Episode 516 Show Notes
From the Show
Something we do, and we’re very open about in our church, is that we let members know that we have registered sex offenders in our church and who they are. And the people who are registered sex offenders, they know that we are open and transparent about this. Now, that might sound like, wow, is that going over the top? Are we not resting in the free forgiveness that we have in Jesus and the implications of that? Well, no, we are, and part of what we say is look, the gospel is strong enough to create a beautiful and diverse community of sinners.
Ordinarily, you would not ever expect these two groups of people to be worshipping in the same room, and yet, the gospel of Jesus is powerful enough to bring us together and we can know each other truly. We don’t have to hide the fact that we are broken or that we have these terrible pasts. What binds us together in love is not that we are perfect and sinless, but that Jesus has united us together despite the fact that we’re all sinners.
–Adriel Sanchez
Questions in this Episode
1. Is it God’s will for His saints to be poor, or to live paycheck to paycheck? I felt God lead me to go back to school since I lost my job during the COVID shutdown. I don’t feel that God wants me to work and go to school full-time on top of caring for my family, but my husband only makes enough money to cover our very basic needs. Should I get a job even though I don’t feel like that’s what God is telling me to do, or is it God’s will for my husband to make more money?
2. I have a friend who is really into the affirmation cards. It seems like a New Age belief. They are a Christian, but I’m not really sure how to talk to them about that. Do you have any Bible expertise or guidance on the topic of affirmations?
3. I am a social worker working in child protection, and I also work in my local church as their safeguarding advisor. Sometimes we have people attend the church who have historical offenses against children or vulnerable adults. While we encourage them to be part of the church, they are not allowed to take on positions of responsibility or work in parts of the ministry where they would come in to contact with children or vulnerable groups. This often causes a lot of tension as they feel that they are a new creation and should not be judged on their past sins. Am I correct in insisting that they do not take on these roles, or am I going against God’s will and what forgiveness really means?
4. My five-year-old daughter asked me, “How was the Serpent able to enter the Garden of Eden if it was for perfect creatures like our first parents? Was the garden of Eden only for sinless creatures?”How can I help explain this to her?
Resources
Have you experienced or witnessed abuse and looking for guidance? Check out G.R.A.C.E. (Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment)
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