Q. Once I am a Christian, can I be sure of going to heaven?
A. All who believe on Jesus Christ have everlasting life. Christ spoke about believers when He said, “And I give to them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand. My Father, which gave them Me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of My Father’s hand” (Jn. 10:28,29).

Q. What does it mean to be baptized by the Holy Spirit?
A. The one verse that deals with this subject in Scripture says, “For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit” (I Cor. 12:13). The baptism of the Holy Spirit, therefore, is the event which accompanies the moment when we are brought into the Body of Christ. The Holy Spirit comes to live in all upon the occasion of salvation.

Q. How come so many of my prayers are not answered?
A. James gives us information about this, saying, “You have not, because you ask not. You ask, and receive not, because you ask amiss, that you may consume it upon your lusts” (Jas. 4:2,3). Therefore, we know that one of the chief causes of unanswered prayer is “asking amiss” for personal desire rather than a result to the glory of God. Remember also that, when we pray, God gives us a voice but not a veto. We will find that most prayers are answered with two words, “Better later.” God gives us better than we ask and usually answers on the basis of His timing and not ours.

Q. Why does there seem to be so much more evil in the world than in the past?
A. I just heard J. Vernon McGee on his radio broadcast say, “The only explanation for the rise of evil in our time is that new demons have been let loose upon the world.” Demon possession is growing and that’s the only way we can explain the terrible acts of people.

Q. I hear a church singing, “Christ’s great kingdom has come on earth.” Is this true, is the kingdom of heaven here now?
A. In the commission of the kingdom, the Bible says, “These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as you go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons: freely you have received, freely give” (Matt. 10:5-8). The kingdom of heaven was promised as being heaven on earth with immense power on the part of its disciples. This was to be preached to Israel alone and was rejected by the nation of Israel.

Because the kingdom was rejected, Jesus said, “Behold, your house is left to you desolate. For I say to you, You shall not see Me hereafter, till you shall say, Blessed is He that comes in the name of the Lord” (Matt. 23:38,39). Because the Jews violently rejected the kingdom, Jesus pronounced desolation on the House of Israel. This desolation will continue until He comes again and is claimed by Israel. Therefore, to announce that the kingdom has come is bad theology and leads to many other errors. The kingdom is not yet, but the day of grace is now.

Q. How can I get God to control my life?
A. You can’t. God will not control your life because He wants you to control it. He wants you to be responsible. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, self-control” (Gal. 5:22,23).

Q. After I receive Christ, what must I do to “keep” saved?
A. Happily, we have the clear word of Christ in answer to this question as well. Christ, speaking about His own, said, “I give to them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand. My Father, which gave them Me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of My Father’s hand” (John10:28,29).

The answer therefore is that I can do nothing to “keep Saved,” but I am “kept by the power of God through faith to salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” (I Peter 1:5).