Has the Church Failed to Raise Up Good Leaders?

As the church failed to raise up good leaders such as one of the questions will be answering on today's addition of core Christianity Ohio Bill Meyer along with Pastor Israel Sanchez. This is a radio program where we answer your questions about the Bible and the Christian life every day. We'd love to hear from you.

You can call us at 833 the core that's 1-833-843-2673 course you can always email us your question as well. Here's our email address its questions at core, Christianity.com burst up today let's go to Elias from Longview Texas Alliance what your question for Pastor Israel.

Joe and I had a question thereby will leverage it clear from just recently.

I don't have earthlike others?

Thanks for the encouragement Elias.

Glad you enjoyed the program either some Bibles that we should just steer clear from like that we should use for Bible study will yeah I think if you're if you got more of a paraphrase is not meant to be for study. Yeah, I'm the one that we wanted. I think maybe not you, it's on the completely avoid them but don't use them for serious study of the Bible I think you you want get a translation, like the new King James like the NASB, like the ESV, which is that the Bible that I use the English standard version when I'm preaching or even know when I'm reading here on on the broadcast from from the text of Scripture and the ESV and that yes we does not include Matthew 1811 which reads the Son of Man came to seek and save the lost, because it's it's not in some of the earliest Greek manuscripts now that were getting into.

Here Elias is what's called textual criticism and and you have all these different manuscripts, New Testament strips, thousands of them that are being compared with each other. Some of them are older, some of them are not as old and and and were depending on the oldest manuscripts were. We have a lot of them to help us understand that the original to get back to the original if you will. Now I don't think that that you know something like this. A discrepancy like this would ever cause us to say like I've got my ham happy using the SV still because what's what's missing. There is, is not something that is you know changing anything.

I guess in terms of the meaning of the Texas room that that idea that the Son of Man came to seek and save the loss of something is repeated elsewhere in Scripture as well, which is why some people think that was included here may be by later scribe but you certainly see this idea in the gospel of Luke. I think that that very phrase is used in Luke chapter 19. Certainly in Luke 15 where you have the parable of the lost sheep and and the shepherd going in pursuing that which is lost and so it were not were not losing anything. If you will know is it's all there is just a question of you know doesn't belong here and there were some scribes who felt like it did, but it seems like in terms of the early manuscripts that that statement wasn't there and so I'd say no. You know, I think I still continue reading and using those Bibles and studying the Scripture. Often times there will be a footnote like there is in my ESV about the fact that some manuscripts do contain that phrase. But when it comes to avoiding particular translations for serious study.

I would just say, well, don't. Don't try to use a paraphrase of the Bible like the message for your in-depth Bible study because that's not what was meant for. And so again appreciate your encouragement and may God bless you.

Just a follow-up for you Adriana. Your caution before about the New World translation of the Bible you want to just address that briefly. Oh yeah, well, if if the Jehovah's Witnesses or the Mormons are the ones who came up with the with the version I say definitely I may not be being serious. Avoid avoid those ones because there are some serious theological and translation errors with with what they do with the biblical text, and so Bill is referring to the New World translation which I've talked about before we had questions about Jehovah's Witnesses. It's the Bible that they use and basically it. You know, especially in those texts of Scripture that really I think point out the deity of Jesus Christ. They they twist them. They mistranslated them. They'll take away words are the bad words in brackets and in and it is really confusing and it's really dangerous, spiritually speaking. So yeah there are books there are translations like that that I would say.

Certainly we we should avoid your listing to core Christianity with Pastor Israel Sanchez would love to hear from you. If you have a question about the Bible or the Christian life. You can leave us a voicemail 24 hours a day by calling 833 the core that's 1-833-843-2673 in the course, you can always email us your question at questions at core, Christianity.com. Let's go to Sally who's calling in from Rolla, Missouri selling what your question for Israel taking my call. I would like to know my mother quickly by the Old Testament. I like you know why it in there that blot daughters had sex with him. I have a hard time explaining it to my when I teach Sunday school yeah boy teaching Sunday school says you teaching the kids going through Genesis and you come across some of these passages, and thinking how much talk about this.

We outwit with a couple things we have to differentiate between you know what's descriptive and what's prescriptive in Scripture.

So sometimes need of the Bible.

She's describing for us events that happened the sinful lives of people that God used mightily, but it's not it's not setting their lives up as examples for us to follow like a this is this a good idea. Incestuous relationships are good idea.

No, not at all. In fact, in the text of Genesis 19 where you have this this case with Lot and his daughters.

It's not it's not put forward as it is a good thing as a positive thing. There's a contrast here in some sense with Lot and his family and and basically how they conducted themselves and Abraham and his family earlier in Genesis chapter 18 is a Yep Yep a contrast there and then the children that are born to lot. As a result of of this you know this active incest go on to be the the Moabites in the ammonites which we know throughout Scripture you know. Often times, the Moabites and the ammonites mistreated the people of God is of that, there's a lot here even in the text that suggests to us that this is not a good thing that that bears there is guilt here and later in the Old Testament in Leviticus and Leviticus chapter 18 you have prohibitions against incest specifically and so you know, again, we got it we got differentiate between is the Bible giving me this story as an example for me to follow. Or is it a picture of the sinfulness of humanity and just how broken we are the people of God were under the old covenant, the patriarchs even meet you read about the life of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, he just a boy.

How could they have done some of these things.

King David, for example as well. Another not always being set up for us is as moral examples actually know. On the contrary, what were seeing is there people who are in desperate need of a gracious God, and in that sense we can all identify with them because we come from broken families. We come from broken situations to sinful situations and yet we cling like they did to the mercy of God. And so I think that's that's the lesson that mercy comes solely through the only righteous one, Sally Jesus Christ great explanation. Thanks so much for that Israel your listing to core Christianity with Pastor Israel Sanchez as we get ready for school starting up here in just a couple weeks.

In fact, for some parents, some families in certain parts the country starting up right right away. We have this wonderful resource for parents and grandparents to use with their kids gather resources called six ways to help your kids as they go back to school and it's so important that were involved in the lives of our children in the lives of our grandchildren encouraging them in their faith, encouraging them to follow the Lord to love the Lord and providing resources for them and resources that we can use to help us in that's that's what this is. It's a free resource again. It's called six ways to help your kids as they go back to school and talk about you know some of the some of the issues that are our children face peer pressure, the need to, or the feeling that you need to know. Get your worth your value from your performance how well you're doing know what is worth truly come from. These are things that that young people.

Young children are are are wrestling through and so I hope that you to get a hold of this resource for your family. Six ways to help your kids as they go back to school and it's free over core, Christianity.com then just go to core Christianity.com/offers core Christianity.com/offers look for that six ways to help your kids as they go back to school we do receive voicemails here at the corn you can call us anytime 24 hours a day.

We do our best to review our voicemails each day, and here's one that came in from one of our listeners named Dakota and Jan Manny growing they should go to seminary question question church sale and training young men were an okay so young man who is really into the Bible and studying Scripture, you should that person go to seminary to further their education. Maybe and maybe not. I think each of us should have a passion for God's word.

Men and women a passion for theology for growing in our understanding of God's word but a love for theology. I would say is not enough this and that of the only thing that you need to to determine whether or not you're called to the ministry on there is this aspiration that that Paul speaks about in first Timothy chapter 3 men in Titus chapter 1 where he talks about you in the office of overseer and aspiring to that.

Now that's a good thing but there needs to be that the affirmation I think of the church is not just an individual using I minute I'm I like the Bible so I might as well go into ministry them and I got the part of you have that desire, but are you gifted in are you called ultimately by God, is God calling you to this in one of the ways that we gauge that call is first of the internal sense of call, and then secondarily by by the external call we call it being of the people around you who have seen you your gifts your character and are saying yeah you know when you when you open up the Scriptures or when you encourage me in the Lord. I it really seems like Blake.

This could be a way that God is going to use you in in your life and and for the good of the church and so you will want to have both domicile should be something that the church is affirming an individual and almost sending that individual to to study the word of God. Further, there has to be a love for God's word and there has to be a love for people.

A love for the sheep. A desire to serve the church and to care for her if you love the Bible and theology, but you don't love people. Pastoral ministry is can a workout because it's people work it's it's serving people. It's having conversations about the word it's exhorting. It's comforting it's it's people work and so so if it is something that I think you should pray about. I would say that if if an individual does feel called to the ministry that they should do everything that they can to study to show themselves approved to to grow in their understanding of God's word of theology of church history you we often times I think in some circles will minimize the importance of studying theology going to seminary your mom. I pastored and go to seminary was just trained by the Holy Spirit that kind of a thing.

Well, yet the Holy Spirit can use means and often times does in fact ordinarily does to train us up to prepare us for things like holy ministry and there's there's really up to me when I think about them in this.

There's nothing more important than making sure that were getting the word of God right as pastors and that were in churches where the word of God is taken seriously and you want they want somebody to put be preaching the word of God to you who has studied it, who can talk about the historical background was studied Greek and Hebrew.

I know that of the seven point where that's a tall order but were talking about God's holy word here and and pastors are called to minister to the souls of people to shepherd them and too often I think when when people don't take this seriously. A lot of damage can be done. And so I would say something for for young men to prayerfully consider but if if it does seem like there's a call and that call is being affirmed by the church, yes, go to seminary and study and continue to grow in the grace and the knowledge of Christ, so that you can be well-equipped to shepherd the flock to feed the flock and so I think that's really really important. Yeah and so do you know it and out with regard to your second question, there has the church failed in raising up men for the ministry boy coming churches.

We believe we got our work cut out for us and in II do think that yeah probably in in in some instances, certainly oftentimes you want one critique that I often hear of churches today is that men just are not drawn to them that we we we couldn't were not focusing on the needs the struggles the concerns that men growing up in our in our society have been so I think I think that there is something to that. We know that it's the job of the church to pass the baton down to continue to to raise up new leaders. Paul told Timothy in second Timothy chapter 2.

You then. My child be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also. And so if the church has faithful men, who are serving and doing well in the church but they're not entrusting the deposit of faith to them. They're not being proactive about passing it along about raising up new leaders about discipleship will then we are dropping the ball and were not preparing for what's coming next.

For the next generation so it's really important for us as churches to treasure the gospel sound doctrine and then to pass that along pass that down, raising up new leaders new elders new pastors to pass along not just to to the men but to the women to everyone in the church and that's how we rightly treasure it and so again thank you for your question. God bless and if you're considering ministry. May the Lord bless you and give you wisdom and guidance love hearing from young people like Dakota or maybe he is so sensing a call to the ministry in Dakota as the admiral said that call involves two parts that inner calm and that confirmation from the body of Christ. So we would encourage you to talk your church elders if you're feeling that that call. This is core Christianity with Pastor Israel Sanchez, we do receive emails here on a regular basis, and if you have a question about the Bible of the Christian faith, even if maybe you have doubts about Christianity would love to hear from you. Here's our email address its questions at core, Christianity.com there's one from Christie.

She says I've been bothered by the doctrine of Original Sin lately, especially when I think of children or infants.

A lot of it doesn't seem fair.

Can you explain what I'm missing about this teaching, yeah okay so what is the doctrine of Original Sin to begin with. It's this idea that in Adam all of us fell.

We sinned in Adam. Adam was the representative of humanity. Bear in the garden and when he chose to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil humanity.

In him fell and and I think this is something that's that's made clear in places like Romans chapter 5 verse 12 therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted. Where there is no law. Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, so even before the law was given, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come in Adam all died part of the reason I think we have a hard time with is a might just be you know the sort of Western individualism that many of us cherish and it is just so this is that the waters that we swim and so the idea of being represented by someone else. So I'm standalone right like it's it's it's me. We have a hard time with is this just this what the Bible teaches and in the same way that Adam was the representative head of humanity, and that we fell in him. Similarly, in and through Christ we receive the righteousness of God by faith. Salvation. So aid cuts both ways and that's exactly what Paul wasn't going to say there. In Romans chapter 5 now with regard to Original Sin. More and more specifically, what is it that we inherit what we inherit the guilt of Adam's first sin, the corruption of our whole nature that the actual sins that we do flowing from that. So is this guilt and this corruption and will born in sin. As David said in the Psalms because of that, and so the question is well is that is that fair is that you know what's it will be at the think that's what you're getting at unite. I feel like that's not I feel like that's not fair, but the reality is, is humanity through Adam is in covenant with God.

We sometimes referred to this as a kind of covenant of works. What we fell in Adam because of sin, and we continue down that path outside and apart from Christ, we continue down that path we choose to do those things which are not pleasing to God.

The hope is that the new Adam came right that the last Adam and and again you get that language in Romans five you see it also in first Corinthians chapter 15 that Jesus came to restore that which which Adam had had broken down. If you will, and that in Christ we are given eternal life, that the image of God which which is been marred through sin is restored in us through Jesus Christ by faith alone. This is not it's not on the basis of our works. It's not it's not you know it it's not getting what we deserve action as its grace. We deserve death as Paul says the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

And so we want to take and if I've said this time and time again we want to take sin seriously because only when we take sin seriously and and that includes Original Sin seriously can we really understand the depths of the mercy and grace of God in forgiving us in washing away our sins and uniting us to Jesus by faith.

And so with them that's that's what we what we have to do we have to focus on the, the, the reality of the gospel to the extent of God's grace for us even though we were captive to sin. And so God bless you and may may the Lord give you a sense of his great mercy in your life in our lives of his great forgiveness even though we were falling in Adam and had to continue down that path he sent Christ the last Adam to bring us home to him and to lift us up to everlasting life. What a great mercy and grace. This is core Christianity with Pastor Israel Sanchez were to receive voicemails here and this is one from one of our listeners named Viola chapter 8 through 17/today we know need to have someone right hand on us to receive the Holy Spirit. Thank you. Yes, I hear acts chapter 8 verse 14 when the apostles true. Some heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John so people Samaria, the Samaritans received the word of God apostle sent Peter and John were sifting who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, for he had not yet fallen on any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of Lord Jesus, and they laid hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit. Okay so the question is right like do I need to have a pastor lay hands on me to receive the Holy Spirit. And if he doesn't, you know I my that my not filled with the Holy Spirit, we receive the Holy Spirit by faith in Jesus Christ, and one who believes is baptized in the Holy Spirit is the first thing that I would say what you have here in acts chapter 8 is this unique event, in part because the gospel is spreading to the Samaritans right from Jerusalem, Judea. The uttermost parts of the earth as the gospel in the word of God goes out.

God is showing all the people the apostles that the Gentiles the non-Jews the Samaritans receive the spirit of God just like just like we did and that's that that's what the disciples say at one point why to highlight the fact that there's is been this great change. This great shift in the history of redemption and so God is demonstrating this very visible way to the laying on of hands of the apostles on the Samaritans that he's accepted them that he's welcome them into the family that there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, but that will one in Jesus Christ and God wanted them to understand that so clearly and that's what you have, what you do there in acts chapter 8 and so God bless you and I thank you for that question, Viola may you have a wonderful day. 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 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