Why Are People Leaving Christianity for Spirituality, Astrology, and Tarot Cards?

Why are people leaving Christianity for spirituality, astrology and tarot cards. That is one of the questions will be answering on today's addition of core Christianity will handle 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.

Would love to hear from you, and you can call us right now with your question. Here's the number it's 833. The core that's 1-833-843-2673. You can also post your question on one of our social media sites and you can email us your question at questions at core, Christianity.com. While Pastor Ed really got to enjoy a bit of vacation time and I understand you took a little camping trip with your family.

I did. We had we had a blast. Actually like to go to southern Utah and I camp there, although it didn't rain quite a bit and so that was a little bit of a bummer but I made it back to San Diego, which is not a bad place to live.

I mean getting out at the beach and and have some relaxing time with the family is one of one story that all share from camping is my son actually trapped a squirrel which was pretty amazing because I've never taught him how to do anything like that. Like Ike I probably can do it or what we had everything we been watching the show on Netflix which is kind of survival a show in Belleville often create snares and traps to catch animals and I think just watching that show taught him how to do this but he one morning, early morning we wake up he's outside doing something. I got my tent and I see that he's creating this this rope snare trap thing and I he was able to to get a squirrel and so for breakfast that morning we had squirrel that we did grow, but we let the squirrel go and that was actually quite an adventure in and of itself because he caught it and then he was like what I do I do now.

And so we gently you know held the scroll down and and set it free and it'll never get caught again so we had a great time. The buildings are. Thanks for asking. We have animal-rights activists online for five and six would like to talk to your son.

Yeah hey, we were able to go didn't hurt. The squirrel would also she's fine okay good news. All right, let's go to the phones and we have Brian on the line from St. Louis, Missouri and Brian, what's your question for Pastor Israel provoking question part will each that in the book of Revelation is the United States of America mentioned anywhere in the book of Revelation, and specifically during the tribulation time not might be reaching for this one because of the immorality of humanity. The United States actually be Babylon, which is mentioned in the book of Route 30 of the book of Job in the book during the tribulation. Is that possible Brian, thank you for that question.

So a couple of things. First, I would say we think about the book of Revelation we need understand why the book was written by me in the book. Initially was given by Jesus to John for the sake of comforting the persecuted church early on, encouraging them to persevere in the face a lot of times and we approach the book of Revelation. Today we approach it as a sort of puzzle that we need to to you to unlock the mysteries of the book of Revelation is really primarily about us and the things that are happening in North America in the United States.

But the reality is, this book was meant to be a comfort to the Christians living there in Asia minor. For the things that they were experiencing the persecutions that they were facing Isaiah that we have to understand I just in terms of the context. First and foremost, and in that way. Now that doesn't mean that the book doesn't have things to say to us that he doesn't speak to us about the things that we experience today as well that the suffering that we might experience for Jesus Christ, but we need understand that this book wasn't written and then giving to the given to these Christians so that you know they might fail well to be great for no believers in the United States 2000 years from now but doesn't really have nothing to say to me know this. This was a very relevant book for the Christians that it has been for Christians throughout the history of the church who are experiencing suffering and persecution as they take up their crosses and follow Jesus. Now, with regard to Babylon mentioned throughout the book of Revelation and the identity of Babylon.

It's this it's this political machine this nation if you will that causes the peoples to engage in idolatry and sexual immorality and insulin was as I think that we could say that any any any nation that does this. Throughout human history can get in that sense be associated with Babylon.

I think we have to find no one specific referent for Babylon for the early Christians are to getting primarily this is referring to Rome and you think specifically about the kinds of things that Rome was doing early on, especially some of the persecutions that came after the first couple centuries of of the church where Christians were were commanded to engage in idolatry and if they didn't they would be killed and many of them were killed and so you know I think the best way to understand Babylon. Throughout the book of Revelation is is is this sort of picture of these political nations is totalitarian states. If you will that call. I'll call the people of God to engage in idolatry and call them away from Christ and and that was certainly what was happening, you know to to the believers there in Asia minor and so they are being encouraged by Jesus and by John to persevere in their faith and we need to do the same thing and so you know, so I did. When you understand the book in that way realize get a sense of some real relevance to the Christians who were living there at that time, but it also speaks to us because we can be led astray by the spirit of the antichrist as John says in first John and we need to be vigilant and and wise as we continue to pursue the Lord in our own lives and to Brian for your free question hey Brian, thanks so much for listing the core Christianity. We really do appreciate you what we do have the voicemails that come in here Monday through Friday on our system and you can leave us a message anytime at 833 the core that's 1-833-843-2673. There's a voicemail from one of our listeners named Connor. On rare really hard right now are about.

Started life really did have fire the Lord all that much really fallen away from the Lord.

Spirituality all day. There are a lot of things that I know the devil trying to push her away. They are not agreeing with what she saying because I don't want him supporting her to my family, Christianity freight our marriage and mainly her heart just the spirit. Thank God without thank you, absolutely, I would be happy to pray for you and to invite all of our listeners right now to pray for Connor and for his wife. Specifically, let's let's pray father God we we pray for Connor. We pray for his wife. We ask Lord that whatever it is that's that's been drawing her way the influences stuff that she's been reading or maybe watching on on the Internet little whatever it is, Lord God, that the truth of your word would penetrate into her mind and heart that she would be drawn back to you, Lord, that she would see that ultimately true spirituality is found in you and your son Jesus the gift of the Holy Spirit that you give to us to so many people are are chasing after spiritual experience is what I prayed that she would find in you that perfect peace and love, and in the experience ultimately of of your grace and I pray for Connor Lord, that you would be with him that he would give him wisdom as as a husband, Lord, to to be able to encourage his wife that to the challenge Lord where there needs to be a challenge but to do so graciously and in love and what we know that this is a serious thing is I pray that you would be with my brother and, ultimately, that you would bring healing in in their marriage Lord and restoration in in regard to her faith as well. So please be with them. In Jesus name, amen Connor.

I know that you're into difficult situation here. It is tragic.

I was just talking to my wife recently and she was telling me about a mutual friend of ours with something similar happened where now all visiting this couple that was once walking with the Lord for them as it was both of them.

I has now gone into this sort of mystical spirituality in terror cards and and and whatnot. And I think part of the promise is not been grounded in the truth of the gospel in the truth of God's word. I think of what with the Psalms tell us early on, you know that that the man who meditates on the word of God is like that tree planted by streams of living water, and if it were not grounded in the word of God than working to be led astray by every wind of doctrine is as the apostle Paul said in Ephesians chapter 4 is I think it's returning to the word and submitting to what God is revealed about himself in Scripture. And if I can just speak to do your wife and she says she's you know going through these these changes. I would just want to plead with her and say look, there are very real spiritual forces in the world. There are real powers behind things like terror cards and psychic readings and whatnot they are not of God. Even Satan disc disguises himself as an angel of light and he will use anything he can to draw us away from Jesus and the salvation that is found in him.

And Jesus calls you back to himself through his word to know him to know his grace to know his forgiveness and so you not I would just say is needed plead to to return to that to get plugged into a solid church with the word of God is faithfully taught and where the two of you can grow as a couple in submission to Jesus and his word again. There are all sorts of spiritual influences and ideas out there in the world. The question is are they right and are they good for our souls. There's a lot of stuff out there that you can that you can consume with your you knowing in your spiritual diet that is actually quite detrimental.

We need to avoid that stuff and drink from the stream of living water, which is the word of God. Connor May the Lord bless you and be with you and give you wisdom may Lord be at work in your wife's heart as well. Read counsel. Thank you for that. A girl this is core Christianity with pastor Israel Sanchez and we are excited about a special book that we are offering today. It's a real classic.

Yes, I am actually super stoked about this book and if you if you've not read St. Augustine's confessions. I want you to get a hold of this resource is yours for donation of any amount.

The first time I read this book was when I was in college I took a class on a Christian Classics, and I remember just being so encouraged, edified challenge means is so wonderful to read the words of a Christian brother who lived you know hundreds and hundreds of years ago, but who is in love with Jesus the same Jesus that we worship sides of this book that the confessions of St. Augustine. There is get up and walk you through his his life story. His conversion how the Lord worked powerfully in his life and his mother's life to bring him to faith. And I know that you'll find it to be an encouragement again this is a gift for your donation of any amount and if you've not read St. Augustine's confessions are really in want to get a hold of this one.

This is really a legendary incredible root book and you cannot purchase these resources and make these donations you help us in supporting the work that create more resources and Bible studies that help Christians everywhere answer the tough questions about a variety of important topics and you can get a copy of confessions by Augustine by going to core Christianity.com/offers again its core, Christianity.com/offers. Let's go to Adrienne who is on the line from St. Louis, Missouri Adrian, what's your question for atrial real door on the platform of learned a lot that audit you have to say all my question is ministering to this young guy that he had been ministered to the last three years by the Mormon religion so so my question is started ministering to him. You told me that he was going to go to baptize in the Mormon religion so like I don't know what to say to him because I don't know a whole lot about Mormon, but I do know that fairly little couple hundred years old so but if you want to know what you think. What what you want me to say to him to make him see Christianity as the host of the Mormon say thanks for your encouragement and may the Lord bless you to minister this this young man I want to start off by praying for letting us the most important things were having these conversations with people is the Holy Spirit that opens the eyes of an individual's I want to pray for this, this individual and I want to pray for you father be with Adrian. Give them wisdom in your word guide him Lord in his conversations with this individual. Thank you that he has a heart to share your love and your gospel with others and I pray for this young man who's who's contemplating being baptized as a Mormon.

I pray that you would reveal to him the true gospel of your son Jesus Christ the truth of who you are gracious God father son and Holy Spirit and that he would get plugged into a solid Bible believing church Lord God not get caught up and in the confusion that is Mormonism in Mormon theology, and so be with Adrian be with this young man. I pray in Jesus name amen your right at them. The Mormon religion is is quite novel.

And I know it was sort of burst out of this idea that all the churches in in the world had gone astray that they had all participated in this great apostasy and that the gospel of Jesus Christ needed to be recovered. I first went when the Mormon religion started me. That was a sort of platform is everyone else is wrong. They're all apostates and the gospel of Jesus needs to be restored and so Joseph Smith gets his his vision to sort of interesting, is now the Mormon church is really changed it to now you talk to Mormons and they really try to be like. I'm just a Christian like your Christian that kind of a thing were we in a world were all believers in Jesus Christ and so instead of positioning themselves against Christianity there sort of trying to jump onto the bandwagon so that would interested in an interesting historical with a sort of tactic or strategy that there they're using now with the issue is one of the challenges that you'll find is you're talking to this guy, especially as if he's been learning from Mormon missionaries in and going to Mormon church is that they will use a lot of the same words that we use like grace, God, salvation, justification, Jesus the son of God, you know, salvation atomically use those words, but they mean something very different than you know. The church has has met when when the churches use those words throughout the ecclesiastical history and that's part of the problem is they they they really wrote people in by talking about the grace of Jesus Christ. When you get into what Mormons actually believe about who Jesus is about who God is about how how one is saved, it's different very different from what we've confessed as Christians. And that's that's the issue, and I like to say look, Mormonism started with this idea that all the churches were apostate at the light of the gospel had gone out.

There was this Mormon apologist some time ago. X wrote a book on this when the lights when the lights went out where he just made the argument that that you know there was no gospel in the church anymore.

But that goes directly against what Jesus Christ himself said when he told Peter, I will build my church. This is Matthew chapter 16 verse 18 and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. The idea that Mormonism needed to to bring back the gospel, because it had been completely lost is just false and it goes against what Jesus himself promised to have his church and to always sustain her gather been periods of darkness and corruption but but the true gospel has never been completely lost and never needed to be restored in the sense that the Mormon church teaches. As I was Adrian you want to focus on what the Bible teaches about Jesus, about his divinity about his relationship to the father into the Holy Spirit about salvation right were saved by grace through faith alone. Ephesians chapter 2 and highlight as you as you've already done. You notice that the novelty of this Mormon religion that that that should be concerning to people. I think it is. If this was really true for me really tell me that everybody missed this for hundreds of years. Thousands of years and then all of a sudden this one guy got it right know that's a significant issue and so I would say continue to pray, continue to open up the Scriptures with this kind focus on who God is and what God has done for us in his son Jesus, appreciate your brother and and may the Lord bless you so so encouraging Israel. When we hear of listeners that want to help people understand the truth of the gospel, especially those that are may be being tempted to wander away or turn away from God's truth to some false substitute faith. Yeah, it's super encouraging weed. We want you and all those who listen to this broadcast to be equipped not you, not just you can have more knowledge more information about who God is me. Ultimately this this knowledge should cause you to praise God to worship him because of his great grace.

Because of that the revelation of who he is. Through scripture, but also to to be able to talk to others, Mormons, atheist women, whoever it is that doesn't understand the truth of the gospel and to be able to share in in ways that are compelling and and faithful to what the Scriptures teach so really encouraged by that your listing the core Christianity with pastor Israel Sanchez, just a reminder we have this great offer for you today. It's Augustine's classic book confessions and you can find that an order for donation of any amount by going to our website at core, Christianity.com/offers. Let's go to Eric calling him from Iowa Falls, Iowa.

Eric what your question for pastor. Israel. The real question about the church and get a lot of letters in the mail from different Christian organization. Organizations that develop food and also political candidates and will be overwhelmed with so many people that are around for donation. They all seem to you sort through all this with what your recommendations or suggestions, I I just alerted what to do X to say God bless you and your desire to be generous and grateful that you you give to your local church and to the work of the ministry there and I think sometimes you know people can can try to make us feel guilty for not doing more giving more to listen to what the apostle Paul says in second Corinthians chapter 9 verse six. The point is this lever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. So I would say Eric that you prayerfully consider how to be generous with your money and and make a decision in and do that with joy and I would say in terms of the ministries that you want to support and give money to will do that for for ministries that are faithful to the work of the gospel.

There also to people that will ask you for money and donations that aren't actually doing gospel ministry and some of my neck. She savored a gospel ministry, but they're not doing other things.

I was, and in terms of investing in God's kingdom you want to invest in in your church. First and foremost, where the gospel is being faithfully taught supporting the ministry there with with your gifts with your tithes and offerings but as the Lord leads you. If there are other things that you want to support missionaries or or Christian organizations that are faithful to the gospel in getting the word of the gospel out. Then I would say do that, you know, as as as you decide in your own heart. Don't let them make you feel guilty and are giving should be a response to God's great love and generosity to the gifts that he gives to us that we should be overwhelmed with his love and goodness for us in the gospel that we want to give, and we want to give joyfully and so I would say that's how you wanted. That's how you want to approach this. Don't give under compulsion right.

That's what Paul says there in second Corinthians 97 and not reluctantly know if you feel like a man. I feel like I'm being forced my you know my arm is being twisted in the know that's not the right approach. That's not that's not what God wants you want you to give cheerfully full of joy to the work of the ministry to invest your treasure in heaven in the kingdom of God and I when we do, were blessed to visit with the Scripture teaches and so I would say again, think about this. Pray about it and then you know immediately but with the freedom that God gives you decide to give certain ministers are not to get to them and either way, you know it's it's okay so God bless you brother your listing the core Christianity with pastor Israel Sanchez, we do receive email questions and you can email us anytime with your question about the Bible or the Christian life. Here is the email address its questions at core, Christianity.com there's one from Jacob. Jacob says how do you respond to an atheist that says the story of Job was just God allowing Joe to be tortured so that he could prove a point to Satan, yeah. Oh well. One yeah I'm glad to hear you getting into these conversations about the word of God about Scripture with atheist and I think at the end of the day. We just want to bask ourselves in is that is at the right approach to the book of Job is that what it's all about that God is trying to prove a point to Satan.

No, I think one thing that's put on display and you get this later in the New Testament is the long-suffering of Job and God's merciful kindness to him at the end of his life, but certainly another thing that you're getting in the book of Job is God's sovereignty. You know with the great distinction between God the creator and us as creatures that at the very end. You know when when Joe begins to ask questions of the Lord really puts him in his place.

He doesn't he doesn't just to cast aside his question, Jesus emphasizes the fact that he is God… I am the Lord and were were creatures submitted to his sovereign will.

And yet we we experience suffering but somehow we believe on the basis of places like Romans chapter 8 God is able to make all things work together for the good of those who love him and are called according to his purpose. That promise that we rest in 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