The word “missional” has been used in different ways, so Christians should define it rather than assume everyone means the same thing. In some settings it emphasized community improvement and social-justice projects while neglecting the message of salvation. Good works can help neighbors, but they do not save anyone apart from the biblical gospel of …
The Old Testament Sabbath was a covenant sign between God and Israel, like circumcision and the ceremonial laws concerning priests, sacrifices, festivals, and food. Hebrews teaches that those shadows find their fulfillment in Christ; the church is not commanded to keep Israel’s seventh-day Sabbath. Christians worshiped on the Lord’s Day—Sunday—from the New Testament era because …
Assurance should not rest merely on having stopped certain outward or “major” sins. Christians continue to battle sins of speech, attitude, and the heart, and genuine faith responds to Christ with repentance and a growing willingness to obey. A believer who knows that Christians are commanded not to forsake assembling with the church, yet deliberately …
Replacement Theology is a serious disagreement for someone convinced that Romans 11 teaches a future for ethnic Israel. An even more fundamental warning sign is a pastor who rarely addresses sin and repentance. The gospel begins with humanity’s sin and God’s command that all people repent, so those themes should regularly appear in faithful preaching. …
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 …
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 …
Evangelical historically describes Christians who emphasize the gospel—the good news that sinners must repent, trust Christ, and be born again. Ecumenical describes efforts to bring different churches or religions under a broad shared umbrella; the breadth varies, but Bible-believing Christians object when essential truths about Christ and the gospel are treated as optional. Charismatic commonly …
The foundational distinction concerns authority. Roman Catholicism treats Scripture, church tradition, and the teaching authority of the Magisterium as interdependent sources. Bible-believing Protestants insist that Scripture is the church’s final, sufficient authority and evaluate every tradition and doctrine by it. Baptist and non-denominational churches are often much closer to one another in doctrine and practice. …
No. Pastor Mike sees no biblical basis for dividing the genuinely redeemed church into a larger group and a smaller, superior group that alone becomes Christ’s bride. Everyone who truly belongs to Christ in the New Covenant age is included in the bridal imagery. The bride of Christ is one analogy for the whole church, …
Water baptism is an outward sign that a person has repented, trusted Christ, and been brought into his people by the Holy Spirit. The responsibilities do not begin only after the ceremony; they belong to everyone who has truly turned from wandering and committed to follow the Good Shepherd. Within the local church, Christians should …
If “remnant” means the genuinely regenerate people within the visible church, then yes. In the Old Testament, many belonged outwardly to covenant Israel while rejecting God in practice; the faithful remnant constituted the true people of God. Jesus similarly warned that the visible community contains false sheep, weeds among wheat, and people who profess faith …
The New Testament uses the word “member” for a part of a physical body and metaphorically for a participant in a church fellowship. A committed Christian should function as part of a local body through regular attendance, meaningful relationships, service, giving, pastoral care, and submission to biblical oversight. Modern membership classes, forms, interviews, and official …
Accents can genuinely make communication difficult, especially when listeners have had little exposure to them. That difficulty is not necessarily the speaker’s fault; understanding often improves as the listener becomes more familiar with the accent. Respond with patience and grace rather than publicly complaining. The person speaking is unlikely to be trying to frustrate anyone, …
Pastor Mike advises finding another church when its leadership knowingly rejects the New Testament’s qualifications for pastors and elders. The concern is larger than one ministry policy: it reveals how the leaders interpret and apply clear biblical teaching rooted in creation. Christians can remain in fellowship despite disagreements about secondary issues such as end-times chronology …
In Luke 9:49–50, the disciples tried to stop a man from acting in Jesus’ name because he was not part of their immediate group. Jesus corrected their jealousy and exclusivity: the man was doing good under Christ’s authority and was not opposing Christ’s mission. First-century rabbis normally had identifiable bands of disciples, but Christ’s kingdom …
A Christian does not need to use the label “cessationist,” but should ask what Scripture teaches about the purpose and expected duration of miraculous signs. God is able to divide seas or provide manna, yet believers do not ordinarily expect those miracles because Scripture shows that they served particular purposes at particular times. Hebrews 2:1–4 …
A Christian should be committed to one local church—attending, serving, giving, connecting, and receiving pastoral oversight there. Regularly using several churches’ programs as a spiritual cafeteria can weaken that commitment and take resources intended for those congregations. Listening to sound preaching from other pastors is different. It is no more inherently disloyal than reading a …
The Holy Spirit will not be absent from the world after the rapture. Revelation describes people turning to Christ during the tribulation, including the ministry of the 144,000 servants from Israel. Conversion cannot occur without the Spirit’s conviction and regenerating work. What changes is the Spirit’s present restraining work through the organized church. The church’s …
Churches should actively help members resolve conflict, but a separate reconciliation department may not be the most useful structure. Conflicts differ widely—between spouses, relatives, ministry teams, neighbors, or other members—so one standardized program can be too narrow. Reconciliation should be woven throughout the church’s ordinary ministries: biblical preaching, pastoral care, small groups, sub-congregations, and especially …
The Reformers initially sought to reform the Roman Catholic Church, especially its teaching about salvation and practices such as selling indulgences. Separation became unavoidable because Rome rejected their biblical corrections rather than changing its doctrine. The Council of Trent later formalized Rome’s counter-Reformation teaching and condemned the Reformers’ gospel of salvation by grace alone through …
Someone who speaks in the first person as though God is delivering a personal message claims the role Scripture assigns to a prophet: serving as God’s mouthpiece. God is truthful and infallible, so a prophecy attributed to him cannot be excused as an ordinary, well-meaning mistake when it fails. The modern idea of a “fallible …
Visiting more than one church for a short period while making a careful decision is not inherently wrong. Research the churches’ doctrinal statements, leadership training, preaching, distance, and ministries, then attend in person to evaluate the congregation. The searching period should be measured in weeks rather than becoming an indefinite pattern. A Christian cannot participate …
Pastor Mike did not give a definition during this episode. Because the label “Convergent Church” can be used in different ways, he chose not to offer an answer from a quick internet search or an uncertain recollection. He said he would research the term and address it later rather than risk misrepresenting the church or …
Church clothing standards vary across cultures, so Scripture does not give every congregation one universal dress code. Christians should nevertheless dress with appropriate dignity and avoid clothing that is deliberately provocative or likely to become a stumbling block. Church leaders cannot control every visitor’s clothing, and a detailed printed policy may be unnecessary when there …
No. Romans 11:29 says that God’s “gifts and calling are irrevocable,” but the context is not an individual Christian’s ministry abilities. The preceding verse concerns God’s election of Israel and his promises to the patriarchs. Although many Israelites presently reject the Messiah, God has not revoked the covenant commitments made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. …
Compass Bible Church was not started because every other church had abandoned God or become corrupt. That conclusion would be both inaccurate and arrogant. There were—and still are—many faithful churches where Christians can attend, serve, and grow. When I left my previous church, I had conversations about serving with several churches that I respected. No …
Pastor Mike explains why Christians still need the local church after experiencing repeated hurt from church leaders or members.
You should not expect a perfect church, but you do need a church where the Bible is faithfully taught and where the preaching builds you up. If a pastor repeatedly forces every passage through a peculiar theological framework instead of explaining the text itself, that is a legitimate concern. This is not an encouragement to …