My husband is a christian who added a Satanist to his facebook friends list.  I guess he knew him in basic training.  So my question is: should he have done this?  I mean, he thinks he can win this guy over, but I don't think so.  I just think he is thick-skinned and evil.  I had a nightmare about him.  My husband deleted him from facebook for me.  Should he have added this guy in the first place?  This is a man who has Satan as his profile picture.  Thanks for your time.

Sincerely,
Pitch The Pitchfork

Dear Pitch The Pitchfork,

You wrote, “He thinks he can win this guy over, but I don’t think so.”  The whole issue is one of wisdom and discretion.  You are worried that bad company corrupts good morals (1 Cor 15:33), and your husband is trying to make sure that his light shines for all to see (Matt 5:16).  Both opinions are perfectly valid and Bible-based.  The question is over which one is more applicable in this circumstance… that is a matter of opinion, not doctrine.  You and your husband must decide what is best, but remember that this isn’t an issue of right and wrong.

     When does true physical death occur?  I read a study recently where given the proper treatment, a person can technically be revived up to 90 minutes after they are pronounced "dead" because many brain cells do not lose function until about 8 hours after a person dies.  Is death the point when all cells lose function?  Some have used such evidence to deny resurrection events in the Bible as miraculous.  What does the Bible say on the subject?

Sincerely,
Morbid Curiosity

Dear Morbid Curiosity,

The Bible says that the death happens when the spirit leaves the body (Jas 2:26), but that doesn’t answer your question because we don’t exactly know when that is.  We once thought people were dead when they stopped breathing, but we’ve since learned that isn’t always true.  We then said it was when the heart stopped… except we now use defibrillators to restart people’s hearts.  The exact moment of death is the unanswerable question – but everybody agrees that there is a point of death; we just can’t precisely pinpoint it.

However, the arguments that resurrection events in the Bible weren’t miraculous are easy to handle.  Jesus was in the tomb – THREE days.  Everyone agrees that after three days, the person is really dead.  When Lazarus was raised from the dead, the people didn’t want to open the tomb because the body would have begun to decompose (Jhn 11:49).  Decomposing bodies definitely have crossed the threshold of death.  These are at least two resurrection events that cannot be rationalized away by saying they weren’t actually “dead”.

     I have a question regarding placing membership in a congregation.  What if there are no suitable congregations in the area?  What I mean is, the congregation I have been attending for years appears to be veering away from strictly following the gospel.  Or, to say the least, I have some issues with the leadership there (I know for a fact that there are at least a couple other people that feel the same way).  Recently, I have been attending elsewhere and have noticed that they have someone I know (who came forward at my original congregation as an adulterer) who appears to be slowly working themselves into more prominent positions in that congregation.  All the other congregations in the area are either not faithful or far from home.  I know first-century Christians had to deal with far more than this, but it can be discouraging.  What is your advice?

Sincerely,
The Wanderer

Dear The Wanderer,

When we read of the struggles of the seven churches of Asia in Revelation 2 and 3 or when we see that the church in Corinth was condoning a man who had his father’s wife (1 Cor 5:1) and had doubts whether Jesus was actually raised from the dead (1 Cor 15:3-8), we are left realizing that the early churches definitely were full of imperfect people trying to live by a perfect Word.  What you need to do is ask whether or not a congregation is trying to be faithful to the Bible and to Christ as Lord.  We can, and should, put up with a lot of individual differences as long as there is an honest interest to still do what the Bible says.  However, once Bible preaching and Bible authority are exchanged for “itching ears” preaching (2 Tim 4:3), that’s the time to find somewhere else.

It can be extremely hard when you feel a congregation is slowly changing course, but remember, you can also be a voice to help them drift right back to where they ought to be.

This question is a follow-up to “Bored Enough To Leave”

Why is listening to one man preach for an hour the focus of our worship?

Sincerely,
Yawn

Dear Yawn,

Who ever said that it was the only focus?  Who ever said that it had to be an hour?  Our congregation’s sermons tend to range from 35 minutes to 45 minutes – a good 25% less than an hour.  Paul once preached until midnight (Acts 20:7)… a good deal longer than an hour!  The length of the preaching isn’t set in Scripture.

However, the purpose of preaching is made clear in the Bible.  In Nehemiah 8, Ezra set out to preach to the people of Israel.  He gathered the people (Neh 8:1) – specifically those old enough to understand truth (Neh 8:2).  He set up a pulpit, so he and the others who spoke could be seen and heard (Neh 8:4).  Then Ezra began to read from God’s law (Neh 8:5) and explained that Law, so the people could understand it (Neh 8:8).

Preaching is a planned and prepared explanation of God’s Word so that people who want to learn can understand it.  Now, if you are going to explain something, it is going to take some time.  Depending on the size of the subject, it might take a long time, or it might take just a little, but it does require time.  Every congregation must decide what amount of time is appropriate to allot for that.  If you don’t allot enough, the people can perish because they don’t understand God’s Word (Hos 4:6)… however, it is also true that if you spend too much time preaching (especially if it isn’t thoughtful preaching) that you can hinder people’s understanding and growth in the text.  The issue comes down to wisdom – wisdom of the congregation and wisdom in the preacher.

Our preacher has really let his "preacher's house" go to a shambles.  They let their dog urinate all over the house, and it really smells. Their kids have destroyed many things, and the yard is a mess.  Now the real problem is that the preacher's wife is always complaining that nobody will let them be hospitable and come over because people keep turning down their offers.  I'm sure it’s because of the state of their house.  I went over for a Bible study once, and I could hardly breathe; it was so bad.  We don't have elders, but some of the men have brought this to his attention.  He hasn't said much, and nothing has really changed.  I'm afraid the place will need to be gutted if he ever leaves, and we will be stuck with the bill.  This is a very tough spot for us all, and I could really use some advice on how we should handle it.  Thanks!

Sincerely,
Disgusted

Dear Disgusted,

We’re afraid we have no easy answers for your question.  We’ll assume from how you worded your question that the “preacher’s house” is owned by the congregation, and he is allowed to live in it as long as he preaches for you – an arrangement typically called a ‘parsonage’.  If we are wrong, and this house is actually owned by the preacher – the answer is: “do nothing; it’s his house and his concern”.

However, if it is a parsonage, here is the issue – the congregation is responsible for how it uses the finances it has collected to do God’s work.  The congregation must be faithful stewards (1 Cor 4:2) of both the liquid assets (money in the bank) and assets like property (such as a church building or a parsonage).  It is perfectly appropriate for the congregation to “pay” the preacher by allowing him to stay in the parsonage.  His labor as a preacher is being accepted as rent instead of money (1 Tim 5:18).  However, he is also, in a sense, still a renter.  You have paid him by giving him the parsonage; you have paid him by allowing him to live in the parsonage.  Now some congregations can take it too far and feel that they have the right to barge into the parsonage whenever they like, nitpick the preacher’s wife’s décor, etc., but the opposite is also true.  If a preacher is being a “bad renter” and destroying the property, the congregation must seriously consider addressing him on this issue and create an enforceable plan of action.