I have a question.  It seems I have been given some dreams that seem to be too real for dreams, life-like.  In one of them, I am facing demonic activity to the point of them wanting to possess me.  I am a man of faith and even fight back in this sleep state.  I start to pray really hard in tongues even in these so-called dreams.  I do fight them off, but they seem to be persistent.  Personally, I do fight them off from the Scripture and also by praying in tongues.  This seems so weird to be doing this while I am so-called “dreaming” these things.  I just want to know if others have had this type of experience.  I have had other visions of certain areas of hell also.  If what I have seen is real, my hardest reality in dealing with this vision is that I cannot do anything to help these souls I have seen in torment, a torment like I know I would not want anyone to face.

I thought about asking my pastor about this, but I hate to say this, I am afraid of being classified as being a little mentally unstable.  I know as a Holy Ghost-filled Apostolic CHRISTIAN, I should know better.

Sincerely,
Labeled As ‘Mentally Unstable’

Dear Labeled As ‘Mentally Unstable’,

The days of dreams and visions have passed.  In the past, God spoke to various people through dreams, visions, and prophecy, but today, He speaks to us through His Son, Jesus Christ (Heb 1:1-2).  Now that we have the complete and perfect Bible – there is no need for God to give people individual dreams or visions (1 Cor 13:9-10).  It is through the Word of God that we learn how to live faithfully (Rom 10:17).  So don’t worry about your dreams, as vivid as they are; they aren’t a message from God.  Feel free to read “I Dreamed A Dream” and “Three Cheers For Miracles” for an in-depth look at what the New Testament says about speaking in tongues, dreams, and prophecy.

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What is the only true religion?

Sincerely,
Top Priority

Dear Top Priority,

Jesus said that He is “the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and no one comes to the Father except through Me” (Jhn 14:6).  This single statement by Christ nullifies Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism, etc.  Jesus is the only one that offers salvation to mankind.

But the Bible takes it one step farther.  Paul condemned the Jews because they worshipped God without knowledge (Rom 10:2).  He also warned that there would come a day when false teachers infiltrated Christ’s church and started teaching things contrary to Scriptures (2 Tim 4:2-4).  Paul told the first century christians to watch out for the “falling away” (2 Thess 2:3).  Division and false teaching in the name of Christ is a very common thing.  There are tens of thousands of different religions in America that refer to themselves as “Christian”… yet God says there is only one true faith (Eph 4:4-6).  So how can you know whether a church is Christ’s church?

Jesus says that we can know them by their fruits (Matt 7:15-20).  A church is faithful if the way they worship, preach, and live is in accordance with Christ’s teachings.  A faithful church keeps Christ’s commandments (Jhn 15:14).  Most churches today have added all sorts of things to their worship (from rock bands to belly dancing) and leadership structure (popes, community boards, franchised churches, etc.) that were never intended by Christ.  We should never add to God’s Word, and we should never take away from it (Rev 22:18-19).  A faithful church should be able to give you book, chapter, and verse for everything they do.  We recommend the posts “Down With Denominationalism”, “Finding A Church”, and “Preacher Interrogation” for further information on what questions to ask.  If you would like us to help point you in the right direction of a congregation in your area, please e-mail us at askyourpreacher@mvchurchofchrist.org, and we will do our best to put you in contact with a Bible-founded congregation.

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What exactly was the first Christian church in history?  Was it the Roman Catholic church?  Was it the Eastern Orthodox church?  Or was it a Gnostic sect?

Sincerely,
Ground Zero

Dear Ground Zero,

The first church in history is the one founded on the day of Pentecost in the second chapter of Acts.  Catholicism and the Eastern Orthodox church didn’t begin until hundreds of years later under the reign of emperor Constantine when Constantine tried to control Christianity by making it the national religion… complete with government councils and sanctions.

The only pattern for the church that can be trusted is the one that can be found in the Bible.  All denominations, sects, and schisms are caused by deviating from the Bible.  The apostle Paul proclaimed that there is only one pattern for the church’s teaching, worship, and behavior (Eph 4:4-6).  A church must follow the Scriptures as its blueprint (1 Tim 3:15)… that is the only way to make sure it is pleasing to God.

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Who is the Holy Spirit?

Sincerely,
Not Good With Faces

Dear Not Good With Faces,

The Holy Spirit is deity.  He was there at the creation of the world (Gen 1:2).  Acts 5:3-4 makes it clear that the Holy Spirit is synonymous with God.  The Holy Spirit is as close to God as your spirit is to you (1 Cor 2:10-11).  The Holy Spirit is part of the Godhead – alongside with Jesus and the Father (Matt 3:16-17).

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Are Jesus and God the same person?  If so, where does it say that in the Bible?

Sincerely,
Asking For I.D.

Dear Asking For I.D.,

Yes, Jesus is one of the Godhead.  Jhn 1:1-2 states that the ‘Word’ is God, and Jhn 1:14 makes it clear that Jesus is the ‘Word’.  There are three members of the Godhead – Jesus, the Father, and the Holy Spirit (Matt 3:16-17).  Jesus makes it clear that He is eternal (Jhn 8:58) and the Creator of all things (Col 1:15-16).

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How do we know Christianity is the one and only true religion?

Sincerely,
Sweetly Broken

Dear Sweetly Broken,

Why? Christianity forces us to choose.  Many of today’s religions allow tolerance for multiple belief systems, but the Bible isn’t one of them.  If we believe in the Bible and Jesus (read “Who Wrote The Bible?” for proof that the Bible is written by God), then we can’t accept other religions as well because the Bible condemns all other religions (Ex 34:14, Lk 16:13).  Jesus claims to be the only way to heaven (Jhn 14:6).  A common myth today is that we can believe in Jesus and also accept other religions, but Jesus strictly condemns that lifestyle.  We are told that there is only one way to heaven (Eph 4:4-6).  Either Jesus is the Messiah or He isn’t.  There is no room for plurality in Christianity.  Christ is an all-or-nothing Savior.

In short, if we accept the Bible as true, we must accept all other religions as false.  If we accept other religions as true, we must accept that the Bible is false.  There is no in-between.  The Bible is accurate, time-tested, consistent, contains supernatural information, and holds specific and fulfilled prophecies… no other book can make those claims.  The Bible stands alone – and it likes it that way.

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