On Judgment Day, will the faithful souls who died in Christ be somehow "exempt" from some part of the judgment, or will their sins be brought to light for everyone to know… and THEN be pardoned?

Sincerely, Seeking A Verdict

Dear Seeking A Verdict,

Several verses refer to the saints not being judged, but this doesn’t necessarily imply their sins won’t be made known.Jhn 3:18 and Lk 6:37 clearly state that christians will not be judged.‘Not judged’ means they won’t be condemned.God is judge of all mankind (Heb 12:23), so everyone will be brought before Him for judgment (Eccl 3:17).When you die, God will judge you (Heb 9:27).When the Scriptures say that christians won’t be judged, it is referring to the painful part of judgment – the punishment.Christians will be spared the punishment that all the wicked must endure (2 Pet 2:9).

The fact that christians won’t have to suffer the punishment for sins doesn’t mean that our sins won’t be made known.Paul tells Timothy that some men’s sins are evident before death, and some men’s sins are made known after (1 Tim 5:24-25).Eventually, everything will be revealed (Lk 8:17, Lk 12:2).Every human’s deeds and intentions, whether good or bad, will be brought to light (1 Cor 4:3-5).

Does God want us to ask Him for things over and over or just once and leave it with him?

Sincerely, Don't Want To Bother Him

Dear Don't Want To Bother Him, He wants you to ask over and over - until He gives you an answer.  David prayed vehemently for the life of his child until the child died (2 Sam 12:22-23).  Paul prayed for his sickness to be removed three times until God told him to accept the pain (2 Cor 12:8-9).  Cornelius' prayers were constantly before the Lord until Peter was sent (Acts 10:4-5).  Even our Lord prayed in the garden repeatedly that He might not have to die on the cross (Matt 26:39).  The key in all these circumstances was that the requests ceased when God answered. Once God made His decision apparent, whether it be yes or no, acceptance began. God never gets tired of hearing from His children.  Christians are to constantly seek Him in prayer.  The most direct example of this is Christ's parable of the unjust judge in Lk 18:1-5.  Christ taught that parable so that "men ought always to pray, and not to grow weary".  God wants to hear from His people.  So don't stop asking for help, He is listening.

     What does it mean when God comes into your mind and thoughts?

Sincerely,
Thinking

Dear Thinking,

It depends on what you mean by “God comes into your mind…”  If what you mean by that statement is that you begin thinking about God, then it means that you are doing a good thing!  It is a wonderful thing when people dwell upon God, the Bible, and every good and pure thing (Php 4:8).  That is how we renew our minds, so we become the people we ought (Rom 12:2).

On the other hand, if what you mean by that statement is that you believe God is controlling your mind directly from heaven… that is an entirely different subject.  The days of dreams, visions, and prophecy have passed.  In the past, God spoke to various people through dreams, visions, and prophecy, but today He speaks to us through His Son, Jesus Christ (Heb 1:1-2).  Now that we have the complete and perfect Bible, there is no need for God to give people individual, divine messages.  It is through the Word of God that we learn how to live faithfully (Rom 10:17).  God simply doesn’t directly speak to us anymore.

     Can God read minds?

Sincerely,
What Am I Thinking?

Dear What Am I Thinking,

God is the only one to be noted to have the ability to see into our hearts (Acts 1:24) and read our minds (Lk 11:17).  Yes, God can read your mind.

     I have a friend who wants to leave my church, but I think she really needs it. She thinks a lot of the people there (mostly the youth) are fake and gossipy and says it "turns her off for God."  I don't blame her.  She always wants to leave as soon as service is over.  How can I help her?

Sincerely,
Seeing Her Waver

Dear Seeing Her Waver,

Christianity is work… that is exactly why a lot of people don’t obey God.  God tells us we must hear and do what His Word says (Jas 1:22).  We do what we love, and we do things for those we love.  If we love God, we will keep His commandments (Jhn 14:15).  It is a myth that all Christians love to go to services and love to read their Bibles.  The truth is that every faithful Christian we know has had to work very hard to build the habits of attendance, study, and active participation in the Lord’s work – sometimes in spite of those around them.  It is a lifelong commitment.  The apostle Paul compares it to physical training.  An athlete exercises their body to win the race, even when they are tired or in pain… we need to do the same with our spiritual exercise (1 Cor 9:24-27).  These are the things we would talk to your friend about.  Php 2:12 says that we have to each work out our own salvation with fear and trembling.  If the only reason you are attending services is because of the people... you are doing it for the wrong reasons.  People can certainly make it more enjoyable, but ultimately, you must do what's right regardless of others.