Question Time Stamps for Quick Reference: 0:00 - Intro 1. 0:56 {“Work Out” My Salvation??} What does it mean to "work out your salvation with fear and trembling"? Is that a literal statement? 2. 20:14 {Did Jesus Bodily Rise if He Appeared in the Flesh?} Jehovah's Witnesses claim that Jesus was resurrected as a spirit only (not a bodily resurrection) since He appeared in a locked room, and if He was in the flesh He couldn't have done that. What are your thoughts in response to this? 3. 25:06 {Honoring Parents through Marital Friction} How can I honor and love my parents biblically when they take offense at and criticize my wife and I for every little thing we do? It's making my wife anxious, and we're going to have a baby. We want a relationship with them, but they seem committed to bitterness. 4. 30:44 {Can Non-Believers bear the Fruit of the Spirit?} Can someone who is not a Christian show the fruit of the Spirit? 5. 34:28 {Will Sharing Tough Truth Ruin our Witness?} I'm afraid to talk about issues like abortion, LGBT, etc. for fear that I'll turn people off so much that they won't listen AT ALL when I try to share the Gospel. How can I resolve this? 6. 43:54 {How Do We “Abstain from Blood” Today?} How, as 21st century Christians, should we understand the decree for gentile believers to abstain from blood (Acts 15: 20, 28, 29)? 7. 53:28 {Are there Really Any “Righteous” People?} Do the Righteous live by faith, or is no one Righteous? How do we reconcile these ideas without compromising their original meaning? 8. 58:38 {Does Sincerity = Salvation?} I have a Muslim friend that I speak with regularly about God. I am a firm Christian, but I question how other God-fearing people who have been indoctrinated into a specific religion are not saved. 9. 1:04:17 {Could the HS be Feminine?} Could the Holy Spirit be feminine? A biblically sound, wiser, older Christian in my life is unsure about this. He brings up decent arguments affirming this view, but then there's John 15: 26. Thoughts? 10. 1:09:01 {Has God Hidden What We Need to Know?} What are your thoughts on Mathew 11: 25? I was raised in the Branham cult where there is a great deal of anti-intellectualism. They also claim that God has blinded most Christians from Branham. 11. 1:14:41 {Will We Receive Anything We Ask of God?} The Bible says, “Ask and you shall receive.” I asked Jesus to save my mother, but He didn’t. Then why did He say, “Ask and you shall receive”? 12. 1:21:03 {Resolving Translational Differences} Why does 1 Corinthians 11: 16 seem to have opposite meanings depending on the translation? How should we understand it? 13. 1:24:30 {Missing Verses? Is My Bible Reliable?} I've just learned that some Bibles are missing passages. How should we approach the Bible knowing some verses have been left out? 14. 1:32:27 {Why Is There Still Evil on Earth?} My 10-year-old wants to know, if Satan was defeated, then why is there still evil on the planet? I couldn’t think of a good way to answer her. Help? 15. 1:36:43 {What is “Hyper-Charismatic”?} Please explain what "hyper-charismatic” means. Thank you. 16. 1:39:27 {Why was Achan’s Household Punished?} Ezekiel 18: 20 says that the son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father. How do you explain the story of Achan in Joshua 7: 25 where he and his household were stoned and burned because of his sin? 17. 1:47:17 {Did YHWH Lose to the “god” of Moab?} Did Yahweh lose to the god of Moab in 2 Kings 3: 27? 18. 1:58:54 {Is There a Temple in Heaven?} Is there a literal temple in Heaven, or is that meant to be understood figuratively? I have always understood that the temple/tabernacle on Earth were to represent truths about Heaven. 19. 1:59:54 {Using Time Wisely in Marriage} My husband likes to spend hours on meaningless videos or gaming. How can I talk to him about how he spends his time as a Christian, especially that our young kids see this? 20. 2:02:24 {Why is Bible Reading Important?} How is it important to read our Bibles outside of the church setting? And is there scripture to back this up? Why is it important to you to read your Bible?
5) Jesus wasn’t afraid of triggering anyone He wanted to convict people, He’s God and a perfect human. He was careful in His approach wanting everyone to receive His message. 8) Unfortunately a lot of legalistic Christians believe in the law for salvation it’s not just cultish religions. We know our personal salvation but for others we only know fruit only Christ truly knows the heart-Romans 10:1-11. Nonbelievers are condemned according to scripture-John 3:16-18. 20) Reading the Bible draws us closer to God and in a deeper relationship with God, very important to help hear Him and walking in the spirit-John 15:4-5.
Hey, Mike, I just saw a video from Justin Peters of the history of the charismatic movement and I wanted to know your thoughts on it and maybe research this sometime and bring a thoughtful response, because this is video left me a little confused about this subject. God bless you and your ministry. May He use you for His glory.
Mike explanation about Jesus resurrected form doesn’t make sense. If you’re going to assert Jesus rose with the same body, which is fairly asinine considering that body went through a considerable amount of trauma PRIOR to being impaled, you also have to reasonably assume he would have had the same head a FACE too, to remain consistent. So, Mike’s assertion falls completely flat when you consider why Jesus’ closest friends/confidants not be able to recognized him by looking at HIS FACE after not seeing him for three days? Who reasonably forgets a person’s face in three days? If Jesus FACE was unrecognizable at times after his resurrection then how can anyone with full assurance claim he had the EXACT same body prior to his death. He had the same body but not the same head and face. 🤔 Why did Jesus’ close friend Mary, the first person to see the resurrected Christ, think he was the gardener? *JOHN 20:14-15* Did she also FORGET Jesus’ facial features in such a short period of time?
That Thomas argument is easily defeated. Also the scriptures attest to the fact that Jesus ie the “Last Adam”… became a LIFE-GIVING… ➡️➡️➡️SPIRIT⬅️⬅️⬅️ *1 CORINTHIANS 15:45* So it is written, The first man Adam became a living being; the last Adam became a *_life-giving spirit._*
I was living in terrible sin and I was confronted by a believer about it with revelation and the scripture about the lake of fire. It was harsh, but that scripture never left my heart and God used it years later to bring me to repentance and conviction later in my life. I went to my first Bible study wearing a shirt with a baby demon on it. Please don’t hold back with sharing God’s word with lost people. It’s active and alive and is what changes men’s hearts from the inside.
Mike, Bible Thinker is a literal GOLD MINE of Biblical information! Thank you for making learning about scripture fun! and thank you for all the hard work you put into teaching us!!! PRAISE GOD for Bible Thinker!!!!!!!! Love you Brother, Mike!!
Agree 💯 that Mike is an awesome and sincere teacher. However let us have the bible and the Holy Spirit as our primary source and great teachers...few as they are...like Mike assist us in our understanding. God bless all who view this channel and other solid channels that truly stand for the Word.
For a personal answer to number 20: When I've spent time reading and studying the Bible daily, and especially when reading through whole books of the Bible in short amounts of time, I've been the most at peace, in love with God, in awe of God's holiness, and strengthened in my faith. Reading the Bible on your own is a wonderful blessing we get to do. Why would you limit eating to once a week when you could do it daily and be healthier and stronger that way? God is so gracious to us!
The 3 sad things about Christendom in general are we don’t know the truth…..or we know a truth but it’s not a truth to or about us…..or we fail to speak truth in love….. Since this happens => over 95% of the time => we only sow chaos and confusion and loathing/hatred…..
Question 5... Wow & THANK YOU. What a life changing teaching there. I really needed to hear that. That's totally me. I legit learned a lot here. Very precious information. Wise words. @MikeWinger you have helped me on my spiritual walk so much over the last 2 years. You are indeed spirit lead. Appreciate all your hard work. Mike, I have experienced true revival. I have totally been changed mind, spirit, and my actions. I can't learn enough. You really are leading people towards Christ. Words can't describe how I feel/am, like on the inside now. I just know that I have experienced true revival. God has taken away so much dirt from my life, so that I can follow him and even lead a few others towards him. I struggle with mental health, but nothing like before. I have a joy inside, a flame burning, and a passion for God like never before. Practice what I preach and that I never lose sight of what really matters again. And I thank God for reaching me, through you.
God bless you,brother ,you worship God daily and be thankful for all our Lords blessings on you and pray and help by charity other people who are suffering at the demons hand lime the Palestinians,the,Africans, the rohingahs in Burma and in China and all other innocent people being sacrificed via war and terrorist etc,,its all the work of the SAATANIST devil worshipper that are in our governments in our schools and universities etc the films are all evil Hollywood is truly pedophilewood etc evil is all around us nowadays, look at gays and these chop shop rejects who are paramedic front of our innocent children daily at schools nurseries
Great lesson on working out your salvation Mike. If I may offer a simplistic explanation? We go to the gym to work out our bodies that we already have. We work out our salvation that was already given to us. We build spiritual muscles to make what we received in salvation effective and steadfast ( 2 Peter 1:3-21) just like physical muscles make us strong and able to resist opposition. it also keeps us healthy. Its like a person who has a car working it out by driving it and fulfilling its intended purpose and not just parking it in the garage and polishing it.
Brother Mike I so enjoy your Q & A and all your teaching, your such a blessing, I don't mind your videos being long 😁 Thank you also Sarah Z. blessing to you both 🙏
Thanks Mike for presenting the communal aspect of working out one’s salvation. I had never heard this before and what came to mind as you presented the idea were two other passages of Scripture: John 17:14-26 and Ephesians 3:14-19. These speak to the sublime nature of God’s love as it exists in community within The Trinity and which God desires be reflected in Christ’s body, the church. As I now understand it, this would involve both our personal as well as our communal participation in the sanctification process. What a profound subject of meditation for all of us who would faithfully follow our Lord Jesus Christ. ❤
Jesus was a spirit person after resurrection. They believed him to be an apparition as if they were seeing some kind of vision that wasn’t truly there. *MARK 6:49* He assured them he was very real and not some figment of their imagination by changing his spirit form into tangible things like flesh and bone. Other spirits beings have been able to do this in the OT. The account of Genesis 19 shows how angels were able to fashion themselves human bodies to warn Lot and his family to flee from Sodom and Gomorrah. They appeared just as real men do since we are told that both men and boys saw them and wanted to engage in sex acts with them. Can you engage in sex acts with a spirit? Yes you could with one that had changed the spirit form into one that appears and operates as a fleshly person. They could even eat while being transformed into human bodies. *GENESIS 18:8* *GENESIS 19:3* So your point isn’t being made that Jesus couldn’t be a spirit person because he was tangible and was able to eat since others spirit beings demonstrated the same things. Also, Peter stated Jesus was ‘made alive in SPIRIT’. *1 PETER 3:18* As well as Paul said neither “flesh or blood” can inherit God’s kingdom and Jesus was the foremost heir ie inheritor of the kingdom so he could not be flesh and blood for this statement be true. *1 CORINTHIANS 15:50*
@@toreyhorton1789 Every person born of God is made alive in the Spirit here and now (John 1:12,13; 3:3-8; Galatians 5:24-25). The resurrection to come is the resurrection of the body, in imitation of Christ the firstborn from the dead (Colossians 1:18; Revelation 1:17-18). In the new heavens and new earth, the spiritual and physical will be joined as one. (Revelation 21, 22). The raised bodies of all God's children will be glorified and capable of things both physical and beyond the mere physical, as is Christ's body (1 Corinthians 15:51-52; Philippians 3:20-21; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17).
@@stephenbailey9969 Wrong. That’s is not what those scriptures convey with respect to the point I made. So, your argument is “every person born from God is made alive from spirit. I’m glad we agree that Jesus is BORN from God since the scripture say at his resurrection he was made alive from spirit. So you’re skipping when the scriptures identified the point when Jesus was “made alive in the spirit.” Let’s read that better. *1 PETER 3:18* - For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, Let’s walk through this scripture because I know you’re not suggesting you’re GREATER than Jesus and you’re already have been “made alive in spirit” without experiencing DEATH. Are you greater than Jesus? So the scripture points out with a clear CONTRAST that Jesus was put TO DEATH IN THE FLESH. Now we must pay attention to the next word ➡️BUT⬅️ Made alive in the spirit! So there is a series of events happening here and it happened tot the greatest man and the author of the Christian faith. So, are you suggesting you’re greater by claiming you don’t need to be PUT TO DEATH IN THE FLESH in order to be “made alive in the spirit.” Flesh and blood cannot inherit God’s kingdom. *1 CORINTHIANS 15:50* Flesh and blood doesn’t emit powerful rays of light that can blind a person as if they’ve stared too long at the sun. *ACTS 9:4-8* Flesh and blood cannot dwell in UNAPPROACHABLE LIGHT neither can they become invisible to the human eye. *1 TIMOTHY 6:16* Jesus true followers WILL BE MADE ALIVE after they have died and during the RESURRECTION. And it will occur in the PROPER ORDER. *1 CORINTHIANS 15:20-23* Jesus was made a “LIFE GIVING… ➡️SPIRIT⬅️ *1 CORINTHIANS 15:45* - Thus it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam became a 👉🏾life-giving spirit.👈🏾
@@toreyhorton1789 All who receive the Lord Jesus are born of the Spirit. (John 1:13) The Father, in the name of his beloved Son, sends the Spirit to give new life and understanding and peace (John 14:16-30) Jesus is the Lord who sends the Spirit to empower us for service (Luke 24:49). Life in the Spirit begins here and now, as is testified in Romans chapter 8: "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death...For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him...For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs-heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him." So, because we are born in the Spirit, we are called to walk in the Spirit. "But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh." (Galatians 5:16) The eternal life begins now, "Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him... Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life." (1 John 5:1, 12-13) "Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life." (John 5:24) This body will eventually rest in the ground until the resurrection, but all those who belong to Christ will depart to be with him until that day (Philippians 1:23,24).
@@toreyhorton1789 In the new heavens and new earth, the spirit and the physical will be one. The veil will be gone. (Revelation chapters 21 and 22) Paul in 1 Corinthians chapter 15 describes the new being, a 'spiritual body'. A joining of the spiritual and the physical. A new creation to live in the new reality.
As far as talking about LGBT and abortion etc, I was thinking the other day, Jesus said in Mark 12:31, "love your neighbor as yourself". A born again Christian would not let themselves live in sin so if we love others as we love ourselves we should not turn a blind eye to a neighbor living in sin. Non believers like to use this piece of scripture against us and call us hateful but that's because they have a worldly view of what love is. This would be a good response for when we encounter that.
Amen!! Should we as Christian’s like, if we see lgbt paraphernalia on someone’s car or clothing etc, should we go up to them? Someone I feel like I should say something. But other times I’m like are they going to listen to me? Or am I singling people out? If you saw someone with a shirt that said,”kill all babies.” Wouldnt you say something? Idk is there like a rule for you personally? I tend to overthink this A LOT
Thank you Mike for doing what you do. I have many friends and many people I go to church with that are very Calvinist or reformed theology. I find it difficult not to love them, but I find it difficult just to ignore the Calvinist doctrine and focus on the more important things that the Lord has me to do .
I've always viewed it as working out. When I work out in the gym I'm not producing muscles, I'm using and strengthening my already existing muscles. It is the outworking of our salvation
My Lord said it too me, so I say it too you. If you believed, you would already be healed. Why won't you believe. You should only ever run, towards him. Only fear the Father, only when he says to fear him. Love his sheep. Love his sheep. Love his sheep. Do as you see the Father doing. Rejoice, he is coming, only he knows when. But truly the kingdom has come apon us.
I think the opposite meanings mentioned in Q12 regard "we have no other practice" vs. "we have no such practice", as the first implies endorsement of the practice and the second implies disavowal of it.
Thank you, Mike. Your response to the man who felt his wife's anxiety regarding his parents' critical was very "whole" and complete. I appreciate your responses to questions. Your responses are thoughtful. You explain it for people so they can resolve in the way that Jesus would do, what he would say. You help them understand where in the word they can find where you base your response. I thank God that you are a model for apologetics.
Regarding "work out your salvation," I always understood the phrase "work out" in the context of exercise. As in "exercise your salvation." Let others see it. Live out the things that are supposed to come with truly being saved. It seemed to me like it was a similar concept as James 2.
Exercise in the context of “fear and trembling” doesn’t work. And James the second chapter specifically discusses WORKS being essential to claims of faith. You can’t have active genuine faith without works. The only place in the scriptures where the misused phrase “faith alone” is recorded is at James 2:24 where the Holy Spirit moved James to TRUTHFULLY convey that a person is justified by WORKS and NOT BY FAITH ALONE. *JAMES 2:24* - You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. So all the “faith alone” promoters accuses the Holy Spirit of misrepresenting and misleading people by omission. Scriptures never record the word “faith alone” for salvation. Never!
@@toreyhorton1789 @Torey Horton yes, works are essential to *claims of faith* They are not necessary to *receiving salvation* Works justify us before men, not God. Our works are how we demonstrate our faith to others.
Nope! I know plenty of false teachers have fed you that “works justify us before men” lie but that’s not what the scripture convey. Please read James. He NEVER EVER says anything about pleasing or justifying yourself in the eyes on men. That is not who true Christians are trying to please. We are not people pleasers in anyway. WE SERVE CHRIST AS our Master. *COLOSSIANS 3:22-24* - Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything you do. Try to please them all the time, not just when they are watching you. Serve them sincerely because of your reverent fear of the Lord. 3:23 - Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. 3:24 - Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ. And when we serve Christ the scriptures say the Lord will give us our inheritance as a REWARD!!! For SERVICE!! *COLOSSIANS 1:10* - Then the way you live will always honor and ➡️please the Lord,⬅️and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better. True Christians work to please the Lord. Whom did Abraham please? Who justified Abraham based on his ACTIVE faith which was COMMINGLED with his WORKS? Was it by men Abraham was justified? *JAMES 2:21-23* - Abraham was justified by his works when he all but offered up Isaac. There were no people around to see him do that. He went far away from people to sacrifice his son. The scriptures says “Abraham’s faith was active by his works and it was PERFECTED”. Therefore, the Lord justified him based on that active faith and he became God’s friend. Don’t believe the “faith alone” lie and that works justify us before men. That’s nonsense.
@@toreyhorton1789 by grace you have been saved, and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. This is by grace through faith. Our judicial redemption is brought in by the grace of God, which is through the Son's blood alone. This is the regeneration of the Holy Spirit. We have a further saving, which is the saving of our souls. This is expressed in our actions by living out Christ and not by our mind, emotion and will. The word salvation implies that we were unable to save ourselves. So judicially we were saved and dispositionally we are BEING saved. This is not yet complete and is fulfilled in the glorification of our bodies. "For if we, being enemies, were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more we will be saved in His life, having been reconciled, Much more then, having now been justified in His blood, we will be saved through Him from the wrath. But God commends His own love to us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. And not only so, but also boasting in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation..."And it is not that as through one who sinned, so also the free gift is; for the judgment was out of one offense unto condemnation, but the gracious gift is out of many offenses unto justification." (Romans 5:10-11,16)
RE QUESTION 9 (Holy Spirit) Nowhere in Scripture does either the Hebrew text or the Greek text apply a masculine or feminine pronoun to the Holy Spirit. Only neuter pronouns are ever used. That's because Spirit in both languages is neuter and the biblical writers always followed standard grammatical rules when referring to spirit. In the NT, the only time the Greek text uses a masculine pronoun in connection with the Spirit is when referring to the paraclete - but only because paraclete is itself a grammatically masculine noun. For a detailed discussion, see _Greek Grammar and the Personality of the Holy Spirit,_ by Greek scholar Daniel Wallace. It's available online in PDF format at no charge. As Wallace points out, the same grammatical rules mean the Holy Spirit cannot be the restrainer referred to in 2 Thessalonians 2:7. In Latin, however, Spirit has masculine grammatical gender and that's the path by which it came into English as 'he' and 'him'.
Your ministry is needed . We do not have servants in the pulpit of our churches. There are Primadonnas and Shepherds who shear the sheep, still talking God's Word. But it's a job, not a calling now. Unless we ALWAYS keep our eyes on Jesus, we all will fail in our calling. So be careful to keep your eyes on him, it can happen to any of us. ❤
Concerning your talk on fear and trembling: Psalm 18:26 puts it perfectly. With the pure You show Yourself pure, And with the crooked You show Yourself astute.
For number 12: the difference is the word *other* instead of *such* Either "we have no such practice" or "we have no other practice" -> "other" would require head covering for all churches. "such" would make it a local custom. The Greek is *such*, so I use this as my defense why it is not needed today.
Work it out; bring it out; makes so much sense. I find it very encouraging. We have to abide in Christ for this to work. He is the vine, we are the branches and without Him we can do nothing. Work out your salvation; like a vine bringing out the fruit. In fear and trembling; seems to just mean take it seriously.
Thank you pastor Mike. You make the bible understandable and exciting. Your enthusiasm is contagious. Most of all, you make the Word of God relevant and applicable.
When we are encouraged to "work out our own salvation" we are encouraged to work out our own faith. Salvation is connected to our believing in Jesus our Lord. Even of we have faith in Jesus snd believe in him we can INCREASE this belief, we can INCREASE our faith. Even Jesus showed someone that someone can have more faith then another another person who still has faith and still believes. (See Matthew 8:10 and context) When we "work out" our salvation we are working out in order to increase our faith more than before, because faith can be lost if we no longer believe because of adversities. ❤
I believe working out your own salvation means bearing the fruits of the Spirit. Holy Spirit does the works in your soul, but as believers we always wrestle with the sinful flesh. Therefore in Christ and sealed with Holy Spirit of promise Christ also tells us to preach gospel to all nations. As Christians we suffer persecution but with strength we wear full armour of God.
I was sleeping listening to UA-cam and this channel came on. I was half asleep thinking “Who is this, why did he call, and why is he so frustrated with me?” I couldn’t wake up. I was trying to say, “I know, I know this already, I agree!” In your intro you said “…God, Jesus…” but I thought you were disgusted with me saying “God Jesus”. I thought you had read something somewhere and had misinterpreted me somehow. You were going to set me straight. I think about God and Jesus 24/7, (it’s second nature to me). Not obsessed, I just love Jesus. It’s amazing really. I was struggling, having a challenging week. It was the Spirit reassuring me, encouraging me. Realigning me. It’s a curious thing to KNOW the Truth yet struggle with Faith sometimes. Awake I listened to this episode proper. Very nice. And I agree! lol
I watch your videos daily. They are such a blessing to me. I found you last year & you have really adddd to my walk with our Lord. Thank you Mike for this channel you touch so many life’s with the holy word of our Lord in a time our country is under judgement & Gods word is needed here more then EVER. 😂btw. Boogerface?? Lol lol slay me. Lol
RE QUESTION 6 (Abstain from Blood) The prohibition derives from God's command to Noah in Genesis 9:4 and applies to all humanity as part of the Noahide law: _you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood._ Hence it is about much more than Jews and Gentiles being able to fellowship together.
Your channel showed up on my stream today. I had never heard of you before. I appreciate the wisdom I hear coming from you. Mighty God, Bless this man continually.
Thank you for spending the time to do these videos! It’s awesome to hear an answer to a question that I’ve been struggling with so much, personally- Question 5. I find your answer really helpful and clear. (And thank you to whoever asked it!)
Hi Brother, all I have are questions? Always seeking wisdom and knowledge in God's word. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation. 1 Corinthians 15:1'4 Grace through faith. The Holy Spirit shows me through Christ Jesus. Always learning and growing in the body of Christ. God bless bless Mike
Pastor Mike, thank you so much for your ministry! It has helped me a lot in my walk with Christ. You mentioned you have filipino family. Is your wife filipino? Just made me super curious because my wife is filipino, so my ears perked up when you mentioned dinuguan and filipino family.😂 I pray for you and your ministry often. God bless you and your family!
Please help me and everyone else who are PRAYING to Abba Father, WHY the all knowing Creator, does not help the little children that WE ALL KNOW in are in our CHURCH, ARE being ABUSED, not being PROTECTED SET FREE FROM THIS!!!
@1:20:00 God made us free... He desire us, but He needs us to desire Him. Prayers are heard but speed of conversion is also freedom of man/woman, through "God's Will/Speed". There's also prayers and fasting, some self sacrifices, And there's also "putting our trust in God's hands". Sometimes, it isn't our eyes towards others that will confirm God's Love; God's will talk to us through the hearts of understanding God. Meanwhile, patience, love, everything the Holy Spirit makes you do will inspire others. And sometime, I feel God says "Get busy for yourself first.....", meaning, Trust Him for the rest, He knows your heart. In time, He'll ta.k to you different ways you didn't expected. God bless!
Drop the fear and trembling. Our salvation is done through expanding our love with forgiveness. . "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth, is not made perfect in love." The Holy Spirit teaches us how to forgive. I work and my father works.. Forgiveness is the work. Metanoia. If you had known what these words mean, 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the innocent.
Hey brotherMike, started listening to alot of your content recently actually i started as a calvanist listening to your biblical objections to it. I've been thinking for some time on the views I hold but you brought some good biblical views that changed my mind in many ways. Thank you for your hard work brother ! God bless you brother
Repent, be baptised, get filled with the Holy Spirit, walk in Christ. That is the Salvation message. Have that experience, then treasure that experience. "That is the fear and trembling"
Blessings and thanks, once again, for allowing God to Minister to His people in this YT manner. It seems to me that many people worship a rather puny and weak god. My God is an awesomely and wonderfully powerful God. My God Created this entire universe in 6 days. My God, my Lord Jesus Christ walked on water…He controlled the boat-swamping storm with His spoken word. My God gave us His Holy Words through His Scriptures, His Holy Bible…In which He told us, through His inspired prophets and scribes, precisely what events would occur, many years in advance of those events (Jesus birth, Ministry and His Death, Burial and Resurrection, as well as many prophecies concerning Israel.) and these prophesied events occurred in detail, just as they were written. Praise His Holy Name. Amen.
Everytime I mess up my heart breaks understanding that I could disappoint God. But I feel the Spirit pick me up, tells me try again, keep running the race.
I’m going to tell a story. One where God taught me it’s not ALWAYS about me. My neice died at age 11 of Asthma. I went to the hospital to wait in a private waiting room with our sister it was the wee hours no one was in the bathroom so I went in & I prayed as if the mountain had fallen into the sea & rested on Gods promise. SHE WKULD NOT DIE! Yet she did !!? I was in church in a week or so. I don’t know what the pastor said but I was over come ‘ went out to the parking lot to cry. My husband followed me out. He said what’s wrong. I told him I know what’s wrong but I was angry that God let her die. I felt it was a promise & he always stood by his promises I knew that ! WELL God is so good & such a wonderful father he revealed it to me. I wasn’t especially close to this sister she had literally laughed & mocked me when I told her I was born again years ago. She was far from that & her children her were her ( friends) were too. WELL She called me a week after that church melt down. She told me she found Jenn’s diary my niece. It said 2 weeks before she died she was at the next door neighbors house & excepted JESUS AS HER SAVIOR!! After that EVERYTHING in her diary was her calling out to God himself to rescue her from her extreme asthma over & over. God put it on my heart that A PRAYER WAS ANSWERED that night in the ER it just was NOT MINE. Bcz & get this. NOT everything is about me !!! How shocking lol Jenn would have had a hard time in her walk at 11 with little support & her health her breathing was so very bad. God called her home he answered that child’s prayer & not mine bcz it was her life. I actually later told this to my atheist cousin who said oh my. I don’t believe in God bcz he didn’t save my father!!! I ran to my car got my Bible & prayed god give me all the words to hit her heart & HE DID Jens story made Marybeth accept Jesus that very night & the next day we went & I helped her find a Bible she joined a Bible study her her husband & at the time get two toddler girls were raised in the Lord an entire family saved by Jenna story & her faith. God is always at work. He is faithful & worthy of our praise. ALL Glory to God.
Have a son or daughter in the military and your understanding of "work out your salvation" will become clear, as your child "works out" their specific place in the overall war machine that is the U.S. military. We each have an optimal role in the Christian army, finding that specific place takes a bit of time and experience in various roles.
Dear Pastor God bless you for your work on knowledge of Scripture. The whole of Philipians 2:5-13 is about himility. "Work out" could mean "look at the example of" Christ's humility. God consenting to becoming man and subsequently being elevated to the highest level. Thanks
Re Question 9 (God and Gender) In discussing the gender of the Holy Spirit, Mike touched on the use of feminine imagery in relation to God. Feminists, in particular, say the references to God as ‘Father’ in the bible are merely metaphors and, as there are Bible passages that describe God as a mother, they claim we can (and perhaps should) address God in a less gender-specific form, or even feel free to address God as ‘Mother’. Passages typically cited in support of this proposition include: Deuteronomy 32:18; Job 38:28-29; Psalms 123:2 & 131:2; Jeremiah 31:20; Isaiah 42:14b, 49:15, 63:15b & 66:12 13; Matthew 23:37; and Luke 13:34. When we look at what these passages actually say, we find: • Deuteronomy 32:18, the verb יָלַד (yalad), meaning ‘bore’, here frequently refers to a father begetting - cf. the genealogy lists of Genesis 5, 11, Numbers 26, Ruth 4, 1 Chronicles 2, 4, 4, 6, 8, 9, Nehemiah 12, etc.). Likewise, חוּל (chuwl), meaning ‘gave you birth’, is unequivocally applied to men in Job 15:20; 20:21; Psalm 10:5; 55:4, etc. Hence the assumption that the verse applies a feminine motif to God is unfounded; • Job 38:28-29 is a rhetorical device, employing both fatherly and motherly imagery as part of a larger passage about the limits of Job’s knowledge. God is not likened to either a father or a mother in this passage; • Psalm 123:2 merely refers to peoples’ faithfulness to their earthly superiors as a model for faithfulness to God. No parental imagery is involved; • Psalm 131:2 refers to the psalmist, not to God; • Jeremiah 31:20 depends on Jeremiah 31:9,13 where God identifies Himself as Israel’s father and, hence, the father of Ephraim (His firstborn); • Isaiah 49:15 _contrasts_ God with a mother. In saying God’s compassion exceeds that of a mother for her infant it says God _is not like a mother,_ any number of whom, it might be added, have murdered (whether by abortion or otherwise), abandoned or sold into slavery one or more of their children; • Isaiah 63:15b should be read in context with the very next clause “For you are our Father” (Isaiah 63:16); and • The remaining four passages (Isaiah 42:14b & 66:12-13, Matthew 23:37 and Luke 13:34) are mere _similes_ (not metaphors) drawing on stereotypical feminine motifs, just as Deuteronomy 1:31, 8:5, Psalm 103:13, Proverbs 3:12, Malachi 3:17 and Hebrews 12:7 are similes drawing on stereotypical masculine motifs - expressing parallels between God and the characteristics of a typical mother or father without calling Him either. And, if we are entitled to pray to and worship God as ‘mother’ on the basis of just four similes, why stop there - why not pray to and worship God as: a bird (12! similes - Deuteronomy 32:11-12, Ruth 2:12, Psalm 17:8; 57:1; 61:4; 63:7; 91:4, Matthew 3:16; 23:37, Mark 1:10, Luke 3:22; 13:34); a lion (Hosea 5:14; 13:8), a bear (Hosea 5:14); or moth (Hosea 5:12)? And how about praying to God as the: fire god (6! similes - Deuteronomy 9:3, Ezekiel 1:27, Amos 5:6, Zechariah 2:5, Malachi 3:2, Hebrews 12:29); soap god (Malachi 3:2161); or dry rot god (Hosea 5:12)? When all the Bible passages describing God anthropomorphically are examined, we find that God is called ‘Father’, ‘King’, ‘Lord’ and ‘He’ many hundreds of times, and is many times also described as a shepherd or bridegroom (the New Testament applies these last two terms exclusively to Jesus Christ, whose flock and bride the church is). But nowhere in the Bible is God given any feminine name, role, title or invocation. To say, as some do, that this only reflects the patriarchal society that gave rise to these passages is specious nonsense; most Ancient Near East cultures were patriarchal but that was no impediment to them having female deities - and that includes some of Israel’s neighbours. Even the Jewish philosopher, Philo of Alexandria, recognised that, in spite of the masculine imagery of God in Scripture, God is asexual. Just as specious is the claim that we should look to other metaphors because some people have been mistreated by their earthly fathers. The rather arrogant implication of this is that either Jesus was insensitive to such important issues or that there were there no bad fathers in His day! Before accepting assertions that references to God as ‘Father’ in the Bible are metaphors and we can therefore justify using feminine appellations, we should ask: _Where is the contextual evidence that _*_any_*_ reference to God as Father in the Bible has no difference in meaning than would be a reference to God using a Mother metaphor?_ We all have parents (some even have adoptive parents) and, in normal life, if we refer to any of them as our father or mother, they and others are generally expected to know we’re not using these terms interchangeably. Furthermore, is an adoptive mother or father so only metaphorically? Somehow I doubt anyone involved in such relationships considers it so. Since we understand the difference between a physical father and a relational father in the natural world, why should we think otherwise of a Creator who says “I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me” (2 Corinthians 6:18). Besides, there isn’t even a single metaphorical reference in the Bible to God as mother. Finally, one does well to remember the implications of Ephesians 3:14-15, that “Human fatherhood is a reflection of the divine, not vice-versa”. (Strong, _Systematic Theology,_ 1907, p. 334) Another, equally unbiblical, modern concept is of God as Father-Mother, to which is allied the concept of God’s Father-Mother love. These notions derive from the writings of Mary Baker Eddy, the founder of Christian Science - a cult that denies the essential doctrines of Christianity. The fundamental flaw in the view that God can or should be regarded in gender-neutral or even feminine terms is that it confuses His fatherliness, kingship and lordship with human maleness. The juxtaposition of male and female imagery without any gender implications as to God’s nature is seen in the analogical terminology of Jesus lament in Matthew 23:37140 and Luke 13:34141, where Jesus applies an obviously feminine motif to Himself. As Gregory of Nazianzus observed, _“God is not male because God is called Father, nor is deity feminine because of the gender of the word”._ It’s worth emphasising: God’s fatherhood and the Christian’s sonship is not a matter of biology; it is a matter of revelation and relationship. And, if we’re going to relate to God, we need to do it on His terms and with a proper regard to the nature of that relationship. The father:son terminology we see in Scripture as applying to God and saints, respectively, concerns the kind of relationship He has with His saints.
From the first time I watched one of your videos, I found you to be well reasoned, scripturally sound, and cautious to not offend unnecessarily. Then I discovered your background was Calvary Chaple, and it all made sense. It is difficult to preach "the whole word of God" and then take things out of context or not understand the intent of a passage. Keep up the excellent work. As to the passage in Philipians 2:12, I don't know how you feel about the Amplified Bible, but I think it does an excellent job of elaborating on the nuances of the Greek in that section.
I share only what I experienced and hopefully this can help someone. I believed in Jesus when I was a child because my mom believes but she didn't articulate salvation so I'm not sure if I was saved then or when I confessed when I was 17. Either way when I was 37 I was going through a "spiritual journey" and was messing around with crystals and card reading stuff. The Lord chastened me and I thought I lost my salvation when I realized my big time sin. I got on my knees and cried and begged for forgiveness and I burned and distroyed all the ungodly paraphernalia I had accumulated in the short time. The chastening did not stop right away. It was a few months and had to move away from the place I was living at. After I moved and "worked it out" with the Lord Jesus I was delivered from the unclean spirits/demons that haunted me that seemed to be permitted/allowed to torment me to a point. Lots of praying every attack, every day. So I don't know if that answers your question about working out your salvation with fear and trembling but I know from my experience that's exactly how it felt I know I was still saved somehow but I was being disciplined for a short-season after I repented from my sin. I praise the Lord for his chastening because I know he chastens the ones he loves but I also will never want to experience that ever again. I fear the Lord more than anything or anyone.
Hey Mike I'm still listening after all of these years and I'm still learning from your faithful Study! May I recommend that with your audio. Try to lower 150-500Hz about 4 or 3 dB on your Eq. The low end is a bit strong and reducing it will balance the tone of your voice for headphones or speakers with better low end response. Always best to cut from 150Hz and lower but you may already be doing this.
I have a study group with members who are King James version preference. Everytime something doesn't sound the same it has to do with the manuscripts used being more reliable. They then neglect to seek out the real reason for the differences. Sometimes it is because words are translated differently, and King James doesn't always get it right. I also find it a little disturbing that they don't acknowledge that KJ can be harder to understand when they have misunderstood it themselves.
For Question #2 about JWs claiming that Jesus was only a spirit: Luke 24:39 Jesus said, "Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.”
Regarding righteousness, there are people God declares to be so. Consider Job 1:8, for example _And the LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?"_ God repeats this in Job 2:3.
Fear and trembling is what He wants. I lived some of my life being saved but not obeying. It was terrible. I will not do that again, because it was horrific, just as he said it would be. Living outside God's safety bubble, aka outside of God's will, is painful. He tells you, warns you. I fear living outide of God's will, like i would fear exposing myself to a shark or wild ravenous beast. I was saved by grace through faith... not by my works, but by Gods work through Jesus. Now I work out my salvation with fear and trembling, because when I sin, God allows me to feel the sting of it. It hurts terribly. Albeit, I remain His child while sinning and after sinning regardless of repentance. Jesus's blood paid for those sins. Praise God. He whom the Lord loveth, He chasteneth and scourgeth every son whom he hath received. Just as he promised, i get scourged, and I sure do notice it, and I fear it deaply with all my heart. If I did not fear it, I would sin, but no, I am now wise enough to fear the wrath of Dad more than I desire to sin.
In question four, I would also add that the doctrine of "common grace" applies here. By God's grace to all of humanity, we are not as bad as we could be. We are totally depraved, meaning sin infiltrates every aspect of our lives. However, God's common grace prevents us from being as bad as we could be without Him active in the world around us. So with this argument, people can have attractive attributes without being born again.
RE QUESTION 2 (Jesus's Bodily Resurrection) The JW claim explicitly contradicts Luke 24:39 _See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself; handle me, and see; for a spirit has not flesh and bones as you see that I have."_ Even their own New World Translation affirms this: _See my hands and my feet, that is is I myself: feel me and see, because a spirit does not have flesh and bones just as YOU behold that I have._
🙏🏿🙏🏼🙏🏽🙌🏽☝🏾 Praying for your ministry that God uses so mightily ❣️ Especially for it to remain sound in doctrine and Love in action, as you use your many gifts from God -to teach, preach, evangelize/proselytize and prophecy from the Word of Truth, through His Spirit of Truth🤠😊
Question Time Stamps for Quick Reference:
0:00 - Intro
1. 0:56 {“Work Out” My Salvation??} What does it mean to "work out your salvation with fear and trembling"? Is that a literal statement?
2. 20:14 {Did Jesus Bodily Rise if He Appeared in the Flesh?} Jehovah's Witnesses claim that Jesus was resurrected as a spirit only (not a bodily resurrection) since He appeared in a locked room, and if He was in the flesh He couldn't have done that. What are your thoughts in response to this?
3. 25:06 {Honoring Parents through Marital Friction} How can I honor and love my parents biblically when they take offense at and criticize my wife and I for every little thing we do? It's making my wife anxious, and we're going to have a baby. We want a relationship with them, but they seem committed to bitterness.
4. 30:44 {Can Non-Believers bear the Fruit of the Spirit?} Can someone who is not a Christian show the fruit of the Spirit?
5. 34:28 {Will Sharing Tough Truth Ruin our Witness?} I'm afraid to talk about issues like abortion, LGBT, etc. for fear that I'll turn people off so much that they won't listen AT ALL when I try to share the Gospel. How can I resolve this?
6. 43:54 {How Do We “Abstain from Blood” Today?} How, as 21st century Christians, should we understand the decree for gentile believers to abstain from blood (Acts 15: 20, 28, 29)?
7. 53:28 {Are there Really Any “Righteous” People?} Do the Righteous live by faith, or is no one Righteous? How do we reconcile these ideas without compromising their original meaning?
8. 58:38 {Does Sincerity = Salvation?} I have a Muslim friend that I speak with regularly about God. I am a firm Christian, but I question how other God-fearing people who have been indoctrinated into a specific religion are not saved.
9. 1:04:17 {Could the HS be Feminine?} Could the Holy Spirit be feminine? A biblically sound, wiser, older Christian in my life is unsure about this. He brings up decent arguments affirming this view, but then there's John 15: 26. Thoughts?
10. 1:09:01 {Has God Hidden What We Need to Know?} What are your thoughts on Mathew 11: 25? I was raised in the Branham cult where there is a great deal of anti-intellectualism. They also claim that God has blinded most Christians from Branham.
11. 1:14:41 {Will We Receive Anything We Ask of God?} The Bible says, “Ask and you shall receive.” I asked Jesus to save my mother, but He didn’t. Then why did He say, “Ask and you shall receive”?
12. 1:21:03 {Resolving Translational Differences} Why does 1 Corinthians 11: 16 seem to have opposite meanings depending on the translation? How should we understand it?
13. 1:24:30 {Missing Verses? Is My Bible Reliable?} I've just learned that some Bibles are missing passages. How should we approach the Bible knowing some verses have been left out?
14. 1:32:27 {Why Is There Still Evil on Earth?} My 10-year-old wants to know, if Satan was defeated, then why is there still evil on the planet? I couldn’t think of a good way to answer her. Help?
15. 1:36:43 {What is “Hyper-Charismatic”?} Please explain what "hyper-charismatic” means. Thank you.
16. 1:39:27 {Why was Achan’s Household Punished?} Ezekiel 18: 20 says that the son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father. How do you explain the story of Achan in Joshua 7: 25 where he and his household were stoned and burned because of his sin?
17. 1:47:17 {Did YHWH Lose to the “god” of Moab?} Did Yahweh lose to the god of Moab in 2 Kings 3: 27?
18. 1:58:54 {Is There a Temple in Heaven?} Is there a literal temple in Heaven, or is that meant to be understood figuratively? I have always understood that the temple/tabernacle on Earth were to represent truths about Heaven.
19. 1:59:54 {Using Time Wisely in Marriage} My husband likes to spend hours on meaningless videos or gaming. How can I talk to him about how he spends his time as a Christian, especially that our young kids see this?
20. 2:02:24 {Why is Bible Reading Important?} How is it important to read our Bibles outside of the church setting? And is there scripture to back this up? Why is it important to you to read your Bible?
5) Jesus wasn’t afraid of triggering anyone He wanted to convict people, He’s God and a perfect human. He was careful in His approach wanting everyone to receive His message.
8) Unfortunately a lot of legalistic Christians believe in the law for salvation it’s not just cultish religions. We know our personal salvation but for others we only know fruit only Christ truly knows the heart-Romans 10:1-11. Nonbelievers are condemned according to scripture-John 3:16-18.
20) Reading the Bible draws us closer to God and in a deeper relationship with God, very important to help hear Him and walking in the spirit-John 15:4-5.
Hey, Mike, I just saw a video from Justin Peters of the history of the charismatic movement and I wanted to know your thoughts on it and maybe research this sometime and bring a thoughtful response, because this is video left me a little confused about this subject. God bless you and your ministry. May He use you for His glory.
@@joshkenedy8828 yes I agree. It would be a great help if Mike had the time to comment on this as I’m a bit confused about these things.
Mike explanation about Jesus resurrected form doesn’t make sense.
If you’re going to assert Jesus rose with the same body, which is fairly asinine considering that body went through a considerable amount of trauma PRIOR to being impaled, you also have to reasonably assume he would have had the same head a FACE too, to remain consistent.
So, Mike’s assertion falls completely flat when you consider why Jesus’ closest friends/confidants not be able to recognized him by looking at HIS FACE after not seeing him for three days?
Who reasonably forgets a person’s face in three days?
If Jesus FACE was unrecognizable at times after his resurrection then how can anyone with full assurance claim he had the EXACT same body prior to his death.
He had the same body but not the same head and face. 🤔
Why did Jesus’ close friend Mary, the first person to see the resurrected Christ, think he was the gardener?
*JOHN 20:14-15*
Did she also FORGET Jesus’ facial features in such a short period of time?
That Thomas argument is easily defeated.
Also the scriptures attest to the fact that Jesus ie the “Last Adam”…
became a LIFE-GIVING…
➡️➡️➡️SPIRIT⬅️⬅️⬅️
*1 CORINTHIANS 15:45*
So it is written, The first man Adam became a living being; the last Adam became a
*_life-giving spirit._*
I was living in terrible sin and I was confronted by a believer about it with revelation and the scripture about the lake of fire. It was harsh, but that scripture never left my heart and God used it years later to bring me to repentance and conviction later in my life. I went to my first Bible study wearing a shirt with a baby demon on it. Please don’t hold back with sharing God’s word with lost people. It’s active and alive and is what changes men’s hearts from the inside.
Mike, Bible Thinker is a literal GOLD MINE of Biblical information! Thank you for making learning about scripture fun! and thank you for all the hard work you put into teaching us!!! PRAISE GOD for Bible Thinker!!!!!!!! Love you Brother, Mike!!
I could not agree more, I have been so blessed by his teachings.
I also agree wholeheartedly. Thank you for your devotion and committment to Body of Christ.
Agree 💯 that Mike is an awesome and sincere teacher. However let us have the bible and the Holy Spirit as our primary source and great teachers...few as they are...like Mike assist us in our understanding. God bless all who view this channel and other solid channels that truly stand for the Word.
For a personal answer to number 20: When I've spent time reading and studying the Bible daily, and especially when reading through whole books of the Bible in short amounts of time, I've been the most at peace, in love with God, in awe of God's holiness, and strengthened in my faith. Reading the Bible on your own is a wonderful blessing we get to do. Why would you limit eating to once a week when you could do it daily and be healthier and stronger that way? God is so gracious to us!
Remember everyone. The education of the mind is not enough without a change of heart.
God bless you Mike Winger!
Lol😅
Thanks for all your studying. I listen to you while working. I can't learn enough, praise Jesus for content like this.
I know this video is a few days old but I want to say ‘Thank you, Mike!’ Your teaching is truly Spirit-led and has been great help for me.
34:25 Thank you for encouraging us to speak truth about the hard issues, and for doing so yourself.
The 3 sad things about Christendom in general are we don’t know the truth…..or we know a truth but it’s not a truth to or about us…..or we fail to speak truth in love…..
Since this happens => over 95% of the time => we only sow chaos and confusion and loathing/hatred…..
The harvest is full but the Workers are few God bless your Work in the Vineyard Mike!
Question 5... Wow & THANK YOU. What a life changing teaching there. I really needed to hear that. That's totally me. I legit learned a lot here. Very precious information. Wise words. @MikeWinger you have helped me on my spiritual walk so much over the last 2 years. You are indeed spirit lead. Appreciate all your hard work. Mike, I have experienced true revival. I have totally been changed mind, spirit, and my actions. I can't learn enough. You really are leading people towards Christ. Words can't describe how I feel/am, like on the inside now. I just know that I have experienced true revival. God has taken away so much dirt from my life, so that I can follow him and even lead a few others towards him. I struggle with mental health, but nothing like before. I have a joy inside, a flame burning, and a passion for God like never before. Practice what I preach and that I never lose sight of what really matters again. And I thank God for reaching me, through you.
Amen ❤
God bless you,brother ,you worship God daily and be thankful for all our Lords blessings on you and pray and help by charity other people who are suffering at the demons hand lime the Palestinians,the,Africans, the rohingahs in Burma and in China and all other innocent people being sacrificed via war and terrorist etc,,its all the work of the SAATANIST devil worshipper that are in our governments in our schools and universities etc the films are all evil Hollywood is truly pedophilewood etc evil is all around us nowadays, look at gays and these chop shop rejects who are paramedic front of our innocent children daily at schools nurseries
Great lesson on working out your salvation Mike. If I may offer a simplistic explanation? We go to the gym to work out our bodies that we already have. We work out our salvation that was already given to us. We build spiritual muscles to make what we received in salvation effective and steadfast ( 2 Peter 1:3-21) just like physical muscles make us strong and able to resist opposition. it also keeps us healthy. Its like a person who has a car working it out by driving it and fulfilling its intended purpose and not just parking it in the garage and polishing it.
49:12 legit was in mid coffee sip when Mike said boogerface 😂 that tone made it almost impossible not to spew it everywhere!
Brother Mike I so enjoy your Q & A and all your teaching, your such a blessing, I don't mind your videos being long 😁 Thank you also Sarah Z. blessing to you both 🙏
Thanks Mike for presenting the communal aspect of working out one’s salvation. I had never heard this before and what came to mind as you presented the idea were two other passages of Scripture: John 17:14-26 and Ephesians 3:14-19. These speak to the sublime nature of God’s love as it exists in community within The Trinity and which God desires be reflected in Christ’s body, the church. As I now understand it, this would involve both our personal as well as our communal participation in the sanctification process. What a profound subject of meditation for all of us who would faithfully follow our Lord Jesus Christ. ❤
Stumbled upon this channel and can't get enough of it
Work out your own salvation is an excellent answer. Including the Greek helps a lot.
Luke 24:39 "See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.”
Jesus was a spirit person after resurrection. They believed him to be an apparition as if they were seeing some kind of vision that wasn’t truly there.
*MARK 6:49*
He assured them he was very real and not some figment of their imagination by changing his spirit form into tangible things like flesh and bone.
Other spirits beings have been able to do this in the OT. The account of Genesis 19 shows how angels were able to fashion themselves human bodies to warn Lot and his family to flee from Sodom and Gomorrah. They appeared just as real men do since we are told that both men and boys saw them and wanted to engage in sex acts with them.
Can you engage in sex acts with a spirit?
Yes you could with one that had changed the spirit form into one that appears and operates as a fleshly person.
They could even eat while being transformed into human bodies.
*GENESIS 18:8*
*GENESIS 19:3*
So your point isn’t being made that Jesus couldn’t be a spirit person because he was tangible and was able to eat since others spirit beings demonstrated the same things.
Also, Peter stated Jesus was ‘made alive in SPIRIT’.
*1 PETER 3:18*
As well as Paul said neither “flesh or blood” can inherit God’s kingdom and Jesus was the foremost heir ie inheritor of the kingdom so he could not be flesh and blood for this statement be true.
*1 CORINTHIANS 15:50*
@@toreyhorton1789 Every person born of God is made alive in the Spirit here and now (John 1:12,13; 3:3-8; Galatians 5:24-25). The resurrection to come is the resurrection of the body, in imitation of Christ the firstborn from the dead (Colossians 1:18; Revelation 1:17-18).
In the new heavens and new earth, the spiritual and physical will be joined as one. (Revelation 21, 22). The raised bodies of all God's children will be glorified and capable of things both physical and beyond the mere physical, as is Christ's body (1 Corinthians 15:51-52; Philippians 3:20-21; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17).
@@stephenbailey9969
Wrong. That’s is not what those scriptures convey with respect to the point I made.
So, your argument is “every person born from God is made alive from spirit.
I’m glad we agree that Jesus is BORN from God since the scripture say at his resurrection he was made alive from spirit.
So you’re skipping when the scriptures identified the point when Jesus was “made alive in the spirit.”
Let’s read that better.
*1 PETER 3:18* - For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit,
Let’s walk through this scripture because I know you’re not suggesting you’re GREATER than Jesus and you’re already have been “made alive in spirit” without experiencing DEATH.
Are you greater than Jesus?
So the scripture points out with a clear CONTRAST that Jesus was put TO DEATH IN THE FLESH.
Now we must pay attention to the next word
➡️BUT⬅️
Made alive in the spirit!
So there is a series of events happening here and it happened tot the greatest man and the author of the Christian faith. So, are you suggesting you’re greater by claiming you don’t need to be PUT TO DEATH IN THE FLESH in order to be “made alive in the spirit.”
Flesh and blood cannot inherit God’s kingdom.
*1 CORINTHIANS 15:50*
Flesh and blood doesn’t emit powerful rays of light that can blind a person as if they’ve stared too long at the sun.
*ACTS 9:4-8*
Flesh and blood cannot dwell in UNAPPROACHABLE LIGHT neither can they become invisible to the human eye.
*1 TIMOTHY 6:16*
Jesus true followers WILL BE MADE ALIVE after they have died and during the RESURRECTION. And it will occur in the PROPER ORDER.
*1 CORINTHIANS 15:20-23*
Jesus was made a “LIFE GIVING…
➡️SPIRIT⬅️
*1 CORINTHIANS 15:45* - Thus it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam became a
👉🏾life-giving spirit.👈🏾
@@toreyhorton1789 All who receive the Lord Jesus are born of the Spirit. (John 1:13)
The Father, in the name of his beloved Son, sends the Spirit to give new life and understanding and peace (John 14:16-30)
Jesus is the Lord who sends the Spirit to empower us for service (Luke 24:49).
Life in the Spirit begins here and now, as is testified in Romans chapter 8:
"There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death...For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him...For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs-heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him."
So, because we are born in the Spirit, we are called to walk in the Spirit. "But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh." (Galatians 5:16)
The eternal life begins now, "Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him... Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life." (1 John 5:1, 12-13) "Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life." (John 5:24)
This body will eventually rest in the ground until the resurrection, but all those who belong to Christ will depart to be with him until that day (Philippians 1:23,24).
@@toreyhorton1789 In the new heavens and new earth, the spirit and the physical will be one. The veil will be gone. (Revelation chapters 21 and 22)
Paul in 1 Corinthians chapter 15 describes the new being, a 'spiritual body'. A joining of the spiritual and the physical. A new creation to live in the new reality.
Another great teaching. ❤ Your ministry has been a continuous blessing.
5:24
I love 20 Q Fridays guys. Thanks for staying biblical. God bless.
Thank you very much for 20 q&a Friday! We are blessed to have you Pastor Winger! Biblical knowledge is powerful. Have a wonderful weekend everyone!
As far as talking about LGBT and abortion etc, I was thinking the other day, Jesus said in Mark 12:31, "love your neighbor as yourself". A born again Christian would not let themselves live in sin so if we love others as we love ourselves we should not turn a blind eye to a neighbor living in sin. Non believers like to use this piece of scripture against us and call us hateful but that's because they have a worldly view of what love is. This would be a good response for when we encounter that.
Amen!! Should we as Christian’s like, if we see lgbt paraphernalia on someone’s car or clothing etc, should we go up to them? Someone I feel like I should say something. But other times I’m like are they going to listen to me? Or am I singling people out? If you saw someone with a shirt that said,”kill all babies.” Wouldnt you say something? Idk is there like a rule for you personally? I tend to overthink this A LOT
Thank you Mike for doing what you do. I have many friends and many people I go to church with that are very Calvinist or reformed theology.
I find it difficult not to love them, but I find it difficult just to ignore the Calvinist doctrine and focus on the more important things that the Lord has me to do .
I've always viewed it as working out. When I work out in the gym I'm not producing muscles, I'm using and strengthening my already existing muscles. It is the outworking of our salvation
Very cool 👍
My Lord said it too me, so I say it too you. If you believed, you would already be healed. Why won't you believe. You should only ever run, towards him. Only fear the Father, only when he says to fear him. Love his sheep. Love his sheep. Love his sheep. Do as you see the Father doing. Rejoice, he is coming, only he knows when. But truly the kingdom has come apon us.
I think the opposite meanings mentioned in Q12 regard "we have no other practice" vs. "we have no such practice", as the first implies endorsement of the practice and the second implies disavowal of it.
Yes exactly! Thanks for clarifying!
@sarahfaith316
Thank you, Mike. Your response to the man who felt his wife's anxiety regarding his parents' critical was very "whole" and complete.
I appreciate your responses to questions. Your responses are thoughtful. You explain it for people so they can resolve in the way that Jesus would do, what he would say. You help them understand where in the word they can find where you base your response. I thank God that you are a model for apologetics.
would love to hear about in depth bible study regarding Sabbath. Nice informative video btw Sir Mike ☺️
Lol I fell asleep listening to mike so then you tube kept playing videos and I was dreaming about the Bible all night long
Regarding "work out your salvation," I always understood the phrase "work out" in the context of exercise. As in "exercise your salvation." Let others see it. Live out the things that are supposed to come with truly being saved. It seemed to me like it was a similar concept as James 2.
Live out Jesus. This is very true. Not by our own idea, feeling or strength, but by the Holy Spirit. Take God's will and feeling even if it costs you.
Exercise in the context of “fear and trembling” doesn’t work.
And James the second chapter specifically discusses WORKS being essential to claims of faith. You can’t have active genuine faith without works.
The only place in the scriptures where the misused phrase “faith alone” is recorded is at James 2:24 where the Holy Spirit moved James to TRUTHFULLY convey that a person is justified by WORKS and NOT BY FAITH ALONE.
*JAMES 2:24* - You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.
So all the “faith alone” promoters accuses the Holy Spirit of misrepresenting and misleading people by omission. Scriptures never record the word “faith alone” for salvation. Never!
@@toreyhorton1789 @Torey Horton yes, works are essential to *claims of faith*
They are not necessary to *receiving salvation*
Works justify us before men, not God. Our works are how we demonstrate our faith to others.
Nope! I know plenty of false teachers have fed you that “works justify us before men” lie but that’s not what the scripture convey.
Please read James. He NEVER EVER says anything about pleasing or justifying yourself in the eyes on men. That is not who true Christians are trying to please. We are not people pleasers in anyway.
WE SERVE CHRIST AS our Master.
*COLOSSIANS 3:22-24* - Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything you do. Try to please them all the time, not just when they are watching you. Serve them sincerely because of your reverent fear of the Lord.
3:23 - Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.
3:24 - Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ.
And when we serve Christ the scriptures say the Lord will give us our inheritance as a REWARD!!!
For SERVICE!!
*COLOSSIANS 1:10* - Then the way you live will always honor and ➡️please the Lord,⬅️and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better.
True Christians work to please the Lord.
Whom did Abraham please?
Who justified Abraham based on his ACTIVE faith which was COMMINGLED with his WORKS?
Was it by men Abraham was justified?
*JAMES 2:21-23* - Abraham was justified by his works when he all but offered up Isaac.
There were no people around to see him do that. He went far away from people to sacrifice his son.
The scriptures says “Abraham’s faith was active by his works and it was PERFECTED”. Therefore, the Lord justified him based on that active faith and he became God’s friend.
Don’t believe the “faith alone” lie and that works justify us before men. That’s nonsense.
@@toreyhorton1789 by grace you have been saved, and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. This is by grace through faith. Our judicial redemption is brought in by the grace of God, which is through the Son's blood alone. This is the regeneration of the Holy Spirit.
We have a further saving, which is the saving of our souls. This is expressed in our actions by living out Christ and not by our mind, emotion and will.
The word salvation implies that we were unable to save ourselves. So judicially we were saved and dispositionally we are BEING saved. This is not yet complete and is fulfilled in the glorification of our bodies.
"For if we, being enemies, were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more we will be saved in His life, having been reconciled, Much more then, having now been justified in His blood, we will be saved through Him from the wrath. But God commends His own love to us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. And not only so, but also boasting in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation..."And it is not that as through one who sinned, so also the free gift is; for the judgment was out of one offense unto condemnation, but the gracious gift is out of many offenses unto justification." (Romans 5:10-11,16)
RE QUESTION 9 (Holy Spirit)
Nowhere in Scripture does either the Hebrew text or the Greek text apply a masculine or feminine pronoun to the Holy Spirit. Only neuter pronouns are ever used. That's because Spirit in both languages is neuter and the biblical writers always followed standard grammatical rules when referring to spirit. In the NT, the only time the Greek text uses a masculine pronoun in connection with the Spirit is when referring to the paraclete - but only because paraclete is itself a grammatically masculine noun.
For a detailed discussion, see _Greek Grammar and the Personality of the Holy Spirit,_ by Greek scholar Daniel Wallace. It's available online in PDF format at no charge.
As Wallace points out, the same grammatical rules mean the Holy Spirit cannot be the restrainer referred to in 2 Thessalonians 2:7.
In Latin, however, Spirit has masculine grammatical gender and that's the path by which it came into English as 'he' and 'him'.
Bingo!
Your ministry is needed .
We do not have servants in the pulpit of our churches.
There are Primadonnas and Shepherds who shear the sheep, still talking God's Word. But it's a job, not a calling now.
Unless we ALWAYS keep our eyes on Jesus, we all will fail in our calling.
So be careful to keep your eyes on him, it can happen to any of us. ❤
Concerning your talk on fear and trembling:
Psalm 18:26 puts it perfectly.
With the pure You show Yourself pure,
And with the crooked You show Yourself astute.
Really loved the answer of the 8th question.Made so much sense. Thank you pastor Mike.
For number 12: the difference is the word *other* instead of *such*
Either "we have no such practice" or "we have no other practice" -> "other" would require head covering for all churches. "such" would make it a local custom. The Greek is *such*, so I use this as my defense why it is not needed today.
Your the best Mike . I love you and your show
Work it out; bring it out; makes so much sense. I find it very encouraging.
We have to abide in Christ for this to work. He is the vine, we are the branches and without Him we can do nothing. Work out your salvation; like a vine bringing out the fruit.
In fear and trembling; seems to just mean take it seriously.
Work out your: Figure it out. God is fully cognisant as you continue.
Mike, I loved that analogy you gave for the kid!! 🤣
SAME
Glad to see you’re doing well Mike
30+ years of wrestling with God definitely feels like a "work out"
Thank you for explaining Truth and being kind.
I always understood it as saying search out your salvation. To come to a full understanding of the atonement and what Christ has done for us.
Thank you pastor Mike. You make the bible understandable and exciting. Your enthusiasm is contagious. Most of all, you make the Word of God relevant and applicable.
When we are encouraged to "work out our own salvation" we are encouraged to work out our own faith. Salvation is connected to our believing in Jesus our Lord. Even of we have faith in Jesus snd believe in him we can INCREASE this belief, we can INCREASE our faith.
Even Jesus showed someone that someone can have more faith then another another person who still has faith and still believes. (See Matthew 8:10 and context)
When we "work out" our salvation we are working out in order to increase our faith more than before, because faith can be lost if we no longer believe because of adversities. ❤
God bless everyone.
thanks Mike! I thank God for your service!
God bless man, thank you for following the Spirit and blessing so many lives with your ministry.
Keeping reading to us …….don’t ever stop……..
I believe working out your own salvation means bearing the fruits of the Spirit. Holy Spirit does the works in your soul, but as believers we always wrestle with the sinful flesh.
Therefore in Christ and sealed with Holy Spirit of promise Christ also tells us to preach gospel to all nations.
As Christians we suffer persecution but with strength we wear full armour of God.
I was sleeping listening to UA-cam and this channel came on. I was half asleep thinking “Who is this, why did he call, and why is he so frustrated with me?” I couldn’t wake up. I was trying to say, “I know, I know this already, I agree!” In your intro you said “…God, Jesus…” but I thought you were disgusted with me saying “God Jesus”. I thought you had read something somewhere and had misinterpreted me somehow. You were going to set me straight. I think about God and Jesus 24/7, (it’s second nature to me). Not obsessed, I just love Jesus. It’s amazing really. I was struggling, having a challenging week. It was the Spirit reassuring me, encouraging me. Realigning me. It’s a curious thing to KNOW the Truth yet struggle with Faith sometimes. Awake I listened to this episode proper. Very nice. And I agree! lol
Ok. You already corrected it. Its the woman caught in adultery. I'm relieved
I watch your videos daily. They are such a blessing to me. I found you last year & you have really adddd to my walk with our Lord. Thank you Mike for this channel you touch so many life’s with the holy word of our Lord in a time our country is under judgement & Gods word is needed here more then EVER. 😂btw. Boogerface?? Lol lol slay me. Lol
U receive salvation, then u have to maintain a righteous walk as long as u live, when u die in Christ the salvation is complete.
RE QUESTION 6 (Abstain from Blood)
The prohibition derives from God's command to Noah in Genesis 9:4 and applies to all humanity as part of the Noahide law:
_you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood._
Hence it is about much more than Jews and Gentiles being able to fellowship together.
We love Him because He first loved us.
NKJV
We love each other because He loved us.
NIV
This is why I always compare what I read with NKJV.
Thank you so much! Excellent ❤
Your ministry helps me learn and grow as a Bible student and as a Bible teacher. Thank you!
Your channel showed up on my stream today. I had never heard of you before.
I appreciate the wisdom I hear coming from you. Mighty God,
Bless this man continually.
Wow your explanation about Jesus saving us to explain to anyone but a child indeed.. Bless You Brother in Christ Amen Amen Amen 🙏
Thank you for spending the time to do these videos! It’s awesome to hear an answer to a question that I’ve been struggling with so much, personally- Question 5. I find your answer really helpful and clear. (And thank you to whoever asked it!)
Hi Brother, all I have are questions? Always seeking wisdom and knowledge in God's word.
Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation. 1 Corinthians 15:1'4 Grace through faith.
The Holy Spirit shows me through Christ Jesus.
Always learning and growing in the body of Christ.
God bless bless Mike
Pastor Mike, thank you so much for your ministry! It has helped me a lot in my walk with Christ. You mentioned you have filipino family. Is your wife filipino? Just made me super curious because my wife is filipino, so my ears perked up when you mentioned dinuguan and filipino family.😂 I pray for you and your ministry often. God bless you and your family!
Boogerface? You are too funny!🤣😂
You own your salvation so work on it everyday improving yourself
Please help me and everyone else who are PRAYING to Abba Father, WHY the all knowing Creator, does not help the little children that WE ALL KNOW in are in our CHURCH, ARE being ABUSED, not being PROTECTED SET FREE FROM THIS!!!
Sweet Jesus. Thank you Glenn for the insights.
@1:20:00 God made us free... He desire us, but He needs us to desire Him. Prayers are heard but speed of conversion is also freedom of man/woman, through "God's Will/Speed".
There's also prayers and fasting, some self sacrifices, And there's also "putting our trust in God's hands".
Sometimes, it isn't our eyes towards others that will confirm God's Love; God's will talk to us through the hearts of understanding God.
Meanwhile, patience, love, everything the Holy Spirit makes you do will inspire others.
And sometime, I feel God says "Get busy for yourself first.....", meaning, Trust Him for the rest, He knows your heart. In time, He'll ta.k to you different ways you didn't expected.
God bless!
Drop the fear and trembling. Our salvation is done through expanding our love with forgiveness. . "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth, is not made perfect in love."
The Holy Spirit teaches us how to forgive. I work and my father works.. Forgiveness is the work. Metanoia.
If you had known what these words mean, 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the innocent.
Always bringing informative videos!
Hey brotherMike, started listening to alot of your content recently actually i started as a calvanist listening to your biblical objections to it. I've been thinking for some time on the views I hold but you brought some good biblical views that changed my mind in many ways. Thank you for your hard work brother ! God bless you brother
Thanks Pastor Mike and Sara ! Totally appreciate you 😊
Repent, be baptised, get filled with the Holy Spirit, walk in Christ. That is the Salvation message. Have that experience, then treasure that experience. "That is the fear and trembling"
Blessings and thanks, once again, for allowing God to Minister to His people in this YT manner. It seems to me that many people worship a rather puny and weak god. My God is an awesomely and wonderfully powerful God. My God Created this entire universe in 6 days. My God, my Lord Jesus Christ walked on water…He controlled the boat-swamping storm with His spoken word. My God gave us His Holy Words through His Scriptures, His Holy Bible…In which He told us, through His inspired prophets and scribes, precisely what events would occur, many years in advance of those events (Jesus birth, Ministry and His Death, Burial and Resurrection, as well as many prophecies concerning Israel.) and these prophesied events occurred in detail, just as they were written. Praise His Holy Name. Amen.
Everytime I mess up my heart breaks understanding that I could disappoint God. But I feel the Spirit pick me up, tells me try again, keep running the race.
Great point Mike concerning confronting LGBTQ and Abortion is correct. He who does not offend is not being honest.
Evangelist Roger Mansour
I’m going to tell a story. One where God taught me it’s not ALWAYS about me.
My neice died at age 11 of Asthma. I went to the hospital to wait in a private waiting room with our sister it was the wee hours no one was in the bathroom so I went in & I prayed as if the mountain had fallen into the sea & rested on Gods promise. SHE WKULD NOT DIE! Yet she did !!? I was in church in a week or so. I don’t know what the pastor said but I was over come ‘ went out to the parking lot to cry. My husband followed me out. He said what’s wrong. I told him I know what’s wrong but I was angry that God let her die. I felt it was a promise & he always stood by his promises I knew that ! WELL God is so good & such a wonderful father he revealed it to me. I wasn’t especially close to this sister she had literally laughed & mocked me when I told her I was born again years ago. She was far from that & her children her were her ( friends) were too. WELL She called me a week after that church melt down. She told me she found Jenn’s diary my niece. It said 2 weeks before she died she was at the next door neighbors house & excepted JESUS AS HER SAVIOR!! After that EVERYTHING in her diary was her calling out to God himself to rescue her from her extreme asthma over & over. God put it on my heart that A PRAYER WAS ANSWERED that night in the ER it just was NOT MINE. Bcz & get this. NOT everything is about me !!! How shocking lol Jenn would have had a hard time in her walk at 11 with little support & her health her breathing was so very bad. God called her home he answered that child’s prayer & not mine bcz it was her life. I actually later told this to my atheist cousin who said oh my. I don’t believe in God bcz he didn’t save my father!!! I ran to my car got my Bible & prayed god give me all the words to hit her heart & HE DID Jens story made Marybeth accept Jesus that very night & the next day we went & I helped her find a Bible she joined a Bible study her her husband & at the time get two toddler girls were raised in the Lord an entire family saved by Jenna story & her faith. God is always at work. He is faithful & worthy of our praise. ALL Glory to God.
Have a son or daughter in the military and your understanding of "work out your salvation" will become clear, as your child "works out" their specific place in the overall war machine that is the U.S. military. We each have an optimal role in the Christian army, finding that specific place takes a bit of time and experience in various roles.
Dear Pastor God bless you for your work on knowledge of Scripture. The whole of Philipians 2:5-13 is about himility. "Work out" could mean "look at the example of" Christ's humility. God consenting to becoming man and subsequently being elevated to the highest level. Thanks
Re Question 9 (God and Gender)
In discussing the gender of the Holy Spirit, Mike touched on the use of feminine imagery in relation to God.
Feminists, in particular, say the references to God as ‘Father’ in the bible are merely metaphors and, as there are Bible passages that describe God as a mother, they claim we can (and perhaps should) address God in a less gender-specific form, or even feel free to address God as ‘Mother’. Passages typically cited in support of this proposition include: Deuteronomy 32:18; Job 38:28-29; Psalms 123:2 & 131:2; Jeremiah 31:20; Isaiah 42:14b, 49:15, 63:15b & 66:12 13; Matthew 23:37; and Luke 13:34. When we look at what these passages actually say, we find:
• Deuteronomy 32:18, the verb יָלַד (yalad), meaning ‘bore’, here frequently refers to a father begetting - cf. the genealogy lists of Genesis 5, 11, Numbers 26, Ruth 4, 1 Chronicles 2, 4, 4, 6, 8, 9, Nehemiah 12, etc.). Likewise, חוּל (chuwl), meaning ‘gave you birth’, is unequivocally applied to men in Job 15:20; 20:21; Psalm 10:5; 55:4, etc. Hence the assumption that the verse applies a feminine motif to God is unfounded;
• Job 38:28-29 is a rhetorical device, employing both fatherly and motherly imagery as part of a larger passage about the limits of Job’s knowledge. God is not likened to either a father or a mother in this passage;
• Psalm 123:2 merely refers to peoples’ faithfulness to their earthly superiors as a model for faithfulness to God. No parental imagery is involved;
• Psalm 131:2 refers to the psalmist, not to God;
• Jeremiah 31:20 depends on Jeremiah 31:9,13 where God identifies Himself as Israel’s father and, hence, the father of Ephraim (His firstborn);
• Isaiah 49:15 _contrasts_ God with a mother. In saying God’s compassion exceeds that of a mother for her infant it says God _is not like a mother,_ any number of whom, it might be added, have murdered (whether by abortion or otherwise), abandoned or sold into slavery one or more of their children;
• Isaiah 63:15b should be read in context with the very next clause “For you are our Father” (Isaiah 63:16); and
• The remaining four passages (Isaiah 42:14b & 66:12-13, Matthew 23:37 and Luke 13:34) are mere _similes_ (not metaphors) drawing on stereotypical feminine motifs, just as Deuteronomy 1:31, 8:5, Psalm 103:13, Proverbs 3:12, Malachi 3:17 and Hebrews 12:7 are similes drawing on stereotypical masculine motifs - expressing parallels between God and the characteristics of a typical mother or father without calling Him either.
And, if we are entitled to pray to and worship God as ‘mother’ on the basis of just four similes, why stop there - why not pray to and worship God as: a bird (12! similes - Deuteronomy 32:11-12, Ruth 2:12, Psalm 17:8; 57:1; 61:4; 63:7; 91:4, Matthew 3:16; 23:37, Mark 1:10, Luke 3:22; 13:34); a lion (Hosea 5:14; 13:8), a bear (Hosea 5:14); or moth (Hosea 5:12)? And how about praying to God as the: fire god (6! similes - Deuteronomy 9:3, Ezekiel 1:27, Amos 5:6, Zechariah 2:5, Malachi 3:2, Hebrews 12:29); soap god (Malachi 3:2161); or dry rot god (Hosea 5:12)?
When all the Bible passages describing God anthropomorphically are examined, we find that God is called ‘Father’, ‘King’, ‘Lord’ and ‘He’ many hundreds of times, and is many times also described as a shepherd or bridegroom (the New Testament applies these last two terms exclusively to Jesus Christ, whose flock and bride the church is). But nowhere in the Bible is God given any feminine name, role, title or invocation. To say, as some do, that this only reflects the patriarchal society that gave rise to these passages is specious nonsense; most Ancient Near East cultures were patriarchal but that was no impediment to them having female deities - and that includes some of Israel’s neighbours. Even the Jewish philosopher, Philo of Alexandria, recognised that, in spite of the masculine imagery of God in Scripture, God is asexual.
Just as specious is the claim that we should look to other metaphors because some people have been mistreated by their earthly fathers. The rather arrogant implication of this is that either Jesus was insensitive to such important issues or that there were there no bad fathers in His day!
Before accepting assertions that references to God as ‘Father’ in the Bible are metaphors and we can therefore justify using feminine appellations, we should ask:
_Where is the contextual evidence that _*_any_*_ reference to God as Father in the Bible has no difference in meaning than would be a reference to God using a Mother metaphor?_
We all have parents (some even have adoptive parents) and, in normal life, if we refer to any of them as our father or mother, they and others are generally expected to know we’re not using these terms interchangeably. Furthermore, is an adoptive mother or father so only metaphorically? Somehow I doubt anyone involved in such relationships considers it so. Since we understand the difference between a physical father and a relational father in the natural world, why should we think otherwise of a Creator who says “I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me” (2 Corinthians 6:18). Besides, there isn’t even a single metaphorical reference in the Bible to God as mother. Finally, one does well to remember the implications of Ephesians 3:14-15, that “Human fatherhood is a reflection of the divine, not vice-versa”. (Strong, _Systematic Theology,_ 1907, p. 334)
Another, equally unbiblical, modern concept is of God as Father-Mother, to which is allied the concept of God’s Father-Mother love. These notions derive from the writings of Mary Baker Eddy, the founder of Christian Science - a cult that denies the essential doctrines of Christianity.
The fundamental flaw in the view that God can or should be regarded in gender-neutral or even feminine terms is that it confuses His fatherliness, kingship and lordship with human maleness. The juxtaposition of male and female imagery without any gender implications as to God’s nature is seen in the analogical terminology of Jesus lament in Matthew 23:37140 and Luke 13:34141, where Jesus applies an obviously feminine motif to Himself. As Gregory of Nazianzus observed, _“God is not male because God is called Father, nor is deity feminine because of the gender of the word”._
It’s worth emphasising: God’s fatherhood and the Christian’s sonship is not a matter of biology; it is a matter of revelation and relationship. And, if we’re going to relate to God, we need to do it on His terms and with a proper regard to the nature of that relationship. The father:son terminology we see in Scripture as applying to God and saints, respectively, concerns the kind of relationship He has with His saints.
From the first time I watched one of your videos, I found you to be well reasoned, scripturally sound, and cautious to not offend unnecessarily.
Then I discovered your background was Calvary Chaple, and it all made sense. It is difficult to preach "the whole word of God" and then take things out of context or not understand the intent of a passage.
Keep up the excellent work.
As to the passage in Philipians 2:12, I don't know how you feel about the Amplified Bible, but I think it does an excellent job of elaborating on the nuances of the Greek in that section.
I share only what I experienced and hopefully this can help someone. I believed in Jesus when I was a child because my mom believes but she didn't articulate salvation so I'm not sure if I was saved then or when I confessed when I was 17. Either way when I was 37 I was going through a "spiritual journey" and was messing around with crystals and card reading stuff. The Lord chastened me and I thought I lost my salvation when I realized my big time sin. I got on my knees and cried and begged for forgiveness and I burned and distroyed all the ungodly paraphernalia I had accumulated in the short time.
The chastening did not stop right away. It was a few months and had to move away from the place I was living at. After I moved and "worked it out" with the Lord Jesus I was delivered from the unclean spirits/demons that haunted me that seemed to be permitted/allowed to torment me to a point. Lots of praying every attack, every day.
So I don't know if that answers your question about working out your salvation with fear and trembling but I know from my experience that's exactly how it felt I know I was still saved somehow but I was being disciplined for a short-season after I repented from my sin. I praise the Lord for his chastening because I know he chastens the ones he loves but I also will never want to experience that ever again. I fear the Lord more than anything or anyone.
I feel like, "fear and Trembling" is a reference to proper reverence and understanding of the seriousness of the situation in importance
I’ve recently listened to the name it and claim it video… it was AMAZING
Hey Mike I'm still listening after all of these years and I'm still learning from your faithful Study!
May I recommend that with your audio. Try to lower 150-500Hz about 4 or 3 dB on your Eq. The low end is a bit strong and reducing it will balance the tone of your voice for headphones or speakers with better low end response.
Always best to cut from 150Hz and lower but you may already be doing this.
I’ll look into that. Thanks for the feedback!
What's Right is right and what's wrong is wrong 🙏💙🕊️
Philippians 2:12. Thank you for clarifying that verse 13 explains it all!
I have a study group with members who are King James version preference. Everytime something doesn't sound the same it has to do with the manuscripts used being more reliable. They then neglect to seek out the real reason for the differences. Sometimes it is because words are translated differently, and King James doesn't always get it right. I also find it a little disturbing that they don't acknowledge that KJ can be harder to understand when they have misunderstood it themselves.
I have this exact same experience! A study group with a couple of women that are KJ onlyist. And I have that same thing happen.
For Question #2 about JWs claiming that Jesus was only a spirit: Luke 24:39 Jesus said, "Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.”
Never not once, couldn’t be me, not me ever in my life ever but frequently
Thank you Pastor Mike, and bless your ministry🙏🏼❤️
Thank you Pastor Mike. Greetings from South Australia 🇦🇺.
Regarding righteousness, there are people God declares to be so. Consider Job 1:8, for example
_And the LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?"_
God repeats this in Job 2:3.
Salvation is a gift
By faith
Faith Alone in Crist Alone
Impossible to lose salvation
Wow! That’s so good , God working in us 🔥🔥 love this first part , min 3 , I’m going to listen to the rest , thank you 🙏
Thanks for what you do
Fear and trembling is what He wants. I lived some of my life being saved but not obeying. It was terrible. I will not do that again, because it was horrific, just as he said it would be. Living outside God's safety bubble, aka outside of God's will, is painful. He tells you, warns you. I fear living outide of God's will, like i would fear exposing myself to a shark or wild ravenous beast. I was saved by grace through faith... not by my works, but by Gods work through Jesus. Now I work out my salvation with fear and trembling, because when I sin, God allows me to feel the sting of it. It hurts terribly. Albeit, I remain His child while sinning and after sinning regardless of repentance. Jesus's blood paid for those sins. Praise God. He whom the Lord loveth, He chasteneth and scourgeth every son whom he hath received. Just as he promised, i get scourged, and I sure do notice it, and I fear it deaply with all my heart. If I did not fear it, I would sin, but no, I am now wise enough to fear the wrath of Dad more than I desire to sin.
P.s. I love your videos. God bless you, Brother.
In question four, I would also add that the doctrine of "common grace" applies here. By God's grace to all of humanity, we are not as bad as we could be. We are totally depraved, meaning sin infiltrates every aspect of our lives. However, God's common grace prevents us from being as bad as we could be without Him active in the world around us. So with this argument, people can have attractive attributes without being born again.
RE QUESTION 2 (Jesus's Bodily Resurrection)
The JW claim explicitly contradicts Luke 24:39
_See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself; handle me, and see; for a spirit has not flesh and bones as you see that I have."_
Even their own New World Translation affirms this:
_See my hands and my feet, that is is I myself: feel me and see, because a spirit does not have flesh and bones just as YOU behold that I have._
🙏🏿🙏🏼🙏🏽🙌🏽☝🏾 Praying for your ministry that God uses so mightily ❣️ Especially for it to remain sound in doctrine and Love in action, as you use your many gifts from God -to teach, preach, evangelize/proselytize and prophecy from the Word of Truth, through His Spirit of Truth🤠😊