Sierra Nature

FAQ's

FAQs

The Most Common Questions Asked By Our Church Members

If God really loves us why is there so much suffering and hardship in the world today?

ANSWER. Suffering causes our focus to turn inward, to face those parts of ourselves we might otherwise ignore. God can use suffering then to develop us into better people: the people who can love and enjoy Him forever (Romans 5:3-5 it reads * We also boast of our troubles, because we know that trouble produces endurance,

* Endurance brings God’s approval, and his approval creates hope.

* This hope does not disappoint us, for God has poured out his love into our hearts by means of the Holy Spirit, who is God’s gift to us. (James 1:2-4)

Is the Bible authentic? Since it is written over thousands of years by multiple authors. How can we trust the Bible?

ANSWER. As rightly answered by DR. STEPHEN NICHOLS, the Bible has a remarkable inner consistency. It was written over twelve hundred years. It was written by thirty-nine different authors. These authors stem the whole social strata, from kings to commoners. It’s written in three languages. It’s written on three continents. It’s written in a multiplicity of political and socioeconomic cultures and contexts and yet, it is one book. There is no other book even remotely like the Bible.

Secondly, the Bible has withstood scrutiny. The Bible takes place in real places and in real time. It’s set alongside historical events. When we look to historical data or we look to archaeological evidence, we see corroborative evidence for the text of the Bible. One archaeological find is the Moabite Stone. This stone, discovered in the 1860s, records the deeds of the king of Moab. It is in perfect concert with the biblical text of 2 Kings 3. I was just reading an article the other day about ten archaeological discoveries in 2019 that corroborate the Bible, one of them being Philistine DNA. We have a whole history of textual and archaeological witness that corroborates the events of the Bible.

So, the Bible has a unique inner consistency. It has external verification and corroboration. And then thirdly, the Bible is utterly unique when we compare it to other religious texts. If you take the Book of Mormon, here you have a text that is in some ancient language. This individual is given essentially a decoder ring to be able to interpret the text of the Book of Mormon. That’s not at all like the Bible. Or even take the Qur’an. Here we have Muhammad in trance-like states and ecstatic visions, who then dictates those visions to write the Qur’an. This is not the Bible. The Bible was written by real authors in real places talking about real events. In fact, there’s an ordinariness to the Bible that confounds us. Of course, we know that the Bible is not just a book of human authors.

The ultimate reason to trust this ancient book is because the Bible declares to be the Word of God. We look at this external evidence or these historical data. This gives us reason to say: “You should pay attention to the Bible. You should read it. This is worth paying attention to.” When you do, you find that the Bible declares to be the Word of God. Not just once or not just twice, but all over the pages of the Bible we see this declaration that the Bible is God’s Word. So, yes, yes, yes, we can trust the Bible. In fact, we must trust the Bible, because the Bible alone is the Word of God. It is the very Word of God to us.

It is also the only book that tells us what happened in the past, what is happening to humanity now and what is yet to happen in the future. So, YES, we can absolutely trust the Bible. 

What do I gain, if I become a fully committed Christian?

ANSWER:  But what is a Christian, actually? We read in the book of Acts that the disciples were called Christians. (Acts 11:26) So a Christian is a disciple. Jesus said, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.” Luke 9:23. In other words, being a Christian means that I deny my own will and choose to do God’s will, every day.

But, what is it that makes this life so rewarding? What is it that makes the Christian life the very best life there is? 

*  All your sins are instantly forgiven you.
1 John 1:9. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

* You get help to stop consciously sinning altogether.

* The Holy Spirit starts to teach you and free you from yourself.
Luke 12:12 For the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say.

* You have peace and joy that nothing can take away.

* Jesus is your mighty Helper and Friend!

* You will be a light in this world.

* You will have meaningful relationships.

* You will rule with Christ in the world to come.

What is my assurance of salvation?

ANSWER: You can have assurance of salvation when you believe that salvation is not your doing, but God’s act of redemption in Jesus Christ, conceived before the foundation of the world, a sacred agreement between the Persons of the Triune God, and carried out by God through the mysteries of His providence in real time. Only believe the redemption plan of God.

Does my life get better when I become a Christian?

ANSWER: YES!! You begin to love, trust and desire God. New convictions begin to settle in your mind. You become aware of your sin, and you get drawn to Christ. You then see a beauty in Him that you did not see before and this will drive you to live your life selflessly.

Is it important to go to church?

ANSWER:  Fellowship builds unity. The church is called to be united. Unity is having everything in common and being of the same mind. Paul wrote in Ephesians 4 saying, “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.”

Hebrews 10:25 says, “… not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.”

Is Christ the only savior of the world?

ANSWER: Christ reveals himself throughout his earthly life as the Savior sent by the Father God for the salvation of the world. His very name, “Jesus”, expresses this mission. It means: “God saves”. It is a name He was given because of heavenly instruction: both Mary and Joseph (Lk 1:31; Mt 1:21) received the order to call him by this name. In the message to Joseph the meaning of the name is explained: “for he will save his people from their sins”. 

One can undoubtedly and emphatically say Christ Jesus is the only savior, He is the mediator between man and God the father.

Is tithing still as relevant in a Christian life today as it used to be?

ANSWER: Malachi 3:10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.

Can you please confirm the church address so that I can use it to invite a friend?

ANSWER:  The current address is 5750 Karl Road Columbus, Ohio 43229

What time does Pre-Service Prayer start so I can come with my family before the main service starts?

ANSWER:  Pre-Service Prayer starts at exactly 12:30pm until main service starts at 1:00pm

Do you have A separate service for children?

ANSWER: Yes, we do.

How can we donate money to the church?

ANSWER:  We have a cash app ($ccinowministry.org) or there is a donation link on the website to give your tithes and offering.

where does your inspiration come from?

ANSWER:  I am truly inspired by my dad. His ability to become a leader, first from Home and second in several other business relationships. If I were to pick one of his several qualities to emulate, I would want to lead by example, the way he does. I want to show every team that I lead, how to accomplish a task, passing on the knowledge to do it right. I think the ability to lead by example is an important characteristic of a leader. As The Administrator of our Church and I hope to bring that to this role each day.

what motivates you to do what you do?

ANSWER:  The Word of God and the Greater Good. Through my studies of The Word of God, I am always being reminded to show kindness and compassion, especially to the needy and poor. Every day, I am reminded of the power of selflessness and the impact of acts of kindness on the world. Pursuing opportunities to do good has become a part of who I am, and it brings me immense joy to know that my actions can contribute to a greater good.