I am a member of a local church (thought to be very small and very unwelcoming by some).  They’re all older people, and they always say that they are "old Christians" in comparison to what they think of my family and I, "new Christians".  They act like they know more about the Bible and the way everything should be because they’re older Christians.  And we don't know that much because we're new… which we’re not.  My family and I have been Christians for a very long time, and I try to read and study the Bible everyday.  My question is: is it biblical to call someone or say someone is a "new Christian"?  I know it feels like they're cutting me down; I think, and correct me if I'm wrong, but aren’t we all the same in God’s eyes?  Thank you so much.  God bless.

Sincerely,
Not That New

Dear Not That New,

The Bible does talk about novice Christians (1 Tim 3:6) and those who, through diligence and time, have become pillars in the church (Gal 2:9)… but they are supposed to be a blessing to each other, not a rivalry.  Paul told Timothy to not let anyone look down on his youth but to show himself an example of faithful living (1 Tim 4:12).  Paul admonished Timothy to treat the older saints with respect and the younger Christians as brothers and sisters (1 Tim 5:1-2).  A congregation that forgets that age and youth are both needed in their own right is soon to fall upon hard times.

God bless you, brethren.  First off, I would like to thank you for allowing yourselves to be used by the Lord.  Your insights and biblical knowledge are encouraging, helpful, and refreshing.  My question today is the following:

How should we, biblically, spend our time each day?  I know in one verse, we are told to "pray without ceasing".  What I understand from that is we should be praying all the time.  What else does the Bible say we should do throughout the day?

Sincerely,
Day Planner

Dear Day Planner,

There is no way we can cover all the things that we should do in our lives in one short AYP answer… after all, the answer to that question is an entire lifetime full of sermons.  However, here are some generic things that we are told to constantly do.

1. Show gratitude to God.  We are told to always pray with gratitude (Php 4:6), and since we are told to pray all the time, that means we should always seek to count our blessings and be thankful for the life we have.  Rejoicing is a characteristic of a godly life (1 Thess 5:16).
2. We are told to forgive others (Matt 6:12) and to never render evil for evil (1 Thess 5:15).  We should seek to do good and overcome evil with goodness (Rom 12:21).  By forgiving our debtors and leaving vengeance to God, we live as God intends.
3. We are to be the lights of the world (Matt 5:14).  God expects Christians to be enduring examples to mankind.  We are told to always be prepared to give an answer for the hope that is in us (1 Pet 3:15).  God wants us to change the world around us and bring the message of Christ to a dying world.
4. Col 3:17 says that whatever we do, in word or deed, should be done for the glory of God.  Live your life avoiding sin and embracing godliness.

As we said, these are simply generic goals, and there are more to be sure, but these four are enough to keep most of us busy!

     I'm trusting in God to help me out of a difficult financial situation, but since faith without works is dead, how can I materialize my faith?  Thanks.

Sincerely,
Faithful

Dear Faithful,

You need to do your best to be faithful with what you have.  God tells us to be good stewards of whatever we have been given, and this includes our money (Matt 25:21).  Since you are in a difficult financial situation, there is a lot that is out of your control, but what money you do have, show yourself to be faithful with it.  There is a tendency to “go off the deep end” when things begin to unravel financially.  Remember that he who is faithful in little is also faithful in much (Lk 16:10).  God doesn’t care about the dollar amount; He cares about your attitude toward it.  With what you have, be a faithful and good steward.  After that, prayerfully leave the rest in the hands of the Lord.

What is the difference between good pride and bad pride?  Or is there even such thing as good pride?

Sincerely,
Humble

Dear Humble,

The type of pride we are warned against is arrogance.  God loves a humble man, and He finds no pleasure in those that think too highly of themselves (Jas 4:6).  Whenever your Bible talks about pride, this is the type of pride that is being discussed.  The proud man that thinks he is something when he isn’t is trouble waiting to happen (1 Cor 10:12).

On the other hand, in the English language, we talk about taking pride in your work or being proud of your accomplishments.  Most often when people say things like that, they mean they take seriously their responsibilities or are rejoicing over a success… this isn’t wrong at all.  The Bible tells us that whatever we do, we should do with all our might (Eccl 9:10).  We are told to rejoice in the work of our hands and the blessings that come along with hard work (Eccl 5:18).  Taking joy in your work and in your accomplishments is fine… but don’t get a big head and turn to conceit and arrogance.

[This question is in response to “Necessary Inference”]

Your recent discussion on necessary inference talked about Acts 15.  Did these apostles convene to figure out the answer, or were they inspired and knew the answer?  Many have used this example to approve of conventions to reach conclusions.  The argument against has been that the answer in Acts 15 was from God, not men, and thus, this type of meeting wouldn't be approved today.  Please explain.

Sincerely,
Bored Of Meetings

Dear Bored Of Meetings,

The Bible tells us that the meeting in Acts 15 was a discussion, not a supernatural revelation from the Holy Spirit.  Acts 15:6 says that the apostles and the elders of the church in Jerusalem were gathered together to “consider” this matter.  People asked questions (Acts 15:7) and gave testimony (Acts 15:12).  The final judgment wasn’t even made by an apostle; it was made by James, one of the elders (Acts 15:13).  This James wasn’t an apostle because the apostle James had died in Acts 12:2.

Overall, what we see described in Acts 15 is a normal circumstance where faithful people considered the situation and the Scriptures, so they could make a faithful decision.