What does it mean when the Bible says that if your faith is as little as a mustard seed, you can move the mountains?  Is it literally referring to the mountains?  If it is, why can't a pastor or missionary move a mountain; isn't their faith at least the size of a mustard seed?

Sincerely,
Interest Peaked

Dear Interest Peaked,

The verse you are referring to is Matt 17:20.  Jesus was talking to the apostles (Matt 17:19) about why they were unable to cast out a particularly stubborn demon (Matt 17:14-16).  Jesus told his apostles that the reason they were unable to cast out the demon was because they didn’t have enough faith.  If they had been more faithful, they could have performed the miracle.

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.

Why did God choose the third day to raise Jesus up?  Is there a reason for the third day?

Sincerely,
Counting

Dear Counting,

There are several reasons that the Scriptures give us for why Jesus was raised on the third day, and there may be more reasons that God didn’t tell us.  The secret things belong to God (Deu 29:29)… some questions won’t get answered until we see Him in heaven.  Here is what we know:

1. Jesus was raised on the third day because that is when He prophesied He would be raised (Lk 24:7).  Jesus fulfilled every prophecy He made, right down to the details of how long He would stay in the grave.
2. Jesus’ burial is compared to Jonah’s time in the belly of the great fish (Matt 12:40).  The Old Testament was full of parallels to Christ because the Old Testament was a tutor to lead people to Christ (Gal 3:24-25).  Jonah’s three days and nights in the big fish were another example of an allusion to Christ.
3. Jesus’ three days in the tomb left no doubt that He was truly dead.  Jesus was in the tomb so that all could witness that He did indeed fully die and was buried (Acts 10:37-40).

As we said, there are probably more reasons that the Father had in mind when He chose to leave Jesus’ body in the grave for three days, but those are the reasons He has deemed appropriate for us to know from the Scriptures.

Hello.  Are there organizations that I could go on mission trips with even if I don't belong to a certain church?  I really feel like God is pulling me toward missions, and I would love to reach out to others and share God's love. Thanks much.

Sincerely,
Wanting to Reach Out

Dear Wanting To Reach Out,

The church is God’s organization for spreading the good news.  We applaud your zeal to spread God’s Word, so let’s see if we can give you some information that can help focus that zeal in the most effective way.  God tells us that zeal is only effective when combined with knowledge (Rom 10:1-2).  There is no such thing as a christian that isn’t a member of a congregation – even the apostle Paul was a member of the Antioch congregation (Acts 11:26).  The great evangelism efforts that Paul and Barnabas spearheaded all started from their work with the local church in the city of Antioch.  The church is God’s tool to protect and spread the good news of Christ (1 Tim 3:15).  In fact, we are warned against forsaking the assembly of the church (Heb 10:24-25).  Christians aren’t meant to function without the support of the church.  We would be happy to point you toward a congregation in your area that is faithful, evangelistic, and ready to use your zeal to spread the good news.  If we can help, just e-mail us at askyourpreacher@mvchurchofchrist.org.

Is using deadly force ever justifiable in defense of self or family?  If there were ever a situation where there was complete societal breakdown (no government or police), food and water became scarce, and armed looters and gangs searching for food became a real threat to your family, would you be morally responsible to defend your family by any means necessary?  Would God expect you to turn the other cheek or fight for survival?

Sincerely,
Getting Prepared

Dear Getting Prepared,

When the Bible commands us to not kill, the word used for ‘kill’ is the word that we would use for ‘murder.  Some of the most faithful men in the Bible were soldiers and had to kill people in the defense of their country.  David was a man after God’s own heart (1 Sam 13:14), and yet David killed many people as a soldier.  Jesus marveled at the faith of a centurion soldier (Matt 8:8-10).  The first Gentile convert was Cornelius, a well-known Roman soldier (Acts 10:22).  When a group of soldiers asked John the Baptist what they needed to do to live a faithful life, he told them to be honest and faithful… but he never told them to stop serving in the military (Lk 3:14).  These are all examples of the difference between murder and self-defense (or war-time killing).

In the Old Testament, God made specific rules that allowed an individual to kill if they were defending their home or family (Ex 22:2).  In Lk 22:35-39, Jesus tells His disciples that persecution will begin after He leaves and that they ought to “buy a sword” – this is certainly an endorsement of self-defense.  All of these point to the fact that God distinguishes between defensive force and vigilante murder.

Who are the Knights Templar?

Sincerely,
Historian

Dear Historian,

The Knights Templar was an order of knights that were endorsed by the Roman Catholic Church in 1129 and fought during the Crusades.  They were also known for building large fortifications across Europe.  There is a modern mystique surrounding the Knights Templar because they were a very secretive religious society… but all historical sources point toward them going out of existence centuries ago.

In any case, the Knights Templar have absolutely nothing to do with the Bible.  The Bible was completed over a thousand years before the Knights Templar were created by the Catholic church.  The Crusades and the Knights Templar are both good examples of how the Catholic church did (and does) things that have zero connection to the Word of God.  God tells us to never add or subtract from His Word (Rev 22:18-19).  All faithful churches take that command very seriously.