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• Save the Date: Remnant Conference

• Shows This Week: How 1776 Changed the World: Interview with Andrew Wilson | Deliverance & Discipleship: A Balanced Pair

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• Your Questions Answered

• Last Week’s Shows: What Makes the Church “The Church”? #Ecclesiology | Solar Eclipses & The Bible: Review of Jim Staley Prophecy for April 8, 2024 Solar Eclipse

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SAVE THE DATE:

Mark your calendars for October 3 to 5 for the Remnant Conference: Growing in the Gifts. We’ll gather at WoodsEdge Community Church in Houston, TX for three days of training and equipping in the Gifts of the Spirit.

More details to come!

SHOWS THIS WEEK:

Tune in to The Remnant Radio this week on Monday and Wednesday at 4:00 p.m. CDT / UTC-5 and connect with fellow fans in the chat!

Deliverance & Discipleship: A Balanced Pair

On Wednesday, we'll examine the relationship between deliverance and discipleship in the Christian walk.

We'll explore the contrast between the instantaneous nature of deliverance and the gradual journey of sanctification. How do these two aspects intertwine? Can an over-focus on one hinder the other? Also, we'll ask what does an ideal vision for integration between the two look like? How can churches maximize both for greater Christian development?

Join us Wednesday, April 10 to uncover the delicate balance between the two, better understanding the crucial role of both in our spiritual growth and development.

PATREON:

ASK YOUR QUESTIONS:

Have a theology question? Drop it here. While we can't guarantee we'll tackle every question, we'll dive into a couple each week. So, fire away and let's explore together!

Question from Anja in South Africa: Why was God mad at Job for his questions and complaining but not mad at David for some of his Psalms? I would like to understand the difference so that I can lament honestly but not in a way that is dishonorable toward God.

Answer: There is a world of difference between complaining about God and complaining to Him. Complaining about God condemns Him to justify ourselves—like Job (Job 40:8). Complaining to God—even if it is a complaint about His perceived inaction—lays open our hearts before the only One who can comfort them. Lament Psalms, by their very structure, show us how to complain to God the right way. First, we complain. We don’t pretend all is well when it is not. God would rather hear from the “real me” than the “me” I think I should be. Second, we petition. We ask God to do something about our problem. This petition might be intermixed with some sort of affirmation—almost like a pep-talk for the soul—that God is not as absent as He seems. Finally, we praise. We praise Him for His past interventions; we praise Him in faith for a future intervention. These second and third elements of the Lament Psalms reveal a heart that is coming to God with our complaints rather than condemning Him by our complaints. We are not like a spouse leaving a "Dear John" letter with a list of grievances; instead, we are like a child who scream-cries over a scraped knee. No good parent would reject this.

Question from Cody in Michigan: Can you let us know your thoughts on anointing oil for household use? Is there an authority/leader aspect to the usage of anointing oil for healing even though we're all supposed to pray?

Secondly, would your answer change at all if anointing with oil isn't being done in one's church? I go to a charismatic church, but perhaps due to size, I don't think we do much baduk-ing (oil glugging sound). Could it be a good practice in a small group-type setting? Also, it seems as though James 5 could be referring to the "very sick" as the sick person needs to call upon the elders to come to him or her. Would you agree or do you think that's taking the Text too far?

Answer: When James 5:14 mentions elders praying with oil for the sick, the passage does not limit praying for the sick to leaders. In fact, James 5:16 exhorts the whole church to "confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed." Since praying for the sick is not limited to leaders, neither should we limit oil-usage to leaders. In context, James probably expects the church to use oil in prayer, but he certainly doesn't forbid it.

So why does the passage mention elders? Not because they have a special healing anointing relative to others (cf. 1 Cor. 12:9) but because they are shepherds. Good shepherds care about the health of their sheep. Good elders care about the physical health of God's people. Overall, James 5 conveys that God designed the church to be a healing community. Just as the human body heals itself, the body of Christ heals itself—by the power of the Spirit, through faithful shepherds, through confession, through prayer, and yes, through anointing with oil.

In Mark 6:13, the disciples used oil out on the mission field, so I would not limit its usage to the Sunday church gathering. I think it's perfectly fair to use it in household settings like you described. Personally, I carry oil with me everywhere I go. You never know when someone might need a good "baduk" with oil for healing!

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