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October 8, 2021 1:30 pm
1. When we die are we conscious that we are in heaven, or are we unconscious until the resurrection?
2. Is being slain in the spirit biblical?
3. My mom is a Roman Catholic and has been trying to follow every prescription of that tradition. I am curious what your take on this is. I am sure she is saved. But what do you think of someone following these practices who is trying to get into heaven?
4. My son is an adult who is living at home and he sometimes stays the night at his girlfriend's house. We don't want to create a rift in our relationship with him, or have him think we're overstepping our bounds as parents, but what should we do in this situation?
5. Do the Desert Mothers and Fathers have any place in our Protestant theology? I have heard them spoken of recently by Catholics and evangelicals.
6. Can God not go where he is not invited?
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The following is a recorded version of core Christianity will be back alive again on is being slain in the spirit biblical specials. One of the questions will be answering on today's addition of core Christianity will hi this is Bill Meyer along with pastor Gabriel Sanchez. This is a radio program where we answer your questions about the Bible and the Christian life every day. You can call us with your question. At 833 the core that's 1-833-843-2673 also post your question on one of our social media sites Facebook, Instagram or twitter and you can email us your question at questions@corechristianity.com now we receive a lot of voicemails during the week and we do our best to review those what voicemails and here's one we received from Michael hello how to do a lot of other believers lately in the conversation about when we pass believers.
Do you think that we go directly to heaven.
Go directly to heaven like a conscious knowing that were in heaven at that point where are we resurrected. Once Jesus comes back and then at that moment. Do you think that we are in a conscious knowing state that we are with this is been coming up a lot lately and I would appreciate any kind of a kind of answer.
Thank you so much yeah appreciate that question brother, one that we got on the program before the really important one, especially when you think about the people nearing death and seen what is my experience going to be as a believer in Jesus Christ and my just to be asleep for a long period of time until the resurrection. Whenever that is the last judgment or am I gonna be in the presence of the Lord experiencing his grace, his goodness, the joy of the Holy Spirit.
Well it's the latter, and I think there are number of passages in the Bible that make this absolutely clear all point out just a few of them in Philippians chapter 1, the apostle Paul is having conversation if you will the church at Philippi.
He's talking about how heat he wants to stay with them to continue to preach the gospel for their benefit for their growing in grace, but he also knows that going to be with Jesus is far better and they're going to be with Jesus's is a reference to death. He says in verse 21 for to me to live is Christ to die is gain it. If I die there is gain.
If I am to live on in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me to keep serving the Lord in laboring and it's in a be fruitful for me and for you.
Philippians yet he says which I shall choose I cannot tell I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better as a PCs it as when it when I die. Philippians I am going to depart and be with Jesus.
And guess what, that's way better than anything here on earth in this is something also that that's indicated in second Corinthians chapter 5 where the apostle Paul said to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. You also think about Jesus's discussion with that the thief on the cross in Luke chapter 23 verse 43 where he said to him today you will be with me in paradise.
One other passage of Scripture that I think confirms this is in the book of Hebrews in Hebrews chapter 12 where the author to the Hebrews is given by the grace of the Holy Spirit. A picture of a revelation if you will of of the worship that's taking place in heaven and what is he see verse 22.
He says you have come to mount Zion to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem to innumerable angels in festal gathering, this is a party in whose there into the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, that is the children of the true and the living God by faith in Jesus Christ and to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant into the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. There are four passages that I just gave you that I think confirm that when believers die when we die were not just in darkness. It's not just like work were sleeping a nice deep sleep were in the presence of Jesus with the Angels it's a it's a festal gathering were worshiping around the throne of God. She was also in the book of Revelation and so that's a real comforting reality and it's I think with the Bible clearly teaches God bless. This is core Christianity with pastor Israel Sanchez, just a reminder that we have a podcast as well and you can check out a podcast on the podcast app.
If you do, we would love it if you give us a five star review that will introduce even more people to the core Christianity podcast so check that out if you would on your podcast app sometime this week. You can listen to the show 24 hours a day. We also get emails here at the core and this one came in from one of our listeners named Megan she says is being slain in the spirit biblical okay.
Well, the short answer I would say is no.
And it's this thing that you see in some churches where an individual overwhelmed by the spirit. At least that's what's what's claimed is is slain which which just means that you know they fall over there, unable to control themselves and their just in this state of you know, unconscious awareness, something like that and I I've seen this before. You have been a Christian for for many years now and I've been in different churches and a part of different Christian traditions. I've seen this before and I just don't think there's anything biblical about it a lot, that the sad reality is there's all sorts of weird things out there that are taught that the people say the Holy Spirit is doing. I've heard of things like holy laughter. I've heard of things like holy barking. Even people making animal noises.
I've heard of people talking about being drunk in the spirit sort of you know picking up on what the apostle Paul talks about in Ephesians we says don't be drunk with wine, but be filled with the spirit, and so that they so it really is twisting Scripture, but they sell what we should be drunk with the Holy Spirit and that looks like being actually intoxicated but with the Holy Spirit and then people just acting silly. When Paul said in first Corinthian's 14 that in the context of corporate worship. Everything should be done decently and in order and if you want to know what the fruit of the spirit is what does it look like to be filled with the spirit you go to a place like Galatians chapter 5 it's love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.
That is the fruit of the spirit we know the spirit of God is working in us, filling us with wind that is what's characterizing us, not silly behavior, not losing our ability to control ourselves. It's one of the fruits of the spirit is self-control and so so I don't think that you're going to find biblical support for this practice and this is why it's so important for us to lineup the practices that we see in the local church in our local church with what we find in the Scriptures.
Now not saying that we need to go and just you know be critical about every other church that's out there. I don't think that that's a healthy thing to do, your time should not be spent occupied the first and foremost with the problems of other churches trying to call them out. We have enough to deal with. With this the sins in our own lives and yet when you do see some of these these things happening in the broader church, especially when they affect people that we love.
And there are people that we love were part of this and and maybe under a particular kind of teaching. I do think it's important for us to speak up, and ultimately ultimately to say let's go to the Bible. What does the Bible say and do and let's order our worship and our lives on the basis of the teaching of Scripture. And so I appreciate your question Megan. I hope that you're in a solid church where the Bible is faithfully taught where Jesus is worshiped as his word commands us to worship him. God bless you know it really mention some of those other rather unique phenomenon that you might see in some churches, holy laughter, holy barking, being drunk in the spirit.
I'm curious know in first Peter 47 Peter says very clearly were to be clear minded and self-controlled and that seems to be defying that particular commandment in Scripture. Yeah, absolutely I would say that it does, or even you think about first Corinthians chapter 14 where were Paul talks about you know the Corinthians were getting all wild, with regard to spiritual gifts is to walk in your church's sake. These people are crazy and I've heard stories from friends who have gone to churches and they walk in and they think. What in the world is going on this is that I've never heard or seen anything like this and it actually doesn't bring glory to Christ just confuses people. It's it's this sort of just damage is outrageous and so we have to be really careful and and again passages that we want to look at as were having these kinds of discussions are passages like the one just mentioned in first Peter also first Corinthians chapter 14 that's where that's where the discussions on spiritual gifts in particular are heading in the New Testament, and so yeah really important for us to bring this up your listing to core Christianity with pastor Israel Sanchez. We want to say thank you to a very special group of people we call our inner core. These are folks that support this program on a monthly basis to make it possible you may have noticed, we don't play commercials on this program and we don't receive funding from any church or denomination.
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I said that'll bless you in your walk with the Lord. And as you grow in your understanding of the Scriptures we want to we want to help people know what the word of God says and apply it to their lives. And if you been blessed by this broadcast prayerfully consider joining the inner core.
It's a monthly donation of $25 or more, which is not not very much, but it helps us a lot and and we can partner together to get the word out and so would you consider that you can find out more about the inner core by going to core Christianity.com/inner core. Just one word. Core, Christianity.com/inner core and we would greatly appreciate if you would consider that. Let's go back to our voicemails. We do receive a lot of voicemails here. You can leave us a voicemail 24 hours a day, you don't have to call during the actual program you can call middle night if you want leave us a voicemail number is 833 the core that's 1-833-843-2673 girls when we received from one of our listeners named Greg, my mother and Follow absolutely every prescription prescription church or she part wonderful world of ours and I'm just curious what your take on this.
I'm sure she's going to make it into heaven is always attempted to follow prescriptions but Like church but what is your take on it and how it pertains to any Christian trying to get in. Thank you very much. Have a great day hey Greg boy, it sounds like your mother is laboring under a heavy burden is if what she's trying to do is follow each and every rule to the tea perfectly so that God might welcome her into heaven.
I'd I know what that's like.
I think that that we can revert to that kind of mentality. As Christians, where it's it's very works based our relationship with God is very works based were hoping to earn his love to earn even our salvation. The ultimate question. Greg is who are we trusting who does your mom trust and even when you read some of the great fathers of of the church throughout history, the talk about their lives that will always say look at the end of the day.
I'm not holy I'm not righteous. We flee to God and to his grace and God saves us, not on the basis of how perfectly we obey a list of church rules. He saves us through his son Jesus Christ and the work of Christ for us in the gospel, the good news of what God has done to redeem his people. One verse that I think this is beautiful and helpful.
Titus chapter 3 verse four. When the goodness and lovingkindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness. I wonder if that could be a great comfort to your mother right now. She says she's working to enter into heaven, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us ritually through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified and that word justified means declared righteous be made right in the sight of the true and the living God, being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
It's mercy. It's grace. It's a gift not on the basis of what we've done not on the basis of what you do what your mother does. It's on the basis of what Jesus did, and in light of what Jesus did. Will Greg we we love the Lord. We serve the Lord.
It's a responsive gratitude we obey the law of God by the grace of the Holy Spirit imperfectly because you know we still struggle with sin and thought, word, and indeed every day, but our comfort, our hope is that we have Jesus Christ that he's forgiven us, not on the basis of our works, but on the basis of his word and in the last thing I'll say is churches you know particular churches can give us a whole prescription of things to do and sometimes those things aren't even biblical.
Some of the ceremonies or rituals that they might be calling us to anything in it so it's it's really confusing a couple ways if they're saying you had to do these things to be saved, but the things that they're telling you to do are even biblical things. They're not even a part of God's law will there's there's all sorts of problems.
There, the law of God calls us to do, but we don't perfectly and it obey it.
That's why we need the gospel which is for people who break God's law.
That's me, that's you that your mother and we can rest in the grace that we receive in the gospel. God bless you my man this is core Christianity with pastor Israel Sanchez, one of the ways that you can ask a question is by emailing us and here's our email address its questions at core, Christianity.com Julie emailed us with this question.
She says I have two boys, both Christians with a solid upbringing in the church and Christian schools. The older one is out of college and working but he still lives at home.
He recently began seeing a girl and is begun to spend occasional nights at her apartment. I don't know any details, but obviously that's an inappropriate situation for single Christian guy. My husband and I aren't really sure how to approach this. We told him very briefly to just think wisely about his actions want to say more but at the same time he's an adult and makes his own decisions. We don't want to create a rift in our relationship with them or have them think were overstepping our bounds as parents.
Any advice about how to communicate with them. Along these lines would be appreciated. Yeah. Very practical question and and of course made sounds like like we know better right like and in situations like this young couple dating the guy going to spend the night at his girlfriend's house, probably not the best situation. If you're trying to fight for. They know having a healthy pure dating relationship. You know, were not called or permitted as Christians to fornicate. That is to have sexual relations prior to marriage with someone who with anyone and and and so the I think it's it's it's always a dangerous thing in an ultimately dangerous because it's it's sin, and sin is grievous. It hurts another person and hurts us, in particular sexual single. Paul says it's it's against our our own body and so I think that is as parents but as Christians in a can have this discussion and say hey like what's up with this area. I think that's important right like that I think is important for us to be able to have those kinds of candid conversations within the body of Christ were were encouraging one another and exhorting one another, so that our hearts don't grow hardened by the deceitfulness of sin is with the author of the Hebrew said in Hebrews chapter 3 is in terms of, you know, having this discussion, I would approach it more as and that I'm your your mother or your parents, but were also you know family in Christ and more than anything we want for ourselves and for our family for you is to love and to honor Jesus by everything that you do and we just want to make sure that that that's happening in the concern here is that if if you're putting yourself in a compromising situation and also knowing the passions of the flesh. How how easily were tempted, especially in over a young couple maybe this is the wisest thing and you should really think about that you should think about the perception that you're getting off to the others.
Also, to the example you're giving is so and I think that you have have the conversation again.
First and foremost we want to honor the Lord with everything that we do and God calls us as parents and just as Christians to speak the truth in love and sometimes that that truth is, is not an easy thing to speak, but that's a sign that we really love each other when were willing to do that we were willing to have the difficult conversations. Ultimately, for the sake of the glory of Christ, not you know just trying to to overlook issues or make sure that everybody's happy that that's you know when were engaging in sin. That's not where we find true happiness.
And so for the joy even of this this couple for the health of their relationship before the Lord. Also I think is important thing to to be able to bring up in May God bless you and give you wisdom as you go about that in the one thing that she did not mention Julie did not mention she she says that her son is a Christian solid upbringing in the church and yet you didn't mention anything about this girl's a particular faith background. We talked before about the dangers of being unequally yoked as the Bible says in a dating relationship and that's perhaps a concern as well.
Absolutely yeah that that's a command in Scripture not to be on unequally unequally yoked with the apostle Paul told the Fed to the Corinthians as I Corinthians chapter 6, verse 14, and also with regard to relationships and marriage in particular in first Corinthians 7, he said, look, there's there's freedom with regard to who were were were wanting to marry planning to marry, so long as they're in the Lord. That's the main thing is is this person a believer is this person a Christian, but if that's also not not the no part of this relationship if if the girlfriend here is not someone who confesses Christ that I think that should also be part of the conversation you're listening to core Christianity with pastor Israel Sanchez. Here's a question that came in from one of our listeners named Matt, I have started drilling bill? Been hearing a lot about the desert mothers and fathers. I'm curious about is a place in geology part of a couple of times speak from Catholic and also on the evangelical radio station as well. Twice recently so I'm wondering if you can give me some clarity on the much yeah I think the question if you know me personally, I have an affinity for all the all things ancient. I like reading the ancient church fathers. I like reading church history, I'm sort of a nerd when it comes to worship and and liturgy. That's I I've spent some time reading some of the desert fathers. In particular, there's there's one why would really recommend a guy who spent time in the Egyptian desert for a while. A man named Athanasius and of the work that you want to read by him is on the incarnation. It's one of those classic Christian works as I think that there is a place sometimes you know you always work when were reading theology and people who are, you know, talking about the Scriptures we are and we want to be discerning. Ultimately we we we read everything through the lens of Scripture and the Scripture is the ultimate authority that we have, but that doesn't mean that we can't read some of this other stuff and benefit from it. Be encouraged by whether that's maybe through through some of the prayers that they had our star as to some of the wisdom and insights that they had. I think that's totally totally fine. Look at it as I said I would. I would point you to Athanasius in particular guy was very instrumental at the first Council of Nicaea who it was. At least there, but was instrumental in really combating a lot of the heresies that were around in the early church, and so yeah get that get that book on the incarnation. Douglas you're listening to core Christianity with pastor Israel Sanchez. Let's go to Valerie in grass Valley, California Valerie, what's your question for Israel hoping I could get some help in true or false that God cannot go where he's not invited oriented sometimes to certain circumstances. Yeah, thank you for that question.
I mean III imagine you know for thinking about and in the context of corporate worship you. Sometimes I think like we we we believe that we we were having to invite God down and invoke him into our present. Sometimes he shows up. Sometimes he doesn't and that sort of how we we think about it. I think that's totally wrong. Actually, God is the one who welcomes us and invites us and and sometimes he even shows up uninvited think we just think of Jesus in the Gospels, or think about when Jesus confronted Saul of Damascus is he's on the way to persecute Christians to imprison them to to murder them in Jesus knocks him off of his horse and I don't think that at that time Saul was. I know that at that time Saul wasn't, you know, just saying you know Lord Jesus come into my heart. I'm looking for you right now trying to draw near to know it was it was the work of the Lord. Now we can grieve the Holy Spirit as we have to be careful as believers that we don't do that. God is sovereign in those where he wills and are the recipients of his grace, and so I appreciate your question. May the Lord bless you and thank you for giving us a call here at core Christianity. 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