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All (199) Scripture Commentary (58) Theology (41) Mike Winger (95) Pulpit (5)
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

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 2020-10-09

Physics of Heaven — Bethel/Bill Johnson endorsed book promoting adoption of New Age practices

Question from April Stafford about spiritualism and New Age practices being "rescued" for Christian use

Bethel Church Bill Johnson Physics of Heaven
Mike Winger idea 2020-10-23

1 Corinthians 16:20 — "greet one another with a holy kiss" is a culturally applied principle, not a universal command

Question from Sarah Taytano about whether the holy kiss is a binding commandment.

1 Corinthians 16:20 hermeneutics cultural hermeneutics 1 Corinthians 16:20
Mike Winger idea 2020-10-30

Whether lukewarm Christians are saved: this verse addresses corporate church impact, not individual salvation status

Mike addresses the specific salvation question from the Laodicea passage.

lukewarm Revelation 3:16 salvation lukewarm eternal security
Mike Winger idea 2020-11-06

Paul rebuked Peter publicly in Galatians 2 because his behavior impacted the whole community

Mike shows a biblical precedent for public confrontation of a leader

Galatians 2 Paul Peter Galatians 2
Mike Winger idea 2020-11-06

If Mark 16:17-18 is original, signs accompanying believers does not mean every believer at all times

Mike gives a conditional interpretation of Mark 16:17-18 assuming its authenticity

Acts Mark 16:17-18 signs and wonders speaking in tongues Acts
Mike Winger idea 2018-09-26

Handling a friend pursuing unbiblical mysticism — staged intervention using Galatians 6:1-2

Mike answers an emailed question from Nikki about a close Christian friend who keeps pursuing mystical and unbiblical things despite multiple conversations.

Matthew 18:15-17 Galatians 6:1-2 false teaching church discipline mysticism
Mike Winger idea 2020-12-11

Jewish feasts were commanded for Jews in Israel, not universally for all people; Gentiles were never given the Mosaic law and are not obligated to keep the feasts.

Question: why don't Christians celebrate Jewish holidays?

Hebrew Roots Movement Gentiles covenant theology
Mike Winger idea 2020-12-18

When someone professing faith lives as an unbeliever, the individual Christian's posture should shift from fellowship mode to outreach mode — still loving and gracious but with different relational goals.

Application of 1 Corinthians 5:11 to personal relationships with professing but lifestyle-unbelieving friends.

1 Corinthians 5:11 Evangelism 1 Corinthians 5:11 Church Discipline
Mike Winger idea 2021-01-08

Enoch is actually multiple composite works; early Jewish tradition rejected its canonical status

Continued discussion of the Book of Enoch in relation to Jude

Jude canon Jude Book of Enoch
Mike Winger idea 2021-01-08

A hyper-sensitive conscience projects fear onto others and paralyzes daily life — the solution is more faith, not more scrutiny

Continuing response to the overly-scrupulous conscience question

Romans 14:23 Romans 14:23 conscience faith
Mike Winger idea 2021-01-15

Catholic saint icons carry a superstitious protection function incompatible with biblical worship

Practical application of the icons question to Catholic devotional objects.

Prayer Idolatry Catholic devotional practices
Mike Winger idea 2021-01-15

Christian community love is an apologetic — Trinitarian unity manifested in the church is evidence that God sent Christ

Continuation of John 17:21 discussion.

John 17:21 John 13:35 Apologetics John 17:21 Christian unity as apologetic
Mike Winger idea 2021-01-29

Why care about false doctrine (prosperity gospel, word of faith)? Because doctrinal error has real-world spiritual consequences

Question from Tony about why false doctrine matters if it does not compromise salvation.

discernment prosperity gospel apostasy
Mike Winger idea 2021-02-12

Q11: Who can perform baptism? Scripture gives no explicit rule but establishes community precedent; a parent can baptize a child

Viewer 'Skirt Bobcat' asks who is authorized to perform baptism and whether a parent can baptize their children.

Paul the Apostle church authority baptism
Mike Winger idea 2021-02-19

Wise rule: pastor should live roughly at the level of his congregation

Mike's practical guideline for appropriate pastoral compensation.

church leadership pastoral ethics pastoral compensation
Mike Winger idea 2020-12-04

Tips for an atheist starting to believe: gather intellectual reasons for God, practice spiritual disciplines, and make choices that shape belief.

Question from Emil Codrin about how to start believing after a lifetime of atheism.

Evidence for God Christopher Hitchens Spiritual disciplines
Mike Winger idea 2021-01-22

Dinosaurs and the age of the earth: three intra-Christian views summarized

Madison Torres asked how dinosaur fossils fit with Adam and Eve and the biblical timeline.

Genesis 1 Job 40-41 Genesis 1 young earth creationism age of the earth
Mike Winger idea 2021-03-05

Western churches may not give adequate attention to caring for the poor

Discussing the almsgiving interpretation of Luke 16:9

Galatians 2:10 1 Corinthians 1:26-28 early church care for the poor church responsibility
Mike Winger idea 2021-04-23

Loving neighbors in restricted-mobility times means reorienting attitude and creativity, not relying on physical proximity.

Q15 from Joel Holmberg: how can we love our neighbor and honor God when we cannot congregate (COVID-era context)?

love your neighbor community and congregation COVID-era church life
Mike Winger idea 2021-04-30

Couples should formalize their marriage as officially as possible rather than treating informal cohabitation as equivalent.

Question 17 from Dasha Castenko about being informally married to a fiance in another country due to COVID restrictions.

marriage Christian ethics cohabitation
Mike Winger idea 2020-01-08

Fourth option: written literature is the BEST medium for communicating detailed, specific information that can be preserved, studied in community, and shared worldwide. Other communication methods (prophets, dreams, miracles) are either also subject to interpretation, subjective, or lack specificity.

Response to Q1 — written text as optimal communication

1 Corinthians 12:12 1 Corinthians 12:27 Mark 12:30-31 hermeneutics hermeneutics divine communication
Mike Winger idea 2020-01-08

Cameron Bertuzzi identifies that Drew conflates suffering with unjustified suffering. The real burden is showing the suffering is unjustified, which Drew assumes but doesn't argue. Questions are not arguments — you must defend premises, not just state conclusions.

Additional response to Q1 — unjustified vs justified suffering

Cameron Bertuzzi justified suffering questions are not arguments
Mike Winger idea 2020-03-04

Q: Acts 4:32-37 communal living — why don't churches do this? Context: Jews from around the world came to Jerusalem for Pentecost, got saved, and didn't want to leave. They sold possessions to pool resources and learn from the apostles. This was a unique situation, not a policy — it doesn't appear in Ephesus, Corinth, or Antioch.

Q&A — Acts 4 communalism

Acts 4:32-37 Pentecost Pentecost Acts 4:32-37
Mike Winger idea 2020-03-11

Mike introduces a study on flat earth Bible verses. His goal is not to argue about the shape of the earth but to show that the Bible does NOT teach flat earth. Ground rules: not about conspiracies, geocentrism, or the firmament — only about whether specific verses teach a flat earth.

Introduction — flat earth Bible study

hermeneutics hermeneutics biblical cosmology
Mike Winger idea 2020-03-16

Selflessness should drive decisions — even if you're low-risk, older/vulnerable congregants face serious danger. Mike's personal practice: running errands for his elderly mother with COPD. Churches can close for a season without spiritual compromise — maintain community through calls, small groups, and online gatherings.

Selflessness and community during lockdown

Hebrews 10:25 Hebrews 10:25 COVID lockdown church closures
Mike Winger idea 2020-06-03

How to find a good church: (1) Sound biblical teaching is #1 priority — does the pastor handle Scripture correctly? (2) Genuine community — not just Sunday performance. (3) Don't expect perfection — you'll bring your own imperfections too. (4) Be willing to serve, not just consume. (5) Size doesn't determine quality. Visit several, ask questions, look for fruit.

Finding a good church

expository preaching expository preaching finding a good church
Mike Winger idea 2020-09-28

The prayer promise is couched in the destruction-of-temple context because Jesus is inaugurating NEW COVENANT prayer — from temple-mediated access to direct access through Christ. Christians ARE the new temple.

The temple context explains WHY this prayer teaching appears here in Mark

1 Peter 2:5 Ephesians 2:19-22 2 Chronicles 6:24-40 1 Peter 2:5 Ephesians 2:19-22 2 Chronicles 6:24-40
Mike Winger idea 2020-09-28

Mark 14 (Gethsemane) is the intentional counterpoint to Mark 11 — Jesus with perfect faith, no sin, no unforgiveness prays and God says NO. Faith means trusting God both when he says yes AND when he says no.

The missing piece: Jesus' Gethsemane prayer as counterpoint to the prayer promise

Mark 14:35-36 Word of Faith Gethsemane prayer Word of Faith
Mike Winger idea 2020-11-02

The death penalty is clearly supported by Scripture. Genesis 9:5-6 — given to ALL humanity (not just Israel) — establishes capital punishment for murder based on the image of God: "Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed."

The foundational biblical case for the death penalty from Genesis 9

Genesis 9:5-6 image of God image of God capital punishment
Mike Winger idea 2020-11-02

Deuteronomy 19:11-13 shows the death penalty must be enacted even over compassion — "your eyes shall not pity him" — and failing to punish murderers spreads their guilt onto the entire community.

OT law reinforcing the death penalty with protections and communal guilt

Deuteronomy 19:11-13 Numbers 35:30-31 death penalty Deuteronomy 19:11-13 Numbers 35:30-31
Mike Winger idea 2020-11-02

God's justice is BOTH restorative AND retributive — using restoration to eliminate punishment is itself unjust. The solution to wrongful convictions is to reform the death penalty, not abolish it.

Restorative vs. retributive justice, and the wrongful conviction problem

Revelation 6:10 Roman Catholicism death penalty Revelation 6:10
Mike Winger idea 2022-04-08

Should We Bring Back Crusades?: Do you think that churches should bring back Gospel crusades? As I was saved at one in the 70s. These days, no one wants to preach the Gospel, but rather, do community works.

Q&A question: Should We Bring Back Crusades?
Mike Winger idea 2022-06-24

Should Immoral Things Be Illegal?: Should biblically immoral mean illegal? Surely if sin harms the community, then all legal sin harms society and should be against the law.

Q&A question: Should Immoral Things Be Illegal?
Mike Winger idea 2023-11-17

Ministering to LGBTQ+ Friends: Most of my long-time friends are part of the LGBTQ+ community. I got saved 3 years ago and no longer support that ideology, but they don’t know that. I feel convicted but don’t know how to approach the issue. Any advice?

Q&A question: Ministering to LGBTQ+ Friends

homosexuality
Mike Winger idea 2024-02-16

Is Charity Meaningless Apart from the Church?: A pastor I listen to says that any community service/charity work that is not done through the Church or a Christian organization is meaningless to God. What are your thoughts on this?

Q&A question: Is Charity Meaningless Apart from the Church?

pastoral ministry
Mike Winger idea 2024-03-08

Should Christians Leave Ungodly Areas?: Does the Bible say Christians should relocate their family (especially with young kids), or stop having kids altogether if evil/injustice continues to grow in their community?

Q&A question: Should Christians Leave Ungodly Areas?
Mike Winger idea 2024-06-07

What does “Woke” Mean?: I have heard you use the word “woke.” Please define it. Since being hijacked from the Black community, it seems to mean different things.

Q&A question: What does “Woke” Mean?
Mike Winger idea 2025-03-21

How Could a Million Hear at Once?: How can the entire community of Israel, more than 1 million people, fit together & gather to hear (Leviticus 8:3, Deuteronomy 29: 10-12, 31: 10-13)?

Q&A question: How Could a Million Hear at Once?

Israel
Mike Winger idea 2025-10-03

Learning to Evangelize Better: I converted just over a year ago and had some success evangelizing to my community (libertarians). I've read the New Testament and I’m working on reading it twice now. What can I do to evangelize better, especially to libertarians?

Q&A question: Learning to Evangelize Better

angels
Mike Winger idea 2021-07-19

Richard Bauckham's thesis in "Jesus and the Eyewitnesses" is that names appearing in Mark's gospel identify living witnesses known to the community receiving the text. When Mark names Simon of Cyrene "the father of Alexander and Rufus," and Paul greets a "Rufus" in Rome (Rom. 16:13), this likely connects to the same family — confirming these are not invented characters but real people vouching for the account.

Named eyewitnesses in Mark as evidence of historical reliability; Bauckham's thesis

Richard Bauckham Jesus Simon of Cyrene
Mike Winger idea 2025-10-17

Joshua Malacala predicted the rapture for September 23-24, then October 6-7, then October 16-17 — a third failed prediction within weeks. Rather than repenting, the community recalculated each time, inventing explanations (Daniel's 21-day delay, the Enochian calendar) and insulating themselves from accountability. Winger argues this pattern is cult-like behavior, not faithful anticipation.

Joshua Malacala's three failed rapture predictions; the pattern of recalculation instead of repentance

Daniel repentance rapture Enoch
Mike Winger idea 2025-10-17

When confronted with failed predictions, the rapture-date community's response is to circle the wagons, claim victimhood ("we're being mocked"), and accuse critics of having a "Jezebel spirit." Winger identifies this as classic cult dynamics: insulation from correction, victim mentality, and shielding leaders from accountability through demonization of outsiders.

Cult-like dynamics in the rapture prediction community: victim narratives and Jezebel accusations

Jezebel rapture demons
Pulpit sermon 2019-11-09

"Does the Bible Permit A Woman to Preach?" - John MacArthur

John MacArthur addresses whether the Bible permits women to preach, presenting a restrictive complementarian position. Sermon from Grace Community Church.

1 Timothy 2:11-15 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 Genesis 2:18-25 complementarian women in ministry church leadership
Pulpit research note

Status-Seeking as the Primary Issue in 1 Corinthians — Not Merely Order

Pastor Brett Landry's reading — that the Corinthians' primary problem was status-seeking and self-promotion, with disorder being the symptom rather than the disease — represents the dominant scholarly

1 Corinthians 12-14
Pulpit research note

Participatory Worship in 1 Corinthians 14:26 — The Structural Gap Brett Overlooked

Pastor Brett correctly identified the status-seeking motive behind the Corinthians' misuse of gifts but did not address the text's own positive vision: broad participatory worship where multiple membe

1 Corinthians 14:26
Pulpit research note

"The Others" (hoi alloi) Judging Prophecy — Discernment Belongs to the Whole Body

In **1 Cor 14:29,** Paul says "let two or three prophets speak, and let the others (*hoi alloi*) weigh what is said." A key interpretive question is whether "the others" refers to a small group of pro

1 Corinthians 14:29
Pulpit research note

"Words Matter" — Elder, Pastor, Overseer Distinctions

At 12:19, he says "Sometimes people say it's just semantics, but words matter, they really matter" — and then proceeds to flatten the very distinctions God's inspired words preserve. He claims elder

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