Q:  What version of the Bible do you use?
A:  There aren't so many different "versions" as there are "translations."  Many argue that the only authoritative Bible is the King James yet it was first published back in 1611.  While it is truly Gods word, it can be difficult to understand the grammer of that time period so there have been "new" translations to modernize it while keeping the context and flow as it was originally.  Any Bible that gets its text from translations of the original Aramaic, Greek, and Hebrew should be considered valid as long as it was done in a scholarly manner - by multiple researchers.  We teach out of the King James (1611), the NIV (New International Version), the New King James (an updated version of the 1611), as well as taking pieces from others for their phrasing and description.  If you are looking for a translation to use be sure to investigate the background of those that translated it to avoid any "personal" influence on the content.  Remember too that all scripture is beneficial and the Holy Spirit will use whatever is at hand to speak to the heart that searches.

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Q:  What denomination is your church?
A:  We do not subscribe to any particular denomination but feel that we are a Christian church; meaning that we study the word of God as written and shy away from the influences that man and the world try to add to it.  We have people in our congregation that come from all different backgrounds:  Catholic, Lutheran, Baptist, Jehovah's Witness, Jew, etc.  The main point is that we believe in the Holy Trinity; God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, that Jesus is the true Son of God, fully man and fully God, that He died for our sins and rose from the dead to purchase our salvation, and the only way to Heaven is through belief in Him and what He has done for us.  Oh, one more thing, He IS coming back and will judge us by our faith in this.

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Q:  What exactly is a Christian then?
A:   A Christian is (and this is according to Jesus himself because He said it) someone who believes:

A)    Heaven is a gift that is not deserved nor can it be “earned.”  This is grace.
B)     Every human is a sinner and none of them can save themselves.
C)     God is merciful and loving, that He does NOT want to punish us but He is also Holy and Just so He must punish sin.
D)     Jesus is 100% God and 100% man and He came to earth to die on the cross in our place (to pay for our sins and purchase our salvation) and rose from the grave to show victory over death.
E)     Faith is not “head knowledge” (ie. “I’ve gone to school and studied the Bible so it must be true”) or “temporary knowledge” (ie. “I’ll believe right now because it serves my purpose”) but is the trusting in Christ alone for salvation.

All the rest is just fluff and as God also says in the Bible, “You will not add to nor take away from My word.”

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Q:  The Bible was written by men so isn't it just their interpretation?
A:  True, the Bible was written by men but they were inspired by the Holy Spirit so what they have written is the Truth and not an interpretation.  As for interpretation of the Bible; what it said 2000 years ago is still applicable today and, in all honesty, there really is only one way for it to be interpreted.  The people who tend to offer up the argument that it’s “fallible” or “old” do not believe, or do not want to believe, anything it has to say.

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Q:  I've done too many bad things how can God love me?
A:  God loves ALL of us and His main desire is for us to be with Him in fellowship.  That's the whole reason He sent Jesus - to answer for ALL of our sins.  Jesus even says (many times) that He came save the lost and that's what we ALL were/are at one point.  Did you notice the redundant use of "ALL"?  That's intentional - Jesus said in Matthew 28:11, "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."

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Q:  If I come to your church do I have to dress up?
A:  God is not concerned with how you look and only wants you to fellowship with Him.  As a congregation we appreciate you for who you are and clothing style is not important - YOU are.

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Q:  What is "fellowship"?
A:  Fellowship is a "churchy" way of saying, "hang out with."  Really, when you get together with your friends you are fellowshipping with them.

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Q:  Everybody I know sins, doesn't that count against me too?
A:  No.  One of the great passages in the Bible is in John 9 where Christ heals a man who has been blind since birth.  His disciples ask Him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” and He tells them, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him.” meaning that the only reason the guy was blind was so God could work a miracle.  This also means that we are not punished for the sins of our “fathers” except for original sin, which we all have, thanks to Adam.

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Q:  Okay, what is "original sin"?
A:  God created the world and everything in it Holy and pure.  Through Satan's temptation and Adam and Eve's decision to go against God's command not to eat the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, they tarnished his Holy creation and that was the original sin.

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Q:  I grew up in a church that believed in the full filling of the Holy Spirit with evidence of speaking in tongues, do you?
A:  Jesus stated in John 14:26 “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.”  This, of course, was fulfilled at Pentecost and in Acts 2 it can be seen that tongues was a response provided by the Spirit so that those who were in attendance could hear the gospel in their native language.  This actually served two purposes as it allowed all Gentiles to hear the Good News and it let the nation of Israel know that the message of Christ was for all people. This is affirmed again in Acts 10:44-48 where the Holy Spirit falls on the Gentiles and they speak in tongues as well.

With this in mind look at 1 Corinthians 12, 13, & 14.  The Apostle Paul is addressing the church in Corinth about their individual zeal and desire to have the gifts of “show”, i.e. prophesy, miracles, and tongues. He explains to them that their desire should be for the edification of the church and not their own.  With tongues he explains that unless there is someone to interpret them they really are of no use to the church since no one can understand what is being spoken.  He does say, however, that in prayer tongues may manifest themselves and since our prayers are to God, who knows all and understands all, then why not?

As for Mountaintop Church we have a wide variety of people from all sorts of backgrounds and we all believe in the full filling of the Holy Spirit but each of us has our own gift that we’ve been blessed with and tongues is not one that manifests itself during a typical service.  The Holy Spirit lives in us, has the voice of God who guides, comforts, convicts, and teaches us while the evidence of someone being filled with the Spirit can be seen in their fruit.

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