Fourth Year Ministries

Q: I came across a video on YouTube that quickly made my spiritual guard go up. So instead of turning it off as i maybe should have, i prayed for discernment and continued to watch. I did quickly close it however, after i heard "Ruach Ha Kodesh" referred to as a member of the Trinity (which i soon gathered was appropriate as this is the Hebrew term for The Holy Spirit), BUT the gentleman used the pronoun "SHE" in reference to Ruach Kodesh. I will admit i only briefly attempted to find credibility in this. I was floored by all of the material and sources that share this view. I usually feel well equipped to poke around and strengthen my faith by reading opposing views, but this seemed exceptionally evil. Maybe because of the stern warning from Jesus about blaspheming The Holy Spirit, i don't know. Anyway, I am hopping that this is a topic on which you may have already done the research. Question: Is there any validity to the belief held by some, that The Ho...

Q: Jesus commanded His followers to make disciples, so how does your mission to raise up Evangelists in the local church help to achieve this commandment from the Lord? A: This is a similar question to one asked previously regarding the perceived elevation of "the gift of evangelism" above other spiritual gifts. We encourage you to read that response in full (available here ). It explains how the office of Evangelist is a blessing to the body of Christ as we seek to evangelize the world together, in unity, for the glory of our Savior and Lord. The great commission was given to the church by our Lord in Matthew 28:18-20. It is that same risen Lord who gave gifts (Ephesians 4:7) to the church in the officers listed in Ephesians 4:11. The purpose of the church is to make disciples. The purpose of the officers in the church should work toward that same goal. The great commission itself is a singular command with three distinct aspects. The commandment is to "make di...

Q: Jesus Himself states, "For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth." According to John 19:31, it seems as though Jesus died on the "day of preparation" which was immediately followed by the sabbath, and then followed by the first day of the week. This leads us to when Mark 16:2 happened, the ladies went to the tomb "very early on the first day of the week". It was at this time that the empty tomb was discovered. My question is, according to history and maybe even Greek text, is there any explanation as to why Jesus said that He would be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights when as I am reading the accounts, I am not coming up with three days and three nights? Thank you, as always! A: This question has been raised by many people. Numerous answers have been suggested. The reasons for asking this question are good on...

Q: Unfortunately, I stumbled across some pagan god named "Mithra" while looking at pinterest posts regarding "redemption" which I thought shouldn't be simply looked over just because I don't want to deal with it. I have never heard of this pagan god and am alarmed at how many similarities it has with Jesus Christ. I know I should do my own research, but frankly I just do not feel comfortable delving into that area. The similarities that I read are things like this... they were both born on December 25th ( I know Jesus was not actually born on this day), they are both born of a virgin, both have 12 disciples, both called "the way", "the truth", "the light", "the life", "the redeemer", "savior", "messiah", both sacrificed themselves and "ascended into Heaven". Of course no one is directly saying these things to me face-to-face, but I am wondering how you would go about resp...

Q: When you emphasize the spiritual gift of evangelism aren't you neglecting the other gifts which are just as valid and important? A: This is a great and important question. I know many people who have asked this question. It is good to be able to address it for mutual edification. Hopefully we can bring clarity to spiritual gifts and the purpose of the body. Before diving in, it is important to state that we agree whole-heartedly and without qualification that every spiritual gift which is given by the Lord is valid and important. There is very little agreement in the professing Church as to what, exactly , the gifts of the Spirit are. Debate swirls around which gifts are still around today. This is not territory that we would like to explore in this particular question. However, whatever gifts the Spirit gives to His followers today are all valid and important. This is the major point of agreement. The Apostle Paul makes this point clear enough in 1 Corinthians 12:14-26...

Q: Are you against relationship evangelism? If so, why? So many books and ministries recommend and teach it! A: It's important to point out that often this question or criticism against the evangelism methods that Fourth Year Ministries (and other, like-minded organizations ) endorse and teach, there is an underlying belief that thinks we are against relationships. We are not against relationships. We are, however, for evangelism. Much of what is taught and presented as "relationship evangelism" is not really "evangelism" at all. It is relationship. It is "life-on-life." But it's not evangelism. I must state clearly that the number of people who like relationship evangelism makes no difference to me. To be swayed by the numbers of people who hold to a particular view or belief system is a mistake. I've heard commercials for products claiming, "50 million people can't be wrong!" Yes. Yes, they can be . For our purpos...