Leftover Questions from Q & A Day

Thank you to every one who submitted a question for yesterday’s Q & A Sunday! Unfortunately, we ran out of time and were unable to answer every single question from the stage. However, we’ll quickly tackle the leftover questions on this blog post.

1. Why does God allow trials in my life to test my faith, if in His sovereignty He already knows how I’ll respond (positively or negatively)?

The apostle Peter has a fantastic answer to this question in his first epistle: “In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ,” ( 1 Peter 1:6-9). There are some lessons you can only learn in the crucible of pain and hardship. Look at all of the OT and NT figures that we read about and study: Abraham, Joseph, Moses, David, Daniel, Paul, etc. All of them went through the wringer but the Lord used their hardships for His perfect purposes. It is almost impossible to gauge the strength of your faith until your faith is tested. Even though this testing can be uncomfortable and difficult, it should lead us to thanksgiving and worship.

2. Can you explain what Jesus means in Luke 14:26-27 where He says we cannot be His disciples unless we hate our fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, children? This seems totally contradictory to His message for us to love one another as He has loved us.

Years ago, I heard a pastor preach on this passage and he said something that has stuck with me ever since: “We should love God so greatly and intensely that our love for other people should look like hate in comparison.” Matthew 10:37 communicates the same teaching of Jesus but provides a helpful perspective with different wording, “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.” We are commanded to love our spouses, our children, our other family members, and our friends. But they should never usurp the place of God in our lives. He must be our first and greatest love.

3. Is it Biblical to still speak in tongues?

Below is an excerpt from the beliefs page on our website regarding speaking in tongues:

Harvest Bible Chapel is a non-charismatic, conservative, evangelical fellowship that welcomes all who know Jesus Christ as their Savior and all who are seeking Him. Those who claim to possess the gift of tongues and other sign gifts are welcome to worship and fellowship with us if they are willing to be a source of unity rather than division within our church body. We believe that the Christian life is supernatural and that the Lord continues to perform miracles. We also believe that current displays of the gift of tongues distract from the main task of the local church, which is to glorify God through the fulfillment of the Great Commission - Matthew 28:19-20

Current displays of the gift of tongues:

1. Give unwarranted prominence to the gift, which is described in the New Testament as being only one of many spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12).

2. Emphasize speaking in tongues as the primary manifestation of the Spirit's work in a person's life, while minimizing the Spirit's work in producing a holy life (2 Corinthians 3:17-18; 2 Timothy 1:9) and a life that displays the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22).

3. Often suggest that speaking in tongues is a required proof of being Spirit-filled or of possessing salvation in Christ, even though the Scriptures do not teach this.

Harvest Bible Chapel seeks to prevent the propagation of doctrines that would cause divisions within an individual church. Therefore, members to and adherents of Harvest Bible Chapel are not to propagate the teachings and emphases of the current charismatic movement. Although we do not control personal, individual interactions with the Lord, the expression of tongues and other sign gifts are not to be overtly expressed at meetings that are under the organization and authority of Harvest Bible Chapel.

5 Quick Tips for Family Devotions

This past Sunday, I taught on the importance of discipling our children and raising them in the instruction of God’s Word. So many parents feel totally unequipped to carry out this important task and they let fear paralyze them. Please don’t let this be true of you and your family. As I said in my sermon, God doesn’t expect you to be the perfect teacher; He simply expects you to show up and do your best. You will fall and stumble in your responsibilities (I know I do) but you will learn from your mistakes and grow in your ability as a discipler and teacher. I want to offer you 5 quick tips that you can apply to your family devotional times right now.

1. Start and End with Prayer - Prayer is the cornerstone of any devotional time. It is a wise practice to bookend the reading and studying of God’s Word with prayer. Before you open up the pages of the Bible, bow before the Lord and ask for His wisdom and guidance. As you close the Bible, ask the Lord to help your family act upon what you just learned. This is the perfect time to walk your kids through the ACTS Prayer Model: Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication. Kids need to know that prayer isn’t just asking for things and treating God like a divine vending machine. When we pray, we praise the Lord, we confess our sins, we thank Him for all His good gifts, and we lift up our requests as well as the needs of others.

2. Sing to the Lord - As you read through Scripture, the Psalms in particular, it becomes abundantly clear that the Lord loves to be worshipped in song. We are constantly commanded to sing to the Lord and praise Him for who He is and what He has done for us. Singing songs as a family may be awkward for some of you but it’s a powerful practice and learning tool. I know my son loves to sing popular songs like Wheels on the Bus and Circle of Life but we have also trained him to sing Christian songs like Jesus Loves Me and The Lord is My Shepherd. He may not understand what he’s singing right now but the lyrics are burned into his brain and we are teaching him important theology. During your devotional time, pull up a solid and theologically rich song on YouTube that you can sing along with as a family. Classic and contemporary hymns are a great place to start: Amazing Grace, In Christ Alone, Crown Him with Many Crowns, etc.

3. Focus on the Gospel and the Major Storyline of the Bible - As you read through a book of the Bible or devotional as a family, never lose sight of the basics. Constantly and clearly lay out the basics of the gospel message to your kids. They need to hear it and you need to hear it. The gospel shines through every book of the Bible and your kids need to know that God’s grace is evident on every page. We need to read the Bible through the lens of Jesus Christ. Also, the Bible is the greatest and most important story of all and it has a structure that your kids need to understand. Here’s the structure: Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Restoration (C.F.R.R.) God created the earth and mankind but we rebelled against Him and chose to sin. That could have been the end of the story. But the Lord chose to show grace by sending His son to live a perfect life, die upon a cross, rise again, and ascend back into Heaven. Anyone who believes in Christ and trusts in Him alone for forgiveness will be saved. One day, Jesus will return to make all things new and destroy evil forever. We will then spend eternity with Him and other believers in perfect peace and harmony. Make sure that your kids understand the four major points of the biblical story. For younger kids, The Jesus Storybook Bible, by Sally Lloyd-Jones is a fantastic resource. It will point your kids to Christ and lay out the basics of C.F.R.R.

4. Ask Your Kids Questions and Make Room for Their Questions - Obviously, this is a time for you to teach your kids so you’ll end up doing most of the talking. But make sure to ask your kids good questions that don’t lead to simple “Yes” or “No” answers. Quiz them on what you just studied as a family and ask how they can apply the lesson to their lives that week. Before you wrap up in prayer, check to see if they have any questions. To be honest, they’ll most likely say no or ask a totally off the wall question that has nothing to do with what you just studied. THAT’S OKAY! Most days, they’ll look at you with blank eyes or try to be silly but some days, they’ll ask a profound question that sparks a great conversation.

5. Be Patient and Don’t Expect Immediate Results - There will be days when your kids don’t want to engage in family devotions. They’ll looked checked out and bored. They may even complain, roll their eyes, or let out dramatic sighs of annoyance. Please, don’t let this discourage or dissuade you from engaging in this important discipline. Some of the teenagers in my previous ministry who seemed the most checked out were actually the most dialed in. They listened to me and absorbed way more information than I ever thought possible based on their prickly demeanor. You never know how God is moving and working in your kids’ hearts. Let us take a page out of our heavenly Father’s book as He is continually long-suffering and patient with us despite our complaining and grumbling. Be patient even where there appears to be no immediate fruit from your labors. Remember that you’re playing the long game with their kids’ spiritual development. Consistency and faithfulness over a long period of time can lead to amazing and astounding results.

Family Tips Tuesday Presents - Kids & Quarantine

This evening I held a zoom meeting to discuss kids and quarantine. I wanted to give parents encouragement and kids encouragement. I pointed them to scripture to where to get their strength from during this time. And even though it is hard, Christ came to serve and we are called to serve too and to do so with a joyful heart. So, while we are all stuck at home together let’s have a joyful heart as we serve our families during this time!

I also touch on the topic of how to talk to your kids about the coronavirus. This information is not just good for what is happening around us now, but with any hard discussion you may have to have in the future.

Lastly, I talk about possible separation anxiety that your kids may face once life goes back to “normal”. They have just spent how many weeks with you 24/7 and transition back to the “real world” may be hard.

There is no better time to be pouring into our children the love of God. And pointing them to scripture and prayer for relief from our anxieties of what is going on and what may happen.

Download Presentation Slides

Family Tips Tuesday Presents - The Quaran-teen

In the second week of our Family Tips Tuesday, we discussed connecting with teens, with a specific emphasis on doing so while in quarantine. The presentation was called The Quaran-teen or how to connect with teens stuck at home, hosted by Alicia and Dan Thompson.

Check out the full video presentation, the presentation slides, and/or the links to other resources.

Download Presentation Slides

Resources:

• Axis.org - Axis seeks to see all caring adults equipped with the conversation, discipleship, and culture translation skills needed to reach the next generation for Christ.

• http://www.imom.com/category/ages-stages/tweens-teens/ - iMOM exists to help moms (and dads) be inspired to love their family well. They want to give parents help and hope so that they can enjoy the days to come.

• https://axis.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Axis-Parents-Guide-to-Covid-19.pdf - Axis guide for Parents as we face this Covid-19 pandemic.

• Path to Teen Connection - A three part video series on how to better engage your teen. We watched the first video during Family Tips Tuesday. The next step is to take the Free Assessment and watch the remaining two parts.

• The Chosen - The first ever multi-season show about Jesus. It’s currently only one season, but it is amazing. All eight episodes of season one are available on YouTube or from the free The Chosen app. #BingeJesus

• joy. - Amazingly appropriate music video for our time from For King & Country.