20 Questions with Pastor Mike (Episode 96)

Apr 8, 2023

The discussion opens up on feminism's evolving influence within the church, weighing its pros and cons. It then tackles the role of ordination in ministry and debates the significance of Jesus’ second coming. Listeners also hear insights on the complexities of navigating divorce and dating, particularly in a Christian context. Engaging questions about witnessing to Muslims and the dilemma of moving out before dating provide further depth. Finally, the conversation touches on feelings of divine silence and their impact on faith.

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Intro

00:00 • 10min

The Clash of Feminism and Biblical Values

10:13 • 6min

Ordination and Eschatology in Ministry

16:37 • 8min

Navigating Divorce, Faith, and Spiritual Understanding

24:35 • 46min

Faith, Science, and Church Dynamics

01:10:37 • 15min

Exploring the Prophetic Nature of Abel in Biblical Context

01:25:38 • 5min

Reimagining Baptism and Spiritual Communication

01:30:14 • 17min

Question Time Stamps for Quick Reference:

0:14 {Feminism’s Impact on the Church} What’s your opinion on how feminism is impacting the modern Church?
16:30 {Is Ordination Necessary?} What are your thoughts on the necessity to be ordained into ministry? Can I turn my home Bible study into a church?
19:33 {Heaven or Earth During 2nd Coming?} Will we be taken to Heaven during the second coming, or will God’s Kingdom come to Earth to reign? Seems odd to create Earth for Him to just destroy it and bring us to His domain.
24:59 {Relationship Dynamics Before Divorce} I was wondering, if a couple is married and one of them is seeking an unbiblical divorce, does that give them the right to start dating other people before the divorce is finalized?
27:34 {Witnessing to Muslims} I'm 15, and my best friend at school is a Muslim. Do you have any advice for trying to evangelize Muslims who are intelligent and rational but very set in their ways?
35:43 {Should Men Move Out Before Dating?} Looking at Ephesians 5:31, Should a Christian man move out of his parents’ house before trying to date, to prove they can provide an income and a house?
40:07 {If God Seems Silent, Does He Still Care?} My sister walked away from God because she begged for direction in her life and she says she heard nothing from God. This led her to believe God doesn’t care about her. How do I respond to this?
45:48 {Slave to Sin?} In Romans 7:14, is Paul describing his experience before or after he became a Christian? He’s just shifted to the present tense, but says he is sold as a slave to sin. Does this differ from Romans 8?
52:45 {How Should We View Extrabiblical Books?} With extrabiblical books such as Enoch or 1 & 2 Maccabees, how do you discern within these books if they're true accounts, if they don't contradict our canon?
55:59 {Earthly Rulers vs. Spiritual Rulers?} In 1 Corinthians 2:8, is Paul referring to earthly rulers (i.e. Pharisees or Romans) or spiritual rulers as he does in Ephesians 6:12?
1:01:08 {Forgiveness while Guarding Against Abuse} In 1 Corinthians 13:1, we are told that love "keeps no record of wrongs.” But how do we reconcile this with setting boundaries to protect us from abusive behaviors?
1:03:11 {Should we Pray for Specific Gifts?} What do you think about praying expectantly for a very specific gift of the Holy Spirit? I see people blessed with certain gifts teaching classes. For example, I've seen classes on how to prophesy.
13.1:10:02 {Thoughts on the Anglican Church} Any thoughts on the Anglican Church? I found a church I like, but I have never been a part of a proper denomination before, so I’m worried about bureaucracy.
1:12:05 {Was Jesus Really Buried for 3 Days & Nights?} If Jesus died on a Friday and rose on a Sunday, then He was not in the grave for three days and three nights. Why is it that this seems never to be addressed?
1:18:33 {About Theistic Evolution} Can you explain your understanding of Theistic Evolution? I saw a video by InspiringPhilosophy and have a hard time accepting this viewpoint.
1:25:37 {Was Abel a Prophet?} Does Luke 11:50-51 mean that Abel was a prophet?
1:30:04 {Who Can Baptize People?} Can anyone baptize? Or must one be a pastor?
1:32:40 {Communicating with God} How can we have a relationship with God when He doesn’t talk back?
1:34:54 {Was Saul Justified in Ending his Life?} Could we say that Saul killing himself in 1 Samuel 31:3-5 was justifiable for the same reason 9/11 jumpers were justified?
1:41:51 {Holy Week Reflections} With Easter coming up, what is something that we might overlook but shouldn’t, considering that celebrating Easter might just become a yearly habit or tradition to people?

CLICK HERE for my video on 21 different ways that Jesus fulfilled Passover (so awesome!)
CLICK HERE for my video on how to explain that "three days and three nights" is an idiom for Friday to Sunday.
CLICK HERE for my extensive Women in Ministry series.
CLICK HERE for my video on different Christian views of Revelation

Here are my quick rules for questions:
1) We take questions from the LIVE chat, but only after the stream has actually begun.
2) Please include one or two Bible verse references if they are relevant to your question. I may have a hard time finding them depending on how you word your question.
3) It helps if you put a capital Q at the beginning of your question. That way we can easily spot it in the live chat, which can move rather quickly.
4) Please don't spam your question multiple times, as everyone doing that makes the live chat hard to deal with.