Fourth Year Ministries

Q: Got another question. I know a Christian married couple (with 5 kids) that has stopped going to church because they feel that the fellowship they are getting at bible studies is all they need. Can you give me scripture references that shows why they need to go to actual church? Thanks! A: This is a really great and complicated question. You'll notice the emphasis is on complicated. There is a lot of discussion in the Christian world today about the state of the church, the nature of the church, and proper models for church. There are groups that want to reform the church from within and groups that want to blow-up the whole model of "organized" churches and move towards home groups. There are those who simply think everything is fine ... so what's all the talk about? Sometimes, the way that we talk about "church" gets us in trouble because we confuse ourselves by mistake. "Church" isn't a place that we go, it's a thing that w

Melchizedek, Priest and King Question – I've read about Melchizedek a number of times but am confused about who he is entirely. Can you let me know about him, I feel like I'm "missing" something? Answer - Join the club! I think this is a question that has been asked almost as long as the scriptures have been in print and distributed for people to read and study. Melchizedek is one of the most mysterious characters to appear in the Old Testament narrative. The Book of Genesis is categorized as a history book. Rightly so. It contains thousands of years of history. From the literal beginning of history to the death of the man whose name was changed to Israel. Among other things, it is a book of lineages and genealogies tracing mankind from the first created man (Adam) to the patriarch of the nation that God chose to be His representatives on earth. So, it is a little surprising that in the middle of this narrative, in the story of the life of Abraham, that a

Q: This week a young Christian talked with me about the practice of smoking Hookah. They attend a church [which] is reaching out to the many Indian and Muslims in the surrounding areas. Their church also have several ministries that support missions in India and Arab countries. As they spoke with me they said that many of their Christian friends are smoking the Hookah. They said that they have been told that certain types of Hookah smoking involve no tobacco but are simply flavored water, other types of Hookah smoking do include tobacco but in a ‘more pure’ form than that of cigarettes that have additives. The Christians that they know of who partake in smoking Hookah do not feel that there is anything sinful in this practice and believe that it is just a part of certain cultures as a way to relax and socialize. Apparently during certain celebrations some of these culture groups get together as a family and include smoking the Hookah together as part of the festivities. These Chris