I have a friend that is a new Baptist member, and I visited her church, and there was a woman that had asked to become a member of their church; they then proceeded to vote on it.  Where do they get the authority to do so?  Can a church deny membership to one wanting to be a member?

Sincerely,
Taking A Tally

Dear Taking A Tally,

Baptists get the authority to vote on people becoming members from page 17 and 18 of the Baptist Church Manual… which is interestingly enough not the Bible.  You can read a copy of the text here (scroll down to the section titled “How Members Are Received”).  This practice is unscriptural and has no basis in Bible authority.

The Bible teaches that we are added to the church when we are baptized for salvation (Acts 2:37-41).  People join a local church once they become christians and unite themselves to that local group of saints.  If a christian moves to another part of the country, they simply explain their situation, or they are commended to the new brethren by others who know them (Rom 16:1-2).  Either way, the Bible system never comes close to resembling a vote.  Read carefully the Baptist Manual link… their process of membership (which very few Baptists realize) consists of:

1. Confess that you are saved.
2. Be voted on.  (The vote determines whether they believe you are saved, whether or not you have the right to be baptized, and whether or not you will be allowed to be a member).
3. Receive a Baptist baptism.

The Bible way is so much simpler: believe (Jhn 3:16), repent (Acts 17:30), confess (Matt 10:32), and be baptized (Mk 16:16, 1 Pet 3:21).

Is it appropriate for a pastor of a church to restrict a congregation member from working in the ministry with an associate pastor (of the opposite sex) because of people’s perception of their friendship?

Sincerely,
Heartsick

Dear Heartsick,

Without dealing with the issue of titles like ‘associate pastor’ (please read “Switching Departments” for more details on church leadership), let’s see if we can break down your question.  Is it appropriate for an elder/pastor to restrict a man and a woman from working closely together in the church because they are giving too intimate of a “vibe” to everyone else?  Yes.  In fact, it is the elders’ job to protect your reputation and your souls from bad situations (Heb 13:17).  Included in Heb 13:17 is the fact that you should trust their judgment and realize that whether you see it or not, there is something unhealthy about your current relationship.  1 Tim 3:1-7 and Tit 1:5-9 lay out the qualifications for becoming a pastor/elder.  One of those qualifications is sober-mindedness.  An elder is an older man that has proven that he has experience and wisdom to offer.  If he is saying that your friendship has the form and appearance of evil (1 Thess 5:2)… take him seriously.

I felt the call to ministry about two years ago, and I thought that God was calling me into youth ministry.  Then I started learning about all sorts of other places God could use me, and I began thinking about where specifically in ministry He may be calling me.  I still really want to be a youth minister, but I'm not 100% certain that’s where God wants me.  So how can I know what specific facet of His ministry He wants me to be in?

Sincerely,
Job Searching

Dear Job Searching,

God calls us to work through His gospel, the Bible (2 Thess 2:14).  The Bible never says anything about "youth" ministers.  'Youth minister' is a man-made title created by man-made religions.  The Bible gives the list of all the roles within the church in Eph 4:11-12.  Since the apostles and prophets have long since ceased (see "The Lost Art of Prophecy" for more details), the only roles in the church are evangelists, pastors (also known as elders and overseers - 1 Tim 3:1), deacons (Php 1:1), and teachers.  Any faithful church should only have people filling those offices.  Churches that employ secretaries, outreach ministers, benevolence ministers, archbishops, cardinals, reverends, fathers, etc. are not following the Bible pattern.  God gave us the Bible word-for-word (1 Cor 2:13), and therefore, we should follow that pattern in using Bible words to describe Bible things.  Departing from that pattern is a step in the direction of apostasy and a warping of the Scriptures.

(This post is a follow-up to “Eyeing Everest”)

You wrote, “The story is not directly applicable to us today because we can’t perform miracles like the apostles could – but there is an important principle being taught.  Faith makes a difference.  Faith is one of the greatest elements of Christianity (1 Cor 13:13).  If we trust God, great things can happen.”  You gotta be kidding, right? (Of course you’re not - you are serious).  Why must you say such ridiculous things such as this; we can’t perform miracles like the apostles?  Why can’t we?  Because you can’t?  Because you are a supposed man of God and haven’t this authority to perform the works of God?  God is, was, and will be.  He hasn’t changed; if He wills me or someone to do His will with that of His miraculous ability, He is free to do so.  To claim that God doesn’t do this anymore is the equivalent of the Jehovah’s Witnesses saying angels don’t give messages like in the Bible anymore!  Who are you to make such claims?  You have not got the authority to be so pompous to state that as TRUTH!  However, you have freedom of choice, and you may continue to say what you will, but, friend, I tell you this, you could say anything, but that in it of itself means nothing.

Sincerely,
Who Do You Think You Are?

Dear Who Do You Think You Are,

Yes, we are serious – and we’ve got the Scriptures to back it up.  God clearly said that there would come a time when miracles would cease (1 Cor 13:8).  A miracle is something that breaks the laws of physics (such as raising someone from the dead, supernaturally healing leprosy, etc.).  Miracles were needed to prove that Jesus and His apostles were sent from God (Acts 14:3, Acts 2:22, Jhn 9:16).  Now that we have the perfect and complete Bible, we no longer need those miracles – which was Paul’s point in 1 Corinthians.  When the “perfect” of 1 Cor 13:8-10 happened, the church no longer needed miracles to further the message of Christ.  After the Bible was completed, the church was able to fully see God’s message of salvation (1 Cor 13:12) without further need of prophecies and miracles.

Some other articles (with further Scriptures) you might want to read on the subject are “I Dreamed A Dream”, “Three Cheers For Miracles”, and “Gifts That Stop Giving”.  We completely agree with you that just saying something doesn’t make it true; that is why we wanted to show you the plethora of verses on the topic.

Why do Catholics pray to Mary?  I have read articles that say they pray to her as an intercessor, but I cannot find anywhere in the Bible that says to do this.  How do they justify this Biblically?

Sincerely,
Who’s That Girl?

Dear Who’s That Girl,

Praying to or through Mary is wrong.  Technically speaking, Catholics are not taught to pray to Mary – but to ask Mary to intercede on their behalf before God.  Catholicism teaches that Mary (and other Catholic saints) have more “clout” with God than us, and therefore, Catholics are instructed to ask these Catholic-appointed saints to pray for them.  Having said all that, many Catholics are confused about their own doctrine and do, in fact, pray directly to Mary.  Either behavior is in direct contradiction to the Bible.

Jesus is the only Mediator between man and God (1 Tim 2:5).  We pray to the Father through Jesus… not through Mary or any other Catholic figure.  We are told to confidently approach God directly (Heb 4:16).  We should ask of God and pray to Him through the name of Jesus (Jhn 14:13-14).  Praying to (or through) Catholic saints is sinful.