#STRask

What Tactical Approach Should I Take with Someone Who Says the Trinity Isn’t Biblical?

Questions about a good approach to take with someone who says the Trinity isn’t biblical, how to respond to Jehovah’s Witnesses who say Jesus received authority to forgive sins in Luke 4:18–19, and whether God “was looking for friends to collaborate with on running the world.”

 

• What’s a good tactical approach to take when in conversation with someone who says the Trinity isn’t biblical but was adopted much later in church history?
• How would you respond to Jehovah’s Witnesses who say Jesus didn’t have authority to forgive sins because he was God, but rather he was given that authority as part of his anointing in Luke 4:18–19?
• How would you respond to the claim that “from the beginning of time, God was looking for friends to collaborate with on running the world”?

How Can Those Who Are Happy with the Election Results Show Compassion to Those Who Are Devastated?

Questions about how those who are happy with the election results can show compassion to those who are devastated, navigating a relationship with an adult child who’s angry about the way you voted, and whether there’s more virtue in overcoming sin or not being tempted by it.

 

• How can those who are happy with the election results show compassion to those who are devastated by it, such as those who are gay or trans?
• How do we navigate a relationship with an adult child living at home who is angry with us because of who we voted for and feels the need to pull back from our relationship?
• Would you say there’s more virtue in overcoming stubborn sin after a significant struggle or in never having a struggle with that sin in the first place?

Would the Disciples Die for a Lie If They Believed It Was for the Greater Good?

Questions about whether the disciples would die for a lie if they believed it was for the greater good, how to start a conversation with an Uber customer who’s on his way to a Hindu temple, and what to say to someone who thinks there’s no way to know if God exists.

 

• Would the disciples die for what they knew to be a lie if they believed the lie was essential for persuading the world to morally reform itself for the greater good?
• What would have been a good way to start a conversation with an Uber customer who told me he was on his way to the local Hindu temple?
• What would you say to someone who thinks God is a personal belief in your head and that there’s no way to know if there is a God or not?

Are All Sins Equal to God?

Questions about whether God looks at all sins as being equally severe, how to reconcile Jesus’ statements that judgment will be degreed with the idea that everyone who rejects Christ will spend eternity in Hell, and an objection to Christians warning people about Hell.

 

• Are all sins equal to God—one isn’t more severe than another?
• How can I reconcile Jesus’ statements that judgment will be degreed with the idea that everyone who rejects Christ—from defiant murderer to “moral” secular humanist—will spend eternity in Hell? Wouldn’t that make all judgments equally severe?
• I love a good eternal threat if I don’t agree with how you choose to live your life.

Does the Bible Talk About Not Doing Anything That’s out of God’s Timing?

Questions about what the Bible says about not doing anything that’s out of God’s timing and whether Amos 4:13 and Isaiah 30:21 point to our hearing special messages from God.

 

• Does the Bible talk about not doing anything that’s out of God’s timing?
• Do Amos 4:13 and Isaiah 30:21 point to our hearing special messages from God?

How Should I Pray About Big Decisions If I Can’t Expect a Confirmation from God?

Questions about how we should pray about big decisions if we can’t expect to hear a “yes“ or “no” from God, what Greg means by “listening prayer,” and why he thinks the call of Samuel in 1 Samuel 3 isn’t an example of it.

 

• In light of Greg’s teaching on decision making and the will of God, when I’m making a big decision and I’m told to “pray about it,” what does that mean if I shouldn’t expect to hear a “yes” or “no” from God?
• What do you mean by “listening prayer,” and why do you think the call of Samuel in 1 Samuel 3 isn’t an example of it?

If Immaterial Things Exist, What Are the Laws of the Immaterial?

Questions about what the laws of the immaterial are if immaterial things exist and how to use the third Columbo question in the Tactics material.

 

• If immaterial things exist, what are the laws of the immaterial, and where are they?
• How do you use the third Columbo question in the Tactics material?

Do Jesus’ Words Take Precedence over Everything Else in Scripture?

Questions about how to respond to friends who say that Jesus’ words take precedence over everything else in Scripture and anything he didn’t speak on isn’t worth discussion, what to do with the Old Testament, and how to tell which of its promises are for us.

 

• How should I respond to friends who say that Scripture is all true but Jesus’ words take precedence over the rest, and that anything he didn’t speak on isn’t worth discussion?
• If the Old Testament isn’t written to us, what do we do with it? Why use it? Are any of the promises of the Old Testament for us, and if so, how can you tell the difference?

What Words of Encouragement Would You Give to Men in Prison Who Love the Lord?

Question about what words of encouragement Greg and Amy would give to men in prison who love the Lord.

 

• I go into prison as an outreach of my church. What words of encouragement would you give “my men” in prison who love the Lord?

How Can So Many Professing Christians Support Things That Are Anti-Christian?

Questions about how so many professing Christians can support things that are anti-Christian, such as LGBTQ issues and abortion on demand, and how to work with Christians who have views that seem to contradict things stated in the Bible.

 

• How can so many professing Christians support things that are clearly anti-Christian, such as LGBTQ issues and abortion on demand? Are they really believers?
• How do you work with Christians who have views that oppose the Christian faith and seem to contradict things stated in the Bible, especially if they are close friends?