Yes, I was arrested years ago for something stupid; is being arrested a sin… even if it’s nothing?  Because cops where I lived will arrest you for anything.

Sincerely,
Convicted

Dear Convicted,

Being arrested isn’t a sin as long as you didn’t do anything wrong.  Paul was arrested for preaching the gospel (Acts 16:25) – so were the rest of the apostles (Acts 5:17-18).  If you are innocent, then there isn’t an issue.  We are told to obey the government’s regulations insomuch as they don’t contradict the Scriptures (1 Pet 2:13-14).  If you suffer as an innocent person, you will be rewarded by God (1 Pet 3:14) – but if you were arrested for a law you actually broke, it is a sin.

My boss was “using” me at the office because he had a position of power, and his wife confronted me, and he played dumb about doing anything wrong.  He acts “holier than thou” and has everyone fooled.  I ended up having to quit my job that, I must say, I was pretty good at.  Will God take care of his selfishness on His own?  What scriptures can I read to help me?  He told me never to contact him ever again.  All he does is lie and use people for his own gain.  Thanks.

Sincerely,
Between Jobs

Dear Between Jobs,

God makes sure that everyone has to answer for the choices that they make in this life (1 Pet 4:5); this includes both you and your boss – the truth is bare before God.  Vengeance belongs to the Lord (Rom 12:19).  In the end, if you flee from sin (1 Cor 6:18) and seek God (Heb 7:25), things will work together for your good (Rom 8:28).  In the end, losing this job may be the best thing that ever happened to you – it certainly got you out of a spiritually perilous circumstance.  God will take care of your boss, and now you are free to seek the Lord without hindrance (Heb 11:6).

How are you supposed to treat a former member of the church after they have fallen away?  Say, for example, they want to meet up and take the kids to the park or catch a movie.

Sincerely,
Standing Up To The Fallen

Dear Standing Up To The Fallen,

When a brother or sister falls away, purposeful distance is our greatest tool to save their souls.  God tells churches to withdraw from brethren who deliberately return to a sinful lifestyle (2 Thess 3:6).  We should appeal with gentle and loving words in hopes of bringing them back to the Lord (2 Thess 3:15), but when that doesn’t work, we must show them our conviction by kindly, but firmly, refusing to keep company with them (1 Cor 5:11-13).  There isn’t anything that speaks louder than actions.  If you make it clear that the distance is done out of love and not out of hate… you will leave a message that might just cause them to reconsider.

I was baptized a year ago, but I have sinned so much since then.  I was wondering if I can get re-baptized one more time, or will it be held against me?  I am going to stop doing what I am doing.

Sincerely,
Do Over

Dear Do Over,

We are only commanded to be baptized once because baptism is a burial with Christ (Rom 6:3-4).  After baptism, we must learn to walk in our new life.  You don’t need to be baptized again, but you do need to confess your sins to God (1 Jn 1:9) and repent of them (Acts 8:22).  Do as you have promised; quit doing what you have been doing.  A large part of getting our lives in order is to become a part of a faithful congregation that can support and encourage us as we try to live rightly (Heb 10:24-25).  If you need help finding one in your area, please e-mail us at askyourpreacher@mvchurchofchrist.org, and we will happily locate one near you.

(This question is a follow-up to “Original Origins”)

Thank you for your answer regarding the first church in history, but I have another question.  Did the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church start at the same time, or did one form first and then the other?

Sincerely,
Ground Zero

Dear Ground Zero,

Both the Roman Catholic church and the Eastern Orthodox church trace their history back to the days of Caesar Constantine.  As we mentioned in the last post, Constantine made Christianity the national religion and forced all people to join it.  By forcing people to join Christianity, Constantine removed all traces of the volunteer Bible-based faith that Christ died for.  With national sanctions, political power, and a religious hierarchy that included cardinals, bishops, archbishops, etc., Constantine’s endorsement of Christianity suppressed Christ’s religion.  This time period gave birth to a national religion that was more about politics and power than faith, hope, and love.  Paul warned christians that an apostasy like this was coming and to beware of anyone that would set themselves up as head of the church (2 Thess 2:3-4).

This national religion continued until about the 11^th century when there became a dispute over whether the city of Rome would lead this church or the city of Constantinople would.  This argument (and other smaller ones) broke the national religion into two groups.  The Roman Catholic church followed the Pope from Rome, and the Greek Orthodox church chose to have more localized bishops control their territories.  In any event, both churches can be traced to the same non-biblical beginnings which have confused many people for many generations.

Could you please give me an overview of what Paul is saying in 2 Thessalonians 3?  I sincerely thank you in advance.

Sincerely,
Looking For Cliff Notes

Dear Looking For Cliff Notes,

2 Thessalonians 3 is the final chapter of Paul’s second letter to the church in Thessalonica.  The Thessalonian church was a very young church that had already suffered a great deal of persecution (Acts 17:1-9).  This chapter can be broken into three major sections:

1. In the beginning of the chapter, Paul asks the brethren to pray for him (2 Thess 3:1-2) and reminds them to never stop obeying the Scriptures (2 Thess 3:4).
2. The second section deals with a problem in the church.  There were people in the congregation who were lazy and living off the kindness of others (2 Thess 3:6).  Paul commanded them to stop enabling this lazy behavior and to rebuke these brethren, so that they would get to work and stop taking advantage of others (2 Thess 3:10-12).
3. The last section is full of some final words of encouragement.  Paul urges them to never give up or grow weary (2 Thess 3:13), to stand firm, and discipline unruly brethren (2 Thess 3:14-15).  And last, but not least, he reminds them of how much he loves them (2 Thess 3:17-18).