Do I have my own "private prayer language"? 10 Qs with Mike Winger (Ep 50)

Unmute my mic. What we need right now is scripture. Scripture that not only informs us on what to believe theologically, that is primary of importance, but also how that plays out pragmatically in our lives and in our churches. That's so desperately needed.

I'm in the middle of a project that you'll know a lot more about in the coming months of exposing uh abuse in the charismatic church. Although abuse happens in other churches as well, but there's you'll understand why I'm focusing on this particular area soon enough. And I'm thinking about theologically, biblically speaking, how so many of these abuses that I'm going to deal with would not be happening or at least would be curtailed incredibly if people would follow what scripture says about things like character requirements for those in leadership, not skill requirements, character requirements that they would actually enforce that if they would follow um what's understood about the priesthood of all believers to eliminate elitism in the church because that leads to abuse. I I haven't even got to the first question yet. I'm just telling you what's on my mind. Um and so what scripture says about not having partiality, about not lording it over those who you are in in leadership over according to Jesus, if those types of things were just really ingrained into the DNA of the of a local church, about how to handle accusations against elders, if people understood this and applied it more more carefully, and how to deal with those elders who are caught sinning that you actually rebuke in the presence of all. God actually tells us it has to be done publicly. Why? Because we wouldn't do it unless he told us to do it publicly. That's what is important there. So, we have to learn to do that kind of thing. And there's other stuff too, other biblical principles that um man, we just need the word.

So, here's a question for today on the topic of speaking in tongues. Uh in my early Christian life, I taught that um you know and was taught uh that you could have you could speak in tongues and have your own private prayer language. Uh now I didn't I shouldn't say I taught this because uh I wasn't teaching at the time. I I I believed it and I'm sure I had conversations with people. I wasn't a pastor. I wasn't teaching. But this idea that you had your own tongue that this is something that I that at least in some Calvary Chapels is taught. Each person has their own private prayer language. Now some Calvary Chapels I think don't teach this. Some do. I'm not trying to generalize too much. There are other charismatic churches where they will very adamantly teach that everybody should have their own private prayer language. And and we were at a different place in our local church where there was some there was like I can think of one pastor who would would really want to go after this, you know, really believing everybody got their own private prayer language and he'd want to help people. Now, he wasn't aggressive or weird or rude about it or something like that, but it was something he wanted to go after and help people have. And there's one verse in Romans 8 that to me was the closest thing to having a Bible verse for the idea that you have your own private prayer language. So the question is, do I get my own private prayer language according to scripture? Does every single person get it according to scripture? And it was only in the verse by verse teaching through Romans that I noticed an error in the way that I was perceiving this passage. Now I don't have I haven't taught it online. that error. Uh I don't there's nowhere I've said that online because this is something I've I've corrected a while a while back. But let me show you the verse and I'll tell you how I I think it's sometimes used. I'm not saying all charismatics do this. No, not at all. But some. Yeah. Romans 8:26. It speaks of how the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness, in our sufferings, in the hard times we're we're going through, specifically in prayer. So for we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. Is that tongues as a private prayer language where every because this is something that is Paul is seeming to make available to every Christian. This is something all Christians have. Okay? The spirit helps us general general statement about Christians uh in our weakness. We don't when we don't know what to pray for, right? The spirit himself can intercede for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches the hearts knows what is the mind of the spirit because the spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. These two verses Romans 8:26 and 27 can be used as an argument that every Christian has a private prayer language. That is they are speaking in a language they do not know. They're speaking in tongues. Now the the Bible the Bible refers to tongues. It uses the word tongues. It's always an actual real language. I would not go so far as to say it has to be a known human language, but it it is a real language. It's a real language. It's never gibberish. It's not just blah blah blah la over and over again. It's a real language. Um the um the question then is do I have an a language that I can speak in prayer? And maybe this is something I want to try to access. I want to pray and let God give me this private prayer language. I have not maybe yet received this, but it's something that's available to me. I want to receive it. And then that can uh I think if it's not biblical, if I'm if I'm misunderstanding scripture here, this can create a very high expectation that a Christian is supposed to do something spiritually that they're not doing. And then they think something's wrong with them. Because if God's making it available and I'm not doing it, something must be wrong with me spiritually. This can cause uh a type of sort of judgmental attitude in churches because you have people saying, "Have you received your prayer language yet? Do you have, you know, they probably wouldn't use that phrase? That's just the way I talk, but they could ask them questions like that, like, hey, did you get it yet? Do you have you entered into that yet?" And then maybe leading them in moments where they pray, "Okay, let's pray that you'll receive it. Okay, now go ahead and speak in tongues." And they feel pressure to try to manufacture something that maybe the Lord is not doing in their life.

All right. Now, for those who are cessationists, this question has another layer where you just say, even if it even if there was a private prayer language, I I think that that's done now. You could say that I'm not a cessationist. I don't think that that's a biblical view. Although, you're my brothers and sisters in Christ, and most likely we would handle almost every situation pretty similar in our lives, including in a meeting where something was going on. Um, similar, not the same, just similar. Um um I would I would I would go through a process of testing something and being willing to affirm that that was the Lord. Anyways, back to the verse. What is it saying? Is the spirit interceding for me with groanings too deep for words? Is that me speaking in a private prayer language? And I think that this is not the case. And I'll give you guys some This is like thinking biblically about everything. This is like what I'm all about, what a lot of you guys are all about. This is what we as Christians want to do. And I realize my uh border is cut off there. Don't worry about that. I forgot to fix that after the last stream. [Music] Um but I don't think it can be the case. So it says here, "The spirit himself intercedes for us." And how does he intercede with groanings too deep for words? The description of what is being done is groaning that's too deep for words. Now, if this is an external thing where the Holy Spirit is actually through me interceding, which you could you could call that tongues, tongues being like a type of a form of that. But if it is that, that doesn't fit this description because it's described as groanings. If they're literal groanings, they're groanings that are too deep for words. meaning the the feeling you get when you look over at someone who knows you really well and you just go and they know they get what you mean and I was a little like too deep for words like I don't have the words to express how I feel there. This is what crying is. Crying is the expression of emotion that is too deep for words and the if the spirit's interceding in that then it's literal just groanings. It's just noises. It's too deep for words. It's not words. It's not a language. It's too deep for words. But it's not just groanings. It is actual information that's being communicated because verse 27 says, "And he who searches the hearts knows what is the mind of the spirit because the spirit intercedes for the saints." How? According to the will of God. This is a type of like intelligent prayer that's going on. So on my part there is not a verbal expression of words at any point in verse 26 but there is a real communication of thoughts of will of ideas. That's how I take Romans 8:26 and 27. I think that that's a biblical view there. And I would encourage cessationists to do this too. This is not about sign gifts or anything like that. This is just saying when you guys are like I'm overwhelmed. I mean Romans 8 is all about suffering. We go through incredible suffering in life. There's things that you go through that I I've been through. I speak to about myself here that I don't know how to explain to people how hard that was. Okay? I don't have words for it. And if I try to explain it almost feels cheap because it was just harder than that. It was worse than that. Okay? Not to be like, "Wo is me." I think I'm sharing the common experience of all mankind when I say this. I think you've gone through that, too. I'm not a special special little flower. I've gone through through the same stuff everybody else has gone through. and you know different things of course but the same kind of being brought to the end of yourself okay that's happened so what I would encourage for us is to think even when you have no words to express to God and you don't even know how to pray for pray for what you should the Holy Spirit intercedes with groanings too deep for words whether you're just moaning and groaning to God or you're just focusing on God and just thinking Lord you know my heart assists me in my prayers communicate my needs to yourself through the Holy Spirit. You know all that is in me. And that is such a beautiful thing to be able to do that in prayer. That is such a wonderful therapeutic helpful thing to do in the moment to know that God is is is himself doing it all for me. And it al is also a beautiful thing because you literally don't know what to pray because this trial you're going through is just so rough to know that God is is is effectively praying for you through you on your behalf and he's praying exactly the perfect prayers exactly the will of God. And that is just a beautiful thing like what an encouraging what an encouraging thing because in the end all of us humans are um we're limited which means we are weak which means that as much as I try to be strong part of that maturity and strength is just recognizing that I have a limit of my knowledge my skills my abilities and my endurance and everything else and when I hit that wall the Lord carries me through and that's a beautiful thing.

So, we will go to your guys' questions now from the live chat. Um, if you don't know me, my name is Mike Winger. My goal is to help you learn to think biblically about everything. I really think that what I just did right here with this verse there, that way. Yeah. Uh, is is the same kind of thing that has a thousand times impacted my life where you just carefully pay attention to the word on the page, the actual text, what it says, what exact words are used, the phrase that and and understand what it means. And it's too easy for us to move off of what it clearly says and onto how we feel about it and then we end up doing weird stuff. So start with what it says, then figure out how you feel about it.

Um Susie Peterson has a question and she says, "What is the judgment put on widows in 1 Timothy 5:12? And how can we know or how do we know we can change course without judgment? Does it apply to keeping an unchanging devotion time with God? My goals can get legalistic. Thank you. I understand what you mean by that, Susie. So, I know you have such a limited space to type, but I I understand what you meant when you said that you you feel you fear you could get too legalistic. That's good be to be aware of the idea that you you might sometimes focus on the on the on the the rules and not the reasons for the rules in our lives. Sometimes I've done that, too. Okay. Okay. So, let's look at the verse and see if we can understand the question. 1 Timothy 5:12, it says, um, actually, I'll have to back up and read a bit more. Um, let's start in verse 9. This is where Paul writes to Timothy about taking financial care of widows. The local church was helping to financially support widows if they qualified. And here's qualifications. Um, something that's I always think about because I I don't know how many local churches would actually do this. I'm sure some do because surely lots of Christians read this passage and think maybe we ought to help assist widows and use some of the funds to just pay the rent for Anna over there who who's a widow and who's just, you know, needs the help. Now in our society, in our culture, we have things like retirement and um severs and um whatever other life insurance um social security, we have other things that do come into people's lives in our American culture that they wouldn't have had back then. So the need isn't the same exactly, but it's kind of cool to think about doing it. All right, so here's the qualifications. Let a widow Oh, by the way, she had to be part of the church. That's one of the qualifications. Every church has strangers. I know this from doing ministry for years. have strangers you don't know who just call you up and go, "Can I have money? Trust me, I need it." And then when you say, "Sorry, we don't just hand out money to people we don't know. You're not part of our community. We don't know." And then they go, "I thought you were Christians." Every time. Oh, you're you're such terrible Christians. This is why this and that. You're you're all the reasons for all the problems in the world. Like this is they this is what they do a hundred times in a row. Uh then they call the next church down the street and do it again. This is what happens in in ministry. Okay? It's the way it is. Even my ministry, Bible Thinker, we've had people reach out and just say like, "Hey, we just need money." Maybe you have a worthy cause, but I have no way of checking that. I certainly can't invest all my time in that. So, we we have a local church ministry that knows people, knows their lives, is involved in their lives. That's a safe place where you can support people you know, and you know who need it, and you know what they spend it on. So, that's the context of 1 Timothy 5. So, let a widow be enrolled in this financial support thing if she is not less than 60 years of age, having been the wife of one husband. So, if she's under 60, hey, she's young enough that maybe she can work or get married or something else. Um, so don't put her on the list. We're not going to principal don't unnecessarily support people. Look, I can use GE Force experience. Thanks for letting me know. Um, and uh, anyway, I'll read I got distracted by that weird popup. Having been the wife of one husband, she's the wife of one husband, which I don't take to mean she was only married once. Let's she got married. Say she got married, the guy died, she gets married again, the guy dies, now she's a widow, she's she's hard up. You don't reject her. This refers to a woman who is faithful in marriage. wife of one husband is like earlier in first Timothy where it says that the elder has to be the husband of one wife. Yes, it rules out polygamy because polygamy is inherently an unfaithfulness in your marriage because you're sleeping with someone other than your first wife um or other than your second wife and other than your third wife. But it also just means this she's a good faithful wife. That's the idea. She's she has integrity meaning that her prior her prior life could rule her out of the financial support of the church. That's according to scripture. Her um godliness is a requirement before we're going to actually take care of her in this, which is interesting. Verse 10, having a reputation for good works. So, she has a reputation for good works. Here's some examples. She's brought up children. She's shown hospitality, washed the feet of the saints, cared for the afflicted, devoted herself to every good work. Okay. So, but what if she's not? What if she's just kind of like selfish, does her own thing, doesn't really take care of anybody or seek after blessing others, then don't let her be enrolled. But that doesn't mean she gets no help from anybody ever, but she's not going to be on the official roles here according to Paul. But refuse to enroll younger widows for when their passions draw them away from Christ, they desire to marry and so incur condemnation, having abandoned their former faith. That we could spend a lot of time talking about that, but basically um once they get enrolled, you're getting cared for by the church. You're taking the funds of the ministry. If if you're young, just go get married. But um your question then plays into this. So, let me go back to your question, and I'll read it one more time. In 1 Timothy 2 uh 5:12, what is the judgment put on these younger widows? And how can we know we can change course without judgment? Okay. So, the judgment seems to be this is probably I I probably need to personally study it more before I can give you a better answer. So, here's my off the top of my head answer for you to think about, for you to weigh, for you to disagree with. If you think that I'm missing something, and I hope I'm not for my own sake, but uh but it says here to refuse the younger widows, for when their passions draw them away from Christ, they desire to marry and so incur condemnation, having abandoned their former faith. So the the questions are like this like is this like a type of nunnery type situation in the early church. um we know that women were allowed to let me think what's the best way to put this out possible option possible interpretation which I don't agree with but is that the that women when they got married and then the husband died they were not allowed to remarry at any point in time and then if they did get remarried this was like a rejection of Christ because marriage is a picture of Christ in the church and to marry even after your husband dies is immoral this is what some people in the early earlyish churches, not really like people like 200, 300 years later. I don't know why we still call that early church. Um, but people in that time were opposed to even even widows remarrying after their husbands died. They were bothered by it. They thought it was somehow wrong. And um, and so the idea, some interpretation would be verses 11 and 12 are saying if the woman gets remarried after her husband dies, she has somehow abandoned her faith. She's she's betrayed Christ in some way. Now, we know this is not the case for at least two reasons. First, he actually just says um that he wants the younger women to just get married, right? So, I would have younger widows. He says again in verse 14, marry, bear children, manage their households. So, he doesn't want them to stay widows if they're younger. He prefers them to get married. That's the preference. Now, when it says here in verse 11 and 12, it doesn't say specifically, here's another reason that the problem is that the younger widows get married. It says that their passions draw them away from Christ. They desire to marry. It's the desire for marriage, but this this this commitment they've made to stay widows because they're getting on the rolls. They're taking money from the church. And so, they incur condemnation, having abandoned their former faith. It may just be that these women get lustful and then they start doing things that are sinful and compromised because of the desire for marriage. We know that the desire for a spouse is and the desire for marriage is what leads to all kinds of sexual sin. It's a good desire. Marriage is good, but it can lead to all kinds of sexual sin. That seems to be the thing. He's like, "Yeah, there's some when you're older and you someone dies, you know, your spouse dies, you may be like, I'm done, man. I'm good." You're young and your spouse dies. You could you desire another spouse and so go get married. We also know that Romans says that if a woman Romans 7 is it, if a woman uh is a widow, if her husband dies, she's free to marry whoever she wants. Um here, for a married woman is bound by the law to her husband while he lives. But if her husband dies, she's released from the law of marriage. She's released. She can get married. Which is trippy when you think about this because the early church actually early church, you know, I put in air quotes, actually did forbid or at least create a moral framework where people where women were judged negatively if they got remarried after their husbands died. Really wrong um and immoral um and unbiblical. There's more I could say about that, but but I think that the answer to your question, what was the judgment put on widows in 1 Timothy 5:12? They made a commitment to a chaste widowhood. I'm just going to stay a widow. I'm going to be serving in the church. It seems that these widows not only were paid for by the church, but they probably devoted themselves to ministry. Was this a type of was this like modern nuns? Modern nuns is like so much above and beyond just like the modern Roman Catholic Church is so much above and beyond and far many additions to what we see in everything in scripture. So nuns and stuff like that are that kind of thing too to create a a monastery to these were people in the community who were devoted to serving the Lord. You have people like this in your church probably who maybe they're single, maybe they're widowed, and they just have a lot more free time. They devote themselves to the service of the king. They bless the church, whe they're to cleaning or they're being hospitable, they're praying for people, they're just doing a lot for the Lord. That that's kind of how I take it. But because they're younger, they desire to get married and then that leads them into some sort of sin that causes them to deny in a pragmatic way, in a practical way. their life denies the faith that they've proclaimed. So Paul's like, "Hey, very aware of this. You're younger, you're a widow, go get married." That's how I would take that, Susie. Um, I don't think it applies to unchanging devotion time with God, like you're you're sitting down and having Bible reading time in your life. I don't think it's really about that. I think that's a healthy thing to do. But this is about um desire for marriage leading people into sins and a rejection of commitments they've made. So Paul's solution actually notice is just tell them to get married.

All right. Question number three. Gregs has a question. Says, "Why in scripture are we told we are the slaves of Christ as well as the brothers of Christ?" Yeah. um um because it is metaphorical um but also because of the complex relationship that we have with the Lord. So think of all the analogies that were given, the metaphors were given for our relationship with God. We are considered brothers of Christ as you've mentioned. We're considered slaves of Christ. We're called that as well. In fact, James, here's a great illustration to this. James chapter 1, James is the brother of Jesus, right? his literal physical brother. And he opens his letter by saying, "James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ." He introduces him. Here's like one of the few people on planet Earth who could have been like James, a brother of Christ. He says, "A servant of Christ." He is the literal physical brother, but he calls himself the servant of Christ. Um, we're called servants. Jesus also says, "No longer do I call you servants. I call you friends." which we shouldn't exaggerate that too much and think that means we're not his servants cuz clearly we are. Um, we're called the brothers of Christ. We're also um called we're God's children, sons that we're also and men and women are all considered sons of God because the sonship has the uh in in the ancient cultures in lots of cultures sonship has the full inheritance and women have the full inheritance in Christ not any kind of lesser inheritance. So that's why the term son is used for them as well in the metaphor. We're also called the bride of Christ. So, how can I be your brother, your servant, your friend, your son, and your bride? Like, well, because they're metaphors. Because God has such a full and multifaceted relationship with us that he's using all the metaphors to try to communicate to us who we are in him and who we are to him. But that also includes servants. We are his servants. I am, you know, let let me at the end of it all say I'm just an unprofitable servant. I just did what I should have done. Jesus is called Lord and he never stops being called Lord. Every every tongue will confess the Lord Jesus Christ. So all of those metaphors are true and they communicate different things about us. If I was Christ's servant but I was not his friend, that would change things. If I was his servant but not brother, servant but not bride. As as a collective, we are his bride. If if I was one of those things and not the other, it would give me a distorted view maybe of my relationship with God. to know we're the bride of Christ, but to also know we are the bond servants of Jesus. That that gives us proper perspective. So brides don't usually worship their grooms. We worship him because our our groom is the Lord. He is the king of the universe. He's the creator of all things. He's the name above all names. So I I just think that all these metaphors are there to give us all the facets of our walk with God.

Question number four. Bab's Vacation says, "Is the feeling of shame the byproduct of pride?" Um, that's interesting. That's a really interesting question. I I think that um there's there's ways in which we see biblically speaking, shame is a byproduct of pride in that before pride comes destruction. and before hot before uh shame you know that sort of thing shame and being um embarrassed and that that kind of thing it comes after haughtiness. So pride leads to shame it does pride will will bring shame upon you and u boasting and not fulfilling what you boast that brings shame upon you better to to not say it and do it than to do it and not say it. I'm summarizing a parable of Jesus here and um talking about the sons and how there was the obedient son and the disobedient son. There's also um another sense in which um shame is the byproduct of of pride in and I I believe anyways that when I think too highly of myself, I I just inevitably discover the truth through hard lessons. And when you've put yourself out there in that way where you thought you were better, you were thought you were stronger, it is shameful. It is embarrassing. And it was my pride that led me into that. So yeah, is the feeling of shame the byproduct of pride? It in some ways it is, but it but shame is the byproduct also of just sin in general. Now, you could try to like draw out the idea that pride is kind of baked into every sin because sin is me rebelling against the ruler of the universe and who do I think I am? And there's a truth in that. Okay. But I I don't want to reduce things to pride as if pride is the only sin. There are other sins as well and other things I have to handle as well and deal with. And certainly my pride has brought me shame many many times and it will in the future too. And that's often the moment I realize now I should have been ashamed all along. But when my pride is revealed to be proud that's when I feel shame. We see this with um with Israel. uh they're puffed up with pride. We see this and then God brings them down. He lowers them and the and the prophets speak of this. We see this with Paul talking to the Corinthians and he goes, "Oh, you've got all this great stuff going on." And he goes, "I wish that you were reigning as kings. I wish that you were." But Paul sort of uncovers the fact that they have a lot of major issues in the Corinthian church. Still believers, but a lot of big issues. When Jesus writes to is it Laodicea in the book of Revelation and he has John pen these letters that that he dictates to him says hey tell this church this and this church that he tells I think it's Laodicea where he says like you you you think you're rich and you have no need and you have all these blessings he goes really you're poor miserable blind and naked so they had a pride that was because pride disguises my shame my my pride causes me to not to be blind to my own inadequacies and sins and issues so I keep pushing pushing forward and making them worse and it it exacerbates the problem. I speak from personal experience here.

All right, number five. M go get says or me Gor says, "Can you explain the difference between the man in Mark 9:24 and the double-minded that James talks about in chapters 1, chapter 1 5-8. I find myself relating to the former a lot, but also fear being double-minded." Okay, let's just look at those two verses and then we'll try to make sure we understand and comprehend the question. Mark 9:24. Immediately the father of the cry the child cried out and said, "I believe. Help my unbelief." I This is a passage I really love. Uh I mean it's I'm so grateful that the Holy Spirit inspired for this to be in the text. So there's a guy who, you know, he his son, for those who don't know, here's a little summary that ESV puts on it. Jesus heals a boy with an unclean spirit. Um they come and they were Jesus is like they're having an argument and Jesus says, "What are you arguing about?" Verse 17, the disciples are arguing and someone from the crowd answered him, "Teacher, I brought my son to you for he has a spirit that makes him mute and whenever it seizes him, it throws him down and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. So I asked your disciples to cast it out and they were not able." And this doesn't mean that everybody who has epilepsy is it's demonically caused. Um just like if someone says I have a tummy ache, it could be caused by a number of things. So um medical issues could could be caused by demons. It can be caused by a number of things. Um but this is a a demon. And he's like, I asked your disciples to cast it out and they were not able. Which is really startling to think about. And he answered them, oh faithless generation, how long am I to bear with you? How long how long am I to bear with you? Bring him to me. He just says it twice. Now this he answered them I think it means he answered the disciples um as being like a faithless generation. So the problem is lack of faith and they or it's one of the problems there there may be another problem as well and they brought the boy to him and when the spirit saw him it immediately it convulsed the boy and he fell on the ground and rolled about foaming at the mouth and Jesus asked his father how long has this been happening to him? Now he speaks to the father, not to the them. How long has this been happening to him? And he said from childhood. And it has often cast him into the fire and into water to destroy him. Uh maybe a sign of demonic activity with say epilepsy, that kind of thing is it strangely keeps putting the person in extreme danger. Why does this thing keep happening and he's cast into fire or into water? Like why is it always a life-threatening thing and not just a random thing? Um anyway, but if you can do anything, if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us. Clearly, the man is not sure that Jesus can heal his son. He's desperate and he heard that Jesus could do this. The disciples tried, it didn't work. He's probably like getting disappointed. He says to Jesus, "If you can, please have compassion and help us." And Jesus says, "If you can, all things are possible for the one who believes." So the it's not dependent upon Jesus's ability. It will be dependent upon the man's faith. And then verse 24, I love this. This is what you referenced. Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, "I believe. Help my unbelief." Brilliant. So helpful. Thank you, Lord, for putting this in here. Do you do you know that you can choose belief while you are wrestling with unbelief? And do you know it's enough? God receives that. It's not ideal. I don't like it, but you can. And when Jesus saw that, a crowd came running together. He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, and he casts it out, and the boy is is is is fine. The boy is absolutely fine. Then he adds, for those who are curious, this kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer. Um another another um some manuscripts say prayer and fasting. And I think one of the other gospels might add fasting in relation to this story or a similar story. Um so telling the disciples like maybe they they had to do more. Um the idea of belief and unbelief coexisting while a person chooses faith is a powerful thing that has helped so many people. I've I've shared this story with many many people and then they've said, "Thank you so much. That really that really helped me. Now I've got my I've got my bearings. I can't make myself fully believe, but I can choose belief in the midst of the struggle I'm having. And then long term, they usually end up coming right around. Mark 15. What about this other one? Okay, so you're like, I don't want to be double-minded. I want to be encouraged by this. I believe. I don't believe. I believe. I have unbelief, but I choose belief. Right? Unbelief is the thing that I'm struggling with. Belief is the thing that I'm just I'm choosing. Please meet me here, Lord. Okay. But what about this? Mark 15. And all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel's hair and wore a leather belt around his waist and he ate locusts and wild honey. And he preached saying, I'm just making sure I've got the right spot. And he preached saying um uh after me comes he who's mightier than I. The strap of whose sandals I'm not worthy to stoop down and untie. I bapt I baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit. And now I'm failing to see why. Oh, James. Okay, I went to the wrong passage. James 1:5-8. Starting again. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives generously to all with without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, without doubting, no doubting. For the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. for that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord. He's a double-minded man and stable in all his ways. Um I genuinely I'm not always sure how to thread the needle here between these two dangers. The the the thing that God receives this father who says I believe help my own belief. Um and his struggle is understandable. He is having doubts that, you know, he just had the disciples pray and nothing happened. It's hard to it's hard to blame the guy for having a doubt in that case. It it just is, you know, now it's on him if he chooses to reject Jesus. It's ultimately going to be on him. But but you you would wonder what kind of responsibility the disciples would have had in this as well because of what they just did that this man responded to. Um, but then you have on the other hand, you've got a double-minded man. Is this double-minded man a person who says, "I believe. Help my unbelief." I don't I don't think so. I mean, I think I don't I don't think that guy was double-minded. The first guy, the Mark 9 guy, is torn, but he is he has chosen to believe and trust in Christ. He's struggling with doubt, but he chooses faith. This double-minded man is, I think, the kind of man who he says, "God, I want you to follow to give me wisdom here, but I don't know if I'm going to follow it because I kind of want to do my own thing." I think it's a a man whose allegiances are divided. He he's he's not just doubting like I'm not sure God will speak to me. There's an element that's there, but there's also this sort of unstable man in general. He's a double-minded man that is unstable. If God spoke to him, would he even listen? That's how I I take this. Let's read it again. See what we think about that. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God who gives generously to all without reproach and it will be given to him. Notice wisdom doesn't mean God always answers your prayers and gives you the knowledge you want. Wisdom is often God, show them what to do. Show me what to do. Show me what to do. And the Lord's like, I'm in control. And that was your wisdom. And you're like, I still don't know what to do, but I have wisdom. That the Lord is still sovereign regardless of what's going on. God can reveal things to you that give you wisdom that don't necessarily give you answers. So that can be the case. But let him ask in faith with no doubting for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. Um the prayer that is not in faith. Maybe another way to approach this is to say in Mark 9, the man believed. He struggled with unbelief but he chose faith. There is a man who isn't struggling with unbelief. He's playing at faith. He's pretending to have faith. He's going through motions of faith. That is the man who asks with doubting, "Lord, show yourself to me. I don't believe God exists. I'm just doing this so I can tell people I prayed and then they can get off my back." That's a man who would should not expect to receive something from the Lord. Perhaps that that's a way to put it. My interpretation, please consider your own thoughts on that and if you think that that was accurate. You said you find yourself relating to the former but a lot of uh but also fear being double-minded. [Music] Yeah. I'm trying to think like in a pastoral sense like how to encourage someone who's struggling with that and to say um the man in Mark 9 struggled with unbelief but he chose faith. Whereas the James one I don't think it's that scenario. If you're still choosing to trust God in the midst of your trials and you're choosing to wait on God and choosing to endure hoping for help, I you're you're you're the Mark 9 guy in that scenario.

All right, number six. This is from Mom Gnome, who says, "Do you think it's important to choose a denomination? I have people pushing me to choose one, but I don't feel ready to do that. I'm new and wondering if it's important at all." Well, it's one of those things where I want to encourage you um not to stress about it too much. I also think a lot of new Christians will get confronted with a bunch of theological things. They have no idea what people are talking about and they're supposed to like pick sides and you get this feeling that you're locking yourself in long term to theological views and perspectives and practices that you really know very little about. And I don't like that. I don't I I've I've talked to recently talked to somebody who was like I've been looking into Calvinism. I'm sort of around a lot of different people now. I've never really thought about this, but but I'm looking into it trying to figure out where I stand. And my counsel to those people is often the same. I go take your time. Don't let anybody rush you with this. Just take your time. Don't feel pressure and don't feel angst about I don't know what the answer is yet. And just slow down. Take your time. And then I tell them that if if they take a different view than me on this issue that it won't affect our friendship or relationship and you know I'm fine with it because because to me the the level and I know plenty of people listening um you you think I've compromised by saying that. Um I genuinely believe that's not the case and I've I've I've explained why many times in videos obviously I have too many videos for me to just say that and expect you to know where to find it. I'm just saying I have walked through this a number of times. Maybe someone can help you find it. um where I explain my reasoning um when it comes to issues like the gospel the core how am I saved that is really key that you understand the identity of God the identity of Jesus and the cross and what it means that you have to figure out that's of primary importance okay denominationally there's plenty of denominations that get that right and non-denominations that get that right I would encourage you to get this get the get the core stuff right make the main thing, the main thing. And then when you're looking at some of the outer stuff, you just take your time, be patient. Now, maybe you you become part of a denomination and you're thinking, I think that this is right. I think they have things right. Maybe I don't fully agree, but but I want to be part of a church and a healthy belonging to a fellowship. So, I'll I'll sign up. I'm going to, you know, I I I agree with the mission statement as I understand it. I'll sign up. If things change down the road, I'll make a change down the road. But you you don't want to fall into the air of being in limbo forever where you're never committing to a local fellowship. You're never sort of plugged in and accountable and and considered part of the body in a responsible way. Um but you also don't want to feel pushed and rushed into locking yourself into things you don't you don't even understand because it's a big packaged deal. There's the essentials, there's the non-essentials, there's the total periphery stuff, and it just all comes as a package deal when you go, I'm now a Baptist. I'm now Lutheran. I'm now fill in the blank. Within that, denominations are ridiculously complicated. Okay. The church that I'm part of now is EV free. It it is an EVF free church. But my particular church, as far as I can tell, has a

Lot of unique things about it that are not like other EV Free churches. So, if someone was go was like, "Oh, Mike's part of EV Free. I should probably sign up to EV Free." Like, if I lived in your town, I might not go to the EV Free church that's there. I might be going to the Baptist church over here, somewhere else, a non-denominational over here. I'm not sure.

Um, so that stuff just gets really complicated. And I'd encourage you that you're not just joining a denomination; you're joining a fellowship. That fellowship is part of a denomination, but you're you're going to want to look at that local church. Consider it. Be patient and realize that you may you may make a change later on down the road. And that's okay. You're not abandoning Christ; you're not taking your hand away from the plow if you move from one church to another.

People make too big of a deal about that sometimes. You don't want to be a church hopper where you routinely bounce around. But, um, but it's a big deal. It's a big deal when, when you say you're going to, you're going to be my elders and I'm going to submit to you, that's a really big deal. And people don't, don't have the right to hold it over your head that you can never change or never move.

So, usually when people say they're, they're leaving a church, unless it's for ungodly reasons, I usually try to bring them some encouragement and comfort because I feel like there's a lot, often a lot of guilt that they feel, even when they have perfectly decent reasons to do so, which is probably more often than not the case: moving to go be close to their grandkids; moving because they've had some theological things that they disagree with; um, moving because they just really fellowship well with this group over here and they and they they're thriving in their walk with the people over there. So, they want to fellowship there for their own growth and ministry. Those are okay things.

Um, I'm rambling now. So, I'll move on. M-nome. God give you wisdom. Whatever group you join, you are part of the body of Christ globally. Me and you are part of the same thing. We're in Christ, and the denomination stuff, um, it matters, but it should be seen in perspective.

Number seven, Sarah S. says, "Hello, Mike. While I know sanctification is real and biblical, if we are dead to sin after salvation, as mentioned in Romans 7, why do we need progressive sanctification? Thanks for all you do."

Romans 7. Let's read it. [Music] Um, I'm gonna read a bunch of scripture here. How much time we got? Enough. All right.

"Or do you not know, brothers—for I'm speaking to those who know the law—that the law is binding on a person only as long as he lives? For a married woman is bound by the law (we read actually part of this earlier today, which is great), um, to her husband while he lives. But if her husband dies, she's released from the law of marriage. Accordingly, she will be called an adulteress if she lives with another man while her husband's alive. But if she if her husband dies, she's freed from that law and and if she marries another man, she is not an adulteress."

So, this is all an analogy Paul's going to make between you and the law and how you've died in Christ. So, you're free to from the law and you're free to marry Christ. Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ. The death was Jesus's, and vicariously he did it for me, so that you may belong to another—to him who has been raised from the dead—in order that we may bear fruit for God.

"For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit to death." Okay, this is a the pre Christrist state, living in the flesh.

"But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we may serve in the new way of the spirit and not in the old way of the written code." There's so much amazing stuff there, but I'll just just say, think about it, ponder it.

Um, "what then shall we say? That the law is sin?" No, there there's nothing wrong with the law, right? "By no means." Nothing immoral or improper with the law. The problem is in my inability to obey it. Um, "by no means."

"Yet, if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what is what it is to covet, if the law had not said, 'You shall not covet.'" This is interesting is that Paul's understanding of sin expanded when he saw, "you shall not covet." I'll throw this out there: I actually thought about making a video about this a long time ago; I just never made time for it. Dennis Prager made a video series about the Ten Commandments, and he's a Jew; he's not a Christian. Um, and he's a rabbi, Jewish rabbi. And, um, there's a lot I actually would agree with him on. But when it came to the commandment, "you shall not covet," he offered a watered-down and inaccurate understanding of the commandment.

So, Paul was able to say, "Man, when when I realized coveting was a sin, I realized I'm in trouble before God because, wow, even if with all the righteous things I do, I covet." When he realized that desire could be a sin—leaning into your desires—um, that changed everything.

Dennis Prager won't realize that. He hides himself from that because he is trying to be righteous through the law. And so, it causes him to misunderstand the gospel, to be unable to receive the gospel. Um, he appreciates Christians and he appreciates Jesus to some degree, but he doesn't understand what the law says when it says, "do not covet." So, in his Ten Commandments thing, he actually goes through this and he's like, "it means to covet means you're actually trying to take something." So, coveting is then attempted theft, attempted adultery. It's it's an attempt. It's not just coveting. Now, there's already command for that. Um, it just means covet. Paul knew it.

Um, many people today in, uh, in, in say, uh, Dennis Prager's influence and in the same way of thinking would deny that coveting is actually a sin because they're trying to establish their own righteousness. They're resisting Romans 7, effectively the same thing Paul didn't resist. He eventually realized.

So, he says, "um, I wouldn't have known what it is to covet if the law hadn't said, 'you shall not covet.' That sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. For apart from the law, sin lies dead. I was once alive apart from the law. But when the commandment came, sin came alive, and I died."

Now, he doesn't really mean he was sinless. What what he means is his he wasn't aware of his sin, and he didn't understand the grip sin had on him because, as soon as he gets the law, he then goes, "Oh, I guess I shouldn't do that." Now, he tries not to do it. Now he realizes how much sin has a grip on him. That's becoming aware, when you try to quit an addiction and you suddenly realize how strong it is. Um, that's all of us with sin.

"That very commandment that promised life—'do this and you will live'—proved to be death to me." Right? "Don't do this and you will die." "For sin, seizing the an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me. So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good. Did that which is good then bring death to me? By no means. The law wasn't what killed me, right? It was sin producing death in me through what is good—the law—in order that sin might be shown to be sin and through the commandment might become sinful beyond measure."

God's laws, God's commands like, "do not cover it," is to help us realize that our sin is way, way worse than we think. I have never been ashamed of my sin as much as I should be because I have never realized how evil it is. But I'll tell you what: God's laws, when I read the commandments, when I see the the the truth that scripture says about sin, I constantly find out I'm actually way worse than I thought. And I'm grateful that this good and holy thing.

It's kind of like, um, when I have clothing that has a stain on it and I don't know until I get in sunlight, and all of a sudden the sunlight goes, "Here's all the issues. Now you can see all the stains. there's oil spot or something that is revealed in the sunlight because the sunlight is of a certain quality that it it it it doesn't make the stain. It just reveals it." God's laws, God's truth, God's holiness: when we get in the light of that, we go, "I am really gross in my sin. I'm really bad. It is sinful beyond measure. That means I have judgment coming, radical judgment coming because of my sin. I need grace. I need something else. I'm not good enough." This is all healthy to realize.

"Verse 14: For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh sold under sin. For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now, if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law that it is good." Right? "Yeah, I I shouldn't look with lust upon other women." So, I agree that that's a good policy. But what if I what if I agree with it, but then don't do it? Well, just prove that I'm a sinner.

So, now it is no longer—he says, um—it is now it is no longer I who do it, but the sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, and this is where we get to kind of your question. I know I'm giving a lot of background, but why not scripture? Um, "I know that nothing good is good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now, if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but the sin that dwells in me. So, I find it to be a law that when I want to do e do right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God in my inner being. But I see in my members another law, waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. 'Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!'" So then, I myself with a serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.

Now, there is a, a debate that goes on in Christian circles: All the stuff I read in Romans 7, is that only talking, or is that talking about Paul before salvation, or Paul after salvation? The struggle he describes—"I don't do what I want. I sin of the flesh"—and is that prior to Christ? Is that after Christ?

Um, my view is that Paul seems to be talking—and I've, I've gone through this in more detail at other times—but, um, actually have a teaching through the book of Romans that you guys are welcome to check out. I'll link it down below, uh, where I go through Romans 7. I've talked through the whole book verse by verse, so it's all there. It's like 50 something studies, and it's all free, of course.

But when Paul, um, is in Romans 7, what he's describing is his prior to Christ ex experience, but it is not completely separate. Please hear my words there. Not completely separate from his after Christrist experience. And here's the reason why: the issues is his mind or in the spirit versus the flesh. That's what creates the tugofwar. Now, prior to Christ, the flesh wins. Okay? But after Christ, you still have the flesh. It's still present. It's just not, it's just not empowered with total control where you're unable to follow God.

So, Paul still talks about Christians having the struggle between the flesh and the spirit. He does this in Galatians. He does this in other various places. He says, "Walk in the spirit and you won't—what?—fulfill the lust of the flesh." You have a new powerhouse to overcome the flesh. It is the spirit of God within you. It is the born again nature that you have as a Christian. You can say no to sin, but you're still tempted and you still have issues with sin that you have to deal with as a Christian.

So, let me read your question one more time, since we've gotten so far from it in a sense. Um, "While I know sanctification is real and biblical, if we are dead to sin after salvation, as mentioned in Romans 7, why do we need progressive sanctification? Thanks for all you do."

We're dead positionally, but we still have conditional issues to work out. I like the position condition terminology. My position in Jesus: saved, child of God, destined for heaven, washed and clean. My condition: still working out that sanctification, still growing in Christ.

And we see this in a number of places. Um, I think Ephesians 4 is a good place to to look at an example. Let me see: Is this what I'm looking for? Here's Paul writing to Christians about their sanctification. Now, in Ephesians 1 through3, he's already dealt with how they are. They're, um, sanctified in another sense. They're holy. They're without blame before him in love. That this is we're washed and clean and we're saved by grace. Read Ephesians 1 through 3. That's your condition, your position, excuse me, your position in God. Ephesians 4:56 talks about your condition.

So, here we are. Ephesians 4:17. "Now this I say and testify in the Lord that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do in the futility of their minds." Now, why do you, you don't say this to people who are already sanctified. You don't tell them, "no longer walk." They're already doing it. I don't have to tell you that you're already doing it.

"They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to their hardness of heart. They've become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greed, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. But that is not the way you learned Christ, assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him as the truth is in Jesus."

Now, what should I do as a Christian? Here's what I'm taught in Christ: to put off your old self. Romans 7—that old self—you still have to fight it as a Christian. You have the power to fight it, but you still have to fight it. "Put off your old self which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires. and be renewed in the spirit of your minds." What did Paul talk about the flesh versus his mind in Romans 7? That's also an ongoing struggle for Christians. And I have to put off that old self. I have to be renewed in the spirit of my mind. To put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. So, this is an ongoing thing.

And much of the New Testament talks about all this stuff, actively telling Christians, "Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, and clamor, and slander be put away from you along with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another as God, and Christ forgave you." Sanctification is a real thing. I'm learning. I'm growing. I'm being made more holy in Christ in my behavior, my condition. Although in my position, I have Christ's holiness himself. I will stand before God and be accepted into heaven because of Jesus's holiness, not my own. But I'm working out the results of his salvation in my life such that I want to see my behavior conform more and more to him. So, this is what Romans says, um, that we're being conformed to the image of him who called us. I'm being made more like Christ. I hope I've answered your question. I think so. I'll move on to number eight.

All right. This is from Christian Robert, who says, "My aunt is gay but claims to be a Christian. I've never talked with her about this, but I feel I'm doing her a disservice by not lovingly sharing the truth with her. How can I go about this?" [Music]

Um, um, the, the, the counsel I would give to you would be if you're like most, probably, I think the majority of Americans, uh, maybe other people around the world. I'm not sure. Um, you're probably more inclined to stay silent instead of speak up, even when it's for the benefit of the other person, because you're worried it's going to cause them to get mad at you and then they'll cut off a relationship with you in some sense.

Um, there is, uh, a number of verses that talk about this, and one of them is, of course, Jesus when he says, "you know get the plank out of your own eye and then you'll see clearly." Keep that in mind: the process. First, get your plank out; then you'll be able to see clearly to help them with their speck. Obviously, it's not just a speck. If you're living a gay lifestyle, that that's that's according to to, uh, 1 Corinthians 9:6. Is it that that is, "you will not inherit the kingdom of God." You're living that life.

But James 5:19 and 20 are the verses I kind of wanted to point out to you. James 5:19 and 20 says, "My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings them back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from w his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins." That's heavy. Why do you suppose the Holy Spirit wanted to remind us of that? I think maybe a couple reasons that stand out to me. One of them is that God wants us to be remembering that it is something we can do. I can, maybe they've wandered; maybe they're in rebellion. Don't lose hope that they can come back. Don't fail to think like, "maybe they'll come back." Like, I can talk to them, I can pray for them, but I can also reach out to them and I can try to bring them back and not just go, "it's in God's hands. I won't say anything." Um, that there's encouragement there.

But there's another thing here which is to know that they can, in fact, be forgiven. People who are have heard the gospel and said, even someone who said they received it, sometimes they go into grievous and grievous and terrible sins, and it's good to be reminded that they can actually come back and God will restore and forgive them. To be able to tell them that, because sometimes it's them who thinks, "no God wouldn't want me. God's not interested." All the weird psychological things we go through to justify our rebellion against God are continued rebellions against God. "no soul will be saved from death; sin will be covered. Come back sinner. Come back." This is even one who wanders from the truth. There are those who they go, "well they were, they seem like they were really Christians," and then they wandered, and then people think, "well then then they're, they're done. Hebrews chapter 6, Hebrews chapter 10, they're done." But here there's this sort of blanket thing: "Hey, if you bring them back they're forgiven." So, we need to have that hope. So, I'd encourage you in that.

Um, there's only other verse I, I, I think of is Galatians 5 or 6. Galatians 6. Um, "brethren, brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself lest you too be tempted." Remember that plank thing I pointed out? The idea that that I would give to you that scripture gives to us, Christian, is to say, "check yourself and make sure that you don't have any weirdness in your heart, any bitterness, any pride, any sort of self-righteousness; that you are going to them out of love, out of compassion, out of a strong conviction and loyalty to God first and a care and compassion and love for them second and that you're doing so preferably in a spirit of gentleness." Just think like, "how can I invitationally confront my aunt?"

Now, if this person struggles with samesex attraction, that does not mean that they're not saved. Um, we all struggle with temptations and sins, but if it's a continued lifestyle, if it's a, if it's an ongoing like, "I'm no, I'm this is how I live. I live with this lifestyle," that is a damnable behavior before God, and their soul needs to be rescued.

Now, the, the gay community and the and the the advertising, you might say, the the sort of like zeitgeist that goes on in our culture about homosexuality is that you saying these true things is horrible, offensive, intolerant, bigoted, mean. Basically, "you're a Nazi." Um, and to that, um, my encouragement is that's just the prince of the power of the air at work in the sons of disobedience. It should not phase you one bit. Not one bit.

All right, let's go to question number nine. Justin Buouie has a question. Says, "I'm planning a trip to Japan and would like to visit some of the shrines for the tourism aspect, but I don't want to sin against God or put my family at risk of demonic exposure. Is this acceptable?"

I have to admit, Justin, um, I'm uncomfortable with it on a personal level. Um, I know that, you know, my wife wants to go to Japan one of these days, and I know that she would be interested in seeing these things, not because she's has any kind of sinful compromise in her heart, but for the same reason most tourists want to go see it. It's it's like, "Oh, that that's neat. That looks interesting. I'm, uh, oh, and the nature around it is pretty, and it's like a destination to go check it out."

I, I also admit that there's like a Buddhist, um, building not too far from where I live that I drove out to just go look at. So, so maybe I'm being hypocritical. I'm just putting my feelings out there for you guys to evaluate. Okay.

Why is it that I would feel uncomfortable with going to tourism? Effectively the same thing, but I deliberately went out of my way to go to this big Buddhist thing in a, at a cemetery that's not too far from my house. There's like Rose Hill Cemetery north of us like 25, 30 minutes, and, um, they have this giant like Buddhist thing with like big Buddhas all over around it, and I went around. I was like, "what are they made of?" And I'm knocking on them and trying to figure it out, and I pray while I was there, you know, "Lord, I pray that they would come to see the truth, they would come to know Christ." And I'm thinking about being cognizant of the people around me that I know that are Buddhists and in our community and stuff. So, that was not, I don't think, a compromise for me to do that.

But I did not do it in any sense as a, "I want to honor this building, honor this religion, this false religion, honor these false teachings that that that keep people from Jesus and from salvation." I didn't do it for any of those reasons. I did it out of like a type of spiritual curiosity and also wanting to be able and ready to deal with the kind of stuff that I see in our region.

Um, Paul the Apostle kind of does this to think about the book of acts here. He goes to Athens, and there he goes to is the Aropagus where there's like a bunch of idols set up, and I mean, he lit, we went to like the most pagan location in the city. Now, it was also a place where they allowed open forum. So, he has an ulterior motive to go there. He's going there because he's able to speak publicly.

And, um, there are certain, you know, America doesn't isn't like this that much anymore. Um, we don't really have public squares where people expect in the public square of the local community, people will get up and just start shouting stuff and be like, "I want to debate about this." Um, but that's pretty common in lots of cultures. The Aropagus is where this happened. Philosophers would debate there; they would go back and forth. It's also in the midst of all these idols.

And Paul obviously had spent at some point—whether he did it then or at some prior trip that we don't know about—he'd spent time looking at the idols in this, in this area in the square. He walked around and he was like, "Hey, I noticed you guys have one particular idol and it has this inscription on it. It says to the un—uh, we worship, you know, to the unknown god, like in honor of whatever god we, we haven't yet discovered." Um, now they mean it in a pagan sense, but Paul observed it and he used it in his witnessing.

Now, Paul was not there going, "Guys, isn't this beautiful? How cool. Look at all these false idols. Look at all this demonic worship that's going on." He wasn't excited about it. He recognized the true spirituality spirituality behind it that those who sacrifice to idols sacrifice according to Paul, according to the Bible, according to the Holy Spirit, they sacrifice to demons, not to God. Yes, it's demonic. Every pagan temple is demonic. Every pagan idol is demonic. Every idolatrous worship moment is a demonic moment in reality based on scripture. And I cannot merely go and, and enjoy the aesthetics and ignore the spiritual dynamics.

So, I share all that to say I don't, I'm torn, I guess, as I try to work through what my convictions are about this. I'm bothered by going to just look. But I understand why people want to go, and I couldn't tell people, "you can't go," because being aware of the spiritual things.

There's probably Christians every day that go to these Buddhist temples and these, these, these basically pagan ritual locations and pray for people. They probably, every day, "Lord, I pray that you would open the eyes of the Japanese people to the gospel of Christ. Help them to see the truth of Christianity. Help them to break free from idolatry and then, now, the atheism that has so infected their land. Help them to see not these idols but to see creation and know it declares that there's a great exalted holy omnipotent God who made all things. help them to know that Christ is his son, that you have died on the cross for their sins, Jesus." Like these, these, this probably happens.

But at the same time, I think that as a Christian, what I think is unhealthy—as I'm sort of rambling, I admit, um—is to simply go because you like the way it looks and you're going to intentionally blot out and ignore the fact that this is actually actively demonic. Satan. It's a str, I believe it's a strategy of Satan to take the wicked things he does and make them as beautiful as possible. And that this is part of the way he gets into people's lives. He, he dress, he, you know, disguises him, his, his himself as an angel of light. And so, that is an agenda that the enemy has and he does and, and successfully does.

Okay, let's, let's not just, um, show sinful activities between men and women on screen. Let's do it in the midst of like a really high art. Okay, it's not just naked people. It's high art naked people. It's not just a attractive naked woman. It's very high art, very beautiful, just aesthetically pleasing, but nobody's going to look beyond like under the hood and see what's going on here. That is a problem.

So, I, I grant that. Um, God give us wisdom. If you're just doing it purely for tourism, you are probably being unhealthily blind to the spiritual dynamics that are going on. I think that, I think, I could feel pretty grounded by saying that.

All right. Morgan Peters has a question: "How do you pray for someone, for something and believe you've received it? Mark 11:24. Such as healing or peace if I don't know how God is using the illness or anxiety in my or someone else's life."

That's a—I'm, I'm confused by the question. Let me think about this: How do I pray for someone and believe I received it under the condition that I'm not sure how God's using it?

Um, I mean, you're never sure how God's using stuff. At least, well, most of us are not. I'm, I'm usually in the dark as to what the plans of God are for specific things. I know in general, God is using all things to, to work together for good to those who love him and are called according to his purpose, right? Right? "For whom he forneew, he predestined that we might be conformed to the image of his son." So, a slight paraphrase there, but, um, I, I know that God's using things to make us more like Christ ultimately and to work his glory and his purposes in the world. And that is a incredible comfort to me, but I don't specifically know this anxiety that person has. How is God using it, um, in that person's life in detail? I, I don't know those, that, that kind of answer.

So, how do I ever pray if, if that's a, if that's a requirement to know what God's doing? Uh, let me just read the passage here. Um, "I tell you who whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it and it will be yours. And whenever you stand praying, forgive." And he, he requires forgiveness.

Now, um, I taught through Mark—as some of you guys know—verse by verse. 60 something? No, 80? I don't remember. It was a lot of studies. Okay. We thought through Mark and I spent a significant amount of time on this exact verse, this exact se spot. And it's in a video I think called, "let me find it. I'm going to link it in the live chat for you." Um, no. That's about Kenneth Copeland curing your blindness or your baldness. Excuse me. Um, let me—Hold on. I'll find it. There it is. The, the video is actually titled—not the thumbnail, but the title is—"a serious study of the best name it and claim it verse ever. the Mark series part 43 11 verses 23 to 25." That's the title of the video. Let me put it in your live chat. Um, please, please watch this video. I just linked it now. There's, there's a delay. So, actually I linked it 20 seconds ago or something. So, it's it's right there.

Um, the reason for this video is to answer your exact first part of your question, which is, "how do you pray for something and believe you're receiving it?" I think that the faith that you have—my short answer is the faith that you have—that God's going to heal is supplied by the Holy Spirit that God reveals to you by inspiring your faith. "I'm going to heal this person." Then you get to partner with that by trusting him for it. You pray and God heals them. This doesn't mean you have to make yourself believe God's always healing everybody. That's the name it and claim it stuff. That's the Bethl theology stuff that gets things off. That causes a lot of trauma because they have misapplied this verse. There are other requirements in scripture beyond simply, "whatever you ask believe and you'll get it." That is one statement, but it is not the only. There is also, "we know if we pray according to his will he hears us." Okay. So, I have to believe it, but also it has to be according to his will. It may not be his will. That's why Bethl goes, "It's always his will to heal." And no, it's not. That's not biblical. You're making stuff up and that hurts people. So, it's all, it's according to his will. We also know James says that if you ask a miss that you may spend it on your pleasures, so you have a carnal motive baked into your request. Your faith isn't going to fix it. Okay? You're not just going to believe and then get what you want. No, you're asking a miss. There is others. There's, there's, there's the lack of faith, the doubting, unwaver, the wavering person, the double-minded and all that. Um, ultimately prayer is not how you control God. That's the main lesson here. Prayer is of course a way to access the power of God, but it is not a way of controlling the will of God.

But the other part of your question—so I, I get into that in detail in that video that I linked and I'll, I'll link it again just in case somebody's wondering and I'll put it in the video description down below after we're done. Um, the last part of your question was, um, "what if I don't know, you know, how God's using the illness or anxiety in me or somebody else's life?" I think that this, you don't have to worry about that. So, here's why: Because you're, you aren't actually controlling the will of God. Like if, if it's just God's will, "I want to use this to bring about some impact in the person's life. There's an illness or anxiety and I'm using it for my glory." Um, it's not like there's a threat that you'll pray, "God, take this thing away," and he goes, "Oh, okay. I'll take it away because you said so, but I really wanted to use it." That won't happen. Like God's, you just say, "Lord, your will be done." Okay? And then you don't want to violate God's will and if God leaves it, it's fine.

And the example of this in scripture is of this actually happening, is Paul's thorn in the flesh. So, let's look at that passage. Um, Oh, just give me a second. This passage is where Paul's like, "Play, I prayed three times that the Lord remove this thing." It's actually 2 Corinthians 12. There you go. Um, and check out you, you talk about a situation where God's using something painful in someone's life to, for a good reason. And for that reason, God's not going to remove it. That's exactly what Paul's dealing with here.

Um, so let's read it. Um, I'll just start in verse 7. Okay. "So to keep me from being becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations that—that's the things God had shown him." God used Paul in some amazing ways. All of us can be prone to get arrogant if God uses us greatly. Um, gosh, that's so many people fall into that trap. So, because of this, a thorn was given me in the flesh. This is a metaphor: some sort of very unpleasant, difficult, weakening, debasing, um, humbling experience that Paul had and it was ongoing. He describes it as a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. So, here we have the activity of Satan, and we have also the will of God, right? What Satan's doing, what God's using it for.

Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. Now, it's not "he" should leave me; it's an "it." I don't think that he had an actual demon in his life. I think that he had, um, I think "thorn in the flesh" is a metaphor. "Messenger of Satan" is a metaphor. And the "it" is some sort of ailment of some kind. Now, it could be an actual demon, which would make it worse. I would much rather have back pain than demonic presence in my life on a regular basis, an ongoing basis. So, I don't know. There's, there's a lot of people, some of you guys are like, "What are you talking about, Mike?" Uh, there's a lot of the name it and claim it people who will say, "Well, we say God will heal you every time. He always wants you to be healed." But you're going to say Paul's thorn in his flesh was a physical ailment of some kind, and that would ruin our theology. So, we're going to deny that it was a physical ailment. We're going to say Paul's thorn was a spiritual oppression from Satan. And they think they have solved the problem, which I always thought was strange: "You have made the problem worse. Because if God will heal my cold or my broken toe, but will not deliver me from a satanic direct attack, then your name it and claim it thing has fallen apart completely. There is no name it and claim it. No, no prosperity theology that will survive 2 Corinthians 12." I, I don't think so. I think if you just keep asking questions, you'll realize that their answers aren't working. They're just moving the goalposts.

Um, so three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Paul learned a lesson. And the lesson was your very ministry being used powerfully by God. Paul is dangerous to your spiritual health because you can get puffed up. So, "I'm going to bring you weak. I'm gonna allow weakness in your life. Satan's going to have an open door to attack you here." I think it was physical ailment. I think it was physical pain. I think it was runny eyes and things like this. And we talk in to the Corinthians. He says, "Oh, you would have given plucked out your own eyes and given them to me if you could have." I think he's talking about physical ailments. His bodily presence was weak. I think he's talking about that kind of stuff. Um, and that it was spiritual, but it was physically manifested.

But we learned the lesson. Um, God wants to use this to give him a strength that comes from his weakness. A strength of God that comes from Paul's weakness where Paul can finally say at the end of verse 10, "For when I'm weak, then I am strong." That is a hard lesson. Have you ever learned this lesson? Those who've actually been through life, where you learn what it means to say, "When I'm weak, then I am strong." It is a different kind of strength. It doesn't feel like strength at all; it feels like dependency. But that's good, and you learn to accept that dependency and embrace it and say, "Lord, when I'm weak, then I'm strong," and you resign yourself to it and you have contentment. That's the lesson Paul learned. That's the lesson many of us learn at some point in our lives. Especially the older you get, the more opportunities you have to learn what weakness is all about. That's just the reality of life. And I'm glad we have this example.

So, don't worry that you'll violate God's will. Paul pleaded three times, "Lord, take this from me." But he didn't violate God's will. He just received the wisdom of, "My power is made perfect in weakness." And he realized it wasn't going to go away. So, pray for healing, but don't think you command the will of God. It's a very healthy thing to, uh, to say as a Christian.

Um, okay, that's the last question for today. Um, I just want to let you guys know little updates. Um, those who are following this stuff—I don't even know who sticks around at the end, at the very end of the videos to get these kind of updates—um, but usually at the end of a Q&A, I, I, I offer kind of like what's going on in the ministry and what my plans are about. Sometimes I'll share things.

So, right now, what's going on with, um, the, the stuff with Todd White and Charismatic Stuff is, I'll tell you guys, the problems are way bigger than I have yet told you. Um, and I'm not remotely done talking about it. And it's not just Todd White. The, the issues that are going on in, in those who abuse others in the name of God.

Um, and I'm not here coming against God speaking prophetically through people, people speaking in tongues or people having a word of knowledge or a word of prophecy, word of wisdom, um, having a dream from the Lord. I'm not, I'm not speaking against that stuff. Okay? Not at all.

But in the charismatic church, especially among these big—I'm going throw some names out there: IHOP, Morning Star, Jesus Image, Bethl, um, I could go on other names. There's a, a not insignificant number of abusers, manipulators, and frauds that are either in leadership or being protected by the leaders as they do not warn people. And it's worse than you think. And I'm going to be exposing it, um, for the sake of restoring, I hope, into the charismatic church, into the, into the individuals who are part of these organizations the willpower to stand up and do what's right.

The, um, the biblical clarity to know what it means to test all things and hold fast to that which is good. To know once again to go back and say, "No, we actually test prophecies." And I don't mean privately on your own while you stay silent about the fact that that dude's a false prophet and faking stuff, um, where you don't prioritize movement and revival over integrity and the safety of individuals. That's a lot. Those who, who know, you know, those who don't, you will know.

Um, that stuff's coming in the future. I have a lot more content to make on that. And it'll be a season where I'm going to work on that, and then I'll get back to the book of Hebrews. That's my intention, my plan. Um, so I, I know, I know I always make you guys wait too long for everything. I apologize, but that's how it's going to be.

So, all right, let's pray. Um, Father, we thank you for your holy word because the answers to so many of our issues, uh, and the prevention for so many of the abuses and mistreatments that have gone on in the name of Christ, it's all right there in the scripture. If we would just follow what your word says—when it's not comfortable to us, when we don't feel like it, when it seems like it's going to ruin our momentum or hurt our movement—that we would just follow it. Anyways, I pray for the people who are in the charismatic churches, the people who are sitting under, uh, people in the ministries I named that they would become courageous and bold that they would sense in their own minds a discernment that allows them to even disagree with an abusive leader or one who is misusing scripture or one who is operating from a place of elitism. And we ask, Lord, that you would purify the church and get the lev out in Jesus name. Amen.

All right, y'all have a great day and stay in the word and know that in the details of scripture are just countless treasures.