10 Questions with Mike Winger (Episode 12)

Question Time Stamps for Quick Reference:
0:00 - Intro
1. 0:07 {A Difficult Bible Contradiction} Can you please explain 1 Corinthians 14: 22-24? Verse 22 states that tongues are a sign for unbelievers, and prophecy is for believers. But vv. 23 and 24 then go on to seemingly describe the exact opposite.
2. 27:09 {John Rejects but Jesus Affirms?} How should we understand John's rejection of being Elijah and a prophet (John 1: 21), while Jesus affirmed it (Matthew 11: 14)?
3. 34:42 {Debates on the Canon} What do we do with some of the earliest listed Bible canons and church fathers that exclude Esther and include Sirach and Wisdom of Solomon?
4. 39:47 {Are Easier Translations Unwise?} I struggle reading word for word translations of the Bible like the ESV. I love the NLT for its simple vocabulary and how easy it is to understand. Is it unwise to use the NLT to memorize and study from?
5. 41:56 {Proper Interpretation of a Common Passage} What are your thoughts on 1 Corinthians 6: 19? I hear people use this Scripture to call anything they don’t like sin (tattoos, drugs, junk food, etc.). But it seems it’s mostly about sexual immorality.
6. 52:36 {Are We Still Made in God’s Image?} Can you explain Genesis 5:1-3? Why is it different with the birth of Seth? Are we still God’s image bearers?
7. 56:10 {Is “Déjà Vu” a Biblical Concept?} What are your thoughts on Deja Vu and are there any examples of it in the Bible? I've definitely had times where I had the feeling of being somewhere before when it was the first time being there.
8. 1:01:02 {Are Eating Challenges Sinful?} Could you talk a little on what is and is not gluttony? Is it just eating more than you need to, or is there more involved (i.e., eating challenges)?
9. 1:07:38 {When Competition turns Sinful} How do I know when my competitiveness is sinful? I coach baseball and want to ensure I'm providing the right model of competition for the players, while also still being as competitive as possible.
10. 1:10:29 {“Apostasy” = “Departed”?} I've heard that the word translated "apostasy" in 2 Thessalonians 2:3 can also be translated as "departed," as in "the end will not come until the departing (rapture) comes first." Do you think this is true?



Welcome to the new weekly stream! 10 questions every Friday at 1pm Pacific time.

I’m Mike Winger and my goal is to help people think Biblically about everything. My website

[sarahfaith]

Question Time Stamps for Quick Reference:

0:00 - Intro
1. 0:07 {A Difficult Bible Contradiction} Can you please explain 1 Corinthians 14: 22-24? Verse 22 states that tongues are a sign for unbelievers, and prophecy is for believers. But vv. 23 and 24 then go on to seemingly describe the exact opposite.
2. 27:09 {John Rejects but Jesus Affirms?} How should we understand John's rejection of being Elijah and a prophet (John 1: 21), while Jesus affirmed it (Matthew 11: 14)?
3. 34:42 {Debates on the Canon} What do we do with some of the earliest listed Bible canons and church fathers that exclude Esther and include Sirach and Wisdom of Solomon?
4. 39:47 {Are Easier Translations Unwise?} I struggle reading word for word translations of the Bible like the ESV. I love the NLT for its simple vocabulary and how easy it is to understand. Is it unwise to use the NLT to memorize and study from?
5. 41:56 {Proper Interpretation of a Common Passage} What are your thoughts on 1 Corinthians 6: 19? I hear people use this Scripture to call anything they don’t like sin (tattoos, drugs, junk food, etc.). But it seems it’s mostly about sexual immorality.
6. 52:36 {Are We Still Made in God’s Image?} Can you explain Genesis 5:1-3? Why is it different with the birth of Seth? Are we still God’s image bearers?
7. 56:10 {Is “Déjà Vu” a Biblical Concept?} What are your thoughts on Deja Vu and are there any examples of it in the Bible? I've definitely had times where I had the feeling of being somewhere before when it was the first time being there.
8. 1:01:02 {Are Eating Challenges Sinful?} Could you talk a little on what is and is not gluttony? Is it just eating more than you need to, or is there more involved (i.e., eating challenges)?
9. 1:07:38 {When Competition turns Sinful} How do I know when my competitiveness is sinful? I coach baseball and want to ensure I'm providing the right model of competition for the players, while also still being as competitive as possible.
10. 1:10:29 {“Apostasy” = “Departed”?} I've heard that the word translated "apostasy" in 2 Thessalonians 2:3 can also be translated as "departed, " as in "the end will not come until the departing (rapture) comes first." Do you think this is true?

[rachelhayhurst-mason]

About 7 years ago an Egyptian man walked into church.
A person stood up and spoke in tongues then sat down. We waited for a response of interpretation but it didn't come immediately so we sang the next song.
The Egyptian man approached the Pastor after the service. The message was spoken in Egyptian Arabic. It communicated that Jesus Christ is God in the flesh and the only Way to reconcile with God.
This skeptic gave his life to God because of this very personal message.
One of my favourite testimonies 🤗

[qwertyJ]

@MikeWinger I'm 33 now. When I was around 15 years old I started to question Christianity because of the actions of some of my Christian family members. My family broke apart and I wanted nothing more than my relationship with my mother to be restored to a time that I felt like she loved me. I started searching for god through other means (aliens and whatever else)
Until one day I was invited to church by my grandmother. The pastor was preaching when all of a sudden a lady stood up and interrupted the service. She said words that i will never forget. Words that i can only explain by saying that i felt them more than I heard them, but i did hear them. The lady said "Do not worry about your life. I will be your mother." Overwhelmed and shocked! I turned to my grandmother and asked her if she heard what the lady had said. My grandmother turned to me and said "honey, she didnt say anything, she was speaking in tongues" my life has never been the same. Ive had a foundation because of this that has kept me, even through my unbelief. Praise God.

[BeckiDawn]

@mikewinger my dad pastors a small church in Everglades City, Florida. We get a lot of snow birds that come down during the winter season. We had a couple that visited who ONLY spoke German (with very little English). My dad does not speak German at all. They visited on a Sunday evening and after the service my dad went to shake their hands and greet them. With broken English they said they understood EVERYTHING that was said. The only think we can contribute it to is to the Holy Spirit translating. It was one of the most awesome things I've ever witnessed.

[Anonymous]

I use to have a Bible teacher that said if you see a “Therefore” you need to find out what it’s “there for.”😊

[veronicaspencelocke]

Dr. Chuck Missler taught me how important John (the baptizer😉) was, both in the context you’re (Mike) speaking about - *his* quote when he first saw Jesus - “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world” - and then what Jesus said about John after that.
Another amazing teacher, I didn’t even know Chuck existed until about 2020 and he had already passed away in 2018! His wisdom, the materials he left behind, are such a blessing.

Thanks Mike, you’re an excellent pastor/teacher!

[amandablakely]

MIKE!!! You said in one of your Q&A's that you plan to do a verse-by-verse study through Hebrews. Are you still planning to do that and any idea when? 😃😃😃

[TheJeffdolan]

I'm going through your Bible contradiction series from a while back and I've gotta say thank you so much. I thank God for those videos. They helped me tremendously in a desperate time.

[Nighthawkinlight]

I grew up on the NLT for my teenage years and it did mess with my theology. For example, in Hebrews 6 the NLT reads: Surely we don’t need to start again with the fundamental importance of repenting from "evil deeds" and placing our faith in God.

Whereas the literal translation is "dead works". Now when you get to Heb 6:6, the difference between dead works and evil deeds couldn't be more important. In general the NLT has a very heavy "prove you're saved by stopping sinning" bent.

As an example, every time the new testament says "repent" the NLT interpolates "repent (of your sins)". And in the cases in the old testament where God is said to repent (and we all know God's repentance could not be from sin), instead of saying so the NLT chooses to replace the word with "He was sorry".

Therefore I was led to believe that repentance was inexorably tied to "quitting sin", and if I failed to do so I hadn't repented adequately to be saved.

My church still uses the NLT to help those with poor reading comprehension, and I will never leave because of it. But I do point out the theological bias when I can so others are not harmed as I was.

[davidwelker]

Mike, thanks for the time that you take to help others understand the Bible and think Biblically. I'm a Vineyard pastor (I think that you spent time in our movement at one point) that appreciates you speaking truth even when it's not popular.

[bogusphone]

Definitions needed:

1) Prophesy - To tell or forecast future events
2) Prophesy - To preach or tell the Gospel
3) Tongues - Languages
4) Tongues - The act of speaking the Gospel and having recipients of other languages hear it in the native language
5) Tongues - Unruly outbursts in modern churches

So, depending on which definitions are applied, the discussions become much different.

When Paul speaks of an interpreter, I believe he is speaking of item 3 above. Interpreters are required so that the message is properly delivered to those in attendance. He also warns against varied and undecipherable languages being spoken together to prevent confusion and bad witnessing.

In all of scripture, there is only one use of tongues like item 4 above. At the day of Pentecost, there was no interpreter. Every participant or person nearby heard the preaching in their native tongue. This was a supernatural miracle to disperse the Gospel throughout the world.

Today's tongues is often item 5 above. It is not for the spreading of the Gospel, nor for the building up of the body, but rather for personal entertainment and to attempt to demonstrate one's "fulfilling".

Isn't it interesting that the Apostles began to preach with no concept nor plan for tongues. They simply proclaimed the truth. In flight, God delivered the message of the Gospel to each recipient. Now, if in your local body, there are visitors from some far away land and someone preaches or declares the Gospel in their primary language and the visitors receive and understand the preaching, then God is once more executing the miracle of tongues.

[lmorter]

Its important we understand the purpose of tongues and prophecy because there isn't a shred of plausible evidence in scripture that the gifts have ceased.

[sbgmstrunk]

Whoa!! Gods timing is perfect ❤
I hadn’t listened to one of your live questions videos for about 3 months. On my way to work this morning, I looked you up and clicked on your most recent.
A bunch of us from a Baptist church went to a Pentecostal revival a couple of weeks ago. My first time being in a Pentecostal church and a lot of us were like deer in headlights with things their congregation was doing during the alter call. We had soooo many questions and judgments if I’m being honest… so we plan to do a Bible study on 1 Corinthians 12, 13 & 14, on Wednesday, May 8th 2024.
So the timing of this first question is just perfect. Our God is not a God of confusion. Thank you for your wisdom Mike!! I’ve already shared this video with my pastor.

[green]

Thank you for your efforts, all your time and words of faith and Truth, God bless. Prayers for all our brothers and sisters in need, may Jesus Christ bless you. From New Zealand.

[Pinetops]

Thank you, Mike, for your diligence in "rightly dividing" God's Word. Your explanation of the I Corinthians 14 passage is the best I've ever heard.

[tedcruz]

I really struggle with things like tongues and prophecies, I have seen far too many people hurt by charlatans and false prophets. Cases where tongues seem to still be around is when someone hears their native language spoken, but when it’s just gobbledegook I struggle to see how that’s helpful. Idk, this is something I’ve been praying about because in truth I’m a deeply cynical and skeptical man, but I am nonetheless grateful to God for meeting me where I was and leading me to Him.
Im also really thankful for mikes messages and videos, they have been a huge help

[stephenbailey]

The power of Christ in all its manifestations is to edify each of us through the trials of this age. Every ministry has its place, both for unbelievers and for believers.
Praise be to God.

[upstairscandy]

You are such a blessing. I love your videos.

[texasskygirl]

Just wanted to say how much we appreciate your assistants and moderators like Sarah. We know y'all work really hard.

[tnyhlpv]

per Doctor Gene Scott- ..."faith is Action, Based on belief, supported by Confidence that God keeps His Word..."