If Jesus Calmed the Storm for the Disciples, Why Isn’t He Calming the Storms in My Life?

Jesus called the storm for the disciples. Why isn't he combing the storms in my wife that's just one of the questions will be answering on today's edition of core Christianity will hi there happy Friday. I'm 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 this right now with your question. Here's our phone number it's 833 the core that's 1-833-843-2673 will be taken calls for the next 25 minutes or so, so now's the time to call when you can also post your question on our Facebook, Instagram or twitter accounts and you can watch a drill live in the studio right now on YouTube and send us a message through our YouTube channel. You can always email us your question at questions@corechristianity.com first update. Let's go to Calvin calling in from Florida, and what your question for Pastor Israel for taking my call.

Born-again believer and my question is coming from Matthew 28 X2 38 Romans chapter 6 talk about baptism. I've been believing you cry son of God believing baptism was baptized and my question is, I've heard that for some preachers, so you have to say this in his prayer, and then others see you happy. Just believe we can't confess and I read that's what I read in the Bible, you know, we believe repaired contest.

So my question is what how how is the sinners prayer valid. A list of the D in the sinners prayer, think that question yeah so is is the sinners prayer like one of the steps in the process of salvation quote unquote means that an individual has to do to pray a specific prayer in order to receive Jesus Christ. This is something that you know number of evangelists have done your people go up do. These crusades are even you know up Pastor after his service, inviting people up and saying want you to say this prayer you can repeat after me and usually goes something like it. I know I'm a sinner. I need you, Jesus. Please come into my life.

Forgive my sins. Amen. There's nothing objectionable about those words but I think that there can be a problem. Calvin if people are putting their trust not in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, but in something that they do.

And strangely enough, I think for for for many, they they viewed the sinners prayer. They view the sinners prayer is this work that they do through which they obtain salvation so they may pray this prayer at the end of a Christian rally or something like that and I think okay I guess I'm I'm saved now, but biblically speaking, as you say were called to repent and believe in Jesus Christ. That's what we see in the Scriptures now. Sometimes people will go to places like Revelation chapter 3, and the words that Jesus speaks to the church in Laodicea where he said in verse 20 behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. And thus I see Jesus is standing at the door of your heart knocking you just need to receive them to say this sinners prayer. That's really taking that verse out of context because there Jesus is addressing a group of people who already professed the faith that the church in Laodicea calling them to repentance really is.

So you know what I would say is when were sharing the gospel preaching us and not a bad thing to encourage people to pray to call upon the name of the Lord.

But, you know, an individual can can believe and receive Christ without ever saying the words of the quote unquote sinners prayer. I think of what the apostle Paul said in Romans chapter 10. This is a great place to go.

He lays it out here so clearly verse nine because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified with the mouth one confesses and is saved for the Scripture says, everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.

For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call upon him for everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved and so that's what we call people to do is call on the name of the Lord and receive Christ by faith.

Calvin, thank you for your call.

Douglas hey Calvin appreciate you.

Thank you for listening to core Christianity would love to take your call if you have a question about the Bible or the Christian life will be opening up our phone lines are for the next 20 minutes or so you can call us at 833 the core that's 1-833-843-2673 would also like to invite you to join a special group of people that we call our inner core will tell you about a special event for inner core members which is coming up next month. Yeah if you benefit from the answers we give on the show we'd love to invite you to become a member of the inner core is an inner core member you'll receive a signed copy of the book core Christianity by Dr. Michael Horton exclusive updates and bonus content from the team and when you join the inner core in the month of March will send you an invitation to join us on a live virtual meeting with me some of the members. The core team and other inner core members on Wednesday, April 13 at 8 PM Eastern time, 5 PM Pacific to be an opportunity for you to ask questions about the Bible, the Christian life or about the core Christianity team and organization. If your inner core member already, please be on the lookout for an invitation in your email that virtual meeting with a drill set for April 13 8 PM Eastern time, 5 PM Pacific. You might want to jot that down and you can become an inner core member by signing up with a recurring donation of $25 or more. Your support allows us to continue sharing the gospel in answering those tough questions about the Christian faith, and this program goes around the world through a live radio broadcast our web articles are Bible studies to join in that video call just head over to core Christianity.com/inner core and sign up there, let's go to a voicemail that came in from one of our listeners earlier this week. Thanks for taking us?

Listen your show appears no never been brave enough to ask question was what I wanted to local pastor gave an incredible start another day over the book of John, the disciple stranded in the boat and being scared and in comfort in one's disciples cried out for him comfort. He was there. I heard many preachers talk about as you cry out for the Lord will be there to comfort you and then I heard anyone say that he may not come for you the way you want until your deceased is really need to know. Unfortunately, over 900 days into a divorce process that I do not want everything that's gone bad, has gone bad, many prayers haven't been answered, but one prayer always asked every day is just one they wanted to feel his comfort that he was there next to me and be honest, I've never felt that this I need to know biblically where that is when you cry out for God comfort that you're taking a question I'm thankful that you gave us a call and just with with everything going on I don't know. Obviously, the details of your situation but I want to pray for you that the Lord would help you cause you to experience that comfort that that we do hear about in Scripture. Father I pray for this man who is looking to be comforted by you, by the grace of your spirit.

Lord we don't know the details of his situation, but we do know that your word says that you are near to all those who call upon you will call upon you, in truth, and so I pray for him as he comes to you and is he calls upon you crying out for your help with the comfort that you give through your Holy Spirit, that he would experience Lord your presence that you would guide him and give him wisdom and Lord given us a sense of your love, especially Lord, in Jesus your son God, we thank you for that demonstration of your love toward us in Christ and I pray that this brother would would know that would would would experience that Lord, by the grace of the Holy Spirit and I asked these things in Jesus name, amen brother. There are so many times in the Scriptures where the psalmist, for example, talks about crying out to the Lord and experiencing deliverance experiencing a sense of comfort 11 Psalm. For example, that I think of the Psalm chapter 18 and in verse six the psalmist says in my distress I called upon the Lord, to my God, I cried for help from his temple he heard my voice and my cry came to him and reached his ears.

The first thing I want to say is when you call upon the name of the Lord even in the midst of despair when you call upon him in faith. Your prayer reaches his temple. He hears it in his ears, if you will, and he does comfort his people sometimes that comfort comes through to a sense of God's presence. The grace of the Holy Spirit. Sounds like that's what you're wrestling with and I've just not felt that before in another instance is the Lord comforts us through his people through others brothers and sisters in Christ who can encourage us in this is something we see specifically in the book of second Corinthians in second Corinthians chapter 1 verse three. Listen to what Paul said, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God impulses the God that we serve the God we know is the God of all comfort and he comforts us so that we might be able to comfort one another so that we might be able to comfort each other and if you actually go a little bit further in second Corinthians chapter 7 Paul talks about an instance where he experience discomfort through others in the body of Christ. Second Corinthians chapter 7 verse 54 even when we came into Macedonia.

Our bodies had no rest, but we were afflicted at every turn fighting without fighting without an fear within he said.

But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus, the words God used Titus, Paul says to comfort me is the one thing I want to say to you is God may be using people around you maybe even me right now to extend his grace and comfort to you to say hey God, is there still when we cry out to him, he hears us he hears you and he is near to the brokenhearted, I don't know the details of the situation with your divorce but II can say to you that when we turn to the Lord he hears us. And we cling to him by faith we experience and can experience his grace and his mercy, and so I hope that you're in a place where there are people around you who can encourage you and comfort you. If you're not in a church if you if you don't experience the comfort of the saints if you will because you're not a part of a local Christian church.

I would say will that's one of the ways that God intends to comfort you and for you to experience his presence and his goodness in your life, but I pray that but that that you would have that but also that you would experience as you call on the Lord, the comfort that he gives to his spirit and may God be with you and guide you and may you know that the Lord hears your prayers when you when you come to him through Jesus and that he is there and that he's merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon him. So continue to call on the name of the Lord, what a great passage from second Corinthians, Israel. Thank you so much for sharing that it applies to all of us, especially if we know someone who is going through a difficult time through pain or grief to to reach out with Christ love them and be his hands and feet to them.

So thank you for that. This is core Christianity with pastor Israel Sanchez. We would love to get your call if you have a question about the Bible, the Christian life for you know how your faith intersects with what's going on in today's culture. Our phone lines are open for the next 10 minutes or so 833. The core is the number you can always leave us a voicemail 24 hours a day at that number 218-338-4326 73 let's go to Stephen calling in from Nebraska. Stephen what your question for pastor. Israel, yeah.

I currently work at a Christian treatment facility and I'm a recovering addict as well, but I feel pulled to preach the word and I already do it at work and I'm just wondering what would be the best. I don't have a lot of money and I got in all family and stuff. What would be the best way to find further education so I could equip myself better to know maybe be a pastor one day or so.

Hey Stephen, thank you for calling him. May the Lord bless you as you continue to seek him and as you serve them there and that in that Christian facility into the first thing I would say is what the apostle Paul says in in first Timothy chapter 3, the saying is trustworthy.

If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. So what I would want to see you first. Even as this is distant and noble aspiration that you have the desire not to serve the church to preach the gospel, that is the good thing there's that is a good thing is there's nothing more powerful than the message of the gospel.

Then Paul begins to give it a number of qualifications for for this individual.

What what this individual should be like in terms of his character. Therefore, an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money he must manage his own household well with all dignity, keeping his children submissive for someone does not know how to manage his own household. I will he care for God's church.

He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover he must be well thought of by outsiders so that he may not fall into disgrace into the snare of the devil. Neatly, I would encourage you meditate upon that section of Scripture. Their first Timothy chapter 3 verses one through seven in in thinking about your own life. In this sense of calling that you have been loving and caring for your family and providing for them and cultivating a life of humility and submission to the Lord a life of holiness want to be an example for the flock and pursue those things in the context of the local church so that as you're serving Jesus and in the local church.

The church that you're part of, and using the gifts that he's given to you for the building up of the body for the edification of the body. Others are also you don't think boy Stephen really just it is a blessing to the church he so gifted when eat when he teaches he is able to teach.

As Paul said there in first Timothy three really think that that maybe God is working in his life. And if that happens is you see that then continuing to pursue maybe further education there. There are seminaries that you can go to even even some seminaries that will do online things you know to try to make a little bit more convenient for those of us who have a family with children but but definitely that's that somewhere where you're gonna want to grow in terms of your understanding of the word your understanding of sound Christian doctrine at and so I was you know devote yourself to all of those things is study to show yourself approved as a workman before the Lord, rightly handling the word of truth and pursue this. This sense of calling that you have in the context of Christian community. We don't call ourselves as individuals to the pastorate to say I'm I'm called it a thumbs you to become a pastor. Note the calling is internal and one sense, and we have business desire. It sounds like you have that but there's also the external call that comes from the church the people around you are saying we really think that the Lord is at work in your life, and this when were supporting this and that's what you want to have in place as well.

Stephen, you may God bless you as as you seek to honor him with your life, and as you use the gifts that he's given to you for the glory of Christ. Stephen, thanks so much for your call and for your great question.

This is core Christianity with pastor Israel Sanchez. We love hearing from our Canadian listeners. Duncan is on the line from Ottawa, Ontario. Duncan, thanks for calling what your question for Israel. I made on word call the other day and my into both of you is what you know about it called the assemblies of Yahweh wanted a teach in whether they believe they Duncan, thank you so much for your quick guides us to a quick a quick follow-up here. Where did you first hear about this group well radio broadcast called the assemblies of Yahweh it on, but no one knew for for years, kind of weird. They keep holding the Torah and well I don't know.

It did something really odd about dumpster's statement of faith. That's pretty concerning to me it sounds to me like you're picking up on some of those things as well but that there is an emphasis on the law on Torah as you say, but but in a sense that that we would certainly disagree with sort of living under the old covenant rules and regulations affect the very first tenet of their fate. They say we affirm that in order to interpret the inspired Scriptures correctly, we must use the Old Testament as the basis for our faith. We must therefore interpret the New Testament through the teachings of the old will right there that raises all sorts of red flags because they as we know Revelation unfolds. They were unfolded throughout redemptive history were given a clear vision about God's purpose and plan throughout throughout the world and for the world. It typically and in this the right way to understand we interpret the Old Testament in light of the clear revelation in the New Testament.

Another is never any contradiction there, but it sounds to me like they've got things backwards in, and beyond that part of what they're doing is going back to some of those old covenant rules and regulations. The food loss.

For example, and putting people under that yoke under that burden will that sounds to me very much like the heresy that the apostle Paul talked about when he wrote his letter to the Galatians there are false gospels out there friends I made it so important, and Duncan. I appreciate you asking this question because it's so important for each of us to be discerning there. There's no more important question. I think that we can answer than than what is the gospel and how do I understand it, truly because it strikes at the very vitals of of the faith. If we get the gospel wrong.

We are in serious trouble and that's precisely what the apostle Paul said to the Galatians he says in verse six of chapter 1. I'm astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel. Not that there is another one. But there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we were an angel from heaven, should preach to a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed is why so serious meatballs and let that person be eternally condemned if they're twisting the gospel of their preaching a false gospel.

As we have said before, so now I say again, he said if anyone is preaching to a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.

The problem is what will people want to do today is add to the gospel and it seems to me like that's precisely what this group the assemblies of Yahweh is doing through a misunderstanding of Scripture and in a misinterpretation of Scripture as I said that there be a part of reading everything through the lens of the Old Testament, and so there you have a bunch of problems that you in terms of interpretation there and so I would say you know it is good to be discerning and and to ask these kinds of questions and we really can't keep up with every new sect that comes along the way. That's why it's so important for us to be grounded in the truth and what the true gospel is God bless you Duncan a man. This is core Christianity with pastor Israel Sanchez we receive emails here every day and if you have a question you can always email us at questions at core, Christianity.com here's one from Jason and he says in Leviticus chapter 5 it says that anyone who touches a leper becomes unclean, but in Matthew eight Jesus touches a leper and isn't considered unclean. Why is that is a really good question. What you do you know who dealt with the lepers in the Old Testament and the book of Leviticus was the priests and in the Gospels, Jesus is the one who is dealing with lepers and one since demonstrating that he is the great and final high priest of his people and you see Jesus you know dealing with people or touching people who have leprosy throughout the Gospels and cleansing them and healing them. I like to go to the gospel of Mark. For example, in Mark chapter 1 verses 40 and following Jesus cleanses a leper by by touching this leper and then a little bit later in Mark's gospel Jesus. He feels this woman who has this issue. The flow of blood you see that in Mark chapter 5 and then just a little bit after that Jesus touches this this little girl gyrus's daughter who had died and raises her from the dead. He's these dealing with the ritual impurities if you will that you heard about in the book of Leviticus leprosy, blood, death of those things would make you unclean. In the Old Testament, but Jesus the Lord, the great high priest of his people, God himself and radiates with holiness so that when he touches the unclean. He doesn't become an click unclean. Instead, you know what happens they become cleansed and healed through an encounter with Almighty God. And I think that's one of the things that the Gospels is highlighting their Jesus is our great high priest, and through him we are cleansed. Thanks for listening to core Christianity request your copy of today's special offer.

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