Question Of The Week

for the adventure gang attendee who submits the most interesting or most relevant question about god for the week, that student will get $5 in adventure gang money the following wednesday.  This week's question of the week is below:

What's the difference between the Bible and other religious books?

Surprisingly, in a lot of cases, nothing.

The Bible provides great advice.  Other books provide great advice.

The Bible talks about God.  Other books talk about God.

The Bible tells interesting and true stories.  Other books tell interesting and true stories.

The Bible was written by God.  Other books were written by...oh wait!

The Bible is completely dependable, and Jesus verified its books.  Jesus did not endorse any other book.  So, a lot of books are great, but...when you gotta know you have the right answer, there's only one place to look.

Are witches real?

Absolutely.  The bible talks in many places about witches.  People really invite Satan to rule in their lives, and Satan really does.  Demons can really possess people and live and speak through their bodies.  The good news is that when God is in us, there is no room for Satan.  They can't both rule our lives.  If we live in Christ, He lives in us, and we have His power.  BIG WARNING: we aren't supposed to be fooling around with Satan or try to use his power.  He is more powerful than us, but his power is nothing compared to God's.  Someday we will understand all the spirit powers and stuff, but for now, it's just all kinda hazy - we can't understand it.  Until we get to heaven, just trust God's power and don't mess with or be impressed by Satan's.  Here are some verses to help.

Deuteronomy 18:9-12

 9 When you enter the land the LORD your God is giving you, do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there. 10 Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in ^[a] the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, 11 or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. 12 Anyone who does these things is detestable to the LORD, and because of these detestable practices the LORD your God will drive out those nations before you.

Isaiah 8:19-20

19 And when they say to you, “Seek those who are mediums and wizards, who whisper and mutter,” should not a people seek their God? Should they seek the dead on behalf of the living? 20 To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.

1 Chronicles 10:13-14

13 So Saul died for his unfaithfulness which he had committed against the LORD, because he did not keep the word of the LORD, and also because he consulted a medium for guidance. 14 But he did not inquire of the LORD; therefore He killed him, and turned the kingdom over to David the son of Jesse.

1 Kings 22:22-23

22 The LORD said to him, ‘In what way?’ So he said, ‘I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ And the LORD said, ‘You shall persuade him, and also prevail. Go out and do so.’ 23 Therefore look! The LORD has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these prophets of yours, and the LORD has declared disaster against you.”

1 Timothy 4:1

 1 Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons,

Does Satan really exist, or is He kind of a symbol of evil?

No, no - he's really really real.  We can't see him because he has no physical body.  Still, he's just as real as all of us.  Fortunately, God has kept him from completely terrorizing the entire world.  We have a choice to choose God (who is really real and available to us right now) and Satan (who is also available to us right now).  We choose each day by either following God and doing right or by rejecting God and doing wrong.  When we choose wrong, we may not feel like we're being friends of Satan (after all, we're just doing what WE want, not what Satan wants), but enemies of God are enemies of God.  According to the cosmic deal, Satan rules all the people who he can convince to not follow God.  It's kind of like the deal the white witch had with Aslan in the "Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe."  No matter what, we will have a ruler - we get to decide which one.

In the "Left Behind" movie, the devil could make people who didn't believe in God see things that really didn't happen.  Can he do that?

Yeah - sure.  For people who want him to be in control, he is in control.  But again, there's more to it than just that.  Mentally ill people see things that aren't there.  Mental illness come in large part from the dichotomies created by persistent sin and laborious ignorance of the Holy Spirit.  (In other words, ignore your conscience - go crazy.)  People who live in sin get the thrill of sensing things that aren't real in paranoia.

Prov 28:1  The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion. (NKJ)

In addition, you said "things that really didn't happen," but you have to be careful: just because a person sees monsters, enemies, deceased friends, etc. does not mean they are seeing something that's not real.  We must never forget that demons are real, and they are capable of appearing in many forms.

2 Cor 11:14 ...Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. (NKJ)

It is common to learn that ghosts, goblins, fairies, witches, and boogey men don't really exist - that's just not true.

Did Jesus just die for the people who except Him, (you know, people who ask Him into their hearts.) because the people who don't except Him go to hell.

Hmmm...big question for your age.  Here's the medium-big-person answer (for more on this, check out theology courses like INSTE).

Matt 18:14 "...it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones (sheep) should perish."
Rom 1:16 ...the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.

1 Cor 1:21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.

The bigger question behind this all is: Does God choose people, or do people choose God?  Different denominations (Presbyterian, Baptist,  Pentecostal, etc.) have different views on this subject, but the important thing to remember is that regardless of who does or does not accept Jesus' sacrifice, His bloodshed was sufficient to cover all the sins of all the world.  He was perfect, but He took the punishment for sin (death).  Therefore, He's taken over Satan's position of controlling death.

Yeah, I know that makes for more questions.  Ask them and we'll do our best to answer them.

Did Jesus ever go to school?

Absolutely.  There are no references that talk specifically about which high school Jesus was enrolled in, but he was certainly one to learn!  Besides, back then, schools were not much like schools are today.  They were more like training centers.  In fact, their most important areas were language, math, religion, and art.  It was assumed that a good student would learn about God and about music.  That was mostly just to be a grateful human being though.  Today we go to school to get good jobs.  Back then your job was whatever your papa did.  Jesus was most likely a very good carpenter, but he was obviously very well-studied too because he had large portions of scripture memorized...an important academic skill back then.

What would Jesus do if someone was picking on his younger brother or sister?

Jesus would have tried to find a way to avoid the bully, and certainly would have used the governing authorities (teacher, etc.)  After that option had been exhausted, Jesus would have stood up for what was right regardless of the DNA in any person's veins (regardless of whether or not they were his brother or sister).  The problem with just saying that it's okay to fight to defend your family is that almost every person uses that for REVENGE instead of DEFENSE - there's a big difference.  Once your brother or sister has been hit, they're hit - hitting the bully back doesn't fix anything but your ego - defending your ego is not okay.  However, if there's an intruder in your house who's looking to kill your family, defending your family may mean hurting that person (Again, not because they're your family, but because that's the morally RIGHT thing to do - if your family were the intruders, and some other person were threatened, you would have to hurt your family.  See the difference?)

Sorry - back to your sibling - don't defend your family ego.  Instead, double-bag it in a zip-lock baggy, take it out to the trash and be sure it doesn't jump out before the garbage man comes - egos are slippery things.  Once that's gone and out of the house, sure - always defend the orphans and widows and fight for what's right when fighting is the only way to prevent evil.

...be sure you forgive and don't hate too - hmmm...it just got a lot harder!!!

Why does it seem so hard to do what is right? 

The short version is: Adam and Eve were in charge of running things on earth.  However, they invited Satan in, and he kind of took over.  Since Satan now has taken much control on earth, he roams about looking to tempt us to do the wrong thing - and he's good at it.  Stinks, huh?  The good news: with Jesus inside of us, we're able to overcome anything - even the ruler of this world: Satan.  But, yeah - it takes work...practice...and a determination to let God be the ruler in our lives even though Satan is ruler around us.

if we have to have God look over us for us to survive, on the seventh day of creation, God rested, so how did Adam and Eve and all the animals survive?

Bigger question - how does God rest?  Does He sleep?

Ps 121:4 Behold, He who keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.
This Genesis reference to God's "rest" probably refers more to stopping his previous action than falling into a sub-comatose, unconscious state of dreaming.  Have you ever told someone to "Give it a rest"?  You were probably not recommending that they fall asleep.

if the Devil is trying to kill us, why does he have to ask God to hurt us?

why doesn't God say," you can't hurt my children?"

Pastor says, "God's promise to us is that He will not allow anything to happen to us that is out of His control or beyond the grace (power to do right) that He will give us to endure the difficulty.  During our lives on this earth there are actually two purposes for difficulties we experience: One is to develop our spiritual muscles(faith) by having trials that seem too hard for us so that we call on God and draw closer to Him.  Every time we receive His grace to help us in a tough spot we grow stronger (I Cor. 12).  This makes us more like Jesus, and people who don't yet believe in God often come to believe in Him when they see the reality of Jesus living in us.  This leads right into the second purpose, which is for us to win spiritual battles against Satan by showing others that God's power is stronger than the devil's power, and there isn't anything that the devil can throw at us that we can't endure by the help of God.  When people endure great hardships, like Job, the apostle Paul, Joni Earekson, Corrie Ten Boom, or Jim Elliot, and keep Christ-like and full of faith in God, the devil loses credibility with others, and more people come to believe in Christ Jesus as their Savior.  (Rev. 12:11) See also: Romans 8:28-29; I Cor. 10:13; Hebrews 11 and 12." 

Why do we have to have devotions and how often do we have to have them?

Ps 119:11
11 Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You!

I Jn 3:6
6 Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him.

Josh 1:8
8 "This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.

Ps 4:4
4 Be angry, and do not sin. Meditate within your heart on your bed, and be still. Selah

Phil 4:8
8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy-- meditate on these things.

1 Tim 4:16
16 Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you.

How do we know that we didn't evolve?

Gen 1:24-25 Then God said, "Let the earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind: cattle and creeping thing and beast of the earth, each according to its kind"; and it was so.  And God made the beast of the earth according to its kind, cattle according to its kind, and everything that creeps on the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

It seems pretty clear that cattle gave birth to cattle, which gave birth to cattle, etc.  The rest of the animals apparently were to do the same.  No monkeys giving birth to humans.  Not allowed.  Furthermore...

Gen 1:27  So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

Again, when God created man, man was man.  He created females too.  When He created women, they were women.  Otherwise, it should read, "So God created pond scum which turned into a creation in His image."  Furthermore...
Gen 1:29-30 And God said, "See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food. Also, to every beast of the earth, to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food"; and it was so.

It's not until after the flood that we start eating meat.  It's not until after the flood that animals are allowed to eat meat.  (Read Genesis 9:3)  Evolution depends on the devouring of one species of living beings by another.  Uncivilized (un-evolved) humans are supposed to be cannibalistic.  The food chain which we observe today depends on the notion that all things act now as they always have - animals attack humans, humans attack animals, etc. etc. etc.  The Bible paints a very different picture...very different.

How do we know God is God and there isn't others?

We know that God is God because He has shown Himself over and over to us.

Acts 14:16-17
16 In the past, he let all nations go their own way.  Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy."

Rom 1:19-20
19 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them.  For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,

Rom 2:14-15
14 (Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law, since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them.)

Those who are honest with themselves find the necessity for God in their hearts (see Eternity in their Hearts).  Others who have been indoctrinated against the existence of God can easily find God using their senses (as long as reason is counted as a sense.  Use of the five senses alone is called secular science and is virtually useless for finding the important things in life.) (See Evidence that Demands a Verdict).

When we do find God and find Him to be honest, we must believe what He says:

Deut 32:39
39 'Now see that I, even I, am He, and there is no God besides Me; I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; nor is there any who can deliver from My hand.
(NKJ)

IKing 8:23
23 and he said: "LORD God of Israel, there is no God in heaven above or on earth below like You, who keep Your covenant and mercy with Your servants who walk before You with all their hearts.
(NKJ)

2 Chr 6:14
14 and he said: "LORD God of Israel, there is no God in heaven or on earth like You, who keep Your covenant and mercy with Your servants who walk before You with all their hearts.
(NKJ)

Isa 43:10
10 "You are My witnesses," says the LORD, "And My servant whom I have chosen, that you may know and believe Me, and understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, nor shall there be after Me.
(NKJ)

Isa 44:6
6 "Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: 'I am the First and I am the Last; besides Me there is no God.
(NKJ)

Isa 45:5
5 I am the LORD, and there is no other; there is no God besides Me. I will gird you, though you have not known Me,
(NKJ)

Hosea 13:4
4 "Yet I am the LORD your God ever since the land of Egypt, and you shall know no God but Me; for there is no Savior besides Me.
(NKJ)

If God knows who goes to heaven and who goes to hell, why doesn't He just send the people who would have accepted Him in life straight to heaven, and those who wouldn't go straight to hell?

First of all,

2 Pet 3:9 ...He is...not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

He's not interested in expediting the process or eager to be throwing people into hell as their punishment.  However, we're not just here because God is putting off a job He doesn't want to do.  We're here to glorify God.  He is honored by our choosing Him over the Devil (and over ourselves).

See, our lives actually glorify Him while we live them.  It honors your parents to obey them - it builds your relationship with them.  It wouldn't for you to say, "You know I would obey you no matter what so lets just pretend I already obeyed you..."  or for your parents to say, "I know you probably won't obey me, so I'm just going to spank you now and not even give you the command I was going to."  NO!  Your relationship is built with your parents as you choose to obey or disobey, and that process is a big part of the relationship.

God wants a relationship with us - we're not his robots, and we're not here living with the potential for sin by accident.

 

Do you think the Devil wishes that he had never said he was better than God so he could go to heaven?

An evil man named Lenin once said, "A lie told often enough becomes the truth."  This means that if you tell yourself something that is not true over and over and over, you will begin to believe that it is indeed the truth.  While Lenin was an evil man, this statement seems to be a good observation.  So true, in fact, that the German leadership was able to convince the entire nation with frequent propoganda (advertisement) that Hitler was a good man and that slaughtering the Jews and the blacks one nation at a time was a noble thing to do.

Here's the answer to your question: Satan still believes he should be in charge.  In fact, in many cases he IS in charge.  He has successfully taken over the earth that God created and effectively stolen the souls of billions of God's children.  This is a feat which would make anyone proud!  ...and convince that person that they were powerful - in fact, maybe even a BETTER leader than God.

Have you ever been so infuriated with your brother or sister that while you were getting back at them, you could see that you were going to get into MAJOR trouble for what you were doing, but you were so mad that you did it anyway?  I would argue that it is much the same way with the Devil.  Even if (and it's a big IF) the Devil believes he's going to be destroyed and that people will go to heaven, he's so saturated in his own pride and covetousness and anger that his goal is (instead of your logically proposed: trying to apologize and get into heaven) to take down with him as many of God's children as possible and to get back at God in doing so.

Sometimes I get in trouble when I follow my heart, but that's what God wants me to do, right?

What kind of God would send my uncle to Hell? After all, my uncle is a good guy!

What does "There are no absolutes" mean?

God already knows what's going to happen, so why does God put us here on earth since He just controls us anyway?

You said that Jesus was perfect, but didn't he sin a little when He got mad and beat up the guys at the temple?

Do I HAVE to tell people about Jesus?

What happens to bad people when they die?  Is there any way for them to not go to heaven or hell?

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