Questions Asked by New-In-The-Lord Christians!: Book 1 of 3

By Jay Dunning

This book has been written for very young Christians only of any earthly age.

There are three books in the series and they have been written especially to prepare the young Christian for what lies ahead in their Christian walk.

Many mature Christians believe they have knowledge of the Bible but sadly their knowledge is in many cases marred by error. This is not an indictment on them but rather a case of less than perfect doctrine or teaching.

I have therefore, thoroughly researched the Christian life and have prepared the contents of the books accordingly. I only wish I could have had books like these when I was a youngster in the Lord.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris AU
• Release date: Jul 9, 2016
• ISBN: 9781514446997

Jay Dunning

Jay Dunning is of mature age and was born in England. He has lived and worked in six countries finally arriving in Australia where he is settled in Kalamunda, Western Australia, with his wife Diana. He was converted to Christianity in 1991 at an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting where he had gone as a last resort to rid himself from that terrible curse. He was never satisfied with the varied Christian teaching he got from the varied Churches he attended and so set out to put the new Christian firmly on the right path down the middle of the Bible. Is he completely right? Test him for yourself!

Book preview

© 2016 by Jay Dunning.

Library of Congress Control Number:   2016904251

ISBN:      Hardcover          978-1-5144-4700-0

                Softcover            978-1-5144-4698-0

                eBook                 978-1-5144-4699-7

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

All scripture used in this publication is taken from the Authorised Version of the Bible. I have clarified some passages that could be a little difficult for the young Spratty.

Rev. date: 07/08/2016

Xlibris

1-800-455-039

www.Xlibris.com.au

700213

Contents

Preface

A Word Of Explanation

Chapter 1 Who Or What Is God?

Chapter 2 Why Me?

Chapter 3 How Do I Know I Am Saved?

Chapter 4 What Is Prayer?

Chapter 5 Should I Go To Church? If So, Where?

Chapter 6 Can I Trust All Pastors And Elders?

Chapter 7 Why Are There So Many Christian Denominations?

Chapter 8 What Is The Ecumenical Movement?

Chapter 9 Do I Have To Join The Church?

Chapter 10 How Can I Learn More About Christianity?

Chapter 11 Why Pray In Jesus’ Name?

Chapter 12 Are All Churches Christian? If Not, Why Not?

Chapter 13 Do I Have To Arrive Early At Church?

Chapter 14 Are Roman Catholics Christian?

Chapter 15 Are Popes Real Christians?

Chapter 16 What If You Are Wrong About Some Of The Things You Write?

Chapter 17 What Is Arminianism?

Chapter 18 What Is Tithing?

Chapter 19 What Is The Toronto Blessing?

Chapter 20 What If I Have A Problem With Someone In The Church?

Chapter 21 Can I Play My Trombone In The Church Band?

Chapter 22 Can I Sit Anywhere In The Church?

Chapter 23 Someone Said I Could Fall From My Faith And Be Lost. Is This True?

Chapter 24 How Does One Witness? And To Whom?

Chapter 25 Are There Rules We Must Abide By?

Chapter 26 Did I Accept Christ? What If I Am One Of These?

Chapter 27 But What About The Rapture?

Chapter 28 Will We Be Married In Heaven? Someone Said We Won’t

Appendix

This book is intended for the very new-in-the-LORD Christian ONLY!

To my Mum

who taught me about my Lord Jesus Christ

and how to love Him forever.

*     *     *

And who also taught me that

when we are green,

we grow,

but when we are ripe,

we rot!

PREFACE

This has not been the easiest book to write, not because the subject matter is extreme to some but rather because it is targeted ONLY at the very young in the Lord. I cannot emphasise this enough! IT IS ONLY! FOR THE YOUNGEST IN THE LORD OF ANY EARTHLY AGE.

I had to hold back in many places, resisting the temptation to go deeper into depths the young Christian would not be able to follow at this moment. The biggest problem was knowing just where to stop and at what depth, and whilst it would be relatively easy for older, more mature Christians to understand the direction the book was moving, it could prove to be quite difficult for young Spratties.

It is a very sad thing to say, but this book will undoubtedly divide into several camps the mainstream Protestant followers of the Lord Jesus Christ. It has not, however, been written with this intent, but it is a fact that the main camp will be comprised of Arminian members and the other smaller camp of Reformed members. Then there are Charismatic and Pentecostal church members who might take exception. My suggestion would be for all Christians to read and absorb the writings in this book and so at least broaden their knowledge of one another’s faiths.

These will be discussed in more detail in the book, and although it has been said that these various camps will never meet in agreement, they should at least be given the opportunity to examine one another’s doctrines more fully and leave the outcome to God. And this is what I intend to do. Am I Reformed? Yes, I am and have been for many years, but it must be said that for many years I was not, and it was only the grace of God that freed me from that burden.

I do not and indeed cannot write in the same vein as Charles H. Spurgeon, Louis Berkhof, R. L. Dabney, et al., nor do I wish to. It was their way in their time, and their style was reflective of those times. I write as my heart dictates and hope that God will bless it to His glory. I cannot hope for more. Some chapters will be long, and some will be quite short, depending on the subject matter. I have no wish to purposely extend the writing just to fill the book. The book is intended only for the very young in the Lord (of any earthly age, I cannot stress this enough), and to deliberately extend the writing for the sake of size will not benefit him one iota.

The book pivots around the new birth and what it does to the new convert and how it affects him. It will also make impressions upon his outlook as a Christian and hopefully take him deeper into the sphere of true Christian doctrine rather than him stopping in today’s loose and, in so many cases, impure doctrines. I also have to be careful to not turn this book into a treatise on the many other topics that so easily ask to be included during the pursuance of this most happy task. And so we press on towards the goal (Philippians 3:14).

*     *     *

When I was first converted, I was very much like a fish (a sprat) out of water. Beyond knowing that something really amazing had happened to me, it took a while before I realised it was my salvation. It took a few days for me to know that I was now like the other folk at my Australian Baptist Church and as we sang Safe in the Arms of Jesus. It was a very strange feeling, and I wondered if those in the congregation would believe me when I told them that I was now saved, or if perhaps they would think I had made it up so as to belong. How could I convince them of my change? How could I possibly show them I was a born-again? As I thought about it, I began to imagine that it was all a trick and that it hadn’t really happened at all. I had made it up, or it was a bad dream. I didn’t know enough then to understand that Satan had begun his never-ending lies, treachery, and deceit. He had commenced his battery of my Christian senses, and I was out in the cold, being subjected to his never-ending attacks. My mind was positively reeling, utterly unable to stop them. I went in moments from knowing I was one of God’s children to one of not knowing anything except to ask, Am I truly born again?

In my twelve years in Britain’s Royal Navy, I had done many really bad and sometimes illegal things, none of which I will list here, and Satan knows exactly how to throw them back in my face—even today, these many years later!—reminding me time and again of just how God would not accept such a man as me. My past life was all right for here on earth, but God was much more choosy. He would not allow such a mind as mine into heaven. Heaven was far too pure for me. I made the mistake of not bringing this to the notice of my pastor. I should have, but my pride (then) would not allow me, and Satan knew it. So I put up with it, and it made me very depressed because all I wanted was to be one of God’s flock, His child, and to call Him my Abba.

I remember many years ago being in England, the home of my earthly birth, and telling my sister, Noreen, and her husband, John, that God would not want me because of all the terrible things I had done whilst in the Royal Navy. I also remember John getting very excited and crying out in his Essex accent, You’re exactly what ’e’s looking for-a! I can remember smiling kindly at them both, knowing that I knew better, but you know what? They were right. So right, though it took another eight or nine years for me to understand why. I was what God was looking for, but the funny thing is that although they were both Arminian (we’ll come to this later), they were absolutely right in that it is God that looks for us and not us that looks for Him. Those that know say that religion is man’s way of finding God whereas Christianity is God’s way of finding man.

*     *     *

Please allow me to state from the start that this book is not for the faint of heart. Yes, it is for the new milky Christian, but it is not for the new Christian who isn’t willing to face deeper doctrine (teaching) from day one. We will be entering doctrine that is not being taught in most mainstream churches. I do not intend to beat about the bush but rather go directly into deeper, true doctrine to alert the new Christian of some of the dangers of modern churches and their lack of true, historical (post-Reformation) Christian teaching.

There will be times in this book of being almost spellbound in disbelief, and then there will be times of rising to heights otherwise unknown to most Christians of any standing. There will be times when a door will be flung open, and times when it will be shut fast. Only our great God Almighty can open and close His spiritual doors to us; only He will give us the right to understand His Word, and He will accomplish this through the grace of His Holy Spirit whom He sent to earth to help and assist us after the ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ to sit at His Father’s right hand. Here is a verse that shows the intent of God. Nevertheless I tell you the truth; it is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter [the Holy Spirit] will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send Him unto you (John 16:7). Now then, Spratty, here is a question for you. Exactly why did the Lord Jesus return to heaven and send the Holy Spirit to us? Come on! Think about it! Why? Well, it was because our Lord Jesus, while on earth, was both fully man and fully God, and so as a man, He could only be in one place at a time. But there were millions to reach with the gospel, scattered all around the world, and whereas Jesus could be in only one place, the Holy Spirit, like the other third of the trinity, God, is omnipresent, meaning He was everywhere in the world at the same time and was able to reach all manner of men as He desired. There you are; not too difficult, was it?

You know, much of today’s Christianity is in a deep and dangerous rut. What with the jokey pastor, who loves to tell jokes to fill in the time; the football pastor, who for similar reasons will talk about football, especially his team; and of course, the finance pastor, who is afraid of losing a dollar from the stored up finances in the bank. Some of these fellows are very personable and are very good orators, but the pulpit is not the place for these verbal excursions. I remember a treasurer at one Reformed Church whose hair turned almost white when the dollar started to fall. These guys, who are maybe saved (I don’t know), do not put all their faith in God to look after them. I know we must be good stewards of whatever God places in our hands, but a long time ago, I read of a pastor who trusted solely and utterly in God but who also prayerfully emptied his bank every week to give to missionaries, the poor, the needy, and whomever else needed support. And every week, God would refill his bank! God is no man’s debtor.

A. W. Tozer preached about various ruts the churches were in. He named his sermons Rut, Rot, or Revival: The Problem of Change and Breaking Out of the Status Quo. He understood exactly the problem in the churches, and the titles of his sermons in the series defined it very well. He understood it so well, in fact, that he literally preached himself off his country’s guest speaker platforms. He remained true to himself and God’s Word and showed the errors of the churches so well that many couldn’t stand him, in the same way that the Pharisees of Jesus’ day could not stand Him. I am not likening Tozer to Jesus, but showing that some church men will go a long way to making sure that only their doctrine (as they see it) is preached on their platforms in their churches. Woe to anyone who steps outside their strongly held guidelines.

The whole of Christianity is a very deep love affair with our Lord God and Jesus the Christ, "This is love: not that we loved