Elias; and others,,Jeremias, or one of the 'prophets’ Now, after two thousand years, it seems that many preachers and teachers don’t yet give a scriptural answer to the question. Why is this?" A. This is an excellent question which goes right to the heart of the Gospel. The people of Israel were slow to believe all that the prophets had spoken. It is indeed tragic that after all these years ministers, those who are liberal or modernistic, still don’t consider this a vital question. They don’t want to conform their thinking to the plain statement of truth. The Lord Jesus Christ didn’t ask for compliments but rather im pressed upon them that they had to be born again. Q. Redding, Calif. — “How can a per son love his enemy?" A. There is a difference between “loving” or “liking” someone in the Lord. This all pretty much depends on our own personalities and circum stances. Loving one’s enemies is cer tainly the Christian way of true Spirit-filled relationships. We are to be an example to others. Ask the Lord to take away any hatred, jeal ousy or other problems between you and another, giving yourself in a Christ-like love to them. Q. Spokane, Wash. — “I heard the remark that there is nothing to in dicate that we are not to probe or to travel into space. What about Psalm 115:16? Are autos a bless ing? I wonder i f some of this prog ress is not of the enemy (Nah. 2:3 & u ) r A. There is nothing in Scripture which would indicate that we are to keep out of space travel and similar probings. Nor is there anything that says we should do this. Of course astronomers have probed space for centuries. God has not only revealed Himself in the Bible, but also in na
ture. Notice the message concerning this in Psalm 19 and Romans 1. All of the celestial creation bespeaks God’s power. Psalm 115:16 doesn’t state that God has relinquished all claim to the earth nor that He has confined us here. If there were true, we could not use airplanes. Whether autos are a blessing or not we would need to know to what use they are being employed. Nahum 2:3 and 4, however, is not a pro phetic reference to cars. The prophet is talking about the Assyrian power. If he had meant autos, what would this passage have meant to people all the way up to the 19th century? Remember, the Bible is not only timeless; it is also timely. Cars can certainly be a blessing. Think of how many people go to Gospel meet ings in autos. Our Biola students, as an example, go to more than 300 churches on their assignments over each weekend. If the vehicle, how ever, were to be used as an arm of Murder, Inc., as an example, the reverse would be true. This is true of almost any invention. Q. Sweet Home, Ore. — “What was the name of the original church which Jesus founded and what is it called today?” A. Keep in mind that our Lord did not have a church or even any or ganization. He was absolutely unique in His methods of presenting His message, yet He is the one central figure in all of the world a n d throughout all of the ages. Churches were founded after our Lord had ascended into heaven. In the book of Acts, we have the names of various churches given the titles of the cities in which they were located, i.e. Thes- salonica, Corinth, Jerusalem, Anti och, etc. No denominational names were attached to the churches. Q. North Bend, Ore. — “/ would like to have your comments on what is meant in one of the prophecies from
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