When I was at church, we were talking about how God was our rock; what does that mean?

Sincerely,
Rock On

Dear Rock On,

There are several verses that refer to God as our Rock (Deu 32:31, 1 Sam 2:2, 2 Sam 22:32, Ps 18:31, Ps 95:1, and 1 Cor 10:14… just to name a few).  Calling God our “rock” is a metaphor.  Just like a rock, God is stable, indestructible, immovable, and a firm foundation.  Throughout all the Scriptures, we see that God is unchanging (Heb 13:8) and trustworthy (Ps 20:7).  He is the firm foundation that we can build our lives upon (Matt 7:24-27).

Why did God say, “I am a jealous God” if jealousy is a sin?

Sincerely,
Green With Envy

Dear Green With Envy,

Not all jealousy is bad.  A husband has a right to be jealous for his wife and upset if someone else mistreats her.  God has the right to be jealous for us and upset if we worship other gods (Ex 34:14).  In this context, ‘jealous’ simply means ‘fiercely protective or vigilant of one’s rights’.  It is fair and appropriate that God expects us to worship Him and only Him (Matt 4:10).  Our world would have us believe that all religions and gods are equal… but the God of the Bible stands alone.  All other gods are idols.

Do you believe once we have accepted Christ as our Savior, yet keep falling short, trying, not always succeeding...repenting, changing, then fall again... will He still take us into His loving arms if our lives ended today?

Sincerely,
Never Good Enough

Dear Never Good Enough,

Yes.  If you have taken the steps to become a christian (read “What Must I Do To Be Saved?”), then the rest of your life will be a collection of victories and failures in spiritual growth.  The key is to never give up; always get back up and try again (Pr 24:16).  When we sin – and admit it – God is righteous and ready to forgive us (1 Jn 1:8-9).  Always be honest about your failures and sins (1 Jn 1:10).  God is ready to forgive us an innumerable amount of times as long as we continue to repent (Matt 18:21-22).

The preacher at my church is so boring that I can barely stand to listen to him for more than ten minutes.  Why do we have to make the focal point of service listening to one person talk to us for an hour?  I mean, if this is what "going to church" is all about, I don't think it's for me.

Sincerely,
Yawn

Dear Yawn,

Christianity isn’t about entertainment, and if the only problem you have with a congregation is that it doesn’t hold your attention, it is time to take a serious look at your own spirituality.  Learning and studying God's Word is often hard and can feel tiresome, but the hard work pays off in the end.  It is nice if a preacher can be "easy on the ears", but ultimately, it is our job to learn and grow from studying the Bible (1 Pet 2:2)

The church’s main job is to stand by the truth (1 Tim 3:15), and one sign of a congregation turning from the Lord is that the preaching and teaching are no longer about truth, but about entertaining the people (2 Tim 4:3-4).  So, using excitement or the feeling of being entertained isn’t a good benchmark.

On the other hand, a congregation whose love has grown cold (Matt 24:12) or one that has left their zealous love for the Lord (Rev 2:4) is sometimes seen as “boring”.  If a church is no longer active and working to be effective in its service for the Lord, that can be a real problem.  After all, we are to worship God in spirit and in truth (Jhn 4:24), and if a congregation holds to the truth in word, but not in deed, there is a definite issue.  That type of “boring” can be a reason to leave a group.

[This question is a follow-up to “A Thanksgiving To Remember”]

Why is it so important to apologize to others?  I know it is important to apologize to God… but other people when they do you wrong also?  Why can't others just forget about it, sweep it under a rug so to speak?

Sincerely,
Get Over It

Dear Get Over It,

It is important because God says it is important (Lk 17:4).  Confessing our sins to one another is part of the growth process that God expects us to go through (Jas 5:16).  Heb 10:24 says that we need to consider one another… and that is part of what apologizing is.  An apology shows that you have considered the feelings of the other person after you have wronged them.  Admitting we are wrong is a sign of maturity and humility (Matt 23:12).  Love seeks the benefit of the other person (1 Cor 13:5) – apologizing helps those we have hurt to heal.