What do you do if someone you know claims to be a Christian but you know they are not and you want to help them?

This is a fantastic question! We do need to be a little careful when we start assuming that we know if someone is a Christian or not. Are you basing that on their actions or what they say they believe? The reason I’m saying that is because there is a BIG difference in the two.

There are a lot of people who say they’re Christian and may not act like it but that doesn’t necessarily mean they are not Christians. The Bible tells us that we all sin and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 6:23). In fact, it also says there is no one righteous, not even one (Romans 6:10). Just because someone sometimes does doing things that Bible says they shouldn’t do or doesn’t do things they should do doesn’t mean that they haven’t accepted Christ into their heart. We have no way of really knowing a person’s heart but we can judge their actions and we can gently remind them that Christ Followers don’t act or think like that.

Now, if a person claims to be a Christian but tells you they believe something that contradicts what the Bible says is true, that is a completely different matter. For example, let’s say someone says to you, “I don’t believe that Jesus was really God’s son. I think he was just a man.” That is wrong thinking. The Bible clearly tells us that Jesus was God’s one and only Son in John 3:16. Or let’s say they tell you that they believe in reincarnation … we know that belief is Biblically wrong. So, how do we help our friends see the truth?

Whether someone is not acting like a Christian or claiming something contrary to the Christian belief, we treat them the same way. With love. The Bible tells us to, “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone that asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” (1 Peter 3:15)

It is not our job to judge a person’s heart … that’s God’s job. But, we can judge their behavior, speech and beliefs and respectfully tell them what we believe. Whether they choose to believe you or not, is their choice. I can promise you this:  God loves His people. He doesn’t want any of us to miss out on knowing Him. He will use the Holy Spirit to help someone that really wants to know who God is. Your mission is to share God’s love with them so that they can make a wise decision.

Is it possible that the Bible was written hundreds of years ago by someone with a huge imagination that didn’t know it would attract this many people?

Wow! That is an awesome question! So, let’s look at this scientifically because the sciences can help either support or contradict theories.

The science of archaeology supports the age of the Bible. Between 1947 and 1956, the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered by archaeologists in eleven caves along the northwest shore of the Dead Sea. The Dead Sea Scrolls are the remains of about 900 separate scrolls and are dated to have been written between 70 A.D. and 150 A.D. (This tells me that the earliest scroll was written 1,940 years ago!). What’s also amazing about the Dead Sea Scrolls is that they are the oldest known copies of the Old Testament! In fact, in many cases the Dead Sea Scrolls are almost word-for-word matches to our modern day Bible!

Next, there have been a lot of archaeological finds in the recent years that support many of the places and locations mentioned in the Bible. These places and items help prove that much of what the ancient manuscripts describe is historically accurate.
Also, there are non-biblical texts that support the age of the Bible. There are letters written by the historian Josephus (who lived around 60 A.D.) and Pliny the Younger that support the story of Jesus. Both these men lived back near the time when Jesus was crucified or shortly thereafter.

Finally, how do we explain our calendar? Why do Christians around the world use the year “2010” to describe what year it is? It is because it is based upon the time after Jesus’ death on the cross. Why would we use the death of a simple Jewish carpenter to mark the passage of time? It’s because Jesus is God and existed almost 2,011 years ago and now we have the New Testament to describe His story and the birth of the church.

Isn’t it amazing that the Bible is the one book that has been translated into more languages than any other book and has been published, reprinted and distributed more than any other book EVER?

Does all this sound like it could be done by only one person with a huge imagination? I don’t think so. Do you?

How could the Bible get out if John was on an island?

That is an awesome question! While it is true that John, one of Jesus’ original disciples, was exiled on the Island of Patmos for a time in his life, we also know that he was eventually released and that he most likely ended up in Ephesus where he died.

It was while he was on Patmos, as a prisoner in a penal colony, that John wrote down on a scroll of the things he “saw and heard” when the Lord came to him in a vision. Those writings later became the Book of Revelation. John starts the Book of Revelation with an assurance too:

“The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who testifies to everything he saw — that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.” (Revelation 1:1-3)

Now, remember also that the Holy Bible is a series of historical accounts written by several different authors. They were accounts inspired by the Word of God but men actually wrote the various books. John was just one of those authors. All of his writings are in the New Testament. The Apostle Paul also wrote many of the New Testament books. The Old Testament has many different authors, some of them unknown.

It was a group of early church leaders that assembled all of these different accounts of God’s word in what we call the Holy Bible.

If Satan is evil in Heaven and in the Bible it says there is no sin in Heaven, why did Satan sin then?

WOW!!! That is a very awesome question! And, to be quite honest with you, I don’t know the answer to that question and I don’t think anyone, other than Jesus, really knows. But, here’s what I do know to be true:

God absolutely hates sin. He cannot even be in its presence.
There is no sin in Heaven.
Satan was once God’s most perfect angel named Lucifer and he was cast out of Heaven because he sinned against God.
A third of the angels also sinned and were cast down to Earth with Satan.
Satan is also known as the “accuser of the brethren” because he gets to go to the Throne of God and point out the sinners to God but Jesus protects us by saying, No, Satan, you’re wrong, They are covered by my death.” (Job 1:6-12 and Revelation 12:7-9 tell some of the story!)

So, there are a lot of bible scholars who believe that there are different realms of Heaven and that when Lucifer sinned against God it was in one of the realms of Heaven but not Heaven itself. There are also some Bible scholars that believe the Throne of God isn’t in Heaven but just outside Heaven which would allow Satan to come close to Heaven without being able to get it to Heaven itself.

We have to remember that God is all-knowing, all-powerful and ever-present. He has an unstoppable plan for us and for Satan. Don’t forget…Satan is not God or the opposite of God. He is a created being just like you and me. God created Satan. Satan cannot create life, he is not all-knowing, he is not all-powerful and he cannot be in two places at once. Never, ever think that God and Satan are equal because they are not.

In fact, if God wanted to, He could make Satan disappear with just a thought. But, God has a plan for us all, including Satan, and God’s plan is perfect and unstoppable. We cannot ever imagine or begin to know why God does some of the things he does or allows some of the things he allows. We will never know, until we go to Heaven, why God allowed Satan to sin.

Do all people have to read the Bible?

That is a great question! And here is my answer to you: if people really want to know God, then, yes, they need to read the Bible. The Holy Bible is the Word of God and teaches us many things about who God is, why the Earth was created, why things happen they way they do and how we are supposed to live. Even for those people who don’t know God yet can learn a lot from the Bible. It’s kinda like an Owner’s Manual on life!

But, for those of us who are Christ-Followers, the Bible is a very important piece of our faith. We can go to church and learn some things, we can pray, we can sings songs to God and we can talk to our Christian friends and learn even more…and that’s great! BUT, if you really want to know who God is and what his unstoppable plan is, you have to read His Word.

I remember the first time I picked up a Bible. I remember thinking, “Oh, man! This is wayyyy too much reading! Where do I start? What’s the important stuff??” Then, I had a very good friend, who is also my small group leader, tell me to start with the Book of John in the New Testament. It talks about God’s love for us and why He sent Jesus to us. If you haven’t read it, start there. You don’t have to read it all in one day either. Then, as you learn about Jesus, you’ll want to learn more about Him.

And, believe it or not, the Old Testament has some really cool stories in it! And they all show God’s love for us and His unstoppable plan for us. The story of Noah and the Ark, the story of Moses and leading the Hebrews out of captivity and the miraculous things he did with God’s help, the story of Samson and Delilah, the story of David and Goliath and the stories about King Solomon are so amazing! And the best part is…they’re true!

So, do all people need to read the Bible? Absolutely!!!!

What is the best book in the Bible to look up?

Hmmm, well, there is no "best" book. In every single book of the Bible, God has something incredible to show us about who He is and who we should be in reference to Him.

It might be good to start with one of the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke or John) because they are fairly easy to understand all on their own. The book of Psalms is like that too and it’s FULL of verses that will make our God grow much bigger in your heart.

If you’d like to start reading your Bible on your own, please know that many parts of it can be difficult to understand. So never feel like you’re dumb for not getting certain parts of it and ALWAYS ask a grownup you trust to help you understand. I STILL get stumped on some things I run across in God’s Word and I’ve been reading it for a LONG time!! When I get stumped, I go for help.

Can Satan create? If so, did he make dinosaurs and were they evil so they could not go on the ark?

One of the problems with Satan is that a lot of what we think we know about him is popular mythology – meaning that we get our ideas from stories and history and traditions that are not in the Bible. That Satan is a mean dude in a red suit with a pitchfork is a good example of a description of Satan that is not in the Bible. Another idea – a surprising one - is that Satan is in hell. The Bible states that he roams earth looking for someone to destroy (Job 1:6-7; 1 Peter 5:8). The point I am making is that we want to use only the Bible to understand Satan.

One of the clearest statements about Satan is Revelation 12:9, which states that “this great dragon – the ancient serpent called the Devil, or Satan, the one deceiving the whole world – was thrown down to the earth with all his angels.” There are a lot of other passages in the New Testament that also describe Satan as humanity’s deceiver, adversary and challenger. 1 Peter 5:8 makes it clear that Satan wants to destroy us and Matthew 4:1-11 is a great example which shows that not even Jesus was free of his challenges.

To answer your question directly as it refers to dinosaurs, Satan is not the Creator, God is. God is the Creator of everything, of all matter and energy and space and time and life, and everything in creation that God called first “good” and later “very good.” This includes dinosaurs! God created dinosaurs and they were good.

The reason they did not make it onto the ark was probably because they were already extinct, not because they were evil.

What is the difference between Christians and Catholics?

I have thought about this often because I have both family and friends that are Catholic.

First, I want to say that the Catholic Church is a Christian denomination. There are two important questions that we should look at when regarding other religions that help us understand their differences. The first question we should ask is “What does that religion think about Jesus?” The second question is “Is the Bible the final authority?” Catholics do read the Bible and do believe Jesus is the Son of God, that He died on the cross for our sins, and rose again. Who Jesus is and what He did for us is the most important issue in being a Christian and is what all Christians have in common.

The difference between other Christian churches and the Catholic Church is that the Catholic Church puts authority in the Bible and church tradition. It is in the church traditions that we differ. While we respect church tradition, we don't put authority in church tradition, meaning we don't consider the edicts (official statements) of the church equal with the words of the Bible.

We can talk about churches and our difference all we want but it all has to come down to a personal level. Each person must recognize that we sin and our need for a Savior in order to be right with God. Going to church every Sunday or following church traditions doesn’t make a person a Christian, it is that personal relationship we have with Jesus that makes us a Christian and make us right with God.

Do I have to read the Bible every day?

I’m going to answer that question by asking a question of my own…do you have to talk to your parents every day? I’ll bet you’re thinking, well, of course I have to talk to my parents everyday. Maybe you’re saying, well, no I don’t have to talk to them everyday but I like talking to them everyday.

Well, guess what? The Holy Bible is God’s Word. And, it’s God’s way of talking to you. It’s His way of letting you get to know Him and He really, really wants you to know Him.

There are some incredible stories in the Bible, especially in the Old Testament. The story of Adam and Eve, the story of Moses, the story of David and Goliath or Samson and Delilah, the story of King Solomon…I could go on and on.

Do you like love stories? The Holy Bible is the greatest love story ever written! The stories of God’s love for us are endless. My favorite is how He gave His one and only Son to die for us so that we could have eternal life with Him in Heaven!

I remember when I first became a Christian and I picked up a Bible. It was so thick! I thought to myself, seriously??? I’m supposed to read this whole thing? Ummm, are there any DVD’s I can watch or maybe a thinner version? I didn’t even know where to start! Do I read it like a book from one cover to the other? Or, do I start with the Old Testament then read the New Testament? It seemed so overwhelming.

But, then, my small group leader said, “Start with the book of John in the New Testament.” He said it was all about God’s love for us. So, I flipped to John and saw that it was only twenty-one chapters. I said, “I can handle this!” And, before I knew it, I had read an entire book of the Bible. It was awesome!!! It made me want to read more. So, I started reading books of the New Testament. Then, my wife said, “Try reading a Psalm and a Proverb a day.” And she meant just one psalm and one proverb, not the whole book of Psalms and Proverbs. How easy is that???

And because it’s God’s way of talking to you, you end up wanting to know more and more. You find yourself just immersing yourself in God’s Word! Believe it or not, every little thing you will ever face, good and bad, is mentioned in the Bible. Every question you’ll ever have, God has an answer for and it’s in the Bible.

So, to answer your question…do you have to read the Bible everyday? I guess you really don’t have to but why wouldn’t you since God really wants to talk to you every day.

How could Jesus be tempted?

That is an awesome question! If you read the very first line of the Book of Matthew, Chapter 4, Verse 1, it says, “Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil.”

So, just by this verse alone, we learn two things: 1, God (the Spirit) was involved in this plan and 2, he allowed Jesus to be tempted. You see, it is not a sin to be tempted. The sin is giving in to that temptation.

You wanna know what’s really cool? Jesus is God. And, Jesus is man. I’m telling you this because, if Jesus had wanted, he could have made Satan disappear with a thought or the blink of an eye. But, instead (and this is the part I love), He responded to Satan as a human to set the example for the rest of us humans. He showed us through His actions how to resist temptation!

Jesus set the example for us. He accessed God’s strength. He used the passages from the Bible to give Him the strength He needed to resist Satan’s temptations. He did that to show us that if we can access God’s strength through prayer or knowing God’s Word and trusting in God’s Word that we can also resist temptation. Because, guess what? We can’t do it alone. And Jesus was showing that He couldn’t do it alone as a man.

Remember 1 Corinthians 10:13? It said, “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But, when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.” That is a promise from God to you. God knows we can’t do it alone. Jesus knew it and that’s why He showed us how to resist temptation by turning to God and by turning away from Satan and to keep walking away from him.

So, how could be Jesus be tempted? Because God allowed it to show us how we can resist the devil. The key is that Jesus did not give in to the temptation and He turned away from it.