I have a question about how the Lord's money is spent; why do we spend it on the upkeep of a church building?  I don't really see any example of that in the Scriptures...

 

Sincerely,
Maintenance Crew

Dear Maintenance Crew,

The Bible never specifically addresses a congregation having a building, but it does command them to assemble together (Heb 10:25).  Whenever God commands us to do something, anything necessary to fulfill that command is also authorized.  For example, if you ask a child to go and get a glass of water, they are automatically authorized to go into the kitchen where the water and glasses are kept, even though the kitchen is never specifically mentioned in the command.

The church is commanded to assemble at least every first day of the week (1 Cor 16:1, Acts 20:7).  Every congregation must individually decide where that will be.  They may choose to meet in a house, a park, a rented hall… or they may choose to purchase and upkeep a building.  All of these are viable options that a congregation may decide to use.  The key is that they are required to assemble somewhere – it isn’t optional.  They must have somewhere to meet, and, therefore, must make a decision.  Whatever finances are needed for the upkeep, rental, or purchase of a meeting place for the congregation may come from the church’s treasury.

So, you don't think God gives us visions or prophecies today? Do you believe God still performs miracles in our everyday lives (this question is in reference to “I Dreamed A Dream” answer)? If not, why would we read, 'ask and you shall receive', 'knock and the door will be opened' … isn't that asking for a miracle??

I once was failing Latin, and if you had a failing grade, you could not stay on the cheerleading squad. The morning of report cards, I stopped at a large window across from the cafeteria and looked to the sky and prayed for God to forgive me of my sins and to somehow convince Mrs. Martin to give me a passing grade. She called my name to come up to sit by her desk to look at my test scores before she would write my grade on my report card.  She looked at me very sternly and showed me my four scores, which only averaged out to 69.  I had to score a 75 to make a low C.  She then said, “I don't know why I'm doing this”, and she drew out very slowly a ‘C’ on my report card.

I almost broke down but was so happy and KNEW in my heart that God had granted me a miracle. I'll go to my grave believing I had a miracle that morning.

Sincerely, Graded On A Curve

Dear Graded On A Curve,

It is important to define the term 'miracle'.  Today, the word 'miracle' describes both the act of raising a man from the dead and the act of a child being born... yet there is a vast difference between those two events.  'Miracle' - in the Biblical sense - is a 'supernatural event that breaks the laws of nature'.  Examples of this are raising the dead, walking on water, instantaneous healing of leprosy, etc.

The event you described is not a miracle in that sense.  You described a providential act of God’s care.  God took care of the situation while acting within the frameworks of natural law.  God used circumstances and unseen influence to alter the course of events and answered your prayer.  There is no doubt that God still does this every day.  The whole purpose of “a righteous man's prayer avails much" (Jas 5:16) is that God hears prayers and acts upon them.  The key is that He does so without miracles.

Miracles had one very specific purpose - to give evidence that the apostles, prophets, and Jesus were from God.  Paul called miracles "the signs of an apostle" (2 Cor 12:12).  Heb 2:4 states that God bore witness to the apostles and prophets through "signs and wonders".  Even the enemies of Christ agreed that miracles were a sign of divine approval (Acts 4:16).

Prayers certainly make a difference, and God certainly intervenes for us... just not with supernatural miracles.  However, not to worry, God can just as easily care for your needs providentially as He could with miracles.

My Bible knowledge is pretty good when it comes to the timeline of events and stories, but I feel as though I don't have as good of a hold on just subject-based studies… like remembering what verses to turn to if I'm looking for what the Bible says on a specific topic. How could I beef up my Bible study to better round out my knowledge? And what are some good verses to have memorized?

Sincerely, The Subject Student

Dear The Subject Student,

Topical studies are always trickier than book studies because all the verses are not in one place. You have to hunt all over to find everything that pertains to any given subject. Therefore, the very first verse you should memorize is:

“The sum of Thy Word is truth…” (Ps 119:160)

It is impossible to understand a given subject without looking at everything God says on it. This is exactly why people get into trouble when studying what it takes to be saved (see this post for more details) and what the church should look like (see this post). If you want to understand a topic, take all the verses on it, add them together, and you will see the sum of God’s teaching on that subject.

Another great verse to memorize is:

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel for it is the power of God for salvation…” (Rom 1:16)

If we always remember that God’s Word is the guidebook to life, we will never forget to turn to it for our answers because in the Bible you can find the answers to all things that pertain to life (2 Pet 1:3).

The single most important tool for topical Bible study is a good concordance. A concordance allows you to look up a word and see every time it is used in the Bible. You can also find some bookstores that will sell topical concordances – these are concordances that group verses by topic, even if the same words aren’t necessarily present in each verse. This, too, can be especially helpful. And last, but not least, I recommend (just as a personal preference) the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE). ISBE is an encyclopedia that gives short synopses on every topic that the Bible addresses. ISBE is four volumes and a little pricier than the other two, so you will have to decide whether it is worth owning your own copy.

After that, it is just a matter of looking up the topics you are interested in and combing through the verses. Happy hunting!

I know that in many of my friends’ churches, they lift and raise their hands during worship.  Is this wrong?

Sincerely, Raising A Concern

Dear Raising A Concern,

The practice of lifting up your hands during worship is traced to 1 Tim 2:8, but unfortunately your friends’ churches misunderstand the verse. There is nothing wrong with literally lifting up your hands to God, but Paul is telling them to “lift up holy hands, without wrath and disputing”. The context is about a certain lifestyle that people were to have. It is similar to the saying, “put your hand to the plow” in Lk 9:62. ‘Lifting up holy hands’ refers to working, laboring, and serving in a godly way. Christians are to serve God faithfully, without arguing and disputing with each other. ‘Lifting up holy hands’ has nothing to do with how high your arms are raised when you pray; it has to do with the character of the life we live. Are we living holy lives where our hands serve God (1 Cor 4:12)? Raising your hands during worship has the impression of godliness, but it denies the actual power of God’s command to ‘lift up holy hands’ (2 Tim 3:5).

My question is in regards to a vision… or what I think was a vision.  July 2007, I began dating a guy who was once a believer, says he loves God, and will get right again someday.  By December 2007, God began speaking to me, and I believe gave me a vision.  I found out he had been diagnosed with AIDS in 2006 and almost died.  However, God spared him, and he now has no trace of even HIV.  So, shortly after finding this out, I was talking to his sister on the phone.  It seems like it was all in the blink of an eye, but I remember so much color, feeling, etc.  I remember more details of that split second than any dream I've ever had.  I rarely dream, so it was odd to have gotten that much so fast.  It was like I was a third person.  I could see the back of what was me (even though I couldn't see my face, I knew it was me), and he was standing at a pulpit with a microphone.  He was in front of a large church, and I remember the lights were so bright, the church reminded me of my own (only larger), and I can recall the color of the carpet, what he was wearing, what I was wearing, and that there were other people around us.  All he said was, "My wife stuck beside me even though it could have cost her her life." Then he looked at me, and it was done.  God also began to tell me “2-3 months”, and I knew that He meant we would be apart for a time.  God told me that I needed to work on me and just be an example to him. I've known and heard this since December 2007.  We are at that point now, and now I am questioning whether that was a vision from God and whether I really heard “2-3 months” all this time.  I just can't help but question it and am having a hard time with my faith now because I don't know if it was a vision or my imagination.  Any insight would be much appreciated.  Thank you so much!

Sincerely, Minding My Mind

Dear Minding My Mind,

God doesn’t give us visions and prophecies today. What you had, though vivid, was purely from your own mind. The whole purpose of prophecies and visions was to bring God’s teachings to mankind (Heb 1:2). Today, we have all of God’s teachings (Jude 3, 2 Pet 1:3).

There was a time when prophecy and other miraculous abilities were necessary. As the New Testament was being completed, congregations needed prophets to tell them what had not yet been written down, but when the New Testament was completed, there was no longer a need for those miracles. Paul explained this concept to the Corinthians in 1 Cor 13:8-10. Prophecy (and visions, which are a form of prophecy) was a temporary thing until ‘the perfect’, the complete Word of God, came.

Think of it this way, if God has given us everything that we need to know in His Word – what would be the point of another vision? A vision would either alter what God had already said, which God says will never happen (Gal 1:8), or it will only repeat a teaching you can already find in the Bible! I have no doubt that your waking dream was exceptionally vivid and impressive to you, but it wasn’t from God.