Shut In

by Matthew W. Bassford Last Sunday morning was the last time I will ever attempt to assemble with the saints. I say “attempt” because I did not succeed in assembling. It was a debacle. About midway through the debacle, I resolved that I wasn’t going to put myself or my wife through such misery anymore.…

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Why did God make me deaf?

Question: Why did God make me deaf suddenly a few years ago? I try to do good for others. I looked after my mum when she had cancer and I worked in aged care because I care. Then I sprained my ankle, got uveitis (eye inflammation), and lost my hearing only months apart in the…

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A Man Is Judged by His Strength

by Matthew W. Bassford This article originally appeared in Pressing On. In Judges 8:12, during the aftermath of his crushing victory over the Midianites, the Israelite leader Gideon captures two Midianite kings, Zebah and Zalmunna. Because they played hardball in those days, in Judges 8:20, Gideon commands his son, Jether, to execute the captives. Jether,…

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Would God throw me away because I’m mentally disabled?

Question: I am disabled (Autism, SchizoAffective, and BiPolar Type 2) and on disability. Does that mean God isn’t pleased with me? I know the verse “He who doesn’t work ought not eat”. I’ve been mulling this over a lot. My attitude toward it has been even though I don’t work to earn money if anyone…

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Why did God forbid priests who had defects from serving?

Question: In Leviticus 21:18, those people were not responsible for being that way. How can I explain this to others, especially that of a flat-nosed person? Answer: Many of the laws regarding worship under the Old Testament existed because they symbolically represented something under the New Testament. Thus, sacrifices had to be without defect (e.g.…

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An Asterisk

by Jefferson David Tant You recognize that, don’t you? It’s an asterisk. It is pretty small and may feel insignificant. In fact, many people look right over it when they see it in print. It refers to something at the bottom of the page. I wonder if it ever gets discouraged, thinking no one pays…

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How do we worship with an autistic child?

Question: Hello. I wrote to you about 5 or 6 years ago for some advice on how to help my severely autistic son during worship. Today he is 8 years old and going to worship never got easier but in fact got extremely hard, to the point where going was nothing but a major distraction…

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Is God going to reject me because I’m handicapped?

Question: Is it true, based on Malachi, that if a person is too disabled, then God can’t accept that person because God is so holy that a person who is damaged goods is actually forced to spend eternity in hell because they don’t have the capabilities required by God? In the story where the person…

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Love Finds a Way

by Sewell Hall All Christians want to bring the lost to Christ. But each of us has some handicap that causes us to feel limited in our ability to do so. It may be a weakness of knowledge or difficulty in expressing ourselves. Perhaps it is a personality deficiency or even a lack of transportation.…

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I’m tired of living with this medical condition

Question: What’s the purpose of my life when I’m suffering from a socially isolating and debilitating medical condition? I kid you not, I’m so sick and tired of reading platitudes; I’m tired of begging, pleading, imploring God for help. What’s the point of living, if you can’t function as a whole person? What’s the point…

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How long do I pray for a cure for my TMAU?

Question: I clearly understand that Jesus Christ is absolutely under no obligation to heal anyone.  He owes us nothing in the way of healing, health, prosperity, or posterity.  If Jesus decides to heal anyone, He does so because it’s His will.  I remember Paul’s thorn in his flesh.  He prayed to God to remove this…

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Is abortion OK if a child has a genetic issue?

Question: What if an abortion is to save the baby and not the mother, maybe a genetic issue is at stake. For example, SS. Is it still justified? A Christian is advising so. Answer: Just because a person claims to be a Christian, it does not mean they are following Christ’s teachings. “Beloved, do not…

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Will I be handicapped in heaven?

Question: I was born with a handicap. It has since become worse. I have applied for disability but can not seem to receive it. Why was I pick for this? What did I do to deserve this? If I die tomorrow, will I be handicapped in heaven? Who should I take my anger out on?…

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Does God give an extra reward to the unfortunate?

Question: I don’t know if its blasphemy or not but I have been struggling with a particular problem. I know that these are just thoughts and feelings that Satan puts in my head, but I sometimes feel like if God is unfair to all His children. I feel He must like certain people more than…

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Why are there birth defects? And is changing your gender fixing a defect?

Question: If God made man in His own image and said that it was excellent, then why are there birth defects, and isn’t fixing a birth defect the same as changing your gender if you’re homosexual? Answer: For your first question, see the sermon outline “Does God Make the Handicapped?” No, birth defects and changing…

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If you can’t work due to illness, should you not eat?

Question: In II Thessalonians 3:10-12 it says if we won’t work neither should we eat. I always feel bad because I can’t work anymore. My wife and I are disabled and I can hardly count all the diseases I have and move only in a powerchair. Should we turn down any request to eat at…

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Should a mentally impaired person be baptized?

Question: Scripturally speaking should an adult who is: mentally impaired, mentally retarded, unable to articulate or demonstrate an understanding of who God is, what baptism is, or what it accomplishes be baptized? Answer: A person is held accountable for their sins when they are old enough to have a knowledge of good and evil. This is why the…

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Why doesn’t God restore my hearing?

Question: I have about a 30-40% hearing impairment. I don’t know for sure what has caused my hearing impairment. I have behind-the-ear hearing aids. I often get ashamed of wearing them in front of people that I have not known for a long time. It is so embarrassing when people say, “What is that in your ear?” It really…

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Why won’t God heal amputees?

Question: Why won’t God heal amputees? After all, Jesus said, “If you ask anything in my name, I will do it” (John 14:14). Why doesn’t Jesus appear to us? Answer: The questions remind me of an event in the Gospels that we just studied last night. “Then the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing Him…

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Is there no salvation outside the church?

Question: Is there no salvation outside the church? Will those who never heard of Jesus and his gospel be damned because they have not obeyed it? Will people with brain defects like Downs Syndrome be damned because they do not obey the gospel being incapable of doing so? Answer: “Let it be known to you…

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Does God Make the Handicapped?

Text: Exodus 4:10-12   I.          We desire explanations for the world and its events              A.         It is not enough that things happen, most of us are curious as to why they happen                           1.          Even the three-year-old will drive his parents to distraction asking “Why?”              B.         Hence, when disciples come across a blind man, it brought a question to their…

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