How do you confess to God?  Do you have to confess in church, or can you do it in the comfort of your house?  What if you are not Catholic?  Will He still forgive you?

Sincerely,
Where’s The Priest?

Dear Where’s The Priest,

The Bible teaches that we should confess our sins to God through prayer, and we should ask for forgiveness (1 Jn 1:9).  This is a simple process that can (and should) be done whenever we pray.  Jesus mentioned asking for forgiveness when He taught the disciples to pray (Lk 11:2-4).

The Catholic process of confession is very different from what you read in your Bible.  Catholicism teaches that many sins cannot be forgiven unless a priest hears your confession – this couldn’t be farther from the Bible truth.  Catholicism long ago departed from the Bible; the Catholic religion is based upon manmade teachings and traditions that have gone beyond what God wrote (1 Cor 4:6, Rev 22:18-19).

How much time should one pray, and if one doesn't pray, can they still work in the gifts?

Sincerely,
Off The Clock

Dear Off The Clock,

We are never given a specific amount of time that we have to pray each day; we are simply told to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thess 5:17).  Prayer should be a normal, consistent, and regular part of your life.  Just like we make sure to stay in contact with our family and friends, we should make sure to stay in constant contact with our Father in heaven.  As the old adage goes, “Seven days without prayer makes one weak”.  Prayer is not only a command; it is a blessing from God.  It is a gift from our Father that He hears and answers our requests (Jas 1:5).

As far as the “gifts” that you mentioned, we are pretty sure that you are referring to miraculous spiritual gifts.  Some churches erroneously teach that God still allows people to speak in tongues, miraculously heal others, etc.  This isn’t true.  The spiritual gifts that the apostles and prophets had were for a limited time and for a specific purpose.  Read “Gifts That Stop Giving” for more details on the cessation of miracles.

We've been described by several in our group as a "blue collar” church.  We have many adults in attendance who don't read well.

Can a church teach reading, English, history, philosophy, Greek, or anything else necessary to understand deeper Bible concepts?

Sincerely,
Well-Read

Dear Well-Read,

Every command that you find in the Bible has specific and general qualities to it.  For example, when God told Noah to build the ark, He told Noah to use a specific kind of wood (gopher wood – Gen 6:14) and build the ark to specific dimensions (Gen 6:15-16), but He left the details of how to cut, fasten, and construct the ark up to Noah.  It would have been wrong for Noah to use oak or birch, and it would have been wrong for Noah to change the dimensions of the ark, but aside from that, Noah had freedom to use his own wisdom in the engineering of the ark.  The things that God was specific on, Noah had to be specific on to… but the things God was general about, Noah had freedom to decide for himself.

Now that brings us to your question.  The church has the authority to do whatever is necessary to teach and preach the Word (Acts 15:35) – the specific quality of that command is that the church must forward people’s understanding of God’s Word.  However, as any good teacher knows, you have to start teaching your students from where they are.  The church shouldn’t become a secular academic institution, but if providing someone with a better understanding of world history, Bible times and culture, language, etc. helps to further their grasp of Bible concepts, it is perfectly permissible.  God left the command to teach and preach as a general command for a reason; the specifics of teaching are left up to the Bible teachers.

What is the purpose of tithing, and does the end of Malachi still pertain to us today?  I've come to view tithing as a way of trusting that God will always supply your needs and also to allow His Word to spread through funding preachers and churches.  In this respect, the meaning would be synonymous with the Israelites and their requirement to tithe.  Are we still required to tithe?  Does the end of Malachi (the one time God says to test Him) still pertain to our generation?  Or was that verse solely meant for the people of that era?  Are we still allowed to test God to open up the windows of heaven and pour out blessings?  I have been tithing for a while, and I have seen God supply me with what I need, but now... things aren't looking so great, and I'm starting to get really worried that He might be letting me go into a state of need.  Do I have the correct mindset for this Bible lesson?

Sincerely,
Feeling Slim

Dear Feeling Slim,

The verses you are referring to are Mal 3:8-10.  Tithing is a Jewish commandment, not a christian one (more on this in a bit), but the Old Testament is full of examples that give us principles to live by (1 Cor 10:11).  The principle behind Mal 3:8-10 is that when we give to God as He asks, He will bless us for our faithful trust in Him.  This is true in our finances and in every other area of life.  However, just because we give financially doesn’t mean that we won’t ever suffer or have needs.  The belief that giving to God will always get you more money is called the ‘Prosperity Gospel’ – read “Cash Cow” for specifics on that false doctrine.

Now let’s deal with the specifics of tithing.  Tithing is an Old Testament commandment (Num 18:24), not a New Testament one.  Jews tithe; christians “lay by in store as we have prospered” (1 Cor 16:1-3).  God doesn’t give a specific percentage that christians should give back.  We must prepare beforehand what we will give (that’s the “lay by in store” part – 1 Cor 16:2).  He also commands that we be “cheerful givers” and that we give as we have “purposed in our hearts” (2 Cor 9:7).  Though tithing (which means ‘one tenth’) is a good rule of thumb for giving… it isn’t a command.

How can I justify hopping, clapping, and swinging back and forth while singing praises to God?  It feels so good; it can't be wrong... can it?

Sincerely,
Mover And Shaker

Dear Mover And Shaker,

Just because something feels good doesn’t mean it is good.  If our standard for right and wrong is whether or not something feels good… all sin would be acceptable because all sin is intended to make us feel good (1 Jn 2:16).

It is very important that whenever we try and find what is right and wrong, we don’t go looking to prove that something is okay.  You can find anything in the Bible if you want it bad enough – all you have to do is twist the Scriptures and take them out of context (Gal 1:6-7).  Don’t try and justify behavior; try and find the Bible pattern.

So what is the Bible pattern for singing praises?  We are told to make melody with our voices and with our hearts (Eph 5:19).  What God wants to hear is our voices – not instruments, not clapping, not hopping up and down like at a rock concert.  God wants us to soberly and faithfully approach Him with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs (Col 3:16).  We are to worship in a way that is decent and orderly (1 Cor 14:40), so the unbeliever and unlearned will be convicted by our words and behavior (1 Cor 14:16).  Much of modern worship is about how we feel, and it caters to our entertainment instead of God’s Word.  If we don’t have an example of christians hopping, clapping, and swinging back and forth in the Bible – we shouldn’t do it either (Rev 22:18-19).