Category: What do you think?

What Revelation 21 promises about joy and memory in heaven

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JEFF TURNER

Revelation 21:4 says that in heaven there will be no more pain and that the former things have passed away, and this raises a heartfelt question for many believers: will we remember the suffering of this life, or the people we loved who did not come to faith? I believe the answer that scripture points toward is that heaven will be a place of complete and uninterrupted joy, with nothing present that could bring sorrow or weigh down the heart in any way.

That kind of total joy makes it difficult to imagine carrying grief or regret into eternity. It seems that the heartaches of this world, and even the memories of our own sins, will not follow us there. To remember the specific wrongs from which we have been forgiven would in some sense be to recycle sin in the mind, and that has no place in a sinless eternity. Believers will know the joy of forgiveness without being haunted by what they were forgiven from. Everything in heaven will serve to increase joy, and nothing will be allowed to diminish it.

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

Romans 8:18

What Ephesians 5 actually means when it says sexual immorality must not be named among believers

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JEFF TURNER

Ephesians 5:3 says that sexual immorality and greed must not even be named among believers, and one reader took that to mean that Christians struggling with sexual sin should not talk about it with others. But the verse is not about silence; it is about identity. Paul’s point is that these sins should have no place among God’s people, not that the topic is off limits in a context of genuine care and accountability.

Confessing sin to a trusted fellow believer is encouraged throughout scripture, and receiving support and prayer from others is part of what it means to live in Christian community. The verse in Ephesians is calling believers to a standard of holiness where sexual immorality simply does not characterise who they are. It is not a prohibition against the kind of honest, private conversations that help people find freedom from sin. At the same time, there is no need to share every ugly detail publicly; the goal is mutual support and accountability, not a full rehearsal of everything done in darkness.

Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. A prayer of a righteous person, when it is brought about, can accomplish much.

James 5:16

The eternal nature of hell and what Jesus actually taught about it

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JEFF TURNER

Jesus spoke more about hell than almost any other topic, and what he said in Matthew 25 makes it clear that punishment is not a one-time event that ends in annihilation. He described the fire as eternal, meaning it never consumes what it burns, which is precisely why it lasts forever. This doesn’t appear to be figurative language being stretched to make a point; it lines up with what other passages of scripture say as well.

Passages throughout the New Testament describe this judgment as unquenchable, everlasting, and inescapable. Second Thessalonians 1:9 speaks of everlasting destruction, and the imagery of the undying worm and the unending fire appears more than once. Those who suggest that the ungodly simply go out of existence at judgment have to work around a large body of scripture that points in the opposite direction.

The consistent witness of the Bible is that the punishment of the wicked has no end. And it’s a punishment no one need endure because Jesus paid the price.

 And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; they have no rest day and night, those who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.”

Revelation 14:11

Head coverings in 1 Corinthians 11: what the passage really teaches

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TEXAS GOSPEL VOLUNTEER

1 Corinthians 11:5 states that a woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonours her head. This verse has prompted longstanding debate: does it require women to wear a physical covering in church today, or was it a specific instruction for first-century Corinth?

The answer is not simple, and sincere believers have held different views for centuries.

At the heart of the passage is a theological truth about order and distinction. Scripture teaches a clear structure of headship: God over Christ, Christ over man, man over woman (1 Corinthians 11:3). This order is meant to govern both the home and the church.

Within this structure, women express their honouring of God’s design in particular ways. Some of these expressions are cultural; others are rooted in creation itself. Paul notes, for instance, that a woman’s longer hair is a natural covering, a gift from God reflecting this distinction.

Head coverings, in certain cultural settings, have served as a visible symbol of this order. Whether that specific practice is universal or contextual is where Christians disagree. What is not in dispute is the underlying principle: men and women are distinct by design, and that distinction carries meaning in worship.

The outward practice may vary across cultures and eras, but the call to honour God’s created order, in both attitude and action, does not.

But I want you to understand that Christ is the head of every man, and the man is the head of a woman, and God is the head of Christ.

1 Corinthians 11:3

What are spiritual gifts and how do they work in the church today?

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JEFF TURNER

Every believer receives a gift from the Holy Spirit. It is not earned, but given with purpose. As 1 Corinthians 12:7 reminds us, the Spirit’s work in each person is meant to benefit others. No one is left out, and no gift is meant to be kept to oneself.

Passages like Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12 describe gifts such as teaching, serving, giving, leadership, and faith. Rather than fitting neatly into one category, most people find their gifting is a blend of several of these , expressed in a way that’s uniquely their own.

These gifts aren’t given for personal recognition. Their purpose is always outward: to strengthen and support the body of Christ as a whole.

Discovering your gift doesn’t have to be complicated. As you continue to serve faithfully, the shape of your gift becomes clearer over time. The goal isn’t a perfect definition, it’s availability and a willing heart. When each person offers what they’ve been given, the whole community grows stronger together.

As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the multifaceted grace of God.

1 Peter 4:10