How Long Should We Pursue Reconciliation?

Will God forgive me, even if my family won't just one of the questions will be answering on today's addition of core Christianity why this is Bill Meyer along with Pastor Israel 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. You can also post your question on her Facebook, Instagram or twitter account course you can always email us at questions at core, Christianity.com first up today let's go to a question we heard from one of our callers named Rhonda really helped me a lot with a lot of heart. Here is my question for pastor baptism of the Holy Spirit. Biblical or is it different than being baptized.

Is it a different process visit a different procedure I getting mixed messages from different people and I just would like to know from Pastor Adriano. It's something else that should be done or if it's even okay thanks very much and God the Rhonda, thank you so much for that question will the language of the baptism of the Holy Spirit comes from the Gospels as well as from the book of acts we read in acts chapter 1. This is really early on in the life of the church well while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, this is verse four, but to wait for the promise of the father, which he said you heard from me for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now just just taking that right there is a will yeah this is biblical work were talking about. Jesus is talking about the baptism of the Holy Spirit that the question is what we mean by that. Now there are some people run in the church today.

You say you know you you come to faith in Jesus Christ, you get baptized your walking with the Lord, you still need though some second blessing you need, what we refer to as the baptism of the Holy Spirit which is distinct from your water baptism.

Yeah, you're already filled with the Holy Spirit through faith in Jesus Christ, sealed by the spirit you need something else.

And people will argue on the basis of the book of acts that that's the case now. I don't think that's a proper understanding of the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Jesus said, you can be baptized with the Holy Spirit many days from now or in a few days from now, that took place on the day of Pentecost which we read about in acts chapter 2 it says when the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting in divided tongues as of fire appeared to them, and rested on each one of them and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.

Now, really, what you have here is this picture of new creation, the spirit working in the church. This new temple on earth. If I did, I think that's one of the reasons why you have this imagery of these tongues of fire the business flame over the disciples, if you remember back in the Old Testament, God leading his biz people do a pillar of fire. This was this was a sign of God's presence is of God is now saying Mike my temple on earth is here in the church. My presence is resting with my people. So this is that the new community of faith it's been birthed by the work of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost God giving them these these tongues of fire. You have this new temple deep.

These new profits if you will call to go out into all the world and proclaim the message of the gospel. Now if you believe in Jesus Christ, Rhonda, your already sealed with the Holy Spirit. You don't need to go and get some some second filling some second baptism of the Holy Spirit. We are called to out the Christian life to be filled with the spirit and how does that happen. It's not.

It's really not that complicated. It's as the word of Christ dwells in us richly or speaking together as Paul says in in Ephesians and Colossians in Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs it. It's God's word taking root. Deep down in our hearts.

And so if you want to be filled with the Holy Spirit and meditate on Scripture draw near to the Lord through prayer that that's really what it what it's about. And so there are a lot of people who are looking for this you know baptism of the Holy Spirit experience after after having been baptized with water, after having walk with the Lord for for many years. Oftentimes, when in reality, instead of looking for the experience. We need to fix our eyes on Christ and on his word as we do that were daily, filled with the Holy Spirit, you've often also talked about the are one of the signs of being troubled Holy Spirit is the fruit of the spirit.

Yeah, Galatians chapter 5 and that's another thing some of you will say well you know if you're filled with the Holy Spirit, you should speak in tongues and and manifest these miraculous signs like you see in the book of acts that that's listed a description of what was taking place in the life of the early church as the gospel was going out it's not a prescription for all time for believers and so if you if you want to know whether or not your filled with the Holy Spirit will if you believe in Jesus are sealed with the spirit but but the fruit of the spirit, love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, self-control. Those are the real signs of the spirit in the life of the believer. This is core Christianity with Pastor Israel Sanchez this coming Saturday is Halloween and it seems like every year around this time we start getting calls asking about things like the devil and demon possession then ghosts and you name it we actually have a great resource that helps us understand how Satan is working in this world. Yet if you've ever wondered if the little devils and pop-culture movies and novels might've shaped our idea of who Satan is more than Scripture, you're probably right.

I think that they have. When you stop to think about it be to the how is the devil at work in the world today. Is he everywhere, all-knowing, all-powerful kind of mirror image opposite of God.

Well, no he's not. It's important that we understand what the Bible has to say about the devil and spiritual warfare. So that's why we have this helpful resource. It's called can the devil read my mind.

It's a 70 page booklet. That'll give you a thorough understanding of what the Bible says about Satan and demons and spiritual warfare. And it's yours for free over it. Core, Christianity.com. One of the cool things about this book. It also offers some really practical suggestions on how we can avoid the letting Satan influence us in negative ways, absolutely just, just in terms of what is it look like for me as a believer to resist the devil, that's a command given to us in Scripture to resist the devil and hopefully and so if if you've wondered about that and how to do that. Get a hold of this resource. You can find it by going to core Christianity.com/offers that's core Christianity.com/offers or you can call us for that resource or any one of our resources.

Here's the number it's 833. The core just ask us for can the devil read my mind.

Let's go to Elizabeth in Illinois. Elizabeth what your question for pastor atrial really quickly, so call shortly after that I didn't feel comfortable with it anyway. Here, the Lord open up the door for me and learn over the last few weeks, but now I am wondering after reading Ephesians for any talk about our cue for the perfect dance of the state and was wondering if you are leading a Bible study.

Is it something you should do charge are okay to go out and get a just trust that the Lord would provide resources for you as you begin to grow in the area. Elizabeth are you a member of a local you have a church that potentially could use the space there for something like this is Bible study okay yeah well one word whether you have at your home or in the church facility building, whatever that looks like or at some other place.

Maybe a coffee shop. We've done it in in my church with them.

Bible studies at coffee shops and accountable to the public place where if it's quite enough, you're able to gather together with with other believers and have a Bible study. Wherever you have it.

The key is in in. That's what Paul is getting at in Ephesians chapter 4 it's for the building up of the body of Christ. Now that the most important is not where it's held it's what is being taught is it you were getting into the Scriptures were growing together in our understanding of who God is.

Through his word, encouraging each other and I think it should happen in the context of the church that is made has to be in the church but I think it's something that that you should do in the context of the church that is to serve your your sisters there in the body of Christ under the oversight of of the leadership of the church so that they can also encourage you and maybe even provide you with some resources that we are not just off on your own by yourself trying to trying to do everything. It's it's really not a lot of times in the Christian life, whether it's with the women's Bible study or something else, some other kind of ministry that want to start up, we just go off and do it on our own when reality I think that the best approach is what does it look like for me to get together with the brothers and sisters in the church and to do this together to pool resources to encourage each other so that you know to do the gifts that God is given to you can build up others who are there in the church and and I love the fact that your your wanting to do this. I think this is a wonderful desire than this is totally something that you should do.

Maybe just partnering together with the leadership in your church to to make sure that it's done well and that you have the support that you need great to our response hey Elizabeth, thank you so much for your willingness to serve the Lord in such a wonderful way that is beautiful and she said it really don't want to do things, apart from the body of Christ and apart from leadership in our church. We want to do along with them right. That's what God wants to do. Yeah, I mean it really is just the way in which were were called. I think to operate in the body of Christ first Corinthians chapter 12 we were each a different part of the body we have these different gifts in the body is only healthy as were pets were bringing our gifts together serving one another for the good of the whole. And so you know one individual might be a gifted teacher and they would they want to lead a Bible study. I think that's absolutely wonderful. Let's let's come together and maybe someone else has the gift of hospitality they want to host you know in the church that would do it in in in their home and so just that's I think the way in which the church operates in a in a healthy manner that doesn't burn individuals out because they're trying to do everything on their own great advice. This is core Christianity with Pastor Israel Sanchez. If you have a question about the Bible or the Christian life. Give us a call right now. Here's her number 833 the core that's 1-833-843-2673 here's a question we received from one of our listeners named Erica and I will relate with my daughter when I hear it every thing that why I definitely don't think Erica that it's never too late to try and figure things out guide one passage of Scripture that that you can go to Matthew chapter 5 Jesus in the sermon on the Mount. He says in verse 23. If you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. In other words, if somebody has something against us, whether that's someone within the body of Christ or a family member. One of our children. You know if they have something against us, it's on us to go to them and to seek reconciliation of that can be hard because there are there are some wounds that cut pretty deeply and so part of that just looks like okay what is it that I've done be willing to own my sin and say please forgive me and it may take an individual made a long period of time to be able to get to the place with it where they feel like there can be some some genuine restoration in the relationship, but I think I think were always called as Christians to pursue that reconciliation and especially when we've sinned against someone to go to them even immediately think Jesus's words there in Matthew chapter 5 are really interesting to been more than just waiting for them to bring it up were to go to them and to say and I know that you have this against me. I and I know that I didn't treat you like I should've treated you there.

Would you please forgive me and so so what we are called to pursue that Erica and and let me just add that it it's never too late and and I would approach it with prayer. Just asking that the Holy Spirit would bring healing in this situation obviously is, as I said, you know, some wounds are very, very deep and it takes time to heal and honesty and repentance and so starting that process now is really important and you can't read those you can't force the issue.

You can't change this individual, but you can do what God calls you to do and I do know in Scripture, there are some amazing examples of that of family conflict that the Lord brought healing and I think of that. The scene in the book of Genesis with Joseph and his brothers mean talk about being hurt by family being left for dead by your by your brothers sold into slavery. And yet somehow God by the grace of the Holy Spirit was able to bring healing and a great restoration in that situation, so there is hope sister and and I would encourage you to pray and to pursue reconciliation asking for forgiveness where where maybe you send Erica thank you so much for your call will be praying for you in that situation with your daughter. This is core Christianity with Pastor Israel Sanchez. Let's go to Sylvia in Bellevue Texas silly what your question freight hi Sylvia how are you well in the last eight months to community and there are a lot of people that are named in claimant and they have no cartilage in my knees and it's hard for me to walk and they just think I need to ask the Lord to heal me. But on the other hand, I know how Paul suffered how Jesus suffered and the man in the fiery they didn't ask for deliverance. They just embraced whatever God had for them and that my thinking on the issue. Can you shed some light on Max yeah that's my take on the issue to sister so there are those the sort of name it and claim it preachers out there that say well if you're a believer and you're filled with the Holy Spirit and you have some sort of sickness in your letter that that's not good can't be God's will for you so you should just declare an fate that God is going to heal you and I trust that he will and and that's God's will for you but but the reality is we do know that the disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ, our Lord Jesus Christ himself suffered immensely and that some of that suffering, you know, you think the disciples was a part of God's will. It's not always God's will to deliver us right now in in our present condition from from illness. We know that ultimately Sylvia we will be delivered that Jesus rose from the dead, our bodies will fully and finally be healed, but that may not happen in in this moment today and so I think it's presumptuous and and frankly quite dangerous when preachers tell people hate you, and you just sort of name it and claim it often times together with that is is this idea that if you're not healed, maybe it's your problem.

Maybe you've got some secret sin that you don't know about the need to repent of, or maybe you just don't have enough faith to be healed and it places this immense burden on the individual.

It's totally fine to pray for healing were commanded to pray for healing in places like James chapter 5, to gather together with the church of the elders lay hands on you and and pray for you that you might be healed, but that doesn't mean that God is always going to deliver you from your illness and so we look to the Lord and we trust his sovereign purposes for our lives and we trust that even through the suffering that we experience God is able to work. This is the point of the apostle Paul in places like Romans chapter 8 where he says look. Nothing can separate us. Nothing can separate you Sylvia from the love of God and that he goes on to list all of these things that the people of God were experiencing famine you know sickness, all of these things persecution the sword and yet through all those things were more than conquerors in Jesus Christ.

Sometimes people will point to that text in Isaiah 53 where it talks about being healed by his stripes really the focus on Isaiah 53 that's about the that the forgiveness of sins.

The atonement that Jesus offered for us to cleanse us from our sins. And that's concert confirmed by the apostle Peter in first Peter chapter 2 verse 24 he himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness by his wounds you have been healed for you were straying like sheep but have now returned to the Shepherd and overseer of your soul in sight say I go to the Lord. Pray for healing. There's nothing wrong with that trust in him but but don't buy into the lie that if you don't get healed immediately that it's your fault you don't have enough faith that kind of a thing or in some secret sin, instead trusting God sovereign purposes for you, and continued up to pursue him as you're doing Sylvia God bless. I love Sylvia's perspective. I mean she really is going right to God's word in the example that was set for us by the disciples.

She's not saying you know board this is name and claimant thing is going to work for me. Yeah, you wonder if the, the prosperity gospel name in claimant thing really would've worked in the ancient church you know during the days of the apostles where there being persecuted, killed, beaten for their faith.

You can just say hey just sort of name and claim your victory, your Celia just would it would it just fallen flat because it's so outrageous you're listening to core Christianity with Pastor Israel Sanchez I were to be recording a second program today so if you have a question about the Bible, the Christian life. Theology how your Christian life intersects with the today's culture were to be taken calls for another half hour or so after we finish up this program so feel free to give us a call.

Here's the number it's 833 833-843-2673. That's 833. The core we would love to get your question for the next half hour or so, so feel free to give us a call right now. Go to YouTube question. We can bundle you can watch a drill on YouTube every day at 11:30 AM Pacific time, which translates in the 1230 Mountain 130 Central 230 Eastern for that half-hour and you can submit a question that way.

Here's a question from one of our YouTube viewers.

I'd really like to know why Jewish people are still considered chosen are they still God's chosen people say thank you for that question will you know one section of Scripture that you can go to where really talks about this is the letter to the Romans written by the apostle Paul in Romans chapters 9 through 11, focusing really specifically on on the beginning of chapter 9 and then also in Chapter 11 at the beginning of chapter 9 Paul talks about his kinsman according to the flesh Jews. He says I'm speaking the truth in Christ. I'm not lying, my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart for I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers. My kinsman according to the flesh, they are Israelites and to them belong the adoption of the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law the worship and the promises to them belong the patriarchs, and from their race.

According to the flesh is the Christ, who is God overall blessed forever. Amen. Now Paul is lamenting here because many of his brothers, his kinsman, that is, is it you know ethnic Israel had rejected the gospel. They rejected Jesus's look.

They have all these promises that were given to them in the Old Testament Scriptures and yet the Messiah showed up and they they rejected him.

As John says in his in his gospel.

You know Jesus came to his own and his own did not receive him. So in one sense we could say yet that there the chosen in terms of the these promises that were extended to them, but that doesn't mean that they're saved, apart from Christ and that's the point that the apostle Paul goes on to make us as chapter 9 continues are not chosen in the sense that regardless of what decision they make, or what they believe, and so long as their ethnic Jews are going to be in heaven.

That kind of thing, absolutely not. We only have salvation through our union with Jesus Christ by faith in him. And so Paul, you know he makes it very clear. As he continues there that even though many of these these Israelites rejected Christ.

It isn't that God's word failed God's promises didn't fail. In fact, it's the sovereign spirit of God that's working in the lives of these people, drawing them to himself and then he goes on in Chapter 11 to say I asked then has God rejected his people by no means I myself am an Israelite, a descendent of Abraham. In other words, the fact that I believe is a sign that God has rejected all the Jews I I am an Israelite and I belong to Jesus by faith.

God is not rejected his people whom he foreknew do you not know what the Scripture says to Elijah how he appeals to God against Israel Lord, they have killed your prophets. They have demolished your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life. But what is God's reply to him. I have kept for myself 7000 men who have not bowed the knee to bail.

So too with the present time, there is a remnant chosen by grace. But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works otherwise grace would no longer be called Grayson cc this this discussion here. I think sometimes people are really confused about this, that they look at God has me to multiple people who got the Israelites and whatever they do Jewish people. It's fine. There can end up in heaven just because of their ethnicity. That kind of a thing and then Kennedy as a church over here that kind of they will look there is only one people of God, and it's all those who are united to Jesus Christ by faith, Jew or Gentile, that me that's that's is the real that's we see in the New Testament and so God is calling all people everywhere to turn to Christ, and as they do were grafted into that one people of God by faith. That's what Paul goes on to say in Romans chapter 11, so I think it's really important that that we understand that it really is more than anything else. It's it's Jesus. Are you in Jesus.

Do you believe in Jesus. If you have Jesus. If you belong to him.

You are part of the people of God so well said, this is Pastor April Sanchez and Cork Christianity, and one more reminder for you that we have this great resource available today on this, the devil and how we influences our lives. That's right. Can the devil read my mind.

And we know what were offering this resource because it is October Halloween time and a lot of people have questions about spiritual warfare. The devil and set as we said before, it's free head over to Cork Christianity.com to get a hold of that resource. And once again brothers and sisters, thanks for joining us for another episode of Cork Christianity. Thanks for listening to Cork Christianity. Request your copy of today's special offer.

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