Question: When everything a church does is considered “missional“, we find that defining “missions” is difficult. For the sake of clarity, please describe your definition of “missions”. Answer: The word “mission” comes from the Latin word for sending. So, something is missions if someone is being sent out to do gospel work. We actually should be…

Question: Please give us a biblical definition of “tolerance”.  When should we be “tolerant” of (1) a believer in a sinful lifestyle; (2) other religions as represented by our families, neighbors, etc.; (3) unbelievers who wish to “fellowship” within our congregation: Answer: Tolerance is the act of enduring or allowing something to happen without interference.…

Question: Please define “biblical counseling”. Answer: Biblical counseling involves applying God’s word to the specific hurts, problems, situations, and challenges of an individual’s life. As with any counseling, this takes earnest listening, but unlike secular counseling, biblical counseling seeks to reframe thinking according to the Scriptures and what God says about us. In biblical counseling,…

Question: Regarding missions, a number of churches have little involvement with Jewish ministries.  Sometimes this reflects their interpretation of Romans 11:26. Please explain your interpretation of the phrase “and all Israel shall be saved”. Answer: Romans 11:25-29, and specifically the phrase “and all Israel shall be saved,” speaks of a future day when no more…

            The Bible’s teaching on marriage begins in Gen 2:23-24. This passage establishes that marriage is created by God, that it is between one man and one woman, and that marriage creates an inseparable bond between the two. The husband and wife are “one flesh” in marriage; that’s how serious this bond God makes is.…