The Making of a Preacher -Prep

The Tar-Baby Strikes Again

1. Having twins that are physically identical, while at the same time being spiritual opposites, is a troubling scenario at the very least. Any man who loves The Lord Jesus wants his children to serve The Lord forever with him in Heaven. How does he continue to love a daughter, who doesn't share his faith, with all of his heart, while urging her to accept The Gift of Salvation before it's everlastingly too late?

2. What does it mean to tell the Truth and to be hated for doing so? Diotrephes Broadway only cares about life that he considers to be good for himself and nobody else. Matt knows that Diotrephes has an eternal soul, but will Diotrephes be saved in time before he dies from old age at the very least?

3. Matt deals with internal battles of the heart and spiritual realms. How does a man make sure that he is saved? You can step onto a scale to weigh yourself. Stand still and you know exactly how many pounds you weigh. There are other tests that are more or less accurate, regarding the level of sight and of hearing that an individual human possesses. How do you know that the transaction has been made with The God of All Existence to know that you have received His Gift of Salvation? Sometimes The Lord appears to a human in a very visible way to give assurance, but He doesn't always do this. How does a person, who has never seen the Face of God, nor heard His Voice, arrive at the state of Saved & Peaceful?

4. Could Matt lose his wife at the height of ministry, just when she was becoming more involved as an irreplaceable friend and love and Joy?

5. Could Aurora fall off the cliff at Mount Bleu, landing on an outcropping 70 feet below, breaking her back, being seen after by her dad every day for the rest of her life, only to say on her deathbed, "I still don't believe in God"?

6. What does it mean for a concrete thinker to live "by faith, not by sight?" How is it possible to have "childlike faith," when children tend to think in concrete ways, having difficulty with abstract thought.

7. Since Andy Attelpate has supernatural insights (via Lazarus Watyudid,) couldn't he undercut Matt's leadership ability by often "putting in his two-cents worth," before Matt can get the words out of his mouth? Andy would begin to look like the competent leader rather than Matt.

8. Apparently, Matt has developed vertigo on this planet that has an annual floating day, due to the shift in the planetary rotation as well as the tilt on its axis.

9. Straitway Marks, Matt's brother, has always been so confident in every way, including spiritual assurance in faith, that Matt wonders if he should step down and let his brother lead the congregation.

10. Paul Letras develops ALS in the latter of his life, becoming less and less able to advise Matt. Does Matt have enough confidence to read the Scriptures for leadership from The Lord, following Him directly without help from a human mentor?