I give what I can to American charities, but have been leery of giving to international charities due to the fact that many are helping sinners. What is your take on this? These are not religious charities that I speak of.

If I list all the faithful patriarchs from Adam through Abraham (found in Genesis 5:3-32 and Genesis 11:10-22) and add Isaac and Jacob, the total comes to 24. Since we are never told how long the 24 Elders have been in Heaven or when they got there, wouldn’t their number more likely be composed of these patriarchs rather than being representative of the Church?

How does our blatant sin interfere with our hearing from the Lord? Do you believe that we are punished for repetitive sin and perhaps the Lord doesn’t do things for us that He might if we were repentant regarding our sin?

I have just recently connected with some old friends whom I love very much. We drifted apart after I became a believer a few years ago and became a little too “preachy” for them. I feel that the Lord is preparing something by re-connecting us, and my question is how do I avoid pushing them away again without compromising the truth of Christ and His witness in me?

I was saved at a very young age before I was truly subjected to the evils of this world and as I grew older I drifted away from God. In my teenage years I was in full backslide mode and using drugs, and one night while under the influence of drugs I renounced my salvation. Just typing those words makes me sick, the night the words came out of my mouth I immediately felt pain and regret for uttering such a thing. Later I re-dedicated myself to God, but my question is can someone who is saved renounce their salvation?

A friend of mine believes that because of the sovereignty of God he does not have to witness or reach out to the lost. He seems to have taken what I consider to be an ultra-Calvinistic position. I am looking for Scriptures that show that even though God is sovereign He intended us to have dominion and to work for His glory and occupy til He comes.

In Matthew 11:30, Jesus said my yoke is easy and my burden is light. What burden do you think Jesus was talking about?

You mentioned that Paul was God’s choice to fill the vacancy created when Judas committed suicide. But according to Acts 1:21-22 Paul couldn’t have met the requirements. He was not even a believer until he met the Lord on the road to Damascus years later. So, please explain Act 1:21-22, and make Paul fit the requirement so stated.

My girlfriend is an unbeliever who has quite a bit of trust in science and its theories, and now and again we have discussions that boil down to reasons she doesn’t believe in God. I asked her to tell me what she doesn’t understand, and that I would put them in an email and send them to you, as my answers ‘are the ones Christians always give.’ These are honest questions from her and are the actual reasons that stop her from looking for God. In her own words, she just doesn’t understand it all.

Jesus said that we should not worry about what we will eat, drink or wear, but seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to us. (Matt 6:31-33) But when we repeatedly must use credit cards to pay for groceries because the entire paycheck goes towards monthly bills, and the credit cards are hitting the maximum limit, how can we not worry about what we will eat, drink or wear once the card limits are hit?