(This post is in reference to “No Luck Potluck”)

Y'all have disappointed me this morning... I have been reading your Q/A for the last 4-5 months, every morning, and try to incorporate those into my daily Bible study.  But the latest one has faltered.  "No potluck"?  It almost sounds like you are putting emphasis on the BUILDING being a part of worship.  What makes a building holy?  You can NOT eat in a building when worship services have concluded?  Can you NOT drink water from the fountain?  Have lights?  Computers?  Restrooms?  If you follow this line, when does one stop?  The first christians were meeting in each others’ homes.  Where today, all these things would be available, just NOT during worship services.  They were meeting in synagogues where the Jews were still worshiping.  OUR bodies make up THE body of the church.

 

Sincerely,
Fork In Hand

Dear Fork In Hand,

You raise a very valid question.  You asked: "What makes a building holy?"  After all, the building isn't the church – the people are.  Whether the church meets in a house (Acts 20:8), a school building (Acts 19:9), or the temple porch (Acts 5:12), it is still the church.  The people are God's church – certainly not a building.  So should we be concerned at all with what goes on in the church building.  The answer is ‘yes’, but not because the building is the church... because the building was bought with the church's money.

A church building is part of a church's finances (the same as your house is part of your finances), and it is important that whatever we use the church's finances for be authorized by the Bible.  1 Tim 3:15 says that there is a certain way that the church must behave when we work together collectively.  1 Tim 5:16 takes it one step farther and says that there are certain financial things the church shouldn't be burdened with.  Once our money goes into the church collection on Sunday (1 Cor 16:1-2), it becomes the Lord's money – not ours.  The church can spend its money on the church's work.  The church's work is simple: teach the saved, preach to the lost, and care for needy christians (read "Purpose Driven Church" for book, chapter, and verse for those commands).

The issue isn't with any food or drink in the building... it is when the church collectively decides to use the building for a primarily social gathering.  As Paul said, "Don't you have houses to eat and drink in?" (1 Cor 11:22).  Paul lambasted the church in Corinth for making the church's work a social event.  As we mentioned in the previous post, if the church needed a potluck for the purpose of continuing their services, that would be one thing... but once we start spending the church's finances (and the building is part of the church's finances) on social things, there is no principle difference between that and church movie night or having a Boy Scout troop use the building on Thursdays.  Hope that provides some clarification.  It is about the use of the Lord's finances, not a building being sacred.

If we are rewarded in heaven for our life on Earth, meaning that others will have more in heaven than others, will there be jealousy?  I feel like I would be jealous of others that were rewarded more than I in heaven.  I feel silly saying that because I would be thankful just to be in heaven at all, but I would feel like God loved others more than me.  Is it okay to feel like I would be jealous?

Sincerely,
Going Green

Dear Going Green,

It is true that the Bible talks about storing treasures up for yourself in heaven (Matt 6:19-21), but that doesn’t provide us with many details as to how those treasures work – the mechanics are a total mystery.  One analogy that seems to help people is to think of it like two people gathering water from a well; no matter the size of the container, the container will be full.  Storing up treasures in heaven has been described as “getting a bigger bucket”.  As we said though, this is simply speculation, and we wouldn’t be too dogmatic on the issue.

As for your concern of jealousy in heaven, we don’t know the mechanics of how heaven will work, but we do know that there will be no sin there (1 Cor 15:54-57).  Covetousness is a sin (Jas 4:2).  In this life, we struggle to rejoice in the joys of our fellow Christians (Rom 12:15); sometimes it stings when we see others with more than us, but the time will come when we will shuck this mortal coil, and those fleshly temptations to covet will no longer plague us.

Why does the christian worship God on Sunday?  In the Ten Commandments it says Saturday is the Sabbath day?

Sincerely,
Trying To Believe

Dear Trying To Believe,

The ‘Ten Commandments’ were Old Testament laws, and you need to live by nine of them. The entire Old Testament law, including the ‘Ten Commandments’ was done away with in Christianity (Gal 3:23-25). The New Testament law supersedes the Old Testament one, and the law written on stone tablets (the Mosaic law which includes the Ten Commandments (Deu 4:13) has passed away (2 Cor 3:3-11).

Having said that, the New Testament reiterates nine out of the ten commands. Christians do obey nine of the ‘Ten Commandments’ because Christ thought nine of them were worth keeping in the New Testament.

1. Thou shalt not have any other god before me (Ex 20:3, 1 Cor 10:14)
2. Thou shalt not make graven images or bow down to them (Ex 20:4-5, 1 Jhn 5:21)
3. Thou shalt not take God’s name in vain (Ex 20:7, Heb 12:28)
4. Honor thy father and mother (Ex 20:12, Eph 6:1-2)
5. Thou shalt not kill (Ex 20:13, 1 Pet 4:15)
6. Thou shalt not commit adultery (Ex 20:14, Heb 13:4)
7. Thou shalt not steal (Ex 20:15, Eph 4:28)
8. Thou shalt not bear false witness (Ex 20:16, Rev 21:8)
9. Thou shalt not covet (Ex 20:17, Eph 5:3)

The only one of the ‘Ten Commandments’ left out is the keeping of the Sabbath (Ex 20:8). Christians aren’t bound to keep the Sabbath holy; Jews were. In the New Testament, we are told to meet on Sunday to take the Lord’s Supper (Acts 20:7).

God forgives every sin, right?  But what happens when you do that sin repeatedly?

Sincerely,
Do Over

Dear Do Over,

There are two pieces to the puzzle of repetitive sins:

1. How many times can I ask for forgiveness for the same sin?
2. How do I remove this sin from my life?

The answer to the first part is simple. You can ask for forgiveness an innumerable amount of times. Christ told Peter that we should forgive ‘seventy times seven’ (Matt 18:21-22). Paul was forgiven of his sins even after killing christians and actively persecuting the church (1 Tim 1:16). As often as we truly repent, God is ready to forgive (Lk 17:4). It is quite possible to truly repent of something and then find yourself doing that same thing not minutes later. It happens in arguments all the time! You say something mean, apologize, then find yourself upset again, and again use rash words. The repeating of the cycle is not necessarily an indication of false sorrow.

However, the second part of your question deals with stopping this cycle. God will forgive you for stumbling again into the same sin, but only if you are truly attempting to change your mind. Paul reminds us that we are to do everything we can to flee from the slavery to sin (Rom 6:1-2, Rom 6:12-13). Without knowing what sin you are caught up in, I can’t give specific advice, but I recommend getting help if it is as consuming as you say. Many sins can become addictions that are very hard to break. Here are some things to consider:

1. Are you trying to change all on your own? God says two are stronger than one (Eccl 4:9-10). In the case of sin like pornography, many people try and struggle through it alone without seeking help because of the shame involved in it becoming known. This rarely, if ever, works. Telling someone, even just one trusted friend, and using things like Covenant Eyes accountability software can make all the difference in such circumstances.
2. Are you putting yourself in compromising situations? People with drug and alcohol addictions are often tempted back into their old habits by drinking buddies or parties where drugs are made available. You may need to cut off certain people and habits from your life in order to escape that sort of sin. Remember, Christ said it would be better to remove even your own hand if it would free you from a sin (Matt 5:30).

Removing sin from our lives is a constant struggle. God is ready to forgive you ‘seventy times seven’ as you fight to defeat this sin, but you must look yourself in the mirror and make sure you are taking the steps necessary to change your life.

Is the leviathan in Isaiah 27:1 really Satan?

Sincerely,
Asking Literally

Dear Asking Literally,

Isaiah 27 is dealing with the same topic as the proceeding three chapters – the blessings that exist in Christ and His victory over sin.  To be fair, the language used in this section of Isaiah is some of the hardest and most apocalyptic language found in all the Bible, so there is room for disagreement amongst good brethren.  Having said that, we believe that since the topic is Christ’s victory and the blessings found in the church – Satan is mostly likely the serpent that was slain in Isa 27:1.  If it doesn't represent Satan himself, it probably stands for the world powers that Satan would use to try and defeat God's plans to make Christ's church to flourish.  The language of Isaiah 27:1 is very similar to what is said in Rev 12:9-11.