A few years ago, I spoke with a friendly young man who grew up in a mainstream Christian church but joined a church where they believe in God the Father, God the Mother, and that Jesus was reincarnated as a Korean man who died in the 1980s.
Yikes. How did this young man end up there? They answered his questions – starting with a very simple one.
Why Do We Hold Services on Sunday?
He wanted to know why churches hold services on Sunday. He said his church leaders couldn’t tell him. He said his Seventh Day Adventist friends couldn’t tell him why they hold services on Saturday.
The cult could.
They told him why they hold services on Saturday. They told him why they celebrate Jesus’ death and resurrection on the actual Passover dates. They told him why they believe people are saved through keeping Passover. They told him why they believe all people died without hope from 325 AD to the reincarnation of Jesus in South Korea to bring back the New Covenant Passover.
He thought their message was nutty too – at first. But he told me how they patiently answered his every question.
Now I heard some of those answers. They twisted logic and twisted Scripture. But they gave him answers. That’s what he wanted. That’s what he needed.
This earnest young man had a “study” for everything, all provided by the cult. I admired his dedication and his evangelistic zeal. He knew his Bible references. He knew his historical references—sort of. He wanted me to believe too. But it was a web of confusion, and he couldn’t see the threads.
There But for the Grace of God Go I
I can relate with his need for answers. Maybe you can too.
I grew up in the church, but as a teenager, I wanted more answers about the truth of Christianity. I wanted to make sure that my faith in Christ matched with reality.
My family had a copy of The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel, which helped answer many of my questions. Years later, I delved into apologetics—the rational case for the truth of Christianity—to answer more questions and deeper questions. Engaging intellectually with the rational case for Christianity led to startling changes in my life.
But many churched young people do grow up and out of the church.
If You Don’t Know the Answer, Don’t Dismiss the Question
As Christians, even if we don’t know the answers offhand, we should be committed to taking questions – even simple questions like the timing of church services – seriously. Indeed, we should welcome them; they are opportunities to help someone grow! Maybe their questions will spur us to do the same.
Perhaps the answer will come in the form of directing the person to a resource like William Lane Craig’s On Guard or a YouTube channel like Testify. Perhaps you may only be able to point them in a general direction in terms of resources. Maybe you’ll need to turn to an expert on the matter. Perhaps it’s a question so deep that the journey to understand it and answer it will itself be beneficial. Perhaps—as in the case of this friendly young man—the answer is only a Google search away.
Jesus Christ rose from the dead on a Sunday, so that’s why churches generally hold services on Sunday. It’s to honor Jesus’ resurrection.
It’s a simple answer, but it was a key one for at least one young man. If you are a believer reading this, consider praying for him. I have not given up hope for him.
How do you respond when someone under your spiritual guidance asks you a question to which you don’t know the answer? What do you do when you have questions?
