Walk a Mile in the Shoes of Someone Who has No Shoes

How many shoes were collected for Soles 4 Souls?

I am so proud of our congregation!  I wasn't expecting the response we received Sunday.  We collected 416 pairs of shoes!  What an exciting day in County Line history!  We took the shoes down to Z-Coil shoe store at Covington Plaza in Fort Wayne.  I would like to give a shout-out to them because they were very helpful and kind to us.  We heard so many heart warming stories of people giving up expensive and favorite shoes.  Thank you for participating in the sacrifice!  God will bless you for it.

Why should we worry about children and women in another country when we are in the same situation here in America.  Why not talk about the kids with no shoes in America instead of South America?

I'm not sure I understand this.  Like I said in my sermon, this is a very self-centered way of thinking.  We have plenty of resources for children to have shoes here in the United States.  I don't think we can even begin to appreciate what poverty is until you witness it first hand in another country.  When my wife and I drove 3 hours in southern China to visit our daughter's orphanage, I saw the poorest conditions I've ever seen.  Like I said, you cannot even begin to understand poverty until you see poverty like I saw.  And I know from speaking with those who have been in other parts of the world, there is more of the same.  If you have a passion for children with no shoes in America, then do something about it.  Find out where they are and if no one is getting shoes to them, then put together a way to make it happen. Don't become the person who likes to complain but doesn't do anything about it.  Maybe God is tapping you on the shoulder.  Thanks for being willing to ask the question.

QUESTIONS SUBMITTED PALM SUNDAY AND EASTER SUNDAY

Jesus was crucified on Friday.  Where was His Spirit and what was He doing between the time He was crucified and the time He rose from the dead?
There is great debate among scholars regarding this issue.  Some think Jesus' spirit went to hell to preach to the prisoners there (1 Peter 3:18 and 19 and Acts 2:31).  While others think Jesus went straight to Heaven.  I tend to believe Jesus went straight to Heaven.  In Luke 23:43, Jesus told the thief hanging on the cross that "Today you will be with me in paradise."  Then a few verses later in Luke 23:46, Jesus said, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit."  I think the 1 Peter 3:18 and 19 passage refers to the Spirit of God that was working through Noah to reach the people of his day. It says only 8 were saved, that would be Noah's family.  So in a nutshell, I believe Jesus went to Heaven and then His Spirit returned to His earthly body when He resurrected from the dead.  Whatever you believe really doesn't matter in this case.  No matter where His Spirit went, it doesn't make or break our faith.

Once saved, always saved?
I assume by this question someone is asking whether someone can lose their salvation.  Check out my posting on April 14, 2011.

Does Satan tempt us in our minds or is it our sinful nature?
Satan tends to get a lot more credit than he deserves for making people fall and stumble. James 1:14 says, "Each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed."  Notice it says we are tempted by our own evil desire, or sinful nature.  Can Satan tempt us?  Sure. How exactly is debated.  One thing we know is that he cannot read our minds.  He is not God and therefore does not have God-like powers.  He does not even have the ability to be omnipresent.  So if we are being tempted, let's not be too quick to blame Satan. Not that he doesn't deserve any blame we can give him, but we should take responsibility for our own evil nature.

How much cooler does Stu think he is now that he has an iPhone?
Very cool.  You either have an iPhone or you don't (as the commercial says!).  Ha!

What does blasphemy against the Holy Spirit mean?
To blaspheme the Holy Spirit means to renounce, reject or attribute the works of the Holy Spirit to Satan.  To blaspheme the Holy Spirit is to outright claim the Spirit of God is a tool of Satan.  You can see why the Bible says this is the unforgivable sin.  Now, keep in mind, Paul was forgiven of this because he blasphemed the Holy Spirit out of ignorance.  He did not go to his grave blaspheming the Spirit of God.  It is unforgivable because if someone holds to that belief while on earth and then dies with that same belief, they will surely spend eternity in hell. (See Matthew 12:30-37)

Is there a time when God won't strive with a non-Christian any longer?
2 Peter 3:9 says, "The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness.  He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance."  God will always desire for someone to give their life to Him.  However, if they die in their rejection of Christ, then they will have lost their opportunity.

Will people who have never been exposed to Christianity go to hell?
According to Romans 1:18-20, man is without excuse due to the creation of the world.  If a people group recognizes a creator God based on what they see in nature, I think they may be OK, even if they have never heard of the historical Jesus.  I say "may be" because only God is the ultimate Judge and I will never put myself in His shoes.  The safest approach is to believe Jesus when He said, "I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6)

Are you saying we need historical proof outside the Bible and not JUST the Bible to believe Christ is who He said He is?
I'm not saying WE need proof outside the Bible, but I am saying skeptics need proof outside the Bible. We as Christians understand the importance of Scripture and the fact that it is living and active.  However, a skeptic couldn't care less what the Bible says.  Does that mean we don't use the Bible with a skeptic?  Of course not.  The Scriptures can still be a powerful tool in order to reach someone.  However, most skeptics will want to see or hear about other historical evidence that Jesus is indeed who He said He was.  This in no way minimizes the Bible.  It's just a matter of fact.

How do you approach a person far from God when they are miserable without Him and that is exactly how they like it?
I have a friend that before he was a Christian, he did not understand why he needed Christ.  In his case, he was very happy with life and didn't see a need for Jesus.  I and others had to convince him of his need for a Savior.  We had to convince him that he was a sinner who needed saved from his sins.  This person you are dealing with may need the same thing, but in a different way.  If they want to be miserable, that's fine, but why not insure eternal life in the mean time?  I would go at them from the aspect of needing a savior and see what happens.

Why does God take away the ones we love?
This is a question that is answerable, but will not make you feel better.  Because of the sin with Adam and Eve, bad things were going to happen to good and bad people alike.  Death was part of life from that moment forward.  So we all know death is part of this fallen world.  We also know that some people die younger than others.  Here's how I like to look at it.  As you look at the time you had to spend with your loved one, would you trade it for never having known them?  Would you say, "If I had it to do over again, I wish I had never known them."?  I don't think so.  When we love someone as much as we do, it is a risk.  It's a risk because when they die, we are opening ourselves up for a major hole in our hearts.  It's like my friend with his 8 year old son battling brain cancer.  He said, "Even if he dies, I would never wish I had never had him in my life.  The 8 years with him is the greatest gift in the world."  I think that's how we have to look at it.  Answers will come on the other side.  Just know God loves you and He hates the bad world we live in as much as we do.  That's why He provided a way for us to escape it!

You said that Christianity is the true religion, yet there are many views on Christianity.  Which one is correct?
This depends on what you mean by different views on Christianity.  If you mean the different denominations, I don't think the differences are a big enough deal to point to one or the other and say they are right or they are wrong.  Certain denominations will certainly do that, but not us.  I think it is pretty arrogant to point to a denomination and say, "You are wrong."  I'm talking about trivial issues that really don't matter in the bigger picture.  However, there are religions that exists that carry the Christian banner that we would say are cults.  Those would include Mormons and Jehovah Witness.  We would not look at these types of religions and say, "We're on the same side."  Their view of Jesus is not consistant with our beliefs.  In fact, their beliefs about Jesus dramatically separate them from us. So if you are concerned about denominational differences, don't get too worried about that.  As long as a demoninaiton believes Jesus Christ was the Son of God and died for our sins and rose from the dead, they are probably solid.  This is a very short answer to a very involved question.

Is there a way to reach Christians who are not living a Christian life?  I think of these people as the "Lord, Lord," people described in Matthew 7.
This is a great question.  In Matthew 7:21, Jesus said, "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven."  The passage goes on to say in verse 23, "I will say to them plainly, 'I never knew you.  Away from me, you evil doers.'"  This passage along with Matthew 25 lead us to believe there will people who think they are in, but are not at the final judgement.  In order to reach these people in our lives we have to tread lightly.  We have to go to our friends in love.  We have to admit we are sinners too and would want them to show us the error of our ways as well.  I think a great way would be to read this passage to them and then say, "This passage has always messed with my mind.  What kind of person do think this is describing?"  This might get the conversation going in the right direction.  I would pray like crazy before having this meeting.  Never underestimate the power of prayer prior to meeting with anyone.