Ask Reaching for Life

E-mail your Bible or life issue question to Pastor Fred Wilson and the Reaching for Life Team by using this form. We will do our best to answer as many questions as possible. If you do not wish for your question to be featured (with an answer) on our website, please check the box below. All personal data (including address information and last name) will be held confidential. Only first names will be used. The selection of questions to be included on this site is at the sole discretion of Reaching for Life Ministries.

Previously Asked Questions

QUESTION: According to the Bible, is is alright for a pastor to be married more than one time? Not just married to one wife, but being married and then divorced. —Carol

QUESTION: I was listening to your sermons on David and Saul, where you talked about David not taking opportunites to kill Saul, and protecting God's control. I am not sure how to apply this to my life. Over the years, there have been times when I made definite attempts to get a new position, then at other times I decided to just do nothing and see if anything would come up. However, when I listened to your sermon, I wondered if I was not protecting God's control when I do this, and was trying to work it out my own way. —Listener

QUESTION: I just read a book that discussed family planning. Basically, it said family planning was the first step to abortion. That is, it is taking the control of if a family will have a child or not, and notes that God should be in control of this decision. That to reason that it wouldn't be convenient or to your liking, is sinful. Can you give me some Bible verses that might support the use of birth control or even natural family planning techniques, or is it true.... should I "let go and let God"? —Deborah

QUESTION: I was married in a Catholic church. I've been attending a born-again church and they're urging me to be baptized again by submersion. My wife is extremely hostile to my being baptized again, or even attending a non-Catholic church. What to do? —Phil

QUESTION: If a person who is a Christian dies and is cremated, will they go to heaven? —Paula

QUESTION: I'm part of a ministry team in a church and someone from the ministry team told me that there are people (at least two) accusing me of pride. In light of Matthew 5:23-24, I've since took a leave from the ministry team to enact Matthew 18:15-17, yet the person who told me these things became a hindrance for he does not want to reveal the identity of these people for he feels accountable to them. I want Christian discipline to take place yet some are not in agreement. What, according to the Bible, should I do? Is it right for me to step down from the ministry team? When should I come back to the ministry team? —A.C.

QUESTION: Do the poor have to tithe and give a tenth of their gross or net income? I was told that tithing came from the Old Testament, and it is not in the New Testament. I tithe, but only what I can afford. We are also asked to give the Pastor donations. Is that acceptable? —Michelle

QUESTION: Why do we Christians go to church on Sunday instead of Saturday? Is this anywhere in the Bible? Will I be sinning if I go to work on Saturday and/or Sunday? —Alma

QUESTION: I love the Lord with all of my heart, but because I am having a problem with giving up smoking, I am being told that I am walking in rebellion and God will not bless me. In that, I was told by a sister at church that God told her that "If I didn't stop smoking, He would give me cancer." I have such a problem with that and feel like I am in "bondage" to a situation now, and I tend to smoke more than before. I was told that I have a demon — a spirit of bondage/addiction — and I tell you, I believe that God knew that I smoked when He saved me and baptized me with the Holy Spirit. I experienced deliverance in some areas of my life, which was thought to be from smoking. I believe that when God delivers one from something, they are delivered! Bottom line. What do you think? I think that the doctrines of men are keeping people in bondage. My original thought was to let God help me, not condemn me. —Vee

QUESTION: I have a friend who is a Mormon. He gave a scripture for which I couldn't give a very good reply. Can you help me to understand what the Word of God is really saying for this passage:

I do not believe we baptize for the dead. —Julie

QUESTION: I have been asking myself about the sequence that will take place after Jesus comes back for His church. I know that ultimately God's children will be in Heaven, however, I would like to know the sequence that will take place after Jesus comes back. For example, where is the church going to be after the rapture? Another question: if a Christian dies tomorrow, will he/she go to heaven right away? If so, does the Bible specify this somewhere? —Tony

QUESTION: I am a Christian. According to the Old Testament scriptures, the Jewish people and the land of Israel are very special to God. Israel is His delight and the first in His eyes. Although Christians are called the "New Israel," I would like to better understand what the Jewish people are in God's eye during the Old Testament, New Testament, and today. Are Christians and the Jewish People the same in God's eye today? I would like to believe that the Jewish people will always be very special people to God and His delight. God bless. —Virginia

QUESTION: What in the Bible would help me share what the Bible says regarding reincarnation with someone who believes in reincarnation? Also Matthew 17:1-13. Could you help me understand what the verse 13 means when they said the disciples understood that they were talking about John the Baptist. —Julie

QUESTION: My husband believes in predestination or elected, which I do also agree with this. My question, though, is after you invite the Lord into your heart and are baptized. You start to live for Christ and grow, then you fall or backslide and keep sinning without remorse and don't bear fruit, do not change your ways and you die all of a sudden. Do you go to heaven or are you a fallen soul because you turned your back on the Lord? Were you truly never saved in the first place? Was your name really never written in the book in the first place? I think if you truly accepted the Lord in your heart, pray, stay in the Word, and bear fruit for the Lord's glory then you are truly saved, but this does not mean we are going to stumble or fall short of that mark — the key is in the repentance and being sorry for our transgressions. He can see our hearts and knows if we are truly sorry but if we turn our backs after we start to grow as Christains without remorse then were we really ever. —Karen

QUESTION: How do you know if the study of astrology is/is not biblical? —Julie

QUESTION: I'm new to Christanity and I don't know much, but one question I haven't been able to find an answer to is: does prayer have to be aloud or can it be silent? Personally I'd prefer just to do it in my mind, but should I be saying it? —Stacey

QUESTION: Do you and your church believe in Calvinist-style predestination, that is to say, that God decided who would go to heaven — and by default, those not chosen would go to hell — before we were born? —Conard

QUESTION: In John 20:22 it says that Jesus breathed on His disciples and they received the Holy Spirit. How does this differ from the account in Acts when all of them were filled with the Holy Spirit, and spoke in other tongues? Which I understand to be called the "baptism in the Holy Spirit." —Cathi

QUESTION: There's this well-known psychic named Sylvia Browne who is featured on TV a lot. She has apparently helped the police, predicted things in the future, and says there are no demons or hell — that they don't exist, yet she claims she's Christian. She also said that 99% of people go to heaven and that we go to heaven and make a blueprint of what we want our lives to be like. She makes it sound almost believeable. Are her "messages" from the other side true, or are they from evil spirits or something? How can she have this ability? Is it bad to believe anything she says? —Elizabeth

QUESTION: Is there an example in the Bible of someone praying for the salvation of another? If not, does this support that God has already chosen those who will be saved? —Deb

QUESTION: Please, I want to know if speaking in tongues is the only evidence of the Holy Spirit baptism.—Seyi

QUESTION: My question is on the resurrection. My belief was that once a person dies, he is immediatly ushered into the presence of the Lord and that the Old Testament prophets and people were "waiting" until Jesus had been resurrected first before they themselves could be. At least that's what I thought until I read in Luke Abraham was in heaven (the rich man and Lazarus). When a believer in the Old Testament died, did he go to heaven? Of course reading Revelation doesnt help much, it goes on to speak in Revelation 20 that there will be a "thousand years". Does that mean that the martyrs will rise first? Or that they will take part in a more gloriuos resurrection? I know Revelation is full of symbolism but I was hoping you could clarify. —José

QUESTION: We have been attending a Pentecostal Church affiliated with UPCI that believes in the doctrine of Oneness, can you please clarify the true meaning since they say that trinity is not in the Bible. Thank you. —Norman

QUESTION: I struggle with being sterile, so when I am studying the Bible and come across scripture that talks about the barren woman it gets to my core, and I am trying to understand the context of it. Such as when Jesus stated in Luke 23:28: "Fortunate in deed are the women who are childless, the wombs that have not borne a child and the breasts that have never nursed." Being that the Bible refers to children as a blessing from God, I am at a loss.

One other passage that I am confused about but cannot find at the moment, I believe it is in Psalms, but the writer mentions how barren women are pitied and set aside with the poor, etc. Can you tell help me in this area? What did Jesus mean? As I am barren, does that mean I am not blessed and overlooked somehow? Thank you for your help. —Peggy

QUESTION: I have a question about speaking in tongues. I do believe is it something that is still around? How do I deal with others who have this gift? When are you allowed to speak it and not? Can you give me some answers? —Toby

QUESTION: I read one of your answers about a question someone asked about being married through sex. I have heard that if you have sex you become married to that person. Can it be that when you have sex you may be spiritually married? —Andre

QUESTION: My question is: what does the Bible say about cremation? Is it okay for a believer to be cremated? —John

QUESTION: My question comes from Philippians 2:12. Is it possible to work out your soul's salvation? And if it is then what would be the need for Jesus? Also, if that's true then it implies that if we become saved (receive Christ as our savior), then it's possible to lose your salvation, because you haven't behaved/worked it out properly. I don't believe that one can lose their salvation, but am I wrong? Can you lose your salvation, because you're not living the way God would have you live? Help! I'm confused. Thanks. —Elka

QUESTION: I have heard people say that nothing can come into a believer's life unless God allows it. Is this true? If so, where can I look in the Bible to understand this concept? —Colleen

QUESTION: My wife and I are adopting a child; she is six years old and and has been with us since birth. My wife's sister is the biological mother, and we have been waiting for the biological and the alleged father's realease to complete the adoption. My question is: when is the right age to tell my daughter she has been adopted and her aunt is her biological mother? The social worker advised my wife that they start the explanation process at the age of four. I went as far as explaining that we are God's adopted children. Am I going in the right direction with this? —Dan

QUESTION: First of all, should women become pastors, and should a woman pastor recruit other pastors in her church? Second, should a pastor stop being a pastor just because they no longer want to do this? —Judy

QUESTION: In Genesis 9:22, when Ham saw his father's nakedness, what took place there? Some speculate Ham raped his father(or had intercourse with his mother). They base this assertion on the translation of (uncovering thy father's nakedness) found elsewhere in the Bible which usually denotes an incestuous act between the son and his father's wife. —Dwayne

QUESTION: What does the Bible say about smoking and gambling? —Peter

QUESTION: What is the church's possition on oral sex between married couples? Is this wrong? —Vaughn

QUESTION: How much is the correct tithe? Is it on the Gross Income or the Net income? Please advise. —Vera

QUESTION: I heard a preacher say that Christians can be saved, then lost. He said that God can disinherit us because of our behavior. I feel if God can save me and loose me, then it seems like it's up to me to keep me and not the Holy Spirit. My question is, is it true/Biblical that I can be saved and then lost? —Melody

QUESTION: What is the Order of Melchizedek? I keep reading it, but cannot find a definition. Did I miss it somewhere? —Betty

QUESTION: I was told by Pentecostals that in order for you to be saved, you have to be baptized with the Holy Spirit, and speaking in tongues is a must as a sign. I am confused. Could you please explain to me then, if I must speak in tongues and be baptized with the Holy Spirit first to be saved? —Micah

QUESTION: I've been reading about the subject of remarriage in the book A Dictionary of Early Christian Beliefs by David Bercot. Since it's hard to find unanimity among pastors and theologians today, I thought I would check and see what the early churches believed. Unless I've missed something, they taught that one is bond to their spouse for life unless that spouse were to die. Although, on page 555 Tertullian goes on to say; "...that because to a man who had been loosed from a wife prior to his believing [in Christ], his wife will not be counted as a "second wife." Because she is his first wife after his believing."

Has this position on the exception for remarriage ever been reiterated or refuted by anyone else in the early church?
Is this the position the church today should take?
Can God or has God extended his Grace to the Christian believer who today divorces and remarries while proclaiming to be saved?
Do you believe our position on the subject of divorce and remarriage could be biased based on if we have friends, family, neighbors, or church members who we love that have gone through such a trial?
Are we ever going to know the real truth on this subject, or does it really matter?

—Paul

QUESTION: Can you give me a definition to the word anointed? A young woman I am mentoring asked me this question: "If I am on a church ministry team and people on the team are back-slidden, what am I to do?" Is it wrong for me to continue in worship with them? —Anne

QUESTION: Recently, I won some money in Reno, and when we got home, our car broke. I was so devastated, I thought I had money to spend for something I wanted for me. But, I don't want to disappoint God by not being thankful, or by not recognizing that this was a blessing for something unforeseeable to me. Is there a such thing as free money, or is money given by God for specific reasons? Please help me figure this out. —Carol

QUESTION: I want to know if I'm understanding the Bible right. Colossians 1:13-29 says that Jesus has always been, and God hadn't created Him. Is that right? —Jeff

QUESTION: I have a question from 1 Thessalonians 4:4-5 where it says "That every one of you should know how to possess his wife in sanctification and honor; Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God." Does that mean that a single or married couple shouldn't feel lust or passion for each other? What does it mean by sanctification? What kind of things that a married couple do in bed are not sanctified by the Lord? —Amy

QUESTION: A friend of mine says that once a man "knows you" in a sexual way that he is married to you. Is that true? —Sandi

QUESTION: I know you have been asked this question before, but I feel I need a little more clarification on this matter. My question is about the topic "once saved always saved." Does this mean once you accept Jesus as your personal saviour, if you choose to backslide into sin you will still be saved while living a wordly life. —Israel

QUESTION: Why is the fourth commandment (Keeping the Sabbath) generally ignored by Christians when none of the other nine are ever questioned as still in effect for the Church? I know that one is not saved by keeping any of the commandments. It is a gift of grace obtained by faith in Christ Jesus. But I have found much spiritual gain in setting aside a weekly period of 24 hours to obey God's eternal command. —Joe

QUESTION: Can you explain to me Christ's ascension? (Acts 1:9-11) Not so much why He did it, but more so how He did it. Did the apostles witness Christ go through some type of transfiguration or move across some type of ontological/being phenomena in which Luke could at best describe it as Him floating up on a cloud? Or did they literally see Christ step up onto a cloud and float up and away in a fairy-tale sense? I am trying to understand what is going on here and get a sense of what it is they are experiencing. —André

QUESTION: How can we identify a cult and protect our children from being drawn into them? —Ellen

QUESTION: I am a Mormon who has been listening to your series about different religious cults. I was able to listen to the segment on Mormonism and found it very enlightening. My question (and maybe this was explained at the beginning of your teaching series on cults) is: what is the definition of a cult from a religious standpoint? —Deb

QUESTION: I think most Christians know that there is a place of punishment for everyone who does not believe in God. However, I have asked myself if the Scriptures says where that place is; I have read that it exists but it does not specify its location. Not that I want to go there but I am just curious about it. Pastor Fred, if you know of any verses that might say anything regarding the location of hell, please let me know. —Tony

QUESTION: Is it wrong to teach your children to defend themselves? My mother says that, according to the Bible, it is wrong to teach a child to "hit back". —Dee

QUESTION: Hello, I have a really important question. I have been with my boyfriend of four years. When we met we were not Christians and we had sex. Now that we are born-again Christians we are trying to be the best we can. Now I feel like everything is a sin, I feel guilty for the lust I feel for him. I want to know if French Kissing is wrong; is it a sexual immorality? Is holding hands, hugging wrong? We want to be right with God. We are so madly in love with Jesus and we want to be obidient. We want God to bless our relationship and get married in the future. —May

QUESTION: What does the Bible say about being slain in the spirit? They use John 18:6 and Acts 9:4 as references. —Roel

QUESTION: Because born-again Christians are assured of forgiveness of past, present and future sins, should we continually ask for forgiveness each time we come to God to confess our sins? Thank you. —Ray

QUESTION: Dear Pastor Fred, I hope you don't mind receiving this email. I really need some help in knowing how to be a Christian during these recent events. If Christians believe that "God is sovereign in all things," then how can Christians support a war of retribution? —Maria

QUESTION: I have a sister who is interested in majoring in psychology; she does not know if what she was told is true or false. She met somebody who told her that her major relates to witchcraft and it won't be a good career since she is a Christian. Pastor Fred, my knowledge about this specific subject is very limited and I cannot help my sister. Therefore, I turned to you and God because I know that there is an answer for this question. I do not know how much you know about psychology but anything kind of information that psychology is or is not related to witchcraft will be very helpful to me and my sister. —Tony

QUESTION: I am having a conversation with someone who doesn't have a problem with the statement, "Jesus would have sinned apart from the Holy Spirit." He says Jesus "chose" not to succumb to sin. He says temptation would not be temptation if there were not the possibility of its consequence, i.e. acting sinfully. My understanding is that giving Jesus the propensity to be able to sin in any context would deny His deity. In my eyes, this is a misunderstanding of the Godhead and the nature of God. Saying that temptation would not be temptation if there were not the possibility of its consequence could certainly not apply to God, only to humans. You cannot affirm Christ's manhood without recognizing the all encompassing fact that by being God, He cannot violate His own divine attributes. Would you agree with my assessment? —Steve

QUESTION: Do you believe in women preachers or women pastors? —Joseph

QUESTION: I believe that when we accept Christ, we must accept him as Lord and Savior. I know there is a verse that said that even Satan knows that Jesus is the Son of God who died for our sins and rose on the third day. We are require to not only know the truth but make Christ the Lord of our life. Does that mean that I have to worry when I backslide or struggle (like Jonah and Jacob) that maybe I was not truly saved since I do not always put Christ first in my life. Do I have to worry that I did not truly make him Lord of my life? If that is a prerequisite for salvation, does that mean that I am deceiving myself and I am not saved? Didn't Christ say that we would bear fruit if we are truly in him? —Hong

QUESTION: My current question is in regards to predestination. A co-worker believe that the Bible supports the theological position of only those God chooses can accept Christ. Also, they believe that God does not choose everyone to accept Christ. I believe in predestination in terms of "fore-knowledge." One of the web-site I looked into mentioned that they believe that Jesus did not die for everyone. He said that Christ only die for the elect. If you agree with me and believe that we have the responsibility to choose, could you point to scripture that supports that view. —Hong

QUESTION: I believe abortion is bad and I know the Bible condemns such an act, but what about birth control? It prevents a life from even forming but, could it not get in the way of the will of God, if He wants a child to be born? I'm confused.

QUESTION: Is once saved always saved? —Roel

QUESTION: My wife and I have opened our hearts and welcomed in our Lord Jesus Christ. My wife is now more at peace than ever before. However, I can not seem to stop being scared of dying or being without my children and my wife. This fear is causing me tension attacks and back pains. Is this because I have done something wrong or not done something I should have done by now? I pray to our Lord Jesus Christ every night to forgive me for being afraid and to help me with the pains. Please let me know if you can help me. Thank you and God's blessing be with you. —Don

QUESTION: What does a person need to do to be saved or receive eternal life? I am a member of a oneness Pentecostal church and the teaching is that you must be baptized and speak in tongues to be saved! CONFUSED—PLEASE PLEASE EXPLAIN. —Kenneth

QUESTION: I have a question regarding drinking wine: is it sin? I have asked this question to a few pastors and yes, they have had different answers. Some of them have said that is sin and some of them have said that is not. I don't know who is right, even though I know that the Bible is right. —Tony

QUESTION: I am attending a church where speaking in tongues is practiced with interpretation but the church I left no interpretation was given. Several leading Bible teaching, however, say that audible prophetic word is not given today and that tongues is no longer a gift given. What do you think? —Carl

QUESTION: I see so many people getting divorced, even in my church. Some say that they just can't get along anymore. Is divorce wrong, or have I just been taught a legalistic view of what scripture really teaches? —Jim