20 Questions with Pastor Mike (Episode 100)

Question Time Stamps for Quick Reference:
0:00 - Intro
1. 0:09 {AI – Image of the Beast?} What are your thoughts on Chat GPT (and AI in general)? As Christians, should we be concerned about this type of technology? Is it OK to experiment with, or should we "steer clear"?
2. 27:13 {Worshiping at Work: Divided Attention?} Is it bad to listen to worship music when you're working? I prefer it over secular music, but I also feel guilty for not giving it my full attention. Is this treating it as entertainment?
3. 31:34 {Speaking Over Our Lives} Is “speaking something over your life” a biblical concept? A Christian said something like, “If you were going to die in one week, how would you live? I'm not speaking that over your life though!”
4. 38:36 {God Sent an Evil Spirit?} 1 Samuel 16: 14 and 1 Samuel 19:9 speak of an “evil spirit from the Lord” tormenting Saul. How could a holy/righteous and loving God give him a tormenting spirit?
5. 46:07 {Disqualified from our Rewards?} Since sanctification is a work of the Holy Spirit, and we will never be fully sinless in this life, how do we not become disqualified from/lose rewards in Heaven (1 Corinthians 9: 27)?
6. 52:56 {The Biblical Way to Get Married} Why do we have to have an ordained pastor to get married? Is there Scripture to back this up? If two people make a commitment to each other and God, is that enough?
7. 58:53 {What Does Evil Music Sound Like?} If we took away the lyrics from music, would there still be such a thing as “bad music” or “evil music”? If so, what does evil music sound like?
8. 1:01:04 {Do We Still Have a Sin Nature?} Does flesh = sin nature? Adam & Eve sinned, even without a sin nature. After salvation, we still have the flesh (Romans 7: 18), but we’re dead to sin/not slaves to sin (Rom 6:2-7). Does this mean we no longer have a sin nature?
9. 1:06:34 {Can We Go Outside of Scripture for Context?} I've heard 1 Corinthians 4:6 used to say not to go "outside" of scripture (e.g., learning history to help interpret biblical context). Your thoughts?
10. 1:14:34 {The Origin of Sunday Worship} When is the earliest, in church history, that we see Christians worshiping on Sunday instead of the Sabbath? Did it begin with the Catholic Church, or was it before?
11. 1:19:23 {What Makes “Drag” Wrong?} Drag queen culture is championed by the LGBTQ movement, and therefore feels immoral by association, but I find it hard to put a finger on why drag by itself is biblically wrong. Any thoughts?
12. 1:24:09 {Eating Meat After the Flood} In Genesis 9:3, why did God allow us to start eating meat after the flood?
13. 1:27:28 {Using Cannabis Before Quiet Time?} I take mild cannabis edibles for my ADHD. On them I have wonderful quiet times in prayer and Bible study. Would it be rightly dividing Scripture to say this is how I personally am being “sober-minded”?
14. 1:32:42 {John 15 – Will I be “Taken Away”?} What are your thoughts on John 15:2 and the Greek word for "takes away"? I've heard that it would be more accurately translated as "raise up." This word seems to change the meaning of the verse.
15. 1:39:07 {Do God & Satan Talk?} Is the devil talking to God in today’s generation like in the book of Job? If angels are warring with demons, can we assume there is communication?
16. 1:43:20 {Which Faith is True?} How can I know I have the right faith? I've been watching many apologetics videos since I first found your videos over four years ago, and many Catholics, reformed believers, and evangelicals all have convincing arguments.
17. 1:49:02 {About the Shroud of Turin} What are your thoughts on the Shroud of Turin?
18. 1:52:13 {Leading Others to Biblical Teachings} My family member LOVES Joel Osteen. What are some thoughtful questions I could ask that would naturally lead them to a more biblical, Christ-centered understanding of the Gospel?
19. 1:55:08 {Rulers & Authorities; Manifold Wisdom} Can you explain Ephesians 3: 10 (ESV)? Who are the "rulers and authorities in heavenly places," and how is the "manifold wisdom of God" made known to them through the church?
20. 2:00:10 {1 Jn. 2:2 & Limited Atonement} Doesn't 1 John 2:2 blow the Calvinist doctrine of Limited Atonement straight out of the water?

Links and videos I mentioned

[sarahfaith]

Question Time Stamps for Quick Reference:

0:00 - Intro
1. 0:09 {AI – Image of the Beast?} What are your thoughts on Chat GPT (and AI in general)? As Christians, should we be concerned about this type of technology? Is it OK to experiment with, or should we "steer clear"?
2. 27:13 {Worshiping at Work: Divided Attention?} Is it bad to listen to worship music when you're working? I prefer it over secular music, but I also feel guilty for not giving it my full attention. Is this treating it as entertainment?
3. 31:34 {Speaking Over Our Lives} Is “speaking something over your life” a biblical concept? A Christian said something like, “If you were going to die in one week, how would you live? I'm not speaking that over your life though!”
4. 38:36 {God Sent an Evil Spirit?} 1 Samuel 16: 14 and 1 Samuel 19:9 speak of an “evil spirit from the Lord” tormenting Saul. How could a holy/righteous and loving God give him a tormenting spirit?
5. 46:07 {Disqualified from our Rewards?} Since sanctification is a work of the Holy Spirit, and we will never be fully sinless in this life, how do we not become disqualified from/lose rewards in Heaven (1 Corinthians 9: 27)?
6. 52:56 {The Biblical Way to Get Married} Why do we have to have an ordained pastor to get married? Is there Scripture to back this up? If two people make a commitment to each other and God, is that enough?
7. 58:53 {What Does Evil Music Sound Like?} If we took away the lyrics from music, would there still be such a thing as “bad music” or “evil music”? If so, what does evil music sound like?
8. 1:01:04 {Do We Still Have a Sin Nature?} Does flesh = sin nature? Adam & Eve sinned, even without a sin nature. After salvation, we still have the flesh (Romans 7: 18), but we’re dead to sin/not slaves to sin (Rom 6:2-7). Does this mean we no longer have a sin nature?
9. 1:06:34 {Can We Go Outside of Scripture for Context?} I've heard 1 Corinthians 4:6 used to say not to go "outside" of scripture (e.g., learning history to help interpret biblical context). Your thoughts?
10. 1:14:34 {The Origin of Sunday Worship} When is the earliest, in church history, that we see Christians worshiping on Sunday instead of the Sabbath? Did it begin with the Catholic Church, or was it before?
11. 1:19:23 {What Makes “Drag” Wrong?} Drag queen culture is championed by the LGBTQ movement, and therefore feels immoral by association, but I find it hard to put a finger on why drag by itself is biblically wrong. Any thoughts?
12. 1:24:09 {Eating Meat After the Flood} In Genesis 9:3, why did God allow us to start eating meat after the flood?
13. 1:27:28 {Using Cannabis Before Quiet Time?} I take mild cannabis edibles for my ADHD. On them I have wonderful quiet times in prayer and Bible study. Would it be rightly dividing Scripture to say this is how I personally am being “sober-minded”?
14. 1:32:42 {John 15 – Will I be “Taken Away”?} What are your thoughts on John 15:2 and the Greek word for "takes away"? I've heard that it would be more accurately translated as "raise up." This word seems to change the meaning of the verse.
15. 1:39:07 {Do God & Satan Talk?} Is the devil talking to God in today’s generation like in the book of Job? If angels are warring with demons, can we assume there is communication?
16. 1:43:20 {Which Faith is True?} How can I know I have the right faith? I've been watching many apologetics videos since I first found your videos over four years ago, and many Catholics, reformed believers, and evangelicals all have convincing arguments.
17. 1:49:02 {About the Shroud of Turin} What are your thoughts on the Shroud of Turin?
18. 1:52:13 {Leading Others to Biblical Teachings} My family member LOVES Joel Osteen. What are some thoughtful questions I could ask that would naturally lead them to a more biblical, Christ-centered understanding of the Gospel?
19. 1:55:08 {Rulers & Authorities; Manifold Wisdom} Can you explain Ephesians 3: 10 (ESV)? Who are the "rulers and authorities in heavenly places, " and how is the "manifold wisdom of God" made known to them through the church?
20. 2:00:10 {1 Jn. 2:2 & Limited Atonement} Doesn't 1 John 2:2 blow the Calvinist doctrine of Limited Atonement straight out of the water?

[winniecash]

I appreciate your answer, and I believe it is the biblical answer, about dressing in drag. My husband wanted to do this, and I told him in no way was I comfortable about it. His rebellious nature came out fully then when he came out of the closet as a bisexual trans gender. He could not understand how I divorced him. He blamed me for the divorce, calling me immoral. After the divorce he went on to get breast implants. I'll spare you the rest of the story. Bottom line, it wasn't as simple as just wearing women's clothes. That was the tip of the rebellious iceberg.

[RedactedbyNecessity]

Congrats on 100 QandAs! Your channel has been a huge blessing for me. Started watching as an atheist, have my baptism scheduled for June 11. Jesus did all of the work but He did a lot through your channel. ❤

[GrandmaKnightLife]

I was told by a good Christian lady that there’s no such thing as being “married without papers”. My boyfriend and I had a little “comittment ceremony” and he said that God married us, but he wanted to keep it a secret! So, I figured we were just committing fornication and stopped seeing him. He refuses to marry me legally. So I refuse to see him anymore as repentance from fornication and it is helping me spiritually ❤

[kneemail]

This is the first time I have listened to you Pastor Mike. I like what I am hearing here. I am not pumping myself here, believe me, I have a Bachelor of Religious Education which God used to open a door in my heart to show me more about Him. I never had this kind of understanding of His Word. What you are doing here is honest. It is open with discussion and evaluation. You bring it back to the text and are keeping it simple to help more u derstand and see.

Thx Dayrl

[collegepennsylvania]

“The gospel is that I am so sinful that Jesus had to die for me, yet so loved and valued that Jesus was glad to die for me. This leads to deep humility and deep confidence at the same time. I can’t feel superior to anyone, and yet I have nothing to prove to anyone.”
- Tim Keller

[kennyfisher]

First time I’ve heard Pastor Mike, he speaks super deep stuff, + doesn’t shoot anyone else’s opinions down. He is saying things that I didn’t think anyone knew about!!!

[mcanally]

Rewards… About 35 years ago, I read a story about someone who did a good deed for a neighbor and God was proud of her. Then she proceeded to another neighbors house, and told them what she had done. When she got home she called her friend and also told of her good deed. This may God sad. Was it not enough that God saw what she had done and knew he was happy with her that she needed to tell others for the recognition. Ever since then, I have kept my good deeds to myself.

[coytibbit]

This reminds me of Michael Heiser. He was the first guy I ever heard teach end times prophesy from all different points of view, showing the strengths and weaknesses of each viewpoint. Before him I’d only been exposed to Hal Lindsey-esque guys who “had it all figured out.” Thanks for this!

[Christopher_Lind]

Really appreciate your balanced take on AI. I’ve spent a lot of time around it for years, and it’s far more nuanced and complex than most realize. Like you also hit on, most people don’t realize it’s already everywhere in the air we breath. It’s also vastly more powerful than most even realize, and what most people have access to now is only the tip of the iceburg. The good news is, there are countless applications that will positively change things in ways formerly impossible. Conversely, there are some very legitimate risks that are terrifying. People would be wise to familiarize themselves with the intricacies, so they can understand what to watch for and how to use it wisely.

This isn’t the first technological advancement with this kind of potential for good and evil though. Read your Bible and history books. You’ll quickly be able to predict what we can expect to see in the coming years. Just expect it all to happen at a pace we’ve never seen in human history. Fortunately, God’s ultimately in control, and this is far from His first rodeo.

[alanhigginbotham]

Mike,

I discovered you on YouTube a week ago and I already have a problem with you. You’re preventing me from getting my work done. I start watching one of your Bible studies or 20 Questions and I am hypnotized, mesmerized, “slack-jawed” and can’t stop watching. And some are 2 hours long!

Seriously, God has given you wonderful gifts – discernment, teaching, wisdom beyond your apparent age… I used the ellipsis so as not to offend you by overlooking some I haven’t discovered yet.

(To put what follows in context, I confessed and believed at age 11, and have been in one Baptist church or another all my life. I have taught “Sunday School”, as it was once called. In 2014, I did a months-long self-directed study of pain and suffering. As you can surely guess, if not know directly from your own studies, that study led to a better understanding of many attributes of God, clarified my thinking on many doctrines, and was, in short, very enlightening and fulfilling. What I view as the culmination of that study was that in February, my beloved wife of 50 years journeyed to our Heavenly home. That event put all the scripture study in vivid perspective.)

I have started watching your 100th episode of 20 Questions, and have some thoughts about Q 8. And to keep your pride in check following my earlier comments, hunger was able to pull me away from your video. As I understood your comments, I have a slightly different interpretation of “the flesh”, “nature”, “sinful nature”, and “temptation”. As you frequently say about your answers, I can’t claim my interpretation is correct, but it is simply mine. I’d like your thoughts on it.

I view the creation garden story as being a vital source of guidance on the whole domain of temptation, sin, pain and suffering. Regardless of whether one believes Adam and Eve were two actual humans or not, the story is a metaphor for mankind. Adam and Eve are God’s pattern for us. We are of the Adam and Eve type to use a metaphor from object-oriented computer programming. There are truths to be gleaned from the story that are fundamental, and just as fundamental as “God is just.” No interpretation of scripture, including yes, Romans 5, can conflict with these fundamental truths.

Truth 1 – Adam and Eve were created perfect, or in perfection. Like Adam and Eve, every time God gives the blessing of a new life to a family, he gives them a perfect little human being, innocent of any sin and incapable of sinning (yet). I do not serve a God who’s going to ask me to account for my sins committed before I was born or before I knew right from wrong.

Truth 2 – God sent Satan to tempt Adam and Eve. To accept this in no more difficult than accepting Mat. 4:1 “Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.” Temptation was a necessary element of sovereign God’s plan for mankind and his ultimate glorification at the cross. Like Adam and Eve, we must be tempted, else our choosing Christ has no meaning, and would thwart Gods’ ultimate will and plan.

Truth 3 – Adam’s and Eve’s disobedience in eating the fruit resulted in their immediate banishment from the garden, and their spiritual separation from God. Similarly, when we reach the age of moral agency and disobey God, the results are our spiritual separation from God. The penalty for our sin is spiritual death.

Truth 4 – God accepted the animal sacrifice (in providing their coverings) as atonement for their sins and restoration of their spiritual connection to God. The analogy: This scene is symbolic of Christ’s sacrifice of himself for all mankind, and the restoration of our spiritual relationship with God.

Concerning Romans 5, surely this is what Peter had in mind when he commented on the difficulty in understanding some of Paul’s writing. That editorial comment aside, what can we learn from the creation story to come to bear on interpreting Romans 5? There is no mention in the creation story of a “sinful nature”. That phrase in Greek is translated many places and by most translations everywhere, as “lusts of the flesh”. I think “sinful nature” was an unfortunate translation, perhaps encouraged by those ancient Bible scholars who wanted to believe we are guilty of sin at birth. (Calvin?) “Sinful nature” suggests some substance which can be inherited, which is incorrect. Use of the word “inherit” is also misleading, to me. To achieve God’s divine ultimate purpose, he necessarily and directly imbues us all with the ability to be tempted and provides the tempter to ensure we are. The propensity to sin is not an attribute that must be inherited from generation to generation. Many Christians I meet have a hard time accepting this fact of God and God’s plan, i.e. the tempter was a purposeful creation of God, and so also the temptation which Satan brings. This understanding and subordination of “lusts of the flesh” and “sinful nature” to “temptation” resolves some matters of doctrine which create dilemmas for many. For example, this understanding makes it meaningless to ask if Eve had a sinful nature before she sinned. Certainly, she was able to be tempted, else she would not have eaten the fruit. This understanding also makes mute the question I’ve heard: “Did Jesus have a sinful nature?” We don’t have to answer that – as a human he was capable of being tempted. Certainly, no human has endured the degree of infinite temptation Jesus experienced in the garden - the temptation to not go to the cross.

Mark, may God continue to bless your wonderful ministry.

In Christ, Alan

[adriantorres]

Thank you so much! Your answer about marriage is a huge comfort. I was with my soulmate for 23 yesrs but cus she was on disability they would have taken alot of her check away and we were dirt poor. We planned to be married when i started to be able to afford to support us but saddly she passed away do to her disability unexpectedly. We considered ourselves married cus we loved each other so much and ive often felt that if we wernt officially married we may not be together in the afterlife. But im faithful as was she so we were very very close and heaven to me will be when god brings us together again to praise god.

[jlr]

Thank you for sharing this! I am not a pastor. I am a Christian wife, mom woman. I do strongly agree. If it’s not coming from the heart, it’s not from the Holy Spirit. I pray those who need to hear this do in the name of Jesus! Let it be so!

[richardboyer]

Pastor Mike, Thank You for allowing Christ Jesus to use your meek temperament in teaching His people to remain faithful to Him and His Word!! The Christlike demeanor you display is so very encouraging!!

[promitaporel]

You did great on your 100 th Q & A Pastor ! God bless you, you always come up with those answers I been dealing in my own life, asking God for the answer ! He spoke through you many many words I have been searching on ! Sending you prayers from India ! May Jesus be with you 😇

[michaeljmeyer]

Cannabis micro-dosing is incredibly common. I never touched the stuff until RA had defined my life as one of pain, anger, and dealing with ptsd/adhd. Honestly, a 1 - 5 mg does a lot to sober the brain from actual ADHD, PTSD and pain. I like what Mike says about being aware of its effect. That is ultimately the main idea. If I pop 5mg, I can write software, poetry, stories, and complete work better. If I over do it, I am a sloth. So like any medicine, it can help, but it can debase ones' sober mind.

[marthathompson]

I think the question was about not giving full attention to the worship, not giving full attention to (or being distracted from) your work. The concern was about working while worshiping/listening to worship music.

[judyrodriguez]

Brother Mike winger u are speaking the truth📖
GOD BLESS YOU Mike WINGER🙋 and Thank you for this powerful video, and keep on brother 📖

[dianacovaci]

Congratulations!!! 🥳🎉 Happy 100th 👏🏼😆🙌🏼
I ♥️ watching your videos!

[karenreynolds]

Congrats on 100th I love your channel, I'm a student of the bible, I love how you get me to think biblically more and more, May God continue to bless your ministry Pastor Mike!!!