Fourth Year Ministries

Q: Hi. Please tell me I'm not the first one to ask this: When Cain killed Abel and God made him move away... the scriptures make it sound like he married someone already existing and not from Adam and Eve. What is your take? A: No, you are not the first person to ask this. In fact, this question has been raised many times. Perhaps most famously during the Scopes Trial . It was captured in this classic movie clip from the fictional reenactment of the trial called: Inherit The Wind . No matter how many times it has been asked, it's a good question. One that Christians ought to be able to answer better than in the above clip! In fact, that embarrassing answer would have been better had it only occurred in a movie. But it didn't. I believe that our culture is still feeling the impact of poorly defended biblical truth. Especially as it relates to this realm of "Science vs. Bible." So, you asked for my take -- here goes! The Bible tells us some important inf...

Question - Dear Pastors, Matthew 16:27 refers to rewards given to believers according to what they have done. Scripture is clear that salvation is not contingent upon works. Therefore, Jesus must be speaking of heavenly rewards. Why are we rewarded? What rewards can some people expect? Answer - Good question. If I'm reading your question correctly, you are asking why we would be rewarded or repaid for the deeds or works that we do in this life. And, secondly, what rewards we can expect. I'm not sure I can find a given list of rewards that we may receive in Heaven anywhere in scripture. I believe that is for a reason. I will speak to that a little later. First, let's look at what Jesus said in Matthew 16:27 - "For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and WILL THEN REPAY EVERY MAN ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS." (NASB) Take a look at the context in which Jesus was speaking these words. It is not necessarily heavenly rewar...

Q: 2 Corinthians 11:14-15 – Satan disguises himself as an angel of light and so do his servants. How do we know if its from GOD or from the Devil? There are many miracles, strange events that take place across the world, i have read your post about Wondering Signs and wonders but i am still confused, i am not able to get a clear picture on how to distinguish which and what is right!! For example: STIGMATA - it's not mentioned in the bible, anyone receiving these marks or anything related to it or is it mentioned anywhere?..i don't remember coming across anything like that in bible. There are quite few strange signs that is going around this world. And i agree and stick with your point, anything that deviates from god and his words isn't genuine. But what about stigmata? A: If I am understanding your question correctly, you have read through P. Scott's post on Signs and Wonders . You agree that God's Word is the tool that we are to use to distinguis...

Q: A couple weeks ago, in class, you asked how many believed that demons were fallen angels. That has always been my perception, but the question wasn't answered. So, this morning after class I asked a couple other people about this question and what they thought. They mentioned that it was not answered and that they too had thought demons to be fallen angels. So, we are looking for your answer to the question you posed. If demons are not fallen angels, where did they come from? Have they always been? Who created them? Inquiring minds want to know. A: You're right ... I did raise this question and then move on quickly without giving any further commentary. Thank you for following up! The purpose of asking the question was simply to see if that assumption -- namely, that Demons are Fallen Angels -- was held by everyone; which it turns out was the case. The reason I asked the question during our study, was because the Bible never actually states this "fact"...

Q: Does the pastor have a sermon schedule he goes by? I Love this church! Thanks. A: First of all, thanks for your encouragement! I am thankful that you are blessed by our fellowship. I pray that the Lord will continue to bless you through our ministry with a closer walk with the living God. In a very general sense, the answer to your question is: No, the pastors do not use a sermon schedule. Some ministers in more traditional denominations follow a liturgy. In these cases, ministers are somewhat bound to follow the schedule they are given. Such a situation can have both positives and negatives. This is not how the sermon topics and passages are chosen by our pastors. Those who are called to preach on a regular basis from our pulpit are bound by the theological persuasion that we have the responsibility to preach the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:27; 2 Timothy 3:16-4:2). This means that we are not "free" to select only the portions of Scripture that make us comfortabl...