I was listening to your mp3 bible study in Mark about the parable of the sower. I was saved (I believe) when I was 14 years old, I had no support system as I was the only family member that believed, and all my friends were non-believers also. I have been living as a defeated Christian for years, I have always longed for Jesus’ return yet I have never until recently read the bible or even heard of OSAS. Is it possible that I was the seed that fell on rocky ground? I have lost interest in many of the things I used to enjoy, all I do now is study the bible and your bible study mp3’s.

I’ve read many postings on your site and appreciate them greatly. But I’m surprised at your interpretation of the Mustard Seed Parable. There are different “birds” mentioned in the various passages of the Bible; the little birds is akin to sparrows–you will find that God uses the sparrows to indicate His care for us both in the NT and in Psalms. David writes of them finding “rest” in the courts of the temple–as he refers to the godly finding rest in the Lords Temple. I’m surprised that this common interpretation is quickly accepted, without folks discriminating between the various types of birds: little birds and predators.

A popular Bible teacher teaches that there is some prophetic significance in the Kingdom Parables i.e. the mustard tree is only normally 4 ft. high and for it to hold the birds of the air was a prophecy of the church falling into Roman Catholicism and getting abnormally large and harboring pagan practices. Can you explain this teaching with a little more detail? I didn’t quite follow it for all of the parables. Thanks so much for your patience.

Thank you for this blessed site. It has greatly enriched my knowledge of the Bible. My question or rather a query is that can a woman baptize anyone? I recently came across a friend who said that a woman she knew baptized another woman. I find this Biblically incorrect for I have not come across this anywhere in Scripture. Can you answer this query for me?

I was wondering if you could help me on a dilemma I am having. Since the bible already tells us the fate of Israel and its people, how do we word our prayers to God when we pray? Every night I say a prayer but I never quite know what to pray for. I always include Israel when I pray because I am so worried about the evil that is closing in on them. Any help you could give me on this would be greatly appreciated.

I have some confusion about Romans 7:9 where Paul talks about the age of accountability. It would seem to imply that no one died spiritually before the law was given. That would give a free pass to everyone before Moses and maybe those in countries who have never heard what the scriptures say about the Law. Can that be right?

I have a question about church attendance and being saved. I know that we are only saved by what we believe, but what about someone who does not enjoy going to church? I love Jesus and I love being around other Christians but honestly I find church sort of a drag. It is so ritualistic and I find some of the people there think the building is more important than the relationship. How should I deal with this?

I have a friend who has not gone to church for years. She says she is a Christian but can’t seem to find a church that suits her and does not believe Christians have to go to church anyway. I think if you really are a Christian you will thirst for God’s word and want to go. What do you think?

Why did the apostles choose to suffer a martyrs death? If Christ died once and for all for our sins, and bore all the suffering of mankind, why did they feel the need to be martyred? They were the closest to Christ, so shouldn’t they have best understood Christ’s message of “it is finished”? I don’t understand why they didn’t preach in hiding like what takes place in Muslim and communist countries today. It sounds like they believed in redemptive suffering- a Catholic concept.

I enjoy reading your extensive bible studies and use them as a study tool. Because I am human, some areas I have pause, but in areas of doctrine I believe, using the Bible as the only true measure, that our views parallel. Therefore I am very interested in how you view the reading of Jeremiah 30:6. Just this morning it struck me that this passage seems to be describing someone suffering from poison, esp poison gas, like sarin.