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The following questions were answered:

1. I was meditating on our struggle with the flesh and came upon the thought of: did Adam and Eve have the “flesh”? I know the deceiver serpent tempted Eve, but what I’m not sure about is whether Adam and Eve actually had a sinful flesh? They would have had to…in my thinking…due to the “flesh” taking over to disobey God and sin. I was really just wondering if “flesh” entered the world upon Adam’s sin, or was “flesh” something that’s always been there. My thoughts were that if they sinned, they must have lost the battle of spirit and flesh, but then that would put them in the ranks of “fallen” man…wouldn’t it?

2. Denominations…there’s lots of them today. It’s frustrating finding the truth! Is everyone wrong? There is only one truth, one interpretation, one right answer. How on earth do you find it?

3. Do you believe that predestination is the foreknowledge of God? John 6:64 talks about knowing who would believe or not? Do you think that God predestinates some to hell and some to heaven?

4. My girlfriend and I have been dating for 2 years now and we profess our faith in Christ. We have been through a lot and seen a lot. How do we not fall into temptation of sexual desires since we have been together for so long? It’s hard and every teen has pumping hormones.

5. Hello, Pastor Tim Conway! I am a wife struggling with jealousy. I know of my husband’s struggles with pornography and how he is battling to keep his mind pure, and whenever I am with my husband and see a woman dressed immodestly, my emotions just explode inside of me. I don’t know how to keep them from even surfacing! My husband is wonderful, and has a desire for purity and battles with this sin. I know that love is not jealous, and I know there is a righteous jealousy…but so many times I find myself falling into the “unrighteous” kind of jealousy too!!! How do I deal with this jealousy and stop it from even coming up in my emotions??

6. I got saved in August of 2006…right before I was shipped off to job corps…at least I thought I was saved. After returning home, I continued the same sins I had been doing before.  After I had enough… thankfully the Holy Spirit convicted me and I was free at last from my sin. It felt wonderful!! I had some trials, but nothing was like the feeling I had when Jesus set me free.  After a few months of my freedom from my sins…what do you know…I got comfortable in my faith and backslid and have been ever since…which was three years ago.  I asked the Lord for forgiveness several times but I feel nothing. I fear my heart is hardened and the Lord has taken his hands off of me.  What do I do? I’m tired of hearing what I believe to be false prophets. This is my soul and I will not take it lightly anymore! Please help me! I don’t know what to do next.

Ask Pastor Tim

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The following questions were answered:

1. What does it mean to love the law of God? Not legalism, but a real passion for the commands and law of God expressed in his word. Everyone talks about the law and commands of God, but what does that mean? What law are preachers such as yourself referring to when you speak about the law? If to love your neighbor as yourself is the fulfillment of the law, how is that different than the secular humanist who loves his neighbor for the sake of his love for mankind?

2. Do you believe Christians should watch television for the purpose of entertainment taking in consideration 1 John 2:15?

3.  I’m seventeen years old, a Senior in High School, I’ve been a Christian for three years, and I sometimes feel like I can’t do anything for God. I feel like I’m an immature and young Christian and it feels like it will take years before I mature into the “standard” man of God. How can I testify to my friends and those around me when I am still weak and in need of growing? Sometimes I feel like I’m not mature enough to do something for Christ. Sometimes, when I fall into sin, I feel like I’m not ready to go to school or to speak to people. I only feel ready when my mind is focused on Christ and when I lead a more mature walk. I don’t think this is a biblical mindset! But I’m not sure…

4. When Jesus died on the cross; did His spirit descend to hell? I just was curious if that part of the Apostle’s Creed was accurate. I know that God abandoned Him on the cross and He was pleased to crush Him but I am not really sure how far that goes.

Ask Pastor Tim

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The following questions were answered:

1. Can you discuss the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Heaven, and the preaching of the apostles in relationship to Paul’s Gospel? There are some who say they are different, and that the apostles did not preach what Paul preached, that the gospel of grace was revealed first to Paul.

2. My wife is not saved, not even close. My wife witnesses me teaching our children about God and the Bible. I read the bible to our children almost daily depending on our schedule and she wants no part of it. She will hardly ever attend church with us. I feel so alone. We are like ships passing in the night. I cry, literally cry for her salvation while in prayer to the Lord. I live a double life, at home almost hiding my beliefs because she has threatened divorce before. At work and other places when she isn’t around I hand out gospel tracts, and witness 1 on 1 to people. I sooooo want my wife to become saved. I have witnessed to her in the past. She just doesn’t believe the Bible or in God. What should I do?

3. When Paul says that women should be silent in the church in 1 Cor 14:34-36, does it mean that women should not be pastors or leaders in a church. Or assume roles of teaching the Gospel?

4. What are we to make of 1 Corinthians 10:31? I’m trying to live as a Biblical Christian and follow God with all of my being. However, I love going to see movies, and I’m quite aware of the garbage in a lot of today’s movies. But there are some good ones out there. For example, the movie Defiance is a good story through and through. It does have sex scenes, a few swears, but overall it fills you with excitement and passion to do the right thing. However, is it right for me to watch such a movie if there is a 1-minute sex scene or two or three swears? How far do you go with 1 Corinthians 10:31? Because to take that passage to the extreme, you could become paranoid of dishonoring God and eventually just end up living in your closet.

5. Who is qualified to baptize believers?  I moved to a new town, led someone to Christ, and baptized them in the local river.  My pastor said that because I was not ordained, it was invalid.  I am pretty sure that the Great Commission says to make disciples of all nations and baptize them… so if I was wrong to baptize this new believer, I guess I was wrong to lead him to Christ and make disciples? Please help me and others with the clarification of baptism; who is able to be baptized, the mode, and who is able to perform the baptism?

6. I feel like God wants me to tell my church that I thought I was homosexual until God delivered me. I feel it is God but my family believes it’s the devil trying to shame me so I wont be used in the church. What do you think? Is there a possibility that this is the devil trying to get me to shame myself? Because honestly, I don’t want to do it, but I don’t want to go against his will.

7. I want to be saved so badly. I feel as though i have tried everything, but i don’t understand your video (Biblical Repentance, Ask Pastor Tim). If this is true, then what do we do instead?? How can I ever be saved?? I am in this situation (trying to believe enough, repent enough) and I have not felt any change. What do I do?

8. I lead a Christian website and I don’t want to lead people astray when giving the gospel, so can you please clarify one point of it for me: Is repentance before, after, or at the same moment as faith in Christ? How do you explain the Biblical truth of repentance being necessary yet Christ gets all the credit for salvation?

9. Can a Christian have an evil spirit in them or be possessed by an evil spirit?

10. Christ tells us to Love one another as he loved us. How can we love people like that if they hurt us, how do we bring ourselves to forgive people that do us so badly…when every time you see that person, it just hurts inside of you.

11. I have a real concern about what Jesus said to his disciples, “he that is not willing to deny himself, take up his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple” I see so many Christians buying luxurious cars and living in mansions, treating themselves with every pleasure that this world can offer and it seems as if there is no conviction or even thought about what Jesus said to his disciples. Can you please clarify or explain what does it mean to deny yourself and take up your cross? And deny yourself what? What was Jesus talking about?

Ask Pastor Tim