In this thoughtful response, Pastor Mike addresses an important question that often comes up when studying the names of God: Is it wrong for Christians to say the name “Yahweh”? He explains the Jewish tradition of avoiding pronunciation of the divine name, the meaning of the Tetragrammaton, and why Christians are not bound by that practice. Pastor Mike also clarifies how English Bible translations use LORD (in all caps) to represent Yahweh and why understanding this distinction can deepen Old Testament study. This teaching helps believers approach God’s name with reverence, clarity, and biblical understanding.Text ASK to 90398 to ask Pastor Mike a Bible Question.Text GOLIVE to 90398 to be notified when ASK Pastor Mike is LIVE.Find more ways to learn your Bible at https://focalpointministries.org/Have a Bible Question? Ask Pastor Mike! https://focalpointministries.org/ask-pm/

To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1676/29?v=20251111

In this candid and behind-the-scenes answer, Pastor Mike explains why listeners may notice differences when he preaches the same sermon across multiple services. Sharing personal insight from years of pastoral ministry, he talks about sermon refinement, physical and mental fatigue, and how real-time feedback shapes preaching from one service to the next. Pastor Mike also reflects on which sermons feel the hardest, which ones feel the most settled, and how preaching multiple times each weekend stretches a pastor more than most people realize. This is an encouraging and honest look into the heart, discipline, and humanity behind faithful Bible preaching.Text ASK to 90398 to ask Pastor Mike a Bible Question.Text GOLIVE to 90398 to be notified when ASK Pastor Mike is LIVE.Find more ways to learn your Bible at https://focalpointministries.org/Have a Bible Question? Ask Pastor Mike! https://focalpointministries.org/ask-pm/

To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1676/29?v=20251111

Text CRUISE to 90398 or https://fpr.org/cruiseJoin us on a breathtaking cruise through New England and Canada’s coastal towns and historic cities. Our trip will include encouraging morning devotional times, thought-provoking Bible teaching, and inspiring musical worship led by Grammy-winning music educator Keith Hancock and his wife, Carly. And we will be hosting a special Ask Pastor Mike Live at sea. This is an opportunity to ask any Bible question that is on your mind. There is no question too tough that I won’t tackle.I am confident that you will gain a deeper understanding of God’s Word, make new believing friends and come home with lifetime memories.

To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1676/29?v=20251111

In this clear and Bible-centered explanation, Pastor Mike addresses a common question surrounding John 3:5 and Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus. Is Jesus teaching that water baptism is necessary for salvation, or is He pointing to something deeper? Pastor Mike walks through the Old Testament background—especially Ezekiel 36 and Jeremiah 31—to show how “water and Spirit” refer to the New Covenant promise of cleansing and heart transformation, not New Testament baptism. This teaching helps listeners understand the passage in its proper biblical and historical context and brings clarity to a topic that has caused confusion across many Christian traditions.Text ASK to 90398 to ask Pastor Mike a Bible Question.Text GOLIVE to 90398 to be notified when ASK Pastor Mike is LIVE.Find more ways to learn your Bible at https://focalpointministries.org/Have a Bible Question? Ask Pastor Mike! https://focalpointministries.org/ask-pm/

To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1676/29?v=20251111

In this powerful and candid discussion, Pastor Mike addresses a difficult and emotional question many believers are wrestling with today: should churches have armed security teams? Responding to concerns about defending the congregation—even if it means using deadly force—Pastor Mike walks through biblical principles of self-defense, the value of human life made in the image of God, and the responsibility to protect the innocent. He explains why loving our neighbors, families, and fellow believers sometimes requires decisive action, especially in an age where churches are increasingly targeted. This teaching brings clarity, biblical grounding, and pastoral conviction to a topic many Christians feel uneasy talking about but can no longer ignore.Text ASK to 90398 to ask Pastor Mike a Bible Question.Text GOLIVE to 90398 to be notified when ASK Pastor Mike is LIVE.Find more ways to learn your Bible at https://focalpointministries.org/Have a Bible Question? Ask Pastor Mike! https://focalpointministries.org/ask-pm/

To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1676/29?v=20251111

In this thoughtful conversation, Pastor Mike addresses a common source of confusion for many Christians: what does it really mean to enter or inherit the Kingdom of God? Drawing from Scripture, he explains why separating these ideas into “tiers” of Christianity is unbiblical and misleading. Pastor Mike clarifies that genuine faith always produces fruit—not as a way to earn salvation, but as evidence of a transformed heart. He also offers pastoral encouragement for believers who deeply trust Christ yet continue to battle sin, reminding us that the Christian life is a lifelong war against the flesh, not a claim of sinless perfection. This teaching brings clarity, balance, and hope to anyone wrestling with assurance, obedience, and the true meaning of saving faith.Text ASK to 90398 to ask Pastor Mike a Bible Question.Text GOLIVE to 90398 to be notified when ASK Pastor Mike is LIVE.Find more ways to learn your Bible at https://focalpointministries.org/Have a Bible Question? Ask Pastor Mike! https://focalpointministries.org/ask-pm/

To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1676/29?v=20251111

Text CRUISE to 90398 or https://fpr.org/cruiseJoin us on a breathtaking cruise through New England and Canada’s coastal towns and historic cities. Our trip will include encouraging morning devotional times, thought-provoking Bible teaching, and inspiring musical worship led by Grammy-winning music educator Keith Hancock and his wife, Carly. And we will be hosting a special Ask Pastor Mike Live at sea. This is an opportunity to ask any Bible question that is on your mind. There is no question too tough that I won’t tackle.I am confident that you will gain a deeper understanding of God’s Word, make new believing friends and come home with lifetime memories.

To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1676/29?v=20251111

In this pastoral response, Pastor Mike addresses a difficult and sensitive concern from a mother whose teenage daughter heard at youth camp that “every guy—even married men—struggles with pornography.” Pastor Mike brings biblical balance and realism to the discussion, explaining that while not every man is enslaved to pornography, men and women are wired differently and face different patterns of temptation. He emphasizes that Scripture openly acknowledges these struggles—especially in books like Proverbs—without excusing sin or fostering despair. This teaching helps parents, pastors, and youth leaders think more carefully about how sexual temptation is taught, encouraging honesty without hopelessness, responsibility without accusation, and wisdom without fear.Text ASK to 90398 to ask Pastor Mike a Bible Question.Text GOLIVE to 90398 to be notified when ASK Pastor Mike is LIVE.Find more ways to learn your Bible at https://focalpointministries.org/Have a Bible Question? Ask Pastor Mike! https://focalpointministries.org/ask-pm/

To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1676/29?v=20251111

In this teaching, Pastor Mike unpacks one of the most difficult sayings of Jesus: Matthew 11:12, where Jesus says “the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.” Pastor Mike explains the historical, biblical, and theological background of the passage, showing how the kingdom’s arrival through John the Baptist and Jesus overturned the religious status quo. Rather than respectable religious elites, it was repentant sinners, outcasts, and unlikely followers who urgently embraced the kingdom. This explanation helps clarify how spiritual hunger, repentance, and bold faith—not social status or religious pedigree—marked those who truly entered God’s kingdom.Text ASK to 90398 to ask Pastor Mike a Bible Question.Text GOLIVE to 90398 to be notified when ASK Pastor Mike is LIVE.Find more ways to learn your Bible at https://focalpointministries.org/Have a Bible Question? Ask Pastor Mike! https://focalpointministries.org/ask-pm/

To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1676/29?v=20251111

In this candid pastoral conversation, Pastor Mike responds to an honest question: Would he take his family to a church like the one he was raised in—one that preached a gentler, less rigorous message? Pastor Mike explains that while the church of his childhood once faithfully taught the Bible, it later drifted into theological softness. He offers practical, realistic counsel for believers who don’t have many strong churches nearby: choose the best church within reasonable driving distance and be a godly influence there.He emphasizes that real church commitment requires more than attendance—it means attending consistently, connecting relationally, serving faithfully, and giving financially. Pastor Mike encourages believers not to keep “testing churches” indefinitely, but to fully invest and trust God to use them as a catalyst for growth and renewal within a local congregation.Text ASK to 90398 to ask Pastor Mike a Bible Question.Text GOLIVE to 90398 to be notified when ASK Pastor Mike is LIVE.Find more ways to learn your Bible at https://focalpointministries.org/Have a Bible Question? Ask Pastor Mike! https://focalpointministries.org/ask-pm/

To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1676/29?v=20251111