Q.	Is baptism a prerequisite to salvation?
A.	The Bible says in Mark 16:15,16: "And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned." Acts 2:38 says: "Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the Gift of the Holy Spirit."
Q.	How does one join the church?
A.	The Lord adds to his church those who have obeyed his commands. Acts 2:41-Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. Acts 2:47- "....And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved."
Q.	Why not use instrumental music in the worship?
A.	Instruments of music are not included in the teachings of the New Testament. The only instrument mentioned is the voice. We are told in I Cor. 14:15, "I will sing with the spirit and I will also sing with the understanding." Eph 5:19 says "...speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord" and Col 3:16 -" Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord."
Q.	Why take the Lord's Supper every Sunday?
A.	We are told in 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." If a person was to be at work on the first day of the week, would he not go every week?
Q.	What is the difference in the Sabbath and the first day of the week
A.	The Sabbath is the seventh day of the week and the day the Jews worshipped God under the old law. When Christ died on the cross, the old law was done away with. The New Testament specifies that we are to worship on Sunday, the first day of the week. Acts 20:7.
Q.	Wasn't the thief on the cross saved without baptism?
A.	The thief was living under the Mosaic law. Baptism was not instituted until after the kingdom was established on the day of Pentecost. The thief obviously had heard Jesus speak and did believe that He was the Son of God, since he referred to Jesus as 'my Lord' in Luke 23:42. "Then he said to Jesus. 'Lord, remember me when you come into Your kingdom."
Q.	If we want to go to a church teaching new and different doctrines, isn't it okay? Aren't all people going to heaven..just going a different way?
A.	Paul, in speaking to the Galatians in Gal: 1:6,7 says: "I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ to a different gospel, which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received let him be accursed." Romans 16:17,18 - "Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them. For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple. II Peter 2:1-5 - "But there were also false prophets among the people even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber. For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment; and did not spare the ancient world but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly."
Q.	Since the early church had apostles, why doesn't the church have them today?
A.	Each of the apostles was selected by Jesus to be eye witnesses of the events of his life, to see him after his resurrection, and to testify to mankind concerning him. He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease. [ Mat 10:2-42 Acts 1:21,22, I Cor 9 :1]. On the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit produced a spiritual transformation of the apostles fitting them for the great work to which they were called; the evangelization of the world. [ Acts 2:1-47] The apostles were then able to perform miracles and speak “ as the Spirit gave them utterance.” [Acts 2:4] What they were saying was not their words but the words of the Lord. The miracles were needed to prove that Jesus was who he claimed to be, the Son of God. The words the apostles spoke were all in harmony as the Spirit was guiding them. Today we have the Bible. In the Old Testament, we are able to read of the prophecies of the coming of Christ and the prophecies become reality in the New Testament which became effective after the death of Jesus. There is no need for miracles as a result of our having the word of God; there is also no need for apostles as they completed their function which was to spread the Word before we had the written Word. The apostles could pass their powers to another person as in the example of Stephen. [Acts 6:8]. When the apostles died, however, their powers died with them. No one since that time has had the abilities the apostles had to perform miracles or speak with the Spirit guiding them. Again, there is no need as the Bible is available for us.
Q.	Is the church building holy and sacred? [From a nine year old]
A.	No, the building has no special significance in and of itself. It is a convenient and comfortable place for Christians to meet for worship. Many years ago, buildings were simple structures, compared to today's buildings, with many windows for fresh air as there were no air conditioners. Sometimes a tent was pitched to hold meetings. They all had one thing in common. These were all where the church met. We read in Matt. 18:20, "For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them." The church is not a building. It is those people who have believed in Jesus, have confessed that He is the Son of God, have repented of past sins and have been baptized for the remission of those sins. These Christians are the church. There are many scriptures which support this fact. Some are: Acts 14:27.."Now when they had come and gathered the church together, they reported all that God had done with them, and that He had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles." Romans 16:5.."Likewise greet the church that is in their house. Greet my beloved Epaenetus, who is the firstfruits of Achaia to Christ." Ephesians 5:24..."Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything." Colossians 1:18..."And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence. "
Q.	I know that false teachers are spoken of in the Bible but who are they?
A.	The false teachers are those who are preaching/teaching incorrect information to their audiences. Any information purported to be from the Bible must be exactly the same as that information in the Bible. It cannot be altered to suit man's current desires. God is unchanging. There have always been those teaching false doctrines .Jesus and His apostles were very quick to condemn those people. The following scriptures illustrate the fact that these people have always been with us...during the first century and still today. They are identified by using the Bible as the guide,to determine if what is being said is the truth or man's idea of the way things should be. Matt 7:15; 1) 15 "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. Col 2:8 Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. II Peter 2:11-12;11 whereas angels, who are greater in power and might, do not bring a reviling accusation against them before the Lord. 12 But these, like natural brute beasts made to be caught and destroyed, speak evil of the things they do not understand, and will utterly perish in their own corruption, I Tim 4:1-3 Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, 2speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron, 3forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. Gal 1:6-8 I marvel lthat you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ to a diferent gospel, 7 which is not another: but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ 8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. I John 4:1 II John 9:11 II Cor 11:13-14 Matt 15:6-9 II Peter 3-16 You may look these other scriptures up in your Bible.
Q.	It seems there are so many things we are told we can't do based on the Bible. For example: have instrumental music, drink alcholic beverages and many other things. You can't show me in the Bible where it says we can't do these things. How do you explain that?
A.	Good question. I will refer to God's Word to explain. In all of the Bible, we read of instances in which God commanded a person to do a particular task. Genesis 6:14-22; Genesis 7:1-6 tell of the instructions given to Noah by God. God gave him specifics. He said to build the ark of gopher wood. God did not tell him all of the different kinds of wood NOT to use. He specified the dimensions of the ark, which animals to take, etc. In verse 22 of Gen. 6 and the 5th verse of Gen 7, we are told that Noah “did according to ALL that the Lord commanded him” II Kings 5:1-14 tells of Naaman the leper. God, through the prophet Elisha, told Naaman to go and wash in the Jordan River seven times and his flesh would be restored to him. Naaman was furious, asking if he couldn’t dip in one of the rivers a little closer. His servants asked him if the prophet had asked him to do something great, would he have put up such a fuss. He finally did as he was commanded and was healed. Do we want to do things our way instead of God’s, like Naaman? In II Samuel 6:6, we read of Uzzah putting out his hand to touch the ark of God because the oxen stumbled. God had specifically said not to touch the ark. He didn’t say, “unless the oxen stumbles”, or “unless you just want to”. There are many other scriptures in both the old and new testaments which demonstrate God’s firmness in telling us what we are to do. Also, through out the Bible, we are constantly reminded to obey God’s commands and not to add to or take from His Word. While it is comforting to rely on..... " the Bible doesn't say we can't drink"; "the Bible doesn't say we can't have instruments of music";" the Bible doesn't say we can't be sprinkled" and on and on...It does say what we ARE to do.
Q.	The Ten Commandments include worshipping on the Sabbath. I also read that Jesus went to the temple on the Sabbath. I choose to be like Jesus and worship on the Sabbath. What scripture says we must worship on Sunday?
A.	In Hebrews 10:9, we are told that the Old was replaced by the New. [Galatians 3:24] tells us that the Old Testament was the "schoolmaster [tutor] to bring us to Christ, But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor [schoolmaster]" We are living under the New Testament and will be judged by its teachings. You mention that you want to be like Jesus therefore will worship on Saturday. Don’t forget that He lived under the old law. Not until he died did the New Testament/covenant [His will] go into effect. Matt. 28:1; Mark 16:2; Luke 24:1; John 20:1, 19 Acts 20:7; I Cor 16:2l. Worship included prayer, singing, giving of their means, partaking of the Lord's Supper and a message from God's Word and the Bible clearly indicates that these took place on the first day of the week, Sunday.
Q.	I know what the Bible says about baptism but I was baptized to join my church and I think I am alright. Anyway, my friends all go to that church. Does it really matter that much?
A.	There are several problems here. The most dangerous two words when speaking of the church, are, "I think". God decided before the beginning of time how he would create His earth and its inhabitants. He knew what He would expect of man. Those who would comply with his comandments, would be able to be with Him in Heaven throughout eternity. Those who did not comply, according to Scripture, would be eternally separated from God, tormented in Hell. There is black and white, right and wrong, saved and lost.....but no shades of gray. Another problem is baptism to gain membership. The Bible tells us we are to be baptized [immersed in water] for the remission of our past sins. To be baptized in order to gain membership in a denomination is not according to the New Testament. In Acts 2:38, when Peter was asked by the people what they must do to be saved, Peter said to "repent and let everyone of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of your sins and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." The statement can be clearly understood. When each of us stands before Jesus on the day of judgment, we will be alone..no friends and no family. We will be judged, not on what we "thought" was okay, but by the commandments laid down in the Scriptures. Matthew 7:21,22 tells us that there will be those who say, 'Lord, Lord, haven't I done many wonders in your name and He will say, Depart from me, you who practice lawnessness.' If you attend a church in which things are said or done that you believe are not correct based on the Bible, then why would you want to continue in error? James 2:10 says that whoever stumbles in one point, he is guilty of all. The most important thing you can do while living on this earth is to know what you must do to save your soul. We are on this earth a very brief span of time but eternity will be endless.
Q.	Are you sure there are no longer miracles performed? You hear and read of miracles quite often.
A.	First, you need to define the word 'miracle'. According to Webster, "an event or effect in the physical world deviating from the known laws of nature" or " anything which contradicts natural law." Some of the miracles mentioned in the Bible: God began all things by miracles: creating the earth and its inhabitants, the heavens and the firmament, the sun, moon and stars. Man was created miraculously in the Garden of Eden but now man is created by natural laws. The Bible was created by miraculous inspiration but now is reproduced by non-miraculous teaching. Jesus walked on water; He commanded the storm to cease and nature obeyed. He changed water into wine superceding nature to show that he was God. Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. Natural law cannot recover a person who is actually dead. Miracles were incredible acts which only God could do.They showed that Jesus was God in the flesh. A central purpose of miracles was to prove and authenticate God's oral and written word. The miracles of Jesus were written in scripture and the miracle of inspiration recorded them. Christ's apostles were guided into "all truth" All revealed truth from God was once and for all given through the apostles whom Jesus taught. Twelve apostles received the power to speak in tongues and perform miracles on the Day of Pentecost They could give these powers to others but when they each died, this power died with them. Acts 2:1-6, Acts 6:8 Christ instructed His apostles to "go into the world and preach the gospel to every creature. Hr who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. He had given them His Word and it was their mission to take it into the then known world. As Christians, it is our mission to tell the good news of the gospel to all who will listen in today's world. So you can see that there would be no purpose for miracles today. Their purpose was to show the people that Jesus indeed was the Son of God. We now have His inspired Word, the Bible, written for us as our guide to becoming a Christian and living the Christian life. We no longer have a need to witness miracles. Those who claim such are misguided, just as are those who would have you believe that God uses them today to perform miracles.