Am I being discontent in what God has given me?

Question:
I started out to be a pastor, but became a hospital chaplain for ten years. Now I am doing community evangelism. I love doing this, but my pastor wants me to get accredited as a minister in the American Baptist [denomination]. My Bible college was unaccredited, and my chaplain training for five years was through a curriculum of HCMA, located in Placentia, CA; so I’m having trouble satisfying the requirements for accreditation. I have lots of people vouching for my ministry and other means, but I feel like my training was the wrong type, with so much frustration. If I worked as pastor, I would be teaching, counseling, and evangelizing, but not much preaching. Am I being discontent in what God has given me? Jealous of another type of ministry, etc.?

Answer:
Since I do not know the specifics of your situation or your pastor’s perspective, I cannot answer to those, except that he, as your pastor, cares for your soul (Hebrews 13:17), and his advice may be quite valuable to follow.


Regarding your specific questions about being discontent or jealous: I would ask one question of you: are you? Perhaps, the reason you asked those insightful questions of self-examination is that, deep inside, you believe you are discontent and/or jealous. Only you can answer those questions before God.


You are aware, I’m sure, of what the Scriptures say about contentment:

…I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content (Philippians 4:11b).

And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content (1 Timothy 6:8).

Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have... (Hebrews 13:5a).

I’m sure you are also aware of what the Scriptures say about faithfulness:

He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much (Luke 16:10-11).

Compare also Luke 19:11-26.

A good friend of mine and a faithful servant of the Lord used to say, “Bloom where you’re planted!” I encourage you to serve the Lord faithfully and cheerfully in whatever capacity you are in right now. Certainly, seek to improve your understanding of the Scriptures, seek and abide by godly counsel, and watch to see what the Lord will do with you as He sees fit in His time.

For more Questions and Answers visit www.gotquestion.org

Does Luke 1:15 mean John the Baptist was born saved?

Question:

"Now at this time Mary arose and went in a hurry to the hill country, to a city of Judah, and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary`s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit." (Luke 1:39-41 NASB) Does this mean John the Baptist was born saved?

Answer:

The Scriptures tell us that John the Baptist was “filled with the Holy Spirit” even before his birth: “…He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb” (Luke 1:15b). The verse you referenced (Luke 1:41) states that his mother Elizabeth was also filled with the Holy Spirit!

Does this mean John the Baptist was born saved? An interesting question!

“Saved” – as the term is used biblically – refers to salvation from the penalty of sin which is granted upon receiving through faith alone the Lord Jesus Christ as the Savior from sin (Acts 16:31; Romans 10:9-13). This salvation is available only because of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ in behalf of sinners (1 Corinthians 15:3-4; Romans 3:21-26; 1 John 4:9-10).

John the Baptist was born before the atoning work of Christ; thus, “saved” does not accurately describe this filling of the Holy Spirit before Christ had even been born.

To get a little “technical,” John was born during the Old Covenant (Old Testament) time – when Israel was under (and the whole world was judged by) the Law (Galatians 4:4; Romans 3:19-20). The New Covenant/Testament was/is the result of Jesus shedding His blood on the cross (1 Corinthians 11:25); everything up to that point was/is considered to be under the Old Covenant. During the age of the Old Covenant, the Holy Spirit would often enable various individuals for specific service for God (e.g. Samson – Judges 13-16; King Saul – 1 Samuel 11; David – 1 Samuel 16; et al).  John became the final Old Covenant prophet (Matthew 21:26; Luke 7:28) who was enabled by the Holy Spirit to fulfill the specific ministry God had given him to do (John 1:19-28).

The Scriptures tell us that while locked up in prison, though He knew full well Who Jesus was/is (John 1:29-34), even John had doubts about Jesus (Luke 7:19ff). Not long after that, John was beheaded by Herod (Matthew 14:1-13). Not much else is stated in the Bible about John the Baptist, except what we have considered above, in fulfillment of many Old Testament prophecies concerning him – which is remarkable, to say the least!

Was John the Baptist saved? It is my opinion that, indeed, he was “saved” in the same manner as all other Old Covenant saints (e.g. Abraham, Moses, David, Daniel, et al) – through faith in the coming atonement that would be provided by God Himself, Jesus Christ.

For more questions and answers go to gotquestions.org

If Christianity and Judaism is true, why is Hinduism the first religion? And if Christianity is true, why do some say the Egyptian civilization called Kemet started the monotheistic worldview and others adopted it?

Question:

If Christianity and Judaism is true, why is Hinduism the first religion? And if Christianity is true, why do some say the Egyptian civilization called Kemet started the monotheistic worldview and others adopted it?

Answer:

The answers to your questions lies in addressing your presumptions within those questions. You are presuming that Hinduism and Kemet existed before Judaism and Christianity; and from a purely and only humanistic point of view, there is some level of historical truth to this. Formal Judaism and formal Christianity did form some time after other pagan religions. However, Judaism and, later, Christianity, according to the Bible (God’s point of view) were simply formally organized approaches to God as designed/commanded by Him Himself; thus, they could be traced back to Genesis, which was much earlier than any other religion.

Formal religions (as man has designed the various kinds) are nothing to God. He says that “true religion” is this: “Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world” (James 1:27). “To visit orphans and widows in their trouble” is to provide practical help to those who are helpless – that is an outward or public evidence of practicing “true religion.” Most of the world’s formal religions have some sort of activity with that focus – which is commendable. However, “to keep oneself unspotted from the world” is an entirely different matter; for it is an unseen aspect of “true religion.” Every world religion has a series of rules and regulations that make an attempt at this holiness, but every one of them fail – including formal Judaism and what is now recognized in most places as formalized “Christianity” (which is, for the most part, a terrible deviation from what Jesus Christ Himself taught). Why? “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). If you read the first three chapters of the Bible’s book of Romans, you find quickly that no matter what man tries, he fails to impress God with the second portion of that definition of “true religion” (see especially Romans 3:9-20 for God’s summary of all of man’s efforts).

That is why Jesus Christ came – not to start a formalized religion, but to make men holy before God (Hebrews 12:14-15; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Romans 3:21-26). This holy righteousness is found only through personal (not formalized religious) faith in the Person and atoning work of the Lord Jesus Christ (John 1:1-14; 3:16-36; 1 John 4:7-10; Romans 9:10-13; John 14:6; Acts 4:12; Ephesians 2:8-9). Religion may impress men, but not God. What God is looking for is faith in His Son (1 John 5:12-13).

This is what the Bible (God’s inspired Word – 2 Timothy 3:16-17) states. A person may choose to disbelieve the Bible, because it is not as “old” as some world religions or religious texts. But never forget that upon that choice hangs one’s eternal destiny. The Bible has never been proven wrong; all other religious texts have been proven to be errant and inconsistent, over and over again. Think about it!

For more questions and answers go to www.gotquestions.org

Why We Emphasize the Bible

More and more churches have focused their efforts on getting people inside their doors. They attempt to accomplish this through a variety of efforts, such as the Pastor presenting “pop-psych” sermon topics (that are kept very brief, highly emotional, and avoid “touchy” topics); high-tech, contemporary “worship” services; social and political activity programs; etc. But here at PFBC, we’re always emphasizing the Bible. Every class and church service is deliberately focused on an in-depth, expositional study of the Bible. Why?

First, because we believe the Holy Bible, the traditional sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments, to be the one and only Word of the one and only living God. The majority of people on the earth, including the majority of those who claim to be “Christians,” believe there are many equally valid gods in many equally valid religions with their own equally valid religious texts. If this is so, then the Bible is the most corrupt and false book of them all; for the Bible claims to be the exclusive Word of the one and only God (De. 4:39; 1 Ki. 8:60; Is. 45:22; 1 Co. 8:4; Is. 55:11; Mt. 4:4; 5:17-18).

Second, because we believe in the verbal (the words), plenary (every one of them) inspiration (is “God-breathed”) of the Bible – that every word (no matter how small or “insignificant”) is God’s Word; and therefore, it is 100% inerrant (without mistakes), infallible (flawlessly preserved in the Original Texts), and the complete authority over life. It is not a book about God; it is the Book from God! The majority opinion in Christendom is that the Bible is a “good book” written about God by Jews and early Christians who were driven by mythical beliefs and adamant opinions, and that it is, therefore, filled with errors and myths. However, the Bible makes clear statements to the contrary (2 Ti. 3:16-17; 2 Pe. 1:19-21; 1 Co. 2:10-13; 1 Pe. 1:25).

Third, because we believe that the regular, systematic exposition of the Scriptures exactly as God gave (“inspired”) them is how we should approach the study of the Bible. Is there room for “topical” study? Of course, but never as a substitute for an expositional (verse by verse) exegesis (careful study) of the Bible. Such an approach to Bible study ought to be according to a strictly literal, historical, grammatical context – in other words, we believe that in His written Word, God said exactly what He meant and meant exactly what He said, to whom He said, when He said, the way He said the exacts words He said (1 Ti. 4:12-16; 2 Ti. 4:1-4).

Fourth, because we believe the Bible provides for us Christian everything we need to live life in a godly manner. Again, most who claim to be “Christian” have other ideas they consider to be equally as valuable, including the ideals of humanistic psychology, the principles of man-made religious rituals, and the emotion-driven feelings of mystical experiences. However, the Bible makes its claim quite clear – thus, God said it, that settles it, and we need to believe it (Mt. 4:4; Jms. 1:22; 2 Pe. 1:3-4).

If the Bible is not everything it claims to be then we Bible-believing Christians (what many derogatorily call “Bible thumpers”) are the most supreme dupes, for we are basing the entirety of our present lives and future hope on what it says. The Bible is either fully and exactly what it claims, or it is the most meticulously crafted lie in the history of the world!

If the Bible is everything it claims to be then we Christians ought to pay much more attention to it than we do. Can anyone among us truthfully say that we have read and studied and obeyed the Bible “enough”? Do we point others to God’s Word “enough”?

Why do we at PFBC emphasize the Bible so much? Because of what it is, what it says, who we are, what we need, and ultimately, Who the Author is.

Think about it!

Is it biblical to have ecclesiastical offices in church?

Question:

Is it biblical to have ecclesiastical offices in church? In the Pentecostal and church of God denominations they have Prophets/Prophetess, Apostle, Evangelist and so on and so forth.

Answer:

All the various denominations have their own system of ecclesiastical offices/officers.  The Bible refers to four:  Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, and Pastor-Teachers (Ephesians 4:11).  The Bible also refers to Elders and Deacons (1 Timothy 3:1-13).

The Apostles (or “sent ones”) were twelve men who were personally sent out by the Lord Jesus Himself to proclaim the Gospel and found His Church (Ephesians 2:20).  Of the twelve men originally called by the Lord, one of them betrayed Him (Judas Iscariot).  Judas was replaced by popular vote with a man named Matthias (Acts 1:15-26); but the Lord chose a man named Saul of Tarsus (eventually known as Paul) to replace him and complete the twelve (1 Timothy 1:1, 12-16; 2:7;  cp. Revelation 21:14).  After the last Apostle died (John), the office of Apostle formally ended.  There are many who like to call themselves by that title today, but the Bible does not support that notion.

The Prophets (one who speaks a message in behalf of another) were those who were given “extrabiblical revelation” from God (information from God not contained in the Bible) and proclaimed it to whomever He had sent them.  There were many of these individuals in the Old Testament days as well as the days of the Early Church; and like the Apostles, their primary task was to help found the Church (Ephesians 2:20).  When the revelation of God was completed (the Bible), the need for these individuals ceased, and so did their office/gift (1 Corinthians 13:8-12).  There are many today who claim to have this office/gift, but again that notion is not supported in the Scriptures.

The Evangelists (those who focused on proclaiming the “good news” of Jesus Christ, the Gospel – 1 Corinthians 15:3-4) were men who had just that focus in life.  The Lord would enable and send them to various local church fellowships to lead them in evangelistic efforts.  I like to think of this office as a synonym for “Missionary.”  That task/need remains today, so these men remain vital today.

The “Pastors and Teachers” (put together, those terms are often thought of as “Pastor-Teachers,” referring to single individuals).  Their task from the Lord is to shepherd the local fellowships of the Church to which they have been sent; they do this by teaching the Word of God (2 Timothy 4:1-4) as well as providing other types of related “pastoral” care.  As with the Evangelists, this task remains vital today.

The Elders are men who essentially assist the Evangelists and/or Pastor-Teachers in shepherding a local Church fellowship (cp. Acts 20:17-28).  The Deacons essentially assist the Elders in caring for the practical needs of the local Church fellowship – they do not provide leadership, but rather service (the term literally translates as “table-waiter” – cp. Acts 6:1-7).

Please see this link for more helpful information:

http://www.gotquestions.org/apostles-prophets-restored.html

What does it mean when God cleanses us of our sin?

Question 

What does it mean when God cleanses us of our sin?

Answer 

Here’s what the Bible says in the Old Testament:

Leviticus 16:30 (NKJV) ³⁰  …the priest shall make atonement for you, to cleanse you, that you may be clean from all your sins before the LORD. 

For God’s chosen people of Israel, a blood sacrifice had to be offered to “cleanse” them from their sins.

Psalm 51:2 (NKJV) ²  Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, And cleanse me from my sin. 

King David had sinned against God; he confessed his sin, praying that God would “cleanse” him from it.

Jeremiah 33:8 (NKJV) ⁸  I will cleanse them from all their iniquity by which they have sinned against Me, and I will pardon all their iniquities by which they have sinned and by which they have transgressed against Me. 

The LORD spoke through the prophet Jeremiah to and about His people of Israel, promising that one day He would “cleanse” them from their sins.

In the Old Testament days, the people of Israel were “made clean” through the blood sacrifices that looked forward to the ultimate Sacrifice of Jesus Christ (Hebrews 9:22; 10:1-18).

Here’s what the Bible says in the New Testament:

John 15:3 (NKJV) ³  You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 

The Lord Jesus told His disciples (part of His New Testament people) that they were considered “clean” in His eyes, because He had “cleansed” them through His Word.

Ephesians 5:25-27 (NKJV) ²⁵  …Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, ²⁶  that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, ²⁷  that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. 

Here again, we see a “cleansing” of God’s New Testament people (His Church) because of the Word of God, with a view to holiness.

James 4:8 (NKJV) ⁸  Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.  

Through the pen of James, the Holy Spirit commands His New Testament people (the Church) to “cleanse” their “hands” (which is then described as their “hearts” – i.e. their souls) from sin.

2 Peter 1:9 (NKJV) ⁹  For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins. 

Through the pen of Peter, the Holy Spirit reminds the Church that being “cleansed” from sin has long-term characteristics.

1 John 1:7 (NKJV) ⁷  But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. 

Here, through the pen of John, the Holy Spirit tells the Church that our “cleansing” from sin is directly due to the blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son (referring to His death on a cross).

In summary

The basic point in Scripture of being “cleansed from sin” is that we are made holy (“clean”) and, thus, permitted to be in His holy presence.  Man, in and of ourselves, is incapable of accomplishing this (Romans 3:10-23; Isaiah 64:6) – a “filthy rag” cannot clean itself to be worthy of use or welcome in the presence of the holy God.  Only the ultimately “clean” (holy) One (God) can do this, and He has chosen to do it through faith in the atonement work of His Son, Jesus Christ.  It is only through believing the Gospel (1 Corinthians 15:3-4; Romans 5:1-11; 1 John 4:10; James 1:18; 1 Peter 1:23-25), God’s Word, that we are “cleansed” by God.  As a Christian, it is only through the continual intake of His Word that He keeps us “clean” before Himself (Ephesians 5:25-28).

Christmas

There are some Christians who adamantly refuse to celebrate Christmas and get angry that other Christians do. Their basic tenants are that the Early Church did not celebrate it, the celebration of Christmas widely observed today has its roots in paganism and Roman Catholicism, and the birth of Christ was probably not on December 25 anyway; therefore, Christians ought not to participate in it all.

Romans 14 states that each one of us in Christ need to be “fully convinced” in our own minds as to how we should walk with our Lord regarding abiblical issues (those things not directly addressed in the Scriptures – such as whether to celebrate Christmas). Where the Bible speaks, unquestioning obedience is the rule; but where the Bible is silent, loving understanding ought to be the rule, with the knowledge that any condemnation of those who do not share the same conviction is forbidden. So if some of our brethren are so convicted that the celebration of Christmas is inappropriate, then they have the freedom in Christ to hold to that conviction (and so they should!); though they must never condemn other believers in Christ who do celebrate it.

Here, I will insert a “side-note”: Do not confuse the celebration of Christmas (with its “pagan” roots) with the celebration of Halloween (and its distinctly pagan roots). Christmas, truly celebrated, is all about Christ; whereas, Halloween, truly celebrated, is all about Satan. The two have nothing whatsoever in common. That said, let’s move on to the original topic……

It is a historical fact that Roman Catholicism (true to its common practice) instituted a syncretistic religious worship by associating the celebration of the birth of Christ with some aspects of the pagan celebration of Saturnalia (Winter Solstice). It is also quite likely that the birth of Christ actually took place in the spring, around Passover time. Hence, there may be an understanding of the repulsion of some Christians to the whole idea.

But I want to take a moment to remind us why we should celebrate Christmas!

Christmas (the “mass” or coming of Christ) is the fulfillment of 4,000 years of promises and prophetic predictions from God that He would send His Messiah, His Son to earth to be the Savior of mankind from our sins. The Old Testament is filled to the brim with those promises and predictions – some provide amazing detail! The celebration of Christmas is about rejoicing over the fact that God (true to His common practice) kept His Word to us!

Christ was born in Bethlehem to a grace-given, virgin woman named Mary; He was dedicated in the Temple and named Jesus (Jeshua – JHWH saves); He lived briefly in Egypt; He was reared in Nazareth; He lived without sin; He proclaimed and proved Himself to be God, the Messiah/Christ; He gave His life by shedding His blood on a terrible cross, suffering the shame of man and the wrath of Almighty God in our behalf; He was buried in a borrowed, rich man’s tomb; He was raised again on the third day; He proved He was alive; He ascended back to the right hand of the Father – all this fulfilling every detail of every promise and prophecy concerning His First Advent! We celebrate Christmas, because it’s the earthly beginning point for the reason why we also celebrate Easter! I am convicted that that’s something to celebrate!

Has Roman Catholicism demeaned Christmas in its syncretism with paganism? Has the world disgraced Christmas by subverting attention to Santa Claus, elves, marketing, etc.? Sure they have – just like they have demeaned everything else that is holy. But that does not mean that our sincere, heart-felt rejoicing over the fact that God kept His Word to us should be silenced! How we celebrate Christmas may be slightly different in each of our families, our churches, or our ethnic traditions; but the fact that we celebrate Christmas must never be condemned or silenced! For to condemn or silence our rejoicing over God’s faithfulness to His Word as it applies to Christmas is the first step toward silencing our rejoicing over anything else God has done.                          

Think about it!

                              The greatest Gift was God’s dear Son,

                                             Born in a cattle stall;

                              This was the Bible’s Promised One,

                                             Who came to die for all. – J. Harvey Dixon