Episode 17

Pastor Paul LeBoutillier Pastor Paul: Hey everybody, welcome back to our weekly Bible Q&A. I'm Pastor Paul here with my wife Sue, and we're going to tackle some more of your questions that you sent in about things related to the Bible. And there seems to be no end of good questions.

There is an endless supply. We have a summer's worth of questions coming up.

That's a good point. We should probably encourage people not to be discouraged if we don't get to their questions within just a few days, because we've got a bit of a waiting list. Do we not?

Yes, we do. I think the questions are going about toward the end of August right now.

Is that right?

Yeah.

Okay.

This one comes from Sandra. She says, ‘My sister believes the Pentecostal movement is unbiblical. Although I know there are some errors, if I understand the gospel and know that my salvation is through what Christ did on the cross, and continue to grow through reading scripture and studying it, do I have to leave where I am?” I'm taking it she's in a Pentecostal church.

Yes, she is.

“I feel connected to my brothers and sisters at church although they do believe in the emphasis of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, which they like to focus more on tongues.”

So what Sandra is kind of dealing with is the pressure she's getting from her sister who has seized the errors of the Pentecostal movement and is challenging Sandra to perhaps find a different fellowship. Sandra, on the other hand, feels comfortable there. She's got friends. And she recognizes the errors that are found there. And yet, she tells us here that she's into the Word herself. And I want to just say Sandra, good on you. Glad you're in the Word. Glad you're doing what you need to be doing. You may find that there's a point where you've grown kind of beyond. One of the things that are typical about Pentecostal churches. And by no means am I trying to categorize every Pentecostal church. But one of the hallmarks of Pentecostal churches is, of course, as we've seen in this note, that emphasis on the gifts of the Holy Spirit, prophecy, speaking in tongues, that sort of thing. What that means is, there is a lesser emphasis on the teaching of God’s Word, they typically don't teach systematically, chapter by chapter, verse by verse. So that can lend to a greater expression of errors because they're just not going through the Word like they should, I believe all churches should go through the Word of God, I believe it keeps churches from falling into error. So this is something Sandra and others who are attending Pentecostal churches, I'm not telling them to change, but be watchful, be mindful, be thoughtful, know that if you're probably not getting systematic teaching on a Sunday morning, you're probably having to do it elsewhere. That's fine. You're in the Word. But the problem is your church is kind of moving in a different direction. There's a different emphasis. So I would tell Sandra and anyone else who is attending a Pentecostal church, just be watchful, be careful. Make sure you're not compromising what you know to be true about the Word of God.

Very good. The next question is from Stephanie; “Hello Pastor Paul and Sue! Thank you for your wonderful ministry. I have been listening to your online sermons routinely, and it has been very helpful with my personal study of the Bible. My question is, how does salvation work for someone who may not have the intellectual ability to understand their need for Christ?”

I've gotten this question quite often. People will ask about retarded, mentally diminished individuals, people who are challenged in their ability to learn and access information. What about them? How does God feel about them? Frankly, one of the things that the Bible doesn't address. And it's one of those questions that we have to fall back upon the nature of God, the heart of God. And I always point people back to Genesis 18:25, which describes for us that conversation between Abraham and the Lord, when God had made clear that he was about to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah and the region around there, because of the sin that they were engaged in. And Abraham, knowing his nephew lived there began to intercede for those who perhaps weren't involved in that sinful activity. And he asked this simple question, shall not the judge of all the earth do what is just? Or as the NIV says, shall not the judge of all the earth do right? And it's a rhetorical question. And the obvious answer is, God is going to do what's right, he's going to do what he's going to do what's perfectly fair. So that's what I would tell Stephanie, he's going to do what is absolutely and perfectly fair, and just and merciful, whatever he does, will be in Genesis 18:25 (ESV) Far be it from you to do such a thing, to put the righteous to death with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just? keeping with who he is. His mercy, his tenderness, his love, his justice, all those things, he will not deny himself, he will be who he is. And we can rest in that.

I like that phrase resting in that. Xavier says,

Probably not. When you go into a dark place, when you go into a place where there is a stronghold, we can expect spiritual attacks, the Apostle Paul got spiritual attacks all the time. And we pray for discernment. And by the way, that's how Xavier and anyone else knows whether or not you're involved in a spiritual attack, you pray and if you don't know, you say, Lord, show me. You pray for discernment, and the ability to know and then you just begin to make sure you got your full armor on because that's the armor that we've been given during those times. This is what Paul says in Ephesians when he calls it the day of evil. He doesn't say when you're under spiritual attack, he says when the day of evil comes, and then he begins to talk about how we stand strong in the power and armor that we've been given. Ephesians 6:10-19 (ESV) Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness So Xavier, make sure you've got your armor on, pray for discernment, and begin to deal with it as if it is a spiritual attack. And the Lord will lead you as you pray.

All right. Sam says;

You shouldn't feel defeated. And even though we do put an emphasis on the necessity of fellowship, you got to understand that the Lord knows your situation. And I've heard from a lot of people in South Africa, and I've heard that finding a good, solid, Bible-based church is hard. And when I say Bible-based, I mean one where the Word is being taught chapter by chapter, verse by verse. That doesn't often happen. So the Lord knows your situation. Don't allow it to give you anxiety as if you're letting the Lord down. He understands the situation you're in. I would encourage you just to pray. Ask the Lord to bring people into your life with whom you can fellowship, like-minded individuals. It's like, Lord, you've given me given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel. a love for your Word, now bring people into my life who have that same love for the Word of God. And remember this, fellowship can happen in all kinds of different ways. Fellowship can happen at work. Fellowship can happen during lunch time at work. Fellowship can happen in the evening when you and couple other friends get together to read through the Bible and to discuss what you've read and to pray. Fellowship can happen when you sit down over a Zoom meeting or online meeting with a couple of friends from different countries, and you talk about the Word of God. You pray for one another. Fellowship can happen a lot of different ways. So do what you can do. If there are no churches in your area that you have found, pray about it. And meanwhile, just do what you can do to get the fellowship that you need.

I would add to not to give up to persevere in prayer. We have one friend in South Africa that prayed about a fellowship for a couple of years. And then one day we got a note from her, and she said, I can't believe that this church started up near me. So just patient endurance. And it may take a while, but I think we've heard this very often, that if people just persevere in waiting on the Lord, something shakes loose.

That's true. And I've been talking to people from other parts of the country, Australia and so forth. And some people who live in kind of remote areas really struggle with this idea because there might only be one or two churches, and there's just nothing that is going to meet their needs. And I tell people regularly, pray that God would bring like-minded people across your path and start just meeting in your home. Invite people over for a weekly dinner and to sit down, to break bread together, to go through, to read a chapter in the Bible, maybe even watch some online teachings that are solid and Bible-based, and then have a time of discussion and prayer. It's more of a grassroots kind of approach to getting the fellowship that you need when your area just isn't providing it.

That's good. Limairi says,

This is an interesting question, isn't it? By the way, this is a woman who wrote and she mentioned that she had already suffered a miscarriage. And I really believe, based on what I'm seeing in this note that she's laboring under the idea that the miscarriage was God's way of communicating to her that it wasn't time to be a mother, or perhaps she isn't called to be a mother, even though she desires it. Let me start by dealing with that issue first. I believe there can be a very great danger attached to believers trying to interpret the heart and will of God based on what's happening to them at the time. They go through a situation or circumstance, something happens, they lose their job, their car breaks down, a family member gets sick, they get sick, or any number of other things and they interpret it.

And do you know what I hear people say, I think God's telling me that.

Yeah, exactly. Or there's sometimes they'll write to me and say, is God telling me that da-da-da-da-da? We live in a fallen world where people lose their jobs. We live in a fallen world where things break down including our bodies. We live in a fallen world, there is a very great danger attached to Christians, assuming that God is telling them something in the midst of the difficulties they are experiencing. So I want to first of all, bring a word of caution into the equation as it relates to that. And you also have to be careful about overthinking. Typically, these sorts of things are more profound or pronounced, I should say, in people who have a tendency to overthink.

Sure.

She asks in her note, should we remain abstinent. No, you shouldn't. The Apostle Paul warns couples. He says, you might be abstinent for a period of time to be devoted to prayer. But don't let that go on for too long, because you're going to bring yourself into a place of temptation that is unnecessary. So be a husband and wife, that's my counsel. Just be a husband and wife, be intimate as a husband and wife were meant to be and trust the Lord for his timing and his direction. When we pray and submit to the will of God and we say, Lord, we'd love to have children, but we just commit that into your hands. And we're just going to be a husband and wife. And we're going to do the things that husbands and wives do. And if we conceive, we conceive. And if we don't, we don't. We're going to leave this in your hands and we're going to trust you. There's such rest and peace that comes from that versus what you kind of hear the angst in this note of; ‘I can't figure this out.’ I had a miscarriage. I'm afraid if I have one again, that it's God's going to be telling me decisively. You're trying too much to figure this thing out. Trust the Lord, put it in his hands, and just be who you are.

That's good. All right. Denzil has a very short question; “Can a woman be an elder of a church?”

You got to remember that the word or the title elder is synonymous with overseer and pastor. So what Denzil is really asking is can a woman pastor a church? Because, again, in the Bible, we've made separations between pastors, elders and overseers. We've done it. The Bible doesn't. The Bible uses them interchangeably. So this is the age old question. And I'll just simply say, there are no examples of female pastors/elders/overseers within the church. It is something that goes to men. And if someone comes to me and says, why is that? There are reasons God has that go into the order that he created for marriage. But other than that, you'll have to ask the Lord when you see him, because that was just the determination he made. I have never ever said that women wouldn't make good pastors. I think women would make fantastic pastors. I've seen women shepherd other women, and they do a fantastic job. You yourself are one of them. I think women have everything they need, except the calling from God to be the pastor of the church. Women are fantastic. But God’s Word is what God’s Word is in this situation. And it's a role that goes to the men over the whole church.

All right. Diane says;

No, it doesn't. But you got to understand that many of the people, unbelievers who are going to stand before the Lord at the judgment, their body is long since gone. I mean, turned to dust. So the Bible doesn't say we don't know if they're going to stand before the Lord in some sort of a resurrected body. We don't know if they're going to stand before the Lord simply as resurrected spirit/soul. We don't know the Bible doesn't say.

Because this is the only experience we know.

Physical.

Physical. We just get tripped up on some of this, but we want to know what it's going to look like. Because it's all we know and we can't imagine.

We get uncomfortable thinking about something that's outside of our sphere of just understanding. It’s like how can I stand before God as a spirit? It's going to be no problem sort of a thing. But again, she's asking about unbelievers. She's not talking or asking about born again believers. So that's an important distinction.

Ryan says,

First of all, Ryan and whoever else is wondering about this, I seriously doubt I would say anything. Let me explain myself. It all went when people make statements, it all depends on whether the person is asking a question or attempting to purposely misrepresent scripture.

Right.

People say things for all kinds of reasons. Some people say things because they might make a statement, but they genuinely want to know what you think.

They're inquiring.

They're inquiring, but they may not finish it with a question mark. They may just make a statement, but they might look at you like, what do you think about that? In those sorts of situations, I may respond. If I feel though that someone is purposely misrepresenting the Word of God in such a way as to pervert the scripture and they just really want to kind of cause people to stumble or whatever, I'm probably not going to say anything. Because I am a believer. I'm a firm believer that the heart must be in a position to receive truth. And if it's not in a position to receive truth, you're going to be wasting your words. The Bible tells us that after Jesus was arrested, Pilate sent him over to Herod who happened to be in Jerusalem at the time. And Herod peppered Jesus with questions, peppered him. Do you know that Jesus did not answer a one of them? And the reason is because he knew that Herod wasn't asking to learn. He was just throwing out questions for whatever reason. And sometimes people do that. They'll make statements or ask questions to make you look stupid. So you believe in a big fish that swallowed a guy for three days and then barfed him up on the shore. You believe that. You see, that's a leading question to make you look stupid. If somebody gives into that, it's like, I don't know, you're not going to do much good. So that's the issue. Now, let me talk to Ryan because Ryan obviously saw this on Twitter, former Twitter now X, he read it and he thought, how would I respond?

What’s the answer here?

What's really going on here? What's the answer when somebody quotes a passage, which is an interesting passage, Isaiah 45, God literally says, I create evil. So somebody could look at that and they think, that's God admitting that he has the potential to create evil, which means, now here we are deducing things, God is not completely good. First of all, I would quote to them 1 John 1:5 which says; God is light and in him is no darkness at all. See, that's the point. God has no darkness in him. He may do things that we interpret as being dark, like allowing things to happen and so forth. But it's a hard issue with 1 John 1:5 (ESV) This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. God. There's no darkness in him. Which means that God can do things like be jealous and not sin. It means that God can be angry and not sin. I've heard people even make the argument that Jesus got angry and threw the people out of the temple precincts. And so therefore, look at that. We got angry. We know he sinned. What they're doing is they're interpreting sin from their perspective, from their sinful. They know of no anger that doesn't go with sin in their experience. So they assume that Jesus must have been a sinner. And what they forget is that anger in itself is not evil. It's the heart behind it that becomes evil. Jealousy in and of itself is not evil. It's the heart behind it that makes it evil. So we understand things from the perspective of our evil hearts. We have no concept to understand God who does things from the perspective of a perfect, pure heart. We don't get that. And so we make stupid statements on social media and we go, that proves it. Only proves that you're kind of dumb. All it proves is that all you know is what you are. That's all that proves that you don't know anything beyond your own reality. So that's what I would say in God, there is no darkness at all. That's what the apostle John told us and so we use that. We use that to interpret the things we see in the Bible. When we see God doing something or saying something that troubles us, we have to remember. Wait a minute, in him, there's no darkness. There's no darkness. So I can't interpret this from the perspective of my darkness and try to understand the heart of God. I just can't do that.

The next question is from Katini; “Greetings Pastor Paul, I'm a Catholic and I love hearing your sermons after reading the Bible as I get more insight and deep underlying message of the passage from your sermons. I wanted to ask a question regarding the images of Jesus and Mary in Roman Catholicism. I have asked many priests and nuns, and they all claim that we don't worship those images. But Pastor Jesus said, if you love me, you will keep my commandments. I'm kind of little confused despite their clarification.”

So she's concerned, obviously that these images that in Roman Catholicism are a violation of the commandment against graven images. And she doesn't say that, but that's obviously what she's concerned about, because then she comes back and she's quoting Jesus here, if you love me, you will keep my commandments. There are several things here that I would want to say to Katina. First of all, when Jesus makes that statement, if you love me, you will keep my commandments. He's not referring to the 10 commandments. That's an important thing to remember. He was referring to the teachings that he had been giving during his earthly ministry and his teachings involve things like love one another, love your neighbor, love your enemy, trust in God, trust also in me. Those are the commandments to just name a few that Jesus gave. But what I would also want to say to Katini is that I understand your concern here. And she goes on to say how she asked several priests and several nuns to kind of comment on this. They all kind of told her it's not a big deal. Honestly, they're kind of right. It's not a big deal. But what I would say to Katini is that there are frankly other aspects of Roman Catholicism that you probably would be good for you to think through. Images is really low on that list. I would encourage Katini to look into questions like what Roman Catholicism teaches about Mary and her role in salvation. And if believers are called to pray to her as Roman Catholicism encourages, I would encourage Katini to look into the issue of the Roman Catholic teaching on purgatory, which is a place after death, according to Roman Catholic teaching, where people work off certain sins so as to be prepared for heaven. I would encourage her to look into that. I would encourage her to look into the Bible about the existence of a Pope who according to Roman Catholicism is infallible on matters pertaining to doctrine. I would encourage her to look into that from a biblical standpoint. I believe those things are much more weighty and frankly worthy of her consideration much more than images are. So the things that I mentioned here, Mary, how the church sees Mary, whether the church responds to Mary, praise to Mary, sees Mary as someone who's involved in our redemption. This issue of purgatory, the existence, frankly, of an infallible Pope, when he speaks on matters pertaining to doctrine, these are all things that the Bible knows nothing about. They are purely and uniquely the product of Roman Catholic teaching. They are not in the Bible. There's nothing in the Bible. I challenge anyone to find anything in the Bible related to these things. So I believe that there are things that Katini as a Roman Catholic needs to think through and think through with her Bible open.

Right.

It's one thing to go and talk to a priest, but I would encourage anyone who's listening, who is Roman Catholic. If you go to talk to the priest and you ask them questions related to the Bible doctrine or Roman Catholic teaching. When they answer you ask them this question, where do I find that in the Bible? That's the question that really needs to govern all of what we hear from people when they're talking to us about the things of the Lord, where do I find that in the Bible? And you have to make a decision. Every believer has to make a decision. Am I going to believe what is not explicitly in the Bible? Am I going to do that? Every Christian has to eventually grapple with that question, because you're going to hear about doctrines and beliefs and things, whether you hear them at a funeral or people talking in the lunchroom at work or whatever, you're going to hear people say things that you just kind of cock your head and you think, where did that come from? And often we're not in a good position to say to somebody, where would I find that in the Bible? But if you hear something and you wonder about it, you need to look it up. You need to research it. And you need to ask yourself this question. If it is not in the Bible, why should I believe it? Why should I accept it if it's not in the Word of God? Because if it doesn't come from God that means it comes from man. Because what God has given us, he's given us in the Bible. So why should I believe something that isn't in the Bible? The question of the hour, the question of a lifetime. There you go.

There you go. And that's it. That was our last question.

Oh, that's a wrap.

Yeah, that's a wrap.

That’s it. We're going to have more questions next week. We thank you for sending them in. Best way to send your questions is through email. Write to questions@lifebibleministry.com. And we'll do our best to get to your question as soon as we can. Also check out our website, Life Bible Ministry for Bible studies through the entire 66 books of the Bible and also women's Bible studies along with study guides that you'll find written and taught by my lovely wife. So until we join you next time, have a good rest of your day. God bless.