Reminder: There will be no Sanctuary Sunday night. We will join the rest of the CrossRoads Church family for a rollicking great Easter celebration in the Park High School gymnasium at 9:00 and 11:00 AM.
And now for some Q and A from last Sunday night...
Question: Is a good deed done in the name of God worth more than one that is not?
Answer: Hmmm...well, first of all we can say from a biblical perspective that there is no such thing as "good" outside of God. James 1.17 says, "Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change." Yet, when an unbelieving world sees an act of goodness done in the name of God, we can be better assured the focus is surely where it belongs.
Question: How do I tell someone about a heavenly Father who loves them when their earthly father abused them?
Answer: Someone came up to me afterward and gave me a great answer for this. He pointed to John 14.9 "Jesus answered: 'Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'?" I would point someone struggling with this issue to a study of Jesus to give them a vision for their heavenly Father.
Question: What are Seventh Day Adventists? Do they believe the same things we believe?
Answer: I am going to confess some ignorance here. I found many different opinions online. This site is was created by ex-Adventists seeking to clarify where the Adventists go awry. If anyone else has more experience with this movement, please pipe in.
Question: Was Barry [the friend I mentioned who went off the deep end after his parent's divorce] a Christian when his parents got a divorce? If so, how come his faith could not withstand this tragedy?
Answer: I don't and didn't know the state of Barry's heart when he was a teen. He certainly had heard the Gospel many times. Yet, when the two most important Christians in your life, your parents, fail you it is certain to rattle a young person's faith. While I am pretty positive Barry is not part of a church today, that does not mean he is not a child of God. Perhaps he is like the Prodigal Son. Maybe he is off in a "far off" country. If that is true, he is still his Father's son. However, he is not receiving the "abundant life" that comes from a close relationship with his Father. I would argue God is not done with any of us yet, and I pray Barry comes home someday. I should probably give him a call, eh?
Q and A - Abusive Fathers
I know something about this subject. I believe that God sends us spiritual fathers (and mothers, sisters, and brothers) to help us "write over" the image of God that our natural fathers imprinted in our minds. The original image gradually fades over time.
Since I'm a lay person I know I will have to provide scripture to support this idea. Paul often compared himself to a "father" to people he discipled. To me, Paul is a spiritual father.
1 Corinthians 4:15-17 (New International Version)
"Even though you have ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. Therefore I urge you to imitate me. For this reason I am sending to you Timothy, my son whom I love, who is faithful in the Lord. He will remind you of my way of life in Christ Jesus, which agrees with what I teach everywhere in every church."
1 Thessalonians 2:10-12 (New International Version)
"You are witnesses, and so is God, of how holy, righteous and blameless we were among you who believed. For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory."
Posted by: Linda | April 05, 2007 at 10:04 PM