This broadcaster has 1105 podcast archives available on-demand.
Keep up-to-date with this broadcaster on social media and their website.
May 18, 2022 1:30 pm
Episode 969 | Adriel Sanchez and Bill Maier answer caller questions.
Questions in this Episode
1. Can we pray to the Holy Spirit?
2. How should we understand the 144,000 thousand in Revelation?
3. Can I skip church for soccer?
4. What are Christophanies?
5. Can Christians receive IVF treatments to have children?
6. Should Christians focus on personal holiness instead of current events?
Today's Offer
Request our latest special offers here or call 1-833-THE-CORE (833-843-2673) to request them by phone.
Want to partner with us in our work here at Core Christianity? Consider becoming a member of the Inner Core.
Resources
Core Question - How Do I Live the Christian Life?
ÂIs it okay to skip church for soccer games. That's just one of the questions will be answering on today's edition of core Christianity wider. 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 with your question. At 833 the core that's 1-833-843-2673 also post your question on her Facebook, Instagram or twitter accounts. You can watch us on YouTube and you can always email us a question at questions at core, Christianity.com burst up today let's go to John calling from Missouri. John what your question for atrial and a few weeks or months. Yet we Pastor.
The father son and Spirit that I confront him after the service and that the printing the spirit.
It's all right but I've heard before.
The past that on a radio program listen to the spirit found in Jude word in chapters 23 in the spirit of the place. In Galatians, Paul wrote. Mr. so my question is, Jesus told the disciples how the pre-to Paris but show them to pray to the spirit. John, thank you for that question and just from the thought that you put into it. I love that your your searching the Scriptures. I love that you're having these conversations with with your pastor digging in a II would say it is perfectly fine to pray to the Holy Spirit as the third person of the holy Trinity and father son and Holy Spirit, one God, one in essence undivided. We can pray to the father. We can pray to the sun. We could pray to the Holy Spirit. In fact, there was actually a controversy really early on in the church and there was is this great work that was produced added that controversy written by a guy named Hazel I was one of the early church fathers, and it was his treaties on the Holy Spirit in part of that. The catalyst that got this treaties going was a debate about worshiping.
Essentially, the Holy Spirit, you know, giving glory to the father into the sun and to the Holy Spirit and in our song, and in our prayers. Now while that's while that's true, and I think it there's nothing wrong with praying to the Holy Spirit. Ordinarily, in Scripture, you do find that that the pattern of prayer is praying to the father through Jesus Christ our mediator. The sun in the spirit, praying always in the Holy Spirit is as you quoted there from Jude and so that is that helpful way to the pray and also to remind us that we approach God's throne of grace because we have a great high priest, Jesus Christ was made atonement for our sins and welcomed us into the family of God so we can come with confidence as ordinarily I think that's that's the pattern of prayer that we we see in that we can follow that we ought to follow but there's nothing wrong with praying to and praising the father the son and the Holy Spirit. In fact, I think that something that we need to see more of in in our churches, John and part of the reason for that is because we often don't have that rich, robust trinitarian language in our worship services and so were not worshiping the holy Trinity, and when we don't worship the holy Trinity, God is he's revealed himself to us in the Scriptures. Most of the time were left with is just speculating about the holy Trinity and that's what you find a lot of evangelical churches is like well we know we believe in God and he sees a Trinity and were trying to figure out what that means overcoming up with all these illustrations and analogies to try to define it. If you will, but that the Trinity is not so much the God that we speculate about. It's the God that we adore as he's revealed himself to us in the Bible so we ought to pray and praise, pray to, and praise the holy Trinity and so appreciate that that question and and your pastor and may the Lord bless you and your church. I John, thanks so much for your question. Thanks for listing the core Christianity some great questions lately. People really digging into God's word is John did after appreciate that. Let's go to Alonzo in Euclid, Ohio Alonzo, what's your question for Pastor Israel will produce. I have a question regarding belief, the double vision and it's at 144,000 mentioned in Revelation, are the anointed class and they think it is a literal number and then they said great multitude. The great crowd is the earthly class of 144 class go to heaven and earth class live on earth. I just want to hear your thoughts and into what you think about the guy thinks the question Alonzo. I think this is wrong. So one we have to understand reading the book of Revelation reading apocalyptic literature, prophecy, and so often times in the book of Revelation you have numbers that are used symbolically and you see this throughout the book I made earlier in the book of Revelation talks with the seven spirits of God.
While there aren't seven holy spirits or Christ is depicted as this land with seven horns and seven eyes and and and as I eat, we have to understand the genre that were reading in the Scriptures.
For to rightly interpret it.
I remember when I was a newer believer reading this.
This section of the book of Revelation and think all know there's only to be hundred and 44,000 people in heaven. I really better get to work. I can be a part of that list and and I think that that's that's the sort of idea here, but what what what John in this vision is not saying is that there only to be hundred 44,000. Heaven is looking at this number of pert perfection if you will the people of God this fullness.
This great multitude worshiping the Lord from every tribe, tongue, and nation. And if we are really gonna take that literally if if Jehovah's Witnesses really believe that they were a part of the hundred and 44,000 me you could take that little bit further and begin to ask questions like, well, are you a virgin which tribe of Israel. Are you a part of her or are you identify with, you know, Simeon, Levi, so on and so for this is it is not consistent.
The way in which they understand this passage of Scripture and so I would point them to some of the other resources that are out there that can help them like our Revelation Bible study that we came out with some time ago and that may be Alonzo if you stay on the line. We could we could send that to you but appreciate your question brother I am concerned by the various cults that are out there that misunderstand the Scripture that get the identity of Jesus Christ wrong. Whether it's the Jehovah's Witnesses or the Mormons that people who say we believe the Bible, but they twist the Scriptures and misinterpret the Bible, we have to be on guard brothers and sisters because it happens all over the place and so we need to know the word of God well and I may God bless you as you continue to dig into the Scriptures. Alonzo MM.
Great to!
On that one mandrel. Thanks much. This is core Christianity with Pastor Israel Sanchez. If you listen to this program on a regular basis and you find it helpful.
We want to ask you to prayerfully consider joining what we call our inner core.
That's a group of people who support this program on a monthly basis. It said offering her gift of $25 a month and when you join the inner core. There are actually some special resources that will be sending you an address can tell you but about that. Yeah brothers and sisters. What a joy it is for us to be able to do this every day for me as a pastor to be able to have this opportunity to open up the Scriptures with you. I am so grateful to the Lord. And if you've been blessed by by the work that we do by this broadcast. Would you consider joining the inner core would you pray about it. It's a monthly donation of $25 or more and we send you this book, core Christianity, written by a friend of mine up professor I had in seminary. Dr. Michael Horton, as well as some other encouraging resources that you'll get throughout the month and so again if you been blessed by this broadcast.
Consider joining the inner core.
All you have to do is go to our website at core, Christianity.com/inner core. That's one word core Christianity.calm/inner core. To learn more about joining a special group of people.
One of those resources that Israel mentioned as a special video devotional that he sends out each month to our inner core member so consider joining that today if you would, let's get to an email came in from one of our listeners. This is from Tina and she says, is it a sin to worship by live streaming instead of in person when our teenager has a soccer game that necessitates being on the field by 11:30 AM on Sundays we live stream the service from 10 to 1110 from the parking lot of the field, according to an elder at our pastor. We should not attempt soccer games on Sundays and we should prioritize church only. I'm conflicted as a parent we do teach our kids the importance of God, and worship.
However, because the pandemic and the lack of games for the past two seasons their club teams are doing more Sunday games.
What do you think yeah this is a big question. I have a lot of thoughts on this affect so many thoughts on this that I wrote an article some some years ago actually now back in2019@corechristianity.com called, is it a sin to miss church if you've ever had that question go to core Christianity.com and and type that in is it a sin to miss church one my kids.
My kids are in soccer as well. That week we just sign them up. It's been a lot of fun, but we want to help instill in them a sense of the priority of the local church so we wouldn't whenever there's a game or if there's a game that we have even had one schedule yet on Sunday believe we committed to same look. We want our kids to know that the priority is worshiping with the people of God.
Now I realize that that's get a sound crazy to a lot of people. I think so many people today would we just can have a low view of the church of what takes place when we gather together for worship, but we really we really need to recover. I think a biblical understanding of what's happening when the people of God come together. Read the book of Hebrews chapter 12 when the author, the Hebrew says we gather together with God's people for worship were coming before the heavenly Jerusalem before a myriad of saints and angels to hear the good news of the gospel that the blood of Jesus Christ which speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. The author, the Hebrew says that's were doing were coming together with the church here on earth with our brothers and sisters airport were actually joining the great choir in heaven that is singing praises around the throne of God. Years ago I sat down with with a friend of mine who who was my pastor at the time I was an intern at this church and he was a huge fan of the Chicago Bears, the NFL football team and he and I were talking wherever one of our internship meetings and were going back and forth and he said something to be that shocked me at the time said atrial even if I had tickets to see the Bears play in the Super Bowl on a Sunday morning. I wouldn't go and I thought you know you're crazy. One of the Bears ever to make it to the Super Bowl but but I know I really like your crazy like who would skip that opportunity and I laughed and he looked at me and he didn't laugh. He just had a straight face and he said, where would I rather be on earth. Then, with God's people around God's throne singing God's praises. Now if that's really what's taking place if were really gathering around the throne of God, the true in the living God, to receive the gifts that he gives to his people through his Word through the ordinances that Jesus instituted well then yeah I'm connected see what the he said it the way that he did.
The problem that I had was I just didn't really believe that and get that's what the Bible teaches is happening when we gather together for worship and so what I would say is what what I would encourage you with this. Is this recover that beautiful robust picture of what's taking place when we come together as the people of God. Read Hebrews chapter 12 meditate upon it. Think about who it is that were gathering before and meeting. Yeah, there's a lot of other things that we could do on a Sunday morning recreationally, but God calls us to him, up to the heavenly mount Zion up to the heavenly Jerusalem. The question is not is God going to be there. The question is are we can show up when he calls us to worship him.
So that's that's my that's my take on this and I again I know that that could come off is as controversial.
I know that a lot of legal will – what's the big deal, it's just a soccer game here and there but let me add one more thing, because this is such an important and important question.
We are helping our children to understand what they should prioritize in life as well. Ordinarily speaking to me obviously right that salvation is a work of God's Spirit we know of ordinarily speaking.
Our children are not going to be more committed to Jesus than we are.
This is this is you, there's been a number of research that's been done.
Christian Smith he's a sociologist. He said he talked about this if just wrote another book on this. Does the impact the influence that parents have on their children and and and their faith in what they believe.
Well, a part of that is building these habits into our own lives and prioritizing them in setting the example for them.
If we treat church as this thing that we can just sort of set aside and too tired. I want to go to a soccer game. I want to do this or do that work where were teaching our children something about corporate worship and and or teaching them to the brink that's that's not biblical about corporate worship we want to do is teach them to prioritize it to love it because of what's taking place when we gather together and so really appreciate this question and as such out that that article over core, Christianity.com is it a sin to miss church and let me ask your follow-up to that federal so in a situation like this, as I said they are going do doing online streaming of their worship service. What if their son made a commitment to this soccer league prior to these skip these the games being scheduled on Sunday so they I know you would talk about the importance of following through on your commitments.
Let's say this kid. The coaches said we make a commitment to all of our weekend games. Then they switch it up on him and say now are having games on Sunday because of the pandemic. What you do in a case like that yeah yeah and it is important for us to follow through with arguments, but I think that our primary commitment is to the true and the living God. When we are baptized into Christ. We were we work you know God placed his name upon as he calls us to walk with him to honor him and God is the one who calls us to worship him to gather together with his people and so I recognize right like that that there are conflicts here and there can be conflicts, but I would say that that prior the priority has to go to the commitment that we've made to the Lord and so and then again are there other ways for us to to recreate other days of the we have we have seven other days of of the week six of the days of my bed yet and so there are six other details of the week that to have it out to go and play soccer and do this kind of things I would just say man committing first and foremost a prioritizing worship with the people of God is so important and it's something that we need to recover in the church today counsel. This is core Christianity with pastor Adm. Sanchez. If you have a question for a drill. You can always leave a voicemail.
Here's our phone number is 833 the core, you can call 24 hours a day, 833-843-2673. There's a question we came out we came across a voicemail from one of our listeners named Caleb about stuff.
The Old Testament your thoughts on that. Just curious if you recall that take Dale appreciate that question so these these pre-incarnate appearances of the word, the eternal son of the father in the Old Testament where you have the sort of mysterious figure that presents himself to the people of God. The patriarchs people it in in the story of God, whose identified with the Lord himself. In particular, I think of the angel of the Lord throughout the Scriptures appearing first in the book of Genesis.
Actually, at first to Hagar. She is fleeing from Abraham and and Sarah in Genesis chapter 16 and I mean it.
If you're asking me do I think that these are our legitimate that that Christ really is manifesting himself in some way of the word is really manifesting himself some weight here in the old times sake I would say yes this is really actually quite amazing when when you think about it the Lord coming to his people in this unique way.
Oftentimes intervening to bring salvation or to bring judgment to bring curse even and so this is something that we see throughout the Old Testament and and and and certainly having a fuller understanding of the doctrine of the Trinity as God continues to group continued to reveal himself throughout his redemptive revelation in the Bible week we can make better sense of these instances where were you have this figure, like the angel of the Lord was identified with the Lord himself appearing and even receives worship at times really really quite remarkable, and so knowing what we know, on the basis of all of God's revelation.
I think we can look at those stories and say wow you know like Christ was very much at work throughout Scripture that the word of the eternal son of the father was very much at work throughout redemptive history. And that's precisely what what the Bible teaches you know, Peter says that the prophets had the spirit of Christ in them as they were prophesying about the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would be later revealed and so it's one of the one of the things I think it testifies to the divine inspiration of of the holy Bible and it just really amazing to to see and so that's might my take on the Christophe knees and thank you for that question you're listening to core Christianity with pastor Israel Sanchez. Let's go to another voicemail that we received from one of our listeners last week. This is a sin simply as Christians can say thank you for that question. This is a a another just very complex question and so first let me say no it isn't necessarily a sin to do IVF in vitro fertilization, but there a lot of practical things to consider if this is something that an individual is thinking about if you're looking for a book, a helpful book on on questions like this to go goes a lot deeper than many go here.
It's a book by Dr. David Van Jernigan called bioethics and the kingdom of God. That is just wonderful resource. And then there's a I think an entire chapter on IVF that basically you don't unpack's that if I looked it we can buy God's common grace, give thanks, for some of these medical advancements but there a lot of other things that we want to take into consideration oftentimes with with IVF. The note people or are taking and freezing multiple embryos data they don't ever plan on or intend on using it. So we have to be really careful that that in whatever were doing and how were doing it that were also valuing life which is which is a core tenet if you will of of the ethics of the Christian faith. We were called to value life to care for life to care for the vulnerable and so that's something that we have to also is something that we also have to take into consideration and so no it's not outright sinful. But there a lot of other things are gonna want to take into consideration as well. As you as you go through this process, so thanks for the question here is an email we received here at core Christianity. This is from Rosemary. She says in Samuel 1214 Samuel gives Israel a commandment to fear servo Bay and not rebel against the Lord as we know there's always a judgment connected to God's commands. My question is this with everything that's going on in our world today would be a misinterpretation for Christians today to focus on fearing serving and obeying the Lord and not to rebel in order to seek God's favor. As I understand this it's because of our acts and choices that we are at fault with God and restoration is through us changing, not through us fighting our enemies if we keep our focus on Christ Jesus and the hope of his coming.
Won't he help us purpose in our heart to endure unto the end, Rosemary the things that we see there in first Samuel chapter 12 verse 14. The call to fear the Lord to serve him to obey his voice, not to rig rebel against his lot not to rebel against any of his commandments. Those are all things that we could take for ourselves that it's a great reminder for each of us were called to fear the Lord recall to obey the Lord. We also need to understand where we are there in the history of redemption and we were talking about God's people under the old covenant. In particular, who were called to do these things so that they might live long in the land so that they wouldn't be cast out of the land and I we know through that middle having the entire story that eventually they were cast out of the land for their idolatry and disobedience were not in the exact same situation as they were that it is me that were not called to do those things. We are called to do those things but were were were not expecting that if we do those things God is going to bless our country in particular that he's going to give us his covenant promises is is the covenant blessings.
Those kinds of things that led this very old covenant. We as the church are called continually to do these things to fear the Lord turn to the Lord to repent of sin to obey the commandment of the Lord and and there is blessing and involved with that name leave just the blessings of obedience of a faithful walk with Jesus were all well called to that, but we have to be careful that we don't assume that if I do these things then all of a sudden you know God is gonna bless America or something like that. Know this is how the church is a blessing to the rest of the whole world and how, through the ministry of the church and in the proclamation of the gospel. Ultimately, the gospel is spreading throughout the countries of this this world and so not really appreciate your your question here and I want to encourage you to take that brothers and sisters that that encouragement there in first Samuel chapter 12 for for yourself what's fear the Lord. Let's turn from our sins. Lets obey his word, ultimately, to believe in his son Jesus Christ. 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.
As we explore the truth of God's word together