20 Questions with Pastor Mike (Episode 81)

My goal is to help you on the road to thinking biblically about everything.

Question Time Stamps for Quick Reference:
0:00 - Intro
1. 0:13 {Overcoming Negativity & Responding to “Church People” Behaving Badly} How can I overcome bitterness & negativity? I have been disappointed in friends, family, and "church people" a lot and I found out it has a big impact in my life.
2. 15:36 {Could Satan Repent?} Would God forgive Satan if he repented?
3. 19:33 {One Death or Two in Scripture?} How do we reconcile Hebrews 9: 27 with there also being a “second death” (as in: Revelation 2:11, Revelation 20:6,14, & Revelation 21:8)? Is there one death or two?
4. 22:56 {Is it Wrong to Honor a DNR?} What do you think about DNR (do not resuscitate) orders? If I can’t perform CPR on a patient when it could save their life because the order forbids it, am I committing murder by honoring it?
5. 27:10 {Does Breath Determine Life?} I've heard people quote Genesis 2:7 (usually from the KJV) to show that a soul can't live or exist without both body and breath. Is this an accurate understanding, and if not, why?
6. 34:27 {Why Did God Call a “Chosen People”?} Why did God decide to have a “chosen people”? Was this due to His will to have a “people” that His Son would come from?
7. 38:09 {Are We All Lying on the Internet?} Is it a sin to tick a box that says "I have read and accepted the terms and conditions..." without having read them first (e.g. when installing software)? Key word being "read.” That would be lying, yes?
8. 41:37 {Are Pictures of God in Movies or School Biblical?} Is Christian entertainment like The Chosen a violation of the 2nd Commandment? Are things like Sunday school lessons hurting our theology by using pictures of things or people?
9. 46:45 {About the Doctrine of Election} How do you interpret 2 Thessalonians 2: 13 in light of the debate on the doctrine of election?
10. 49:51 {Is Jesus in Human Form in Heaven?} My question is about the incarnation of Christ. Since He was bodily raised from the dead, does that mean He is still the incarnation in Heaven?
11. 54:17 {Who did God Purchase Us From?} 1Corinthians 6: 19 says "You are not your own, you were bought with a price.” Are the buyer and the seller the same person (e.g., Is God buying the people from Himself)?
12. 57:19 {Are Altar Calls Biblical?} Are altar calls biblical? Hard to find much of this in the New Testament. Hard to think this through without preconceived notions.
13. 1:05:01 {Overcoming Nervousness in Evangelism} I’m starting high school soon, and I feel very nervous to share the Gospel in person. Is it wrong for me to just stick to sharing it online where I don’t feel nervous at all?
14. 1:07:07 {Can we Trust Paul’s Writings?} I was wondering how you combat the claims against the Apostle Paul if you have heard of the claims against him, such as preaching a different Gospel than Jesus and the 12.
15. 1:10:24 {About Egypt’s Sacrifices in Isaiah} Isaiah 19: 21 speaks of Egypt repenting and offering Jewish sacrifices. How can this be, since we no longer have those sacrifices?
16. 1:12:41 {Solidifying our Identities} How do I know if I am solidified in my own identity? And do you think it is biblically important for people who walk with you in the faith to understand your identity and who you are as a person?
17. 1:16:31 {Should we be Baptized while Having Doubts?} People encourage me to get baptized ASAP (Acts 22: 16), but I struggle with serious psychological doubts. Should I disregard my doubts and get baptized? Can I take more time?
18. 1:20:04 {Why did Jesus call the Father His God?} I've been wrestling with this passage for a couple of months, and I haven't found a solid answer yet. It's in John 20: 17. I can't seem to understand why Jesus calls the Father His God.
19. 1:24:33 {Evaluating our Spiritual Traditions} I'm an ex-Muslim follower of Christ from Afghanistan. Some Islamic traditions felt really spiritual and comforting such as praying on an Islamic rug, etc. Is it okay if I keep some of those traditions?
20. 1:28:31 {Distinguishing Obedience from Legalism} How can we walk in obedience to Christ without falling into a “works-based salvation” frame of mind?

[sarahfaith]

Question Time Stamps for Quick Reference:

0:00 - Intro
1. 0:13 {Overcoming Negativity & Responding to “Church People” Behaving Badly} How can I overcome bitterness & negativity? I have been disappointed in friends, family, and "church people" a lot and I found out it has a big impact in my life.
2. 15:36 {Could Satan Repent?} Would God forgive Satan if he repented?
3. 19:33 {One Death or Two in Scripture?} How do we reconcile Hebrews 9: 27 with there also being a “second death” (as in: Revelation 2:11, Revelation 20:6, 14, & Revelation 21:8)? Is there one death or two?
4. 22:56 {Is it Wrong to Honor a DNR?} What do you think about DNR (do not resuscitate) orders? If I can’t perform CPR on a patient when it could save their life because the order forbids it, am I committing murder by honoring it?
5. 27:10 {Does Breath Determine Life?} I've heard people quote Genesis 2:7 (usually from the KJV) to show that a soul can't live or exist without both body and breath. Is this an accurate understanding, and if not, why?
6. 34:27 {Why Did God Call a “Chosen People”?} Why did God decide to have a “chosen people”? Was this due to His will to have a “people” that His Son would come from?
7. 38:09 {Are We All Lying on the Internet?} Is it a sin to tick a box that says "I have read and accepted the terms and conditions..." without having read them first (e.g. when installing software)? Key word being "read.” That would be lying, yes?
8. 41:37 {Are Pictures of God in Movies or School Biblical?} Is Christian entertainment like The Chosen a violation of the 2nd Commandment? Are things like Sunday school lessons hurting our theology by using pictures of things or people?
9. 46:45 {About the Doctrine of Election} How do you interpret 2 Thessalonians 2: 13 in light of the debate on the doctrine of election?
10. 49:51 {Is Jesus in Human Form in Heaven?} My question is about the incarnation of Christ. Since He was bodily raised from the dead, does that mean He is still the incarnation in Heaven?
11. 54:17 {Who did God Purchase Us From?} 1Corinthians 6: 19 says "You are not your own, you were bought with a price.” Are the buyer and the seller the same person (e.g., Is God buying the people from Himself)?
12. 57:19 {Are Altar Calls Biblical?} Are altar calls biblical? Hard to find much of this in the New Testament. Hard to think this through without preconceived notions.
13. 1:05:01 {Overcoming Nervousness in Evangelism} I’m starting high school soon, and I feel very nervous to share the Gospel in person. Is it wrong for me to just stick to sharing it online where I don’t feel nervous at all?
14. 1:07:07 {Can we Trust Paul’s Writings?} I was wondering how you combat the claims against the Apostle Paul if you have heard of the claims against him, such as preaching a different Gospel than Jesus and the 12.
15. 1:10:24 {About Egypt’s Sacrifices in Isaiah} Isaiah 19: 21 speaks of Egypt repenting and offering Jewish sacrifices. How can this be, since we no longer have those sacrifices?
16. 1:12:41 {Solidifying our Identities} How do I know if I am solidified in my own identity? And do you think it is biblically important for people who walk with you in the faith to understand your identity and who you are as a person?
17. 1:16:31 {Should we be Baptized while Having Doubts?} People encourage me to get baptized ASAP (Acts 22: 16), but I struggle with serious psychological doubts. Should I disregard my doubts and get baptized? Can I take more time?
18. 1:20:04 {Why did Jesus call the Father His God?} I've been wrestling with this passage for a couple of months, and I haven't found a solid answer yet. It's in John 20: 17. I can't seem to understand why Jesus calls the Father His God.
19. 1:24:33 {Evaluating our Spiritual Traditions} I'm an ex-Muslim follower of Christ from Afghanistan. Some Islamic traditions felt really spiritual and comforting such as praying on an Islamic rug, etc. Is it okay if I keep some of those traditions?
20. 1:28:31 {Distinguishing Obedience from Legalism} How can we walk in obedience to Christ without falling into a “works-based salvation” frame of mind?

[discoveringlisa]

Becoming a Christian doesn't take away all of our sin, pain and anger. It makes it easier to bear because we have Christ to lean on. We don't suddenly become perfect and sinless when we come to Christ. We should strive to become better out of our love for Christ but this idea we suddenly shed sin and become angels is unrealistic and damaging to faith.

[doompod]

The judgement and condemnation from my old church, the lack of care and human decency, the lack of love they showed me made me never want to join a church again. When the elders ignore you and won’t even speak with you about a situation, something dark is going on.

[idance]

I’ve struggled with bitterness a lot and it didn’t make me a better human. I felt angry a lot and the feeling true love was gone. I prayed to God for the strength to forgive and the feeling his love what would help me to love other people. Over a few weeks I was really changed and feel more love and was able to forgive. Works can’t get you into heaven, but I want to behave like a true Christian because I want to show the love of Jesus to the people around me. And that being a Christian can really change you in a good way.

[carolwilliams]

When we have been gaslighted by a narcissist i think we rehearse the error to convince ourself of the truth. I found it hard to accept that I had been wronged even though I felt hurt and my life was definitely affected. Sometines I thought it was just me that was crazy because the others were pretending they had done nothing wrong. I had to accept that they had been wrong first and then forgive them. It was a process. Your words are very true and helpful.

[jillsummers]

I've been walking with the Lord for 3 year's now and every day I learn something new, but im struggling with praying for my enemies my 21 yr old daughter got jumped while she was with her 4 year old daughter at a child's party, we know who did it and we are trying to let the law handle it but that's not going no wear and from the first moment I found out I fell to my knees praying for the lord to help me let him handle it and to not take it in my own hands, I keep praying that he will keep me strong in his word and love, but im feeling guilty that my mind has bad thoughts onto those who jumped her

[lucindaschafer]

Oh, how I have been hurt and wronged by church people! Every time bitterness rises up, I remind myself that if I want them accountable to God then I must be accountable as well. It humbles me immediately.

[AshleyRJones]

Regarding Q2 about Satan and repentance: my understanding (extrapolation based off some Bible research and some logic) is that because the angels (all types) had access to God personally in the heavenly realm and could see Him as He is, when they reject Him, they are doing so in full knowledge. They won't have a chance to repent because, having had access and relationship with God, they chose to reject/rebel against Him.

[newcreationcoachingllc]

A relative had a DNR, it was somehow ignored, he lived another year and had quality of life, died with family singing hymns and assurance to family that the gospel was presented again and having pastoral care earlier in the week. I think God intervened.-- Angela

[PotterSpurn]

This is a great video, Mike. I have experienced a lot of pain in my life, as do most people by the time they reach mature age. I am 61. It has been a long and difficult journey for me to heal some of that pain which I now realise was as much self-imposed for not doing as Christ said - to forgive - as it was due to the inflictions from my enemies. I have learned some wisdom along the way, which I want to share. But before I do, I want to admit that I am not completely free of the sin of vengeance yet, but have been released from much of it due to the teachings of Jesus. What I have done is to deconstruct what has been going on in my life all these years and the wasted years I spent anguishing over pain drawn from misplaced anger, misunderstanding of others' motives and what these conclusions said about me.

First by understanding that all ungodly anger and feelings of vengeance is actually the work of Satan who seeks to harm us further by encouraging us to hang onto anger and bitterness against others, which only drags us down emotionally and spiritually - his main aim.

Second, by understanding that feelings of anger and hurt is not necessarily about what someone has 'done to us' it is sometime a response to a misunderstood situation and imaginings of others' motives to cause us pain when none was intended. 'He knows not what he does'. We cannot overlook this: just because we feel hurt and angry toward someone that doesn't meant that the person we felt was or is responsible for that pain wilfully set out to hurt us. So it might be a misplaced blame that encourages your feelings of anguish toward another person who is actually blameless not blameworthy. That is not always true, of course. But even when someone has wilfully hurt or angered us, and can be proven to have done so, we need to consider what harm to you they have really caused. Usually it is none of any significance. Unless they have broken the law, or in the case of Christians they have disobeyed God in the commandments he asks us to live by, they have not harmed us at all; it is just that we just don't like what they did and feel angry that a situation or conflict they created did not go our way and to our own satisfaction or else we had unrealistic expectations of them and were disappointed.

So, in reality, our anger and hurt stem not from their harm toward us; it stems from our own sin of selfishness and pride based on entitlement for not getting our own way or living up to our unrealistic expectations. So, yes, we do need to forgive others if they have hurt or even harmed us, and seek healing for our pain not stemming from others; instead it is just our own misplaced anger toward them that originated from our own sin of wrongful expectations or pride or entitlement. Therefore, when we feel angry and hurt and vengeful, it is important to recognise what you are dealing with.

If you are not sure about the origins of your pain - you or someone else - seek God's counsel. First by praying to seek recognition and then to pray about these feelings and to ask God to heal and to forgive those who did actually harm or hurt us. Only then can you take the steps you need to heal your feelings properly. If you don't understand the origin and just assume someone else is to blame for your anger, instead of being the unjust object of it, without seeking the truth of the origins of your pain first, your prayers will be misplaced and healing might come much later than it ought to, if at all.

Humans are complex, sinful and Jesus came to die for our sins. I find it immeasurably helpful that Mike reminds us that the pain that Jesus endured on the cross to die for our sins far outweighs any pain, no matter how justified it is, that causes bitterness and resentment and vengeance against others. Knowing this is particularly helpful when dealing with real harms caused toward us by others who are clearly blameworthy. This is particularly hard to forgive because we realise that we are powerless in this world at times, At the same time, we also realise that when we are not harmed, God's grace abounds in our lives.

When we still feel those painful emotions re-surfacing, as they will occasionally - even when healing is changing us and making us wiser and more patient - we can be reassured that turning to Jesus is the best way to deal with that pain wherever it stems from - as only he truly knows what is in your own heart and in the heart of others who we feel has paved the way for so much anguish in our lives. It is one of the most valuable lessons in life. Not easy, I know, but essential.

In case you think I have suffered no real harm when some of you have: someone ran down your child in their car, someone stole something valuable from you, friends betrayed you badly, church members are worldly and selfish...etc.. Every day I live with the consequences stemming from faulty thinking and misplaced anger - mainly in time lost - and the pain caused by others....

MY STORY (IN BRIEF)
I was brought up in a typical two parent, two child complementarian home with two narcissistic, unbelieving non church-going parents (they were genuinely narcissistic, not just a bit selfish or attention seeking sometimes). They each doted on my older brother, who started to lead the kind of life they wanted him to by going into the Royal Navy, but were pretty indifferent toward me, their daughter, as we grew from teenagers into young adulthood. Basically my brother could do no wrong and I could do no right even though I never did anything outwardly to embarrass them, harm them or even disobey them. I don't remember holding a single, meaningful conversation with my father throughout my teens. Feelings were never discussed let alone acknowledged and dealt with. Elephants were in every room. All the same, I did my homework, did my chores, didn't do drugs, didn't sleep around, etc. I was the model daughter in many respects - hard working, academic and keen to get on in life but with a growing discontent and resentment. They treated me as if I didn't exist or made it clear I was less important and favoured - I think for being female more than anything I did. This all took its toll as my resentment and anger spewed into young adulthood when they actively discouraged me from going to university, which I badly wanted to do. At thirty, I eventually became estranged from them at age 30 to protect my mental health after I suffered depression for many years and couldn't hold down a job. I also went to uni' as a mature student.

Even after the estrangement that lasted up to their death with no reconciliation, I carried the burden of blame and anger toward them all for too many years into adulthood which nearly destroyed me, disrupted every area of my life, put me off marriage and family life for good (I still remain childless and single for fear of ending up like my parents), and that overbearing pain overspilled into other faulty relationships and painful friendships that have since dissolved where I'd attracted other narcissists -a magnet to narcissism victims. It's a long story to go into in detail. When my parents did die (my brother didn't bother telling me they had, I found that out later on when I tracked him down) my parents had left their entire Estate to him and left me with nothing at all. My brother, who tried to make out that my 20 year estrangement was the reason for this decision - and was fully deserved, as a result - turned out to be a lie. They'd changed their Will just a few months after they'd found out that I'd got my degree (I had phoned them after getting it and neither bothered or wanted to come to my graduation) and, according to my brother, my father had claimed that I was schizophrenic (I had never been diagnosed with anything approaching that - it was entirely invented). Therefore, my parents' favouritism toward my brother was not imagined; it was real. Most normal parents, who are not narcissistic, would be proud of their child being the first to go to university and would want to attend their graduation like they did my brother's falling out parades in the Navy. For me, I had no such experience. They resented it, hated me for it and punished me for it. My brother, equally narcissistic, it turned out, has shown no empathy toward me or my situation at all and simply exploited the estrangement for his own financial gain, and has kept all the money, and we don't keep in touch. I have no family at all, but then I never really did even when I was in touch with them.

Through all this anguish, I came to Christ. All the same, over the years of estrangement that resulted from my awful family life, I'd become cynical and cold and distant and mistrustful. Even now I find relationships difficult. But after I found God who demonstrated infinite patience with me, and with growing wisdom and patience over the years, the pain of my past has become far less acute and my anger toward those who'd hurt me, less so as well. If it had not been for this experience, I may not have found God at all. For that reason alone, I am grateful for my past - sort of - even if my present doesn't look that great to others or even to me, sometimes. God is good.

Seek him and you will find and develop the mentality that with every bad episode in your life, there is usually a silver lining - if you look for it.

[aureliaphilosophyofyum]

My life changed forever when I realized a few years ago that forgiving someone is primarily a response to God, and secondary it's a response to the person. Thank you! These 20 Q's were super valuable :)

[lecs]

The answer to that first question is life changing. Thank God for your ministry; what a beautiful blessed word!

[sallywise]

About Q1, I've also found that knowing that God loves me perfectly means that everyone else is off the hook for loving me to that standard. We humans all fall short of loving perfectly even though we are created to respond to that perfect kind of love.

[darrincarroll]

Thank you Mike, for your answer to the first question. Needed to hear this today. I was restricted on Facebook for questioning the practice of ending the life of a preborn, on the change that they might have a bad life. Didnt make a comment, I questioned the practice.
Although I think it's sweet irony that I got them to admit abortion is violence! 😀

[farmingmama]

Love the 20 questions episodes! Thank you for the first question and answer, especially!

[collegepennsylvania]

"And let us not grow weary of doing good for in due season we will reap if we do not give up." Galatians 6:9
Keep following Christ in every way and don't give up. Don't let the temporary temptations distract you from the eternal treasures in heaven. Be encouraged knowing that God is with you and that He will never leave you nor forsake you. And if God is for us then who could ever be against us. Hopefully this helped you today. God bless you.

[kevinwiebe]

Around 59:00, Mike talks about helping listeners see the process of thinking biblically. A suggestion: at the end of each Q&A, Mike could give listeners a question to work through before the following session.

[maevestevens]

I found the answer to question 16. helpful when you said that the Lord understands us even when others don't! Thanks for your teachings Mike!

[landynikole]

Question number one more than answered my prayers I've prayed for the past few months. God is working miracles using you pastor M. You're answer pierced my heart and soul. I say to myself these things every day but it wasn't getting through completely. God's peace to you and yours.

[shanespence]

I love how the Holy Spirit I had to forgive someone yesterday to be able to move on from something then today you gave a great biblical answer and added things that helps me even more. Glory to God for His love and mercy