How does the church deal with a pastor and minister having a sexual relationship that the members know about (factual, not gossip)?  It has the body of the church very disturbed.

Sincerely,
Shocked By Scandal

Dear Shocked By Scandal,

The church has the responsibility to stand up against illicit affairs, especially when it is found within the church’s leadership.  Paul warned the Ephesian church that there would come a time when their leadership would behave in an evil fashion (Acts 20:28-30) and that the only answer to an openly sinful leader was to stand up against him (1 Tim 5:19-20).  We should never be hasty about church discipline (1 Tim 5:22), but we should also never show partiality toward someone just because they are in a position of authority (1 Tim 5:21).

Those who upset the church and destroy the faith of others need to be stopped.  You have no other choice but to rebuke them and withdraw from those living wickedly (1 Cor 5:13).

5 minutes a day
5 days a week
1 New Testament in a year

There are 261 weekdays in a year, and there are 260 chapters in the New Testament. By reading one chapter, Monday through Friday, you will read the whole New Testament by the end of the year. The Daily Cup series is to help with that goal.

Happy Studying!

"The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup." -- Psalm 16:5

Click here for a pdf of the study schedule - CLICK HERE

How does adultery affect a family?

Sincerely,
Damage Control

Dear Damage Control,

Adultery is devastating to a family.  Adultery breaks the vows of marriage and destroys the trust that God intended for marriage (1 Cor 6:16).  It is debilitating to the emotional well-being of the spouse that has been cheated on.  God said that marriage is meant to be built upon love and respect (Eph 5:33) – adultery decimates both of those.

Children grow up too fast in a home broken by adultery.  Children are products of the environment their parents create for them (Eph 6:1-4).  If a marriage is hurting, so are the children that are supposed to be protected by that marriage.  A family can survive after adultery, but the damage is deep, and the healing takes time.

5 minutes a day
5 days a week
1 New Testament in a year

There are 261 weekdays in a year, and there are 260 chapters in the New Testament. By reading one chapter, Monday through Friday, you will read the whole New Testament by the end of the year. The Daily Cup series is to help with that goal.

Happy Studying!

"The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup." -- Psalm 16:5

Click here for a pdf of the study schedule - CLICK HERE

My friends suggested that I get a Strong's Dictionary Concordance/Word Study to help me with some of my questions and to understand the Bible more precisely.  What is this, and where do I obtain one?

Sincerely,
Ready To Book It

Dear Ready To Book It,

A concordance is a book that gives you an alphabetical list of the words in the Bible and tells you every verse that you can find that word in.  It allows you to search the Bible by word, and some expanded concordances also allow you to search the Bible by topic.
A word study is a book that allows you to study the definitions of various words in the Bible – specifically the definitions from the original Greek language.  It can be a very helpful tool in understanding certain passages with difficult wording.
Strong’s is a specific brand of concordance and word study.  It can be found at most Bible bookstores and even at Amazon.com – here is a link.