Do Christian Mothers Have to be Stay-at-Home-Moms?

I heard a pastor say that Christian mothers should be stay-at-home moms and not work outside the home. Is that what the Bible teaches best 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 also post a question on her Facebook, Instagram or twitter accounts.

You can watch us live on YouTube and you can email us with your questions at questions at core, Christianity.com.

First up, let's go to Paul in Johnston Rhode Island Paul, what's your question for pastor atrial hello, I'm wondering now if only in Scripture that we have already dabbled in demons and time all the one text that I think some people might go to in order to make that case is found in the book of Luke in Luke chapter 10. It's when Jesus is speaking to the 72 the you sent out 72 returned with joy, saying, Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name. This is Luke 10 verse 17 and Jesus said to them, I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven. Seems like there was a sort of apostolic authority that was delegated to these individuals to go and cast out demons and to preach the gospel. Now is this something that is given to every individual Christian. I don't think I would go that far. Paul throughout the New Testament. One of the things we see as we know this call to resist the evil one.

Peter says this in first Peter chapter 5 verse nine, recalled to put on the armor of God tipped to be prayerful. Paul talks about this and it Ephesians chapter 6 verses 11 through 18 were told that that one who is in us is greater than he who is in the world that's first John chapter 4, and in a little bit later in first John chapter 5 I were told that the evil one cannot touch us and so by virtue of our relationship with Jesus Christ.

Paul, we belong to Jesus. We are in Christ and Satan can't snatch us out of the hands of Christ. I get sort of nervous when I hear pastors you know trying to do. No cast out Satan out of every at every corner.

That kind of the thing you note for having or exercising this quote unquote apostolic authority that you see described in Luke chapter 10 it's it's really interesting is even there in Luke chapter 10, you know that the 72 when they return they said the demons are subject to us in your name. It's the name of Jesus Christ that has power and there are people who don't really know Jesus who try to use the name of Jesus to exercise authority that Jesus never gave to them, I think, for example, there's this there's this interesting scene in the book of acts in acts chapter 19 where a group of Jewish Hebrew exorcist, the sons of Steve are casting out demons are attempting to cast out demons in the name of Jesus. And it goes really poorly for them because they don't really know Christ, so that the power is in knowing Jesus and in the name of Jesus and were called to resist the evil one, and to walk with the Lord and to be confident that the Christ is really the one who gives us the victory and so thank you for your question brother and I appreciate your call. Yeah, didn't go so well for the sons of schema that was kind of an understatement. There you have to. If you cannot read that story. You guys have to open up the book of acts chapter 19 today and read that account because it really highlights the fact that one of these you see in that account is Jesus's name is like a magic word that were supposed to throw around your ear with a group of people, essentially using the name of Jesus superstitiously and were told that that the person he was demon possessed, leapt on them and basically attacked them in and they ran out of the house naked and so yeah that was a bad move on their part. So definitely this is core Christianity with pastor atrial Sanchez.

If you have a question about the Bible or the Christian life right now is the time to call will take your calls for the next 20 minutes or so at 833 the core, you might want to jot that member down for future reference 833 the core, which if you dial it out it's 1-833-843-2673 let's go to a voicemail that we received yesterday.

Her comment on X criminal and I did a bunch of damage when I was younger and for me not wise to do that because I would hurt too many people in the process of things that I've done it will grow in marriages getting that family probably open, while I don't think it's wise to go back to and try to make amends order to do more damage than good. I'm forgiven by God. I'm grateful to the Lord for my salvation. Some things are better left alone, miss me or listen to the broadcast where we had a question about, you know, do I allow you to go to the person at her and asked for forgiveness.

Do I always need reconcile and you have the language of Jesus in places like Matthew chapter 5 in Matthew chapter 6 inside both of you something against you, don't go to them and and be reconciled, and in Matthew chapter 6 of that language of forgiveness snooping being forgiving. We as followers of Jesus ought to forgive those who sin against us. And so I typically encourage Christians to pursue those that they've hurt and and to seek reconciliation, especially within the body of Christ. But you're totally right coming that these are complex issues. I have several friends who have the done time in prison. They had to wrestle with these kinds of things to what does it look like for me now to walk in the light and to honor Jesus even you know, considering my past and in how do I now in Christ reconcile these things and sometimes it is wisdom to say no, you take a step back, it would actually be more harmful for you to go to this person that you that you may be committed a crime against or something like a not sure what the details are in your case brother but but this just goes to highlight that in in these situations, we need exercise wisdom is not always black-and-white. There are complex issues and there are there are instances where an individual is hurt. Someone caused a particular trauma and the loving thing to do would be to stay away from that individually you know God has forgiven you, and maybe may be you know this. This person knows that you're a changed man now. Praise God by the grace of God, but here you're completely right. There are there are instances like yours where it isn't the wise thing to do to go and try and you know build a relationship again to them that could just reopen wounds for this individual.

And so I appreciate your your call and just so grateful to hear that the Lord Jesus has brought you to himself, and that you're walking with the Lord now may God bless you and strengthen you really are thoughtful question and drill and yeah it's it's gotta be tough when he's he knows it would hurt even more to go back to those individuals and try to ask for forgiveness.

This is core Christianity with pastor atrial Sanchez. Let's go to Julie in St. Louis, Missouri Julie watcher question for pastor atrial all my 14-year-old guy all applicable had entered and he got caught cheating on eight and and I delegates from the great trumpet but I wanted Galton and Jeff probably not those latter two Julie I hear what you're saying nominate in parenting math for I have four young children and these are these are the difficult kinds of things that we deal with, you know that the big question is Lord. How can I best represent you in disciplining my child let me tell you one thing Julie the discipline of the Lord is always done out of love. And so I think that's the very first thing that we have to have to recognize we don't discipline out of anger we discipline out of love and we want to communicate to our children when we do discipline them, and in whatever way that we we we do that that that it's out of love and we have to be really really careful here because we don't want to communicate something that would be opposite of the heart of God for us and for our children. So throughout the Bible when Scripture talks about God's discipline, you know, it talks about talks about just what I would have already said so that I would say you have to ask yourself the question, how can I communicate to my my side in the situation that I love him and that this is why he's gonna loose his TV time or be grounded or assimilated. A lot of times you there. There are just the sort of natural consequences of our poor behavior mean. Sounds like probably he's going to get an F on that test, and maybe they're gonna be repercussions there at the school and so you might already have some form of discipline and that's where you can come alongside of him and and maybe talk to some of these things. Asking questions get get behind, you will why is it that you felt like you needed to cheat on this testing and maybe it's an opportunity for the two of you to to have a deeper discussion about things that are going on in his life. But again, just always in love and not using guilt as a primary motivating factor and is certainly not any kind of abuse and so may God bless you. May God give you wisdom as you go to speak to your son right now. No Israel, I'm just thinking of that passage of Scripture where the Bible says it's God's kindness that leads us to repentance. And so, certainly, as you said you don't want to guilt the kid you want have some consequences and hopefully he's alert from most consequences and maybe how it goes to a Catholic school, so there may be the most what the nuns will do, yet it could be the NM bill.

I mean, I know that you have worked with many families you have you have children of your own and and every kid is different. You know like we we found in in our own family. That each child responds differently to different kinds of discipline I might say something to my son that really just doesn't mean anything to him. But if I if I say that the same thing to my daughter really affects her in a different way and so I think we have to use wisdom and and in Julie's case you need thinking about her son.

In particular, how can we do the kindness of God come alongside this individual to help them to see hate this was wrong. There are consequences to this, but also to move in a direction that would be good and healthy and honoring to the Lord. I meant this is core Christianity with pastor atrial Sanchez.

Let's go to Molly in Hannibal, Missouri Molly, what's your question for pastor atrial very used God have passed, talk to people through their dream. I try to be very conscientious for God is your opinion of him in the people. Yeah, I mean you read the Bible and in its inescapable you see time and time again instances where the Lord spoke to people through their drink dreams.

Now the question is, is that how God is ordinarily speaking to us today Molly, I would say that God can and does speak to people through their dreams at that. That's a very extraordinary occurrence. I may have heard stories of people in Muslim countries coming to faith in Jesus Christ because they had a dream that they needed to go talk to some individual that individual shared the gospel with them.

That kind of thing. So I really do believe that God can and does work in these extraordinary ways.

But the fact the matter is a lot of times were expecting God to do that is as though it were the norm, when in reality, God is already spoken to us so clearly through his word is of you if you want to hear from the Lord. Instead of taking a nap and say how can God speak to me during my dreams, or in a waiting to hear from him while you're sleeping. That kind of thing we open the word of God, we study the Scriptures we draw near to Jesus in prayer we go to church.

We hear the preached word of God. We really need to recover. I think today in the church Molly a high view of the ordinary ways that God is is working in our lives today through other people through Christian encouragement brothers and sisters in Christ through as I said already that the preaching of the word of God to Bible study. Those kinds of things God is speaking and you speaking today through his word. Now, does that mean again that he can't speak through a dream know that that's not were saying at all were just saying that's not the primary way that God speaks to people today and so for setting aside the Bible and were waiting for God to give us a miraculous sign or to speak to us through a dream or something like that were really missing it. We need to fix our eyes on God through his word and that's what I would encourage you to do, sister, and should the Lord in his providence.

You know in this extraordinary fashion. Given individual a dream.

The one thing I would want also says we gotta be careful because a lot of times people can be led astray by the sort of you know, quote unquote miraculous experiences or some people think of God really spoke to me, but if it contradicts the word of God will that is not God speaking and so those are all things we want to keep in mind God can work in extraordinary ways piece spoken primarily in his side and through his word and that's when you focus and then be a Meridian right yeah the Scriptures absolutely this is core Christianity with pastor atrial Sanchez and we are excited to announce we have a brand-new Bible study to offer you, it's on the book of Revelation. Yet we are stoked about this Bible study on the book of Revelation, which is can it get eight really get you into the last book of the Bible a book that a lot of people have questions about you people wonder into what what the Bible is about the end times. You know what what is all this talk about the rapture that you sometimes hear thrown around in the church. What is the book of Revelation about really fundamentally that's this resource is connected to help you with ice yours for a gift of $20 or more and here's what you do to get that you just go to core Christianity.com/Revelation that's core Christianity.com/Revelation or kosher can call us for that resource or any one of our resources at 833-843-2673 that's a 33, the court go to Mike in Orlando Florida.

Mike what your question for pastor atrial, first time caller and question here in Scripture, we can he well I there is Scripture where it says I believe is in first John, now I guess we we know that we know him. If we keep his commandments.

My question is are we required say yes, but I want to lie a lot of people who owe really do it myself. I we required to keep the Sabbath day. I'm trying to manage is another that it says that all of man commandments like what great great question. So let me, how is it that we as Christians are called to keep the fourth commandment the Sabbath command and you're right. I mean, Jesus, John, Jesus in the Gospels, but especially the upper room discourse and in John his first letters need to talk about the importance of obedience and following the commandments of the Lord and so why is it that the majority of Christians throughout church history, including the apostles themselves worship God not on Saturday but on Sunday afternoon were that the Sabbath in a dummy I just recently preached on this the seventh day of creation. Initially, where God rested. Genesis chapter 2 verses one through three was really a picture of heaven. In one sense the eternal rest that God was inviting his people into disuse and in places like the book of Hebrews in Hebrews chapter 4, where the author the Hebrews talked about the fact that there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God.

He said here's how you enter that Sabbath rest in chapter 4 we who have believed do enter that rest on which the Sabbath was really this picture of the eternal rest sitting about that the seventh day of creation is you don't have days one through six. You have this phrase you know it was there was evening and there was morning, the first day there was evening and there was morning, the second day, but then on the seventh day you don't have that phrase it's it's it's it's this sort of timeless seventh day. No evening. No morning. It's a picture of the new creation of heaven.

John had a vision of that in Revelation chapter 22 were he talked about in heaven. There's no there's no day or night.

There's no sun or moon were just there in the presence of the Lord with his light and we experience that Sabbath rest now in Jesus Christ. That's why Jesus had come to me all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and so the disciples from very early on after having embraced Jesus Christ began to worship God not on that the seventh day, but on the first day of the week, the day of resurrection and ultimately the Sabbath as it pointed to, you know that the heavenly rest that God gives to us was in one sense, the adults of this picture of the Lord's day, the day of judgment. The day of being in God's presence and that's why the disciples began to worship God on Sunday and so and so I think we we followed their example, brother. We follow their example. You see that they did this in places like acts chapter 20 in first Corinthians chapter 16, even at the beginning of the book of Revelation, John talks about being in the presence of the Lord on the Lord's day, having his vision then and there. And so, so I would say that's the way in which were faithful to enter into the quote unquote Sabbath rest that God has given to us by believing in the gospel by being in Jesus and by gathering together on the first day of the week to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus as the apostles did and and so we we follow their example.

Thanks for that question. Rather, thanks Mike percent you listening to core Christianity email question that came in from Amber and Israel. Here's what she says.

My husband and I are losing health insurance through his work and I was just offered a part-time job that has health insurance but the job takes place only during school hours. I have two younger children that my family who are Christians can babysit during these hours, but my mother recently told me not to go to work after hearing another pastor say that Christian mothers should only stay home and raise their children. What am I to do my being responsible by taking the job. I've had cancer issues twice and I'm only 30 just taking the job mean that I'm not trusting God is it going against his word getting into the working field at all Amber and thank you for that question says that there's a lot going on here and I expect it may be the passage of Scripture that your mom was was thinking of you know, this idea of not not working outside of the home was something that Paul said in Titus. Maybe it was she was listening to a sermon on on this text in Titus Titus chapter 2 verse three older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanders or slaves to much wine they are to teach what is good and so train the young women to love their husbands and children to be self-controlled, pure working at home, kind and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be refiled there some people who take you know the statements and I say yeah if if you're Christian woman. You can't work outside the home. You have to just be at home working, raising a family that your that your focus in and let me just say this.

I do think in our day and age.

Today we have really undervalued the blessing of motherhood and children. I think that a lot of times we we don't treat that like we should. I mean, it really is such a high calling, and what you're doing.

Amber seeking to raise children in the Lord to love your children.

Children well you just you can't be supported enough in that and and you you really need to understand that what you're doing is so meaningful, so important and and I think you know in some situations you like the doors are open for us to be able to do the effort for an individual like yourself to be able to do that do not have to work. But the fact of the matter is that's not always how things play out. And I'm talking to you as someone who was raised by a single mom and my mom had to work a ton to take care of her kids to take care of me and I look up to her and she she really was an amazing woman.

I don't think that she was doing something wrong there and and so you know I think that the life is a lot more complex than we would like it to be and you are not sinning by taking this job sounds to me like the Lord has really provided for you. Another instance actually in it. As I was listening to that that question that you gave to us.

I think of Lydia in the book of acts acts chapter 16 it says one who heard us. This is that the disciples preaching was a woman named Lydia from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods was a worshiper of God, the Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul and after she was baptized and her household as well.

She judged up. She urged us saying if you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay in. She prevailed among us or you have an example of a working woman. There are some come to do so. You know she was probably pretty successful in making a decent amount of money because you know purple a seller of purple that that was never this is fancy stuff and she has a family. She has the house and yet she's providing for that family so we can't say that you know it it's always wrong for a woman, a mother to work that it's in that kind of thing. No sister I sounds like the Lord is is providing for your family. Through this opportunity and I continue to love your children to raise them in the nurture and admonition of the Lord and I know that Christ is with you as you seek to do that faithfully to him and trust that he can continue to provide for you and for your family and may the Lord richly bless you, thank you so much for your question. Thanks for listening to core Christianity request your copy of today's special offer. Visit us at core, Christianity.com and click on offers in the menu bar or call us at 1-833-843-2673. That's 833 when you contact us. Please let us know how you been encouraged by this program and be sure to join us next time. As we explore the truth of God's word together