FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How can Jesus be God and he was born thru Mary? To answer the question effectively, you must first understand the nature of God. God is omniscient (all knowing Psalm 147:5) and omnipotent (all powerful- Psalm 62:11). He has the ability to do anything, and He never makes a mistake. God had a plan from day 1 and that was for man to worship Him alone (Psalm 95:6-7). With the sin of Adam and Eve, intimacy and trust was broken between God and Man and someone needed to bridge the gap caused by man’s sin (Rom 3:23). Who would pay the penalty for the sin (Rom 6:23), and who could bridge the divide between God and man? Who better than God himself (Col 1:15), but He had to make Himself like man (in the form of Phil 2:7) for if the sin was done by man the penalty must be paid by the same (Heb 7:25-28). Jesus was God’s way of reconciling the world back to Himself (2 Cor 5:18).

Where does it say that we still have to tithe today? My mother doesn’t have to tell me to say “thank you” and “please “anymore, but I still do, because the foundation was laid long ago. Though it doesn’t literally say it, it is definitely inferred. God wants us to give unto Caesar (the government Matt 22:21) what is due to them, and give unto God what you should unto Him. God doesn’t need your money, for He owns everything (Psalm 24:1); but God does have to give us a gauge of how much to give, for if He didn’t give you a starting point (Mal 3:10) and He left it to us, we would only give what we felt we could, and never truly trust Him. It is thru our faith in Him and His commandments relative to the tithe that we are able to experience the blessings of God (Eph 3:20). The bottom line is God wants us to give with a cheerful heart and out of a love relationship with Him, not because we have to. (2 Cor 9:7)

Why does God allow bad things to happen to good people? Truthfully, God understands without storms in your life you would never grow. He also understand without circumstances beyond you, there’s no need to trust in a God you can’t see; but when the storms of life are tossing you to and fro (here and there) and you are at a point where your ship is about to sink, that’s when you call upon the name of the Lord and He answers (Mark 4:37-39). Thereafter, you will never look at that point in your life as a bad thing, but a good thing (Jer 31:3-4), because that is where you met God “for real”!

How do we know for sure there is a heaven and a hell? Scripture points it out and if God said it because He has integrity, its truth (Num 23:19). Common sense seems to reason that if God has had man walking this earth for 5,000+ years and for the most part able to live only a century (100 years) at best, there must be somewhere that man would be able to spend the rest of his existence. God wouldn’t have placed His soul and breathed the breath of life in man for only a shortened period, without more eternal plans. God has also promised those that have accepted Him in their lives eternal fellowship with Him (Col 1:5) and those that are disobedient eternal punishment (Matt 25:41). We understand the concept of Reward/Punishment. When we work, we get paid, when we are not working, we are not paid; when we work it, we get in shape, when we don’t work our, we are out of shape. It boils down to God’s integrity that what He has promised He will do!

Can’t there be more than one way to God? Isn’t it possible that the Mormons, Jehovah Witnesses and Christians can all be right? The reality that we face is this simple. Christians say there is only one way to God (thru Christ-one way to the father thru the son- John 14:6); all of the rest of the world religions say you pave your own way to God. So either Christianity is right and everybody else is wrong, or Christianity is wrong, and you pick which religion you like (for their premise to heaven is all the same- certain rules and regulations you must do).
Christianity also teaches you that the way to intimacy with God is a personal relationship with Jesus Christ (his son) John 3:17, 1 John 4:9, whereas all the others speak towards religion (do and don’ts / laws to obey, etc) in order to appease God.
God appeals to your intellect in that you have been created with choice (will)1 Cor 10:23, but with every decision there are consequences Gal 6:7-8; so choose life 1 John 5:11-13, Deut 30:15-19.

Can’t it be a possibility that homosexuals were born that way and some of them can’t help themselves? One thing that God cannot do is contradicting Himself especially in His word. He said that man gave himself over to his own vile affections for the same sex (Rom 1:26-7); and also that homosexuality is an abomination to Him
(Lev 20:13), and He judges mankind for his actions. Homosexuality was never God’s intent for mankind. His desire was for man to have dominion (Gen 1:26) and to have children (Gen 1:28). We are all born with a propensity to sin and certain areas of our lives seems to have a greater attack spiritually than others (strongholds) in particular because of the way we were brought up, our environment, and circumstances that have impacted our lives (molestation, television, experiences, etc). But nonetheless God does not excuse our behavior and gives a consequence for such behavior (1 Cor 6:9). Please be mindful that this includes those also fornicating (having sex before marriage) and those who are committing adultery amongst others. It seems as if we always want to point out the homosexuals, but not the others who are caught up in sexual sin.

Does God promise financial prosperity to the believer? No, God’s desire is not for every Christian to be rich; but He does desire for ‘all’ believers to be rich in other areas of their lives (spiritually and emotionally). God is the owner of everything (Psalm 24:1) and He distributes the wealth of the world out as He see’s fit
(1 Sam2:7). There are things we can do to either help (Deut 28:8, 12) or hinder (Deut 28:29) our blessings from flowing in our lives. Faithful giving, sowing seeds in good soil (Matt 13:3, 8), and helping the poor (Prov 22:9) will set the tone for God to create the atmosphere for your increase. Most Christian’s hinder God from blessing them for they have been bad stewards of what God has already given them. Matt 25:14-23, Luke 16: 10-12.

Can I become a child of God without going to church? Let me ask you a question, can a baby grow without a mother to nurture it? Back to the original question Yes you can, but it will be very difficult for you to grow (normal, could cause mental or emotional issues) for you are a spiritual babe (2 Cor 5:17) in need of a human being to nurture you. This is the reason many believers stumble and fall constantly in their walk with the Lord. They feel because physically they are mature (age, size, financial construct), this same correlation relates to their spiritual condition. To grow spiritually, it will take work, prayer, someone discipling you, and investing in your Christian growth. The Lord clearly commands us not to forsake the church (Heb 10:25) for this is where you will be taught how to become a complete, mature man or woman of God.

How many times will God forgive me for my same old sins I keep committing? Does this mean I'm not really a believer? God has said He will forgive you of any sin, as long as you repent (turn from the sin) of it (1 John 1:7, 9). Can you imagine a parent getting rid of their child because they fell while teaching them to walk? No, the parent is patient knowing that this is a new process for the child to overcome. God declares that nothing can separate you from the love He has for you (Rom 8:38-9). What you need to do if the same old sin keeps tripping you up is to look at your attitude towards that sin and ask yourself how much do you like it, or how much do you truly desire to rid it from your life. Know that God has given you the power in the form of the Holy Spirit to overcome any obstacle in your life!
(1 John 4:4)