QUESTIONS & ANSWERS (122)

Victor M Eskew

 

INTRODUCTION

 

A.   The word “question”:

1.    Was first used in the English language somewhere between 1250 and 1300. 

2.    Originated in Latin, was passed through the French language, and finally settled in the Old English

3.    Simply meant:  “to ask.”

 

B.   This is what we usually do on the first Sunday of the month.  We let you ask questions, and we answer those questions from God’s Word. 

 

C.   In this lesson, we will be examining three questions.

 

I.             QUESTION #1:  Leaving the Bible

 

A.   Stated:  Do people usually leave the Bible?  because of evidence – or because of desire?

 

B.   Answer:

1.    The answer depends upon who the person is who leaves the Bible.

2.    Ways to “leave” the Bible:

a.    The Bible is here and claims divine inspiration (2 Tim. 3:16-17).

 

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God…

 

Therefore, anyone who does not accept the Bible, leaves it.

1)    Some have been taught to reject the Bible.

2)    Some have never been introduced to the Bible.

a)    When these individuals hear the teachings of the Bible, they cannot wrap their minds around the teachings:  Creation week, the flood, the 10 plagues, a man crucified on Calvary, resurrection, etc.

b)    Festus to Paul (Acts 26:24)

 

And as he thus spake for himself, Festus said with a loud voice, Paul, thou art beside thyself, much learning doth make thee made.

 

3)    Some tell us that they have done the research, and the Bible can’t be true.

b.    When individuals acknowledge the Bible as God’s Word, but twist, pervert, and misapply its teachings.  (Note:  Many of these individuals leave the Bible and do not realize it).

c.    There are some who become Christians, but leave the Bible for many reasons: 

1)    Jesus noted two types of people who would fall away:  the stony soil and the thorny soil (Luke 8:13-14).

2)    False teaching, selfishness, persecution, hypocrisy of Christians, church struggles, the love of sin, riches, the love of others, etc.

3.    Two affirmations:

a.    No one who honestly investigates the evidence of the Bible’s inspiration will “leave” the Bible in the sense of denying that it is the Word of God.

b.    Those who acknowledge the Bible to be the inspired Word of God can leave it for three reasons.

1)    Darkness (ignorance)

2)    Deception by the evil one (Gal. 3:1).

 

O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you.

 

3)    Desire on the part of the individual or group.

 

II.           Question #2:  Technology’s Role in Weakened Attention

 

A.   Stated:  How has technology and constant entertainment weakened biblical attention?

 

B.   Answer:

1.    It might appear that technology has weakened the attention span of individuals because most of the reels and clips that we watch are geared toward a few seconds or a few minutes.

2.    It appears we have always had an attention span problem in the church.

a.    I have been told that the brain can only soak in about 20 to 25 minutes of information before tuning out the information.

b.    The church has always had one-hour services.  NOTE:  We have to get everything into that one hour:  announcements, singing, prayers, Lord’s Supper, giving, and sermon.  If it is not completed in that one-hour period, the brethren get upset.

 

C.   How attention is maintained:

1.    The interest we have in something.

a.    Watch a man take an interest in golf or fishing. 

Watch a woman take an interest in physical conditioning or a romantic TV series.

b.    People aren’t as interested in spiritual things.  Therefore, we spend less and less time doing things like Bible study and worship.  Sadly, doing it less does not bother many people.

2.    Something is of importance to us.

a.    I may not be interested in something, but it is important. (Ex., Medicare, Parts A, B, C. D, etc.).

b.    Because it is important, I focus my attention on the information and the acts that need to be done.

c.    Our salvation and Christian living ought to be something that is of vital importance to all of us.

1.    Death is calling.

2.    The Lord is coming.

3.    The judgment is certain.

3.    Making a choice to be interested.

a.    Two verses:

1)    1 Chronicles 22:19

 

Now set your heart and your soul to seek the Lord your God…

 

2)    Colossians 3:2

 

Set your affection on things on things above, not on things on the earth.

 

b.    Both passages involve a command.

1)    Commands are to be obeyed.

2)    The commands are to “set your heart and soul” and “set your affection on.”

 

III.         QUESTION #3:  Men and Women Mic’ed in the Audience

 

A.   Stated:  Some congregations have men and women on the microphone during the song service.  Is this practice scriptural?

 

B.   Answer:

1.    Worship

a.    The one to be worshiped

1)    It comes from the word “worth.”

2)    It involves reverence and adoration of something of worth.

3)    For the Christian, the only being that has a worth that is valuable enough to have homage paid to Him is God (Matt. 4:10b).

 

…for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

 

b.    The process of worship

1)    As God, God as the right to legislate exactly “how” He desires to be worshiped.

2)    John 4:24

 

God is a Spirit:  and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

 

a)    Must:  to be obliged or bound to by an imperative requirement (www.dictionary.com).

b)    Spirit:  the attitude of the worshiper

c)    Truth:  the outward acts performed by the worshiper

3)    God knew that if man were left to his own devices, he would turn worship into something for which it was never intended.  NOTE:  It was certainly never intended to be an environment to fulfill the fleshly desires of man.

2.    Perversions of worship

a.    Man has often perverted his worship of God.

1)    Wrong sacrifices (Gen. 4:3, 5; Lev. 10:1-2)

2)    Sinful lives (Isa. 1:5-15)

3)    Flawed sacrifices (Mal. 1:7-8)

4)    Doctrines of men (Matt. 15:7-9)

5)    Wrong object (Rom. 1:23)

b.    NOTE:  Man perverts the worship when he turns the worship upon himself instead of focusing his worship upon God.

1)    Let’s make it more exciting.  Exciting for whom?

2)    Let’s make it more beautiful.  Beautiful for whom?

3)    Let’s make it more meaningful.  Meaningful for whom?

4)    Let’s make it more appealing.  Appealing for whom?

5)    Let’s make it more diverse.  Diverse for whom?

3.    Let’s think about giving microphones to men and women during the song service.

a.    Does beauty make worship more attractive to God?  NOTE:  Who put man in charge of the quality of singing which pleases God?

b.    Do we drown the voices of some worshipers by having microphones?  If they are going to sing over everyone else, why don’t we just let them sing period?  (NOTE:  This is easily the next step when we deviate from what God has authorized, See Heb. 2:1-2).

c.    Are we drawing comparisons between good singers and bad singers? (See 2 Cor. 10:12).

d.    Has God authorized such actions be taken in order for worship to be more acceptable to Him? (See Col. 3:17)

e.    God approved two mites over great riches in Matthew 12:42-43.  Could He approve of singing that is lower and off-key as long as it originates from the heart of the worshiper over mic’ed singing that we believe resembles with angelic chorus in heaven?

 

CONCLUSION

 

A.   We often love to ask questions.

 

B.   However, we do not always like the answers that are given to the questions we ask.

 

C.   Before getting upset, we need to do three things.

1.    Be swift to hear (Jam. 1:19)

2.    Search the Scriptures to see if the things spoken are so (Acts 17:11).

3.    Hold fast that which is good and abstain from all appearance of evil (1 Thess. 5:21-22).