Question:
Could you give specific Scriptures about questioning God?

Answer:
“Nay but, 0 man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to Him that formed it, Why hast Thou made me thus?” (Romans 9:20). “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him” (James 1:5). Ephesians 1:10 shows that God is in control of every situation.

Jesus asked God a question: “My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?” (Matthew 27:46). This was a cry of agony from His soul. He knew why, for He had this agony so that sinners would not be forsaken. This question was the best way to convey to us Jesus’ agony and grief. Those people at the cross heard Him. This is a question that didn’t require an answer, but to get them thinking.

Question:
Do we have to ask for the Spirit, or do we just receive Him when we are saved?

Answer:
Ephesians 1:13 says: “After that ye believed [or the moment ye believed] ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise.” It is impossible to be saved and not have the Spirit indwelling us for we are told: “Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His” (Romans 8:9).

When we are saved, our body becomes the “temple” or dwelling place of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:18-20). The Holy Spirit is a real Person, just as the Father and Son are Persons of the Godhead (Ephesians 2:18). One of the first things the Spirit does in a soul is to convict of sin (John 16:7-16). When we trust Christ as our Saviour the Spirit gives us life, and we are “born of the Spirit” (John 3:8).

Those who are saved are told to “be filled [or controlled] with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18). We should judge (and be done with) anything that would “grieve” the Spirit (Ephesians 4:30-32), for this would hinder Him from controlling us. We should also not “quench” the Spirit by “despising” (or holding down) prophesying, which is telling forth the Word of the Lord for the time (1 Thessalonians 5:19,20). To hold down the Word would also hinder the Holy Spirit from filling and controlling our lives.

Question:
Is it wrong to question God on something that goes on in our lives?

Answer:
We should not question “why” God has allowed a certain thing to happen to us, for we know that His love for us could not allow anything in our lives but what is for His honor and glory and the eventual blessing of His people. “And we [do] know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. . . . to be conformed to the image of his Son” (Romans 8:28, 29). The Spirit of God tells us that the Lord “having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end [right through everything]” (John 13:1).

But we should ask Him to show us what He wants us to learn from the experience, and we should pray to Him with our feelings, telling Him honestly what we feel. “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).

Question:
Can we ever lose the Holy Spirit?

Answer:
No, we cannot lose the Holy Spirit, for the Lord said He will “abide with you forever” (John 14:16). And we are sealed or secured by the Spirit “unto the day of redemption” (Ephesians 4:30), which will be when Christ comes to rapture His believers to heaven and our bodies are redeemed (Romans 8:23).

Question:
How does Christ dwell in our hearts?

Answer:
“By His Spirit in the inner man” (verse 16). The Spirit of God is the one Who makes Christ precious to us, and keeps our hearts taken up with Christ. The Lord tells us: “”However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you” (John 16:13, 14).

Christianity is Christ within us, controlling us; being constantly aware of His presence and dwelling within our hearts. He is constantly in our hearts, but He should constantly be precious to us, and we should constantly talk to Him about every detail of our life. We should allow the Lord’s life to be lived in us: this is Christianity.

Question:
Is it true that one of Noah’s sons was the first to be of a different race?

Answer:
The scientific definition of a race of mankind, as I understand it, is the following: A race is a population of individuals who at one time inhabited a certain geographical area, relatively isolated from other populations, and differing from other groups of people in the world with regard to certain inherited biological characteristics (such as body structure, facial features, hair form, skin color, blood type, susceptibility to certain diseases, etc.) It is quite likely that the different races of mankind developed as a result of the Lord scattering the people “upon the face of all the earth” following their self-exalting attempt to build a tower that would reach unto heaven (Genesis 11:1-9).

Scholars who have studied the names of the descendants of the three sons of Noah in Genesis 10 believe they can identify the names of Noah’s grandsons with different nations of Europe, Asia, and Africa. (For example, Mizraim, Genesis 10:6, the son of Ham, is also the Hebrew word for “Egypt.”) So when the people were scattered following the building of the tower, it is likely that they were scattered according to the families of the grandsons of Noah. Then, through being isolated from the other families and marrying only within the family for a period of time, the different families eventually became racially distinct from one another.
Perhaps the one who asked the question, or maybe other readers, may be wondering how the black race originated. In this connection I am reminded of a conversation that took place when my wife and I and two acquaintances were having lunch at a restaurant. One of the acquaintances, noticing a number of blacks in the restaurant, asked, “Where did the black people come from? The Bible says that God made man in His image, and God isn’t black.”
I replied, “You are absolutely right. God isn’t black. But God isn’t white either. `God is a Spirit’ according to John 4:24.”
Skin color in man is an inherited trait, governed by several different genes that control the production of melanin, a pigment that makes the hair and skin dark. A person who has mostly melanin-producing genes will be black, while one who has few or no such genes (or only genes that inhibit the production of melanin) will be white.
As I see it, there are three possibilities: Either (1) Adam and Eve had all white genes, and later on in human history God caused some of those genes to mutate into black (or melanin-producing) genes, or (2) Adam and Eve had all black genes and later on God caused some of those genes to mutate into white genes, or (3) Adam and Eve both were created with some black and some white genes. If a man and woman, both having some black and some white genes marry and have children, the children’s skin color may range from all white to all black, depending upon the numbers of black and white genes inherited from the two parents. (To learn more about how this can happen, find a book on genetics at your local library.)
To my knowledge, the only Biblical mention of skin color is found in Jeremiah 13:23–“Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots?” The Hebrew word for Ethiopia is “Cush,” which is the name of one of the sons of Ham, the son of Noah. Ham may have inherited more black genes than did his brothers, Shem and Japheth. And Cush, in turn, may have inherited more black genes than his three brothers, Mizraim, Phut, and Canaan. Of the four sons of Ham, only Cush is identified with a race of black people. The descendants of Mizraim (the Egyptians), Phut (the Libyans) and Canaan (the Canaanites) were not black-skinned but had somewhat brownish, swarthy skin, just as is often seen even today in the people of these nations.
Those who desire further information on this topic should read an article entitled, “Blacks, Whites, and the Bible,” which appeared in the September-October 1990 issue of the periodical, Words of Truth. If you do not have access to this periodical, you may obtain a copy of the article from the publishers of IN TOUCH or from me—Paul L. Canner.

 

Question:
What would you say to a non-christian that has something bad happen to him, and he blames God?

Answer:
It’s important to let them know that we care, with deep concern and sympathy for them in their problem. Job’s friends did this for him: “So they sat down with him upon the ground seven days and seven nights, and none spake a word unto him: for they saw that his grief was very great” (Job 2:13).

Then, let the Lord open up the way to tell them the truth they need (1 Timothy 6:3-10). The unsaved are only looking at the things they can see. Verse 7 says that we haven’t brought anything into the world, so we won’t take anything with us when we leave this life. The person should be confronted with the fact that he needs eternal life. He needs to see how uncertain life is here on earth. “The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the Word of our God shall stand for ever” (Isaiah 40:8, 1 Peter 1:23-25). Sin introduced sorrow into the world (Genesis 3). We must learn that apart from God’s strength, we have none. We should turn to God in repentance of our sins, and ask Him for salvation, claiming His promise that “Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Acts 2:21).

Question:
Go back to the first question in Matthew 2:2. “Where is He?” Where is He today?

Answer:
Turn to Ephesians 3:14-21: “That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith” (verse 17). Christ dwelling in our hearts means that He comes not just for a visit, but to dwell, to be a part of, to be truly and faithfully in our hearts daily. We should want His thoughts to be our thoughts, His actions to be our actions. Christ in us—not just a resident but the President. “Christ liveth in” every believer (Galatians 2:20), but if He “dwells in our hearts,” He will be the controller of all. We are only satisfied when He is dwelling, controlling, and taking care of everything in our lives.

Question:
Was Noah still alive when the tower of Babel was built?

Answer:
We can calculate from Genesis 9:28 and 11:10-26 that Abraham was 58 years old when Noah died. It seems likely from Genesis 11 that the tower of Babel was built before Abraham’s lifetime, so the answer would be yes, Noah was still alive when the tower of Babel was built.

Question:
How should we witness to a non-christian that is bitter against God?

Answer:
Bring God’s love before him, and how the Lord helps the Christian who has trials. Tell of what David experienced: “I sought the Lord, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears” (Psalm 34:4). Tell him that God is the only source of comfort. “Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort” (2 Corinthians 1:3).

In 2 Timothy 2:9-13 Paul tells that God uses our trials to bring the Word of God before others, and there is a future reason for trials, for if we suffer we shall reign with Christ. He is using our trials to teach us to accept everything as from His all-wise hands, and thus He is preparing us for His coming kingdom.
In addition, God will always provide a way for the Christian to bear the trial (1 Corinthians 10:13). The Lord can help us in our trials because He has suffered and felt the same. He can completely relate to everything that happens to us because He was tempted in every way that we are, but He didn’t sin (Hebrews 2:18; 4:15,16).
We might not like the trial at the time, but in the long run it will help us to grow in the Lord’s things (Hebrews 12:2-11). God has something good for us in everything that happens to us (Romans 8:28). And we can quench all the fiery darts of the wicked by the shield of FAITH (Ephesians 6:16).
Acrostic:         Forsaking

                        All

                        I

                        Trust

                        Him

Question:
What is the first question in the Bible?

Answer:
“Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?” (Genesis 3:1).

Satan asked this question of Eve, but Satan was really questioning God. When God says something it is true. Because in Genesis 2:16 and 17: “The LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.”
The result of the question is in verses 2-9: The woman sinned. Satan lied to her, so she ate of the tree. Because our first parents sinned we are born sinners, born into a sinful race (Romans 5:12, Psalm 51:5). Adam turned away from God, and all his descendants did also, for “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6).
We all need to have our sins taken away so we can go to heaven. We need to be saved! Christ bore the wrath of God against our sins on the cross of Calvary and therefore “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him” (John 3:36).

Question:
What kind of music should teens listen to?

Answer:
There may not be any “pat answer” to this question, but there are plenty of guidelines in the Scriptures to help us in deciding what the Lord would have us listen to. Here are a few that I have thought of:

1) “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or WHATSOEVER YE DO, do all to the glory of  God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). “Whatsoever ye do” would certainly include the music we listen to, so here we learn that we should listen to music that would be to God’s glory. In other words, we should not listen to music which would dishonor Him. This would definitely rule out any music which has lyrics that are immoral, which is the case with many songs in modern-day rock, rap, country western, R & B, etc.
2) “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world” (1 John 2:15). To better understand this guideline, and how it applies to listening to music, let’s go back several thousand years to when this “world” that John was speaking of began. Read Genesis 4:1-22. Here we read, that after Cain refused to approach God in His way, and after he killed his brother Abel, he “went out from the presence of the Lord” (vs. 16). He then married, had children, built a city, and his children had children, who became the inventors of agriculture (vs. 20), MUSIC (vs. 21), and industry (vs. 22). Cain walked away from God and proceeded to make a world without God. All of their inventions were designed to try to make themselves happy and to make their life meaningful WITHOUT GOD. There was nothing wrong with farming, music, or manufacturing, but Cain and his descendants used these THINGS to drown out the voice of God and to actually replace God with them (that is what an idol is: anything that is more important to us than God). So the danger for the Christian is that SOMETHING (whether it be MUSIC or ANYTHING) might become more important to us than God. I believe there can be music which is actually addictive and can become an idol to us. One young person said to me recently that he listened to Christian Rock “all day long,” and that he couldn’t imagine living without it.
3) “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are TRUE…HONEST…JUST …PURE…LOVELY…OF GOOD REPORT; if there be any VIRTUE; if there be any PRAISE, THINK ON THESE THINGS” (Philippians 4:8). Most music will produce thoughts! Do we listen to music which is conveying God’s thoughts or the world’s thoughts? And if it is “Christian” music, are we able to hear the message being conveyed, or just a lot of jamming guitars and beating drums? Now I’m not implying that we can’t listen to music to appreciate the various sounds that are produced by various instruments, but we must judge whether or not those sounds are producing “good thoughts” or “evil thoughts” in our minds.
In conclusion, let me say that God is not opposed to music (see 1 Samuel 16:23; 2 Samuel 6:5; Psalm 150:3-5), but He is against any music which would: 1) Dishonor Him; 2) Displace Him in our hearts; or 3) Produce bad thoughts in our minds.

Question:
Should Christian males wear earrings?

Answer:
In seeking the Lord’s mind as to this, it is important to keep in mind that wearing earrings is a worldly custom, and that it can have a connotation with homosexuality when worn by a male. Wearing earrings is accepted by the world, but the Christian is told: “Be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove [experience] what is that good, and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Romans 12:2).

The Bible tells of men wearing earrings, but never in a good sense that I am aware of. Men and women broke off their earrings when they made the golden calf in Exodus 32:2. And they took them off at the time of the building of the tabernacle. “Both men and women, as many as were willing hearted, and brought bracelets, and earrings, and rings, and tablets, all jewels of gold: and every man that offered an offering of gold unto the Lord” (Exodus 35:22).
Before Jacob went to Bethel, (which is the house of God), he said to those with him: “Put away the strange gods that are among you, and be clean, and change your garments.” And we are told that they “gave unto Jacob all their strange gods…and all their earrings  which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the oak” (Genesis 35:2,4).Let us ask ourselves: “Would Christ be more clearly seen through me if I would wear an earring or earrings?” May we seek, not to show ourselves, but to show only what will honor and bring glory to Christ in every detail of our lives.

Question:
How far is “too far” in a relationship?

Answer:
1 Corinthians 6:14-20 clearly tells us that sex outside of marriage is too far. If a person does this sin, it is against God, and it also does harm to the person, for it is “against his own body.” All relationships should stem from our relationship with the Lord. If we seek to please Him, He will direct as to relationships with others. The Lord promised, “ If any one desire to do [practice God’s] will, he shall know” (John 7:17).
When sexual activity starts outside of marriage, your emotional maturity stops. Whatsoever we sow we are going to reap (Galatians 6:7). Joseph fled, proclaiming that to lie with Potiphar’s wife was “great wickedness” and “sin against God” (Genesis 39:7-9). Don’t put yourself in a situation that things could start happening (Romans 13:14). Things to watch: darkness, peer pressure, bedroom, cars. It is better to be accepted by God than your friends. God holds your breath in His hands. Daniel purposed in his heart not to defile himself (Daniel 1:8). Set boundaries in your relationships, time limits you are together; build a spiritual relationship first.

Phil asked us to make two pyramids.
God made each person with three parts: We have a spirit (God consciousness), a soul (emotional) and a body (physical). We need to have the spiritual on the bottom of our pyramid, the emotions above that and the physical on top. Not the physical on the bottom, then the emotions and the spiritual on top of the pyramid! Because, if a relationship is built on spiritual things it will be solid. But if it is built on the physical or emotional, it will not last and it will totter back and forth. God loves us and has a plan so we can stay pure until we are married (Psalm 119:9-11). Read Psalm 51 and confess any sins we have committed, and trust the Lord to keep us pure for Him.

Question:
Why does God keep referring to Israel as Jacob after he changed his name to Israel?

Answer:
Jacob means a grabber or cheat. Israel means a prince. The answer is possibly that when Jacob acted like a cheat, God called him Jacob. When Jacob acted like a prince, God called him Israel.

Question:
We were undecided about the reckoning of time after the millennium. In Revelation 20:10, it talks about “day and night”—is this literal or figurative?

Answer:
We are told in Revelation 20:1-3 that: “the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan” will be bound in the bottomless pit for a thousand years: “and after that he must be loosed a little season.”

“And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,

and shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them” (verses 7-9).
Then Revelation 20:10 tells us: “And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.”
Therefore, having done his final work on earth, the devil is consigned to the judgment God had prepared for him: the lake of fire. Its duration is uninterrupted and eternal. “Day and night” is probably not describing what we now experience but, indeed, the uninterrupted judgment of God just as “for ever and ever” describes it as never ending. God often uses language that we understand so that we can have some understanding when He speaks of eternal things.
After this, the wicked dead stand in resurrection at the Great White Throne. They are judged according to their works and are consigned to the same judgment, the lake of fire, where they are under the wrath of God without interruption or end.
After this, God creates a new heaven and a new earth. Briefly, this amounts to a fixed state of holiness for all creation. Then the tabernacle of God is with men and He dwells among them without interruption or end, and time ceases to be measured. See Ephesians 2:7 for something about this.

Question:
In Genesis 26, Isaac (who was clearly stronger) made a pact with the Philistines. Now, as we know, the Philistines killed many Israelites until David’s time. Was Isaac responsible for the many deaths and difficulties of the Israelites? He could have easily killed all of the Philistines. He didn’t appear to ask the Lord’s guidance in that matter either.

Answer:
In Genesis 26:3, 4 the Lord confirms with Isaac the promise He made to his father Abraham. He was called to “sojourn” in the land, meaning he was to live in it but would not own it as his own property. Hebrews 11:13 says these men of faith were “strangers and pilgrims” who by faith were sure of the possession of their inheritance, but at a future time. So Isaac was not called by the Lord to take the land by warfare against the Philistines.

It was when God made a covenant with Israel that He called upon them to destroy all the nations that occupied the land of Canaan. See Exodus 34:10-13 and on. See also Deuteronomy 7:1-8. The Philistines were not originally one of the Canaanite nations but were a very warlike people who took possession of a coastal area in the south of the land, and were already very strong at the time of the Exodus. Because of their possession of this part of the land that God gave to Israel, they too were marked out for destruction by Israel.
We can see then that Isaac had no responsibility for the future woes of Israel because of the Philistines. The nation itself bore this responsibility because they failed to obey the Lord according to His covenant, thus becoming powerless to deal with their enemies. Also, we can fairly say, as we understand Isaac’s place in the land of Canaan that it was right for him to learn to live peaceably with them.

Question:
What can be done to help convince these people (those who do not believe that the Bible is the Word of God) of the authority of the Bible? What can be done for the Jewish person who accepts only part of the Bible? or the person of a different religion that believes in a different God?

Answer:
I remember asking that question to someone not too long ago and they pointed me to Hebrews 4:12: “For the Word of God is quick [living], and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” 1 Peter 1:23 says that the Lord uses His Word to work in a person’s heart so that they will be saved. We need to keep using the Word when we are talking to people even if they don’t believe it. The Word is POWERFUL and it can work in someone’s heart even though we may not see any outward effects of it.

It’s easy to get into arguments with those who like to reason everything out. Every truth that we have is ours because we received it by faith. “Without faith it is impossible to please God” (Hebrews 11:6). We cannot reason anything out. If we try to keep our conversations with these people centered around our Lord Jesus, instead of focusing on a particular religion, many times the arguments cease. They need to realize that we do not believe in a religion, we believe in a real Person who died for us and is now alive in heaven. No other religion can claim that truth. I believe there are many examples where a Jew has been saved through reading the Old Testament. The book of Isaiah contains the gospel in chapter 53 and elsewhere. The Psalms speak often of Jesus in chapters 22, 40, 69, 102 and other places. We can use the Old Testament to show them the Saviour. What these people (and all people) need is to see their need as a sinner, confess their sin, and receive Jesus as the One who died for them. It is not a question of religion but of a relationship. God can and does use His Word to convict people of their need, even if they say that they don’t believe in the Bible. I hope this helps a little.

Question:
What does corruptible and incorruptible mean?

Answer:
I believe that when the Bible talks about something being “corruptible” or “in corruption,” it is talking about things of this world which will pass away with this world. Conversely, when the Bible talks about things being “incorruptible,” it is talking about the things of God that will not pass away. In 1 Corinthians 9:25, Paul tells us how people of this world work to gain treasures that will pass away with this world, but the treasures that we lay up in heaven are incorruptible, and will never pass away.

Peter tells us in 2 Peter 1:4 how we have escaped the corruption of this world, and have gained an incorruptible inheritance (1 Peter 1:4) that is reserved for us in heaven.

You also ask about carnal believers. This past semester at college, I had the “privilege” of living with someone that I considered to be somewhat of a carnal believer.
Carnal believers are people who have been saved, but you could never tell it by their daily walk. When I think about carnal believers, I always think of 1 Corinthians 3:10-15. This passage speaks very clearly to me about people who are saved but do not walk as Christ would have us walk.
I said that I thought one of my former roommates was “somewhat” of a carnal believer. (I don’t know for sure if he had accepted Christ into his heart, but he said that he had so I assumed that he had.) What I meant by “somewhat” of a carnal believer was that while he sometimes acted in a “Christ-like manner,” he seemed to love the world more than he loved Jesus.
We must be careful how we deal with these people. We can’t condemn them because of their sin, for we all sin. Jesus said, “He that is without sin among you, let him…cast a stone” (John 8:7).
Trying to set a positive example through my life and praying for these people is about the best ministry that I can think of.

Question:
What if one of the campers does something wrong, and he asks a Junior Counselor not to tell on him; what should we do?

Answer:
As Junior Counselors we try to get close to the campers in order to bring them to Christ. What if one of the campers does something wrong, and he asks a Junior Counselor not to tell on him; what should we do? — We must be careful what we promise, for we become part of the wrong if we hide it (Leviticus 5:1). But if we do make a promise it is a sacred vow which should not be broken except for the Lord’s honor, and the good of the person involved. As Counselors at camp we should set the example by not breaking the rules. The kids are always watching us. When we know some wrong, we should not spread it as gossip, but only tell a Senior Counselor.

God has uniquely fitted each Christian, but we need to seek to please the Lord and to trust Him to lead and give the strength to counsel at camp. Cabin atmosphere is affected especially by the Junior Counselors. Helping bunk-mates to relate warmly to one another, creates the spirit that builds a great camp. Ask the Lord to give you love, and a sense of His love for each one at camp, and seek to show His love o to each one there. What shall we do if we n • find kids fighting physically? (1) Separate the kids calmly. (2) Sit the kids down and question them about what caused them to fight, and try to get to the root of the problem. We need to be careful not to talk about another kid to the others. The kids pick up on that.
When we first get to camp, show them love by helping them get oriented as to what is going on. Then, as soon as you can, talk to everyone in your cabin. Tell them: (1) That you are there for them, not just to rule over them. (2) Try to talk on their level. (3) Introduce yourself right away by telling something about yourself and why you are there. This will put them at ease. (4) Ask them about themselves. This will show your concern for them. These four things should help stop fights and give a good cabin atmosphere.

If kids are scared of the dark: (1) Have a flashlight. (2) Tell them that they do not need to fear, because the Lord is watching over them and you will be there for them. Always show love!!
Cabin Devotions is a time to show God through you. Coordinate with the lesson of the week. Counselors are tired and it is a trying time. We should be patient, and be a good testimony. Give them a chance to open up! This may be a time to review what you had during the day. It’s a very important time, and should be quiet and informal.
How should you explain to kids how to be saved? –Show them verses in the Bible. Show Titus 3:5, Romans 3:10, and Ephesians 2:8,9 to those who think that salvation is by baptism or by other works. Any decisions that are made other than by the Holy Spirit’s moving are worthless (John 3:5, 1 Corinthians 3:9). So let us be occupied with Christ and thus have the “fruit of the Spirit” seen in our lives, so the Lord can use us for His honor and glory and the blessing of precious souls, “being fruitful in every good work” (Colossians 1:10, Galatians 5:22, 23).
Notes were taken by April Helsel on November 28, 1992 at a retreat for Junior Counselors at Camp

Question:
What is counseling?

Answer:
Counseling is advice given as a result of deliberate design, purpose, and judgment.

 

The first mention of the word counsel in the Scriptures is Exodus 18:19. We learn from Exodus 18:13-27 that there is a need for counseling (verses 14,15). Verse 21 mentions four qualifications for one to counsel: (1) “Able men.” A person must be saved to counsel. (2) “Fear God.” A fear lest we displease God is necessary if we are going to be used of God to counsel others. (3) “Men of truth.” Many people today live in a lie, which cannot please the Lord. We need to tell the truth and counsel the truth. (4) “Hating covetousness.” We cannot help others if we want to please ourselves. We need to be thankful and happy to be able to be used of God. If the campers confront us with a problem–sometimes it is hard to tell the truth, but in the end it will help more than hurt them. The kids will watch to see if we are willing to give up everything to help them.

 

Christ alone is the “Counsellor” (Isaiah 9:6). He is the originator of all counsel (Romans 11:33-36), and children are to be brought up in the “nurture and admonition of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4). They are not to be provoked to wrath. It is easy to tease and have fun with the kids, but we also need to know when to stop and be sensitive to their needs and feelings.
After Christ died, rose again, and was glorified at the right hand of God, the Father sent “another Comforter” or Counsellor, Who dwells in every believer today. He is the Spirit of God, the third Person of the Godhead (John 7:39, John 14:16,17). He teaches us all things and brings all things to our remembrance that Christ has said to us (John 14:26). He glorifies Christ through the Word. So a Spirit-filled (or Spirit-controlled) Christian is a Word-filled Christian (John 16:13,14, Ephesians 5:18).
The Spirit changes or transforms Christians into the image of Christ if we are taken up with Christ (2 Corinthians 3:18). We need to be willing to be changed by the Lord to be used of Him.
The Greek word for counseling is “nouthesia,” which is translated “admonition” and “warn” in our Bibles. Nouthesia implies:

(1) That there is an obstacle or problem to be overcome.

(2) A word of encouragement, warning, or reproof with the authority of the Word.

(3) That verbal correction is intended to benefit the counselee.
To admonish we need the Word of Christ (God) dwelling in us richly, and bubbling out of us (Colossians 3:16); we need to be full of goodness and all knowledge (Romans 15:14), and we need wisdom to know how to use the knowledge the Lord has given to us. God gives wisdom liberally to all who ask Him for it (James 1:5).
Counseling is the Lord’s work, not ours, but it does include personal involvement. For three years Paul “ceased not to warn (admonish) everyone night and day with tears” (Acts 20:31). He had “deep concern” for all the assemblies (2 Corinthians 11:28, NKJV). There is reward for trying to help others, for the Lord promises: “They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing” (Psalm 126:5,6).
These notes were taken by Andie Helsel the evening of Nov. 27, and the morning of Nov. 28, 1992 at a retreat for Junior Counselors at Camp.

Question:
Is there a reason why miracles do not take place in churches today?

Answer:
When there were new teachings, God always confirmed it with miraculous miracles, but there have been no new teachings for almost 2000 years: “For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward; how shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him; God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will? (Hebrews 2:2-4).

When the Lord did miracles: “They were all amazed, insomuch that they questioned among themselves, saying, What thing is this? What new doctrine is this? For with authority commandeth He even the unclean spirits, and they do obey Him” (Mark 1:27).

Question:
Read Luke 4:1-8. What was the purpose of the Lord being tempted?

Answer:
He was tempted to prove that He was absolutely holy and thus He could not sin, and the way He acted is an example for us on how to handle temptation. He was tempted three times, and each time He answered Satan with Scripture. (See Hebrews 2:18, Hebrews 4:15, 16). Adam and Eve were tested in the Garden of Eden with the tree of knowledge of good and evil. They were tested under the most ideal circumstances and they failed. Christ was tested under the worst circumstances and He did not fail. By the Lord going through the temptation it gave Him the personal knowledge of what we go through (Hebrews 5:5-9). “Being made perfect” means being made a perfect Saviour by going to the cross. He was obedient to His Father, and thus He became the perfect offering for salvation.

Luke 4:4. The Lord responded, “It is written.” We need to get to know the Word so we can use it when temptation comes our way. It is so important to get something from the Word each day, meditate on it and then the Lord can use it to defeat the enemy. We need to hide the Word in our heart, not just in our head (Psalm 119:11).
Psalm 32:8. If we look to the Lord to see which way His eye is turning, then we will know what step to take next, and it will be His way, not our way. If we want the Lord to guide us, we have to be willing to let Him guide us (John 7:17). We need to be close to Him to see where His eye is guiding. Like Abraham we should be close to the Lord in everything we do. We must yield our bodies a living sacrifice to Him, and be not conformed to this world by having our minds renewed with the Word, and then there will be a change in our outward living (Romans 12:1, 2).

Question:
Revelation 3:16: “So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.”

Does being lukewarm have to do with salvation?

Answer:
Lukewarm is a condition of a person being neither “cold” nor “hot” for the Lord. This condition makes it hard to discern who is a Christian and who is not a Christian.

When the Lord takes the believers home at the rapture of the church 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18, there will be a mass of people that will be left behind because they are mere professors.
In John 14:23: “Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.
Spewing out of the mouth is not in reference to true believers, but to mere professors.

 

Question:
Can people lose their salvation?

Answer:
Some people have in an outward way participated in those things that true Christians do, then they decide they don’t want it. They turned away on purpose. But the cable of salvation can never be broken, though we can lose the enjoyment of that salvation. (Psalm 51:12).

 

Scriptures that tell us we cannot lose our salvation:

–John 10:27-30. We can’t even take ourselves out of the Lord’s hand.

–Ephesians 1:13,14, tell us that when we believe, we are given the Holy Spirit which is a seal that says that we are God’s.

–Ephesians 4:30 says not to grieve the Holy Spirit (we grieve Him when we do wrong), but He is never grieved away.

–Romans 8:23 speaks of the redemption of our bodies. If we are saved, our souls are redeemed. But we don’t have the redemption of our bodies yet though we will when the Lord comes again.

–Romans 11:29. Our salvation is a gift from God. We don’t do anything to save ourselves but receive God’s gift by faith. It is all the work of God, and it is forever. Romans 6:28, John 1:12.

Question:
How does this (hopelessness of the apostates) go with the truth that God is longsuffering?

Answer:
This is a “special class” of apostates. It is not the general class of those who have heard. Sometimes in ignorance we turn away from the mark after we’ve heard, but not on purpose. Apostates are taught the truth and willfully say, “I will not believe this.” They willfully turn away.
 

1 Timothy 1:12,13 is not a deliberate turning away. Paul didn’t know the way, but when he did, he confessed the Lord as his Saviour.

 

Even though Christ is longsuffering, He does not tolerate deliberate sin.

Question:
Does 2 Peter 2:20-22 mean that those who are saved will lose some crowns but will still go to heaven?

Answer:
2 Peter 2:20-22 says: “For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.”

                                                                                      

The answer is No. They are the same as those in Hebrews 6:4-6. One that is exposed to the truth is more responsible than those who have not heard. For them, it would have been better not to have heard the truth of God. True believers are called sheep and they might fall into sin, but they don’t wallow in it like a pig. Read Hebrews 10:38, 39 for these verses show the difference between the true and false, between the mere professor and the believer.
Notice what Hebrews 10:26 says: “For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins.” The word “sin” in this verse means to “miss the mark” which is Christ. If I turn away from Christ, what sacrifice do I have for sin? None! After a person has the knowledge of how to be saved and he willfully turns away from the truth, there is no other means of being saved.

Question:
Please explain Hebrews 6:4-6.

Answer:
This is a Scripture that many false prophets use to say that you can lose your salvation. It isn’t speaking of people losing their salvation but of people who never were saved! The verses are talking about people who have “been enlightened, tasted, and have been partakers of the Holy Ghost.” One can be “enlightened” about the Lord’s things in an intellectual way and never receive them in their hearts. A person can “taste” something and never swallow it. There are two Greek words that are translated “partakers” in the New Testament. The Greek word used in 1 Peter 1:4 which speaks of the “divine nature” means: an unlimited inward partnership and every believer has the divine nature in this way. However, the Greek word translated “partakers” in Hebrews 6 is an outward relationship only. The unsaved may be companions of the Holy Ghost if they are in company with believers, for all believers have the Holy Ghost. Outwardly participating in what the Holy Spirit is doing, does not mean there is an inward work. Those mentioned in Hebrews 6 are not saved, though they may act like they are. They are called apostates for they knew the way, but they went back to the Jewish ways and have an attitude of “they did right by crucifying Christ.” These people in Hebrews 6 are apostates. It’s impossible for them to be renewed because they were never saved in the first place. These apostates are spoken of also in Hebrew 10:26-29.

Question:
Read Revelation 2:5. What does it mean by Christ removing the candlestick if thou does not repent?

Answer:
Read Revelation 2:5. The candlestick means testimony. In verse 4 they let something else take the place of Christ in their hearts and lives. Often many Christians lose their desire to have Christ first place in their hearts, and then their testimony will be blurred. This does not mean that one who loses this desire needs to be saved again, but they need Christ back in first place in their lives. “Do the first works,” the works of faith (not for salvation) or He will come and take your testimony (candlestick) out of its place, and there will be a loss of eternal blessings.

Question:
Is there Scripture for the saying, “The Lord blesses in families”?

Answer:
Noah and his house were saved from the flood, but Noah was the only one that is mentioned to have faith. We do read of blessings in households. Read Acts 16:14,15. Lydia, the first convert in Europe, is another instance of one that is saved who wanted her household to be with her outwardly through baptism.