Hello again, and may God continue to bless you all.  My question is concerning a trend in the Lord’s church and its consequences.  I am having trouble concerning fellowshipping with the denominational world.  I don't believe it is a good idea for the Lord’s church’s members to be thrown up together with speakers that are not Christians… i.e. at Christian youth rallies, inviting them in during Bible study, or holding breakfast with them to show our support for each other.  We are to be in the world, NOT of the world.  I think it shows an acceptance of their false doctrine, and waters us down… not to mention confusing our own on where we stand and why.

I don't hate the sinner, just the sin, but we need to draw the line and say, “That's it.”  Thanks a lot.

Sincerely,
Influenced

Dear Influenced,

There is nothing wrong with studying with people from the denominational world in hopes of converting them to the one true church of Jesus Christ (Eph 4:4-6), but it is dead wrong to support false teachers.

2 Jhn 1:10 says that we shouldn’t even give a greeting to those that are false teachers.  We cannot in any way confuse people by supporting the denominational world.  The denominations have left the basic teachings of Christ, and these religious leaders are destroying people’s souls.  They nullify God’s laws in order to keep their traditions (Mk 7:9).  Jude warned that false teachers are like hidden rocks that sink ships and shepherds that fail to protect the flock (Jude 1:12).  God’s church should have no communion with the doctrines of demons (1 Tim 4:1).

     If a person was open to the idea of Jesus Christ... but didn't truly believe, and she was the most kindest person you have ever met, would she automatically go to hell even if she was a very kind and respectful person?

Sincerely,
Fond Of My Friend

Dear Fond Of My Friend,

Nobody gets to heaven because they are such a good person (Rom 3:27-28).  Everyone has sinned and fallen short of the perfection that gives you a right to enter heaven’s gates (Rom 3:23).  No amount of good deeds cancel out your bad deeds.  If I save a million lives, but murder one – I am still a murderer.  Sin requires forgiveness, and forgiveness is a gift (Rom 6:23).  We receive that gift through Jesus’ sacrifice (Jhn 3:16), and we can only be redeemed by Jesus’ blood when we place our faith in Him (Rom 3:24-25).  We place our faith in Christ when we hear His Word (Rom 10:17) and obey it.  There is no way to God except through Christ (Jhn 14:6).  It is good if someone is kind, but kindness isn’t what saves you – Jesus is (Jhn 10:7-11).

      I know that forgiving those who have hurt us is absolutely critical to be a follower of Jesus, but how can we know for sure if we have truly forgiven someone?

Sincerely,
Introspective

Dear Introspective,

The only way to know for sure is to examine yourself – something God says we should regularly do (1 Cor 11:28).  Forgiveness can often take time because we aren’t as good at it as God is, but there are a few signs that you are truly forgiving someone.

1. You aren’t embittered against them (Heb 12:15).  Bitterness is the product of holding grudges against someone and not letting go of your pain.  If you find yourself becoming an angry and embittered person – you probably need to work on forgiveness.
2. Are you trying to forget about the injury they caused?  God says that forgiveness means that you no longer remember the transgression (Heb 8:12).  This doesn’t mean that you have amnesia, but it means that you aren’t dwelling upon it and keeping records of injuries against you.

As we said, forgiveness can be very difficult, especially if the person has hurt you very deeply, but it is possible to grow and become a truly forgiving person.

      Some passages that say God is peaceful (Rom 15:33, 1 Cor 14:33, 2 Cor 13:11, 2 Thess 3:16, Heb 13:20, and Isa 2:4).  Some passages say that God is a warlord (Psa 18:34, Exo 15:3, Psa 24:8, 2 Sam 22:35, Psa 144:1, and Joel 3:9-10).  So how am I to understand both set of Scriptures when one talks of peace and the other talks of war?

Sincerely,
Character Building

Dear Character Building,

God says that we should be at peace with all men as much as it depends on us (Rom 12:18).  It takes two to have peace, and even the greatest peacemakers must be prepared for war when others seek to destroy and commit evil.  God is that perfect peacemaker that desires good things for all but is unafraid to punish the wicked (Rom 12:19).  If God were unwilling to protect the righteous from evil, there would be no peace (Pr 17:15).  However, God knows how to both protect the righteous and vanquish the unrighteous (2 Pet 2:9).

     Are there different things a church can do when they are assembled together versus not in an official assembly?

Sincerely,
Events Planner

Dear Events Planner,

Whenever the local church functions as a group, they have only three things that they are authorized to do: teach the saved, preach to the lost, and care for needy Christians (read “Purpose Driven Church” for specifics on the work of the church).  This is true in the worship service, and it is also true with any other group decision and action.  The local church is the pillar and ground of the truth every day of the week (1 Tim 3:15).