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All (2527) Mike Winger (2527)
Mike Winger idea 2020-09-25

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

Christian ethics video games witchcraft
Mike Winger idea 2020-09-25

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

discernment Christian liberty Christian ethics
Mike Winger idea 2020-09-25

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

personal testimony speaking in tongues gifts of the Spirit
Mike Winger idea 2020-09-25

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

Luke 22:36 Christian ethics Gethsemane Luke 22:36
Mike Winger idea 2020-09-25

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

Interpreting the immediate context of Luke 22:36

Luke 22:36 Peter Gethsemane Luke 22:36
Mike Winger idea 2020-09-25

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

Luke 22:36 Christian ethics martyrdom Luke 22:36
Mike Winger idea 2020-09-25

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

Christian ethics spiritual disciplines fasting
Mike Winger idea 2020-09-25

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

spiritual disciplines self-denial fasting
Mike Winger idea 2020-09-25

Fasting creates additional prayer time and a spiritually focused mindset

Additional practical benefits of fasting

prayer spiritual disciplines fasting
Mike Winger idea 2020-09-25

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

spiritual disciplines fasting
Mike Winger idea 2020-09-25

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

Exodus 7 Satan Exodus 7 Pharaoh's magicians
Mike Winger idea 2020-09-25

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

Exodus 7 Exodus 7 Pharaoh's magicians demonic power
Mike Winger idea 2020-09-25

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

church history apologetics Jesus
Mike Winger idea 2020-09-25

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

Revelation 2-3 church history Revelation 2-3 seven churches of Revelation
Mike Winger idea 2020-09-25

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

Matthew 13 church history visible vs invisible church Parable of the Wheat and Tares
Mike Winger idea 2020-09-25

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

church history apologetics Christianity and violence
Mike Winger idea 2020-09-25

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

Mark (gospel) prayer Kenneth Copeland faith
Mike Winger idea 2020-10-02

Christians are not required to tithe (give 10%), but are absolutely required to give generously

Opening question from Facebook: are Christians supposed to tithe?

tithing New Testament ethics Christian giving
Mike Winger idea 2020-10-02

Malachi 3:8 is the most-cited pro-tithe verse but is addressed to the nation of Israel under the Mosaic law, not to Christians

Examining the primary Old Testament tithing passage used to support Christian tithing

Malachi 3:8 Malachi 3:10 hermeneutics tithing Malachi 3:8
Mike Winger idea 2020-10-02

The Malachi tithe rebuke also includes offerings (firstborn animals), which modern tithe-preachers ignore — revealing selective application

Expanding the argument that the Malachi tithe command is being applied inconsistently

Malachi 3:8 hermeneutics tithing Malachi 3:8
Mike Winger idea 2020-10-02

In the Old Testament law the tithe went to Levites and priests, not to local pastors — so enforcing a 10% tithe should logically send money to Jewish Levites

Continuing the argument against applying the Malachi tithe to modern churches

hermeneutics tithing Levites
Mike Winger idea 2020-10-02

Jesus mentions tithing twice but always speaking to Jews under the law; this cannot be extended to Gentile Christians

Surveying New Testament evidence for tithing

tithing New Testament ethics Mosaic Law applicability
Mike Winger idea 2020-10-02

New Testament giving priorities: the poor, the persecuted church, local ministers, and generosity as lifestyle — not limited to 10%

Constructive answer on what Christian giving should look like without a tithe mandate

James 1 Corinthians 9 James 1 Corinthians 9 Christian giving
Mike Winger idea 2020-10-02

Christians have a biblical duty to protect others — pacifism taken to its logical extreme is evil

Question from Spazzy Jazzy about the extent to which Christians should protect and retaliate against abuse

violence Old Testament ethics self-defense
Mike Winger idea 2020-10-02

Old Testament law: killing in self-defense carried no penalty, establishing self-defense as a legitimate moral category

Biblical grounding for self-defense

Mosaic Law self-defense homicide law
Mike Winger idea 2020-10-02

Jesus commanded disciples to carry swords before his betrayal, indicating readiness for self-defense is a godly posture

New Testament grounding for self-defense, contrasted with earlier sending-out instructions

Luke 22:36 Peter Gethsemane Luke 22:36
Mike Winger idea 2020-10-02

Balance principle: being armed and ready for self-defense is healthy; preemptive strikes from anger or against God's will for martyrdom are not

Synthesizing the sword/Gethsemane discussion into a practical principle

violence discernment self-defense
Mike Winger idea 2020-10-02

Paying a discipler is wrong; a paywall on discipleship disqualifies the discipler

Question from Blake about someone offering to disciple him for payment

Acts 2:42 1 Timothy 5:18 Luke 8:3 Paul Acts 2:42 1 Timothy 5:18
Mike Winger idea 2020-10-02

Hebrews 10:26-27 "sinning willfully" refers specifically to rejecting the gospel after knowing its truth, not to any deliberate sin

Question from Caleb McCurdy about Hebrews 10:26-27 and whether it implies differentiated judgment for those who never heard the gospel

Hebrews 10:26-27 judgment apostasy Hebrews 10:26-27
Mike Winger idea 2020-10-02

Degrees of judgment in hell: God factors in knowledge when judging — sinning in ignorance vs. sinning with full knowledge results in different severity of judgment

Expanding the Hebrews 10 discussion to address differentiated eschatological judgment

Luke 12:47-48 judgment unevangelized hell
Mike Winger idea 2020-10-02

Sinning in dreams: only requires repentance if you yielded your will to it in the dream; involuntary dream content is not sin

Question from Christian Liang about whether to repent for sins committed in dreams

repentance sin dreams
Mike Winger idea 2020-10-02

Advice for young ministers: teach verse-by-verse through whole books rather than purely topical studies

Question from Andrej Pollock about practical advice for a young man called to ministry in a small church

Galatians Galatians preaching methodology verse-by-verse teaching
Mike Winger idea 2020-10-02

Advice for young ministers: root out pride continually — comparing yourself to other ministers is a major red flag

Continued advice for Andrej Pollock on young ministry pitfalls

humility preaching methodology ministerial formation
Mike Winger idea 2020-10-02

Hebrews 6:4-6 is the most challenging apostasy passage in the Bible; Mike is not yet ready to give a definitive answer on it

Question from Folky about the warning in Hebrews 6:4-6 regarding those who seem to have experienced salvation but then fall away

Hebrews 6:4-6 eternal security apostasy Hebrews 6:4-6
Mike Winger idea 2020-10-02

Calvinism: regeneration precedes faith — the Holy Spirit regenerates the sinner first, making belief inevitable

Question from Jason Staub about whether faith from a fallen nature is "fruitful" faith, touching on the Calvinist doctrine of regeneration preceding faith

Calvinism soteriology total depravity
Mike Winger idea 2020-10-02

Mike's anti-Calvinist argument: faith is not a work regardless of its source; the Calvinist objection tries to smuggle faith into the "works" category

Mike's response to the Calvinist framing of faith as a "good work" that requires prior regeneration

Galatians 2 Romans 11:6 Genesis 15:6 Galatians 2 Abraham Romans 11:6
Mike Winger idea 2020-10-02

Non-Calvinist view: God initiates faith through the proclaimed word, but the individual makes the decision to believe

Mike's positive account of how faith works in a non-Calvinist framework

Romans 10:17 faith Calvinism soteriology
Mike Winger idea 2020-10-02

Q (Quelle) is a hypothetical source document proposed in synoptic gospel studies; its existence is unproven and theologically non-threatening

Question from New Creation Coaching about the scholarly concept of "Q" and its reception among concerned Facebook users

textual criticism inspiration of Scripture synoptic problem
Mike Winger idea 2020-10-02

Near-death / heaven-visiting accounts: deep skepticism warranted; Paul's 2 Corinthians 12 model shows the right posture is silence, not book tours

Question from S.M. Hart about people selling books on visiting heaven or hell

2 Corinthians 12 Paul 2 Corinthians 12 false prophets
Mike Winger idea 2020-10-02

John 3:5 "born of water and the Spirit": Mike defers to Michael Heiser's podcast work placing this in its Jewish context

Question from Jesse Crocus about whether "born of water" in John 3:5 refers to water baptism, physical birth, or something else

John 3:5 Michael Heiser Nicodemus John 3:5
Mike Winger idea 2020-10-02

"Slain in the Spirit" is not taught in the Bible and is inconsistent with the Spirit's fruit of self-control

Question from Steph T about whether being slain in the Spirit is biblical and how to distinguish it from demonic possession

Galatians 5:23 John 18:6 Anaheim Vineyard self-control charismatic gifts
Mike Winger idea 2020-10-02

Paul's instructions on tongues and prophecy require self-control, proving the Spirit does not override the person's will

Continuing the argument against slain in the Spirit using 1 Corinthians 14 as evidence

1 Corinthians 14 1 Corinthians 14:32 1 Corinthians 14 1 Corinthians 14:32 prophecy
Mike Winger idea 2020-10-02

Romans 14: do not violate your conscience — if you cannot do something in faith before God, do not do it, even if it may be permissible

Question from Only in Antarctica about whether a Christian can work in the cannabis sector

Romans 14 Romans 14 faith and works Christian liberty
Mike Winger idea 2020-10-02

Vague YouTube prophecy channels are the perfect environment for false prophets; real prophecy requires verifiable fulfillment

Question from Crystal about many people prophesying and whether the Spirit is being poured out

Acts 2 Acts 2 prophecy discernment
Mike Winger idea 2020-10-02

Annihilationism fails because (1) immortality does not mean eternal existence, and (2) Jesus uses the same word "everlasting" for both heaven and hell

Question from Selenora about why annihilationism is unbiblical

Matthew 25:46 eschatology conditional immortality hell
Mike Winger idea 2020-10-02

Calvinist theodicy: God is not guilty for decreed sin because he is perfect goodness; skeptical theism is the strongest available path for Calvinists

Question from Matt Bach about whether the Calvinist claim "God is not guilty for sin he decrees because his purposes are good" is a form of ends-justify-the-means reasoning

theodicy Calvinism problem of evil
Mike Winger idea 2020-10-02

Grace Community Church COVID decision: Mike is on the fence — neither fully endorsing nor opposing their refusal to close

Question from Teonbay about Grace Community Church defying California government COVID gathering restrictions

Acts 5:29 Romans 13 Acts 5:29 Romans 13 COVID-19
Mike Winger idea 2020-10-02

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 is about sexual immorality in context, not primarily about diet/exercise/tobacco — but the moderation and mastery principles within the passage do apply broadly

Question from Grayson Fuller about whether 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 establishes a biblical basis for maintaining bodily health

1 Corinthians 6:12 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 sexual immorality 1 Corinthians 6:12 body as temple
Mike Winger idea 2020-10-02

Sexual sin is uniquely grave — it is a sin against one's own body in a way other sins are not

Expounding on 1 Corinthians 6:18 within the broader passage study

1 Corinthians 6:18 sexual immorality body as temple fornication
Mike Winger idea 2020-10-02

Gossip is unnecessary information that tears people down without justification — not merely sharing personal information without permission

Final question from Woolpack about the definition of gossip

Proverbs 1 Peter 4:8 Kenneth Copeland Proverbs accountability
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