Question:

60.3—Sometimes in my Christian walk, I find that I struggle with the things of the world. I know they are snares, set by Satan to try and ruin my testimony. I know that with Christ as my Rock, I will be okay, yet there have been times when it seems that all I do is fail – over and over again. Even when I repent of these sins, I find that I will sometimes slip back into those same sinful habits. I know that Jesus is there for me to take my problems (and everything else) to Him in prayer, and I do, and receive great comfort. However, I do wish that there were other brothers and sisters that I could share these issues with, without fear of judging and condescending attitudes. I know there are many of us young people in the assemblies that have (or have not) many difficult struggles. I would just exhort us to go to each other, talk, share our common problems or concerns, and just be there for each other as we ought to. Sometimes it can be a very hard thing to do, but I know that God would richly bless us if we could put down our fears and go to each other. James 5:16: “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” Proverbs 11:14: “Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety.”

Answer:

60.3—I have a suggestion for Question 60.3 and that is that many times when people look for help they tend to overlook those that are older than themselves.  However, if one wants to get help on any subject, he or she would probably look for an expert or at least someone with more experience.   If I want to find out what I need to do to learn to pitch better in baseball, I may ask my buddy what I am doing wrong, or I may go to the pitching coach who has been a pro player himself.  He would probably know from his years of experience just what I needed and especially if he could observe me throwing.  I watched the pitching coaches in the World Series and it was usually a 50 or 60-year-old person coaching or counseling a young pitcher.  It was neat to watch and hear them encourage the young players.  Some were wired into, so you could hear the pitching coach talk to the pitcher after each inning.  The quote of multitude of counselors indicates a cross-section of people who counseled and looked at the situation from different angles. 
See Titus 2 for instructions to different age groups.  We tend to not be together with various age groups, so really miss out big time in many cases. In other cases, we haven’t made ourselves available for counsel.  It goes both ways.  Let’s be more ready, as the question states, to get to know the real counselors and pastors in each assembly.  Let those of us who are asleep wake up to the opportunity.  I have much more to say on this subject and would suggest that if I, or others whom you trust, can be of help, let us know. We have and are experiencing some of the same problems. 

Question:

60.2—At the Young People’s pizza party our group got to talking about how women are supposed to be silent during meeting. I’m wondering if the same thing applies during Young People’s meetings. So should women be quiet during Young People’s or for some reason is it okay to talk?

Answer:

60.2—There is a “law,” or order that God has in creation that is to be applied whenever “praying or prophesying” is made that, “The head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God” (1 Corinthians 11:3,4).  We are told that this order is because “Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression” (1 Timothy 2:13,14).

This is why when praying or prophesying the man is NOT to cover his head but if the woman’s head is uncovered she puts her own head to shame, because man is the image [representative] and glory of God: but the woman is the glory of the man (see 1 Corinthians 11:4,5,7). Thus women are to be in subjection…for it is a shame for women to speak, when the whole assembly is come together into one place (see 1 Corinthians 14:34,35,23). They are to “not to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but be in silence” (1 Timothy 2:11,12).

Every woman who is seeking to please the Lord wherever there is praying or prophesying should consider these Scriptures. She should keep in mind that “the whole assembly” is NOT gathered in the Young People’s Meetings at the conferences, but they have more the character of a home setting—especially when smaller classes are made. Women ARE to speak in the home—“ask their husbands at home” (1 Corinthians 14:35), and the place for women to prophesy is in private—as Priscilla, with her husband, instructed the gifted Apollos in the way of the Lord in their own home, which is where Deborah also prophesied (Acts 18:26; Judges 4:4.5).

Question:

60.1—Does God hear/answer prayers of non-Christians?

Answer:

60.1—We started out by listing some Scriptures that we thought pertained to the question. 

John 9:31 “Now we know that God heareth not sinners:  but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth His will, him He heareth.” 

Romans 10:13 “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

Psalm 34:15 “The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and His ears are open unto their cry.”

Psalm 66:18 “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.”

James 5:16 “…The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”

Psalm 51 – The whole chapter.

Proverbs 28:9 “He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination.”

Proverbs 15:29 “The Lord is far from the wicked:  but He heareth the prayer of the righteous.”

Psalm 145:18 “The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon Him, to all that call upon Him in truth.”

Here is a short summary of what we gathered from these verses.  Physically speaking, the Lord knows all and hears all.  So, simply because of the fact that He is God He hears the prayers of all people.  But, it seems from these verses that the only prayer that He answers from an unbeliever is the call of faith to repentance (Romans 10:13).

Question:

What do the words “water” and “blood” stand for in 1 John 5:6? “This is He that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ.” 

Answer:

Here, and most frequently, “water” refers to the Word of God (Ephesians 5:26) but it also symbolizes the Holy Spirit in John 7:38,39.  “Blood” refers to the blood that Jesus Christ shed on the cross in sacrifice for our sins. 

We need cleansing in two ways when we are saved.  (1) First, by the blood of Christ (1 John 1:7) which cleanses us from all sin.  (2) Second, a moral cleansing, which cleanses and changes our nature to fit us for heaven.  Remember, Jesus told Nicodemous, “Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God” (John 3:5).

Question:

Some Christians refrain from using the name of Jesus because they feel that its meaning has become so tarnished that it would only distract from their testimony.  Others even go so far as to say that there has been so much talk and so little walk that we should stop talking all together and demonstrate it through our lives.  Should we do this?

Answer:

NO!  Jesus is the Name above all other names (Philippians 2:9).  If His name is so tarnished, then why are people so offended by it?  By His name we are saved (Acts 4:12).  We cannot take the name of Jesus out of our testimony of faith because it is because of Him that we are saved.  Clearly, the Bible wants us to tell others about Jesus (Luke 9:60). 

Question:

Should we take a stand and use Jesus’ name, in prayer, for example, even if it gets us in trouble?

Answer:

Yes!  We should not be ashamed of using Jesus’ name, even when persecuted.  If we don’t, it makes the Son of man ashamed of us.  See Matthew 5:11,12 and Luke 9:26.

Question:
What are some characteristics we might look for in our future husband or wife? 

Answer:

·         Christian—someone who knows the love of Christ and has received Him as Saviour.  There is a difference between someone who is a Christian and someone who fears the Lord.  We want to marry someone who “is in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 7:39), and desires to bring honor and glory to God.  To the ladies (men, this is what should attract you!), read Proverbs 31:10-31 about the virtuous woman, especially v. 30: “beauty is vain.”  Beware that a young man might say to you, “I love you,” but he may really mean, “I lust for you.”  This is a selfish love, not true love.  1 Corinthians 13:5 says that true love “seeketh not her own.”  To the men, love your wife as Christ loves the church (and He loves the church A LOT!): read Ephesians 5:23-31 about the virtuous man.

·         Virgin—We read in Deuteronomy 22:13-21 that God expects the woman to be a virgin up until her wedding night.  Assume the same for men.  This is very unpopular according to the world’s standards today! 

·         Beauty and charm?—No, this is not what makes a good marriage—must have the love of Christ as our example (Proverbs 31:30).

Further discussion: The characteristics that you want to see in the other person should be what you display of yourself.  Focus on being the right person, not finding the right person, because that is like “hunting,” which sends you back and forth, resulting in heartbreaks.  The only way you are going to get the best is if you allow God to bring you together.  Subject yourself to Him, set your eyes on the Lord, and run the race of life.  All of a sudden, “POOF!” God will reveal that person to you who is running along side you the whole way and has the same goal.  Psalm 37:4,5 says, “Delight thyself also in the Lord.” Realize that as we delight more in the Lord our desires may change!  

Tom Wright warned us that even the most wicked people today know who the lady is that goes from one guy to the next and is considered to be an “easy mark.”  Even they do not consider her to be marriage material!  We are urged not to be an “easy mark.” 

Dave LaMarche read Proverbs 7:6-27, which tells of a woman who seduces a man with nice things while her husband is away.  We need to watch and beware of nice things (such as flowers, poems, etc.) that catch our emotions and may lure us toward a feeling of love that does not truly exist.

Question:

Is it possible that evil spirits are here in this very room?  Even if the Holy Spirit is in our midst?

Answer:

Yes, read Ephesians 6:10-13.  There are many evil spirits listed (v. 12).  Wherever there are believers actively seeking the Lord, the evil spirits are ever present to distract you!  Put on the full armor of God.  James 4:7 tells of the process we actively take: “Submit yourselves therefore to God.  Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

The devil might “hang out” for a while—he is persistent so we need to be “armored”!  We can win— “Greater is He that is in you…” (1 John 4:4).

Question:

If, for example, I bring a “t-box” into my house that has “Ebonics” (couldn’t find word in the dictionary!) are there evil spirits brought into the house? 

Answer:

If it is questionable, stay away from it.  1 Thessalonians 5:22: “Abstain from all appearance of evil.”  Realize that the whole world lies in the wicked one (1 John 5:19), so video games, etc. are part of world.  Slam the door on appearance of evil! 

1 Corinthians 8:4,7 tells us there is only one God, and there is absolutely no meaning to an idol. But if you look at something as an idol, or if the symbol is recognized by people as being associated with the devil, then Satan will grab a hold of that.

Question:

Can people be demon-possessed today and how do we know?

Answer:

1 John 4:3: there are spirits gone out into the world linked with people—false prophets.  There are people today who are controlled by spirits from Satan.  If they do not confess that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh, they are not of God. 

Question:

A lot of what we think about is what we say and talk about.  How hard is it for you to bring up God in a conversation among your friends?  What type of crowd is it?  Read James 3:1-12.  Like a small bit in a horse’s mouth, or a small rudder of a ship, so can our small tongue do great things!  What are some things we can do to guard our tongue? 

Answer:

We can try not to say things, but this concentrates on the tongue.  Instead, concentrate on your heart, which leads to your thoughts, which leads to what you say with your tongue.  Read Luke 6:45 and Matthew 15:18. 

Analogy: If my leg hurts, taking Tylenol treats the symptom, but what I should really do is remove the dog that is biting my leg!  GO TO THE SOURCE OF THE PROBLEM, the heart.

Practical things we can do in situations where we find ourselves gossiping, for example:

·         Pray, consult God.

·         Think of praise/worship song.

·         Be slow to speak (James 1:19).

·         Refrain lips, don’t talk too much (Proverbs 10:19).

Question:

Moses was commanded to speak to the rock so that it would bring forth water, but he disobeyed the Lord and hit the rock twice (wrong!).  How can we apply this today and see how we may be hitting the Rock, which represents Christ, by not treating the Lord as holy?

Answer:

·         Doubting God’s ability to work through us, having little faith.

·         Mixing the Lord with the world to justify ourselves and compromise—this shows disrespect to His holiness.  James 4:4: “Friendship of the world is enmity of God.”

·         Getting mad at others and losing temper—how do we deal with this?  Whether we bottle up or explode our anger, we should take it to God first (1 Peter 5:7) and not let our emotions get in the way.  Then go to that person directly—do not hold it in.  Remember, “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance,” (Galatians 5:22,23).  Love does not keep track of wrongs.  A person CAN change–God has a remedy!  Confess your faults one to another and leave time to talk with one another.  Don’t wait for the other to make the first move.

Question:

What does it mean to speak the oracles of God and how is it different from the apostles who actually wrote down the Scriptures? 

Answer:

1 Peter 4:11 says, “If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God.” The oracles of God are given to us by the Holy Spirit, and we can speak this way when we completely remove any thoughts of ourselves and allow God to work through us to give “a word for the time for the needs of the people.”  1 Corinthians 2:13 tells us that we speak that which the Holy Ghost teaches.  Also, we must know that Scripture, the Word of God, is complete and we won’t add to it by speaking by inspiration of the Holy Spirit.