I have not been a christian for very long, in fact a little over four years, and I wasn't baptized until almost three years ago (I was thirty-one).  I grew up in an (you could say) agnostic family; we didn't bother God, and He didn't bother us.  Needless to say, I have many questions.  My problem is that I am having a hard time finding a church where I can ask questions, really deep questions about meanings and inferences and the like.  I go to these Bible study groups, and I find myself being the only one who wants to do actual Bible study and have deep philosophical discussions.  Everyone else wants to talk superficially and then eat some cake.  They all seem to feel safer pretending that their life is all roses because God is with us.  I mean to say I KNOW God is with us, but life is not always roses; and what's so bad about asking difficult questions?  What's so sacrilegious about being angry with God at times?  You can be angry and love/respect/fear Him, and I'm sure He knows this.  I am convinced He does; there is story after story of Him being angry with His people but loving them the whole time.  (See what I mean, these are the type of things I want to discuss, and it is so hard to find a group of people to do this with.)  So I often find myself studying alone, but "it is not good for a man (or woman in my case) to be alone".  Could you suggest some sound websites or discussion forums that I might engage in, so I could at least be part of a virtual community of 'laymen' that want to ask sincere, difficult, intelligent questions?  Or am I just being a jerk?

Sincerely,
Curiously Alone

Dear Curiously Alone,

We here at AYP firmly believe that there is a Bible answer for every question.  God tells mankind that we should feel comfortable to “come and reason” with Him (Isa 1:18).  God is not a God of confusion (1 Cor 14:33), and the Bible contains everything that pertains to life and godliness (2 Pet 1:3).  Unfortunately, most modern churches have turned their backs on God’s teachings and embraced a more emotion-based religion.  Most people want to have their ears tickled with smooth sayings and easy words (2 Tim 4:3)… but there is so much more to serving God than just feeling good.  If all we ever do is talk about what we want to hear, we will miss out on what we need to hear.

We say all that so that you realize you are not crazy.  In your journey for truth, you are finding that not everyone is as interested in truth as they are in feeling good – not all churches are equal.  Jesus even said that many will cry, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy by Thy name, and by Thy name cast out demons, and by Thy name do many mighty works?” (Matt 7:22), and His answer will be, “I never knew you.” (Matt 7:23)  Being religious is not the same as being faithful.  Faith comes by God’s Word (Rom 10:17).

We often help people find faithful congregations in their hometowns because where they are isn’t working.  We especially believe that to be the case for you.  Your questions deserve answers – and any church worth its salt should teach the truth (1 Tim 3:15).  The Lord’s church isn’t fancy, but it is full of faithful God-fearing people who are seeking the truth (Lk 11:9-10).  We recommend you read some of our other articles in the New Testament Church category (especially the posts entitled “Finding The Church” and “Preacher Interrogation”).  See for yourself whether our articles match up with the Scriptures, and if they do, consider letting us help you find a congregation in your area that behaves like your Bible teaches.

I have a question that I am having problems understanding.  I am pretty sure that I have read somewhere that, "We are to do the Father’s will".  I believe that I have read this on church websites, but I don’t understand how this works.  Does this mean to do good things in the Lord’s name?  For example: helping homeless people?  I really want to do God’s will, but I don’t know what He would want me to do.  Please help me understand this.  Thanks again for all your help!

Sincerely,
Willing To Serve

Dear Willing To Serve,

Yes, we must do the will of God (Mk 3:35, 1 Jhn 2:17).  The question is: how can we know what the will of God is?  God tells us that He has revealed His will to us through the Scriptures.  Jesus says that we err when we don’t know the Scriptures (Mk 12:24).  With ready minds, we must diligently examine the Scriptures to see what manner of life we should live (Acts 17:11).  When we study and then live by what we have studied, we are doing God’s will (Jas 1:21-22).

     Is there any evidence in the New Testament that the giving Paul asked for was meant to continue past him picking up the funds?

Sincerely,
The Buck Stops Here

Dear The Buck Stops Here,

1 Cor 16:1-2 was a collection taken up specifically for the case of benevolence, but it is also the only Bible example we have of how to collect funds when the church has a need.

In the particular case of the Corinthian church, they needed to collect funds for benevolence… and that was a very common reason for collection in that time of Christian persecution.  In today’s culture and world the church finds itself in, we need to pay for things that the first century saints would never have dreamed of (“Electrical bills?  What are those?!”).  However, just because the expenses we face are not the same, that doesn’t mean that the same guidelines don’t apply.  1 Cor 16:1-2 outlines the mode with which to collect funds to pay for whatever expenses a church may incur.  It also explains that it is appropriate for the church to have a store of money for future expenses (1 Cor 16:2-3).

    How do you know fasting wasn't required in the New Testament?  All we have are the examples; should we follow them?

Sincerely,
Not So Fast!

Dear Not So Fast,

Fasting is a Biblical practice, but there are no specific guidelines for when to do it.  Fasting is the practice of not eating for a designated period of time.  Jesus once fasted for forty days (Matt 4:2).  Fasting is often associated with times of grief and difficult decisions (Joel 2:12)… but not every grieving person fasted in the Bible.  The New Testament doesn’t require fasting, but it also shows the benefits of fasting during times of difficulty or when important decisions needed to be made (Acts 14:23).  If anything, Jesus’ disciples were noted for not fasting as often as the rest of the Jewish community (Matt 9:14), an indication that fasting doesn’t have the same level of emphasis in the New Testament.  There is a time for fasting, but it is purely up to personal discretion.

     Our preacher recently gave a sermon on drinking, and he said that even the smallest amount of alcohol consumption is sin.  After the sermon, he was asked if rinsing with mouthwash containing alcohol (of which slight molecules of alcohol are ingested through absorption into the tissues) was also sin.  He did not want to contradict his previous statement that one drink was “one drink drunk” and, subsequently, condemned the use of alcohol mouthwash.  Is this an example of reductio ad absurdum?

Sincerely,
Incredulous

Dear Incredulous,

It is obvious from how you wrote your question that you believe it is an example of reduction to absurdity, and in this case, we agree.  We won’t address your preacher’s point of view on drinking; let’s just look at what the Bible says.

1 Tim 5:23 states that medicinal use of alcohol is perfectly permissible – mouthwash would fit into that category.  The problem with the alcohol question is that God never specifically condemns all alcoholic beverages.  However, He does condemn ‘strong drink’ (Pr 20:1), drinking parties (1 Pet 4:3), and drunkenness (Rom 13:13).  Almost all alcohol that is consumed today would fall into the category of ‘strong drink’ because our alcoholic beverages are artificially fermented to increase their alcoholic content (unlike the wine of Jesus’ day – read “That’s Just Grape” for further details on the wine Jesus drank).  At the end of the day, we would all do well to heed the words of Pr 23:31-32 and avoid alcohol as much as is possible.