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November 23, 2021 6:30 am
Episode 843 | Adriel Sanchez and Bill Maier answer caller questions.
Questions in this Episode
1. What is your opinion on in-person seminary vs. online? What is a good reason for a seminary student to move to campus rather than go online, is the time with the professors and classmates worth it?
2. My 18yo son studies a lot, and he is adamant about not doing Thanksgiving this year. He says, “how can you be a Christian and be thankful that these people slaughtered so many Native Americans?”
3. How can I share Jesus with my friend who is interested but also skeptical about Christianity?
4. How can I overcome my sinful nature?
5. The Gospel of John includes the account of Lazarus being raised from the dead, why don’t the other Gospel account include this?
Today’s Offer5 Biblical Reminders for Thanksgiving
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ResourcesCore Question – How Can I Share My Faith?
Drew my family is conflicted about celebrating Thanksgiving. That's just 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 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 your question.
One of our social media accounts and you can watch Israel right now live in the studio on YouTube on our YouTube channel and message him that way you can always email us any questions at questions at core, Christianity.com before we begin today's program you want to take just a moment to pray for all of the families who've been impacted by that that terrible a Christmas parade tragedy in Wisconsin yeah Bill an absolute me just just horrible. I think there were five debts and I'm reading many, many people injured, including almost 20 children and so I we pray for it. For those who were injured for the recovery but also just for those were morning that the Lord would be with them. Father, we grieve just this this horrible situation we pray for healing God for those who were injured in in this rampage that took place. We pray for the families of all those who've been directly affected, especially with respect to the families of those who died as a result of of this this action.
Would you be with them and would you by the grace of your Holy Spirit, bring comfort, especially in this season. Lord, would you would you be with him, would you raise them up Lord and we look to you in this time of morning. In Jesus name, amen amen thanks that Israel what we do receive voicemails here. You can leave us a voicemail 24 hours a day and we try to check our voicemails each day. Here's one we received from a listener named Jordan I wanted to ask about seminary campus versus online orders reason for seminary campus rather than doing it online but is the benefit of that professors and how to make that what will what should one choose one has the ability to campus seminary and its hey thank you for that question, I went to seminary and this and I went to did not offer online courses, it was all in person learning and I really really appreciated that because it gave me an opportunity to sit down with the professors that I had really godly men, many of them also ministers ordained ministers who had spent a lot of time studying the Scriptures the original biblical languages, Greek and Hebrew, church history, philosophy a lot of things that you just don't typically get even growing up in in the church, you would necessary get those things and so I recommend if you if you're able to do that in person thing is a me that there are a few other benefits. One is you did you get it started building a community with other students there.
It's kind of a special time. I think in in an individual who is training for ministry in in in your life because you're getting to connect with other other people who feel called to the ministry who are gifted. I'll tell you one thing for me was it was actually really humbling experience because I'm sitting with a lot of other students who also feel called to the ministry and who are godly and wise smart man. It was just sort of reminded me of the fact that I am the Lord is really at work and it was great to see so I encourage if you're able to man dive in head first. Give everything you have that there is nothing more if you feel like God is calling you to teach the Bible what's really important for you to be trained in Scripture to be a Bible expert.
If you will. I think a lot of times people just view seminary as sort of a means to an end.
The end is becoming a pastor getting ordained and I just gotta get this this diploma. We really shouldn't view that we should we should view it as a season of preparation. A season of training. We want to get the best training that we can get in order to teach the Bible and it is of the this thing right you could do the online thing you can go and watch a bunch of YouTube videos on your own, and I think too many people approach training for the ministry. In that way. I know that there are some good online programs out there and I know that there are also some online programs that are that are not so good and so you have to be discerning and you want to make sure that your you're challenging yourself and you're getting the best theological education that you can if you intend to teach the word of God say something I heard this over and over again from even professors that I had in seminary that you never go to eye doctor to have surgery and go to a doctor who who said well I you I got most of my training from just watching videos on YouTube that kind of thing that we we we know if were to go under the knife, you know we want we want to surgeon who knows what they're doing, who's been trained who has expertise and and the sad reality is, a lot of times you don't think of of pastors and that way we don't we don't we don't think like a I'm entrusting my soul to the Lord and to this person to this local church.
There is there is accountability there. So we want to make sure that that the people who are proclaiming the gospel to us are people who should be doing it and who know what they're talking about and so I want it encourage if you can men find a good seminary go devote the time that you need to devote to it and and prepare for what the Lord is called you to know Israel in this day and age, I'm struck by the importance of every pastor being educated in Christian worldview and apologetics in my impression from you is that you got a lot of that training while you are in seminary. Yeah, let me know absolutely that was the we took classes on apologetics on defending the faith classes on biblical languages, nothing.
A lot of seminaries are sort of moving away from teaching biblical languages that's that's a shame again week we should be. We need to be experts on the Bible on studying the Scriptures working to proclaim this to people want to make sure we know were talking about. And so that's one of the benefits. Also just I mentioned church history. Understanding the past and the things we can learn from the past and all the good theology that was hashed out in the early stages of of the history of the church that we that we are the recipients of that we get to inherit and pass on to others.
And so, so much that you're going to get from a seminary experience if you if you feel like the Lord is calling you to ministry and I just say hey, make the sacrifices that you need to make in order to do that great counsel. This is core Christianity with pastor Israel Sanchez.
Let's go to a question we received from one of our listeners named Marie and he admitted about not getting here about how pilgrims came up here and killed a Native American Indian and say that you know you're a Christian and you know that God is not in yet indoor Thanksgiving and being grateful for what flattering about as Native American as a matter you know I know it's not a biblical thing you go about raining here 18-year-old in regard to what's going on in the world every three and you know I have not biblical and not biblical. Oh yeah, I do hear that a Marie thank you for that question in a very timely question. So a couple of things one coming from for the Christian would think about the biblical perspective here every Sunday.
As is Easter for celebrating the resurrection of Jesus and every day is supposed to be a day of Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is something which is called to as the people of God, to give thanks in all circumstances. The apostle Paul says even and even the difficulties now that doesn't mean we give thanks for evil in the world were not were not thanking God for the slaughter of the innocent. Those kind of things.
No, no, not at all were crying out to the Lord were lamenting those those things and so I'm not sure you know if if your something say what were doing is were were giving thanks for something that was bad. Will that that's not what were doing. I think it is important exit to get the accurate history here others a book published by inter-varsity press academic. It's called the first Thanksgiving. What the real story tells us about loving God and learning from history and I like I like that last part their learning from history think there are two big dangers here is as we think about the past one we can have a romanticized view of the past which is man everything was just good. We need to get back to the good old days.
The past was perfect. We've we've so fallen away from that era of godliness.
Whatever whatever that era was or whenever that era was and what we often times we have the sort of rose-colored glasses on. We we think about the past. This nostalgia that comes arrest. The reality is it's never as good as we remember it can and there. There were challenges there was sin there was evil there were things that we don't want to brush under the rug that we can talk about this is true or thinking about any era of history or any individual you think about the different people that we look at in the past, and we look up to them and they were there were human beings. They were sinners there. There were things that they did that we can critique that we can say that was wrong. That was dishonoring to God.
And so what have I think a clear perspective on those things is as I understand it you are looking at the first Thanksgiving.
If you will, is a gathering of a number of people who were really giving thanks to the Lord you you Christians who have fled looking for a home.
Essentially, pilgrims would fled looking for home and and looking to honor the Lord but but of course you know it as time goes by deed it's never always perfect. There are challenges one of the interesting thing about things about those early pilgrims as they were giving thanks to the Lord after a season of great difficulty the winter that was just devastating for them so that there are things historically that we can we can learn from them and I think it's important for us to look at the past into notes of the challenges are when think about history one don't romanticize it, but to don't erase it. I think that's a bad idea.
You see this a lot with the sort of cancel culture of today. Let's just erase the past that we don't like what's is blotted out. Will that I think is foolish as well were called to learn from the past to give thanks for that which is good to repent, where we need to repent and it as far as Thanksgiving is concerned were always called to give thanks and so we should do that every day and you know the that the holiday that's coming up as an opportunity for us as a reminder for us it it's it's not you, and obviously you know Thanksgiving is not this this holiday that was instituted by the apostles or by Christ, but if it's an opportunity for us together with families and is a God, thank you for sustaining us after the last two years of a global pandemic or thank you Lord for the fact that I still have a job. Thank you that were here around this table eating this this meal together. We give you thanks that something we should do friends that something we should do and so on. Encourage you to do that and check out that book again. It's it's called the first Thanksgiving with the real story tells us about loving God and learning from his streets by Robert McKenzie S. I'm so glad you mentioned that book, I had a chance to interview Robert McKenzie a couple years ago and it is just fantastic and his men he has done so much research on that first Thanksgiving so highly recommend that as you did. By the way, we have a wonderful resource available just in time for Thanksgiving. It's absolutely free and you can find it on our website, et al. five biblical reminders for Thanksgiving. I've already said it right. What were called as Christians to give thanks to the Lord.
I mean, I think this is what it looks like to be filled with the Holy Spirit as Paul on the book of Ephesians says you'll be filled with the spirit he talks about Thanksgiving, singing, praying with one another. This is this is a part of what God calls us to is the will of God for us to give thanks in all circumstances. He says in first Thessalonians. And so we want to help you to do that and and we want to give you these five biblical reminders for Thanksgiving. It's a free download for you over at core, Christianity.com is easiest way to find it is to go to the website core Christianity.com and/offers core Christianity.com/offers look for five biblical reminders for Thanksgiving. By the way, you can call us for that resource or any one of our resources and you can call us if you have a question for a drill about the Bible or the Christian life. Our phone lines will be open for the next 10 minutes or so.
Here's the phone number it's 833-843-2673. That's 833. The core let's go to Brandon in St. Louis, Missouri Brandon what your question for a drill stranger. My question my question is how much you love atheistic friend should not really a believer but she does. I know she doesn't know you did she want to be stuck in should not start the dark days of her life of her life.
It's more of a limbo, a limo phase where she doesn't really know what she wants and doesn't have the faith to change things and I know just listing the core Christianity that you would be such an encouragement as far as you facing your fears as far as giving your spirit. God, our being able to uplift your yourself without having to feel like you're the only one stuck and I guess that you cannot anomaly ornate, but I know she doesn't know God she's kind of investment both ways of being happy that I've honestly ran out of everything you say regarding just being positive. I don't want to bring up the Bible too much because I know that is not what she's looking about by just by my question Brandon, thank you for that question when we when we just first pray for your friend right now who's in this this limbo stage. Father, I lift up Brandon's friend to you and God is.
She is searching for peace for something or maybe she doesn't know what that what that thing is I pray God that you would reveal yourself to her through your son Jesus and by the power of the Holy Spirit.
I pray that you would fill Brandon with your spirit so that he would know how to encourage her what what scriptures to be able to share with her and Lord. Ultimately, that you would do the work for her that you did in Lydia's heart. In acts chapter 16. Opening her heart to receive the truth of your word would you be with this with this woman would you draw her to yourself. We pray in Jesus name, amen. My math yeah Brandon, your friend is not alone and especially you know coming out of a very difficult season for many people in the last the last two years think a lot of people are searching and in this sort of state of limbo asking questions.
Questions about life questions about death, questions about a minute really meet the important questions fear. There's a lot of fear around us and that's where Jesus speaks so clearly, and he says 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. A lot of people right now are burdened, weighed down by so many different things by me in a loss of work by sickness by just feeling fed up with it. With this world and and we have to direct her eyes upward to the Lord Jesus, and he calls us to himself and what my encouragement to you is just to continue to be a good friend to bring the truth of God's word to bear when there are questions when your friend has has these questions whether there questions about fear questions about who God is a BBB clear about who the Lord. May the Lord give you boldness.
Also I love how Jesus pursued people in the gospel to think of the woman up at the of the well in John chapter 4 and he begins to ask her questions easily sort of probing and getting to the deepest parts of of her heart and showing her that he is ultimately what she needs more than anything else and that's true for your friend as well. You know, we long for things in this life and we don't know we don't really know how to find those things will be.
You were trying to fill ourselves with all these temporal goods to find happiness to start a grasp on to happiness and will continually let down again and again and again and that's why I quoted a passage from Matthew 11, where Jesus says come to me and so may the Lord bless you and may he cause you to be a light in in your friend's life directing her to Jesus and to his goodness and remember what the apostle Paul said in Romans chapter 1 verse 16 I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. It's that gospel is the power of God for salvation to everyone including your friend.
So I share that with her and continue to encourage her in your and your friendship, bless our thank the Lord for people like Brandon who really care about others and want them to know the truth of having a relationship with Jesus Christ and Brenda, thank you so much for your call. This is core Christianity with pastor Israel Sanchez.
Let's go to Jack, who's calling in from Indiana Jack, what's your question by law.
I love your show and watch a couple years but my question is how I overcome like the fallen nature of man acrylic empathizing with all Romans seven what you talk about you know I do as I don't want to do and there's just timeless or raging on inside of me and I'm sure many others in what what advice would you give to when that spiritual battle.
Thank you for that question.
Revenue not, you're not alone. And also you for the encouragement and grateful to have you as a as a frequent listener, so I that we can identify with Paul in Romans chapter 7 we talked about this battle. You also hear about it. I think in places like Galatians chapter 5 work brings up this this this conflict between the flesh that is our flesh and the spirit, the Holy Spirit, who calls us to walking in, in a manner that is pleasing to the Lord. And this is a battle that were to experience until were in the presence of the Lord into were perfected in holiness when when we die.
You know when the Lord comes back to how we fight that battle, it's not by pulling yourself up by the bootstraps and it really is fought by the Holy Spirit, in and through you and that's what the apostle Paul is going to make clear in the very next chapter and he says in Romans chapter 8 verse 12 brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh, you will die.
But if by the spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live for all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God, you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption as sons by whom we cry, Abba, father Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God, and if children than heirs. Heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provide we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. One of things I love about this section of the book of Romans Romans six through eight is Paul begins by reminding the Romans of their new identity is.
This is nothing. I think this is key in terms of the fight against sin.
It's not that you have to fight and succeed so that you can become a child of God, he says, look you you're already a child of God were debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. Why, because we've died to it. This is the point he makes in Romans chapter 6 we died to the flesh we been crucified with Christ and so you have to see yourself Jack, but with all of our struggles with all of your struggles. You have to see yourself as one who is alive from the dead justified by the free grace of God, the forgiveness of Jesus Christ.
The blood that he shed that cleanses you that your new identity. That's who you are. You are the baptized one. The one who belongs to Jesus, a son of God by faith in Jesus and from that place.
From that position of new identity, new standing, we are called every day to fight against the lust of the flesh to put to death those sinful deeds of the body and so what we pray we pursue the Lord if there are things that that you know are leading you away from the Lord will we take a serious dancing against those things to think about what Jesus said in the sermon on the Mount would cut those things off so there are practical steps you can take bedding. The main thing is one recognizing Romans six your new identity in Christ who you are, your justification, the fact you belong to the Lord to understanding as you said Romans seven that there is this battle that rages and is to continue to rage but again there is no condemnation for you. If you're in Christ. Romans chapter 8 verse one and now day by day were called to live a life in the spirit and it's by the spirit that we put to death the sinful deeds of the body and that something them just encourage with this that something that God wants to do in you. God's will for you for us is our sanctification, and so as you go to the Lord, humbly saying God forgive me for it for my failure here. Whatever it is, have mercy upon me, sanctify me know that the Lord hears that prayer and that's a prayer he's going to answer as you continue to pursue him. God bless. This is core Christianity, we have time for one more quick question before we go from Robert in Florida.
Robert what your question for Israel and got John to talk about raising Lazarus from the dead, why it's only in the Gospel of John, and none of the other Gospels ale that's his biggest miracle. I thank you for that question is assertive and Jimmy John as a gospel is unique there.
There are some things that are distinct about John's Gospel in terms of his focus in one of the things that John focuses on is a number of miracles, including the raising of Lazarus. But these miracles reveal to us the identity of Jesus and he says at the end of his gospel. I've written these things to you so that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ the son of the living God. That is the purpose statement of the book so everything that he does. He's trying to convince you, the reader that Jesus really is who he says he is that he is the Christ the son of the living God. That's why he included that miracle. 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.
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