Good day to all! Sorry for the grammar and this very long thread. I know it's probably too long for many but maybe if someone could help me with a few of these questions.
I hope i'm putting this in the correct forum, if not I do apologize.
I'm in my 30s and have been raised in a Christian family my entire life. I have always believed and prayed to Jesus Christ. However, I have just recently started reading my Bible on a daily basis.
Recently my best friend had a cookout and several of my friends from college and high school attended. I attended a Christian school. My friends girlfriend said she doesn't believe in God. Some people shy'd away from the subject but I was the most vocal in defending my God and my belief.
In all, I felt a little stupid because they kind of teamed up on me and my only defense was what God has done for me and people around me. I couldn't recite any scriptures or anything to defend my Lord.
Why would God let a drunk person kill an innocent person in a car accident?
Why would God allow innocent people to be killed in these masacre's?
Why did He allow those innocent people to lose their limbs in the Boston Bombing?
Why do I have a black friend who's the best person i've ever met and he's lost his sister to hiv, his brother to a bullet?
My friend even said to me, why did you (me) work for a company for 8 years, they wrongfully fired me and I can't find another job. He said to me you have had to sell your tv's, furniture, you've moved into a very small place not on the best side of town. He said, i've saw you putting in applications, going to job fairs, you have a good resume' how come your going through all of this when you did nothing but help others and show up to work everyday.
how can we pray and pray for someone with an illness and they still die?
I was rushed with all these types of questions and to where I know the truth, God has everything happen for a reason, Jesus Christ went through way more than we could ever imagine, God likes to test our faith, etc....None of my answers convinced any of them and I was upset with myself because I couldn't recite anything from the Bible (my lack of knowledge of stories in the Bible).
I'm moreso worried about my best friend, me and him speak daily. He's very involved in his church (teaching Sunday School, God saved him when he became dependent on prescription drugs, etc...). But, now it seems that he's starting to question things. When he started becoming involved with the church he was a new person for God, unfortunately as he's become closer to some preachers and deacons. I think he's saw another side of things. He spoke on how one preacher visited their church and put on all this hoopla. The preacher told showed him he made $800 for that one night. Then my friend saw a guy we went to school with who is preaching. He told him he makes $800 to $4,000 a week speaking at various church's.
My friend is talking about preaching, but I feel its only for the money, he talks about money more than God. He's a very smart guy, once he was salesman at a company making over 100k a year before his addiction. He see's the vunerable people at these church's he attends and i think his idea is to get in their pockets more than to spread the teachings of Jesus Christ. How do I handle this friend? He knows way more than I do about the Bible. He's already spoke on some people getting jealous because he's starting to speak at church. Should I not say anything? i'm confused, I was so happy he changed his life and got in the church but now I think the devil is getting in him.
sorry for all these questions, another thing he is ALWAYS saying. he believes God has blessed all rich people, he always says they must be doing something right and I don't know how to respond to that.
For example there's been a few scandals on some of these megachurch preachers. I'll be saying i don't like how they are always begging for money, driving $250,000 cars, etc... But, my friend says God has blessed them for a reason, if they weren't living right God would've already took their fortune. My response is (i don't know if its right or wrong) but my response is...the devil is currently controlling our land but when Jesus returns many of those people will have their day.
When the Bible says don't judge, I wonder am I wrong for saying this guy in the youtube video is the devil. My friend who's about to start preaching (not his own church but going to various non denomination church's) says creptlo dollar must be doing something right for God to continuously bless him.
warning this video does have a couple of graphic images.
I know my friend who's getting into preaching is going down the wrong road because he's always asking "i wonder how creflo, benny, etc...got those big congregations" "i wonder how they started...they must be making millions a month....God wouldn't bless them like that if they were doing wrong."
I praise Jesus for everything! Thanks for your time, prayers, and help!
I hope i'm putting this in the correct forum, if not I do apologize.
I'm in my 30s and have been raised in a Christian family my entire life. I have always believed and prayed to Jesus Christ. However, I have just recently started reading my Bible on a daily basis.
Recently my best friend had a cookout and several of my friends from college and high school attended. I attended a Christian school. My friends girlfriend said she doesn't believe in God. Some people shy'd away from the subject but I was the most vocal in defending my God and my belief.
In all, I felt a little stupid because they kind of teamed up on me and my only defense was what God has done for me and people around me. I couldn't recite any scriptures or anything to defend my Lord.
Why would God let a drunk person kill an innocent person in a car accident?
Why would God allow innocent people to be killed in these masacre's?
Why did He allow those innocent people to lose their limbs in the Boston Bombing?
Why do I have a black friend who's the best person i've ever met and he's lost his sister to hiv, his brother to a bullet?
My friend even said to me, why did you (me) work for a company for 8 years, they wrongfully fired me and I can't find another job. He said to me you have had to sell your tv's, furniture, you've moved into a very small place not on the best side of town. He said, i've saw you putting in applications, going to job fairs, you have a good resume' how come your going through all of this when you did nothing but help others and show up to work everyday.
how can we pray and pray for someone with an illness and they still die?
I was rushed with all these types of questions and to where I know the truth, God has everything happen for a reason, Jesus Christ went through way more than we could ever imagine, God likes to test our faith, etc....None of my answers convinced any of them and I was upset with myself because I couldn't recite anything from the Bible (my lack of knowledge of stories in the Bible).
I'm moreso worried about my best friend, me and him speak daily. He's very involved in his church (teaching Sunday School, God saved him when he became dependent on prescription drugs, etc...). But, now it seems that he's starting to question things. When he started becoming involved with the church he was a new person for God, unfortunately as he's become closer to some preachers and deacons. I think he's saw another side of things. He spoke on how one preacher visited their church and put on all this hoopla. The preacher told showed him he made $800 for that one night. Then my friend saw a guy we went to school with who is preaching. He told him he makes $800 to $4,000 a week speaking at various church's.
My friend is talking about preaching, but I feel its only for the money, he talks about money more than God. He's a very smart guy, once he was salesman at a company making over 100k a year before his addiction. He see's the vunerable people at these church's he attends and i think his idea is to get in their pockets more than to spread the teachings of Jesus Christ. How do I handle this friend? He knows way more than I do about the Bible. He's already spoke on some people getting jealous because he's starting to speak at church. Should I not say anything? i'm confused, I was so happy he changed his life and got in the church but now I think the devil is getting in him.
sorry for all these questions, another thing he is ALWAYS saying. he believes God has blessed all rich people, he always says they must be doing something right and I don't know how to respond to that.
For example there's been a few scandals on some of these megachurch preachers. I'll be saying i don't like how they are always begging for money, driving $250,000 cars, etc... But, my friend says God has blessed them for a reason, if they weren't living right God would've already took their fortune. My response is (i don't know if its right or wrong) but my response is...the devil is currently controlling our land but when Jesus returns many of those people will have their day.
When the Bible says don't judge, I wonder am I wrong for saying this guy in the youtube video is the devil. My friend who's about to start preaching (not his own church but going to various non denomination church's) says creptlo dollar must be doing something right for God to continuously bless him.
warning this video does have a couple of graphic images.
I know my friend who's getting into preaching is going down the wrong road because he's always asking "i wonder how creflo, benny, etc...got those big congregations" "i wonder how they started...they must be making millions a month....God wouldn't bless them like that if they were doing wrong."
I praise Jesus for everything! Thanks for your time, prayers, and help!