Individual questions and answers from Ask Pastor Mike Live episodes.
Christians should not treat the Cepher as a trustworthy Bible. It is an 87-book collection associated with Hebrew Roots teaching that adds writings outside the recognized canon of Scripture. Some included works claim a biblical identity they do not possess. The surviving Book of Enoch, for example, is an intertestamental pseudepigraphal work—a writing falsely attributed …
Christian parents should treat a child’s behavior as important and patiently train children toward increasing self-control and obedience. Ephesians 6 calls children to obey their parents, while parents are responsible to direct them in the Lord. A toddler’s immaturity deserves understanding, but parents should still look for steady growth rather than ignoring destructive or defiant …
The response depends on whether the person is actively participating in a church while openly living in serious, unrepentant sin, or merely using “Christian” as a cultural label. First Corinthians addresses a so-called brother who claims fellowship with the church while persisting in such sin. That hypocrisy calls for biblical church discipline and a withdrawal …
Old Testament believers were saved through repentance and faith in God, on the basis of what Christ would later accomplish. Like believers today, they needed their sins forgiven and a perfect righteousness they did not possess. Neither their works nor animal sacrifices could provide that righteousness or fully pay the penalty for human sin. Jesus …
Begin by interpreting an Old Testament passage in its original context. Israel remains distinct in God’s covenant plan, so promises or commands addressed to the nation should not be transferred directly to the church. Jeremiah 29, for example, promised Israel restoration after exile and ultimately belongs within God’s future for that nation. Christians may still …
A cautious or “soft” charismatic position is a secondary doctrinal issue, not a question of salvation. Some churches simply remain open to the possibility of miraculous gifts today without pressuring members to speak in tongues or treating a later spiritual experience as necessary for full Christian standing. The more important question is whether a dating …
Eastern Orthodoxy separated from the Western church roughly a thousand years ago. It does not submit to the pope or the Roman Catholic magisterium, and its sacramental theology is not organized with the same hierarchy and specificity found in Roman Catholicism. Orthodoxy nevertheless places heavy emphasis on church tradition, the early church fathers, icons, liturgy, …
Christians should not adopt Torah observance as a religious duty or as a way of pleasing God. The ceremonial requirements of the Mosaic covenant have been fulfilled in Christ, so believers are not obligated to keep Israel’s food laws, feast days, or other covenant markers. Galatians warns against treating such observances as spiritually meritorious or …
Loving God with all your strength means dedicating the physical energy, effort, and abilities involved in ordinary life to him. Colossians 3 tells Christians to work heartily—as for the Lord rather than merely for human supervisors. Some callings rely heavily on physical strength, such as construction, moving furniture, or skilled trades; others require more study …
First Corinthians 3 uses building materials surviving or burning in fire as an analogy for God’s evaluation of Christian service. Work that is biblical, truthful, faithful, and performed with right motives has lasting value like gold, silver, and precious stones. Worthless or wrongly motivated work is like wood, hay, and straw. This is not purgatory …
Scripture does not describe every reward in detail, but it presents them as real advantages, responsibilities, honors, and joys within a tangible future kingdom. The apostles’ thrones and the differing responsibilities in Jesus’ parables show that faithful service can lead to meaningful distinctions. Rewards are based on stewardship, not prominence. God evaluates faithfulness with the …
In Matthew 9, Jesus contrasts the joy of having the bridegroom present with the grief his disciples would experience when he was taken away. His death naturally produced mourning and fasting, while his resurrection brought a lasting foundation for joy. That passage does not eliminate fasting after the resurrection. Christians throughout the church age have …
Jesus’ statement in Matthew 7 is a broad wisdom principle: do not keep offering something holy and valuable to people who persistently despise it and respond with hostility. Pigs cannot appreciate pearls; they may trample them and attack the person who offered them. The principle applies to evangelism. Jesus told his messengers to leave towns …
Parents must evaluate the actual school, district, teachers, curriculum, and needs of each child. If a school aggressively promotes ideas that continually undermine biblical teaching and the parents cannot realistically counter the influence, they may need a different educational plan. Alternatives can include another district, Christian school, church-based program, homeschool cooperative, or home education using …
The Bible does not prohibit every moral judgment. It repeatedly commands believers to discern truth, identify wrongdoing, and “judge with right judgment” rather than by appearances. Loving someone often requires recognizing a problem and helping address it. Jesus condemns hypocritical, self-serving, and inconsistent judgment. The standard we apply to others will be applied to us, …
Yes. In Christ, believers are forgiven, justified, adopted, and securely loved by God. That covenant relationship provides a permanent foundation: God does not abandon his children whenever they stumble. Within that secure relationship, Scripture also says Christians can please or grieve God. Walking in the light, confessing sin, obeying him, praying, and serving others are …
For a detailed verse-by-verse study of Revelation, Pastor Mike recommends Robert L. Thomas’s two-volume commentary. It is thorough but readable and provides an extensive treatment of the text from a premillennial perspective. For the larger theological framework, Robert Saucy’s The Case for Progressive Dispensationalism explains how Old Testament kingdom promises relate to the New Testament …
Act immediately to protect the person being abused. This is not merely a private family disagreement or a matter for gentle persuasion; sexual abuse is criminal, and knowingly allowing continued access can place the victim in further danger. Contact local law enforcement or the appropriate child- or adult-protection agency and report what you know. Do …
Parents should distinguish two related but different conversations. A child should learn to obey, tell the truth, respect others, and avoid harmful conduct regardless of whether the child has yet come to saving faith. Requiring obedience is not the same as forcing a conversion or producing a Pharisee. Age-appropriate discipline restrains evil, protects others, and …
Pornography is a serious form of sexual unfaithfulness in the heart and can cause profound damage to a spouse and marriage. Pastor Mike nevertheless distinguishes it from the physical sexual immorality described in Matthew 19 and does not regard pornography alone as the same biblical ground for divorce. The distinction does not minimize the sin. …
The Holy Spirit will remain fully present and active in eternity. The Father and Spirit are spirit, while the Son will forever possess his glorified body and dwell among redeemed humanity in the new creation. Scripture does not give a detailed description of the Spirit’s eternal activities. The present conflict between flesh and Spirit will …
A pastor’s education, public ministry, and familiarity with Christian doctrine do not by themselves prove saving faith. Judas preached alongside the apostles and knew Jesus’ teaching firsthand, yet his later betrayal exposed a heart that had never truly belonged to Christ. Pastor Mike understands public renunciation of Christianity as apostasy: the person’s departure reveals that …
Build real relationships in settings where conversation can develop naturally. Meals, walks, hobbies, sporting events, and other side-by-side activities give people space to talk without feeling interrogated or cornered. Evangelistic faithfulness does not require introducing the entire gospel at the first possible second. Learn to move thoughtfully from everyday subjects to deeper questions about meaning, …
Pastor Mike strongly advises against using someone whose only ministerial credential is an instant internet ordination. A Christian wedding solemnizes a serious covenant before God, and the officiant should understand Scripture, marriage, pastoral responsibility, and the meaning of the vows. Online credentials do not demonstrate theological training, recognized character, accountability to a church, or qualification …
Evaluate what the association actually means. Joining a conference in a way that communicates shared doctrine or endorsement differs from accepting an opportunity to preach an uncompromised biblical message on a network or at an event whose broader theology the speaker does not share. Guilt by association can expand into an impossible standard. Christians conduct …
The Gospels describe two distinct offers during the crucifixion. Early on, Jesus refused wine mixed with myrrh, commonly understood as a pain-dulling drink. Later, after saying “I thirst” in John 19, he received sour wine lifted on a sponge. A claim that the sponge had been used for latrine cleaning and that the offer was …
Yes. Jesus teaches that when someone has something against us, we should seek reconciliation, and James 5 tells believers to confess sins to one another. When we have wronged another person, confession and reconciliation normally require an apology. A genuine apology owns the specific wrong: “I did this, it was wrong, and I am sorry.” …
Attending services at two churches is not automatically sinful, but Pastor Mike advises committing to one congregation. A Christian is called to be an active part of a local body, not merely a consumer of preaching and programs. Meaningful church participation includes attending, connecting relationally, serving with one’s gifts, and giving generously. Like a part …
The manager in Luke 16 uses his master’s resources dishonestly to secure friends who will help him after he loses his job. His master does not praise the dishonesty; he recognizes the manager’s shrewd planning and determined use of present opportunities to prepare for the future. Jesus contrasts that urgency with the passivity of the …
No. Scripture’s categories of elect angels and evil angels are settled, not temporary. Angels were created as a fixed company and do not reproduce, so there will not be new generations requiring another period of testing. Pastor Mike understands the original angelic rebellion as the decisive separation. The faithful angels are now confirmed in obedience, …