Q&R Sessions with Co-workers by Uni Students

The serving ones with Uni Students in Europe have hosted and published a series of sessions in the format of Question & Response with various co-workers including brothers Tom Goetz, Chris Wilde, Ray Mulligan, Peter Welk, Ken Mooney and Ron Kangas, among others. The questions were all collected anonymously and chosen for their sincerity, general applicability, and particular relevance (including to current events). The responses from the co-workers are all based on the Word, backed by precious experiences, and full of tender feelings. Although the initial session was geared toward college students, subsequent ones have covered a broad range of topics many of which we feel are directly applicable to saints in our generation. We find these fellowships to be both cherishing and nourishing and believe that they are a precious supply to the Body.

For ease of watching/listening, these chats have been segmented by question and timestamped with links to each segment. The timestamps below are all clickable and will link to that particular segment on YouTube. An audio-only version is also available by clicking “audio” after the title of each session. This list will be updated as new chats are posted, in reverse chronological order. We have highlighted below in bold some of the questions we find particularly relevant but encourage you to listen to as many as your situation allows.

Q&R Session #28 (video)

Brothers Chris Wilde & Ron Kangas sit down & share with us about their experiences of Christ at our fireside chat.

Question 1 – 0:28 – Romans 12:18 says, “If possible, as far as it depends on you, live in peace with all men.” How can we do this while also being faithful to proclaim the truth in the present evil age? In my experience, there could be a tension between proclaiming the truth in the present evil age and being a friend of sinners in order to bring them to the Lord, bearing in mind that these sinners are wrapped up in the present evil age.

Question 2 – 9:34 – How should we read the ministry? A lot of times, at least by what is observed in the way people might speak in the church life, it seems that everything brothers Nee and Lee say are true. How could we be clear on what is true and what is not, and then on what is fact and what is simply their opinion?

Question 3 – 32:46 – I encounter saints who require every course of action or suggestion made to be backed up by a quote from the ministry. Brother Lee’s ministry was so prolific that you can find quotes to back up your opinion very easily. How do we properly use the ministry in considering what direction we should take in the work or in presenting the truth to others?

Question 4 – 50:02 – What does “perfect love casts out fear” in 1 John 4:18 mean to you, and can you give concrete examples?

Question 5 – 1:01:42 – Seeing as it is the anniversary of D-Day, brother Ron you have alluded to D-Day in some messages in the past and your experience of that day as a young child playing Lincoln Logs and listening to Happy Hank while men were storming Omaha Beach. Can you elaborate on this more in relation to the spiritual application of spiritual warfare and the Lord needing a beachhead in Europe?

Question 6 – 1:16:35 – What is your experience of joining Christ in His heavenly intercession? Are there conditions that need to be met before having such an experience? I want to experience that, but I don’t know how.

Question 7 – 1:35:13 – Often I hear a distinction in binding prayers, where some saints ask the Lord to bind the enemy and some older saints pray and bind the enemy directly.  Why is there this distinction and how should we pray in the prayer meeting?

Q&R Session #27 (video)

Brothers Chris Wilde, Mark Raabe and Steve Watts sit down & share with us about their experiences of Christ at our fireside chat.

Question 1 – 0:31 – There is a structure in my Lord’s table meeting where we first sing hymns to praise the Lord and then sing hymns to worship the Father. It is such an ingrained structure that it has become habitual and very formal. How can we get out of that kind of formality and render the praise to the Lord that He wants and the worship to the Father that He desires.

Question 2 – 15:26 – If we are supposed to sing and speak to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, why do we almost exclusively only sing hymns in the church meetings and even in the home meetings?

Question 3 – 24:41 – Can you brothers elaborate a little more on the difference between psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs?

Question 4 – 33:50 – Can you talk about feminism? How do you address this matter with your non-believer friends?

Question 5 – 56:16 – If I’m not married and don’t have a house, how do I practice the God-ordained way?

Question 6 – 1:05:06 – I find it very overwhelming how much reading there is to do in the church life. We should be reading the Bible, Old and New Testaments, daily, morning revival books, ministry books and life studies, and often we go through different books and outlines in the home meetings. It feels like all of these are necessary readings and I honestly do not know how to keep up with this as a full time working person, attending four meetings during the work-week. Every conference and almost every message we get a new recommended book to read. Is there a correct or a structured way to approach all the reading there is to do? What should I be prioritizing? I feel like the more I read, the more I gain; however, at the same time, if I read too much, I burn out.

Question 7 – 1:35:22 – For people who struggle with reading, do you have any advice on what to consume listening-wise and where to get it?

Question 8 – 1:48:48 – How can I forgive myself?

Q&R Session #26 (video)

Brothers Tom Goetz, Ray Mulligan & Reggie Favors share with us about Europe, getting a burden for Europe and the current move of the Lord here.

Question 1 – 3:03 – We have heard that the anti-Christ will come from Europe and that this is one of the main reasons for the Lord’s move here. Can you elaborate on that? 

Question 2 – 13:25 – Our God is a moving, flowing God. And we often hear in conferences and trainings about the inward aspect of His move, to make His home in our heart, to deify us, to make us the same as He is, to be His corporate expression. But there is also another aspect of His move, the outward aspect. And that has to do with the direction of His move. How can we know, from the Word, what is the direction of the Lord’s move?

Question 3 – 43:53 – In regards to having a testimony in a city, with it not being that large, and a few in that country…what do you brothers look for in regards to having a certain testimony in a country? The laboring would not stop in that place, but we have a significant stronghold in that place, and we can now start sending resources to the next place. What are some indicators you are looking for?

Question 4 – 55:38 – How does the Lord call us? How can we know that He is speaking and calling us to move with Him in a certain direction? How do we respond to the Lord’s calling? How did it happen for you in your experience?

Question 5 – 1:34:30 – How do we help those who think they need to have a “Damascus experience” to know the Lord’s speaking, whether it is direct or through the Word, through the Body, or in the environment?

Question 6 – 2:05:37 – What has your experience been since moving to Europe? How does the vision you have seen concerning the Lord’s moving to Europe match with what you have experienced here? Could you also address the notion that living in Europe would be a suffering? 

Question 7 – 2:23:37 – Is the burden for Europe over now that some saints have migrated to Germany? Isn’t Germany one of about 50 countries in Europe?

Q&R Session #25 (video)

Brothers Rick Scatterday, Alexander Tan & Michael Stewart sit down & respond to some of our questions on mental health.

Question 1 – 4:07​ – I realize I am tripartite, I have a body, a soul, and a spirit. If I have a physical problem, I go to a doctor. If I have a psychological issue, I find a mental health professional. If I have a spiritual problem, I go to the Lord and seek fellowship from more mature believers. In 1 Peter, it says that the Lord is the Shepherd and Overseer of our souls. How does this relate to taking proper care of our tripartite being? What can you tell us about who the Lord is as it relates to this, and also, who are we?

Question 2 – 37:07​ – How do I know when I need help so that I can get it before it is too late? And assuming that I know that I need help with my mental health, where do I start or who do I go to? Do I get counselling or do I need therapy? Do I need a psychiatrist or psychologist? I want to be proactive and get help before it is too late, but it seems so difficult to choose and find the right treatment.

Question 3 – 1:09:38​ – What should someone do if the person they entrusted in their struggles with depression, suicide or other mental health issues dismisses or does not acknowledge their struggles? There have been several instances where I told my parents and friends, but rather than receive help, the issue was dismissed as “a phase” or even anger that this issue was brought up (perhaps because of “shame” or “embarrassment” due to being associated with me). Especially during the pandemic lockdown, it’s not very easy to reach out to others, so the pool of “trusted” people is limited. What should we do in these instances?

Question 4 – 1:32:14​ – I am suffering from severe depression, to the point that I want it all to just end. I don’t know if I need to change my medication or get therapy. What should I do?

Question 5 – 1:57:30​ – What do you do when the relationship between the parents and child or the child and parents is broken? What do you see as some of the main causes for the relationship breaking?

Question 6 – 2:21:18​ – What do you do after a serious failure or sin? Sometimes I feel hopeless and that the Lord can’t use me anymore, or that I can never serve Him, even to the point of despairing of living. How can I recover and become an overcomer?

Q&R Session #24 (video)

Brothers Chris Wilde, Ken Walker & Phil Bradley sit down & share with us about their experiences of Christ at our fireside chat.

Question 1 – 1:08​ – Everyone on this panel tonight has many years of experience serving the Lord and being with other believers. Ken and Phil both have served on the campus for many years and Chris with many theologians and pastors or leaders in different ministries. What experiences have you had, or what advice you would give, when fellowshipping with those who don’t meet with us? What are some very common mistakes you have seen made, or that you have made, that you have learned from along the way?

Question 2 – 56:21​ – Going back to common ground and testimonies, what did you learn, having grown up as a “church kid,” in the matter of giving your testimony? How did you develop your testimony where it didn’t sound so different from a non-”church kid?”

Question 3 – 1:03:37​ – I think it’s easy, when we’re contacting people, to have a motive, an intention, because we want them to get saved and come into the church life. I think a lot of people speak to people in that way, but sometimes it can veer close to, or have the appearance of, proselytizing. Any fellowship along this line would be very helpful. 

Question 4 – 1:24:04​ – How we serve and take care of people doesn’t just happen by ourselves, but as part of a group of people. The ministry refers to this as “vital groups.” What does it mean, in your experience, to be vital? And if you’ve been part of a vital group in the past, what was that experience like and how did that begin? 

Question 5 (Follow-Up to brother Ken’s response) – 1:39:07​ – What’s the difference between caring about a group meeting versus caring about a group?

Question 6 – 1:44:35​ – There was a phrase used that I really liked, which was that, at the end of the week, when you gathered in your groups, you were “harvesting what you sowed that week.” It was in the context of the reason why that group is so successful, and it’s because throughout the week, there were other things happening outside of the group meeting. What is your experience of meeting up with those within the group throughout the week, where you are sowing into each others’ lives, and when you come together, the reason the meeting is so enjoyable is because you’re just harvesting the kind of family atmosphere that has been sown the whole week?

Q&R Session #23 (video)

Brothers Mark Ruthe, Peter Welk & Ken Mooney sit down & share with us about their experiences of Christ at our fireside chat.

Question 1 – 1:16​ – I have a really close friend who is in high school and I talk to her about God. One day we talked about Him coming back, and that the end is near. And I think that kind of scares her. What should I do? How can I tell her that this is not scary, but that this is good?

Question 2 – 17:17​ – How much should I open up to older brothers about personal and private matters? I’m scared they’ll think differently about me.

Question 2 Follow-up – 31:13​ – Especially if you’re in a small locality, where there might not be many older people, how do you go about finding somebody [who will cherish and nourish you], if there isn’t anyone in your locality?

Question 3 – 34:56​ – What is the difference between an experience of Christ and the enjoyment of Christ? I sometimes find that people use both terms indistinguishably and it confuses me. Does one come before the other?

Question 4 – 53:49​ – What should I do when I have lost the enjoyment of God? I’ve been trying to seek and get closer again to the Lord continually for the last couple of months, but I keep having unbelieving thoughts and doubt. If God is real, why isn’t He allowing me to enjoy him? Have I allowed the enemy too much in my head?

Question 5 – 1:08:00​ – Practically, how do you exercise your spirit? I’ve grown up in the church life and hear that as a ‘prescription’ to my everyday problems that I have been through, from secondary school to university. But I’m not sure if I even know how to exercise my spirit. There are times where I feel happy and peaceful when I call on the Lord or pray-read. But it doesn’t work all the time. I’m not sure if I know how to ‘exercise my spirit’ or if I am doing it right.

Question 5 Follow-up – 1:25:10​ – What would you say to someone who feels like, their problems are preventing them from contacting this Person? So they want to contact this person, and they want to exercise their spirit positively, but they feel that there’s a lot of obstacles in the way. It may be anxiety, feeling depressed, or besetting sins, and it seems like they just keep getting in the way of contacting this Person.

Question 6 – 1:37:58​ –  What do you do after a serious failure or sin? Sometimes I feel hopeless and that the Lord can’t use me anymore, or that I can never serve Him, even to the point of despairing of living. How can I recover and become an overcomer?

Q&R Session #22 (video)

Brothers Ray Mulligan, Tom Goetz & Ricky Acosta sit down & share with us about their experiences of Christ at our fireside chat.

Question 1 – 1:55​ – What do we mean when we say that we need to raise up our children in the light of the Lord’s second coming?

Question 2 – 18:33​ – How do you deal with saints’ opinions on how we should raise our children? Especially when they come from the book, “Raising Up the Next Generation for the Church Life.” It seems like the saints feel more free to voice their opinions if they can back them up using the ministry. However, in my experience, it is no less harmful or hurtful. It seems like the fellowship in the book and the fellowship given during all the parents conferences based on the book is becoming a standard by which we measure our own families and other saints’ families. Is that healthy?

Question 3 – 40:41​ – Growing up as a church kid, there was an emphasis on the organic aspect of God’s salvation. Any mention of the blood of Christ or Christ’s redemption was mostly in the context of the benefit I could derive from it and how His blood enabled me to enjoy Him more. However, all the milestones in my life with the Lord, came as a result of His shining, exposing, and convicting. To my impression, many of my peers with whom I grew up with, and myself included, “enjoyed” God’s organic salvation without appreciating the price He paid to bring about such a salvation in His judicial redemption. I have struggled with not having a proper foundation in the Lord’s redemption for decades. I don’t want my children to experience the same thing. What should I do?

Question 4 – 1:07:23​ – Oftentimes I have saints in my home, and my kids are listening to what we’re saying. How do you practically give them these spiritual experiences when they might be hearing something they need to hear in ten years, what we would call premature knowledge? How do you help them feel involved in the church life, which is what we’re doing as a family, when at the same time, they probably shouldn’t be hearing this yet?

Question 5 – 1:16:04​ – How does one reconcile caring for their children and the price of following the Lord in Matthew 10:37​? Most patterns I have witnessed seemed to have abandoned their children to serve the Lord and the children grow up resentful.

Question 6 – 1:32:06​ – As the times are changing, my husband and I are really trying to figure out the best way for our children to go on in their education in the midst of this evil age. Public schools are constantly adding more and more elements into the school curriculum, which are contrary to our beliefs as Christians. We will eventually not be able to opt our children out of these curriculums. Our circumstances do not allow us to homeschool or send our children to a private school. This topic has become a very heavy burden for us. What kind of fellowship would you give to families in this situation?

Question 7 – 1:47:13​ – I have experienced some rhetoric from saints and brothers that has been a cause of concern for me. I believe the speaking about people in the LGBTQI community could cause our next generation to become less accepting, less loving, less understanding, more judgmental, more ignorant, and ultimately, will do more to drive people away from the gospel than toward it. As a parent, how do we make our kids clear on these topics, but at the same time, raise them in a way where they still have a heart for man and love man for the purpose of saving these lost sinners?

Q&R Session #21 (video)

Brothers Ray Mulligan, Bob Henry & Michael Stewart sit down & share with us about their experiences of Christ at our fireside chat.

Question 1 – 1:57​ –  I have been reading my Bible and the ministry regularly. I have been told in the past that by reading the word and the ministry my love for the Lord would increase, but I’m afraid that the opposite seems to be happening to me. Could you give me some fellowship on some reasons why this might be happening?

Question 2 – 17:43​ – Is it harmful for me to watch pornography? I have had a lot of interest in pornography lately. It feels impossible to resist and it’s so easy to access on the internet. How can I stop myself from turning to pornographic websites and how can I prevent myself from giving in to pornographic thoughts when I like it so much? 

Question 3 – 57:50​ – Is it okay to marry a Christian who loves the Lord but doesn’t currently meet with us?

Question 4 – 1:24:30​ –  We have received a number of questions about having children, whether to have more children, having children through surrogacy, and other personal circumstances. In these cases, how should we fellowship with other saints concerning our personal circumstances and how should we receive such fellowship? How can we discern between well-intentioned opinion and genuine fellowship?

Question 5 – 1:44:15​ – What’s the purpose of the Full-time Training? And why is it called a training and not a Bible school? This seems very strange to my family and colleagues.

Question 6 – 1:54:53​ – I will graduate next year. I am struggling whether I should join the Full-time Training or not. Deep in my heart, there is a sound telling me that I should attend, but on the other hand, there are some things that are hard for me to part with and talk away. What should I do?

Question 7 – 2:05:11​ – My brother went to a Bible school years ago and he felt condemned that he did not go into the mission field afterwards like so many of his companions, because he felt the Lord was calling him to work instead. Is there something I can tell him that would help remove this condemnation?

Q&R Session #20 (video)

Brothers Peter Welk, Albert Lim and Mark Raabe sit down & share with us about their experiences of Christ at our fireside chat.

Question 1 – 1:02 – Can you serve full time without going to full-time training? My current situation doesn’t allow me to go to full-time training, but I have a heart to serve. What should I do? I have also heard and read many testimonies of how God called people to serve him. It seems like many gloriously gave up all to follow Him. I know God’s calling is not always glorious but those are the stories I hear or remember most. It would be very helpful to hear more about those experiences that weren’t so glorious. 

Question 2 – 18:55 – I am currently working and feel a deep conviction before the Lord that I have been called to serve Him with my full time. However, my environment will just not allow me to take that step at this time. How can I go on without feeling that I am letting the Lord down and am just a sellout?

Question 3 – 40:08 – I heard recently that I was not born into the church life, but rather that the church life is a realm that we need to live in. Can you further elaborate on this term and what “church life” actually means?

Question 4 – 52:50 – What is the proper way to express concerns regarding leading ones in my locality? I don’t want to uncover them, but I also don’t know who to fellowship with or how to fellowship. If I don’t fellowship, I feel that I will be responsible for what I have seen happen to saints as a result of their actions.

Question 5 – 1:05:32 – What should my attitude be toward Christians who don’t meet with the local churches? Sometimes it seems we can be exclusive, even though we say we are not. For example, often saints in the church life will ask me “when did you meet the brothers?” or “when did you first meet the saints?” I know what they mean, but the question implies that those who are not meeting in the local churches are not saints or brothers. How did this kind of terminology come about and does this reflect our view of Christians who don’t meet with us?

Question 6 – 1:13:07 – There seems to be many kinds of co-workers. Coming from a Christian background, that term is foreign to me. Can you elaborate a bit more on who co-workers are and what their function(s) are within the Body of Christ? Also, do apostles exist today? If so, do they exist within, as well as outside, of the church life?

Question 7 – 1:19:14 – Reading the Bible by itself can be difficult. The ministry opens up the Bible to us and so it is easier to just read that and find out what is in the Bible, without needing to read the Bible directly. What is the proper relationship between the ministry and the Bible? 

Question 8 – 1:30:56 – I heard recently in one of the conferences that one of Watchman Nee’s greatest concerns was that the saints would follow his ministry instead of seeing the vision that he saw. How can we be saved from such a situation? Are we, in a sense, following a man until we see the vision that that man saw?

Q&R Session #19 (video)

Brothers Ron Kangas, Chris Wilde & Tom Goetz sit down & share with us about their experiences of Christ at our fireside chat.

Question 1 – 1:25 – I have often heard the brothers in the Q&Rs saying that the Lord spoke to them. However, when I take a walk with the Lord, I don’t feel that I hear the Lord’s speaking. In my experience, I have the Lord’s speaking when I do something wrong. Then, I know for sure the Lord says, “No.” How do I discern whether the sense I have inside is the sense of life and not my own feeling? How do I know if it is the Lord’s speaking?

Question 2 – 19:16 – I have been given to understand that when I am not in my spirit, I am in my soul, & then what I do is at best natural, at worst satanic, even if I am trying to worship God. Growing up as a Christian, I never knew this, so it seemed very simple. We would just worship without being aware of any of that. Now that I am in the church life, it seems like I need to be aware of so many different things in order to worship the Lord: I need to know whether I am in spirit. If I want to worship the Father in spirit and truthfulness, then some measure of reality has to be worked into my being. It seems more complicated, especially when my default is just to be natural. Why are there so many obstacles in me to the true worship of God? Does worshipping & enjoying Him need to be so complicated, or am I overthinking?

Question 3 – 33:03 – I have really been struggling with this matter of migration vs moving. I am from a small locality that my husband and I migrated to before we had children to serve full-time. Having more saints move here and gaining new ones is quite the challenge. We live in a rural area where there are not many job opportunities so the people we do gain for the church life end up leaving due to job/employment issues. The environment is forcing this move on us. My heart is broken that we have to leave. I feel like we are abandoning the saints. Moving to a city for a job in order to take care of our practical needs seems so self-centered and the even opposite to migrating for the Lord’s move to me. Any experiences/fellowship/clarification and/or encouragement for a sister who is leaving behind her church family and her children’s companions in pursuit of a job?

Question 4 – 45:42 – In Luke 4:6, the devil tells Jesus that the authority and glory of the kingdoms of the earth have been delivered to him. Yet, at the same time, in our practice, we view Satan as someone who has usurped and is illegally in authority as the prince of this world (John 12:31). How is it that the devil has received the authority over the kingdoms of the earth & is also a usurper? If God is sovereignly in control of everything, what does Satan actually have authority over?

Question 5 – 1:01:25 – How can we reconcile God’s sovereignty in numbering the days of His serving ones, with the absolute desire echoed in many prayers that his or her days be extended for the sake of their serving and usefulness? How should we pray at such times?

Question 6 – 1:16:37 – Often, when I fellowship with older brothers & quote something from the ministry, they will ask me, “when was that spoken?” I really appreciate this because it shows they are taking into account the context in which brother Lee spoke that particular point. I also appreciate all the older brothers who are aware of the various contexts in which brother Lee ministered and are able to put his speaking at different times & in different places into an appropriate context. How can we be safeguarded from misapplying or quoting the ministry out of its context to support a burden we may have?

Question 7 – 1:23:33 – How can I serve the Lord long-term as a sister? I have been so happy serving full-time for the last two years. I am recently married and am 33 years old and we are thinking of having children soon. Serving on the campus pregnant or with a newborn just doesn’t seem feasible. Is this the point in life when sisters stop serving full-time? Can a sister continue to serve while married with kids?

Question 8 – 1:35:27 – I am serving full-time in a locality in Europe and I have a young family. There are so many demands and it’s hard to know where to focus, especially because everything seems important and urgent all at the same time. The result is that my service is just putting out fires. I feel exhausted and worn out. I find myself in meetings where the saints are looking to me for some encouragement or supplying word or just to be there as a pattern of one who is enjoying Christ, but instead I feel defeated and out of touch with the Lord. I can’t remember the last time I had a good time with the Lord in the morning. How can I recover and serve with longevity?

Question 9 – 1:48:37 – What is the relationship between our disposition and our culture? How do they affect each and how are they different? How does our disposition and how does our culture impact our growth in life, if they are not dealt with?

Q&R Session #18 (video)

Brothers Ray Mulligan, Michael Stewert & Ken Mooney sit down with our students during the Uni Conference and share with us about their experiences of Christ at our fireside chat.

Question 1 – 1:26 – Why do brothers that serve have to shave and can’t have a beard? Because after all, it doesn’t make a man any less “professional.”

Question 2 – 6:20 – What is the difference between living by the sense of life and peace and just living by our feelings?

Question 3 – 20:14 – From the first meeting, there was something mentioned regarding protests and issues on social justice, and it would be good to have some clarification as to why we shouldn’t be involved in protests, even if they are peaceful.

Question 4 – 53:10 – Are we, as Christians, permitted to believe that Adam and Eve, the tree of life and the tree of knowledge of good and evil are allegorical and not a historical account of the beginning of creation? 

Question 5 – 1:02:19 – When we check with the Lord about things, is it possible that our feeling is contrary to the law or rules that are set by the world? Could it be that He would ask us to break the rules (for example, the Covid-19 regulations or smuggling Bibles into a country in which they are illegal) or will He never ask this of us?

Question 6 – 1:13:17 – Is it living on the wrong tree by praying for this pandemic to be over?

Question 7 – 1:18:48 – Sometimes, the outward situation feels so intense, I’m left feeling discouraged and tired in my soul. Even though I pray to the Lord and read the Bible, I often don’t feel better. Is this normal? Am I not exercising my spirit the right way to receive life and peace? How can I break through?

Question 8 – 1:33:22 – Sometimes I get social anxiety. The Lord has really helped me in this matter, but sometimes I feel so desperate to overcome this because it feels horrible inside. I know it takes time, and I’ve opened to some saints, and I tell the Lord how I feel, but it’s hard sometimes. Is there anything further that can be done?

Question 9 – 1:42:58 – Can brother Michael or any other brothers share how you experienced Christ in your studies at University, especially when the workload was heavy, and how did you balance your church life with your school life? How can we take care of our responsibilities as a student while fully giving ourselves to the church life?

Q&R Session #17 (video)

Brothers Ray Mulligan, Peter Welk & Willie Wise sit down and share with us about their experiences of Christ at our fireside chat.

Question 1 – 3:19 – I’m confused why the saints say that Christ is all we need or that Christ is the solution to every problem. Isn’t that a lie? As humans, we need a lot of things—health, food, etc. Is it incorrect when saints say Christ is all we need and that He is the solution to every problem? If you do believe that Christ is all we need and that He is the solution to every problem, can you provide an explanation or examples from your experience?

Question 2 – 34:43 – I’m confused because the saints often say to accept all our situations as from the Lord. However, shouldn’t we also be humanly responsible and deal with the situations? I’m confused with how to address situations humanly while also accepting them as from the Lord at the same time. I feel like if I’m being responsible and trying to fix a situation, then I’m not accepting it as from the Lord. But if we accept all difficult situations as from the Lord and don’t humanly deal with them, how can we live a proper and normal human life?

Question 3 – 1:22:52 – How do we practically deal with our love for the world?

Question 4 – 1:42:06 – I was reading through Ezekiel chapters 33 & 34. I am a young brother serving with the leading ones in my locality for almost a year. I feel very discouraged by reading these chapters because, although it is meant to encourage us by seeing that the Lord is our Shepherd and we are His sheep, I feel that I am one of the “shepherds of Israel” that the Lord is against due to my poor care to the saints, young ones, etc, even before the leading brothers called me to be with them to serve and pray. Does the Lord still love someone like me? I am very confused. I am putting the little hope that remains within me to know if the Lord still loves me in that condition. I would like to know what kind of Person He is to those like me that feel this way. If you could fellowship something along this line, I will be very grateful.

Question 5 – 2:01:13 – How do I live Christ and not become bitter toward people who have emotionally wounded me?

Q&R Session #16 (video | audio)

Brothers Ray Mulligan, Peter Welk & Bob Henry sit down and share with us about their experiences of Christ at our fireside chat.

Question 1 – 1:12 – According to the news, Trump started a historic peace agreement between Israel and the UAE. Is this related to the consummation of the age? How? Also,  I think some saints have said that someone who is Antichrist will make a deal between Israel and the Palestinians, and break it 3.5 years later. Is this that deal?

Question 2 – 23:11 – I recently experienced an increased appetite for the Lord; however, prior to this time I could describe my experience in the church life as sitting at a buffet with food passing by me, one amazing dish after another. They come so fast that I begin to stop eating and begin to just let it go by. I no longer value the food because I have not been able to digest anything and eventually it all becomes a blur. Some saints turn away from the food entirely and have no interest. What can I do to fight this problem? Although I have somewhat come out on the other side of this experience, I’m so afraid that it will happen again, so I don’t have any confidence in my ability to overcome this tendency. How do you stay freshly excited about the ministry?

Question 3 – 49:18 – Often, I’m too stressed, worried, and anxious to contact the Lord in the morning. Many difficult situations are in my life lately. I always feel like I should be doing more to address those situations. How can I stop myself and calm myself down to spend time with the Lord? How can I focus on the Lord, in spite of all life’s distractions and anxieties? 

Question 4 – 1:04:01 – How do you deal with lustful desires?  I have talked with my friends, and we all struggle with this on a daily basis and continually mess up with pornography.  Sometimes it seems uncontrollable. Nowadays you don’t need anyone to act on your lustful desires. How can I stop? Any advice or fellowship you have would be appreciated.

Question 5 – 1:26:37 – I find it hard to live Christ around my family. It’s much easier to live Christ during the meetings. It’s hard to live Christ around my family, especially when they do mean or inconsiderate things to me. How can we live Christ around those closest to us?

Question 6 – 1:46:08 – On the subject of marriage, sometimes people are extremely spiritual, even weirdly so. Other times, they can be just focused on looks, etc. I was wondering, what factors did you brothers think about when considering who you should marry, and what was your experience in meeting your spouses and deciding to marry them?

Q&R Session #15 (video | audio)

Brothers Ray Mulligan, Reggie Favors & Ken Mooney sit down and share with us about their experiences of Christ at our fireside chat.

Question 1 – 1:01 – I am very busy with my work schedule, and when I come home, my family needs attention. I just feel that I honestly don’t have a lot of time for getting into the truth. Can you share some practical ways that you’ve learned to contact the Lord and get into the truth with your busy life and while having a family?

Question 2 – 18:37 – Revelation 10:10 it says “And I took the little scroll out of the hand of the Angel and devoured it, and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth; and when I had eaten it, my stomach became bitter.” Can you expand on this sweet to bitter eating experience and what this means in our eating of the scroll?

Question 3 – 30:52 – There is so much suffering in the world today and much of it seems unnecessary. Why does God allow it? What, if anything, can we do about it? I know that we should preach the gospel, but I don’t know how what we have to say can be effective in such an environment. People think that they have either heard it all before or they are just willing to listen to you and acknowledge your viewpoint, but not let what you speak go any further than that.

Question 4 – 1:01:35 – Sometimes I am scared of dying, especially after hearing that someone I know passed away. What can I do? How can I overcome this fear? I feel like the enemy takes advantage of this and puts in me thoughts that I may die anytime. How can I withstand the enemy when this kind of scary thoughts come? How should I respond to his attacks?

Question 5 – 1:13:06 – Older brothers always tell us that we shouldn’t get married at a young age. I get why they say that but they always talk like that is a no-go. Is it really so bad to get married at age 20? I really need someone… My parents are divorced and therefore I don’t have a family. My family is completely ruined. Parents don’t feel and act like parents, and siblings don’t feel like siblings. I can’t describe how much I want a wife and family, someone to love and pursue the Lord with. I have fellowship with brothers and I always enjoy it, but I still don’t feel complete… Do I really have to wait until I am 30 to even consider marriage? It feels like an eternity…

Question 6 – 1:27:18 – I have often heard the brothers in the Fireside Chat say that the Lord spoke to them in such and such a way. However, when I take a walk with the Lord, I don’t feel that I heard the Lord’s speaking. In my experience, I had the Lord’s speaking when I did something wrong, for then I knew for sure that the Lord said No. But that does not happen all the time. I have heard it said that we need to ask the Lord about everything. For example, we need to ask the Lord what clothes I should wear that day. I tried to ask the Lord, but I don’t feel I have any answer so I just pick clothes that I want to wear. How do I discern if the sense inside is the sense of life and not my own feeling? How do I know it is the Lord’s speaking?

Question 7 – 1:47:32 – I have been serving for a few years now after graduating from the FTT. The longer I serve, the further away I feel with the Lord. Every morning, I don’t look forward to waking up, because I struggle with coming to the Lord, I struggle with contacting people, I struggle in my service. I feel like I’m stuck here. I know it is hard to serve the Lord in Europe, whether being single, married, or with a family, and everyday the enemy is wearing me down – in my mind and emotions. Many times I just want to give up and go back home, where things are “easier.” But every time I have this thought, I’m reminded of the consecration I made to the Lord to give myself to come and serve in Europe. Even though I prayed again and again regarding my situation, it seems like I just don’t get any answers from the Lord. Please help.

Q&R Session #14 (video | audio)

(For more Rhema updates in English, Chinese & Spanish – http://rhe.ma/mdu)

Brothers John Brooks and Andrew Gerges sit down and share with us about the Lord’s move in Russia, India, Egypt and the Middle East at our fireside chat.

Background – 1:40 The burden and inception of Rhema Literature Distributors – 4:42 Russia – 9:07

Question 1 – 58:45 – You were describing the period of prayer over the nine years during the ‘80s. I think you mentioned a lot of you were working with families. What factors would you attribute to that prayer being sustained over a period of nine years? India – 1:10:50 Egypt – 1:22:38

Question 2 – 1:47:56 – What kind of practical advice do you have for those who are coming from abroad to labor in a new country?

Question 3 – 1:56:16 – I have a hunch that you’ve been in a lot of dangerous situations. I think if I was a lot younger, I would’ve been all for it. I’m just wondering, when you have a wife and kids at home, I don’t really have that desire anymore. How did you manage to still do what you do and have that at home?

Question 4 – 2:07:58 – How many churches are in India and Russia right now?

Q&R Session #13 (video | audio)

Brothers Tom Goetz, Ron Kangas & Chris Wilde sit down and share with us about their experiences of Christ at our fireside chat.

Question 1 – 1:21 – As I go on with the Lord, I see more and more how my natural man is only fit for death and burial. It feels like He only made me in order to replace me with Christ. Which to me sounds like He only loves Christ, and not me. So, what is the Lord referring to, when He tells me He loves me?

Question 2 –13:12 – Hebrews 12 talks about Esau despising his birthright, and there being no place for repentance for it. Could someone who is pursuing the Lord and His kingdom now in a sense be doing so in vain, based on what happened in their past?

Question 3 – 29:55 – We know that it is only when the Lord returns that there will truly be righteousness and justice and peace established on the earth. Still, it is troubling to see governmental authorities perpetuate unrighteousness, sometimes toward whole groups of people. How should a believer conduct himself or herself in an environment of unrighteousness? How do you conduct yourself righteously toward people in authority who conduct themselves unrighteously?

Question 4 – 47:03 – I have heard brothers talk about how we can pray for someone and give ground to the enemy in our prayers for further attack on that saint. Could you please elaborate for us and explain to us how this can happen and also how we should pray for one another without doing such a thing.

Question 5 – 54:31 – I have often heard saints say that we are “taking the ground” in a city and this somewhat confuses me. Saints have been meeting there in the past but have not been having a table meeting. Can you please explain to us what actually happens and changes in the spiritual realm when we have one of these “ground-taking” meetings? Is there any scriptural basis for this type of a meeting?

Question 6 – 1:08:27 – Brother Ron, we have heard in your testimony that you came into the church in San Francisco and didn’t care what the ethnicity of the saints there were, as long as it was the church. I believe the point you are trying to make is that we should seek what the Lord wants and not our preference. Could you clarify for us what our attitude should be in light of Matthew 24:14? In order to bring the Lord back, doesn’t he need the ethnos of that nation and city to have the testimony He desires?

Question 7 – 1:21:51 – I am a 35-year-old single sister in the church life and have a strong desire to be married. Are brothers always the ones who should approach leading brothers? Is it inappropriate for sisters to do so?

Question 8 – 1:30:03 – I’m a young married sister with a baby. I work part time and my husband works full time. I would say that from the beginning of our marriage we have practically been absolute for the church life, attending any and every meeting or conference that we can. The last few months in these restrictions, I have felt so restful. I realize now that the church life, the way we were living it, was very hard on me and on our family life. Extra meetings and weekend gatherings that would be announced became something to dread because we were already tired, and I feel we did so much out of a sense of obligation rather than with joy. I thought this was just me, but I was talking with another sister I look up to and she has the same experience. Part of me dreads returning to ‘normal’ in terms of the church life. How can we practically (when the restrictions are lifted) live a day to day church life without falling into religion and doing so many things out of a feeling of obligation or responsibility? How do we keep from getting burned out? And if the church life becomes this way again, does it really produce life?

Question 9 – 1:48:04 – A lot has happened over the past 5 months. A lot has changed. Regardless of status, whether single, married, with young kids, or older kids, this new environment has been challenging. There are many pressures we have either never experienced before or as intensely as before. At the same time, it seems that the Lord’s return may not be far off. We know from the word that as the Lord’s return draws near, the enemy’s wearing out tactics will increase, lawlessness will be multiplied, and the love of many believers will grow cold. That was theoretical to me until this pandemic and the resulting lockdown. I can see now and have experienced to some extent that it is all too possible for this to happen. I don’t want it to happen, but the environment we find ourselves in makes me wonder how my spouse and I can avoid it. How can we, particularly those of us living in Europe and the Middle East, in the part of the world that will be the geographic center of Antichrist’s activity, respond to the enemy’s attack and actually become the people the Lord needs to bring Him back?

Q&R Session #12 (video | audio)

Brothers Scott Finnie, Bob Henry, Peter Welk and Jim Guest sit down and have a small reunion on our fireside chat. They share with us about their experiences meeting one another in high school and at university and how they helped each other in touching the Lord, becoming lifelong companions.

Question 1 – 1:00 – Introduction to the brothers’ Gonzaga testimony

Question 2 – 1:14:55 – After Rick knocked on your door, what was your impression when you started to go and meet with the brothers and sisters? Did you find that it was different from what you had seen before?

Question 3 – 1:22:28 – Can you explain how the whole basketball team got saved?

Question 4 – 1:36:55 – Was there a truth for you personally that really hit home and captured you?

Question 5 – 1:55:33 – I’m interested to hear what your reaction would be in speaking to someone in an environment where you are one of just a handful of believers there?

Question 6 – 2:12:14 – What if I’m in a situation where I just don’t feel anyone else is burdened to preach the gospel? In your experience, if you’re burdened for something, what practical advice do you have to get other people burdened for what you’re burdened for?

Q&R Session #11 [Mental Health] (video | audio)

Brothers Rick Scatterday, Ray Mulligan, Mark Ruthe, and Alexander Tan sit down and share with us about mental health at our fireside chat.

Question 1 – 3:38 – I have heard brothers say that we need to get professional help regarding counseling for mental health. My concern is that I don’t want to get help from someone who doesn’t know anything about the spirit, or is maybe not a believer at all. Can you share a little on this line, not only on how I should go about getting help, but also the proper or best way to do it?

Question 2 – 40:05 – How do you see the present environment with the lockdown and social unrest affecting the mental health of our generation?

Question 3 – 1:04:13 – I have met some students while serving fulltime that have little or no self esteem and might even suffer from depression. This could be based on their upbringing or something else, but their humanity just seems broken. I also see that the ministry that we have seems to emphasize this desire to humble you and break down what has hopefully already been built up humanly. How do I help someone that is already broken and seems in need to be built up before the Lord can begin His work?

Question 4 – 1:30:22 – What kind of fellowship would you give to someone who is suffering in an environment of abuse (physical, sexual, emotional, psychological)?

Question 5 – 1:50:06 – What happens to a believer if he or she commits suicide? And how and what would you say to someone who is considering taking their own life?

Follow-up to Question 5 – 2:05:46 – To what extent do you see substance abuse (drugs or alcohol) being a factor in suicidal tendencies?

Question 6 – 2:27:59 – I am seriously considering to focus on either psychology or psychiatry in my medical studies, given the prevalence of mental health issues in our society today. What is your feeling about pursuing such a career?

Q&R Session #10 (Part 2 of 2) (video | audio)

Brothers Scott Finnie, Ray Mulligan and Peter Welk sit down and share with us about the current world situation and their experiences of Christ at our fireside chat. This is a continuation from the previous weeks fellowship.

Question 1 – 01:58 – I am a black sister and I have grown up in the church life. I am currently 24 now and I have the desire to be married, although I am in no rush. However, I am often discouraged regarding this matter of marriage because I have always had the feeling that there is a slim possibility of me getting married to a brother in the church life because I am black. I have had various interactions with saints over the years, and they have expressed a racial preference and it was never their preference to marry someone black. How do I deal with this discouraging feeling, and is this a realistic thought that I’m having?

Question 2 – 21:00 – After having many conversations this week with people who tuned in last week to the Fireside chat, it seems that for some of us, any response having any spiritual content or solution they think it is sidestepping the issue, avoiding the issue or even using it as an excuse to not address it. It seems that a lot of people want to know practically what they can do instead of just hearing a spiritual response. Could you help us with this?

Question 3 – 1:32:28 – In a multicultural work environment where race can sometimes be an issue, how did you brothers manage to keep your enjoyment in the Lord? I work in such an environment and sometimes I feel like I am not treated as equally as others. When I’m not enjoying the Lord, such negative experiences at work, which I think are related to my nationality/race, really annoys me and causes me to turn to the self rather than the Lord.

Question 4 – 1:42:07 – How do you receive fellowship or even speaking during a meeting from someone that you feel has different political views?

Q&R Session #9 (Part 1 of 2) (video | audio)

Brothers Scott Finnie, Willie Wise, Chris Wilde & Brandon Hendricks sit down and share with us about the current world situation and their experiences of Christ at our fireside chat.

Intro and testimonies of brothers Willie Wise, Chris Wilde, Scott Finnie, and Brandon Hendricks – 00:00

Question 1 – 41:50 – What should my response be toward the current protests going on around the world due to the death of George Floyd? I’m so angry about what happened to him and what has happened to so many others. Is it okay to participate in these protests?

Question 2 – 1:31:30 – How do you deal with racially insensitive and even hurtful comments from brothers and sisters, whether in person or on social media?

Question 3 – 2:00:13 – When I see brothers and sisters involved in political protests or making overt political statements in support of various political agendas or politicians, why does that bother me so much?

Question 4 – 2:17:06 How can we be saved from remaining lukewarm? I recently read and was helped by the book “The Law of Revival.” I feel like I’ve been lukewarm and a little indifferent about the meetings lately, and a lot of times I don’t want to be there in the meetings (prayer meetings, group meetings, Lord’s Day meeting, etc.). I’m a husband and a father, and I know I need to be taking the lead in pursuing the Lord. But I don’t have much desire to do so. What can I do?

Q&R Session #8 (video | audio)

Brothers Tom Goetz, Bob Henry & Philip Bradley sit down and share with us about their experiences of Christ at our fireside chat.

Question 1 – 0:00:17 – In Luke 15, you have the prodigal son who leaves the father and the older brother who stays. Many times, I feel like the older brother. I see the brothers and sisters focusing on those who have left and the new ones who are coming in. However, there seems to be an implicit assumption that people like me who haven’t left and are still around have no problems and require no care. I don’t want to feel sorry for myself, but sometimes I wonder if it would be better for me to leave the church life so that they would take notice of me.

Question 2 – 21:30 – In the Bible, we see the shifting of the birthright on several occasions. In one example, Reuben lost his birthright to Joseph because of his defilement. I am thankful that nothing can change our salvation and that we are cleansed from all our sins through the blood of Jesus. But what if I have been defiled by fornication in the past? Have I lost my birthright? Will I no longer be able to be an overcomer and inherit the millennial kingdom because of the sin of fornication? How do we know if we have lost our birthright?

Question 3 – 44:50 – Recently, a very close companion of mine was courting a brother. While she was courting him, he was sending me messages that I would not have liked if he was courting me (they were in my eyes “flirty”). I didn’t know what to do, and I didn’t want to cause trouble, so I never told her and just really prayed consistently for her and this brother as I was very worried. I also prayed with someone I trusted without revealing the full situation. They ended up breaking up and I was extremely relieved. Was this normal? Should I have told her?

Question 4 – 1:01:40 – How do you care for someone who has been repeatedly burned in the church life and by their parents, who are in the church life but are now lukewarm? We are close, and we live together.

Question 5 – 1:18:17 – It’s hard for me to go on with the Lord because I don’t love Him enough. We love because He loved us first, but I don’t see it, and I don’t appreciate Him enough. I want to love Him, and I pray for it, but it doesn’t really happen. What should I do? How do I love Him more, and how do I see that He loves me?

Question 6 – 1:30:45 – How can I bring my boyfriend, who is not a believer, into the church?

Question 7 – 1:44:41 – I am a church kid and I don’t feel like I can bring my friends to any of the meetings because it’s weird. What should I do?

Question 8 – 1:59:17 – We say that we don’t have a name, but we refer to ourselves as “the Lord’s recovery.” I know this is not our name, but the way we use it often gives that impression. For example, when someone stops meeting with us, we say they “left the recovery.” Isn’t the Lord’s recovery an inward matter, or something that goes beyond the way we meet on the ground of oneness? Could someone address this matter and clarify if this is a common mistake on our use of the term “the Lord’s recovery,” or if I need to see this from a different perspective?

Question 9 – 2:11:02 – What is the difference between the experience of Christ and the enjoyment of Christ? I sometimes find that people use both terms indistinguishably and it confuses me. Is one before the other?

Q&R Session #7 (video | audio)

Brothers Ken Mooney, Mark Ruthe & Ray Mulligan sit down and share with us about their experiences of Christ at our fireside chat.

Question 1 – 2:45 – I have heard many saints say and prophesy in the meetings about how hard marriage is and rarely hear anyone speak positively about it. I have also heard many brothers joke about their wives in public. Hearing all this is making me think that I’m about to enter into a prison or the worst experience of my life, and that having a wife is like coming to a dictator at home that will punish and ground you if you don’t listen. Can you give me a proper and accurate picture of marriage and describe how it positively affected your life?

Question 2 – 18:29 – What is fruit bearing? I have really given myself to the Lord to bear fruit, but I’ve never had anyone receive the Lord through what I have said. I’ve given out many tracts, so maybe someone has been saved by that. Is shepherding fruit-bearing? Helping ones who’ve received the Lord to grow? How do I bear healthy fruit for the Lord?

Question 3 – 34:33 – There is a brother in my locality whom I sense, in the Lord, is very ambitious and desires to be seen in every area that he functions. It troubles me because it seems like the responsible brothers/elders 1) don’t notice it 2) seem to praise him or are happy that he is functioning 3) give him more responsibility such as opening messages of the prophesying meeting. It becomes a distraction in the meetings because it is very ugly to see. How would you address this matter of ambition in the brothers in the church life where sometimes it can cause more damage than good?

Question 4 – 45:41 – I want to be sanctified for the Lord, but I can only read so much Bible and pray so much in a day. I am often tired and would lay on my bed with my devices, and although the internet is worldly and defiling, I don’t know where else to turn to. Do you have any advice on what I can do for entertainment when I have no spiritual appetite left? It is particularly hard at night when I don’t feel like doing anything else.

Question 5 – 1:02:47 – I know that I am a very outward person, and it is extremely hard for me to calm my being down and really turn to appear before the Lord. I read in the ministry that to enjoy God in prayer, we also need to be silent and behold His beauty, even live according to the index of His eyes. I feel that I am so short of these experiences and am too wild, reckless, and distracted. How can I learn to spend time with the Lord in such an intimate way?

Question 6 – 1:17:17 Why do some church kids, who grow up in the church life together with us, end up leaving the church life? After they had gone to the Poland conferences, heard such high messages, consecrated themselves, and had these experiences of prayer, etc., why did they end up leaving? Why does the Lord let this happen?

Question 7 – 1:35:46 – Could you please provide some fellowship about miracles, signs, wonders, miraculous healings or the speaking in tongues and other things related to it? It seems like the Gospels and the Lord’s walking on the earth were full of performing these things, yet we don’t see them that much today. How do these things relate to God’s economy today?

Question 8 – 1:45:22 – I do not wear a head covering when I prophesy or pray. Does this make me an improper sister? I have had many conversations with the Lord concerning this, even in tears. I don’t understand why some sisters feel strong about this. It makes me uncomfortable.

Question 9 – 1:54:02 – God gives man a desire to have children. But my husband and I don’t have children after being married for many years. Now I am passing the age of having children. Outwardly it seems that I am fine, but inwardly I still feel the lack in my human life. Can brothers share some comforting words to those who have unfulfilled desires according to your human experiences?

Q&R Session #6 (video | audio)

Brothers Paul Cooke , Chris Wilde & Bob Henry sit down and share with us about their experiences of Christ at our fireside chat.

Question 1 – 2:05 – How do I share the gospel to someone that says all gods are the same? To them, even the God we believe in is just the same as the gods that they believed in.

Question 2 – 13:30 – How do I explain to my friend that just being a good person isn’t enough? Why does she have to be a Christian, and why can’t she just live her whole life doing good deeds as an atheist?

Question 3 – 26:34 – How do you respond in work environments when everyone around you is talking about sinful things? How do you avoid being judgmental? How can you be relatable and approachable?

Question 4 – 45:16 – Many times, especially in these times we currently are in, I feel like praying for my personal needs/ feelings/ circumstances is not the prayer that the Lord needs, so I end up never praying about the things concerning me. (I feel really selfish when I do). But at the same time, we hear again and again the brothers encouraging us to converse with the Lord and to tell Him about everything. I know He cares for me, but how do these prayers actually meet His needs and help Him accomplish what He is after? Can you offer any fellowship about praying for personal matters and needs as opposed to praying for God’s need? I also feel like prayers for God’s need are really high prayers and I feel extremely short to pray such prayers. I have the sense that much authority is needed for such prayers, which I definitely lack. How can I pray such high prayers to cooperate with the Lord when I lack so much?

Question 5 – 1:01:35 – How do you go through a situation where you and many other people are praying for something, or for someone, but the prayers are not answered? Sometimes, it seems like the Lord is silent, or He doesn’t answer the prayer in the way we are asking Him to answer. How do you deal with that?

Question 6 – 1:11:22 – Can you speak on relationships with someone of the opposite gender? I am courting a brother who has several close female friends that he talks with frequently over the phone–he used to have feelings for one of his female friends and pursued her in the past. I don’t feel at peace with this, but he says I’m being too spiritual. Am I being too spiritual or legal? I really am confused about this.

Question 7 – 1:20:35 – The brother I am courting wants to be more sexual and says he can’t go on without this–I don’t feel right about this, but I also don’t want to make him upset.

Question 8 – 1:35:25 – Can you provide fellowship about addictions? How do you overcome them?

Question 9 – 1:44:50 (Follow up to question 8) – In messages, we hear that the flesh never goes away. In struggles that we have, should we as believers actually think that we are going to overcome this thing, and that it will go away permanently? Or are there certain things that don’t go away, and it’s something you have to flee from?

Question 10 – 1:50:40 – I have heard it said that sufferings cause us to grow and mature in the divine life. Has this been your experience? Can you give us some examples from your life?

Question 11 – 2:06:10 – How can those of us who are in the church life in Africa participate in the Lord’s up-to-date move on the earth? There is a lot of fellowship in the ministry about the direction of the Lord’s move being towards Europe and the Middle East. What part can Africa play in that?

Q&R Session #5 (video | audio)

Brothers Ken Mooney, Mark Ruthe & Ray Mulligan sit down and share with us about their experiences of Christ at our fireside chat.

Question 1 – 2:31 The brothers often emphasize that we need to thoroughly clear the past. There are some things in my past, such as certain sins, that I feel I cannot deal with. If I do not deal thoroughly with my past, does that mean that I’ll never be an overcomer?

Question 2 – 15:36 Sometimes, when I wake up, I get distracted and waste time, and it’s hard for me to have a time with the Lord and/or read the Bible. Any suggestions on how to discipline myself to do these things in the early morning? Also, sometimes I feel really discouraged when I need to miss a message (like the dive session). I also tend to feel discouragement and condemnation when (pre-Coronavirus) circumstances sometimes prevent me from going to the meetings, shepherding others, or going to conferences. How do we recognize God’s sovereignty when sometimes our circumstances appear adverse to God’s will for our lives, such as when they prevent us from doing spiritual things?

Question 3 – 27:57 Can you provide words of fellowship about financial anxieties? I grew up in a family that struggled a lot affording basic necessities, and I think that has resulted in me being anxious about money as a young adult. I’ve recently had some emergencies, a car accident, and expensive healthcare bills. I’ve had to pay for things with a credit card, and now I’m very anxious about my bills. How can I enjoy the Lord when I’m so anxious about finances? It seems like I might need to file bankruptcy, yet I feel a lot of condemnation about that. Can you provide fellowship related to finances and bankruptcy? Part of me feels like filing bankruptcy is not a Christian thing to do and that as a Christian, I need to pay all my bills. But they are also beyond what I can afford.

Question 4 – 39:49 Can you provide any fellowship on giving money to the Lord while one is under financial strain?

Question 5 – 43:42 As a recent graduate, I have been very stressed with my job search. It is very hard to get hired. It’s stressful and scary, having filled out so many applications for months without getting hired. Do you have any comforting words of fellowship?

Question 6 – 54:01 I’m naturally very shy, and it’s hard for me to reach out to people, including the saints. But I want to get built up and connected. How can I reach out to them as a shy person? I’m an introvert. How do introverts last in the church life? It’s hard for me to be social and to spend much time being social.

Question 7 – 1:04:40 Due to some surgeries that didn’t go as planned, I have a lot of chronic pain. How do you enjoy the Lord when you’re physically in much pain? Also, how do you enjoy the Lord when you are in a lot of emotional pain?

Question 8 – 1:23:21 How do we spread the gospel to someone we care about but who is not open? How can my gospel preaching be effective? I have preached the gospel to several friends but they haven’t come to the church life because I don’t know how to shepherd them properly. How can I learn to shepherd new ones? How can I explain to my unbeliever friend that we need to not only be good and nice, but also to seek Lord?

Q&R Session #4 (video | audio)

Brothers Chris Wilde, Rick Acosta & Tom Goetz sit down and share with us about their experiences of Christ at our fireside chat.

Question 1 – 2:15 – Brother Chris, please share with us how you and your wife met.

Question 2 – 29:06 – “Many millennials resent church because their parents were good at church but not good at life. They struggle attending a place that consumed their parents’ time but never transformed their private life.” I saw this on twitter and could relate so much. How do you deal with this?

Question 3 – 48:51 – Many of us have a background involving fornication and/or minds poisoned with pornography. How can we be healed from our skewed views and past full of baggage when approaching relationships and marriage in the church? Do we wait until our minds and hearts are healed in this area before pursuing such a relationship?

Question 4 – 1:03:55 – Are casual dates prior to an official “courtship” to get to know someone appropriate? Can I just ask a sister out for coffee before asking saints what they think about it? I don’t want to get others involved and start drama unnecessarily.

Question 5 – 1:18:24 – When I was living in the world, all my friends’ parents were divorced, and it seemed impossible to find the right person. When I became a Christian, it seemed as though the pool of people became even smaller. Then I came into the Lord’s recovery, and that pool seemed to be even smaller. Now the brothers are telling us that we need to marry someone with the same vision. After the training (Bible school), it feels even smaller. It seems that the more steps I take in life, the harder it becomes to find someone. Are my concepts right because I don’t feel like I can find anyone that matches me?

Question 6 – 1:27:10 – I am new to the church and I am in a smaller locality here in Europe. I look around and I don’t see many options for people my age. I’m not sure what I should do and how I should go about finding a wife.

Question 7 – 1:39:10 – Sometimes, I really struggle with being single. I’m a single young adult sister that has been working after graduating college a couple years ago, and sometimes I feel like it’s impossible for me to be happy unless I’m married and have kids. Any suggestions on how my soul can cope as a single sister?

Question 8 – 1:49:01 – When my wife and I were courting, we tried to be open to some older brothers and sisters for fellowship. However, we ended up receiving lots of unhelpful opinions from people we really respected. We are now married, and that is behind us. What would you suggest to a couple involved in a courtship on how to avoid such an experience?

Question 9 – 1:59:56 – I am a brother that wants to bear fruit, serve the Lord, and open my home, but my wife restricts so much of what we can do in the church life. It’s killing me and I am becoming bitter. What can I do to take care of her and also the Lord’s interests?

Q&R Session #3 (video | audio)

Brothers Ken Mooney, Mark Ruthe & Ray Mulligan sit down and share with us about their experiences of Christ at our fireside chat.

Question Disclaimer – 0:52 Sometimes we will read the question just as it has been submitted, and other times we will adjust the question in order to more broadly address the topic in that question.

Question 1 – 2:31 – Sometimes I really feel like I am enjoying the Lord, but then I lose that feeling. I then get introspective and try to figure out what is wrong. If I lost the Lord’s speaking, what should I do?

Question 2 – 21:54 – I feel constantly judged by other Christians regarding my lifestyle. Whenever this happens, I seem to completely lose all my enjoyment of the Lord. How can I be saved from this outward judgement by other believers? How can I continue enjoying the Lord in this experience?

Question 3 – 38:05 – I live in a city without other saints there. My family is not interested in the church life and are even opposed to it. My contact to other saints are limited. What might the Lord be trying to speak to me in this environment?

Question 4 – 51:55 – My father is always yelling at me. He is always telling me very bad things. He yells at my mom and brother too. He drinks a lot of alcohol. My face and my heart are crying because of it. After that I am sad and anxious, and I have dead thoughts. What should I do in this kind of situation? What kind of prayers should I pray?

Question 5 – 1:07:39 – How should we interact with our Christian friends that meet in other groups and that might have different views, but nevertheless love the Lord? Should I try to bring them into my group?

Question 6 – 1:27:41 – How could we gain someone to whom our testimony has been damaged due to our past life?

Question 7 – 1:41:49 – Brother Ray, please give us your testimony on how you met your wife.

Q&R Session #2 (video | audio)

Brothers Chris Wilde, Peter Welk & Tom Goetz sit down and share with us about their experiences of Christ at our fireside chat.

Question 1 – 3:54 – What can I do when my heart is really busy most of the time, and I get distracted? I feel like I’m doing a lot of things for the Lord, but I’m actually missing the Lord. There’s a lot of necessary things I need to do; at the same time, I read my Bible and spend time with the Lord. But a lot of times, I feel like it’s a chore, and I’m missing the Lord.

Question 2 – 35:17 – In Philippians 4:7, Paul talks about the peace of God. In John 14:27, the Lord refers to the peace of the world. In my experience, sometimes I have peace about something, but I haven’t really prayed about it that much. Is that real peace? How can we discern between the Lord’s peace and a natural peace, or a peace that the world gives us?

Question 3 – 46:38 – Where is the balance between forbearance and extreme suffering? At what point should we try to remove ourselves from a situation? Where is the line between the two?

Question 4 – 58:22 – Matthew 5:48 says, “You shall be perfect as Your heavenly Father is perfect.” Other passages in the Bible and in the ministry also have imperatives. In light of my history of failures, even though I want to do it and decide to do it, I can’t do it. I don’t know how I can meet the standard.

Question 5 – 1:17:54 – How do we deal with comparing ourselves to others? How do I find identity in Christ and let that be enough?

Question 6 – 1:36:25 – How real is God’s work of transformation? How can it be that someone who has been a believer for a long time can do really bad, or even terrible, things? They might not even be aware of what they’ve done. How can you become useful to the Lord instead of being a problem?

Question 7 – 2:05:31 – Is it negative and unspiritual to laugh and have fun with our friends?

Q&R Session #1 (2020 European University Conference)

(video | audio)

Brothers Chris Wilde, Ken Mooney, Peter Welk, Ray Mulligan & Don Pullen sit down and share with us about their experiences of Christ at our fireside chat.

Question 1 – 9:11 – How do we respond to the present pandemic (COVID-19)? How is it related to the Lord’s return and our preaching of the gospel? How do we deal with anxiety during this time?

Question 2 – 42:05 – How do we deal with obstacles that might prevent us from being ready for the Lord’s return? What experiences do you have in dealing with obstacles and in developing a healthy, romantic relationship with the Lord?

Question 3 – 1:10:36 – When the Lord allows things to happen to me, oftentimes my heart is hurt and my soul has gone through trauma. What should I do when I am bitter and angry to the Lord when I come to Him? On His side, He might really want to love me, but I might not feel the same way back. How do we change that part of the relationship?

Question 4 – 1:47:03 – How can students who are perhaps isolated go on with the Lord after a conference?