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Episode 215: Q&A

Date: 3/26/2025

Questions / Topic

  • Question on spiritual gifts – How should we pray for them? Should we pray for the gifts that we think we have already – that they may be strengthened and more evident? Should we pray for the gifts that we want to have but don’t possess today – maybe the ones that we feel would fill the most need within the church? Should we pray more generally for the Holy Spirit to reveal to us our spiritual gifts? Maybe it depends on how much we think we know already about our spiritual gifts, but any guidance on praying for our gifts would be helpful.
    • Yes to all of the questions. 
    • Pray for the gifts you have to be strengthened.
    • Pray for gifts that you desire but currently don’t see in your life.
    • Pray for the Holy Spirit to reveal the gifts he’s given to you.
    • In one sermon, I mentioned praying for the gift of faith and now it’s one of the clearest ways the Holy Spirit uses me.
  • Matthew 24:10 says many will fall away. A footnote is the ESV as well as the amplified Bible say “stumble” could be used in the place of “fall away.” So people who fall away (stumble) from the church, now or in the end times, psalm 27 or 37 interpretation? Are these the wolves in sheep’s clothing that were never true followers of Christ?
    • Other Bible translations have “led into sin” (NET) or “turn away from the faith” (NIV; NLT) instead of “fall away”.
    • This most likely is referring to apostasy which means “A public denial of a previously held religious belief and a distancing from the community that holds to it. The term is almost always applied pejoratively, carrying connotations of rebellion, betrayal, treachery, or faithlessness.” (Lexham Bible Dictionary)
    • I don’t know if this is referring to Psalms 27 or 37. The stumbling/falling in those psalms refer to the enemies, not to apostasy.
    • Finally, not necessarily wolves in sheep’s clothing, though they could be. There are sheep, undershepherds (who are also sheep), wolves, and goats. We tend to only think of sheep and wolves, but goats are people who aren’t believers but are part of the visible church. 
  • Many evangelistic endeavors across the unreached world seem to include the use of audio Bibles-of course this is for many reasons like concealment, literacy, etc. However, it makes me think about how, in our western world, there is strong emphasis on “reading” Scripture. Most worship services in my life have started with “turn in your Bible to…” instead of “hear the Word of the Lord…” However, it seems that much of the intake of God’s Word described in Scripture focuses on hearing, listening, knowing, or meditating on God’s Law/Word. Literacy of course has fluctuated throughout the ages, but even in a very literate society, should our focus be on other means of intake? Have we elevated reading, assuming that because it takes more training it is a better means of intake?
    • If you haven’t read my “how to make the most of your devotional time” booklet, I’d encourage you to go check it out. Copies at your campus Resource Center and on our church website.
    • I mention the booklet, because in the first chapter — which is on the Bible — my first suggestion is to listen to it.
    • Like the questioner mentioned, we live in a much more literate society than people in biblical times or in many countries in the world today. That’s why our emphasis is on reading. 
    • But know that reading God’s Word is a privilege not to be undervalued. 
  • In Nehemiah 8:2 it says that Ezra read from the Law. I assume this refers to just the first 5 books of the Old Testament. Do you think that Nehemiah and Ezra taught the people just from these books or would they have read more from the Old Testament too such as the prophets and the writings? For by this time in history they would have had some of these as well.
    • Nehemiah 8:1 tells us that Ezra brought “the Book of the Law of Moses” which is then referred to as the “Law” in verse two. 
    • By this time in history, they definitely had other parts of what we call the Old Testament, but — as far as I know — we only have evidence that Ezra/Nehemiah refer to the Law of Moses as what was being read and taught to the people.
  • In a recent sermon, you mention that faith alone, not works, will be the reason for our salvation. You then said that our faith is a gift from God. In the question of whether God is fair or unfair, is this more about whether or not we utilize the faith given to us by God vs whether or not God has actually given us faith? We are all created in His image, so I assume we should all be equipped with faith from the start, but then we make conscious decisions to utilize or not utilize that faith. If everyone receives faith, is it really considered a gift?
    • I need to make a clarifying point right at the start of my answer to this question:
      • Being made in God’s image does not mean that we have faith from the start.
      • Which means, not everyone receives faith.
    • This is why faith is a gift given to some by God.
      • Ephesians 2:8-10 — For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. 
      • WCF 14.1 — The gift of faith makes it possible for the souls of the elect to be saved by believing in Jesus Christ. This gift is the work of the Spirit of Christ in the hearts of the elect1 and is ordinarily accomplished by the ministry of the word. It is also increased and strengthened by the word, by prayer, and by the administration of the sacraments.
        • See episode 194