Hindu mark on forehead!

Question Text:  I am a Christian and have accepted Jesus as my Lord and Saviour. I got converted from being a Hindu.  Is it appropriate for me to wear a dot on my forehead, even if it of a different colour.  Does this have any Religous Meaning.  I have also read that wearing a toe ring has religoud significance, is it appropriate to wear this as well.

Answer Text:  Your question whether the mark on the forehead used by Hindus has any religious significance can easily be solved if you just do a search in the net for your answer.   Typical statements that you come across in your reading will be like the following.  “This mark has a religious significance and is a visible sign of a person as belonging to the Hindu religion”. In times past only gods and priests had this sign on them.  Later it was given to all who came to worship at the temple. As days went by, people who had idols in their houses used it after worshipping the idols.  Now mostly ladies use it in different colors and it has come to the level of just a beauty spot as well.  Whether used for religious reasons or as a beauty spot, a believer in Christ NEED not go for it at all.   God hates idolatry to the core because it misrepresents Him to the greatest extent.  The people of Israel were warned NOT to bring any relics from idols to their home how ever costly and attractive, so that there may not be a curse given to them (Dt.8:25, 26). The same goes for toe ring as well.   Coming to the NT we read that “all that is not of faith is sin” (Rom.14:23b).  As a believer in Christ, you have to make sure that you do only such things which do not create a doubt in your own heart or in the hearts of others who watch you.  May God bless you as you seek to live a life acceptable to Him.  To His name be all glory.  Amen.

License To Sin?!

Question Text:   I was a Hindu, saved at the age of 14. I backslid many times and then I repented. I had a horrible childhood of abuse etc, never had a childhood or teen years as a normal kid even unto adulthood. When i was 22 i committed fornication once, also drank and smoked. I repented. I stopped then I committed fornication again although a bit unwillingly. I read Heb. Chap. 10. Am i saved?

Answer Text:  You said you were saved at the age of 14, though a Hindu. Praise God for the grace given to you. Then you talked about your backslidings and coming back again and again. You talked about your reluctant sins in your life and wonder whether you are saved. Truly you need to wonder about it. The Bible teaches that a child of God can NOT continue in sin (1Jn.3:9). The very fact that you are reluctant shows that the Spirit of God is within you. That you are concerned about your salvation is an indication that you are indeed a saved person! People of the world not only commit these sins but they enjoy doing it and want to have more and more of it. The Bible teaches that God can not tolerate sin where ever it is found. There is NO forgiveness for willful sins either in the OT or in the NT (Num.15:30,31; Heb.10:26). Sin in the life of a believer is punished here and now while we are in the body (1Cor.5:5). To a sinning child of God there is NO condemnation; but there WILL BE chastisement (1Cor.11:32). The Bible clearly teaches that salvation is a gift from God (Eph.2:8). All that we can DO to get this salvation is to receive it by faith. Since you can not DO any thing to get it, you can NOT do any thing to lose it either. The Bible teaches that once you are saved you are always saved. But that does NOT give you license to live in sin. Sin will be punished where ever it is found. I am going to give you one or two links from where you can go to many other related links and learn all about being saved and the need for a holy life. May the Lord give you grace to live a life pleasing to Him so that you may not be ashamed at His coming (1Jn.2:28). May His name be glorified. Amen. Please study the following links thoroughly and live a life acceptable to Him.  http://www.gotquestions.org/once-saved-always-saved.html ,  http://www.gotquestions.org/license-sin.html .  Praise His Holy Name.  Amen

A Question About Culture!

Question Text: 

I am a Malayalee Indian living in America. I believe in Christ. I get confused over some things when I have to do them. When I do things, I struggle between Malayalee, American and Christian ways. I went to a single male`s house  to do homework alone. Everyone in my community I talked to said it was wrong because I put myself for an assault and bad name.  I don`t want to be raped or assaulted or get a bad name in the future. I went because I had a test due and this gentleman is my tutor at school and he offered to help me for free. What should I have done?  (Profile: Female 18-30).

Answer Text:

I am glad that you believe in Christ.  And I know there are a lot of adjustments needed when you live in a foreign country with its completely different cultural set up. You said you talked to some in your community about this matter   If it was just a normal thing, there would not have been the need for talking about It at all.   And every one said it was wrong.  Ok.,   There is a principle you should follow before doing any thing.  If there is a question mark about any thing you wish to do, DO NOT ever do it till all doubts are cleared!   

You asked what you should have done in your situation.   You should have politely refused his offer to help you freely because one never knows whether he is trying to fish with a bait.   From our daily experiences we know how corrupt the world around us is.  Tragically none can predict what is in the mind of another person near us.  Yea, some times even we ourselves do things against our own wishes and only after the action, we realize the seriousness of it!  The Bible describes human heart as deceitful and desperately wicked (Jer.17:9).  Please read a verse from the Bible.    “And the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.  (Gen 6:5).   Jesus said that the human heart is the seat of all evils (Mk.7:21,22).  This has nothing to do with culture at all.  Human heart is corrupt every where.   In educated society it takes a more subtle form.  That is all. 

It is alright for ladies to meet up with men alone, whether married or unmarried, under supervision or in public places. But one has to make sure that the opposite thing never takes place.    As for me, as an Indian (Malayalee), living in India and a senior citizen now,  for what ever reason, I would NEVER go alone in to the house a lady staying alone.   And  Dr.  Billy Graham made it a policy never to be alone with another lady under any circumstances. . I am citing Dr. Billy Graham to show you that culture has nothing to do with this decision.   If not for any thing else, do not give others a chance to scandalize our name for any reason.  Remember there are so many critical eyes watching us and it is best for us to criticize ourselves before we do any thing rather than letting others criticize us.  When they do it, it will some times be with out mercy and it would hurt us rather deeply and some times it will even affect our whole future itself.  So why give the devil a chance (Eph.4:27)?

You can not take back what you have already done.  But never ever do it in future.  It may never end up in raping or in an assault of any kind.  But who knows whether it might not end up in illegal actions with mutual consent?!  One can never rule out either possibilities!!  So take heed to yourself and keep yourself safe from any assault of the devil (1Pet.5:8).  May the Lord give you grace for His glory.  Amen.

Destined To Hell?!

Question Text: I am a fairly new Christian and struggle with predestination. Can I ask for Jesus to be lord of my life, read his word, desire to know truth, God, and apply what I learn to my life? I trust God’s word is truth, even though I don’t` understand all of it. Will I stand before him to hear him say, “I did not choose you ` and be gone to hell’ . I do not want to go to hell. I deserve it but I want to be with God. I have been praying for people in my life that are family and crossed my path for the conviction of the Holy Spirit to lead them to repentance and saving faith. Should I not do this because God chose those he knew would be His and he loses none of them? I am so disturbed over this. Please help!

Answer Text: I was so moved as I read your question. Your sincere desire to be in heaven and be in presence of the Lord for ever after you leave this world WILL NEVER EVER be denied by the Lord by any means as the Bible NEVER teaches that God has chosen certain people to go to hell. God loved the whole world (Jn.3:16). Christ died for sins of the whole world (1Jn.2:2). That surely includes you and me with out a question. Praise be to His Holy Name!

But the doctrine of divine election is a subject which is CLEARLY taught in the Bible. You can not read the Bible and miss that subject. If any one denies divine election, that person is guilty of denying a clear teaching of the Word of God.

While positive election is clearly taught in the Bible, the Bible NEVER teaches that God has elected some people TO GO TO HELL. In fact hell is NOT prepared for man. HELL IS PREPARED FOR SATAN AND HIS ANGELS (Mt. 25:41). The Bible clearly teaches that God is NOT willing that any should perish (1Tim.2:4; 2Pet.3:9). So if some one goes to hell, it is happening against God`s perfect will. That is why when Jesus, our Lord, taught His disciples to pray, He asked them to pray, `thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven` (Mt.6:10).

Then you are absolutely right about the role of grace even for accepting Christ as savior. Jesus clearly says `unless the Father draws, no one can come to me` (Jn.6:44). From these verses it is clear that when we pray for the salvation of our loved ones and friends, God gives them the grace to accept Christ even as we pray. Because we are clearly taught in the Bible that if we pray in the will of God, God will surely listen to us (1Jn.5:14).

So from now on please make your prayers for the conversion of your friends more intense and more specific and soon you will find the Lord touching them. There is one prayer to which God will never say “no” for an answer. It is when we pray for the salvation of others. Surely there will be struggle as Satan will not easily give up on certain people. But if we strive in prayer as we are taught in Rom.15:30-32, surely answer is bound to come.

When we read the biography of George Mueller of Bristol, we will come to know that he prayed for the conversion of a friend of his for 53 long years! But Mueller, who was a mighty man of prayer, could not see his friend’s conversion when Mueller was still alive. But the biographer of Mueller reports that the friend for whom Mueller was praying for 53 years accepted the Lord at the funeral service of Mueller! So be fervent in prayers for your friends and be sure that answer is bound to come sooner or later.

The question of the sovereignty of God and the freedom of man can not be easily solved by us. It is like the doctrine of Trinity. How could you explain that God is One yet there are three persons who have all the qualities of Godhead? The Bible calls it the mystery of God (Rev.10:6). What we have to do is to take the Bible verses at its face value and believe them and teach them as it is found there. If we emphasis one against the other we get in to all sorts of wrong teachings which are common among many Christians. May God bless you as you try to seek after Him whole heartedly. To His name be all glory. Amen.

Why We Should Worship God?

Question Text:  I hate being a slave to anybody.  So why does God make us worship him like we are just his slaves?  I think we were born to be free and if he just makes us worship Him, I think he is so selfish.

 

Answer Text:   Truly worship is beneficial to the one who worships God and not to God Himself.  Now read on.

 

The question of worship is a very interesting one.  Our atheist friends have misunderstood worship and they blame God for being selfish or they think He is a tyrant.   But if you understand worship in its proper context, I am sure you will want to be one of the best worshippers.

Let us look at worship in this way. Now, we all know that man is a very heavily dependent being. For example, we depend on the air that we breathe, the water that we drink and the food that we eat to maintain our physical bodies. Can you imagine living without depending on any of these for your physical life? Then, man has a mind which also has to be fed regularly. Imagine someone who has never been to school and never tried to train and maintain his mind. What kind of a life would he be living on this earth? So we depend on our society, our education, entertainment, etc. to maintain our minds in a healthy manner. Now,  the Bible teaches us that man is more than just body and soul and that man has body, soul and spirit (1 Thes. 5:23). The spirit element is man is the god-element in him. And this spirit also needs to be nourished and cherished regularly in order for man to enjoy the best that life offers. God who is the Eternal Spirit has allowed us to feed on Him to nourish our spirits and this is what we do when we worship God.

So when we worship God, please understand that we are doing the greatest favor for ourselves by feeding our weak and ill-nourished spirits by being in contact with the eternal and self-existing almighty power of God.   So, when you worship God, you are the beneficiary of worship and NOT God. The bible says God has life in Himself ( Jn. 5:26).  Just as for our physical life we depend of physical things, for the metaphysical we depend on the metaphysical and for our spiritual existence we MUST DEPEND on the source of all life who is God and God has permitted us to draw from Him as much as we want and be the healthiest people around.

When we praise and worship Him the power of God charges our spirits like weak batteries are recharged by electricity. When we pray, we use the power of God to achieve things for us and for others for whom we pray. These are the days of battery operated cars. We are very similar to these batteries which need constant recharging. Oh, yes, without electric power you could do a lot of things. Sure, you could do a lot of things without being in contact with God.  You know that electricity will make a big difference in any industry.   Just like that your connection with God will do much more than electricity would to any industry. This is for sure. Would you rather be a tread mill or be an electrified mill? I have chosen to be an electrified one and I know it has made a world of difference to me.

 

God’s Love And Hell

 

Question Text:  hey I am 15 years old from Lebanon and I am called Michel Youssef and I have a simple question that I can not understand it. Everybody said that god loves us , but everybody says that if we do a lot of sin we will burn in hell , if he loves us why should he hurt us ?

Answer Text:  My dear son Michel, I am so proud to meet a fifteen year old with such thought provoking question. I am sure you are going to turn out to be a great person in future. And with God you will be able to achieve things beyond any man’s imagination.

 In your  question you said that everybody says God loves us but everybody says that if we do a lot of sin we will burn in hell. Ok. Son, please remember everybody does not say this. This is what that Bible tells us about God and you do not have to do a LOT of sins to burn in hell according to the Bible! And you asked if God loves us why should He hurt us. Indeed, it is an excellent question. I will explain it from two angles.

The first thing to remember is that God has ordained this world to be ruled by laws which do not change (Ps.148:6). Now we all know about the law of gravity. The universe is guided by this law of gravity. As human beings living upon the face of the earth, we simply have to abide by this law. For example, none of us could ever imagine to jump down from a three storied building without getting hurt. Can we? Just as there are physical laws under operation, God guides humanity by moral and spiritual laws which also do not change. Anyone breaking any of these would hurt himself without a doubt. While scientists have been able to discover some of the physical laws of this universe, we are so glad that God has revealed through His people Israel the spiritual laws by which He operates this world of humanity (Ps.147:19). When someone breaks any of the moral or spiritual laws of God, that person is bound to get hurt without a doubt. Since God has revealed it to us, the full responsibility is given to us. That is why the prophet Ezekiel would say, “why should you die, o house of Israel?” (Eze.18:31).

So now if someone gets hurt by breaking the command of God, can we blame God for the same? Now the question of hell is a real problem. But let us look at it this way. A person who says, “I do not want to obey the command of God” is, in fact, saying that he does not want this God. Am I right? If a person goes on to say that he does not want God and His ways in his life till the end of his life, at the time of his death God will accept his final “no” to Him and allow him to go to a place from where God has withdrawn His presence. That is what is called hell. Hell is the place prepared for Satan and his angels (Mt.25:41). God does NOT want any one to go there (1Tim.2:4). But if someone does not want God and His ways for himself, God will finally allow him to go there with tears in His eyes (Eze.33:11).

My dear son Michel, I humbly request you that you will never say “no” to God and to His commands. He will not accept your ‘no’ till your last breath. But once you leave this world without accepting God’s ways, you would have chosen for yourself a place where God is not present and it is hell and it burns with fire and brimstone (Rev.21:8). Since none of us knows when death will come to us, it is best for us to come to Him NOW and accept Him in our lives now before it is too late.

 

 

 

 

Will God Send Good People To Hell For Not Accepting Christ?

Question Text: How would you explain God sending some one like Gandhi to hell for not accepting Christ, when Jesus said you shall know them by their fruit?

Answer Text: You have posted an excellent question.   Good people in hell can be understood by the fact that they are dead in spirt and therefore lived a life separated from God here and will do so hereafter.

The Bible doctrine that no man is good stands unchallenged (Ps.14:3). Your statement that we can know them by their fruit was made by our Lord in the context of false teachers (Mt.7:20). Your assumption that Gandhi’s fruit was good is to a great extend agreeable though in his autobiography Gandhi confesses to have lied on occasions. Yet, he was known as the Mahathma which literally means a ‘great soul’.

Gandhi was indeed a great soul with out a doubt. But his spirit was dead and was separated from God. The Bible teaches that man is a tripartite being. Man has a body, soul and spirit (1The.5:3). The spirit in man is that part of man by which man could be in contact with God. When Adam committed sin, he became dead in spirit. Which means Adam lost His fellowship with God as he was separated from God by sin. In Adam all die (1Cor.15:22). This means all men are born in this world being separated from God. Unless a regeneration takes place every man born on earth is born and lives being separated from God. A natural man is lead by his soul element in him (1Cor.2:14). The original word for ‘natural man’ in 1Cor.2:14 is ‘psuchikos’ which means a ‘soulish (man)’. Until some one accepts Christ, he is lead by his soul and he remains separate from God.

When some one accepts Christ, a reversal takes place. A death takes place (2Cor.5:14) and a new life begins (Eph.2:1). He dies to self (soul) and he is made alive in spirit. Now a child of God is to be lead by the spirit (Rom.8:14). Tragically there are occasions when a child of God also is lead by the soul like ordinary men (1Cor.3:3). Thus they become carnal Christians. The important thing to note is that soul and spirit are identical twins and we really can not identify them or separate them and indeed, we would not have even known about these two different elements in man if the Word of God had not made it clear to us (Heb.4:12).

Gandhi being a ‘great soul’ produced fruit very similar to that of the fruit of the spirit as taught in Gal.5:22. But surely, it was the fruit of his soul and not of the spirit. His spirit being separated from God is not capable of producing the fruit of the spirit.

It is God’s desire that all men should be with Him in heaven (1Tim.2:4). God has done every thing possible for every man to be saved. Now it is man’s duty to make the choice whether to be found with God or with out Him. We know from the biographies of Gandhi that he was clearly exposed to the gospel of Christ. In fact Gandhi liked the Sermon on the Mount so dearly that he read it almost regularly.

Yet, Gandhi chose not to accept Christ as his Lord and savior and remained a soulish man and never became linked to God in a practical way in his spirit. God of love does NOT force any one to accept Him. If Gandhi does not want to be with God in heaven, God is helpless and God can not and will not take him to heaven.

To me, hell also is a sign of God’s loving nature, being unwilling to force any man in to His mould with out man’s clear permission and decision. So if there is any truth in the Bible, Gandhi can not be in heaven because he did not choose to be in link with God while here on earth through Christ who said no one can come to the Father but by me (Jn.14:6). It is not a question of God sending any one to hell, it is a question of people choosing to live with out God here and now which will be their fate all through eternity as well. I hope this clarifies your question.

Can a non-Christian join in a worship service?

Worship is human response to divine revelation. When ever and where ever the vision of the Lord was seen the immediate response of the one who saw it was one of falling at the feet and worshipping. If there is a desire in our hearts to worship Him, it is because we too have seen Him with the eyes of faith. One who has never seen Him could never worship Him.

Now, you ask me if a non-Christian can join in praise and worship as a Christian does. Well, Public worship is a time when the people of God gather together to worship their God. Usually in a Christian meeting where preaching and teaching is involved, all are allowed to join in. And naturally all our meetings begin with the worship of God. Then we invite non-Christians as observers even on a Sunday worship meeting. Some even come to observe the Holy Communion services. To ask them to join us after the praise and worship would not be practical in any way. On the other hand, some have come to know the Lord simply by attending a full fledged praise and worship meeting where there was no preaching of the Word was scheduled!

It is true that a non-Christian can not worship God because he is dead in spirit. But being present in a meeting where praise and worship is going on might give him an opportunity to come to know the living God. Please read what the Psalmist says. `And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: Many shall see it, and fear, And shall trust in Jehovah` (Psa 40:3 ASV). Don`t you want your non-Christian friends to fear and trust in the Lord? The Psalmist says that when they see us praising God with a new song, many will fear and trust in the Lord! May that be so even in these days. To His name be glory. Amen.

Knowing Jesus

Question Text: What does it mean and how do I ‘know’ Jesus?

Answer Text:  Hi, I am so pleased to meet you with your questions. Your first question is: What does it mean and how do I ‘know’ Jesus. Ok. Two different words are used in the original language Of the New Testament to talk about ‘knowing’. The first word has the idea of knowing some thing in theory. We might say know about some one or some thing. Then the next word translated ‘know’ is experiential knowledge. It is knowledge based on experience. In both levels described above we need to ‘know’ our Lord. We read the gospels to know about Him. And the epistles will teach us to know Him intimately as a person, by being with Him, conversing with Him, being intimate to Him etc. Paul talks about knowing Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings (Phil.3:10). The NT talks about a time when we can become so intimate with the Lord that we become one spirit with Him (1Cor.6:17). That will be a glorious experience. When we reach that stage we will be able to think thoughts similar to what He thinks. That should be the goal of every true believer! This is made possible as you spend time with Him every day  in quietness with the Word and in intimate fellowship and prayer before Him.

Doing The Impossible!

Question Text:  The  Bible talks about many impossibilities.  How can I do some thing which is impossible to people around me?

Answer Text:  Hi,  I am so very happy to see you with your question!  The Bible teaches that God is a God of impossibilites.  Nothing is impossible to God is repeated several times in the Bible in different words (Gen.18:14; job 42:2; Lk.1:37).  Now the most amazing thing about the Bible is that it also says “nothing shall be impossible to them that believe” (Mt.17:20). 

 We live in a time when every one talks about the human ‘mind power’ and about achieving the impossible as something which ordinary people can dream of.  Whether that is true or not, being in link with God, man is truly capable of  achieving what is otherwise  impossible with man!  There is NO doubt about it at all.  The Bible and histroy of the church is replete with examples of men and women who achieved the impossible with the help of God.  ok, 

Now coming to your personal situation,  your desire to achieve the impossible is really great and you are on the right track.  Your faith in the Bible and your genuineness is also deeply appreciable.  Now you seem to be staying with your parents and still you depend on them.  Very good.  The present impossible task you need to achieve is to remain obedient to them!  Look at Jesus, our Lord.  The Eternal Word who is the agent of creation, the one who sustains the universe by the word of His power, to limit Himself within a 6 foot human body is some thing beyond imagination!  Then at the age of 12 He demostrated such intellectual power which amazed those who were around and heard Him (Lk.2:47).  Still He continued to be submissive to His parents till He was 30 years old!  That was some thing really difficult for Him to do.  Why thirty years?  Because the Jews considered some one mature enough do do public service only at  age of thirty (cf. Num.4:2). 

 So my dear young friend, the first impossible thing you need to achieve in your life is to learn to be submissive to your parents till you are independent and ready to act on your own.  Remember Joseph had that dream when he was just 17 and he had to go through situations and turmoils beyond imagination till he was thirty when he became the supreme authority in Egypt!

While being submissive to your parents I would suggest that you get as close to the Lord as possible and become one spirit with Him (1Cor.6:17) so much so you train yourself to think the way the Lord thinks.  Fill your heart and life with the Word of God (Col.3:16).  Learn of the Lord what He wants you to achieve in your life (Ps.32:8).  Then when the time comes for you to demonstrate it in life,  do the impossible for Him  and for HIS GLORY (2Chr.16:9).  May God give you grace as you want to do the impossible for Him.  My prayers are with you.    Please go to  www.mathewpaul.org/category/book-on-prayer    and  learn about praying for the impossible.  God bless!!