Question Time Stamps for Quick Reference: 0:00 - Intro 1. 0:25 {Do we Need Religion to have Morals?} How would you respond to this statement?: “You don’t need religion to have morals. If you can’t determine right from wrong, then you lack empathy, not religion.” 2. 6:19 {Can we be Sure of the Resurrection?} In Acts 25: 20, if Festus and Agrippa can't be sure of the resurrection claim, how can we be sure now? 3. 12:23 {Comments on Reincarnation/Simpsons’ Prophecies?} Do you have any suggestions to help a believer of reincarnation? Ex: Ryan Hammons has 55 verified statements about having a past life. Also, Bible prophecies mean nothing since The Simpsons have predicted the future many times. 4. 16:38 {Was I Really Saved in the Past?} Was I ever really saved and had a relationship with Christ if I left heterosexuality and embraced my same sex attraction and married my wife? 5. 20:46 {Resolving a “Contradiction”} Does Ezekiel 18: 20 contradict the stoning of Achan and his family in Joshua 7: 24-26 (the idea of original sin passed down through Adam) and 2 Samuel 12: 13-15? 6. 29:59 {Do we “Just Believe” to be Saved?} To be saved, all we need to do is believe? Like how I believed that Santa was real when I was younger? Or is there more to this belief? 7. 33:19 {How are Miracles Proof if Satan Can Also Do Them?} One of the proofs you've put forward that the Bible is from God is miracles and prophecy. If we see that Satan is also able to do miracles, like Pharaoh's magicians, then why are those things proof it’s from God? 8. 36:53 {Can an Infinite God relate to Finite Creation?} How can an infinite God relate to a finite creation? Compared to infinity, our world's age is nothing, be it 10,000 years or billions. Same with the size of universe. 9. 39:44 {Could God Exist but Not be Perfectly Good?} Atheist here. What stops a supernatural but not perfectly good being from being the author of the miracles in the Bible, especially when you already accept the existence of supernatural beings? 10. 43:57 {Does Creating Time Require Time?} An atheist posited this question: If God created time, doesn't that require time, to create time? 11. 46:09 {Is a Belief in God an Attempt to Personalize the Impersonal?} An atheist claims: “Belief in God is what happens when social brains try to explain an impersonal universe. Personal explanations for impersonal events fail to deal with logic of uncertainty.” Any help? 12. 51:38 {How can Jesus be Sinless if “Unclean” at Times?} My professor brought up this question and I need to know your opinion. According to Hebrew Scripture, anything not of God’s perfect eschatological view is sin (human excretion, etc.). So how can we say Jesus is sinless? 13. 54:46 {Should Mormons Celebrate Christmas and Easter?} As a Mormon, since you'd consider us non-Christian, should we be allowed to celebrate Christmas or Easter? 14. 57:29 {Why Christianity vs. Other Religions?} Why should a person be Christian over another monotheistic religion which claims to be the truth, such as Islam? 15. 1:01:55 {Why does God Allow Children to have Cancer?} Why does God allow children to get cancer and other terminal illnesses? 16. 1:08:07 {Why Didn’t God Show Sodom Miracles?} In Matthew 11: 23-24, Jesus says that Sodom would have been saved if they had seen His miracles. Why, then, didn’t God perform miracles so that they would believe? Doesn’t He want everyone to be saved? 17. 1:14:43 {If God Doesn’t Change, Why do His Rules?} From a non-Christian friend: If God doesn’t change over time, how come He commands Jews not to eat certain foods in the Old Testament, but deems them OK in the New Testament? 18. 1:17:46 {Can God Give Commands when He Forced us to Exist?} Is it fair for God to demand our everything when we are forced to exist? I know Christ died for us, but it seems unfair to go through such suffering and sacrifice to receive salvation and avoid Hell. 19. 1:23:05 {Is Evangelism Harmful?} If a conscientious person who never heard the Gospel can still be saved, but a skeptic of the Gospel is damned, doesn't evangelism damn more people than it saves? Wouldn't humanism be our best bet? 20. 1:25:48 {Can we be Pro-Life and Against Same-Sex Adoption?} How do we respond to people who say “You Christians are so pro-life yet you don’t want gay people to adopt”? What’s the path to answering that question?
People who leave the faith for another faith or reject the Gospel altogether do lose their salvation because salvation is offered to everyone. We can only be confident in our own relationship/salvation with God based on scripture and promise. We can have hope for others based on the fruit they produce however only God knows the Heart of every believer and nonbeliever. John 6; 1John 2:19; Ephesians 1:13-14 (If savED always savED) Trust Christ.
I can give one answer to all these...I was an angry non believer. I had a supernatural experience and Christ saved my life. We always want to apply human logic and understanding and human qualities to everything about God. Only when we are humbled and we trust can we truly know his love. I'm not going to say the journey is always easy, but he did not promise this. I believe we go through challenges, pain, grief,and loss and that in him someday we will "see". Trust in God. He loves you:)
Did'nt NT preserve the precept Jesus taught?: ' If the miracles which were done in Bethsaida had been done in Sodom, they would have repented..' Does'nt this allude to understanding the spirit of the law or the purpose of revelation of lost truth that corrects those whose focus has become focused on earthly kingdoms?
I know the Mormon story sounds ridiculous. But not more ridiculous then god impregnating a virgin, who is his son (not really). Son dies, son lives again. Son appears to people. Only difference is we can fact check better .
My perspective on question 15… I had an older brother who passed away at the age of 4. I was just a toddler at the time. He had spina bifida and was born paralyzed from the chest down. He went through numerous operations. There was a lot of household stress because of this, plus my parents didn’t have a very good marriage and had no support from their families. They also did not know God. That was more than 50 years ago. My mother still mourns for him. He is just a thought away, and she hardly ever speaks of him without crying. But, she says he was the greatest gift to her-it was because of his condition and subsequent death that she and my father accepted the Lord as their Saviour. I feel very strongly that without my brother entering my family’s life for the brief time that he did, we would have ended up with a very difficult life, and perhaps my parents and my younger brother and I would never have gotten saved. We will see him again someday. God has a plan and a purpose for every person. Sometimes illness happens just because we live in a fallen world, but sometimes God has a unique purpose for it, and every time He will use it for good somehow for those who love Him.
@@skippy675 2 Tim 1:12 For I know in Whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him until that Day.
Anyone that teaches the LIE of monetary tithing, sells anything using the gospel, or teaches that same-sex marriage is a sin CHOOSES to die with the wicked. Luke 10:7 states the only wages for ministering are eating and drinking whatever you are given. Also, know that rich people will all die. You can't be a Christian, sit on all kinds of money, watch your fellow brothers and sisters starve, suffer, or be homeless, choose to do nothing about it, and think that it's ok. Those are all wolves. Mathew 19:12 Eunuchs that are born that way are transgender. Eunuchs made that way by others were abused in some way and something inside of them blocks off a certain type of body but it doesn't happen to everyone that is abused. Those that choose to live like Eunuchs FOR THE SAKE OF THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN are bisexual people that choose partners of the same sex-characteristics but opposite in regards to gender. Notice, it states God PREFERS for people to be in LGBT relationships. Leviticus, Corinthians, and Timothy were translated wrong by Billy Graham. Those verses are actually referring to pedophilia. Romans 1:27 All of the men were male in regards to gender, all of the women were female in gender. It is not referring to Eunuchs (where one partner is transgender). Also, it had nothing to do with marriage of any kind. They were trying to procreate during orgies so God did it on purpose. Anyone that continues to teach same sex marriage is a sin when the Bible says God prefers for people to be in LGBT relationships will also die by their own choice. In order to be a church building, the place must house people inside of it. Otherwise it is just another private money-making business part of Babylon that furthers satan's agenda. Stay out of the fake churches. I am Elijah of Malachi 4:5-6 and Acts 3:22-23 says it will come to pass that anyone that fails to listen to me will be UTTERLY destroyed from among the people. Again, everyone has a choice. And anyone that deletes my messages CHOOSES to reject Jesus Christ Himself and that means they also CHOOSE to die with the wicked. I am Elijah so that means any discrepancies in the holy books are ultimately decided by me. I am also to usher in the Messiah! Be ready: Jesus is coming back! WORLD PEACE IS COMING! !!!!
@@skippy675 Judy didn't claim to be God and then resurrect herself to prove it. You have a lot to learn about Christianity, if you're willing to examine it objectively. Your assumption that, as one politician put it, people are just "clinging to God and the Bible" to cope with difficulties and "inventing a story" is patently false, and demonstrates something about your character and the way you treat others. For me it was the opposite: I didn't want an eternal life and I was not seeking any comfort. But I couldn't deny the blaring evidence that the universe was created, and couldn't find any holes in the case for Christ's death and resurrection. So I had no choice but to believe. What came with time and regeneration was comfort in this life and hope for eternity. You have the process reversed. Children, by the way, have prejudices. They are often akin to vipers in diapers.
I’ve been a longtime believer with doubts about God’s existence along the way to the point of atheism. I’ve come back to Christ through both belief and scientific study of reality. Thank you for your approach to everything. It’s been enlightening.
Praise God that you returned from the darkness! Now stay the course, Joseph! Read your bible daily. Pray daily, multiple times a day, about big things & small. And find a church with a trustworthy, biblically literate pastor who preaches the gospel from Genesis to Revelation, chapter & verse.
So good your turnaround!! It's so common, doubts are part of our nature . But praise God truth is on our side... And logic... And science... And everything else for that matter!
@@nicolab2075 Probably through the cosmological evidence for the beginning of space-time, the fine-tuning of the universe, and the information coding and decoding systems in biological life.
@@brotherjew1 You tell me... Almighty God, creator of the universe tells you to not do something, but you do it anyway. Is that a crime? Anyway, the more important point is that it's symbolic of our rebellious nature. Regardless of what you think about the story of Adam and Eve. You are a sinner, and you know it. Don't lie to yourself. You're in big trouble, but there is hope. Turn away from your sin and to Jesus. He loves you and He wants to save you for His kingdom, but He won't force you. You have to accept His grace willingly, intentionally.
I actually love these long videos! Have been listening to your women in ministry series in the podcast format. I clean, exercise, etc while I listen. Keep it coming, Mike! Such a blessing.
Mike, you are so brilliant which makes your humility even more precious. You are not ashamed to say, “I don’t know” or “I’m not sure”. This is so genuine and honest. It reminds me that we are not always to lean on our own understanding. God bless you and your ministry.
@lil-al I advise you to try out your arrogance, to imagine you are in any position to put anybody right, by engaging with Christians face to face rather than popping off an attempt to demean another then slink away into the anonymity of the internet, never to be seen again. Perhaps God has something to reveal to you through a budding apologist that you didn't already know. I know I pray for your soul that you have that encounter someday.
Before I was saved, I felt the same way as “Ted”. I hated being alive. It was absolutely miserable. I’ll take the suffering in Christ over and over for all that God has promised, but even beyond that for the purpose and joy He’s brought into my life even here on earth. I couldn’t understand why my Christian family members wanted to live in such a restrictive religion until my eyes were uncovered and I saw how little pleasure worldly things brought me. Of course I still struggle to cut sin out of my life, but even with that God is so gracious to me every day. My heart breaks for questions like that, because I remember the pain and anger of being in that place in my life.
You have such a good way about your explanations Pastor Mike - very inviting to an unbeliever. Loved how you stood Biblically and realistically on the issue of homosexual adoption. May there be many Christian examples like you, especially among Pastors. 👍👍👍
I just love that you did this for non-believers. What a beautiful and humble way to evangelize. So many people do it the other way around where they are the ones asking the questions and don’t really allow the other person to talk.
I love the shorts bc I can share them easily on my Instagram stories 👏 this was one of my favorite q&a videos and I watch every week! I have a lot of gay, pagan, agnostic, new age and atheist friends so for me this was awesome thought provoking material!!!!
I was so excited to hear my question answered, and I appreciated it so much!!! I have soooo many Facebook friends who I know personally that are pagan, atheist, gay, pro-choice, all that stuff and I never knew how to respond to that specifically. Thank you, Pastor Mike!
I have never in my life heard any one answer questions with such comprehension of scripture. I listen with such anticipation of God’s word made more easily accessible to me, to answer these questions!! Thank you. I have no other words.
I prefer the long videos. I just want to tell you how much I enjoyed hearing someone say adoption is about the child!!! Yes, yes, yes!!! I love your explanations. God Bless you!!
I haven't even watched this yet but I saw the first one pop up. To preface..I love and live for the Lord..what a wild assumption to say that one's reason for "religion" (what I'd rather call spirituality) is to be morally guided alone? At least for me I don't choose God because I have no morale compass or lack empathy...these things come naturally to me. I choose God because he is the truth. I spent MANY years being angry and calling Christian's judgemental until my eyes were opened, too. I will pray for everyone to find his love and grace. God Bless!
I appreciate the shorts. They make it really accessible to share your content. My husband and I both love the long videos but honestly most of our friends probably won't buckle down for a two hour video off the bat. Also I feel like you pick really relevant clips for the shorts that give a good glimpse into your ministry. Keep up the good work! May God keep you and bless you. :)
Hey Mike, love the shorts. Keep 'em going. I just want to say how much I appreciate the care you take to answer with humility and thoughtfulness toward the person asking. Also, I really love when you pull Scripture up on the screen and go through it right there so we can hear how you think through it.
I appreciate the shorts. I look forward to the long form discussion videos but the shorts have there place for a quick reminder hopefully to skew our thinking back towards our Savior where it belongs. God bless you
I love the shorts, I love the longs, I love every video you do. I've never watched one that I failed to learn something or gain a deeper understanding of what I do know. May God bless.
I believe God took David's child into his arms to love/protect / shield him . He would not be a constant reminder to them of their sin and suffer for for it . This child should have been a gift to generations . I used to cry for this baby for some reason but then , I was comforted by prayer and meditation . Thank you Lord ! Maybe this will help others . It happens even today . We don't always know or understand God's Ways but, we must Trust him . I'm Living , L earning , Humbled , Stumbling by HIS GRACE & MERCY EVERYDAY. & So Thankful HE Loves me Anyway 🌬. 🕯..
Wow question 11 was good!!! I had never thought of personal agency in that way and how we ARE generally good at detecting it! Thanks Pastor Mike!!! Thank you for this ministry!!!! I know it has blessed so many believers.
Question 17... When you were younger the rule was "Don't cross the street" but now that you are an adult it is "Look both ways and proceed with caution". What changed you or the road? In the past it was "Don't eat shellfish" and now it is "Acceptable". What changed you or the shellfish and what was the change? Could it be that at the earlier time the shellfish were contaminated with a bacteria but today are fine? The same could be said about pork... Making snap judgment with limited amounts of information often leads to erroneous conclusions.
I think it was less about the contaminants and cooking limitations (although I think there's an extent to which that's true too), and more about purposely setting Israel apart and trying to make them physically/ceremonially clean as a symbol and placeholder for coming salvation. Not only for them, but for the nations, since their difference would grab attention.
When I became an atheist, the “if you left Christianity then you were never really saved” argument used to make me so angry. Because I truly had a beautiful, albeit immature, relationship with Christ before I left the faith. Now that I have found my faith again five years later, it makes so much sense to me…. I may have rejected God, but He never left me. He was faithful to me even in my disbelief and sinful ways. I really do believe that once we are saved, God will never stop pursuing us. Our faith may falter, but Christ stands strong. I think that anyone who believes and is saved will always be saved.
@@princepesa I posted this over a year ago so, update, I’m Catholic now 😄 I grew up southern Baptist, but through much prayer and grace of our Lord, he has led me home to his Holy Church.
God Bless sir. The shorts are nice but I often find myself going to watch the full clip haha. The only thing would be how they are cut together, but I have shared them quite a few times. May God Bless and Keep you and yours and Cause His Face to Shine upon you and Give you Peace, both now and forevermore, in Jesus' Name, Amen!
Great informative video! The thing that I greatly respect about you is that you often say "I'm not sure " or I don't know" we have to accept that God isn't required to reveal anything to us beyond what he has. Look at how we've twisted some of the lesser things he says into poor theology and abusive religious! We simply can't handle it yet.
I look forward to checking out these questions and answers when I have the time. As trolly as I often am on channels like these I have made some small steps towards theism over the last weeks (speaking of some unspecified general theism here, Christianity or any specific god is still way off) so I am interested to see if any of the topic in this video can change my mind on something.
Sometimes you can find an audio book of C.S. Lewis' Mere Christianity posted on TH-cam somewhere. That is a good listen/read on the incremental steps one might make towards finding first theism and then the specific God of the Bible. I just keep thinking how intolerably cold and empty life must seem without the promises and comfort of a loving God, and am praying that you will be shown something or someone to convince you.
Some sources estimate that there are about 2 million couples currently waiting to adopt in the United States - which means there are as many as 36 waiting families for every one child who is placed for adoption.
Not sure of your source or the actual data. But I imagine the data reflected in your comment is likely pretty close to the actual number of couples waiting. That fact further reinforces the truth that 'gay adoption' isn't about what's best for the child. It's about what certain adults, who happen to be gay, want for their personal life experience and our culture's headlong insistence on meeting those demands. I wonder how many of those millions of couples desiring to adopt are waiting precisely BECAUSE X number of gay couples have been chosen to adopt children rather than the families cited in these statistics.
I’m 38 seconds into the video, and when you said your wife pulled the question from instagram, I quickly paused and went straight to IG! I’m so happy you are now on there also, I am most active on IG and so glad I can now easily share your content!! 🙏✝️
First I wanted let you know that I’m really learning a lot from your videos! I think your videos on the Catholic Church are a huge answer to prayer!! I never believed that Christianity and catholic religion are the same. No matter how much I’ve searched for clear information about the Catholic Church it was incredibly confusing. 🙄❤️ my point is my gut was right, it’s definitely not the same. So thank you for putting your videos out. Blessings to you! I understand the analogy of what this person is asking / trying to get across when he/she is talking about Santa and belief. I had the same comparison in my head before I came to believe in Jesus.hard to explain through text. But for me, this was a path the enemy took me to lead me down a “path” of atheism. It’s really not about Santa but “trust”, trusting others in what to believe is true. For me, I felt deceived. My parents who I thought I could trust in telling me what is true lied. This “person” isn’t real, so why would I believe anyone else to tell me that Jesus is real and true. So I’m not going to believe what anyone tells me because my own parents deceived me. I really feel that, telling children that someone is real, but actually does not exist (such as Santa, the Easter bunny etc.) is harmful. Not bashing parents, they don’t know that is can be harmful to future belief in Jesus. I’ve have great memories as a child at Christmas and Easter. The enemy just twisted these things to get me to not accept Jesus as an adult. Created mistrust. this is just my experience. I hope this make since. ❤
I like your long videos because you show your work on how you arrive to your thoughts and perspectives on each topic. Every video I have watched (where I don’t agree with all of your views) gives me tools that I can use my self. Thank you for your ministry
I LOVE the shorts! I send them all to my family group text every time I see one! The minute long is perfect for sending, not too long but not a five second scream at you video 👍
Hey Mike thanks for another good Q&A! As for the short videos, I like them but when I click on them, I'm expecting another "long" video but am a little disappointed when I find out that they are so short explaining one thing 🤣 After getting a few of the short videos, my expectations have been lowered Thanks for the good content! Somehow one of your videos came up on my recommend videos and I thank God using your videos to make me more excited again to learn about God! God bless!
Q9: When I was finally convinced that God really existed, it was for the first time I realized that giving my life to Him was not an automatic decision. Suddenly this concept actually meant something, and I had no idea what I was giving away. I briefly considered the concept that it might be possible that all the things God used to convince me might just be one big trick to trap me into some supernatural prank. Since God can do anything He wants, I could not fully disprove this logically, but I did reach the conclusion that if this were the case, that if God would set up this whole salvation story just to mock me in the end, even if He really were so petty that He would waste all this effort on tricking a small ant like me, I would not be able to beat Almighty God at that game anyway. I can pragmatically disregard that possibility and trust in God's goodness all the way.
@@skippy675 And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him. - Hebrews 9:27-28 I’m curious. How do you interpret these verse then?
@@skippy675 That’s not what faith means at all. It’s talking about trusting the One who made us and gives us redemption. However, your claim was that the _Bible_ never said a man only had his life to repent. The verses I gave were in the Bible. For your claim to be sustained, you have to have an interpretation of these verses that doesn’t contradict your claim.
@@skippy675 “After that comes the judgement” suggests that’s the next thing in order. Sure there could be time between them, but no events (at least per the basic language used). Being born again between death and the judgement seems like a pretty important event.
@@skippy675 We’re not judged on credulity. For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. - Romans 1:18-23 Faith is trusting in God’s provision of mercy, not blindly accepting our parents’ beliefs.
I appreciate the sharability of the shorts and think someone new to the channel may click through several of those to get to know you but I prefer the long form Q&A videos! I’m assuming you’re only asking about Q&A… teaching has to happen in long form. I don’t mind taking 2 or 3 sessions to make it through a video. Longer is better. ☺️
I found your channel a few days ago. I appreciate what you are doing and respect your views. I enjoy listening and very much enjoy thinking through some of this with you. Some day we’ll understand it all! God bless.
Yes on shorts. I typically watch the full videos to the end (like this one). Shorts act as a "booster" for me, sometimes a "trailer" when I'm behind in watching. Really enjoy this channel!
I raised my twins by myself from the age of 3 as a single Father. My sisters thought I was crazy for teaching them from a early age that Santa was make believe, like a nursery rhyme. My little sister got so mad at me one year when my kids (a boy and girl) told there cousins that Santa wasn't real one Christmas Eve. My sister said "LARRY !" in a loud voice. My response "well it's true". It was so funny.
I also don't understand how Christians can lie to their children. I was never taught the Santa lie, nor passed on that 'tradition' and grew up understanding that Jesus was the reason for the season. I respect other parents' decisions, just don't understand it.
@@kazziemaccieI was taught the Santa myth as a child. I a was gullible child, my Mother had be convinced that she never lied. One Christmas Eve, I herd a noise and got up to investigate. I caught my Dad and mom trying to assemble my new bike. I felt betrayed by my mother at the realization that she lied and that there was no Santa . It ruined my Christmas. I was heart broken and felt wounded by my Mother. I didn't talk to her for several days. Finally I told her, "you told me you never lie". She replied, "I don't tell big lies", I told her that Christmas was a very big lie." From then on, I swore that when I had kids I would never teach them that mythical characters are real. When I got older I realized that many so called Christian Holidays are pagan.
If you thought that was funny, then there is something wrong with you. You acted disrespectfully to your sisters, who choose to bring up their kids with differing beliefs. It is like stealing something from the kids. I wouldn’t want you for an uncle.
@@andsoitgoes1142 You’re right, it’s not funny when people who claim to be Christians chose to support pagan holidays over the word of God, not funny at all. I would not correct my children when they tell the truth, over someone’s ungodly pagan practices. This is why our country has gotten so bad, because Christians have chosen over many, many years to keep silent because it might offend someone. Judgment is coming to the church and very soon. It’s the Churches fault that our Nation has become so corrupt. Not really sorry it my belief offends you. God bless you if you follow the ways of Yeshua.
Such a sound mind. Your answer on how the Old Testament is like training for the New Testament and that God does not change but “let’s look at what DID change” was brilliant. And helps me with an ongoing debate I have with my mother who seems to be adopting a new age form of Catholicism.
Love the q n a from non believers they think in meticulous ways and your answers are meticulous. I love how you teach how to think biblically and not worldly based on human feelings.
Question 4 is answered in scripture... “I am the true vine, and my Father is the farmer. Every branch in me that doesn’t bear fruit, he takes away. Every branch that bears fruit, he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. You are already pruned clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and I in you. As the branch can’t bear fruit by itself, unless it remains in the vine, so neither can you, unless you remain in me. I am the vine. You are the branches. He who remains in me, and I in him, the same bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If a man doesn’t remain in me, he is thrown out as a branch, and is withered; and they gather them, throw them into the fire, and they are burned. John 15:1-6 For concerning those who were once enlightened and tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the age to come, and then fell away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance; seeing they crucify the Son of God for themselves again, and put him to open shame. For the land which has drunk the rain that comes often on it, and produces a crop suitable for them for whose sake it is also tilled, receives blessing from God; but if it bears thorns and thistles, it is rejected and near being cursed, whose end is to be burned. Hebrews 6:4-8 For if, after they have escaped the defilement of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in it and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. For it would be better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after knowing it, to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them. But it has happened to them according to the true proverb, “The dog turns to his own vomit again,” and “the sow that has washed to wallowing in the mire.” 2 Peter 2:20-22
About the Shorts 🩳: They seem to be bringing lots of new people to your channel Pastor Mike, and that is good 👍🏻! They are nice because they’re very shareable and bite sized. They’re like little commercials for your channel lol.
Comment on "The Simpsons predicted the future" -- The response to this argument is similar to the apologetic refutation of the Nostradamus argument: If you throw enough predictions at the wall, some of them will stick, but if you don't have clear, testable specifics to your claims, or your accuracy ratio can't be distinguished from guessing, then you don't have a viable prophecy. There's certainly nothing that compares to the incredible accuracy of the Old Testament predictions concerning the coming Christ. One reason why this argument resurfaced a few years ago was a circa-2000 episode in which a Simpsons character was being given a glimpse at his future thirty years later and a proto-dystopian US is in a terrible budget crisis inherited from, it is implied, the previous administration of Donald Trump. But that wasn't a prediction. At that time, Trump was making noises about an independent run at the presidency and the creators decided to play off that. Even if it had been a prediction, which the shows' creators denied, it was off by at least a decade and contained no other useful specifics. That's just what happens when a show runs for over twenty years (then; now 35 years) and the writers try to play off every possible celebrity and current event.
Messianic prophecy is Jewish prophecy. Christian missionaries claim that Jesus is the Jewish messiah. Judaism has rejected this assertion for 2000 years. The concept of the messiah has its foundation in the Jewish Bible, The Tarnach. This clearly teaches that all requisite criteria must be fulfilled before a person is acknowledged as the messiah: 1. Messiah reigns as king of Israel. Jesus never reigned as king. And all Jewish people have not returned to live the promised land. 2. The holy Temple in Jerusalem will be rebuilt. It was still standing in Jesus’s day and was destroyed after the crucifixion and has not yet been rebuilt. 3. There will be world peace. This clearly has not happened. 4. All Jews would embrace the Torah . This has not happened. 5. All the people of the world would acknowledge and serve the one true God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. No chance of this happening any time soon. 6. The Messiah must be a member of the tribe of Judah and a direct descendant of king David and king Solomon. Genealogy in the bible is passed down from father to son. Who was Jesus’s father? Christianity says Jesus did not have a birth father. Huge problem. Jews are still awaiting the coming of the messiah and don’t accept that “ the incredible accuracy of the Old Testament predictions concerning the coming Christ “ has been fulfilled.
Bible predictions are self fulfilling. The Dead Sea scrolls indicate that there were hundreds of David Koresh at Waco characters lining up at the time. Who knows which one the gospels are about.
Thank you for this Q&A. I've thought about what others have said about not adhering to God's word if it's before Jesus died. Shouldn't we live as Jesus lived/ imitate Him? He came to both live & die for us. If the way He lived doesn't matter & if He was only meant to be harvested for the significance of His death then He could have just been conceived or born, then aborted or killed immediately after birth. As a man, Jesus came to establish our heavenly Father's instructions - what no man should change. I believe His example stands true & He adhered to the only scriptures He had which was the treasure of what many currently call the Old Testament. Thank you again for being a vessel to introduce the Good News to the people!
In regards to question number 6, I think it was a mistake to not mention repentance or sin which is important for non believers to understand. You must repent (turn away from sin), believe (the robust belief Mike mentions), and follow Christ (simply the evidence of your being saved, works and fruits).
Q4: I agree that it isn't helpful to say this to people, because they don't understand, but I think the theological core of it is precisely that they don't understand. If you are truly saved in Christ, truly intimate with God's presence, truly familiar with Who He is and what He is like, there simply is no other option left. It's unthinkable. There's nothing in this world that compares. The mere concept of replacing God with the "pleasures" of this world is terrifying. If someone ditches God for the world, it means they don't even know Who they are ditching. It necessarily means the relationship wasn't there. They were not real Christians because they never knew Christ. But since they don't know what they don't know, they don't understand this. They think they went as deep as possible because they hit a wall, not noticing that this wall had the front door in it. They never entered in the first place.
Good points. It's about relationship. It's fairly easy to ditch a sincerely held religion, but harder to ditch a true, experiential relationship with your maker and First Love. But some people do betray relationships for other reasons (Judas), and others have their hearts stray and just forget (Solomon?), hence, Psalm 103's "forget not all His benefits." Either way, if there were a relationship at one point, the final breaking off point is from a place of distance, not intimacy. A reminder for us all not to lose our First Love. Thanks again for your points, and God bless.
I truly believe that God's plan and ultimate wisdom is beyond our comprehension. it's hard not to question when bad things happen, and that is when it is probably the hardest to hold strong to our faith and believe that God is in control and God does not ever make mistakes.
And yet christians are continoually telling us what gods plans are and what he thinks, and what he likes and dislikes... it goes on and on. Why don't they just be honest and say, we don't know and neither did the unenlightened zealots who scribbled the bible?
Here is a new one. I am a believer, but don't bear any fruit, don't "feel" born again, seem to have head knowledge but not heart, feel damned to hell, etc. I'm petrified. I KNOW the truth but CANT seem to surrender. It's foreign to me, almost impossible. Am I just not elect? This has gone on far too long. I was doing great but when my Bible study got into Hebrews, I realized I may not be saved and never will. Please help me. I know no one can. I've been through this w many a holy person and can NOT fully rectify this issue. Fear rules me. Not love :( 😞
I’m sorry for the struggle you’re going through. I can’t cure the pain for you. But I hope you know you’re not struggling alone. Many Christians struggle with feeling rejected or unsaved. I have a close friend who could very much sympathize with your struggle. Keep waiting on the Lord. He will never leave you nor forsake you. God is a God of compassion.
I know exactly what you mean. We can pray together for each other. That’s the only thing we can do besides read His Word, pray, and fast. I wish I could give you a hug because I’ve struggled with this for months and it’s exhausting. Sometimes I’m on fire then the next I can be apathetic and it scares me because God matters. Yet, God and Jesus wants us to encourage each other. You are NOT alone. Take this to God. Take it to Him as many times as you need. Pray to Him for hours if you need. Ask for clarification. Ask for wisdom. Be honest. I hope this helps. 🥰
This is a very nasty attack by the enemy which I have been subject to most of my 62 years as a Christian. His object is to cripple you with so much doubt that you finally fall away. This is where staying close to the Body of Christ is so important and letting go of trust in your own understanding. Trust in the facts of your salvation that have nothing to do with you! It's all from Christ! Focus on the Gospel storyline not on your abilities.
@Luann Ferro , don't give up hope and you are not alone. I know this fear as well. Some things that have helped me is Scripture reading and music. Considering how Jesus welcomed the people who came to him and helped and healed people has been an encouragement to me. Feelings are not a reliable indicator of salvation. I know times I had rejoiced feeling saved and other times really afraid of hell. One thing I know from having an anxiety disorder is that fear lies. It can bring up self doubt and ask questions that start of with " are you sure...? do you really...?" Fear can be very manipulative . So, one thing I would say is to recognize when your fear is lying to you about God, the Scripture and your faith. And really soak in God's love. Read about God's love for you in the Scriptures. Learn from other Christians and be in community. @Mike Winger has some great content on salvation . I also would recommend BBN chat. I have been on the Bible Broadcasting Network Chat and they are very knowledgeable on the Scriptures in my opinion. May God bless you and give you encouragement and peace.
Please keep up the shorts. I was on IG and fumbled with my phone. I accidentally sent your plan a plan b short to an unbelieving friend. I was mortified when she replied "Thanks I needed that. " 1 bc it was an accident and 2 she seems pretty happy. (So ignorant of me to think an unbeliever doesn't need to hear truth as I do daily, ) We caught up and she's going through a rough time in her marriage. She is very much an agnostic and I don't know why I was so afraid as I am so open with evangelism and my faith. But The Lord knew what she needed. It opened a door even wider and I'm praying her salvation.
I like the shorts because I feel like if I share them with a non-believer there's much more of a chance that they will watch a short video. But I also love your longer Bible teachings and Q & A videos. Thank you so much for all you do!
I appreciate the shorts... my only complaint is when I'm expecting a long form video and can't tell I'm getting a short instead... is there a way to indicate this (maybe in the thumbnail) so it will be evident in our notifications on mobile devices?
If you visit our channel homepage and click "Videos," there will be a red "s" in the lower righthand corner of all "Shorts." I use that page to easily see all the videos together and see which ones are Shorts vs. regular videos.
@Makai Threads Maybe I do mean that and my comment makes no sense... or maybe I'm talking about the thumbnail that shows up in my mobile notifications, which neither says Shorts nor gives the duration of the video... I'll let you decide, since you know more than me about my intent.
I’m mixed on the shorts. The content and length are done well, but it does mean I have to search through more videos on your page to find the ones I want and the “clutter” fills up my subscription page making it harder to find other channels’ videos as well. But do whatever ministers the most.
The shorts are not put on our website (biblethinker.org) or our podcast. Searching through our content on the website or podcast may help "weed out" the shorts if they're not your favorite!
I know Im alittle late just found your channel about 1 week ago and have been binge watching you. I feel lost and dont know what to beleave or if I even have a chance anymore. I do enjoy your way of teaching the things that you beleave in. Keep up the good work.
Have a chance to what, be saved? The answer is an emphatic YES! Please believe that He wants you just like He wants me and the other 8 billion people alive today! God bless you
Thank you Mike for teaching FROM the Bible … after all people need to read the Bible and just don’t .. we need to be fed from the word … SO thank you Mike for inviting us to Gods table 🙏
Oh good grief! I just spent a good 10 minutes going back and forth from sitting down trying to eat and watch this, and pausing to run back and forth trying to find the cat that I thought was trapped under my house or harassing my inside cat to run amok...🤣 The thing is, there IS a stray cat that thinks this area is his! It's around question 19. Don't know when it started...lol. Sigh @Moxie!
I agree with your statement about needing time to create time. The other thing about time is that science starting from Einstein has known that other dimensions unaccessable to us are either completely possible or actual (evidence for dark matter, dark energy) . This means that scripture may be referring to the creation of time in our dimension and universe. C.S. Lewis in his book "the screwtape letters " posits that to a spiritual being time is seen as a temporary construction to allow limited mortal beings to be able to understand a part of eternity, and that they live in all of time at once (however Satan's ability to see and or remember the future if it was ever revealed to him was lost in his rebellion) . God does this ,I believe, so that salvation will be by faith. This is why although not a Calvinist I have no issues with God seeing the choices we WILL make through free will before WE arrive at them. Just like Jacob and Esau. And then acting accordingly in our "past" however this doesn't remove His sovereignty in making whomever he wishes however he wills. I believe that The clay and the potter verse deals with this. In short there's one SURE way to get to heaven, Believe that Jesus was God in the flesh, proclaim His atoning death and resurrection, take up your cross daily (following his commands is proof of salvation) and follow him! That's the bus to heaven, get on it! The rest is like arguing over whether the bus is gas or Diesel, was made by Ford or GMC, or has power steering or not! Just get on it and bring as many with you as you can!
Q: Is it okay to not get married in this life so that this desire may be fulfilled in eternity? As Jesus tells us to store up our treasure in heaven in Matthew 6:19-21 KJV, And because he said in Matthew 19:29 KJV, that if we forsake our wives here we will get one in eternity, though I believe we don't have to forsake anything to get them in eternity, but that Jesus was simply illustrating the abundance of which will be had.
Matthew 9:29 doesn't say anything about wives. He's healing the blind. Maybe you meant another passage? Also, there won't be marriage in heaven(Matthew 22:30, Mark 12:25).
@@__.Sara.__ Yes, I meant to quote Matthew 19:29, God bless! Though I take those verses as meaning the current ways of conducting marriage will be done away, not marriage in and of itself. (:
@@orth3593 I don't think it means we'll be given lots of houses or fathers or mothers, which it seems you would have to believe on a literal reading. I think you should read the question the Saducees asked Jesus in Matthew 22.
Mike some interesting questions. Then questions I would asked to start with are, what methodology did you employ to critically and evidentially come to the conclusion that Yahweh is real and all the other gods you do not subscribe to are not? What is the evidence for any god claim that would be convincing to someone hearing about gods for the first time , that they exist ? Referring specifically to the Christian God, why would an omnipotent , omniscient being want a relationship ? If God can interact with every human, why do we need apologists ?
I realize i am very late to the game here, but i definitely enjoyed the non christian questions. As someone who is new to the faith, it definately helps highlight how one may approach these topics.
Thank you, pastor Mike Winger. I enjoy long videos. But perhaps short videos can be a blessing for those listeners who prefer information given in drops. Anyway, let the Lord bless you and your family, your mission and your cats. Greetings from Slovenia.
For question 6 the one on belief is more like if you believe it's gonna rain. If you believe it's gonna rain when it isn't yet, it causes you to do an action. That action is bringing an umbrella. If you believe it isn't going to rain you won't bring one. Belief, true belief causes an action.
Those are completely different things. The belief it is going to rain under particular circumstnaces (heavy grey clouds overhead etc) is founded upon evidence and past experience of it raining under those circumstances. The belief in gods is most decidedly not.
Yep, Mike. Spot on. Not only that, but to add to my argument, we also need God to judge. As, the reason moral truth breaks down, is not because it's subjective, but because there's no accountability in the end, if God is absent from the equation. Naturally, in a postmodern world, Power is what determines right and wrong. And whatever that power is---as we're starting to get a whiff of how corrupt it can become---would become the arbiter on right and wrong. But, because God exists, it's His power and authority, which reinforces what is self evident about moral truths. Due to the suffering Sin creates, God must judge the world in the end. Otherwise, there could be no true justice, since corruption embeds itself in high places, like we're seeing now. And that creates suffering, and lets the evil triumph over the good; which in turn, increases poverty, abuse, hatred, self-centeredness, sickness, also among other things. That's also why God exists, is to bring final judgment to the World, and ensure justice is established above all else.
That just feels like a very short-sighted, shallow impression of morality. For example my well-being was improved today. That happened due to a delivery driver bringing me food that I ate, and that food was made by other people in another company, and ordered on a website run by another company, and all the people mentioned so far ate food or used services run by countless other people. In short, we live in an insanely interconnected economy. Their well-being _IS_ my well-being. Without everyone involved, the food would've been worse quality or delivered slower or not available at all! Well do you see how simple it is to justify a morality without ever pretending any gods exist? We don't have evidence of any gods or any eternal accountability -- we only have claims that those things are true, and when you ask people to provide good reasons for believing those claims, they can't. They don't have evidence of a god, and they don't have evidence of those god(s) holding people accountable. So it's definitely non-evidenced nonsense we shouldn't believe, and it may be an outright falsehood. (I mean theists have had _thousands_ of years at this point to come up with good evidence. And they haven't. So the safe bet is it's a falsehood.) To me it's far safer to have our eyes open to that probable reality. Because if you think a god is just gonna magically hold evil-doers accountable, you're far more likely to _tolerate_ evil-doers! If someone thinks a god will magically solve it, that person is less likely to try to make sure those people are held accountable here in the real world. Well I think that's dangerous. I think we should be honest that we don't know any gods exist, and take the topic very seriously, because yeah: the threat of corruption is huge, the risks of bad people getting enough power to enact their will in harmful ways is huge. But to fool ourselves that someone else is going to handle it actually makes it more likely that bad things are going to happen.
@@majm4606 But the fact is, that bad people do get power. So, even if we resist, ultimately, we too---as is happening with BLM and Antifa---become the very corruption we want to stop. By judging what's right and wrong, and by trying to right the wrongs of the world, we ourselves become culpable, as we're not God either, and we can have oversights of justice. You're never going to have perfect justice, and the minute you try---and it's being tried---you can ultimately make things much worse. That's why we need to rely on Providence, of which there is much evidence to prove it exists. Your idea is fundamentally being used right now, and its destroying generations worth of prosperity. And it's also overwriting the laws, and allowing bad people to not be recompensed by justice. So, what justice we did have, is being overruled and called "Racist." it's effectively not doing what you're saying. That's why we need to rely on God's law alone.
@@majm4606 I mean, just for me alone, I don't want to rely on this world's justice. Because it's very flawed. And the more it tries to make itself more just, the less just it becomes. Humans have always been wrong about what's right and wrong. And they've always created byzantine systems that oppressed people, save a few instances such as the United States, which for about thirty years was practically perfect. But, that perfection came from adherence to Biblical Principles. Such things as the Market---what you're describing---and also a criminal justice system that prosecuted criminal offenses. It's when we diverted away from those principles---such as instituting Gay Marriage---that the social fabric began to unwind. Because no human government can correctly judge, when that's permissed. It skews the LOGOS, and people cannot know right from wrong. From Confucius to Aristotle, the laws of Morality have been proven over and over again. But, when we compare them to the Bible, we find all that they got right were already in the Word of God. Even some more difficult ideas, such as the proper context for war, or what was the proper mode for Sex. It was abandoning the morality of the Bible which lead to the chaos we see today. Nothing more. Which proves God's law is objective. And the only governments in the world which actually practiced Christianity were also the most fair, and balanced, and just. So, that means there must be a power over their laws, which makes them just.
@@BKNeifert If you _don't want_ children to get cancer, do they stop getting cancer? If Gary strongly believes cancer-preventing fairies will cure every child, is Gary more likely or less likely to research _actual cancer cures_ that would actually save lives? So your first statement seems completely reckless to me, because (A) the world doesn't magically reshape based on what you want, and (B) recklessly believing a non-evidenced idea will solve the problem discourages us from finding _real solutions to real problems._ That's why truth is so important on topics like these, because they're real problems and deluding ourselves that they'll be magically fixed not only fails to help us, it actually limits our ability/desire to improve the problem ourselves! Worse, this ideology you've chosen takes you from someone who probably would've been fine with every type of love, and has turned you into someone who actively wants to prevent certain individuals from marrying, just because of who they fell in love with (which isn't exactly something they got to "choose at character creation"; did you choose who you'd be attracted to? Clearly not.) The only "social fabric" unwound by love is a fabric of hate. I find it shocking you think the Bible is a moral book. Are you unaware that the Bible supports slavery (owning people as property)? But maybe we should zoom out and zoom back in on the foundation: what _strong, logical evidence of any god_ do you have? "Evidence" refers to every reliable way of knowing truth humanity has, and nobody has strong evidence of a god, so humanity doesn't even know god(s) exist. Well if we care about truth, we must not believe falsehoods or unknowns (because we don't know those things are truth, and if truth is the goal we must _only_ believe truths).
Question Time Stamps for Quick Reference:
0:00 - Intro
1. 0:25 {Do we Need Religion to have Morals?} How would you respond to this statement?: “You don’t need religion to have morals. If you can’t determine right from wrong, then you lack empathy, not religion.”
2. 6:19 {Can we be Sure of the Resurrection?} In Acts 25: 20, if Festus and Agrippa can't be sure of the resurrection claim, how can we be sure now?
3. 12:23 {Comments on Reincarnation/Simpsons’ Prophecies?} Do you have any suggestions to help a believer of reincarnation? Ex: Ryan Hammons has 55 verified statements about having a past life. Also, Bible prophecies mean nothing since The Simpsons have predicted the future many times.
4. 16:38 {Was I Really Saved in the Past?} Was I ever really saved and had a relationship with Christ if I left heterosexuality and embraced my same sex attraction and married my wife?
5. 20:46 {Resolving a “Contradiction”} Does Ezekiel 18: 20 contradict the stoning of Achan and his family in Joshua 7: 24-26 (the idea of original sin passed down through Adam) and 2 Samuel 12: 13-15?
6. 29:59 {Do we “Just Believe” to be Saved?} To be saved, all we need to do is believe? Like how I believed that Santa was real when I was younger? Or is there more to this belief?
7. 33:19 {How are Miracles Proof if Satan Can Also Do Them?} One of the proofs you've put forward that the Bible is from God is miracles and prophecy. If we see that Satan is also able to do miracles, like Pharaoh's magicians, then why are those things proof it’s from God?
8. 36:53 {Can an Infinite God relate to Finite Creation?} How can an infinite God relate to a finite creation? Compared to infinity, our world's age is nothing, be it 10,000 years or billions. Same with the size of universe.
9. 39:44 {Could God Exist but Not be Perfectly Good?} Atheist here. What stops a supernatural but not perfectly good being from being the author of the miracles in the Bible, especially when you already accept the existence of supernatural beings?
10. 43:57 {Does Creating Time Require Time?} An atheist posited this question: If God created time, doesn't that require time, to create time?
11. 46:09 {Is a Belief in God an Attempt to Personalize the Impersonal?} An atheist claims: “Belief in God is what happens when social brains try to explain an impersonal universe. Personal explanations for impersonal events fail to deal with logic of uncertainty.” Any help?
12. 51:38 {How can Jesus be Sinless if “Unclean” at Times?} My professor brought up this question and I need to know your opinion. According to Hebrew Scripture, anything not of God’s perfect eschatological view is sin (human excretion, etc.). So how can we say Jesus is sinless?
13. 54:46 {Should Mormons Celebrate Christmas and Easter?} As a Mormon, since you'd consider us non-Christian, should we be allowed to celebrate Christmas or Easter?
14. 57:29 {Why Christianity vs. Other Religions?} Why should a person be Christian over another monotheistic religion which claims to be the truth, such as Islam?
15. 1:01:55 {Why does God Allow Children to have Cancer?} Why does God allow children to get cancer and other terminal illnesses?
16. 1:08:07 {Why Didn’t God Show Sodom Miracles?} In Matthew 11: 23-24, Jesus says that Sodom would have been saved if they had seen His miracles. Why, then, didn’t God perform miracles so that they would believe? Doesn’t He want everyone to be saved?
17. 1:14:43 {If God Doesn’t Change, Why do His Rules?} From a non-Christian friend: If God doesn’t change over time, how come He commands Jews not to eat certain foods in the Old Testament, but deems them OK in the New Testament?
18. 1:17:46 {Can God Give Commands when He Forced us to Exist?} Is it fair for God to demand our everything when we are forced to exist? I know Christ died for us, but it seems unfair to go through such suffering and sacrifice to receive salvation and avoid Hell.
19. 1:23:05 {Is Evangelism Harmful?} If a conscientious person who never heard the Gospel can still be saved, but a skeptic of the Gospel is damned, doesn't evangelism damn more people than it saves? Wouldn't humanism be our best bet?
20. 1:25:48 {Can we be Pro-Life and Against Same-Sex Adoption?} How do we respond to people who say “You Christians are so pro-life yet you don’t want gay people to adopt”? What’s the path to answering that question?
People who leave the faith for another faith or reject the Gospel altogether do lose their salvation because salvation is offered to everyone.
We can only be confident in our own relationship/salvation with God based on scripture and promise. We can have hope for others based on the fruit they produce however only God knows the Heart of every believer and nonbeliever.
John 6; 1John 2:19; Ephesians 1:13-14 (If savED always savED) Trust Christ.
I can give one answer to all these...I was an angry non believer. I had a supernatural experience and Christ saved my life. We always want to apply human logic and understanding and human qualities to everything about God. Only when we are humbled and we trust can we truly know his love. I'm not going to say the journey is always easy, but he did not promise this. I believe we go through challenges, pain, grief,and loss and that in him someday we will "see". Trust in God. He loves you:)
Did'nt NT preserve the precept Jesus taught?: ' If the miracles which were done in Bethsaida had been done in Sodom, they would have repented..' Does'nt this allude to understanding the spirit of the law or the purpose of revelation of lost truth that corrects those whose focus has become focused on earthly kingdoms?
Loved the non-Christian Q&A. I’d love to see it more often
I know the Mormon story sounds ridiculous. But not more ridiculous then god impregnating a virgin, who is his son (not really). Son dies, son lives again. Son appears to people. Only difference is we can fact check better .
My perspective on question 15… I had an older brother who passed away at the age of 4. I was just a toddler at the time. He had spina bifida and was born paralyzed from the chest down. He went through numerous operations. There was a lot of household stress because of this, plus my parents didn’t have a very good marriage and had no support from their families. They also did not know God. That was more than 50 years ago. My mother still mourns for him. He is just a thought away, and she hardly ever speaks of him without crying. But, she says he was the greatest gift to her-it was because of his condition and subsequent death that she and my father accepted the Lord as their Saviour. I feel very strongly that without my brother entering my family’s life for the brief time that he did, we would have ended up with a very difficult life, and perhaps my parents and my younger brother and I would never have gotten saved. We will see him again someday. God has a plan and a purpose for every person. Sometimes illness happens just because we live in a fallen world, but sometimes God has a unique purpose for it, and every time He will use it for good somehow for those who love Him.
thank you for sharing brother. God bless you and your family
Thank you for sharing
@@skippy675 2 Tim 1:12 For I know in Whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him until that Day.
Anyone that teaches the LIE of monetary tithing, sells anything using the gospel, or teaches that same-sex marriage is a sin CHOOSES to die with the wicked.
Luke 10:7 states the only wages for ministering are eating and drinking whatever you are given.
Also, know that rich people will all die. You can't be a Christian, sit on all kinds of money, watch your fellow brothers and sisters starve, suffer, or be homeless, choose to do nothing about it, and think that it's ok. Those are all wolves.
Mathew 19:12 Eunuchs that are born that way are transgender. Eunuchs made that way by others were abused in some way and something inside of them blocks off a certain type of body but it doesn't happen to everyone that is abused. Those that choose to live like Eunuchs FOR THE SAKE OF THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN are bisexual people that choose partners of the same sex-characteristics but opposite in regards to gender. Notice, it states God PREFERS for people to be in LGBT relationships. Leviticus, Corinthians, and Timothy were translated wrong by Billy Graham. Those verses are actually referring to pedophilia. Romans 1:27 All of the men were male in regards to gender, all of the women were female in gender. It is not referring to Eunuchs (where one partner is transgender). Also, it had nothing to do with marriage of any kind. They were trying to procreate during orgies so God did it on purpose. Anyone that continues to teach same sex marriage is a sin when the Bible says God prefers for people to be in LGBT relationships will also die by their own choice.
In order to be a church building, the place must house people inside of it. Otherwise it is just another private money-making business part of Babylon that furthers satan's agenda. Stay out of the fake churches.
I am Elijah of Malachi 4:5-6 and Acts 3:22-23 says it will come to pass that anyone that fails to listen to me will be UTTERLY destroyed from among the people. Again, everyone has a choice.
And anyone that deletes my messages CHOOSES to reject Jesus Christ Himself and that means they also CHOOSE to die with the wicked.
I am Elijah so that means any discrepancies in the holy books are ultimately decided by me. I am also to usher in the Messiah! Be ready: Jesus is coming back!
WORLD PEACE IS COMING! !!!!
@@skippy675 Judy didn't claim to be God and then resurrect herself to prove it. You have a lot to learn about Christianity, if you're willing to examine it objectively. Your assumption that, as one politician put it, people are just "clinging to God and the Bible" to cope with difficulties and "inventing a story" is patently false, and demonstrates something about your character and the way you treat others. For me it was the opposite: I didn't want an eternal life and I was not seeking any comfort. But I couldn't deny the blaring evidence that the universe was created, and couldn't find any holes in the case for Christ's death and resurrection. So I had no choice but to believe.
What came with time and regeneration was comfort in this life and hope for eternity. You have the process reversed.
Children, by the way, have prejudices. They are often akin to vipers in diapers.
I’ve been a longtime believer with doubts about God’s existence along the way to the point of atheism. I’ve come back to Christ through both belief and scientific study of reality. Thank you for your approach to everything. It’s been enlightening.
Praise God that you returned from the darkness! Now stay the course, Joseph! Read your bible daily. Pray daily, multiple times a day, about big things & small. And find a church with a trustworthy, biblically literate pastor who preaches the gospel from Genesis to Revelation, chapter & verse.
So good your turnaround!! It's so common, doubts are part of our nature . But praise God truth is on our side... And logic... And science... And everything else for that matter!
How did you get back to Christ via scientific study?
@@nicolab2075 Probably through the cosmological evidence for the beginning of space-time, the fine-tuning of the universe, and the information coding and decoding systems in biological life.
@@jackplumbridge2704 Ah, thanks. What was it that was causing your doubts, if you don't mind my asking?
"You're not the victim. You're the criminal being rescued by the savior." Soo good. Thanks Mike, I'm going to remember that one.
For… being born? Was what made me a criminal?
@@brotherjew1 Sin makes you the criminal. We humans decided we could tell good from evil. We were wrong.
@@robsheppard5353 So choosing the tree of knowledge of good and evil was a crime?
@@robsheppard5353 That premise is a recipe for sheep.
@@brotherjew1 You tell me... Almighty God, creator of the universe tells you to not do something, but you do it anyway. Is that a crime? Anyway, the more important point is that it's symbolic of our rebellious nature. Regardless of what you think about the story of Adam and Eve. You are a sinner, and you know it. Don't lie to yourself. You're in big trouble, but there is hope. Turn away from your sin and to Jesus. He loves you and He wants to save you for His kingdom, but He won't force you. You have to accept His grace willingly, intentionally.
More of these please? I'm a new Christian and it's so great to get an educated response to critical questions
Praise God! so happy your apart of the family ❤️❤️ just want to welcome you xx
You’ve found a great channel! Mike is my absolute favorite teacher.
@@hops4284 same here ! Has helped me so much 😊 ❤️ love seeing brothers and sisters that use the gift God gave them
This makes me so happy (: in 2020 I was a new Christian and Mike’s videos were (and still are) huge for me. Ik I’m 11 months late but congrats!!
@@BeyePerfectMinistries he has many flaws? Can you name them? Thanks!
I actually love these long videos! Have been listening to your women in ministry series in the podcast format. I clean, exercise, etc while I listen. Keep it coming, Mike! Such a blessing.
That's what I do, too! I'm just starting the dishes with this 20 questions video. 😉
I do the same thing. I put my earpods and I do anything the day brings listening to long videos like this.
Same! It might take me several days to watch but I like listening to these when I walk my dog. Or do gardening.
Haha! Same!
I agree! Keep ‘em coming!
Mike, you are so brilliant which makes your humility even more precious. You are not ashamed to say, “I don’t know” or “I’m not sure”. This is so genuine and honest. It reminds me that we are not always to lean on our own understanding. God bless you and your ministry.
As an amateur apologist, I LOVE your apologetics. Please do more.
I advise you to test out your new found skills on actual atheists, so they can put you right and tell you why you are spouting nonsense. Thanks.
@@SilverSixpence888What's an "actual" atheist?
@lil-al I advise you to try out your arrogance, to imagine you are in any position to put anybody right, by engaging with Christians face to face rather than popping off an attempt to demean another then slink away into the anonymity of the internet, never to be seen again. Perhaps God has something to reveal to you through a budding apologist that you didn't already know. I know I pray for your soul that you have that encounter someday.
Before I was saved, I felt the same way as “Ted”. I hated being alive. It was absolutely miserable. I’ll take the suffering in Christ over and over for all that God has promised, but even beyond that for the purpose and joy He’s brought into my life even here on earth.
I couldn’t understand why my Christian family members wanted to live in such a restrictive religion until my eyes were uncovered and I saw how little pleasure worldly things brought me. Of course I still struggle to cut sin out of my life, but even with that God is so gracious to me every day.
My heart breaks for questions like that, because I remember the pain and anger of being in that place in my life.
You have such a good way about your explanations Pastor Mike - very inviting to an unbeliever. Loved how you stood Biblically and realistically on the issue of homosexual adoption. May there be many Christian examples like you, especially among Pastors. 👍👍👍
Amen! Well said
I just love that you did this for non-believers. What a beautiful and humble way to evangelize. So many people do it the other way around where they are the ones asking the questions and don’t really allow the other person to talk.
I love the shorts bc I can share them easily on my Instagram stories 👏 this was one of my favorite q&a videos and I watch every week! I have a lot of gay, pagan, agnostic, new age and atheist friends so for me this was awesome thought provoking material!!!!
How do you share the shorts to Instagram?
I was so excited to hear my question answered, and I appreciated it so much!!! I have soooo many Facebook friends who I know personally that are pagan, atheist, gay, pro-choice, all that stuff and I never knew how to respond to that specifically. Thank you, Pastor Mike!
I love the shorts! I feel like non Christians are more likely to listen to the entire message if it's short and to the point.
I have never in my life heard any one answer questions with such comprehension of scripture. I listen with such anticipation of God’s word made more easily accessible to me, to answer these questions!! Thank you. I have no other words.
I love this video. I'm a Christian, and for some of these questions, I didn't know there were answers. You're a blessing, Pastor Mike.
I prefer the long videos. I just want to tell you how much I enjoyed hearing someone say adoption is about the child!!! Yes, yes, yes!!! I love your explanations. God Bless you!!
I haven't even watched this yet but I saw the first one pop up. To preface..I love and live for the Lord..what a wild assumption to say that one's reason for "religion" (what I'd rather call spirituality) is to be morally guided alone? At least for me I don't choose God because I have no morale compass or lack empathy...these things come naturally to me. I choose God because he is the truth. I spent MANY years being angry and calling Christian's judgemental until my eyes were opened, too. I will pray for everyone to find his love and grace. God Bless!
I appreciate the shorts. They make it really accessible to share your content. My husband and I both love the long videos but honestly most of our friends probably won't buckle down for a two hour video off the bat. Also I feel like you pick really relevant clips for the shorts that give a good glimpse into your ministry. Keep up the good work! May God keep you and bless you. :)
I was going to say the exact same thing! 😊👍
Hey Mike, love the shorts. Keep 'em going. I just want to say how much I appreciate the care you take to answer with humility and thoughtfulness toward the person asking. Also, I really love when you pull Scripture up on the screen and go through it right there so we can hear how you think through it.
I love tuning in for the honesty I get in these. 😁🙋🙏😎 thank you much.
Question 15's answer was absolutely beautiful, thank you for that
Amen! Brought tears to my eyes. 🥺
Mike, please do more like this. Thank your time, and being faithful to the word of God. Blessings to you.
I appreciate the shorts. I look forward to the long form discussion videos but the shorts have there place for a quick reminder hopefully to skew our thinking back towards our Savior where it belongs. God bless you
I love the shorts, I love the longs, I love every video you do. I've never watched one that I failed to learn something or gain a deeper understanding of what I do know. May God bless.
I believe God took David's child into his arms to love/protect / shield him . He would not be a constant reminder to them of their sin and suffer for for it . This child should have been a gift to generations .
I used to cry for this baby for some reason but then , I was comforted by prayer and meditation . Thank you Lord !
Maybe this will help others . It happens even today . We don't always know or understand God's Ways but, we must Trust him .
I'm Living , L earning ,
Humbled , Stumbling by
HIS GRACE & MERCY
EVERYDAY. & So
Thankful HE Loves me
Anyway 🌬. 🕯..
I assume you are pro-abortion then - highway to heaven for humans.
Wow question 11 was good!!! I had never thought of personal agency in that way and how we ARE generally good at detecting it! Thanks Pastor Mike!!! Thank you for this ministry!!!! I know it has blessed so many believers.
Question 17... When you were younger the rule was "Don't cross the street" but now that you are an adult it is "Look both ways and proceed with caution". What changed you or the road?
In the past it was "Don't eat shellfish" and now it is "Acceptable". What changed you or the shellfish and what was the change? Could it be that at the earlier time the shellfish were contaminated with a bacteria but today are fine? The same could be said about pork...
Making snap judgment with limited amounts of information often leads to erroneous conclusions.
I think it was less about the contaminants and cooking limitations (although I think there's an extent to which that's true too), and more about purposely setting Israel apart and trying to make them physically/ceremonially clean as a symbol and placeholder for coming salvation. Not only for them, but for the nations, since their difference would grab attention.
When I became an atheist, the “if you left Christianity then you were never really saved” argument used to make me so angry. Because I truly had a beautiful, albeit immature, relationship with Christ before I left the faith. Now that I have found my faith again five years later, it makes so much sense to me…. I may have rejected God, but He never left me. He was faithful to me even in my disbelief and sinful ways. I really do believe that once we are saved, God will never stop pursuing us. Our faith may falter, but Christ stands strong. I think that anyone who believes and is saved will always be saved.
This is such a great testament that God goes after his lost sheep. you were a part of the fold and came back. ❤
@@princepesa I posted this over a year ago so, update, I’m Catholic now 😄 I grew up southern Baptist, but through much prayer and grace of our Lord, he has led me home to his Holy Church.
God Bless sir. The shorts are nice but I often find myself going to watch the full clip haha.
The only thing would be how they are cut together, but I have shared them quite a few times.
May God Bless and Keep you and yours and Cause His Face to Shine upon you and Give you Peace, both now and forevermore, in Jesus' Name, Amen!
Revisiting many of your videos and question 17 was very helpful to me as I had troubles with this one too. Thank you so much for your teachings.
Great informative video! The thing that I greatly respect about you is that you often say "I'm not sure " or I don't know" we have to accept that God isn't required to reveal anything to us beyond what he has. Look at how we've twisted some of the lesser things he says into poor theology and abusive religious! We simply can't handle it yet.
Thank you Pastor Mike, for these videos. yes I love the short but I prefer your longer teaching videos
Great job on this, Mike! You did a fantastic job answering biblically AND pastorally. Thank you so much for your content
I look forward to checking out these questions and answers when I have the time.
As trolly as I often am on channels like these I have made some small steps towards theism over the last weeks (speaking of some unspecified general theism here, Christianity or any specific god is still way off) so I am interested to see if any of the topic in this video can change my mind on something.
Honestly, I'm glad you're here to wrestle with these things.
what has caused your small steps towards Theism?
Sometimes you can find an audio book of C.S. Lewis' Mere Christianity posted on TH-cam somewhere. That is a good listen/read on the incremental steps one might make towards finding first theism and then the specific God of the Bible. I just keep thinking how intolerably cold and empty life must seem without the promises and comfort of a loving God, and am praying that you will be shown something or someone to convince you.
Some sources estimate that there are about 2 million couples currently waiting to adopt in the United States - which means there are as many as 36 waiting families for every one child who is placed for adoption.
Not sure of your source or the actual data. But I imagine the data reflected in your comment is likely pretty close to the actual number of couples waiting. That fact further reinforces the truth that 'gay adoption' isn't about what's best for the child. It's about what certain adults, who happen to be gay, want for their personal life experience and our culture's headlong insistence on meeting those demands. I wonder how many of those millions of couples desiring to adopt are waiting precisely BECAUSE X number of gay couples have been chosen to adopt children rather than the families cited in these statistics.
I love the shorts, Mike! Always refreshing and welcome in the worldly scrolls
I’m 38 seconds into the video, and when you said your wife pulled the question from instagram, I quickly paused and went straight to IG! I’m so happy you are now on there also, I am most active on IG and so glad I can now easily share your content!! 🙏✝️
I think the word you were looking for during the Achan question is "Nomadic."
First I wanted let you know that I’m really learning a lot from your videos! I think your videos on the Catholic Church are a huge answer to prayer!! I never believed that Christianity and catholic religion are the same. No matter how much I’ve searched for clear information about the Catholic Church it was incredibly confusing. 🙄❤️ my point is my gut was right, it’s definitely not the same. So thank you for putting your videos out. Blessings to you!
I understand the analogy of what this person is asking
/ trying to get across when he/she is talking about Santa and belief. I had the same comparison in my head before I came to believe in Jesus.hard to explain through text. But for me, this was a path the enemy took me to lead me down a “path” of atheism. It’s really not about Santa but “trust”, trusting others in what to believe is true. For me, I felt deceived. My parents who I thought I could trust in telling me what is true lied. This “person” isn’t real, so why would I believe anyone else to tell me that Jesus is real and true. So I’m not going to believe what anyone tells me because my own parents deceived me. I really feel that, telling children that someone is real, but actually does not exist (such as Santa, the Easter bunny etc.) is harmful. Not bashing parents, they don’t know that is can be harmful to future belief in Jesus. I’ve have great memories as a child at Christmas and Easter. The enemy just twisted these things to get me to not accept Jesus as an adult. Created mistrust. this is just my experience. I hope this make since. ❤
Great episode! Thank you pastor Mike
I like your long videos because you show your work on how you arrive to your thoughts and perspectives on each topic. Every video I have watched (where I don’t agree with all of your views) gives me tools that I can use my self. Thank you for your ministry
I LOVE the shorts! I send them all to my family group text every time I see one! The minute long is perfect for sending, not too long but not a five second scream at you video 👍
Hey Mike thanks for another good Q&A!
As for the short videos, I like them but when I click on them, I'm expecting another "long" video but am a little disappointed when I find out that they are so short explaining one thing 🤣
After getting a few of the short videos, my expectations have been lowered
Thanks for the good content!
Somehow one of your videos came up on my recommend videos and I thank God using your videos to make me more excited again to learn about God!
God bless!
Q9: When I was finally convinced that God really existed, it was for the first time I realized that giving my life to Him was not an automatic decision. Suddenly this concept actually meant something, and I had no idea what I was giving away. I briefly considered the concept that it might be possible that all the things God used to convince me might just be one big trick to trap me into some supernatural prank. Since God can do anything He wants, I could not fully disprove this logically, but I did reach the conclusion that if this were the case, that if God would set up this whole salvation story just to mock me in the end, even if He really were so petty that He would waste all this effort on tricking a small ant like me, I would not be able to beat Almighty God at that game anyway. I can pragmatically disregard that possibility and trust in God's goodness all the way.
@@skippy675
And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.
- Hebrews 9:27-28
I’m curious. How do you interpret these verse then?
@@skippy675
That’s not what faith means at all. It’s talking about trusting the One who made us and gives us redemption. However, your claim was that the _Bible_ never said a man only had his life to repent. The verses I gave were in the Bible. For your claim to be sustained, you have to have an interpretation of these verses that doesn’t contradict your claim.
@@skippy675
“… man to die once, and after that comes the judgement.”
@@skippy675
“After that comes the judgement” suggests that’s the next thing in order. Sure there could be time between them, but no events (at least per the basic language used). Being born again between death and the judgement seems like a pretty important event.
@@skippy675
We’re not judged on credulity.
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.
- Romans 1:18-23
Faith is trusting in God’s provision of mercy, not blindly accepting our parents’ beliefs.
Wow,it's so much fun. I always listen to your English because you're so humorous and fluent. I respect you. Thanks again so much ❤
This was the best Q&A EVER!! Thank you so much!
As a Believer I found this very helpful and informative! Bless your ministry Pastor Mike
Wow these questions are quite telling. Thanks for posting.
Brilliant Mike, extremely helpful. Keep going strong, as our Lord leads.
I like the shorts. But they're...a little short.
I love getting the SHORTS! Thank You Pastor Mike for forums of your teachings♥🙏💜
I love the shorts, there bite sized and therefor brilliant for a quick and inspiring fix during the working day. Thank you for making them.
I appreciate the sharability of the shorts and think someone new to the channel may click through several of those to get to know you but I prefer the long form Q&A videos!
I’m assuming you’re only asking about Q&A… teaching has to happen in long form. I don’t mind taking 2 or 3 sessions to make it through a video. Longer is better. ☺️
Keep making the shorts pastor Mike. I think they're good.
I found your channel a few days ago. I appreciate what you are doing and respect your views. I enjoy listening and very much enjoy thinking through some of this with you. Some day we’ll understand it all! God bless.
Love all your videos 📹 ❤
God bless you and thank you 😊 🙏
Yes on shorts. I typically watch the full videos to the end (like this one). Shorts act as a "booster" for me, sometimes a "trailer" when I'm behind in watching. Really enjoy this channel!
I raised my twins by myself from the age of 3 as a single Father. My sisters thought I was crazy for teaching them from a early age that Santa was make believe, like a nursery rhyme. My little sister got so mad at me one year when my kids (a boy and girl) told there cousins that Santa wasn't real one Christmas Eve. My sister said "LARRY !" in a loud voice. My response "well it's true". It was so funny.
❤️
I also don't understand how Christians can lie to their children. I was never taught the Santa lie, nor passed on that 'tradition' and grew up understanding that Jesus was the reason for the season. I respect other parents' decisions, just don't understand it.
@@kazziemaccieI was taught the Santa myth as a child. I a was gullible child, my Mother had be convinced that she never lied. One Christmas Eve, I herd a noise and got up to investigate. I caught my Dad and mom trying to assemble my new bike. I felt betrayed by my mother at the realization that she lied and that there was no Santa . It ruined my Christmas. I was heart broken and felt wounded by my Mother. I didn't talk to her for several days. Finally I told her, "you told me you never lie". She replied, "I don't tell big lies", I told her that Christmas was a very big lie." From then on, I swore that when I had kids I would never teach them that mythical characters are real. When I got older I realized that many so called Christian Holidays are pagan.
If you thought that was funny, then there is something wrong with you. You acted disrespectfully to your sisters, who choose to bring up their kids with differing beliefs. It is like stealing something from the kids. I wouldn’t want you for an uncle.
@@andsoitgoes1142 You’re right, it’s not funny when people who claim to be Christians chose to support pagan holidays over the word of God, not funny at all. I would not correct my children when they tell the truth, over someone’s ungodly pagan practices. This is why our country has gotten so bad, because Christians have chosen over many, many years to keep silent because it might offend someone. Judgment is coming to the church and very soon. It’s the Churches fault that our Nation has become so corrupt. Not really sorry it my belief offends you. God bless you if you follow the ways of Yeshua.
Such a sound mind. Your answer on how the Old Testament is like training for the New Testament and that God does not change but “let’s look at what DID change” was brilliant. And helps me with an ongoing debate I have with my mother who seems to be adopting a new age form of Catholicism.
I like the shorts. Thank you :) I also send some of them to my family group text.
This would be really great for a children. Who have 100 questions especially in today's world!
👍 for the shorts! Thank you, Pastor Mike! 😸
Love the q n a from non believers they think in meticulous ways and your answers are meticulous. I love how you teach how to think biblically and not worldly based on human feelings.
Has he convinced any nonbelievers yet?
Question 4 is answered in scripture...
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the farmer. Every branch in me that doesn’t bear fruit, he takes away. Every branch that bears fruit, he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. You are already pruned clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and I in you. As the branch can’t bear fruit by itself, unless it remains in the vine, so neither can you, unless you remain in me. I am the vine. You are the branches. He who remains in me, and I in him, the same bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If a man doesn’t remain in me, he is thrown out as a branch, and is withered; and they gather them, throw them into the fire, and they are burned.
John 15:1-6
For concerning those who were once enlightened and tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the age to come, and then fell away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance; seeing they crucify the Son of God for themselves again, and put him to open shame. For the land which has drunk the rain that comes often on it, and produces a crop suitable for them for whose sake it is also tilled, receives blessing from God; but if it bears thorns and thistles, it is rejected and near being cursed, whose end is to be burned.
Hebrews 6:4-8
For if, after they have escaped the defilement of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in it and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. For it would be better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after knowing it, to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them. But it has happened to them according to the true proverb, “The dog turns to his own vomit again,” and “the sow that has washed to wallowing in the mire.”
2 Peter 2:20-22
I believe this also disproves the "once saved always saved" statement.
@@stevecolon8506 agreed my friend...
Regarding the shorts, I prefer the longer form personally. But I feel like the shorts help attract more people to your channel.
About the Shorts 🩳: They seem to be bringing lots of new people to your channel Pastor Mike, and that is good 👍🏻! They are nice because they’re very shareable and bite sized. They’re like little commercials for your channel lol.
i loved the "Jesus in the old testament" series! i can't wait for your verse by verse through Hebrews
Comment on "The Simpsons predicted the future" -- The response to this argument is similar to the apologetic refutation of the Nostradamus argument: If you throw enough predictions at the wall, some of them will stick, but if you don't have clear, testable specifics to your claims, or your accuracy ratio can't be distinguished from guessing, then you don't have a viable prophecy. There's certainly nothing that compares to the incredible accuracy of the Old Testament predictions concerning the coming Christ. One reason why this argument resurfaced a few years ago was a circa-2000 episode in which a Simpsons character was being given a glimpse at his future thirty years later and a proto-dystopian US is in a terrible budget crisis inherited from, it is implied, the previous administration of Donald Trump. But that wasn't a prediction. At that time, Trump was making noises about an independent run at the presidency and the creators decided to play off that. Even if it had been a prediction, which the shows' creators denied, it was off by at least a decade and contained no other useful specifics. That's just what happens when a show runs for over twenty years (then; now 35 years) and the writers try to play off every possible celebrity and current event.
Messianic prophecy is Jewish prophecy. Christian missionaries claim that Jesus is the Jewish messiah. Judaism has rejected this assertion for 2000 years.
The concept of the messiah has its foundation in the Jewish Bible, The Tarnach. This clearly teaches that all requisite criteria must be fulfilled before a person is acknowledged as the messiah:
1. Messiah reigns as king of Israel. Jesus never reigned as king. And all Jewish people have not returned to live the promised land.
2. The holy Temple in Jerusalem will be rebuilt. It was still standing in Jesus’s day and was destroyed after the crucifixion and has not yet been rebuilt.
3. There will be world peace. This clearly has not happened.
4. All Jews would embrace the Torah . This has not happened.
5. All the people of the world would acknowledge and serve the one true God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. No chance of this happening any time soon.
6. The Messiah must be a member of the tribe of Judah and a direct descendant of king David and king Solomon. Genealogy in the bible is passed down from father to son. Who was Jesus’s father? Christianity says Jesus did not have a birth father. Huge problem.
Jews are still awaiting the coming of the messiah and don’t accept that “ the incredible accuracy of the Old Testament predictions concerning the coming Christ “ has been fulfilled.
Bible predictions are self fulfilling. The Dead Sea scrolls indicate that there were hundreds of David Koresh at Waco characters lining up at the time. Who knows which one the gospels are about.
Thank you for this Q&A. I've thought about what others have said about not adhering to God's word if it's before Jesus died. Shouldn't we live as Jesus lived/ imitate Him? He came to both live & die for us. If the way He lived doesn't matter & if He was only meant to be harvested for the significance of His death then He could have just been conceived or born, then aborted or killed immediately after birth. As a man, Jesus came to establish our heavenly Father's instructions - what no man should change. I believe His example stands true & He adhered to the only scriptures He had which was the treasure of what many currently call the Old Testament. Thank you again for being a vessel to introduce the Good News to the people!
In regards to question number 6, I think it was a mistake to not mention repentance or sin which is important for non believers to understand. You must repent (turn away from sin), believe (the robust belief Mike mentions), and follow Christ (simply the evidence of your being saved, works and fruits).
So appreciate your ministry Mike. Praise the lord for giving us truth and something solid to stand on!
Q4: I agree that it isn't helpful to say this to people, because they don't understand, but I think the theological core of it is precisely that they don't understand. If you are truly saved in Christ, truly intimate with God's presence, truly familiar with Who He is and what He is like, there simply is no other option left. It's unthinkable. There's nothing in this world that compares. The mere concept of replacing God with the "pleasures" of this world is terrifying. If someone ditches God for the world, it means they don't even know Who they are ditching. It necessarily means the relationship wasn't there. They were not real Christians because they never knew Christ. But since they don't know what they don't know, they don't understand this. They think they went as deep as possible because they hit a wall, not noticing that this wall had the front door in it. They never entered in the first place.
Good points. It's about relationship. It's fairly easy to ditch a sincerely held religion, but harder to ditch a true, experiential relationship with your maker and First Love. But some people do betray relationships for other reasons (Judas), and others have their hearts stray and just forget (Solomon?), hence, Psalm 103's "forget not all His benefits." Either way, if there were a relationship at one point, the final breaking off point is from a place of distance, not intimacy. A reminder for us all not to lose our First Love. Thanks again for your points, and God bless.
I truly believe that God's plan and ultimate wisdom is beyond our comprehension. it's hard not to question when bad things happen, and that is when it is probably the hardest to hold strong to our faith and believe that God is in control and God does not ever make mistakes.
And yet christians are continoually telling us what gods plans are and what he thinks, and what he likes and dislikes... it goes on and on. Why don't they just be honest and say, we don't know and neither did the unenlightened zealots who scribbled the bible?
Love the shorts you make! Thanks!
Long videos are my favourite because they have more depth.
Here is a new one. I am a believer, but don't bear any fruit, don't "feel" born again, seem to have head knowledge but not heart, feel damned to hell, etc. I'm petrified. I KNOW the truth but CANT seem to surrender. It's foreign to me, almost impossible. Am I just not elect? This has gone on far too long. I was doing great but when my Bible study got into Hebrews, I realized I may not be saved and never will. Please help me. I know no one can. I've been through this w many a holy person and can NOT fully rectify this issue. Fear rules me. Not love :( 😞
I’m sorry for the struggle you’re going through. I can’t cure the pain for you. But I hope you know you’re not struggling alone. Many Christians struggle with feeling rejected or unsaved. I have a close friend who could very much sympathize with your struggle.
Keep waiting on the Lord. He will never leave you nor forsake you. God is a God of compassion.
@@levifox2818 thank you for your reply. It's frightening to say in the least
I know exactly what you mean. We can pray together for each other. That’s the only thing we can do besides read His Word, pray, and fast. I wish I could give you a hug because I’ve struggled with this for months and it’s exhausting. Sometimes I’m on fire then the next I can be apathetic and it scares me because God matters. Yet, God and Jesus wants us to encourage each other. You are NOT alone. Take this to God. Take it to Him as many times as you need. Pray to Him for hours if you need. Ask for clarification. Ask for wisdom. Be honest. I hope this helps. 🥰
This is a very nasty attack by the enemy which I have been subject to most of my 62 years as a Christian. His object is to cripple you with so much doubt that you finally fall away. This is where staying close to the Body of Christ is so important and letting go of trust in your own understanding. Trust in the facts of your salvation that have nothing to do with you! It's all from Christ! Focus on the Gospel storyline not on your abilities.
@Luann Ferro , don't give up hope and you are not alone. I know this fear as well. Some things that have helped me is Scripture reading and music. Considering how Jesus welcomed the people who came to him and helped and healed people has been an encouragement to me. Feelings are not a reliable indicator of salvation. I know times I had rejoiced feeling saved and other times really afraid of hell. One thing I know from having an anxiety disorder is that fear lies. It can bring up self doubt and ask questions that start of with " are you sure...? do you really...?" Fear can be very manipulative . So, one thing I would say is to recognize when your fear is lying to you about God, the Scripture and your faith. And really soak in God's love. Read about God's love for you in the Scriptures. Learn from other Christians and be in community. @Mike Winger has some great content on salvation . I also would recommend BBN chat. I have been on the Bible Broadcasting Network Chat and they are very knowledgeable on the Scriptures in my opinion.
May God bless you and give you encouragement and peace.
Mike you are just so awesome. I feel like I learn so much from you. I like the shorts but I love your long videos where be breaking down things.
Please keep up the shorts. I was on IG and fumbled with my phone. I accidentally sent your plan a plan b short to an unbelieving friend. I was mortified when she replied "Thanks I needed that. " 1 bc it was an accident and 2 she seems pretty happy. (So ignorant of me to think an unbeliever doesn't need to hear truth as I do daily, ) We caught up and she's going through a rough time in her marriage. She is very much an agnostic and I don't know why I was so afraid as I am so open with evangelism and my faith. But The Lord knew what she needed. It opened a door even wider and I'm praying her salvation.
Mike, your answer to #15… is purely phenomenal!! WOW. Thank you.
Absolutely love the shorts.
I like the shorts because I feel like if I share them with a non-believer there's much more of a chance that they will watch a short video. But I also love your longer Bible teachings and Q & A videos. Thank you so much for all you do!
The shorts are encouraging and informative!
Blessed are those who believe without seeing. The Truth just resonates. Jesus said that to Thomas.
I appreciate the shorts... my only complaint is when I'm expecting a long form video and can't tell I'm getting a short instead... is there a way to indicate this (maybe in the thumbnail) so it will be evident in our notifications on mobile devices?
If you visit our channel homepage and click "Videos," there will be a red "s" in the lower righthand corner of all "Shorts." I use that page to easily see all the videos together and see which ones are Shorts vs. regular videos.
@Makai Threads Maybe I do mean that and my comment makes no sense... or maybe I'm talking about the thumbnail that shows up in my mobile notifications, which neither says Shorts nor gives the duration of the video... I'll let you decide, since you know more than me about my intent.
❤ lots of love you have helped me change my way of looking at every aspect of my life biblically… May the Lord bless u more
I’m mixed on the shorts. The content and length are done well, but it does mean I have to search through more videos on your page to find the ones I want and the “clutter” fills up my subscription page making it harder to find other channels’ videos as well.
But do whatever ministers the most.
The shorts are not put on our website (biblethinker.org) or our podcast. Searching through our content on the website or podcast may help "weed out" the shorts if they're not your favorite!
I know Im alittle late just found your channel about 1 week ago and have been binge watching you. I feel lost and dont know what to beleave or if I even have a chance anymore. I do enjoy your way of teaching the things that you beleave in. Keep up the good work.
Have a chance to what, be saved? The answer is an emphatic YES! Please believe that He wants you just like He wants me and the other 8 billion people alive today! God bless you
Just keep listening and see
The youtube shorts you do are nice😊
Thank you Mike for teaching FROM the Bible … after all people need to read the Bible and just don’t .. we need to be fed from the word … SO thank you Mike for inviting us to Gods table 🙏
Oh good grief! I just spent a good 10 minutes going back and forth from sitting down trying to eat and watch this, and pausing to run back and forth trying to find the cat that I thought was trapped under my house or harassing my inside cat to run amok...🤣 The thing is, there IS a stray cat that thinks this area is his! It's around question 19. Don't know when it started...lol. Sigh @Moxie!
haha
😂😹
I agree with your statement about needing time to create time. The other thing about time is that science starting from Einstein has known that other dimensions unaccessable to us are either completely possible or actual (evidence for dark matter, dark energy) . This means that scripture may be referring to the creation of time in our dimension and universe. C.S. Lewis in his book "the screwtape letters " posits that to a spiritual being time is seen as a temporary construction to allow limited mortal beings to be able to understand a part of eternity, and that they live in all of time at once (however Satan's ability to see and or remember the future if it was ever revealed to him was lost in his rebellion) . God does this ,I believe, so that salvation will be by faith. This is why although not a Calvinist I have no issues with God seeing the choices we WILL make through free will before WE arrive at them. Just like Jacob and Esau. And then acting accordingly in our "past" however this doesn't remove His sovereignty in making whomever he wishes however he wills. I believe that The clay and the potter verse deals with this. In short there's one SURE way to get to heaven, Believe that Jesus was God in the flesh, proclaim His atoning death and resurrection, take up your cross daily (following his commands is proof of salvation) and follow him! That's the bus to heaven, get on it! The rest is like arguing over whether the bus is gas or Diesel, was made by Ford or GMC, or has power steering or not! Just get on it and bring as many with you as you can!
I like the Shorts @Pastor Mike
The Q&A videos are the best! And this one was one of my favorites. Keep up the great work Mike! ❤️🙌
Q: Is it okay to not get married in this life so that this desire may be fulfilled in eternity? As Jesus tells us to store up our treasure in heaven in Matthew 6:19-21 KJV, And because he said in Matthew 19:29 KJV, that if we forsake our wives here we will get one in eternity, though I believe we don't have to forsake anything to get them in eternity, but that Jesus was simply illustrating the abundance of which will be had.
from what I understand There are no wives in heaven
(if i remember correctly)
Matthew 9:29 doesn't say anything about wives. He's healing the blind. Maybe you meant another passage?
Also, there won't be marriage in heaven(Matthew 22:30, Mark 12:25).
@@__.Sara.__ Yes, I meant to quote Matthew 19:29, God bless! Though I take those verses as meaning the current ways of conducting marriage will be done away, not marriage in and of itself. (:
@@__.Sara.__ What do you take Matthew 19:29 as meaning?
@@orth3593 I don't think it means we'll be given lots of houses or fathers or mothers, which it seems you would have to believe on a literal reading. I think you should read the question the Saducees asked Jesus in Matthew 22.
Mike some interesting questions. Then questions I would asked to start with are, what methodology did you employ to critically and evidentially come to the conclusion that Yahweh is real and all the other gods you do not subscribe to are not?
What is the evidence for any god claim that would be convincing to someone hearing about gods for the first time , that they exist ?
Referring specifically to the Christian God, why would an omnipotent , omniscient being want a relationship ?
If God can interact with every human, why do we need apologists ?
I realize i am very late to the game here, but i definitely enjoyed the non christian questions. As someone who is new to the faith, it definately helps highlight how one may approach these topics.
Thank you, pastor Mike Winger. I enjoy long videos. But perhaps short videos can be a blessing for those listeners who prefer information given in drops. Anyway, let the Lord bless you and your family, your mission and your cats. Greetings from Slovenia.
For question 6 the one on belief is more like if you believe it's gonna rain. If you believe it's gonna rain when it isn't yet, it causes you to do an action. That action is bringing an umbrella. If you believe it isn't going to rain you won't bring one. Belief, true belief causes an action.
Those are completely different things. The belief it is going to rain under particular circumstnaces (heavy grey clouds overhead etc) is founded upon evidence and past experience of it raining under those circumstances. The belief in gods is most decidedly not.
Yep, Mike. Spot on. Not only that, but to add to my argument, we also need God to judge. As, the reason moral truth breaks down, is not because it's subjective, but because there's no accountability in the end, if God is absent from the equation. Naturally, in a postmodern world, Power is what determines right and wrong. And whatever that power is---as we're starting to get a whiff of how corrupt it can become---would become the arbiter on right and wrong. But, because God exists, it's His power and authority, which reinforces what is self evident about moral truths. Due to the suffering Sin creates, God must judge the world in the end. Otherwise, there could be no true justice, since corruption embeds itself in high places, like we're seeing now. And that creates suffering, and lets the evil triumph over the good; which in turn, increases poverty, abuse, hatred, self-centeredness, sickness, also among other things. That's also why God exists, is to bring final judgment to the World, and ensure justice is established above all else.
That just feels like a very short-sighted, shallow impression of morality. For example my well-being was improved today. That happened due to a delivery driver bringing me food that I ate, and that food was made by other people in another company, and ordered on a website run by another company, and all the people mentioned so far ate food or used services run by countless other people.
In short, we live in an insanely interconnected economy. Their well-being _IS_ my well-being. Without everyone involved, the food would've been worse quality or delivered slower or not available at all!
Well do you see how simple it is to justify a morality without ever pretending any gods exist? We don't have evidence of any gods or any eternal accountability -- we only have claims that those things are true, and when you ask people to provide good reasons for believing those claims, they can't. They don't have evidence of a god, and they don't have evidence of those god(s) holding people accountable. So it's definitely non-evidenced nonsense we shouldn't believe, and it may be an outright falsehood. (I mean theists have had _thousands_ of years at this point to come up with good evidence. And they haven't. So the safe bet is it's a falsehood.)
To me it's far safer to have our eyes open to that probable reality.
Because if you think a god is just gonna magically hold evil-doers accountable, you're far more likely to _tolerate_ evil-doers! If someone thinks a god will magically solve it, that person is less likely to try to make sure those people are held accountable here in the real world.
Well I think that's dangerous. I think we should be honest that we don't know any gods exist, and take the topic very seriously, because yeah: the threat of corruption is huge, the risks of bad people getting enough power to enact their will in harmful ways is huge. But to fool ourselves that someone else is going to handle it actually makes it more likely that bad things are going to happen.
@@majm4606 But the fact is, that bad people do get power. So, even if we resist, ultimately, we too---as is happening with BLM and Antifa---become the very corruption we want to stop. By judging what's right and wrong, and by trying to right the wrongs of the world, we ourselves become culpable, as we're not God either, and we can have oversights of justice.
You're never going to have perfect justice, and the minute you try---and it's being tried---you can ultimately make things much worse. That's why we need to rely on Providence, of which there is much evidence to prove it exists.
Your idea is fundamentally being used right now, and its destroying generations worth of prosperity. And it's also overwriting the laws, and allowing bad people to not be recompensed by justice. So, what justice we did have, is being overruled and called "Racist." it's effectively not doing what you're saying. That's why we need to rely on God's law alone.
@@majm4606 I mean, just for me alone, I don't want to rely on this world's justice. Because it's very flawed. And the more it tries to make itself more just, the less just it becomes. Humans have always been wrong about what's right and wrong. And they've always created byzantine systems that oppressed people, save a few instances such as the United States, which for about thirty years was practically perfect. But, that perfection came from adherence to Biblical Principles. Such things as the Market---what you're describing---and also a criminal justice system that prosecuted criminal offenses. It's when we diverted away from those principles---such as instituting Gay Marriage---that the social fabric began to unwind. Because no human government can correctly judge, when that's permissed. It skews the LOGOS, and people cannot know right from wrong.
From Confucius to Aristotle, the laws of Morality have been proven over and over again. But, when we compare them to the Bible, we find all that they got right were already in the Word of God. Even some more difficult ideas, such as the proper context for war, or what was the proper mode for Sex. It was abandoning the morality of the Bible which lead to the chaos we see today. Nothing more. Which proves God's law is objective. And the only governments in the world which actually practiced Christianity were also the most fair, and balanced, and just. So, that means there must be a power over their laws, which makes them just.
@@BKNeifert If you _don't want_ children to get cancer, do they stop getting cancer?
If Gary strongly believes cancer-preventing fairies will cure every child, is Gary more likely or less likely to research _actual cancer cures_ that would actually save lives?
So your first statement seems completely reckless to me, because (A) the world doesn't magically reshape based on what you want, and (B) recklessly believing a non-evidenced idea will solve the problem discourages us from finding _real solutions to real problems._ That's why truth is so important on topics like these, because they're real problems and deluding ourselves that they'll be magically fixed not only fails to help us, it actually limits our ability/desire to improve the problem ourselves!
Worse, this ideology you've chosen takes you from someone who probably would've been fine with every type of love, and has turned you into someone who actively wants to prevent certain individuals from marrying, just because of who they fell in love with (which isn't exactly something they got to "choose at character creation"; did you choose who you'd be attracted to? Clearly not.)
The only "social fabric" unwound by love is a fabric of hate.
I find it shocking you think the Bible is a moral book. Are you unaware that the Bible supports slavery (owning people as property)?
But maybe we should zoom out and zoom back in on the foundation: what _strong, logical evidence of any god_ do you have? "Evidence" refers to every reliable way of knowing truth humanity has, and nobody has strong evidence of a god, so humanity doesn't even know god(s) exist. Well if we care about truth, we must not believe falsehoods or unknowns (because we don't know those things are truth, and if truth is the goal we must _only_ believe truths).