I am constantly getting criticized by my mother on going to church. She claims that you cannot be a true Christian unless you go to church. She claims that you cannot be truly saved unless you go to church. I have a boyfriend who I am very serious about and love very much. We plan on getting married in June. We have not gotten engaged yet because he is being persecuted by my mother (and so am I) about this church issue. It is causing me a lot of pain to deal with my mother in this because I have my own personal belief that I can be a good Christian without going to church. What advice can you give me for the next time I talk to my mom? She keeps pushing her beliefs on me and judging me for not believing the same as her. Do you feel it is necessary to go to church to be saved and a true Christian?

In Exodus 4, Moses is giving excuses to God why he’s not the man for the job. God replies in giving him 3 signs that will cause the elders of Israel to believe Moses is their deliverer sent by God. I understand that the plagues, that come later, were demonstrations of God’s supremacy over the gods of Egypt (at least one of the lessons from the plagues). My question is, what were the 3 signs to the elders to typify that they would believe that Moses was indeed sent by God? (staff to a serpent, leprous hand, and water from the Nile poured out turning to blood on the ground) These appear to be similar to the plagues, but not quite.

Thank you so much for your website!

What does Luke 21:24 mean?

I was just reading (The End Times According To Peter) and it seems to me that in Peter’s letters he never mentions the Lord coming as in the Rapture but always looking for His second coming after the Tribulation and seems to be warning these Jewish Christians to endure and then describes what is going to happen right before He comes.

Is this why Peter says even so late in his life that Paul’s writings are hard to be understood. Wasn’t Peter looking for the Tribulation to begin and the Second Coming?

It just seems that way when you read the text. Jesus had told them of the promise of the earthly Kingdom all thru the Gospels, so it seems like he was holding out for that series of events according to all of the Old Test. prophecies of which the Church and the Rapture were hidden. What do you think?

One question that my husband and I have been pondering since we heard a recent teaching on television concerning faith. We know that faith is a gift from God. And that w/out faith it is impossible to please God. But is faith required in order for God to move in our lives?

The teacher on television stated that “Faith does not move God” and it kind of sent my spouse in a tailspin :). The Word states that Faith pleases God. The teacher did well in showing how what God has already provided thru GRACE that we don’t need faith to “move” God or make Him do what we want because it has already been provided. I have tried to explain this to my spouse but he is still not clear and he’s just stuck on thinking that having faith, then, is pointless. Can you respond 🙂 Thanks!

Thank you for your wonderful site. I would appreciate your opinion concerning heaven – will heaven be ‘out there’ somewhere as we usually point upward, or will it be on the refreshed, cleansed new earth spoken in the bible? Will the New Jerusalem be a city on the new earth where God dwells and will there be believers outside the city who are able to go in and out of it? Will we be working, such as planting, harvesting, creating art, etc. all to the glory of God or what will we be doing?

What exactly did Jesus mean when he said, “I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.” (John 14:12-14) Does this mean we should expect as true followers of Christ to perform miracles, healing, and all sorts of other things, just like Jesus?

I was reading a web site about an African pastor who was resurrected from the dead after being dead over 40 hours. He states he was told that if he had stayed dead he would have gone to hell because he would not forgive his wife for slapping his face even after she said she was sorry and wanted to reconcile.

Reading this scared me very badly. I have been trying to be absolutely sure there is no one left that I have not forgiven for any thing they might have done to me ever in my life and have prayed the Lord show me if there is still someone I have not forgiven. Is it possible that I believe that I am saved and could be sent to hell for something that I did not realize I was doing wrong? This is what is scaring me. That one day I will meet Jesus and He will say He doesn’t know me because of something I didn’t realize was wrong ! Would God do this to me?

Hi, I was hoping you would answer this question for me. Could you explain to me what exactly the anointing is? I have heard people talk about it but no one has actually taken the time to tell me what it is. Thank you and God Bless you and continue to do what you do! I am blessed every time I come online and read. I learn a lot too.

When the devil asked to ‘sift Peter as wheat'(Luke 22:31) what exactly does it mean? Why would he want to do this?

I know that he also asked to persecute Job in the old testament and that God allowed this in order to cure Job of his self righteous attitude.Does this mean the devil has to ask permission to attack us directly, and if so are all our afflictions down to him?