20 Questions with Pastor Mike (Episode 5)

Personal testimony: as a teenager Mike was told he was not saved because he had not spoken in tongues

Opening introduction before answering the first question about tongues and salvation

Declaring tongues required for salvation is spiritually abusive and demands repentance

Mike's moral and pastoral assessment before turning to the biblical argument

The case for tongues-required-for-salvation rests on a few Acts passages used without context

Beginning the biblical refutation of the tongues-salvation link

Acts 2 — the inauguration of the Holy Spirit: all present spoke in tongues

First of three Acts passages cited by tongues-required proponents

Acts 10 — Cornelius and the Gentiles speak in tongues

Second Acts passage cited by tongues-required proponents

Acts 19 — group that had not heard of the Holy Spirit is baptized and speaks in tongues

Third Acts passage cited by tongues-required proponents

The absence of a universal prescriptive statement is the key problem with the tongues-salvation argument

Mike's core logical point about what Scripture would need to say to support the tongues-salvation requirement

Acts 2 purpose: inauguration of the new covenant Spirit; Acts 10 purpose: extending that work to Gentiles

Mike's theological interpretation of the Acts tongues episodes

1 Corinthians 14:5 — Paul wishes all spoke in tongues, implying not everyone does

First Corinthians passage introduced as evidence against the tongues-salvation requirement

1 Corinthians 12:30 — rhetorical questions imply not all speak in tongues

Second and final Corinthians passage used to refute tongues-salvation requirement

Critique of Bethel/Bill Johnson teaching that everyone works miracles and is a prophet

Application of the 1 Corinthians 12 argument against charismatic excess

Summary: the three Acts tongues episodes demonstrate the Spirit's work in different stages, not universal salvation proof

Summation of the main argument against tongues-required-for-salvation

Assurance of salvation comes from 1 John and James, not from speaking in tongues

Positive alternative answer to what Scripture says proves salvation

Jesus never spoke in tongues — reductio ad absurdum against the tongues-salvation requirement

Final closing argument in the tongues-salvation section

Traditions can masquerade as pure biblical faith; willingness to change one's mind is essential

Closing reflection on how unbiblical traditions take hold in communities

Question: Does Scripture authorize only one physical cup during the Lord's Supper?

Q&A question from Andrej about eucharistic practice

The one cup of communion is conceptual, not physical — referring to the blood of Christ

Resolution of the one-cup communion question

The Book of 1 Enoch: not Scripture, though it may contain an accurate early portion quoted in Jude

Q&A question from S. M. Hart about the canonical status of 1 Enoch

Jesus affirmed the Hebrew canon (Law, Prophets, Writings) — which excludes 1 Enoch and the Apocrypha

Supporting argument for 1 Enoch's non-canonical status

Global flood traditions across disconnected cultures support the historicity of a major flood event

Q&A question from Lindsay Pinkert about helping a friend who doubts biblical historical accuracy (flood and Exodus)

The global vs. humanity-wide flood debate is an active exegetical question, not just a science vs. Bible debate

Nuance added to the flood discussion

Dr. Titus Kennedy's archaeological research supports the historicity of the Exodus

Recommended resource for the Exodus historicity discussion

Scholarly assumption of a late Exodus date (~1100 BC) obscures available evidence; biblical date (~1400 BC) has stronger support

Explaining why Exodus evidence has been underappreciated

Parable of the Talents: the main point is investing what God has given you for his kingdom

Q&A from Faded Princess about the Parable of the Talents and discerning spiritual gifts

Spiritual gifts are discerned by what you are good at, not merely what excites you

Second part of Faded Princess's question about how to identify one's gifts

Discovering gifts requires doing everything first and then observing where you excel

Practical application of gift discernment

Lutheran church: internal struggle between biblical faithfulness and progressive drift

Q&A from Peter Williams about the Lutheran Church, liturgy, and the gospel

Calvary Chapel's informal warehouse-church aesthetic is itself a tradition, not an inherently superior form

Mike's reflection on his Calvary Chapel upbringing and liturgy

Liturgy is not inherently a hindrance; the theology beneath it is the critical question

Conclusion on the liturgy question

1 Thessalonians 5:23 — Paul mentions spirit, soul, and body as distinct aspects of the human person

Q&A from Noah Bramble about the trichotomy of human nature

In Scripture spirit and soul are sometimes used interchangeably but retain some distinction

Attempting to differentiate spirit and soul

The soul may relate to the emotional/intellectual center — Davidic Psalms and soul language

Further speculation on the distinction between soul and spirit

Proverbs 18:21 — death and life in the power of the tongue; verses 20-21 are a unit

Q&A from Noah Lavell Martinez about the word-faith misuse of Proverbs 18:21

Proverbs 18:21 teaches the practical real-world consequences of speech, not speaking things into existence

Interpretation of Proverbs 18:21

James 3 on the tongue: words start fires — practical impact, not metaphysical creation

Cross-reference used to support the interpretation of Proverbs 18:21

Confessing Christ is the ultimate expression of life and death in the power of the tongue

Theological application of Proverbs 18:21

Hebrews 1:1-2 — God created the world "through" his Son: economic Trinity and the agency of the Son in creation

Q&A from Ed Jacobson about the meaning of "through" in Hebrews 1:2

Symmetry of creation and salvation: both occur through the Son

Theological reflection on Hebrews 1:2 and its implications

John 1 — the Logos made all things; parallel to Genesis 1 and Hebrews 1

Cross-reference supporting the creation-through-Son theology

Knowing the Holy Spirit: the Spirit's leading will always be consistent with Scripture

Q&A from Tia Jane about having a relationship with the Holy Spirit beyond gifts

Track record in discerning Spirit leading is a practical check

Additional criteria for discerning Holy Spirit leading

Romans 8 on the Spirit crying Abba Father: relationship with the Spirit unrelated to miraculous gifts

Resource recommendation for the relational aspect of the Holy Spirit

Attending a same-sex wedding generally expresses affirmation, not merely love — Christians should decline

Q&A from Joel Holmberg about attending a same-sex wedding

1 John 4 on love and assurance: knowing and believing God's love is the foundation for freedom from fear about the afterlife

Q&A from Taste Remains about anxiety regarding the afterlife and assurance of salvation

1 John 4:17-18 — perfect love casts out fear; God's love applied to judgment produces confidence

Continuing the 1 John 4 reading and application

1 John 3:19-20 — God is greater than our condemning heart and knows everything

Additional passage addressing the fear and self-condemnation of the questioner

Anxiety about the afterlife hinders prayer and joy; confidence before God enables effective prayer

Pastoral application of the 1 John 3 text

Presuppositional apologetics debate: Mike rejects the claim that evidential apologists need shared worldview common ground

Q&A from Daniel C about whether neutral or common ground exists in apologetics

Presuppositional apologetics requires assuming Christianity true rather than proving it — Mike disagrees

Specific critique of presuppositionalism

Christians playing RPG video games: Romans 14 gives space for different convictions

Q&A from Gwen Gazette about RPGs and fantasy magic in video games

Video game content issues: overconsumption/obsession is a separate concern from content itself

Principles for evaluating video game engagement

Sexual content in any media is a hard redline for Christians; violence is treated differently in Scripture

Distinguishing sexual content from violent content in media evaluation

Fantasy magic vs. actual witchcraft: the distinction matters for whether a video game element is spiritually dangerous

Applying principles to the specific RPG magic question

Two problematic extremes: hyper-strict rules and almost no rules about entertainment — both are spiritually dangerous

Summation of the video game and entertainment ethics discussion

Mike's personal experience of what he believes was genuine speaking in tongues during times of hardship

Anecdotal response to a question about scientific evidence for tongues

Luke 22:36 — "sell your cloak and buy a sword": Jesus wanted the disciples armed for personal protection in Gethsemane

Q&A from Micah about the meaning of Jesus's command to buy a sword

Peter using the sword in Gethsemane: Jesus stopped him — sword was for deterrence, not offensive action

Interpreting the immediate context of Luke 22:36

Christians may use lethal force in self-defense but not premeditated violence; Christian pacifism is mistaken

Applying the Luke 22:36 principle to the Christian ethics of self-defense

Fasting: the question is better framed as "is it good?" rather than "must I?"

Q&A from Sweet Eats 2 about whether Christians should fast

Fasting's primary purpose is denying the flesh and gaining mastery over physical desires, not achieving spiritual mountaintop experiences

Correcting a common misunderstanding about fasting

Fasting creates additional prayer time and a spiritually focused mindset

Additional practical benefits of fasting

Scripture assumes fasting is part of normal Christian life without mandating specific schedules; fasting for a single meal is valid

Scope and flexibility of fasting

Exodus 7: Pharaoh's magicians reproduced some of Moses's signs — two possible explanations: sleight of hand or demonic power

Q&A from Garrett De Jong about how the magicians duplicated the signs

Pharaoh's magicians' inferior reproductions reveal lesser power than Moses — turning fresh water to blood instead of reversing the Nile

Evidence that the magicians operated with limited power

Response to the charge that the church is a bloody, evil institution: distinguish Christ from institutional church history

Q&A from Connor Robinson about the church's violent history as an apologetic challenge

Jesus's letters to the seven churches in Revelation show the visible church often fails to represent Christ

Biblical support for why church failures do not disprove Christianity

Parable of the Wheat and Tares explains the presence of ungodly people within the visible church

Second biblical resource for answering the bloody-church-history objection

The Crusades: more defensible than popular narrative but also included real atrocities including use of child soldiers

Specific application of the church-history response to the Crusades

Upcoming Monday teaching: the strongest word-of-faith passage in Mark — assessing Kenneth Copeland's claims about faith and prayer

Preview of next teaching in the Mark series