Questions and Answers 2010-05-30 – audio

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I. Question One – Please discuss the withholding of physical intimacy in a marriage.

A. Sometimes, husbands or wives will withhold themselves from their spouse:

1. Because they are not getting along.

2. Because they want to punish their spouse.

B. 1 Corinthians 7:1-5.

Now concerning the things of which you wrote to me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman. Nevertheless, because of sexual immorality, let each man have his own wife, and let each woman have her own husband. Let the husband render to his wife the affection due her, and likewise also the wife to her husband. The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. And likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. Do not deprive one another except with consent for a time, that you may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again so that Satan does not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.

C. Several things are made clear from this passage:

1. In order to avoid sexual immorality in a marriage, the husband is not to withhold himself from his wife and the wife is not to withhold herself from her husband.

2. God created us with certain desires which need to be fulfilled. If a husband or wife does not get that need fulfilled by their spouse, the temptation is always there to get it fulfilled in another way.

3. Verse 5 very plainly states that husband and wife are not to deprive one another. To do so is sin!

4. The only exception to this is if the withholding is done…

a) By mutual consent.

b) And the intervening time is filled with fasting and prayer.

II. Question Two – “The Bible tells us to come together on the first day of the week, so we meet on Sunday morning. Why does the church of Christ meet on Sunday night and Wednesday night too? Where did this come from or start?”

A. While we are told to meet on the first day of the week, we must also realize that we certainly are not limited to meeting only once a week.

B. When we look at the practice of the New Testament church, we see that they met daily.

1. Acts 2:46-47. So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.

2. Verse 47 makes it clear that “continuing daily” involved praising God and evidently teaching because the Lord was adding to the church daily.

3. While they may not have had a full fledged worship service every day, it is clear that they met and worked every day.

4. Wednesday night is simply a time to get together for Bible study and mutual edification.

C. Authority for Wednesday and two services on Sunday is also implied in the charge to elders.

1. Acts 20:28. Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.

2. 1 Peter 5:2. Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly;

3. In both of these passages, elders are told to “shepherd” or “feed” the flock.

a) The food is the word of God.

(1) 1 Peter 2:2. As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby.

(2) Hebrews 5:12-14. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

b) In order to feed the flock, the elders have set aside certain times to gather together for Bible study.

c) We are obligated to submit to them. Hebrews 13:17. Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.

III. Question Three – “When was Sunday evening worship established in the church?”

A. Put simply, it was established in the first century.

B. Acts 20:7.

Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his message until midnight.

C. Evidence seems to suggest that the first century church met in the evenings more often than not.

IV. Question Four – “At what age group should a woman not be allowed to teach in the church? How do you justify the cut-off age scripturally?”

A. Our key passage is 1 Timothy 2:12.

And I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence.

B. A woman is not to teach over a man.

1. So the question is, “When does a boy change into a man?”

2. The Bible really doesn’t give us a specific age.

3. Therefore, it is left up to us (or the eldership if there is one) to decide on a policy.

C. One view is that after adolescence, a boy becomes a man.

1. This is more or less the policy followed by our eldership here (at Streetsboro).

2. We try to have men always teach the classes from junior high on up.

3. We have never had a woman teach any ages older than junior high unless the class was split into boys and girls and a woman would teach the girls.

4. Junior High is about right for when a boy enters puberty and begins to become a man physically.

5. Of course, the Jews counted the age of 12 to be when a boy became a man. This coincides with Junior High age.

V. Question Five – “Are members of denominational churches no better off spiritually than if they were not worshipping at all?”

A. Members of a denomination may have a better quality of life than someone who does not worship at all.

B. But in terms of salvation, we know that one must:

1. Hear, believe, confess, repent, and be baptized.

2. If a person is a member of a church that teaches otherwise, then how could they be better off?

3. We must also worship according to truth. John 4:24.

C. Simply being religious will not be enough to get one to heaven.

1. Matthew 7:21-23. “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’

2. Matthew 15:7-9. Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying: ‘ These people draw near to Me with their mouth, And honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’”

D. In some ways, people in man-made church are worse off because they have been convinced that they are alright.

VI. Question Six – “Why do we bow our heads when we pray?”

A. The Bible mentions several different postures in prayer.

1. Standing and kneeling.

2. While standing:

a) Arms upraised – 1 Kings 8:22

b) Head bowed – Luke 18:13

3. While kneeling:

a) Arms raised – 1 Kings 8:54

b) Prostrate – Matthew 26:39

B. Why do we often choose to say, “Please bow as we pray.”???

1. Luke 18:10-14.

“Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.’ And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

2. The tax collector had a humble attitude and would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven.

3. Bowing our heads is a way of showing submission, humility, and respect.

VII. Question Seven – “Outside of worship services, can a Christian listen to contemporary Christian music with instruments?”

A. Philippians 2:12.

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

B. We know that instrumental music is wrong in a worship service.

C. Therefore, the question is really, “What constitutes worship?”

D. There are varying opinions:

1. Some say, “When I am listening to music on the radio, I am not worshipping. It is only for entertainment. Therefore, it isn’t wrong.”

2. On the other hand some feel, “If I am listening to a spiritual song that gets me thinking about God and even praising God, then, by definition, I am worshipping.”

E. I choose not to listen to spiritual songs that have instrumental accompaniment.

F. Others see nothing wrong with it.

G. One thing is sure… Romans 14:22-24.

Do you have faith? Have it to yourself before God. Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves. But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not eat from faith; for whatever is not from faith is sin.

H. This is not an issue where we should draw lines of fellowship.

VIII. Question Eight – “Is there any evidence in the Bible to suggest that it would be wrong to go to the beach and for a man to wear only swimming trunks and a woman to wear a two-piece swimsuit?”

A. This is a question about modesty.

B. 1 Timothy 2:9-10.

In like manner also, that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing, but, which is proper for women professing godliness, with good works.

1. Why is the command given to women?

2. Because men are affected a lot more by what women wear.

3. Men are stimulated visually.

4. Paul says that women are to dress in modest apparel.

a) So he is talking about what we wear.

b) We all know that it is wrong to go naked. Paul is not talking about that.

c) So think of it this way, if a two piece bathing suit is not immodest, what would be?

d) You can’t make it any more immodest. The next step is nudity.

e) If a 2 piece bathing suit is not immodest then nothing is.

C. What about men wearing only swimming trunks?

1. I am assuming we are talking about loose fitting, long shorts.

2. So the question is, “Is it wrong for a man to go shirtless?”

3. Definitely, the safest thing would be for a man to wear a shirt in the presence of women.

4. We need to think about the example we are setting.

5. “What’s good for the goose is good for the gander.”

6. However, some would say that their going shirtless would not invoke lust on the part of any woman. Therefore, it is not wrong.

7. In my mind, this is an area where we all have to make a decision for ourselves and live with it.

IX. Question Nine – “What would Jesus or God think of what’s going on now?”

A. Hebrews 13:8.

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

B. God still hates sin.

C. God still loves the sinner.

D. God still wants all men to be saved. 1 Timothy 2:4.

Who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

E. Perhaps, this question is asking, “Are things worse today then they have ever been?”

1. Certainly, sin is rampant and immorality is common.

2. However, I don’t think we’ve reached the conditions that existed at the time of the flood. Genesis 6:5. Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.