How can a Christian deal with a spiritually immature brother/sister?

Sincerely,
Struggling Sibling

Dear Struggling Sibling,

With patience.  The Bible teaches that immature brethren are a normal part of the church because we all start out as babes in Christ (1 Pet 2:2).  As long as there are people being added to the church, there will always be immaturity.  On top of that, none of us mature in Christ as fast as we ought.  In Heb 5:12, Christians were rebuked for not growing and maturing as quickly as was appropriate.  So, spiritual immaturity is not a new problem.

Paul said that he dealt with immature brethren by being as gentle with them as a mother with her children (1 Thess 2:7).  1 Tim 5:1-2 explains that when we deal with other Christians, we should treat them as we would a father, mother, brother, or sister.  1 Thess 5:14 says that as we admonish, encourage, and help those who are lazy, fainting, or weak in the church, we should always be patient.  These are the principles for dealing with your fellow Christians.  Be nice because, after all, you will spend eternity with them.

     I am newly saved and born again, and I am tormented with constant intrusive thoughts, even blasphemous thoughts of the Holy Spirit.  I would never ever believe them, and I hate them, but I was telling my mother-in-law everything I was thinking about, and I am scared I made the unforgivable sin just by relaying the thought I had.  Please, help me.

Sincerely,
Thought Tortured

Dear Thought Tortured,

We often think that we have complete control over what we think, but that isn’t true.  For example, as you read the word “dog”, you can’t help but think of dogs.  The more we tell you not to think of dogs, the more you do!  What thoughts pop into our heads aren’t inherently sinful; they only become sinful when we embrace them (such as lust in our heart – Matt 5:28) or by acting upon them (such as outbursts of anger – Eph 4:26).

It is not a surprise that in your newborn Christian state you are struggling with evil thoughts.  The devil preys on us most when we are weak (1 Pet 5:8), and when we first become Christians, we are babies with a lot of growing to do and still very susceptible to falling away (1 Pet 2:2).  You haven’t committed the unforgivable sin.  It takes more than a few words to do that.  Read “Stop Thinking That!” for more details on what the sin against the Holy Spirit really is.

Hang in there; you are perfectly normal, and there isn’t anything you are doing wrong.  Find a faithful church (we can help you with that if you’d like!), keep plugging away at learning and applying the Scriptures, and you’ll do just fine (Rom 1:16, Jas 1:22).

     Can you provide me with some Scriptures to show that it is okay to have social events in the church building (i.e., game night, potlucks, graduation celebrations, wedding receptions, etc.)?  I was taught that the building should not be used for such things, but recently, our preacher told me there are "tons of Scriptures" that show we not only can, but should, have these sorts of fellowship activities.  Where are they?

Sincerely,
Proof Please

Dear Proof Please,

We have no idea where those “tons of Scriptures” are because we’ve never seen them!  The Bible specifically outlines three things that the church has a responsibility to do: care for needy Christians (Acts 4:34), preach to the lost, and teach the saved (Acts 15:35).  Anything that a church does with its financial assets needs to fit into one of those three categories.  A church’s 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 further 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… and that’s it.

Bible classes, worship services, etc. all easily fit into the work of the church… but what about a social gathering?  The problem is that socializing is never shown to be part of the church’s work.  It certainly is important for individual Christians to spend time with one another… but that is a command to individuals – not the church.  Individuals have a lot more freedom in what they do than the church does.  Social gatherings in the church’s building simply don’t fit the Bible pattern of the church’s work.  We don’t want to condemn the attitude of these folks – we’d like to think their intentions are pure, but zeal isn’t the same as Bible accuracy (Rom 10:2).  We have looked and looked, but we cannot find Bible authority for the church’s building, which is part of the church’s assets, to be used for a purely social gathering.

When the church collectively decides to use the building for a primarily social gathering, there is a problem.  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.   When the church loses focus on what it is here for, it loses focus on Who it is here for.

     Why does the Church teach God created all things in six, twenty-four hour days when time was not created until day four?  In the beginning, God did not create time until day four when He made the sun, moon, and stars, so we could mark the passing of seasons, the passing of time.

Sincerely,
Time To Answer

Dear Time To Answer,

The sun and the moon don’t create time anymore than a watch does.  It is true that the sun, moon, and stars were created on day four (Gen 1:17-19), but they were set to signify time (Gen 1:14), not create it.

Your watch signals you what time it is, but if you don’t wear a watch, time still ticks on whether you keep track of it or not.  On day one, we are told there was an evening and a morning – one day (Gen 1:5).  Time already existed on day one.  The sun and moon just make it easier to keep track of that twenty-four hour day we know so well.

     How do I know if God hears my prayers or if I am even praying right?

Sincerely,
Praying For Answers

Dear Praying For Answers,

The Scriptures teach that there is a right way and a wrong way to pray.  Who is praying and how they pray matters.  God says that a righteous man’s prayers do a great deal of good (Jas 5:16).  That would by default mean that an unrighteous man’s prayers wouldn’t do much, if any, good at all.  God told Israel that their ungodly lifestyles meant that He wouldn’t hear their prayers at all! (Isa 1:15)  There are other things that will stop your prayers from being heard:

1. Treating your spouse badly (1 Pet 3:7)
2. Praying for “show” (Lk 20:47)
3. Praying selfishly (Jas 4:3)
4. Praying without gratitude (Col 4:2)

There is no doubt that the Bible teaches that we should examine ourselves before approaching God in prayer.  A wrong attitude or lifestyle can seriously jeopardize our prayers effectiveness.  The flip is also true though!  Proper attitudes and behavior are rewarded:

1. Asking for wisdom (Jas 1:5)
2. Consistency (1 Thess 5:17)
3. Godly living (Jas 5:16)
4. Asking without doubt (Jas 1:6)

When we are constantly praying, trusting in God’s strength to answer, humbly seeking his wisdom, and living lives that befit God’s servants, we can expect powerful results!  Prayer is perhaps one of the greatest tools in a Christian’s arsenal (perhaps also one of the least utilized).  The Bible is how God speaks to us; prayer is how we speak to Him.  Just like a child asking their parent for a privilege – how we approach God makes all the difference.