Having preached for the first time as a commissioned minister, I received a check for the service. I believe I should endorse the check and give it back as a ‘first fruits’ offering. As I wish to continue on this path, do you concur?

Sincerely,
It’s Harvest Time

Dear It’s Harvest Time,

You don’t have to give the money back as a contribution, but it certainly would be a blessing to do so. Whenever we give to God, we are the ones that are blessed the most (Php 4:17), not necessarily physically – but spiritually. When we give to God, we store up treasures for ourselves in heaven (Matt 6:20). Give cheerfully (2 Cor 9:7) and deliberately (1 Cor 16:2).

On a separate note, what is a “commissioned minister”? Could you show us a verse in the Bible that talks about that? Who does the commissioning? We are concerned because that terminology smacks of denominationalism and man-made religious ideas. As you are embarking on a lifetime of preaching, we would hate for you to get wrapped up in the religious confusion that is so often found in today’s churches. You will be asserting yourself as a teacher… and a teacher incurs a stricter judgment (Jas 3:1). The Bible only speaks of ministers. “Commissioned ministers”, “lay ministers”, “youth ministers”, “outreach ministers”, etc. are all man-made titles that have been added as people overcomplicate and warp the Bible. We recommend you read “Preacher Interrogation” and interrogate yourself to see whether or not you are planting a preaching career on solid Biblical ground.

In the Bible, who is responsible for most of the miracles?

Sincerely,
Keeping A Tally

Dear Keeping A Tally,

The short answer is: God.  God is responsible for ALL of the miracles in the Bible.  Anyone in the Bible that performed miracles performed them through God’s power (Acts 2:22).  As for who specifically performed the most miracles – there is no way of telling.  Even if you counted up all the miracles that we read about, it still wouldn’t answer the question because we know that there were miracles that the Bible didn’t record (Jhn 21:25).  The purpose of Biblical miracles was to bear witness to the men who were preaching (Jhn 3:2).  The miracles were proof to the people of that day that Jesus really was the Messiah and approved by God (Acts 2:22).

I'm confused about 1 Corinthians 11.  Is it saying that a man shouldn't have long hair?

Sincerely,
Buzz Cut

Dear Buzz Cut,

God designed men and women differently… this should be no surprise to anyone that has ever dealt with the opposite gender!  Men are to be the leaders in the home (Eph 5:23) and the church (Tit 1:5-6).  Women are the heart of the family (Tit 2:4-5), and men are not complete without them (1 Cor 11:12).  Both genders are equal heirs of salvation, but they are designed with different strengths and roles (1 Pet 3:7).  One way that God signifies this is by having men look different from women.  When women have long hair and men have short hair – it pleases God (1 Cor 11:14-15).  There are varying degrees of long and short hair, but ultimately – men are to look like men, and women are to look like women.  This principle is even borne out in the Old Testament (Deut 22:5).  The teachings of 1 Cor 11:1-16 are simply teaching that a woman’s long hair is a God-given covering for her head, and men are not to have that same covering due to their varying roles in leadership.

The book of Job, chapter 14:1-6: “A man is born of a woman.”  What do those verses mean?  Explain them to me please.

Sincerely,
Guys And Dolls

Dear Guys And Dolls,

Job 14:1-6 is a continuation of Job’s explanation of the difficulty he faces in his circumstances.  Job is pointing out the shortness and strain of human life.  People are born, they live their short lives, and God determines the length of their days.  Everything Job says is true except for the sense of gloom and doom.  Though no one could blame Job for feeling so pessimistic about life, he is missing one important component of the human existence – hope.  Hope is God’s gift to the faithful that allows us to persevere and look forward to an eternal life in heaven (Rom 8:24, 1 Tim 4:10).

I have heard many stories of people that have been declared legally dead for a few minutes and have "seen the light" or gotten a glimpse of what heaven or hell may be like.  Is this possible?

Sincerely,
Walk Towards The Light

Dear Walk Towards The Light,

‘Legally dead’ is not the same as actually dead.  A hundred years ago, someone was declared legally dead when they stopped breathing.  Fifty years ago, someone was declared legally dead when their heart stopped beating.  Today, we know that neither of those things necessarily mean that someone is dead.  In truth, the only way to know for sure that someone is “fully dead” is when they don’t come back to life.  When someone is declared dead and then are resuscitated, it simply means the physicians made a mistake in deeming the person “too far gone”.

The whole point of that explanation is to say that you only go to heaven or hell when you are actually dead.  The rich man wanted to get back to his brothers and explain what was on the other side… but he couldn’t (Lk 16:22-31).  Furthermore, God makes it clear that each of us only dies once, and only then will we face the Judgment (Heb 9:27).  Anyone who says they have visited heaven (no matter how sincere their assertion) is mistaken.