, making God His Father, and thus the blood that flowed in Jesus’ veins was sinless and perfect, and therefore able to be the perfect substitute to take our place on the Cross.  (see Luke 1:34-35; Matthew 1:18-21; IPeter 1:18-20)

Hope that helps.  Now, what would YOU like to Ask the Pastor?

One of our CLC-Shorewood members asked about deliverance ministry, specifically: “Does Psalm 107:20 mean that just like we can send the word and heal, that we can also send the word of deliverance and set people free?  I do not find anywhere where Jesus healed a demoniac by sending his word; they were always “in person”.  Can you bring more clarity to me on this?  Am I going in the wrong direction?  Because if the person does not want to be delivered we cannot pray against their will?

Great questions, although some of my readers probably are not acquainted with what we mean by “deliverance ministry”.  Without belaboring that point, it is my understanding that many people, both Christians & non-Christians, have been demonized through trauma, repetitive sin, etc. that opened a door in their life for demonic interference.  ‘Deliverance’ ministry is the term we use to describe how those folks can be set free from that demonic influence.

I see nothing in Psalm 107:20 that specifically refers to that type of ministry; in fact, other translations don’t even use the word ‘delivered’ in that verse, as you see in NIV, NLT, CEV, HCSB, and AMP translations.

To answer your question more specifically, I’m also not aware of anyone who was delivered from demonization by someone ‘sending’ the word from another place; I’ve only experienced deliverance ministry in the context of ‘on-site’ ministry.  However, I would quickly add that there is probably more weirdness and flaky practices associated with deliverance ministry than just about any other ministry I know.  That’s why we’re so pleased to offer the ministry of Cleansing Streams at Christian Life Center.  I’ve found it to be a sound, balanced, biblically-based ministry that combines practical teaching, small group accountability, and anointed & authoritative prayers to accomplish genuine deliverance that enables the believer to be set free and stay free of demonic influence.  I highly recommend it to any CLCer who struggles with ‘baggage’ from their past.

I hope this helped a bit.  Now, what would YOU like to ask the Pastor?

This week I had not one, but three different CLCers asking about the same general subject: how does CLC differ (doctrinally) from other evangelical churches?

First, I’d much prefer to focus on what we have in common….because there’s already WAY too much division in the body of Christ.  At CLC, we honor every church that is preaching Jesus Christ as the world’s only means of salvation!  We stand in unity with them regarding all of the major doctrines of Scripture: the Virgin Birth, the infallibility of Scripture, His atoning death at Calvary, the priesthood of the believer, etc., etc., etc.

But since you’ve asked (and some were quite specific about the gifts of the Spirit, etc.), the primary area in which we differ with some is in regards to the gifts of the Holy Spirit in the church today, and probably more specifically, the role of speaking in tongues.  In that regard, at CLC we are unashamedly and unabashedly charismatic, which means we embrace all the “charisma” (Greek word for ‘gifts’ in 1Cor. 12 and elsewhere in the New Testament)

I’ll try to address that as briefly as I can:

First (because some asked in regards to ‘defending’ our position with those who don’t agree) – if you’re trying to convince someone who’s mind is made up by their previous teaching against speaking in tongues, etc., then my personal opinion is that you’re probably wasting your breath.  Most of us who have been around church long have accepted our interpretation of Scriptures and aren’t very open to other views (at least in my experience).

But if you’re trying to help someone who sincerely wants to understand these issues, here are a few principles:

1.  Jesus is the same, yesterday, today and forever.  (Heb. 13:8)  There is NO Biblical reason to think that what happened in Acts no longer happens today.

2.  The only passage ever cited by those who think the ‘gifts’ ended with the Apostles is 1 Cor. 13:8-12, and the ‘argument’ is that we only ‘needed’ tongues and the other gifts of the Spirit to authenticate the teachings of the Apostles before there was a written Bible.  Once the New Testament was written (and we have ‘perfect understanding’), tongues and the other gifts would cease to exist.  Very few scholars today would try to use this logic, and almost everyone agrees that passage refers to the fact that we won’t need the gifts when we get to heaven, for we will have perfect understanding then.  But for now, while we still have only partial understanding, we still need and utilize ALL of the Holy Spirit’s giftings.

3.  At CLC, we don’t insist on what is commonly called “the evidence doctrine”; i.e., that speaking in tongues is a necessary or initial evidence that someone has been baptized in the Holy Spirit.  While I think you can build a strong case for that understanding using the verses in Acts cited above, my experience has been that argument primarily just produces arguments!

Instead, I much prefer to focus on the many wonderful benefits of speaking in tongues as a devotional aid, which we usually refer to as a “prayer language”.  Those benefits are numerous, but you can read a few of them for yourself here: 1 Cor. 14:2, 4; 1 Cor 14:15, 18; Rom. 8:26-27; Jude 20; 1Cor.. 14:5, 18, 11:1

Beyond that, I’d highly recommend a few books: They Speak with Other Tongues by John Sherrill (the classic in this regard!), The Beauty of Spiritual Language by Dr. Jack Hayford, and, for the whole issue of the gifts of the Spirit in operation today (not specifically about tongues), the best I’ve ever read is Surprised by the Power of the Spirit by  Jack Deere.

I’ve also addressed these topics at CLC several times, and you might want to order the CD’s of my teachings on “Charismatic Conclusions” (08/09/04); “Do What Again?” (05/20/06); “Holy Spirit Fulness” (05/20/07); and “Using Your Gift of Spiritual Language” (07/27/08).

That’s a lot longer than I intended, but I hope it’s helpful.  Now, what would YOU like to Ask the Pastor?

One of my most faithful readers asks, ”when Jesus said that ‘many are called, but few are chosen’, what did He mean?  I’ve read Matthew 22:1-14, and it gives a story or parable that Jesus talked about concerning this subject, but I still would like to know how this statement relates to us in this day and time.”

Great question….and an important question.  The parable, at least as I understand it, has to do with the “invitation” that is given to all of us through the Gospel – that Jesus died in our place, and that if we’ll trust Him for our salvation, we will enjoy eternity in heaven with Him.  (The invitation has to do with the fact that while He did that for each one of us, we still must ‘accept’ the invitation and respond in faith and obedience.)

So the concluding statement in the parable simply refers to the fact that just hearing the Gospel isn’t enough (everyone in the world is ‘called’, for Jesus died for all); we must respond in order to be ‘chosen’. 

Perhaps where some of the confusion surrounding that statement comes in is the idea we sometimes have about ‘chosen’; i.e., that we could try our best and still not be chosen.  Not only is that concept inherent in the natural, where we’re all familiar with some people being chosen for a particular task, or team, or job, etc. – but the mention in Jesus’ parable of a man who came to the feast without a wedding garment and was quickly rejected.  Please don’t think that his failure to be properly dressed and eventual judgment was unfair, as though he was being punished for perhaps not being able to afford to rent a tuxedo!  On the contrary, some scholars interpret ‘wedding garments” to simply mean, “clean clothes” as opposed to “clothing that was soiled or dirty”.  Other commentators have suggested that the custom of that day was that the wedding garments were provided by the King to all those invited, and that the man referred to simply refused to accept what was freely given.  Either way, I know that the man was rejected because of his own refusal, not because the King was in any way unfair.

There are numerous passages of Scripture that assure us that we ARE chosen of God – read Psa. 135:4; Isa. 41:9; 1Cor. 1:26-29 ; and one of my favorites, 1Pet. 2:9  - and rejoice (or weep tears of gratitude) over the privilege we have to be CHOSEN by the Lord!

I hope this helps.  Now, what would YOU like to ask the Pastor?

A faithful CLCer wrote: In my prayer team at work a question was asked, “Does God only want us to pray for something one time or can we keep asking until we get an answer?”

First, I love the fact that you have a prayer team at work!  Secondly, this is a great question that I personally think some charismatics have missed….in that I’ve personally heard teaching that basically says we only ask one time in faith and that any request made after that indicates that we are in doubt, and a double-minded man won’t receive anything from the Lord.

I do NOT agree with that.  No, let me rephrase that, since it really doesn’t matter a whole lot what I think…what matters is what the Scriptures teach.  And, at least as I read it, the Bible is clear that persistence in prayer is a good thing!

In fact, in what we call “the Lord’s prayer” (it’s actually our prayer that Jesus taught us), after He had given us that model for prayer (Luke 11:1-4) , Jesus went on to teach us more about prayer by giving an illustration in Luke 11:5-10 that specifically says we should “keep on asking”. In fact, Jesus said there that if we keep on knocking long enough, we’ll receive what we need!

Now, I don’t interpret that to mean that answered prayer only results from repetitive requests, because certainly Scripture is full of examples where we pray one time and God answers.  I also know that sometimes the Lord may impress us not to ask again by giving us a peace that the answer is already on the way, and we should simply thank Him that it’s done!  But in those cases where we don’t see the answer manifest, and we’re still in need, we have every right to continue to ask the Lord in faith and with persistence!

Some other examples of persistent prayer in Scripture would be Genesis 18:22-33, I Kings 18:42-46, Matthew 26:36-46, and II Corinthians 12:1-10.

Please understand that I believe we should pray with confidence and expectation the first time…and I certainly don’t believe prayer is an endurance contest to see if we can ‘wear Him down’ with repeated requests until He finally gives in – nothing could be further from the truth.  But if we pray in faith and the answer hasn’t come, we certainly are within our rights as believers to ask again.  The story in Daniel 10:10-14 certainly indicates the delays we experience in receiving answers to our prayers may be attributed to demonic opposition and interference rather than God’s reluctance….but persistent, faith-filled prayer brings results!

Hope that helps….now, what would YOU like to ask the pastor?

A CLC member asks, “A Jewish co-worker asked why we don’t celebrate any of the holidays that God describes in the Old Testament. And why do we observe manmade holidays?”

Interesting question….I don’t think I’ve ever been asked this one before.  Let me give some quick thoughts:

First, as believers, Romans 14 makes it clear that we have liberty regarding so-called “holy days” (or holidays) – which means there is no absolute right or wrong as far as God is concerned, regarding holidays.

Secondly, (and this probably addresses your friend’s question more specifically, although he may find my answer offensive) each of the Old Testament festivals or holy days, like all of the Old Testament types and shadows, find their fulfillment in Jesus Christ.  (see Hebrews 10:1-10)

For example, one of the Jewish holidays is “Passover”, when they celebrate the fact that the death angel ‘passed over’ their houses on the night that they were delivered from bondage in Egypt, providing that they killed a lamb and smeared its blood on the door posts of their house.  But as Christians, we know that this festival was merely a foreshadowing of the great Lamb of God, who gave His life as a sacrifice for our sins, so that we escape the judgement of God.  Jesus is our Passover Lamb (1Cor 5:6-8), so we worship/celebrate HIM, not the event that foreshadowed Him.  Each of the Jewish festivals had similar fulfillment in Christ…so there’s no need for us to celebrate the shadow, since we now have the living reality!

As to why Christians observe manmade holidays, I would refer back to Romans 14 and say, we certainly don’t have to – but neither is their any prohibition in Scripture against them.  I understand that December 25 isn’t really Jesus’ birthday, but I like it that we can still mark His birth with some sort of celebration.  Thanksgiving isn’t a religious holiday in Scripture, it’s a historical observance from the early settlers in this country, but it’s a nice reminder at least one day a year of the ‘attitude of gratitude’ that Christians ought to live with all year long!  I could go on, but you catch my drift.

Hope that helps.  Now, what would YOU like to ask the Pastor?

Our only question this week came from a CLCer who wrote about the difficult times we’re living in, and asked, are we going thru a period of the post tribulation? I’ve never seen things so bad.

Ahhhh, the question of the ages: is the church going to be ‘raptured away’ pre-tribulation (before the 7 years of ‘tribulation’ begins), mid-tribulation (after the first 3.5 years, but before the last 3.5 years of ‘great’ tribulation), or post-tribulation (after the entire 7-year period of tribulation)?

Christians have argued about this since before I was born, so I certainly don’t expect to settle the question in this posting.  And I’ve been guilty of giving some of the glib answers that sound cute but don’t really satisfy (like, “I believe in pan-tribulation; you know, it’s all going to pan out in the end” OR like, “some Christians just aren’t happy unless they get to do a little tribulating, so we’ll let them stay here while the rest of us evacuate”)

To be honest, I have seen & heard Scriptural support/teaching that sounds convincing on each of the various views – enough to make me know that it’s not essential to our faith, for there is legitimate difference of opinion here.

But I’ll also say that after over 20 years of teaching “pre-tribulation” rapture, I am becoming more & more persuaded that the “post-tribulation” position may be more likely.  I’m still not totally convinced (perhaps because I don’t want to be!), but I can easily say that I personally never thought we’d live to see the kind of things that are now commonplace.

The bottom-line: we all need to be ready for the return of Jesus, no matter when it happens!

Now, what would YOU like to ask the Pastor?

A faithful CLC asked several questions this week from Deuteronomy 16:16:  When exactly should we participate in these festivals?  What should we be doing during each one?  Does this include First Fruits?  Passover? How does First Fruits differ from your tithe?

Let’s try to answer them in order:

1.  Each of these festivals was primarily a celebration under the Law for the nation of Israel.  Since we no longer live under the Law (since Jesus came and fulfilled the Law – we now live in the Dispensation of Grace), those of us who follow Christ no longer observe these Old Testament festivals.

Having said that, each of the festivals does hold prophetic significance for us: ‘Unleavened bread’ is also known as Passover, which represents Jesus death for us on the cross; ‘Harvest’ is also known as Pentecost or the feast of ‘weeks’, since it was 50 days (7 weeks) after Passover, and of course speaks of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2; and ‘Shelters’ is also known as Tabernacles, or ‘ingathering’, since it occured when all of the harvest was complete – so it speaks of the final ingathering at the close of this age, when we’ll be reunited with the Lord in heaven.

So, if you’re tracking with me so far, we don’t need to ‘do’ anything during these specific days of the calendar – but all of us must receive the death of Jesus as our substitute at Passover and be filled with the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, so we can celebrate with all of God’s people at the final ingathering.

2.  “First fruits” is included in the celebration of Pentecost, since that festival actually marked the ‘first fruits’ or beginning of the harvest.  However, that term first fruits in the Old Testament (as I understand it) is a synonym for tithing.  I have heard preachers (mostly televangelists) who teach that the first paycheck we receive from a new job should be given in its entirety to the Lord, but I don’t personally see that taught in Scripture.  What I do see is the principle of firstfruits, that the first tenth of all I receive is to be consecrated to the Lord, so that He will add His blessing to the rest.  Firstfruits represents the best, since it is first, and that’s what God asks for from each of us.

So in my mind, at least, there is no difference between firstfruits and tithes see Prov. 3:9; Deut. 26:2; Mal. 3:10).

I know there are preachers (and believers) who will disagree with me, and encourage you to give a full paycheck each year as firstfruits.  I’m sure God will bless you for giving generously like that; but I don’t see anything in Scripture that commands us to do so.

Hope that helps a bit.  Now, what would you like to Ask the Pastor?

It seems my recent post about a ‘prayer language’ brought on more questions: What is the difference between being baptized in the Spirit and receiving your prayer language; the gift of interpreting tongues for public assembly; and Tongues – I. in the spiritual gifts definitions answer key for the test you take in the membership class?

1.  Being baptized in the Spirit is normally (in my old days, I would have said ‘always’, and I still don’t have any Biblical proof otherwise, but to eliminate arguments, I just say ‘normally’) accompanied by the gift of speaking in tongues (see Acts 2:1-4; Acts 10:44-48; Acts 19:1-6), which we refer to as “your prayer language”, since the primary purpose of that gift is to assist us in prayer (see 1 Cor. 14).  So, some would use the terms interchangeably, ‘baptized in the Spirit’ or ‘having a prayer language’ being pretty much two ways of saying the same thing.

2.  The gift of interpreting tongues is a separate and distinct gift altogether, and is a supernatural operation of the Holy Spirit that enables a person to interpret what someone has said in tongues, even though they don’t understand the language.  This gift is used in a public assembly.  For example, perhaps the Holy Spirit would inspire me to ‘speak out’ publicly in a foreign language that I don’t know (I would be speaking in tongues) and then He would enable you to interpret, or tell everyone in the meeting what I had just said by the Spirit.  So the gift of interpreting tongues would always work in conjunction with the public gift of speaking in tongues, which is not the same purpose as the private devotional gift of praying in tongues.  (When I say different, I don’t mean that they would ‘sound’ different, but that they serve different purposes – one being to give a message to a public assembly, and the other being to assist you in personal prayer) Almost all of the regulations given in 1Cor. 14 refer to this public use of tongues and interpretation, and that’s why so many non-charismatics who haven’t experienced a prayer language get so confused and think that tongues should not be used today.

3.  The questions in our membership manual primarily refer to the devotional use of a prayer language.

I hope that helps clarify – to me, the important thing is that we use our prayer language to enjoy the benefits that God intended when He gave us this wonderful gift!

Hey, check this out – then don’t forget to turn your clocks forward this Saturday night – I’d love to see you at CLC on-time this Sunday!

Now, what would you like to ask the Pastor?

A faithful CLCer asks, “When we receive our spiritual language what does it mean exactly; speaking in the spirit?  Do we understand at first or ever come to understand what it is we are speaking?  I start crying when I do speak in the spirit, but I’m not sure exactly why, because I don’t know what I’m saying.  Does God speak to us when we’re speaking in the spirit?  Would you explain why some receive the gifts to interpret spiritual languages and the purpose for interpretation?”

Wow…that’s a mouthful!  But they’re all great questions, so let me tackle them in order:

1.  “Speaking in the Spirit” simply means that the Holy Spirit is providing the words, or the language, while we do the speaking in prayer or worship to God (Acts 2:4; 1Cor. 14:2)

2.  It is possible for us to come to understand what we are saying – either because someone presents understands the language we spoke (Acts 2:5-11 and in lots of personal testimonies I’ve heard or experienced through the years) or because the Holy Spirit gives you that understanding (1Cor 14:5; 1Cor 14:13)

3.  Your tears aren’t surprising (same thing often happens to me), although we don’t have to be moved emotionally in order to pray in the Spirit (that can sometimes be a product of religion). For sure, God can and does speak to us when we pray in the Spirit – often with secret truths and hidden things (1Cor 14:2 Amplified).  In fact, the Holy Spirit comes to reveal those hidden things to us! (1Cor 2:9-10) Some of my greatest insights have come while or immediately after praying in the Spirit!

4.  Some receive the gift of interpretation because it is one of the gifts that the Holy Spirit gives – in fact, each of us receives at least one of the Holy Spirit’s gifts when we are born again.  As to why some receive that gift and not others, I don’t really know, except that the Holy Spirit chooses the best gift for us personally. (1Cor 12:4-11)

5.  The purpose of the gift of interpretation is simple: to help the church understand in their own language what was said in a foreign language by someone who was speaking in the Spirit.  The gift of interpretation enables the highest good – the edification of the entire assembly, as opposed to just you personally being edified by praying in the Spirit.  (1Cor 14:4-13; 1Cor 14:18-19)

That was fun…hope it helps!

Now, what would YOU like to Ask the Pastor?

A CLCer writes,

When the people were building the tower of Babel in Genesis 11:4-6, they really were trying to reach heaven, however, did the Lord really think that they would succeed? Because it sounds to me like God really felt that they would actually build the tower to heaven. How is that so? Also, is heaven really above or is heaven another dimension?

Great questions.  First, if you read this passage in the King James Version, I can certainly see why you’d be a bit confused, since it uses “heaven” instead of “sky” as the New Living Translation above.  Obviously, it’s not possible for anyone to reach heaven by human effort. But God’s language here is a fine example of hyperbole.  God employs that figure of speech for the same reason we do: to make or emphasize a point.  In this particular case, you can really ‘preach’ (and I have) any number of lessons: the power of the human will; the desire of man to get to heaven his own way; the incredible power of unity, and more.  But to answer your question literally, no, God did not think they could actually get to heaven by building a tall tower.  They could, however, build a tall monument to themselves, and gain quite a reputation in the process – and since they were determined to stay in one place and make a name for themselves rather than spreading across the earth and populating the planet as God had commanded, He put a stop to their plans.

As to the second question, my understanding of Scripture is that there are several ‘heavens’ (Paul spoke of being caught up into the third heaven), and that they are definitely ‘above’.  To explore that subject would be a Bible study in itself, so we’ll save that for some other time.  I hope this helps-

Now, what would YOU like to ask the Pastor?

This week’s question made me think, as a CLCer writes: I was reading Exodus 19 and the Lord visited Mount Sinai.  I was wondering why would the people die if they went across the boundary of the mountain?  Also, Why was Moses able to go up the mountain without dying and no one else was able to? I also want to know when we’re in praise and worship at church, we want the presence of the Lord to be there, so how does that compare to what was happening in the Old Testament visitations that God had with the people?

Man, never been asked those questions before….so I’ll give an unrehearsed answer:

1.  As to why people would die if they touched the mountain, God Himself was the one who said so, and while He didn’t specifically explain why, the inference is that because God is holy and the people were not, they would be struck dead by the glory of His Presence. (read verses 18-24 to see what I mean)

2.  As to why Moses could go up, that is clear: God had chosen him as their leader and invited him to come up.  In fact, this was one way to validate Moses so the people would respect and follow his leadership.

3.  Finally, as to our desire for His manifest Presence in our worship celebrations versus the Old Testament visitations, the main difference in Scripture is this: in the Old Testament, God visited people by His Spirit, sporadically and occasionally, for specific purposes.  However, in the New Testament, since Acts 2, the Holy Spirit indwells every believer (John 14:16-18).  So He is always in us, whether we sense His Presence or not.  That’s a wonderful truth for every Christian to embrace!

But there is a difference even today between His indwelling Presence and His manifest Presence – and that’s what we seek in our public gatherings.  Because of the principle of Psalm 22:3, we know that God dwells, inhabits and is enthroned on the praises of His people – so our worship is the key to bringing His manifest Presence into the room.  And when He shows up, anything can happen!

I sincerely hope this helped a bit.  Now, what would YOU like to ask the Pastor?

A faithful CLCer asked this week: why did Jesus sometimes tell those he healed not to tell anyone, as in Matt. 9:29-30 and other places?

Curious minds want to know…unfortunately, the Bible never tells us why.  What it does tell us in verse 31 is what they did about what He told them…namely, spread the news even faster and further!  So, one possible answer is that Jesus knew human nature and told them not to tell in ‘reverse pyschology’, to spread the word faster.

A more likely answer is that He was trying to keep things from happening too fast – several passages indicate that He was keenly aware of His time, and He didn’t want His betrayal and crucifixion to happen before He had fulfilled His mission on the earth.  Here are a few examples of that: John 2:3-4; John 7:5-7; John 7:29-30; John 8:19-21.

Hope that helps.  Now, what would YOU like to ask the pastor?

Our question this week is quite different:I’ve tried to do research on the question but I can’t seem to come up with an answer that I understand. In 2nd Chronicles 11:18, it reads that King Rehoboam’s wife was named “Maachah” who was the daughter of “Absalom”, who gave him a son by the name of “Abijah”. If you go over to chapter 13:2, it reads that Abijah’s mother’s name was Michaigh, who was the daugher of Uriel.

I’ve got to admit that I hadn’t noticed that one – you are a detail person!  But here’s what some of the commentators had to say about those verses:

2 Chronicles 11:18-23

In keeping with the chronicler’s purpose to magnify the Davidic dynasty, it is interesting that he, unlike the author of 1 and 2 Kings, related that Rehoboam’s wife was a descendant of David from two sides (2 Chron 11:18-19). Her father Jerimoth is otherwise unknown but here is identified as a son of David. Her mother was Abihail, daughter of David’s brother Eliab. (So Jerimoth married his cousin Abihail.)

Rehoboam’s second wife, Maacah, was a daughter of Absalom (v. 20). This may not be David’s son Absalom, however, for he apparently left no children who achieved adulthood except a daughter Tamar (cf. 2 Sam 14:27; 18:18). Moreover, Maacah’s father is otherwise named Abishalom (1 Kings 15:10) and Uriel (2 Chron 13:2).

and another commentary said:

2 Chronicles 11:20

She is called Michaiah, the daughter of Uriel, 2 Chron 13:2. For this the Targum gives the following reason: “Abijah reigned three years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Michaiah, daughter of Uriel of Gibeatha. She is the same as Michah, the daughter of Absalom; but, because she was an upright woman, her name was changed into the more excellent name Michaiah, and her father’s name into that of Uriel of Gibeatha, that the name of Absalom might not be remembered.”

So you have at least 2 possible explanations for the names – I guess you can choose the one that makes the most sense to you.  More importantly, I commend you for the way you’re digging into the Scripture!

Now, what would you like to ask the pastor?

Our question this week is: In the Old Testament, did God speak to people in a human voice or did He speak to their hearts?  It seems like He would carry on a whole conversation, and when he spoke with the prophets, they acted like it was something not uncommon. Does God still speak to His people like that?

Excellent question!  Unfortunately, the Bible does not specifiy how people heard God’s voice, in most instances.  (There are passages like Acts 9:4-7 and John 12:28-29 which leave no doubt that there was an audible voice.) It’s certainly possible that the prophets of the OT heard him in a conversation-style dialogue.  It’s also quite possible that some heard Him through dreams, visions or impressions in their spirit - which seems to be the most common way He speaks today.

I know people who say they have heard God’s audible voice, although I’ve never had that experience.  But I know that I know that I know He does still speak today.  I’ve “heard” Him so many times through the years, usually in the form of thoughts that I just knew did not originate in my brain, and at other times when I’ve just had a ‘sense’ or ‘impression’ that I should take certain actions.

And of course, He can speak to us through other people.  Many times I’ve ‘heard God’ through some other believer, or an anointed prophet.  But without a doubt, the #1 best way that He speaks to us today (and the ONLY way that is infallible and without possibility of error) is through His written word (Heb. 1:1-2; 2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Pet. 1:20-21)

The bottom-line? I don’t need to hear God’s audible voice today, because I have His written Word that is forever settled in heaven (Psa. 119:89; 1Thess 2:13; Heb. 4:12; Matt. 24:35)

Now, what would you like to Ask the Pastor?

My favorite inquirer asked this week about 1Samuel 6:1-9, and especially verses 6-7, when Uzza was struck dead for touching the Ark, even though his intentions were good.  Her specific question is, “why was God has harsh with Uzza?  Was it to prove a point?”Preview this Post

This is another one of those difficult questions and my answer may never satisfy our human thinking.  But as I understand Scripture (and as we have discussed here before), the Law was our schoolmaster, to point us to Christ.  Under the very specific instructions of the Law, only the Levites could carry the Ark, and there was only one way for them to carry it – over their shoulders, using the poles that were inserted through the brass rings on top of each corner of the ark.  Even though David was angry at God’s judgment, and afraid to even try again initially, he came to understand the reason in 1Chronicles 15.  If you’ll read verse 13 in various translations, it becomes quite clear: God wants us to follow His Word.

I’ll be the first to admit that Uzza’s death seems harsh, but the Old Testament and it’s laws were harsh — because no one could keep the Law.  That’s why Jesus had to come.  We can’t make it without Him.  He is our only hope of salvation!  And if God had permitted Uzza to violate His word without repercussion, or allowed other people in the Old Testament to do as they wanted rather than what He commanded….well, then there would be no real reason for Jesus to come.

Hope this helps, a little.  Now, what would you like to ask the Pastor?

One of our faithful readers asked, what is your reaction to this report of 2 new Bible versions?

Well, to be honest, I hadn’t heard about either one and won’t spend a lot of time investigating, since my thoughts on this type of thing are pretty much always the same:

1.  ANYTHING that might help people read God’s Word is probably good – so long as the Word itself comes through and is not distorted or changed to ‘accomodate’ someone’s preferences.

2.  Having said that, it also never ceases to amaze me the lengths that we will go to try to accomodate our sinful preferences – as some have said, to ‘recreate God in our own image’.  I suspect these two new versions fall into that category, but I’ve not done the homework to verify.

Hope that helps….now what would YOU like to ask the Pastor?

This week I received a question that I’ve been asked many times: Some people believe that since salvation is a gift, God will not take back a gift, no matter what we do. What are your thoughts on this?

Unfortunately, this is one of those questions that Bible-believing Christians have disagreed on for centuries. It’s even part of the Calvinist-Arminian divide in the body of Christ that has existed for at least the last several hundred years, so it’s not likely that I’m going to settle it in this blog!

But since you asked for my thoughts, I will simply say that while I’ve heard well-reasoned arguments from Scripture on both sides (which simply proves that Scripture can sometimes be interpreted in different ways), I remain convinced of two things:

1.  Both teachings suffer from extreme positions that sometimes lead to people making far-fetched comments in defense of their view (or, especially to refute the opposing view!)  Like almost every teaching in Scripture, the truth is probably somewhere between the two extremes – which in this case means that my salvation probably isn’t completely irresistable if I deliberately, persistently choose to rebel against God and go my own way, but neither is my salvation ‘lost’ depending on a moment’s whim.

2.  As I say each time I teach or discuss or teach on this question, this is one time that I sincerely hope that I am wrong – for if I’m mistaken in my views, then I’ll simply get to enjoy more people in heaven than I thought!

That’s about all the space I should take in this blog, but I’m attaching a document I’ve prepared for CLC in the past, giving a number of pertinent Scriptures with a few comments that I think would be good for your personal study of this subject.  Then, I think the principle of Romans 14:5 applies.  Here’s that document:

The doctrine of unconditional eternal security (sometimes known as “once saved, always saved”) is one that Christians have disagreed on for centuries, so we’re not likely to settle it today.  In all honestly, it certainly has appealing merit, both from the view of what our human mind would like to believe and the view of some isolated scriptures.  Personally, I want to be wrong on this issue, because that would simply mean I’d get to enjoy heaven with even more people.  But here is my personal understanding based on the overall message of Scripture:

I Cor. 10:1-12   this passage would be meaningless if it were not possible for us to fall from salvation.  The obvious conclusion from Israel’s example (they did not enter into the Promised Land) is that we, too, can fall after having known the Lord.

I Cor. 9:24-27   even the Apostle Paul could be a castaway!

2 Pet. 2:20-22   how could the latter end be worse than the beginning IF the person was still saved?

2 Pet. 1:4-10   why would Peter say “IF you do these things, you will never fall” if it is impossible to fall from salvation anyway?

Mt. 25:1-13   this parable is generally interpreted as believers (‘virgins’) awaiting the return of the Lord.  Oil throughout Scripture is a symbol of the Holy Spirit.  All of them had oil in their lamps initially; but the foolish virgins did not replenish their supply and were thus unprepared when the Lord came.

Luke 17:32   why should we “remember Lot’s wife?”

Read Jude 3, 4 in “The Living Bible” below:

³ Dearly loved friends, I had been planning to write you some thoughts about the salvation God has given us, but now I find I must write of something else instead, urging you to stoutly defend the truth that God gave once for all to his people to keep without change through the years. ⁴ I say this because some godless teachers have wormed their way in among you, saying that after we become Christians we can do just as we like without fear of God’s punishment. The fate of such people was written long ago, for they have turned against our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.  Jude 3-4 TLB

Rev. 2:4-5   threat to “remove your candlestick” sounds pretty serious (they would cease to be a church!)

I Tim. 4:1-2   can someone who has “departed from the faith” still be saved?

Luke 15:11-24   this parable of Jesus demonstrates the Father’s love for even His wayward children (here represented by the younger son).  Notice in v.24 that the prodigal was said to be “lost” and “dead.”  He had once enjoyed fellowship in the Father’s house, but because of his own choices, he was now lost!  (The GOOD NEWS is that, thru repentance, he did come back home and was accepted by His Father!)

Heb. 10: 19-39 notice esp. vv.27-29

Mt. 25:14-30 (v. 14 – who is this parable about?  Then read v. 30)

John 10:27-30 we don’t have to settle for “eternal insecurity”; we are safe in the Father’s hand!

The only question submitted this week was: “Is Allah another name for the One True God that we as Christians also refer to as Jehovah, or is Allah different altogether?”

Great question….although, as you mentioned, it is a sensitive one, because of many sincere Muslims in our area.  I probably cannot definitively answer this one, because there are at least 2 schools of thought among Christians:

• A couple of years ago CLC helped to sponsor a wonderful evangelistic outreach in Dakar, Senegal featuring the ministry of the late Norwegian evangelist Aril Edvardsen, in which we saw thousands of Senegalese respond to the Gospel.  Aril was controversial even among Christians, because he would use the Koran to help preach the Gospel to Muslims, and because he insisted that ‘Allah’ was simply the Arab word for ‘God’, so he had no problem using that term whatsoever.
• I suspect the far more common view among Christians (and probably the easiest to defend from Scripture) is that found in 1Cor. 8:4-6, namely, that there is only one God.  Thus, ‘Allah’ is NOT another name for the God of the Bible, and those who follow him are actually worshipping an idol.

As with any error, whether in practice or in belief, it’s important for us as Christians to distinguish the person from the error.  By that I mean that we sincerely love Muslims, and seek to help them come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.  As the Apostle Paul made clear in Ephesians 6:12 our struggle is not against people, but against the spirits operating behind these religious systems.

Hope that helps a bit.  Now, what would YOU like to ask the Pastor?

Someone asked about this verse this week, specifically, why do pastors and believers try so hard to draw people to salvation, or even warn them of the danger of not accepting Christ, if the Spirit is not drawing them?  It’s another important question, and I hope my simple answer will suffice.

As I understand Scripture, Jesus was simply saying that salvation is a supernatural work of the Holy Spirit.  We can and we should be a witness to unsaved people, both with our lifestyle and with our words, and we can pray and encourage and challenge people to be saved – but ultimately it requires a supernatural work of the Holy Spirit to change someone’s heart and draw them to Him.

So even though no one can come to Christ unless the Spirit is at work to draw them, the truth remains that the Holy Spirit does use our hands and our feet and our mouths as His instruments to do that drawing.  Otherwise, there would be no need to send missionaries (I’m writing this from India, and I assure you that I wouldn’t go to all of this trouble and physical inconvenience unless I knew that my efforts were making a difference!) or conduct evangelistic campaigns or do almost any of the things that we do as believers in order to reach out to others.  Thank God that we can be His representatives to help bring people to God!  In fact, He has given us that privilege and responsibility!

Hope this helps.  Now, what would YOU like to Ask the Pastor?

Only one question was submitted this week, but it’s a doozie: “I have often heard that we will not make it to heaven if we are not perfect or holy.  The Bible does say for us to be perfect and holy.  But, does God have a different definition of “Holy and Perfect” than man?  Because as of yet, I have not seen no one that I would honestly label as holy or perfect, especially myself, but I do want to make heaven my home.”

Great question, especially because it goes right to the heart of one of the biggest misconceptions among Christians.  The short answer is ‘yes’, God does have a different definition than what man does.  (That’s probably true in many other areas, by the way)

If you do a concordance search of ‘holy’ or ‘holiness’ in Scripture, you will find that not only people, but even things like a day, a mountain, or a place can be considered ‘holy’ if they are set apart by the Lord.  The truth is that not only is the person who submitted this question not holy in and of herself, but neither is anyone else on planet earth.  All of my righteous actions are still just filthy rags in God’s sight (see Isaiah 64:6)  So no matter how many rules I keep or how much I try to obey the 10 commandments, I’m still never going to measure up to God’s standards by my own efforts (Romans 3:23; James 2:10; Romans 10:3)  And the consequences of us failing to measure up is eternal death (Romans 6:23)

But, thank God, the Good News is that Jesus took our place!  Read these scriptures for yourself and rejoice that as followers of Chris, we have already been made holy: 1Cor 1:2; Heb 10:9-10; Heb 13:12.

Certainly there is a part for us to play, by receiving God’s Word and cooperating with the Holy Spirit as we grow daily into His likeness, but make no mistake: the only way we will ever be holy or perfect is by fully trusting in what JESUS has done for us (Romans 1:17)

Now, what would you like to ask the Pastor?

 

I’ve been doing this feature each Friday for several months, but last week no one submitted a question…until this afternoon.  So here goes, just a little later than usual:

Someone who heard today’s message asked: why do you think that God allowed or had to allow Peter to see the vision with the “unclean animals” three times before he moved forward with it in Acts 10:16? I am not sure why that came up in my studies, but I wondered if it could be because of the three men who were waiting for Him or was it is stubborness, or something else.

Good question.  While the Bible doesn’t say specifically why the vision was repeated, here’s what I do know: three is the Biblical number of completion (Jonah was 3 days in the belly of the whale; Jesus was in the grave for 3 days; 3 members of the Trinity, etc, etc, etc) – so the most likely reason the vision was repeated was to make the ‘revelation’ complete.

However, as you pointed out, Peter’s stubborness is obvious (remind you of anyone?) in this story & others, so it may simply be that the Lord repeated the vision three times in an effort to get through to Peter! 

I’m glad He’ll do whatever it takes to get through to you and me, too!

Now, what would you like to Ask the Pastor?

OK….I asked for questions, and I got questions!  (Actually, it’s for a school assignment from one of our CLCers who’s pursuing a seminary degree…but that’s ok.)  Here goes, a series of 4 questions (I’ll save the last one for a future post):

1. How do you define “disciple” or “discipleship”?

A disciple is someone who is following Christ daily.  Discipleship is the process of growing and developing, from conversion into a disciple.

2.  How do you ”make disciples” (strategies, methods, materials used, etc.)?

Assuming you’re talking about our local church, CLC, I’d be the first to admit that we probably aren’t doing this very well.  But our strategy would be to follow-up with a new convert personally, usually assigning him/her to a mature believer who serves as a “spiritual running coach”, to answer questions, pray with them, etc.  We have materials ranging from a booklet called, “Now That You are His” (which is given to them at conversion) and a 6-week catechism called ”New Life Class” that covers many of the basics about prayer, Bible reading, overcoming temptation, etc.  From there we would seek to get the new believer connected with a “Life Group” where they will experience community with other believers, since we believe that Christians grow best in relationship with others who will pray for them, encourage them, hold them accountable, etc.  As they are growing, we generally also seek to involve them in either the “Alpha” course which helps them explore the Christian faith and/or “Cleansing Streams”, a 10-week program designed to help them get free from addictions and bondages and hurts and habits from their past and establish the kind of lifestyle that will keep them free and growing.

3.  How do you know that you’ve been successful?

Good question.  My short answer would be “changed lives”.  That’s really what ALL of this is about: helping people grow into what God had designed for us from the beginning of time!

Now, what would you like to Ask the Pastor?

The  only question I received this week was from a CLCer who wanted to know why we don’t celebrate Communion more frequently.  This is a question that we hear often, so here goes:

From my understanding of Scripture, there is no New Testament directive regarding the frequency that a believer should receive Communion.  (I’d be the first to admit that many churches and denominations have convictions or customs – but I’ve not been able to find any Biblical support for a certain frequency). 

What is clear in Scripture is that the New Testament observance of Communion is a continuation of the Old Testament “passover”, which the Jews observed annually as a reminder/celebration of their deliverance from Egyptian bondage.  There are some wonderful truths regarding Christ as our Sacrificial Lamb contained in the ‘types and shadows” of that Old Testament event and observance of Passover.  For this reason, I feel that every believer should definitely observe Communion at least once a year as a reminder/celebration of what Jesus did for us at the Cross through His broken body and His shed blood.

Certainly there is no harm in celebrating more frequently, although some have argued that anything done repetitively can tend to lose its meaning and impact.  It’s for that reason that a weekly observance (to me) might not be advisable.

The other (and probably biggest) issue for us at CLC is simply that from my understanding of this passage of Scripture, Communion is probably the most sacred observance we ever share together as believers, and should always be done reverently, with self-examination, lest we somehow disrespect the price Jesus paid for us.  Since our Sunday services are open to unbelievers and quite time-sensitive, I always struggle with whether we are spending adquate time when we observe Communion to explain it beforehand, and to allow for the kind of self-examination required.  In other words, the last thing I would want to do as a pastor is ‘rush’ through this very important sacrament.

I will the first to admit that we haven’t figured out how to do this.  Probably the ‘best’ practice at CLC is when we incorporate communion as part of a ‘midweek Refresh’ service where worship and prayer is the order and we’re not as ‘clock-conscious’, or perhaps on those few occasions where the Sunday message was about the price Jesus paid for us and the celebration of Communion became a right response to that message.

Since those few occasions don’t reach enough of the congregation, we’ve also incorporated it into our quarterly Family Sundays when our childern are in the auditorium with us, to help them learn about this important observance.  Of course, another solution would be to go back to the day when worship services lasted for two hours or more, and there would never be a need to feel rushed.

This is one time my answer probably won’t satisfy anyone who would like to observe the Lord’s Supper more frequently, but I felt I should at least give you our rationale, since we’ve had so many questions about this through the years.  More importantly, the celebration at the Lord’s Table brings incredible benefits to every believer and each of us must never forget what Jesus did for us at the Cross!

Now, what would you like to Ask the Pastor?

Here’s the latest question I’ve received: what recomendation do you have on how to study the Bible? I find myself jumping around hoping the Lord will just point me where I should go.

Excellent question!  And what a common problem – I think a lot of believers would have to admit to ‘jumping around’.  Here’s my 2-cents on the subject:

1.  If you haven’t read the entire Bible, I always recommend a thru-the-Bible plan, such as we give out at CLC.  You can also find some great plans here.  From my standpoint, any plan is better than no plan, or as you’ve heard before, “failing to plan is planning to fail”.

2.  Since you asked about study, not just reading, I would probably start with a “Bible survey” type course – that is, one that gives you the big picture of the Bible, from Old Testament to New Testament.  I’ve taught those classes for years, and I still love doing them, because of all the ‘light bulbs’ that go off in people’s heads when they start seeing how it fits together and the foundation of major doctrines, etc.

3.  Another great method is to study a particular doctrine or topic or character in Scripture.  It’s easy to do, with a simple concordance like Cruden’s or Strong’s, that you can purchase at a Christian bookstore or with the previous links – or, thanks to the internet, do your study for free here.  For instance, if you want to study “grace” or “baptism” or “Joseph”, you simply look up all the verses with those words, and do your own study of the Scriptures, keeping in mind that no doctrine is built on one isolated verse, but (in the words of the good ‘ole KJV I grew up with), it’s “line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little”.

4.  Finally, the most important key: start!  The road to hell is paved with good intentions, and there’s no better time to get started than now!  I hope that helps – I know wherever you read or study, God will speak to you – at least that’s how it works with me, and I’m always better for it.

What would you like to Ask the Pastor?

After I’d written the previous post, I received another great question (which officially closes the Wild Goose Chase giveaway for CLCers) - How exactly do you fulfill the Commandment to ‘honor your father and mother’, when your parent is seemingly undeserving of honor?  I know the Godly thing to do is to forgive, seek peace within and continue to pray for the individual.  But because it is your parent is there some obligation that you need to have them be a part of your life?  Even when that involvement is not healthy mentally and causes stress on your family?  Is it possible to “honor” them from afar?  And if so how do you do that?  What exactly does honor mean?

Great question, especially because so many people have similar stories.  The word ‘honor’ there in Hebrew literally means “to be heavy”, and, interestingly enough, has both negative connotations (‘burdensome’) and positive connotations (honorable).  Everything that I know of Scripture would tell me the primary purpose of the commandment was to let us know in our youth the importance (weighty) role that our parents play in our lives, and our regard for them because of that.

However, when parents have abdicated or abused their God-given, God-intended role, and actually caused emotional harm to their children, when we grow into adulthood we can certainly choose to protect ourselves from further harm.  Please understand: I say that in the context of what you’re written about ‘forgiving, seeking peace, and praying for them’ – that’s a must!

But as an adult, if your continued involvement with that parent only causes you (and your own family) more stress and grief, I think you have a right to kindly but firmly withdraw yourself from that harm.

Having said that, I will also quickly add that we never outgrow the desire for good relations with our parents – and my experience has been that, despite all the heart, when it comes to significant events like graduations and weddings, etc. – there is still a hunger to have the family participate – so be very cautious about closing that door completely.  (Besides, God still does do miracles, and I’ve known of more than one abusive parent whose heart was changed, even late in life!)

Bottom-line: if your heart is clean before God (and you know if it is, or if you’re harboring ‘stuff’), then as an adult I don’t think you have to worry about ‘honoring from afar’.  Leave it in God’s hands and let Him work it out for His glory and your benefit.  Hope that helps!

Now, what would you like to Ask the Pastor?

Some great questions were submitted this week, including this one: In the book of John who is the person that is referred to as “the one Jesus Loved” and what is the significance of referring to that person with that phrase?

I think all the scholars are in agreement on this one: “the one Jesus loved” is none other than John himself (the writer of that Gospel).  However, we don’t even need the scholar’s opinion, because he makes it pretty clear in the following verses here (notice especially verse 24). 

The reason he used that term instead of his own name was because of his own humility or modesty, so as not to be “tooting his own horn”.  The preacher in me would point out that ALL of us should emulate his example – that is, we would do well to live so close to Jesus that we could hear His heartbeat, and yet walk in all humility, too!

Now, what would you like to Ask the Pastor?

Only one question this week, from someone who writes:  most ‘Christians’ I have come across believe that when a believer dies, his spirit immediately goes into the presence of God. But when I read 1Thess 4:16, it almost seems as though the dead in Christ were just “sleeping” or something. So where does our soul go or ‘do’ when we (as believers) die, prior to the second-coming of Christ?

Excellent question!  I think the key to understanding this issue in Scripture is to keep in mind that we are a tripartite being; that is, man is body, soul and spirit.   As I read the Scripture, it seems to me that the spirit of a believer does go immediately into the presence of the Lord at death (see 2Cor 5:6-10, Phil 1:20-25), whereas our body would remain in the grave until the rapture/resurrection, as the passage you quoted indicates.  Of course, unbelievers also await their judgement at death, although some people feel the story of Lazarus and the rich man (Luke 16:19-31) indicates that they are in torment immediately upon death. 

I hope that helps!  Now, what would you like to ask the Pastor?