Questions from Sunday, November 25, 2012

When does God give us our souls? I've been told our soul was made well before God made us. I can't find scripture to back that up.  As far as I can tell, there is no Scripture that black and white tells us when our soul comes into existence.  We know for sure that human life has a soul, so at least at conception, we would have a soul.  However, God told Jeremiah, as I stated in the sermon, "Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you, before you were born, I set you apart." (Jeremiah 1:5)  This doesn't necessarily mean we have a soul prior to birth, but it does indicate God has a plan for us and a purpose for us prior to birth.  Psalm 139:13 says, "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb."  Again, this idea that God knew you before and as you were being formed.  So in regards to abortion, our soul would for sure be evident at conception, because that is when life begins.  And regardless as to when the soul exists, what we do with our soul is of the utmost importance.  Keep pursuing Christ and encouraging others to do the same.  Great question!  Thanks for texting it in.

I had my tubes tied, 4years later I had a tubal pregnancy. The doctor said I was 3 months along. Is it my fault the baby died because I had tubes tied??  I believe in this case, you have to trust your medical professionals who, hopefully, went over every possibility with you before tying your tubes.  We also trust that they did a proper job.  There are some in the Christian world that will try and make you feel bad for tying your tubes saying, "It must have been God's will for you not to do that because you became pregnant later."  Don't let that nonsense play with your mind.  While God is a God of truth and justice, He is also a God of grace.  So if you feel bad about this in any way, God is willing to forgive.  God is willing to show grace.  Your intention was not to have this happen.  God knows your heart.  Be encouraged by Isaiah 41:10 which says, "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Thanks for submitting your question.

Questions from Sunday, October 28, 2012

Why did Jesus pray to God if Jesus is God?  Great question.  This is difficult to comprehend, isn't it?  As Christians, we believe in what is called the Trinity.  God in three persons, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  Our human minds have no way of grasping this concept.  People often try to compare the Trinity to water that manifests itself in three ways; a gas (steam), a solid (ice) and liquid (water).  I've also heard people compare the Trinity to an egg.  The shell, the white and the yoke.  This may not be a great way to explain it, but I sometimes view the Trinity this way; You have God the Father, the ultimate manifestation of Himself.  His human form is Jesus and His Spirit form that lives invisibly among us and within us is His Holy Spirit.  Now, when Jesus prayed to God the Father, we have to remember that while Jesus was fully God, He was also fully human.  Jesus had to rely on God the Father in order to overcome the human weaknesses He faced.  Jesus praying to God the Father was also an example for us to follow.  If Jesus felt it was important to pray, who are we to think otherwise?  Again, I know it is very difficult to comprehend, but isn't God capable of anything?  So if He wanted to split Himself into three persons and talk to one another, couldn't He do that?  It shows the amazing power, glory and ability of our awesome God.  He is so far beyond us and worthy of our worship and submission!

I am currently in the process of a divorce.  How do I live a life not in the Danger Zone, when my current situation is forcing me into the Danger Zone?  I appreciate your question.  Don't be so quick to say you are being forced into the Danger Zone because of your divorce.  That may be true, or it may not be true depending on your situation.  If you are the guilty party that is causing the divorce because you have done something to hurt the marriage, or you simply want out because you don't love your spouse anymore, then I would say you may be justified in being worried.  There are plenty of passages in the Bible that condemn divorce.  However, if your spouse has committed a sexual sin against your marriage, then I do not believe you have anything to worry about.  Jesus was very clear that the only justification for divorce was sexual sin (see Matthew 5 and 19).  Because I don't know your situation, I can only answer it at a surface level.  I hope this helps.  Just remember, God is willing to forgive anything if your heart is truly broken.  Just don't take advantage of that grace.  Only He knows what's really going on in your heart.

How do I show my family Christ, and lead them to Christ without beating it into them so to speak?  I assume your family knows you profess faith in Christ.  The number one thing you can do to reach them and lead them is to live it.  Your actions will speak far louder than your words.  If they see your faith has truly changed you and altered the way you live, then they will be attracted to Christ.  However, if they see you as an angry person, a rebellious person, a hypocrite, then they will be repulsed by Christ.  So my short answer is, live it more, talk about it less.

How do you find purpose in life? Purpose in life begins with confessing Jesus Christ as Lord of your life.  Assuming you have done that, real purpose is found in the issues we talked about throughout the Danger Zone series.  First purpose is to worship God with your life and seek Him.  We talked about doing that through reading the Bible and praying every day.  Christ also commanded us to reach lost people for Him.  Do your best to be a light for Christ and reach people who are far from Him.  Look for opportunities.  Be willing to bring up God when the opportunities arise.  And lastly, serve other people.  When you see others in need, meet the need.  Do what you can to be the hands and feet of Jesus.  Don't get caught up in finding purpose through an occupation.  Your purpose is to seek God, worship Him and then be His light to others through sharing your faith and serving others.  That's what life is all about.  When you get consumed in those things, life is exciting and FULL of purpose!!

Why don't you have an altar call for salvation and healing in people's lives? First of all, there is no where in Scripture that says salvation and healing takes place in the front of the church at an altar.  Coming to the altar in a church service first started occurring with the revival meetings of evangelist Charles Finney in the late 1800s.  Because it became such a church tradition throughout the 20th Century, some have come to think that altar calls are essential and Biblical.  I personally don't believe God is limited to working in someone's life by an altar at the front of a church.  I believe God can do a mighty healing in someone's body, mind or soul no matter where they are or where they sit.  Yes, coming to an altar in the front of a church is symbolic of bowing before Christ and submission to Him, but that is it.  There is nothing more "magical" about the altar than sitting in a chair.  Having said that, our altars are always open for someone to use.  I may not say it every Sunday, but we always welcome someone to come forward if they so desire.  Sometimes I do formal altar calls, but the altar is always open, even if I do not.  Your question has given me the idea to remind people the altars are always open in our bulletin, so even if I don't say it, they still know it is available.  Thanks for the question!

How can I serve without being outgoing around people?  One does not need to be outgoing in order to serve.  In fact, most of our serving opportunities are behind the scenes and don't involve much in the way of interaction with people.  Just contact Jen Harris in our office and she'll get you set up.  Her e-mail is jharris@countylinechurch.org.

What things can I do to try to bring neighbors and friends to Christ, who don't seem to care?  If you have someone in your life that doesn't show much interest in Christ, or attending church, the best thing you can do is pray for them.  Don't beat yourself up.  You can always try as doors open, but if you are continually met with negativity, then drop it and pray.  Matthew 7:6 says, "Do not give to dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs."  The idea here is we have a valuable message.  We have the most important message in the history of mankind.  A message of God's love for humankind and His redemptive plan.  If someone meets that message with continual hostility, then move on.  There is no need to put yourself through that conflict.  Just pray and ask God to provide an authentic opportunity and for God to soften their hearts.  Trust me, something will eventually happen in their lives that will make them consider God.

How do you serve family members who are non Christians and ungrateful for everything? I sense some hostility toward your family members.  We are to love our family members and serve them the best we can.  God instituted family and it is very important to Him.  I would do your best to have a relationship with them and continually remind yourself that Jesus told us to "take up our cross daily."  The Christian life is like taking up a cross.  Taking up a cross is a death sentence.  Dying to self and the way you want things in exchange for the greater good.  God never said loving and serving family was a walk in the park.

How do we respond to those who ask if God is loving how can he send people to hell? I understand the question, but God is also a just God.  He cannot allow sin to exist without punishment.  If there is no punishment, then there is no wrong.  God is a Holy and perfect God and cannot be in the presence of sin, so sin must be dealt with in a just manner.  Also, we have to remember that God allows people to decide where they go when they die.  He's not forcing anyone to choose hell.  He loves us so much that He provided a way to remedy our sin problem through what Christ did on the cross.  God provided us with our way to get to heaven and avoid eternal punishment.  He showed the ultimate act of love by "giving up His life for His friends."  I'd say He's the most loving God you could ever ask for and if you don't want to love Him in return, He won't make you live with Him for all of eternity.

What do you think about what the Bible says about the Sabbath being Saturday?  How it applies in the modern?  A sabbath day of rest is still important, but it is no longer Saturday for us.  Because Jesus rose from the dead on the first day of the week, Christians began meeting on the first day of the week.  The first day of the week on our calendar is Sunday.  Therefore, our sabbath day of rest is Sunday, not Saturday as it is for the Jews.  Also, we are warned in the New Testament not to legalize the sabbath day of rest.  Jesus said the sabbath was made for man not man for the sabbath.  Meaning the sabbath day of rest is a gift.  If we forsake that gift, we only bring difficulty upon ourselves.  If we don't take a day of rest (which could be any day of the week depending on one's occupation) then we hurt our minds and bodies. God designed us to need rest.  If we say sabbath has to be on Sunday, then we become like the arrogant religious leaders of Jesus' day.  However, whatever day you take for rest, should include worship of God.

It was mentioned that 75% of people don't go to church which is overwhelming.  What are simple steps to begin reaching those individuals?  Research has also shown that 75% of people who do not go to church said they would go if someone they knew invited them.  So invite someone.  Don't get caught up in the big monster number of people that don't go.  Just reach that "one life at a time."  Do your part.

Is baptism the only way to accept Jesus as your savior?  No, it is not the only way, because it is not THE way to begin with.  Paul said in Romans 10:9, "If you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved."  Baptism is an act of obedience that is an outward expression of the change you have experienced on the inside.  However, it is not tied to your salvation.  Faith alone.

According to Revelation 2:1-6 says to the church of Ephesus that he has this against them, that they have lost their first love.  What does this mean to you?  I'm not sure that it means they have totally rejected Christ, but I think it means they have forgotten the totality of what Christ represents. They were passionate about fighting heresy, but maybe had lost their heart of compassion for those in need, or those far from God.

Question from Sunday, October 7, 2012

In reference to Matthew 7, what about people who accept Christ at the end of their life? "Death bed confessions of faith" have often been a source of contention for long-time Christians.  They wonder how someone could live their life in such a non-Christian manner and then be forgiven days before dying and spend eternity in heaven.  We look at that as unfair.  We reason, "I spend my entire life trying to live the Christian faith in order to stay out of the "danger zone" described in Matthew 7, meanwhile, this big sinner confesses Christ at the end of the their life and make it to heaven.  What gives?"  First, this is an example of the amazing grace of Jesus.  Only He can find it within His heart to forgive someone who has had a life of great sin but wants to repent at the end of life.  God doesn't care about fairness in that situation.  He cares about the person's heart.  And if someone's heart is truly repentant for their past and wants to confess Christ, then He will welcome them with open arms.  Part of their confession in Christ is admitting their past life was a mistake and lived improperly.  Jesus isn't like us, who hold records of wrong, even after someone seeks forgiveness.  Second, we see this with the thief on the cross hanging next to Jesus when He said to the repentant thief, "Today you will be with me in paradise."  Even though this may seem unfair, think about how much better your life is living for Christ your entire life rather than living the sin-filled life with all its consequences.  When we see a person who rejected Christ their entire life, make a death-bed confession, its almost like we say, "Hey, wait, so I could have had fun all my life and thrown caution to the wind and repented in the end?"  Go ahead and try that.  First, the consequences of your lifestyle will haunt you daily with all the problems you will bring upon yourself.  Second, what if you die in the middle of that rebellion?  Oops.  There is so much more that could be talked about relating to this subject, but I hope this helps.  Thanks for the question!

QUESTIONS FROM SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2012

How do you go back to the parents who are no longer here on the earth? (to ask for forgiveness) This question is in regards to a statement I made during my sermon that those of us who are adult children should go back to our parents and seek forgiveness for how we disrespected them when we were teenagers.  Obviously if your parents are no longer living, you will be unable to have this conversation with them.  However, I think the first step is to seek forgiveness from God.  1 John 1:9 clearly tells us that "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."  Because of this, we do not have to worry about not being forgiven for past sins against our parents who are no longer living.  God is just and will still forgive.  There is also some evidence in the Bible that those who have passed away are aware of events happening on the earth.  What exactly is revealed to those who have passed on is unclear, but perhaps, if you were to ask forgiveness for past sins against your parents, God may let them know of your repentance.  Wouldn't that be cool?  I appreciate your heart to seek that forgiveness and I know God will honor your heart.

QUESTIONS FROM SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2012

What were the quotes and Bible verses put on the projector at today's service on Sept 16? The passages I referenced Sunday were; Luke 15:11-32, 1 Timothy 5:8, 1 Timothy 3:4 and 5, and Philippians 2:3.

If a person believes in God, has learned about Christ, but does not accept Jesus as their savior will they go to heaven when they die?  Before I answer this question, I need to be clear.  God is the only one who will determine who makes it to heaven and who does not.  I am not the judge.  All I can do is tell you what the Bible says about salvation.  First of all, Romans 10:9 and 10 says, "That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved."  This passage clearly defines a saved person as one who confesses with their mouth and believes in their heart that Jesus is Lord.  Jesus being the Lord of your life is the key.  And as this passage says, you must believe that with your heart and only God knows someone's heart.  The Greek word for "Lord" in that passage is recognizing Christ as the ultimate authority in your life.  Or viewing Him as master and you as slave.  So you see here, recognizing Christ as Lord is a life altering decision in someone's life.  We also see in James that its not enough just to believe in God.  James 2:18-20 says, "Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder. You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless?"  Here we see that our faith in Christ as Lord must be evidenced by the way we live.  Someone can't just say the believe in Christ, they must live with Him as Lord, or they are no different than the demons who believe Christ is who He said He is.  Finally, Jesus said in Matthew 7:21-23, “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.Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’" Here we see some sobering words from Jesus.  Jesus is again clearly drawing a differentiation between one who says Jesus is Lord and the person who backs up the Lordship of Christ by the way they live.  So to answer your question, I think one definitely needs to do more than simply believe in God and learn about Christ.  Recognizing Him as Lord and Savior is essential to one's salvation according to Scripture.  Jesus called us to be authentic, committed, followers, not half-committed acquaintances.  Thanks for your question!

Questions from Sunday, September 2, 2012

Taking the literal meaning of the last portion of Revelation what are your thoughts on the "extra books" in relation to Catholicism and Mormonism? I assume by this question you are referring to Revelation 22:18 and 19 which warns of people adding to or taking away from "this book."  While we cannot be certain whether this warning was regarding the "extra books" related to Catholicism and Mormonism, you could certainly make that case.  Any time someone adds anything to God's Word, they are in danger.  The extra books in Catholicism are called the Apocrypha and the extra book in Mormonism is called the Book of Mormon.  The term "Apocrypha" means hidden or secret.  This term applied to a collection of books, ranging from 11 to 16 in number.  These books were written between the Old and New Testaments.  Two different groups of Jews differed on the Apocrypha books.  One group highly valued them and the other rejected them.  The Roman Catholic Church in the Council of Trent in AD 1546, declared 11 of the books to be canonical (worthy of being included in the Bible) and these books appear in the modern Catholic Bibles.  The Protestant Church rejected the Apocrypha books because they were never quoted by Jesus, most of the early church Fathers regarded them as uninspired, they did not appear in the ancient Hebrew canon, and they contained an inferior quality of writing compared to the other Old Testament books.  The major theologians that rejected the Apocrypha were Philo and Josephus around AD 100.  The Book of Mormon is completely rejected by both Catholics and Protestants as total heresy.  The story goes that the angel Moroni appeared to Mormon prophet Joseph Smith in 1823 and revealed to him the location of golden plates that contained the fullness of the everlasting gospel.  Along with the plates, Joseph Smith found a pair of magical eyeglasses that he used to translate the words into English.  What resulted was the Book of Mormon.  Smith referred to the Book of Mormon as "the most correct of any book on earth and the keystone to our religion."  The book teaches against the Trinity.  Furthermore, there has been no archaeological evidence to confirm some of the places and people migrating to the United States that are contained in the book.  What's interesting is that Joseph Smith claimed the words in the book came to him directly from God.  However, the book had to be edited and corrected thousands of times to correct Smith's poor grammar and spelling.  Probably the biggest mark against the Book of Mormon is the fact that large sections were derived from the King James version of the Bible, however, according to Mormon chronology, the Book of Mormon predates the King James version of the Bible by more than a thousand years. (Sources used:  Thompson Chain Reference Bible and Hank Hanegraaff studies)

Hi, we attended our first service here and liked it a lot. We were wondering if the church is open through out the week, say to come read a book in the library or something like that? Thanks!  Yes, the church is officially open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.  Feel free to come and use the library at your leisure.  Glad you came and liked it!  

Question from Sunday, August 19, 2012

If you know something you did in your past was not the right thing to do and you don't repent but want to how do you change your heart?  Sins from out past can severely debilitate our ability to grow spiritually if we are not careful.  Most people have a past they regret, or at least a particular sin they regret.  In order for someone to be truly repentant over a sin, they need to experience what the Bible calls, "godly sorrow."  The Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 7 writes to the church in Corinth about a particular situation that was similar to the one you address.  Here's what he said in 2 Corinthians 7:9-11, "...yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us. Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done. At every point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter."  Worldly sorrow simply says, "I am sorry for what I have done, but I'm not sorry enough to change."  Godly sorrow says, "I recognize the gravity of my sin and wish to repent (which means turn 180 degrees in the other direction) and conquer this sin once and for all through the power of the Holy Spirit."  If you want to really change your heart, then consider if you have been experiencing godly sorrow or worldly sorrow up to this point. If you are experiencing godly sorrow, God will justly forgive and forget about it.  1 John 1:9 says, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."  Satan wants nothing more than for you to carry that guilt and think you will never be forgiven.  As long as you feel that way, Satan has you convinced your sin is too big for Christ to forgive.  Luke 15 contains three parables from Jesus that indicate God's forgiving heart and desire to bring someone back to wholeness.

Question from Sunday, August 12, 2012

Where in the Bible does it say its OK to remarry after a divorce?  It doesn't.  The only time we see the idea of getting remarried mentioned in the Bible, is in 1 Corinthians 7:39 which says, "A woman is bound to her husband as long as he lives.  But if her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, but he must belong to the Lord."  Having said that, the concept in Biblical times was that once a certificate of divorce was granted, you were free to remarry.  The Jewish leaders during Jesus' time had taken the Laws of Moses that discussed certificates of divorce and broadened them to apply to all kinds of situations.  This allowed for a male dominated society to divorce their wives for about any reason they wanted.  But then Jesus comes on the scene and sets the record straight.  In Matthew 5:32, Jesus said, "But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, causes her to become an adulteress, and anyone who marries the divorced woman commits adultery."  The Greek word for "marital unfaithfulness" is porneia.  Porneia means sexual immorality.  Sexual immorality is any sexual sin that violates sex between a married man and a married woman.  So Jesus narrows the grounds for divorce to sexual immorality.  Some believe the Apostle Paul also allowed for divorce in the event one spouse deserts the other in 1 Corinthians chapter 7.  By desertion, they mean, after strongly attempting to work out a marriage, the spouse who wanted to stay in the marriage is free from that marriage and free to remarry if the other spouse leaves them.  However, the deserting spouse commits adultery if they remarry.  I'm not sure I agree that desertion is grounds for divorce, but I'm simply presenting it here.  For now, my belief is that remarriage is only permitted in the event sexual immorality was the basis for the divorce and if a spouse has passed away.  In our culture, this topic is very hotly debated.  My advice is to take a more conservative approach to remarriage rather than a liberal one.  It's like the old adage, "better to be safe than sorry."

Questions from Sunday, July 22, 2012

I have served on 2 juries. The Bible says to not judge others, have I committed a sin by serving on a jury? Absolutely not.  The legal system in the United States was set up primarily by Christians using the Bible as their basis.  Romans 13:1-3 says, "Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you."  Throughout Scripture, we see the evidence of fair trials before someone is convicted of a crime.  As a citizen of the United States and as a Christian who submits to governing authorities, it is right for you to serve on the jury and be a part of a system that allows for people to be innocent until proven guilty.  We have a fair legal system because it was set up by Christians, not tyrants as in other countries around the world.

Catching Up!

I sincerely apologize.  I have not kept up on answering questions on my blog and I'm now catching up. I love this opportunity for you to ask questions and have dialog about the sermons.  Because we haven't specifically mentioned it in our Sunday morning services, other than in the bulletin, it has slipped my mind to check for submitted questions and update my blog.  I want this to be a beneficial forum for all of you, so I will do my best to keep this as updated as possible in the future.  Thanks for cutting me some slack as I get used to all the different online forums in which to communicate.  So let's do some housekeeping and answer some questions...

Where in the Bible does it discuss Satan being a fallen angel?  As I said in my sermon, no one is 100% sure Satan was a fallen angel.  Two passage that seem to point in that direction are Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28.   These passages talk about an angel wanting to ascend to the highest throne in heaven and being at the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve, etc.  Some think these passages are speaking of earthly kings, while others think this is referring to Satan, while still others think it is referring to both.  There's another passage in Revelation 12 that talks about the Red Dragon being thrown to earth from heaven.  Some think this too points to Satan once being in heaven, but others believe this illustrates that he has no power over the church.  So bottom line, unfortunately, there is no black and white evidence of Satan once being a fallen angel.  Actually, it really doesn't make or break our faith either way.

What does the Bible say about mediums?  There is one familiar story when King Saul consults a medium in 1 Samuel 28.  However, if you look closely, he does so because God is not answering him.  Saul was living in sin.  He also disguises himself before consulting the medium.  The medium tells him (not knowing he is King Saul) that King Saul has banished the mediums and spiritist from the land.  This indicates that when Saul was trying to be a good king, he knew using mediums was against God's commands.  Nowhere in this chapter do we see that using a medium is a good thing.  In fact, if you read throughout the Bible, sorcery, witchcraft, evil magic, etc. are condemned.  For instance, look up Deuteronomy 18:10, which would have been written well before King Saul.  Also see Leviticus 19 which condemns the use of sorcery and mediums.

Why would the Spirit of God leave us and allow a demon to posses us?  This comes from the story of King Saul in 1 Samuel 16.  Something we have to remember while reading Scripture is that one story does not make a blanket truth for all time.  For instance, after King David sinned with Bathsheba, God took away their son by death.  Does this mean that everyone who sins will have their babies killed by God?  Of course not.  God often times throughout the Bible punishes someone uniquely in order to send a message to all mankind.  In the event with Saul, God was allowing an evil spirit to torment Saul and then David would play his harp and the spirit would leave Saul.  So to officially say, "Saul was demon possessed," may or may not be accurate.  But whatever the case, we do not see evidence in Scripture that God does this on a regular basis.  In fact, we see quite the opposite.  Check out Matthew 12:29, 1 John 4:4, and John 8:49.  There is no example in Scripture where a Christian became demon possessed.

Are demons present at death?  While there is evidence angels are present at death, like in the case of Lazarus, we don't have much evidence of demons being present.  However, that is not to say they couldn't be.  Perhaps for the unbeliever there may be demonic presence.

Are all angels allowed in the presence of God or just certain ones?  It appears throughout Scripture that angels are certainly in the presence of God in heaven.  However, it appears the angel, Gabriel may have the highest standing with God.  In Luke 1, Gabriel appears to Zechariah to tell him his wife will give birth to John the Baptist.  When Zechariah questions Gabriel as to his true identity, Gabriel answers, "I am Gabriel.  I stand in the presence of God."

Why is it my family hates me and then acts like its my fault? This may be difficult to answer since I don't know the details of your situation.  Sometimes we misread our family and think they are against us, when in actuality, we are living in rebellion and simply deny it.  At other times, we can be legitimately trying to live a Christ-honoring life and our family reacts negatively toward that.  Family dynamics can be very difficult.  If you are an adult, I would say, take a break from being around your family and let the situation die down a bit so cooler heads can prevail.  Always approach these situations with a soft heart and humility.  Always seek reconciliation.  As long as you are seeking reconciliation, you can rest easy knowing you are doing the right thing no matter how your family reacts.  But give yourself an honest assessment and see if there is a rebellious spirit within you.  I would also suggest talking with a trusted Christian mentor or counselor.

May I have information on the summer Bible study?  What will they be studying and who is leading it? Is there a local online Bible study?  For answers to these questions, please see our website at www.countylincehurch.org or call Jen Harris in our home office at 260-627-2482.

Unanswered Prayer is a Red Flag of a Potential Heart Problem-Hannah

Many of you have requested the list of hindrances to prayer I mentioned in the sermon.  Here they are...

• Disrespecting your spouse (1Peter 3:7) 
• Wrong motives (James 4:3) 
• Praying against God’s will (1John 5:14) 
• Ignoring the Bible (Proverbs 28:9) 
• A non-generous spirit toward the poor (Proverbs 21:13) 
• An unforgiving spirit (Matthew 5:23-24/Matthew 6:14) 
• Lack of faith (Matthew 17:19-20) 
• Paying unfair wages to employees (Malachi 3:5) 
• Adultery (Malachi 3:5) 
• Divorce (Malachi 2:13-16) 
• Treating illegal immigrants poorly (Malachi 3:5) 
• Cherished sin in our heart (Psalm 66:18) 

QUESTIONS FROM THE "WIRED FOR WORSHIP" SERIES

Do you think society has changed for the worse?  I'm in my 50's and I think we are much more anti-morals, country, and God.  There is no question in my mind our society has changed for the worse.  The more God has been taken out of culture, the worse things get.  It baffles me how certain groups want to push Christianity out of the public forum and yet, Christianity teaches the values that any society should live by in order to obtain the most harmonious situation.  Liberal freedom has become synonymous with progress.  If you listen carefully to news reports or documentaries about our history, they always make it sound like moving past our conservative heritage has been progress.  They make you believe that going back to a more conservative approach to media, movies, entertainment, etc., would be going backwards.  They laugh at how conservative our culture used to be.  Now, we are supposed to be tolerant of everyone regardless of their beliefs.  And by tolerant, I mean accepting.  Our society wants us to embrace different beliefs and gray up the lines of absolute truth.  People don't want to hear black and white truth anymore.  People today want truth to align with their beliefs and lifestyles.  Consequently, people look around until they find someone who teaches what they believe.  But this is not a shocking revelation.  God predicted this through the writing of Paul to Timothy.  In 2 Timothy 4:3, Paul writes, "For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine.  Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear."  Believe me...this day has come!


What is speaking in tongues?  The Apostle Paul talks about speaking in tongues in 1 Corinthians 14.  Speaking in tongues is mentioned elsewhere in the New Testament, but Paul expounds in this chapter.  Paul says "anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God.  Indeed, no one understands him; he utters mysteries with his spirit."  Speaking in tongues is an audible sound coming from a believer's mouth that is unintelligible to most people, but understandable to someone who is capable of interpreting tongues.  We believe speaking in tongues to be a special manifestation of the Spirit that comes over someone.  It is a spiritual gift not given to all.  Unfortunately, some denominations teach that you are truly not saved unless you are baptized with the Holy Spirit, or are able to speak in tongues.  Paul says in verse 19, "But in the church I would rather speak five intelligible words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue."  Unfortunately, some churches will continue to worship until someone speaks in a tongue, like that's some kind of indication that true worshiping is occurring.  Paul said in verse 4, "He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church."  Unfortunately, many who publicly speak in tongues, do so in order to look more spiritual and draw attention to themselves.  Paul strongly warns against this and says in verse 27 that tongues must be interpreted in a public setting.  In some settings, far too many tongues are spoken with no interpretation.  There is a lot more to this subject that cannot be covered this briefly.  Maybe I'll talk more in depth on this subject in a sermon sometime.

Who is in the 3 heavens?  The Bible refers to three heavens periodically.  The Jews referred to three different sky locations as heaven.  The first heaven referred to the area contained within the earth's atmosphere.  For instance, Deuteronomy 11:17 says, "Then the Lord's anger will burn against you, and He will shut the heavens to that it will not rain and the ground will yield no produce, and you will soon perish from the good land the Lord is giving you."  The second heaven referred to outer space.  Psalm 19:4 and 6 says, "In the heavens He has pitched a tent for the sun...It rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuits to the other." The third heaven, then, is the dwelling place of God, or what we would typically refer to as the place where we go when we die.  Paul said in 2 Corinthians 12:2, "I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven."  This third heaven, is currently an intermediate heaven where deceased believers go to dwell until the new heaven and earth are created at the end of time (see Revelation 21).

What are other ways you can worship God besides singing?  Expressing words of thanksgiving to God, giving money to God-honoring causes, confession of sin, preaching, teaching, reading Scripture, living a life of discipline, baptism, communion...just to name a few.

Would you recommend reading the book, "How to Become a True Worshiper" that you quoted last week?  Actually, it was Kevin who quoted this book, but yes, go ahead and read it.

When is Kevin's next sermon?  Every other week...say yes!

I think it would be easier to love our fellow members if we knew their names.  I wish everyone wore name tags.  I understand this sentiment and have even considered it.  However, this would not be very guest sensitive.  While there are exceptions to this rule, most guests want to come in and out of a church service virtually unnoticed their first few times.  Anything you do to point them out is considered a huge no-no in the church world.  We want people to feel very comfortable coming into our midst on a Sunday morning.  Requiring a name tag would turn a good percentage of people off.  While there may be outgoing guests that love it, it's not worth the other percentage that would hate it.  One great way to get to know people is to walk up and introduce yourself.  The safest first question to ask is, "How long have you been attending County Line?"  Whether it's their first Sunday, or they have been attending for 50 years, you are safe.

Forgiving others is a daily task.  Will God let the other person forgive us as well for any bitterness or anger they hold too?  I'm not exactly sure I understand this question, but if I'm interpreting the question correctly, God gives us a freewill to respond to Him or not to.  So if someone needs to ask forgiveness from you, God may prompt them, but He will not force them.  I think it would be great for you to pray that God would convict the person and that they would see the error of their ways.  Just be careful, you have examined your own life first.

Is meditation an acceptable form of worship?  My first response to this question was, absolutely!  However, meditation can be interpreted a few different ways.  If by meditation, we mean, quieting ourselves before God and allowing our minds to dwell on Him and His Scripture, then by all means, yes!  But if you are talking about some of the Middle Eastern or Eastern methods of meditation, then I would say no.  The Bible says in Joshua 1:8, "Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it.  Then you will be prosperous and successful."  So if you are meditating on God's Word, the Bible, then you are practicing a Biblical form of meditation.

What's the difference between praise and worship?  When you look at the definitions of these terms, they can appear very similar.  Both are a response to God, who is worthy of adoration.  I would more specifically say that praise is a form of worship.  Praise typically focuses on attributes of God.  For instance, "I praise you God for being holy, just, loving, merciful, infinite, patient, etc."  Worship is any active response to God and can include any number of methods, as we saw above.

When should you look for a new church?  I absolutely despise church hopping.  As we talked about in the service, church hopping is a result of our consumer mentality in America.  If we don't like a business, we change to a different one.  If we don't like a restaurant, we don't go back.  If we don't like a certain product, we change to another.  Unfortunately, we have applied this consumer mentality to church.  If we don't like how things are done, we leave and try and find a place that does things they way we would do them.  To me, church is about God first and people second.  Methods are a distant third.  If you are at a Bible teaching church that functions in the way God has outlined in Scripture and you love the people who also attend, then stick with your church.  If something is happening you don't care for, talk to the pastor or a church board member and seek understanding.  More often than not, once someone seeks understanding, they can live with something they don't like, because now they at least understand it.  To answer the question directly, I would only leave a church if I could point to something that was clearly a violation of Scripture.  However, other considerations can be made.  If you are just miserable at your current church, then it is probably hindering your ability to worship and to be fully used by God within that Body.  Hence, I would suggest looking for another church.  I guess if there is anything good to the consumer mentality in America, it is the fact that there is a church out there for everyone.  If you look long enough, I guess you'll find a good one.  But always remember, every single church is made up of imperfect people serving a perfect God.  No church is perfect.

How do I pursue my passions and ambitions in our church if I don't feel loved or welcomed by others in our congregation?  Never forget, your ability to connect in a church is a two way street.  What effort have you made to get connected at County Line?  Have you been intentional about meeting new people?  You cannot rely on other people to pursue you.  Have you been intentional about meeting with Jen Harris and discussing how you can best be used within our church based on your gifts and talents?  Have you taken a spiritual gifts class to discover if you are accurately discerning your gifts?  As a pastor, I have met a number of people that think they are gifted in an area in which they are not.  People who think they can sing, but cannot.  People who think they can teach, but cannot.  People who think they are leaders, but are not.  People who think they are administrators, but are not.  And on goes the list.  This is probably the biggest suggestion I would have.  Talk to Pastor Nate in our office about upcoming spiritual gifts classes and enroll today.

How do you feel about those that 'over worship?' Put on such a fake front that it is detrimental to their message?  It ruins a message when someone fake cries.  Again, I'm not sure I fully understand the question, but if you are talking about someone in the congregation, I would say, be careful not to judge someones heart.  Someone may be more demonstrative in their worship style than you.  Most people who are demonstrative in their worship have a love language of touch in their earthly relationships.  Those who do not have this love language, cannot understand for the life of them, why people would act the way they do.  I agree there are people who like drawing attention to themselves.  However, that may just be my interpretation.  Only God knows for sure.
If you are referring to pastors who shed tears during a sermon, I challenge you to give a sermon sometime in your life.  So much more goes into a sermon than people will ever know.  We are pouring out our souls to the congregation on any given Sunday and sometimes, the power of the Spirit moving through us is so powerful, you cannot help but get choked up or actually start to cry.  Again, there may be some pastors that never get emotional.  That again would go back to their personality or emotional intelligence.  Yes, some pastors seem to cry every Sunday.  I question how sincere that is, but at the same time, I know people I talk to that seem to cry every time I talk to them.  Some people are just very emotional.  I typically get the most emotional when speaking of lost people or hurting people.  My heart goes out to people that don't know God and how much He loves them.  I also get emotional when God moves in ways that are unexplainable in human terms.  So bottom line.  Don't be too quick to judge.  Just because you may not be an emotional person, doesn't mean everybody is the same or that people are faking it.  I would suggest assume the tears are real rather than assuming they are fake.