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This is an ongoing series in which I am addressing questions that internationals in AIF have asked. Q: What do I say to someone who criticizes me for going to church?  A:  The Short answer: Attending church is important … I can’t grow in Christ if I don’t go to church … I really enjoy it … I want to be with God’s people … God wants me to worship with His people. If someone questions the fact that you attend church every week, any of these answers works, and you probably can think of others. In that sense, I…

This blog is a continuation of a series of questions that internationals in our church have asked.  Q: If someone asks you for the reason for the hope that is in you, how would you respond?  A: I suppose I should begin answering this question by stating what my hope is. Biblical hope has certainty just as faith does. Biblical hope is not the sort of hope people mean when they say, “I hope it will be sunny tomorrow.” That’s something more like a wish. In addition, Biblical hope deals with the future. Thus, the hope that is in me…

We have been addressing real questions posed by internationals in our fellowship.  Today’s question deals with suffering. Q: How do I endure longsuffering/agony in this fallen world without falling into sin?  A: This question certainly fits the theme of I Peter that we have been preaching through, and I suppose I need to begin with a disclaimer. When we deal with suffering, it is much easier for me to talk than to do. I make no claims of being one who suffers well. So as I point out a path, I must tell you up front that that path is…

Q: If I do wrong again and again, I feel guilty. I think it makes my mind hard, but I can’t stop. What can I do? A: People have written entire books on this question. Therefore, like many other questions in this series, my answer will stick to broad principles and merely scratch the surface. What you describe is what Paul describes in Romans 7: “For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate … For I have the desire to do what is right,…

The following question came from an international in our worship service. Q: One of my relatives passed away when I was back home. And we had a three-day worship for him …  I know this situation will come again in the future because of the culture and what people think. So do you have suggestions on how to deal with this problem?  A: I’m glad you see ancestor worship to be a problem. Not everyone does. Sometimes people view ancestor worship as just a cultural way to express grief and honor to a relative who has died. You, however, see…