How to Honor Your Parents When you Disagree About Theology

God calls us to honor our father and mother, but how can we do this when we don't see Ida on certain theological teachings that is one of the questions will be answering on today's addition of core Christianity hi this is Bill Meyer along with Pastor Gabriel Sanchez and this is the radio program where we answer your questions about the Bible and the Christian life every day.

You can call us right now with your question. At 833 the core that's 1-833-843-2673, as always, you can post your question on one of our social media accounts, Facebook, Instagram or twitter and you can email us with your question at questions at core, Christianity.com. While the Bible says children are a blessing from the Lord. But in one city having kids can also get you some big bucks. The city of Chang Juan in South Korea is offering a grant of nearly $100,000 for couples who have at least three children. Wow, the town is combating the problem of a declining population with financial incentives. This new policy grants loans of 100 million South Korean one which is about 92,000 bucks to all married couples residing in the city. Here's the way it works a drill. If the couple gives birth to one child. The interest on the loan is waived for two kids. 30% of the loan principal is forgiven if the family has three children, the entire loan is forgiven and becomes a grant and I was thinking a drill if San Diego offer that kind of money for having kids, you and your wife would be like making bank you know I want to know what they differ for kids kids yet when it's California get to go there and yeah yeah so will is good to our first question of the day. This one was posted on our Facebook page from Leroy and he says hey pastor a drill. I'm wondering if you have any advice on when and when not to bring up current events or pop-culture in Bible teaching. I'm a Bible teacher and I note that some preachers bring up current issues and make pop-culture references nonstop while others never mention these things. Any advice on how to do this well without watering down the biblical message yeah you know that's a really good question and in a question that I've heard more frequently in these days, especially with all the stuff that's happening around us and I think we have to strike a balance. First and foremost, what were called to do is Bible teachers me as a pastor is to preach the word and that's the. The solemn charge that's given to every minister of the gospel. I think about what Paul told Timothy in second Timothy chapter 4 verse one. I listen to how serious Paul was there. I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom preach the word be ready in season and out of season, reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.

Why is the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, every Bible teacher. Every minister of the gospel preacher, pastor is charged by God to preach the word so we don't preach. You know the 5 o'clock news.

That's not our focus were not exegete eating interpreting the current events that kind of the thing that's not what God is charged me to do and yet at the same time.

What I what I ought to do what I must do as I'm preaching the word is apply that word to the lives of the people to whom I'm preaching. And that means sometimes you are going to address some of the things that are happening around assuming the fact of the matter is God's word has a lot to say about the sin in society and so we should be bold in preaching the word. And that might mean that people outside of the church are upset with us and it might be that sometimes people even within the church and get upset with us but were charged to be faithful to God's word is so I would say you have to see that as a Bible to Gypsy. That is the primary thing working together for Bible study. The goal is not the purpose is not.

Let's grow in our understanding of the you know the political climate are that kind of thing out people to grow in the Scriptures that ultimately is is what's going to serve them for their entire lives mean everything around us is constantly changing constantly in flux, with the word of God endures forever, and sort try to help people to grow and that were also trying to help them to understand God's word so as they think about the things that are happening around them. They're able to apply biblical wisdom to the situations of today and so we don't avoid necessarily talking about those things and we bring God's word to bear on the issues of today. Let me just give you one example of how recently I did this. Frankly, I was preaching. Just this last week in first John chapter 4 verses one through six, where John talks about discerning the spirits and just the reality of the fact that there are false Christ fall spirit out there that are proclaiming false gospels and we have to be careful. We have to be on guard. We have to be discerning to test the spirits and one of the things I said as look, we can as we grow in our understanding of Scripture gain this wisdom to be able to test the spirits to discern false teaching out there, but the reality is we the check.

Even our own hearts because it's not just about the counterfeit religions that are out there.

It's about the ways in which counterfeit religion have crept into our own heart ways in which we confuse the identity of Jesus and his mission and isn't that something that the disciples of Jesus did over and over again. I mean, you think about Peter when Jesus said he was going to go to the cross and Peter said no way, Lord. That's never going to happen you and and read what Jesus said to him, get behind me Satan. Even Jesus his own disciples were confused at times about his person, his identity and his work.

They thought that Jesus was going to make them powerful and conquer their enemies and sometimes we try to create Jesus in that way too. Sometimes that's what we expect Jesus to ECE came to make me great, and to conquer my enemies. And isn't that something's white dice are brought into current events is that something that we saw just on 6 January we had all these people storming the capital building. Some of them carrying Christian flags. I know that there were also two different kinds of people. There that you know not everyone was due to participating in this unlawful assault. If you will, on the capital building. Some people were just there to peaceably protest, but the fact of the matter is, is one of the things that get illustrated for me is that often even as evangelicals we can try to create a Jesus who looks and thinks just like we do a Jesus in our own image. A Jesus who is our personal or political mascot, not a Jesus who is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. And so we can apply the truth of God's word to ourselves into the things that are happening around us and I think we ought to do that. And as we do that hopefully were challenging people and encouraging them so preach the word and apply it to the issues of the day in a way that is faithful in honoring to God and helpful for the people that you're serving your listing to core Christianity with pastor Adm. Sanchez, one of the ways you can ask questions is by going to our website at core, Christianity.com and leaving a voicemail right there.

We received this message from Naomi. This is a question that I have struggled to find and I know many have to I just remember in sixth grade.

We are talking about human evolution and how we became hominids so I was just wondering, have humans evolved in Excel. How does that work in relation with the Bible and at any and you hi Naomi thank you for your question and it really sort of opens the door for also two other questions like what is the relationship between faith and science and how should we think about some of these things seem to at times, maybe contradict the narrative that we have in the Bible. I want to say I know that we have some articles over core, Christianity.com that get into the relationship between faith and science is something that we thought about quite a bit and saw Mamma want to encourage you to check out those articles over at our website. But one thing that I will say about this one thing that is absolutely important for all Christians to affirm is that when you look at Genesis you have there in Genesis this is a real historical account. Adam and Eve were real people, and everywhere in the Bible there treated as real people.

And if you deny that if people deny that they say no to Adam and Eve is the start of this myth. This is not a real story to serve depicting some some you know spiritual truth for us to glean you know may be a spiritual application from it. That kind of that they will. There are spiritual applications we draw from this, but the fact of the matter is, is the real.

They were real people, and God created them, and God created mankind distinct. That's one of the things that we see in the early chapters of Genesis. He made man in his own image is in Genesis chapter 2, and in this way man is distinct from the animal kingdom were not the same. If you will. There something unique about man and I think that's one thing that's denied so so frequently in evolutionary biology may have read people obviously you know like the ones I'm thinking of are not Christians. They don't claim to be God naturalist materialist with Bill talk about humanity as though it weren't anything special in all that there was one writer I read not too long ago who said yeah there's nothing more special about a human baby than there is about a piglet is that wow that's that's so while it there but the reality is people when they embrace these naturalistic assumptions begin to deny the very uniqueness and wonder of humanity and and so one thing I think that we have to be really careful with this week we can't deny the uniqueness of mankind of man. We can't deny the reality of God's creation of Adam and Eve that they were real people and I think Naomi when you when you look at it in that way it becomes really hard to see how it's possible for Adam and Eve to have had this sort of animal ancestry because it seems like throughout the early chapters of Genesis. What's being highlighted for us is the uniqueness of the fact that man and woman are different from the animals distinct from them. We have to affirm that we have to affirm the historicity of the Genesis account and we have to affirm the reality of Adam because we recognize that Adam plays an integral role in the history of redemption. Jesus Christ came to fulfill what Adam failed at. That's what the New Testament describes Jesus as the second Adam in places like Romans chapter 5 and so it's really important that we don't do away with these early chapters of Genesis are just view them as a sort of myth because if we do we strike at the vitals of the very Gospel Jesus came as the second Adam for us. The last thing I'll say is I don't think that means we need to reject all modern science. I just think that that means we need to be discerning. The reality is, God is said that the world around us, the natural revelation reveals to us truth about God that he is the creator of all things you think of Psalm 19.

You think of Romans chapter 1, and so we don't want to have a an attitude towards science.

That sort of puts us over in a corner and and we just say that we we reject all of it, it's all bad week.

We reject the presuppositions that so many people around us have related to things like evolutionary biology but but we look at the evidence that the world gives to us recognizing on the basis of Scripture that God created all things from nothing that that Adam is our our first father, if you will act and so there are things about evolutionary biology that I think we ought to reject but that doesn't mean we need to reject everything that the scientific community says. And so we have to be discerning. We have to be wise so we have to also recognize that throughout the history of the world. There have been these scientific discoveries that get sort of turned upside to this the scientific community as is always evolving, for lack of a better way of putting it, changing and and so who knows, you know, in terms of what we discover and as time goes by. What were going to find and so we ought to be patient, but ultimately trusting God's word and rest in the fact that it's true Naomi.

Thanks so much for your question. By the way, we have a great resource on our website at core, Christianity.com is called five reasons why science and faith are compatible, so look for that at our website and check it out make sure it was some of your friends Naomi. This is core Christianity with pastor Adm. Sanchez and if you have just started reading the Bible for the very first time. We know that can be tough because there are a lot of Bible reading plans out there that are very complex and daunting. So here at core Christianity, we have developed a Bible reading plan just for you. That's right billing for the reasons you just mentioned to core Christianity. We wanted to create a plan that would do two things. Specifically, one could help someone new to the Bible cultivated joy for reading the Bible, another for a lot of people getting into reading the Bible can be very difficult, especially if you're in your Christian or if if you've never tackled the Scriptures before and so we wanted to create a plan that would allow you to ease your way in if you will. Not too much, but it's also going to get you into the whole sort of narrative of Scripture and at least if you go through the plan for the for the entire year. It's going to give you a great understanding of essentially the story of of redemption. Number two.

We also wanted to help those Christians would have lost joy in reading the Scriptures to recover that choice often Bible reading can sort of feel like a burden canted even for for followers of Jesus, you know you do a good job with your plan for a few days or a few months maybe, and then you start to fall behind and then you just feel guilty, and then after a while we just sort of drop it altogether and so we wanted again to create something that was to be simple. That was to be easy to follow and would encourage you if you're a believer and you haven't been in the word to get back in the word and to find that joy again is the core Christianity Bible reading plan and it's a free resource when you sign up for our weekly newsletter to take about 10 minutes a day so I encourage you to get a hold of this resource.

It's in a help you to continue to grow in your understanding. Our prayer is that as you open up the Scriptures each day you'll be more and more encouraged in your walk with the Lord to download the core Christianity Bible reading plan just head over to core Christianity.com/reading plan. By the way, one of the ways you can submit a question to us is by going to our website looking for the little radio microphone at the top of the page and clicking on that and you can record your question for a drill right there help a stranger's interest. My name is Bernie, my mother and grandmother believe that the sign gifts speaking in tongues corrected the ceilings those signs still do happen, mainly because they believe they have both spoken in tongues at one point in their life because that we have the fulfillment of the special revelation via Scripture. I believe that those have ceased. Is that true is that biblical and maybe more importantly, how should I go about handling this was my mother and grandmother do not want to offend them but I also do want to be faithful to what I believe the word of God says thank you. Hey Brennan, thank you for that two-part question, really, how do we understand the sign gifts that are that are mentioned in places like first findings 12 to 14 the miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit and then how do we had.

We disagree with people. People who we love on matters of theology now. I know that this is one of those questions where there are a lot of differences within the church.

There are some who say yet these sign gifts are still around the gifts of the Holy Spirit like prophecy and speaking in tongues that rethink of the miraculous gifts and obviously there. There aren't II don't know of any any Christians who teach that all the gifts of the Holy Spirit, have ceased, but that these gifts in particular that were really associated with the advancement of the gospel in the early stage of redemptive history as the apostles were going out fulfilling the great commission. Think of places like the book of acts that these gifts were really being used at that time and then throughout the history of the church. As time went on. As we got the canon of Scripture that they they really died out. If you will, so that you don't have prophets in the church today. The office of prophet like you did under the old covenant in the Old Testament. Instead, what we have and I think this is what the New Testament teaches first Timothy three and Titus one.

You have the ordinary offices that continue perpetually throughout the church you think of pastors, teachers, elders, deacons that that kind of the thing in. And that's what we anticipate. That's what we expect.

I'll tell you Brennan just kind of a funny story when I was in your Christian. I went to church that did believe in the sign gifts of the Holy Spirit. For a while I did. I did as well, but not that God can't work miraculously today. I think again all Christians affirm that, but I I had the expectation that he was going to work. Work miraculously through prophecy and that kind of a thing, and I was moving to a different city and I recalling that the churches in the town where I was moving and this was something that was important to me really important to me at the time and armor calling and talking to the church secretary and I asked about one secretary in particular. Do you have prophets in your church and she said oh you mean like do we believe in Jeremiah and Ezekiel and Isaiah and I said no do you like actually have prophets in your pews and as I continue to understand the Scriptures, and how God ordinarily works. I came to the conclusion of that really was for the early apostolic church in one one verse that I would go to us in the book of Hebrews in Hebrews chapter 2 because I think it I think it highlights this this point, in particular that that I'm trying to make you read chapter 2 in verse four the author the Hebrews as these encouraging the Hebrew church to hold fast to the gospel that they'd heard. He says to them, God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by the gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will and and he talks about that.

There in verse four, in the context of something that was happening in the past when they first heard the gospel so even seems like there in this New Testament church. The signs weren't happening as they had been happening at an earlier stage. Now how do you love and relate to people who disagree with you on this. What will one. I think first and foremost in with your with your parents with your grandmother and you you want to be respectful. You ought to be so thankful that their believers they know and love Jesus that their sins are forgiven and so I think when you rejoice in that into you open up the Scriptures together with humility.

Again, this is your mom, your grandmother, and I think it's okay to say it will. Here's how I understand it, and here's why understand it in this way and talking about things like the gift of tongues and the purpose of tongues and that they were real languages with what we see in places like acts chapter 2 and I would say even in the first Corinthians chapter 14 that they weren't just angelic sort of prayer languages. It really aren't coherent, but these are real languages that were meant to be interpreted for the edification of the church.

First Corinthians 14, as I think we understand them.

Biblically we start to see well. A lot of what you see happening in the church today isn't being done according to what the Scriptures say and is this really how God promised to ordinarily perpetually work through the church or is the church more served built up as we grow deeper in God's word.

Understanding the Bible so that's where I focus my attention. I think that's were sound like you want to focus your attention. I think if you open up the Scriptures with them with humility and study together these things in the Bible the gift of tongues. The miraculous gifts of the spirit. Maybe their minds might be changed as well like my mind was changed so many years ago. This is core Christianity with pastor Averill Sanchez. Just a reminder that we are listener supported. We count on people just like you to keep this program on the air, if you'd like to make a gift you can find out more by going to core Christianity.com we have time for one more question. This is a Facebook post from Cordy and she says the last few years I've chosen an attribute of God to meditate on during the year. This year I'm meditating on God's providence. Can you please tell me what the distinction is between God's sovereignty and God's providence. Oh I would see Providence as under the umbrella if you will of God's sovereignty. We think of the fact that God is sovereign were affirming that he is the great King of heaven and earth that he rules over all things that no one can stop him or say, you know, why have you done this in the Lord is King.

I love the way Charles Spurgeon put it one time, though. He said you know we love God anywhere except on his throne. We like him in his workshop create in the stars and the planets you know the heavens and the earth. That kind of thing, but when God sits on his throne.

Mankind gets really upset because frankly that's where we want to be seated. God is absolutely sovereign. He is the king and providence is how God through his sovereign grace sustains and upholds all things in the world even that the thought of natural processes that we see all around us.

God is very much at work and I just mentioned a verse from Hebrews chapter 2, but if you go back one chapter in the book of Hebrews chapter 1 beginning in verse one long ago it many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom he also created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God. The exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power.

That's Providence, it's God upholding all things, the very universe by the word of his power. Wow. And if God upholds all things by the word of his power. He's in control. He sovereign in that same God with the next verse says after making purification for sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high that God will upholds the universe, Jesus offered himself for your sins. And so what you see there is what you only really have two things right there in that passage in Hebrews. You have God's providence and you have redemption. I also think of another passage when were we were talking about God's providence. Ephesians chapter 1 verse 11 in him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him works all things according to the counsel of his will in their something so comforting about that God is in control. We can rest. Thanks for listening to core Christianity to request your copy of today's special offer.

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