When I am playing the piano in our worship, I hardly ever feel the presence of God.  But when I have the Sunday off, and I am worshipping, I feel God's presence.  Why is this?

Sincerely,
Not Feeling It

Dear Not Feeling It,

There are two parts to your question that must be dealt with.  Before we answer your concerns about how and when you feel close to God, we recommend you read the post “Music to HIS Ears”.  After reading that, it may make the second part of this question obsolete because it explains how using instruments as a part of worship isn’t a biblical practice.

The second half of your question deals with emotion.  The Bible never talks about us feeling the presence of God.  In fact, mankind hasn’t been allowed in the presence of God since Adam and Eve got kicked out of the Garden (Gen 3:8).  The angels are in God’s presence (Lk 1:19), but mankind won’t be until the Day of Judgment.  God is certainly close to us and affects our lives (Acts 17:27-28), but we don’t have direct contact with Him.  So when we talk about “feeling the presence of God”, what we are really discussing is when we feel emotionally close to God.  Emotions are fickle.  There will be times when you will feel like God is far from you… but you are wrong because He is still watching over you (Ps 9:10), and there are folks that believe that they are close to God, but they are separated from Him because they are living wickedly (Matt 7:21-23).  Simply put, we can’t trust our emotions to be accurate.  The only way to confidently know that God is near you is to live faithfully by hearing and acting upon His instructions (Rom 1:16).

Please, I want to know; where did black people come from?  Help me.

Sincerely,
Ethnically Aware

Dear Ethnically Aware,

We all came from Adam and Eve (Gen 3:20).  Eventually, mankind was scattered across the whole earth after the Tower of Babel (Gen 11:9).  Different races were created as these scattered groups became more isolated.  This is very similar to how you see parents and children looking alike – they share noticeable physical traits because they are closely related.  The groups that were scattered from the Tower of Babel were isolated by their language differences, and therefore only married amongst their specific language group.  This isolated intermarrying created distinct physical characteristics that differentiated one group from another (i.e. skin color, eye shape, face shape, hair color).  The different races of the world are nothing more than large family groups created after the Tower of Babel.

If a member of a church of Christ goes to a military branch, ends up fighting in a war, and kills men, will he still be a member of the church? And will he still be okay spiritually?

Sincerely,
Sgt. Unknown

Dear Sgt. Unknown,

There is nothing wrong with being a soldier; some of the most faithful men in the Bible were soldiers and had to kill people in the defense of their country.  David was a man after God’s own heart (1 Sam 13:14), and yet David killed many people as a soldier.  Jesus marveled at the faith of a centurion soldier (Matt 8:8-10).  The first Gentile convert was Cornelius, a well-known Roman soldier (Acts 10:22).  When a group of soldiers asked John the Baptist what they needed to do to live a faithful life, he told them to be honest and faithful… but he never told them to stop serving in the military (Lk 3:14).

Lord willing, most christian soldiers will never have to kill anyone, but if they did, it won’t be murder (read “Kill Or Be Killed” for more on that topic).  Being a soldier is an honorable profession.

My wife and I have been married for thirty-two years, and we have three grown sons (30, 28, and 26). The twenty-six year old refuses to grow up, and my wife won't let him grow up.  He's living with a woman and her two children.  He calls my wife for everything!  He does not have a job, and my wife jumps every time He calls.  This is causing serious stress on our marriage!  I am a preacher, and I want to do the right thing!  A house divided shall not stand.  How should I handle this issue? Thanks.

Sincerely,
Frustrated Father

Dear Frustrated Father,

There is only one verse that is needed to address an adult that won’t work and pay their own bills – “If any will not work, neither let them eat” (2 Thess 3:10).  Financially supporting someone who won’t work, especially in these hard economic times when others are struggling to find work, is wrong.  The Bible advice is simple – no more handouts.  Make the decision, as a couple, that you will stand together and do what is best for your son.  Don’t lay the blame solely on your wife; a husband is responsible for the decisions of his house (Eph 5:23).

When we have repented and are forgiven of our sins, the Word says the Father holds nothing against us and remembers our sins no more.  How come the curse still remains that Jesus absorbed and sickness, disease, and illness are still present from past sin; wasn't His blood shed for forgiveness, and on the whipping post His stripes freed us from illness and sickness and such?  Help me understand.  Thanks.  God bless.

Sincerely,
No HMO

Dear No HMO,

Jesus’ blood covers the spiritual consequences of sin, but the physical consequences of sin still exist here on Earth.  Jesus’ sacrifice paved the way for mankind to stand before God and enter His holy presence (Heb 10:17-20).  Jesus reconciled faithful people with God through the cross (Col 1:19-20).  The spiritual consequence of sin (eternal spiritual death – Rom 6:23) has been nailed to the cross (Col 2:14).  However, the physical consequences of sin remain as a curse upon this world.  Sin still destroys lives, hurts others, has cursed this world with diseases, and has rippling consequences on a global scale.  Jesus gives us hope that endures to the next life, so we can persevere through the trials of this one (Heb 6:18-20).