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April 8, 2022 1:30 pm
Episode 941 | Adriel Sanchez and Bill Maier answer caller questions.
Questions in this Episode
1. How should we think about the false prophecies about former President Trump's reelection?
2. Is God using the culture's current discussion on racism to correct the church?
3. What would you say is the greatest sin of America and the church today?
4. Why is Easter on Sunday?
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Easter Devotional: Meeting the Risen Christ
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Resources
Core Question - Who Are the Prophets?
Core Question - What Do I Do When I’ve Been Hurt by the Church?
The following is a prerecorded version of core Christianity will be that client again on what is the greatest sin of the church in America today – is one of the questions will be answering on today's edition of core Christianity will hi, I'm Bill Meyer along with pastor Adria Sanchez. This is the radio program where we answer your questions about the Bible and the Christian life every day.
Here's our phone number is 833 the core that's 1-833-843-2673. You can also post your question on her Facebook, Instagram or twitter account and you can feel free to email us any questions at questions at core, Christianity.com first up today let's go to Dan calling in from Indiana Dan, what's your question for pastor atrial will. God brought okay 14 chapter 14 verse two, especially the spirit of prophecy, especially for crop now backtracking the last lecture the presidential election. There crop that Donald Trump was going well and going to work. Thank crop which real profit church.
Dan, thank you for that question. I did see a number of people popular televangelists and others who were claiming to speak on God's behalf as prophets declaring things like we know who's going to win this election, so on and so forth and and prophesying in that way and then obviously when when their prophecies didn't come true.
You know, many of them backtracked or made no excuses for why things ended up going the way that they did let me just say this.
What is Astellas avoid those quote unquote profits. Yes, a most chapter 3 does talk about God revealing his will through the prophets, but we need to understand where we are in the history of redemption. We don't have prophets like Jeremiah and Ezekiel walking around the church today. Why is that is because those profits were annexed to the theocracy in Israel. They were a part of the old covenant system. The old covenant economy. The prophets in particular that they prosecuted the terms of the old covenant when when the kings in Israel would sin against God's covenant. Turning away from the Lord engaging in idolatry. God would raise up these prophets to prosecute the terms of his covenant to go to the kings and into say look if if you don't turn if you don't stop. The covenant curses her to come upon you, and of course these prophets also foretold the coming of the Messiah. Looking forward to Jesus, the Messiah, who is the ultimate profit we learn in Hebrews chapter 1 verses one and following. And so we shouldn't be looking for you know another Jeremiah or Ezekiel today and anyone who claims to have the office of prophet like those men just doesn't understand the Bible and and doesn't understand where we are in the history of redemption and my concern is you have people that will make that claim for themselves, date of the Sam speaking on God's behalf and then they'll do silly things like what we saw happening there and lead people astray and confuse people. We need to get back to faithful Bible teaching brothers and sisters made it back to the word. The core doctrines of the Christian faith. We don't need new prophets.
We just need better pastors that that's that's we need in the church today and so you asked the question. You know where art where the prophets today will the ultimate profit is Jesus Christ and he reveals to us by his word and spirit. The will of God for our salvation and we hear his voice speaking to us today through the faithful proclamation of his word through through pastors. These raised up in the church would been called and ordained and are seeking to honor the Lord in that way God can.
If he wants to work extraordinarily and and and you know give people you know wisdom and guidance through his providence today, but ordinarily here's what God is doing. Dan is he's he's building his church up through the word and to faithful Bible teaching and release it really saddens me in and frustrates me when you see these people are claiming the of these these prophetic or apostolic offices for themselves.
When in reality, God is not called them as apostles or prophets that what they're really doing is just confusing people and so I recommend avoiding them jobless good counsel drilled is the follow-up question. We know that pastors and elders are held to a very high standard by Scripture what you think about those who claim to be prophets in God's possible judgment on them. It is a sobering thing to think about, and in fact it's what James says in James chapter 3 let not many of you become teachers, my brothers, knowing that we will receive a stricter judgment. Whenever we speak rightly it's it's it's not hard to yell fall into sin. What you start opening your mouth, or that you will we have to be really careful. James makes this point in his in his epistle as well, but especially when were speaking on God's behalf. We got to be really we got a really careful here. We need God's grace God's God's mercy.
Woe to those who do so flippantly and especially I think that there is a serious warning for people who were saying yeah I got the direct line to God, I am a prophet and let me tell you what he said we read the book of Jeremiah where where Jeremiah talks about the false prophets. Those who didn't actually stand in the counsel of the Lord those to whom God had not given any word and yet they say the Lord has said, and God has very strong words for for them. He did then and I think for people who play around with this today, God would have strong words for them as well. Today your listing the core Christianity with pastor atrial Sanchez Easter is coming up and we have a free Easter devotional for you.
This will really, we believe, help your Easter even become more meaningful. It's called meeting the risen Christ you know Easter can unfortunately be a time where we can be tempted to water down our faith with sentimentalism.
You hear about how you know you can roll away the stones in your own life if that sort of thing we turn the Easter message into something that's all about us my own ego conquering and resurrection is about Jesus his life, death and his victory over death, his resurrection from the dead and so were excited to share this devotional with you meeting the risen Christ contains a five Scripture readings and reflection surrounding Christ post-resurrection appearances and we hope that in this season, you'll reflect on these passages of Scripture that that may be somewhat familiar to you, but that you'll be encouraged to be edified that you learn something new as well and so get a hold of this free resource over core, Christianity.com would love to get that in your hands between now and Easter. We believe will be very meaningful to you and to your family as well just go to core Christianity.com/Easter again. Core, Christianity.com/Easter to get meeting the risen Christ that free devotional. Let's go to a call from one of our listeners. This is a Michael in Springfield, Missouri Michael what your question for pastor atrial cells on the phone was on the verge of March and burst more generally for special breaking questions. Like most ex-Christians.
They have all of bitterness towards Christianity because of slavery. So what is today. What if that is the way that God is trying to show some of the churches. How to revisit and think about some of the things that happen, and in the past and the not to think about about learn to be a servant of the Megan learn to not be the Lord over things, but the learn to be a servant okay Michael so so to the text that you mentioned Mark chapter 10 verse 24 will meet and we just read that the disciples were amazed his words. But Jesus said to them children how difficult it is to enter the kingdom of God is easier for a camel to go through the eye of the needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God, and there were this is that the context of the rich young ruler and entering into the kingdom.
Obviously, and there's a lot that I could say about that yet. And the gospel sounded to me like like you were thinking maybe of the text for Jesus talks about servant hood, I would. I would actually go to Luke chapter 22 verse 24 were the disciples are arguing about which of them is going to be the greatest. And Jesus said the kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them and those in authority over them are called benefactors, but not so with you rather let the greatest among you become as the youngest and the leader is one who serves four. Who is the greater one who reclines at table or one who serves. Is it not the one who reclines at table, but I am among you as the one who serves.
So you mentioned a lot Michael in your question. One of the things that you mentioned, which is true is just the track record that the church has you mentioned the that the problem of the sin of slavery and end Christians historically who were okay with it who who bought and sold slaves and sometimes these are things that we can brush under the rug or at least attempt to or or seek to find justifications for the sinful behavior of people who have gone before us and and will find you no way stated to do that is a will. They were there were good and all these other was, but I think it is important for us, especially before the watching world is you as you said Michael to be able to to confront sin wherever we see it and to say look this right here was out of accord with the teaching of Jesus in these ways in the teaching of the Bible in these ways, and so we need to go back to the word and back to the teachings of Christ and think about how to really have these kinds of discussions and in.
You mentioned you in a different different ways that people are approaching this this subject in particular today. Yeah, and that's okay. At least as far as I'm concerned, look, we want we want to look at everything through the lens of Scripture, and it sounds to me like that. Initially that's what you're trying to do bring up this passage and in the importance of serving and and listening and and that not really being what true leadership is. According to Jesus, and so I think I did with whatever were looking at in asking these questions and and in seeking to address the problem.
Ultimately, of of sin and how to how to deal with in our past, but also how to how to address it. Presently, I think it's important that with whatever were were were were looking at what it wanted to gauge it through the lens of of Scripture of of God's holy word and where God's holy Word confronts us. We want to humble ourselves and repent and and that's without getting into the weeds and everything else at that. That's what I would say brother but III sympathetic to it in terms of just that that the reality of the fact that Lichter a lot of people look at the church and they say, boy, the wars over over the history of you know that the church some of them religious wars, the, the ways in which Christians have acted in in different times are at different times are like these are things that really frustrate us and cause to want have nothing to do with the church and so we need to get back to the teaching of Scripture and ultimately the teaching of Jesus Christ and help people to understand the fact that ultimately the church is knocking to save us. Only Christ can. And frankly, a lot of times a church herself need saving to and so we remind people of that and and we point them to the reality of the fact that the good news is, the church is failed in significant ways. But Christ is not abandoned her, yet he continues to work in and through the church and especially in into the church as she is repenting of sin and and drawing near to the Lord and so may God help us all to do that. Michael, thanks for give us a call. Good counsel.
Thanks for that are always pointing people back to Jesus and his finished work on the cross, not necessarily how we have messed it up through our sin.
This is core Christianity with pastor atrial Sanchez. You can leave us a voicemail 24 hours a day at this number 833 the core that's 1-833-843-2673. Here's a voicemail from one of our listeners named George hello America today or maybe the greatest and of the church and I were displaying general that in a smart phone technology that has taken the place of relationship. And I think that God's will is relationship. In the Bible in our country today. I speak so much a lack of concern for other people pass in front of people with integrity, respect very much like yes it is a really good question. Something for us to think about, you know like what what is the greatest problem or threat facing the church today. The greatest greatest sin and I'm guessing you know you get different answers depending on who you asked I went. When I look at the Scriptures Paul in in his letter to Timothy.
The second letter that he wrote he says infringe in chapter 3. Understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty and it is you as you hear this time.
If you don't you don't think this is you know what were experiencing today is people will be lovers of self, the first thing he mentions people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud and arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, on the peaceable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness but denying its power and impulses to Timothy look avoid such people. It it's interesting to me at the very first thing that that Paul mentions, there is that they will be lovers of self, this this self-interest and in you brought this up brother you said looking to simply people don't care about others we we don't have compassion.
This is that this is a serious thing. We believe basically I think one of the greatest sins of today is the sort of idolatry of self and that we see this in the church, but that it would just see it, and in broader culture as well. And there's something very heinous about this site you know in the book of Jeremiah when God is talking about the judgment that he's gonna bring against his people. Listen to what what it says in Jeremiah chapter 16 verse 10, when you tell this people. All these words and they say to you, why has the Lord pronounced all this great evil against us is ago is God judging us so harshly.
What is our iniquity. What is the sin that we have committed against the Lord our God, then you shall say to them because your fathers have forsaken me, declares the Lord, and have gone after other gods and have served and worshiped them and it forsaken me, and you have not kept my lawn art have not kept my law and because you have done worse than all your fathers. For behold every one of you, follows his stubborn, evil will refusing to listen to me for.
Listen to this writer.
He said look your fathers that they forsook me that they went after other gods and bow down before those those false gods to worship them, you've actually done even worse because you know what you worship. You know you've gone after you what you follow your own stubborn evil will. In other words, you've turned yourself into the idle lover of self and I think you do it in our foot of Mito affluent Western society. This is one of the, if not the greatest send the people struggle with and in the church we can sweep you to think were the center of everything, worship of self love of self putting self before everything and everyone else.
And isn't this the very opposite of Jesus.
I mean, it really is in in one sense, the spirit of the antichrist because it's the opposite of Jesus and what he was like you think about what Paul said to the Philippians in Philippians chapter 2 where he talks about the, the, the humiliation of Jesus. Jesus is coming to earth, and he says Philippians chapter 2 verse four. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others have this mind among your cells which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.
And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. That's really a beautiful picture of the gospel, but it just goes to show us how much that that sort of self love, self-centeredness, idolatry of the self near the expressive individualist that the it's all about me and I'm the one who creates my own destiny and and basically God if he exists exists for me and for whatever I want. That's one of the big problems that people have today. We need to go back to, not the sovereign self but the sovereign God who forgives our sin, who forgives our idolatry and who did so through the humiliation of his son Jesus, who assumed human flesh so that we who loved ourselves might be forgiven and my intern love the people around us and and more net love God with all of our hearts. So thank you for that question. Goblets what Easter is all about. As we approach that very important day in our Christian calendar. And by the way, we have a wonderful free Easter devotional for you.
You can find it by going to court, Christianity.com/Easter. It's Ira Pastor Jonathan Landry cruises called them was in a meeting the risen Christ meeting the risen Christ again. You can find that a core Christianity.com/Easter Lakota dog who was calling in from Oklahoma. Doug, what's your question for Pastor Israel hey Doug, thanks for calling and what your question brother will generally want to know more about the altar call reminded him of tradition and no accommodations about that was admirable. Thank you brother real quick. I want to say something about Easter annually look back through the old word Britannica encyclopedias before there was a Google and you can look up Diana of Ephesus under Easter.
You can look up Artemis when you look at pictures of Diana right outside her temple was thousands of bowl skeletons that they excavated.
If I'm attending like you said X2 38 and they continued steadfast with the doctrine with the apostles with breaking of bread and in prayer and I go to Eric's 20 verse seven and six and seven that shows they waited around seven days and then on the first day the week to come together to Great Britain so I read that literally first and we cannot take the Lord supper 51 times a year to me. Easter Sunday would just be another day that the Catholic Church established in the third report center so we will one for her. All of that limit. Let me just say we got about a minute left in attic I know where you're going with this. With regard to traditions is that yes, with regard to the fact that every Sunday, every Lord's day the first day of the week we are proclaiming that Jesus Christ is risen from the dead. In fact, when the apostle Paul talked about taking the Lord's supper.
He said every time we do this we proclaim the Lord's death and resurrection until he comes and get that that was happening on the first day of the week and I believe that it was with with the disciples there then then absolutely this is this is why we worship on Sunday why the apostles from the earliest days as is you mentioned.
Acts 20 another tech you can go to his first Corinthians 16 why they gathered together on Sunday and I'm I'm I'm grateful for the fact brother that you want to be careful about tradition sneaking into the church un-biblical tradition, things that would take us away from the Lord and certainly throughout the history of the church you think especially of the medieval ages there. There were and have been traditions that have crept in, that have taken our eyes off of the simplicity of the gospel in the simplicity of Christian worship. So in all of that IAI want to encourage you and and commend you with regard to some of the history and especially the celebration of these these quote unquote Christian feasts of there's a there's a lot that can be said, I think if the focus is on Christ, the resurrection of the dead that there's nothing wrong with with saying hey were going at work and a focus on that this Sunday. It's an opportunity for us to invite friends and family who may be ordinarily would not come to church, but I think your your your right in wanting to emphasize the fact it is not like we celebrate the, the resurrection of Jesus on just one Sunday out of the year, brothers and sisters. If you only go to church on Easter Sunday.
There is a serious spiritual problem in your life you need to be going every Sunday because every Sunday we proclaim that Christ is risen from the dead, and frankly we need to be reminded of this great gospel truth every single week. Thanks for listening to core Christianity request your copy of today's special offer. Visit us at core, Christianity.com and click on offers and the menu 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.
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