Is it mandatory for christians to attend church from sun up to sundown?  My preacher makes the claim that Paul preached until midnight, but this is no proof that if I were not at a Sunday evening service that I would be guilty of cheating God of His time.  And if Christ were to return, would I be in danger like all other sinners?  Please clarify.  Thanks.

Sincerely,
More Of A Morning Person

Dear More Of A Morning Person,

There is no strict guideline of how much time should be spent in worship on Sunday, but God does provide some principles that help us avoid forsaking the assembly (Heb 10:24-25).  The example that your preacher used of Paul preaching until midnight (Acts 20:7) doesn’t prove that we have to worship that long on Sunday; it simply proves the importance of worship and the zeal that first century christians had for God’s Word.  Acts 20:7 does show us that Sunday is the day that christians are supposed to take the Lord’s Supper, and 1 Cor 16:1-2 tells us that Sunday is the day that we are supposed to take up a collection for God’s work… but once again, the length of services is never detailed.  The closest we come to a direct teaching on how to treat Sunday is in the book of Revelation.  In Rev 1:10, John points out that Sunday is “the Lord’s day”.  That terminology tells us that Sunday is a day that should be arranged around worshipping God… as opposed to fitting worship services in when they are convenient.  Once again, this doesn’t give us specific time parameters, but it does help each of us to examine our own hearts and attitudes toward Sunday worship.  If the Lord is number one in our lives, then how we prioritize church services will be affected by that attitude.

Why does God command the people of Israel not to kill, but then He orders them to kill enemies of Israel… even the women, children, and livestock?  Then Jesus tells His disciples to “turn the other cheek.”  I haven’t been a christian for very long, but I’ve always been confused about this.

Sincerely,
Double Standard

Dear Double Standard,

The Hebrew word used for ‘kill’ in the Ten Commandments literally means ‘murder’.  There is a difference between killing someone in self-defense and pre-meditated, intentional murder of another human being.  The Bible has plenty of examples of faithful people going to war (David killed Goliath in battle – 1 Sam 17:49-50).  The Bible is also full of examples of capital punishment for certain crimes (Num 15:35).  Num 35:15-16 makes a distinction between accidentally killing someone and premeditated murder.  A police officer may have to kill someone while serving the community, but that isn’t murder.  There is a difference.

It is wrong for an individual to purposefully seek to harm another unless they are acting as an agent of the government (God has given national governments the authority to use ‘the sword’ of punishment – Rom 13:4) or reacting in self-defense.  God commanded the nation of Israel to kill in times of war, but He condemns vigilante murder.  The teaching of “turn the other cheek” (Matt 5:39) is an individual command that applies to everyday living.  The context has nothing to do with war-time actions.

I was just curious.  What exactly does the Bible mean when it speaks of confessing our sins to one another?  When is it proper to confess to one another the sins we have committed?  When is it improper or excessive (if it can be so)?  When is it that this needs to be done?

Sincerely,
Confessionally Concerned

Dear Confessionally Concerned,

We must confess all of our sins to God (1 John 1:9) and be prepared to get help with our faults from other christians (Jas 5:16). When James talks about confessing sins to each other, he is talking in the context of prayer. His point is that when someone prays for you as you struggle with sin, that prayer will make an immense difference. He is not stating that you have to announce every single sin you have ever committed to each and every christian you meet.

There are definitely times to tell another person about your sin.

1. If you have sinned against them, you must admit it and ask for forgiveness (Lk 17:3-4).
2. If you believe the knowledge of your previous sin will help them (1 Tim 1:15-16).
3. If you are struggling with a sin and need help (Jas 5:16, Eccl 4:9).
4. If it would be deceptive to not reveal the sin (1 Jhn 1:8).

All of those situations constitute an appropriate time to confess your sins to another person. God doesn’t call us to parade our past sins before all we meet, but there is a time to own up to our faults before both man and God.

Would you explain Matthew 8:11-12?

Sincerely,
Bookworm

Dear Bookworm,

Jesus is explaining to the Jewish nation that most of them will not become a part of the church.  The kingdom of heaven is the church (read “A Kingdom For All Nations” for specific verses on that subject).  Jesus is telling the Jews that many people from all over the world (those from the “east and the west” – Mat 8:11) will join the church, but the sons of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (i.e. the Jews) would refuse.  The Jewish nation was the “sons of the kingdom” (Matt 8:12) because they were of the lineage of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  Unfortunately, most of the Jews didn’t believe that Jesus was the Christ (Mk 8:31, Acts 18:5-6).

They say that the cross is actually a pagan symbol used in pre-christian times, but I heard some people argued about this, saying that the pre-christian pagans actually used a plus-sign shaped cross rather than the T-shaped cross used in Christian churches, but I’m not sure about this.  Do you know exactly if some of the pre-christian crosses were T-shaped?

Sincerely,
Geometry Student

Dear Geometry Student,

The cross referred to in Christianity doesn’t have religious origins… it was a torture device invented by the nation of Rome.  When Rome wanted to make an example out of a criminal, they would hang them from a cross.  Those crosses differed in shape from locale to locale.  Some were T-shaped, others more of a plus sign, and others were more of what we consider to be the traditional cross shape.  When Jesus was nailed to the cross (Jhn 19:17), we have no idea exactly what shape it was… but regardless of the shape, it still had the same excruciating results (Jhn 19:30).

Why did Jesus go into the desert for 40 days where He had to be thirsty, hungry, and face the elements of heat, cold, and discomfort – maybe even come close to dying of dehydration and starvation – JUST so he could prepare to die a horrible death.  Could he have prepared for death in a less uncomfortable way?

Sincerely,
Seriously Sympathetic

Dear Seriously Sympathetic,

Those 40 days were Jesus’ first major test. Jesus had to do more than just go to the cross; He had to live a life free of sin as well (1 Pet 1:19). Christ had to live a perfect, sinless life while still enduring all the temptations that every other human experiences (Heb 2:17-18).

After Jesus was baptized and before He started preaching, He was led into the wilderness for forty days. The purpose of those forty days was for the devil to tempt Christ (Matt 4:2), plain and simple. In a weakened physical, emotional, and mental state (Lk 4:2), the devil threw his best and cleverest arguments at the Son of God.Jesus repelled them all (Matt 4:10). After that initial temptation, Jesus was left alone by the devil for a period of time (Lk 4:13). Jesus’ character is shown not only in how He died… but in how He lived like no other man.