Questions & Answers 3065

Why do God's children suffer? Is it for their edification or could it be that they lack faith in God? Well, stay with us and find out.
Guest (Male): You're listening to the Question and Answer program, just one of the ministries of the Through the Bible Radio Network with our teacher Dr. J. Vernon McGee. Let's get to our first question, which comes from a listener in Champaign, Illinois. She writes, "Could you please explain the difference between the gospel of the kingdom and the gospel of Christ?"
Dr. J. Vernon McGee: The gospel of the kingdom is the preaching of John the Baptist. He began by preaching, "Behold the kingdom of heaven is at hand." That's the gospel of the kingdom. We do not preach that gospel today. The Lord Jesus preached it when he first began. Then he sent his disciples out and he said, "Go to the lost sheep of the tribes of Israel and preach to them the kingdom of heaven is at hand." These men went out and preached that, but the day came when they changed. After his death and resurrection, now he says, "Don't go just to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." He says, "Go now to the world." And the world is the gospel of Christ that's to be preached. Paul mentions it in Romans 15:19 where he said that I've preached the gospel of Christ. Well, read his epistles. That's the gospel that he preached. He preached the death and resurrection of Christ and he says that the gospel is simply that. He wrote to the Corinthians and said, "I delivered unto you first of all the gospel." And he says, "This is the gospel I preached. It's the one that you believed in. It's the one that saved you." Well, what is it, Paul? Well, that Christ died for our sins according to the scripture, that he was buried and rose again the third day according to the scriptures. Now that's the gospel. It's nothing but the gospel and nothing else is the gospel. Paul says that even if an angel from heaven appears to you and preaches any other gospel, Paul said, "Let him be," and he used a pretty strong term. I'll just say let him be condemned. There's only one gospel that we're to preach today. Now we do not preach the gospel of the kingdom. I wish we could get that through today to a great many that are talking about the gospel of the kingdom. We do not preach the gospel. The gospel of the kingdom is "Behold the kingdom of heaven is at hand." The day is coming after the church is taken out of this world when that gospel of the kingdom is going to go forth again, because he's going to be coming shortly after the announcement is being made. Somebody says, "Well, maybe there's some people today that are preaching the gospel of the kingdom and they've got some inside information and maybe he's going to be coming in the next two or three years." Well, the only thing is that some of them been preaching it since 1915, the gospel of the kingdom, and friends, he hasn't arrived yet. So I think maybe they ought to take that record off and put the record on of the gospel of the grace of God and the gospel of Christ, the gospel that saves men and women. That's the gospel that's important for us to preach today.
Guest (Male): Our next question comes to us from a listener in Hemet, California who writes, "John chapter 13, verse 14 says: 'You also ought to wash one another's feet.' Why do so few practice this ordinance? Was it only for the early church?"
Dr. J. Vernon McGee: I have a book on the subject of "Is Jesus Still in the Foot Washing Business?" I had no objection to those who practice the physical act of washing feet and consider it a sacrament or at least part of the sacrament of the Lord's Supper. I see nothing actually wrong with that whatsoever. But very candidly, I think there is a spiritual meaning there. My understanding of the washing of the disciples' feet was on the part of Christ as something that John makes very clear at the beginning of the chapter. What he did, he did because he was going to the Father. In other words, what he did down here he would be practicing up there. And I think Jesus is still in the foot washing business. He said to Peter, "If I don't wash you, you have no part with me." We're not talking about salvation there; these men were already his. They could lose their fellowship with him and that's what he's talking about. Now we're told that if we confess our sins, he is faithful—that is, Jesus is—he's faithful to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us. Now he today forgives us. Now what are we to do? We're to do the same thing. And what is that? You also ought to wash one another's feet. You ought to forgive your brother.
Guest (Male): Dr. McGee mentioned his booklet "Is Jesus Still in the Foot Washing Business?" and unfortunately that booklet's no longer available. However, we do have Dr. McGee's sermon on CD by the same title. The title again is "Is Jesus Still in the Foot Washing Business?" Turning back to our questions, we come to this one from a listener in Gary, New York. He says, "Please explain what spiritual value fasting has and is it necessary?"
Dr. J. Vernon McGee: Let me say first of all whether you fast or whether you don't fast, that has nothing in the world to you being a complete Christian. I think that probably that there's one passage of scripture I ought to call your attention to in this connection and it's in the second chapter of the book of Mark, the Gospel of Mark, second chapter. And we read beginning at verse 18: "And the disciples of John and of the Pharisees used to fast: and they come and say unto him," that is to Jesus, "Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but thy disciples fast not? And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them? as long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days." Now I think this passage helps put in perspective here the place of fasting today in the life of a Christian. You find that back in the Old Testament, God gave seven feast days, but he never did give a fast day. And yet we're told time and again that in time of great difficulty, or the time of a great crisis, or the time of a great failure on the part of the nation or on the part of an individual, that they fasted. And it's recorded in the Word of God and it is not rebuked, nor is it actually approved, but the very fact it's recorded and in the way it's recorded, you would say that it was acceptable. It certainly did reveal an attitude of repentance and of change and certainly it revealed they meant business with God. Now when you come to the New Testament, you wouldn't find that they have fasting. Since it's not given in the Old Testament at all and certainly they were under law and if there'd been necessary for a law for it, it'd been given, but it was not given. And in the New Testament under grace, then fasting certainly is never commanded. The Lord Jesus here has called his attention—which he already knew—that the Pharisees fasted and the disciples of John who were Old Testament, they fasted also. And his disciples did not fast at all. And they were puzzled by that strange conduct—that is, they thought it was strange that his disciples did not fast. And that I think reveals several things. It reveals that fasting is not something that is essential. It's not something that's required of you. And evidently the Pharisees put it on as just a regular ritual; it was just part of being a Pharisee. And now the disciples of John, and John was an Old Testament prophet, they followed through by fasting; it had been a custom. Now the Lord Jesus then puts it in correct perspective for today. He says the reason my disciples are not fasting, it doesn't have any part at all: I'm with them. Now I'm going to leave and there're going to days come when they're going to fast. And fasting is for, I think, a time of great need, a time of crisis, a time of great failure. I think that reveals on the part of the individual a necessity to turn to God. And then fasting is good for you, I mean actually physically it's good for you. Most of these diets that they have today have in it a time of fasting. Sometimes it's one meal, sometimes two, sometimes three meals in a day and it's part of the ritual of fasting. And again may I say to you that is being done not because God commands it but because your body probably needs it and it has a place there. But let's not put it in as a ritual because it never was that in the Old Testament, and yet the Pharisees had put it in and even the disciples of John.
Guest (Male): Our next question comes to us from a listener in St. Clair, Michigan. She writes, "I've heard one minister indicate that we are living in the last days and all of the things that are happening are signs of the last days. Do you think that many things are the signs of the last days and that we are living in them? And what happens to children during the rapture?"
Dr. J. Vernon McGee: First of all, let me say that I do not believe that there are any signs that are given to the church that would indicate to the church that the Lord Jesus would be coming in a prescribed period of time to take his church out of the world. I think that is imminent and therefore we're not waiting for signs to appear or certain things to be accomplished. We are not so much looking for him as listening for the shout. We're looking for that blessed hope and glorious appearing, but we're told the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout. And I think we're going to hear something before we see something. And therefore that is the concern and interest of the believer. And to become so much wrapped up in signs today and things happening in the world, it takes our eyes off of looking for Christ and it puts them on these things and generally gives an abnormal interest in them and builds up today a tremendous reservoir of signs and we hear so much about them. Now you say to me, "Don't you believe in signs?" I certainly do believe that there are signs for the coming of Christ to the earth to establish his kingdom. I believe that the tribulation period will precede that. The Lord Jesus said that in the Olivet Discourse. They asked him three questions: "What is the sign that is when these things shall come to pass?" and that's been fulfilled. Then they said, "What is the sign of your coming and what is the sign of the end of the age?" And he gave them the sign to the end of the age first and of his coming to the earth to establish his kingdom. Now those signs are not for the church today. We're not looking for Antichrist, we're looking for Christ. Now the interesting thing is when you say these things that are happening today in the world are signs, we are seeing today the setting of a stage. And I do believe that we are near the end of the age. How near I'm not prepared to say. World events are taking place in such a tremendous rapidity that they never happened quite this way before. As someone has said that from '60 to '70—that is 1960 to 1970—more things took place in that brief period of time than took place beginning with 1900 to 1960. So we're beginning to see the increased momentum of great catastrophes and great world-shaking events. Therefore we believe that all of this indicates we're moving toward the end and it's just the setting of a stage. But to say that any one of them is a fulfillment of prophecy and that it's a sign that the Lord will be here tomorrow or next day, no, I don't think we can go that route. Now this party says I also have a profound question. Well, I think the one you've asked is certainly the profound question. And this party says, "And I'm very confused about this question in my mind. What happens to the children of believers during the rapture? Is the rapture just for believers or does it include their children also? What about the children of non-believers?" Well, may I say to you the scripture certainly is not clear at this point. And when I say clear, it's not dealt with. Therefore, I think that we have to use our judgment here and may I say that that's all I have to go by here. I believe that the children of believers are all going to go up in the rapture. I think that will be true. I can't see that it could be otherwise. Take here is a very godly woman and she is eight months pregnant with a child. Not even the most rabid abortionist today are going to contend that that's not a real person that's there. Well, I believe that at the rapture the mother goes and the child goes also. And just because she hasn't given birth to the child is not the reason that the child would go, but the fact that it is a child of a believer. And I think that would apply to the others. Now I'm not as clear about the children of unbelievers. I rather fear that they do not, but don't take my word for it because I don't know. But I feel rather confident about the children of believers. I believe they will go at the time of the rapture.
Guest (Male): Finishing out today's program, we come to this question from a listener in Pasadena, California. She writes, "Could you please discuss the issue that when Christians suffer, have difficulties or problems, there seems to be an attitude that these Christians have a lack of faith. This thinking seems to go against the testimony of many of God's people in both the Old and New Testaments."
Dr. J. Vernon McGee: I thoroughly appreciate what you're writing about and I do not mind answering that because you can put it in the form of a question: Is it true that trouble comes and suffering comes to individuals just because they have sinned or that it's come to them because of the fact they don't have enough faith? May I say to you that I think that's one of the cruelest things to say today to so many dear, wonderful saints that are right now on beds of pain and of sickness and have not been healed and have suffered. I know so many that are like that right now today and I've known them in the past that spent so much time, whereas some godless person is in health and you do wonder about that. Now first of all let me say that God's children do suffer. I have a little book and the title of it is "Why Do God's Children Suffer?" And if you're interested in that, it's just one message and we deal with this thing today. And I think in that book that I list at least seven different reasons why God's children suffer. Now it is true that suffering and pain and trouble come sometimes because of sin, but that's not the only explanation at all. Sometimes it is permitted that God lets somebody else do you in, as it were. Why does God put certain people across your pathway that causes you trouble? Well, God today I think lets it happen to us because the Word of God makes it very clear that suffering is one of the means that God uses. It's one of the tools that he uses to develop in us Christian character and some of the graces of the Holy Spirit. Now patience is one of the fruit of the spirit and that only comes to us by trouble, by testing. And God today permits trouble to come to us because of that. I'd like to just give you one or two verses. I had thought maybe I'd go into that in more detail, but I can't do that, but let me just pass this on to you. In chapter four of 1 Peter at verse 12, it says, "Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye." And then he says verse 15, he says, "But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters. Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf. For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator." Now it's cruel today to say to a person, "Well, you'd just be healed if you had enough faith." That's not it, my friend. God may be letting that dear saint develop something in that character that'll never be in your character or mine and it's quite interesting today that there's no revival in this country at all. Yet there's never been a time when there're so many people hearing the Word of God as they are today in this land of ours. These great churches, many of them are known as Bible-teaching churches. But no revival, no spiritual life, lot of excitement, a lot of interest, a lot of activity going on, but no revival, no real deep working of the spirit. Well, where is the Spirit of God working today? Did you know there's been a revival down in South America and where they had this earthquake in Guatemala, I'm told by certain missionaries and we broadcast in that area and they say there's been a real turning to God today and that as a result there's been a deepening of the spiritual life. And in Russia today, and we get some wonderful letters from South Africa and from Kenya and from Swaziland and from those countries down there. May I say to you friends that God is developing Christian character in other places, but he doesn't seem to be doing it in America today. We have an affluent society and we do not know what it is to really suffer. And you hear a great many people complaining about their problems and all of that and there're all kinds of books out today to help you with your hurts and with your problems and with your suffering and that, and that's all good, that's fine and well enough, but what most people have today, they're not hurting, they're itching. They've just got an itch. They want something new, different, and all of that. God uses this and it's cruel to tell people that if they just have enough faith and if they would just turn to a certain individual and listen to him, that everything would go right. In fact, they are saying today that you'd be a financial success. That's not true, friends. The Word of God does not teach that at all. The Lord Jesus Christ said that a certain man had built bigger barns, he was a rich man and he said that man, because he didn't think about things spiritual, was a fool for that. Well, just to be successful and be healthy doesn't mean that you just happen to be in the will of God. You may be a fool, my friend, and we need to recognize that.
Guest (Male): With that answer, we come to the close of today's program. We hope that these subjects have sparked your interest in digging a little deeper for yourself into the Word of God. To help you in your studies, we have a number of resources by Dr. McGee, so why don't you contact us today and request our resource catalog. And when you call, be sure to include your name, address, and the call letters of this station. Now this week, we continue Dr. McGee's five-year study through the whole Word of God, book by book and chapter by chapter, so be sure to join us every Monday through Friday on this station. Now to be added to our mailing list for notes and outlines or to ask for the catalog, call 1-800-65-BIBLE or write to Questions and Answers. In the U.S., Box 7100, Pasadena, California, 91109. In Canada, Box 25325, London, Ontario, N6C 6B1. You can also find these items by going to our website at ttb.org. Now don't forget to follow us on Facebook and Twitter for updates on the ongoing work of this ministry. And if you have an iPhone or iPad, you can go to the App Store and download a special Through the Bible application that will reside right on your device. Now until this same time next week, we pray that our God will answer all your questions and solve all your problems. This program has been brought to you by the faithful friends and supporters of the worldwide ministry of Through the Bible Radio Network.