What Does It Mean To Accept Christ As Your Savior?

Question:

Today I received Christ in my heart as my savior, and I accept it…today I was saved…salvation only by this?  What about to have good actions, and to be good?  According to what I understand only to repeat the famous prayer that each evangelical says to repent his or her sins and accept Christ and he or she is saved…how is that? What about James when he says faith without deeds is dead?

My Reply:

First, congratulations on accepting Jesus!  I'm happy to call you my brother (or sister)!

Second, I can see you're reading your Bible!  That's good...so is asking questions about the things you're reading in it.

Accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior means to accept His invitation and free gift of salvation, thus renouncing your sins and sinful life; Accepting Jesus as your Lord is to accept Jesus as God and your new owner.  Also with that, though, you're entering into a relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

James' letter was addressing Christians who would often figure that since they've accepted Jesus and received the Holy Spirit, they're set, and didn't move forward in their faith (you'll see such "Christians" today, too).  But you can't lay idle.  Faith without works is dead, in the same way that if you plant a seed for an apple tree, but the seed never grows up into that intended tree.  You need to serve others, demonstrate Christ in your actions, and let the Holy Spirit transform you from within.

As for being saved, yeah, salvation only by believing, repenting, and asking Jesus in. That's it.

The good actions and such begin as you read the Bible (as I see you have begun to do), which not only tells you about Jesus and God's work in the lives of humans since the beginning, but it also gives a place for Jesus to come and fellowship with you (and you've been doing that also).

Prayer is important, for it's your God's means of communication with you, and you with Him.  Some people think it's just about you talking and telling Him what you need help with, but prayer is supposed to be a 2-way streak...you listen, too.

Church is needed, for it's a gathering with other Christians, as well as a means to get involved with service and a Christian community.  And not just church services on Sundays, but it's also good to get involved with ministries throughout the week, such as small groups and Bible studies.

And if you haven't yet been baptized, you need to do so, for it's what unites you with the Body of Christ (the family of God...the Church).

As for your additional details, the Holy Spirit changes your desires.  Yes, we can "technically" do whatever we want, but as Paul mentioned in 1 Corinthians, not everything is good for us.  Also, the Holy Spirit directs us to doing that which glorifies God, which is our new mission in life. For example, you'll notice some things you used to enjoy doing that you're not into anymore.  As Paul said in Romans 8:5, "Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit, have their minds set on what the Spirit desires." 

Feel free to email me in the future if you have any questions.

---Pastor Andy

Jehovah's Witnesses versus Atheists

Question:
What is the difference between Jehovah's Witnesses and Atheists? Don't they both NOT believe in God?

My Reply:
JW's believe in "a" god, and believe they are the only ones who are worshiping the correct God (the Lord in the Bible). Yet they misinterpret the Bible and choose to skip over the scripture/passages that don't agree with their beliefs.

So technically speaking, JWs are not Christians, for they separate themselves from Christians and recognize them/us as subjects for conversion to their (mis)understandings.  But JWs are also not Atheists, for they do believe in "a" God.  Some even claim Christ's name, but focus more on His teachings for good works than His doings and free gift of salvation.  Here's a good link to help understand more about JWs.

Atheists, on the other hand, have CHOSEN not to believe in (a) God at all. It's not that they don't know, for those are "agnostics". And it's not that they're trying to find out, for those are "seekers".  Atheists are people who CHOOSE not to know, while also rejecting and fighting everything that points to the possibility of God's existence.  Here's a good link to help understand more about Atheism.

---Pastor Andy

3- Can a True, Genuine Christian Doubt His or Her Salvation?

The other day, "Keith" asked, "What is true repentance? Does Jesus have to be Lord of your life in order to be a Christian? Can a true genuine Christian doubt his or her salvation? Can a true Christian deny Christ before men? What does Jesus say about all of these things? Can church history help us out as well?"

Because answering these all in one post would result in a really long answer, I've decided to answer them all individually.  Today, we look at Keith's 3rd question:

Question:
Can a true genuine Christian doubt his or her salvation?


My Reply:

The thing about true repentance is that it also has a second part.  You need to trust that the person you repented to has truly forgiven you and has moved on.  For if you've given your burden to Jesus, but then continue to take it back from Him, then you never really gave it to Him in the first place.  True repentance isn't a means of storing your sins for later withdrawal.  Jesus isn't a savings account for your sins.  The dangerous thing is that the more you hang onto your past sins, the ones for which Jesus forgave you, the more you'll doubt your salvation.  The enemy is real good at convincing genuine Christians of this, too.  This often happens when we don't remember God's promises to us.  For example, Romans 10:9 tells us what we need to do to be saved, and John 1:12 reassures us that if we agree, then God makes us Children of God.  4 other good passages that help in reminding us of the assurances of our salvation are:

• The assurance of salvation (1 John 5:11-12)
• The assurance of victory over temptation (1 Corinthians 10:13)
• The assurance of forgiveness (1 John 1:9)
• The assurance of God's provision for our needs (John 16:24)

If you keep your focus on Jesus, and take your focus off your previous sins, then there will be no more doubt about your salvation.  Doubting your salvation is due to not fully trusting God's forgiveness of your sins, not fully believing that Jesus is capable of fully forgiving your sins, or taking your eyes off Jesus and putting them onto yourself.  Remember what Jesus said, "With Man, it is impossible, but with God, all things are possible."

Question About Salvation

Question: why is it called being "saved" when you find God? Shouldn't it be called getting brainwashed or tricked?

My Reply:

It's not brainwashing or trickery, for we really are being saved.  Let me see if I can explain:

Theologically-speaking, salvation is said to have 2 tenses..."already" and "not yet".
When we accept and acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, we become His. And as God's, we're "saved" from damnation to come later...like we have our reservations. But it's also an entrance into God's family, now. Although we're not saved from struggles here on earth in this life.
So we're already saved, but not yet entered into final salvation, which takes place after we die in this life.

It's like, you're in shark-infested water. You swim to the boat and you're saved from the sharks, but you're "not yet" on the land.

---Pastor Andy

Description of Hell?

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Question:

I'm sure you may have heard, or have told someone yourself, that hell is best put as "eternal separation from God." Most believing Christians, to my knowledge, do not strictly adhere to the literal interpretation of a fiery dungeon called Hell. 
With that said, what do you think of the condition of being separated from God eternally? Is it possible that this condition (this state of being completely severed from the living God) is not much different from the state of non-existence? After all, what type of life is it that exists separately from God?  Is there a possibility that hell (eternal separation from God) is actually banishment from humanity as well as divinity? Could it be the very diffusion of the conscious soul into the sinful nature? Could hell be the subtraction of that which makes us human, that which makes us more than animals? Could it be the subtraction of the breath of life and the return to dust? 
What is the nature of the second death that is spoken of in scripture?
I am not debating key doctrines here; I am just looking for a different and more educated insight.

My Reply:

You're thinking too much into it.
Hell is described, yes, as eternal separation from God, but it's also described (by Jesus) as a very hot place, filled with eternal torment, no humidity at all, and the gnashing of teeth.
In the parable of Lazarus and the rich man, Jesus describes hell as very hot, even to the point where the rich man begged for Lazarus to even dip his smallest fingertip into some water and place it on his (the rich man's) tongue. Jesus also explained a chasm between heaven & hell that couldn't be crossed (torture to see those you hurt in paradise while you're burning eternally).
C.S. Lewis described the difference by saying that in hell, everybody's sitting at a banquet table with all this great food in front of them. But their arms are locked straight out in front of them, so they can't get the food into their mouths. Then in heaven, it's the same situation with the arms, only there, they're feeding each other.
Either way though, hell is continuously described as a place we shouldn't wish to go. It's not the same as not existing though, for we're beings that were created to live forever...there are 2 places where that could take place, and it's our decision now while we're here to make as to where that place will be.
Also, if you've ever had a run-in with Satan or one of his demons, you've gotta figure that hell is where they're going, and they know it. Anyplace where they are is definitely not a place where anybody should want to spend the rest of eternity.

---Pastor Andy

God really isn't the "Ultimate Being" is he?

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Question:

God really isn't the "Ultimate Being", is He?  God is described as being all powerful, all seeing, all knowing. He is the ultimate being and is greater than everyone in any way imaginable.  Yet, I have a few religious friends who tell me that God cannot be around sin, which is why people who do not accept Jesus (who would cleanse them of their sins) go to hell - even though we know that apparently God LOVES US AND WOULD NEVER WANT HARM ON US.
OK, so if God has to live by this rule where he can't be around sins, he's not exactly the head Honcho, is he?  And while we're at that note, if God apparently loves us, why does he allow the creation of those who live only to hurt others? If he's all-knowing, he would have saw this from a light-year away and stopped it. Or maybe God is above "Logic" and what makes sense for him is to be a hypocrite.
What are the point of Midgets? Do you think God finds them hilarious also?

My Reply:

Actually, your friends are a little backwards...it's not that God couldn't approach us because of our sin, but that sin was preventing US from approaching God. We know this for many reasons, one being that it wasn't God that needed to be cleansed before approaching us, but us before entering the high holy place (Old Testament priests).
Second, God is all knowing, and does love us. But He allows creation to run its course...God's not going to force anybody to accept Him. Instead, He did what needed to be done, and left the decision up to us as to whether or not we want to be with Him for all eternity (in Heaven) or not. Real love doesn't force us to do anything...real love leaves it up to us to accept or not.
You're right to say that God is above logic. The scriptures tell us that the "wise" ones become fools when they try to understand the Gospel, since their logic can't understand it. But it's great wisdom for those of us who are being saved (I guess us stupid people) ;)

As for Midgets, I hear they like to be called "Little People"...and they're just as much a blessing as those of us tall (or average-sized) people, under just as much a curse as us, and offered the same salvation as the rest of us. If you want to ask about God's sense of humor, why not try figuring out God's "logic" for the platypus?

Summary: Yes, God is the ultimate being...heck, He created EVERYTHING that exists, and if it doesn't exist, He didn't make it.

---Pastor Andy

Faith Alone?

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Question:

Many Christians claim that "faith alone" saves and that there's no need to lead a righteous life.  I just want to ask them all, "are you sure you shall be saved?"  I am more than sure that their case will be worse than that of atheists. They're just using Jesus to promote sin!  They think that a simple faith in Jesus is the greatest thing a person can do on earth; it is by "GRACE" a person is saved and not by "FAITH". If a person is to receive God's grace, he should be righteous and should be following the words of God. By following the words of God alone one can prove his "faith" in God. It is not "knowing" Jesus' sacrifice that saves, but following the path he has shown that leads to salvation by grace of God through Jesus. Unless there is true faith (evidenced by following Jesus' words), no one can attain salvation. God is a righteous God and he loves righteousness.
The criminal who died with Jesus and saved is an example for a person receiving God's grace through repentance. It was his repenting mind that brought him salvation; not his faith. Faith without repentance and obedience means nothing. Hence, do not mislead people by letting them live in sin without fear of God since Jesus has died for them. No one shall be saved that way; the sacrifice of Christ is for those who truly repent and obey God.

My Reply:

My friend, I hear you, but I think you've combined salvation and discipleship into one.  We are saved by grace through faith in Christ Jesus. But it doesn't stop there, and this is what I believe you're arguing.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer has a book called "The Cost of Discipleship", that I think you'll like, for it talks about this. Many Christians today promote what Bonhoeffer calls "cheap grace". They accept Jesus, but continue in their sinful ways. They figure they're saved, nothing can harm them, back to business. But this isn't what salvation's about.
Salvation in Christ is what Bonhoeffer called "costly grace", for to be called by Christ is to be called to come and die...to follow in His footsteps, even to the cross (if needed). 
I did a Bible study the other day where I learned that the word used for Peter's denial of Jesus is the same word that's used for when Jesus said that in order to be His disciple, one must first deny himself.  Same word, same type of denial, same impact.  Those who practice costly grace understand this.  Those who practice cheap grace might say they do this and agree with you, but obviously don't practice it.

James said faith without works is dead, and one of the main frustrations in the early Church was idle Christians. Unfortunately, we still have a similar problem in the Church today.

So yeah, you're on target, but I think you need to reword your question. Check out that book, too (linked below).

---Pastor Andy

Meanings of Creeds and Baptism

 Question:

1) What are Creeds in Christianity?

2) What are the major branches of Christianity? And what are the differences?

3) What does being baptized mean?

My Reply:

Wow, big questions :)

1) So what are Creeds in Christianity? Well, in the old days of the early Church, many people went off and began preaching other gospels, confusing people and sending them onto the wrong tracks...much like how religious cults today confuse people about Jesus and Christianity.

So the early church put together creeds in order to profess and make it clear as to what the real Church believes about Jesus Christ.  I suppose you could say it was an early version of apologetics, or defending the Truth.  It's all taken from scripture and from what was being preached by the original evangelists. So in other words, the purpose of the creeds is to teach, remind, and confirm the Truth, and to recognize and disprove the lies.

2) What are Christianity’s major branches? You know, I'm not really sure anymore, for there are so many branches out there now. Also, not all the denominations believe the same thing within their own denominations. So I can't really say.

3) What does Baptism mean, or what happens when you are Baptized?

Many things occur in baptism:
1) First, Baptism is not a means of salvation.
2) Jesus said that nobody can even SEE the Kingdom of God unless they're born from above. In Baptism, we're made a new creation – even a new race (the Christian race) – for like clothing, the old comes off and the new comes on.
3) Baptism is also described as dying and being born anew (from above...same word in the Greek). We die and are buried in our watery graves (dying with Christ), and being born anew when we come up out of the water (resurrecting, in a sense, but not to be confused with the resurrection to come).
4) You've heard the term, "blood is thicker than water"? In terms of baptism, "Water is thicker than blood", for it's in the waters of baptism that we're bonded with the other members of Christ's Body (the Church).
5) It’s the sealing of the deal…as accepting Christ is compared to getting engaged, Baptism can be compared to the wedding.  You’re saved when you enter into a relationship with God by accepting Jesus as your Lord and Savior, and you become part of the Body of Christ (fellowship of believers, Church) at Baptism.

I have a blog post that may help you understand some, also, put into context of a conversation.

---Pastor Andy

What If...?

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Question:

Born again Christians believe that those who do not believe in Jesus will be tortured for all eternity by a loving God. Suppose someone never had the opportunity to learn about Jesus. For instance they are in a remote African tribe and simply never heard of Christianity or Jesus. Are they damned for all eternity?

My Reply:

Ya know, people often mention the "what about this guy in remote Africa who never heard the gospel" question. But "hypothetically" speaking, if you really cared about what would happen to that one guy in remote Africa, you'd travel out to him and tell him about Jesus so that there would be no "what if" issues. But all honestly, you really don't care about him, but just use the question to justify God's fairness.

Yes, God is a loving God...He died so you don't have to. What else do you want from Him? Eternal life in Heaven? Sure! That's why God raised Jesus from the dead...so you CAN be with Him in heaven for all eternity. All you have to do is:

1. Receive the invitation...tell Him that you want to receive eternal life (by this, you're acknowledging Him as Lord and Savior, for you're asking Him for something that only He can give you)
2. Repent of your ways (let me give you a head start...you've questioned His faithfulness, denied His awesome gift, lived selfishly, etc...)
3. Put your faith into Him (you're doing this even as you're taking the time to talk with Him), and you'll receive it. Why is that so difficult to do?

Then begin reading the Bible, communicate (talk) with Jesus regularly, find a Church to fellowship with His other believers, and begin to learn from and follow Him.  

Then, if you still wonder about and begin to really care about those people in the remote parts of Africa who don’t know about Jesus, travel out to them and tell them about Him.  Then you won’t have to wonder, “What if…?”

---Pastor Andy

A Muslim's Afraid of Death

Dear Pastor Andy, I am a Muslim. I pray five times in day, I read the holy Quran, I listen to hadith, I follow the sunnah of the prophet...but one thing I fear, and that is death. When people talk about death, I get scared. When we die, do we still have thoughts and feelings? I need to know...I need advice.

My Reply:

As Christians, we understand that everybody was made to live eternally...conscious and everything (yes, thoughts and feelings). Only thing is that where we spend the rest of eternity depends on what or whom we choose to follow now.

Your confusion and fear could be due to your image of God. As Christians, we believe that God is a loving God who loves His creation, and INVITES us to spend the rest of eternity WITH Him. Being a Christian also means having a relationship (friendship) with God through Jesus Christ, who we believe was not just a prophet, but God Himself in the flesh, come down to communicate His Word and die (then be risen) in order to reconcile us to Him, We just need to accept His gracious invitation. If we refuse, then we will spend the rest of eternity in the other place, which is in complete isolation from God, and also a good reason to fear death.

It could be that God is trying to communicate Jesus to you in this fear of death. Check out this video for more information on Jesus - the main one I suggest you watch is called "The Jesus Film", but there are other great videos and resources there, also. Scroll down to your chosen language and give it a chance, if not to believe, but then to help answer your question.

Also, feel free to email me if you like.

---Pastor Andy

Proof of Jesus

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Question:

This question has been unanswerable by Christians, do you have the guts to give this one a straight answer?  Their are like (lets say) 1,000 different religions in the world (actually a lot more). Each religion is no more valid than Harry Potter. In other words, each religion is as invalid as any other religion.
Here's the odd thing, Christians believe that if you choose to believe Jesus, you're saved.  But if you choose another religion to believe in, you're doomed, disregarding all your virtuous acts!
It is the exact same thing as putting 1,000 tennis balls in front of you. The only difference is that each ball is marked with a different number. Only one tennis ball is the correct one (suppose ball 24), if you choose the wrong ball, you're doomed! So basically, Christians believe that by blindly choosing the right ball, you are saved! How hilarious!
And don't tell me that there's any proof to your bible. If you really believe there's proof, then Jesus would've just appeared for everyone to see, but he hasn't!  The truth is that you believe that the Bible is true and every other religion is false with no basis at all. You just choose one ball and make up your mind that it's the correct ball with nothing to back it up.

My Reply:

Interesting analogy with the tennis balls. You're right to say that one would have to be the right one, and all the others would be wrong...at least you acknowledge the existence of A truth. That's further than most critics.
But now, in the case of the balls, let's say #24 is the right ball. Christians aren't the ones blindly choosing the balls, everybody else who believes that all the balls are also true are the ones choosing blindly. We Christians believe the right ball has been revealed to us, and so go to pick that ball.
 Now, as for Jesus appearing before tons of people for them all to see: Jesus actually did, only you weren't there to see it. After His resurrection, He appeared to over 500 people at a time (I don't know if they were all clustered in one place or because He's omni present, He appeared in different places). But the point is, we can say, "Oh, well that's what the Bible says." Yeah, but when the apostles preached and wrote their letters about Jesus' resurrection, those 500+ people were still living, and could've disproved their story at any time. But they didn't. In fact, nobody was able to disprove their message, or even prove them wrong. They could only argue with them to confuse their listeners, which they did.
And it's not only Gospel writers who talk about this, but even secular writers of and just after their time have written about the resurrection, the faith, the followers, the beliefs, and the events that go with them.
Basically, if you don't want to believe in anything about Jesus, then base it on the evidence, not personal disbelief. But the evidence all points to Jesus' resurrection.

Check out Josh McDowell's book: "Evidence of Christianity". It's a long read, but no doubt has some of the answers to your questions explained.  Or if you want a shorter book, then check out Lee Strobel’s book, “The Evidence for Christ”.

---Pastor Andy

Accepting Jesus in the 11th Hour?

Question: If Jesus will forgive all your sins, why not wait until the end of your life to accept him as you lord?

My Reply:

So wait until the end and wipe away all your sin at once? Unfortunately, some people do that. But they don't get the gist of it all.
In other words, if you accept Jesus as fire insurance, then it's really for the wrong reasons.
Christianity is all about a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. So as Christians, we're living life not alone, but with the Lord as friends (also). Waiting until the last minute doesn't allow you to experience this friendship during your life.  Sure salvation is still available and attainable if you wait, but I guess my question is, why would you want to?  Also, what happens if you wait, and get into an accident where you die instantly? It all went so fast that you missed out your chance to accept Him. Oops?

---Pastor Andy

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Why did Abraham make Judaism so hard?

If Abraham had made it a little easier to become Jewish, would Judaism be a great world-wide religion?

For example, if he had omitted the circumcision thing.

My Reply:

It wasn't Judaism back in the days of Abraham, but I know what you mean.

If Abe had omitted anything that God had commanded him to do, then he wouldn't be following God. Actually, Judaism as we know it today isn't anything like "it" was in the days of Abe.
For example, if you'll look at the Patriarchs, their connection with God was based on their relationship with God and faith in Him. The Apostle Paul tells us that God considered Abe righteous through the faith that he had in God, not in keeping with the Law. Granted, they didn't have the Law yet, but God did still require certain behaviors from them, and certain ones, such as circumcision, were more than requirements, they were covenants between God, Abe, and Abe's future children.
Today as Christians, many of us (me in particular) believe that Jesus brought it all around back to how it was in the days of the Patriarchs. We still have standards and expectations that we need to follow, but instead of trying to follow all the laws of Moses, we realize that when in a close relationship with God (through Jesus), we tend to take on (and WANT to take on) God's character and what it means to be His people (and His friends, as the Patriarchs were). 
Most of Judaism today focuses on works, deeds, and tradition. In fact, many get so caught up in all this and their heritage that they don't even believe in God. Orthodox Jews are so caught up in making sure they keep with the law's requirements that they often take God out of the equation, making righteousness fully on their own efforts. 

Heck, if anything, I'd say that "Judaism" in the days of Abe was a whole lot easier than the Judaism that we know today.

---Pastor Andy

Why do atheists attack Christians without merit?

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Question: 

This was actually an answer to a post in Philosophy that surprised me: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;…

Atheists, not scientists, believe its time to end religion. Science never proves or disproves religious origin and all unbiased scientists will cop to that. Only the hard-core atheists use science as evidence for their claims, but they are irrational about it.
The above was a great lead in for:
http://www.deism.com/dogmatic%20atheism.…
Then, a leading atheist, based on science, changes his position.
http://www.biola.edu/antonyflew/flew-int…
There is room for a creator!

My Reply:
I honestly find it odd that Atheists want to get rid of religions altogether, for Atheism seems to have turned into a religion of its own.  Anyway, here's how I understand it all:

It's not that Atheists don't believe, but that they REFUSE to believe in the existence of God...they CHOOSE not to  believe, even when the evidences are staring them right in the face.  (Agnostics are those who just don't know).
But at the same time, we both (Christians and atheists) are out on a mission.
I heard a guy on the radio the other day who said, "When asked if there's anything better than going to heaven, most people say 'no'. But I say 'yes. The one thing that's better than going to heaven is bringing somebody there with you'."  So you see, we Christians are out to introduce people to Jesus, the only one who can save them from death, sin, hell, etc., while atheists are out trying to save them from...(foolishness?) believing in a God that they refuse to believe exists.
I guess you could also look at it in the way that we each witness to people of other faiths. We tell them not of our own opinions, but of Truth, thus trying to persuade them to realize their need to turn  to God and repent.  Atheism, on the other hand, has become a faith that witnesses to people of God-believing faiths with their own opinions about God, trying to persuade them to NOT believe in God at all.
So in the same way that we believe in the urgency of getting the Word out about Jesus, atheists believe in the urgency to "save" people from what they consider as the "foolishness" of believing that God exists.
And so this, I believe, is why they attack us so much...we're “competing” for souls.
In terms of science, I agree that it's mostly about theories. But in trying to prove or disprove God's existence, many scientists have actually become Christians due to the results of their research, especially archaeologists.  So as more and more discoveries are made about the evidences of God's existence, as well as events mentioned in the Bible, atheists may soon have to begin looking for a new source to back up their opinions.

---Pastor Andy

A Bible-Thumped Witch

Question:
Why haven't any Christians tried to kill me yet?
It states in the King James bible very clearly "Thall shalt not suffer a witch to live."
Well, I'm a witch. I make no attempt to hide the fact that I'm a witch and I proudly proclaim this fact about myself to Christians and non-Christians alike.
If the entire bible is the infallible Word of God, and a true Christian is supposed to do everything it says, then why has no Christian tried to kill me? Are you worried about legal troubles? Your God is supposed to reward you in heaven for being faithful, so why would you worry about going to jail or anything?
I ask this because I'm sick of people saying that the entire Bible should be taken literally and that none of it should be left out. Also, there is no possible way I'm taking this out of context. This is a direct quote straight from Deuteronomy. That's the verse word for word so it is not out of context.
If Christians are not under old testament Law, then why do Christians always quote Deuteronomy when they tell me I'm a sinner for being a lesbian? You can't have it both ways.

My Reply:
Yes, Christians are under the Law in terms of discipline, but we're not bound by it like the Israelites were in the Old Testament, since Jesus fulfilled it.
When reading God's Law, we need to remember who the target audience was...God's people.  Moses didn't read this to the surrounding nations, He read it to God's people who were in direct lineage of His Covenant and blessings. See, there's a special holiness that's demanded of God's people, and these laws and commandments were in place to train and form the Israelites into this demanded transformation, and away from what they were. The lesbian, witch, animality, certain foods, etc. on the other hand, were all things that the surrounding nations were engulfed in.  God's people were to be different...Holy as God is Holy.
Also, in terms of witches, y'all don't worship God (as I'm sure you fully know), and God's people were not only commanded to worship the Lord only, but several generations also vowed to.  Therefore, anybody who worshipped something other than the Lord was to be put to death, for they had rejected the Lord, as well as broken their vow with Him and the nation Israel.  [This may also account for what Jesus said in Matthew 5:30: “And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.” If one member of the Body sins, throw him out of the congregation, for keeping him in would cause the whole body to become guilty of sin (leavening). Therefore, cut it off, for it’s better to lose one part of the body than for your whole Body (the whole nation Israel) to go into hell…Also where Paul tells the Corinthians to expel the sinner, casting him out to Satan…for the rest of the church was accepting it and thus fueling the fires of hell to consume them all…so cast out the one part that sins, for it’s better to lose part than all.]
In the sense of judgment, we Christians are not to judge those outside the Church...that's God's job. Those whom we ARE to judge is one another (other Christians), but in the sense of accountability, not condemnation. You are not of God's people (you've even admitted this in your question). Therefore, we are not called to condemn you, but witness to you and represent God with hopes and prayers that you may come to know Jesus Christ with the love that He has for you.  If anything, we're to condemn what you're doing and the spirit behind it, but not you personally.
Now, in the sense of witchcraft (yes, even "white" witchcraft), such is not of God, but of God's enemy. Jesus also said that "those who are not with Me are against Me." This may explain the aggressiveness of those coming after you with Deuteronomy, for they recognize the spirit from which your witchcraft originates.  But as you've noticed, we have not tried to kill you because it is not with you whom we battle, but with the one whom you serve. (And though we battle him every day, Jesus already won the war).
There's a saying that "those who are against Bible thumpers are usually those who have been thumped by Bibles." If you've been thumped, I can only assume it was by those who either fear you, or the spirit behind your witchcraft, or by people who deep down really care about you yet still need to learn how to show you this in love and compassion, versus the harsh swinging of their swords.

---Pastor Andy  :}>+-

Why Did God Send Jesus?

Question: Why did God send Jesus?

I've never understood why. If He wanted to forgive our sins, why not just forgive them? Why make His son (or Himself, depending on which you think Jesus was) suffer and die so that He could forgive us?

My Reply:

It's all about a relationship with God as it was in the beginning:

1. In the beginning, God walked in the garden with His creation
2. Sin entered the picture, separating us from God.
3. All throughout the Old Testament, God tried wooing His creation back to Him, but everybody continued to push Him away and sinned against Him. (If you'll notice, the prophets and patriarchs had a close relationship with the Lord in the way that Adam and Eve did, but even with Moses, the Lord wanted to communicate with the people, but the people begged Moses to be their mediator instead).
4. The punishment of sin is death. The purpose of the Law was to show us where we sinned, thus bringing us to our knees in repentance and hopes of reconciling the relationship with God. But instead, people lost their hope and passion in trying to fulfill the Law.
5. God sent Jesus to accomplish what we couldn't.
6. Jesus, being the perfect and last blood sacrifice, forgave us of our sins, all the way back to the first one committed.
7. Jesus' resurrection allows us to come to Him through faith in Him.

 The whole point was reconciliation, and also so that we may once again approach Him, and be in the type of relationship that He had with humans as in the beginning.

--To your question of why not just forgive us?  God did forgive the Israelites, MANY times, even when they didn't deserve it. But when they got it, they took advantage of it. You don't take advantage of those you truly love.
God wants us to love Him back. He wants us to be with Him for all eternity, but because we WANT to be with Him. That's what makes salvation so confusing...all you have to do is repent and accept the invitation. But as you can see, many still prefer to reject God.

---Pastor Andy

Why Didn't Jesus Prevent His Own Crucifixion?

(Copyright Gospel Communications International, Inc - www.reverendfun.com)

Question:

Jesus turned water into wine and raised Lazarus from the dead. Wouldn't common sense dictate that he turn the crucifix into a horse that he could ride away on and escape or turn the crown of thorns into a more comfortable hat (or at least something along these lines)?
I’m not very learned when it comes to the Bible (I haven’t read it, but I did see Mel Gibson’s movie and have heard several recounts from friends).  But I DO know that whenever Jesus encountered a problem (no wine at his friend’s party, he turned water into wine AND when his friend died he raised him from the dead)…my friend told me that Jesus solves all problems, but it seems that his biggest gaffe was not solving the problem of his own murder!

My Reply:

Although Jesus could have prevented His crucifixion, He didn't because it was the whole reason He came in the first place.
In His crucifixion, He took upon Him the sins of the world (yours, mine, everybody's!). But most of all, He had to be crucified (the worst way of dying in that time, also the most cursed way according to the Hebrew Law) in order to be resurrected, which is His main purpose. It was the only way we could be with Him for all eternity.
So today, people see His crucifixion as weakness, but it was actually Jesus' great strength, for He LET Himself be crucified. Jesus loves us enough and wants us to be with Him so badly that He paid the price that we couldn't pay...it's the power of genuine love.  All we have to do now to actually be with Him is to accept His invitation whole (or broken) -heartedly.

---Pastor Andy

Who Really Deserves Eternal Torment?

(Copyright Gospel Communications International, Inc - www.reverendfun.com)

Question:  

I am curious as to who in the history of the whole world deserves eternal torment. For this, we will leave Satan out of it. So in other words, "Who really deserves eternal torment besides Satan?" I think Satan is just metaphorical for the side of people that is prone to sin and makes bad decisions, but if you would please leave your religion too because in a way I am making a poll. I won't disrespect your beliefs and I hope you will do the same. I personally don't even think Hitler deserves such torment.

So far in my research, some people said that there is someone in the world that deserves this. So I ask, how do you feel about a human being more forgiving?  If it’s true that God would not forgive someone for his/her sins and I, as a mere mortal, would (and I believe I would be more forgiving, actually, and if you think about it, more just too. Although I am not saying that I am better than God, I want to get that clear right away). Think about this: Have you ever been seriously hurt? If not, think of a time that you were scraped up. Remember the pain…go back to the pain that you endured and then imagine it 10,000,000 times worse and it will never end nor go numb. Think about this. Does anyone deserve that for something as little as not believing?

My Reply:

Who deserves eternal torment?  We all do.  Seriously! I mean, look at us:

• God tells us not to do something and we do it. 
• God tells us to do something and we don't.  
• God calls us to be holy, as He is holy, and we choose to be secular.
• God sends His love, and instead of receiving it, we debate whether God even exists or if His love is sufficient.
• God tells us to make every effort to be at peace with one another, and we choose wars.
• We were given the planet to care for it, and we litter and pollute it.
• We were given authority over the animals, and we abuse them.  
• We were given emotions to feel, and we abuse substances in order to feel numb. 
• God sent His Son and we killed Him. 
• We threw away God's standards and replaced them with our own cultural standards, then complained that God's not fair.  
• And we continue to commit the same sin that Adam & Eve committed that got us here in the first place...we try to live our lives (or certain parts of it) without God. 

Dude, we all deserve eternal torment.  But praise the Lord, He's given us another option! :)

---Pastor Andy

Where is God when things go wrong?

Question: 

Where is God when things go wrong?

When everything fails in life, where is God?

 My Reply:

Holding you.

---Pastor Andy

picture compliments of...

All Religions Are False!!!

All religions...are they true, or are they false?  What is the possibility that everyone's outcome (after death) relies only on their own views. Possibly, there is no right way or wrong way to worship 'God' (if you believe in him) or fear hell (if you believe in it).

 A lot of people say: "Well what about murderers"? Well, who's to say they won't live peacefully as well? The important thing is not that we're punished for our mistakes, but rather that we learn from them and progress. Surely God (or whatever's out there) is willing to forgive them for learning a lesson. Weren't we all sent here to learn lessons?

Please answer this question with an open mind.

  

My Answer:

You're right...all religions are false. I say this as a Christian, for Christianity isn't a religion, but a RELATIONSHIP with God through Jesus Christ. So the possibility of all being right is several billions (of religions) to 1. And I am saying this with "an open mind".

Religions are all about "what I need to do" in order to be "happy", at peace, or obtain righteousness from God or a god, to be a "good person", or to change. But the Bible tells us that righteousness can only be obtained through faith (which is also entering into a relationship with God through Christ), not works.  But religions are about works. So when faced with the Truth of God, anything else can only be false.
The Pastor at the church we're frequenting said it another way: "Religion tries to change you from the outside-in.  But Christianity changes you from the inside-out."

In terms of punishment, the important thing isn't that we're punished for our mistakes, for often times we're punished even in our innocence. What about murderers? We can ask about their salvation, but to say that we're punished for our mistakes is to say that the people he murdered deserved it, and if so, then the murderer shouldn't be punished, right? But he/she is, right?

We learn and progress, yes, and there IS a God out there willing to forgive them, yes, but they have to repent and accept His forgiveness. Sounds pretty easy, right? Yet so many choose not to and instead follow a religion.

Finally, why were we sent here? To glorify God. If you choose not to glorify Him, then why would you want to spend all of eternity with Him? Because that's what Heaven is...God's home. Good vs. evil, right vs. wrong, left vs. right, yin vs. yang, yes vs. no, heaven vs. hell. God didn't create hell for us, but for Satan and his demons. But as a loving God, He's given us the freedom to choose where we wish to go when we die. We could go to be with Him, or not.  Check out my blog for more on this topic.

---Pastor Andy