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.