Questions from the Congregation...
Q. When Jesus refers to the good seed and bad seed in the parable of the Wheat and the Tares, can a bad seed turn into a good seed?
A. The scripture you are referring to is located in Matthew 13:24-30.
Mat 13:24-30 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: (25) But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. (26) But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. (27) So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares? (28) He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? (29) But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. (30) Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.
We are blessed to not only have the Holy Spirit as our capable interpreter for this portion of Scripture, but we also have the Speaker, Jesus Christ Himself, interpret it for us in Matthew 13:37-40.
Mat 13:37-43 He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man; (38) The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; (39) The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. (40) As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. (41) The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; (42) And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. (43) Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.
The seeds are planted by their respective sowers. Each seed already has their owner. One is owned by God the other by Satan. And eventually each seed will inherit their reward. The good seed will one day believe unto salvation. The bad seed will always deny Christ and the Son of God and Savior of the World.
John 10:26 but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep.
John 8:43-44 Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word. (44) You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
Asked 02/10/2016
Q. Should we pray the “Our Father” in our services since Jesus gave us that example?
A. This is a a long-debated topic. Many in the contemporary Christian circles would wince at the very thought of saying the "Lord's Prayer" also known as the "Our Father" during a church service. Personally, I'm not against it. I think as long as it would be done with reverence and in faith that God would be pleased with our doing it. In many denominations this is not very different to a responsorial reading where the lector reads a portion of scripture and the congregation affirms it with a specific response. The problem begins when these prayers become a show of self-righteousness and arrogance (Matt. 6:5-15). These types of things are a stench in God's nose (Prov. 16:5). He wants a contrite heart. An authentic spirit to engage with (Psalm 51, John 4:24). If we can have repetitive prayers in our service without them becoming "common" I would have no problem with it according to the Word of God (Eph. 5:19, 1Cor. 14:26). However, I think it would always be a good idea to also engage God outside of a memorized template (Rom. 8:26; Eph. 6:18). Remember, the creator of heaven and earth is giving you His complete and undivided attention (Ps. 139:13; Jer. 1:5; Luke 17:21). He wants us to listen and respond to Him as one of His children (Rom. 8:15; Gal. 4:6).
Q. What does it mean to be in constant prayer?
A. This statement "constant prayer" is taken from 1 Thessalonians 5:17. In this passage Paul is giving his final benediction to the church. He gives a list of attributes that will help them to remain at peace with each other and to further their goals in manifesting Christ's love and the binding together of the fellowship.
Verse 11 of this chapter is the key to understanding the context of being in constant prayer.
Constant prayer is NOT a mandate to drop all of our other duties and to be in a 100% devotion to making 24/7 non-stop supplication and petitions to God. If that was the case then the bible would definitely be in contradiction to itself, because then we would be unable to do anything else like, engage in conversations, work, solve problems that require team-work or social engagement, etc.
Now, that does not mean that even when we are engaged in those moments of our busy lives that God is not near. As we work, we know for whom we are working. (Col. 3:23, Eph. 6:7) And we do all things for Him and His glory (1 Cor. 10:31). So being in constant prayer is possible. I believe Scripture clearly shows us that our fellowship with God takes many forms, some verbal, some in secret, some with the church and so on (Psalm 139).
Therefore, in light of the context of verse 11, the purpose of verse 17, "...pray without ceasing" is that as Christians we should turn to God in all circumstances and be engaged with Him spiritually that He might continue to transform us into the image of His Son, so that we might, (verse 11), "encourage one another and build one another up..." So, the instruction to be in constant prayer is an encouragement to remain faithful to commune with God, that He would continue to shape you for His purposes. (2 Cor. 3:18, Rom. 8:29)
Q. According to 1 Corinthians 11, shouldn't women always have a covering over their heads and men never wear caps, since we are mandated to be in a constant state of prayer (i.e. praying for our food, a sigh of gratitude towards God, etc.)?
A. This is where we can see in scripture that there are different types of prayer. I wish I didn't have to use the word "official" but I think that word fits best. An "official" act of prayer is when you are deliberately setting aside time to petition God or seek His counsel or gathering with other believers corporately in this intimate form of communication.
This does not mean that casual prayers or quick prayers or "off-the-cuff" prayers are not just as vital or crucial to our lives, and their impact on the events of the world.
Consider these beautiful acts of prayer: Hannah's prayer (1Sam. 2), Jesus' prayer in the garden of Gethsemane (Matt. 26:39) and Stephen's prayer while He was being martyred (Acts 7:54-60).
But when we engage in a very deliberate and thoughtful manner, for the purposes of serving God's people it is important that men and women testify that they are recognizing their position in creation (1Cor. 11:9). Why? Because as in anything else, if we forget our position in creation and the work of grace on our lives, it can very easily creep in and seek to rearrange God's mandate for creation (Rom. 9:20, Matt. 4:9, Gen. 3:5-6). This is where haughtiness, pride, arrogance and self-centeredness can have a foothold on our lives. (Isaiah 14:13-14, 2Thess. 2:4, Ezekiel 28:2)
**Please read those scriptures to have a frame of reference for context.
Sometimes it takes an outward action to produce the desired affect on our lives. A head-covering, a lifting of the hands, prostrating on the ground are all outward expressions of an inward conviction. And sometimes, because that conviction is lacking, the mandate for that outward expression will undoubtedly help in destroying that thing that is preventing the conviction to take hold (1Pet. 5:6, James 4:7-10, Luke 18:4). In other words, lifting our hands in worship can actually get us past our selves (embarrassment, ego) and draw us closer to God.
Q. Should prayer have a more prominent and sober role in our fellowship?
Yes. I will be the first to confess. We are not praying the way we ought to during our services. This one question is going to change that. As soon as I read it I was reminded of so many scriptures and sermons that all encourage God's people to pray corporately. It is an amazing act of worship and it should have a prominent role in all our services. Matthew 21:13 says, "...my House will be called a house of prayer..."
Q. What is the biblical picture of a church service? Is preaching or ministry of biblical doctrine the main point of church on Sunday?
A. A Christian church service in scripture contained prayer, communion, singing, reading of scripture and the expounding of scripture (Luke 2:46; 1Cor. 14:26-40). The time allowed for each item and the duration of service is very vague and is difficult to pinpoint. Unfortunately I have been guilty of not spending enough time in prayer during the church service. The liturgy should have a marked time for prayer in corporate worship. Currently scriptural exposition is main part of our service as we desire to see Jesus Christ revealed in every chapter of the bible.
Q. If we are to more accurately follow 1 Corinthians 11:1-16 shouldn’t we then activate a more serious and intentional corporate prayer time into our service?
Yes. It should. And we will start this Sunday.
Asked 11/12/14
Q. If God is love and He created the universe, does that mean love is truly universal? So if we, as Christians, show love to a non-believer - is that God working His love through us?
A. The context of 1 John 4:8 "...God is love." is an encouragement by John to the Church to express true agape love to one another. The word agape which is the Greek word used in this text means "affection or benevolence; specifically (plural) a love feast: - (feast of) charity ([-ably]), dear, love." So this type of affection has a real tangible nature to it. This type of love moves and acts and responds and comforts. It truly overflows in good deeds towards others, it is a service type of love - a hospitable love.
Unfortunately, people are not capable of this type of love naturally. Naturally our love is merit-based or is self-centered. That is why most friendships or relationships are hard to uphold. In order to truly love someone we have to first experience the love that God has for His children. Without experiencing that agape love that only comes from the Spirit of God, it is impossible to love someone the way they need to be loved.
Lots of people think that God's love is a shallow, non-offensive, "as-you-wish" type of love. God's love is universal in the fact that He loves all of His creation. However, His love towards His children is special and unique compared to how He loves other things He created. The bible teaches us that He loves His children so much that He gave His Son Jesus as payment for the sin that they committed. He also gave His Son Jesus as a substitute to fulfill the righteous requirements He mandated for all humanity. So by this love, He gave us His righteousness and took away our punishment that we deserved.
Finally, to answer your second question, yes, by showing love to others the world is able to experience God's love first hand through us. (John 3, 1 Corinthians 13, 1 John 4)
Asked 11/18/14
A. The context of 1 John 4:8 "...God is love." is an encouragement by John to the Church to express true agape love to one another. The word agape which is the Greek word used in this text means "affection or benevolence; specifically (plural) a love feast: - (feast of) charity ([-ably]), dear, love." So this type of affection has a real tangible nature to it. This type of love moves and acts and responds and comforts. It truly overflows in good deeds towards others, it is a service type of love - a hospitable love.
Unfortunately, people are not capable of this type of love naturally. Naturally our love is merit-based or is self-centered. That is why most friendships or relationships are hard to uphold. In order to truly love someone we have to first experience the love that God has for His children. Without experiencing that agape love that only comes from the Spirit of God, it is impossible to love someone the way they need to be loved.
Lots of people think that God's love is a shallow, non-offensive, "as-you-wish" type of love. God's love is universal in the fact that He loves all of His creation. However, His love towards His children is special and unique compared to how He loves other things He created. The bible teaches us that He loves His children so much that He gave His Son Jesus as payment for the sin that they committed. He also gave His Son Jesus as a substitute to fulfill the righteous requirements He mandated for all humanity. So by this love, He gave us His righteousness and took away our punishment that we deserved.
Finally, to answer your second question, yes, by showing love to others the world is able to experience God's love first hand through us. (John 3, 1 Corinthians 13, 1 John 4)
Asked 11/18/14
Q. Why does the bible focus on homosexuality as a sin and disregard other things such as dietary laws?
A. Since God is the creator of the universe He has the "right" to make the laws that govern the universe and decide what is wrong and what is right; whether they are physical laws, moral laws, biological laws, etc. God decided to exercise His sovereign right to do away with dietary laws in the New Covenant under Christ to show that there is no longer a difference between Gentile or Jew concerning being a part of the family of God. He uses laws to reveal to the entire world that we have all failed to keep His righteous standard, so that we might see our need for Christ our Savior. Homosexuality is not different from other sexual sins. Adultery, fornication, homosexuality, pedophilia, bestiality, masturbation are all forms of sexual immorality. They all need to be dealt with and repented of. So homosexuals are not a special class of outcast and unique sinners that are without hope. Just as a person having lustful thoughts of someone of the opposite sex is sexually immoral, a person with homosexual desires is no different. (Romans 9:20; Acts 10:14-16; Acts 11:1-18; Romans 10:12; 1Tim. 1:8-11; Romans 7:7-25; Genesis 4:7; 1John 2:16)
Asked 11/9/14
A. Since God is the creator of the universe He has the "right" to make the laws that govern the universe and decide what is wrong and what is right; whether they are physical laws, moral laws, biological laws, etc. God decided to exercise His sovereign right to do away with dietary laws in the New Covenant under Christ to show that there is no longer a difference between Gentile or Jew concerning being a part of the family of God. He uses laws to reveal to the entire world that we have all failed to keep His righteous standard, so that we might see our need for Christ our Savior. Homosexuality is not different from other sexual sins. Adultery, fornication, homosexuality, pedophilia, bestiality, masturbation are all forms of sexual immorality. They all need to be dealt with and repented of. So homosexuals are not a special class of outcast and unique sinners that are without hope. Just as a person having lustful thoughts of someone of the opposite sex is sexually immoral, a person with homosexual desires is no different. (Romans 9:20; Acts 10:14-16; Acts 11:1-18; Romans 10:12; 1Tim. 1:8-11; Romans 7:7-25; Genesis 4:7; 1John 2:16)
Asked 11/9/14
Q. Where do the elders of the church get their authority to interpret scripture and support their interpretations? Are they subject to anyone else?
A. The local church leadership is governed by multiple elders. At Word of God Church we have three elders, this is called a "plurality of elders". We recognize that we are sinful and imperfect men that will make mistakes, morally and theologically. Concerning bible interpretation, or first method of scripture interpretation is scripture itself. Secondly, when encountering scripture that challenges our current understanding of texts we will independently research the text in question, may call on other resources to discuss the text and then reconvene to determine our findings. Part of this process is looking at context, language, audience, reference texts, etc. If we fail to come to a unanimous understanding of the text we will say so publicly and will confess that we are unclear as to that particular texts meaning when and if that text should come up in ministry at Word of God Church. If we do come to a unanimous understanding on a text in question we will teach and preach on it based on our findings. However, as many of the members of Word of God Church already know, we don't understand things the way we ought to because we are still viewing eternity from only a mortal perspective. We have yet to have God's perfect immortal perspective. Therefore we are particularly cautious when we expound on scripture that may be shrouded in much mystery or debate. Although we may feel confident in our unanimous interpretation, we will often tell the congregation that concerning that particular scripture we may have it wrong and will have to continue to pray and study to come to a more concrete understanding. Lastly, we pretty much tell our congregation every week that we are men, and men are imperfect liars and that they should find out for themselves what the bible says and to test the things that we preach and teach. (1 & 2 Timothy, Acts)
As far as being subject to anyone else, we are currently not part of a denomination. Each elder is subject to the other elder and to the entire congregation. So we have put in place congregational quarterly meetings to keep ourselves in check with the congregation. We give opportunities for questions and answers to doctrine, finances and our goals and purposes. These meetings are also an opportunity for elder and deacon nominations by the congregation and other ministerial or liturgical changes that the congregation may recommend.
Asked 11/9/14
A. The local church leadership is governed by multiple elders. At Word of God Church we have three elders, this is called a "plurality of elders". We recognize that we are sinful and imperfect men that will make mistakes, morally and theologically. Concerning bible interpretation, or first method of scripture interpretation is scripture itself. Secondly, when encountering scripture that challenges our current understanding of texts we will independently research the text in question, may call on other resources to discuss the text and then reconvene to determine our findings. Part of this process is looking at context, language, audience, reference texts, etc. If we fail to come to a unanimous understanding of the text we will say so publicly and will confess that we are unclear as to that particular texts meaning when and if that text should come up in ministry at Word of God Church. If we do come to a unanimous understanding on a text in question we will teach and preach on it based on our findings. However, as many of the members of Word of God Church already know, we don't understand things the way we ought to because we are still viewing eternity from only a mortal perspective. We have yet to have God's perfect immortal perspective. Therefore we are particularly cautious when we expound on scripture that may be shrouded in much mystery or debate. Although we may feel confident in our unanimous interpretation, we will often tell the congregation that concerning that particular scripture we may have it wrong and will have to continue to pray and study to come to a more concrete understanding. Lastly, we pretty much tell our congregation every week that we are men, and men are imperfect liars and that they should find out for themselves what the bible says and to test the things that we preach and teach. (1 & 2 Timothy, Acts)
As far as being subject to anyone else, we are currently not part of a denomination. Each elder is subject to the other elder and to the entire congregation. So we have put in place congregational quarterly meetings to keep ourselves in check with the congregation. We give opportunities for questions and answers to doctrine, finances and our goals and purposes. These meetings are also an opportunity for elder and deacon nominations by the congregation and other ministerial or liturgical changes that the congregation may recommend.
Asked 11/9/14
