Either I'm brave or crazy, but here are the questions you've always been pondering but were too embarrassed to ask. As always, no subject is off-limits! -- Mike
Random HOT QUESTIONS from a recent Sunday Night
HOT QUESTION: Why are hot questions called "hot questions?" Going into summer I would think it would be more pleasant to call them "cold questions" or "cool-downs."
HONEST ANSWER: I think you need to get out more.
HOT QUESTION: I've been inviting a friend of mine to church for awhile but she never comes. How can I convince her to come?
HONEST ANSWER: You can't! That's the work of the Holy Spirit. All you can do is love her, invite her, and pray that she responds. That's your obligation. The rest is up to her being open to God's nudges. Being the best friend you can be is one of the best ways to get her to church. Love her like Jesus loves her.
HOT QUESTION: Who is your favorite character: Aragorn, Darth Vader, or Perry the Platypus?
HONEST ANSWER: This is easy: Aragorn.
HOT QUESTION: How many dogs live in Florida?
HONEST ANSWER: According to the AMVA (American Veterinarian Association), there are 72 million pet dogs in America. That's as close as I can get to answering this one!
HOT QUESTION: What is evil?
HONEST ANSWER: This is a tough one. I understand evil as something (or someone) that does an action contrary to God's intended purpose for that action. When God created the universe, He said it was good. Everything was working the way it was supposed to work. When Eve and then Adam sinned, they were doing something that was the opposite of what they were created to do. Therefore, any sin can be seen as evil. We think of "evil people," but really it's their actions that are evil. They were created in the image of God like everyone else. Some have called Hurricane Katrina an evil storm. Actually, that storm was doing what God created it to do: blow strong winds, produce massive amounts of rain, and make huge tides in the Gulf of Mexico. This doesn't cover all of what I'd like to share on this subject, but I'm out of space.
HOT QUESTION: What is the name of David and Bathsheba's son?
HONEST ANSWER: Solomon
HOT QUESTION: What two verses do you feel most wholly summarize the Bible?
HONEST ANSWER: The first two that come to mind are Exodus 19:6 ("And you will be to me a kingdom of priests, my holy nation.") and John 3:16 ("For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whoever believes in him will not perish, but have everlasting life."
HOT QUESTION: If people like Adam and Eve died before Jesus died on the cross, are they in heaven?
HONEST ANSWER: Good question. My first reaction is, "I don't know because I'm not God!" I think it goes back to God's covenant with his people. God had a contract with his people: you follow me and I'll take care of you. When Jesus came, he brought a new covenant, sealed with his death and resurrection. Therefore, it seems logical to me that those who were faithful to God's covenant before Jesus came would be in heaven, just as people who believe in Jesus will be in heaven.
HOT QUESTION: John Mark was an important person, so did he take the place of Judas?
HONEST ANSWER: Most scholars believe that John Mark was the writer of the Gospel of Mark. He's mentioned throughout the book of Acts as a missionary. However, when Judas needed to be replaced, the remaining disciples voted between two people: Joseph called Barsabbas, and Matthias. They voted for Matthias (see Acts 1:21-26).
HOT QUESTION: Does this dress make me look fat?
HONEST ANSWER: "Of course not, dear. You look beautiful in everything you wear."
HOT QUESTION: God loves His people, the Jews, but they have experienced so much pain and persecution, especially during the Holocaust. How could this happen? How did Christians of all nations turn their back on the Jews? Did God have special consideration for them when they died, even though they didn't believe Jesus is the Messiah?
HONEST ANSWER: Wow. this is a tough one! First of all, I think we need to separate what happened to the Jews throughout history from their identity as God's people. God didn't make them suffer. God just doesn't do that kind of stuff. Jews have been singled-out and persecuted by Christians (a terrible thing!) for centuries. I think some of it has to do with the words of the Jews when Jesus was on trial before Pontius Pilate. Pilate wanted to release Jesus because he didn't think Jesus had done anything wrong. "I am innocent of the blood of this man," he said to the Jewish crowd. "The responsibility is yours" (Matthew 27:24). The Jewish crowd yelled back, "We will take responsibility for his death - we and our children!" (Matthew 27:25). Some Christians have falsely believed Jews should be persecuted because of this. They killed Jesus. Yet, if it wasn't for Jesus' death, none of us would have our sins forgiven!
HOT QUESTION: God can do anything, but the war is still going on and lots of Christian people are killed. Why can't he stop all these terrible situations?
HONEST ANSWER: First of all, I don't believe these horrible things are caused by God. I think we have to look at ourselves. We are sinful people, and with that comes war, violence, poverty, and other sad things. God could stop all this. As you state, God can do anything. He chooses not to because we have to deal with the consequences of our sins. Yes, we're forgiven when we ask God to forgive us, but that doesn't take away the results of our sinful actions. At least all this bad stuff is going to make heaven look absolutely amazing!
HOT QUESTION: How does the Bible view Natural Selection?
HONEST ANSWER: Actually, the Bible doesn't really address it! That term came about in the 1800s. I'm always hesitant to use the Bible to "prove" science. That's not the purpose of the Bible. The Bible's purpose is to lead us to God through Jesus. Sometimes the Bible and science intersect, but not very often.
HOT QUESTION: If you grow up in the church and give your life to Christ but as you grow up, start turning away from God, will you still go to heaven?
HONEST ANSWER: All I have to worry about is my own walk with Jesus. I can't be worried about everybody else! To answer your question, though, I think that just as we have the freedom to choose Jesus, we also have the freedom to reject Jesus. This is part of what we call free will. It's part of what makes us created in God's image. Sometimes we go through dry spells in our love for God, but it doesn't mean we've willfully turned our back on him. However, I've known a couple of Christians who made a decision that following Jesus was a lost cause and they gave up on God. God will always love them, but they will have to face their decision one day. That's not for me to decide for them.